Tag: Paranormal Fantasy

Kate’s Review: “Road Trip With a Vampire”

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Book: “Road Trip With a Vampire” by Jenna Levine

Publishing Info: Berkley, September 2025

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from NetGalley

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: A vampire who can’t remember his past and a witch with secrets of her own hit the road in this zany, cross-country romantic comedy from beloved author Jenna Levine.

Reformed bad witch Grizelda “Zelda” Watson had hoped to never see another vampire again when she slipped away to sunny California for a fresh start. She’d grown tired of them and their nonsense ages ago. But when a vampire with amnesia unexpectedly shows up on her doorstep with a letter from her old friend Reggie, and asks for her help, she can’t say no. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Peter Elliott is tall and gorgeous, looks great in yoga shorts, and has the kind of dark hair and surly expression Zelda’s been a sucker for for hundreds of years.

Peter isn’t completely harmless—he is fanged, after all—but he’s harmless enough, and soon becomes the only person in Zelda’s new life who knows the truth about what she is. If she can help him decipher the cryptic notes in his journal, the only clues to his lost memories, she might as well try before sending him on his way.

But when an alarming message from Peter’s past coincides with a clear sign that Zelda can’t keep running from her own, they embark on a cross-country road trip for answers—only to find what they’re looking for in each other.

Review: Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel!

I had high hopes after “My Vampire Plus One” that the next book in the series by Jenna Levine would focus on the witch Zelda that had been hinted at in the story of Reggie and Amelia. I love vampires, but I may love witches more, and the thought of a bad girl witch turned yoga enthusiast having her time to shine absolutely tickled me. And when I saw that “Road Trip With a Vampire”, the third (and final! SOBS FOREVER!) book in Levine’s Vampire series was focusing on that very topic, I was stoked as hell. And then it was going to be a road trip romance?! SURELY THERE WOULD ONLY BE ONE BED AT THE INEVITABLE HOTEL!!!! I was eager to leap into the book, and my high hopes were pretty well met. Finally a witch was having her time to shine!

Romance novels can be hit or miss for me, and sometimes the tropes that are chosen can be tricky if they feel like they are a bit too well worn or overused in a genre. I know that some people have a pretty hard time with amnesia plot lines, and I also know that witch stuff can sometimes feel twee. But Levine’s characters of Zelda and Peter are both very likable, and I enjoyed learning their back stories through flashbacks, found media (like newspaper clippings about Zelda’s many many antics over the years, sometimes with my beloved Reggie), and their slow melding of storylines through these devices. It made for the tropes that could feel repetitive or cliché easier to swallow.

As for chemistry, I don’t think that it was AS strong as the first two books, but that being said I was ultimately rooting for them to figure it out, even if the conflict that almost always has to happen to tear the couple apart until an inevitable happily ever after was a little shakier this time around. Hell, even the reconciliation aspects felt a bit stalled, and dragged a fair amount to the point I was like ‘okay you two let’s just get it together’. BUT, ultimately I did like them and it was kind of fun having the romance be between a witch and a vampire this time around instead of another vampire and human angle. And the steamy and sexy scenes were pretty good, so that made up for any lagging that was happening in the last fourth of the book (not just sexy blood play, but sexy magic play as well!!!).

We also got to get a bit more outside of the vampire lore from the first two books and had some additional witchcraft world building! I enjoyed seeing Zelda go from her morally grey past as Grizelda, whose mischievousness went a little too far and became a wake up call, to Zelda, a more zen and compassionate yoga instructor who is just trying to make good as best she can. I liked the magic parts, and how she would have to use it in various situations, even when it wasn’t exactly voluntary. Heck, I even would have loved more of it!

I’m sad that this series is ending, but I think that it ends on a pretty good note, wrap up wise. I will be very curious to see what Jenna Levine does next, and definitely think that if you are looking for a charming autumn romance read with a little bit of spooky this is a fun book to pick up.

Rating 8: Another fun and steamy paranormal romance from Jenna Levine, rounding out her vampire romance series and ending it on a cute note.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Road Trip With a Vampire” is included on the Goodreads lists “A Dash of Spice: Autumn Romance Reads”, and “Witchy Fall Vibes”.

Serena’s Review: “Druid Cursed”

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Book: “Druid Cursed” by C. J. Burright

Publishing Info: Entangled: Amara, October 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Every fifty years, Kellen Ravenwood escapes his magical prison for seven days. This Samhain is his last chance to break the curse, or he’ll be bound forever. All he needs is a sacrifice: the blood of Maggie O’Malley, the last living descendant of the witch who cursed him.

Maggie, desperate for cash after a brutal divorce, jumps at the chance to win a $500,000 prize at a mysterious Irish estate. She never expected ancient rituals, strange magic, or Kellen, the dangerously charming man who claims she’s the key to his freedom.

But Maggie won’t be anyone’s sacrifice. And if there’s another way to break the curse, she’ll find it.

Because some destinies are meant to be rewritten.

And some love stories are worth defying fate for.

Review: I was excited to check out this book when I was approached by the publicist. I think it always would have been interesting to me, but it just so happened that I was in the middle of a run of “Baldur’s Gate 3” where I was romancing the druid, Halsin, and bemoaning the fact that druids really aren’t seen in fantasy books all that much. And low and behold, here we get a book referencing druids right there in the title!

I really like the cover on this one, but I have to say, I do think it’s a bit misleading for the type of book you’re picking up. At some point I knew this was a paranormal romance, but by the time I picked it up, when I glanced at the cover, I was assuming we were back in good ole “second world” fantasy. Nope! Main character is a divorcée out to win big cash and get on her with her life. What she doesn’t expect, of course, is to find herself caught up in an ancient curse and drawn into another romantic entanglement right off the bat.

To that last point, while I ultimately really enjoyed this book for what it is (a fun paranormal romance!), I do think that the instalove straight after divorce thing was a bit much. The story was saved by its fun writing and solid characters, but from afar, the love story happened incredibly quickly and was all the more strange for the fact that she had just gotten divorced and would, rightly, probably need a bit of a break from love.

That said, the story was so fast paced and full of action and romance that I barely had time to really linger on the timing of it all. For one thing, there is a certain tone to paranormal romances that lends them a sort of propulsive energy. Thins happen quickly, and that’s all for the best!

The book also had a tough sell trying to straddle the worlds of dark, gothic fantasy and fun, cozy romance. I perhaps would have liked to lean in a bit more towards the gothic side of things at times, but overall, I was impressed the author was able to pull off this balancing act at all! This duality was best expressed in the dialogue, switching between the modern lingo that Maggie uses and the more old-fashioned and formal way of speaking that Kellen employs.

Overall, I thought this was a fun paranormal romance. I think the combination of gothic, Irish estate full of strange magic alongside a more lighthearted character and romance worked well. I also really enjoyed the side characters (perhaps more than the main characters??). If you’re looking for a fun, fast read, I think this is definitely one to check out this spooky season!

Rating 8: Curses, magic, and romance, oh my! Quite the balancing act to pull off combining dark, gothic vibes and cozy romantasy, but this book does it!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Druid Cursed” isn’t currently on any Goodreads lists, but it should be on Paranormal Romance Outside the Box.