He’s a Vampyr.
I’m a Korama.
And I love him.Tough-as-nails Verity ‘Veri’ Eadaoin has never trusted Vampyrs. They’ve killed everyone she loves. She finally gets an opportunity for revenge after a deadly Vampyr raid against her pack. Her new retaliate against the Vampyr Queen by killing her newly-minted Prince. Simple enough. But Verity is unprepared for her encounter with the unsuspecting Vampyr.
Still reeling from his murder in Saguenay, Darren Pierce-Crané is freshly-turned and reluctant. He’s barely begun to adjust to his unlife when there’s a wolf at his door. Darren barters for his survival, resulting in a precarious pact with Verity. This deal uncovers sinister secrets that could spell the undoing of the entire city.
War is on the horizon, and time is of the essence. Verity and Darren will have to decide what is most important to their faction or each other.
Have I mentioned that I’ve made a few new friends in the indie community lately? Cynthia Brubaker is one of them! She’s one of the many wonderful authors at Midnight Tide Publishing, and we “met” when she signed up to ARC read In the Days Before. Since then I’ve read all of her previous works, and then immediately signed up to ARC read Of Hearts and Hunters when it was available. And if that doesn’t tell you I love her writing, I don’t know what will!
Of Hearts and Hunters is your typical vampires-hating-werewolves-hating-vampires story, but with its own unique world-building to make it stand out from the crowd. Whilst being set against the backdrop of Vancouver, it’s easy to see that the vampyres, the koramas, and the magicena have their own little worlds within it — all of them hidden from prying human eyes — and with those unique worlds come unique problems. Verity’s story starts with her being named third in charge of her pack, a title that she feels she doesn’t deserve, and Darren’s starts with him being made a vampyre Prince.
I love both of these characters. Verity is sassy and reckless, fiercely protective of those she loves, and willing to do whatever she needs for the good of her pack — even if it means working with the vampyre she was sent to kill. Darren is the sunshine to Verity’s grumpy, though it’s sometimes hard to be a ray of light when you’re mourning your human life and the family you can no longer see. Darren’s story really touched my heart, and I found it all the more relatable when he reveals himself to be demi-sexual, which comes with its own issues when other characters don’t quite understand what this means. Here’s to seeing more of this representation!
I fell in love with a lot of the characters in this novel. I’m a huge sucker for the found family trope, and this novel has it in spades! Both Verity and Darren have lost their families in one way or anything, so it’s nice watching them build new ones in their own unique ways (I’m not talking about a pregnancy, don’t worry), and I came to love their family members just as much as they did. This definitely raises the stakes and gets you invested given the looming war, and I’ll admit I was on the edge of my seat for a fair portion of this novel. Will there be horrified gasps and tears?
I’m not telling you.
Go read it yourself to find out! Of Hearts and Hunters releases 5th February, 2025!
RATING: ★★★★★
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