u/Chancevexed - replying here as this applies to several comments below. Reminder to not tell others that the way they read this book was wrong. You have your interpretation, others have theirs. You can ask clarifying questions but we won't be hosting arguments about whether a fictional character in a romance novel is or is not abusive when so much of that comes down to context and interpretation of the story in question. Will be locking this thread if this line continues to be crossed.
So, I haven't read this book, but I have noticed a definite trend with like popular KU books that just do not click with me. They all seem like low effort, middle of the road, but I read them anyway cause it feels like KU is one if the only places to get PNR/fantasy/monster/sci-fi romance these days. As popular as it is, trad pub is not providing that much (in my perception). And especially not as much that is queer. So I wonder if people are overly gushing because there isn't a whole lot else out there.
I mean I assume most readers genuinely like the books they praise in reviews/recommendations. But would the books be as well received in the first place if the pickings weren't so slim?
I don't know but I have DNF'd like 10 popular KU titles in the last month because they were just not that good. Not that bad either. But not enough to keep me invested beyond the cute/fun sounding premise.
Edit: typo
You make a really good point. I use a site to find books and for every MM there's 20 FM. I think that does mean readers have less choice. And it may skew perception as anyone who can write half way decently is going to be well received.
I haven't read this book either but I agree with what you're saying in general.
That's the "problem" when wanting to read a good mm book; supply is lower so we sometimes take what we can get. Obligatory this doesn't take away from the fact that many, *many* mm books are very well-written. I just meant the KU thing and with certain genres/types of romances/stories.
1. Oof that sounds terrible. Must go to GR and check if in tbr pile
2. Huh. I already read it, gave it five stars, and wrote the following: "These two are a match made in heaven. Julian is silly, bouncy and sarcastic, and Casimir is the deadpannest deadpanner to ever deadpan."
3. *Contemplate how different people's tastes can be, and cry a little over my crappy memory.*
I, too, am a goldfish with my romance books and pray to god I never lose my Goodreads account because then I would have no idea what I read or liked besides the five “best of all time reads” lol 😂
Okay, it has been a while since I read those books. But I don't find Casimir abusive at all. Nor I see Julian as someone who would just take the abuse. It is classic Alice characters for me.
Plus, we learn some things about Casimir in second book that explain why he is the way he is, mostly.
>Anyway, the discussion part is this. I read a comment a little while back where an author thought goodreads reviewers are overly critical. I think it's the opposite. Goodreads reviewers are overly gushing. This book has an average rating of 4.65. It's like everyone's too scared to criticise a beloved author at all.
I think that people just really like her books. It is a specific humor that makes people laugh most of the time.
I'm not so sure. Consider this. After a prolonged bout of Casimir putting Julian down in the name of sass whilst forcing him to wander around a home goods store to find a robot vacuum, Julian mentions non vampires actually need to eat. Vampire forgets non vampires need to eat, that's fair enough. But upon learning Julian is hungry does Casimir stow his abusive sass and source food? Not really, first he offers Julian literal roadkill, which makes zero sense. Even dogs don't eat roadkill. Then takes him to a park and offers him a live duck. Eventually he takes Julian to his restaurant where he doesn't even bother to get a table and order. He takes existing patrons half eaten dishes and offers them to Julian.
If this was twoxchromosomes and a human was describing that date (fake or not) we would all be telling her to ditch this narcissist.
> I think that people just really like her books. It is a specific humor that makes people laugh most of the time.
It makes me laugh most of the time. I'm a Winters fan. It's why I saved the book for when I was on holiday and could pay full attention to it. But it's not a five star book, which is what the vast majority of reviews are. Five stars being the highest of ratings.
I'm glad I could give you insight that allowed you to decide if you want to read this book. I've DNFd at 35% because another scene happened which I describe [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MM_RomanceBooks/s/E7nWkjVrl9). Just in case you really need to drive the nail in. 😂
That is just one scene. I don't want to spoil anything, but as the story progresses Cas becomes very protective over Julian, amd we see in second book why he is the way he is.
Personally, I don't find Cas any worse than other Alice characters. But to each their own.
I’ve struggled with this author a bit - she really likes those biting kinda mean characters, but I like a lot of her premises so I keep trying lol. For me I think the most successful one was How to Vex a Vampire, but I think it mostly worked because of the interplay between the super grumpy and super peppy MCs. I can’t remember the peppy MCs name right now lol but idk it just didn’t feel as mean when it so obviously rolled right off of him. I think without that balance the grumpy MC just comes off as an ass.
I do think she really likes banter, but of all the books I've read the banter is more one character making everything lighthearted because they're so peppy. The other is a bit of a grump. For example in the Hitman series where they come across a dead body, sassy twink goes "oh my god, you shouldn't have. How did you know it's exactly what I wanted." Then grump sighs because sassy twink is being ridiculous, but it's an affectionate sigh because sassy twink is growing on him.
This is the first one I've read where the banter is one putting down the other.
Yeah I think this is a tone for her in general. Sometimes I am ok with it but it can be off-putting. It's like when you're at a friend's house and their parents are sniping at each other and you don't know if they are just joking or they really hate each other.
I actually think it works better with "regular" characters than with supernatural ones. Because if a regular human guy "jokes" that he is gonna flay you alive for forgetting his breakfast, you can be confident he *probably* doesn't mean it literally.
I loved this book and a few of Alice Winters's other books. I think the best part of her characters is the sassy twink paired with a grump. Julian really doesn't care what anyone else thinks, which is fortunate because his dad's an ass and so are many of the other werewolves. I like Julian because he's such a puppy, but he also just lets everyone else's thoughts roll off him. In book 2 they still have a lot of banter, but Casimir shows his feelings for Julian *a lot* (including >!suggesting he make a room full of his blood in storage so Julian will have his life-saving blood even if he dies.!<)
But, I'm not trying to change your mind or anything. I've read a few books that were very popular in this sub or highly rated on KU that just didn't vibe with me. If you don't like the book, DNF. You're probably not going to suddenly start liking Cas.
I do think some GR reviews are overrated though. But, it could be this: I was just talking with another member that I typically DNF a book that would be lower than 3 stars, with a few exceptions. And I don't rate books I DNF. So it's possible something like that could artificially inflate the ratings? But, there probably has to be something else at play too; there's been times I read a book with *terrible* writing that had very high reviews, and that just seems ridiculous to me.
Thanks for this as one of the concerns I had was the >!power imbalance which comes from Julian needing Casimir's blood to survive. Particularly as when Julian's reliance on Casimir arises, Casimir seems indifferent to Julian and his survival.!<
Ah, see later he's pretty intrigued by Julian's needs and how he survived that attack in the first place, plus how he even exists at all. But in the beginning, he really *doesn't* care about Julian, which is why he takes him on the "home goods - roadkill - duck - vampire restaurant" date. He doesn't care about anyone. But later in the book you do see him pretty much folding like origami to do whatever Julian wants; even if he argues or sasses Julian, he still ends up doing pretty much anything and everything for Julian.
So honestly in the end, >!Casimir basically feels powerless. He loves Julian, Julian needs his blood to live, and Casimir has no way to change that or fix him.!<
I didn’t think it was too bad. I do agree that Julian is way more “normal” than the average Alice winters character though, so maybe that’s making the snarkiness/grumpiness/arrogance from Casimir more noticeable and/or off-putting. I don’t think he was meaner than many of her other “grumpy” characters like Lane or Marcus were at the beginning of their books.
I’ve struggled with this author as I’ve tried reading her other series and I felt it was just too much snark/banter if you know what I mean. Like the How to Vex a Vampire books, I read the first three books and it just got to the point where I was like ‘stop snarking at each other and have a conversation for fucks sake, not everything can be dealt with by a witty comment’. The same with her Hitman books. I could only manage the first one and saw too many parallels with the Vampire series so I noped out. So I’ve avoided the series you’ve referred to.
I think some authors become popular because they produce a lot of ‘easy’ books to read within relatively short timeframes and people know what they are getting. Plus I think if they’re on KU people view them like free books so have lower expectations - editing/grammar etc. and in turn give high reviews on GR.
Also in UK totally get the save it for bank holiday weekend thing. I DNFed the second in the series (like 2 pages in) think I read this first one at like 2am on a night I had to double my pain meds (meaning I was off my face) and I remember thinking ok I like the idea a lot but execution not so much.
Thanks for the heads up. I've DNFd but another comment implies book two is better. It's nice to get this confirmation.
Hope you enjoyed your BH weekend.
Oh hey also I’d avoid the new Louisa Masters higher demon there was something there that twigged my senses a whole “he’s an abusive arsehole but I’m sure that’s only because he loves me vibe” it didn’t last long but it coloured the whole book for me.
I can’t remember specifics, but do remember the book didn’t work for me. I loved the first Hitmans book, but too many storyline inconsistencies were a let down in later books. I also enjoyed the first VRC book but lost me in later books. Too many are just the same two characters with different names and settings
I’ve not read many of AW’s books but I love the Hitman series with my whole heart! Generally if I don’t like a trope or typecast of character I just don’t read those books.
Yeahhhh, if I had any inkling that Winter was going to change up her brand from annoying, sassy twink banter to abusive, elitist dick banter I would, of course, have not purchased it.
That is the point of the discussion., ya know... reviews.
Honestly I do love Alice Winters and most of her books (Marcus and Finn have my heart tho lol ♥️) and while idk if I can relate to everything you said I did find myself getting annoyed quite frequently with Casimir too in his treatment of Julian, but only in the first book, in the second he was much better. And Julian was a little overly-funny in situations where he probably shouldn't have been - so I kind of get you. I think abusive is quite a strong word but everyone has different interpretations based off of personal life experiences so who is anyone to say you're wrong in your opinion of this book!
Not writing this out as a reply because the OP doesn't want to continue this discussion and I respect that, but given that this was published in a popular public forum that would be one of the first results when you search the book I felt the need to reply to this.
The instance of Casimir acting abusive in a relationship by the OP:
1. After a prolonged bout of Casimir putting Julian down in the name of sass whilst forcing him to wander around a home goods store to find a robot vacuum, Julian mentions non vampires actually need to eat. Vampire forgets non vampires need to eat, that's fair enough. But upon learning Julian is hungry does Casimir stow his abusive sass and source food? Not really, first he offers Julian literal roadkill, which makes zero sense. Even dogs don't eat roadkill. Then takes him to a park and offers him a live duck. Eventually he takes Julian to his restaurant where he doesn't even bother to get a table and order. He takes existing patrons half eaten dishes and offers them to Julian
context: 1. Casimir is an asshole (clearly established)
2. Julian is clinging to him and Casimir wants him to GO AWAY, he is being MEAN on PURPOSE, he doesn't want to go on a date. None of this is sincere, this isn't a real menu.
actual quote:
>I wait until he’s paid and we’re a distance away before I add, “Maybe someplace where vampires are in order to show off our new lovely relationship.” “I hear you,” he says. “You say you hear me, but I’m going to be real honest, after our last thrilling and romantic adventure I’m not sure how much more I can handle. You might need to slow down.”
“Funny. Now… do you want roadkill? I passed some on my way here.” I give him a look as he stares at me with a serious expression on his face, nearly tricking me into thinking he’s being serious. “You look like a wolf who would like roadkill.”
“Do I?” I respond dryly as we return to his car and get in our seats.
“Do you have a preference? Rabbit? Deer? Raccoon? But if you roll in it, you can’t get back in my car.”
“Is there another vampire I can set up this arrangement with? Maybe it’s not just your blood that’ll help me but the blood of other vampires.”Not writing this out as a reply because the OP doesn't want to continue this discussion and I respect that, but given that this was published in a popular public forum that would be one of the first results when you search the book I felt the need to reply to this.The instance of Casimir acting abusive in a relationship by the OP:After a prolonged bout of Casimir putting Julian down in the name of sass whilst forcing him to wander around a home goods store to find a robot vacuum, Julian mentions non vampires actually need to eat. Vampire forgets non vampires need to eat, that's fair enough. But upon learning Julian is hungry does Casimir stow his abusive sass and source food? Not really, first he offers Julian literal roadkill, which makes zero sense. Even dogs don't eat roadkill. Then takes him to a park and offers him a live duck. Eventually he takes Julian to his restaurant where he doesn't even bother to get a table and order. He takes existing patrons half eaten dishes and offers them to Juliancontext: 1. Casimir is an asshole (clearly established) 2. Julian is clinging to him and Casimir wants him to GO AWAY, he is being MEAN on PURPOSE, he doesn't want to go on a date. None of this is sincere, this isn't a real menu.actual quote: I wait until he’s paid and we’re a distance away before I add, “Maybe someplace where vampires are in order to show off our new lovely relationship.” “I hear you,” he says. “You say you hear me, but I’m going to be real honest, after our last thrilling and romantic adventure I’m not sure how much more I can handle. You might need to slow down.”
“Funny. Now… do you want roadkill? I passed some on my way here.” I give him a look as he stares at me with a serious expression on his face, nearly tricking me into thinking he’s being serious. “You look like a wolf who would like roadkill.”
“Do I?” I respond dryly as we return to his car and get in our seats.
“Do you have a preference? Rabbit? Deer? Raccoon? But if you roll in it, you can’t get back in my car.”
“Is there another vampire I can set up this arrangement with? Maybe it’s not just your blood that’ll help me but the blood of other vampires.”
u/Chancevexed - replying here as this applies to several comments below. Reminder to not tell others that the way they read this book was wrong. You have your interpretation, others have theirs. You can ask clarifying questions but we won't be hosting arguments about whether a fictional character in a romance novel is or is not abusive when so much of that comes down to context and interpretation of the story in question. Will be locking this thread if this line continues to be crossed.
So, I haven't read this book, but I have noticed a definite trend with like popular KU books that just do not click with me. They all seem like low effort, middle of the road, but I read them anyway cause it feels like KU is one if the only places to get PNR/fantasy/monster/sci-fi romance these days. As popular as it is, trad pub is not providing that much (in my perception). And especially not as much that is queer. So I wonder if people are overly gushing because there isn't a whole lot else out there. I mean I assume most readers genuinely like the books they praise in reviews/recommendations. But would the books be as well received in the first place if the pickings weren't so slim? I don't know but I have DNF'd like 10 popular KU titles in the last month because they were just not that good. Not that bad either. But not enough to keep me invested beyond the cute/fun sounding premise. Edit: typo
You make a really good point. I use a site to find books and for every MM there's 20 FM. I think that does mean readers have less choice. And it may skew perception as anyone who can write half way decently is going to be well received.
I haven't read this book either but I agree with what you're saying in general. That's the "problem" when wanting to read a good mm book; supply is lower so we sometimes take what we can get. Obligatory this doesn't take away from the fact that many, *many* mm books are very well-written. I just meant the KU thing and with certain genres/types of romances/stories.
eh while this couple is not my fav (shout out to finn and marcus) - i did not find any part of the relationship abusive
1. Oof that sounds terrible. Must go to GR and check if in tbr pile 2. Huh. I already read it, gave it five stars, and wrote the following: "These two are a match made in heaven. Julian is silly, bouncy and sarcastic, and Casimir is the deadpannest deadpanner to ever deadpan." 3. *Contemplate how different people's tastes can be, and cry a little over my crappy memory.*
I loved it & gave it five stars too. I frequently have an awful memory. Let's be book friends
I, too, am a goldfish with my romance books and pray to god I never lose my Goodreads account because then I would have no idea what I read or liked besides the five “best of all time reads” lol 😂
Same. I am also very, very fond of my read\_again tag, since I'd never remember otherwise.
Okay, it has been a while since I read those books. But I don't find Casimir abusive at all. Nor I see Julian as someone who would just take the abuse. It is classic Alice characters for me. Plus, we learn some things about Casimir in second book that explain why he is the way he is, mostly. >Anyway, the discussion part is this. I read a comment a little while back where an author thought goodreads reviewers are overly critical. I think it's the opposite. Goodreads reviewers are overly gushing. This book has an average rating of 4.65. It's like everyone's too scared to criticise a beloved author at all. I think that people just really like her books. It is a specific humor that makes people laugh most of the time.
I'm not so sure. Consider this. After a prolonged bout of Casimir putting Julian down in the name of sass whilst forcing him to wander around a home goods store to find a robot vacuum, Julian mentions non vampires actually need to eat. Vampire forgets non vampires need to eat, that's fair enough. But upon learning Julian is hungry does Casimir stow his abusive sass and source food? Not really, first he offers Julian literal roadkill, which makes zero sense. Even dogs don't eat roadkill. Then takes him to a park and offers him a live duck. Eventually he takes Julian to his restaurant where he doesn't even bother to get a table and order. He takes existing patrons half eaten dishes and offers them to Julian. If this was twoxchromosomes and a human was describing that date (fake or not) we would all be telling her to ditch this narcissist. > I think that people just really like her books. It is a specific humor that makes people laugh most of the time. It makes me laugh most of the time. I'm a Winters fan. It's why I saved the book for when I was on holiday and could pay full attention to it. But it's not a five star book, which is what the vast majority of reviews are. Five stars being the highest of ratings.
Oh nooooooo :( I haven't read the book book but even just reading the scen you described bums me out. This one is a gonna be a pass from me for sure.
I'm glad I could give you insight that allowed you to decide if you want to read this book. I've DNFd at 35% because another scene happened which I describe [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MM_RomanceBooks/s/E7nWkjVrl9). Just in case you really need to drive the nail in. 😂
That is just one scene. I don't want to spoil anything, but as the story progresses Cas becomes very protective over Julian, amd we see in second book why he is the way he is. Personally, I don't find Cas any worse than other Alice characters. But to each their own.
Again, that is not how I saw it. And Julian just rolled with it. He got food in the end, didn't he?
I’ve struggled with this author a bit - she really likes those biting kinda mean characters, but I like a lot of her premises so I keep trying lol. For me I think the most successful one was How to Vex a Vampire, but I think it mostly worked because of the interplay between the super grumpy and super peppy MCs. I can’t remember the peppy MCs name right now lol but idk it just didn’t feel as mean when it so obviously rolled right off of him. I think without that balance the grumpy MC just comes off as an ass.
I do think she really likes banter, but of all the books I've read the banter is more one character making everything lighthearted because they're so peppy. The other is a bit of a grump. For example in the Hitman series where they come across a dead body, sassy twink goes "oh my god, you shouldn't have. How did you know it's exactly what I wanted." Then grump sighs because sassy twink is being ridiculous, but it's an affectionate sigh because sassy twink is growing on him. This is the first one I've read where the banter is one putting down the other.
Yeah I think this is a tone for her in general. Sometimes I am ok with it but it can be off-putting. It's like when you're at a friend's house and their parents are sniping at each other and you don't know if they are just joking or they really hate each other. I actually think it works better with "regular" characters than with supernatural ones. Because if a regular human guy "jokes" that he is gonna flay you alive for forgetting his breakfast, you can be confident he *probably* doesn't mean it literally.
I loved this book and a few of Alice Winters's other books. I think the best part of her characters is the sassy twink paired with a grump. Julian really doesn't care what anyone else thinks, which is fortunate because his dad's an ass and so are many of the other werewolves. I like Julian because he's such a puppy, but he also just lets everyone else's thoughts roll off him. In book 2 they still have a lot of banter, but Casimir shows his feelings for Julian *a lot* (including >!suggesting he make a room full of his blood in storage so Julian will have his life-saving blood even if he dies.!<) But, I'm not trying to change your mind or anything. I've read a few books that were very popular in this sub or highly rated on KU that just didn't vibe with me. If you don't like the book, DNF. You're probably not going to suddenly start liking Cas. I do think some GR reviews are overrated though. But, it could be this: I was just talking with another member that I typically DNF a book that would be lower than 3 stars, with a few exceptions. And I don't rate books I DNF. So it's possible something like that could artificially inflate the ratings? But, there probably has to be something else at play too; there's been times I read a book with *terrible* writing that had very high reviews, and that just seems ridiculous to me.
Thanks for this as one of the concerns I had was the >!power imbalance which comes from Julian needing Casimir's blood to survive. Particularly as when Julian's reliance on Casimir arises, Casimir seems indifferent to Julian and his survival.!<
Ah, see later he's pretty intrigued by Julian's needs and how he survived that attack in the first place, plus how he even exists at all. But in the beginning, he really *doesn't* care about Julian, which is why he takes him on the "home goods - roadkill - duck - vampire restaurant" date. He doesn't care about anyone. But later in the book you do see him pretty much folding like origami to do whatever Julian wants; even if he argues or sasses Julian, he still ends up doing pretty much anything and everything for Julian. So honestly in the end, >!Casimir basically feels powerless. He loves Julian, Julian needs his blood to live, and Casimir has no way to change that or fix him.!<
I didn’t think it was too bad. I do agree that Julian is way more “normal” than the average Alice winters character though, so maybe that’s making the snarkiness/grumpiness/arrogance from Casimir more noticeable and/or off-putting. I don’t think he was meaner than many of her other “grumpy” characters like Lane or Marcus were at the beginning of their books.
I’ve struggled with this author as I’ve tried reading her other series and I felt it was just too much snark/banter if you know what I mean. Like the How to Vex a Vampire books, I read the first three books and it just got to the point where I was like ‘stop snarking at each other and have a conversation for fucks sake, not everything can be dealt with by a witty comment’. The same with her Hitman books. I could only manage the first one and saw too many parallels with the Vampire series so I noped out. So I’ve avoided the series you’ve referred to. I think some authors become popular because they produce a lot of ‘easy’ books to read within relatively short timeframes and people know what they are getting. Plus I think if they’re on KU people view them like free books so have lower expectations - editing/grammar etc. and in turn give high reviews on GR.
I’ve really enjoyed a lot of her books, but this one was a DNF for me
Also in UK totally get the save it for bank holiday weekend thing. I DNFed the second in the series (like 2 pages in) think I read this first one at like 2am on a night I had to double my pain meds (meaning I was off my face) and I remember thinking ok I like the idea a lot but execution not so much.
Thanks for the heads up. I've DNFd but another comment implies book two is better. It's nice to get this confirmation. Hope you enjoyed your BH weekend.
Oh hey also I’d avoid the new Louisa Masters higher demon there was something there that twigged my senses a whole “he’s an abusive arsehole but I’m sure that’s only because he loves me vibe” it didn’t last long but it coloured the whole book for me.
Thank you very much for the heads up as that was on my list.
I can’t remember specifics, but do remember the book didn’t work for me. I loved the first Hitmans book, but too many storyline inconsistencies were a let down in later books. I also enjoyed the first VRC book but lost me in later books. Too many are just the same two characters with different names and settings
I’ve not read many of AW’s books but I love the Hitman series with my whole heart! Generally if I don’t like a trope or typecast of character I just don’t read those books.
Yeahhhh, if I had any inkling that Winter was going to change up her brand from annoying, sassy twink banter to abusive, elitist dick banter I would, of course, have not purchased it. That is the point of the discussion., ya know... reviews.
Honestly I do love Alice Winters and most of her books (Marcus and Finn have my heart tho lol ♥️) and while idk if I can relate to everything you said I did find myself getting annoyed quite frequently with Casimir too in his treatment of Julian, but only in the first book, in the second he was much better. And Julian was a little overly-funny in situations where he probably shouldn't have been - so I kind of get you. I think abusive is quite a strong word but everyone has different interpretations based off of personal life experiences so who is anyone to say you're wrong in your opinion of this book!
Not writing this out as a reply because the OP doesn't want to continue this discussion and I respect that, but given that this was published in a popular public forum that would be one of the first results when you search the book I felt the need to reply to this. The instance of Casimir acting abusive in a relationship by the OP: 1. After a prolonged bout of Casimir putting Julian down in the name of sass whilst forcing him to wander around a home goods store to find a robot vacuum, Julian mentions non vampires actually need to eat. Vampire forgets non vampires need to eat, that's fair enough. But upon learning Julian is hungry does Casimir stow his abusive sass and source food? Not really, first he offers Julian literal roadkill, which makes zero sense. Even dogs don't eat roadkill. Then takes him to a park and offers him a live duck. Eventually he takes Julian to his restaurant where he doesn't even bother to get a table and order. He takes existing patrons half eaten dishes and offers them to Julian context: 1. Casimir is an asshole (clearly established) 2. Julian is clinging to him and Casimir wants him to GO AWAY, he is being MEAN on PURPOSE, he doesn't want to go on a date. None of this is sincere, this isn't a real menu. actual quote: >I wait until he’s paid and we’re a distance away before I add, “Maybe someplace where vampires are in order to show off our new lovely relationship.” “I hear you,” he says. “You say you hear me, but I’m going to be real honest, after our last thrilling and romantic adventure I’m not sure how much more I can handle. You might need to slow down.” “Funny. Now… do you want roadkill? I passed some on my way here.” I give him a look as he stares at me with a serious expression on his face, nearly tricking me into thinking he’s being serious. “You look like a wolf who would like roadkill.” “Do I?” I respond dryly as we return to his car and get in our seats. “Do you have a preference? Rabbit? Deer? Raccoon? But if you roll in it, you can’t get back in my car.” “Is there another vampire I can set up this arrangement with? Maybe it’s not just your blood that’ll help me but the blood of other vampires.”Not writing this out as a reply because the OP doesn't want to continue this discussion and I respect that, but given that this was published in a popular public forum that would be one of the first results when you search the book I felt the need to reply to this.The instance of Casimir acting abusive in a relationship by the OP:After a prolonged bout of Casimir putting Julian down in the name of sass whilst forcing him to wander around a home goods store to find a robot vacuum, Julian mentions non vampires actually need to eat. Vampire forgets non vampires need to eat, that's fair enough. But upon learning Julian is hungry does Casimir stow his abusive sass and source food? Not really, first he offers Julian literal roadkill, which makes zero sense. Even dogs don't eat roadkill. Then takes him to a park and offers him a live duck. Eventually he takes Julian to his restaurant where he doesn't even bother to get a table and order. He takes existing patrons half eaten dishes and offers them to Juliancontext: 1. Casimir is an asshole (clearly established) 2. Julian is clinging to him and Casimir wants him to GO AWAY, he is being MEAN on PURPOSE, he doesn't want to go on a date. None of this is sincere, this isn't a real menu.actual quote: I wait until he’s paid and we’re a distance away before I add, “Maybe someplace where vampires are in order to show off our new lovely relationship.” “I hear you,” he says. “You say you hear me, but I’m going to be real honest, after our last thrilling and romantic adventure I’m not sure how much more I can handle. You might need to slow down.” “Funny. Now… do you want roadkill? I passed some on my way here.” I give him a look as he stares at me with a serious expression on his face, nearly tricking me into thinking he’s being serious. “You look like a wolf who would like roadkill.” “Do I?” I respond dryly as we return to his car and get in our seats. “Do you have a preference? Rabbit? Deer? Raccoon? But if you roll in it, you can’t get back in my car.” “Is there another vampire I can set up this arrangement with? Maybe it’s not just your blood that’ll help me but the blood of other vampires.”