Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
An icy vampire corporate heiress and a human software engineer must team up to thwart the saboteur who’s turned their sexy human-vampire dating app into a bloodbath, in this mystery romance romp by USA Today bestselling author Alexandra Vasti.
As heir to HemoCorp Industries, vampire Sophronia Vega has devoted herself to the company her family founded. Most recently, she’s led the creation of Stokr: the wildly successful dating app that pairs lusty vampires with humans they can’t accidentally, er, eat. But when Stokr’s matching technology goes haywire—and vampires start draining their dates—Sophronia’s disciplined life goes up in flames.
Enter Casey Amato, the human software engineer whose team programmed Stokr. Casey knows the Stokr failure wasn’t a glitch—the app’s been sabotaged. To fix it, he’ll have to convince the gorgeous, guarded vampire exec that someone in her inner circle has betrayed her.
Sophronia has never met a human who makes her feel quite so . . . thirsty. But to fix her app and save its users, she must team up with the brilliant programmer. As they hunt the traitor, their attraction burns hotter, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Because without Stokr, giving in to temptation could be deadly.
My Review
Okay, I looove corporate paranormal romance, and I’ve read a few books lately that promise that exact vibe but end up super light on the corporate part. Swipe Bite is NOT that. A huge chunk of this story revolves around Sophronia’s position at HemoCorp and Stokr, her pet project, and I loved that so much. This book delivered the perfect mix of corporate AND paranormal AND romance, and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time wanting to know what happened next!
Sophronia and Casey are just delightful together. Their romance felt super realistic and cute, and um, the elevator scene?? I won’t spoil it but UGH. So good. I also actually really enjoyed the third act conflict, which I know can be a divisive thing in romance, but here it gave us real, earned character development from Sophronia and made the payoff feel worth it.
The supporting cast is also a huge highlight for me. Casey’s team of developers and IT nerds, the Pillbugs, are so fun and funny, and Casey’s grandmother was a total standout character who I won’t say anything more about because you need to experience her yourself. I would love to see all of them get their own books, hint hint to the author.
One more thing worth mentioning: the ending sets up what seems to be a next book in the series or maybe a duology, which is pretty unusual for a romance, but honestly? I am completely here for it. I’m not ready to leave these characters yet.
THE GOOD:
- Actually delivers on the corporate paranormal romance promise, heavy on ALL three elements
- Sophronia and Casey’s romance is realistic, cute, and genuinely fun to watch unfold
- The elevator scene (you’ll know it when you get there)
- The Pillbugs are hilarious and Casey’s grandmother is an absolute scene stealer
- The third act conflict leads to real, earned character development
- The ending sets up more books and I am so ready
THE NOT-AS-GOOD:
- There are parts of the book that lag, especially when the characters are talking about what to do instead of actually doing it, but that didn’t really bother me
THE NEUTRAL:
- The ending sets up a sequel or duology, so if you prefer a fully wrapped up standalone romance, just know that going in
OVERALL RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Swipe Bite is a super fun, fast paced corporate paranormal romance romp with a swoony slow burn, a mystery that actually keeps you guessing, and a supporting cast that deserves their own books immediately.
PERFECT FOR:
- Corporate paranormal romance fans who want the corporate part to actually show up
- Readers who love a slow burn between two people who are extremely bad at admitting their feelings
- Anyone who enjoys a good mystery woven into their romance
- Fans of vampire fiction that doesn’t take itself too seriously
- Readers who love a found family of chaotic IT nerds
