Bea and A Voracious Reader Review The Vampire Book Club by Nancy Warren

Series: Vampire Book Club #1
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Ambleside Publishing
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Release Date: May 6th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon*
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

I was a divorced, middle-aged witch banished to Ireland.

My life could be summed up in a limerick...

There once was a misguided witch
Who tried a man’s fate to switch
Her punishment set
To Ireland she must get
But better than feathers and pitch!

With a name like Quinn Calahan I sounded as Irish as a leprechaun dancing a jig on a four leafed clover, but the truth was, I’d never been closer to the emerald isle than drinking green beer at the St Patrick’s day street party in Boston until I messed up so badly I had to leave the US. I was offered a job in a tiny village in Ireland that no one’s ever heard of. And I think that was the point in sending me there. How much trouble could a divorced, middle-aged witch get into in a village that boasted very few residents, one crumbling castle that attracted no tourists, and a post office that was only open Mondays and Thursdays?

You’d be surprised.

You will fall in love with this series about second chances, magical mayhem, and book club unlike any other. From the author of the best-selling Vampire Knitting Club series.

Carol, from I'm A Voracious Reader, and I both love the series this spun-off from, The Vampire Knitting Club, and we both pounced on this when it was released. I suggested to Carol that we do a dual review and she agreed. We are each posting this review on our respective blogs. Enjoy!

Our Thoughts:

Plot

Bea: The story was slow and the grand reveal was over the top. I'm worried there may be a romance developing between Quinn and Lachlan; worried because it's such an obvious and trite story path to take.

AVR: The murder mystery seems a little contrived and I agree that the reveal was a bit much. It does seem as if the author is leading us toward a Lachlan/Quinn romance. I don't mind if they date, but I'd like to see some other interest(s) for Quinn. Maybe because I'm not a huge fan of the romance between Rafe & Lucy in the Knitting series. Mostly because Lucy doesn't seem to be all in either. Actually, Quinn seems a better choice as a romantic interest for a vampire than Lucy because she doesn't seem to have the same "immortal" hang up that Lucy still does. I guess we'll see.

Bea: Oh yes, the mystery felt quite contrived but then so did the location of the book club meetings. Lachlan's home would seem to make more sense, if only from a privacy perspective.

Characters

Bea: I liked seeing Rafe, Agnes, and Sylvia from the Vampire Knitting Club books. I loved that this trip to Ireland was referenced in a couple of the Knitting Club books. And since I read the most recent Knitting Club book before I read this one, I met Lachlan in that. It was a nice little preview.

AVR: I haven't quite warmed up to Quinn like I did immediately with Lucy, but I do like her. And I do like she's an older character with experiences under her belt. I'm worried this series will flounder because the town is so tiny. I like a lot of great side characters to help move the story along and add depth and richness. And humor. The Knitting series has plenty of those, so maybe we'll meet more in the Book series. Bonus for adding Rafe, Silvia, and Agnes to create a crossover. Can never hate my favorite characters making an appearance in a connecting series.

Bea: I also like the interconnecting characters and the fact that the appearance of Rafe, Sylvia, and Agnes made sense and wasn't random. Although, now that I think about it, it might not make sense if you haven't read the originating series. The tiny town is a concern; it runs the risk of turning into the TV show "Murder, She Wrote" with it's contrived mysteries and murders is such a small town setting.

World Building

Bea: I'm not sure it can be read apart from the original series; maybe it could. Warren did further the world building and I have learned a lot more about witches now, especially their governance.

AVR: The one thing I like about this over the Knitting series is the witch stuff. I learned more because Quinn takes it seriously. That's one thing that pisses me off about Lucy. She keeps blowing her witchiness off. Gah!

Bea: I did like learning more about the witch business, and getting a closer look at it. I agree about Lucy; she needs to take it more seriously. Quinn is more serious about it and far more accomplished.

Overall

Bea: It took a while to warm up to Quinn. She's a good person and a good witch, most of the time. But she rubbed me the wrong way at times. I love that she's a middle aged character. The older I get, the more I love seeing characters closer to my age.

AVR: The story was a bit slow to get off the ground, but it is the first book and any series needs to start somewhere. Once the groundwork was laid it cruised along at a decent rate. The reveal seemed a bit iffy and I'm not quite sure about where this maybe romance is heading between Quinn and Lachlan, but I'll reserve judgment for now. I'm looking forward to book 2.

Bea: Agreed, it was slow to get going but it slowly picked up steam. I'm not sure how authentic the depiction is of an Irish village but it's a charming locale. I was not a fan of the reveal; it was over the top. It was a nod to classic mystery breveals but too contrived for my liking. I concerns about the viability of the series but I like the location despite my concerns and I like book store settings. The humor appeals to me and I'm intrigued by Quinn and the others. I'll be back for book two.


Thanks Carol for doing this with me! It was fun.