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The Undead Detective Agency #1
Get It Together
Hello, there! I’m Octavius Evander. And this is the beginning of my story—well…sort of. It’s not the very beginning. As a vampire, that story would be way too long to write down—think, before the Romans. Rather, this story is about how I met the love of my unlife. Okay, it will be mostly about the cool and fancy detective agency I opened and solving mysteries, but also a little about love too.
So, what does one need to open a detective agency, you may ask? Well, for one, a detective. As it was my idea, and I paid for everything, I, of course, filled that role. Next, I needed a secretary. My beautiful and marginally dangerous best friend Scarlett filled that role. Now, I will admit, at that time, I had not thought further than that, and simply skipped to getting my detective license, an office, and some other necessities.
My mind might have been too full of the fun adventures I was about to have. My hope was that those in and out of the paranormal communities would keep me entertained for a very long time. I quickly realized I still needed a driver, a tech person, and a witch that was good with ghosts. This is the story of how I found those people. And who would have thought the first to walk through the door would be human, with no knowledge of the paranormal—my precious Turney.
CONTENT WARNING: This is a slow burn M/M paranormal romance series with a bit of heat. There will be blood, violence and death. Please do not read if you find any of the previous triggering.
So, what does one need to open a detective agency, you may ask? Well, for one, a detective. As it was my idea, and I paid for everything, I, of course, filled that role. Next, I needed a secretary. My beautiful and marginally dangerous best friend Scarlett filled that role. Now, I will admit, at that time, I had not thought further than that, and simply skipped to getting my detective license, an office, and some other necessities.
My mind might have been too full of the fun adventures I was about to have. My hope was that those in and out of the paranormal communities would keep me entertained for a very long time. I quickly realized I still needed a driver, a tech person, and a witch that was good with ghosts. This is the story of how I found those people. And who would have thought the first to walk through the door would be human, with no knowledge of the paranormal—my precious Turney.
CONTENT WARNING: This is a slow burn M/M paranormal romance series with a bit of heat. There will be blood, violence and death. Please do not read if you find any of the previous triggering.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 20, 2022
328 people are currently reading
731 people want to read
About the author
Shelby Rhodes
30 books155 followersShelby Rhodes is a lover and writer of MM Paranormal Romance novels, but any genre is up for grabs. She loves building worlds and creating new realities. In her books you can expect to find a mix of humor and fluff with a dash of blood and violence. And while dramatic and comedic monologues may be her favorite things, that doesn't mean she won't try to rip your heart out.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
August 14, 2022
2.5 ⭐️
Another read with Hugo ;3
This read was just like last buddy read, the only difference was that I could actually understand what was going on. I still did not like this so much. The book started off with good introductions and it was making me to keep going and it was giving me some good vibes. I would describe this book kinda like the movie hotel transylvania sponsored by kidzania. 😂😂 All children vibes.
Tbh, I have never have this much mixed feelings about an MC before. So I would say, Octavius is really getting on my nerves. He was cute, clumsy, sooo fidgety, sensitive and adorable and if you guess, I would absolutely adore him. Ngl, I did. But as it gets further, his character just feels stupid and everything he does is just straight up stupid. I did not like that. His character was also described with the repeated adjectives and exaggerated all the time just to show that he’s “adorable” which just plain annoyed me. I also think his personalities did not blend to make him adorable in a good way because at some point, he was so adult-like then out of sudden, whining and throwing tantrums.
Turney was okay I guess, more mature, opposite of Octavius - thank god, I can’t deal with another Octavius. I like him better because he gives of some hot smart guy kinda guy.
The other thing I had mixed feelings was the plot. The first half was interesting and I was kinda into it even though it wasn’t the best but after it hit 50% I just couldn’t get into it. Maybe it has something to do with my mood, but still it gets messy towards the end there and I just can’t bother.
I couldn’t connect with both of them together as well, but I think they are cute together because the only person who can deal with Octavius’s stupidity would be Turney and that is why they are meant for each other. Otherwise, I can’t feel it.
This was slightly better than last one but I don’t have the heart to give it 3 stars. Still happy I get to rant to Hugo it was fun! ;) I need some PWP now because all of these reads are soo draining.
Another read with Hugo ;3
This read was just like last buddy read, the only difference was that I could actually understand what was going on. I still did not like this so much. The book started off with good introductions and it was making me to keep going and it was giving me some good vibes. I would describe this book kinda like the movie hotel transylvania sponsored by kidzania. 😂😂 All children vibes.
Tbh, I have never have this much mixed feelings about an MC before. So I would say, Octavius is really getting on my nerves. He was cute, clumsy, sooo fidgety, sensitive and adorable and if you guess, I would absolutely adore him. Ngl, I did. But as it gets further, his character just feels stupid and everything he does is just straight up stupid. I did not like that. His character was also described with the repeated adjectives and exaggerated all the time just to show that he’s “adorable” which just plain annoyed me. I also think his personalities did not blend to make him adorable in a good way because at some point, he was so adult-like then out of sudden, whining and throwing tantrums.
Turney was okay I guess, more mature, opposite of Octavius - thank god, I can’t deal with another Octavius. I like him better because he gives of some hot smart guy kinda guy.
The other thing I had mixed feelings was the plot. The first half was interesting and I was kinda into it even though it wasn’t the best but after it hit 50% I just couldn’t get into it. Maybe it has something to do with my mood, but still it gets messy towards the end there and I just can’t bother.
I couldn’t connect with both of them together as well, but I think they are cute together because the only person who can deal with Octavius’s stupidity would be Turney and that is why they are meant for each other. Otherwise, I can’t feel it.
This was slightly better than last one but I don’t have the heart to give it 3 stars. Still happy I get to rant to Hugo it was fun! ;) I need some PWP now because all of these reads are soo draining.
July 29, 2022
This was just adorable. Well, minus some gruesome scenes tucked in there. It's chocked full of every paranormal creature you can think of. It stars an adorable bat, I mean fearsome vampire...no, not really—sorry, Octavius—a tenacious human and perpetually bored zombie. They come together to solve paranormal mysteries.
There's not a lot of romance going on, but it grabbed me right away, which is a miracle given my inability to focus on anything more than a couple of chapters here lately. It was refreshing and delightful. I can't wait for the next one to see where they all go and watch the romance blossom between Octavius and Turney.
And can I just ask the author... do you have any plans to create a plushie of the adorable bat artwork at the beginning of each chapter? If so, count me in! Too cute!
There's not a lot of romance going on, but it grabbed me right away, which is a miracle given my inability to focus on anything more than a couple of chapters here lately. It was refreshing and delightful. I can't wait for the next one to see where they all go and watch the romance blossom between Octavius and Turney.
And can I just ask the author... do you have any plans to create a plushie of the adorable bat artwork at the beginning of each chapter? If so, count me in! Too cute!
August 21, 2022
Ok first off, the blurb did not do a good job explaining what was in here. I was expecting a funny but dark build up to a new series, but what I got was more horror. Which I love, but not everyone does.
In here there are dark things like humans being cut up and sold as meat and human sacrifices. If you have any issues with blood and gore, then I would suggest skipping this one. This also had a massive need to be edited. Words repeat, sentences sometimes make no sense and there was way too much giggling from a freaking old vampire.
Now onto the story.
Octavius, a vampire so old that his mother was a courtesan in a temple for the gods, wants to start a detective agency. He puts out an ad for new hires. Turney shows up and gets a job being the driver. These two have the hots for each other but nothing sexual happens until around 60% in. This whole book was about the build up of the agency and their cases.
This agency also has a zombie for the secretary, a werewolf as the IT tech, and a witch.
I also want to point out that for some unknown reason, the IT guy got a chapter in his pov. This made no sense whatsoever.
This book took me 10 days to finish. Y'all know I read extremely fast, so that should tell you something.
In here there are dark things like humans being cut up and sold as meat and human sacrifices. If you have any issues with blood and gore, then I would suggest skipping this one. This also had a massive need to be edited. Words repeat, sentences sometimes make no sense and there was way too much giggling from a freaking old vampire.
Now onto the story.
Octavius, a vampire so old that his mother was a courtesan in a temple for the gods, wants to start a detective agency. He puts out an ad for new hires. Turney shows up and gets a job being the driver. These two have the hots for each other but nothing sexual happens until around 60% in. This whole book was about the build up of the agency and their cases.
This agency also has a zombie for the secretary, a werewolf as the IT tech, and a witch.
I also want to point out that for some unknown reason, the IT guy got a chapter in his pov. This made no sense whatsoever.
This book took me 10 days to finish. Y'all know I read extremely fast, so that should tell you something.
August 10, 2022
God, this could have been such a good book. It could have been, but it wasn't. It's repetitive. It needed an editor to go through it with a red pen and cut out redundant words and sections. It was juvenile at times, a 2,000+ year old vampire who giggles so much and is so young. The world building isn't much chop. I am beyond bummed that this wasn't what I had hoped for.
September 21, 2024
2.5
“ We’re being paid in BTS photocards! How serious can it be?!”
Creo que ha sido el libro más excéntrico que he leído en mucho tiempo. No ha estado mal, ha sido un poco raro en algunas escenas sobre todo por la absurdidad del protagonista, pero en general ha estado decente.
“More dangerous jobs could come about”.
“ We’re being paid in BTS photocards! How serious can it be?!”
Creo que ha sido el libro más excéntrico que he leído en mucho tiempo. No ha estado mal, ha sido un poco raro en algunas escenas sobre todo por la absurdidad del protagonista, pero en general ha estado decente.
“More dangerous jobs could come about”.
August 16, 2022
I'm thinking this is a debut novel due to how all over the place it is. The storyline is super unfocused and the author can't decide if it's a mystery, a comedy, a romance, or a book for middle school girls. It doesn't work on any of the fronts for me and I won't be reading the next.
If you like juvenile characters (the words pout and whine were used almost 100 times to describe one of the main characters, the other one likes stuffies, "cute" things, and the color pink for everything AND there was glitter and scrapbooking to help...solve...a... mystery) and random storylines with intermittent info dumping that's supposed to be world building, this one is for you. Honestly I'm tempted to take another star off just remembering the cringe of the whole scrapbooking thing.
If you like juvenile characters (the words pout and whine were used almost 100 times to describe one of the main characters, the other one likes stuffies, "cute" things, and the color pink for everything AND there was glitter and scrapbooking to help...solve...a... mystery) and random storylines with intermittent info dumping that's supposed to be world building, this one is for you. Honestly I'm tempted to take another star off just remembering the cringe of the whole scrapbooking thing.
July 26, 2022
Adorable!
I saw this recommended in a book group and am glad I picked it up. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book with such a childlike, adorable vampire (who turns into a bat… and the bat drawings at the start of each chapter are SO cute!). There was lots of action and a bit of romance to boot, and it made me giggle more than once.
It doesn’t get a full five stars because it was a little rough from an editing perspective. It had some typos, misplaced punctuation, and sentences that just didn’t flow well. Still, I feel this was absolutely worth reading just for the cute vampire bat.
I saw this recommended in a book group and am glad I picked it up. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book with such a childlike, adorable vampire (who turns into a bat… and the bat drawings at the start of each chapter are SO cute!). There was lots of action and a bit of romance to boot, and it made me giggle more than once.
It doesn’t get a full five stars because it was a little rough from an editing perspective. It had some typos, misplaced punctuation, and sentences that just didn’t flow well. Still, I feel this was absolutely worth reading just for the cute vampire bat.
September 27, 2023
4⭐️ this gets 4 stars being super funny and adorable. Octavius’s antics were just ridiculous and I really enjoyed the humor/silliness. The investigation plot was pretty interesting as well. Lots of different paranormal beings and decent world-building.
The only thing missing was the romance. There was none. No chemistry, no tension, no sweet words, no angst.
It had spice but it was more like a friends with benefits situation.
So, overall this was entertaining as a vampire/investigation comedy. But not a great romance. Maybe the romance is in the next book? I may give it a chance just for the giggles.
The only thing missing was the romance. There was none. No chemistry, no tension, no sweet words, no angst.
It had spice but it was more like a friends with benefits situation.
So, overall this was entertaining as a vampire/investigation comedy. But not a great romance. Maybe the romance is in the next book? I may give it a chance just for the giggles.
November 3, 2022
Why are writers obsessed with making these "adorable", characters plain stupid. I would get it if Octavius had more of a mad science vibe but he doesn't, he just acts like a child and it's deeply uncomfortable.
Read
April 3, 2023DNF at 18%
This is the case of "It's not the book, it's me" here. It's perfectly cute and that's the problem. I do not like this kind of cute and soft sweet chuckles sort of book. It's not my thing at all. I thought I would give it a go but at this point I have to concede and stop. On to the next one.
This is the case of "It's not the book, it's me" here. It's perfectly cute and that's the problem. I do not like this kind of cute and soft sweet chuckles sort of book. It's not my thing at all. I thought I would give it a go but at this point I have to concede and stop. On to the next one.
January 14, 2023
This was a super fun, hilarious, gruesome paranormal story with romance. I absolutely loved it all!! I haven’t read too many paranormal MM books but I am absolutely wanting to give them more of a try after this book.
Octavious was absolutely hilarious!! 🦇 I loved when he was in his bat form and his issues with sweets and his pouting. He was such a fun super old vampire!!
Turney was an awesome human character. I loved how he just got thrown into the paranormal world and rolled with it. The way he dealt with Octavious was awesome.
They definitely had a love interest but it wasn’t some epic romance. An attraction that they both agreed wouldn’t turn into a relationship. This is a HFN book and I’m super excited to read the next book in this series.
Beware there is a lot of blood and gore and murder in this book. It’s not all fun and games but it all works so well together.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a fantastic job. His voice for Octavious’ bat form was amazing. The only thing I found though is the POV would switch randomly through the chapter and it was sometimes hard to realize the switch right away during the audiobook especially when POVs were added for two secondary characters.
No matter what though I absolutely recommend this book and hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Octavious was absolutely hilarious!! 🦇 I loved when he was in his bat form and his issues with sweets and his pouting. He was such a fun super old vampire!!
Turney was an awesome human character. I loved how he just got thrown into the paranormal world and rolled with it. The way he dealt with Octavious was awesome.
They definitely had a love interest but it wasn’t some epic romance. An attraction that they both agreed wouldn’t turn into a relationship. This is a HFN book and I’m super excited to read the next book in this series.
Beware there is a lot of blood and gore and murder in this book. It’s not all fun and games but it all works so well together.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a fantastic job. His voice for Octavious’ bat form was amazing. The only thing I found though is the POV would switch randomly through the chapter and it was sometimes hard to realize the switch right away during the audiobook especially when POVs were added for two secondary characters.
No matter what though I absolutely recommend this book and hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
August 15, 2022
A buddy read with @iman
Such a strong beginning tho, like the whole thing intrigued me but then it died down in the middle.
If you like a cute vampire detective who accept bts photocards as payments with his human driver then this book is for you.
The jokes in here felt too forced and the way octavius character was written makes feel a bit unease, he acts like a literar toddler sometimes it confuses me.
His personality is basically sweets, oblivious, himbo, an army, and pouts lots of pouting.
The romance didn't help at all
I don't feel the connection between these two mcs, hell the romance was barely there in the first place.
Such a strong beginning tho, like the whole thing intrigued me but then it died down in the middle.
If you like a cute vampire detective who accept bts photocards as payments with his human driver then this book is for you.
The jokes in here felt too forced and the way octavius character was written makes feel a bit unease, he acts like a literar toddler sometimes it confuses me.
His personality is basically sweets, oblivious, himbo, an army, and pouts lots of pouting.
The romance didn't help at all
I don't feel the connection between these two mcs, hell the romance was barely there in the first place.
August 2, 2024
This book is curious in the sense that it doesn't feel like one big plot but several small consecutive novellas put together. We have our main characters get into plenty of shenanigans and start to develop feelings in the meantime. Unlike many series, the feelings and character development are ongoing but we get several mysteries on the book. And there is a chance that trend will be ongoing. A fun deviation from the usual detective genre of one mystery or mission per book.
December 4, 2023
So this started off so good, really funny and ridiculous. Then it kinda went downhill from there.
*****Spoilers below*****
"Well, you eat brains. What do you know?"
"I can also eat delicious sweets, unlike someone I know."
He dramatically grasped at his chest, his mostly unbeating heart under his palm "How could you?!"
Octavius' despair at never being able to taste, to savor solid sweets again, hit him like... well, much like that truck had hit him the last time he had driven. He still had hot chocolate, but it wasn't the same!”"
Our main character Octavius, which is a 2000+ year old vamp, acted like more of a child than the other main character, who is a human at the age of 25.
The zombie secretary/BFF was so interesting but we nearly saw her.
What was the point of introducing a tech guy if you didn't use him other than that 1 chapter?
And of course let us not forget how the human (who's name I forgot, sorry) got so hurt he almost died, just for him to have sexy times with Octavius the second he wakes up? cause that makes sense.
*****Spoilers below*****
"Well, you eat brains. What do you know?"
"I can also eat delicious sweets, unlike someone I know."
He dramatically grasped at his chest, his mostly unbeating heart under his palm "How could you?!"
Octavius' despair at never being able to taste, to savor solid sweets again, hit him like... well, much like that truck had hit him the last time he had driven. He still had hot chocolate, but it wasn't the same!”"
Our main character Octavius, which is a 2000+ year old vamp, acted like more of a child than the other main character, who is a human at the age of 25.
The zombie secretary/BFF was so interesting but we nearly saw her.
What was the point of introducing a tech guy if you didn't use him other than that 1 chapter?
And of course let us not forget how the human (who's name I forgot, sorry) got so hurt he almost died, just for him to have sexy times with Octavius the second he wakes up? cause that makes sense.
August 30, 2022
Ok, so this book wasn't even on my radar until it appeared in my facebook feed.
I loved this story. Octavious was great and really cute in his bat form. The story had me laughing out loud. The story was good. I know alot of my GR friends might not like the book, the writing was simplistic but they should give it ago.
Loved the bat illustrations in each chapter.
The only thing which I disliked is that periodically the author referred to ' the male' and I am not sure why, why not refer to him as his name.
Anyway, it appears its early next year before we are back with The Undead Detective Agency.
I loved this story. Octavious was great and really cute in his bat form. The story had me laughing out loud. The story was good. I know alot of my GR friends might not like the book, the writing was simplistic but they should give it ago.
Loved the bat illustrations in each chapter.
The only thing which I disliked is that periodically the author referred to ' the male' and I am not sure why, why not refer to him as his name.
Anyway, it appears its early next year before we are back with The Undead Detective Agency.
Read
May 3, 2023DNF 40%
Read
May 19, 2025DNF ....
November 2, 2022
Was cute
August 21, 2022
Found the vampire annoying, like a kids cartoon character vampire. The premise was annoying too, orphan meets super rich, handsome and strong man who finds him wildly attractive, almost more unlikely than the whole vampire thing. I found the use of male as a noun annoying and every time it was used it was like a counter of male to female characters, pretty sure this book doesn’t pass the Bechdel test. I gave up at 88%, I was bored and there were too many instances when I thought, really? A few things that didn’t add up, where people wouldn’t act that way, or were being dumb. Like the super power vampire can’t save some people, but whilst under attack a few moments later, can administer time consuming first aid to the person that needs to live for the series to continue, without being attacked again 🤔 Why is a driver getting out of the car and joining in with an investigation on his first day. What an amazing coincidence the one person Turney can think of for a job just happens to be a ‘paranormal’, another word that bugged me. I’ll stop now! It’s obvious this book and series are not for me!
October 15, 2022
It wasn't as good as the blurb made it out to be.
April 22, 2023
1.5 for the bat art on the chapter headings being cute? But the writing.... Referring to the characters as "The male..." just use their names?????
July 30, 2022
(2,5 stars) This past week I was in a bit of a reading slump but still felt like reading something (just not anything on my Currently Reading or Want to Read shelves). The cover and the summary for this story caught my attention and it showed to be an easy read that I did not feel particularly invested in. I mention this as a positive thing as I could read a few chapters before falling asleep, not think too much about the story the next day and then come back to it the next evening and read a few more chapters before falling asleep.
The story focuses on Octavius Evander, a quirky more than 2000 years old vampire and his brand new detective agency. With the only other agency employee being Scarlett, Octavius' zombie friend, first thing on his to do list is posting a flyer advertising the new agency/job openings for a driver, an IT guy and a witch. First person to apply for the driver job is Turney, the unsuspecting human, prelaw student and occasional illegal race driver. Immediately after Turney's interview they find themselves on the way to meet with their first potential client.
The rest of the story focuses on a couple of paranormal cases the agency takes and developing sexual attraction between Octavius and Turney. The summary mentions this being a slow burn romance, which I found completely inaccurate as the attraction between Octavius and Turney was almost instant and neither of the two resisted it for too long. They started fooling around a week or two after their first meeting and there was penetrative sex before the story end. That particular sex scene I found to be a very strange writer's choice To say it didn't work for me would be an understatement.
Also while I did not mind author's take on vampire lore I was not sure what to think of Octavius characterization. I would assume that a more than 2000 years old vampire would act less childish than Octavius acted throughout the whole story.
In conclusion this was somewhat entertaining not particularly demanding beginning of a series, but I don't think I will be continuing with the rest of the series.
Themes: dual POV, private detectives, vampires, employer/employee, age difference, opposites attract
The story focuses on Octavius Evander, a quirky more than 2000 years old vampire and his brand new detective agency. With the only other agency employee being Scarlett, Octavius' zombie friend, first thing on his to do list is posting a flyer advertising the new agency/job openings for a driver, an IT guy and a witch. First person to apply for the driver job is Turney, the unsuspecting human, prelaw student and occasional illegal race driver. Immediately after Turney's interview they find themselves on the way to meet with their first potential client.
The rest of the story focuses on a couple of paranormal cases the agency takes and developing sexual attraction between Octavius and Turney. The summary mentions this being a slow burn romance, which I found completely inaccurate as the attraction between Octavius and Turney was almost instant and neither of the two resisted it for too long. They started fooling around a week or two after their first meeting and there was penetrative sex before the story end. That particular sex scene I found to be a very strange writer's choice To say it didn't work for me would be an understatement.
Also while I did not mind author's take on vampire lore I was not sure what to think of Octavius characterization. I would assume that a more than 2000 years old vampire would act less childish than Octavius acted throughout the whole story.
In conclusion this was somewhat entertaining not particularly demanding beginning of a series, but I don't think I will be continuing with the rest of the series.
Themes: dual POV, private detectives, vampires, employer/employee, age difference, opposites attract
July 21, 2022
I did not know what to expect since it's a new author, but I'm so very glad I took the chance. I loved it. It is not what I expected which makes it even better. It is not your typical vampire book, it has a great twist to it. Octavius is a hilarious vampire who has a terrible sweet tooth. Turney is shocked to learn there is more to the world that he lives in. But he needs the money and willing to work with a sexy impulsive vampire. And let the scary and hilarious shenanigans begin.
This story has a little bit of everything...action, suspense, humor, creepy eerie cases, and steam. Octavius had me cracking up with his mischievous antics. Poor Turney never knew what to expect next 😂. Only that his attraction to his boss kept getting stronger. And boy did those sparks fly when they finally gave in. The macabre cases they solved were perfectly balanced with humorous moments, so they were not overwhelming. And dealt with different supernaturals, giving variety to the cases. The world building was great, the characters were well developed and very intriguing. And the eclectic collection of employees Octavius hired for his detective agency all provide depth and add to the story, they're not just fillers. I bet they all have a great story hidden in them. Especially Turney's roommate, bet he has a very big surprise for us since there's more to him that what is told (in my opinion). I can't wait for the next book to see what new cases and adventures Octavius drags poor Turney into. 😂😂
This story has a little bit of everything...action, suspense, humor, creepy eerie cases, and steam. Octavius had me cracking up with his mischievous antics. Poor Turney never knew what to expect next 😂. Only that his attraction to his boss kept getting stronger. And boy did those sparks fly when they finally gave in. The macabre cases they solved were perfectly balanced with humorous moments, so they were not overwhelming. And dealt with different supernaturals, giving variety to the cases. The world building was great, the characters were well developed and very intriguing. And the eclectic collection of employees Octavius hired for his detective agency all provide depth and add to the story, they're not just fillers. I bet they all have a great story hidden in them. Especially Turney's roommate, bet he has a very big surprise for us since there's more to him that what is told (in my opinion). I can't wait for the next book to see what new cases and adventures Octavius drags poor Turney into. 😂😂
September 26, 2022
Okay, this book was super cute…I didn’t know what to expect, I just saw the weird cover and I like paranormal creatures and detective stories so I gave it a go.
I will say this: the actual investigations are minimal in this book. You read this book for the chibi vampire bat who bounces around like a cinnamon roll and causes general zany mayhem. His human partner (the serious, eye rolling reluctant participant in the antics) is a nice foil for the vampire…the actual mysteries? Not so mysterious.
This is the perfect thing to read if you just want something quick and light hearted/low stakes…in fact, it was so sweet and fluffy that the spicy bits came out of nowhere for me, but they weren’t overwhelming and they were written well enough. I would continue with the series, for sure. It’s nice to have books like this for when you just want to read something fun.
I will say this: the actual investigations are minimal in this book. You read this book for the chibi vampire bat who bounces around like a cinnamon roll and causes general zany mayhem. His human partner (the serious, eye rolling reluctant participant in the antics) is a nice foil for the vampire…the actual mysteries? Not so mysterious.
This is the perfect thing to read if you just want something quick and light hearted/low stakes…in fact, it was so sweet and fluffy that the spicy bits came out of nowhere for me, but they weren’t overwhelming and they were written well enough. I would continue with the series, for sure. It’s nice to have books like this for when you just want to read something fun.
July 23, 2022
Get it Together is a fun, quirky read!! I quickly fell in love with this story, fell so hard! It was a struggle to put it down. This is not your typical vampire story. Octavius is hilarious and he will leave you giggling all the time. Octavius a vampire that starts his own detective agency and needs to hire a driver. Enter Turney, who is a college student needing money to finish becoming a lawyer. Turney is that clueless human that didn’t know anything about the supernatural community. The cases are odd but seriously fun to read. Octavius and Turney have amazing chemistry! Overall, fantastic! I cannot wait to read more of this series! Well written with great pacing that keeps you turning the pages!!
February 27, 2024
The illustrations of the chapter headings was the best part.
I had a hard time rating this - there are some good bones but there were also things that made no sense and were a bit off putting. Octavius was often portrayed more like an ADHD toddler high on sugar than an over 2500 year old vampire turned when he was 27; Giggling, bouncing, getting seriously distracted, and doing things he knows he shouldn’t do. Then there were the odd or wrong word choices, claiming the Sun set at 5 in the middle of summer, and referring to “the male” when referencing known people.
On the other hand, I liked the premise, I liked Turney, and the cases were different. I may or may not decided to continue the series…
I had a hard time rating this - there are some good bones but there were also things that made no sense and were a bit off putting. Octavius was often portrayed more like an ADHD toddler high on sugar than an over 2500 year old vampire turned when he was 27; Giggling, bouncing, getting seriously distracted, and doing things he knows he shouldn’t do. Then there were the odd or wrong word choices, claiming the Sun set at 5 in the middle of summer, and referring to “the male” when referencing known people.
On the other hand, I liked the premise, I liked Turney, and the cases were different. I may or may not decided to continue the series…
July 12, 2025
This was a cute and interesting first book! One warning about the series: it goes WAY over the top. After reading all of them I will say the other books change the world as they go along. In this book the characters are quirky and funny but still make sense and act like adults to a certain extent. By the end of the series the characters are much more cartoon-like and over the top, and the first book in the spin-off series is all comedy with childlike characters.
I love humor in my books and love all my funny M/M series like the Hitman’s Guide, etc, but those toe the line of believable and reasonable to a certain extent but this series blows right by that boundary, mostly in the later books.
I love humor in my books and love all my funny M/M series like the Hitman’s Guide, etc, but those toe the line of believable and reasonable to a certain extent but this series blows right by that boundary, mostly in the later books.
June 13, 2025
June 2025
Kindle edition
The best thing about this book was the little bat illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. Pretty much from the prologue I knew I wouldn't enjoy the book, but needed for a challenge. Turney was the sensible one, so far the only human and a street racer which was cool. Octavius was annoying. Despite his age (older than the romans) he acted like a child with access to a trust fund. He did what he wanted, when he wanted. It felt like there was little depth to him and I couldn't take him seriously. The dream was interesting as well as awkward. Probably gonna call it quits here on this series.
Kindle edition
The best thing about this book was the little bat illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. Pretty much from the prologue I knew I wouldn't enjoy the book, but needed for a challenge. Turney was the sensible one, so far the only human and a street racer which was cool. Octavius was annoying. Despite his age (older than the romans) he acted like a child with access to a trust fund. He did what he wanted, when he wanted. It felt like there was little depth to him and I couldn't take him seriously. The dream was interesting as well as awkward. Probably gonna call it quits here on this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2022
Adorable!!!!!
Even if this book sucked (it didn't) I still wouldn't regret buying it because of the ADORABLE bat cartoons at the beginning of each chapter. Seriously they are painfully cute. Octavius is not like any vampire I've ever seen and I absolutely loved him from minute one. Turney was awesome! I loved that he was this illegal street racer and also 100% taken in by octavius' cuteness. Loved the cases in this book and seriously can't wait for more!! So excited for this series!!!!!
Even if this book sucked (it didn't) I still wouldn't regret buying it because of the ADORABLE bat cartoons at the beginning of each chapter. Seriously they are painfully cute. Octavius is not like any vampire I've ever seen and I absolutely loved him from minute one. Turney was awesome! I loved that he was this illegal street racer and also 100% taken in by octavius' cuteness. Loved the cases in this book and seriously can't wait for more!! So excited for this series!!!!!
August 4, 2023
Get It Together is about Octavius, an ancient vampire, who decides to open up a dectetive agency. He's very eccentric and extra. In this first book, you'll see him gather his team and solve a few crazy cases. You can expect silliness, bouts of danger, and some action. As mentioned, this is a slow burn, but there were a few sexy scenes that were hot. I loved the concept, the characters, and the narration. Lance West did a great job embodying the characters and bringing them to life. I really enjoyed this story, it was lots of fun! Looking forward to solving more cases with this bunch!
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