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Arboretti Family #3
Lady Killer
Three years ago Miles Loredan believed he had killed the bloodthirsty fiend known as the Vampire of London. When a beautiful sleuth named Clio Thornton stumbles upon what can only be the Vampire's latest victim, Miles is drawn into a terrifying race against the clock. Captivated at once by intelligent, lovely Clio, his first impulse is to protect her. Because every clue points to the Vampire's next victim: Clio.
437 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
8 people are currently reading
159 people want to read
About the author
Michele Jaffe
26 books407 followersMichele Jaffe (b. March 20 in Los Angeles, California), is an American writer. She has authored novels in several genres, including historical romance, suspense thrillers, and novels for Young Adults.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 14, 2015
I liked it
I enjoyed this book more than the other three and I think it was simply because the banter between the h/h was more subdued than in then first two. Still somewhat predictable but entertaining.
I enjoyed this book more than the other three and I think it was simply because the banter between the h/h was more subdued than in then first two. Still somewhat predictable but entertaining.
July 19, 2020
I love this book and the entire series. It's fascinating.
August 14, 2021
Not my usual kind of book, but a fun read (even though I had to skip a LOT of pages - sex scenes).
March 22, 2023
Hot
You never know what a mystery has in store! Wildly erotic. I had not read one in thus series for some time. Fast paced with a few loose ends, but who would notice! Have fun!
You never know what a mystery has in store! Wildly erotic. I had not read one in thus series for some time. Fast paced with a few loose ends, but who would notice! Have fun!
June 3, 2024
This series is absolutely ridiculous, but so fun
November 21, 2025
⭐⭐⭐. 5
June 7, 2016
The Skinny
Clio Thornton has not had the easiest of lives with a grandmother like Lady Alecia Nonesuch. She lives in Which House with a rag-tag group of friends, including three playwrights and a manservant named Snug. One night she finds herself at the center of vampire’s crime scene. After three years, it seems he has returned from his wait in hiding while everyone thought he perished. Clio is insistent upon finding the fiend who has murdered so many women, and it leads her right to Miles Loredan.
The Players
Clio – a young woman constantly at odds with her family; she is conflicted about the murders but intent on uncovering the killer
Toast – Clio’s monkey; he can follow a scent anywhere and has his own language with Clio; fond of pilfering items and hiding them in his doublet
Inigo – a young boy Clio discovers at the murder scene and takes in
The Triumvirate – a group of three who write plays funded by Clio and live at Which House
Princess Erika – Clio’s neighbor; legendary for her prophesies
Miles – a wealthy Arboretti family member; bound by contract to marry Mariana,
Corin – Miles’ butler
Mariana – Clio’s idiot cousin; betrothed to Miles; odd fascination with baby animals (except dogs)
Grandmother – Mariana and Clio’s grandmother; intent on Mariana’s marriage; despises Clio
Edwin – Mariana’s father; not in his right mind
Saunders – Grandmother’s secretary; Mariana’s chaperone; fasion forward
Dr. LaForge – Mariana’s doctor; often corrects her word choic
First Impressions
After reading the first two installments, I found a pattern that I was pretty sure would be coming, but I wanted to read it nonetheless.
Second Thoughts
I loved the way Clio and Miles meet.
There was a dancing monkey. But the elf was a woman. A woman with a smear of dirt on one cheek and a tattered gown and long brown hair and enormous, challenging brown eyes. An absolutely stupendous looking woman.
There was only one thing to do with a woman like that. Reaching out, Miles pulled her toward him and pressed his lips hard against hers.
She tasted like a memory, like summer, and youth, and his favorite kind of ink all rolled together, and he could have gone on kissing her all day if she had not pulled away, leveled a knife-sharp look at him, and said, “You moldy mongrel.”
Clio is a woman who is an odd mix of eccentricities. She is a voracious reader and an advocate for others less fortunate or less empowered. I liked that about her character.
Clio has her own theories about the vampire fiend, and she takes them to none other than the man who murdered him three years prior: Miles. With his help, she hopes to follow the trails of the killer and bring justice to the women of London so they do not have to live in fear. Clio and her gang are a constant source of amusement and confounds Miles at every turn.
Grandmother has her own agenda and plans for her two granddaughters. The family dynamics in were so interesting. I couldn’t understand, though, why Lady Alecia didn’t simply cut Clio entirely off and send her out into the world on her own.
Clio’s vulnerable side also leads to a lot of her internal conflict. Her crazy family greatly contributes to it.
She wished that Toast had not been sent to sleep in Corin’s chambers, wished that somehow she was not entirely alone with Miles. Wished that her best friend was not a monkey. She felt her lower lip begin to tremble and commanded it to cease.
Corin was also a surprising character. For a while I couldn’t get a grasp on his character, but he and the rest of the staff and Miles’ guards turned out to err on the side of a sweetheart instead of the brutish man who serves as their boss. The relationship the two of them have is increasingly cute, especially each time Clio says, “I read in a book once that…”
“My apologies if my questions inconvenience you, lady Thornton -“
“That is quite all right. I promise I will answer all of them later.”
“-But I refuse to be a party to this illegal entry unless you give me more explanations.”
Clio signed. “It is quite simple,” she explained, but paused as Miles made a strangled noise. “Really, it is. You need not sound like a-a baby bear cub dying.”
“I told you not to mention baby animals to me.”
The Arboretti family continues to grow with each installment, and despite becoming very familiar with Jaffe’s basic character emotion archs and relationships, I am still looking forward to the next book in the series.
Clio Thornton has not had the easiest of lives with a grandmother like Lady Alecia Nonesuch. She lives in Which House with a rag-tag group of friends, including three playwrights and a manservant named Snug. One night she finds herself at the center of vampire’s crime scene. After three years, it seems he has returned from his wait in hiding while everyone thought he perished. Clio is insistent upon finding the fiend who has murdered so many women, and it leads her right to Miles Loredan.
The Players
Clio – a young woman constantly at odds with her family; she is conflicted about the murders but intent on uncovering the killer
Toast – Clio’s monkey; he can follow a scent anywhere and has his own language with Clio; fond of pilfering items and hiding them in his doublet
Inigo – a young boy Clio discovers at the murder scene and takes in
The Triumvirate – a group of three who write plays funded by Clio and live at Which House
Princess Erika – Clio’s neighbor; legendary for her prophesies
Miles – a wealthy Arboretti family member; bound by contract to marry Mariana,
Corin – Miles’ butler
Mariana – Clio’s idiot cousin; betrothed to Miles; odd fascination with baby animals (except dogs)
Grandmother – Mariana and Clio’s grandmother; intent on Mariana’s marriage; despises Clio
Edwin – Mariana’s father; not in his right mind
Saunders – Grandmother’s secretary; Mariana’s chaperone; fasion forward
Dr. LaForge – Mariana’s doctor; often corrects her word choic
First Impressions
After reading the first two installments, I found a pattern that I was pretty sure would be coming, but I wanted to read it nonetheless.
Second Thoughts
I loved the way Clio and Miles meet.
There was a dancing monkey. But the elf was a woman. A woman with a smear of dirt on one cheek and a tattered gown and long brown hair and enormous, challenging brown eyes. An absolutely stupendous looking woman.
There was only one thing to do with a woman like that. Reaching out, Miles pulled her toward him and pressed his lips hard against hers.
She tasted like a memory, like summer, and youth, and his favorite kind of ink all rolled together, and he could have gone on kissing her all day if she had not pulled away, leveled a knife-sharp look at him, and said, “You moldy mongrel.”
Clio is a woman who is an odd mix of eccentricities. She is a voracious reader and an advocate for others less fortunate or less empowered. I liked that about her character.
Clio has her own theories about the vampire fiend, and she takes them to none other than the man who murdered him three years prior: Miles. With his help, she hopes to follow the trails of the killer and bring justice to the women of London so they do not have to live in fear. Clio and her gang are a constant source of amusement and confounds Miles at every turn.
Grandmother has her own agenda and plans for her two granddaughters. The family dynamics in were so interesting. I couldn’t understand, though, why Lady Alecia didn’t simply cut Clio entirely off and send her out into the world on her own.
Clio’s vulnerable side also leads to a lot of her internal conflict. Her crazy family greatly contributes to it.
She wished that Toast had not been sent to sleep in Corin’s chambers, wished that somehow she was not entirely alone with Miles. Wished that her best friend was not a monkey. She felt her lower lip begin to tremble and commanded it to cease.
Corin was also a surprising character. For a while I couldn’t get a grasp on his character, but he and the rest of the staff and Miles’ guards turned out to err on the side of a sweetheart instead of the brutish man who serves as their boss. The relationship the two of them have is increasingly cute, especially each time Clio says, “I read in a book once that…”
“My apologies if my questions inconvenience you, lady Thornton -“
“That is quite all right. I promise I will answer all of them later.”
“-But I refuse to be a party to this illegal entry unless you give me more explanations.”
Clio signed. “It is quite simple,” she explained, but paused as Miles made a strangled noise. “Really, it is. You need not sound like a-a baby bear cub dying.”
“I told you not to mention baby animals to me.”
The Arboretti family continues to grow with each installment, and despite becoming very familiar with Jaffe’s basic character emotion archs and relationships, I am still looking forward to the next book in the series.
October 21, 2014
I really enjoyed this one, finding it a good story with really engaging characters, and it made me want to read more about the Arboretti family. There was a slightly predictable plotline in that the hero is being forced to marry someone he doesn't want to or lose his honour and fortune, but guess who was switched at birth with her cousin? Ta-dah! I still enjoyed the story, though!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews