"The thing to remember about a 'stray' vampire is that there is probably a good reason he is friendless, alone, and wounded. Approach with caution."
Iris Scanlon, Half-Moon Hollow's only daytime vampire concierge, knows more about the undead than she'd like. Running their daylight errands-from letting in the plumber to picking up some chilled Faux Type O-gives her a look at the not-so-glamorous side of vamps. Her rules are strict; relationships are purely business, not friendship-and certainly not anything more. Then she finds her newest client, Cal, poisoned on his kitchen floor, and her quiet life turns upside down.
Cal-who would be devastatingly sexy, if Iris thought vampires were sexy-offers Iris a hefty fee for hiding him at her place. And even though he's imperious, unfriendly, and doesn't seem to understand the difference between "employee" and "servant," she agrees. But as they search for who wants him permanently dead, Iris is breaking more and more of her own rules . . . particularly those about nudity. Could it be that what she really needs is some intrigue and romance-and her very own stray vampire?
I don't think I would have liked this book as much if it hadn't been placed in Half Moon Hollow and I hadn't read the "Nice Girls" series. Having said that, you definitely don't need to read the Nice Girls series to enjoy this one. Not at all. It's just that I loved the characters from that series: Jane and Andrea and Jolene - and it was great fun to see them make appearances in this book as well.
The chemistry between Cal and Iris is a little reminiscent of Gabriel and Jane in the Nice Girls series, so for me the romantic tension didn't come across as strong as it might for someone reading their first Molly Harper vampire story. I'm not a huge fan of plots that involve parenting either, but I have to say, Ms. Harper was genius with this. Truly, Iris is a diabolically effective parent/guardian to a teenaged girl. If I was a parent, I'd take notes. I laughed out loud at several points. And I really liked seeing a healthy family dynamic with genuine fondness for each other. Ms. Harper is a talented writer.
There's a bit of a mystery in this book as well, and the author did a fine job throwing in the red herrings and clues. I'd think I'd know the culprit, and the get thrown off course a bit so I doubted myself. I like that in a mystery.
Overall, a light, fun mystery/light romance/paranormal read. I'll definitely be on the look out for the book hyped at the back: Witch Hunt.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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10 August, 2012:
Finished reading
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10 August, 2012:
Reviewed