I received this book for free from the Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience by Stephanie Burgis Published by Five Fathoms Press on August 5th 2024
Genres: Adult, Cozy fantasy
Pages: 62
Format: eARC
Source: Author
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The nitty-gritty: Short and sweet with a touch of (implied) spice, A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience is a gothic fantasy treat.
Stephanie Burgis is back with a short but delightful gothic fantasy romance with a vampire love interest, and as I do with all her books, I enjoyed this immensely!
Margaret Dunhaven has just found herself married (not by choice) to Lord Riven, a vampire, after her aunt and uncle insisted that the family would be ruined if she didn’t. When she and her new husband sit down to talk about their situation, Margaret realizes that Lord Riven was duped as well. Forced into an odd marriage of (in)convenience, Margaret takes charge and the two decide to get to the bottom of what really happened—and of course, to figure a way out. At the center of the mystery is a fabled family heirloom called the Rose of Normandy, a gem with immense powers that could fix their problem.
A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience is barely a novella at less than seventy pages, but Burgis works her magic and gives readers a complete story—a mystery with just a touch of romance. I loved Margaret, a go-getter who refuses to accept anything less than the perfect cup of tea and won’t sit still until she’s unraveled the mystery behind their unfortunate forced marriage. Margaret is a scholar who has been studying the Rose of Normandy for years and is somewhat of an expert on it, so that helps when they realize their situation revolves around this mysterious and valuable gem.
I also enjoyed learning about the history of the gem throughout the years and how it was responsible for creating an army of werewolves during the Battle of Normandy. Because of that, humans live alongside supernatural creatures, so the fact that Margaret finds herself married to a vampire isn’t that unusual. But still, the fact that she was blackmailed into marriage is simply terrible, so it’s a good thing she’s determined to set things right.
Burgis adds a few twists to her mystery, and I did love the way the gem storyline is resolved. There’s a cute part about how vampire bites can add spice and excitement to a married couple’s, er, bedroom activities, and despite the couple’s annoyance at being thrown together against their will, Margaret and Lord Riven eventually acknowledge their common ground. I thought they were adorable together, and I wouldn’t mind another story centered around these characters. And although we only get a glimpse of this world, it’s intriguing enough that I’d love to revisit it. Fingers crossed!
Big thanks to Stephanie Burgis for providing a review copy.
Vampires AND marriage of convenience? You just made me pre-order this novella! It sounds like just the kind of story that I would enjoy. August 5 needs to hurry up so I can read it! 😀
I hope you get to read it!
This sounds like so much fun! Adding to my list for when I need something short and cozy.
It was fun, and easy to read in a day:-)
I really enjoy this author and what a lovely cover. Great review!
Anne – Books of My Heart recently posted…Sunday Series: Prison Break trilogy by Allison Brennan @Allison_Brennan #BallantineBooks #SundaySeries
The cover is perfect for the story!
This sounds like a fun read and I love that it manages to include some history despite its short length. Hopefully the author will revisit the world one day
It’s such a rich world, despite how short it is, and I’d love for her to expand on it:-)
This sounds delightful!! I am soooooooo looking forward to it!
I hope you love it!
Wow, only 62 pages. Makes me wonder if they publish it in print how it will look. Would they use a smaller format to give it more pages or just print it very thin? Very glad to hear you enjoyed it.
It’s self published, and I think she’s only publishing it in ebook format, which makes sense for such a short story.
Sounds like a solid read for such a short one. Great review and glad you enjoyed it so much!
Barb @ Booker T’s Farm recently posted…One of My Favorite Authors Wrote a Rom-Com!
I do wish it had been longer, but still, she does a great job with such a short format.
The trope of a marriage of inconvenience is one I recently discovered that I like so I am hoping to read this, I love that it’s short but sounds well executed 🙂 !!
Veros @ Dark Shelf of Wonders recently posted…A Dark And Secret Magic: Love Letter to All Things Halloween. (I Know It’s Early).
Ah yes, this was quite lovely – I did want more. I was hoping this might be a precursor to something more – fingers crossed.
Lynn 😀
Lynn Williams recently posted…Review: Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan
I’m starting to pull together my spooky season read and this sounds like my kind of vampire story!
I need to read more of Stephanie’s books, Scales and Sensibility was so much fun.
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