Fresh Kill

Hunters of Ironport #2

by Lou Wilham

Staked through the heart and you’re to blame.

Still overworked—a little less underappreciated—Eric Marcelino stumbles through an Ironport he doesn’t recognize. The city has gone eerily quiet. There hasn’t been a vampire attack in weeks and Eric is starting to wonder what the vampires are planning.

Tony McMahon’s boyfriend is perfect. Kind. Caring. Hot. Except his sister hates him, and well . . . he might be a vampire. But that’s okay, because Tony has a plan. Sort of.

Change is good, or that’s what Hunter Delacroix has always heard anyway. So then why does moving into the dorms on Moondale University campus feel like a surrender? And why does every glance from Eric feel like a betrayal?

Ironport is quiet, but maybe it’s just the calm before the storm. With broken hearts, grief, and a little existential dread hanging over all of their heads Eric’s team might find themselves six feet under instead of the vampires. This is gonna suck.

Overkill is a mm paranormal romance perfect for fans of Mentions of past abuse, mentions of past transphobia, recreational drinking & drug use, blood (this is a vampire book), decapitation, gore, profanity, mentions of PTSD, sexually explicit scenes, gaslighting, and tortureThe Hunters of Ironport is a series set in the same universe as Witches of Moondale (just a town over), and thus will have crossover characters from time to time. That being said, it can be read separately if you so choose. If you would like to read it in order with the Witches of Moondale timeline please read The Hex Next Door, The Ghost of Hexes Past first, and Overkill.

Unknown Binding

First published April 17, 2024

About the author

Born and raised in a small town near the Chesapeake Bay, Lou Wilham grew up on a steady diet of fiction, arts and crafts, and Old Bay. After years of absorbing everything, there was to absorb of fiction, fantasy, and sci-fi she's left with a serious writing/drawing habit that just won't quit. These days, she spends much of her time writing, drawing, and chasing a very short Basset Hound named Sherlock.

When not, daydreaming up new characters to write and draw she can be found crocheting, making cute bookmarks, and binge-watching whatever happens to catch her eye.

Learn more about Lou and her future projects on her website: https://louinprogress.com

Or follow her on social media @lou.wilham on Instagram or @louwilham on Facebook.

Reviews

[Jaime Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Is that a stake in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

“[S]he wasn't taking any of [her] shit, which is exactly the kind of woman she needed in her life.”

“Goddess, it felt good to be at the center of his attention again. How had [he] gone without it? He'd probably been fucking wilting and hadn't even known it.”

“Because if [they] had one thing in commin, one thing that tied them together when all else was likely to rip them apart: it was that they would do literally anything for the people they loved.”

[Cynthia Brubaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fresh Kill is a fabulous and well-awaited sequel to Overkill. It was a fast-paced, delicious read full of vampires, vamp hunters, intrigue, and an interesting blossom of a romance. Can't wait to find out what happens next!

[V.S. Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to snag an advance copy of Overkill by Lou Wilham. This is the first book in the Hunters of Ironport series, interconnected with the Witches of Moondale series. Wilham is a new author to me, though I’ve seen her work in the author-sphere for some time. She does not disappoint! Eric Marcelino is Venator–a protector of humanity whose genes are activated when vampires come to town. Despite his tight-knit group of trainees, witches, and healers, it's a lonely job, and a bloody one. But then he learns that a new crop of vamps is not only visiting Ironport but being sired there. With the Council of Creatures mired in bureaucracy, Eric must trust a new Venator–the sarcastic and way-too-attractive Tony McMahon.

Overkill takes the world set up in the Witches series and runs with it. Though this is my first taste of Moondale and Ironport, I was never lost, and enjoyed the callbacks to previous story arcs–I plan to go back and read Lou’s Moondale series as well. The romance between Eric and Tony is complicated, but sweet and honest. I was thrilled to see Wilham did her diligence with Tony’s backstory as a trans man, and can’t wait to see more of him. Filled with action, longing, and found family facing the Big Bad, Overkill gave all the feels of watching Buffy for the first time, but now with characters like me! I adored this world and story and was almost late for work one day because I couldn’t tear myself away. The imperfect, authentic characters of Overkill sink their teeth into you and refuse to let go.

Recommended for urban fantasy fans who want to sink their teeth into a new world. 5 out of 5 stars.

[Mandy Kell · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You’re more of the run in and stabby stabby kind of guy, aren’t you?"⠀
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Lou Wilham, Fresh Kill⠀
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Fresh Kill by Lou Wilham is a fast paced sequel that I enjoyed just as much as Overkill. Tony and Dash are the quintessential toxic couple and I couldn't wait for Tony to claw his way out of Dash's too smooth and shiny clutches. Eric is a tragic mess and I just want to scoop him up and give him the biggest hug. I was thrilled to see him and Hunter getting closer and I am so ready for all three of my guys to just put aside their nonsense and become a happy throuple already! We got to see a glimpse of Moondale in this book and Rus, Az, and the girls are adorable as usual. I loved the crossover from the different towns and I'm so proud of my favorite witch and how far she's come to help out our vampire hunting boys. There was plenty of stabby action but also a nice amount of found family coziness. Fresh Kill reminds me of Buffy if it were queer and involved a magical school! I love these characters and this series so much and I definitely recommend anything Lou writes if you like LGBTQIA+ Paranormal Cozy Fantasies.

[Gemma Best · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this whole universe (or deadverse) so much! This is the second book in the Hunters of Ironport series and I feel like we really get to know the characters well in ‘Fresh Kill’. I love Tony and I think he is my favourite character at the moment. I really felt for him and everything he is going through in this novel. His broken relationship with Eric, his new and unsettling relationship with Dash and his relationship with his little sister, Lu.

This sequel is fast paced, full of action and I really enjoyed seeing a glimpse of Moondale in this book. I loved the crossover and it really helped give more an idea of what’s going on in the world this novel is set in. I can’t wait for the next book in this series.

[renee ☁️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️ rounded up

[Andrea Stoeckel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This book is for all those who think it’s too late to change...It’s never too late."

In this,the second in this vampire series,Venator Eric Marcelino and his " baby venators" are still living in Ironport, (the town down the road from Moondale, where Wilham's witch series is set) and he's still overworked, underpaid and feeling alone. His former lover, Tony (this series is primarily. m/m) has severed ties and his best housemate friend,Hunter, is dealing with the loss of his partner in the previous book ( Overkill).

Who's who becomes the focus of the story. Is Tony's new love what he claims he is? What nefarious scheme hides behind pretty boy Dash?
Things are almost too quiet, and to Marcelino and his crew, that spells watch out for trouble.

This book has triggers - again, it is a darker vampire novel. However, Wilham's storytelling is enough for you to keep reading beyond them as the story is so darn good. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it 5/5

[ Disclaimer: I received this book from the author and voluntarily read and reviewed it]

[Melissa (Mels_booksandhooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fresh Kill is the second book in Lou’s Hunters of Ironport series and just as incredible as book one, Overkill. This LGBTQIA+ story brings all the Buffy vibes. Eric and his Scoobies take on the vampires of Ironport along with some help from Rus, one of the witches from the Witches of Moondale series. I was so excited for this crossover and it did not disappoint! 👏 I loved the way their little found family came together again to take on the vamps and slay, baby slay! Vampires, slayers and magic, it doesn’t get much better than that.