What do you think?
Rate this book
Bound and Unbound #1
Bound: Liefde is dodelijk oneindig
Meeslepende dark academia-romance van bestsellerauteur Ali Hazelwood
Wanneer kunsthistorica en oplichtster Vero Mercer een gevaarlijke vervalsingsopdracht aanneemt van de mysterieuze professor Viktor Ashworth, raakt ze verstrikt in een wereld vol geheime manuscripten en duistere verlangens. Terwijl de spanning oploopt, ontdekt Vero dat sommige geheimen dodelijker zijn dan welke leugen ook voor haar toekomst.
Een dark academia meets romantasy voor alle Hazelwood-liefhebbers.
Lees ook 'Unbound'.
Wanneer kunsthistorica en oplichtster Vero Mercer een gevaarlijke vervalsingsopdracht aanneemt van de mysterieuze professor Viktor Ashworth, raakt ze verstrikt in een wereld vol geheime manuscripten en duistere verlangens. Terwijl de spanning oploopt, ontdekt Vero dat sommige geheimen dodelijker zijn dan welke leugen ook voor haar toekomst.
Een dark academia meets romantasy voor alle Hazelwood-liefhebbers.
Lees ook 'Unbound'.
229 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 11, 2025
About the author
Ali Hazelwood
38 books197k followersI'm Ali, and I write contemporary romcom novels about women in STEM and academia. I love cats, Nutella, and side ponytails. I'm also currently learning to crochet, so as you can tell I'm a super busy gal with an intense and exciting life!
I only use Goodreads as a reader, to review and hype books that I've loved (many of these book are ARCs received from fellow authors).
I only use Goodreads as a reader, to review and hype books that I've loved (many of these book are ARCs received from fellow authors).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 8,297 reviews
October 8, 2026
i love the messy girlfriend/ clean boyfriend dynamic duo 😭✨💖
1000+ year old inexperienced british vampire/revenant and alt girl scammer human mortal… ali hazelwood has saved 2025
god he is so poetic… i love him your honor ✨✨✨
1000+ year old inexperienced british vampire/revenant and alt girl scammer human mortal… ali hazelwood has saved 2025
god he is so poetic… i love him your honor ✨✨✨
November 21, 2025
4.5 ⭐
I enjoyed this much more than I was hoping I would, I didn't realise this was what it was and I very much loved that!!
Ali is and always will be one of my favourite writers and I will never not devour her books. It's addiction at this point tbh..
Viktor was so controlled and serious and I was loving every second of it. Seeing him blush and be amused around Veronica was so precious.
Veronica was so funny, I adored her. She was an amazing artist, even if her art was forgery. She was such a unique character and she really matched Viktor so well.
They were so cute together, I loved all of their moments while they were forging the book, the banter, how he was protective of her, how she always affected him. All those moments led to them falling in love and it was everything. He told her so much of his past, much more than he ever did and seeing him completely open up to her about everything was absolutely amazing. I wish it was longer though..
I also really loved all the secondary characters, they were a great addition. Hope we get more of them.
It was fast paced and I really enjoyed the story, it had everything I wanted.
I do wish the ending was handled better, it was honestly a mess, but I didn't mind that much. I did absolutely loved the epilogue though!!
I enjoyed the audiobook, but I do feel like the male narrator should've been younger. I get what they were going for, but I don't think that was all that successful..
I would have a lot more to say, but I don't want to spoil certain elements, I always feel bad when I spoil something, so this is all you're getting, just know I had so much fun reading this!!
.·:*¨ ¨*:·.
Since I finally finished my re-read, it's time for the new Ali Hazelwood! Hopefully my good streak continues 🤍
I enjoyed this much more than I was hoping I would, I didn't realise this was what it was and I very much loved that!!
Ali is and always will be one of my favourite writers and I will never not devour her books. It's addiction at this point tbh..
Viktor was so controlled and serious and I was loving every second of it. Seeing him blush and be amused around Veronica was so precious.
Veronica was so funny, I adored her. She was an amazing artist, even if her art was forgery. She was such a unique character and she really matched Viktor so well.
They were so cute together, I loved all of their moments while they were forging the book, the banter, how he was protective of her, how she always affected him. All those moments led to them falling in love and it was everything. He told her so much of his past, much more than he ever did and seeing him completely open up to her about everything was absolutely amazing. I wish it was longer though..
I also really loved all the secondary characters, they were a great addition. Hope we get more of them.
It was fast paced and I really enjoyed the story, it had everything I wanted.
I do wish the ending was handled better, it was honestly a mess, but I didn't mind that much. I did absolutely loved the epilogue though!!
I enjoyed the audiobook, but I do feel like the male narrator should've been younger. I get what they were going for, but I don't think that was all that successful..
I would have a lot more to say, but I don't want to spoil certain elements, I always feel bad when I spoil something, so this is all you're getting, just know I had so much fun reading this!!
.·:*¨ ¨*:·.
Since I finally finished my re-read, it's time for the new Ali Hazelwood! Hopefully my good streak continues 🤍
Read
September 27, 2025ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? Does this woman ever rest?? Not complaining tho because I’ll be devouring it ofc 🤭
December 9, 2025
The male narrator sounded so old. Whose peepaw was this girl fucking
November 25, 2025
+1 star for writing a thousand year old virgin vampire mmc who whimpers. 😋
November 11, 2025
4.25 ★— Very controlled, very respectful, and self-serious men have always been hotter to me than any of the growly, posturing types that dominate the alpha male MMC lineup in fantasy romance. So the fact that Ali Hazelwood decided to feed me that exact trope in Bound? I was instantly in.
This novella was pure entertainment. A fast-paced, fun story with that signature Hazelwood humor mixed into paranormal elements that slowly unfold. The heroine, Veronica, was a refreshing mix. She's tall, pierced, and shaped by a tumultuous past that gives her grit and a really interesting edge.
I’ve realized I like Hazelwood’s paranormal and fantasy stories more than her contemporary romances, and Bound just underlined that belief. In a few short hours, she manages to build a world that’s familiar — sure, if you’ve read one paranormal romance, you’ve probably seen the setup of a human woman falling for a mysterious, ultra-wealthy supernatural man — but it works. It works well for the story she wants to tell.
Victor is the tweed-wearing, smart, and responsible man I love to see. He’s sharp, composed, and dedicated, and that control is hot. His Edward Cullen-level restraint was absolutely doing it for me, and while the story is predictable, it’s the best kind of predictable: the kind written by Ali Hazelwood, who knows exactly how to make familiar tropes feel entertaining and fun. This is pure, satisfying escapism and I enjoyed myself thoroughly!
🎧 Audiobook Note
🎙️ Narration Style: Duet
The only thing that threw me off a little here was the male narrator. He just didn’t fit. Victor is supposed to be intelligent and sophisticated, but also someone who looks to be in his late twenties. The voice actor sounded closer to his early fifties. It sort of matched Victor’s energy, but not his physicality, so it pulled me out of the illusion. The female narrator, though, was fantastic and carried the story so well! With a better male voice, this would have hit even harder for me.
This novella was pure entertainment. A fast-paced, fun story with that signature Hazelwood humor mixed into paranormal elements that slowly unfold. The heroine, Veronica, was a refreshing mix. She's tall, pierced, and shaped by a tumultuous past that gives her grit and a really interesting edge.
I’ve realized I like Hazelwood’s paranormal and fantasy stories more than her contemporary romances, and Bound just underlined that belief. In a few short hours, she manages to build a world that’s familiar — sure, if you’ve read one paranormal romance, you’ve probably seen the setup of a human woman falling for a mysterious, ultra-wealthy supernatural man — but it works. It works well for the story she wants to tell.
Victor is the tweed-wearing, smart, and responsible man I love to see. He’s sharp, composed, and dedicated, and that control is hot. His Edward Cullen-level restraint was absolutely doing it for me, and while the story is predictable, it’s the best kind of predictable: the kind written by Ali Hazelwood, who knows exactly how to make familiar tropes feel entertaining and fun. This is pure, satisfying escapism and I enjoyed myself thoroughly!
🎧 Audiobook Note
🎙️ Narration Style: Duet
The only thing that threw me off a little here was the male narrator. He just didn’t fit. Victor is supposed to be intelligent and sophisticated, but also someone who looks to be in his late twenties. The voice actor sounded closer to his early fifties. It sort of matched Victor’s energy, but not his physicality, so it pulled me out of the illusion. The female narrator, though, was fantastic and carried the story so well! With a better male voice, this would have hit even harder for me.
October 23, 2025
firstly, thank you to the publisher for an alc!
4.5 stars — HOORAY MY ALI HAZELWOOD CURSE IS OVER!! i’m so relieved omg
this was much better than problematic summer romance and whatever the mess mate was…
while bound still had the trademark ali hazelwood cringey millennial humor, the plot for bound was her best in a while! this novel gave early 2000s YA paranormal romance but in the best way — young woman has a skill that intrigues a man that hasn’t been human in many, many years. plus that cliffhanger teased another novel… and i’m actually not that mad!
as for the audio, there was a duet narration, which i absolutely loved! i think duet narrations are better than duel, because the narrators are speaking to one another
——
beyond shocked i got approved for the alc!! manifesting it’s better than mate…
4.5 stars — HOORAY MY ALI HAZELWOOD CURSE IS OVER!! i’m so relieved omg
this was much better than problematic summer romance and whatever the mess mate was…
while bound still had the trademark ali hazelwood cringey millennial humor, the plot for bound was her best in a while! this novel gave early 2000s YA paranormal romance but in the best way — young woman has a skill that intrigues a man that hasn’t been human in many, many years. plus that cliffhanger teased another novel… and i’m actually not that mad!
as for the audio, there was a duet narration, which i absolutely loved! i think duet narrations are better than duel, because the narrators are speaking to one another
——
beyond shocked i got approved for the alc!! manifesting it’s better than mate…
November 3, 2025
this is nowhere near dark academia i’m not sure why it’s promoted as such.
i had fun reading this and i do think it was a cute book but i felt like it took forever to get to the plot. this is a novella so i think things should’ve moved faster because in the beginning it felt like it took way too long for the love interest to show up. i also think the romance was just meh, it felt kinda insta love to me. i feel like the author should’ve taken out some of the nonsense in the beginning and then focused on giving us some type of romance dynamic. i’ve read enough of ali hazelwood and this moves exactly like her other romances, which i think just move too quickly. i did like the plot though and like i said was fun, i actually do wish this was a bit longer because i think the whole kidnapping and trying to convince her to work with them just moved too quickly.
i had fun reading this and i do think it was a cute book but i felt like it took forever to get to the plot. this is a novella so i think things should’ve moved faster because in the beginning it felt like it took way too long for the love interest to show up. i also think the romance was just meh, it felt kinda insta love to me. i feel like the author should’ve taken out some of the nonsense in the beginning and then focused on giving us some type of romance dynamic. i’ve read enough of ali hazelwood and this moves exactly like her other romances, which i think just move too quickly. i did like the plot though and like i said was fun, i actually do wish this was a bit longer because i think the whole kidnapping and trying to convince her to work with them just moved too quickly.
December 2, 2025
With affection for Ali Hazelwood, this book is Not Good.
In a world with so many vampire romances, I can’t think of any reason to choose this one.
There’s a vague sort of attempt to create a unique context (the forgery) but it’s not executed well. The main pairing’s chemistry is well described, but the source of that chemistry is unclear. Neither character has a distinctive inner life. It’s a lazy plot of one trope after another, loosely strung together with bad dialogue.
Hazelwood is churning out books at high speed, and the quality is suffering enormously.
In a world with so many vampire romances, I can’t think of any reason to choose this one.
There’s a vague sort of attempt to create a unique context (the forgery) but it’s not executed well. The main pairing’s chemistry is well described, but the source of that chemistry is unclear. Neither character has a distinctive inner life. It’s a lazy plot of one trope after another, loosely strung together with bad dialogue.
Hazelwood is churning out books at high speed, and the quality is suffering enormously.
October 8, 2025
Thoughts
At this point I think it's clear that Ali Hazelwood is an all time favourite author of mine -- biased level (?) Yes maybe 😂 but seriously paranormal and dark academia in ONE? Easily sold as they my favourite genres especially dark academia! So needless to say I loved every second of this! The characters and plot development - I didn't want the audiobook to end! This is something completely different for Ali and she DELIVERED! Best 7hrs spent on a Spotify audio and the easiest five stars!
Plot Summary
Veronica “Vero” Mercer, an art history grad student with a grifter’s upbringing, starts forging artwork to cover her debts. But when her talent attracts the attention of the enigmatic Dr. Viktor Ashworth, he doesn’t expose her—he politely kidnaps her and offers a deal: forge a lost manuscript for him.
Working side by side in secret, their partnership turns dangerously magnetic. Yet as the job grows riskier, Vero realises Viktor’s interest in her—and the manuscript—runs far deeper than he’s admitting
My Bookstagram
At this point I think it's clear that Ali Hazelwood is an all time favourite author of mine -- biased level (?) Yes maybe 😂 but seriously paranormal and dark academia in ONE? Easily sold as they my favourite genres especially dark academia! So needless to say I loved every second of this! The characters and plot development - I didn't want the audiobook to end! This is something completely different for Ali and she DELIVERED! Best 7hrs spent on a Spotify audio and the easiest five stars!
Plot Summary
Veronica “Vero” Mercer, an art history grad student with a grifter’s upbringing, starts forging artwork to cover her debts. But when her talent attracts the attention of the enigmatic Dr. Viktor Ashworth, he doesn’t expose her—he politely kidnaps her and offers a deal: forge a lost manuscript for him.
Working side by side in secret, their partnership turns dangerously magnetic. Yet as the job grows riskier, Vero realises Viktor’s interest in her—and the manuscript—runs far deeper than he’s admitting
My Bookstagram
November 16, 2025
2.5🌟 I know this is a hot take 🫠 I had a hard time feeling any chemistry between the two main characters. It took so long to build for me that it didn’t feel believable. I did love the twists & turns and the unique setting, though!
November 13, 2025
Buddy read with Ashlyn 🫶🏼 I’m Ali’s newest fan, let’s hope it stays that way 😆
December 4, 2025
3.5 ⭐ I was healed until the las 10% rip
⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 ꪆৎ ˚⋅ i need to heal from this slump i see
⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 ꪆৎ ˚⋅ i need to heal from this slump i see
September 10, 2026
twilight but bella is an unhinged pro art forger with a million piercings and edward cullen is a thousand year old hot prof 🧛🧛 the second act dragged a lottt and there was a lot of exposition but the slow burn was worth it ❤️🔥❤️🔥 close tie with hot for slayer for best ali hazelwood guilty pleasure books 😏
💫 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭 ꧁⎝ 𓆩༺✧༻𓆪 ⎠꧂
ali hazelwood don't fail me
💫 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭 ꧁⎝ 𓆩༺✧༻𓆪 ⎠꧂
ali hazelwood don't fail me
February 14, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
A reluctant con-artist forger FMC and the mysterious immortal man that hires her for a forgery job.
Easy and short read. After the leads fell for each other the story picked up considerably as they were both green flags! Ali Hazelwood had a formula when it comes to her MMC’s that is just *chefs kiss* in my eyes.
However, the whole point of the forgery plot was for a major do-or-die showdown with Silas (the big baddie), yet it was underwhelming and led to a verrrrrry rushed ending.
Other Bound and Unbound duology review:
Unbound (2.5 ⭐️)
A reluctant con-artist forger FMC and the mysterious immortal man that hires her for a forgery job.
Easy and short read. After the leads fell for each other the story picked up considerably as they were both green flags! Ali Hazelwood had a formula when it comes to her MMC’s that is just *chefs kiss* in my eyes.
However, the whole point of the forgery plot was for a major do-or-die showdown with Silas (the big baddie), yet it was underwhelming and led to a verrrrrry rushed ending.
Other Bound and Unbound duology review:
Unbound (2.5 ⭐️)
November 14, 2025
Who can resist a hot & mysterious professor?! ✨ Dark academia ROMANTASY with massive ‘Discovery of Witches’ vibes
✨🖤 🩸🖋️🩸 🖤✨
Veronica is an art history grad student with certain…criminal tendencies. She’s an amazing artist but even better art forger🖋️✨ When a certain mysterious professorkidnapsasks her to forge an encoded manuscript she can’t resist the temptation!
Do I want to go back to grad school OR do I just need a dark entanglement with professor? This story really sucked me in to the cozy academia vibes with a mystery plot & a hint of danger.
🩸 enormous paranormal age gap
🩸 mmc is an OLD SOUL!
🩸 when he loses control protecting her
🩸 fmc that is not afraid of risk & danger
Looking back I can’t believe how similar this book was to plot in ’A Discovery of Witches’ . Full disclosure I’m obsessed with ADOW 🖤🖤 Dark academia setting, encoded manuscript, mysterious new paranormal world & a mmc with conservative upbringing but deep longing for the fmc.
*not sure if I like the mmc’s audiobook voice….it was giving too elderly
short novella
paranormal romance
protective mmc
art history
independent fmc
found family
HEA
✨🖤 🩸🖋️🩸 🖤✨
Veronica is an art history grad student with certain…criminal tendencies. She’s an amazing artist but even better art forger🖋️✨ When a certain mysterious professor
Do I want to go back to grad school OR do I just need a dark entanglement with professor? This story really sucked me in to the cozy academia vibes with a mystery plot & a hint of danger.
🩸 enormous paranormal age gap
🩸 mmc is an OLD SOUL!
🩸 when he loses control protecting her
🩸 fmc that is not afraid of risk & danger
Looking back I can’t believe how similar this book was to plot in ’A Discovery of Witches’ . Full disclosure I’m obsessed with ADOW 🖤🖤 Dark academia setting, encoded manuscript, mysterious new paranormal world & a mmc with conservative upbringing but deep longing for the fmc.
*not sure if I like the mmc’s audiobook voice….it was giving too elderly
short novella
paranormal romance
protective mmc
art history
independent fmc
found family
HEA
December 9, 2025
3.25 stars
I don’t know if it was the book or my mood, but I was bored through most of this. I love Ali’s writing, but this one wasn’t my favorite.
I don’t know if it was the book or my mood, but I was bored through most of this. I love Ali’s writing, but this one wasn’t my favorite.
Audio book source: Libby
Story Rating: 3.25 stars
Narrators: Brittany Pressley & William MacLeod
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: 7h 7m
September 15, 2026
Not vampires, but vampires- 😉 they don’t sparkle 🤣😂
January 2, 2026
in ali we trust🫡
June 25, 2026
2.75 stars
While the narration of this audiobook was great, this short novel kind of felt like fan fiction that was adapted for publication but not in a good way. I blame the length, the audiobook format is 7 hours, which to me is roughly about 200 pages (?). It was too developed in some areas for a short story, but not fully developed enough in others for a full length novel. Lack of worldbuilding and a large amount of character names and accents in a small space made things confusing and I felt disjointed listening to this. The spicy parts were great, tho!
2026 Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo category: New to you trope
While the narration of this audiobook was great, this short novel kind of felt like fan fiction that was adapted for publication but not in a good way. I blame the length, the audiobook format is 7 hours, which to me is roughly about 200 pages (?). It was too developed in some areas for a short story, but not fully developed enough in others for a full length novel. Lack of worldbuilding and a large amount of character names and accents in a small space made things confusing and I felt disjointed listening to this. The spicy parts were great, tho!
2026 Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo category: New to you trope
March 21, 2026
2.5/5⭐️
It was very cringy and cliche, with a so-so plot. Felt more like fanfic than anything. I feel like if she were to have spent more time on it, made it longer so that the plot and characters were more fleshed out, it would’ve been miles better. Oh and what really made it worse was the fact that it’s only available on audiobook and the voice actors made it so much more cringy (sorry🙈), I think it would’ve been better (and less cringy) if I physically read it myself. I think I’d still continue if it became a series, just to see if she would build the world, plot and characters more.
It was very cringy and cliche, with a so-so plot. Felt more like fanfic than anything. I feel like if she were to have spent more time on it, made it longer so that the plot and characters were more fleshed out, it would’ve been miles better. Oh and what really made it worse was the fact that it’s only available on audiobook and the voice actors made it so much more cringy (sorry🙈), I think it would’ve been better (and less cringy) if I physically read it myself. I think I’d still continue if it became a series, just to see if she would build the world, plot and characters more.
May 12, 2026
genuinely charmed by my first Ali Hazelwood! A rich man with secrets hires an art forger to create a copy of a mysterious Necronomicon. Romance....ENSUES!!!
Some things I liked here:
1. Somehow managed to read as a slowburn within a relatively short amount of time
2. Interesting larger plot
3. Victor manages to sidestep shadow daddy territory by occupying all of the familiar boxes (rich, tall, stoic, powerful, defensive) while occasionally giving into moments of strong emotion, humor, and vulnerability. We truly can have it all...
4. I love an imperfect sex scene
It took a bit to adjust to Hazelwood's millennial twang but granted I was warned of this ahead of time. Overall: fun!
Some things I liked here:
1. Somehow managed to read as a slowburn within a relatively short amount of time
2. Interesting larger plot
3. Victor manages to sidestep shadow daddy territory by occupying all of the familiar boxes (rich, tall, stoic, powerful, defensive) while occasionally giving into moments of strong emotion, humor, and vulnerability. We truly can have it all...
4. I love an imperfect sex scene
It took a bit to adjust to Hazelwood's millennial twang but granted I was warned of this ahead of time. Overall: fun!
November 12, 2025
4 because 4+4 = ATEEEE. Need a second serving of Viktor pls
November 15, 2025
ali hazelwood, my lord & savior, your mind never ceases to amaze me
November 29, 2025
A con artist? Okay AH… I see you 👀
I had to do a double take and make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me… you mean to tell me the heroine isn’t a goody two shoes? 👀. Definitely caught my attention 😉
3.5 stars rounded up because the audio is duet narration 😮💨
Veronica “Vero” Mercer’s (mid 20s?) an art-history grad student who grew up with “grifters” for parents. She knows how to con people 🤷🏻♀️ and has been able to identify forgeries/fakes. With all her bills coming into play (grad school, plus the damn economy we live in 😭), she ends up making forgeries herself 🫣😬. I mean… she knows what to do 🤷🏻♀️.
And then she catches the attention of a Dr. Viktor Ashworth, a very British professor 😅 who basically kidnaps her (nicely though 🤣 hey. That matters to some people 🤷🏻♀️) and… he blackmails her 😅. Either she forges a mysterious ancient manuscript for him or else he’ll turn her in 😬.
As she keeps working, things around her become suspicious 👀, because things are not always what they seem 👀.
Let the forced proximity begin 😉
What I liked/loved: Spoilers
—the tension 👀. Both Veronica and Viktor can’t seem to stay away from each other 👀 and for Viktor, this is rare because
—he’s been celibate for a veeeeery loooooong time 😅 as in… he’s a virgin (implied… but basically he is to me 🤷🏻♀️)
—the 🔥. It’s not as spicy as other AH books, but I’ll take whatever we get. It’s slooooow burn. Nothing happens until after 80% 😅. Even though Viktor is inexperienced, he’s sure a quick study 😉 and Veronica is all about teaching him how to please her 😮💨. He’s definitely enthusiastic about learning too 😉 especially with his mouth 🥵💦
—the revenants 👀. Not everyone’s human ha? 👀
—biting/marking🤤 yes please 😮💨
—moral ambiguity/gray area 👀. It has a dark vibe (but not really dark dark)
—the banter ❤️. I love when I smile while reading 🤣
—the academic setting 👀 (but I’ll write more about this below)
—the epilogue 🫶🫶🫶 love that things changed for the better ❤️
—stalking/spying 👀. I love it when heroes observe the heroines before they meet 😉
—mild OMD 😈. Viktor thinks Veronica has a boyfriend 👀 and he’s not happy 🤣
What I didn’t like/wanted more of: SPOILERS
—this is advertised as a dark academia romance, it didn’t feel that way for a chunk of the book, especially because we get introduced to Viktor and things change kind of quickly, especially when the twist is revealed 😅. This is probably more dark gothic instead. I would’ve loved there to be like a taboo element here 🤷🏻♀️ professor and grad student 👀 come on!!! Lol sign me up 👏🏻
—the rushed ending 😒. Things happened way too quickly for me at the end 🤷🏻♀️. Veronica figure something out, things happen, and then Bam, we’re in the epilogue 😑. Yes, we get a summary of what happened six weeks before, but still 😐.
—not one chapter in Viktor’s POV 😭 at the end, this would’ve been incredibly impactful 🤷🏻♀️ especially with the decisions that have been made
—questionable future 😒. What does their future look like? Kids? Marriage? Come on 😭. Also, I was hoping we had some kind of twist related to Veronica‘s hair color 👀, or maybe I just wanted something else 🤣
—I wish we had an ebook for this 😭
Overall, I enjoyed it ❤️. I’m so glad my library had it. Hoopla for the win 👏🏻
⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no cheating/sharing/OWD
-bloodshed/violence
-car accident recounted
-biting/marking
-no condoms/he’s a virgin
-HFN/HEA/epilogue/6 weeks
I had to do a double take and make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me… you mean to tell me the heroine isn’t a goody two shoes? 👀. Definitely caught my attention 😉
3.5 stars rounded up because the audio is duet narration 😮💨
Veronica “Vero” Mercer’s (mid 20s?) an art-history grad student who grew up with “grifters” for parents. She knows how to con people 🤷🏻♀️ and has been able to identify forgeries/fakes. With all her bills coming into play (grad school, plus the damn economy we live in 😭), she ends up making forgeries herself 🫣😬. I mean… she knows what to do 🤷🏻♀️.
And then she catches the attention of a Dr. Viktor Ashworth, a very British professor 😅 who basically kidnaps her (nicely though 🤣 hey. That matters to some people 🤷🏻♀️) and… he blackmails her 😅. Either she forges a mysterious ancient manuscript for him or else he’ll turn her in 😬.
As she keeps working, things around her become suspicious 👀, because things are not always what they seem 👀.
Let the forced proximity begin 😉
What I liked/loved: Spoilers
—the tension 👀. Both Veronica and Viktor can’t seem to stay away from each other 👀 and for Viktor, this is rare because
—he’s been celibate for a veeeeery loooooong time 😅 as in… he’s a virgin (implied… but basically he is to me 🤷🏻♀️)
—the 🔥. It’s not as spicy as other AH books, but I’ll take whatever we get. It’s slooooow burn. Nothing happens until after 80% 😅. Even though Viktor is inexperienced, he’s sure a quick study 😉 and Veronica is all about teaching him how to please her 😮💨. He’s definitely enthusiastic about learning too 😉 especially with his mouth 🥵💦
—the revenants 👀. Not everyone’s human ha? 👀
—biting/marking🤤 yes please 😮💨
—moral ambiguity/gray area 👀. It has a dark vibe (but not really dark dark)
—the banter ❤️. I love when I smile while reading 🤣
—the academic setting 👀 (but I’ll write more about this below)
—the epilogue 🫶🫶🫶 love that things changed for the better ❤️
—stalking/spying 👀. I love it when heroes observe the heroines before they meet 😉
—mild OMD 😈. Viktor thinks Veronica has a boyfriend 👀 and he’s not happy 🤣
What I didn’t like/wanted more of: SPOILERS
—this is advertised as a dark academia romance, it didn’t feel that way for a chunk of the book, especially because we get introduced to Viktor and things change kind of quickly, especially when the twist is revealed 😅. This is probably more dark gothic instead. I would’ve loved there to be like a taboo element here 🤷🏻♀️ professor and grad student 👀 come on!!! Lol sign me up 👏🏻
—the rushed ending 😒. Things happened way too quickly for me at the end 🤷🏻♀️. Veronica figure something out, things happen, and then Bam, we’re in the epilogue 😑. Yes, we get a summary of what happened six weeks before, but still 😐.
—not one chapter in Viktor’s POV 😭 at the end, this would’ve been incredibly impactful 🤷🏻♀️ especially with the decisions that have been made
—questionable future 😒. What does their future look like? Kids? Marriage? Come on 😭. Also, I was hoping we had some kind of twist related to Veronica‘s hair color 👀, or maybe I just wanted something else 🤣
—I wish we had an ebook for this 😭
Overall, I enjoyed it ❤️. I’m so glad my library had it. Hoopla for the win 👏🏻
⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no cheating/sharing/OWD
-bloodshed/violence
-car accident recounted
-biting/marking
-no condoms/he’s a virgin
-HFN/HEA/epilogue/6 weeks
May 18, 2026
3 🌟🎧
clean boyfriend x messy girlfriend aesthetic? 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚎𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚑𝚎 💘
a thousand year old vampire who is giving Edward Cullen vibes but british? 𝚊𝚋𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚢𝚎𝚜! 😜🤏🏻
Veronica my alt baddie you are iconic! 𝚒𝚕𝚢 🖤
Ali girl… pls more paranormal romance i beg you!!!! this was literally so fun 🤭
clean boyfriend x messy girlfriend aesthetic? 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚎𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚑𝚎 💘
a thousand year old vampire who is giving Edward Cullen vibes but british? 𝚊𝚋𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚢𝚎𝚜! 😜🤏🏻
Veronica my alt baddie you are iconic! 𝚒𝚕𝚢 🖤
Ali girl… pls more paranormal romance i beg you!!!! this was literally so fun 🤭
Want to Read
October 3, 2025just fell to my knees cause wdym only available on audio....that better change or ELSE!
November 20, 2025
“I tried not to want you….it didn’t work.”
I want to give this a 3.5
Dark academia type vibe with A 10000 year old VIRGIN BRITISH VAMPIRE DOWN BAD for a little forgery criminal girl. I LOVE.
Duet style narration
I want to give this a 3.5
Dark academia type vibe with A 10000 year old VIRGIN BRITISH VAMPIRE DOWN BAD for a little forgery criminal girl. I LOVE.
Duet style narration
November 3, 2025
"I cannot help but imagine that anything originating in your mind would be a sight to behold."
Listen. LISTENNNN. Ali gave us a SUPPOSEDLY stoic man, WHO BLUSHES?!?? I screamed. This would have been all I needed, to absolutely know I was going to love this. (I am a simple gal truly) I will try to make a coherent review, but it will probably just be me screaming about how much fun I had with this one.
Out of all the Ali Hazelwood novellas I have read, THIS. THISSSS is by far my favorite one. The narrators did an absolute phenomenal job. I LOVED how the mmc's narrators voice changed throughout the story (I wont say too much, but if you pay attention you'll see what I mean). And the fmc narrator was just so much fun. She captured Vero's personality so well, and she did a phenomenal job voicing the other female characters and making each character have their own distinct voice.
I already want to listen to this audiobook all over again. And the way I absolutely NEED a physical of this book made. PLEASEEEEE. I am on my knees begging. There were so many good lines in here that make me squeal and gasp. I loved this story so so much. And I just absolutely love Ali Hazelwood's humor. She's just so naturally funny, and it really showed in this novella.
I don't think I need to get into what this story is about (I always think it's best to go in blind anyways), so avoid blurbs if you can! If you love Ali Hazelwood, you're going to love this one. There will be humor, there will be tension and even a little bit of yearning, and you will absolutely love the characters she wrote for this one. I loved every single one of them!!! And I just didn't want this one to end 😭 I was so engrossed into the book that when they started saying the credits at the end I screamed in despair. Because WHAT DO YOU MEANNN the end?!?!
I am so beyond grateful that I got to listen to this early. This was my first Ali Hazelwood approval, and I SCREAMED when I saw the notification. Thank you so much netgalley for this alc! <3
___________________________________________
NOOOOOOO I WANTED MOREEEE WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE ENDDDDD
Listen. LISTENNNN. Ali gave us a SUPPOSEDLY stoic man, WHO BLUSHES?!?? I screamed. This would have been all I needed, to absolutely know I was going to love this. (I am a simple gal truly) I will try to make a coherent review, but it will probably just be me screaming about how much fun I had with this one.
Out of all the Ali Hazelwood novellas I have read, THIS. THISSSS is by far my favorite one. The narrators did an absolute phenomenal job. I LOVED how the mmc's narrators voice changed throughout the story (I wont say too much, but if you pay attention you'll see what I mean). And the fmc narrator was just so much fun. She captured Vero's personality so well, and she did a phenomenal job voicing the other female characters and making each character have their own distinct voice.
I already want to listen to this audiobook all over again. And the way I absolutely NEED a physical of this book made. PLEASEEEEE. I am on my knees begging. There were so many good lines in here that make me squeal and gasp. I loved this story so so much. And I just absolutely love Ali Hazelwood's humor. She's just so naturally funny, and it really showed in this novella.
I don't think I need to get into what this story is about (I always think it's best to go in blind anyways), so avoid blurbs if you can! If you love Ali Hazelwood, you're going to love this one. There will be humor, there will be tension and even a little bit of yearning, and you will absolutely love the characters she wrote for this one. I loved every single one of them!!! And I just didn't want this one to end 😭 I was so engrossed into the book that when they started saying the credits at the end I screamed in despair. Because WHAT DO YOU MEANNN the end?!?!
I am so beyond grateful that I got to listen to this early. This was my first Ali Hazelwood approval, and I SCREAMED when I saw the notification. Thank you so much netgalley for this alc! <3
___________________________________________
NOOOOOOO I WANTED MOREEEE WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE ENDDDDD
February 9, 2026
This is so twilight coded. I went into this with the expectation of this being whole story being very academia vibes (and it totally is) but there is a supernatural romance aspect that totally threw me off guard.
Ali Hazelwood writes a lot of works with STEM themes. I appreciate this one diving into art history (as someone who has an art history degree.) It felt different from Hazelwood’s typical works. But of course there is always that quirky millennial humor.
Also I want to appreciate how amazing the narrators were. This is my third complete audio book. I’m very picky when it comes to narrators but the performance on both of their parts were amazing. It was my first duet narration and I was disappointed. I have to say how impressed I am with so many different accents presented- none of them made me feel unbearable to listen.
I say this is so similar to Twilight because like Victor was so much like Edward. Centuries old and never had a love interest. Also very much similar quiet and possessive personalities. I mean, they even both even have the same ability to read people’s minds.
This is not that long of an audio book, and with the fantasy elements included I could have seen this story being dragged out to a twilight saga length. But, I’m not disappointed in how the story finished. I think it ended on a perfect note.
I think my only complaint was it was a little slow at times. It was definitely a slow burn. And I love a good slow burn. However I wanted more than hours of Vero describing the forgery making. It was obviously necessary, it just dragged for me.
Still definitely recommend as a great audiobook to listen to.
Ali Hazelwood writes a lot of works with STEM themes. I appreciate this one diving into art history (as someone who has an art history degree.) It felt different from Hazelwood’s typical works. But of course there is always that quirky millennial humor.
Also I want to appreciate how amazing the narrators were. This is my third complete audio book. I’m very picky when it comes to narrators but the performance on both of their parts were amazing. It was my first duet narration and I was disappointed. I have to say how impressed I am with so many different accents presented- none of them made me feel unbearable to listen.
I say this is so similar to Twilight because like Victor was so much like Edward. Centuries old and never had a love interest. Also very much similar quiet and possessive personalities. I mean, they even both even have the same ability to read people’s minds.
This is not that long of an audio book, and with the fantasy elements included I could have seen this story being dragged out to a twilight saga length. But, I’m not disappointed in how the story finished. I think it ended on a perfect note.
I think my only complaint was it was a little slow at times. It was definitely a slow burn. And I love a good slow burn. However I wanted more than hours of Vero describing the forgery making. It was obviously necessary, it just dragged for me.
Still definitely recommend as a great audiobook to listen to.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 8,297 reviews