#true love bites

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Adult SFF Books Bracket: Preliminary Round

Book summaries below:

Shadow Life by Hiromi Goto (illustrated by Ann Xu)

Poet and novelist Hiromi Goto effortlessly blends wry, observational slice-of-life literary fiction with poetic magical realism in the tender and surprising graphic novel Shadow Life , with haunting art from debut artist Ann Xu.

When Kumiko’s well-meaning adult daughters place her in an assisted living home, the seventy-six-year-old widow gives it a try, but it’s not where she wants to be. She goes on the lam and finds a cozy bachelor apartment, keeping the location secret even while communicating online with her eldest daughter. Kumiko revels in the small, daily decorating as she pleases, eating what she wants, and swimming in the community pool. But something has followed her from her former residence―Death’s shadow.

Kumiko’s sweet life is shattered when Death’s shadow swoops in to collect her. With her quick mind and sense of humor, Kumiko, with the help of friends new and old, is prepared for the fight of her life. But how long can an old woman thwart fate?

Graphic novel, fantasy, magical realism, literary fiction, slice-of-life, adult

Hunger Pangs series (True Love Bites) by Joy Demorra

In a world of dwindling hope, love has never mattered more...

Captain Nathan J. Northland had no idea what to expect when he returned home to Lorehaven injured from war, but it certainly wasn't to find himself posted on an island full of vampires. An island whose local vampire dandy lord causes Nathan to feel strange things he'd never felt before. Particularly about fangs.

When Vlad Blutstein agreed to hire Nathan as Captain of the Eyrie Guard, he hadn't been sure what to expect either, but it certainly hadn't been to fall in love with a disabled werewolf. However Vlad has fallen and fallen hard, and that's the problem.

Torn by their allegiances--to family, to duty, and the age-old enmity between vampires and werewolves--the pair find themselves in a difficult situation: to love where the heart wants or to follow where expectation demands.

The situation is complicated further when a mysterious and beguiling figure known only as Lady Ursula crashes into their lives, bringing with her dark omens of death, doom, and destruction in her wake.

And a desperate plea for help neither of them can ignore.

Thrown together in uncertain times and struggling to find their place amidst the rising human empire, the unlikely trio must decide how to face the coming darkness: united as one or divided and alone. One thing is for certain, none of them will ever be the same.

Fantasy, romance, paranormal, series, adult

[queer-book-character-tournament]

*it’s the finals for tournament 2 but don’t forget the winner has to face the tournament 1 winner

Character, book, and author names under the cut

Nathaniel J. Northland- Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites by Joy Demorra

Lady Ursula- Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites by Joy Demorra

Wei Wuxian- Mo Dao Zu Shi/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

[freonblue]

I had a dream last night that was a sequence of mortifying things but still ended on a positive note?

Yeah, so I dreamed that I got up the nerve to go to a kinky cabaret open mic, and took my binder full of old repertoire from college.

I had a song picked out, but after I got there I panicked that it wasn't suitable, given the rather obvious gap between college conservatory music (opera, art song) and ... kinky cabaret open mic. But the other people there assured me that the song I'd brought straddled the line nicely, so I put my name down and waited.

My turn came. Walking toward the pianist, I realized I only had one copy of the sheet music, so this was going to be an adventure in discovering if I still had this song memorized. (It's been years -- I'm completely out of practice at all the prep work.)

I handed the music to the pianist. He noodled out the first couple bars and then it dawned on me...

The copy I'd handed him, the copy I'd pulled from my old college binder of music, was For High Voice. It was the soprano setting, from back when all my songs were chosen to show off my girlish high A.

My voice no longer has those notes. I traded them for a new octave below middle C, new notes that make my heart thrill and feel more inexplicably satisfying, more right than my high range ever did.

Like all boy sopranos, I grew up and lost my floaty angelic upper tones. Traded them in for baritone depths.

In my dream, I conferred with the pianist. "No problem," he said, thumbing through the well-worn purple book before him until he found the song I wanted. "I have it here."

He handed me a copy and struck a note or two. Wonder of wonders, yes. To singers, pianists are always magicians, but it's a mortifying relief when their smooth professionalism saves you from your own lack of planning.

I took my place in the spotlight, looked out at the tolerantly drunk audience, and began to sing, noticing too late that this version was a completely different translation, unfamiliar and lacking the simple elegance that had appealed to me. But the melody was familiar, and I didn't take all those years of sightreading classes for nothing, so I forged on.

Deep in the trance of performing, I barely noticed when the piano accompaniment dropped away. I turned a page and the song flowed into ... a prose reading? Not what I'd planned, but sure!

It was a long excerpt, several pages of kinky, queer titillation from Hunger Pangs. I performed that reading as dramatically as if it were the song I'd originally planned on.

"Thank you so much," I finished. "That was from Hunger Pangs, by @joydemorra, and if you're not already familiar with her work, it's kinky, queer, and disabled, with a werewolf and a vampire."

Then I fled the stage, thoroughly mortified and yet..... even in my dream, I remember thinking, "hey, I got out of my comfort zone and tried something new! next time will go better!"

It's neat to see that even in my dreams I've internalized that growth mindset I've cultivated lmao

[wordingg]

Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites

I finished Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites by Joy Demorra last night. I devoured this book. I now feel silly for putting off reading it for so long now, because it is so up my alley that it's stupid.

True Love Bites is the first book in the Hunger Pangs series. It is set in a magical twist on Victorian England. It follows three protagonists: a disabled werewolf captain, a roguish vampire viscount with a bad reputation and a mysterious woman with powerful magic. This book focuses mainly on the relationship between the first two, the werewolf Captain Nathan Northland and the vampire Viscount Vlad Blutstein. Nathan returns from war badly injured and barely recovered, but life in his ancestral home isn't the reprieve he was hoping for. No one seems able to cope with his lingering injuries, including himself. When a family friend suggests applying for the open position of Captain of the Guard on the island of Eyrie, Nathan is eager for any chance to get away from his family and re-enter the wider world. The only problem is that the island of Eyrie is full of vampires.

So, what initially intrigued me about this book was hearing someone describe it as a sort of deconstruction of romance tropes that grew legs and kept going. And, after reading it, I can confirm that it is indeed that! And also that all the subversions are super satisfying! There were so many beats where I could feel my brain saying, "Ah, yes. The classic (whatever). Now, this character will do this and- Oh. Oho! Nevermind! What the fuck! Go off! Yes!" I don't want to list off the examples, because they felt like really satisfying twists to me and I hope they feel the same to others. So I don't want to spoil them ahead of time.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in romance, but a little tired of all the normal formulas. It was really sweet and heartwarming, and I'm honestly champing at the bit to read the next one.

Content warnings are available on the author's website (also linked in the title at the top of this post) if anyone needs it.

[dragonatthedinnertable]

Book Review: Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites

—by Joy Demorra

I follow the author of this book on Tumblr, and naturally I heard a lot about it (including the fanfic she’s writing, for her own novel). Given that it’s written as raunchy erotica, I wasn’t especially keen to go out of my way to read it. But when I realised how little of that was in the “Fluff & Fangs” version (she literally wrote 2 versions of this book, one with & one without lots of sex), I thought I’d give it a try.

I loved it.

It hooked me from page one, with an epic high fantasy prologue that promises some of my favourite things from fantasy. Then it segues into social drama, and romance, and circles back into the high fantasy just perfectly. The characters are delightful, the prose witty. Some parts of it, both small & large, remind me of Terry Pratchett.

It’s no surprise, given that Demorra is herself disabled, but disability features heavily in the story. A main plot-line of the first half revolves around one character finding accommodations for a disability that had largely been overlooked by the medical community. That kind of representation really hits home for me.

I can’t wait for the eventual sequel to come out.

[juuls]

True Love Bites (which is the main book) is actually a really great book! I don’t mean the ‘actually’ as a bad ‘actually’. More a surprised “this is sorta Indie and it’s above everything else I’ve read” actually. And you won’t find much good throuple literature (or even romance/erotica, honestly) out there. So as a poly person, and just as a person, I love this book and you should check it out!

"So what exactly is an alternative life doctor? Because from where I'm sitting, it looks a lot like necromancy." He eyed the skeleton, Bertie, pointedly. "Necromancy is forbidden." Dr. Allan hooked his stethoscope around his neck again and reached for Nathan's hand. He examined it minutely, repeating the same inspection Vlad had. "A man would have to be a fool to hide a trade like that in plain sight on an island full of vampires." He pushed down on Nathan's nails, peering at them closely. "So what's the difference?" Nathan pressed. Dr. Allan let his hand drop. His smile stayed fixed in place. "A distinct lack of shovel."

---

By popular request, Dr. Allan now has his own mood board!

Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites by Joy Demorra, book one available now in two different editions.

Buy the (high heat) Flirting With Fangs Edition Here.

Buy the (medium heat) Fluff and Fangs Edition Here.

Why are there two versions, and what’s the difference? Glad you asked!

Don’t forget to check out the listed content warnings and corresponding heat ratings on my website at www.joydemorra.com

[celandinebergerac]

Soooo I am on a @thebibliosphere spree…

Definitely recommend. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️go for it.

I prefer listening to audiobooks after having read the books.

I love the whole serie, and I’m curious about what is in Vlad’s package…

[sofwritesreviews]

True Love Bites by Joy Demorra

Rating: 4 stars Pages: 377 Tagged: couldnt-put-down, relaxing, these-bitches-gay, vampires

This was a long-awaited read for me, I'm a big fan of @thebibliosphere and was writing for the vibes to be right to finally read this. And boy, was it worth it. This was so totally adorable, and I really loved Vlad and Nathan's dynamic. I liked the Pratchett-esque approach to fantasy, with political & social commentary woven trough a sort of industrial-revolution-era fantasy world. It's definitely the best of both worlds, with balls and very cute romance, combined with fantasy lore and exploration of chronic illness. I found Nathan's story to be very real and relatable, and him finally being listened to by a doctor almost made me cry. All in all, this was wonderfully written and often very funny (I liked the frequent puns), and I really hope I get to see more of Ursula in the next book because her dynamic with the other guys was great :)

Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5747295311

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

going through my old journals as part of therapy homework and i'm reading a section written in the emotional wreckage of a full-on breakdown when i get hit with this line:

There is never a satisfying answer to ‘Why didn’t they love me?’

like wow babe. good fucking point

[mothman-etd]

Made a Hunger Pangs community, who wants an invite? I haven't even asked Joy to join yet >,>

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Character, book, and author names under the cut

Nathaniel J. Northland- Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites by Joy Demorra

Vlad Blutstein- Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites by Joy Demorra

[raspbrrytea]

I finally got around to reading Hunger Pangs by @thebibliosphere and I couldn’t not make fanart!

[throuple-tournament]

Nathan/Vlad/Ursula created by @thebibliosphere.

Description provided by @powerpolyculeshowdown.

Nathan/Vlad/Ursula: For most of the book it's about two of the characters' romance (Vlad and Nathan) and Ursula meets them closer to the end. Their relationship, I think, is supposed to be continued in the next book. They all kiss each other and it's clear from the book that they like each other, and are all open to polyamory.

Description provided by @powerpolyculeshowdown.

Zagreus and Megaera are exes, while Zagreus and Thanatos have very obvious romantic feelings for each other. As part of the story, you can romance both of them at the same time, and it is made clear that neither of them minds it. There's also a scene implying Meg and Than had something in the past.

Description provided by @leverage-ot3.

leverage ot3 description: three good robinhood-esque criminals that fuck over corporations and give back to the people that were hurt by them. ultra competent. hardison is a geeky hacker, eliot is a grumpy hitter, and parker is the best thief in the world (also canon autistic). eliot ended the og series saying that he would protect the other two till his dying day (directly after their parent figures got engaged. marriage proposal who?)

[nerdvanauniverse]

@thebibliosphere I'm finally reading Hunger Pangs and I when I just read the line "the new streets and buildings imposing themselves onto the landscape with a rigid perpendicularity that spoke of an architect involved in a protracted love affair with their slide ruler", it was like reading a Pratchett book.

As in I read it, laughed at that image, read a few more sentences, then went, "wait. That was a PUN".

[fantasticwhovian]

@thebibliosphere I know life has been hard on you lately, and though I'm not much of an artist, I still wanted to do something to help cheer you up. I hope this makes your day a little brighter.

[direwolfblackrose]

I read it in just under 4 hours, but to be fair every once in a while I would stand up, do a little walk to calm down and then get back to it.

It's a good book.

"Hi, I bought your book and read it in two hours!" remains one of the most flattering and terrifying messages you can send me.

Who are you people? What old god did you sell your soul to that you can read that fast? That's 500 pages! I mean, good job, but holy shit.