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Vampire Book Club #1

The Vampire Book Club

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Quinn Callahan is having a doozy of a midlife crisis.
She's stuck in a dead end job, going nowhere, but she's been fine with it. She's 45 and divorced. Her husband left her for her best friend—so cliche! But it was all good—until Quinn, a practicing witch, broke a major rule, and found her boring existence turned upside down. Suddenly, she finds herself thousands miles away from the bustling metropolis of Seattle and plunked down in the sleepy little hamlet of Ballydehag, Ireland, and proprietress of a charming little bookshop. Surely, there's no chance for a middle aged witch to get into any trouble here....right? Uh......

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 2, 2020

805 people are currently reading
1108 people want to read

About the author

Nancy Warren

361 books1,887 followers
Nancy Warren is the USA Today bestselling author of more than 100 novels.

She’s known for writing funny, sexy and suspenseful tales. She’s an avid hiker, animal lover, wine drinker and chocolate fiend. Favorite moments in her career include being featured on the front page of the New York Times, being the answer to a crossword puzzle clue in Canada’s National Post newspaper and being a finalist three times in the Rita awards. She has won the Reviewer’s Choice Award from Romantic Times magazine.

Get a free short story when you sign up for Nancy's newsletter at www.NancyWarrenAuthor.com or join Nancy in her private Facebook group to talk about books, knitting, pets & life.
www.facebook.com/groups/NancyWarrenKn...

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5 stars
1,141 (38%)
4 stars
1,104 (37%)
3 stars
592 (20%)
2 stars
95 (3%)
1 star
9 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 282 reviews
Profile Image for Keri Stone.
766 reviews111 followers
February 21, 2024
I really enjoyed Nancy Warren’s series Vampire Knitting Club. I found those fun, with characters that were quirky and likable. The first in this series does not measure up for me. First off, I listened to the audiobook, and I didn’t like the narrator. But the vibe is so different, and the main character Quinn is not particularly likable. The big murder reveal includes her outing all her new neighbors’ secrets. I won’t be reading more of this series…

I give it 2-1/2 stars, but I just can’t round up to 3
Profile Image for Veronique.
1,370 reviews225 followers
July 1, 2022
If you’ve enjoyed the Vampire Knitting Club series then you’ll more than likely will like this one :O)

The similarities are aplenty, Warren obviously using a trusted ‘formula’. Does that mean it isn’t good? No, it achieves what the author set out to do - namely entertain her readers with a cosy mystery featuring mostly well behaved vampires and witches. We do have a new setting, a little Irish village instead of Oxford, and a slightly older main character, with a somewhat different perspective, but it does feel the same. I enjoyed it and immediately started the second one. Easy reading for those moments when that is exactly what you need.
Profile Image for Gemma.
834 reviews67 followers
January 9, 2021
I'm new to Nancy Warren, and I'm hooked.
This was a really lovey cozy mystery.
I loved the fact it was set in a small village in co cork, with the addition of witches and vampires. I can't wait to get onto the next book.
Profile Image for Sarah.
3,360 reviews1,236 followers
May 6, 2020
Quinn knew it was wrong using her magic to try and save the life of her ex-husband but she never expected the consequences to be quite so harsh. Banished from her coven she is given 2 weeks to pack up her entire life in America before being shipped off to a small village in Ireland where she's due to take charge of the local book shop. It's a total culture shock for her when she first arrives but what really throws her for a loop is the dead body she finds behind the counter the first time she enters the shop. It's not in Quinn's nature to sit back and wait for someone else to solve this mystery but when you're new in town it's hard to tell friends from potential foes.

The Vampire Book Club was a fun start to Nancy Warren's new series. I liked Quinn's character and found it made a change to read about a slightly older character than most books, Quinn is in her 40s and pretty confident in herself which was great. Her life has been turned upside down but she's determined to make a go of things and throws herself into making new friends and meeting the other villagers. I would have liked to have seen a little more of her magic so I hope that comes out to play more in future books.

I love the idea of the Vampire Book Club and the members seemed quite fun so I'm looking forward to spending more time with them. I also enjoyed meeting the residents of Ballydehag, there were lots of colourful characters and plenty of them are keeping secrets too. I'm really curious to find out what happened to the owner of the book shop, it appears she was also sent away after doing something she shouldn't have but we've not been given any information about what she did or where she's gone. I think there's definitely more to learn about there so it'll be interesting to see what we discover in the next book.
Profile Image for Jo Anne.
948 reviews10 followers
May 10, 2020
Wow, I don't know what happened between the very excellent Vampire Knitting Club and the Vampire Book Club, but Nancy Warren seriously dropped the ball. There was none of the lighthearted humor and camaraderie of "Knitting."
Quinn is a 45-year old American witch living in Seattle when she commits a huge witch no-no--she tries to heal her dying ex-husband. She buys him two months but he dies anyway, and Quinn is punished by being banished to a tiny village in Ireland. She is to take over for another witch, who also did something terrible (and no one will speak of it) and so Quinn settles into a lovely cottage by the sea, and now runs the Blarney Tome, yes, a bookstore.
Ok, I knew this was going to be a murder mystery, but unlike The Vampire Knitting Club, the Vampire Reading Club was bleak. Quinn discovers a dead body in the bookstore the first day she arrives. Clues are shoved under the shop's door. Everyone in the village seems suspect.
What I especially didn't like was how the killer was revealed. The entire village was invited to a party and there Quinn pointed fingers at everyone until she finally got to the killer and badgered them to confess. I never liked this style of reveal that was so synonymous with Agatha Christie and old TV shows. And honestly, after exposing everyone's dirty laundry, how could she expect to live and do business in the village?
I won't be reading any more of this series.
Profile Image for A Voracious Reader (a.k.a. Carol).
2,157 reviews1 follower
May 2, 2025
Book source ~ Kindle Unlimited

This is a joint review with Bea from Bea's Book Nook

Plot

Bea: The story was slow and the grand reveal was over the top. I'm worried there may be a romance developing between Quinn and Lachlan. Worried because it's such an obvious and trite story path to take.

AVR: The murder mystery seems a little contrived and I agree that the reveal was a bit much. It does seem as if the author is leading us toward a Lachlan/Quinn romance. I don't mind if they date, but I'd like to see some other interest(s) for Quinn. Maybe because I'm not a huge fan of the romance between Rafe & Lucy in the Knitting series. Mostly because Lucy doesn't seem to be all in either. Actually, Quinn seems a better choice as a romantic interest for a vampire than Lucy because she doesn't seem to have the same "immortal" hang up that Lucy still does. I guess we'll see.

Bea: Oh yes, the mystery felt quite contrived but then so did the location of the book club meetings. Lachlan's home would seem to make more sense, if only from a privacy perspective.

Characters

Bea:I liked seeing Rafe, Agnes, and Sylvia. I loved that this trip to Ireland was referenced in a couple of the book Vampire Knitting Club series. And since I read the most recent Knitting book before I read this one, I met Lachlan in that. It was a nice little preview.

AVR: I haven't quite warmed up to Quinn like I did immediately with Lucy, but I do like her. And I do like she's an older character with experiences under her belt. I'm worried this series will flounder because the town is so tiny. I like a lot of great side characters to help move the story along and add depth and richness. And humor. The Knitting series has plenty of those, so maybe we'll meet more in the Book series. Bonus for adding Rafe, Silvia, and Agnes to create a crossover. Can never hate my favorite characters making an appearance in a connecting series.

Bea: I also like the interconnecting characters and the fact that the appearance of Rafe, Sylvia, and Agnes made sense and wasn't random. Although, now that I think about it, it might not make sense if you haven't read the originating series. The tiny town is a concern; it runs the risk of turning into Murder, She Wrote.

World Building

Bea: I'm not sure it can be read apart from the original series; maybe it could. Warren did further the world building and I have learned a lot more about witches now, especially their governance.

AVR: The one thing I like about this over the Knitting series is the witch stuff. I learned more because Quinn takes it seriously. That's one thing that pisses me off about Lucy. She keeps blowing her witchiness off. Gah!

Bea: I did like learning more about the witch business, and getting a closer look at it. I agree about Lucy; she needs to take it more seriously. Quinn is more serious about it and far more accomplished.

Overall

Bea: It took a while to warm up to Quinn. She's a good person and a good witch, most of the time. But she rubbed me the wrong way at times. I love that she's a middle aged character. The older I get, the more I love seeing characters closer to my age.

AVR: The story was a bit slow to get off the ground, but it is the first book and any series needs to start somewhere. Once the groundwork was laid it cruised along at a decent rate. The reveal seemed a bit iffy and I'm not quite sure about where this maybe romance is heading between Quinn and Lachlan, but I'll reserve judgment for now. I'm looking forward to book 2.

Bea: Agreed, it was slow to get going but it slowly picked up steam. I'm not sure how authentic the depiction is of an Irish village but it's a charming locale. I was not a fan of the reveal; it was over the top. It was a nod to classic mystery reveals but too contrived for my liking. I concerns about the viability of the series but I like the location despite my concerns and I like book store settings. The humor appeals to me and I'm intrigued by Quinn and the others. I'll be back for book two.

Purchased audio from Chirp April 2025
1,383 reviews20 followers
May 20, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. I was expecting it to be good as I enjoy Nancy's Vampire Knitting Club books but this was so much better! I liked Quinn a lot. She is a middle aged witch who tried to do the right thing even though it was against the witch world laws. As a result she is sent to a tiny village in Ireland to run a bookstore. A place where she couldn't get into trouble. But the day she arrives, she discovers a body. Add in a castle owned by a vampire, a book club for vampires, a delightful cat and a village of quirky characters and this book was magic. I am looking forward to the next one.
Profile Image for Ophelia .
45 reviews
August 18, 2024
Three and a half stars, really. It was pretty good but not as good as The Vampire Knitting Club, which I really did enjoy. I didn't like the characters as well.
Profile Image for Trio.
3,619 reviews209 followers
November 21, 2025
I really enjoyed Nancy Warren's Bake Off inspired mysteries, so I snagged The Vampire Book Club hoping for more of the same. Hopefully these characters will grow on me, I'll definitely try the next one.

The audio version of The Vampire Book Club was nicely performed by Hollis McCarthy.
Profile Image for Chris B.
213 reviews7 followers
December 26, 2021
I found this quite entertaining. The reason I didn’t add the extra star was because it seemed to solve the mystery of who the killer was (who I didn’t guess in advance) and tie up all the loose ends too quickly at the end. I found myself wondering how did we get from not knowing to knowing who it was, that fast?
Profile Image for Micky Cox.
2,319 reviews38 followers
January 11, 2021
An excellent new series that will delight and entertain you! Who hasn't dreamed of living in a small village in the Irish countryside in an adorably quaint cottage and running a fabulous bookstore? I know I have! Toss in a group of voracious reading vampires who hold a midnight bookclub and you are set! Of course it would help if the first day you arrive to check out the bookstore you don't find a dead body behind the checkout desk! At least you are too new in town to be the murder suspect, but being new in town means that everyone else is suspected! Toss in visitors from the Vampire Knitting series and you not only have the perfect story, but a lovely cross over as well! If you haven't read the Vampire Knitting series that will not interfere with your enjoyment, but I do have to say that you are missing out on hours of entertainment! This author weaves wonderful characters and brings them to life in a manner that makes you not only enjoy the books, but feel as if you have made new friends. The plot is wonderfully woven to give you nice twists and turns to keep you guessing! The narrator of the audiobook is absolutely divine! She breaths extra life into already amazing characters and helps bring the story to life! She is quickly becoming a favorite of mine! I absolutely can't wait for the next book in this series!
Profile Image for Jennifer.
3,224 reviews67 followers
December 5, 2021
This is a fluffy paranormal cozy that was fun. I didn't enjoy it as much as the Vampire Knitting Club books by the same author, and I liked the cameo of characters from that series in this book. However, it could be that I haven't gotten to know the main character well enough to have a strong opinion of her yet.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
603 reviews6 followers
April 1, 2022
Just as fun as the Knitting Club, and a couple of fun cameos!
Profile Image for K Whatsherface.
1,261 reviews7 followers
April 7, 2023
Soooo I'm avoiding the book I should be reading and end up reading this. Had a few cameos from some characters from the vampire knitting club. And Lochlan had cameos in the vampire knitting club series. I kinda like that she's in her late 30s early 40s. I dont remember. I forgot to mark it and i dont want to go through the trouble of finding it. But Most books I read like this the main character are 20s at the oldest. Usually early to mid 20s. If they hit 30 its not until later in the series. Lucy from vampire knitting club was mid 20s in the first book. Just what pops into my head when I should be sleeping
Profile Image for Mari  Pequenos Retalhos.
912 reviews28 followers
June 13, 2023
Good but not great. I thought the big reveal wasn't as shocking as I would have expected it to be.
Profile Image for Bookjazzer2010.
331 reviews
October 3, 2025
I’m hooked on another Nancy Warren cozy series. They are perfect for a librarian who knits. These are easy to relax with in between heavier reads.
Profile Image for Sara Oxton.
3,804 reviews18 followers
May 5, 2020
The Vampire Book Club by Nancy Warren a five-star A+ of a read. This is the first novel in the Vampire Book club series and it shows as much promise as the other series by this author I have read and enjoyed. This is a great example of the cozy mystery genre, and it had me hooked from start to finish. I enjoyed all of the characters especially Quinn Calahan and Cerridwen, but each character felt well rounded and filled out they all had a purpose, even if they haven’t had their time in the limelight yet you know they will. I am not always a huge fan of this genre but have found that Nancy Warren doesn’t disappoint, she brings the genre to life and keeps you guessing all the way through.
Profile Image for Kristen.
2,608 reviews88 followers
December 14, 2022
Eh, this was okay. Not great but it was a decent cozy.

There was nothing particularly special about this, and the paranormal aspect was almost non-existent so that was a bit disappointing.

The characters were nice enough. But overall this was just average and there wasn't anything here that made me want to continue with this series. It kept my attention and helped pass the time since I had this as an audio book and listened to it while commuting and doing chores.
12.7k reviews189 followers
May 7, 2020
What a delightful story. A middle age Witch that gets herself in trouble and is sent to a small unknown village in Ireland. Quinn gets a second chance at life. Totally enjoyable and different.
Profile Image for Taaya .
926 reviews4 followers
abgebrochen
November 10, 2024
DNFed at 36 percent

Profile Image for Toni.
1,571 reviews65 followers
May 10, 2021
4.5 stars

This is the first book in the Vampire Book Club series by Nancy Warren.

This was a really fun book. I struggled at the beginning a bit since it was a new series and I had to get my bearings. Once I caught onto what was going on, it was a fun ride. I felt like some of Quinn’s motivations were a little convoluted, especially at the beginning. Once we got past that part, everything seemed to better flow and make more sense. I felt like the author was just trying just a bit too hard at the start to make the story flow. When she got into the story and it was more familiar, then things began to flow more easily.

This is a series I will continue with since her Great Witches Baking Show series was one of my new favorites

Definitely pick this up if you are a cozy mystery lover.
Profile Image for Eden.
2,226 reviews
August 13, 2020
2020 bk 273. Quinn, a witch, is being punished, she messed with matters of life & death and her punishment - exile to a small Irish town, housed in an adorable Irish country cottage and running a bookstore. If that is punishment.... The night before her first opening she discovers a body in the bookstore, and learns that the man is a player with many loves in this one small village. What is a witch to do - solve the mystery what else. A soft, fun, quick read. Just what I needed on a stormy day.
Profile Image for Karen.
117 reviews3 followers
December 9, 2024
I love a good cozy crime novel and this one has the bonus of being set in ireland. Ballydehag reminds me so much of the town I live in I can picture it so clearly.

I was surprised when I googled her that Nancy Warren isn't irish she has such a good grasp of the local turn of phrase and even slipps in a few words of Irish for good measure.
I loved the vampire knitting club series and it was nice to see some familiar faces make an apperance in this book. (not to mention Oscar wilde coming back from the dead)


I look forward to reading more of this series.
Profile Image for Emily Reads.
640 reviews4 followers
December 6, 2021
This delivered exactly what I wanted it to. This is a delightful paranormal cozy mystery set in a quaint little Irish village, and a fun start to another witchy series from Nancy Warren. I will say that is is fairly similar in execution to Nancy Warren's other series "The Vampire Knitting Club." With exception of the setting and the age of the main characters, the series are both about a witch who moves to a new place, happens upon a vampire club, and potentially has a budding romance with both the enigmatic vampire leader and the head inspector. I will definitely be picking up the rest of the series in the near future.
Profile Image for Emmalynn.
2,949 reviews28 followers
July 4, 2022
Simple, quick read with some cross over from the Vampire Knitting Club. Quinn shows up to her new shop and stumbles over a dead body and a vampire book club. The book club decides to investigate the murder. I do like that there wasn’t a lot of angst and stupidity in this book, it was just simple and straightforward. Quinn is starting over after breaking the witches’ code and she’s jumping right in and making a new life for herself.
Profile Image for Kristen Valenzuela.
647 reviews
February 9, 2025
I picked this up because I loved the vampire Knitting Club series by the same author. What I liked was the familiarity of the storyline and similar characters to the other series. I also liked the crossover of characters from the knitting club. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the audiobook narrator. Her voice didn’t fit the cozy feeling of the book. 😢
Displaying 1 - 30 of 282 reviews

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