Title: Drinking Blood for Squeamish Vampires
Author: Laura Greenwood
Series: Obscure Academy #2
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Paranormal fantasy, Paranormal romance
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2022

Bernie and Shane are a good insight into the world of vampires that Greenwood has created. I mean, there’s obviously a whole heap of series that feed into this one, but for me, this is my first introduction to Greenwood’s version of vampires. The fact that they are both turned, not born makes it all the more interesting. And then, there’s the fact that Bernie can’t actually drink blood. I mean, I loved the characters anyway, but I’m loving that in the Obscure Academy series there’s always one character that doesn’t conform to the expected. In this case, it’s Bernie and her blood aversion.

As someone who absolutely loves cooking, I’ve never actually taken a cooking class, and, after reading about Bernie’s awesome experiences, I kind of really, really want to. I mean, the fact that she gets with the super hot student teacher does help. But, I also love the idea of cooking with someone else and learning some new tricks – a bit like Home Ec when I was in high school I suppose. It was fun to think about the different paranormals that want to learn to cook and just why they want to. Particularly since this cooking class is vegetarian!

As much as I enjoyed the romance of Shane and Bernie, I really inhaled this book so quickly because I wanted to know the cause of her blood squeamishness. I mean, you get introduced to the idea in Shifting Forms for Clumsy Felines when Bernie and Krissi become friends. Then you get to actually find out just what is going on. And how Bernie is going to live the rest of her very long supernatural life with this issue. I can’t imagine not being able to enjoy some of the foods that you have to eat!

This was yet another quick and rewarding venture in the Obscure Academy world. I mean, it’s two made vampires falling in love over food. I’m pretty much sold as soon as there is food to be totally honest. Add in the fact that both characters are learning to come into their own and figuring out their new lives. It’s definitely a fun little journey.

Image source: Amazon

Title: Shifting Forms for Clumsy Felines
Author: Laura Greenwood
Series: Obscure Academy #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Paranormal fantasy, Paranormal romance
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2022

This was yet another great book by Greenwood that was just an easy and pleasant read. One that was a really great diversion. A really sweet story. But with almost no angst – which I kind of needed when I read this. I’m actually loving this style of writing at the moment, where there is enough action to keep you engaged, but not enough that you are even remotely worried about how the happily ever after will pan out. There is a whole lot less stress than some of the other romances that I sometimes read.

I like that this is a couple that start off as really good friends, and there are the questions of how and when to transition into a couple. I know that when I met my SO, he was a great friend, and it was a pretty big leap to take that plunge. Bigger than any other, because his friendship met a whole lot to me. And, like Jeremy and Krissi, I was pretty damn young. I love how Greenwood is able to write about a couple taking that plunge and being scared to do so! I think that for everyone who meets someone extra special that young… it’s a bit of a concern.

The cliché of two ‘jocks’ ending up together works really well in this novel – they both understand each other’s dedication to their chosen sports. I also love that, even though both Jeremy and Krissi start out not understanding much about each other’s sports, they both make the attempts to get to know more. It’s such a beautiful concept – that you try to get to know more about each other’s passions, not to join in, but to just appreciate each other all that much more. Plus, there is something fun about fitting into the expected cliches, but in a really cute and sweet way.

When we think of sporty types, there is always an assumption that the sporty individual is actually really coordinated. It was fantastic to have a storyline in which the sporty person is not graceful. That (in this case) in their shifted form, they are the clumsiest and most terrifyingly uncoordinated individual to be found. It kind of made me feel better to read about someone who is just that damn uncoordinated, and yet thrives in a physical way as well, it’s a great reminder that none of us can fit into just one box.

Image source: Dymocks