ARC Review: ‘My Vampire Plus-One’ by Jenna Levine
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Netgalley, the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My Vampire Plus-One
by Jenna LevineSeries: My Vampires #2
Published by Berkley on September 17, 2024
SubGenres: Paranormal Romance, Romantic Comedy
Format: eArc
Pages: 399
Source: Netgalley, the publisher
Audience: 18+/Adult
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Amelia Collins is tired of constant questions about her non-existent dating life, so she decides to get everyone off her back once and for all by inviting the worst person she can find to pose as her date to a family wedding: Reginald Cleaves.
Reginald is extremely handsome (which is not in his favour for Amelia's purposes), but he's also rude, infuriatingly arrogant, and wears a riot of clashing clothes that make him look like he got dressed in a skip - all factors in the plus column.
And the date goes well: everyone at the wedding, including Amelia, is horrified by Reginald and his actions, which include crashing the bar, starting up a breakdancing routine on the dance floor, and encouraging the kids to play frisbee with the fine china being used for dinner. (It really is a shame he's so attractive).
After the evening is over, Reginald admits to Amelia that he's a vampire, which doesn't frighten her the way he expects it will. In fact, she asks if he would be willing to accompany her to a few more events over the course of the summer to help her further her goals of getting everyone to leave her alone. But there's a fine line between love and hate, and the last thing either of them expects is there might be a growing spark between them...
I was hoping My Vampire Plus-One by Jenna Levine would have grabbed my attention more than My Roommate is a Vampire, or at least made me laugh. Unfortunately, after reading the first book and now the second book in Jenna Levine’s My Vampire Series, I don’t think I’m the right audience for these books. Just like the first book, the second book is set during modern times with current pop culture references and political concerns, which didn’t bother me. It was the fact that the antagonists in this book, who were a group of vampires called The Collective, were not intimidating at all for being bad guys. Instead, they came across as more silly than anything. I couldn’t understand why the MMC, Reginald Cleaves, was even scared of them after centuries of them trying to find him.
The whole plot and how the main characters, Amelia and Reginald, met were cute but predictable. They end up fake dating because Amelia kind of may have mentioned she had a boyfriend for her cousin’s wedding when really she didn’t, and she ends up asking Reginald to assist her, even though he’s a stranger she bumped into on the sidewalk. Amelia has no idea that Reginald is a vampire, and he tries to tell her, but she thinks he’s kidding.
I loved how quirky a character Reggie was the whole time, and he tended to make the story a little bit enjoyable, significantly when he fell hard for Amelia. I did enjoy him finding comfort in bullet journaling thanks to a specific character introducing him to it, even though he was hesitant at first.
The book lost me when it came to The Collective (the vampires after Reggie) and taxes being mentioned constantly because Amelia is an accountant. It became boring at a point, and I found myself skimming over parts where taxes were the focal point of the story. It got even more silly towards the end and how the characters handled The Collective. Yup, you definitely lost me at the conclusion of this book.
Overall, I’m giving this book two stars. However, just because I didn’t like it doesn’t mean someone else won’t enjoy it.
If you enjoy books with quirky vampires, stories set in modern times with pop culture references, and other such elements, then this book may be something you’ll enjoy. Just don’t expect the antagonists to be your typical, terrifying antagonists.
Standalone or Part of Series: It’s an interconnected standalone in the My Vampires series, but you may prefer reading in order because the characters from My Roommate is a Vampire play an intricate part in My Vampire Plus-One.
What to Expect:
✓Vampire + Human
✓Fake Dating
✓Forced Proximity
✓Opposite’s Attract
✓Slow Burn
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About Jenna Levine
By day, Jenna Levine works to increase access to affordable housing in the American South. By night, she writes romance novels where ridiculous things happen to beautiful people. When Jenna isn't writing she can usually be found crying over k-dramas, starting knitting projects she won't finish, or spending time with her family and small army of cats.
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My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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