Ok so the thing about doing a lot of reading challenges is sometimes you have to read about a topic you’re not that into. For HRCYED, I had to read a book about vampires. Vampires have never really been a particular interest of mine, and I’d already read a couple of sapphic, Gothic vampire books. I wasn’t really in the mood for more serious vampires. Thankfully, Dead & Breakfast by Kat Hillis and Rosiee Thor was recently released, and provided a more silly alternative.
Arthur and Sal are vampire husbands who have recently moved to scenic Trident Falls, Oregon, where they’re trying to establish themselves as the new owners of the town’s bed and breakfast. But it’s hard to get good word of mouth when many in town are anti-supernatural, and even harder when the mayor turns up dead and drained of blood in their beautiful garden.
When the bigoted sheriff accuses Sal of the murder, Arthur decides he has to clear his husband’s name. Of course he does, otherwise we wouldn’t have a cozy mystery on our hands!
So, we have a True Blood-esque world where people know about the supernatural, a What We Do In The Shadows-esque lighter take on vampires, an opposites attract flamboyant/normcore pairing, and an amateur detective solving murders in a small town. It’s honestly the perfect formula for a little light October reading.
There was a lot to like about this book. I like that it’s a less idealized small town than we were presented with in A Hexcellent Chance to Fall in Love. There are problems; there’s bigotry and the economy isn’t doing great. I liked the take on vampirism, what the authors decided was true lore for their world and what was urban legend. I love the dynamic between Arthur and Sal, who have been together for 60 years and have that slightly exasperated fondness of two people who know and accept each other’s foibles. Honestly, if a future book in this series doesn’t have a cover with Arthur and Sal riding their tandem bike around Trident Falls, I will be seriously disappointed.
I also really liked that while this is a cozy mystery, there was a bit more going on below the surface. This isn’t just about Arthur clearing Sal’s name. It’s about each of them deciding what they are and are not willing to do to fit in, about being true to yourself, and about the sacrifices we make for love (of others and of a place).
The main drawback to this book is the same issue I have with a lot of cozy mysteries: it’s mostly just Arthur wandering around town, asking questions and accusing random people until he finally stumbles on the right answer. I think cozies are more fun when the detective has some special skill or knowledge that helps them crack the case, and while Arthur and Sal’s vampire powers and knowledge do come into play in some fun ways, they don’t really make Arthur any less of a bumbling detective.
Ultimately, this isn’t a great book, but it is a good book. One reason why this review wasn’t posted sooner is that I got sick almost immediately after reading it, and it would have been the perfect thing to read that week. The sort of fun, fluffy book where you don’t have to think too hard. If you like cozy mysteries and/or silly gay vampires, give it a read.
CWs and TWs: There’s vampires, so there’s blood. The violence and gore level is about what you’d expect for a cozy. In addition to the fantasy bigotry, there’s references to real racism. There are teens and animals in peril.
Source and Format: I borrowed the ebook from Pierce County Library System.
Reading Challenge Prompts
World of Whimm: First in a Series. This was harder to fill than I expected! It feels like all year long I’ve been finishing existing trilogies instead of starting new series, and the couple new ones I did start just weren’t interesting enough to review. But this is apparently supposed to be book #1 in the Dead & Breakfast series. I think the authors did a good job of revealing just enough lore about their supernatural world, while leaving lots of questions that could be answered while other mysteries are solved — and they even teased what might be the central mystery in book 2!
Reading Challenge Progress
Nook & Cranny (Card 1): 18 of 25, 3 bingos.
Nook & Cranny (Card 2): 22 of 25, 6 bingos.
Book Riot: 19 of 24.
Physical TBR: 10 of 12.
World of Whimm: 22 of 24, 8 bingos.