Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Frost Bite

AUTHOR:  Virginia Kelly

NARRATOR:  Michael Ferraiuolo

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  6 hours and 53 minutes

RELEASE DATE:  January 9, 2025

BLURB:

Nick has no direction in his life, as his mother often reminds him. He works paycheck to paycheck, which becomes a problem when the paychecks stop coming in. When he’s offered an opportunity to work off his rent, Nick decides there are worse things in life than being a super, especially when the job includes free rent. There is, however, a catch. His landlord is a vampire, and he needs more from Nick than maintenance and renter-wrangling. He needs Nick’s blood.

Vladimir has drifted for centuries before finally making Chicago his home. With the help of his trusted servant, Ivan, he has surrounded himself with a camouflage of human tenants and dropped off the supernatural radar. He might be a blood-drinking monster, but he has no taste for the dangerous, and often murderous, politics that surround the local vampire Council. He is a monster alone, and that’s exactly how he likes it, but with his human servant retiring, Vladimir needs a replacement. Luckily, Ivan finds a candidate who already lives in the building and is eager to interview for the job.

Nick is a man who needs to find purpose for his life, and Vladimir is a vampire in dire need of a reason to keep existing. They start to find what they seek within each other, and the future looks bright indeed, even for a creature of the night. Then catastrophe strikes, and Vladimir finds that after centuries of hiding, he finally has something worth fighting for.

Frost Bite is a light-hearted MM fantasy romance which contains a worn-down young man, a world-weary vampire, blood-sucking Nazi fiends, an unscrupulous blood Sommelier, unsupportive relatives, an extremely large bathtub inside a bat cave, a Russian human servant not to be trifled with, a snuggly bat, and plenty of heart. Stake not included.

Note: this was originally a free short available for free in 2021. It has since been revised, rewritten, and significantly lengthened.

REVIEW:

Nick is having a bad week/month/year. He’s unable to pay his rent for his nice attic studio so he agrees to help the old Russian guy who is the super in the building.  Then he’s made an offer he can’t refuse – despite it being a crazy offer at that.  He can have free room and board, wifi and $1000 a week to be the “servant” of the landlord so that Ivan, the old Russian guy and current “servant” and finally retire.  Only the landlord is a thousands of years old vampire who looks like a beautiful teenager.  Not your average day in Chicago.

Nick is shocked at first, but somehow he is more intrigued than scared.  And also?  Why is he suddenly attracted to a man – well vampire?  Maybe he’s not as straight as he always thought.  After one encounter Nick, or Kolya as Vladimir the vampire calls him, is smitten. Or maybe obsessed?  He’s not really sure.  All he knows is he now just wants Dima as Vladimir prefers to be called.

Dima is reluctant to pursue this thing with Kolya because for the first time in years, he feels desire.  And he’s had a bad incident in his past when he tried to combine his food source and his lover.  But Nick is insistent that this is what he wants.  There are obstacles in their way – both human and non-human   But in the end, they are a perfect match and deserve to be together.

OMG!  I love this. It’s sort of a dramedy/rom-com with vampires!  Dima and Kolya are meant to be, but it’s a long strange trip to get there.  I loved Nick’s puppy dog personality.  He’s so very much a creature of his time – his inner monologue is very much millennial and quite entertaining.  Vladimir is a very elegant, worldly and incredibly old vampire and in many ways Nick’s polar opposite personality wise.  But they just fit.  The initial meeting and presentation of the problem is a very odd meet cute, but it totally works   Certainly there is instalust and Nick doesn’t really freak out about it.  Nick’s family have never been supportive and didn’t treat him right at all, but luckily he has Ivan and Dima   The banter is hilarious!  I loved Ivan and Dima’s relationship.  Plus Ivan is a bit if a scamp at times – purposely setting Dima off   Nick and Vladimir are really an oddly and surprising fit and their love saves them and the day.  I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this really interesting and unusual vampire tale told with a lot of love and fun.

Michael Ferriauolo is a dream narrator!  There are so many accents here and I’m there for it!  I loved the other vampires and the hilarious other “companions” of other vampires.  I adored Nick and Vlad.  Also Ivan, Vlad’s previous servant is a hoot!  Vlad’s vampire friends?  Also very entertaining.  I adored this story and the highly engaging narration and funny and slightly horrifying events   Highly recommended.  Fans of this author and this narrator will love this one

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

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