Okay my Lil’ Shadows. I got a book for you to judge; The Vampire’s Guide to Wooing a Scholar by Melissa Kendall. This is the second installment of the Fated Vampire Mates series, but could be considered a stand alone book if you desire. It is a Historical Fantasy Romance that is apparently a Beauty and the Beast retelling, just with vampires added into the mix. Sounds interesting right? I thought so too so I was happy to be given early access to this book to read and review for all you, Lil’ Shadows.
Well, I’ll admit, I am disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good book, a good 3 stars book from me but I felt a bit cheated and I’ll tell you why.
First, this is the first time I read any of Melissa Kendall books so I’m blind to any of her works. So, I can’t go into detail about her writing style or if her other books are written in a similar format. All I know about Melissa is that she is a romance author and has written about 5 books that have been published. This will be her 6th book.
Want to learn more about Melissa? Go here! https://melissakendall.ca
Second, the troupes. Now, one of the major reasons I decided to give this book a go was because the its troupes:
- Marriage of Convenience
- Gothic Setting
- Giant Library
- Age Gap
- Beauty and the Beast Retelling
- Pen Pals to Lovers
- He Falls First
- Mutual Pinning
- Shy Hero
- Bluestocking Heroine
It was the He Falls First, Marriage of Convenience, and Beauty of the Beast Retelling that got me but now, I’m questioning the troupes themselves so please be patient with me as I go through them one by one.
Marriage of Convenience: We have the classic marriage of convenience between our two leads; Marcus Deville, our dear vampire and Winifred Belltree, our dear scholar. Marcus needs an assistant for his experiments while Winifred needs a husband that allows her freedom to continue her reading. You can probably tell where this is going.
Gothic Setting: So, this book takes place in the late 1860s, Scotland, and (drumroll please) a castle!
Giant Library: I’ll be honest, I didn’t know this was actually a troupe but sure, there are libraries. One in Winifred’s family home and another within Marcus’ castle.
Age Gap: Well, Marcus is a vampire so no surprise that there’s an age gap between our leads.
Beauty and the Beast Retelling: Marcus is obviously the beast within this story and Winifred is the beauty? I’m still unsure about this one. There’s not much description about Winifred but I’m going to assume the comparisons are the fact Winifred adores her books, does not want to marry her unwanted suitor, and the pressure of getting married before she becomes too ‘old’. She’s 22 btw.
Pen Pals to Lovers: Supposedly, our main couple met through letters; Winifred writing to the editor of a magazine that ends up in the hands of Marcus who replies in return. There are excerpts of these letters but not as much as I would have expected.
This is where I should mention my first displeasure. I read this book online and the formatting is a bit confusing. I honestly didn’t like the placement of the letters being at the end of the chapters. The first letter that started the encounter was placed at the end of the Prologue which made no sense. The Prologue is set approximately 50 years before our main story. I honestly thought they misplaced this editor’s note within the story instead at the beginning or end of the book. I had to reread it several times to realize that yes, it’s actually part of the story. Hopefully the physical copy of this book is formatted better than the ebook. Here’s to hoping!
He Falls First: To tell the truth, this troupe is a bit unclear to see within the story. I mean, Marcus did propose marriage to Winifred and thought she was beautiful when he first saw her but it felt unfinished. It felt like, ‘I like her thought process and ideas’ to ‘let’s get married since it could benefit us’ to ‘oh, she’s beautiful but I can’t have her but she’s my wife now’. In other words, we jumped from point A to point C while skipping point B.
Mutual Pinning: I don’t need to say much. The classic ‘I want you but do you feel the same?’ Though, Winifred needs to calm down a bit with her pinning. You know what? Both do.
Shy Hero: I’m sorry but where? Neither of these two people are shy.
And finally Bluestocking Heroine: Okay, I’ll be honest, I had to look this troupe/term up since I had no clue what a bluestocking heroine is. Turns out it’s basically an educated, intellectual woman, specifically from the 18th century. So, points to keeping with the era within the book?
Now, onto the book itself.
As stated before in the beginning of the post, I’m disappointed. There was so much potential but it fell short. It felt rushed, chapters were very short (again, ebook so unsure if the physical copy is longer), and there was a lack of details for some events. It was like I was holding half of the story, just enough for me to get the main points.
I feel like if Melissa:
- slow down the pace,
- added more correspondence between the main couple that showcased the slow process of acquaintances to companionship to hints of fondness before the marriage proposal,
- described the strain relationship between mother and daughter,
- clarified the relations of Winifred’s family,
- paced the process of Marcus and Winifred’s relationship from marriage of convenience to real marriage
- and described the emotions of the main characters as they encountered and overcame their personal struggles.
This would have been an amazing story.
Now, don’t get me wrong. It was an enjoyable read. I picked it up and didn’t put it down until I finished. It caught my attention and I wanted to know more about what was happening. I was satisfied with the ending and loved that Melissa hinted at what the next book of Fated Vampire Mates will be about so I’m hoping all these loose ends will be tied up in the upcoming book.
So wrapping up, The Vampire’s Guide to Wooing a Scholar (that reminds me, where’s the wooing? I was promised wooing!) is a nice, quick read if you’re looking for something to pass the time and distract you for an hour or two. Whether or not this book is up to your tastes is for you to decide.
This book comes out on February 21, 2026 so, thank you NetGallery and the publisher for the eARC.
Until next time Lil’ Shadows. Safe travels.