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Mortdale: Anatomy of a vampire's heart
A witch.
A vampire.
And a five-hundred-year-old pact between them.
Every summer solstice, a witch must marry a vampire. And in return, a vampire must die as a sacrifice to keep an ancient curse from killing the witches. A pact that was meant to keep peace between Meridian and Mortdale.
When word is sent that the witches of Meridian seem to keep dying soon after they are wed to a vampire, Willow leaves her position as an occult pathologist to marry Lord Logan Duncan and investigate the deaths of her coven sisters.
Working right under the King of Mortdale as his second-in-command, Logan is forced to keep a close eye on his new wife and figure out what mission she was assigned in Mortdale while also struggling to face a plague of madness that is forcing his species near extinction.
Mortdale is a standalone adult Gothic/Gaslamp romantasy. The story contains dark and mature themes, intended only for the ages of eighteen and above.
A vampire.
And a five-hundred-year-old pact between them.
Every summer solstice, a witch must marry a vampire. And in return, a vampire must die as a sacrifice to keep an ancient curse from killing the witches. A pact that was meant to keep peace between Meridian and Mortdale.
When word is sent that the witches of Meridian seem to keep dying soon after they are wed to a vampire, Willow leaves her position as an occult pathologist to marry Lord Logan Duncan and investigate the deaths of her coven sisters.
Working right under the King of Mortdale as his second-in-command, Logan is forced to keep a close eye on his new wife and figure out what mission she was assigned in Mortdale while also struggling to face a plague of madness that is forcing his species near extinction.
Mortdale is a standalone adult Gothic/Gaslamp romantasy. The story contains dark and mature themes, intended only for the ages of eighteen and above.
359 pages, Paperback
First published September 11, 2026
About the author
Wendy Heiss
11 books698 followersWendy Heiss is a indie author debuting with a new adult fantasy trilogy, Winter Gods & Serpents, the first book in The Auran Chronicles. She has graduated with a Forensics Science degree in the United Kingdom, but literature has been one of her passions since she could manage to read and write. Despite being severely tempted to ride the Agatha Christie route to crime novels, she chose to follow the Tolkien path to fantasy. She forwent fingerprint powder for ball pen ink inevitably forgoing her parents hope for a good life and becoming what they always feared...a figuratively starving artist, which is why she won't quit her day time job any time soon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 229 reviews
September 14, 2026
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ✦ . ⁺ . 4.2 - 4.4 ☆ . ⁺ . ✦
ㅤ ㅤ ˋ°•*⁀➷ㅤmight contain spoilers ❗
ㅤ First of all, I want to remind everyone that I am a mood reader, therefore my ratings and reviews will almost never be based on literary concepts, the literal analysis of a text, or the depth of the literary themes ingrained in a book. If I have a good time, I will rate that book high. It really is that simple.
ㅤ That being said, I HAD AN AMAZING TIME WITH THIS BOOK. What do you mean I get a fun gothic romance, a murder mystery somewhere in the background, and an arranged marriage between two absolute freaks??? This was such an incredible time for me. I loved the banter, I loved the setting, and I LOVE an unserious book that knows exactly what it is. There you have it. I liked the book. Revolutionary, I know.
ㅤ ㅤ “When you took a rose out of the sun, you had to prepare yourself for it to die in the shade.”
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ honest thoughts
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I am such a sucker for anything set in a gothic world, I genuinely cannot help it, and this is exactly the kind of read that feels perfect for the season. I absolutely loved what the author did with the setting of this book. It was vivid, dark, slightly eerie, and somehow even a little cozy, while still being peculiar in the best way possible. The atmosphere was honestly one of my favorite parts of the entire book.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I feel like this is exactly the kind of book you pick up when you want something easy to read, nothing too dark or serious, and something you can enjoy purely for the vibes. I had SO much fun with it, and I genuinely had trouble putting it down. I could not help it. These characters and their sheer absurdity were like a drug to me, and apparently I had absolutely no intention of getting clean.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ However, the book also deals with some pretty dark themes. Despite all the funny banter and ridiculously addictive jokes, there are moments that are bound to make you pause. You get to see grief in a very dark form, and some of the paragraphs depicting the trauma these characters endured are genuinely uncomfortable to read. A small trigger warning for torture, bullying, including a particularly twisted version of it, and suicide, because these themes are not exactly handled with kid gloves. And honestly, that discomfort works in the book’s favour, because they are presented incredibly well.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ The banter was absolutely EVERYTHING. I am not even joking when I say I was genuinely laughing out loud at these characters’ interactions. The FMC is an absolute menace, a rather nervous one, yes, but a menace nonetheless. I loved her and her dark sense of humour, and honestly, watching her interact with everyone was half the fun of this book. She was chaotic in exactly the way I wanted her to be.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I loved all the medical talk in this book. I am in absolutely no position to judge or verify the correctness of everything being thrown at me, but honestly, I did not even care. I was having such a great time listening to these characters talk about medicine that I would have happily nodded along to literally anything they told me. Apparently, all I needed was medical jargon and I was sold.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I do feel like I wished the entire “murder mystery” plot had been a bit more developed. Maybe if the book had been slightly longer and the pacing slowed down a little, this could have been even more immersive for me. It was good, don’t get me wrong, but there were definitely moments where it felt like everything was happening a little too conveniently, while for the rest of the book I was genuinely forgetting what the whole mystery was even supposed to be about.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I am not usually someone who gets particularly annoyed by small mistakes in books, because they happen. But I do wish this one had gotten a second round of editing and proofreading. There were quite a few writing mistakes that you definitely start noticing at some point. They did not really bother me enough to ruin neither my reading experience, nor my rating, but you know...just a heads-up, because you WILL notice them.
ㅤ ⋅ ♡ The romance was everything. I do feel like this is the type of book that puts a lot more emphasis on the romance, but honestly, it was such a refreshing way to watch a love story unfold. You go from jokes, to protection, to obsession, to some... very freaky and carnal scenes, so you pretty much get the full package. The dynamic and chemistry between the FMC and MMC are there from the very beginning, and that made it nearly impossible to get bored whenever they were on the page together.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I do admit I would have loved to see a bit more development in the ending. It somehow felt a little rushed, with so many things happening and so many revelations being thrown at me one after another that they did not have enough time to feel as impactful as I would have liked. It was still the perfect ending for this kind of book, but honestly, I think it just needed another at least 30 pages to let everything breathe a little.
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ characters
ㅤ ⊹ Willow — She is officially a very dear character to me. I absolutely LOVE her sense of humour. She is witty, determined, passionate, compassionate, and an absolute menace when it comes to everyone around her. She is incredibly smart and capable, but somehow all of that flies straight out the window the second her very imposing and very demanding husband enters the picture. She is an absolute fluffball... a very morbid one, admittedly, but a fluffball nonetheless, and I absolutely adored her from the very forst page.
ㅤ ⊹ Logan — He is officially one of the very few fictional vampires I would willingly allow to bite me. This man is so scorchingly hot, it is actually ridiculous. I love an obsessed, overly protective, possessive man, and I do not care who calls that toxic because, to me, this man was PERFECTION. If he needs another wife, I am absolutely volunteering. He is such a sacrificial bastard who has been through so damn much, yet somehow nothing would ever stop him from protecting the people in his care. I want him. And OH, AND HE IS AN ABSOLUTE FREAK.
ㅤ ⊹ Henry, Arthur and Liam — I cannot really explain it, but I REALLY want these three to be my friends. Please.
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ should you read this?
ㅤ If you are in the mood for a pretty immersive read that won’t weigh too heavily on you, and you just want something funny, a little dark, but still incredibly easy to read and even comical in its absurd gothic imagery, then definitely pick this up. It might not be the serious, emotionally devastating read you are looking for, but it will absolutely give you a good time. It is fun, ridiculous, delightfully weird, and very easy to devour in no time.
⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍendㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹
ㅤ ᯓ ✿ pre-reading ⪼
ㅤ ○ started ┆14-September-2026┆
ㅤ ㅤ ⤿ pspspspspsps please come here, vampire husband pspspspsps😩
ㅤ ㅤ ˋ°•*⁀➷ㅤmight contain spoilers ❗
ㅤ First of all, I want to remind everyone that I am a mood reader, therefore my ratings and reviews will almost never be based on literary concepts, the literal analysis of a text, or the depth of the literary themes ingrained in a book. If I have a good time, I will rate that book high. It really is that simple.
ㅤ That being said, I HAD AN AMAZING TIME WITH THIS BOOK. What do you mean I get a fun gothic romance, a murder mystery somewhere in the background, and an arranged marriage between two absolute freaks??? This was such an incredible time for me. I loved the banter, I loved the setting, and I LOVE an unserious book that knows exactly what it is. There you have it. I liked the book. Revolutionary, I know.
ㅤ ㅤ “When you took a rose out of the sun, you had to prepare yourself for it to die in the shade.”
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ honest thoughts
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I am such a sucker for anything set in a gothic world, I genuinely cannot help it, and this is exactly the kind of read that feels perfect for the season. I absolutely loved what the author did with the setting of this book. It was vivid, dark, slightly eerie, and somehow even a little cozy, while still being peculiar in the best way possible. The atmosphere was honestly one of my favorite parts of the entire book.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I feel like this is exactly the kind of book you pick up when you want something easy to read, nothing too dark or serious, and something you can enjoy purely for the vibes. I had SO much fun with it, and I genuinely had trouble putting it down. I could not help it. These characters and their sheer absurdity were like a drug to me, and apparently I had absolutely no intention of getting clean.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ However, the book also deals with some pretty dark themes. Despite all the funny banter and ridiculously addictive jokes, there are moments that are bound to make you pause. You get to see grief in a very dark form, and some of the paragraphs depicting the trauma these characters endured are genuinely uncomfortable to read. A small trigger warning for torture, bullying, including a particularly twisted version of it, and suicide, because these themes are not exactly handled with kid gloves. And honestly, that discomfort works in the book’s favour, because they are presented incredibly well.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ The banter was absolutely EVERYTHING. I am not even joking when I say I was genuinely laughing out loud at these characters’ interactions. The FMC is an absolute menace, a rather nervous one, yes, but a menace nonetheless. I loved her and her dark sense of humour, and honestly, watching her interact with everyone was half the fun of this book. She was chaotic in exactly the way I wanted her to be.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I loved all the medical talk in this book. I am in absolutely no position to judge or verify the correctness of everything being thrown at me, but honestly, I did not even care. I was having such a great time listening to these characters talk about medicine that I would have happily nodded along to literally anything they told me. Apparently, all I needed was medical jargon and I was sold.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I do feel like I wished the entire “murder mystery” plot had been a bit more developed. Maybe if the book had been slightly longer and the pacing slowed down a little, this could have been even more immersive for me. It was good, don’t get me wrong, but there were definitely moments where it felt like everything was happening a little too conveniently, while for the rest of the book I was genuinely forgetting what the whole mystery was even supposed to be about.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I am not usually someone who gets particularly annoyed by small mistakes in books, because they happen. But I do wish this one had gotten a second round of editing and proofreading. There were quite a few writing mistakes that you definitely start noticing at some point. They did not really bother me enough to ruin neither my reading experience, nor my rating, but you know...just a heads-up, because you WILL notice them.
ㅤ ⋅ ♡ The romance was everything. I do feel like this is the type of book that puts a lot more emphasis on the romance, but honestly, it was such a refreshing way to watch a love story unfold. You go from jokes, to protection, to obsession, to some... very freaky and carnal scenes, so you pretty much get the full package. The dynamic and chemistry between the FMC and MMC are there from the very beginning, and that made it nearly impossible to get bored whenever they were on the page together.
ㅤ ⋅ ☾ I do admit I would have loved to see a bit more development in the ending. It somehow felt a little rushed, with so many things happening and so many revelations being thrown at me one after another that they did not have enough time to feel as impactful as I would have liked. It was still the perfect ending for this kind of book, but honestly, I think it just needed another at least 30 pages to let everything breathe a little.
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ characters
ㅤ ⊹ Willow — She is officially a very dear character to me. I absolutely LOVE her sense of humour. She is witty, determined, passionate, compassionate, and an absolute menace when it comes to everyone around her. She is incredibly smart and capable, but somehow all of that flies straight out the window the second her very imposing and very demanding husband enters the picture. She is an absolute fluffball... a very morbid one, admittedly, but a fluffball nonetheless, and I absolutely adored her from the very forst page.
ㅤ ⊹ Logan — He is officially one of the very few fictional vampires I would willingly allow to bite me. This man is so scorchingly hot, it is actually ridiculous. I love an obsessed, overly protective, possessive man, and I do not care who calls that toxic because, to me, this man was PERFECTION. If he needs another wife, I am absolutely volunteering. He is such a sacrificial bastard who has been through so damn much, yet somehow nothing would ever stop him from protecting the people in his care. I want him. And OH, AND HE IS AN ABSOLUTE FREAK.
ㅤ ⊹ Henry, Arthur and Liam — I cannot really explain it, but I REALLY want these three to be my friends. Please.
ㅤ ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ should you read this?
ㅤ If you are in the mood for a pretty immersive read that won’t weigh too heavily on you, and you just want something funny, a little dark, but still incredibly easy to read and even comical in its absurd gothic imagery, then definitely pick this up. It might not be the serious, emotionally devastating read you are looking for, but it will absolutely give you a good time. It is fun, ridiculous, delightfully weird, and very easy to devour in no time.
⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍendㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹
ㅤ ᯓ ✿ pre-reading ⪼
ㅤ ○ started ┆14-September-2026┆
ㅤ ㅤ ⤿ pspspspspsps please come here, vampire husband pspspspsps😩
September 17, 2026
— 4.5 ★
Logan can baptize me in his spit.
Logan can baptize me in his spit.
September 13, 2026
—꒰🩸꒱ 4.5 stars
logan and willow have to file a restraining order against me because not even a single fabric of space and time can keep me away from them.
logan and willow have to file a restraining order against me because not even a single fabric of space and time can keep me away from them.
Currently Reading
September 15, 2026witch fmc x vampire mmc arranged marriage AND he’s blonde?? i’m pre moaning as we speak
September 19, 2026
This isn't gonna be much of a review as I'm easily entertained when it comes to vampires and witches, add marriage of convenience best believe I ATE this up and apparently I need to read more from this author
Plot Summary
Every summer solstice, a witch must marry a vampire as part of an ancient pact. When witches begin dying after their marriages, Willow marries Lord Logan Duncan to secretly investigate their deaths. But while she searches for answers, Logan is battling a mysterious madness spreading among vampires — and neither can afford to reveal their secrets.
My Bookstagram
Plot Summary
Every summer solstice, a witch must marry a vampire as part of an ancient pact. When witches begin dying after their marriages, Willow marries Lord Logan Duncan to secretly investigate their deaths. But while she searches for answers, Logan is battling a mysterious madness spreading among vampires — and neither can afford to reveal their secrets.
My Bookstagram
September 28, 2026
5⭐️ This book was so heartfelt!! I loved the humor, banter, tension,and yearning between Willow and Logan. I loved that Willow had a fun personality and was weird and sarcastic. I adore when two broken people find love and comfort in each other and have a happy ending! The plot and mystery kept me on my toes and intrigued. I recommend this book for spooky season and just as a comfort, heartfelt read.
“I wanted to be in his bones, drown in his blood, impale myself in his ribs, and rot there slowly.”
Also this freaking cover!!! It’s so damn beautiful I want to frame it in my room.
“I wanted to be in his bones, drown in his blood, impale myself in his ribs, and rot there slowly.”
Also this freaking cover!!! It’s so damn beautiful I want to frame it in my room.
September 13, 2026
sooooooo fun
so good so bloody such a comfort read 🫀
I ain’t saying shit to the pigeons if you tell me how Vampires in Furs ends
so good so bloody such a comfort read 🫀
I ain’t saying shit to the pigeons if you tell me how Vampires in Furs ends
September 14, 2026
I’m so in love with Logan and Willow. This story will always have a special place in my soul!
but Thomas has my whole heart - that unwashed, perpetually starving little rat-demon🙂↕️
but Thomas has my whole heart - that unwashed, perpetually starving little rat-demon🙂↕️
September 17, 2026
I was really intrigued in the beginning because the setup was great. However, the story completely lost its spark for me once the main characters got married🫠 It became quite boring after that point took me almost a week to finish
Read
March 7, 2024If you'd like to read a witch x vampire cozy-ish, arranged marriage gothic fantasy, add this to your list. Don't ask me how I know this information.
September 6, 2026
3.65 stars ⭐️
The idea behind this story, the gothic, witchy (and vampy!!) atmosphere, the overall plot AND the little found family vibe and banter in this were top notch, honestly. The dark romcom vibe it had sometimes was a little jarring in contrast with the setting, but I binged it in a day and I think this could have actually been a 4+ star read… Except something about the writing style and pacing made this feel extremely disjointed to me.
I kept going back paragraphs and pages in the hopes of having abrupt transitions explained, but they weren’t. At times, it was like reading a story with parts of it missing. It’d be unclear who was speaking, or when they’d gotten somewhere. How a situation we found ourselves in came to be or how much time had passed since the previous scene. It was disorienting and unfortunately kept me from fully immersing myself in the book, despite the fact that I really liked Logan and Willow, how we got both their POV’s and how rich their backstories were. Willow was completely nuts in an unexpected way, and an occult pathologist, hello??? (Although I will admit that last part could have been a bit more present) I also loved Art and Piper (and Thomas) as comedic relief, and I really did like the plot and where it went. There’s a little political intrigue, some occult murder mystery and of course, the mystery of Willow’s malediction and origins.
The continuous confusion paired with how the conclusion of the main plot was paced just kind of put a damper on the whole thing for me though, especially because I had such high expectations. With some additional editing, this would be SUCH an amazing read though!!! The originality of it and the overall world the author based is really something to commend her on. I’m really excited to keep my eye on her and see what she writes next. A cheeky spin-off has been hinted at (I think??), and I’m definitely crossing my fingers.
Actually, I’m coming back a few days later because I’m still thinking about this book??? Upping the rating a tiny bit because it’s truly one of the most original fantasy books I’ve read this year, and because it has so much potential!!
Big thank you to the author, Wendy Heiss, for the ARC opportunity!
The idea behind this story, the gothic, witchy (and vampy!!) atmosphere, the overall plot AND the little found family vibe and banter in this were top notch, honestly. The dark romcom vibe it had sometimes was a little jarring in contrast with the setting, but I binged it in a day and I think this could have actually been a 4+ star read… Except something about the writing style and pacing made this feel extremely disjointed to me.
I kept going back paragraphs and pages in the hopes of having abrupt transitions explained, but they weren’t. At times, it was like reading a story with parts of it missing. It’d be unclear who was speaking, or when they’d gotten somewhere. How a situation we found ourselves in came to be or how much time had passed since the previous scene. It was disorienting and unfortunately kept me from fully immersing myself in the book, despite the fact that I really liked Logan and Willow, how we got both their POV’s and how rich their backstories were. Willow was completely nuts in an unexpected way, and an occult pathologist, hello??? (Although I will admit that last part could have been a bit more present) I also loved Art and Piper (and Thomas) as comedic relief, and I really did like the plot and where it went. There’s a little political intrigue, some occult murder mystery and of course, the mystery of Willow’s malediction and origins.
The continuous confusion paired with how the conclusion of the main plot was paced just kind of put a damper on the whole thing for me though, especially because I had such high expectations. With some additional editing, this would be SUCH an amazing read though!!! The originality of it and the overall world the author based is really something to commend her on. I’m really excited to keep my eye on her and see what she writes next. A cheeky spin-off has been hinted at (I think??), and I’m definitely crossing my fingers.
Actually, I’m coming back a few days later because I’m still thinking about this book??? Upping the rating a tiny bit because it’s truly one of the most original fantasy books I’ve read this year, and because it has so much potential!!
Big thank you to the author, Wendy Heiss, for the ARC opportunity!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Mortdale: Anatomy of a Vampire’s Heart by Wendy Heiss is an atmospheric gothic paranormal romance with curses and arranged marriages necessary to fulfill political & divine pacts.
On paper I should have loved this book. A cursed occult pathologist witch that can see ghosts. A vampire lord with a mysterious madness plaguing his people. Instead, I found myself aggressively disoriented. I was often genuinely confused by the writing style and timeline. I didn’t understand how we were getting from point A to point B and I felt like I was missing pages. This happened with larger plot points but also in smaller details like movement within scenes. The story itself jumped between gothic suspense and dark rom-com in a way that felt jarring rather than natural. I also felt like details about our MCs were inconsistent and difficult to reconcile.
Mortdale releases September 11th. While I wasn’t able to connect with the characters and found the story truly disorienting rather than fast paced — there’s undeniable potential here. At a high level I really enjoyed the concept of this book and am sure other readers may better appreciate it stylistically.
On paper I should have loved this book. A cursed occult pathologist witch that can see ghosts. A vampire lord with a mysterious madness plaguing his people. Instead, I found myself aggressively disoriented. I was often genuinely confused by the writing style and timeline. I didn’t understand how we were getting from point A to point B and I felt like I was missing pages. This happened with larger plot points but also in smaller details like movement within scenes. The story itself jumped between gothic suspense and dark rom-com in a way that felt jarring rather than natural. I also felt like details about our MCs were inconsistent and difficult to reconcile.
Mortdale releases September 11th. While I wasn’t able to connect with the characters and found the story truly disorienting rather than fast paced — there’s undeniable potential here. At a high level I really enjoyed the concept of this book and am sure other readers may better appreciate it stylistically.
September 26, 2026
I never wanted it to end.
September 19, 2026
this was so scrum dilly yum.
i fear mortdale may have absolutely violated me.
guys it's been SO LONG since a book had me acting like this. i was kicking my feet, giggling, clutching my pillow, staring at the ceiling, taking strategic breaks to walk around my room, and then immediately picking the book back up because who was i kidding.
the banter??? somebody get these people off my screen before i start chewing on drywall.
the grumpy x sunshine??? TOP TIER. THAT'S MY EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH RIGHT THERE. that's my CEO. that's my president. that's my everything. inject it into my veins rfn ✋🏼
also lately some people have been calling anything grumpy x sunshine?? like it would be just two characters with communication issues which would get resolved in 4 chapters max and it pisses my grumpy sunshine loving heart off so bad. THIS, however, was the real deal. the butterflies were BUTTERFLYING. the giggles were GIGGLING. the feet were KICKING.
i will say it lowkey dragged a little around the middle to end-ish part. there were a few moments where i was like okay queen let's wrap it up 😭🙏🏼 but not enough to make me stop reading, but enough for me to briefly remember that i had responsibilities and a life outside this book.
unfortunately for my responsibilities, it picked right back up again.
also i inhaled this book in one day. ONE DAY. i looked up from my book at one point and it was somehow dark outside. i genuinely have no memory of what happened between those hours. i entered the reading equivalent of the avatar state.
anyway.
because this had me giggling like a victorian man who just saw an ankle, i finished it and immediately developed the reading equivalent of withdrawal symptoms. i need approximately 47 more books exactly like this injected directly into my bloodstream.
if you know any books with this vibe, throw them at me immediately. launch them at my head. i don't care. don't walk, RUN.
thank you for your service.
P.S. a huge, HUGE thank you to my angel fiza for recommending this book.
respectfully, i hope both sides of your pillow are cold tonight, i hope every traffic light turns green for you and i hope you find money in your pocket that you forgot about. 💗
────୨ৎ────
🫀 pre-read .ᐟ
kicking off fall and my newfound freedom from the shackles of examinations with this book!! i've heard sm about it so, hope it doesn’t disappoint <3
(its mostly bcs of fiza and her super convincing review 🤭)
i fear mortdale may have absolutely violated me.
guys it's been SO LONG since a book had me acting like this. i was kicking my feet, giggling, clutching my pillow, staring at the ceiling, taking strategic breaks to walk around my room, and then immediately picking the book back up because who was i kidding.
the banter??? somebody get these people off my screen before i start chewing on drywall.
the grumpy x sunshine??? TOP TIER. THAT'S MY EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH RIGHT THERE. that's my CEO. that's my president. that's my everything. inject it into my veins rfn ✋🏼
also lately some people have been calling anything grumpy x sunshine?? like it would be just two characters with communication issues which would get resolved in 4 chapters max and it pisses my grumpy sunshine loving heart off so bad. THIS, however, was the real deal. the butterflies were BUTTERFLYING. the giggles were GIGGLING. the feet were KICKING.
i will say it lowkey dragged a little around the middle to end-ish part. there were a few moments where i was like okay queen let's wrap it up 😭🙏🏼 but not enough to make me stop reading, but enough for me to briefly remember that i had responsibilities and a life outside this book.
unfortunately for my responsibilities, it picked right back up again.
also i inhaled this book in one day. ONE DAY. i looked up from my book at one point and it was somehow dark outside. i genuinely have no memory of what happened between those hours. i entered the reading equivalent of the avatar state.
anyway.
because this had me giggling like a victorian man who just saw an ankle, i finished it and immediately developed the reading equivalent of withdrawal symptoms. i need approximately 47 more books exactly like this injected directly into my bloodstream.
if you know any books with this vibe, throw them at me immediately. launch them at my head. i don't care. don't walk, RUN.
thank you for your service.
P.S. a huge, HUGE thank you to my angel fiza for recommending this book.
respectfully, i hope both sides of your pillow are cold tonight, i hope every traffic light turns green for you and i hope you find money in your pocket that you forgot about. 💗
────୨ৎ────
🫀 pre-read .ᐟ
kicking off fall and my newfound freedom from the shackles of examinations with this book!! i've heard sm about it so, hope it doesn’t disappoint <3
(its mostly bcs of fiza and her super convincing review 🤭)
Review of advance copy received from Author
September 7, 2026I finished this book this morning and have found myself thinking of this world and characters and missing them all day. that alone makes it 5 stars. I will be coming back with my full thoughts tomorrow🫡
“𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝑾𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝑫𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝑫𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒎.“
Yes ma’am!!! Wendy has done it again. I might be biased because I think I would find Wendy’s to do list a 5 star read, but I loved this book. This was very different than anything else Wendy has written and felt very fresh and fun. I had such a good time with it!! Wendy has a way to build a world in such an atmospheric way that you get completely immersed in without even realizing. I became so engrossed with this world. I felt like I was plopped into Mortdale and lived as a witch the entire time I reading it. The atmosphere was gray, dark, gothic, spooky but the characters were loving, bubbly, full of life even though they too had a dark background. The plot was so interesting!! I loved the magic system- it felt like nothing I’ve read before which always a feat in a saturated genre. And there was a fresh take on how vampires and witches and humans interacted.
Willow was sassy, funny and so smart. I love an intelligent girl with some fire. Her dynamic with Arthur (Art) had me dying. I loved how she viewed herself was obviously so different than how the world viewed her. It was lovely to see her blossom into someone who thought they wouldn’t be around long enough, and someone that was too weird to make friends actually have such an impact on the world. And make friends along the way!
Now Logan😩 I can’t stop thinking about this man. HE IS SO HOT AND WHAT A SWEETHEART. The way he loves and protects our girl is a dream. He’s so protective even when he’s protecting willow against herself. Their love story slipped so easily into this forced thing to deep mutual understanding. It was one of those loves that you didn’t even notice was happening until it was already done. And THEIR BANTER, THE LONGING GLANCES, THEIR WORDS THEIR TOUCHES. How do I get this man to love me??? YOUR HONOR I LOVE THEM.
BIG shout out to Thomas- I hope he got the most delicious child to eat…my guy was putting in that WORK this entire store. And Piper🥹 what a cutie patootie!!! Her and Logan’s dynamic had me emo- I love a single daddy/uncle situation.
Overall I just absolutely adored this story, and was such a fun, cozy, gothic, loving read that was so different from Wendy’s other works. It’s so cool to see an author do something else and it work so well. ALSO big shout out to Wendy for finally not making me cry!!!
“𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝑾𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝑫𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝑫𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒎.“
Yes ma’am!!! Wendy has done it again. I might be biased because I think I would find Wendy’s to do list a 5 star read, but I loved this book. This was very different than anything else Wendy has written and felt very fresh and fun. I had such a good time with it!! Wendy has a way to build a world in such an atmospheric way that you get completely immersed in without even realizing. I became so engrossed with this world. I felt like I was plopped into Mortdale and lived as a witch the entire time I reading it. The atmosphere was gray, dark, gothic, spooky but the characters were loving, bubbly, full of life even though they too had a dark background. The plot was so interesting!! I loved the magic system- it felt like nothing I’ve read before which always a feat in a saturated genre. And there was a fresh take on how vampires and witches and humans interacted.
Willow was sassy, funny and so smart. I love an intelligent girl with some fire. Her dynamic with Arthur (Art) had me dying. I loved how she viewed herself was obviously so different than how the world viewed her. It was lovely to see her blossom into someone who thought they wouldn’t be around long enough, and someone that was too weird to make friends actually have such an impact on the world. And make friends along the way!
Now Logan😩 I can’t stop thinking about this man. HE IS SO HOT AND WHAT A SWEETHEART. The way he loves and protects our girl is a dream. He’s so protective even when he’s protecting willow against herself. Their love story slipped so easily into this forced thing to deep mutual understanding. It was one of those loves that you didn’t even notice was happening until it was already done. And THEIR BANTER, THE LONGING GLANCES, THEIR WORDS THEIR TOUCHES. How do I get this man to love me??? YOUR HONOR I LOVE THEM.
BIG shout out to Thomas- I hope he got the most delicious child to eat…my guy was putting in that WORK this entire store. And Piper🥹 what a cutie patootie!!! Her and Logan’s dynamic had me emo- I love a single daddy/uncle situation.
Overall I just absolutely adored this story, and was such a fun, cozy, gothic, loving read that was so different from Wendy’s other works. It’s so cool to see an author do something else and it work so well. ALSO big shout out to Wendy for finally not making me cry!!!
September 15, 2026
"If you ever want to leave this marriage, I want you to tell me first. Give me a head start, won't you?"
"You'd let me go?"
"Not far, but I would."
"That's a horrible promise."
"I'm a horrible man."
Alright, I think Wendy Heiss has succeeded in making me have a new hyperfixation, and that is the word "honey". Like who knew I would even like that pet name, and that by the end of finishing this book I would be absolutely feral for it. I was literally losing my mind anytime he dropped his disinterested demeanor or his guard was down and he called her that. I absolutely ate up their dynamic and loved Willow and Logan.
Now, this is tonally very different from her Blue Fairytale series, so I will not lie and say that it threw me off for a moment when I started this book. I wasn't prepared for the humor, and the quirkiness of Willow, and while I was unsure if I liked the humor and her character, they both slowly grew on me, and I came to really enjoy Willow as a character. I would not call her bubbly by any means, just more of a lovely weird and curious character. She made me laugh out loud multiple times, and her interactions with Logan had me dying.
And we all know I LOVE a good arranged marriage, and it absolutely delivered here. I am a sucker for "my wife" and "my husband", I am just a simple gal here. I also loved how jealous Logan was throughout this story, it was borderline ridiculous and had me chuckling to myself. I kept think "oh boy this guy is a goner" and I think the characters in this story were my favorite part. I especially loved Piper, her moments with Willow had my heart melting.
I want to say the more that I sit with my thoughts the more I realize I really enjoyed this book, and I truly miss the characters already. My only issues were with some of the plotting, and I feel like I was confused for some moments, BUT I truly think this is a me issue because I've been so exhausted recently. I am sure when I reread this in the future I'm going to be wondering what I was so confused about.
If you want to read about an arranged marriage between a supposedly stoic vampire lord and a eccentric curious witch, with some fun quirky humor and a mystery that needs to be solved, you need to pick this one up! Will forever be reading any Wendy Heiss decides to write. I have loved every single one of her characters that she has written so far.
"You'd let me go?"
"Not far, but I would."
"That's a horrible promise."
"I'm a horrible man."
Alright, I think Wendy Heiss has succeeded in making me have a new hyperfixation, and that is the word "honey". Like who knew I would even like that pet name, and that by the end of finishing this book I would be absolutely feral for it. I was literally losing my mind anytime he dropped his disinterested demeanor or his guard was down and he called her that. I absolutely ate up their dynamic and loved Willow and Logan.
Now, this is tonally very different from her Blue Fairytale series, so I will not lie and say that it threw me off for a moment when I started this book. I wasn't prepared for the humor, and the quirkiness of Willow, and while I was unsure if I liked the humor and her character, they both slowly grew on me, and I came to really enjoy Willow as a character. I would not call her bubbly by any means, just more of a lovely weird and curious character. She made me laugh out loud multiple times, and her interactions with Logan had me dying.
And we all know I LOVE a good arranged marriage, and it absolutely delivered here. I am a sucker for "my wife" and "my husband", I am just a simple gal here. I also loved how jealous Logan was throughout this story, it was borderline ridiculous and had me chuckling to myself. I kept think "oh boy this guy is a goner" and I think the characters in this story were my favorite part. I especially loved Piper, her moments with Willow had my heart melting.
I want to say the more that I sit with my thoughts the more I realize I really enjoyed this book, and I truly miss the characters already. My only issues were with some of the plotting, and I feel like I was confused for some moments, BUT I truly think this is a me issue because I've been so exhausted recently. I am sure when I reread this in the future I'm going to be wondering what I was so confused about.
If you want to read about an arranged marriage between a supposedly stoic vampire lord and a eccentric curious witch, with some fun quirky humor and a mystery that needs to be solved, you need to pick this one up! Will forever be reading any Wendy Heiss decides to write. I have loved every single one of her characters that she has written so far.
September 16, 2026
⭐ Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
💭 Thoughts:
Don’t judge me.
This was my first time reading dark fantasy romance, and honestly… it was HARD for me at first.
I usually read mafia and dark romance, so I’m not used to this kind of fantasy world at all. There were so many new terms, and I struggled to picture some of the things happening. Fantasy is definitely harder for me to get into.
I picked this up because the MMC is a vampire and the FMC is a witch, and that sounded SO much like my type. And honestly, the more I read, the more I started to feel the atmosphere. It took me some time to get used to it, but I actually started feeling the gothic and dark vibes, and I really liked that.
I also really enjoyed the characters. They were probably one of my favorite parts of the book, and I liked getting to know them and seeing their dynamic develop. The relationship between them also grew on me more than I expected.
The book was pretty long for me, and I still struggled with some parts of the fantasy world, but there were a lot of interesting ideas that I genuinely enjoyed.
The spice wasn’t really my favorite, and I wish there had been more to keep me hooked. But honestly, I think that’s more about my personal taste than the book itself.
And the fan art? SO pretty. I loved seeing the characters in fan art, and it definitely made me appreciate the world and characters even more.
I think this book was actually a good first step into dark fantasy for me. It wasn’t perfect for my usual reading taste, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. I learned a lot of new fantasy terms, got to experience a completely different kind of world, and actually started feeling the atmosphere.
Maybe I just need more time to get used to this genre.
I’m still curious about the other books, though, because this one definitely made me want to explore more dark fantasy and see if I can find a book that fits my taste better.
So yeah, I’m glad I gave this one a chance. It wasn’t an easy read for me, but the characters, atmosphere, ideas, and overall vibe made it worth finishing.
📌 Tropes:
✦ Dark Fantasy Romance
✦ Gothic Atmosphere
✦ Spirit-Seer FMC
✦ Vampire MMC
✦ Arranged Marriage
✦ Supernatural Romance
💭 Thoughts:
Don’t judge me.
This was my first time reading dark fantasy romance, and honestly… it was HARD for me at first.
I usually read mafia and dark romance, so I’m not used to this kind of fantasy world at all. There were so many new terms, and I struggled to picture some of the things happening. Fantasy is definitely harder for me to get into.
I picked this up because the MMC is a vampire and the FMC is a witch, and that sounded SO much like my type. And honestly, the more I read, the more I started to feel the atmosphere. It took me some time to get used to it, but I actually started feeling the gothic and dark vibes, and I really liked that.
I also really enjoyed the characters. They were probably one of my favorite parts of the book, and I liked getting to know them and seeing their dynamic develop. The relationship between them also grew on me more than I expected.
The book was pretty long for me, and I still struggled with some parts of the fantasy world, but there were a lot of interesting ideas that I genuinely enjoyed.
The spice wasn’t really my favorite, and I wish there had been more to keep me hooked. But honestly, I think that’s more about my personal taste than the book itself.
And the fan art? SO pretty. I loved seeing the characters in fan art, and it definitely made me appreciate the world and characters even more.
I think this book was actually a good first step into dark fantasy for me. It wasn’t perfect for my usual reading taste, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. I learned a lot of new fantasy terms, got to experience a completely different kind of world, and actually started feeling the atmosphere.
Maybe I just need more time to get used to this genre.
I’m still curious about the other books, though, because this one definitely made me want to explore more dark fantasy and see if I can find a book that fits my taste better.
So yeah, I’m glad I gave this one a chance. It wasn’t an easy read for me, but the characters, atmosphere, ideas, and overall vibe made it worth finishing.
📌 Tropes:
✦ Dark Fantasy Romance
✦ Gothic Atmosphere
✦ Spirit-Seer FMC
✦ Vampire MMC
✦ Arranged Marriage
✦ Supernatural Romance
September 21, 2026
All right, the only reason I finished this book was the banter.
The author managed to hit exactly the right spot for me when it comes to a silly, quirky, hilarious FMC. And the MMC was amazing too, trying and failing to stay brooding and closed off to her.
Also, Thomas the rat. Hysterical.
Other than that, I'm very sorry to say, the writing was terrible. Overlooking some typos, the pacing and spatial awareness were painful to read and keep track of.
The amount of times Logan lit a cigarette and then we never know what happens to it; did he finish it? throw it away? is he still smoking it?? it just disappears from the scene. And it's maddening because he was constantly smoking them.
The same thing with the rest of the characters that were suddenly drinking from glasses, sitting at tables, throwing stuff, leaving the room and returning without ever being mentioned.
Seriously, I got so many headaches. But I was on a long train ride and had nothing else to read and I felt bad for the characters because I really liked them. So I persevered and finished it.
The ending was nice and happy, the villain reveal wasn't that surprising and the whole murder mystery was a bit convoluted, but the author tied it up nicely.
I really want to rate it higher but I can't. I'm usually not one to complain about technicalities or writing in a book, but this one desperately needs an editor. The story is too good and so many people won't get to experience it because they'll give up early on.
The author managed to hit exactly the right spot for me when it comes to a silly, quirky, hilarious FMC. And the MMC was amazing too, trying and failing to stay brooding and closed off to her.
Also, Thomas the rat. Hysterical.
Other than that, I'm very sorry to say, the writing was terrible. Overlooking some typos, the pacing and spatial awareness were painful to read and keep track of.
The amount of times Logan lit a cigarette and then we never know what happens to it; did he finish it? throw it away? is he still smoking it?? it just disappears from the scene. And it's maddening because he was constantly smoking them.
The same thing with the rest of the characters that were suddenly drinking from glasses, sitting at tables, throwing stuff, leaving the room and returning without ever being mentioned.
Seriously, I got so many headaches. But I was on a long train ride and had nothing else to read and I felt bad for the characters because I really liked them. So I persevered and finished it.
The ending was nice and happy, the villain reveal wasn't that surprising and the whole murder mystery was a bit convoluted, but the author tied it up nicely.
I really want to rate it higher but I can't. I'm usually not one to complain about technicalities or writing in a book, but this one desperately needs an editor. The story is too good and so many people won't get to experience it because they'll give up early on.
September 22, 2026
the grumpy x sunshine in this was absolutely delicious, it had me giggling kicking my feet
mortdale has a comedic undertone despite the morbid dark-ish setting, the banter and the playfulness of willow helped to alleviate the tension throughout (willow literally just reminds me of donkey from shrek when she first gets in the carriage with logan)
The side characters in this was amazing, from the guards - henry and arthur, to sweet lil piper (who must be protected at all costs) and of course the pet rat familiar thomas, there was so much found family which was just so heartwarming
a perfect spooky season read!
mortdale has a comedic undertone despite the morbid dark-ish setting, the banter and the playfulness of willow helped to alleviate the tension throughout (willow literally just reminds me of donkey from shrek when she first gets in the carriage with logan)
The side characters in this was amazing, from the guards - henry and arthur, to sweet lil piper (who must be protected at all costs) and of course the pet rat familiar thomas, there was so much found family which was just so heartwarming
a perfect spooky season read!
September 26, 2026
RATING - 4.4/5
This book was everything . EVERYTHING . I LOVE WILLOW AND LOGAN 😭😭. These two have my heart .
Everybody needs to read this book . LIKE ASAP . NO NOTES .
-> banter , chemistry and plotline everything is just chef's kiss
This book was everything . EVERYTHING . I LOVE WILLOW AND LOGAN 😭😭. These two have my heart .
Everybody needs to read this book . LIKE ASAP . NO NOTES .
-> banter , chemistry and plotline everything is just chef's kiss
September 18, 2026
A dark world filled with humour 🙌🏻
I quite enjoyed the light hearted aspects of this to balance out the horror aspects, refreshing ✨
Vampires, witches, lycans, delicious.
I quite enjoyed the light hearted aspects of this to balance out the horror aspects, refreshing ✨
Vampires, witches, lycans, delicious.
September 11, 2026
4.50✨
Morbid, witchy, and infinitely romantic. I physically refused to put this book down, it sucks you in from the very first sentence and violently spits you out, only to leave you wanting more. I’ve missed Wendy’s writing so much!
The FMC was unlike anything I’ve read before. She was one strange, peculiar creature, and everything that came out of her mouth was pure gold. It was refreshing to read about a woman so unapologetically being herself without a care in the world, especially considering all the cruel things she had to endure. Crazy intelligent, a bit mad, lethally clumsy, but really so adorable.
And don’t get me started on Logan! It's been a while since an MMC had me all hot and bothered.😮💨The yearning, the insatiable need to burrow into each other’s skin and fuse their hearts together for eternity. They were utterly, hopelessly obsessed with each other, very Morticia x Gomez coded of them.
“You taste like sin and salvation at the same time. Am I damned or am I atoned? Saints, I want to be both. Burn in Hell and breathe in Heaven.”
“Dropping his head back, he laughed. And it was maddening. So bright and ridiculously warm. The urge to dig my teeth on his neck and tear that sound off his throat like a starved beast was severe.”
Thank you to the author for the ARC! 🫶
Morbid, witchy, and infinitely romantic. I physically refused to put this book down, it sucks you in from the very first sentence and violently spits you out, only to leave you wanting more. I’ve missed Wendy’s writing so much!
The FMC was unlike anything I’ve read before. She was one strange, peculiar creature, and everything that came out of her mouth was pure gold. It was refreshing to read about a woman so unapologetically being herself without a care in the world, especially considering all the cruel things she had to endure. Crazy intelligent, a bit mad, lethally clumsy, but really so adorable.
And don’t get me started on Logan! It's been a while since an MMC had me all hot and bothered.😮💨The yearning, the insatiable need to burrow into each other’s skin and fuse their hearts together for eternity. They were utterly, hopelessly obsessed with each other, very Morticia x Gomez coded of them.
“You taste like sin and salvation at the same time. Am I damned or am I atoned? Saints, I want to be both. Burn in Hell and breathe in Heaven.”
“Dropping his head back, he laughed. And it was maddening. So bright and ridiculously warm. The urge to dig my teeth on his neck and tear that sound off his throat like a starved beast was severe.”
Thank you to the author for the ARC! 🫶
September 21, 2026
࣪ ִֶָ☾ "You're my north. As long as you exist, I will find my way back. Always and forever, my love."𓂃
God, how I love happy endings 🥹. Wendy has made me SUFFER with her novellas, so reading this was like spring after a very long, cold winter. 𖤓 My sweet witch, Willow. She deserves the world…luckily Logan can give her that and more. Since the start Logan rubbed me the right way. I never did not like him. I did doubt him, but never more than that.
I adored adore adored that it was dual pov (one of my fav book elements) and that the drama wasn’t wholly focused on their romance. Made things more interesting, you know? Honestly, everyone should read it. It’s so SO good and I feel like I need more already. જ⁀➴
God, how I love happy endings 🥹. Wendy has made me SUFFER with her novellas, so reading this was like spring after a very long, cold winter. 𖤓 My sweet witch, Willow. She deserves the world…luckily Logan can give her that and more. Since the start Logan rubbed me the right way. I never did not like him. I did doubt him, but never more than that.
I adored adore adored that it was dual pov (one of my fav book elements) and that the drama wasn’t wholly focused on their romance. Made things more interesting, you know? Honestly, everyone should read it. It’s so SO good and I feel like I need more already. જ⁀➴
September 5, 2026
I want to thank the author for the ARC.
Arranged marriage between a bubbly witch and a grumpy vampire?
Hell yeah!!
This book is so unique. I’d never read anything quite like it before, and I absolutely loved it. I feel like it brought such a fresh dynamic to the whole paranormal-creatures genre.
The story is fun, sweet, spicy, and the love between these two characters is palpable.
Logan is perfect. I completely fell in love with him, my hot, handsome, yearning vampire, and Willow is truly one of a kind. I absolutely adore her.
The side characters were a gem too. I loved Henry and Arthur, and little Piper! And of course, we can’t forget Thomas the rat🤏🏻
It was an absolute pleasure to read this ARC.
Arranged marriage between a bubbly witch and a grumpy vampire?
Hell yeah!!
This book is so unique. I’d never read anything quite like it before, and I absolutely loved it. I feel like it brought such a fresh dynamic to the whole paranormal-creatures genre.
The story is fun, sweet, spicy, and the love between these two characters is palpable.
Logan is perfect. I completely fell in love with him, my hot, handsome, yearning vampire, and Willow is truly one of a kind. I absolutely adore her.
The side characters were a gem too. I loved Henry and Arthur, and little Piper! And of course, we can’t forget Thomas the rat🤏🏻
It was an absolute pleasure to read this ARC.
September 19, 2026
de esos libros que te consumen y no puedes parar de leer. el mundo es muy interesante y la protagonista es perfecta. aunque tengo ciertas críticas hacia ese final
September 19, 2026
A gothic, spooky, romantic story. And beyond suitable and perfect for the fall. 🧛🧙
September 17, 2026
has potential but needs a ton of editing… yikes!
September 21, 2026
This was one of those books that had me smiling a lot,despite a few bumps along the way. Sooo, where this book really shines is with its two main characters.
We have Lord Logan Duggan. He was right up my street: grumpy, powerful, takes no crap, kinda hates everyone, but has a sense of duty, and the ones he does love? Well, he's just a big bear 🥰 and soft as hell. The touch-her-and-die vibes are strong, along with many "my wife" moments thrown in. Oh, and he happens to be a beautiful vampire as well. Perfect 🫠👌🏻 Yummy. Top notch.
Willow Rose Briar is the occult pathologist witch who speaks to the dead, an outcast in the witch coven, along with her best friend, Ethel. She is sweet, smart, witty, and she is also hiding something big 👀👀. Well, they both are.
The forced marriage ensues, and things slowly reveal themselves. There are plenty of very sweet moments, their banter was funny and the tension was deliciously done. I really enjoyed their relationship development, and the spice, when it hits... ooofff 🥵🥵. All good stuff.
Now, it was the rest of it, aside from them, that was a little choppy for me at times. Not always, though. I was able to follow the story which was good, there were some great twists and some great side characters that I liked, but the flow, especially after around the midpoint, was a little off. I think this would have benefitted from a little more editing too.
There were times when it was not always overly clear who was speaking, and I had to occasionally reread sentences to check. The story would go from one place to the next with little transition, and a few things were not overly clear. Now, I'm not marking an essay when reading, and I find errors and typos in many books and read over them. However, if it throws you off the story, it's an issue. Looking at other reviews since reading, it seems that's a fairly common feeling and not just a me thing. If those little issues had been ironed out, this would have been an absolute 5⭐️ banger because Wendy Heiss's storytelling is wonderful. After reading her three absolutely beautiful novellas from the Blue Fairytales series, which I highly, highly recommend 🥰, I went into this pretty confident I was going to enjoy it, and for the most part, I absolutely did. Even with the occasional pacing and editing issues, I still had a really fun time with this book. Logan and Willow more than carried the story for me, they kept me invested from beginning to end. So it's getting a solid 4⭐️.I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for whatever Wendy Heiss writes next.That's it. ❤️
We have Lord Logan Duggan. He was right up my street: grumpy, powerful, takes no crap, kinda hates everyone, but has a sense of duty, and the ones he does love? Well, he's just a big bear 🥰 and soft as hell. The touch-her-and-die vibes are strong, along with many "my wife" moments thrown in. Oh, and he happens to be a beautiful vampire as well. Perfect 🫠👌🏻 Yummy. Top notch.
Willow Rose Briar is the occult pathologist witch who speaks to the dead, an outcast in the witch coven, along with her best friend, Ethel. She is sweet, smart, witty, and she is also hiding something big 👀👀. Well, they both are.
The forced marriage ensues, and things slowly reveal themselves. There are plenty of very sweet moments, their banter was funny and the tension was deliciously done. I really enjoyed their relationship development, and the spice, when it hits... ooofff 🥵🥵. All good stuff.
Now, it was the rest of it, aside from them, that was a little choppy for me at times. Not always, though. I was able to follow the story which was good, there were some great twists and some great side characters that I liked, but the flow, especially after around the midpoint, was a little off. I think this would have benefitted from a little more editing too.
There were times when it was not always overly clear who was speaking, and I had to occasionally reread sentences to check. The story would go from one place to the next with little transition, and a few things were not overly clear. Now, I'm not marking an essay when reading, and I find errors and typos in many books and read over them. However, if it throws you off the story, it's an issue. Looking at other reviews since reading, it seems that's a fairly common feeling and not just a me thing. If those little issues had been ironed out, this would have been an absolute 5⭐️ banger because Wendy Heiss's storytelling is wonderful. After reading her three absolutely beautiful novellas from the Blue Fairytales series, which I highly, highly recommend 🥰, I went into this pretty confident I was going to enjoy it, and for the most part, I absolutely did. Even with the occasional pacing and editing issues, I still had a really fun time with this book. Logan and Willow more than carried the story for me, they kept me invested from beginning to end. So it's getting a solid 4⭐️.I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for whatever Wendy Heiss writes next.That's it. ❤️
Review of advance copy received from Author
"Strength is just a consequence of things we've survived. We'll not be stronger until we survive the next worst thing."
Firstly, Thank You to Wendy Heiss for the ARC of Mortdale🫀, I was beyond happy when I received the email.
Wendy, your words are like magic on paper. This book did not disappoint. At all. There wasn't a shadow of a doubt that this was going to be amazing. Mortdale was a magical experience; the gothic ambience fits the setting of the story, the plot was easy to follow, the mystery element and the big reveal was done well, the characters truly have a place in my heart, I went through all the every emotions...from start to finish, I found no fault in the story as a whole. I can't put into words how much this book means to me, it was positively overwhelming.
Willow, my darling girl, she was so easy to love, she's strong, funny, loving and unapologetically herself. She's so smart and incredibly intelligent at her craft, a mad genius if you will. You better not do anything to piss her off or you'll loose your head or get hexed. I cannot count how many times I cackled out loud due to the unhinged things she said. I absolutely adored her relationship with Piper, that was one of my highlights of the book.
Logan-she's not my witch-Duncan...come take your award for the best vampire Lord husband ever. Get you a man who promises to cut off limbs and cause bodily harm to those who trouble you. Dramatic, sacarstic, scary, bloody possessive, romantic, funny, calls her "honey"...what's not to love? Also he was incredibly attentive and perceptive of Willow. And he's the best uncle ever, he let's Piper, his neice, call him 'Bear', how adorable.
There's no insta lust, Willow and Logan have such good chemistry between each other. Their relationship develops so organically and the dynamic they have together is crazy, fun and filled with so much delicious tension, it truly was beautiful/hilarious to read about. The banter, my goodness haha.
Major shoutout to the best familiar ever...Thomasino Tommy Thomas. If Venom had a sassy, perpetually hungry, funny cousin that transforms into a rat it would a hundred percent be Thomas. Considering I'm scared and creeped out by rats irl, Thomas would definitely be the exception.
Also shout out to Ethel, Piper, Arthur, Henry, Liam, Christof, Theodora...you all made this story such an amazingly funny experience.
I'm also gonna need an excerpt of "Vampires in Furs" please and thank you.
I have a LOT of favourite quotes, but I'll try and write only a few down...
"Why strive to be normal when you're so extraordinary."
"Whatever my wife wants."
"Yeah?... Yeah."
"She emanated light, glowing from within. A star trapped in a human cage."
"I wanted to live, so desperately I felt sick."
"You're my north, as long as you exist, I will find my way back. Always and forever, my love."
"You're my family. All mine. My very own."
⭐✨⭐✨⭐✨⭐✨⭐✨
Firstly, Thank You to Wendy Heiss for the ARC of Mortdale🫀, I was beyond happy when I received the email.
Wendy, your words are like magic on paper. This book did not disappoint. At all. There wasn't a shadow of a doubt that this was going to be amazing. Mortdale was a magical experience; the gothic ambience fits the setting of the story, the plot was easy to follow, the mystery element and the big reveal was done well, the characters truly have a place in my heart, I went through all the every emotions...from start to finish, I found no fault in the story as a whole. I can't put into words how much this book means to me, it was positively overwhelming.
Willow, my darling girl, she was so easy to love, she's strong, funny, loving and unapologetically herself. She's so smart and incredibly intelligent at her craft, a mad genius if you will. You better not do anything to piss her off or you'll loose your head or get hexed. I cannot count how many times I cackled out loud due to the unhinged things she said. I absolutely adored her relationship with Piper, that was one of my highlights of the book.
Logan-she's not my witch-Duncan...come take your award for the best vampire Lord husband ever. Get you a man who promises to cut off limbs and cause bodily harm to those who trouble you. Dramatic, sacarstic, scary, bloody possessive, romantic, funny, calls her "honey"...what's not to love? Also he was incredibly attentive and perceptive of Willow. And he's the best uncle ever, he let's Piper, his neice, call him 'Bear', how adorable.
There's no insta lust, Willow and Logan have such good chemistry between each other. Their relationship develops so organically and the dynamic they have together is crazy, fun and filled with so much delicious tension, it truly was beautiful/hilarious to read about. The banter, my goodness haha.
Major shoutout to the best familiar ever...Thomasino Tommy Thomas. If Venom had a sassy, perpetually hungry, funny cousin that transforms into a rat it would a hundred percent be Thomas. Considering I'm scared and creeped out by rats irl, Thomas would definitely be the exception.
Also shout out to Ethel, Piper, Arthur, Henry, Liam, Christof, Theodora...you all made this story such an amazingly funny experience.
I'm also gonna need an excerpt of "Vampires in Furs" please and thank you.
I have a LOT of favourite quotes, but I'll try and write only a few down...
"Why strive to be normal when you're so extraordinary."
"Whatever my wife wants."
"Yeah?... Yeah."
"She emanated light, glowing from within. A star trapped in a human cage."
"I wanted to live, so desperately I felt sick."
"You're my north, as long as you exist, I will find my way back. Always and forever, my love."
"You're my family. All mine. My very own."
⭐✨⭐✨⭐✨⭐✨⭐✨
September 11, 2026
My goodness, was this good! I was very lucky to get Mortdale as an ARC, and I am utterly obsessed with the world Wendy Heiss created in it. It was cozy, yet gothic, and sinfully romantic. I did find the pacing a bit weird and disjointed at times, especially in the middle part of the novel; however, I still really enjoyed everything that happened, especially the last third of the book where things were HAPPENING! Willow is such a funny main character with an interesting backstory, and I loved the witch-occult pathologist blend that she was. Her banter with Logan was also very funny, and the arranged marriage, slow-burn romance between them was most definitely worth the wait. Some of the things that man said to her were equal parts so very romantic and also extremely toe-curling, making me swoon and cry a little on the inside because he's fictional. The world-building was rich and interesting, and the characters within that world were equally so. I especially loved the found family vibes, and the comedy that came as a result of them. I very much enjoyed reading Mortdale, and would love to explore the other things Wendy Heiss has written!
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