I picked this book up because the cover grabbed my attention(yes, despite my previous stance that I couldn't care less what was on a cover, I go for author name or recommendations.)
Then the title captured my attention too. It sounded so intriguing...light and fun yet that 'dark side' added a new dimension.
And scanning the blurb, I was hooked: a mathlete on the verge of turning 18 discovers she's betrothed to Romanian vampire royalty. Intriguing stuff!
Here's what Publishers Weekly had to say:
A romance involving a high school girl and a handsome vampire may sound a little too familiar, yet this first novel quickly bursts ahead of the pack of Twilight-wannabes. Down-to-earth mathlete Jessica Packwood is completely horrified when, a few months shy of her 18th birthday, a Romanian named Lucius Vladescu shows up on her doorstep, claiming that he and she are vampire royalty betrothed to each other since infancy—what's worse, her adoptive parents verify the betrothal story and explain that her birth parents identified themselves as vampires, too. Fantaskey makes this premise work by playing up its absurdities without laughing at them, endowing Jessica with a coolly ironic sensibility and Lucius with old-world snobberies that Jessica's girlfriends find irresistible. Jessica's laidback parents serve as foils for imperious Lucius (Can I ever again be happy in our soaring Gothic castle after walking the halls of Woodrow Wilson High School, a literal ode to linoleum? he asks sarcastically); a scene at a steakhouse where the vegan Packwoods meet the carnivorous Vladescus is first-rate comedy. The romance sizzles, the plot develops ingeniously and suspensefully, and the satire sings.
I absolutely loved this story.
The humour is fabulous, the characters intriguing, Beth Fantaskey's voice is fresh and extremely readable and Lucius...ah, Lucius is one seriously hot vampire!
It's not often I pick up a book knowing absolutely nothing about the story or the author. After this experience, I'll be doing it more often.
What are you reading this week?
5 comments:
Another great sounding story! At the moment you pretty much have control of my TRB pile. Do you feel powerful?
I just added Hunger Games to it yesterday and after reading the first chapter off her website I can't wait to get to it!
Well, for me, it's back to the weekend historicals for me (LOL it's just how it worked out, really!) -- Pride and Prescience by Carri Bebris; one of the many Pride and Prejduice sequels, but she has a twist in that they solve something of a mystery during them. This is the first, with only the characters from P&P.
The others still have Darcy and Lizzie, but also characters from other Austen novels (which is always welcome, can't live on Darcy alone! LOL)
Don't know about feeling powerful, Lacey, but it does make me happy to share reading joy :)
We all have our fave authors so I think it's always nice to find new ones. Exciting to pick up a book you know nothing about and absolutely love it :)
There are so many P&P spin offs now, isn't there Lois?
I haven't read any but the titles alone intrigue me!
Oh yes, many P&P sequels, retellings, mashups, etc. I read some, I don't get all of them. . . first of all, there are too many; second, not all sound interesting to me. But while I love me my Mr Darcy, and read plenty of those inspired books, I like it when we see the same sort of the other five Austen novels. There just aren't as many of those. So the series where the book I'm reading now is from, it still has the Darcys in each one, but one has them visiting the people from Emma, another Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, etc. Always a good thing getting those other people in somewhere! :)
Lois
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