August 5, 2024
Stayman-London (One to Watch) turns vampire tropes on their head to address consent and healing in this sharp-witted fantasy romance. Tess Rosenbloom was a thriving doctoral student at Columbia University before her colleague Rick Keeton drugged and raped her, and panic attacks and nightmares forced her to leave campus. Three years later, Tess returns for the birthday party of Joni Chaudhari, her ex-roommate and former best friend. Unfortunately, Rick shows up and Tess flees. The night gets stranger when she discovers the world of her favorite book series, Blood Feud, is real, and the vampire Octavia Yoo needs Tess’s help to deliver a message to Octavia’s twin brother, Callum, who’s trapped on a parallel Manhattan known as the Isle. Tess is thrilled to literally escape her reality, but her mission to reunite the vampire siblings leads her to question everything she thought she knew about Blood Feud—especially dashing Callum’s role as a purported villain. Stayman makes the Blood Feud fandom feel robust through social media posts, quizzes, and book excerpts. She also sensitively handles Tess’s trauma and recovery. There may be one too many subplots butting up against each other, but the center holds. Romance readers who’ve been involved in fantasy fandom will be especially swept away.