Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Vampire Pet Boutique Mysteries #3

A Midsummer Fang's Dream

Rate this book
Josie’s ready for the lazy days and lemonade that summer has to offer, but instead, she gets a cold and clingy redhead invading her turf. Does this summer have a return policy?

For years, Josie has cultivated a friendship with sexy medical researcher Calder, but she’s been too afraid to take things further. But along with the heat, summer brings a spicy transplant to Arteria Falls—Calder’s gorgeous and genius professor ex-girlfriend. Calder claims not to have known she was coming, but now that she’s arrived, he’s getting a little too close to her. A jealous Josie can’t stand the sight of them together, but she doesn’t have to look at them for long. Just after Josie has a public squabble with Calder’s ex, she’s murdered in her research lab.

Josie and Calder quickly become suspects, so Josie puts her PI license to work to find the real killer. It should be easy—not that many people could possibly want to kill the charming professor, right? But as Josie digs, she discovers that underneath the victim’s beautiful, confident exterior lie ugly secrets and shady schemes. And someone wants to keep those schemes buried deeper than Dracula’s coffin, and they’re willing to sacrifice Josie to do it.

But her life isn’t the only thing in peril—rising tensions between Josie and Calder might just wipe out their relationship before it even begins.

Can Josie salvage things with Calder before the victim’s co-conspirators put her in the morgue too?

281 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 21, 2023

13 people are currently reading
37 people want to read

About the author

Elle Wren Burke

30 books540 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
70 (70%)
4 stars
19 (19%)
3 stars
10 (10%)
2 stars
0 (0%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
Profile Image for Ashley.
248 reviews9 followers
August 13, 2025
This is more of a 2.5 which is a bummer. I've been absolutely devouring these books. In about 2 weeks I've read three of them. The characters and writing are all so fun and the mysteries are too.

But there's a big part of this that rubbed me the wrong way.

Calder's ex-girlfriend shows up and is absolutely awful to Josie. She gets her name wrong, speaks snidely about her working in retail as if she doesn't own her own store, makes classist comments about people who have to use the bus and even makes a comment about "I'd invite you hiking but, well," and gestured to the fact she was using her wheelchair. And it was done very rudely.

When she finally blows up over it and calls her classist, Calder DEFENDS his ex instead of seeing that Josie is right! And the whole book they argue about it and it really bothered me.

He's supposed to have feelings for her but can't see when someone is being an absolute monster to her? Or just, in general? She's rude, annoying, condescending, ableist, and all around, trash.

They never talked about it in the end. He didn't apologize. Hell, Josie wound up apologizing to him for what she said about his ex.

It really soured me on their relationship. I can't rate it higher because it made every scene they were in together uncomfortable.

Josie was the victim in many ways in this book. But it was never rectified.
Profile Image for Bec.
240 reviews3 followers
June 17, 2023
"A Midsummer Fang’s Dream" by Elle Wren Burke is a cozy murder mystery that takes place in the fictional small town of Arteria Falls, Colorado. It is like most close-knit ethnic villages. There’s the bakery and the veterinarian and numerous other small shops along Vein Street, including a cute little pet boutique owned by our main character, Josie Wixx.

If you’ve been reading the series from the first book then you know that Josie isn’t just a shop owner, she’s also a licensed Private Investigator and a vampire. She also has a chronic pain disability that has her dependent on things that help her with mobility, like a hot pink wheelchair named Zippy.

I must say that I admire Ms. Burke, for she is also suffering from chronic pain, but has fought through it and written about what it’s like to try and get through the day and the obstacles she faces. Her life experiences are mirrored in her main character, Josie Wixx.

Josie doesn’t whine and cry about her difficulties, she’s just upfront about what she’s feeling and what she needs to consider having available as she moves through her daily activities. Does she need a back brace, her cane or possibly knee braces? She also has a great group of friends who do what they can to help her out at the pet boutique or with a case.

While all of that makes for a pretty strong minded and self-confident young woman, Ms. Burke has also written a murder mystery for Josie to solve. And it is another excellent cozy murder mystery that I didn’t figure out who the killer was until the very end.

This was a quick read for me and I really am enjoying the series and hope to see a few more Josie Wixx mysteries in the near future.

I also hope that people will see this as a positive statement of what differently abled people can accomplish and get her books into the hands of young people who need to see that needing a cane or wheelchair to get around does not mean a life of confinement.

I received this arc from the author and I am freely giving an honest review.
Profile Image for Elle Hartford.
Author 36 books301 followers
June 26, 2023
This was such a fun and compelling read!!

Josie's adventures are just getting better and better. If you just picked up the series, you *could* start here, but it is definitely worth it to check out the earlier books too. Either way, this one was so satisfying because we get to see how Josie's friends have evolved and grown closer--and, of course, how one particular friend becomes closer than ever. ;)

Throughout the book, Josie's investigation is suspenseful and at times laugh-out-loud funny. Josie is gutsy and resourceful, and even though she goes out on a limb often, her risks are always carefully calculated. So, while I was sometimes worried for her, I never felt like she was doing anything ridiculous or silly. Her friends provide awesome support, and the cast of suspects is very intriguing (I especially enjoyed meeting the aunt, haha). There's also a meta-mystery going on through all books in the series so far and we get a big, interesting development toward the end of this story that made me look forward to the next installment all the more!

Overall, I'd absolutely recommend this book to cozy readers, vampire lovers, and anyone who enjoys a creative and absorbing world. I know I will be back for more! :)
1,769 reviews23 followers
June 13, 2023
What a paranormal cozey mystery with a hit of murder could you not want to have for your own. Ellie Wren Burke has written this fabulous array of characters that will have you captivated especially the heroine Josie even though she rolls on wheels uses crutches or canes you would be hard done by to keep up with her both physically and mentally Ms.Burke has her one tough cookie. As well as those who care about her. You will come to care for each one of them yourself wishing perhaps you yourself were part of their special group enticing you further because this wouldn't be a mystery without them you will come across deadly schemers and a body while a plot will unfold and entwine before your very eyes keeping you entranced and captivated with suspects and clues going in one direction then another bringing to life a tale that will have you turning page after page with excitement, fear and laughter not wanting to put it down once you've started reading until you've reached its unexpected and climatic conclusion Acquire " A Midsummer Fang's Dream " for hours of intriguing and enjoyable entertainment. Kat
Profile Image for Spinneretta.
2,889 reviews20 followers
March 19, 2024
Good

WARNING! Cliffhanger! It’s about a 4/5 on the trauma scale, but not what I consider life threatening, just life altering.

Calder’s ex is in town, causing trouble for Josie: that is right up until she is murdered! With both her and Calder as suspects, Josie is investigating once again!
Meanwhile some significant leads in her grandfather’s case come to light, and some difficulties in her relationship with Calder might derail them both…

Josie makes some pretty big mistakes in this one- and one of those she even repeats! It was definitely frustrating to read, and I was definitely huffing and puffing at her.
That being said, this one had two rather interesting cases: the case of the murdered ex, and the case of the missing gramps, both of which were interesting, both had intriguing lines of enquiry to follow. There were some surprises in both cases, and I liked that the murderer did indeed keep me guessing.

An entertaining, if sometimes frustrating (because Josie did something I disagreed with LOL) read, fans of the series and of paranormal cosy mysteries will enjoy the read.
Profile Image for Claudia.
276 reviews8 followers
June 14, 2023
Josie Wixx is a pet boutique owner, private investigator, and vampire living with chronic pain. A Midsummer Fang's Dream is the third book in the series which takes place in Arteria Falls, Colorado a secret city where vampires, and a select number of humans reside.

Over the past few years, Josie and her longtime friend Calder have been getting closer, and leaning more towards a romantic situation. When Calista, Calder's ex shows up in town she brings lots of secrets, and ends up being the focus of Josie's next case.

With Josie's connections and can do attitude, she is able to track down information and interview those who can share needed information for the case. Josie is a smart and funny lead character. We get to see how life is like for her living with a chronic illness. Her pain might slow her down, but she makes adjustments using different mobility devices. She doesn't give up.

This was a quick read for me, and left me wanting to read more about Josie, and her next adventure!

Thank you to the author for the review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Miss W Book Reviews.
1,810 reviews153 followers
June 11, 2023
A Midsummer Fang's Dream is the third book in the Vampire Pet Boutique Mystery series by Elle Wren Burke. I absolutely LOVE this series and I don't know how the books keep getting better and better!

I love Josie so much! I feel so SEEN with Josie and her chronic illness and the honesty in which she expresses her disability.

I loved seeing so much of Calder in this book, Josie's potential love interest. When Calder's ex is murdered, Josie investigates as Calder is the main suspect.

There is so much action in this book and the mystery is fantastic. I also love how the author simultaneously integrates a second mystery into the story which is an ongoing arc of her grandfather's disappearance.

So well done! The characters are well written (lgbt, chronic illness rep) and well fleshed out.
I was on the edge of my seat with the multiple suspects.

Such a great book, highly recommend!
Profile Image for Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review).
882 reviews
August 9, 2023
These are a fun paranormal series of cozy mysteries, the protagonist is a disabled Vampire (in this world Vamps are rather like humans, but they live longer and cannot eat a LOT of foods - although there are some [wine, chocolate and coconut in all its forms are just three of them!] and they do need blood but they can buy this, oh and they live in Vamp centric towns with a few, well vetted, humans to fulfil some of the jobs), Josie owns and runs a Pet boutique, however, her Grandfather (who is missing) is/was a PI and he was training her up until his disappearance.  In this one Josie is upset when her almost boyfriend's ex turns up, she is stunning to look at, but spoiled and annoying and after a rather public spat .... dead!

Now Calder (the almost BF) is in the frame for her murder so Josie, her trusty wheelchair Zippy, and various friends will need to track down what happened and why before Calder ends up in the slammer and Josie ends up on a slab!
345 reviews6 followers
June 14, 2023
Josie Wixx is a P.I. and pet shop owner with a missing grandfather and a serious crush on her long time friend Calder. She keeps Calder at a distance because she doesn't want to burden him with her health disability or endanger him with her search for her missing grandfather. When Calder's ex Calista shows up and makes it clear that she would like to rekindle their past Josie loses it. When Calista is found dead in her lab Josie and Calder become suspects in the eyes of Detective Doofus in spite oe of the stalker ex and loan shark/drug dealer who were also after Calista. Many threads are followed in the search for the killer and a couple leads pop up in the Roan search as well. A fine effort for book 3 in this series and I look forward to the next episode.
I received an ARC from the author for an unbiased review.
Profile Image for Amber Andrade.
76 reviews
September 3, 2023
First and foremost I would like to thank Elle Wren Burke for the Arc copy of The Tell Fang Heart.

My review has come a little late but I could not have enjoyed this installment anymore than I have!! 5 fangtastic stars!!

This is the third installment in the Vampire Pet Boutique Mysteries. We are once again submersed in the cozy little vampire town of Arteria Falls where we follow Josie Wixx, PI and pet boutique owner, as she once again throws herself into the fray of a gripping investigation!!

This book is filled with action, intrigue, murder —- let’s not forget the mystery and several love interests 😉😜. I absolutely adore Josie’s friend group and the way they support each other. I had a great time with this read and can’t wait to see what’s in store next for Josie Wixx and Arteria Falls ESPECIALLY AFTER THAT ENDING!!
Profile Image for Kat Klein.
1,034 reviews25 followers
July 20, 2025
I think this one might be my least favorite of the series, more for the romance portion than the mystery. I found both Josie's and Calder's behaviour kind of childish, but at least Calder had the excuse of emotional pain. The mystery itself was pretty good, but I found that I couldn't drum up a lot of sympathy for the victim. Hell, I kind of felt worse for the killer than I did for the victim. Still, it was a decent read. The biggest reason why this hasn't gotten more stars as a series is the constant 'vampire humor' which is about the only way to remember that they are vampires. It's overdone, irrelevant to the story, and frequently breaks the immersion for me. I honestly can't find any reason for the character to be a vampire. It doesn't seem to add anything to the story.

The story itself stands on its own.
Profile Image for Kristin .
553 reviews
June 18, 2023
I am going to be re-reading this over and over again! I adore the whole series but this is my favorite by a mile.

A beautiful red headed vampire comes to town and sends our beloved Calder's life in a tailspin. Not only his life but also his relationship with Josie as well. Who's the red head? Does Calder's life recover? What about his relationship with Josie? Read and find out.

The mystery is extremely interesting, the suspects are plenty and when all is revealed, it's another "I don’t figure it out" moment. We even have a few heart wrenching moments, an anniversary, a happy tears inducing moment and lastly, a cliffhanger that has me chomping at the bit for the next book.

Well beyond 5 stars, 2 thumbs up and highly one click worthy!
Profile Image for Laura Moylan.
1,570 reviews
July 31, 2023
Josie finally realizes what she has felt for Calder is true all along. They had a moment and now his ex shows up. The ex is a real pain in the butt. Problems arise, Josie gets jealous and then there is a death involved and more problems show up. Josie can barely keep up with the hits as they keep on coming. There are a bunch of reveals in the book. It was so awesome! I love these books and how they show that just because you are different and have a disability, it doesn’t count you out of kicking butt and finding the truth. Josie really has some good friends and she really needs them in the book. I can’t wait for the next book!
Profile Image for Bonnie J..
224 reviews8 followers
June 20, 2023
I received a copy from the author.
As someone with disabilities, I can say that this author truly gets it. I can feel Josie's pain and frustration on dealing with her disability on a daily basis. Josie is strong, smart and a pet sully shop owner who happens to be a vampire living in this wondrous small town that is full of vampires and humans. All of the characters are great and likeable. Now we add a mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. Did I mention that the murdered person is the ex girlfriend of Josie's current boyfriend. This is such a fun series. I highly recommend it.
378 reviews2 followers
June 24, 2023
Read books in order, you will want to know all the quirky people.
This is a twisted adventure where Josie has friends, allies, enemies, frenemies, liers and just when you think at you are close to whodunnit. Beep, wrong one was they have an solid alibths, so check that off.
As the clues get get marked off, the ending has unexpected ending.... sorry no spoilers!
You will shake your head, asking yourself why did I not see this one coming?
Profile Image for Andrea Stoeckel.
3,180 reviews132 followers
June 22, 2023
"'Josie…Goddess, you have to find who did this.'
'You know I will.'"

Josie Wixx and her friends are into another situation when Calder Venae, her friend, all of the sudden ( it seems) shows up with another girl(friend?) from his time before he came to Arterial Falls. But is Cassandra Colson really his ex? She sure doesn't act like his ex they ways she invades his space.

Josie and Cal are "we're friends but maybe we could be more",in part because of Josie's illness but also because her PI work is dangerous. Her friends have been focused on in the past. What about the present and the future?

While this is going on, Dr. Colson is killed late one night after she and Cal ran into Josie and her date where words were exchanged. And leave it to Detective Craig to be in charge of the investigation. From his point of view the obvious suspect is Calder...no Josie ...no Calder. Proof that neither could have done this doesn't help. But Josie promises Calder she's really going to find the killer, despite Detective Crabby.

Will she be able to? Can she live with herself if she doesn't? And who's Belinda Hollow?

Elle Wren Burke has done it again! This series is so good! The mysteries are well thought out and the characters are people you'll root for. But can someone please fire Detective Crotchety? . Highly Recommended 5/5

[ Disclaimer: I received this book from the author and voluntarily read and reviewed it]
1,362 reviews
June 12, 2023
Overall I enjoyed this book. I like that the main character, Josie, is disabled because people with disabilities aren’t featured enough. And the author’s take on vampirism is interesting. But there are too many times that Josie just doesn’t act like the well trained investigator that she is supposed to be.
Profile Image for Maria.
3,090 reviews100 followers
April 24, 2024
Great addition to the series. The mystery, as usual, is front and center, but there’s enough character development and world building to make it easy to connect to Josie and her friends. I like the continuing storyline that is mentioned here and there regarding her grandfather and his disappearance. Looking forward to learning more about this and visiting Arteria Falls again.
Profile Image for Lee Brothers.
1,388 reviews15 followers
June 14, 2023
I thought this storyline was really interesting. I really like Josie, i'm hoping at some point that she develops her self-confidence and realizes that she deserves to be loved no matter what's wrong with her body. We all need to do that so I hope she inspires us!!
Profile Image for Beth Helm.
1,116 reviews
June 21, 2023
I loved this book. This book kept me on my toes trying to guess who did it. It sent me on a roller coaster from start to finish.
137 reviews1 follower
June 25, 2023
Excellent, easy one sit read. Realistic characters that happen to have fangs. Don't miss this series.
Profile Image for Jessica.
546 reviews2 followers
July 11, 2023
This series is quickly becoming one of my favorite comfort reads. I love Josie and her group of friends. Can't wait to read more.
148 reviews1 follower
July 12, 2023
Excellent

What more can I say about the book. Excellent read, wonderful wit on occasion, brilliant artistry to connect the prices at the last minute.
116 reviews
July 19, 2023
Really really enjoying this series! I love ther humor josie has. Can't wait for more books in the series
Profile Image for Mary Mitchell.
1,048 reviews8 followers
February 3, 2024
Exciting

This book was so full of mystery, intrigue, and heart racing moments. I absolutely loved it from start to finish.
480 reviews5 followers
July 1, 2023
Elle did it again. What a delightful vampire murder mystery. The way that this author writes, you will have a movie running through your mind as your reading the story. I can't wait for the next book to continue more of the movie.

I received an ARC copy of this book and volunteered a honest review.
Profile Image for Jerrie Wright.
140 reviews8 followers
July 27, 2023
A Midsummer Fang's Dream is book 3 in the Vampire Pet Boutique Mysteries by Elle Burke. Josie is a vampire, PI, and owner of the local pet boutique in the fictional town of Arterial Falls where vampires and humans live together. Elle Burke has also written a murder mystery for Josie to solve because Calder is suspected of killing Calista who is his ex-girlfriend. Josie is also working on the mystery of her grandfather's disappearance. The characters in this book are Josie Wixx, Calder Venaes, Calder's ex-girlfriend Cassandra Colson, Detective Craig, Belinda Holloway and many other well-written characters. My favorite part of the book is, that Josie doesn't let her being different, due to her chronic pain; stop her from doing what she wants. You can read this book alone or start the series of Vampire Pet Boutique Mysteries. This was a great cozy murder mystery that is at times funny. Josie lives with chronic pain and she doesn't let the difficulties she encounters everyday stop her. Josie also has a good group of friends that do what they can to help her. Thank you Elle Burke for a copy to read. This is an honest review and the opinions stated here are in my own words.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.