Dead End Dating - Kimberly Raye

Hello, Lovelies! Like always, I hope this post finds each and every one of you in good spirits. I'm still surrounded by snow, but school is back in session and the house is slowly being restored to order. Which means I can finally sit down long enough to do a few things, like reading new books and reviewing them. I have an order coming in from Barnes and Nobel on Thursday, which means lots of new reviews coming next week. The list includes, Blondes Have More Felons by Alesia Holliday (NOTE: If you have already read this book and want to discuss it- hop on over to The Cherry Forums where it is the featured book for the month of December), Sleeping With The Fishes by MaryJanice Davidson , Stroke of Midnight by Laurell K Hamilton , and Adios To My Old Life by Caridad Ferrer . I so cannot wait for Thursday to get here! I also have a few books here now that I need to read so I'll be busy doing that so I can read my new ones without feeling guilty. Plus, I ordered a laptop a couple of days ago and it should be here soon, this will make it much easier for me to get reviews done faster, since I won't have to give up computer time to The Hubs when he gets home from work. It will also help me get our future home ready to move into on the 1st since I'm not having a lot of time to work on that during the day. And now, without further ado...

Dead End Dating by Kimberly Raye
(BCC)

BITING IS SO LAST SEASON.

A vivacious vampire with a flair for accessorizing, Lil Marchette is unlike most of her kind. She prefers lively shades of pink to dismal black (so not her color), plus she's a hopeless romantic. In need of a steady paycheck to support a compulsive cosmetics habit, Lil starts Dead End Dating (DED), a Manhattan-based matchmaking service that helps smart, sophisticated singles like herself find eternity mates-and may even help her stake a claim to her very own Count Right!

When Lil meets geeky vampire Francis Deville, she knows he's the perfect first client. If she can hook up Francis-after a little revamping, of course-she will prove her skills to the vampire community and turn DED into the hottest dating service in the Big Apple. But just as her business takes off, Lil meets the (literally) drop-dead bounty hunter Ty Bonner, who is hot on the chase of a serial killer. Instantly drawn to the luscious vamp stud, Lil really wants a taste. But as a made vampire, Ty can't procreate-and Lil will settle for nothing less. Luckily, between "vampifying" Francis and helping Ty solve his murder mystery, Lil has no time for silly romantic entanglements...even if Ty is all that and a Bloody Mary chaser!

All in all, not a bad BCC. I really have no complaints, which bothers me a bit, but I'll live.

Countess Liliana Arabella Guinevere du Marchetter, aka Lil, will do anything to avoid working at Midnight Moe's, her father's copy and printing business. The clothes are awful and she just can't stand the thought of spending all night behind a counter, even if it would keep her in expensive make-up for the rest of her life. Her latest venture is Dead End Dating, a matchmaking service for anyone, though she specializes in helping Born Vamps find an eternity mate. Problem is, business is slow. What she needs is a big match that will get the vampire communities attention and send them flocking to her door. It's just sheer luck that she comes across Francis, the black sheep of the very rich Deville family. Francis is a total geek and not a very strong vamp, so if Lil can help him access his inner vampire and find him an eternity mate, she'll be set! Unfortunately, Francis is going to need a lot of work.

Ty Bonner, a made vampire, is a bounty hunter searching for a kidnapper who finds his victims through classified ads. Only now it appears the kidnapper is changing his MO and is starting to use matchmaking services. He goes to Lil to explain what is happening and ask her to use her vampire skills to "read" her human male clients thoughts, and in doing so, help him find the bad guy.

When Ty walks into DED the sparks fly between him and Lil. But Ty is made and Lil is born, they could never be together because just like the BCC says Ty can't procreate. It doesn't stop Lil from fantasizing about trying it, though.

In Lil's world, there are two kinds of vampires, those that are made and those that are born. The born vamps view themselves as highly superior, the ability to have children being just one of the perks. The born vamps smell like dessert and they find their eternity mates by orgasm quotient and fertility ratings. Lil has two best friends, both named Nina, and a family that's a canine tooth short of normal.

Francis is a handful of a client, and adds a bit of fun to the story and the "dates" her mother and father constantly hook her up with for their Sunday Hunt is rather amusing. The sexual tension with Ty adds a nice romance plot and the search for the kidnapper adds just a bit of mystery.

When I first started reading the book, I had mixed feelings. For one, I liked the premise of the book. It sounded fun and interesting and I really wanted it to be. But, within the first few pages it felt like Raye was trying far to hard to be funny. Vampire-Lite is a huge seller right now, and I got the impression that Raye was writing a story that wasn't her own, but writing to the market. Now, that isn't an absolute BAD thing, but it can have a few drawbacks. The main one with this book being it took a while for the writing to warm up and feel natural.

But it does warm up and the forced humor starts to fade and I actually found myself smirking at a few parts. I enjoyed Raye's take on vampires, I like the idea of born vamps, I LOVE the idea of born vamps in Kim Harrison's books, and Raye did a good job of taking that idea and twisting it into one of her own.

In fact, I would say that DED is Betsy the Vampire Queen meets Ivy . If your in the mood for a little vampire romp but don't want tons of gore, I suggest you pick this up. It's worth the time and you just may find a new series to look forward to.

Take Care