Ms. Renfield and the Inheritance Trap
Author: Annika Martin
Reviewer: Jen
Rating: B
What I’m Talking About:
I’m not sure what I was expecting with Martin’s new Immortal Boss series, but by the end of Ms. Renfield and the Inheritance Trap, I was hooked!
Harriet lives above the shop that her mother and grandmother run. She supports the shop and their lives by working long hours at a start up. Her father is not in the picture, so when she receives notice that he’s passed on and she can claim her inheritance, she’s reluctant to go. The driving factor is that she may be able to help her family with any funds she receives. However, once she arrives, she discovers that her inheritance is a lifelong obligation to work in servitude for the mysterious Alexandru, who happens to be a vampire.
I will admit that I wasn’t sure I would finish Ms. Renfield and the Inheritance Trap based on the first half of the book. I found the story started slowly and honestly, made me cringe. Alexandru is not a hero. He is narcissistic, manipulative, and deadly. Harriet is decent, honest, and a light. She’s not going to change Alexandru, but he manipulates her. And even when our girl pulls an amazing fast one on Alexandru, he just strikes back even harder.
That said, the second half of the book was exciting. Harriet is a wiz with spreadsheets and numbers. She sees patterns in data, which is why she is convinced there is a serial killer disrupting local weddings. Alexandru is the only one who believes (in) her, and he agrees to help her trap the villain as a means for his meal so that he doesn’t kill any more innocent people (or her friends and family). The need to find the killer before Alexandru needs to feed adds a touch of suspense and excitement. I really liked how the pair methodically solved the crime – how both bent a bit to get to the conclusion – he gave her time, but helped her make decisions faster and move with intention.
Now that the world is established and boundaries set, I think the Immortal Boss series is going to be exciting. There are SO MANY loose threads and unanswered questions. I cannot wait to see where Martin takes the storyline.
My Rating: B Liked It — Recommend
Jen
About the Book:
I’m stunned to learn my family’s “inheritance” is servitude to an ancient, arrogant vampire. No thanks! Except now my friend might be his next meal, so I cut a deal: I’ll work for him—if he only drains the serial killers we catch.
I met my father exactly once—at a café in Transylvania. He went by the name “Renfield,” scribbled in strange ledgers and muttered weirdly about “the master.”
Years later, I’m summoned to a remote castle in the Carpathian Mountains. Supposedly my father has left an inheritance.
What could go wrong? Try everything.
My “inheritance” turns out to be a new career—or should I say forced servitude: I’m to take over for my father as the next in a long line of servants to an arrogant, centuries-old vampire named Alexandru.
Hard pass.
Except Alexandru doesn’t take no for an answer. He follows me home to Ohio, where people I love are looking like dinner to him. To save them, I cut a deal: I’ll manage his vampire affairs—if he only feeds on people who deserve it.
Serial killers, to be exact.
Now my spreadsheets and his hunting skills have one goal: catch murderers before Alexandru loses control.
But surviving the killer might be the easy part, because even though Alexandru is a monster who sees humans as livestock, nothing in my life has prepared me for his dark magnetism.
Release Date: October 21, 2025
Publisher: self-published
Series: Immortal Boss #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Mystery
Format(s): paperback (346 pages), e-book, audiobook
Book Source: Purchased with my own funds