This collection of stories is really only for those that loved the series rather than the more casual reader. To me, they didn't add a whole lot to the universe - it just gave us little glimpses of the Variks and their lovers past what the books have rather than important character details or revelations. These stories were all new to me since I don't subscribe to Drake's newsletter but figured I should read this since I did finish the entire Varik series.

The longer novella at the end centers around Gideon and Ryder. Gideon is probably my least favourite vampire in the entire series more for how everyone treats him rather than Gideon himself. Because he's got bad legs from how he was made a vampire in contrast with his "sweet, gentle" personality, everyone treats him weird and like a child which really gets on my nerves. They basically treat him like he has a certain kind of cognitive disability rather than just having to take a vampire equivalent of Advil every once in a while. It's a weird take from Drake, especially for a character that is very much into sex, and I wouldn't read a full-length book about or from Gideon's POV. I'd have enjoyed a short story about Aiden and Ronan's past (they're over a thousand, surely they'd have more interesting stories than some haunted Goodwill find) or even more from the 1860s with Varik family.