I don’t usually read LGBTQIAP+ romance, so I was a little unsure at first, but Shivers & Thrills turned out to be a refreshing surprise. A.C. Harrah delivers a story that is playful, irreverent, and full of macabre humour without ever becoming melodramatic. The dynamic between Vittore, the vampire prince, and James, his unlikely partner, is both absurd and oddly endearing.

What I appreciated most is that the book offers a light and entertaining way into a genre I’m not typically drawn to — bold, funny, and unapologetically queer, yet never heavy-handed. A quirky, fun read that makes the spooky feel silly in the best possible way.

Fun, fast-paced romance involving a vampire and a member of the undead (but not a zombie) who're newly met and married. As they try to figure out how to balance excitement, fear and their relationship, they have some delightfully silly adventures. Harrah manages to write a romance that is simultaneously kinky and closed-door, which I enjoyed immensely.

Phew—I finished it!! Honestly, I didn’t expect to read it this fast considering the writing style isn’t usually my thing, BUT the author’s mix of dramatic and humorous narration made it impossible to stop.

This is, to be honest, a weird story. The creatures are weird, their names are hard to remember, and their physical appearances are definitely strange (and sometimes scary!)—but somehow it all works. Weirdly entertaining is the best way to describe it!

I especially loved Vittore’s way of thinking. The story follows him, a vampire who’s named the Prince of Thrills because his greatest joy was scaring humans in the “Mundane World.” But when his tricks stop working and people find him funny instead of scary (a little Monsters Inc. vibe here!), his whole world flips upside down. The scene where he stumbles on a corpse with one hand raised above the grave—let me just say, it’s both hilarious and ridiculously dramatic. From there, the story spirals into the strangest (and funniest) proposal I’ve ever read.

While Vittore sets out with the goal of mastering fear again, what he really learns is that chasing “scary” moments isn’t worth it if it means losing James, the corpse who unexpectedly changes everything for him. And that’s what made me love this story—it’s not just about romance, but also about adventure, identity, and learning what matters most. Their journey through other kingdoms was entertaining, and the conflicts between characters felt believable rather than just added drama.

I also really liked Kurama’s cool indifference and how his interactions added to the dynamics between Vittore and James. That said, I’ll admit this: MMM/polyamory isn’t really my favorite trope, and I honestly wish there had been a content warning about it because I don’t usually read that. But aside from that, this book still managed to make me laugh, smile, and enjoy the ride.

Overall, it’s unique, silly, dramatic, and oddly heartwarming. Thank you to the author for making me laugh, and to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I found this story to be very unique and quirky. It has humor, character development, story progression and covers dark subjects.

This was a very fun book to read. The story will take you on a journey through different realms/worlds such as a world of tricksters and a world of sirens and mermaids. I loved how each world was unique along with its inhabitants.

Vittore and James are still learning so much about one another and during that time, they start to butt heads. I loved seeing James learn to speak up for himself more and it was heartbreaking to hear what lead to James animated corpse state.

🧛M/M Relationship
🧛Polyamorous Representation
🧛Quirky Humor
🧛Worlds Built on different kinds of Fear
🧛Character Development
🧛Self Reflection

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me to read an ARC of this book *all thoughts and opinions are my own*

This was a really fun book! It was silly and goofy and didn’t take itself too seriously.
I really enjoyed the setting and the different places the characters visited.
It was nice to see a polyamorous relationship represented and exploring the jealousy that can occur within these relationships.
It was also an interesting look at burnout but in a no serious setting- the main character has lost his flair for scaring.
Overall I enjoyed this book and it reminded me a bit of the nightmare before Christmas!

In the World of Frightful Things, Vittore the vampire loves anything frightening and thrilling, and holds the title of Prince of Thrills, but when his attempts at frightening fails, he decides to take a sabbatical to find his confidence and motivation again. A spur-of-the-moment decision sees him married to the gorgeous animated corpse that is James, and together they go on a journey that is part honeymoon and part soul-searching.

This was a fun and wimsical romp, where you never knew what was going to be around the next corner, or where the plot was going to go (in a good way). Loveable characters with their own flaws, an interesting unexpected world which made sense within its own parameters while still being something I, at least, had not encountered before. I especially loved the healthy and un-apologetic display of polyamory and how to navigate jealousy within polyamorous relationships.

The only thing that bothered me with the book was that while it was great that the story had a large amount of different types of ‘monsters’ from different cultures, their apperances were generally not described, but rather expected of the reader to know, so I ended up needing to google some of them to be able to picture them in my head. It wasn’t a big problem, just the only thing I could fault the book with.

I think this book would be great for anyone who likes the spooky and the weird, or who wants to explore a cool new world. It’s also good for anyone who wants to see good polyamorous representation and see partners help each other grow. I would not recommend it to children as there are some slightly spicy bits, but it’s an easy to read story that moves at a nice pace and gives you many surprises.

I received a free digital ARC copy of this book for reviewing from the author A. C. Harrah and their publisher Independent via Netgalley, which I am very thankful for. However, my review is based on my honest opinions.

This was a unique concept for a paranormal romance novel, it was everything that I was looking for from the description and of the cover. I was engaged from the first page and enjoyed getting to know Vittore and James, I enjoyed the use of vampires and zombies. I thought it uses the fear of losing their ability to scare humans. A.C. Harrah was able to write a strong storyline and was a unique concept.