Review: A Waltz of Sinister Import by Stephanie Burgis

Name: A Waltz of Sinister Import (The Supernatural Adventures of Lady and Lord Riven #3)

Author: Stephanie Burgis

Publisher: Five Fathoms Press

Date published: October 2026

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance, vampires, historical

Rating: 5/5 

Thank you to the author for sending me an early review copy of this book!  

When the notorious Lady Riven is summoned to Vienna to solve a supernatural mystery, her debonair vampiric husband insists on accompanying her. However, neither of them is prepared for the true scope of the danger lurking within the sprawling Hofburg Palace... and by the time they uncover the truth behind every glittering illusion, their relationship may change forever.

- From Goodreads. 

I like that with each novella in this series, the world has widened a little bit, we've learnt more about its history, met more of its characters, and visited new places. It meant that while we got to see Margaret and Lord Riven learn more about each other and their relationship, we also get to learn more about the world and their perspective on it.

The mystery in this one was very fascinating, and I think it made the story feel both whimsical and sinister at the same time. All three novellas have had fairytale elements, but this is the one that felt the most like we were being immersed in a fairytale, which I loved.

I liked that Margaret and Lord Riven continued to grow together and to understand each other better, they faced challenges that could have pulled them apart but actually helped them grow closer and helped them to be more honest with each other and less afraid to show their emotions. They are a very endearing couple, and it is very clear how much they care about each other, which is so lovely and enjoyable to read.

I think this installment wrapped up their story well, but I would definitely be happy to read more stories about Lady and Lord Riven if there ever are any more. I am sure the two of them could find enough adventures to fill up a few novels at least!

BOOKS | Review: A Honeymoon of Grave Consequence by Stephanie Burgis

Name: A Honeymoon of Grave Cosequence (The Unexpected Adventures of Lady and Lord Riven #2)

Author: Stephanie Burgis

Publisher: Five Fathoms Press

Date published: September 2025

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance, vampires, historical

Rating: 5/5

Thank you to the author for sending me an early review copy of this book! 

Margaret, Lady Riven, never expected to find herself married, much less enjoying a honeymoon with her vampiric husband. Obviously, they’ve only agreed to stay married for logical, practical reasons, but Lord Riven has kept his promise to supply her with excellent tea and even better company as they travel together across the continent. Unfortunately, her newfound notoriety has traveled along with them - so she’s delighted when they arrive at a secluded inn deep within the Black Forest, far from high society.
However, the inn is full of lethal supernatural creatures who find Margaret’s arrival anything but welcome - and for all of Margaret’s academic prowess, she’s infamously inept at making friends. When a new threat appears in her own mirror, she realizes that the greatest danger is to her heart... and she’ll have to rely on a remarkable assortment of newfound allies to help her save the immortal vampire who holds it.

- From Goodreads. 

This was a very heartwarming and charming follow-up to A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience, I really enjoyed that this story was a little longer and we got to spend more time with Lord and Lady Riven and see how their relationship was developing. It was also fun to explore a new location and meet quite an eclectic set of new characters! There was an intriguing mystery to solve, some exciting confrontations and of course more delightful romance.

Margaret and Lord Riven's relationship is definitely my favourite part of these books, they work so well together, have such great chemistry and obviously care so deeply about each other. Every scene between them is so wonderful to read.

If we ever get more in this world, I will definitely be reading it, I would love to see more of Lady and Lord Riven's adventures, and I'll certainly continue to read more from Stephanie Burgis as she has a very engaging and clever writing style. I would recommend this series for you if you love other fun and charming fantasy romance series like the Emily Wilde trilogy by Heather Fawcett, or the Love's Academic series by India Holton.

BOOKS | Review: Blood Sanctuary: Part Two by Vela Roth

Name: Blood Sanctuary: Part Two (Blood Grace #4)

Author: Vela Roth

Publisher: Five Thorns Press

Date published: April 2022

Genre: Fiction, adult, romance, fantasy, vampires

Pages: 480

Rating: 5/5

 

When an ancient evil rises, can they save the peace talks and their love?
Lio and Cassia spend their nights in each other’s arms, but sit on opposite sides of the negotiation table. Their clandestine partnership has brought his immortal kin and her fellow humans close to a treaty after generations of violence. Lives hang in the balance. Failure means war. Peace would bring the future they hope for, when their love will no longer be forbidden.
Just when success is within reach, they realize their plan has played into the enemy’s hands. A threat lurks within the delegation, an old nemesis with magic unlike any they have ever faced. Together, are they strong enough to stop the destruction of everything they love?

- From Goodreads. 

This was a very thrilling and action-packed part of this series, it definitely felt like the stakes were raised! The plot became a lot more intense and I really wasn't sure how the main characters would get out of the complicated situation they found themselves in. The ending was certainly a surprise, and I thought it was a great climax and wrapped things up well, setting up a very interesting storyline for the rest of the series. I'm very curious to see where it goes from here!

I thought the side characters were all written very well and had real depth. I really love Callen and Perita and their love story and I hope we see them again in future books. I also thought the First Prince was a really empathetic character and it was emotional to see the pain he had been going through. I hope we see more of him too and see what happens with his story.

I love how Lio and Cassia continue to be so devoted to each other and how you can really tell they would do anything for each other. They're a wonderful couple to follow and you really believe they could get through anything together.

I really recommend this series so far, it's so fascinating and compelling and there's so much world and plot to dive into and explore and so many interesting characters to follow. I'm excited to keep reading! 

BOOKS | Review: Blood Sanctuary: Part One by Vela Roth

Name: Blood Sanctuary: Part One (Blood Grace #3)

Author: Vela Roth

Publisher: Five Thorns Press

Date published: March 2022

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance, vampires

Pages: 474

Rating: 5/5

Their love could last for all time - unless the king’s assassins cut her life short...
Cassia has reunited with her beloved Lio in the land of eternal night. She longs to become an immortal Hesperine like him so they can stay together forever. But she’s torn between their happiness and her duty to the kingdom her human father rules. To free herself from the king, she must convince his ambassadors to ally with the Hesperines, despite centuries of conflict.
Lio will die if Cassia leaves him, but he won’t force her to stay by revealing their blood bond. While they negotiate for peace in public, he tempts her in private with the promise of everlasting passion. But their future may end before it begins when enemies within the embassy threaten her with a lethal spell.

- From Goodreads.

This was another very enjoyable installment in this series. Not everyone may enjoy the slow pace, but I really like how it takes its time to set each part of the plot in motion, helping us really understand the world and everything taking place in it, and I think all the plot twists and surprises are even more exciting due to the slow build up of the tension.

I loved how Lio and Cassia's relationship continued to grow and build in this book. Each problem they faced, even when it was due to their own feelings and insecurities, they found a way to work through it together and to talk through how they were feeling. I really loved reading about them together and look forward to seeing how their relationship develops in the future books.

The world-building continued to be very impressive in this book, it was very intricate and detailed, and I especially enjoyed the wonderful descriptions as we continued to learn more about the Hesperine's home and see all the magic of the land they had created for their sanctuary.

Overall, I'm continuing to really enjoy this series and I'm excited to keep reading and see what happens next and eventually see how it all wraps up! Lio and Cassia's journey is really compelling and I'm always curious to see how they face each obstacle and overcome them together. 

BOOKS | Review: My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine

Name: My Roommate is a Vampire (My Vampires #1)

Author: Jenna Levine

Publisher: Penguin

Date published: August 2023

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance, vampires

Pages: 341

Rating: 5/5

Cassie Greenberg loves being an artist, but it’s a tough way to make a living. On the brink of eviction, she’s desperate when she finds a too-good-to-be-true apartment in a beautiful Chicago neighborhood. Cassie knows there has to be a catch - only someone with a secret to hide would rent out a room for that price.
Of course, her new roommate Frederick J. Fitzwilliam is far from normal. He sleeps all day, is out at night on business, and talks like he walked out of a regency romance novel. He also leaves Cassie heart-melting notes around the apartment, cares about her art, and asks about her day. And he doesn’t look half bad shirtless, on the rare occasions they’re both home and awake. But when Cassie finds bags of blood in the fridge that definitely weren’t there earlier, Frederick has to come clean...
Cassie’s sexy new roommate is a vampire. And he has a proposition for her.

- From Goodreads. 

This was such a fun, entertaining book! It was delightful in its humour and I laughed out loud multiple times. And although it was very lighthearted, the charaters still felt sincere and their feelings still felt meaningful.

Both Cassie and Frederick were very loveable characters. It was endearing how out of place Frederick was and how eager he was to learn about the world around him, and it was so sweet how earnest and serious he was about his attraction and feelings for Cassie. And it was wonderful to see how Cassie went from feeling so lost and unhappy with her circumstance to really finding somewhere she could fit in and where people believed in her and her passion and creativity.

I loved that it was a less serious vampire story and that the author had a lot of fun with it, I will definitely look forward to reading more from Jenna Levine and more in this world. I'm curious to see how she expands on this world and what her new characters will be like.

BOOKS | Review: A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience by Stephanie Burgis

Name: A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience (The Unexpected Adventures of Lady and Lord Riven #1)

Author: Stephanie Burgis

Publisher: Five Fathoms Press

Date published: August 2024

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance, vampires, historical

Pages: 72

Rating: 4/5

Margaret Dunhaven may have been forced into marriage with the sinister vampire lord of Shadowcroft Manor in order to fulfill a family obligation, but she's not about to stay trapped there for long. The beastly man doesn't even have any decent tea leaves in his kitchen!
However, when she realizes that she's not the only one who's been forced into this marital union, it's time to join forces with her unwanted new husband. If they can combine her scholarly skills with his ancient history, then, working together, they might just manage to reclaim her inheritance, break his curse, and find their freedom.
...Just so long as they don't fall in love along the way.

- From Goodreads.

This was very delightful and fun to read. The narration had a great, entertaining voice and the world was explained quickly in an understandable way which was good considering it was such a short story.

The author also did a good job of introducing us to the characters and giving us a good picture of who they were in a short amount of time. Margaret and Lord Riven were both very loveable characters and the romance that developed between them was very charming.

The only fault I did find with the story was that it could have been just a little longer to immerse us in the world a little bit more and to give us a bit more time to see the characters getting to know each other, I think just a little more could have been added while still staying within the constraints of a novella and it would have been perfect.

I would definitely recommend this if you love a fun vampire fantasy romance and want something quick to read, and if you like books like the Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett and Elise Kova's Married to Magic series, I think you'd like this too. I'll certainly be going on to read more from Stephanie Burgis, and I will be curious to see what her longer books are like.