“What the Fang?” was my Halloween “Blind Date with a Book” from Words and Kisses, an online romance bookstore based in the UK - and it was a somewhat pleasant surprise.

Willa Farrington, a witch without any magic, has been banished by her coven - so she’s living (with her pet dragon!) in vampire-run Charleston, where she’s opened a bookshop and found two best friends.

One night, Willa is attacked by a seemingly rogue vampire, but somehow telepathically calls out to Killian Constantine for help. Killian, the feared city Warden, saves her - but demands to know how she summoned him.

Together, the two try to unravel the mystery behind Willa’s attack and their strange connection. But the shocking truth will make Willa question everything she knows about herself and all those around her…

This was a really quick, easy and instantly entertaining read. I loved the supernatural lore of this book - it was so interesting how humans were aware of vampires and witches, and had been at war with them only recently. The vampire politics was fascinating, and no less troubled than our real life debates now!

Unfortunately, it was the romance that let this story down for me. Willa and Killian’s relationship seemed to go from zero to one hundred in the blink of an eye, and without any real buildup. Their chemistry, although undeniably hot, was more tell rather than show - and I found myself more interested in what Willa was discovering about her family than what she was finding with Killian.

I would also warn that “What the Fang?” ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. The next instalment comes out in December 2022, and I’m undecided about whether I’ll pick it up or not. Overall, I think this was a solid three star read. Give it a go if you’ve got an afternoon free, it doesn’t take long to get through!

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Hmm, this is a tricky one. Although I didn't necessarily dislike this book, because of some of the decisions the author made in this first instalment, I now have no interest in carrying on with further books.

Let me try to explain without spoilers.

First, let's start with the good bit, the beginning, where I was more than happy and even updated my Goodreads status to say, "Really liking this so far", or something to that effect. It was bright and fun. There was a pet dragon, the beginnings of some nice worldbuilding; the main character seemed cool and interesting (why did she never develop her witchy powers?). There were some awesome, sassy best friends and then whoop-whoop! There was a hot vampire on the scene... What more could this Urban Fantasy mega-fan possibly want?

Well, my problem now seems to be that the author gave me everything I might ever want for this character regarding her powers, her love life and any and all future mysteries surrounding her ALL IN THIS BOOK!

I actually went back on Goodreads because I was sure I must be mistaken, this must be a standalone Paranormal Romance, not book one of an ongoing series and that's why everything was getting wrapped up with a neat bow because there are no more books coming.

But, no. It's definitely only book one of a UF and believe me when I say, literally nothing was left for me to read on for, everything happened, everything was fixed, instalove was done and dusted. The end.

So it will be the end for me, I'm afraid.

What a shame.

3 stars ★★★
ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.