All's Fair in Love and Blood
Jennifer Peel
5.0
Cabaret in Flames
by Hache Pueyo
About this book
In an alternate Brazil where the night belongs to the Guls—predatory, flesh-hungering vampires who manipulate the government from the shadows of glittering cabarets—survival is a delicate art. Ariadne knows this better than anyone. Having survived a brutal encounter that left her reliant on intricate synthetic prostheses, she now operates a medical clinic for the very monsters that scarred her. Her life is a rigid routine of damage control until Quaint, a charming, ink-stained Gul with ties to her missing mentor, forces her back into the darkness.
This atmospheric novella is a masterclass in dark romance, blending the visceral horror of a monster-infested underworld with the high-stakes tension of a neo-noir conspiracy. As Ariadne and Quaint infiltrate the infamous Cabaré to uncover the truth behind a vanishing, they find themselves caught in a dance of lethal attraction. The chemistry between a woman defined by her trauma and the creature who represents her greatest risk creates a magnetic, forbidden dynamic that crackles on every page.
Perfect for fans of gritty paranormal tales and complex, morally gray protagonists, this story offers a unique fusion of Brazilian folklore and high-tech suspense. It is a haunting, seductive journey into a world where desire and danger are inseparable.
- Publication Date
- May 25, 2026
- ASIN
- 1250370450
Reader Reviews
March 24, 2026
3.5 stars A fascinating horror story with neo-noir vibes. What stood out most was how unique it felt, blending Brazilian folklore with high-tech elements like our main character’s synthetic limbs. Her tragic backstory was gripping and while the romance wasn’t super developed, it was still sweet. The overarching mystery kept me interested as well. What didn’t work for me was the lack of world-building and how rushed the ending felt. This is such an intriguing world, but the dynamics between guls...
March 18, 2026
Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for this amazing opportunity. After LOVING But Not Too Bold, I was so ready for Cabaret in Flames. Set in an alternate Brazil, this story is definitely darker and grittier, and it really stuck with me. I loved how Pueyo handled the “Guls.” They get compared to vampires, but they aren’t exactly that. They have their own society and, like the vampires in Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler, they’re actually born instead of being “made,” and they grow...
May 19, 2026
I received a free early copy from the publisher. This is my honest review. Set in Brazil, this novella explores the dark and dangerous world of guls (a type of vampire). This was both impossible to put down and hard to read because of its subject matter. The two MCs are nuanced and complex, especially for a novella length story. While the plot is relatively straightforward (two characters search for a colleague/friend who mysteriously disappeared), the themes are anything but. I couldn’t stop...
April 3, 2026
I'm not quite sure how I feel about this after finishing it. I was very intrigued by the beginning when we first met Ariadne and Quaint. Guls are human-like flesh eaters, and although Ariadne lost most of her body to them, she's now their doctor. They're not really explained more than that. Once Ariadne and Quaint start on their journey is where I started to get a bit lost in the story. Quaint and Ariadne are growing closer while looking for Eric and uncovering the secrets of his past. This is...
March 22, 2026
So I kind of loved this super weird vampire \"romance\" novella set in modern day Brazil. I read Pueyo's But Not Too Bold last year, and she WENT THERE with a truly monstrous monster romance. Here, she takes on the vampire romance with her own take on vampire lore. Ariadne is a \"gul doctor\" who was rescued, raised, and trained by her mentor, Erik. But Erik disappeared a few years ago, right around the time the Brazilian government established a curfew and roving death squads took to the...
