On paper, this one looked to check all my boxes:
Vampires? Check.
Romance? Check.
Unique paranormal world-building? Check... Well, almost.
I ended up not finishing this one. I wanted to love it so bad. But it was just... So bad.
And maybe that's not fair. Because I didn't finish it. There's every possibility that it did get better.
But when I automatically just don't have any interest in the main characters, it's not in me to keep going.
Not for me... But, maybe it's for you.

A History of Vampires is a very different tale on the vampire and how they lead their lives. After reading this book, I am still not sure what the plot was or what the point of the story was. I did not like the Hitler plot and how Anne Frank was involved in the story. I think a different person could have been chosen and the plot would have been the same. That storyline made me uncomfortable with the constant mention throughout the book. There were some chapters that were not necessary and many parts that I skipped over because I did not understand what they had to do with the story. There was no character development whatsoever. I still do not understand how Angelina fell in love with Jude, she seemed to only like him for his deeds which is not love. I can see how the author wanted to set up the end of the book for another, but I did not find that plot line interesting.

Reviewed for Readers Favorite

Forget everything you have ever read or thought you knew about Vampires, because it was all misleading non-truths told to keep the secret of the vampire existence. For that matter, forget everything you thought you knew about history and what occurred when and to whom, nothing is what you thought it was, that is the truth that is dropped on Angelina on night when she finally confronts the mysterious man that had been following her. Angelina is an archeologist, she deals in truths and facts, but one gorgeous man is about to up-end her world. A History of Vampires by author Amanda Lewis is the story of Angelina and Jude, a classic love story, but yet one that transcends time. Jude is a vampire, although he doesn't use that term for himself, he doesn't drink blood, except for the first transformation, he can walk in the sunlight, and just about every other myth about vampires is untrue and well. All just part of a carefully crafter story to keep the existence of vampires hidden from the world. Jude's purpose is to make the world a better place, and he surrounds himself with people that have done enough good in their human life that they are worthy of becoming vampires to continue that work.

While A History of Vampires is the story of how they came to be, what their purpose is and how they exist in the world and what they try to accomplish, as you continue on in the story, you find that it is much more. Author Amanda Lewis starts what looks to be a series with this first book that lays the ground work for everything to come, it builds the backstory of how the characters came to be and what things they might have done in their lives to warrant the future events yet to come. You don't have to like vampires to enjoy this story, in fact, other than the noteworthy identity of some of the characters in the book, you can almost completely forget about them being vampire's, because they are nothing like you have ever read about before. This is the start of an epic tale of love, life and good vs evil, with a sprinkling of history re-written throw in. This book will appeal to all readers of all ages and genres.

Not a big fan of the book and probably won't be continuing it when the next one comes out, I wasn't really a fan of the characters and I don't really think there was any plot (though I can see that the author was setting up the plot for the next book, but I just lacked interest in what was happening). It felt kind of immature in writing.

There was a lot og potential that unfortunately was not fulfilled.

If you need a good romance with a large helping of mystery, archeology, and of course vampires, this is the perfect book! It was honestly like reading The Mummy/ Indiana Jones but with vampires.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC which I received in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is just my opinion.

The book description had me very intrigued in the beginning but it did not deliver in the end.

I liked that the female mc was 35 which resonated with me. I liked the twists on history with famous characters.

But the rest was just very hard to battle through. The romance was not it for me, and I was expecting a bit of good vampire spice, but meh. I need more of a story that takes you places in you head and puts you in “another world”.

I still think there are a lot of people that would enjoy this book so if you love vampires and history go for it!.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in return for my unbiased review.

When 35 year old archeologist Angelina meets a handsome vampire King named Jude, she is drawn into the world of vampire society. Will their romance stand the test of time? Does Angelina have what it will take to face the dangers in this new world if she becomes his Queen?

This book is pitched as an adult vampire romance. I couldn't disagree more with that branding. There is absolutely no spice in this at all. I understand that adult romances don't need to have spice, but aside from kissing there is absolutely no other romance to be found in this book. The romance to me was very PG, I think this may have been better characterized as YA. The plot was very hard for me to follow as it just kind of takes you around as Jude shows Angelina his world. The pacing was way too slow for my liking and the plot was basically non-existent for me. It started to get ok towards the very end but it was brutal trying to get there. I loved that the heroine was an educated and intelligent woman but this also confused me because when she first meets Jude, all her common sense basically goes out the window. Jude basically admits to stalking her and she just doesn't even bat an eye. Definitely not a good message to be putting out there, but I understand that often when it comes to vampire romances this is the case. I guess I was also expecting a more dark vampire story than I got in this book. There is no blood drinking, sex or other typical vampire behaviors in this book. I would say this is a very purist take on vampires, so if that sounds like something you'd enjoy, I'd say definitely give it a shot as it is a very unique take on vampire lore. This book also had the insta love trope which I am not a fan of at all. To top it off, I just didn't enjoy the romance aspect at all. All of their interactions felt awkward and forced instead of full of emotion and tension. I did really enjoy seeing some of history's famous historical figures reimagined as vampires!

Overall, this one just wasn't for me and I feel it should have been placed in a different category. I think this would be good for younger readers who are interested in vampires, but whose parents don't want them reading about all the violence that usually comes along with those types of books.

2

*Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book early in exchange of a honest review*

If you're expecting to read a story about vampires, come again. This book couldn't be farther from it.

Not only do they not have proper fangs, they hardly drink blood and they spend their time contributing to a secret society that aims to better the world.

Now, my problem isn't with that even though I was disappointed that it wasn't what you would expect from a book on vampires.

My problem is with Angelia, Jude and their whole affair.

She is a doctor in archeology, she's supposed to be smart and have common sense. So when she knows that a man has been stalking her and then he admits of doing so, she shouldn't have gone on a date with him.

Angelina, girl, however sexy he might be, you know better than that c'mon.

Also, a girl who has spent her whole life studying and investing in her degree and her future just does not throw away everything just because a handsome man asks you to marry you.

A man who you've known for less than a month who has been stalking you for three years.

It's complete nonsense and it was maddening to read.

The two stars are wholly for Edgar and Ludwig.
Now that was cool. I cannot deny that meeting your favorite authors and historical figures have its appeal and I'd love that.

But everything else? Utter nonsense.

It's safe to say that I won't continue the series.

A History of Vampires: A New Queen - Amanda Lewis ⁣
@theamandalewis⁣

@netgalley⁣

At 3% the author has just painted a mental visual of a very sexy man! ⁣

Our MC is Angelina, archaeologist. I love her enthusiasm and love for people.⁣

Jude - coming across as a sexy pussy boy right now - he cries A LOT in a new relationship, does he have a majorly tortured soul!? ⁣

The historical figures make me laugh so much! I love the way they have been given a new life and are now in the present.. very good in my humble opinion. ⁣

I have to admit I keep waiting for a Keith Richards reference and how he is the ‘vampire’ who has been turned, eaten loads of crap that’s not good for him and hasn’t faked his death yet!⁣

This was a good read, not spicy but engaging nonetheless.⁣

It was immediate between our two MCs and I wasn’t sure I was going to like it, turns out I really did.⁣

An enjoyable read.⁣

4 stars ⭐