Spotlight - First Bite

A new clean cozy mystery featuring a quirky vampire.  Here is the debut novel of the Accidental Vampire PI mystery series.

What's a positive thought girl to do when she finds herself one of the undead? Recite plenty of affirmations and use those new toothy skills to assist her PI boss, of course.

In 24 hours, Misty Summers had the worst date of her life, was bit by a vampire, and her PI boss may close his business as he goes through a divorce. Looking on the sunny side, she decides to use her new vampire assets and become the investigator to keep her job and income. She doesn’t know what her future holds, but it can’t be any worse! When she starts following up on a missing woman’s case, she finds herself in the middle of murder. Even with her positive thinking and affirmations, she is finding her new reality daunting. But she vows to take a bite out of crime in her small lake resort town.

If you like Duffy Brown, Nancy Warren, Nova Nelson, Dionne Lister, Trixie Silvertale, and Leighann Dobbs, then you'll love this series with a quirky intelligent sleuth, small town lake setting, and tantalizing mysteries. Misty Indigo Summers is a positive thinking kind of gal and a most unlikely vampire and PI. Buy these fun and clean cozy mysteries and start enjoying Misty's adventures today!

  

It is available now, so get your copy of this most unlikely of vampires who is cleaning up her lake resort small town.

Kindle || Nook || Kobo

Here is the book trailer:

Two advance reviews are in!

"First Bite (Accidental Vampire PI #1) by Avery Daniels is a very well-written book with an enticing cover image that hints at the alluring vampire mystery story within. I have to say that I found this book to be a very enjoyable read. Normally vampire tales end up being either gory or teen-oriented, but this book avoided both of those stereotypes perfectly. I enjoyed the way the author kept the book clean while still having a suspenseful murder mystery case for Misty Summers to solve. I enjoyed the way Misty developed as both a character and a vampire throughout the plot and I can’t wait to see how she will continue to grow as a character in the next book!" Sefina Hawk-Reader's Favorite

"Author Avery Daniels spins an intricate murder mystery tale full of vampires, witches, and talking cats that keeps you entertained from start to finish. Moving at a brisk pace, the plot takes wild twists and turns, keeping you guessing until the end. The characters are vibrant and colorful, with spirited personalities you can't help but find yourself attached to. The narrative follows Misty, an immensely likable young woman who wants to help others even at the cost of her own convenience. Her bubbly and optimistic personality is incredibly infectious and makes you root for her. I thoroughly enjoyed First Bite and heartily recommend it to vampire fans or readers who love paranormal sleuth stories." Pikasho Deka-Reader's Favorite

Review - From Fear to Eternity

I reviewed the first book in this series, Blood, Bath and Beyond (click here) and the second book: Bled and Breakfast (click here), plus we were fortunate that author Michelle Rowan gave us an interview (click here).  Today I review the newest release in this unique series. 

Author: Michelle Rowen

Copyright: July 2014 (Penguin Group) 334 pgs

Series: 3rd in Immortality Bites Mystery series

Sensuality: n/a

Mystery Sub-genre: Paranormal Amateur Sleuth

Main Characters: Sarah Dearly, newbie vampire and recently married to a master vampire 

Setting: Modern day, Beverly Hills Mansion

Obtained Through: Publisher for an honest review

Sarah and her husband Thierry attend an auction run by an unidentified vampire, with the hint that the Jacquerra Amulet containing a genie is up for bid.  There have been murders of key leaders of the Ring, a powerful and shadowy Vampire council, and suspicion is running high.  Thierry is asked by some Ring leadership members to secure the Amulet and keep even the head of Ring from getting hold of it for possible murderous intents. What should have been a few hours of work turns into a long night full of vengeance, evil magic, and several dead bodies.  In the midst of this, Sarah and Thierry's trust is tested more than ever before.  Can they survive the night alive...and still together? 

Sarah Dearly is still a bit impulsive and tenacious, but her loyalty to Thierry will be tested in this adventure with political landmines and a dangerous spell.  Thierry de Bennicoeur, the 600 year old master vampire has to face his past come back to hunt him and Sarah seeing a less pleasant side to him.  Veronique, Thierry's ex-wife, is bold, condescending, and a thorn in Sarah's life.  Sebastian, the long missing vampire Thierry sired, shows up to complicate everything.  The troublesome genie of the coveted amulet is a surprise character...that is all I can say without any spoilers.

The Beverly Hills mansion is vast and has great gothic suspense touches, making it feel like a medieval castle.  It was not only a creepy setting, but added to the sense of being trapped.  The mansion was utilized so well that the pacing kept going in-spite of the entire book occurring in one location.  The plot was deftly handled with some good twists and plenty of shadowy motives.  The climax was icing, delivering some good suspense.  The wrap-up left me wanting more. 

This series doesn't disappoint, with another exciting addition and it keeps getting better.  The characters are developing, the plots are meaty, and the action is hair-raising. I love this light urban fantasy that supplies just enough "grit" while keeping upbeat touches.

Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.

Review - Blood Bath & Beyond

This book is a new series that spun off a paranormal romance series also titled Immortality Bites.  This is the debut for the main character to enter into the mystery realm, so let's see how this transitional book did.

Author: Michelle Rowen

Copyright:  August 2012 (Signet) 336 pgs

Series:  1st in An Immortality Bites Mystery

Sensuality:  n/a

Mystery Sub-genre:  Paranormal Amateur Sleuth

Main Character:  Sarah Dearly, newbie vampire

Setting:  Modern Day, Las Vegas Nevada

Obtained Through:  from publisher for an honest review

Sarah Dearly is only months old as a vampire (due to a blind date with an undead), but she is now engaged to a 600 year old Master Vampire named Thierry de Bennicoeur. Thierry takes a fifty-year job with a shadowy group called "the Ring," essentially a vampire counsel.  He admits it was an offer he couldn't refuse. This job entails a lot of travel over that next fifty years as well.  Thierry is surprised, and a little pleased, that Sarah refuses to sit in Vancouver, but insists on traveling with him.  Beginning immediately with an assignment in Las Vegas to coral a vampire child beauty pageant contestant, Victoria Corday, that could expose the existence of vampires when people notice she never grows up.  

As soon as they arrive at their hotel they are confronted with a vampire serial killer on the loose, leaving bodies along the strip with fang marks showing on their necks.  Then before you know it, another high-profile master vampire and old nemesis, Bernard DuShaw, is staked and Thierry is taken away by the Ring's top Hunter.  The Ring's Hunter's are widely feared and it looks like Thierry has been setup for DuShaw's murder by an expert.  Sarah refuses to go back to Vancouver where it is safe, and finds herself alone on the streets trying to figure out who killed DuShaw.  While she is at it she finds a Starbucks blood bar and ends up in several dangerous run-ins.

Sarah Dearly is honest to a fault and is genuinely kind to people. In this debut of the mystery incarnation of Immortality Bites, Sarah is challenged to find her inner courage and bad-ass.  As a character, she is a likeable optimist that seems to fall into bad situations.  Thierry is full of secrets and epitomizes the tall, dark, and dangerous vampire.  But Thierry himself came across as a chess piece being maneuvered and I found myself wanting more from his character.  The relationship between Sarah and Thierry is tested and the emotional strain is portrayed well without becoming dark.  The character of Victoria Corday is a surprising breakout and is setup to be a continuing one.  The concept of a child vampire who has a couple of centuries of worldliness yet is still a child is great and was written well. The Ring's top Hunter, Markus Reed, is a mystery on top of being a deadly vampire with a license to kill.  He clearly has some ulterior motive, but we don't get any hint as to what or why.  The ending leaves Markus free to appear in future editions.

Las Vegas was good for this debut novel because of its nightlife and wide-open possibilities for characters like magicians and unique stores.  The gambling or elaborate show aspects were not in evidence as part of the storyline.  The idea of the shadowy Ring who employs hunters and investigates vampires creates a layer of sinister puppet masters that was more prevalent than the city for atmosphere. 

There were several things going with this and the initial assignment is the least important.  The murder of DuShaw and the Vampire serial killer are more critical in the plot.  I had not read the initial Immortality Bites romances but the necessary background was filled in easily.  The story maintains a good pace and seemed to go quickly. My interest was maintained throughout and I just enjoyed the story.  There is plenty of humor as we hear Sarah's commentary.  The humor and the writing style make this lighter than I expected. The confrontation with the serial killer was tense and the wrap up was emotional.

This novel setup the basis for the ongoing mysteries with Thierry's job having them investigating, as well as hints of revelations from his past, and ongoing power-plays with the Ring. It is essentially a cozy with a pretty good fantasy world for the paranormal framing the story for a series thread early on.  I would say that the move from romance to mystery was smooth and successful.  I am certainly looking forward to the next book in the series.
 

Rating:  Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list.

Here are some holiday cake decorating ideas!

 

Review - A Taste of the Nightlife

If you are looking for the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop, you are in the correct place and thank you for stopping by.  Please scroll down to the post before this one for the giveaway.  

Today we continue with our paranormal mystery book reviews with a paranormal cozy featuring vampires.  I know, cozy and vampire just doesn't seem to go together.  But check out the review, it might surprise you.

Author: Sarah Zettel

Copyright:  July 2011 (Signet) 320 pgs

Series:  1st in  Vampire Chef Mysteries

Sensuality:  Romantic tension

Mystery Sub-genre:  paranormal cozy

Main Character:  Charlotte Caine, Chef to Vampires and other "paranormals"

Setting:  Modern Day, New York

Obtained Through:  from publisher for an honest review

Chef Charlotte is co-owner of Nightlife Restaurant with her vampire brother Chet.  When a drunk customer who made a scene (in the presence of influential restaurant critic Anatole) is found dead the next morning, Charlotte's brother Chet comes under suspicion.  The victim was a member of a powerful Maddox Witch family known for their Vampire hunting. Brenden Maddox, brother to the victim comes to the restaurant to ask questions at the same time as Anatole the critic (and a vampire) is there seeking answers too.

Charlotte starts working with both men to find out what is happening and why a man was killed in her place.  The more she digs into the case, the more her brother looks suspicious.  Both Anatole and Brenden seem personally interested in Charlotte which fuels their rivalry inspite of the fragile truce to work together.

There are several things about this book that are a pleasant surprise. Firstly it is definitely a cozy mystery in-spite of the vampires or romantic tension.  The world building is simple with the least amount of fuss.  The paranormal is out in the open now and the night life crowd enjoys a good meal (no human blood - that's illegal.)  Charlotte is a bona-fide Chef and big sister, always taking care of her younger vampire brother Chet who the rest of the family has disowned. 

Charlotte herself is a great character.  The old saying never trust a skinny cook is employed here with Charlotte who has some curves and meat on her bones, which I always like rather than the same-old perfectly thin heroine.  She is a bit feisty without being bull headed.  She also doesn't get much sleep but a few short hours here and there.  I really wanted to make her get some sleep after a while! 

Brenden is the reasonable member of the Maddox witch family and is willing, up to a point, to investigate his brother's murder with Charlotte and Anatole rather than solo.  Anatole is an old vampire who enjoys having a secure life and really doesn't want to live in the closet (or is that the coffin?) any more so solving the murder is critical to him.  Charlotte just wants to clear Chet and maybe even herself from the police's list. Both Brenden and Anatole are classic dangerous charmers.  Brenden is dark and human, Anatole is blond with old-world romantic ideas and fangs.  This sets up a competition between the two for her which could be interesting in future books.  I found it interesting that usually I clearly like one "potential love interest" more than the other in these setups, but I thought both had their good points in this case.  If you have read the book, perhaps you could chime in with your thoughts on that.

There is occasional humor without feeling forced.  I like humor in my books, but only when it sounds natural and this did to me. The plot has enough developments to keep the reader interested without moving into the urban fantasy dark mode.  It was paced well without any dragging middle.  It is a solid cozy mystery, just with vampires and witches.  The climatic confrontation with the killer is satisfactory and I had developed my ideas of the whodunit and why as the story progressed.  The wrap up leaves enough open for the next book to have both Brenden and Anatole as recurring characters which I liked both of the characters so that worked.

As far as I am aware this is a unique book.  It has the standard vampires, werewolves and the usual cast of creatures but in true cozy format - not the dark "gritty" or "sexy" urban fantasy world.  The heroine does not wield a sword or have any abilities past the kitchen.  It has all the ingredients for a successful cozy: a murder mystery, a likable heroine, interesting supporting characters, pinches of magic and danger mixed with sprinkles of romantic tension served up with a paranormal world that is integrated smoothly. I wonder why nobody has thought to do this vampire lite before.  Likely because not just any author could pull this off as well as Ms. Zettel has.  I will certainly be anxiously awaiting the next book to be released.

For you viewing pleasure, here are some videos for carving pumpkins that provide tips and inspiration. Some of these are amazing.

In this next video you learn how to pick a design and transfer it to a pumpkin then carve it out.  Part one explained to look for a pumpkin that is 1) big and 2) has a flatter side for the design.