Welcome to Litsy!

The book and goodies have arrived, @JackOBotts ! Thanks for sending the bookmark and sugar pick-me-ups 😊 Looking forward to reading this one!

I‘m currently making my way through The Haunting of Whitehall Manor, @KateReadsYA 👻
#LMPBC

@JamieArc ~ get ready…I hope to get this in the mail to you this week. 📚 #LMPBC #GroupG

And…this was my April #bookspin ~ #doublewhammy

FYI:

#LMPBC Round 20 Group G

@KateReadsYA @jamiearc

@suvata has mailed a book to @jackobotts

Enjoy!

This novel weaves together elements of vampiric horror, romance, the rugged landscape of the Texas-Mexico border, star-crossed lovers, and supernatural intrigue. Set in the 1840s it revolves around Nena, the daughter of a Mexican rancher, who grapples with the threat posed by Anglo settlers from the north. As tensions escalate, Nena discovers a more sinister force lurking near her ranch—one that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead.

#LMPBC ROUND 20 GROUP G (Gothic Horror)

@KateReadsYA and @suvata have signed up for this group. Won‘t you join us?

Details and sign up here: bit.ly/3wioA8a

OMG!! A vampire appeared briefly at the beginning and we‘re just now seeing them again—at 55% in!! Hello! WHY are the title characters so absent?!? Instead we have a vapid romance between characters I frankly don‘t care about. I‘m just there for the vampires!! *feeling disgruntled*

I loved the setting: 1840s northern Mexico (current south Texas), Rancheros defending their land, cattle and lives from the Yanquis working to take over. And vampires! And insight into the class hierarchies and treatment of women. And deep love between a working vaquero and a daughter of a Patron. But I don‘t read romances and these veered too much that way for me. So me, not the book.

I loved the setting: 1840s northern Mexico (current south Texas), Rancheros defending their land, cattle and lives from the Yanquis working to take over. And vampires! And insight into the class hierarchies and treatment of women. And deep love between a working vaquero and a daughter of a Patron. But I don‘t read romances and this veered too much that way for me. So me, not the book.

I‘m on vacation for #joyousjanuary. It‘s minus 7 degrees in my town. Happy to be reading and hanging out with the resident black vultures that visit our pool at our house in Mexico we are sharing with friends. Plan to finish the tagged book, a Joy Harjo poetry collection, Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse and The Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno. @Andrew65

Good audio

It may be December, but #everydayishalloween

Also disappointing and worse that I read this back to back with Silver Nitrate.

Not gothic horror. I‘d classify this as gothic romance.

I‘m looking for The Strain. This wasn‘t that.

1846 Mexican/US border … the US is invading … Nena is out to prove her worth to her father when she runs into her childhood sweetheart who abandoned her & now at odds … they need to survive the night with something worse than Americans hunting them.

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If you want a love story, then this is probably a good one. Unfortunately, I wanted a vampire story which is really less than 10% of this book, so I was disappointed.

This was a huge improvement over the author‘s debut The Hacienda. I thought the historical aspect was much better integrated and the romance was much better developed. The narration was well done, but would have been hard to follow for someone without a baseline of Spanish vocabulary or familiarity with pronunciation. Could have been more vampires, TBH, but overall I really enjoyed this book, and it was perfect for the #Scarathlon season.

#Scarathlon #SpookyGhostClub @Clwojick

Like her previous book, this is a slow burn gothic horror. The romance in this one is a much bigger part of the story than in The Hacienda.

I wish there had been more vampire parts, but I still enjoyed this one and I love how the author can blend Mexican history and culture into a supernatural story.

#weekendreads

I‘m really hoping to finish both or at least one of these books by months end!

I'm not a fan of westerns, but apparently, all they've been missing is vampires. It's not true horror, more historical romance with a dash of supernatural. But I really liked it!

I'm not a particular fan of vampire books but I really liked this book (although that has nothing to do with the vampires). The writing is really good and my favorite aspects are the historical setting and the characters.

Childhood sweethearts Nena, a rancher‘s daughter and curandera, and Néstor, a vaquero and soldier, torn apart by class and by a terrible incident, must reunite to fight for their land and their lives in an 1840s Mexico invaded not only by colonizing Yankees, but vampires as well in this genre-defying work of historical fiction, horror, and romance. I do wish the balance was more horror over romance, however I deeply enjoyed the historical setting!

Hoping I will enjoy this audiobook better than my last listen.

I‘ve not engaged with any of the #Scarathlon daily photo prompts yet, but I‘m trying to be consistent for the rest of the month.

Good timing that this book‘s first chapter takes place in #October. My other current Kindle read (Emily Wilde‘s Encyclopedia of Faeries) is also set during October!

This was great storytelling. Dracula remains my favorite vampire story, but this is certainly my new favorite vampire adjacent story!

I don‘t know why I expected to not really like this book, but I loved it! Set in Mexico in 1840s. Americans start attacking Mexico, so they go to war. There are also vampires attacking the people of Mexico and there is a type of magic that can bring people back from the dead. Also has a romance in it.

I definitely liked this book more than the authors debut.

#scarathlon #magicalmonsters #littenlisten

Vampires from the author of the Hacienda 👀 https://youtu.be/5XU2qvPAfRA

Could I really do anything other than a vampire book for #blood? 😆 #Scarathlon #PhotoPrompt

#mischiefandmayhem

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Dripping in atmosphere, this is a great listen for the Halloween season! Cañas skillfully blended together multiple genres and I enjoyed both the setting and the romance. I thought it was really clever how the supernatural element was embodied in historical events - Yankee settlers in the form of vampires were trying to take land from Mexicans. (Also - what a gorgeous cover!) ?

I really enjoyed this story.
It has forbidden romance, war, vampires
It was a different take on vampires than I've read before.

I enjoyed this one. The story and the setting are fun. I liked Nena‘s character arc in particular. It does veer a tiny bit toward melodrama in places and can be a bit slow in spots, but not to a great degree. Plus it made me curious about vampires and salt.

I really liked this one! A great mix of history and horror with some love sprinkled in; can‘t beat that combo. #botm

Enjoying this one

It's not too late to sign up for #scarathlon, my favorite Litsy community event of the year. Fun challenges and a great opportunity to dive into those monster stories and spooky thrillers. My most anticipated read of the month is tagged! Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdnawYo1IDsBAr2s_LlqzBQlxM8KGwIqDxE1Dm4... @staycurious @clwojick @bookwormjillk #BOOkLovers

Wow! I opened up Litsy today and my feed was full of #Scarathlon posts! I love it lol! This is my (sure to change) TBR of spooky and cozy reads! #batbrigade

Finally put together my #bookspinbingo list for October. This also serves as my #scarathlon2023 TBR (though if I‘m being honest, there‘s no way I stick to this list 🤣)
#Bookspin #TeamBOOkLovers

Nena waited. After nine years apart, she still knew the rhythm of his speaking. She knew he had more to say, that he was searching for words or untangling a difficult thought. He was one of the few men she knew who spent time with his thoughts before speaking, even in the midst of an argument or excitement. It was one of the reasons she loved him.
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A sweeping, lush romance that takes place along the border of Texas and Mexico in the early to mid 1800s... but with vampires. Beautifully written. I often went back and forth between wanting to know what happens next and being anxious about what happens next. This is the second book Isabel Cañas has written and the second book of hers that I loved and I look forward to reading anything else she writes and re-reading what she already has.

The setting and atmosphere were great, but here‘s my main issue with the story: it was more a historical fiction with a romance at its center than a vampire story. The vampire action didn‘t amount to much until around halfway thru, and even then it took a backseat to the romance. I struggled to get into the story, and then I struggled to stay interested. 2.5/5â­�ï¸�

Thank you to Berkley for sending me an early digital copy for review #spookySeptember

I really wanted to like this book, but it was just okay. I think the two main characters, Nena and Nestor, were just too dramatic. I did, however, enjoy the rather original take that Canas had on vampires.
#NoShameReadathon2023 #vampires @Nessavamusic

First line: It was often said that a strange kind of magic ran in the waters of Rancho Los Ojuelos, the kind that made the Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca go mad, the kind that made mustangs swift and the land rich.

Don‘t mind me catching up on some reviews!

I HIGHLY recommend this book. I loved the characters, the history, the fantasy. Hands down my favorite read of this year. (I know I say this a lot) but it‘s a solid 5â­�ï¸� from me. #botm

#bookmail #subscriptionbox august #BOTM

What do you get when you mix a love story and vampires set on the US-Mexican border during the 1840s when the US invades Mexico? A supernatural historical romance fiction western!

And Isabel Cañas can write! I love her prose! This is my second read of hers and she is now an automatic must-read author for me.

I had to treat myself to a couple of books on National Book Lovers Day. 🤗

My new Book of the Month and my bonus birthday book came today! I am so ridiculously excited! I absolutely adored The Hacienda and cannot wait to read Vampires of El Norte! I am needing some dark, gothic vibes. Bring on spooky season!

#botm arrived yesterday 📚

This little addition on the #BOTM app gave me a chuckle. Their editorial team just had the random idea to whip up songs that pair with the picks?

These are my #BOTM picks. They actually looked pretty good this month. I've skipped a bunch this year 🤷��♀�
What did y'all think of the picks?

I needed a win in a sea of losses this week and #botm pulled through for me this morning with some picks that put a smile on my face. Looking forward to these two. Hope everyone else found something to add to their box this month.

#BOTM

Vampires of El Norte has been on my 2023 most anticipated list so that is super exciting!

It is my birthday month, so throwing in an older title I have been meaning to read.

My first five book box from #botm. Exciting August!