Virtual Book Tour: Vampire with Benefits by EJ Russell (Reviews+Giveaway)

Hello and welcome to the blog tour for Vampire With Benefits! I can’t wait for you to meet Rusty and Cas, the second mismatched couple in my Supernatural Selection series (part of the Mythmatched universe). Thank you to all of you and to this blog for helping me celebrate the book release!

About Vampire With Benefits

A match between a vampire and shifter could be deadly—but this broken beaver doesn’t give a dam. 

Silent film actor Casimir Moreau had imagined that life as a vampire would be freewheeling and glamorous. Instead, he’s plunged into a restrictive society whose rules he runs afoul of at every turn. To “rehabilitate” him, the vampire council orders him mated to an incubus with impeccable breeding who’ll mold Cas into the upstanding vampire he ought to be. Or else.

As an inactive beaver shifter, construction engineer Rusty Johnson has fought—and overcome—bias and disrespect his entire life. But when his longtime boyfriend leaves him for political reasons, Rusty is ready to call it a day. Next stop? Supernatural Selection and his guaranteed perfect mate, a bear shifter living far away from Rusty’s disapproving clan.

But then a spell snafu at Supernatural Selection robs both men of their intended husbands. Rusty can’t face returning to his clan, and Cas needs somebody on his arm to keep the council happy, so they agree to pretend to be married. Nobody needs to know their relationship is fake—especially since it’s starting to feel suspiciously like the real thing.

Now available from Riptide Publishing!

5 Stars!

This is the second book in the Supernatural Selection series and while it can be read as a standalone, I suggest you at least read book 2 in EJ Russell's Fae Out of Water series, The Druid Next Door first. 

I loved, loved, LOVED Cas and Rusty. It was a bit of a slow burn, although you could nearly feel the attraction sizzling between them through the pages. I loved that they became friends and even if they, okay, Rusty, had misgivings about hooking up with Cas, there was a point where he just couldn't not give into him. And wow, just wow! They were just perfect for each other in every sense of the word.

It was awesome catching up with Brice and have him be such an integral part of the story. And the bit about Brice and Mal was amazing!!! The villains were hateful and I was happy they got what they deserved. Perhaps, Fletcher not that much, but at least Henryk did, so that's good enough for me.

All in all, a fantastic, fun, sexy, captivating read. I loved how it tied in with the previous book/series and how it all played out. Cas and Rusty are easily one of the most lovable couples I've had the pleasure of reading and that last chapter was everything! 

*** Copy provided to the reviewer by Riptide Publishing via NetGalley for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

4 Stars!

I laughed my way through this, at the storyline, at the leads, at Cas's snark and irreverence. 

This seems to be book 2 in a series that's a spin-off of another series by this author, but I don't think it's necessary to read those, as I had no trouble jumping straight into this tale. Sometimes where authors' 'worlds' are concerned, too much of an introduction can be an off-putting infodump, so I'm glad that wasn't the case here. And, from snippets, you get the idea of what happened in book 1 anyway.

This is too funny a book and with too much going on to be able to review easily without spoilers, so I'll just say that I was laughing within a couple of minutes, because of Cas's thoughts, his lack of respect for his 'elders', the incompetent marriage clerk, and the funnies just kept coming. 

Cas had the snarkiest, bitchiest mouth on him, and when he called Rusty's ex-boyfriend Felcher instead of Fletcher, lololol! And when a drunken Rusty, a beaver shifter whose human form is built along the lines of a stereotypical lumberjack, informs Cas that he's an outcast, and most of his clan are no taller than his shin, both Cas's and my mouths fell open - Rusty had meant chin, hahaha! And, when Cas ends up biting Rusty, the euphoric high that ensues is hysterical. 

This is a book that you do need to read slowly and without interruptions, as a certain character appears and for a while I was wondering why, and where the author was going with him, other than his medical skills, and because I was reading a little quickly, and because there was so much humour, I nearly missed the... gift... that eventually allowed the leads to be together. And, I kind of got into the little snippets of this character's life, and wondered if he'd be getting a tale of his own. I hope so. 

BTW, in this world, faes glamour, vamps mesmer and incubi thrall, which I thought was a nice departure from the vamps glamouring trope that abounds in pop paranormal tales.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Riptide Publishing, for my reading pleasure.

About Supernatural Selection

Are you a shifter who’s lost faith in fated mates? A vampire seeking a Second Life companion? Or perhaps you’re a demon yearning to claim a soul (mate)?

Congratulations! Your search is over!

Welcome to Supernatural Selection, where our foolproof spells guarantee your perfect match.

Until they don’t.

Check out Supernatural Selection today.

About E.J. Russell

E.J. Russell holds a BA and an MFA in theater, so naturally she’s spent the last three decades as a financial manager, database designer, and business-intelligence consultant. After her twin sons left for college and she no longer spent half her waking hours ferrying them to dance class, she returned to her childhood love of writing fiction. Now she wonders why she ever thought an empty nest meant leisure.

E.J. lives in rural Oregon with her curmudgeonly husband, the only man on the planet who cares less about sports than she does. She enjoys visits from her wonderful adult children, and indulges in good books, red wine, and the occasional hyperbole.

Connect with E.J.:

Website: ejrussell.com

Blog: ejrussell.com/bloggery/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/E.J.Russell.author

Twitter: twitter.com/ej_russell

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ejrussell/

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Vampire With Benefits one lucky person will win a $25 Riptide Publishing gift card and an ecopy of The Druid Next Door, the second title in the Fae Out of Water series, also from the Mythmatched universe! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on October 27, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!