Loving a Vampire is Total Chaos by Aura Hayes
Series: Total Chaos #1
Genre: Romance, Paranormal
Pages: 356
Published By: Orion on 23rd October, 2025
Format: Paperback
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Book Synopsis:
Celine Brennan should be riding the high of her recent promotion to detective, but instead she’s been saddled with a case no one can seem to solve with murders so gruesome others before her have quit. Not to mention, there’s something suspicious with a new club in town and her focus keeps being pulled from the case she should be devoting her attention to.
Zavier Lockwood is old. Three-hundred-years old to be precise and he’s bored because of it. Killing the scum of Chicago and cleaning up the streets since the cops can’t seem to do it is his favorite pastime. Until he lays eyes on Celine. Soon, he finds his obsession with her far more tempting than murder. After all, no vampire can resist the allure of their mate.
As their paths cross thanks to Zavier’s uncanny ability to be wherever Celine is they both come to realize there’s something far more nefarious going on in the city they both love. They’ll have to work together to get to the bottom of it, but what happens when Celine realises the man she’s falling for isn’t only not human, but he’s the same one committing the crimes she’s supposed to solve?
Book Review
I’d never heard of this author before until I won this book in a giveaway over on Instagram. The title immediately drew me in and I had a feeling that I was in for a good time. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to read the other day so thought I’d try the first chapter of this one… And wow, did it have me hooked immediately!
is book grabs you right from the very start with its action-packed, completely unhinged chaos. This book definitely lives up to it’s title and I had such a fun time. Goodreads markets this as a dark romance (which I don’t typically read), but I didn’t find it particularly dark romancey. Yes, there was gore at times but I wouldn’t say that specifically makes it a dark romance.
We have dual POV which I thoroughly enjoy in a romance book. Now, I have to say that I loved Zavier’s chapters way more than Celine’s. The dual POV helped a lot with the pacing as well. The chapters are quite short which helped move the story along. I inhaled this book in just two days as I did not want to put it down. The characters and plot hooked me right from the very beginning. My only issue with pacing was towards the end. The action towards the end felt a little too dragged out for me. I feel like the author could’ve shortened it a little without losing the intended impact.
Now, when I say that I invested in the characters… I was invested. Zavier won my heart over from the very start and the tension/chemistry between him and Celine was SO good! Although the romance starts with an ‘insta-love’ trope due to the nature of the story, it develops a slow-burn feel as it progresses. There isn’t too much spice in this book, but I liked how it built up rather than happening right from the get-go.
I don’t typically read a lot of paranormal romances but I really enjoyed the vibes this one gave. I’m not sure if the vampires’ behaviour was entirely accurate to the lore, but I don’t care too much about the technicalities. I literally read my books for vibes and this one delivered!
If you are looking for a good paranormal book to read this season and love a romance then I would highly suggest giving this one ago. I went into this completely blind and had the absolute best time. I cannot wait to read the next one in the series now and glad I have found a new author to appreciate.
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