Nothing sucks more than fake dating a vampire in this paranormal romantic comedy from the USA Today bestselling author of My Roommate Is a Vampire.
Amelia Collins is by definition successful. She would even go so far as to say successfully single. But not according to her family, and she's tired of the constant questions about her nonexistent dating life. When an invitation to yet another family wedding arrives, she decides to get everyone off her back once and for all by finding someone--anyone--to pose as her date.
After a chance encounter with Reginald Cleaves, Amelia decides he's perfect for her purposes. He's a bit strange, but that’s fine; it'll discourage tough questions from her family. (And it certainly doesn't hurt that he's very handsome.) For centuries-old vampire Reggie, posing as her plus-one sounds like the ultimate fun. And if it helps his ruse of pretending to be human, so much the better.
As Amelia and Reggie practice their fauxmance, it becomes clear that Reggie is as loyal to her as the day is long, and that Amelia’s first impressions could not have been more wrong. Suddenly, being in a real relationship with Reggie sounds pretty fang-tastic.
By day, Jenna Levine works to increase access to affordable housing in the American South. By night, she is a USA Today bestselling romance novelist of humorous paranormal and contemporary romances where everyone always finds love, no matter who (... or what) they are.
When Jenna isn't writing she can usually be found imagining she is hiking somewhere beautiful, starting knitting projects she won't finish, or spending time with her family and small army of cats.
Instagram: jennalevinewrites Web site: jennalevine.com
i honestly adore these books SO MUCH. i thought it would be hard to improve on the last book in this series but omg this was WONDERFUL. just the most fun, silly, goofy, heartwarming gorgeousness within a book. i’m in love
What to Expect: ➼ Fake Dating ➼ Forced Proximity ➼ Strangers to Friends to Lovers ➼ Miscommunication ➼ Wedding Plus One ➼ Snowed In ➼ Paranormal Rom Com ➼ Slow Burn ➼ Quirky MMC x Workaholic FMC ➼ Vampire x Human ➼ Dual First Person POV
OMG, this was so fun! 🧛🏼🖤
When I read My Roommate is a Vampire, I had such high hopes but ended up disappointed when I just didn’t love the characters. Frederick in particular felt very over the top and just didn’t work for me as a love interest. Reggie by comparison, was so lovable and fun! He had total golden retriever energy and while he was still quirky, he wasn’t so behind the times that it felt uncomfortable. 😬
The fake dating trope is one of my absolute favorites and I loved the twist that her fake date was a Vampire. She was a strait-laced workaholic, so the idea that her one out of character decision could lead to her fake dating a Vampire was comically ironic. The Vampire Collective trying to track him down also created the perfect set up for their Meet Cute and helped draw out the slow burn tension between them later on in the story.
I love that he told her from the start that he was a Vampire but she thought it was a joke. (Fair) This is maybe the only kind of miscommunication I can get behind. 😅 Communicated miscommunication? 🤔🙃
The overall pacing of this story was perfection. 🤌🏻 There was just the right amount of levity and comedy thrown in and their relationship moved at just the right pace. The only thing I might have changed would be for her family to have eventually made it to the cabin. I would have really loved to see them “fake date” in that scenario in such close/prolonged proximity to her family. Their feelings were just starting to shift at that point in the story and I think the cabin would have been the perfect environment to create that added tension.
This is definitely more of a low stakes palate cleanser, but I’m so glad I added this to my spooky season TBR! Jenna Levine has officially joined my 2024 redeemed author list! 🖤
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: Two starred the first book but still squealed when my hold became available. 🤷🏼♀️
*ೃ༄ The plot revolves around Amelia Collins a cut throat, successful accountant with a very annoying but loving family are keen to see her date. Desperate, she lies and tells them she has a boyfriend who she'll bring to a family wedding and the only person who agrees is a charming but weird man she bumps into in the street, who has a very dark secret.
*ೃ༄ Honestly I absolutely have no criticisms to this book. Jenna has a great writing style and her words seem to seamlessly flow, there's no grammatical errors, she seems to get her point across and the narrative is well thought out and easy to understand.
*ೃ༄ The characters are thought through and they're really good together. Amelia is very sweet and Reginald is super whimsy and over the top in like the best way possible. However in all honesty I just didn't connect to them that well. They're like the people in your life who you can always say hi to and have great conversations with but you just don't care about and aren’t close to.
But I have to say that I didn't know that Levine's other book ties into this one and I went into it thinking it was a stand-alone. I mean it technically is but I always felt like I was missing something, like when you hang out with a close friend group, yea they include you and talk to you but you always feel like you're just not getting something. Would definitely recommend probably reading that before this, but I personally don't think I will.
✦ If you want a light hearted funny read with a wacky plot line and a cute romance without having to use your brain this book is definitely for you
♡
Pre read
OMG my 1st arc!! Thank you sm to NetGalley for providing me with it🤞
If you have had the pleasure of reading My Roommate is a Vampire you already know this book could only be RIDICULOUSLY and UTTERLY CUTE. The book has 5 ⭐️ energy so don’t look to deep into my rating. I adore this series and think it’s the perfect palette cleanser read that will cure ANY book slump. This author makes vampires cute and funny versus how in many books they’re sexy, dark and broody.
𝚃𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚜 & 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝙴𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝 🩷vampire X human 🩷cinnamon roll MMC 🩷messages, emails and bullet lists(I love letters in books—the email exchanges were so adorable) 🩷cuteness overload 🩷laugh out loud hilarious moments 🩷fake dating 🩷forced proximity 🩷spice 🌶️
I freakin love the fake dating trope!!! My favorite part is when they want to set rules like “no fAlLiNg in lOvE or nO kIsSiNg ” and I’m sitting here reading like mmmhhhmmmm whatever I know that’s going to change by chapter 10🤭
Frederick the MMC is not only adorable but has a filthy mouth 🥵 I liked him so much!!! He’s quirky, funny, and a little out of touch with reality…hello he’s a 300 year old vampire 😂 (Can I also add it was refreshing to have a blonde guy for once I’m getting tired of all the male interests with dark hair.) The FMC is an accountant and is all about her work so I enjoyed how he made her have fun and be happy. I was screaming when we got scenes and interactions with Frederick and Cassie from the previous book.. we are also introduced to some other new characters who I’m hoping will also have a book 🧙🏼♀️
Overall thoughts: I really loved this book. It’s cute, funny and a lighthearted read. I definitely recommend 💕
i think the love interest in the previous book is more suited as a romantic hero but this was still a chill quick read. it's sweet that he cared about respecting her vegetarian diet when her own family wouldn't
”How long had it been since a man had openly stared at me like this? Like I was someone he found desirable. Like I was something he wanted.”
i wasn’t a fan of the previous book, but im so glad i continued with this one cause it was way better. Reggie is the kind of quirky that leans more toward endearing than annoying, he really went out of his way to assist Amelia with her whole fake dating scheme. i think Reggie complimented Amelia so well— she has a more technical and fact based approach to life, while he’s boisterous and goes with the flow. i loved the scenes where they get trapped together at her family’s cabin, there were so many cute moments in general too.
”But for you I would brave a blizzard just to see you smile.”
i actually liked Frederick more in this one, his friendship with Reggie is 100% grumpy x sunshine bromance. im glad Amelia realized that her work and how she chooses to spend her time doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else, only herself. i was rooting for these two the whole time it was also funny how she brushed off him being a vampire cause she thought he was just messing around.. only to be in for the shock of her life later lol.
My Vampire Plus-One is a sweet and charming rom-com following Amelia, an accountant, who is tired of having to explain her lack of a boyfriend to her meddling family, and Reggie, an ancient vampire on the run from a vigilante group. When the two bump into each other on the street and then later at a cafe, Amelia comes up with the brilliant idea to bring Reggie as her fake boyfriend to an upcoming family wedding. This was such a fun and quirky read! The fake dating was so well done and I loved how it added to the slow burn of their romance. Reggie was such a chaotic and endearing character, the lengths he went to for Amelia were so sweet. The vampire was just completely smitten and I thought it was so cute how he wrote about her in his journal. The epistolary aspects were so humorous and I loved that we got to see multiple outside perspectives through them. This would make for a great fall read and I cannot wait for the next book in this lighthearted series!
Read if you like: 🦇Quirky Characters🦇 🦇Bullet Journaling🦇 🦇Slow Burn🦇 🦇Vampire x Human🦇 🦇Dual POV🦇 🦇Fake Dating🦇 🦇Forced Proximity🦇 🦇Questionable Fashion🦇 🦇Opposites Attract🦇 🦇Open Door Steam🦇
~Many thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for an arc of this in return for an honest review.
This is a Netgalley arc review. Thank you as always to the publisher and to Netgalley for these opportunities!
THIS BOOK. I had to sit on it for a few days just to get my thoughts together. I think this is the very rare case of a reverse second book syndrome, where Book 2 of the series is BETTER than the first, and in this case, better by FAR.
The first book was OK for me, but was more of an average read. I wasn’t blown away, but had enough interest in the series to continue.
It truly feels like the author took all the feedback from the first book, both positive and constructive, and intentionally went into crafting this book with that feedback in mind. And the author set up a couple challenges for herself here as well, particularly having an MMC (Reginald/Reggie) introduced in a fairly poor light in the first book becoming a believable main love interest and main character in this one. But BOY, did she absolutely nail this.
When I think of Reggie, I think of a mix of Bones from the Night Huntress book series and Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, particularly Spike’s Billy Idol, slayer rampage era. This is a character who is witty, sarcastic, irreverent, uncaring (seemingly) and so on. It’s such a hard character archetype to get right, because it can easily tip the scale overboard and make it unbelievable for the character to truly care and love, and therefore work as a romance lead. But the author got this balance soooooo right. Reggie’s character was magic, and his relationship with Amelia, the 34-year-old accountant FMC, brought out the best in his character, and was the catalyst for his immense character development.
Amelia was also a well-written, well-rounded character. I wouldn’t say this is a true reverse grumpy x sunshine because I wouldn’t classify Amelia as grumpy, more so reserved and introverted. I wouldn’t even say black cat x golden retriever either, although that may be closer.
It’s Amelia’s circumstances and a chance meet-cute (crash-cute?) that’s the driver for the fake dating plot line between her and Reggie, although the ploy also helps out Reggie’s underlying unfinished history of problems as well.
The romance between Amelia and Reggie was sweet and steamy both, and I really appreciated the balance of each. Trust played a large role between them, and respect as well. Reggie listened to Amelia where others had ignored her before, and Amelia helped Reggie to understand his value and place in the world when before it was unsettled and unknown.
I do wish was that the ending was stronger, though. I felt that the storylines being developed through the book wrapped up too quickly and easily, as well as the ending in general feeling too quickly paced.
I also wish we learned more about Reggie’s long, storied, and colorful history overall. We got tidbits and hints here and there, but I was dying to know more and uncover more of his past. Especially with how his past and the current plot were connected. I think there’s extreme potential for a second book about this same couple to extend and resolve the plot. I would say this ends with a HFN, and it was be awesome to see the author end this saga with a more definitive and satisfying close. Although this would be acceptable as a HEA if we end up not getting anything else!
Other than those two reasons, this would’ve been 5 stars. Easy.
If you’re a lover of human x vampire romance, contemporary paranormal setting, irreverent, extroverted MMC x serious, introverted FMC, and fake dating, this read should be a real treat!
I smiled and laughed so much with this read and I got another favorite hero added to that bookshelf on here. Definitely worth a read if you enjoy a paranormal romance that’s lighthearted, still brings the feels, and has some of the best extras that give more depth to the story (texting, journal entries, telegraphing lol).
Written in first person, dual POV. No ow/om drama and both are experienced (a couple mentions of their pasts but nothing explicit).
Some tropes/themes: 🌙 Playfully sweet MMC 🌙 Fashion atrocities 🌙 Work-focused FMC 🌙 Cute animal companion 🌙 Family that doesn’t understand 🌙 Bad behavior in the past that others won’t let go 🌙 Fake dating 🌙 Hidden paranormals in the world 🌙 Positive friendships 🌙 Slow burn 🌙 Vampire biting
Amelia (h) is a CPA who’s hyper focused on her work. She’s an introvert, happy to be single, and her family’s not winning awards with how they don’t understand her. She’s actually running late one evening for a family dinner when she gets bowled over by Reggie (H) who’s eccentrically dressed, quirky as all hell, still somehow charming in the moment, and says he owes her after a poor job of on the spot fake acting Amelia performs to throw off someone pursuing him. Neither thinks they’ll see each other again, but then Amelia sarcastically tells her family she’s bringing someone to her cousin’s wedding and another chance encounter brings Amelia and Reggie together for a fake dating stunt.
Reggie’s actually a vampire who’s receiving death threats and actively being hunted by some precocious vampire vigilantes due to an incident over 100 years ago. He’s lived quite the colorful life, but Reggie has regrets and doesn’t want past exploits to constantly be held against his present self (this is so relatable). He’s sweet and tries to be vulnerable with Amelia, though she doesn’t take a very important admittance seriously. I adored Reggie and I did feel that character-wise there was some imbalance. Amelia was so busy with work and fighting her attraction to him that she seemed less dimensional than he did. I appreciated that the author had Amelia have dietary restrictions though that no one but Reggie seemed concerned about accommodating because I’m a vegetarian and I can’t tell you how many times I get a salad and some bread.
The romance is sweet and slow burn, but they’re not even a confirmed couple into closer to the end of the book. Both do have growth however over the course of faking things with each other and then working together on a plan. There are a couple of interrupted kissing and tension-laden scenes between them and then one steamy scene that surprised me. I honestly thought it was going to be less explicit and was happily here for it. Also, vampire bites.
I did not read the first book, but the mains from that book were fun characters in this one. Amelia’s family had some moments of being great and some that I wanted her to voice her wants more. Amelia did have her best friend though who could not have been more supportive, plus an adorable cat. The Collective and Reggie’s bullet journal friends were a riot with their communications. That last mention of a past friend of Reggie’s was also intriguing.
The climax is hilarious, sometimes tense, and Amelia does get to shine with her competence and knowledge (which Reggie ate up). Then the ending is HFN with them adorably dancing at the wedding and looking forward to what their future will be. I enjoyed it so much but that ending fell flat and the question of what their future looks like hovered in the back of my mind, even though they were taking it little by little and not ready to delve into whether Amelia would eventually turn. Not every ending needs a decade out into the future sure, however they’d barely established themselves as a couple when it ends and they could have moved in together or gone on some actual dates. Could you imagine what sort of jewelry Reggie would propose with? Mind boggling. But the series is going to continue with a new couple next so I guess there’s a chance this one may be in that couple’s book too, fingers crossed.
These audiobooks are amazing! Jenna’s writing and humour just works for me. I loved this one just as much as the first book! It was nice to see Fredrick again but also nice to get to know Reggie more. I do wish there was a little more fake dating moments because there was only the engagement party but I still loved watching them fall in love. Excited for the next book in this series…we are getting a witch x vampire
I've been obsessed with the first book ever since I read it, so I was delighted to see it turn into a series.
When I finally started My Vampire Plus One, I wasn't sure if it would be as good as My Roommate is a Vampire, but then a scene happened which made me laugh out loud and I knew I was in good hands. I still like book one better though, but the differences are marginal.
Reggie was hilarious, and very sweet. I got a kick out of his journaling and pros and cons lists. I really liked Amelia too, but out of the two of them, Reggie was clearly the star of the show. Their romance was adorable though.
I enjoyed seeing Cassie and Frederick again, and getting a glimpse into their lives. I'm glad they're doing so well, my babies. Frederick's texts to Reggie, where he was giving him advice, were so funny.
I'm seated for book three, I hope this series never ends.
I absolutely adored My Roommate Is A Vampire so I knew I had to read this one... and I was not disappointed!
4 stars | 1/5 spice
I really enjoyed Amelia and Reggies fake dating that turned to something real. The vampires in these books are always so quirky and entertaining that you won't want to set this one down! This is definitely a slow burn just like the last one by Levine.
Reggie was so eccentric and I loved it! He wasn't quite as funny as Fredrick was (he had me cackling at his antics). But I loved the vulnerability he shared with Amelia and how he quickly fell for her. I also loved how they balanced each other out and gave each other exactly what they needed.
The spice was ok? I would have loved for more spice - but that's just me. The tension between them could definitely be felt through the pages as you are reading.
Overall, a 4-star read for me. This will make the PERFECT fall read with a little bit of paranormal elements plus a cozy love story. If you were a fan of My Roommate is a Vampire then you will also adore this one! The epilogue was perfect and I loved the updates we got to see with Cassie and Fredrick. I am secretly hoping for an update of some sort on Reggie and Amelia with the next book if there is one.
For Fans of: - Vampires - Slow Burn - Fake Dating - Quirky Characters - Interconnected Romances that can be read as Standalones
Big Thanks to Jenna Levine, Berkley and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!
i only picked this book up because i loved the first one but i should’ve at least read the description because then i would’ve known it was fake dating. i’m just not into fake dating books right now, i feel like it’s overdone and i should’ve known it was going to be fake dating because romance books always have to feature that trope in their series but also… the title. also there was no need for it to be 400 pages like cmon
My Vampire Plus-One by Jenna Levine is the cozy, fang-filled sequel to My Roommate is a Vampire, this time shining the spotlight on Reggie — the glamorous, flamboyant goofball bestie of Frederick — and Amelia, Sam’s grounded, perpetually-over-it sister. When Amelia decides she’s had enough of her extended family’s constant questions about her (nonexistent) love life, she enlists Reggie to be her fake date to an upcoming wedding. But what starts as a convenient arrangement soon gets complicated — there’s sizzling tension, vulnerable moments, and, well… a few secrets buried under Reggie’s sparkly charm. 🩸Turns out, fake dating a vampire comes with some... grave consequences.
───♡─────────────
♡ What I enjoyed: • The cozy, comforting atmosphere — it’s like a cup of tea in book form ☕︎ • Seeing Cassie & Frederick again — it was like visiting old friends 🧛♀️ • Amelia was so relatable and down-to-earth — I really liked being in her head • The writing was smooth and easy to follow — light, charming, and effortless 📝
✘ What didn’t quite work for me: • The pacing dragged in spots — especially during the family scenes 🐌 • Reggie wasn’t my favorite love interest — he was sweet, but I didn’t feel that spark 😬 • Amelia’s family got a little too much page time • The ending felt underwhelming — not bad, just lacking a little bite (pun intended)
❀ Overall: A cozy, autumnal little read with just a touch of fang. It had warmth, charm, and some lovely moments — but it didn’t quite sweep me off my feet. While I liked parts of it, I found myself craving a bit more magic… and maybe a bit more chemistry, too.
this was cuteee!! rtc!! definitely liked the first one more but I liked this one too
꒰ ° 𝚙𝚛𝚎-𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 ꒱
oh looky here!! starting another book without even writing one of the multiple reviews I should be writing! have I no shame?
ugh anyway, the first book was adorable, and pretty funny! before I hop on my “25 books of Christmas” goal, I’m going to read oneeee moreee not so festive book. and it’s gonna be this one, because honestly, I miss the fedora wearing vampire.
Reggie is a very old vampire with a weird sense of humor that he has had centuries to hone.
Amelia is a straight as a board CPA who never does anything that isn’t thoroughly mapped out and organized.
This was a fun and actually kind of heartwarming romance that begin with a fake romance and turns into something better. Yes, it’s very cliche, but Reggie certainly isn’t. This was a cute story with an actual plot though it wasn’t a very deep one, but the characters were well done. I’m giving this one three and a half stars rounded up to four.
✧.* A silly little vampire romcom is exactly what I needed to help me out of my slump
Reginald and Amelia are perfect. For once in a blue moon I actually love both the characters and I loved their chemistry and banter.
I have realised for me a romance has to have a fairly solid plot in the background to keep me engaged otherwise if it is straight instalove and smut every chapter I immediately DNF but My vampire plus one was fleshed out enough that I actually cared about the characters and their stories. I enjoyed the silliness of the vampire aspect and even the predictability of the story didn't detract from my enjoyment.
I hope Jenna Levine writes more books in this world
I really enjoyed the first book this author wrote, and while this is kind of a sequel with overlapping characters it is minimal and this book could be enjoyed as a standalone. I liked this one a lot, but not quite as much as the first one. This is a very lighthearted vampire romance (very light on spice too). It was funny and really just a quick, run read. Amelia is an accountant and as tax season is approaching she is working endlessly long hours barely taking time to take care of herself when she literally runs into Reginald on her way to a family dinner. He asks her for a favor and tells her he owes her one before he disappears. When another impending family wedding and the judgement and disappointment of her parents looms she latches onto the idea of pretending to have a boyfriend and after bumping back into Reggie she asks him and they embark on my favorite romance trope - fake relationship.
It's a bit light on plot, but even beyond that, it felt a bit like something was missing from this book. I can't really put my finger on what it was though. Regardless, I liked both of the main characters - especially Reggie. He was a cutie.
It's forgettable and not as good as the first book, but it was cute!
While reading this book “Snow On The Beach” was playing over and over in my head and personally, I think this is the perfect song for Reggie and Amelia! Everything about this book made me happy!!