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Have Teeth, Will Bite
In the 1890s, attracting the wrong man can be undeadly. When Roz gets reported to a witch hunter for talking to her cat, the prim and proper Salem librarian leaves town in a hurry. She doesn't have many options, so she takes a job as a dance hall girl in the wild west.
One of the girls is murdered, and Jonah, a reserved but hunky deputy, suspects the local vampire. But Roz knows it wasn't him. She was with him at the time being turned into a vampire against her will. Roz wants to get closer to Jonah. But to find the real killer, she'll have to cozy up to the saloon's rough and rowdy customers instead. Being a vampire might be some protection from the murderer if the method of death wasn't a stake through the heart.
One of the girls is murdered, and Jonah, a reserved but hunky deputy, suspects the local vampire. But Roz knows it wasn't him. She was with him at the time being turned into a vampire against her will. Roz wants to get closer to Jonah. But to find the real killer, she'll have to cozy up to the saloon's rough and rowdy customers instead. Being a vampire might be some protection from the murderer if the method of death wasn't a stake through the heart.
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Published March 13, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 21, 2020
Funny cosy mystery.
The story had a unique twist. Roz is accused of being a witch and she flees to the west with her telepathic cat!
In the new place too, things don’t seem to get better as Roz falls in love with the deputy and that is when a girl gets murdered.
The characters especially the cat was hilarious and I totally enjoyed it. The plot was interesting and it kept me engaged throughout. Interesting read.
The story had a unique twist. Roz is accused of being a witch and she flees to the west with her telepathic cat!
In the new place too, things don’t seem to get better as Roz falls in love with the deputy and that is when a girl gets murdered.
The characters especially the cat was hilarious and I totally enjoyed it. The plot was interesting and it kept me engaged throughout. Interesting read.
June 23, 2019
A unique western/vampire story. A strange mix that works. A 3.5 star read rounded up to 4 stars. This book reads more like an introduction to the characters and environment but the story is cute. The plot has a few gaps, providing opportunities to continue as a series but the story for this book has a satisfactory ending. The characters need some fleshing out but the basics are there and I liked them all, especially the cat. I was provided a free copy of this book by Hidden Gems and this is my honest review.
January 28, 2020
This was a fun little cozy mystery complete with vampires. The cat was my absolute favorite character. The characters are fun and the story interesting. I can't say too much more without giving the plot away. I think I would definitely read more by this author.
June 24, 2019
This book is set in the 1890’s with the main character of Roz and her cat Buttons and another character that it took me a little while longer to catch onto. Years before, a vampire called Natasha makes her hunting for food, ie humans, very obvious and ends up returning to her husband’s home late one night, for him to desert her to the angry mob due to her lack of control. His name is apparently Robert and we are introduced to him later as Cowboy Bob, the owner of a bar and dance hall.
Roz gets a warning from her cat that her current place in Salem and job as a librarian need to be left urgently, as a jealous wife believes her husband likes Roz too much and as she talks to her cat, she must be a witch! A witch hunter has been hired and is on the way to hunt her down and kill her, no trial allowed. She takes a stagecoach to New York, with little money or job prospects and then ends up leaving there and moving to the Wild West and getting a job as a dancer in a dance hall. But with a very specific contract that states she doesn’t have to try and speak or interact with customers nor prostitute herself. Something the halls Madame is not impressed with at all.
Some six months before Roz arrived, the number of outlaws and crimes happening in the town, suddenly ceased and the local Deputy Sherriff, Jonah, is quite suspicious about this, especially as it coincided with the arrival of Cowboy Bob. Jonah was hired as a sharpshooter some three years before as a deterrent to the outlaws and to keep the bank and miners using the town. One night one of the girls is murdered, with a stake and mallet. Jonah believes the main suspect is Cowboy Bob, the dance hall owner. Unfortunately, Roz knows it wasn’t him, as he is actually a vampire and was turning her into one, without her permission or knowledge, that night! Button, her cat, tried to protect her and bit Bob.
Bob wants a woman who should be able to control her appetites, to be turned into his immortal beloved, and chose Roz due to her refined lifestyle, education and also her being a vegetarian. His current companion is one of the other dancers, who he finds more attractive and sexy. Maybe he has made a rash decision? Bob goes to Roz’s room the next night believing he can consummate his new relationship, with the new vampire he has made, but Roz refuses to agree and doesn’t quite believe he has done anything to her. That is until her hunger increases!
Jonah had made an approach to Roz in the bar and invited her for dinner. They both seem to have similar feelings for each other and a friendship of more starts to exist. She suggests she asks questions in the bar, on behalf of Jonah, to try and find out who killed the other dancer. It gets quite involved and Roz must decide whether she lets Jonah know what she has become, especially when matters get serious quickly. Who the actual killer is, leads to a good surprise, as does Button’s actions out in the wild. I hope there may be a follow-up to this book. It would be great to see what happens next with these main characters. I received an ARC copy of this book from Hidden Gems and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Roz gets a warning from her cat that her current place in Salem and job as a librarian need to be left urgently, as a jealous wife believes her husband likes Roz too much and as she talks to her cat, she must be a witch! A witch hunter has been hired and is on the way to hunt her down and kill her, no trial allowed. She takes a stagecoach to New York, with little money or job prospects and then ends up leaving there and moving to the Wild West and getting a job as a dancer in a dance hall. But with a very specific contract that states she doesn’t have to try and speak or interact with customers nor prostitute herself. Something the halls Madame is not impressed with at all.
Some six months before Roz arrived, the number of outlaws and crimes happening in the town, suddenly ceased and the local Deputy Sherriff, Jonah, is quite suspicious about this, especially as it coincided with the arrival of Cowboy Bob. Jonah was hired as a sharpshooter some three years before as a deterrent to the outlaws and to keep the bank and miners using the town. One night one of the girls is murdered, with a stake and mallet. Jonah believes the main suspect is Cowboy Bob, the dance hall owner. Unfortunately, Roz knows it wasn’t him, as he is actually a vampire and was turning her into one, without her permission or knowledge, that night! Button, her cat, tried to protect her and bit Bob.
Bob wants a woman who should be able to control her appetites, to be turned into his immortal beloved, and chose Roz due to her refined lifestyle, education and also her being a vegetarian. His current companion is one of the other dancers, who he finds more attractive and sexy. Maybe he has made a rash decision? Bob goes to Roz’s room the next night believing he can consummate his new relationship, with the new vampire he has made, but Roz refuses to agree and doesn’t quite believe he has done anything to her. That is until her hunger increases!
Jonah had made an approach to Roz in the bar and invited her for dinner. They both seem to have similar feelings for each other and a friendship of more starts to exist. She suggests she asks questions in the bar, on behalf of Jonah, to try and find out who killed the other dancer. It gets quite involved and Roz must decide whether she lets Jonah know what she has become, especially when matters get serious quickly. Who the actual killer is, leads to a good surprise, as does Button’s actions out in the wild. I hope there may be a follow-up to this book. It would be great to see what happens next with these main characters. I received an ARC copy of this book from Hidden Gems and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
March 27, 2022
Have Teeth, Will Bite by L.D. Marr is the first book in their cozy mystery vampire novel series. The author introduces readers to a young librarian by the name of Roz. She believes life is good until her cat warns her of a witch hunter hired to kill her. Why? Simply because of a couple jealous wives. So, Roz goes on the run, and starts a new life out west. But more danger awaits her when she catches the eye of a vampire who decides to claim her, and then a murder of a young woman. Who killed her and why?
Have Teeth, Will Bite sounded like a cozy mystery novel that would bring some fun and excitement, unfortunately, that’s not the case. The prologue of this novel, and then the first chapter were pretty much the only interesting chapters in this book. I’d have honestly liked more of the prologue and the characters there. I quickly come to feel that Roz is a bit of an “uppity” character. I’d honestly believe that she came from a wealthy family with the way that she behaves – turning her nose up at most things, wanting to be oblivious to when she’s in trouble. She doesn’t even try to make friends with any of the girls where she works at the saloon. Honestly, the author doesn’t try to even have any of the girls really interact with each other beyond a bit of cattiness at one point in the novel.
I unfortunately did not enjoy this book. For me, the characters are very one-dimensional. Roz makes a very poor main character and shows zero development or growth. My favorite character would be Buttons. He at least shows that he has more sense than Roz. The mystery angle is poorly done as well. Once you learn the identity and appearance of the murder victim you will immediately see where this is going. There might be one element that causes you to raise an eyebrow, but that’s it. The romance angle is severely rushed, and even for fiction and the old west unbelievable. Sorry, not sorry.
I kept hoping that this story would get better, but it just doesn’t. Roz remains an unlikable character to the very end. There is a bit of a cliffhanger hinting at a second book, but I won’t be reading. I’m rating this book 2.5 out of 5 stars. For a paranormal vampire (cozy) mystery novel, this book unfortunately is a bland disappointment.
Have Teeth, Will Bite sounded like a cozy mystery novel that would bring some fun and excitement, unfortunately, that’s not the case. The prologue of this novel, and then the first chapter were pretty much the only interesting chapters in this book. I’d have honestly liked more of the prologue and the characters there. I quickly come to feel that Roz is a bit of an “uppity” character. I’d honestly believe that she came from a wealthy family with the way that she behaves – turning her nose up at most things, wanting to be oblivious to when she’s in trouble. She doesn’t even try to make friends with any of the girls where she works at the saloon. Honestly, the author doesn’t try to even have any of the girls really interact with each other beyond a bit of cattiness at one point in the novel.
I unfortunately did not enjoy this book. For me, the characters are very one-dimensional. Roz makes a very poor main character and shows zero development or growth. My favorite character would be Buttons. He at least shows that he has more sense than Roz. The mystery angle is poorly done as well. Once you learn the identity and appearance of the murder victim you will immediately see where this is going. There might be one element that causes you to raise an eyebrow, but that’s it. The romance angle is severely rushed, and even for fiction and the old west unbelievable. Sorry, not sorry.
I kept hoping that this story would get better, but it just doesn’t. Roz remains an unlikable character to the very end. There is a bit of a cliffhanger hinting at a second book, but I won’t be reading. I’m rating this book 2.5 out of 5 stars. For a paranormal vampire (cozy) mystery novel, this book unfortunately is a bland disappointment.
June 25, 2019
The best things about this book were that it was a quick read and the plot had a lot of potential. If it had been any longer, though, I probably wouldn't have bothered to finish it. I didn't find it to be a well-written mystery because there weren't really many clues as to what was happening. I was blindsided by who the killer was not because there was some big twist, but because there simply weren't many, if any, clues that would lead you to being able to make any sort of guess. The characters really had no real personality, honestly. There were countless plot holes that made the book kind of frustrating to try to read, and they start right from the beginning and never end. Why could she telepathically speak with her cat? Are all cats able to read minds in this universe? Why did Jonah propose so quickly? Why was he so chill with vampirism? What was the witch hunter that he could track someone all the way across the country and use the same vampiric persuasion? Was he also a vampire? Just so many things that didn't make sense. The prologue, while it was about Cowboy Bob, didn't really add much to the story. The book ended very suddenly and in a way that was kind of confusing and unsatisfying. Overall, I'd say if you want a kind of empty read, it's pretty decent I suppose. But I wouldn't recommend it to anyone and wouldn't read it again or a sequel.
I am reviewing this after receiving a free copy.
I am reviewing this after receiving a free copy.
May 10, 2022
I am a longtime lover of vampire books, so I thought this one would be an enjoyable read. I have to say that I struggled to finish the book, even though it was fairly short. It is touted as a cozy mystery, but there isn't really much of a mystery and (IMO) doesn't fit the cozy genre.
Roz is accused of being a witch in Salem in the late 1800's, mainly because she seems to talk to her cat. The cat telepathically suggests that the librarian head West and find a job as a dancehall girl. Roz is much too prim for this line of work, but needs the job. Cowboy Bob, the owner of the saloon, is a caricature cowboy with a heavy Texas accent and seems to be obsessed with Roz.
Roz is obsessed with a new book, Dracula, and her life soon seems to mimicking fiction when she is turned into one of the undead. And, somehow, her cat, Buttons, becomes a vampire, too!
All in all, I found the book to be silly. The writing was OK, but fairly juvenile in construction. Roz was a fairly unlikable character in my opinion and the others characters were basically caricatures of Old West characters. The "mystery" was solved, but not in a very satisfactory fashion and without any clues for the reader to play detective as they read.
Roz is accused of being a witch in Salem in the late 1800's, mainly because she seems to talk to her cat. The cat telepathically suggests that the librarian head West and find a job as a dancehall girl. Roz is much too prim for this line of work, but needs the job. Cowboy Bob, the owner of the saloon, is a caricature cowboy with a heavy Texas accent and seems to be obsessed with Roz.
Roz is obsessed with a new book, Dracula, and her life soon seems to mimicking fiction when she is turned into one of the undead. And, somehow, her cat, Buttons, becomes a vampire, too!
All in all, I found the book to be silly. The writing was OK, but fairly juvenile in construction. Roz was a fairly unlikable character in my opinion and the others characters were basically caricatures of Old West characters. The "mystery" was solved, but not in a very satisfactory fashion and without any clues for the reader to play detective as they read.
June 19, 2019
I received a free review copy of this book from Hidden Gems in exchange for an honest review. As always, my focus is on the critique and not a summary of the book.
This was a quick read, which was a positive of the book. The plot and characters were engaging enough to suck me in and make me want to find out what would happen next. The book does end with a cliffhanger, which I tend to find annoying.
So, why three stars? I have so many questions and comments! There were a lot of holes in the plot for me.
1. Why was Jonah so quick to accept Roz as a vamp?
2. It's Stoker, not Storker, who wrote Dracula.
3. When did Buttons get turned? How? Did it automatically happen when Roz was turned?
4. After the first few times of identifying that Roz talked to the cat in here head, that notification could have stopped.
5. Cowboy Bob all of a sudden starts dropping his accent so people notice. How did he maintain the accent this long?
6. Was Roz a witch? She never exhibited any witchy actions, but she could talk to a cat telepathically.
So, the premise was fun, but the many plot holes downgraded my rating.
This was a quick read, which was a positive of the book. The plot and characters were engaging enough to suck me in and make me want to find out what would happen next. The book does end with a cliffhanger, which I tend to find annoying.
So, why three stars? I have so many questions and comments! There were a lot of holes in the plot for me.
1. Why was Jonah so quick to accept Roz as a vamp?
2. It's Stoker, not Storker, who wrote Dracula.
3. When did Buttons get turned? How? Did it automatically happen when Roz was turned?
4. After the first few times of identifying that Roz talked to the cat in here head, that notification could have stopped.
5. Cowboy Bob all of a sudden starts dropping his accent so people notice. How did he maintain the accent this long?
6. Was Roz a witch? She never exhibited any witchy actions, but she could talk to a cat telepathically.
So, the premise was fun, but the many plot holes downgraded my rating.
September 1, 2019
Merciful heavens! What can I say about this book? It just had so many problems. First, I thought that the writing style itself seemed juvenile. Sentence structure and word use were simple. But what I found the most bizarre was the telepathic communications between the witch and her cat. At first, it was just confusing and repetitious. The cat would actually say “meow” in dialogue within quotes! The first time I saw it, I actually laughed--and not in a good way! The characters were underdeveloped, too. The plot had as many holes as a slice of Swiss cheese. It was as if the author just wanted us to ride along with the story and not think about what was happening too much. She didn't give enough clues about the villain before the reveal, and I think that is actually important in a mystery. We like to puzzle it out along with characters, but we need clues to do that! It did end quite suddenly and on a cliffhanger, which I don't like in general and certainly don't like in a mystery. In all, this was a disappointing paranormal cozy experience.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
September 26, 2019
A witch turned vampire against her will. What more can happen? Roz was a nice witch, a librarian, and a book lover. Her familiar Buttons and she could talk telepathically, but because she would forget and talk out loud to the cat, a woman whose husband kept giving Roz unwanted attention, notices and reports Roz to the Witch Hunters, out of jealousy. Roz and Buttons escape out west and she starts dancing in a saloon. The deputy sheriff, Jonah notices her and invites her out to dinner. But before their date, she is forced to become a vampire. Now a woman who was a vegetarian is forced to drink blood. Can she and Jonah ever have a relationship? And what about the killing of one of the girls in the saloon? She had a stake through her heart. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 25, 2019
**** SPOILER ALERT ****
Marr presents a nice little mystery in "Have Teeth, Will Bite". The author does a good job of world building. I found this book entertaining, and recommend it.
I would like to see more stories featuring Roz, Buttons and Jonas. Perhaps, Roz and Jonas start a Detective agency when they move "back East"?
Time will tell.
In the interest of transparency: I received a free review copy of this book and I am voluntarily sharing this review which is my own honest opinion.
Marr presents a nice little mystery in "Have Teeth, Will Bite". The author does a good job of world building. I found this book entertaining, and recommend it.
I would like to see more stories featuring Roz, Buttons and Jonas. Perhaps, Roz and Jonas start a Detective agency when they move "back East"?
Time will tell.
In the interest of transparency: I received a free review copy of this book and I am voluntarily sharing this review which is my own honest opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2019
The premise of the book was interesting, but it was just “ok” for me.
I thought the characters were not well developed and rather flat. There were a number of thing that were repeated over and over and became annoying. Cowboy Bob’s dialogue was kind of cheesy. There were a lot of things mentioned but not explained.
I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I thought the characters were not well developed and rather flat. There were a number of thing that were repeated over and over and became annoying. Cowboy Bob’s dialogue was kind of cheesy. There were a lot of things mentioned but not explained.
I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 23, 2019
Needs a few tweaks but there is a great story in this book. The story does not flow as well as it should and a cliff hanger ending is not good when you are not given a heads up before purchasing. However, I love most of the characters and there was a great story to be told.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 20, 2020
A vampire western
You have Roz the librarian on the run, Jonah the deputy, Bob the cowboy, and Buttons the cat. These characters make great vampire western story. You could almost make a series with this story by the way it ended.
You have Roz the librarian on the run, Jonah the deputy, Bob the cowboy, and Buttons the cat. These characters make great vampire western story. You could almost make a series with this story by the way it ended.
September 18, 2019
Mix a librarian, a cat, a witch hunter, a vampire and a murder in the old West and you come up with an interesting story.
I received this book for free and voluntarily reviewed
I received this book for free and voluntarily reviewed
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