Thank you NetGalley and Quirk Books for providing this digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Tiffenie Ruba is a vampire living in LA, working nights at a blood bank and talking to her ex more than would normally be considered healthy. She spends her free time watching Hallmark movies, ordering junk off the internet, and drinking from her neighbor. Her life gets turned upside down when, over the course of one night, she inherits a bed and breakfast in Vermont, she almost kills her neighbor, turns said neighbor into a vampire, and starts a cross-country road trip to take over the life of the woman whose identity she bought years ago. Over the next couple months, she juggles a new vampire, a dilapidated inn, a budding romance, a pushy ex-boyfriend, and being a vampire in a small town.

The premise of this novel is charming, unique, and promising. It sets expectations for a cute rom-com to bridge the gap between Halloween and Christmas. I was drawn to this novel because of its paranormal protagonist, irreverence, and combination of spookiness and holiday sentimentality. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel that the novel delivered on characterization, plot pacing, or striking the balance between comedy and sentimentality.

The timing and pacing of the plot was confusing. This may be due to some editing errors which won’t be present in the final version. It was difficult to track when events occurred and how much time had passed. For example, near the end of the novel, Tiffenie says she has been in Valentine for a month, but at that point it is January 6th, and we know for sure that she was in Valentine well before Thanksgiving. This happens a number of other times throughout the novel. Additionally, references to sunset and when it is dark out get confusing. Tiffenie bemoans the early closures of stores in the town – that many of them close at 6 – but in the winter in Vermont sunset happens at like 4:30 pm, so this shouldn’t pose too much of an issue! She seems resistant to schedule anything earlier than 8 pm for fear of the sun’s rays, but the sun should have set hours earlier. This may be a plot device to force activities into the nighttime, but it was distracting and frustrating for me.

The characters were not well-developed and generally lacked chemistry. Many of the relationships were founded on interactions that didn’t feel realistic. Tiffenie is flippant, overly dramatic, and presents an unending internal monologue of quips, pop-culture references, and fatalisms. The reader doesn’t get to know Vlad or Tyrone very well at all. The lack of history provided for Vlad is particularly frustrating since he is introduced very early in the novel and since he and Tiffenie have a relationship history going back 300 years. Additionally, the love triangle between Tiffenie, Vlad, and Tyrone is confusing and not convincing since Tiffenie seems resistant to Vlad from the beginning of the novel and since she seems to know next to nothing about Tyrone. The only indication that Tiffenie and Tyrone would be a good fit in a relationship is the stated attraction they have for each other, but the reader isn’t provided any explanation for how that chemistry develops or whether there is anything other than superficial lust behind it.

I had thought that I would like the quippishness of the novel, but it quickly became repetitive and annoying. The dialogue felt cheesy and the sexual innuendos were overdone. The NSFW-ness of the novel felt unnecessary and overamplified. I would have preferred fewer open-door scenes, which I found off-putting, in favor of better character and relationship development. Other readers may find the humor more charming or appealing than I did, and may appreciate the adult content more.

There were some aspects of the novel which I enjoyed. The naming of the chapters was cute. The interactions between Tiffenie and her therapist are humorous. There was a pleasant HEA (despite my confusion at the flow of events at the end of the novel). I truly did appreciate the unique premise, although I would have preferred for more time to be spent on explaining the premise. I liked the intrigue associated with Tiffenie’s assumed identity (what happened with Jeff?), although the reveal was a little anti-climactic.

I am not a standard romance reader, and I think that colored my enjoyment of the novel. I generally prefer books that are first and foremost another genre (i.e., fantasy or science-fiction) that have some romance. This novel was a romance first with paranormal aspects. Tiffenie’s vampirism was central, but was primarily a plot device to restrict her waking hours and food preferences. A reader who enjoys traditional romance tropes may enjoy this book more than I did.

An interesting take on a vampire romance. Loved the hallmark references, some of the plot fell flat but on the whole it was a lighthearted romcom.

Terrible! Bad plot, bad characters, bad writing. Was this a first draft??? That has to be the only explanation. Fantastic cover though, that’s the only thing I’ll praise.

Thank you to Netgalley, Quirk Books and author Sam Tschida for providing me with the eARC of “Undead and Unwed”, in exchange for my honest review!
Publication date: October 28th, 2025
Reviewed on Goodreads: July 14th, 2025

3.5 stars. This was a fun, lighthearted paranormal rom-com.
Think Christmas movie- but add vampires.

Great if you love:
- Paranormal romance
- Second chance romance
- Found family/friendship
- Self-discovery
- Small town trope

Tiffanie is a vampire. Sort of. She had been around for hundreds of years, but still can’t accept the vampire lifestyle she is expected to live. She relies on blood alternatives and refuses to kill.
Until she does kill, on accident.
A mistake drives Tiffanie out of LA to a small town in Vermont, where she has recently inherited a run-down inn. She hopes to restore it, restart her life and live the way she has been trying to for hundreds of years.
What she doesn’t expect? To run into a local Christmas tree farmer, and to develop an instant attraction to him.
What she also doesn’t expect? Her vampire ex, Vlad, to show up to the inn and try to win her affections.

First of all, I have to say, I am very happy with the way this story turned out.
I spent the entire time rooting for one of the love interests- and I truly was not expecting him to be the one in the end. I was ready to be let down. Alas! I was not disappointed.
Nice one, Tiffanie.
You make me proud.

I quite enjoyed the comedic aspect of the story.
It is funny how casual the characters are, despite such unusual circumstances, and weird happenings.
I thought it was strange at first, but eventually I came to realize it was intentional (I think). That made it a lot better.

I liked most of the main characters.
I think they each have unique personalities, are funny, and bring something important to the story.
However, I really wish that we got more of Tiffanie and Vlad’s backstory. More information on their past, more on Tiffanie becoming a vampire, etc.
It felt a bit underdeveloped, and I think I would have enjoyed it more if I got to know more about them.
I also felt that Heaven’s character was a bit too… animated. She was very stereotypical best-friend side character like, with added manic influencer vibes to make it 2025 coded.
This may have been part of the comedic value though, because the story wouldn’t have been as interesting without her.
I just wish she was a bit more realistic.

An enjoyable story overall.
I think a lot of people would enjoy it.
Note: I feel this story leans a bit more to found family/friendship/self-discovery than to romance. There are definitely romantic scenes, elements and love interests- but it is not super intensely romantic.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC and for giving me the opportunity to share my honest thoughts on this book.

I'm a big fan of Hallmark-style romcoms, and this one absolutely delivered on the quirky, light-hearted vibe. It had several cringeworthy-but-hilarious moments that genuinely had me laughing out loud. I especially loved the millennial styled pop culture references sprinkled throughout—they made the story feel fun and relatable.

That said, the book could benefit from a bit more editing. I noticed a few typos and one instance where two back-to-back sentences repeated the same idea. While these issues didn’t pull me out of the story completely, they were noticeable enough to mention.
One standout element I really appreciated was the chapter titles and how well they tied into the content of each chapter. It added a unique sense of excitement and fun as I read.

However, I did struggle at times to connect with the FMC’s (female main character's) thought process. She’s portrayed as a strong, self-aware vampire trying to find herself and her happily ever after in the modern world, but some of her actions felt manic or inconsistent with her character development. In particular, the scenes involving the therapist—especially at the beginning and midpoint of the story—didn’t quite fit the narrative and felt out of place.

Overall, this was an enjoyable and entertaining read with a lot of charm and humor.

This was so much fun! I flew through the pages and read it in two sittings. Very lighthearted and entertaining. Loved the MC.

In this book, Tiffenie is a 300 year old vampire living in LA that has accidentally turned her neighbor into a vampire. From the stolen identity that she has been living by, she has inherited a property in small town Vermont, so she decides to run to Vermont to hide her new protege until she can function in public. But in a small town, where everyone knows everyone, lying about her identity to the residents who knew the person that she received her stolen identity from could prove troublesome. And the situation is only more complicated when her ex, her vampire maker, also shows up in town.

I am not normally one to pick a romance book, it's too over saturated of a market. But paranormal/fantasy, especially when it comes to vampires, is definitely right up my alley. There were places where there was a lot of repetition, like the author was trying to fill in space but had no idea what to say... But, also, the ending seemed rushed to the point that things were skipped that needed to be clarified, maybe in an attempt to hurry and have it completed? Overall, though, this book was good for a light, quick read and had just the right amount of wittiness.

There were some cute scenes but ultimately it fell flat for me. The jokes seemed too much at times and the way people were described made me uncomfortable.

A vampire having a moral deliemma with her life, starts over in a new town trying to find her Mr. Right. She starts therapy, as is popular in town, and with Doctor- Patient confidentiality, she is able to talk about her new harm free diet that isn't conducive with her vampirism. The theme of embracing who you are are living your truth is great, but I found the whole story a little choppy. Each new chapter is a trope theme, super cute. A happy but abrupt ending, finding friends and family that accept you.

This is marketed as having What We Do in the Shadows vibes mixed with some classic rom-com vibes too. I definitely get a hint of that, but this leans more Hallmark rom-com than What We Do in the Shadows. I wanted more of that silly humor in this book.

I still had plenty of fun reading this, I just wanted a tad more oomph to it.

Our FMC is a 300-year-old vampire that is kind of down in the dumps and down on her luck. She has little money, does not like her job, and hates her neighbor. But things start to turn around when she buys someone else's identity online and that person has a nice inheritance. So, she gets on the road to obtain her newfound inheritance. She has also complicated things with some other vampires and some romance. And her obsession with Hallmark movies.

This was a fun, quick, and cozy read. (Vaguely Christmas-themed, but not too bad. Being Jewish, I do everything in my power to avoid Christmas-y stuff and this didn't drive me insane - so that's great!)

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Thank you Quirk books and Netgalley for the ARC.
I will start this by saying I’m the biggest romance fan, though I read a lot of them for work, but I am a fan of vampires. From Anne Rice to What we do in the shadows, I always love reading of the challenges of immortality, and finding this book, with its promise of a modern twist on the genre, made me looking forward to read it.
I loved many things: the self-love discourse, the quirky best friend, all of the times when this book took typical romance tropes and destroyed them - the whole premise makes you think you already know the ending but, surprise, it doesn’t go as planned, which in the romance genre area is quite rare. The importance of community was the aspect I found more endearing - Tiffany with a y ends up finding all she ever wanted without even knowing what it was in the first place.
Some aspects of this book were a downturn, though. Some pop culture references were either obscure or outdated, Vlad successfully turns around the vampire mafia boss cliché until he becomes too cheesy for his own good, and the writing flows beautifully until it gets stuck on untimely dialogue.
Ultimately a fun read, a quirky take on modern vampires with a bit too much sugar frosting.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s funny, quirky, and surprisingly heartfelt. Tiffenie, the main character, is a 300-year-old vampire who feels like she’s just coasting through life. She works at a blood bank, spends her nights watching cheesy movies, and avoids anything that might make her deal with her past. When a case of stolen identity lands her with a house in small-town Vermont, she decides to start over. Of course, things get weird fast.

The story is warm and funny, with great pacing and plenty of charm. I especially liked the way it explores themes like burnout, self-worth, and figuring out who you are, even after a few centuries of avoiding it. The mix of humor and emotion really works.

One thing that didn’t land as well for me was the use of TikTok references and other trendy pop culture bits. They felt a little too current and distracted from the story at times. I think the book has enough personality without relying on those, and it might hold up better in the long run with fewer of them.

Overall, a fun and cozy read with a lot of heart. I found myself rooting for Tiffenie all the way through.

In this case it’s the k to judge a book by its cover because both are equally perfect! I could NOT put it down

Really fun, quick read. It's like a hallmark book but with vampires and I liked that!

Cozy and easy to read, would make for a good pallet cleanser I think!

This one was fun. It reminded me of MaryJanicce Davidson's series which has always been one of my favorites. I found it to be funny, a little silly, but a good time!

This book was cute! I read It really fast! It was a cute little hallmark movie but it wasn’t amazing I think It did have potential though

Tiffany (or Tiffenie) is a 300-year-old vampire who's just barely holding it together. She's broke, stuck in a dead-end job at a blood bank, obsessed with Hallmark movies, and tolerates her upbeat, motivational influencer neighbour - Heaven.
Everything changes when Tiffenie receives a legal notice: the woman whose identity she bought on the black market ten years ago has inherited a run-down bed and breakfast in Vermont. But before she can head off to claim it, she accidentally loses control while snacking on Heaven - draining her almost completely. Left with no other choice, she turns Heaven into a vampire, with some questionable guidance from her smoldering ex and maker, Vlad.
Now Tiffenie's on a chaotic, cross-country road trip in a hearse, Heaven unconscious and undead in the back, en route to a crumbling B&B. Once in Vermont, she meets Tyrone, a charming Christmas tree farmer, and tries to live out her very own Hallmark fantasy - with a vampire twist
This book felt like a Hallmark movie in all the best ways: quirky, festive, and romantic with a self-aware, slightly chaotic heroine who likens herself to Bridget Jones and honestly, she's not far off. Set during the holidays, it's a fun and unconventional seasonal read that blends cozy charm with supernatural mayhem.

an adorable little vampire romance full of biting humor and characters to die for. ( Pun fully intended)

A fun quick read with an incredible cast of unique characters. I loved that I couldn’t tell where this book was going, one moment we are embarking on a cross country journey to reach a dilapidated inn and then next it’s a romcom (where I didn’t love the love interest for the FMC). The entire time we are in a world where vampires exist and the world doesn’t know about it and they have their own rules and culture that the FMC blatantly disregards. I enjoyed that the whole point was figuring out who she was and what she wanted for her life, which included a town full of wonderful characters (for some reason Don don’t believe her when she says she’s a vampire), her ex-boyfriend of 300 years, and a crumbling inn that they restore, oh, and her neighbor turned. Vampire turned best friend, who is also a life coach.

Tiffenie, una vampiresa de más de 300 años, lleva una existencia algo caótica en Los Ángeles. Entre trabajos nocturnos mal pagados, compras impulsivas y maquillaje a oscuras , trata de sobrevivir al siglo XXI sin seguir las estrictas reglas de la “Parliament of the Undead”. Todo cambia cuando, por accidente, convierte en vampiresa a Heaven, su vecina humana, influencer de TikTok y coach de vida. Para protegerlas a ambas, Tiffenie huye a Vermont, donde ha heredado un viejo e inservible bed & breakfast de una tía que apenas conocía.

Mientras lidia con el desastre inmobiliario, el caos emocional de Heaven y la persecución de antiguos errores, Tiffenie se enfrenta a una pregunta más profunda: ¿es posible rehacer una vida que ya lleva siglos en ruinas?


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Estuvo entretenido y nada más.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest