Vampires at Sea by Lindsay Merbaum is a seductive swirl of horror, humor, and heartbreak set aboard one of the queerest (and weirdest)cruise ships you’ll ever encounter.

What makes Vampires at Sea stand out is its unapologetic camp, its gleeful eroticism, and the bold emotional complexity hiding beneath the smut and snark. This isn’t your average vampire tale, it’s more like Interview with the Vampire meets White Lotus with a liberal dose of glitter, angst, and queer liberation.

The Plot :
Immortal lovers Rebekah and Hugh, vampires who feed on emotions rather than blood, board a Black Sea queer cruise with a shared goal: indulge, unwind, and consume others’ longing. Rebekah is bold, hungry, and complex; Hugh is poetic and aloof. But their plans get derailed when Hugh becomes obsessed with a mysterious nonbinary influencer named Heaven, whose charm might be more than just digital charisma. As Hugh drifts, Rebekah spirals—and blossoms. What begins as a sultry vacation quickly turns into a voyage of ego, jealousy, and revelation.

What I loved:
* Rebekah is the kind of messy, magnetic protagonist you don’t always like,but you can't stop reading about. Her evolution is the novel’s true arc. Watching her untangle love, identity, and power was deeply satisfying.
* Heaven is a standout. Their presence is disruptive in the best way, challenging both characters and readers to question where obsession ends and self-erasure begins.
* The setting: a cruise ship full of indulgence and queerness, feels like a pressure cooker. It’s playful but also claustrophobic, forcing the characters to face themselves.
* The writing is sharp, sensual, and brimming with campy flair. It flirts with absurdity but never loses emotional depth.
*
What didn’t quite work:
The first few chapters were a slow swim. The tone is so irreverent and stylized that it took me time to find the emotional current underneath the glitter. Some readers might find the pacing a bit uneven, especially before Heaven's entrance. Also, the cruise setting, while clever, can feel a touch repetitive at times.

It’s a queer, fun time. Honestly was fast paced and kept my interest, interesting dynamic between the three main characters.

Vampires at sea by Lindsay Merbaum was funny, sexy and moving.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
queer horror comedy - novella

This novella follows a rather unusual vampire couple: Rebekah is seductive, wanton and has a lot of bite, while Hugh is a quiet, artistic and very sensual force.

⚓️ These lovers go on vacation on a cruise ship, organized for queer people. Their objective? To relax, indulge in orgies and feed off the passengers.

⚓️ Everything changes when they meet Heaven: a non-binary influencer with enchanting charm, but also an unidentified supernatural creature. Hugh becomes fascinated, Rebekah quickly feels abandoned. Far from moping, she tries to win him back, to console herself, to take revenge... all stratagems that lead her to question herself and the life she has led up to now.

⚓️ The beginning of this text took a while to get me on board. I didn't understand where the author was taking us, as I had plunged in without rereading the summary. The only thing I knew was that I was still obsessed with vampires and that the dedication had made me smile. I had a bit of trouble with the direct, sharp writing style. I wasn't too keen on the characters, and the setting was a bit repetitive.

⚓️ In retrospect, it seems that this routine was done on purpose to cut the story short with the arrival of Heaven, who turns the whole dynamic of this vampiric couple upside down. After her appearance, I found it hard to put the book down. The pages went by, and so did the drama and laughter.

⚓️ Hugh was an interesting character, but the real stars of the show for me are Rebekah and Heaven. These two characters have a fascinating relationship that regularly oscillates between hatred and burning desire. It was delicious to follow their passive-aggressive discussions that followed dangerous and tense sexual encounters. They know what they're worth and aren't afraid to assert themselves.

⚓️ The context of the cruise was very original and fun. I found it perfectly suited to the evolution of the characters. The boat starts from point A and the whole process up to point B fundamentally changes who they all are. Rebekah's evolution blew me away. She embraces her vampiric nature, her freedom (with a kind of sadness). She chooses herself because she refuses to be extinguished by love for someone who has abandoned her. Her rejection of her previous life, too quotidian and flat yet comfortable, is brilliant. The fact that she travels when she could have done so many times before as a vampire awakens her from a long sleep.

⚓️ There's a very camp, rocambolical aspect to it, but it's still very moving and satisfying to witness this emancipation. Decentering men (even vampires) is a nice revenge. That's what I liked best about this story.

In short, it was a real surprise for me. It took me a while to appreciate what I was reading, but when the action finally starts, it's impossible to tear yourself away. It's biting, it's sexy and Rebekah is the vampire of my dreams. I wish I'd read it while I was on vacation by the sea.

Thanks to Creature Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC!

FR VERSION 🇫🇷

Vampires at sea était drôle, sexy et émouvant.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
queer horror comedy - novella

Cette nouvelle suit un couple de vampires un peu particulier : Rebekah est séductrice, dévergondée, a beaucoup de mordant, tandis que Hugh est une force tranquille, artiste, très sensuel.

⚓️ Ces amoureux partent en vacances sur un bateau de croisière, organisé pour les personnes queer. Leur objectif ? Se détendre, s’adonner à des orgies et se nourrir des passagers.

⚓️ Tout bascule lorsqu’ils font la rencontre de Heaven : un.e influenceur.se non-binaire au charme enchanteur mais aussi une créature surnaturelle non identifiée. Hugh s’en passionne, Rebekah se sent rapidement abandonnée. Loin de se morfondre, elle tentera de le reconquérir, de se consoler, de se venger…autant de stratagèmes qui l’amèneront à se questionner sur elle-même et la vie qu’elle a mené jusqu’ici.

⚓️ Le début de ce texte a pris du temps à m’embarquer. Je ne comprenais pas où l’auteur.ice nous emmenait puisque je m’y étais plongée sans relire le résumé. La seule chose que je savais c’est que j’étais toujours autant obsédée par les vampires et que la dédicace m’avait fait sourire. J’avais un peu de mal avec la plume directe, tranchante. Les personnages ne m’emballaient pas plus que ça, le contexte était un peu répétitif.

⚓️ Avec du recul, il semblerait que cette routine soit faite exprès afin de couper net avec l’arrivée de Heaven qui chamboule toute la dynamique de ce couple vampirique. Après son apparition, j’ai eu du mal à poser mon livre. Les pages s’enchaînent, les drames et les rires aussi.

⚓️ Hugh était un personnage interessant mais les vraies stars du show restent Rebekah et Heaven à mes yeux. Ces deux personnages entretiennent une relation passionnante qui oscille régulièrement entre une haine et un désir brûlant. C’était délicieux de suivre leurs discussions passives agressives qui suivaient des relations sexuelles dangereuses et tendues. Iels savent ce qu’elles valent et n’ont pas peur de s’imposer.

⚓️ Le contexte de la croisière était très original, fun. Je trouve qu’il épouse parfaitement l’évolution des personnages. Le bateau part d’un point A et tout le processus jusqu’au point B modifie fondamentalement qui ils sont tous. L’évolution de Rebekah m’a bluffée. Elle épouse sa nature vampirique, sa liberté (avec une forme de tristesse). Elle se choisit elle-même car elle refuse de s’éteindre par amour pour quelqu’un qui l’a abandonnée. Son rejet de sa vie d’avant, trop quotidienne et plate bien que confortable, est génial. Le fait de voyager alors qu’elle aurait pu le faire tant de fois avant avec sa condition de vampire la réveille d’un long sommeil.

⚓️ Il y a un aspect très rocambolesque, très camp, il n’en reste que c’est très émouvant et satisfaisant d’assister à cette émancipation. Décentrer les hommes (même vampire) est une belle revanche. C’est ce que j’ai préféré dans cette nouvelle.

En résumé, ça a été une vraie surprise pour moi. J’ai pris du temps à apprécier ce que je lisais mais lorsque l’action commence enfin, il est impossible de s’en détacher. C’est mordant, c’est sexy et Rebekah est la vampire de mes rêves. Je regrette de ne pas l’avoir lu pendant mes vacances, au bord de la mer.

merci à Creature Publishing et Netgalley pour le SP !

I was initially drawn to Vampires at Sea by Lindsay Merbaum due to its unique concept and atmospheric setting. It definitely stood out for me.

And yet, I found myself unable to connect with the story and characters in the way I had hoped, and I made the decision to DNF it. This may be more a case of personal taste than a reflection on the book itself.

I’m grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

a fun sexy romp novella that was well suited to a cover to cover read. rebekah is a manifestation of most 20 somethings fears despite being a vampire who has been around for who-knows-long. i enjoyed this a lot and can’t wait to see what else lindsay writes!

Vampires At Sea was everything it promised it would be; a quick tale of narcissistic emotional vampires with relationship issues. Every character is detestable and the ending really worked with that in mind. This book is a vibe.

This was fine! I love the cover, it's absolutely gorgeous. The book wasn't what I was expecting even after reading the synopsis but I still liked it very much.

This book was very weird , very queer, but unfortunately totally missed the mark for me personally. It’s like a quick little read which was ideal for me. I found it kinda felt like a gay little fever dream with very narcissistic characters that I really wanted to end. The book is not badly written by any means it just was not for me.

Thankyou Netgalley for this eArc.

This was a short novella that was fast paced, horny (for both people and life) and included vampires.

THere was no blood sucking involved so if thats the kind of vampires you love then think about that going in! These are my fave vampires - ENERGY. Horny, Sad, you name it they will suck it up. It was a pleasant surprise as well.

It was an interesting tale of a couple who embark on a queer cruise over the black see and how one person can change everything you think. It had just the right amount of fun, thoughtfullness and spice for the book and I will be looking and Lindsay's other books now as i enjoyed this so much.

4

This was such a really good slay book with sapphic horror notes also the writing.....perfection

the way my excitement about getting a netgalley ARC died faster than I learnt characters' names.

this has to be one of the most atrocious "writing styles" I've seen this year — it's as if a 12yo wattpad ficwriter discovered flow of consciousness genre and took out their glittery pink diary from first grade and added a bunch of sex-related words in it to look mature. I wish I could say that at least smut was worth it but the only railing done is the way this fucked my brain while I was attempting to keep reading it in hopes it would get better.

I'm gonna go touch grass now.

How is the story about vampires yawn inducing? This was not a horror. This barely included vampires and their lore. If I wanted to read about toxic straight couples, I would read regular romance. The surrounding story of war didn’t feel complete. It felt like an afterthought to try to give the story some sort of depth or context. The sex felt meh and I could not find myself invested in any part of the relationship shown. Honestly, the story was vulgar for the sake of being vulgar. The vulgarity didn’t add to the story or to the character development in my opinion. At least it was short.

What We Do In The Shadows meets Only Lovers Left Alive. Short and fantastic read, loved the narrator and over-the-top musings, the exploration of relationship dynamics and was so curious what Rebekah will do in the end!

Read if you like sexy vampires, mythical intrigue, and a more than healthy dose of debauchery.

This was fast and fun and engaging. Vampire lovers Rebekah and Hugh are on a cruise and meet Heaven, who is…something else. Not human and not good, but very beguiling. Chaos ensues.

Rebekah was hilarious, and I loved seeing things from her point of view. The other characters (Hugh, Heaven) were also very interesting to read about, though compulsively dislikable.

The plot was short but compelling, and as believable as you can get regarding mythical beings on a queer cruise. The ending did not disappoint. This is such a quick read I don’t know how much I can say without giving it all away! I think a novella was the right length, and it was perfectly executed.

Thank you to Lindsay Merbaum, Creature Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC!

I admit that I got into this book because of its title and cover; it was giving me all the vibes I was looking for.

In Vampires at Sea , Lindsay Merbaum invites us to board the cruise ship Zorya for fourteen nights on a ‘queer Black Sea cruise’. As we follow Hugh—“Hugh’s name is Hugo, but Rebekah (our narrator) decides at some point to call him Hugh, after Anaïs Nin’s better-known husband”—and his partner of hundreds of years, “thousands of dawns, a hundred thousand miseries, and tests and feuds.” They turn out to be a pair of vampires. If I am truly honest, I was expecting more from this novella.

The premise itself seemed very fun, and for the most part, Vampires at Sea was just that: fun with a bit of smut. A lot of it just didn’t feel convincing enough to me; for instance, Hugh is supposed to be this irresistibly attractive force, but I got nothing to show for it. Similarly, I couldn’t see what the attraction to Heaven was either.

Rebekah tells us that we are on this cruise because some recently forged memories are a little too fresh in their minds. These ‘forged memories’ relate to a bad incident when a lover was brought into their relationship, upsetting their harmonious living. Little do they know that the same is about to happen when they meet Heaven, as Hugh falls head over heels for Heaven, disrupting yet again the love that lasted thousands of dawns. The question is: will they/their relationship survive it all again?

Merbaum has a gift for writing the most hilarious sentences, i.e., “sputtering fireworks go off like a spectacular fart, crackling then falling away into the sea, as if to underline their own pointlessness.” The smut, however, could have been a bit sexier, but as Rebekah describes it, it feels like she has just seen it all, and it just bores her to tears.

I was expecting more horror, more queerness, and more psychological discussions on the complexities of polyamorous relationships, particularly after being given that nudge to Anaïs Nin (Nin is an author known for exploring intricate relationships). Disappointingly, what came after was more like “a whiff of blood and anorexia.” I mean, Rebekah does talk about everything that she was feeling—the good, the bad, and the ugly—and it could have been taken further if those discussions had been opened up beyond Rebekah’s clearly jealous, unreliable mind.

Rebekah and Hugh come across as shallow vampires at their last dawn, and the supporting characters are just too thin. The same goes for the narrative. I wish Merbaum could have taken more time developing the backstory/the world-building. For instance, we are told about ‘the war,’ which seems to have a huge impact on everyone, but it is just brushed aside and not really explained. Alas, it all ends too quickly.

Ultimately, Vampires at Sea fell short of being a fully realised exploration of its intriguing concepts. I feel it would have been much stronger if Merbaum could have brought herself to finish it as a fully fledged novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for the ARC.

For a book that's basically about sex... it was surprisingly not sexy. Maybe it didn't help that the orgies were described as boring or that I don't like smut when I'm not invested in a pairing. But the dynamics between the people and the story was quite fun. It kept the book interesting.

Thank you NetGalley and Creature Publishing for giving me access to an e-arc for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Wickedly weird in the best way, Vampires at Sea is a chaotic cruise of lust, blood, and biting wit. Rebekah and Hugh are the messy, narcissistic immortals you’ll love to hate—and maybe even root for. Smutty, savage, and stylish, this novella is a horror-comedy fever dream you won’t forget.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
#VampiresAtSea #CreaturePublishing #NetGalley

Rebeka and Hugh, two Old Hollywood-style vampires, board a writhing sex-party cruise and find a third in the form of the world’s most annoying influencer. Their name is Heaven. They most definitely aren’t. They are, at best, an amalgamation of the Kardashians. Rebeka spends most of the time seething over the fact she suspects Hugh likes Heaven more than her. Maybe she isn’t cut out for polyamory? The writing: languidly poetic. The vibe: Gatsbyesque ennui. The cruise: I would ask for a refund. Hugh: Not as big a catch as everyone thinks he is.
good for fans of bad for fans of
Only Lovers Left Alive definable plot
If Tumblr ran a cruise
Menage-à-plusieurs
Stream-of-consciousness hedonism
Immortals wearing rubber wristbands

This book took me in so many directions I love getting to following along. The characters were interesting and outlandish in the best way they are insufferable and you are obsessed with them, the writing style is funny and witty. It was a short and sweet book that kept me entertained and amused. A specific audience will love this book and I am one of them hence why I requested it.

I loved the ending, it drew the story together in a satisfying way. Overall this story reminded me of WWDITS you can see how the author drew inspiration from the show, really fun and queer read.

Sadly, the best thing about this book was how short it was.

The premise, vampires on a fun, queer cruise in the Black Sea, sounded incredible but sadly this book was neither fun and engaging nor sexy and romantic as it desperately tried to be. I felt absolutely no emotions whatsoever, Rebekah’s focus on sex was more annoying than sexy and exciting, the rivalry (if you can call it that) with Heaven felt completely baseless and Hugh was just there.

Also, this book includes what has to be the most disappointing orgy in literature.