The Vampire Knitting Club: First in a Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series

I liked the idea of a vampire knitting club and decided to buy a copy of this book. It sounded like a fun paranormal cozy mystery book and that's exactly what it was. It mostly was a fun read, but it failed to fully grab my attention. And it was one of those books where there were lots of little things that didn't quite work for me and they just add up.The story follows Lucy, who is in her late twenties and isn't sure what to do with her life. When she is visiting her grandma in Oxford she discovers her grandam died weeks ago and they weren't able to reach her as she was on an archeological dig site with her parents. Then it turns out her grandma is actually undead now, but was almost murdered before a vampire saved her. And Lucy gets the knitting shop. Lucy has to decide what to do with her life, deal with multiple changes and new things she learns about herself and the world and solve a murder.I liked the set-up of this book, it read like a typical cozy mystery and I was curious how the paranormal would play a role. There are some likable side characters and also some less likable ones. It does very much read like a first book in the series with so many elements getting introduced that it felt like the mystery got solved a bit quickly. I had some issues with little things that didn't make sense, were too convenient or weren't explained enough to get a good feel for it. I think those are mostly because this is the first book in the series. I hope the rest of the series is better, but I am not sure if I'll continue the series.This book has all the typical elements you expect in a cozy mystery, the main character returns to a place she often visits with fond memories, has to decide whether to leave or stay, discover herself in the process and has to solve a mystery. Then it has some typical paranormal elements thrown in, involving a mysterious character who is cold to the touch, walks around at night and pops up in the shop while the door is locked. Things that don't add up and paranormal elements are the only explanation. At times it felt like all the tropes and clichés from both genres were stuffed in this book and it just felt a bit much. And then there is also a set-up for a possible love triangle.The mystery was a bit slow to get going with Lucy first having to find out her grandma is dead, then learn her grandma is actually undead and only then finds out her grandma was almost murdered before being saved by a vampire. So the mystery only starts in earnest quite late in the book and there isn't much investigating. Most of the mystery solving sort of happens to her, not because she figures it out, but because the killer comes back. I wasn't too surprised when we find out who the murderer is, but that's mostly because there are very few suspects and only a few possible motives. There also is a plot line related to break-ins and whether that's connected or not. I liked the way things got resolved at the end.Lucy was a nice enough main character, but somehow I never fully warmed up to her. She didn't really have any particular personality traits that stood out or called to me or made her likable. She seemed a bit bland at times. I liked how sometimes she could be very smart with how she handled things, but then other times she acted almost stupid. It felt very contradictory.There is little we learn about vampires and witches and the rest of the supernatural world in this book. It's very limited and because the story has to move along, I felt like sometimes we didn't get enough answers and Lucy didn't ask all the questions. Sometimes she assumed things without checking, but besides that there just was very little the vampires tell her besides the few basics. It also bothered me how her grandma forgot the last few weeks of her life, which just seemed too convenient.To summarize: while I liked the fun setup of this book and idea of a vampire knitting club, the book failed to fully pull me in. This book has all the typical elements of a cozy mystery and paranormal elements and at times it almost felt too much. Lucy was a nice enough character, but without any personality traits that made her stand out. She could be very smart at times and almost stupid at other times, which felt very contradictory. The mystery only started pretty late in the story, with very few suspects and it didn't surprise me when we discovered the murdered. The paranormal world only gets touched upon a bit and besides the basics we don't learn very much, but it works well as an introduction. While I didn't fully enjoy the book I do feel like it has a lot of potential and I think the rest of the series will be better and this one very much feels like an introductory book and I think the rest of the series will read smoother. If you enjoy paranormal cozy mysteries you might enjoy this one.

This is the first Nancy Warren book I have read. It just looked interesting. I read witch paranormal cozies and sometimes they blend together but this is a standout. I have never been to the UK but as I followed young American witch Lucy around Oxford, it felt like a real tour! Her writing is descriptive without slowing the story. This a first of series and a great beginning seeing how much the author has to work in. Lucy came from her archeologist parent's dig site in Egypt to seek her grandmother's advice, only to find her grandmother had died three weeks previous and no one had been able to reach her family. From there, she ends up running a knitting shop -- and she can't knit-- and discovering she lives above a " nest of vampires"and maybe Gramma is only soft of gone. There are a whole host of characters in this including other shop owners, property developers, students,vampires , police , and a murderer. Great light read.

THE VAMPIRE KNITTING CLUB is a standalone read with a HEA. It is the beginning of a new series. Now, right up front I will admit I am not a vampire person. Don't have anything against them just don't like reading about them. But I figured if Ms. Warren wrote about them I would read them. I loved the Take a Chance series but it is very different from this one. However, even though some of the vampires are hundreds of years old they are all modern day people. They no longer kill to feed, they have modern refrigerators where they keep blood that people sell them - some to pay their way through school. They have powers and they can use them if need be but that isn't likely.A young woman arrives in London from the U.S. She is visiting her grandmother, a businesswoman that owns a local yarn store. It is in a small college town that has been around for centuries. (Having lived in Bath and the area the author is up to speed on the quaintness of the area and the folk lore). The small town has a line of old shops that have been in the families for generations. Upon arriving at the shop she learns that her grandmother has passed away. She just cannot believe she is gone. She was healthy one day and gone the next, it just doesn't make sense.But walking down the street she sees her grandmother walking with another woman. She calls to her but there is no response. So she takes off running to try and catch her when she turns into a side street. By the time the heroine reaches the street her grandmother has disappeared.This is just the beginning of unusual and weird things that are happening to Lucy. Everyone says her grandmother had passed away in her sleep. She was buried in a near-by town where her family is buried. Trying to cope with believing she saw her grandmother and being told she is passed she starts to have weird things happening in her shop and apartment. She encounters Rafe, he says he was a good friend to her grandmother. He is a handsome guy but something is off. Not in a bad way, just different.Then she finds a small kitten that seems to understand what she is saying to it. It won't leave her side and from its condition it seems as though it has been a stray on the streets. The kitten acts like an old friend. She is having a hard time wrapping her head around the goings on.The story is fun and light-hearted. Not at all the vampires and witches of old!! It is vastly entertaining and I really enjoyed it. I even plan to read book 2 in the series. This books ends with all loose ends being tied up neatly. There is no sex involved, any age group could read it. There are two murders to be solved. A witch comes into her own. There is a little flirting with the local inspector from the police department. It is not at all scary but it does hold the attention. It looks like this is going to be a fun series.I was not paid for this review. I am not a writer nor do I know one. I am not kin to this author. I am a reader and this is my opinion, nothing more, nothing less. 10/7/18

It is written at a third grade level. Very little character development, and what there was, was very poor. The main character is supposed to be a grown woman, but she spends the whole book behaving live a boy crazy thirteen year old.

2.5 StarsThis sounded like it was going to be a fun book to read - cosy mystery (not sure I like that term but it seems prevalent and everyone knows what it means by now so I have to use it), a wool shop and vampires. What's not to like? Unfortunately, with this one there is quite a bit that just doesn't hit the mark. Luckily, it is a very quick read so the flaws are easier to ignore.I think one of my biggest issues was the setting. Oxford as a base for the supernatural has been done to death and whilst I can understand the allure of setting a book (or series of them) here, for the scenery if nothing else, I am so over it. Being a huge fan of the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness I found myself constantly comparing the fictional worlds and this one comes up severely lacking. We have a transplanted American witch, a nest of vampires and an ancient setting. What we don't have is a compelling heroine, a cast of intriguing support characters or any real interest in how things are going to work out. This was a book that I read just to get to the end without any investment or real interest in the tale being told.Things do look up towards the end though when Lucy's cousin Violet and her mother turn up at The Cardinal Woolsey determined to wrest the family grimoire from Lucy's hands. In the interests of honesty I had to look up the heroine's name when writing this review and it is only 4 days since I finished the book. The family dynamics were interesting and the whole task to determine who got the book was well executed on the page and I did find myself drawn in to the situation. That is almost enough to make me want to see what happens in the second book in this series - almost.The plot about the grandmother's death and the whole idea that vampire's walk and live amongst us is paper thin and from the entrance of Sydney Lafontaine you know that granny did not have a natural death and why she didn't have a natural death. As this happens in the opening chapters there is little in the way of tension, suspense or even interest. The vampire nest under the store just feels plain odd and unless the store is the size of your average department store the whole thing must take up the block of four stores and not just the one, tiny wool shop. Yes, I know this is a fantasy novel but at least make an attempt at creating a believable world for your reader.

I must say I really did enjoy this story. It's completely unique and is reminiscent of Miss Marble with a touch of Murder She Wrote. It's certainly a different way of looking at vampires. These guys prefer to knit the most amazing cardies rather than prowl the street looking for fresh blood. I really did warm to the characters, especially Lucy and her Gran. My Gran always knitted my jumpers and gave sage advice too! Add some interesting male admirers and a cute magical kitty and it's a lovely read. I've already bought the next book.

This is the first book in a new series, which sets the pace and scene for sequels.Lucy, raised mostly in USA or at archaeological sites with her parents, arrives in Oxford to visit her gran Agnes Who runs a knitting shop.Unfortunately Agnes has been murdered.Thankfully though, being murdered doesn’t mean she’s actually dead.She’s undead - a ‘grampire’ if you will, saved by Sylvia a member of the Vampire Knitting Club.Lucy quickly switches from grief to shock, as she meets the club including dashing Rafe, and starts on a mission to find out who killed her gran.It’s fun, cozy crime, with knitting, vampires, witches and a cute cat.It’s exactly the kind of read you need to cuddle up on a sofa with.Great fun

This is a truly cozy book. It is funny and sad at different times. Who doesn't love a good mystery with a bit of paranormal thrown in? I love the characters, with all their diverse personalities. I curl up with a nice hot drink and this book and I am taken away from real life for a while. Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

There is nothing I did not like. The characters were great and I was intrigued by Rafe, I presume his back story will come out in later books. I hope Ian makes an appearance again as a love interest (I am quite a romantic). The description of the knitwear made me want the patterns, especially the Art Deco. Maybe (?) a suggestion of where to get something similar 😆 so not only a writer but also a designer! I really enjoyed this book and didn’t want it to end.I would recommend this book to everyone who is interested in the paranormal and to those who aren’t, as I was not but quickly became so. A good read.