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A review by smoothunicorn
Ophelia's Vampire by Leigh Miller
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think I can definitely say that this was my favorite of the Monster Relations Bureau series so far! Which surprised me because I don’t love vampire romances, but Casimir was a glorious exception. He was just lovely - charming, sure, but also mature and reasonable and self-aware in a really gorgeous way. He had a heaping helping of self-doubt that was super endearing, but it never, ever crossed the line into dramatics. His inner pain felt as old as he was, which was a pretty remarkable feat for Miller to pull off.
Ophelia was a little more “by the book” for an FMC, dealing with some pretty standard doubts and fears. She aaallllmost bordered on stupid levels of risk-taking, but luckily never so far in that direction that it made her hard to root for.
The actual investigation plot was kind of a let down, similar to Kenna’s Dragon, but honestly the vibe between Ophelia and Cas more than made up for that. I do wish they had done more in the actual investigation they were supposed to be doing - if they’d had like one clue that nobody else had, or they were the ones to put the final pieces together, that would have been pretty cool. As it was, they were just kind of there, being super not-sneaky with their aggressive questioning and their two whole leads lol.
But look, I won’t harp on it. Another reviewer said this was a “very grounded second chance romance” and I couldn’t agree more. The growth both characters (including the 400-year-old vampire) had done in the seven years since their first flirtations was evident and thoughtful. Both of them had, to an extent, done the work - or had at least had enough distance to view the situation through older and wiser eyes - which made the reunion feel extremely well-earned.
And the spice? Holy hell. As someone who, as mentioned, isn’t desperate for vampire romance, I will say this probably had one of the hottest biting scenes I’ve ever read. The desperation and the yearning and UGH it was so good.
So yeah, four stars for this, and if she chooses to continue the series, I’ll choose to continue reading them.
Ophelia was a little more “by the book” for an FMC, dealing with some pretty standard doubts and fears. She aaallllmost bordered on stupid levels of risk-taking, but luckily never so far in that direction that it made her hard to root for.
The actual investigation plot was kind of a let down, similar to Kenna’s Dragon, but honestly the vibe between Ophelia and Cas more than made up for that. I do wish they had done more in the actual investigation they were supposed to be doing - if they’d had like one clue that nobody else had, or they were the ones to put the final pieces together, that would have been pretty cool. As it was, they were just kind of there, being super not-sneaky with their aggressive questioning and their two whole leads lol.
But look, I won’t harp on it. Another reviewer said this was a “very grounded second chance romance” and I couldn’t agree more. The growth both characters (including the 400-year-old vampire) had done in the seven years since their first flirtations was evident and thoughtful. Both of them had, to an extent, done the work - or had at least had enough distance to view the situation through older and wiser eyes - which made the reunion feel extremely well-earned.
And the spice? Holy hell. As someone who, as mentioned, isn’t desperate for vampire romance, I will say this probably had one of the hottest biting scenes I’ve ever read. The desperation and the yearning and UGH it was so good.
So yeah, four stars for this, and if she chooses to continue the series, I’ll choose to continue reading them.