A vampire couple board a queer cruise and fall in love with the same person? Sign me up. I had high hopes but sadly this didn’t work out for me. Homophobic language was used, which surprised me. I found the characters one dimensional and dislikable and I actually thought the queer representation was pretty negative.

There was a moment about halfway through when Rebekah starts questioning Heaven’s identity that I thought things were going to get interesting, but then it didn’t. The plot relied on a combination of barely sketched out orgies and narcissism. Really, not a lot happens and the characters are so surface level that it was hard for me to care about the outcome either way. It felt like the outline of a story rather than the finished thing.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc.

I loved loved loved this book!
It was short and snappy, our FMC Rebekah and our MMC Hugh are off on a relaxing vacation (ignoring the war going on around them) and have a lovely time engaging in orgys and a cheeky feast on other passengers.
The writing was easy to read and very clever. Rebekah was hilarious and I wish we had more FMCs like her around.
This is a fun book and I was cackling all the way through. I just wish Hugh was as developed as Rebekah but also… I kinda love a dominating FMC.
Also epic queer reps!
I hope we see more from this author!

Unfortunately the writing style just wasn’t for me… I was quite excited by the premise but I couldn’t get past sentences like; “some drinks aboard were free, others were not.” Which is just one example of the structure not working. Even the few spicy scenes I read were short and didn’t seem to be fully developed. Thank you for the opportunity to read.

This book was truly something else. I went into it with super high expectations, after all, a story about vampires on a cruise sounds like a lot of fun. But unfortunately, those expectations weren’t met. The plot was chaotic, featuring some sex-addicted vampires, and large parts of the story just didn’t make much sense to me.

I can definitely see why this might be a favourite for some readers, but sadly, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Thank you @netgalley and @creaturepublishing for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review. 🫶🏻

Camp, bizarre, unique and enjoyable. I definitely don't regret reading this book, though I definitely underestimated how much sexual content there would be. This would probably work better as a full-length book, rather than a novella.

I wanted to love this so badly - especially with a premise such as this which is so unique and a gorgeous cover. I appreciate the queer representation. It was extremely chaotic and messy that made it difficult to follow along. I did not connect with the characters.

I really wanted to like this book, but sadly, I did not. I went into it with high expectations and was left disappointed. The book as a whole felt underdeveloped - the plot was not strong, and unfortunately, the characters weren't strong enough either to at least hold the story afloat. It's just a no for me.
Thank you NetGalley, Creature Publishing, and Lindsay Merbaum for this read.

Vampires at Sea had such a bold, intriguing premise, and I was excited to dive into something that promised to be different. I really appreciate the queer representation and the fact that this book wasn’t afraid to take risks. But for me, it didn’t quite land.

The story felt chaotic in a way that made it hard to follow, and instead of feeling exciting or unpredictable, it often felt disjointed. I wanted to connect more with the characters, but everything was moving so fast (and in so many directions) that I never really got the chance.

That said, I do think there’s an audience for this kind of wild, genre bending ride- it just wasn’t the kind of reading experience I personally enjoy. Unique for sure, but ultimately not for me.

Vampires at Sea is the perfect summer beach read for someone who'd rather not be out in direct sunlight. The queer inclusion was delightfully casual, perfectly visible but not the center of the story, and I really enjoyed the take on "emotional vampires". It was a nice change of pace from other recent vampire stories I've read.

Thank-you to NetGalley for the eARC of ‘Vampires at sea’ in exchange for an honest review.
‘Vampires at Sea’ is a story that follows vampires Rebekah and Hugh, a married couple that have been together as long as they can remember. They are in need of a vacation and have decided on a queer cruise. While on vacation they meet Heaven, who has a secret and is disrupting Rebekah’s plan for a fun holiday.

The ideas and premise are fun and exciting but the execution was lacking. The vampiric lore was similar to the concept of energy vampires in ‘What we do in the shadows’. Rather than consuming blood they consume emotions/energy from humans and have a particular flavour they feed on. Unlike WWDITS, it was missing the quick wit and hilarious but meaningful character interactions.

I enjoyed the gender neutrality and fluidity of sexuality in the novel. This felt refreshing and exciting. Where I struggled was the fact that there was limited character development and growth. I didn’t connect with Rebekah or any of the characters in the story. The main point of view is Rebekah who is obsessed with herself and sex. Her internal monologue feels frantic and chaotic and is highly repetitive. The author kept teasing a back story and history to her character but it led to a dead end, which left me feeling unsatisfied. Rebekah is jealous, contradictory, narcissistic and possessive and lacked emotion other than lust and jealousy. This made her mostly unlikeable as the humour didn’t make up for her vapid personality. Hugh, her partner, is described as her love and twin but this was never apparent and he is an extremely boring character.

Unfortunately, this novella wasn’t for me.

“Vampires at Sea” follows two energy vampires as they take a queer cruise to try and break from the monotony of their lives. Although we largely follow our narrator, Rebekah, who is potentially the meanest and most narcissistic character I’ve ever read. “Their eyes light up at the sight of me because I’m hot as fuck.”
She’s peak unreliable narrator. To the point I still read through some lines like and wonder if it is true and the seemingly impossible work of vampiric powers, or her own overblown ego making it up.

The action largely follows her sexcapades aboard, although things take a turn when they meet Heaven, who provides more than the unicorn they bargained for.

I enjoyed parts of this book, Rebekah is a terrible person and there’s a few funny moments from her highly skewed view of things. The descriptions are often short and punchy. And the language used is very colloquial and easy to read, and I think you could easily read this book within a day.

But I felt as though the plot was quite thin, and resolved very quickly, before being thrown onto a cliffhanger that only seemed alluded to from a line in the penultimate chapter. (Although I may have missed a dropped promise earlier in the book, as I read this quite slowly.) Even the nondescript “war” that threatens the cruise is never elaborated on.

Overall it’s an easy read, with an interesting and unique narrator (even if one I love to hate!) But it did leave me with a sense of wanting more, but not from a desire to have a second helping. (Unlike Rebekah.)

Really liked this one. I probably needed a palate cleanser and this was exactly it for me, I read it in an afternoon. I wouldn’t know how to classify it and I wasn’t even particularly interested in the plot of the novel. What really drew me in was the voice of the narrator: she was mean, she was nasty and I loved every second of it. This is how I want my vampire novels, this is how I want my gross female main characters to be like.

Were some parts of it slightly underdeveloped? Yes
Were some of the secondary character slightly one-dimensional? Sure
Do I care? Nah. Give me more Rebekah.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun and undeniably unique read, though not without its flaws. Vampires at Sea follows two posh, soulmate vampires on a queer Black Sea cruise, where things take a turn when one falls under the spell of someone new. The premise is delightfully weird, and the tone shifts between emotional sincerity and over-the-top camp in a way that mostly works. Some parts had me laughing out loud; others felt like they were reaching for depth that didn’t quite land. The ending came abruptly and leaned hard into a cliffhanger—frustrating if you’re looking for a more complete story. Still, it’s a fresh take on vampire lore, and worth a try if you’re in the mood for something offbeat and theatrical.

Thanks to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for the free ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This was a fun little read but there seemed to be less vampire action than I was anticipating and just constant cruise sexcapades. I felt sympathetic to Rebekah's character. I'm not sure I really understood the ending.

"We're on vacation!" is used both enthusiastically and, eventually, as a curse.

Vampires At Sea seems like its almost written as a journal. There's some fourth wall breaks and set in the present.

Two enegery vampires go on a cruise out of boredom and encounter a being that entrances them both. Yet one of them, Rebekah, isn't fully fooled by their facade.

This is a sex heavy pride cruise where it seems everything goes, including crime.

The premise seems fun but I felt it was a little half baked. Nothing is really ever explained and things are left very vague like the "war". The ending just happens so fast I got whiplash.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I will always share my honest opinion.

I'm a sucker for a good Vampire Book, be it set in modern day or in the past there's something that intrigues me about vampires that I find really compulsive to read. However this book just didn't hit the mark unfortunately. The premise definitely had promise, vampires on a cruise ship where the passenger's have no where to run, instantly giving me a modern day Last Voyage of the dementor vibe. I found the main character Rebekah highly annoying and her narcissism really just infuriated me. For such a short book I didn't really feel like it packed a punch when there was so much opportunity to do this with the setting and situation. I found the premise confusing at times and didn't connect with any of the characters. Not one one for me but would be someone else's cup of tea.

I’m all for vampires especially horny ones and thought this would be right up my alley as it’s both that and queer. Except I DNF at 20%. The writing and the characters just weren’t it for me.

Thank you for the ARC in return for my honest review!

Thank you to the publishers, the author and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.

Actual rating : 3,75

I had high expectations for this erotic horror tale and while it delivered an atmosphere full of lust and obsession and an intriguing magic system, it fell short on the characters. I enjoyed reading about their flaws and hunger but especially Hugh didn't feel like a real person. I better understood Rebekah who is a very fun and compelling character to follow.

Overall the vibes were delicious and I would recommend it.

Although certainly a premise that I found exciting, the execution of the story rather let me down. The prose was clunky, and made it seem as though the immortal narrator was honestly juvenile. The world building was nonexistent, with vague mentions to tragedy and war and creatures existing (and feeding, of course). The plot was also fairly lackluster. Every aspect just felt entirely surface level. All that said, it was a remarkably quick read, so in some way, despite the flaws, it was certainly still engaging.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had such high hopes for this one but I guess I am a more traditional vampire kind of person and wanted this to feel more like horror. An emotional vampire seems like a cool idea but they don't necessary have to have physical touch to feed just need to be nearby from my understanding but they do enjoy intercourse with strangers and that is definitely vamp behavior. There were a lot of things that were unclear such as the war they kept discussing and the ending also didn't give enough but it was a short read and a little entertaining. Hopefully others will enjoy this one more.

Rebekah and Hugh are going on the Black Sea Cruise to relax, join an orgy, and feast upon their fellow passengers’ desires and sorrows. Then they meet Heaven who isn't quite what they seems. Heaven isn't human but Rebekah can quite figure out what they are while figuring out her relationship, herself and her future.