The only way I can describe reading this book is that I truly devoured it and it left me bloodthirsty for more. Promoted as one of the most anticipated sapphic reads of the year it did not disappoint, with an enemies to lovers arc aided by forced proximity and shared enemies along the way. Though I typically don't enjoy reading spicy scenes there was something undeniable about the passion between our two main characters that truly had me hooked.

Complex history provided a wonderful way of building the world our story is set in, with vampires born and made, vampire hunters, and twisted histories of failed alliances and oaths. When a mysterious vampire university opens its doors to humans for the first time our hunter infiltrates it on a mission to track down the book of blood and roses, a long lost book that supposedly holds the secrets to all of the vampires weaknesses and could be deadly in the wrong hands. When an attempt to save our hunter takes an unexpected twist and she becomes her roomates familiar through a blood oath they join forces to find a resolution before the oath solidifies.

Set in scotland, a forever beloved setting for academia's, our author Annie one ups other books by paying beautiful respect the lands history through the inclusion of Scots Gaelic in the story. Rather than appropriating random words as many authors have been caught out for she uses this beautiful language as a tool to guide our duo to their target and when translated reflects what its supposed to say perfectly. Ultimately there wasn't anything I didn't like in this book, and with how this ended I am clawing at the walls of my own library for... book two?!!!!

It's absolutely brilliant! I finished reading it on my kindle which doesn't show my progress on netgalley
I loved it so so much! Annie is a fantastic author and I was mesmerised from the word go. Thank you so so much for sending me this copy

The Book of Blood and Roses was an exciting and fun read with all the nostalgia; with Buffy the Vampire vibes! The romance element was balanced just right with the thrilling fantasy elements that kept you guessing. The main character was morally grey and her love interest was believable, one of the best written believable sapphic relationships I have read to date even though one is a Vampire! The realism mixed with the fantastical is a chefs kiss. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for providing me with an arc copy!! 🫶🏻

The Book of Blood Roses follows a vampire hunter who is sent on an undercover mission to a vampire university to find the Book of Blood and Roses. But what happens when she’s falls in love a vampire? The heir to one of the most powerful vampire families too. Set in the Scottish Highlands, is book 1/2 of this seductive sapphic paranormal romance.

This was WONDERFUL. Perfect balance of sapphire romance mixed with paranormal/fantasy plot. The lore of the world was nice and easy to understand and romance hit perfectly.

A twisty, sapphic take on vampire lore that had me hooked from page one. ‘The Book of Blood and Roses’ blends the supernatural with queer romance in a wonderful way. The dynamic between Aliz and Rebecca is absolute gold—full of yearning, denial, and the classic “are these feelings real or just magic?” trope.

The characters are endearing and compelling, and the central relationship holds just the right amount of tension and emotional weight.

The pacing is even and well-executed, keeping you engaged without it feeling like a chore. The world is layered and mysterious, with just enough left unexplored to keep you wanting more. Vampire stories can often feel overdone, but Summerlee tackles it by blending tradition and originality, making it familiar enough to comfort yet fresh enough to intrigue. I will definitely be picking up the sequel!

A perfect read for fans of dark academia, old libraries, and queer fantasies laced with forbidden romance!

Tension, drama, and deception galore! Itching for the sequel like nothing before!!

Take my blood and make me a vampire, because I am craving more of this story and I need to compel someone at Michael Joseph immediately 👀

The world building and story telling is incredible. There is so much to unpack, and I think book 1 has barely scratched the surface with how much expansion potential this world has, which makes me very giddy and excited.

The plot and story line are immaculate. Rebecca’s story began when her parents were murdered. Recruited as a vampire hunter to avenge them, she ends up at the academy looking for answers and in search of the mysterious Book of Blood & Roses. Rebecca hates vampires with a passion, yet has to share her room with vampire royalty Aliz. And her take help in solving the mystery of a growing mark on her body. All roads point to the Book of Blood & Roses, which leads us down a path of hidden secret libraries in dungeons and tunnels. A book with all answers except any plausible reason why Rebecca can’t fight off her roommate Aliz’s charms, especially given Rebecca is a devout vampire hater, who would rather die than be associated with her.

I only wish I could read more of their yearning and that slow burn, but other than that I had a gala time devouring this.

The plot unravels perfectly, taking just the right amount of time with its hidden tales and revelations. As the book unfolds, we find out more about the vampires at the academy and the different sects of political vampiric groups. Rule the world as vampires, or submit to humans and treaties?

A dark academia, paranormal, sapphic romance, calling us vampire wannabes who love all things tunnels and mazes, mystic libraries, forbidden romance, and the supernatural.

Dark academia, vampires, soft sapphic vibes, enemies to lovers, a hidden library, what’s not to enjoy?

This is a great debut. FMC1 is a vampire hunter tasked with infiltrating a vampire school to find a long lost book. FMC2 is her vampire royalty roommate. When a life or death situation brings them together, they have one month to reverse what they did before being tied together forever.

Now, was it a bit insta lust-y, in the sense they barely spoke 3 words to each other and then suddenly couldn’t stay away? Yes. But you got past that initial bit, the relationship seemed well paced (maybe a smidge fast on the ILY but I can live with it)

I thought the idea that a vampires weakness depends on the culture they are from was really interesting and something I’d not seen before! Hoping to see that explored a bit more in book 2.

The pacing was a bit off at times, and there were points it did feel quite YA (but I wouldn’t call the book overall YA), but I can look past both of those things. Overall a solid debut.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

4.5🌟

A huge thankyou to Netgalley, Annie Summerlee and Michael Joseph for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review!🎀

this is a gothic sapphic vampire romantasy that had me absolutely HOOKED from start to finish. I quite literally could not put this down, well and truly became obsessed with Rebecca and Aliz.

What do you mean this is a vampire sapphic romantasy!! the vibes were immaculate for the entirety of the book and I adored the banter and tension between our two main characters.

The only downside I had was I felt it went from 'enemies' to friends way too fast for me sadly. I just wanted them to hate each other a little longer, just so we had more tension!!

This book comes out January 2026 and I cannot stress enough how much you need to add it to your TBR🧚‍♀️

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc 😊

This book is a sapphic vampire romance set in a vampire university in Scotland.

I really enjoyed this, enough happened around the main plot to keep me engaged and I enjoyed the twists.

I wish there was more development around Rebecca and Aliz's attraction as I do think that happened very quickly.

I did feel like it ended suddenly but I am very much looking forward to the next book and will definitely be reading it.

Ventured out of my comfort zone with this one & I think I've ended up discovering one of my fav reads so far this year!

This was a really fun read, I feel like it's broken me out of the slight reading slump I've been in. It had so much tension, amazing chemistry between Rebecca & Aliz as well as plenty of spice. This is the first in a new duology & after finishing this, I'm already desperate for the next book.

Summerlee's writing in this is so addictive, I never wanted to put it down. I'm always put off the fantasy/romantasy genre for fears the writing or the story will be overcomplicated & hard to get into— this wasn't like that at all. Even with all the characters we meet & the vivid descriptions, I didn't feel lost or confused at any point throughout this. This felt like such a great introduction to this genre & it's definitely made me interested in discovering more books similar to this.

I loved the slow burn romance in this, it heightened all the tension between the two FMCs & I was constantly willing them to finally be together whilst still enjoying the build up. If you enjoy dark academia settings & sapphic romances, I highly recommend this! I loved the dark, gritty backdrop for this story, it matched up with the general vibe so well & the world building was done perfectly. As well as the romance, the main plot of Rebecca wanting to avenge her parents murder was well executed, I enjoyed all of the action scenes & never predicted any of the twists.

I'm genuinely surprised just how much I loved this; as someone who never reads this genre, I unfortunately have nothing to compare it to but if you're into sapphic romantasies (& even if you think you aren't) I'd very much encourage you to pick this one up. I'm so jealous of anyone who'll be reading this for the first time.

Thank you Michael Joseph & Netgalley for my free eARC!

Thank you to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the arc copy.

This book had me hooked from the start. A story of revenge, power and trauma in a moody dark academia setting. It was one of those books you can’t put down.

I absolutely loved the premise of this book, a vampire hunter going under cover at a vampire academy posing as a ‘normal’ human in order to locate The Book of Blood of Roses, complete her mission and discover the truth about how her parents died.

Our FMC Rebecca/Cassie is fierce, impulsive and determined in her quest but what she doesn’t expect when she joins the academy is to have a roommate, the beautiful heir to one of the most powerful vampiric families in the world.

I’ve read a lot of Vampire books recently which all seem to have a twist on what a vampire is/how they can be killed. One of the things I loved most about this book was that the vampires were a lot more ‘traditional’ in that theu have no reflection, they were incredibly effected by garlic, crosses and holy words, and they needed a good old wooden stake to the heart to kill them. It was giving real Buffy vibes which is huge bonus points from me.

Tropes
* Dark academia
* Sapphic romance
* Stabby FMC
* Lies and betrayal
* Mysteries
* Enemies to Lovers

The ending was insane, I was constantly second guessing who to trust and what was going to happen. I absolutely loved it, I’ll absolutely be back for book 2.

4.5⭐️ (rounded up to 5)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC. I'm coming across a lot of stories of academies in Scotland at the moment and to be honest with you, I'm really not mad about it!

Brilliant story telling, characters you can root for, and I can see why so many people felt like they just couldn't put it down. I was exactly the same. Such a solid read & I feel like this one would do really well around spooky season!

The Book of Blood and Roses is an intoxicating blend of gothic romance, dark academia, and slow-burn mystery that pulls you in like ivy creeping over an old stone wall. Annie Summerlee’s writing is lush and lyrical — the kind of prose that makes even the most unsettling scenes feel like poetry.

The atmosphere is where this book truly shines: moody libraries, candlelit rituals, and shadowy secrets all wrapped in a story about power, grief, and forbidden knowledge. The romance is slow and tense in the best way, with characters who are complex, emotionally layered, and sometimes frustrating — in a very human way.

The only reason this isn’t a full five stars for me is that the pacing occasionally falters in the middle third, and a few plot threads could’ve used a bit more resolution. But those are small things in the grand scheme of what’s a rich, immersive experience.

If you love morally gray heroines, gothic settings, and a touch of blood-soaked magic, this one will absolutely cast its spell on you.

I had such a blast reading this book! The lore, the tension and THE VAMPIRES!? This needs to be on everyone’s autumnal tbr because it’s perfect for spooky season✨

Engaging from the start, this was a really exciting and mysterious story.. set in a vampire academy in Scotland!
Assuming a secret identity, our FMC vampire hunter is searching for a text that could turn the tide in the battle between the species.
I loved the Buffy vibes, it was very nostalgic but with a new, modern twist.
The characters were appealing and I warmed to them a lot.

I got a third of the way through and realised that the writing wasn’t for me, even though I loved the premise of it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A gorgeous 4 star read book from me. What an exciting plot, vivid storytelling and relatable, rich characters. I couldn't put this book down – absolutely loved it.

If you mixed the dark academia setting of Bloodwing Academy with the mystery and intrigue of Throne of Glass, and sprinkled in a touch of Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’, you’d get The Book of Blood and Roses.

The first book in a planned series by Annie Summerlee, this contemporary fantasy follows Rebecca: a low-ranking vampire-hunter who’s been sent undercover to a vampire university in search of the mysterious Book of Blood and Roses - a long-lost tome that may hold the key to ending vampires forever.

If she succeeds, she’s promised her long-awaiting answers about her parents’ gruesome murders.

But nothing is ever that simple, is it? Because her new roommate, Aliz, just happens to be the alluring heir of one of the most powerful vampire families - and Rebecca is dangerously drawn to her.

I can’t even begin to explain how much I loved this book - I genuinely COULD NOT put it down. You can expect:

- Rich worldbuilding – set in the Scottish highlands, the dark academia vibe is luscious, eerie, and totally immersive. The vampire lore is compelling and original - no long, tedious info dumps!

- Mystery and intrigue - in addition to her search for the mysterious book, Rebecca must navigate deadly politics - think blood oaths, secret societies, and centuries old treatises.

- Plot twists and revelations - this story is so artfully woven - every time I thought I’d figured out where it was going, something shifted. I was never quite sure who to trust - but in the best way!

- Great side characters - some I didn’t expect to love, and others whose demise I was cheering for. I hope we get to see more of these in the next book!

- Forbidden slow burn romance - the chemistry between Rebecca and Aliz is electric. Their relationship is charged with so much tension and yearning, and the stakes could not be higher (no pun intended!)

This was honestly one of the best books I’ve read in a while, and I’m already dreading the wait for the sequel. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC. If this one isn’t a viral success when it’s released, I’ll be amazed.