Review: WHAT THE FANG? by Stacey Kennedy

I’m a huge fan of Stacey Kennedy’s recent contemporary romances. When I spotted WHAT THE FANG? on a list of upcoming releases, I got positively giddy at the thought of a new paranormal romance series!!

Author: Stacey Kennedy
Series: Undead Ever After, #1
Release Date: January 25, 2022
Pages: 190
Review Copy: NetGalley*

Blurb:
Willa Farrington’s magic is broken. Shunned by her coven for failing to pass the Summer Solstice Rite, Willa escapes to the one place no witch belongs – Charleston, a city that belongs to vampires. Determined to embrace her new life, Willa opens Cauldron Boil Books, and unexpectedly finds some friends among the vampires…

Until one terrible night Willa ends up on the wrong side of a pair of fangs. Thankfully, her captor’s plan is ruined when Killian Constantine, the drop-dead gorgeous Warden of Charleston, shows up to save her. But just when Willa thinks she’s safe, Killian, rumored to be the most feared vampire in the city, furiously demands to know why she – a witch – telepathically called him for help.

Intent on finding answers, the two embark on a journey to unravel the mystery behind Willa’s attack and their unusual connection. As they get closer to the truth, the fiery passion between them ignites. But their forbidden romance isn’t making them many friends, and just as Willa starts to think that her entire existence is a lie, deadlier forces come out of the shadows. She will need to believe in her malfunctioning magic, trust bloodthirsty vampires, and cross her fingers that she and Killian make it out together… and that neither end up dead.

Initial Thoughts/Expectations: As a fan of a few of Stacey’s other books (she’s got a HUGE catalog, and I’m not quite caught up yet), I expected to find the same fun, easy writing style and engaging characters. I hadn’t read any paranormals by her yet, so I was super excited to jump into this one.

What I Loved: Can I just say “all of it”? That’s a thing, right? LOL! I really enjoyed that it was an “open world” story. The supernatural characters were just there, without the added stress of having to hide themselves from society. I loved Willa and her besties… their ease with each other and their banter. I loved Ambrose!!!! ❤ I loved how calm and steadfast Killian was. Even when he didn’t quite know exactly what was happening, he still managed to seem in control of things.

I loved Willa and Killian together. Even though it happened very early in the story, it didn’t feel awkward or rushed to me. And one of my very favorite things was that once they were together, they were together. All of the conflict came from outside sources. They were solid. ❤

I was a bit worried about the first major “reveal” in figuring out Willa’s situation. What the cause was, and who was behind it, but ended up really loving how Stacey handled it. I laughed every time her friends were “summoned” to her side, and the immediately following “oops” factor!! As much as the ending started to get a wee bit predictable, there were a couple of cool surprises I totally didn’t see coming!! And did I mention how much I love Ambrose?? ❤

What I didn’t Love: *crickets*

Final Thoughts: As expected, Stacey Kennedy delivered a fantastic paranormal romance that had me fully engaged from page one. The characters were fun and easy to relate to, and getting to meet them was a perfect way to spend an afternoon. I can. not. wait. for December to continue their story!!