Bloody Fool for Love: A Spike Novel by William Ritter Pages: 256
Published by Disney Publishing Group on August 2, 2022
Genres: Paranormal, Romance
Source: Finished Hardcover from Publisher
Bloody Fool for Love from New York Times best-selling author William Ritter marks the beginning of an all-new series that explores prequel stories about fan-favorite Buffy characters.
Spike just wants to enjoy the spoils of his new badass reputation. He’s now a legendary slayer-killer, and he’s returning to London—the greatest city in the world. Unfortunately, his new abode is far from ideal (mostly a dank basement), and the rest of his strange little “family” is reeling from the fact that their patriarch, Angel, abandoned them. Spike’s love, Drusilla, seems especially heartbroken over the loss and spends her time lost in her tarot cards and planning their next gruesome family dinner when they all can be reunited.
Desperate to break Dru out of her melancholy, Spike vows to steal a powerful relic that will help her focus on their dark future together. It’s the perfect plan—that is until a monster named Gunnar, leader of the demon underworld of London, steals the relic first. Forced to form his own ragtag group of mercenaries, Spike plans an epic heist against a ruthless gang of undead criminals. Confronted with paranormal plots, royal black ops, and tea (they may be abominations, but they’re British abominations, thank you very much), Spike soon realizes that his homecoming is about to get bloody.
This rompy, action-packed novel inspired by one of Buffy’s most infamous bad boys is part Bonnie and Clyde, part Sherlock and Watson, with just a bit more bloodsucking.
Bloody Fool for Love: A Spike Novel by William Ritter is a prequel story for my favorite buffy character- Spike. I have been loving this trend of Buffy books coming out in the last few years, and this was such a great addition to my Buffy Collection. I love William Ritter’s Jackaby series, and his writing style, so when I saw he was the author and the book was about Spike, I was all in. And Bloody Fool for Love did not disappoint. I really enjoyed this book, and I am hoping that we get to see more adventures from some of the characters. (Spike, Angel, heck even a Drusilla origin story would epic)
We join Spike in his early days where he has just killed his first Slayer. Spike, Angel, Drusilla and Darla are all little grouping, and Angel has just recently left the vampire gang, leaving a despondent Drusilla in his wake. Even though Spike and Dru are a couple (though a strange one for sure) Spike is annoyed because Drusilla seems totally fixated on Angel. (which is a shocker to no one.) I completely loved getting to see Spike shine in this book, and I loved getting to know him more as a character. Dealing with the demons in London was a fun plotline, but mostly I simply enjoyed getting to hang out with some beloved characters of mine. I think fans of Buffy will love this story. William Ritter does a fantastic job setting the scene, and his writing is so effortlessly funny. Bloody Fool for Love is really well done.
Though anyone is able to pick up this book and enjoy it, I feel the best audience of this story of tried and true Buffy fans, because there are so many great Buffy-verse tidbits I picked up on and enjoyed while reading. I loved taking a trip down memory lane and revisiting these characters. All in all, this book was a bloody good time!
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Tour Schedule:
Week One:
| 8/1/2022 | Lisa Loves Literature | Review/IG Post |
| 8/2/2022 | Lisa-Queen of Random | Excerpt/IG Post |
| 8/3/2022 | Kait Plus Books | Excerpt/IG Post |
| 8/4/2022 | Fyrekatz Blog | Review |
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| 8/8/2022 | A Dream Within A Dream | Review/IG Post |
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| 8/15/2022 | The Book Nut | Review/IG Post |
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| 8/28/2022 | Confessions of a YA Reader | Review |
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| 8/30/2022 | laura’s bookish corner | Review/IG Post |
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About William Ritter
At the University of Oregon, William made questionable choices, including willfully selecting classes for the interesting stories they promised, rather than for any practical application. When he wasn’t frivolously playing with words, he earned credits in such meaningful courses as Trampoline, Juggling, and 17th Century Italian Longsword. These dubious decisions notwithstanding, he regrets nothing and now holds degrees in English and Education with certificates in Creative Writing and Folklore.
He currently teaches high school Language Arts, including reading and writing, mythology and heroes. He is a proud husband and father. When reading aloud, he always does the voices.
Jackaby is his first novel. It was born in the middle of the night and written on two different hemispheres. It has survived typhoons and hurricanes, and was fostered into publication through the patient care of many hands.
OOoh nice! I always loved Spike and I love how the Buffyverse is expanding over the years! This one sounds like a fun read!
looks like a fun one