Kissing Corpses

by Amy Leigh Strickland

Kissing Corpses starts as a vampire romance, but quickly spirals into a suspense horror novel. Kendall Harker thinks she's met Mr. Perfect when a stranger, Rawdon Hale, rescues her from a possibly deadly mugging. Her new beau looks good on paper, but soon Kendall discovers that he is hiding a terrible he's a vampire. When Rawdon decides that he wants to turn Kendall into a creature of the night, Kendall isn't given much choice. She must reach out for help from a rude and callous vampire hunter who only cares about his catch and has no interest in Kendall's well-being."Miss Kendall Harker, From the night we first met, I knew that you belonged at my side. There was something extraordinary about you, even in your most fragile moment. In all of my time on this earth I have never met a woman as beautiful as you who has the wit and the strength of will to match it. Feeling the pounding of your heart through your breasts, warm against my chest, as we lay together, reminds me of what it feels like to be alive. Not since my death have I felt such excitement and hope for my future. Our future.All of my roaming through time has been for the sole purpose of finding you. I never wish to be separated from you. Never again will I have to go to my grave alone. My daily death will be a sweet respite with your body next to mine. You are mine, and either you or I or both shall perish before I ever let you go.Forever Yours,Rawdon Hale"

156 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 12, 2012

About the author

Amy Leigh Strickland is a writer and teacher from Townsend, Massachusetts. She has a BFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Amy currently lives outside Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, Kyle and their terrier, Apollo.

Reviews

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary:

Main character is getting mugged by a druggie after being ditched at a bar by her roommate;
Man with British-accent saves her;
Main character and Man with British-accent start seeing each other;
Main character finds out Man with British-accent is a vampire;
Sex between Main Character and Vampire;
Main Character learns about Vampire Hunter who wants to kill Vampire;
Long nights + work + school take a toll on Main Character;
Vampire offers eternity, claiming his love for the Main Character;
Main character freaked out beyond belief and says she doesn't want to be like him;
Vampire ignores her request and tells her to come to terms with the fact he'll change her;
Main character runs the hell away with her roommate to her ex-boyfriend's (who she dumped) house;
Main character teams up with Vampire Hunter;
Main character learns Vampire is a psychopath who falls in love with a girl, offers her eternity, but ends up killing her;
Main character and Vampire Hunter lure Vampire into elaborate trap to kill him;
Vampire ends up turning Main Character into a vampire;
Vampire is killed;
Main Character-now-Vampire is killed by Vampire Hunter.

I did not like how the ending played out, but the author wrote it in such a manner to show people that the YA-pnr-vampire books that have come out are rather silly. But then again, this is fiction. If an author wants a vampire to sparkle, they're going to sparkle. If an author wants a vampire hunter to be ruthless and sacrifice a girl who made a mistake and ends up dying for it, then, well, you get Kissing Corpses.

I did not really like the main character due to her selfishness in dragging other people into her problems, such as her ex-boyfriend. Her ex-boyfriend wanted to marry her, and she dumped him because she felt she was too young and wasn't ready. Fine, good. But to drag him into an issue where a killer vampire is after her is totally selfish. And on top of that, she steals his truck.

Needless to say, I wasn't too hurt about her dying, but I thought it was rather sad because she might have had the chance to be a good vampire. I don't really feel the author explained that -- were all vampires bad? I mean, the main-love-interest-turned-psychopath seemed like just an extremity, as human psychopaths are. Outside of a bit of bad choices, commitment-phobia, and selfishness, the main character didn't seem like the type who would cause mass murders. I mean, it was provable a vampire could live on blood-banks.

Anyway, enough of a rant! If you feel you want a short novella about bad vampires and aren't too big about getting a happy ending, then try out this one.

[Missy Kirtley]

There's vampire romance fiction, and then there's vampire horror, and then there's something in between. Amy Leigh Strickland has tip toe'd the balance between a suspenseful thriller and a romantic story. What starts out as a fun romp quickly turns into an exciting and addictive page turner, keeping the reader guled to the page as the story unfolds.

With realistic and believable characters and a twisting, turning plot, Kissing Corpses provides what a lot of Vampire Fiction misses: the idea that a vampire is a predator and the human involved with him is his prey. It may challenge what you've believed as far as vampire romance goes. Then again, it may be exactly what you've been hoping for.

I love Amy's writing, and I can't wait to read more.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Kissing Corpses" is definitely a five-star novella. From start to finish, Strickland keeps you on the edge of your seat. She has you looking left when all of a sudden, you realize you should have been looking right! Strickland weaves a tale of romance, suspense, action, drama, and a bit of wry comedy with clever characters that make you want to read more.
What starts out as a romance between a human and a vampire takes a dark, unexpected turn (although, if you know anything about vampire lore, it shouldn't be THAT unexpected!), because Strickland herself is clever and she takes the reader on a ride through the ups and downs of a relationship with a supernatural being. The dialogue between the characters is clever (and I keep using that word, but it's true!) and realistic. By the middle to the end of the story, I'd become attached to not only the main characters, but the secondary characters as well. Strickland brings even her most minor characters to life with creativity and detail that helps the story flow from one point to the next.
Even with the plot twists and turns, Strickland stays on track with the main story. If you judge the book by its cover and think you're getting a 'Twilight'-type, romance story, well... hold onto your seats, because you're in for a wild ride.
As a bonus, stick around for the Author's Notes at the end of the story, because the little peek into her angle on this tale is interesting. I honestly hope that there's another story in the making with these characters.
Great work, Amy!

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say that I almost did not finish this book. The first 40% of the book was full of unimportant details and descriptions that really took away from the story. The flow was very jerky and there are several grammatical/typographical errors throughout the book that are minor, but still annoying. It read like a cheesy vampire romance that I was not really interested in reading. The only reason that I kept reading, quite honestly, was because of the 2 reviews on Goodreads that claim the story falls somewhere between a vampire romance novel and a horror novel. So I kept telling myself that something more has to happen. The story does take a turn about half way through that makes it more readable. The flow smooths out a bit and we no longer have to endure those boring details that ran rampant throughout the beginning of the story.

The author's note at the end of the book helps to explain what she was trying to do but it just did not work well for me. The twist at the end was unexpected and it managed to switch the entire story to a new plot and set of main characters and I am not sure that went over very smoothly. I know that this is a new author and I am hoping that with some honest reviews that she can polish her writing. She has some good ideas here, she just needs to work on getting them across on paper to the reader.

[Macarena (followed that rabbit) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story doesn't follow the current vampire/human-romantic-relationship pattern. In fact, it is stated by the author that she "wanted to write a book that was the anti-Twilight." Hence the name, I think, because vampires are shown from the other point of view, as corpses.
I'm not going to write about what happens throughout the story, because it's been already explained, so here is what I think of the book.

As a vampire literature enthusiast, I appreciate that Mrs. Strickland shows vampires as threatening and manipulative creatures rather than attractive and chivalrous characters who struggle with the fiend they really are because they've sort of fallen in love with a cute and kind heroine. Although, I think that Mrs. Strickland should have developed the vampire character in the story, Rawdon Hale, a bit more, because, in my opinion, vampires are not simple creatures. They cannot be defined by one or two characteristics.

Anyway, among all those new vampire-romance novels out there, this book should be given a chance.

[Heath Lagrone · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great take on what happens when you fool around with the undead. Sure, you've been (lately) conditioned to think that he'll be all Edward and sparkle at you. Or maybe he's an Angel with a tortured soul. But what if he's a little stalker-y? What is the years of loneliness have made him a little clingy? This is a solid, clear-headed approach to vampire anti-romance.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely not your typical vampire story. And that's all I'm going to say about this book. LOL