Fun, wacky, spooky, twisty, delightful, engaging, exciting--all suitable words to describe this second helping of Thierry and Sarah's vampiric adventures. The setting of Salem, infamous for its witch trials and horrific history, was perfect, and the book was chock full of vampires, creepy ghosts and malevolent/good witches, and even a warty toad with secrets of his own!
True to her nature, Sarah was once again endearing, impulsive, stubborn, rash, snarky, sarcastic and fiercely determined to help others even if it meant risking her own life. Her devotion and love for Thierry, despite his less-than savoury past and somewhat standoffish nature, was phenomenal. Even Thierry, the mysterious, aloof, dangerous and dour master vampire, seemed stunned by the depth of Sarah's love for him.
The story was extremely twisty and turny with lots of red herrings and suspects, but, rather than take away from the enjoyment, the convoluted plot made for some exciting reading and kept the reader guessing as to the identity of the culprit or culprits right up to the end. I'm pleased to say I did have a pretty good inkling of who it was early on, but Ms. Rowen made it difficult to be certain. That's what I like to see in a mystery--it's not so much fun if the motive and murderer are predictable and foreshadowed too early on in the book.
Owen, the resident vampire Cassanova, was funny in a way, but also very sleazy and slimy. His fate was not a pretty one, but somewhat deserving in my opinion.
This is a very well-written, engaging series, and I fully intend to continue on with it as long as Ms. Rowen keeps on writing the books!