Lady & The Vamp [Mass Market Paperback]

STORY BRIEF:
Quinn used to be a vampire hunter. Two months ago he was turned into a vampire. Having seen both sides, he becomes sensitive and no longer wants to kill anyone, human or vampire. He doesn't want to drink blood and nearly dies from starvation. The Boss is a powerful mafia-type bad guy who frequently kills those who work for him. Janie is a human mercenary who works for the Boss. She is good at killing by staking vampires and shooting silver bullets at werewolves. Quinn learns there is an artifact called the Eye which will grant one wish to one person every thousand years. The thousand year moment is now. Quinn wants to find the Eye to turn himself back into a human. The Boss has psychic seers who tell him that Quinn is after the Eye. The Boss forces Janie to follow Quinn, take the Eye and then kill Quinn. To make sure she does this, the Boss tells Janie he knows where her long lost sister Angela is. The Boss also says he will kill both Janie and her sister, if Janie doesn't do what he asks. Janie follows Quinn as he follows clues and a treasure map for the Eye. Another bad-guy-vampire Malcolm is also searching for the Eye.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
Janie is not likeable, a coldhearted killer. She holds Quinn's friend hostage and threatens death to Quinn and his friend. Quinn comes off as a wimp. He welcomes death to put him out of his misery. The bad guy Malcolm tries to kill Quinn and Janie more than once. Later, when Quinn has the chance, he won't kill Malcolm. Instead Malcolm continues to be a threat and causes more harm to them and others. Most of the book is Janie and Quinn following clues to find the Eye. The search wasn't that interesting for me. I did not enjoy the characters or the way they interacted. Barkley is Quinn's acquaintance/friend. Barkley is a cowardly werewolf, afraid to fight for his position in the pack and afraid of Angela, the women he was supposed to protect. He actually runs away from her. The intent of the book may have been paranormal romance, but I didn't see enough relationship development. The couple was on a quest, fighting bad guys, and somehow at the end they decide and declare that they love each other.

I was unhappy with the cover picture not matching the story. Quinn has dark blond hair and blue eyes. The guy on the cover has black hair and brown eyes.

CAUTION SPOILER:
The Boss had seers who told him Quinn was on the way to the Eye. The problem is that Malcolm knew more about the Eye than anyone else, and Malcolm got to the Eye first. The seers should have told the Boss about Malcolm, not Quinn. Then the Boss would have sent Janie after Malcolm, not Quinn.

DATA:
Story length: 344 pages. Swearing language: moderate/strong. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: 1, 4 pages long. Setting: current day Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada. Genre: paranormal with minimal romance.

Michelle Rowen's written another great light-hearted romp in Janie and Quinn's story, Book #3 in the Immortality Bites series. Quinn's a conflicted vampire and Janie's a mercenary killer, but they both want the same things-The Eye and, eventually, each other. If obtaining the first doesn't get them killed, that is.

Along the way, they spend time with a werewolf who can't stay in form, and tangle with a supposedly long-dead vamp from Quinn's past, which ensures this road to true love will be filled with stakes, as well as bumps.

If you want laughs along with sizzling romance, try Michelle Rowen's Lady and The Vamp. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Love Michelle Rowan's books. Characters are hilarious yet personable. Love any books with sense of humor and story line revolves around the paranormal. Great read. Two thumbs up.

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