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Snare
When Elliot Iverson, a municipal employee responsible for paperwork pertaining to New York City's vampire population, knocks on the door of the Gramercy warren, he wants only to resolve a clerical error. But a sudden snowstorm, a new friendship, and an ill-advised threesome force Elliot to make some big choices about his own life and death.
102 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2016
10 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
About the author
Racheline Maltese
79 books184 followersRacheline Maltese is a queer writer living a big life from a small space. She flies planes, sails boats, and rides horses, but as a native New Yorker, has no idea how to drive a car.
A performer and storyteller focused on themes of celebrity, gender, desire and mourning, Racheline has a journalism degree from The George Washington University; studied acting and directing at the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School (New York City) and the National Institute of Dramatic Art (Sydney, Australia); and is a proud SAG-AFTRA member.
She lives in Brooklyn with her partner and their two cats.
A performer and storyteller focused on themes of celebrity, gender, desire and mourning, Racheline has a journalism degree from The George Washington University; studied acting and directing at the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School (New York City) and the National Institute of Dramatic Art (Sydney, Australia); and is a proud SAG-AFTRA member.
She lives in Brooklyn with her partner and their two cats.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 4, 2016
This one never fully engaged me. I kept waiting, but it just didn't happen. The story was fine, but a bit short on actual feels.
The gist of the book is that 23 year old Eli is a paper pusher and recent transplant to NYC, where all of the vampires live. He shows up at a warren (vampire den) to have some paperwork signed, is accidentally bitten, then isn't allowed to leave, for his own safety, for an entire year. So he's a prisoner of circumstance, if you will.
At around 60 pages, there were nearly no details regarding the history of the vampires or how MC #2, Matthew, actually came to be a 'rabbit' in the warren to begin with and what his life was like before that point.
Then we have the head vampire, Richard, who is described as a man in middle age, broad-shouldered, but slightly thick around the gut. And "profoundly ordinary looking."
That description doesn't particularly inspire much attraction in my mind, so I never truly saw why two very attractive boys in their early twenties should be so smitten with this older, stern, otherwise " meh " man.
There were a few sexy scenes, but they were pretty watered down, with not quite enough details to feel provocative, if that's what you're looking for.
The story was also written in present tense, which felt sort of odd, but the writing was fine and well-edited.
As the story ended, it was 'heading' towards a long-term menage situation of sorts, but without the deep character development, their relationship never quite got there for me.
The ending was pretty much HFN'ish, in my opinion.
So this one came in at around 2.5 'profoundly ordinary' stars for me.
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My ARC copy of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.
July 22, 2016
I was very conflicted over this story. The blurb sounded amazing and I’ve read other books by these authors, so I had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, it didn’t come through. To start, I didn’t really like any of the characters in this book. Eli acted too much like a whiny brat (though I can understand where he’s coming from), Matthew seemed like an abused partner, and Richard was an overall dick. I spent most of the book not liking Richard. He did crappy/horrible things without absolutely no explanation about why he did so, so I kept questioning why he was doing this and allowed to get away with it. I still don’t know what Matthew and Eli see in him. This felt more like a study in Stockholm Syndrome then a romance.
The most interesting part and saving grace of the story was the worldbuilding. While there were elements of traditional vampires, these vamps were unique and interesting as well. I found myself wanting to know more and more about this world, which was both good and bad. It was good in that it helped draw me in to the story and keep me reading until the end; however, it was bad because I felt like the worldbuilding was missing information. I was left with questions, such as how had things stayed this way for so long? If vamps were so influential in building New York City, then why are they locked away on an island still? Are these the only vampires in the whole world? Why haven’t they outgrown the space they’ve been allotted for decades? Because of this, aspects of the world didn’t seem to be totally thought out or make sense. Plus, there were other parts of this world hinted at but not fully explored, making me wonder if this is supposed to be the start of a series.
Overall, I’m not a huge fan of the book. If there was a sequel, I would potentially read it in order to learn more about this world and to hopefully see my issues in this novella addressed. I like these authors, but this story was just not for me.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
The most interesting part and saving grace of the story was the worldbuilding. While there were elements of traditional vampires, these vamps were unique and interesting as well. I found myself wanting to know more and more about this world, which was both good and bad. It was good in that it helped draw me in to the story and keep me reading until the end; however, it was bad because I felt like the worldbuilding was missing information. I was left with questions, such as how had things stayed this way for so long? If vamps were so influential in building New York City, then why are they locked away on an island still? Are these the only vampires in the whole world? Why haven’t they outgrown the space they’ve been allotted for decades? Because of this, aspects of the world didn’t seem to be totally thought out or make sense. Plus, there were other parts of this world hinted at but not fully explored, making me wonder if this is supposed to be the start of a series.
Overall, I’m not a huge fan of the book. If there was a sequel, I would potentially read it in order to learn more about this world and to hopefully see my issues in this novella addressed. I like these authors, but this story was just not for me.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
July 7, 2017
What was the point of this book? There were so many interesting things it COULD have been, yet somehow it managed to avoid all of them, leaving me wondering why I bothered reading. I picked it up for free on Amazon thinking that it was going to be humorous fluff, but despite a premise that sounded like easy comedy to me, Snare didn't seem to make any attempt to be funny. Furthermore, non-consensual vampire bites during sex aren't either funny or fluffy. The story never fully explained why Richard bit Eli, nor did it do a good job of exploring the ethical issues surrounding the bite (which would have been a different, more serious approach it could have taken). There was some basic world-building and general description of life in the warren, but not in enough detail for the reader to really understand the setting or actually envision the sole location where an entire year of story takes place. There was very little on-stage sex or relationship development, so it was hard to feel any chemistry between the main characters, making the book a failure as either erotica or romance. Plus the characters weren't well fleshed out, which reduced the romance and also made it hard to get invested in the story. Basically, this book felt like 100 pages of nothing in particular, which is just boring.
June 21, 2016
I give this story a 2.5 but rated a 3 for review purposes. I couldn't really follow this tale. Eli works for the city and he knows about vampires. He goes to a house to get some paperwork signed and meets Matthew who because of a snow storm asks him to stay. Matthew runs the house for the main vampire Richard. All of a sudden Richard, Eli and Matthew are getting intimate. Richard bites Eli and he has to stay for a year. I was confused, there was no back story for any of these characters. Eli was mad, then upset and all of sudden he wants more from these 2 men. There was love scenes but very watered down, I didn't felt any intimacy from any of them. I just wanted more from this story. Received an ARC from the publisher for an honest review. Reviewed by Jodi for Alpha Book Club.
May 11, 2018
Vampires! Paperwork! Romance!
This one is easy to love. The worldbuilding is fantastic, the characters are complex, and the pacing is believable. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes low-key paranormal elements/magical realism, meet-cute romances where the protagonists have a lot to work out after the inital attraction, and POV characters who *don't* immediately try to change a world they don't understand.
I loved Eli's emotional journey, and his exploration of the warrens avoided the pitfalls of many paranormal romances. The warren isn't some underground cave where people dress in capes and drink strangely soupy red wine; it's a community where beings of both species live together and care about each other. Eli doesn't become the chosen one who has to save a weird, wild world from eeeevil; he's just a guy who is new at this stuff and makes mistakes because he's not quite sure what the rules are.
The POV was more distant than I usually like, but it seemed appropriate for the presentation and subject matter. After a few pages, I found the distant POV helped to draw my attention to details I would otherwise have missed.
This whole story is so cozy and wonderful, and I look forward to reading more by these authors.
This one is easy to love. The worldbuilding is fantastic, the characters are complex, and the pacing is believable. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes low-key paranormal elements/magical realism, meet-cute romances where the protagonists have a lot to work out after the inital attraction, and POV characters who *don't* immediately try to change a world they don't understand.
I loved Eli's emotional journey, and his exploration of the warrens avoided the pitfalls of many paranormal romances. The warren isn't some underground cave where people dress in capes and drink strangely soupy red wine; it's a community where beings of both species live together and care about each other. Eli doesn't become the chosen one who has to save a weird, wild world from eeeevil; he's just a guy who is new at this stuff and makes mistakes because he's not quite sure what the rules are.
The POV was more distant than I usually like, but it seemed appropriate for the presentation and subject matter. After a few pages, I found the distant POV helped to draw my attention to details I would otherwise have missed.
This whole story is so cozy and wonderful, and I look forward to reading more by these authors.
September 4, 2018
Oh man, I loved this. It's really more a fiction novella than a MM novella, which is part of what made it so interesting to me. That and the worldbuilding was just there enough to intrigue while not going into 80000000 words of exposition.
The author's content info for the story says a couple of things that really resonate for me about this story, and why I liked it so much:
Snare is definitely a love story. It is probably not a romance.
Yes!
If we did our jobs right, this story makes a lot of things seem super charming that are actually the stuff of nightmare if you sit with them.
Yes yes!
Snare is also kind of funny. Because hey it’s us. We like farce.
I was amused in the way that I am amused by farcical works!
Not for everyone, definitely for me. If the authors saw fit to expand on the worldbuilding in Snare I would be well pleased.
The author's content info for the story says a couple of things that really resonate for me about this story, and why I liked it so much:
Snare is definitely a love story. It is probably not a romance.
Yes!
If we did our jobs right, this story makes a lot of things seem super charming that are actually the stuff of nightmare if you sit with them.
Yes yes!
Snare is also kind of funny. Because hey it’s us. We like farce.
I was amused in the way that I am amused by farcical works!
Not for everyone, definitely for me. If the authors saw fit to expand on the worldbuilding in Snare I would be well pleased.
July 13, 2019
My favourite thing about this book, hands down, was the world building. The mix of the mundane with the paranormal was a nicely done, and the fact that these vampires have a whole urban lore to them made the world all the more interesting. The thought of these different warrens existing, each as their own world with all these different people choosing to live there for different reasons, intrigues me. I would totally be down for more books set in this world.
The romance itself didn’t do much for me because I think everyone forgave Richard far too easily even when he wasn’t all that repentant. Couldn’t be me. Also it’s a HFN, which normally I don’t mind, but I don’t think we really got to see them settle into a relationship with each other. Eli and Matthew were cute together though.
The romance itself didn’t do much for me because I think everyone forgave Richard far too easily even when he wasn’t all that repentant. Couldn’t be me. Also it’s a HFN, which normally I don’t mind, but I don’t think we really got to see them settle into a relationship with each other. Eli and Matthew were cute together though.
June 15, 2018
Lovely, so very interesting. I was hooked from the beginning when Elliot, instead of being warned off by a description, found it tempting instead (I so relate), and then related to his desire to be in the city and yet still have a haven in within it. I liked how things weren't easy for Elliot (for any of them), how Elliot didn't behave well often - it made the eventual transitions so much more meaningful.
I realized after reading this I'd heard an interview with the authors several months ago, so between that and this story I'm eager to read more.
I realized after reading this I'd heard an interview with the authors several months ago, so between that and this story I'm eager to read more.
May 30, 2019
That was really sweet and I enjoyed it a great deal.
I guess if you are the sort of person who has never lived in a group house or shared a space with artists, and/or not thought of having more than one relationship, this might feel less comfortable.
I can tell you, if that New York had existed when I was young, I would have made my way to it and been Dead if I could for the chance to leave the rat race and exist as a writer. But then, maybe not, as this book hints at less palatable houses than the one our hero lucked into.
Wish the authors had done more in this world.
I guess if you are the sort of person who has never lived in a group house or shared a space with artists, and/or not thought of having more than one relationship, this might feel less comfortable.
I can tell you, if that New York had existed when I was young, I would have made my way to it and been Dead if I could for the chance to leave the rat race and exist as a writer. But then, maybe not, as this book hints at less palatable houses than the one our hero lucked into.
Wish the authors had done more in this world.
June 7, 2019
Definitely not my cup of tea.
The characters felt painfully underdeveloped and I didn't get why anyone would have feelings for anyone. I don't mind the non-con angle but I'd like for the characters to work though that rather than be worn down by boredom and lack of other options. It was all quite tedious and unpleasant.
The worldbuilding might have been the saving grace here since the premise was so interesting but it was very perfunctory.
The characters felt painfully underdeveloped and I didn't get why anyone would have feelings for anyone. I don't mind the non-con angle but I'd like for the characters to work though that rather than be worn down by boredom and lack of other options. It was all quite tedious and unpleasant.
The worldbuilding might have been the saving grace here since the premise was so interesting but it was very perfunctory.
June 7, 2019
I might reconsider the rating, not sure yet. The story itself was sweet, but I felt it lacked detail, in general and in the world building. Lots was mentioned, but never explained. I didn’t get the feeling of passage of time, and no other characters were described in any detail than the three MCs. They were literally called rabbits in the warren. I’m interested to hear what poly folks think about the relationship. I would have liked more depth.
June 6, 2017
I like the authors' take on vampire society. Though I don't quite understand why they couldn't have electricity and phones. I loved the characters. It would be interesting to delve a little deeper into them. What made Richard want to change? What lead to Matthew being there? How are they doing a year or more later? As you can tell, this story grabs you. Great read.
October 26, 2018
This is a really lovely story that takes place over a year. Although it kind of starts as a one-night stand, the romance grows slowly and feels realistic. I also loved the way the fantasy is incorporated into modern day situations and how that would affect government, it was really interesting!
March 10, 2019
Consent, consent, consent. None in this book. Eli gets Stockholm syndrome. 1.5 stars
July 7, 2016
Book – Snare
Author – Racheline Maltese & Erin McRae
Star rating - ★★★☆☆
No. of Pages – 60
Cover – Mysterious
POV – 3rd person, present tense
Would I read it again – Yes
Genre – LGBT, Supernatural, Paranormal, Vampire, Contemporary/Alternative Future
** COPY RECEIVED THROUGH NETGALLEY **
I really enjoyed this one. At first, I really wasn't sure, because you don't come across many 3rd person, present tense books, so it took me out of my comfort zone for a while. But, once I got into the bones of the story, I really liked it.
This could have been a 5 star but for four things:
1 – errors in spelling, grammar and missing words etc (This is an uncorrected proof, so I'm not actually marking down for that, but it was enough to interrupt my reading and understanding of sentences, which was a problem)
2 – the constant, short, half page scenes that I didn't find necessary at all. They often didn't add anything that we didn't already know and, when they did, the scenes deserved to be much longer. So, I'm unhappy with the consistency of the scenes, because the space these unnecessary scenes took up could have been put to better use elsewhere.
3 – the ending. I find it really unsatisfying and a little rushed. Everything just suddenly happened at once, in the last few pages and it was hard to get an emotional impact from that. If the main parts had been rushed, but Elliot's part had been better explored, maybe I would have been more emotionally invested in his final decision and the impact it had on those around him. But it wasn't, so I didn't.
4 – there are no chapter headings. Anywhere. For 60 pages, I would have liked a few divided chapters. Instead, it was just a fountain of scenes that rolled from one to the other so there was no real opportunity to put it down for a break.
For me, the story was fantastic. A world where vampires are locked down in New York City, held prisoner, but operating their own “warren” communities, is really original and brilliant. The way they operate, with rules and laws and working with humans, is fantastic.
The characters – Elliot, Matthew and Richard – are all great and intriguing in their own way. Richard is that aloof Alpha male – though described in a really unattractive way, despite being irresistible to these two 20-somethings – while Matthew is the heart and soul of the warren. Carefree and fun, when he's not holding everything together, Matthew is actually the best character here, despite the story being told exclusively from Elliot's POV. This is because Elliot is a whiny little wimp and makes snap decisions, stupid choices and often acts like a twelve year old. However, saying that, he does have some shining moments which made me enjoy parts of the story.
However, I feel we don't have enough time to get to know Matthew – we never get to know what brought him to the warren or why, despite it being hinted at as a big secret – and we never learn anything about Richard. Though I really loved their relationship with each other, how it interlocked and twisted with the various events, adapting and moving on, it never felt real. There was an emotional attachment missing that was filled with sexual exploration between all three of them, both together and in individual pairs. This, for me, wasn't enough to built a relationship upon.
It also never really felt as though Richard was included as an equal, except for one moment when Elliot invites him to participate. Even then, it's an invitation not an expectation that they should all be able to function together as a trouple. The lack of chemistry between the three of them was made up, in part, by the chemistry Elliot shared with Matthew. But only in part. Matthew and Richard had fantastic chemistry; Elliot and Matthew had great chemistry; but never did all three work together.
Overall, I would have been far happier if this had become a more cohesive novel, because everything that happened in this 60-page story needed much more elaboration. I needed the history, the background and the chemistry build. I needed the satisfying ending when not only Matthew but Richard – again, completely left out and ignored as inconsequential – discovered what Elliot's decision was. It would also have been much more satisfying if he'd made the decision on something less of a whim. Because it genuinely felt like he only decided at the last minute what he was going to do, never taking other people's feelings into account.
I should have loved this, lapping it up with a 5 star review. But that would be the full explored, well edited novel version of this story. What I just read needs some work.
Author – Racheline Maltese & Erin McRae
Star rating - ★★★☆☆
No. of Pages – 60
Cover – Mysterious
POV – 3rd person, present tense
Would I read it again – Yes
Genre – LGBT, Supernatural, Paranormal, Vampire, Contemporary/Alternative Future
** COPY RECEIVED THROUGH NETGALLEY **
I really enjoyed this one. At first, I really wasn't sure, because you don't come across many 3rd person, present tense books, so it took me out of my comfort zone for a while. But, once I got into the bones of the story, I really liked it.
This could have been a 5 star but for four things:
1 – errors in spelling, grammar and missing words etc (This is an uncorrected proof, so I'm not actually marking down for that, but it was enough to interrupt my reading and understanding of sentences, which was a problem)
2 – the constant, short, half page scenes that I didn't find necessary at all. They often didn't add anything that we didn't already know and, when they did, the scenes deserved to be much longer. So, I'm unhappy with the consistency of the scenes, because the space these unnecessary scenes took up could have been put to better use elsewhere.
3 – the ending. I find it really unsatisfying and a little rushed. Everything just suddenly happened at once, in the last few pages and it was hard to get an emotional impact from that. If the main parts had been rushed, but Elliot's part had been better explored, maybe I would have been more emotionally invested in his final decision and the impact it had on those around him. But it wasn't, so I didn't.
4 – there are no chapter headings. Anywhere. For 60 pages, I would have liked a few divided chapters. Instead, it was just a fountain of scenes that rolled from one to the other so there was no real opportunity to put it down for a break.
For me, the story was fantastic. A world where vampires are locked down in New York City, held prisoner, but operating their own “warren” communities, is really original and brilliant. The way they operate, with rules and laws and working with humans, is fantastic.
The characters – Elliot, Matthew and Richard – are all great and intriguing in their own way. Richard is that aloof Alpha male – though described in a really unattractive way, despite being irresistible to these two 20-somethings – while Matthew is the heart and soul of the warren. Carefree and fun, when he's not holding everything together, Matthew is actually the best character here, despite the story being told exclusively from Elliot's POV. This is because Elliot is a whiny little wimp and makes snap decisions, stupid choices and often acts like a twelve year old. However, saying that, he does have some shining moments which made me enjoy parts of the story.
However, I feel we don't have enough time to get to know Matthew – we never get to know what brought him to the warren or why, despite it being hinted at as a big secret – and we never learn anything about Richard. Though I really loved their relationship with each other, how it interlocked and twisted with the various events, adapting and moving on, it never felt real. There was an emotional attachment missing that was filled with sexual exploration between all three of them, both together and in individual pairs. This, for me, wasn't enough to built a relationship upon.
It also never really felt as though Richard was included as an equal, except for one moment when Elliot invites him to participate. Even then, it's an invitation not an expectation that they should all be able to function together as a trouple. The lack of chemistry between the three of them was made up, in part, by the chemistry Elliot shared with Matthew. But only in part. Matthew and Richard had fantastic chemistry; Elliot and Matthew had great chemistry; but never did all three work together.
Overall, I would have been far happier if this had become a more cohesive novel, because everything that happened in this 60-page story needed much more elaboration. I needed the history, the background and the chemistry build. I needed the satisfying ending when not only Matthew but Richard – again, completely left out and ignored as inconsequential – discovered what Elliot's decision was. It would also have been much more satisfying if he'd made the decision on something less of a whim. Because it genuinely felt like he only decided at the last minute what he was going to do, never taking other people's feelings into account.
I should have loved this, lapping it up with a 5 star review. But that would be the full explored, well edited novel version of this story. What I just read needs some work.
December 18, 2016
Original review on Molly Lolly
Four stars!
This story was different than I expected, however I wound up really enjoying the story. I liked the world building. It was fascinating seeing a world where vampires existed openly for so long and have a historical significance for what seems to be most of US history. I would love to see more books in this world and have more in depth look at the history, politics, and rules of this society.
The way the relationship developed between these three will likely make some readers uncomfortable, especially if they have issues with menages in the first place. The way it was written definitely works for these three though and couldn’t really have happened any other way to be believable for these characters. I liked how the emotions arising from the reason Eli is in the warren for an extended period of time are very true and realistic. His fear and reluctance to be around certain people was very well written and I could feel it as I was reading.
Eli is a bit of an enigma for me. At times he came off whiney and petulant. But he also had his whole world changed due to events he didn’t consent to, so he was justified in his emo self. However I would have liked to see more of his positive experiences shown on page instead of just alluded to in between the bad moods. I liked how he became a part of the warren even if he was still unsure of his long term plans. It showed he was at least willing to help everyone regardless of his own feelings.
Matthew was so sweet. I really wanted more of his backstory. He does so much for the warren and seemingly doesn’t get much in return. However that first glance isn’t really accurate. He gets so much from everyone there and from Richard himself. You kind of have to read between the lines to see it though. His relationship with Richard is so loving. You can feel their love in the gentle touches and soft looks they give each other. It makes Eli a bit of an outsider in the menage but it’s also a tiny bit of his own choosing. If he spent more time getting to know Richard the way he had with Matthew, Eli and Richard’s feelings would have grown, It made me sad for Matthew a tiny bit because he seemed to be in the middle of that without wanting to be or knowing how to fix it.
I liked that Richard is described as physically “average”. Not all vampires, or characters in general, are buff mid twenties to early thirties and super hot. Having a character that is liked for more than his physical attributes made me extremely happy. That said, I needed to see more of Richard doing the things that makes Matthew care for him to see the reason behind those feelings. I think Richard helped Matthew at a time when no one else would but that is me reading between the lines and maybe a tiny bit of wishful reading.
The ending is very non traditional. However, it’s written in a way that the reader can interpret what they want out of it. I call it a happy for now because I’m a romantic at heart and want everyone to find that someone(s) to have a life with. So I read a positive ending that is the beginning of a loving relationship between these three. If you read it differently, don’t come bursting my bubble!
Four stars!
This story was different than I expected, however I wound up really enjoying the story. I liked the world building. It was fascinating seeing a world where vampires existed openly for so long and have a historical significance for what seems to be most of US history. I would love to see more books in this world and have more in depth look at the history, politics, and rules of this society.
The way the relationship developed between these three will likely make some readers uncomfortable, especially if they have issues with menages in the first place. The way it was written definitely works for these three though and couldn’t really have happened any other way to be believable for these characters. I liked how the emotions arising from the reason Eli is in the warren for an extended period of time are very true and realistic. His fear and reluctance to be around certain people was very well written and I could feel it as I was reading.
Eli is a bit of an enigma for me. At times he came off whiney and petulant. But he also had his whole world changed due to events he didn’t consent to, so he was justified in his emo self. However I would have liked to see more of his positive experiences shown on page instead of just alluded to in between the bad moods. I liked how he became a part of the warren even if he was still unsure of his long term plans. It showed he was at least willing to help everyone regardless of his own feelings.
Matthew was so sweet. I really wanted more of his backstory. He does so much for the warren and seemingly doesn’t get much in return. However that first glance isn’t really accurate. He gets so much from everyone there and from Richard himself. You kind of have to read between the lines to see it though. His relationship with Richard is so loving. You can feel their love in the gentle touches and soft looks they give each other. It makes Eli a bit of an outsider in the menage but it’s also a tiny bit of his own choosing. If he spent more time getting to know Richard the way he had with Matthew, Eli and Richard’s feelings would have grown, It made me sad for Matthew a tiny bit because he seemed to be in the middle of that without wanting to be or knowing how to fix it.
I liked that Richard is described as physically “average”. Not all vampires, or characters in general, are buff mid twenties to early thirties and super hot. Having a character that is liked for more than his physical attributes made me extremely happy. That said, I needed to see more of Richard doing the things that makes Matthew care for him to see the reason behind those feelings. I think Richard helped Matthew at a time when no one else would but that is me reading between the lines and maybe a tiny bit of wishful reading.
The ending is very non traditional. However, it’s written in a way that the reader can interpret what they want out of it. I call it a happy for now because I’m a romantic at heart and want everyone to find that someone(s) to have a life with. So I read a positive ending that is the beginning of a loving relationship between these three. If you read it differently, don’t come bursting my bubble!
January 24, 2017
Review copy purchased by myself and reviewed for Alpha Book Club.
I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this book other than a bit disappointed. I expected more from this considering the blurb but it never lived up to my expectations.
The setting is New York which is apparently where all vampires live but they don’t appear to instill fear in the general population, they just co-exist and file their paperwork with the city like everyone else does. One of the people who deals with this paperwork is Elliot, he has discovered a discrepancy in said paperwork, and to save time, he goes to that particular warren (residence that houses vampires and rabbits - I’ll get to that…) to get it sorted out. In the city, there are three categories of ‘people’ 1. Vampire 2. dead (properly dead, never coming back to life) 3. Dead (or rabbits! who live in the warrens with the vamipres - stay with me people...) - those who have been bitten by a vampire and still have blood in their veins but are registered Dead, so, legally don’t exist and are immune to any legal type of responsibility.
Ok, so, Elliot meets Matthew (a rabbit) who is in charge of this particular warrens paperwork but by the time, Elliot is ready to head home, a snow storm has meant his travel will be impossible and is invited to spend the night. One thing leads to another and he finds himself involved in a menage with a rabbit and a vampire (you don’t get this kind of stuff from Disney) except his life has changed by the time he regains consciousness, the next morning.
This should have been such a great story but there were several flaws. None of the characters are ever described in any depth so you have no idea about their background or what makes them tick and apart from Elliots occasional tantrums (even those are described as ‘mild outrage’), no-one shows any real emotion. Also, I’m not sure what the attraction was for Matthew and Elliot who are both young men, to Richard (vampire) who couldn’t sound more ordinary or less interesting if the authors tried. Don’t get me started on the sex scenes. They are few and far between, which is not a problem but the reader was really left to use their imagination about what went on.
I found the way that the book was narrated to be a bit odd. It’s not like the telling of a story but more like a sequence of statements of fact - again, void of emotion. I finished this story and was still wondering what the actual point of it was. I feel this was a wasted opportunity for a damned good book.
I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this book other than a bit disappointed. I expected more from this considering the blurb but it never lived up to my expectations.
The setting is New York which is apparently where all vampires live but they don’t appear to instill fear in the general population, they just co-exist and file their paperwork with the city like everyone else does. One of the people who deals with this paperwork is Elliot, he has discovered a discrepancy in said paperwork, and to save time, he goes to that particular warren (residence that houses vampires and rabbits - I’ll get to that…) to get it sorted out. In the city, there are three categories of ‘people’ 1. Vampire 2. dead (properly dead, never coming back to life) 3. Dead (or rabbits! who live in the warrens with the vamipres - stay with me people...) - those who have been bitten by a vampire and still have blood in their veins but are registered Dead, so, legally don’t exist and are immune to any legal type of responsibility.
Ok, so, Elliot meets Matthew (a rabbit) who is in charge of this particular warrens paperwork but by the time, Elliot is ready to head home, a snow storm has meant his travel will be impossible and is invited to spend the night. One thing leads to another and he finds himself involved in a menage with a rabbit and a vampire (you don’t get this kind of stuff from Disney) except his life has changed by the time he regains consciousness, the next morning.
This should have been such a great story but there were several flaws. None of the characters are ever described in any depth so you have no idea about their background or what makes them tick and apart from Elliots occasional tantrums (even those are described as ‘mild outrage’), no-one shows any real emotion. Also, I’m not sure what the attraction was for Matthew and Elliot who are both young men, to Richard (vampire) who couldn’t sound more ordinary or less interesting if the authors tried. Don’t get me started on the sex scenes. They are few and far between, which is not a problem but the reader was really left to use their imagination about what went on.
I found the way that the book was narrated to be a bit odd. It’s not like the telling of a story but more like a sequence of statements of fact - again, void of emotion. I finished this story and was still wondering what the actual point of it was. I feel this was a wasted opportunity for a damned good book.
July 21, 2016
In this society the dead and the Dead co exist. Vampires have their own territory and humans (referred to as rabbits) that choose to live amongst them are declared dead and feed the Dead (Vampires) as repayment for living with them.
A snowstorm is to blame for all of Eli's troubles. Apparently the dead have become lax in filing their paperwork and it is Elliot’s job to go and resolve the errors. Thanks to the storm, Elliot is trapped with the Dead and while in their midst he’s seduced by Mathew a dead human and Richard, A Dead vampire who is the Gramercy warren responsible for everyone.
“Some days Eli can’t believe he’s been kidnapped by vampires and still isn’t getting laid on the regular. He wonders, sometimes, if Matthew and Richard are just waiting for him to ask. He wonders too how stupid that would make him if he did.”
I don’t want to give the story away but lets just say that Elliot may have bitten off more than he can chew and by the end of his unexpected stay, he has a lot of important decisions to make that impacts all three of them. This is a story I would recommend reading if you’re looking for a quick read and don’t have anything on your reading list dying for your attention.
July 15, 2024
Elliot Iverness moves from California to New York City because New York City is different. What makes it different is the fact that there are vampires living there. In fact, that is the only place in America where vampires actually live. And the vampires are why the city is still pretty much as it has been for years, and also is a sort of mecca for unusual people.
It seems that in addition to vampires, the city has a provision that allows ordinary human beings to "declare themselves dead" which means that they lose all legal services, including electricity, but gain a new more bohemian lifestyle where they are off the grid and able to devote their time to whatever they want to. Entire neighborhoods are made up of such people who live side-by-side with the vampires.
One day, Elliot, who works for the city in the record department, goes on a trip outside the office to get some paperwork cleared, and gets deterred and has his life changed forever...or at least a year or so because he meets two beings that make him "an offer he can't refuse...or at least doesn't want to pass up." But then he realizes he really should have read the manuals back at the office.
As vampire stories go, it fairly boring and mundane, but it was a quick read at about 100 pages or so.
It seems that in addition to vampires, the city has a provision that allows ordinary human beings to "declare themselves dead" which means that they lose all legal services, including electricity, but gain a new more bohemian lifestyle where they are off the grid and able to devote their time to whatever they want to. Entire neighborhoods are made up of such people who live side-by-side with the vampires.
One day, Elliot, who works for the city in the record department, goes on a trip outside the office to get some paperwork cleared, and gets deterred and has his life changed forever...or at least a year or so because he meets two beings that make him "an offer he can't refuse...or at least doesn't want to pass up." But then he realizes he really should have read the manuals back at the office.
As vampire stories go, it fairly boring and mundane, but it was a quick read at about 100 pages or so.
July 13, 2016
***A Curiosity***
I love vampire books, and I thought the premise of this sounded interesting. For a book of less than one hundred pages, though, it took me ages to get through it! My biggest issue - I couldn’t stay interested in the characters. Elliot as the primary character was fairly flat, and despite being a huge warren, there was little to no interaction with anyone outside the three primaries, with very little from the third primary.
The plot had fantastic premise, and I think that with some revision in the way of fleshing it out, it could be greatly improved. The book takes place over the course of a year and the pacing is very slow. I never really connected to the characters, and by the end, I was just kind of glad it was done. I’m rating this at 2.5 stars, rounding up for sites that don’t take halves. I wasn’t impressed.
I love vampire books, and I thought the premise of this sounded interesting. For a book of less than one hundred pages, though, it took me ages to get through it! My biggest issue - I couldn’t stay interested in the characters. Elliot as the primary character was fairly flat, and despite being a huge warren, there was little to no interaction with anyone outside the three primaries, with very little from the third primary.
The plot had fantastic premise, and I think that with some revision in the way of fleshing it out, it could be greatly improved. The book takes place over the course of a year and the pacing is very slow. I never really connected to the characters, and by the end, I was just kind of glad it was done. I’m rating this at 2.5 stars, rounding up for sites that don’t take halves. I wasn’t impressed.
July 13, 2016
This book was definitely different. I was a little lost at first when I started reading it but it was a decent read. It is not too short and it is not too long. It is in between.
I liked the characters Richard, Eli, and Matthew. They all seemed to be good for one another. But I was confused on if they all really wanted to be together.
I think that the story would have been better and earned 5 stars if there was more in depth on the relationship it self and not so much on whether Eli was staying or leaving.
I also think that the characters should have more info on them instead of just bits and pieces of their past and only making the reader want to know more about them.
Overall it was a nice read but I feel that it could have been an awesome read with more information on the three men and the relationship that they may have or may not have had.
Was given this book for free by inked rainbow reads for an honest review
I liked the characters Richard, Eli, and Matthew. They all seemed to be good for one another. But I was confused on if they all really wanted to be together.
I think that the story would have been better and earned 5 stars if there was more in depth on the relationship it self and not so much on whether Eli was staying or leaving.
I also think that the characters should have more info on them instead of just bits and pieces of their past and only making the reader want to know more about them.
Overall it was a nice read but I feel that it could have been an awesome read with more information on the three men and the relationship that they may have or may not have had.
Was given this book for free by inked rainbow reads for an honest review
December 3, 2016
The approach to vampire (and supernatural) lore in this long short-story is quite unexpected and, as far as I have read, original, in that no explanation is given and the little we understand, we have to infer from events. What we glimpse is somewhat different, there being as little glamour and glitz in this supernatural world as one can possibly imagine. It just fell short of giving vampires nine-to-five menial jobs.
This unglamorous approach focuses the reader's attention on the characters and everything is not entirely in order in this compartment. The plot has potential, the characters appear to have depth but too much is left unexplained and too little interaction is shown to allow us to understand what is happening.
In the end it is, as often is, a problem of lack of pages: not that this story needed that many but it needed just enough to make motives and feelings a little clearer.
Writing is in order.
This unglamorous approach focuses the reader's attention on the characters and everything is not entirely in order in this compartment. The plot has potential, the characters appear to have depth but too much is left unexplained and too little interaction is shown to allow us to understand what is happening.
In the end it is, as often is, a problem of lack of pages: not that this story needed that many but it needed just enough to make motives and feelings a little clearer.
Writing is in order.
Read
June 22, 2016This is not my kind of menage - it's about two characters who fall for each other and kind of "include" the third... I like it when all partners are equal...
November 1, 2016
Enchanted
I wish it kept going. I loved the characters coming together. I usually don't read much paranormal but this one intrigued me!
I wish it kept going. I loved the characters coming together. I usually don't read much paranormal but this one intrigued me!
January 25, 2017
Probably 2.5 stars. It was ok.
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