Vampires Don't Give Hickeys: The Slayer's Reverse Harem, Book 1

The Slayer's Reverse Harem #1

by Holly Ryan

"Marry the devil...or die." That's the ultimatum Belle Harrison, vampire slayer, just received from a demon. Belle has only one To hell with him.

Turns out it's not that easy, though - apparently the devil doesn't know the meaning of the word no. Lucky for Belle, three pantie-melting vampires come to her aid. Three hot vampires she can't resist. Hey, we all have our vices. Hers just happen to have fangs.

She's going to need these three to help her thwart the devil's marriage proposal and defeat the terrifying dark force that wants her dead.

Genres: Reverse Harem, Vampires, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published April 3, 2018

Reviews

[Lucie V. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is free on Amazon.

✅ Smut
🆗❌ Insta-lust
🆗❌ Pace
🆗❌ Characters
❌❌ Plot

The sexy moments are worth more than one star, but the story is just ridiculous, it doesn't make any sense.

“Apparently the devil needs a bride, and I’ve been summoned for the job.”

That’s basically the introduction of the main character and the beginning of the story. A demon just appeared and told Belle Harrison that she has been chosen by his king to be his bride. His boss has been sending Belle checks since she was 9 years old because he felt bad that she had to become the next slayer at such a young age, and he wants to offer her the chance to start a new life before “something darker comes” (very dramatic).

Then 3 suuuuuuper sexy vampires appear because they smelled the demonic magic, and they invite her back to their nest so she can learn more about demons because why not invite a slayer (who is still covered in dead vampire blood) into your nest? And why not accept a weird invitation from 3 vampires? Because she didn’t feel "bad vibes" coming from them, that’s why.

He seemed broody and mysterious, but I didn’t get a vibe rolling off of him that he wanted to hurt me. Quite the opposite really. From all three of them.

Be aware: the beginning is a little rushed and everything is just so convenient, and after that, it is basically a fest of insta-lust and eye-fucking. Belle trusts the three vampires with her life for no reason at all and she becomes their fuckbuddy after knowing them for only 24 hours. There is a tentative mystery with the threat of “something darker coming”, an old text talking about slayers dying if they didn’t go live with the devil, and Belle keeps hearing static noise and a strange voice, but that’s it for the story.

The rest of the book is a collection of sexy and erotic moments pieced together to form a "story". But honestly, the plotline is weak, and the characters and world-building are not developed at all. Someone is trying to kill Belle, but she continues to go out in the cemetery every night on her own… So many things didn’t make sense in this story!

This is a good book if you just want to read about sexy encounters between Belle and her 3 vampires and you do not care about the quality of the storyline.


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[Tasha Mahoney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook rating.
Story:4
Narration: 5
Overall: 5
I am always wary of reverse harem books but I read the synopsis and the title and thought I would give this one a go. I am so pleased that I did. Holly Ryan has given the series an intriguing start with Vampires Don't Give Hickeys.

There is so much story and the intimacy seems to flow with the story. There is a really good plot and lovers of sexy Vampire / Slayer fantasy stories should give this one a go. Obviously as a reverse harem story there is plenty of lusty moments and to be blunt, they are sexy not sleazy.

It was a story that captured my attention from the first to last word and I am now going to listen to the second in series.

I cannot fault the narration by Melissa Schwairy it was so well voiced with distinct character voices and fabulous vocal acting, scene setting, and intensity. The sexy scenes sound sexy and flowed with the story.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

[Toubob · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

Sooo there’s only 1 vampire slayer at a time in the world. No slayers can survive past their 21st bday. Well except for several previous slayers mentioned that live way past 21. When the slayer dies a new one is chosen and informed by a letter. The h was picked when she was 9. She was told she was a slayer but couldn’t tell anyone -like magically can’t tell anyone. She wasn’t given any training, support etc to be a vampire slayer but she did have youtube videos. The fact that she went out and killed vampires when she was untrained and 9 is ludicrous. There is no way she would have survived. Maybe the vampires are more like zombies. The super slow mumbling, stumbling type of zombie.



Every night she goes to the exact same cemetery and kills vampires. Why are there new vampires in the cemetery every night? Who the fuck keeps making new vampires and leaving them to rise in the only cemetery with the slayer...the one and only slayer who goes to this specific cemetery every night? If I was a vampire, I would just avoid this one place and never have to come across the untrained slayer.

The slayer kills all the vampires and yet is in a relationship/situanship with 3 vampires. Why does she kill all the other vampires as soon as she sees them but not the 3 men?

So many things just don’t add up.

[Tiera McMillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5ish starting out. Picked up this whole collection off Audible. Had no real problems with the narration really but definitely preferred it at a 1.25x speed since the narrator did add a lot of extra drama that really slowed it down at times. And there were a lot of points.. I mean a lot... where the FMC talks to herself inner monologueing and explaining her actions even if she has explained them every other time she has done it.. Anyways I recommend at least the 1.25 if your going to go audio for this.

Sooo as for the story itself.. I mean its interesting but super rushed and doesn't honestly make much sense.. really.. So we have a woman who is supposedly a bad A slayer.. she slays Vampires. Appointed at the age 9, Belle has been slaying vampires for most of her life. Unfotunately for slayers in general they never live past the age of 21 because they are hunted by an entity and killed or driven mad before then. Belle has other problems though, apparently she has been chosen by the devil to be his bride. He will take her before her 21st birthday and marry her in the underworld and save her from an early death. Belle isn't impressed however and decides instead she will enlist the help of 3 older vamps and become tainted by their bites (which can only occur during smexy times, or to kill) to put the devil off of her. Does anyone else see the reasoning problems here? The whole book goes by and all I can think of is your a vampire slayer.. why are you shacking up with 3 vamps.. not just one.. but 3.. I mean stick to your guns either be a slayer or don't idgaf but pick one.

So yea I obviously had a bit of a wtf moment or several throughout the story but I am willing to keep rolling to see what we were dealing with. Hopefully the rest of the series some sense will be made..

[KittenKaboom · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was just poorly written. I DNF'd at about 30%. None of the character motivations made any sense. After just a day of meeting these random vampires, the FMC trusted them and knew they were good guys and didn't deserve to be killed. She's a vampire slayer, why would she trust vampires after 1 freaking day? There is absolutely no build up to anything, the author just tells you that the characters are feeling this now but doesn't lay any groundwork for those feelings. It made no sense.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure

The book was ok not much depth and found characters shallow and no real world building. Couldn't understand how main players came together so fast, or how going from being a slayer of vampires killing to jumping in bed with them then going out and killing more worked. Overall it's an ok holiday read.

[Runningrabbit · Rating 4 out of 5]

KU

This starts off well, and for a moment there I was beginning to think it might turn into a sexfest. I was wrong, and although there is some raunchy stuff in here, the plotline itself s a good one.

The Slayer is a fine lass with a good sense of humour which is shared frequently throughout the novel ensuring it doesn’t get too intense and bogged down. The characters are great with three mighty fine pieces of manmeat.

I’m straight onto the next novel.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a fan

I wanted to like this book, but just didn't. It was too similar to Buffy in a lot of ways, and I didn't feel and of the relationship or character building. I will not be continuing the series.

[Kimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Overall Rating ★★★★
Plot ★★★★
Humor ★★★
Characters & Character Development ★★★★
Narration ★★★★

Story: Characters - Belle, Eddie, Jacek, Sawyer. I really enjoyed this story. I knew it was short but sometimes I don't have to get into a story that's 10 hours long. Every once in a while, I like an under 4 hour book. It was cute and fun to listen to. I liked the guys. They're all very unique and I like them all. I always appreciate when a character in the harem is not an asshole. And in this one, since it was so short, I didn't mind that there was a good amount of sex. The sex was good. The plot is interesting too. I really am interested in seeing what happens next.

Narration: Melissa Schwairy - One of my new favorites!

[Alicia]

I don’t know if I missed something at the start of this book, but this story just made zero sense. We have Bella, vampire slayer, who goes around the cemetery each night indiscriminately killing vampires. It’s her thing. This night, when three vampires approach instead of, oh, I don’t know, killing them like the vampire slayer she professes to be, she instead follows them home and locks herself inside with them because they said she could use their library. And I mean, I get it. I’d totally get abducted by bad guys with the promise of free books too. But she’s a vampire slayer, who thus far talked about killing vampires. There has been zero talk of good vampires, or only slaying the bad ones, she just kills all vampires. And now she’s trusting them and putting herself in a really dangerous position with zero hesitation of stabbings. It then devolves into hot vampire sex. The first one I kept waiting to be a dream (because thus far they had been) and it sort of just comes out of nowhere so I figured she was daydreaming. Spoiler: she is not. Then it turns out she can get the devil to stop marrying her if she thinks she’s tainted by vamps, so get that bite on.
But the devil is supposedly protecting her, because slayers don’t live to see twenty-one unless the devil intervenes. But how many wives does the devil have if he has to marry all the slayers? Does not compute.
It’s very rushed, and just insta everything. I’ll go with lacking depth. The style of writing is amusing enough, but there were too many conundrums for me to just go along with it without a billion questions.

[Aimee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I expected smut. I got it 3 time with little detail. The plots bad, its so rushed so why make it in the first place?

[Lynn Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I like paranormal romances but am not fond of the term Reverse Harem. For me, the term is just a replacement for the term menage. I think part of the change is because people don't like that term. If it turns you off, I really don't think that it can be applied here. Being the first in a series, I find teaser to be more accurate.

This was my first listen for both the author and the narrator. Our author reminded me what I loved about the paranormal romance genre. When multitasking I found this was a great way to get to know both women. Ms. Ryan took me back to what I loved about the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series. Ms. Schwairy was great at telling me a good story but I could not picture her as our main female character - her voice didn't have me picturing a young woman. That didn't stop me from enjoying the book though. When she first starts the story, that I listened to a second time, I decided that I will have to go back and listen to this around Halloween. What better time to get up close and personal with the unexplained?

There were just a couple of issues. One being that the story was too short. Good news is that it just gets me ready for the second book. The other issue I had was with the audio. As Ms. Schwairy was talking I heard things that weren't a part of the storyline. A couple of times it sounded like she was in a place that had nothing to do with our slayer, our vampires, or the demon. The other audio issue was that in a couple of spots I could really hear our narrator swallow - again nothing to do with the characters. Those were things that I could overlook because she kept me interested in Ms. Ryan's tale. And I'm glad to see that I'll see more of Belle Harrison in book two - oh and let's not forget the three hunky vampires. If they need another neck mine's available.

I voluntarily reviewed an Audiobook copy of this book.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was steamy and fun, and very hard to put down. This book had things I would never expect in it which made the book that much more exciting.

I was able to relate to the characters very easy and picture everything perfectly in my mind that happened in the book. This book had the perfect amout of detail, action, and steamy scenes.

From vampires, to a slayer, and demons, and something also much more sinister that we are yet to find out exactly what it is; this book left me ready to get a taste of the next book in the series.

[Tracy Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good audio book not normally one I would listen to because vampires aren't my thing but I actually really liked this one, a little slow to get into but then you kinda become invested in the story and want to know what happens so good book :)

[Savannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you want a huge portion of reverse harem spice and the smallest side of plot....this may be for you. I went in not expecting much and the 3 vamos were delivered. love them. could have used some more plot though.

[Coco.V]

💝FREE on iBooks today (7/28/2018)!💝

[Meghan Martinez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the development of the plot and characters, but it felt like the beginning was too rushed. Belle felt too trusting, with little information to work on, to the point of feeling unnecessarily reckless

[Seraphia Bunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meet Belle. Vampire Slayer by night, barista by day and…potential bride to be to…the devil? Since she was a young child Belle has been a slayer. It wasn’t something that she just picked up and chose to be one day. It chose her. So for ten years she’s been hunting and slaying vampires to protect the humans. One night while on her nightly patrol of the local cemetery, Belle is approached by something new. A demon. He comes with a proposal. The devil himself wants her to be his bride. He claims to be looking to protect her from something that is coming. Something that is coming for her to make sure that she does not make it to her next birthday. What Belle does not expect is to meet three sexy vampires and to begin to fall into their thrall. Her attraction to them is undeniable, and they are willing to help her find a way to get the devil off her back. Because let’s be honest, killing each minion he sends will only do so much. Plus, the darkness that is coming for her…it’s coming soon, and it means business as it works to gather its strength to end her life.
Vampires Don’t Give Hickey by Holly Ryan is book in her The Slayer’s Harem series. This is a reverse harem novel full of vampires and delicious steamy moments. Belle is an interesting character. I like that she’s not a fluff in the head. She’s a strong character, and she’s been through a lot in her life from a young age. This book has some fun quips throughout the story. The author has some real gems that she puts to good use in this story. Belle isn’t trained per say, but I like that she is able to hold her own against the vampires. Things move pretty quickly between her and the vampires, I will admit this. But at the end of the day I really don’t have a problem with it. There are a few interesting twists in this story as well. I find it interesting and intriguing that the vampires are willing to help Belle with her various problems. I like the chemistry that flows between the characters, as it appears to flow naturally and not be forced.
Overall, this is a story that I enjoyed reading. It has a good pace throughout that keeps the reader engaged. My only issue comes with Belle’s being bitten by the three vampires. There is a scene in the story of where I fear that the author will slip up with where Belle was bitten by Jacek, and she does. Belle is bitten by Jacek on the wrist. But when Belle goes out to the cemetery after her time with him, the author says that Belle feels a twinge of pain in her neck “where Jacek bit her.” This isn’t right. Because each of the vampires bite her at different times in different places. Jacek bites her wrist. Later in the story the author states the three bite sites – thigh, wrist, and neck. I just hope that the author goes back and corrects this, because this story would be just about perfect with that correction.
Other than that one issue, I can tell that this story was edited well overall. The author writes in surprise elements, some tragedy and lots of steamy sexy situations. The author ends the story on a bit of a cliffhanger, but it’s just right. It sets the reader and the story up for the next book in the series. I will admit that there were moments that I was worried the author would try to cram everything into this book. But I’m happy to say that she ends it on the right note to lead into the next book.
At the end of the day I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed reading this book. The storyline flows well, the characters are engaging, and I’m interested to see what tricks Paul throws at our girl in the next book. If you like reverse harem paranormal novels, then this are a book that you should look at picking up. I can honestly say that I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.

[Notes From 'Round the Bend · Rating 4 out of 5]

**I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Holly Ryan. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.**

While I wish the relationships between Belle and her vampires had been better developed, I have to say that I really, really enjoyed this book! The plot was well developed and the characters were likable. There were several layers of goings-on, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the conflict that got 'wrapped up' in Book 1, isn't really all that resolved. It was just...too easy.

Belle was a fun character. She's strong, sassy, resilient, and with just enough sorrow in her past to make her relatable. Slaying aside, her life felt familiar; she's alone, trying to juggle a job, school, keeping a roof over her head...it's a struggle many readers will recognize from their own lives. Her sense of humor had me laughing out loud more than once. My only complaint about her was how quickly she started sexual relationships with the three supernaturally-hot vampires. It would have been nice to see a little more build-up and development there. I like the guys, but I didn't feel like we spent enough time getting ot know them for me to really feel more than mild affection. I'm hoping they'll get more developmental attention in Book 2, because they seem like they could be fabulous characters.

Now, as much as I enjoyed the characters and the story, I have some questions. How on earth is someone chosen to be a Slayer and expected to perform the job with absolutely no proper training or instruction? Belle is completely self-taught, so either she's been REALLY lucky or vampires in this world are weenies. The explanation she's given about the old ones being smart enough to stay away from her makes sense, but it doesn't excuse this particular plot hole.

Melissa Schwairy was a fabulous choice for narrator. Her reading voice is smooth, with enough inflection to convey the right mood for the setting, and she makes each character distinct without overdramatizing them or giving them silly accents. Her lack of accent seemed appropriate for what felt like a midwestern heroine in a typical, small, midwestern town. The recording quality was excellent, with no distracting volume changes, background noises, or overly long pauses between chapters.

Bottom line: I'd definitely recommend this book to those who like their romance paranormal, their heroines strong and sassy, and their plots intriguing. The fact that it's a steamy reverse harem is almost a bonus!

Review first appears on Notes from 'Round the Bend

[Lauren Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you were THE vampire slayer, meaning the only one fighting against all of the things that go bump in the night to protect humanity…how would you take to the Devil wanting you as his bride? That is pretty dark, but also really terrifying–especially when a demon comes to seal the deal and makes it clear that no is an unacceptable answer. Ryan has a no-nonsense, kick-butt female heroine who has some impossible decisions to make and this first installment plants readers into the middle of her chaotic world.

Belle Harrison is the crime-fighting, vamp-slaying, beauty who the Devil has offered a proposal to–in order to save her from the darkness soon to claim her. Belle has absolutely no intention to take him up on his offer, no matter what he claims to have done for her out of protection since she was a little girl. She is determined to make it on her own in the big, bad world and decides to throw all caution out of the window when she meets not one vampire, but three vampires that she actually doesn’t want to stake. Belle captivates them and they intrigue her curiosity, so she plays along, but what happens when things start to heat up? With something haunting Belle on her nightly routine in the cemetery, she needs to find out how to escape the Devil and this mysterious darkness trying to kill her before her twenty-first birthday. Can she escape both threats and resist the temptation of falling for one or all three of her vampire saviors all at the same time?

Ryan has a fantastic short story, filled with creativity and originality. The pace is very quick, but easy to follow. The story appears to be written fairly well. Since this review compliments the audiobook, the narrator was magnificent with her voice relay. The scenes were vivid for the imagination and characters were entertaining. This is the first installment in the Slayer’s Reverse Harem Series; therefore, you can jump right in. If you are interested in suspense and paranormal romance, this may be a perfect fit.

An audiobook was provided to Turning Another Page by Audiobookworm Promotions and in no way affects the honesty of this review. We provide a five-star rating to Vampires Don’t Give Hickeys by Holly Ryan.

[Metalfist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tijdens één van die Kindle dagen van Amazon heb ik eens een hele hoop smutty boeken “aangeschaft” en heel veel daarvan zijn echt gewoon op goed geluk gekozen. Bij dit eerste deel uit de Slayer’s Reverse Harem kan ik me echter wel voorstellen waarom ik dit heb gekozen, want het is een thema dat me deed terugdenken aan één van mijn favoriete series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer! En wat blijkt? Holly Ryan lijkt die serie ook gezien te hebben, er zijn echt gewoon te veel toevallige gelijkenissen.

Ik ben er alleen nog niet helemaal uit of ik de volledige reeks wil lezen. Vampires Don’t Give Hickeys heeft sowieso wat te lijden onder het “het is het eerste boek in een reeks”-syndroom. Personages moeten nog geïntroduceerd worden, er moet nog een wereld met bepaalde terminologie en mythologie gebouwd worden en er moet natuurlijk snel in bed gedoken worden. Holly Ryan heeft een vlotte schrijfstijl (en mag niet verwisseld worden met de gelijknamige schrijfster die kinderboeken schrijft, de Holly Ryan van Slayer’s Reverse Harem is een pseudoniem voor iemand die naar het schijnt een USA Today bestselling author zou zijn) en dit leest erg gemakkelijk, maar kwalitatief wordt het nooit. Niet in het opzetten van de wereld en hoewel ik de algemene verhaallijn best nog tof vind met het concept van de Slayer die nooit ouder dan 21 jaar wordt omdat ze wordt uitgehuwelijkt aan een demon, heb ik niet bepaald het gevoel dat het idee van Paul echt goed uitgewerkt is. Beetje onverwacht ook dat het boek al eindigde, want er is niet echt een climax. Bij de personages daarentegen… Belle is op zich nog een leuke kloon van Buffy en het is niet zo moeilijk om in haar harem van drie vampiers flarden van Angel en Spike te zien.

Ach, ik wil het tweede deel ook nog wel een kans geven. Ik heb me hier toch mee geamuseerd en hoewel er best veel valt op te merken aan Vampires Don’t Give Hickeys, is het wel een erg leuk tussendoortje geworden. Of ik echt tot aan deel 6 ga raken? Dat betwijfel ik eerlijk gezegd, maar langs de andere kant… Ik maak graag reeksen volledig.

[Toria ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four Stars!
"Vampires Don't Give Hickeys” by Holly Ryan was the right book at the right time for me as I’d just completed a dark and twisty story that left me feeling bruised and emotionally sore. Although dark, this book introduces us to Belle, a teen-aged vampire slayer who is both predator and victim. She’s also funny, snarky and full of amazing one-liners that made me laugh out loud. Between school assignments, her job at the coffee shop and forays out to slay vampires at night, you’d think her plate was full. But, not so much.

Technically, there isn’t a cliffhanger (because although I love vampires, I HATE cliffhangers and routinely adjust my ratings down for them), but the ending is wide open for sequels. I really liked this story; it was well written and engrossing; both sex and fight scenes were breath-taking and hawt. Our heroine was likable and you’ll find yourself rooting for her to win.

There are some triggers in a vampire slayer novel; the book has dark themes and some violent content. Govern yourself accordingly, but I wholeheartedly recommend you give this one a read.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad series starter

Buffy meets reverse harem and we have Vampires Don’t Give Hickeys. I liked this book and the storyline. I wished I had more details and background on the 3 vampires. I felt like a lot of details were skipped over or omitted. I wouldn’t say it felt rushed, except maybe the relationship with Belle and the 3 vampires, just lacking a lot of details and suspenseful buildup. Belle seemed awfully quick to trust 3 strange vampires when she is the slayer but maybe it was just her slayer instincts guiding her, who knows? The storyline so far is intriguing so I am curious as to how things will play out with Paul and the proposal with the Devil. A few continuity errors such as the scene where Belle found Tim. She made it seem as if that night was the night he forgot his thermos but it was actually the night before.

Overall, not a bad start to a series but it could have been better. More details, descriptions, teasing, suspenseful build up would have been nice. The steamy scenes were pretty hot so I would definitely consider this to be a fast burn RH.

[Kaitlin Troy]

I would give this book a 3.5 overall. It follows the typical trope if you ask me. Don't get me wrong this is by no means a bad book. Vampires Don't Give Hickey's is great if you want a quick steamy little romance. I enjoy reverse Harem romances but this also means I have read many of them. So when I read a new one I am looking for it to be unique and have something that sets it apart from the rest to make it special.

This story follows Belle a vampire slayer who one night out kicking booty gets word that the Devil decided to make her his bride. A group of vampire males hear about her problem and volunteer to help her find a way to escape this fate before the devils minions come for her in a couple days. Of course she has a strong attraction to them all. One Vamp is really smart, another is a good fighter and as always you have the one that likes her but is stand offish and reluctant to form an attachment.

I wish there was a bit more back story to Belle being a vampire slayer and more character development all around. I have no complaints about the narration. I recommend this book if you are looking for a light read.

[Cassandra Doon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was completely enthralled by this book, a thrilling tale following the life of Belle Harrison, a fearless vampire slayer who has been honing her skills since she was just 9 years old. Her nightly patrols in the cemetery take a sudden turn when a demon emerges from the ground, claiming that he has been sent by the devil to make Belle his bride. She refuses, determined to continue her fight against the forces of darkness.

But just as she thinks the danger has passed, she is confronted by three vampires - Eddie, Jacek, and Sawyer - who are curious about why the demon was after her. They offer their assistance, with bookish Eddie taking charge and suggesting they take Belle back to their nest to strategize.

Thus begins Belle's harrowing journey alongside her three mysterious and alluring companions. With each passing moment, she becomes more entwined in their world and discovers unexpected depths within herself. This book swept me away with its action-packed plot and steamy romance between Belle and her trio of seductive vampires. I highly recommend this novel for any lovers of fantasy and adventure - it left me eagerly awaiting the next installment in this captivating series.

[Jessica Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warning spoilers ahead.....


Vampires Don't Give Hickeys starts out with all the sass I love by this author. It becomes something resembling Buffy becoming a vampire addicted nympho. As a short story, I try to allow for an author condensing a story down but some things in this story did not make sense to me. Belle is a vampire slayer that kills vampires indiscriminately until she runs across three that she finds smoking hot. Even after starting a relationship with the three and pointing out how great they are, she goes back to killing vampires indiscriminately. To live to be twenty-one, she must marry the devil to avoid a big bad. Then she is contaminated by the vampires and no good as a devil's bride anymore. She is so happy to think she escaped the devil and can now defeat the big bad with her vampires even though no other slayer has. I liked the humor and the elements of horror but I think a lot of the story was lost in making it more sexy. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from the author.

[Shayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very steamy reverse harem. Could have used a bit more world and background character development but it wasn't a story killer.

I do like that we are least get hints of backstory for Belle and Sawyer. Hopefully further into the series we'll learn about the other two and dig deeper into all of them.

The idea of the hunter that falls for their prey was a trope I don't see a ton of, so it's a refreshing change of pace. I do like the added protagonists of the demon sent to bring her to marry the Devil himself and "Paul" the unknown dark entity that seeks to destroy the slayer.

The narrator portrays both masculine and feminine voice characteristics that make it a good listen (you'd be surprised how many audiobooks the voice reading can't make each character stand out) and her voicing of "Paul" actually caused gooseflesh and a crawling up my spine as if I could feel the static like our heroine.

Short, steamy, a dash of suspense... and a talented narration. All in all a good listen, a good book and I'll be checking out the next one.

[Caroline Doig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book it’s about a girl Belle Harrison who is a vampire slayer and has been since she was 9 years old when she killed her first vampire. Belle patrols in a cemetery at night and suddenly a demon comes out of the ground, he says that the devil wants her to be his bride if not then she will be dead by her 21st birthday and of course she declines. Once the demon goes back to hell 3 vampires show up Eddie, Jacek and Sawyer and they wanted to know what the demon wanted with her so she tells them. Eddie is the book nerd out of them and he says that they can help her so she decides to go with them to their nest to see how they can help her. From there her dangerous adventure begins and the 3 sexy vampires help Belle as much as they can, this was a fantastic read and I can’t wait for the next book to see what happens to Belle and her 3 sexy vampires. I loved this story and I highly recommend this book it’s definitely well worth the read.

[Kaleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book!

I loved this book! My absolute favorite thing is when i find a book or an author who's writing is truly funny. Not just enough to make me chuckle once or twice, but to make me laugh out loud and laugh hard throughout the book. Vampires Don't Give Hickeys has definitely accomplished that! Holly Ryan managed to write characters that are funny and relatable, sexy and sweet, all at once. I fell in love with Belle's vamps so quickly! Makes a girl wish she had her own harem of beautifully damaged vampires all to herself. I cant wait to read book #2, especially after that lil teaser they left at the end. This is totally a must read! Lots of sexy times in this, it's definitely not a slow burn, which makes me ever so thankful to the author as slow burn books have become all too common in reverse harem series. They've become something of a pet peeve for me... lol

[Leanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, this was a 3,5-stars read.
Interesting setup, some very colorful scenes, and mostly good writing - the book was really easy to read, to float through. However, there were certain weaknesses in the plot and character development - and especially the latter lacked the depth I would desire. Belle is a promising heroine that can catch reader's attention, but some of her acts and decisions weren't truly explained, and did not make that much sense. The book also contains explicit steamy scenes (well, lots of that), so if you are a fan of milder heat level when it comes to RH, it's not a book for you. It was a light and quite entertaining read, and it will be for you as well, if you don't aim to read something deep and just want to relax. And maybe have some dreams that leave you blushing afterwards :)