Review: Immortality Bites Series

Stakes & Stilettos
Tall, Dark & Fangsome
Author: Michelle Rowen
Publisher: Forever

Summary: Newly-vamped Sarah Dearly wants her normal life back, but fate is fighting against her. She tries to get a nice, regular job and gets staked at the interview, only to be rescued by a masked vampire who calls himself the Red Devil. Then a wallflower-turned-witch curses her, making her a bloodthirsty, sun-allergic nightwalker — the worst vampire there is. As if all that weren’t bad enough, she can’t get married because her 600-year-old boyfriend, Thierry, is in a centuries-long marriage of convenience he can’t escape.

I've had Stakes & Stilettos and Tall, Dark & Fangsome on my To Be Read shelf for a little while now after winning both copies in different contests. A sign, I think, that I was suppose to read Michelle Rowen's books. Sarah Darling is a wonderful, witty, charming character that I will miss since Tall, Dark & Fangsome wraps up her story. I'm wondering if the author will surprise us with a short story in the future. (We could probably beg and/or bribe her.)

The Immortality Bites books can be read on their own because the author gives a quick wrap-up at the beginning of each book. I had no problem starting within the series, reading books three and four. Sarah Darling is a new, reluctant vampire. Thierry is a very old vampire who is tired of his existence, or at least he was, until he met Sarah. Who knew you could meet your true love after 600 years? Sarah tries to see the good in everyone, which means she often trusts those who don't deserve her trust. This trait is part of what makes her so full of life, and so charming. I love that she is a regular gal who became a vampire. She has the same wants, doubts and problems that the rest of us do. She still has to deal with earning a living, facing her parents, and building a relationship.

Thierry, on the other hand, is a Master Vampire, who has lived a long, long, lonely life. People think he is cold, aloof and unemotional, but Sarah knows differently. I love their relationship and Thierry is incredibly sexy. He may not be aggressive in a traditional sense, but he simmers.

Michelle Rowen's writing is upbeat, witty and fun, but she can also keep her readers on the edge of their seats. I felt like I was with Sarah as she tried to keep her friends and Thierry safe, and I wanted to yell out "No, don't trust him!" "Run, Sarah, run!" I couldn't put either book down once I started reading.

Fans of contemporary as well as paranormal romance will really enjoy the Immortality Bites series, especially if you love humor with your romance. I will be adding the other books in the series to my reading list, as well as Michelle's new books. In a little side not, the books take place in Toronto where I went for my honeymoon 21 years ago. It was also where my husband proposed to me, and where we've vacationed since. I love Toronto and hopefully will be going back in the next few years.

This review is also part of the NAC Mini-Challenge: League of Reluctant Adults from Literary Escapism. You can visit Michelle's blog here.



~Moonsanity