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Immortality Bites #1
Bitten & Smitten
Blind dates can be bad, but Sarah Dearly's date is a true contender for worst ever. His neck nibbling didn't just leave a bruise; it turns her into a vampire - and the newest target for a pack of zealot vampire hunters. With her date now their latest victim, Sarah runs for her immortal life - straight into Thierry de Bennicoeur, a master vampire who is just a wee bit suicidal. Thierry can't resist a damsel in distress and agrees to teach Sarah how to live the vampire life if she'll help him end his own. But as it turns out, Sarah may be his best reason for living.
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
452 people are currently reading
5876 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Rowen
67 books2,723 followersNational bestselling author MICHELLE ROWEN writes paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and young adult fantasy, both light and dark, sexy and sweet, long and short -- it all depends on the story! She's won a Holt Medallion for Best First Book and a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award for Vampire Romance. For more information, please visit Michelle at her website at www.michellerowen.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 531 reviews
July 27, 2018
So much potential funny....
I mean, the girl is snarky enough. But, she was also just too stupid!
She gets turned into a vampire and immediately has vampire-hunters all over her. So, what does she do? She keeps walking into the bar that she KNOWS has vampire-hunters. She keeps running around late at night when she KNOWS the vampire-hunters are everywhere. She keeps giving them her first and last name and then wonders how they keep finding her! Seriously, it was like she kept making herself a walking target.
Just stop! Or, at least don't complain to me when you get bitch-slapped. Again.
Not only all of this, but she even kisses an ex-vampire hunter who kept trying to kill her.
*sigh*
I don't know about you guys, but I have a strict policy of staying away from everything that wants me dead. Yes, that list is probably a little long considering I'm a middle-aged housewife in the suburbs, but hey, how was I supposed to know that you shouldn't open the windows on an airplane? Why do they even have windows if you can't open them? Isn't that the whole point of windows? Fresh air?
Okay, maybe taking that selfie while it was happening was a little too much, but in my defense, my Instagram really needed a boost. Plus, I just know some people weren't going to believe me. It was documentation.
Okay, so maybe I shouldn't have been smiling. I admit it. I said I was sorry.
Okay, I said "my bad?", but everyone knows that means sorry, right? No need to get all mad and killy on me.
Harsh!
Sheesh - surviving family members are sooo sensitive.
Anywho... my angry mob problems aside, this book was okay. It wasn't as funny as I like my vampire-romance books to be, but it was amusing. I have more of this series, so I will keep reading to see if it hits the Jilly laugh-o-meter. If not, I'll just send the angry mob over to the author. They can use a little cardio. Some of them are getting chubby sitting out there waiting for me to leave the house.
What? Shit, they heard me call them chubby?
*sigh* So freaking sensitive.
I mean, the girl is snarky enough. But, she was also just too stupid!
She gets turned into a vampire and immediately has vampire-hunters all over her. So, what does she do? She keeps walking into the bar that she KNOWS has vampire-hunters. She keeps running around late at night when she KNOWS the vampire-hunters are everywhere. She keeps giving them her first and last name and then wonders how they keep finding her! Seriously, it was like she kept making herself a walking target.
Just stop! Or, at least don't complain to me when you get bitch-slapped. Again.
Not only all of this, but she even kisses an ex-vampire hunter who kept trying to kill her.
*sigh*
I don't know about you guys, but I have a strict policy of staying away from everything that wants me dead. Yes, that list is probably a little long considering I'm a middle-aged housewife in the suburbs, but hey, how was I supposed to know that you shouldn't open the windows on an airplane? Why do they even have windows if you can't open them? Isn't that the whole point of windows? Fresh air?
Okay, maybe taking that selfie while it was happening was a little too much, but in my defense, my Instagram really needed a boost. Plus, I just know some people weren't going to believe me. It was documentation.
Okay, so maybe I shouldn't have been smiling. I admit it. I said I was sorry.
Okay, I said "my bad?", but everyone knows that means sorry, right? No need to get all mad and killy on me.
Harsh!
Sheesh - surviving family members are sooo sensitive.
Anywho... my angry mob problems aside, this book was okay. It wasn't as funny as I like my vampire-romance books to be, but it was amusing. I have more of this series, so I will keep reading to see if it hits the Jilly laugh-o-meter. If not, I'll just send the angry mob over to the author. They can use a little cardio. Some of them are getting chubby sitting out there waiting for me to leave the house.
What? Shit, they heard me call them chubby?
*sigh* So freaking sensitive.
October 18, 2010
Eh. Another disappointing read. I seem to be having bad luck lately.
The narrator was annoying (why does "funny" paranormal romance/urban fantasy always mean the main character is a complete idiot?) and the plot was dull. I figured most of the plot out way before Sarah did.
The love interest, Thierry, didn't do it for me. They fell for each other much too fast (pet peeve) and didn't even spend enough time together to know if they actually liked one another. Chemistry was lacking, but that might be because there was no more than a few chaste kisses and everything else happened off-screen. If it's an adult romance, I expect some sex, dammit! :O)
The narrator was annoying (why does "funny" paranormal romance/urban fantasy always mean the main character is a complete idiot?) and the plot was dull. I figured most of the plot out way before Sarah did.
The love interest, Thierry, didn't do it for me. They fell for each other much too fast (pet peeve) and didn't even spend enough time together to know if they actually liked one another. Chemistry was lacking, but that might be because there was no more than a few chaste kisses and everything else happened off-screen. If it's an adult romance, I expect some sex, dammit! :O)
November 19, 2012
I saw several aspects which I thought could use improvement (understatement) , or were a severe detraction to any self-respecting vampire romance novel.
First, were the many idiosyncrasies in the series. Where, in any vampire novel, would one find a centuries old vampire who meekly let's himself get killed? In tons of books, of course. But these books normally make use of only one or two, to make the story more interesting. You don't get whole towns of such vampires volunteering to die. They are the exception, not the norm. What is the norm, are manipulative, cunning, century old vampires who have lived that long because They Are Not Stupid. But in this book, almost every vampire ("almost" means characters who are granted the great honor of having names and speaking parts aren't as stupid) is so afraid of vampire hunters that they'll plead, moan, and likely run if they get the chance, but they won't fight. I understand that fear is a crippling factor. However, the climactic event in Bitten and Smitten is the club scene where the heroine climbs on a platform and talks to a club filled to the rafters with vampires that they don't need to be afraid of FIVE VAMPIRE HUNTERS. Um...duh? Isn't that common sense? C'mon, where's the real climax? The surprise? The shock factor? That glorious moment when the reader thinks..."AHA!"?
After shaking my head a few times and sighing, I come to my second point, the world-building. I think a lot of things got lost amid all the running around, stabbing, poofing into goo, and fluff. My example, a world of meek vampires? Why, when, and how the hell did it happen? Was it because of religion, technology, the guilt factor? I may have read something to a certain extent, of some vampires wanting to blend in, that they're actually human yada yada, so they don't want any trouble, but this doesn't automatically translate to "kill me now, I will not resist". In short, where's the base? The metaphysical four elephants which stand on a turtle and hold up the Earth?
Moving on to my third point, I feel like I'm watching a cartoon. Vampire hunters jump out of nowhere. Stakes come out of nowhere. A whole lot of things come OUT OF NOWHERE. There are so many vampires and hunters, you'd think the place was infested with them. There was some mention of a hunter gathering, but must every hotdog stand customer and bestfriend's boyfriend be a vampire hunter? What's next, the dogwalker? The pregnant lady sitting on a bench? Mrs. Wilkins from 4th Grade History?
Coincidences can happen once or twice. They're a staple of any fiction novel after all. But fiction novels, even those about vampires, are bound by the common rules of reality. These rules state, that you can meet someone once, it's coincidence, twice, acceptable, three times, and Fate is your crazy gay uncle. For example, you meet vampire hunters in a cemetery right after getting bitten and waking up in a grave? That's coincidence. Meeting your future vampire master/romantic interest standing on a bridge and debating the merits of suicide, while you are running away from said vampire hunters? Acceptable. Meeting one of the vampire hunters again because he's dating your best friend and you planned a double date? (resulting in a restaurant scene fight)? Your crazy gay uncle appears! Having the vampire hunter meeting club/bar right across the tanning salon/vampire night club, so you can run over your enemies again and again just by crossing the street? Your crazy gay uncle is whipping your ass!
In short, simple and convenient do not, an interesting novel make.
Quatro! (4th point) Characters are trite, one-dimensional (three being the ideal), unamusing (trying to be witty but failing), and conventional. And don't even let me start on the romance angle. It's a shallow version of loud-mouthed-chick-falls-in-love-with-brooding-sensitive-vampire-with-issues. What more can I say?
And now, for the most memorable part of this series (what I've read of it anyway). I give you,SARAH"S EPIC SPEECH AT THE NIGHTCLUN/TANNING SALON. (The part where the vampires have been hostaged by a couple of hunters with crappy weapons.)
“Hi, everyone,” I said into the microphone. “I don’t have much to say. I know Peter here’sin a big hurry. Men, you know. The thing is, he’s just doing what he thinks is right by killing me and maybe killing the rest of you before the night is through. That’s what the hunters do. They kill vampires. I mean, look at what Hollywood has done to us. Made us into bloodsucking, murderous monsters. Ugly, white-faced bat creatures. Scary, icky night stalkers. Or, on the other hand, you have the hot, steamy vampire lovers. Those are my favorites, of course, but they’re still mostly evil.”
I pulled the microphone off the stand so I could hold it closer to my mouth.“And evil things should be killed, right? If we were all just regular folks—doctors,lawyers, and schoolteachers—going about our daily business… well, that would be another thing. We wouldn’t deserve to die because of that. These hunters would be the murderers then, wouldn’t they? But we’re not those normal, everyday, boring things.”I took a deep breath. “We’re monsters. Evil, scary, fanged monsters. Strong and dangerous, able to look after ourselves and our nasty friends and families. We give the hunters a run for their money, don’t we? We’d never make it easy on them or they might enjoy it too much. Might look at killing us as a game, a hobby—big fun. Something they can do to feel powerful and important.
“They have the weapons, sure. They have the teamwork, okay. But at the end of the day—in the wee hours of the night—take a look around, my monstrous friends… we have the goddamned numbers.”
I heard a rustle through the crowd as they looked around at one another, whispering about what I was saying and the point I was trying to get across. I hoped to God I was making that point loud and clear.
Question of the Hour: Would an average reasonable person, trying to change vampire minds use "...scary icky night stalkers" in a sentence? Would you?
First, were the many idiosyncrasies in the series. Where, in any vampire novel, would one find a centuries old vampire who meekly let's himself get killed? In tons of books, of course. But these books normally make use of only one or two, to make the story more interesting. You don't get whole towns of such vampires volunteering to die. They are the exception, not the norm. What is the norm, are manipulative, cunning, century old vampires who have lived that long because They Are Not Stupid. But in this book, almost every vampire ("almost" means characters who are granted the great honor of having names and speaking parts aren't as stupid) is so afraid of vampire hunters that they'll plead, moan, and likely run if they get the chance, but they won't fight. I understand that fear is a crippling factor. However, the climactic event in Bitten and Smitten is the club scene where the heroine climbs on a platform and talks to a club filled to the rafters with vampires that they don't need to be afraid of FIVE VAMPIRE HUNTERS. Um...duh? Isn't that common sense? C'mon, where's the real climax? The surprise? The shock factor? That glorious moment when the reader thinks..."AHA!"?
After shaking my head a few times and sighing, I come to my second point, the world-building. I think a lot of things got lost amid all the running around, stabbing, poofing into goo, and fluff. My example, a world of meek vampires? Why, when, and how the hell did it happen? Was it because of religion, technology, the guilt factor? I may have read something to a certain extent, of some vampires wanting to blend in, that they're actually human yada yada, so they don't want any trouble, but this doesn't automatically translate to "kill me now, I will not resist". In short, where's the base? The metaphysical four elephants which stand on a turtle and hold up the Earth?
Moving on to my third point, I feel like I'm watching a cartoon. Vampire hunters jump out of nowhere. Stakes come out of nowhere. A whole lot of things come OUT OF NOWHERE. There are so many vampires and hunters, you'd think the place was infested with them. There was some mention of a hunter gathering, but must every hotdog stand customer and bestfriend's boyfriend be a vampire hunter? What's next, the dogwalker? The pregnant lady sitting on a bench? Mrs. Wilkins from 4th Grade History?
Coincidences can happen once or twice. They're a staple of any fiction novel after all. But fiction novels, even those about vampires, are bound by the common rules of reality. These rules state, that you can meet someone once, it's coincidence, twice, acceptable, three times, and Fate is your crazy gay uncle. For example, you meet vampire hunters in a cemetery right after getting bitten and waking up in a grave? That's coincidence. Meeting your future vampire master/romantic interest standing on a bridge and debating the merits of suicide, while you are running away from said vampire hunters? Acceptable. Meeting one of the vampire hunters again because he's dating your best friend and you planned a double date? (resulting in a restaurant scene fight)? Your crazy gay uncle appears! Having the vampire hunter meeting club/bar right across the tanning salon/vampire night club, so you can run over your enemies again and again just by crossing the street? Your crazy gay uncle is whipping your ass!
In short, simple and convenient do not, an interesting novel make.
Quatro! (4th point) Characters are trite, one-dimensional (three being the ideal), unamusing (trying to be witty but failing), and conventional. And don't even let me start on the romance angle. It's a shallow version of loud-mouthed-chick-falls-in-love-with-brooding-sensitive-vampire-with-issues. What more can I say?
And now, for the most memorable part of this series (what I've read of it anyway). I give you,SARAH"S EPIC SPEECH AT THE NIGHTCLUN/TANNING SALON. (The part where the vampires have been hostaged by a couple of hunters with crappy weapons.)
“Hi, everyone,” I said into the microphone. “I don’t have much to say. I know Peter here’sin a big hurry. Men, you know. The thing is, he’s just doing what he thinks is right by killing me and maybe killing the rest of you before the night is through. That’s what the hunters do. They kill vampires. I mean, look at what Hollywood has done to us. Made us into bloodsucking, murderous monsters. Ugly, white-faced bat creatures. Scary, icky night stalkers. Or, on the other hand, you have the hot, steamy vampire lovers. Those are my favorites, of course, but they’re still mostly evil.”
I pulled the microphone off the stand so I could hold it closer to my mouth.“And evil things should be killed, right? If we were all just regular folks—doctors,lawyers, and schoolteachers—going about our daily business… well, that would be another thing. We wouldn’t deserve to die because of that. These hunters would be the murderers then, wouldn’t they? But we’re not those normal, everyday, boring things.”I took a deep breath. “We’re monsters. Evil, scary, fanged monsters. Strong and dangerous, able to look after ourselves and our nasty friends and families. We give the hunters a run for their money, don’t we? We’d never make it easy on them or they might enjoy it too much. Might look at killing us as a game, a hobby—big fun. Something they can do to feel powerful and important.
“They have the weapons, sure. They have the teamwork, okay. But at the end of the day—in the wee hours of the night—take a look around, my monstrous friends… we have the goddamned numbers.”
I heard a rustle through the crowd as they looked around at one another, whispering about what I was saying and the point I was trying to get across. I hoped to God I was making that point loud and clear.
Question of the Hour: Would an average reasonable person, trying to change vampire minds use "...scary icky night stalkers" in a sentence? Would you?
May 28, 2018
I have a particular weakness for paranormal romance books, constantly finding myself drawn towards new series (or, at least, new to me). I regularly say I will not start a new series until I am up to date with all the other series I am reading, and yet something more always calls out to me. Bitten & Smitten is a prime example of this.
Bitten & Smitten is the first book in Michelle Rowen’s Immortality Bites series, and I seem to have found myself another paranormal romance series that I will need to follow. Fortunately, there are a few books out already for me to sink my teeth into, so this series should keep me busy for a while once I get hold of the next few books – starting with Fanged & Fabulous.
As the titles will have you guessing, this is not a series to be taken seriously. It’s a light-hearted series, filled with plenty of amusement to leave you chuckling out loud. Sure, there are plenty of heavier moments – deeper moments for the storyline, moments where things become more serious to progress the story forward – yet on the whole this is an entertaining read that will leave you with a bounce in your step.
In all honesty, this was exactly what I needed from the book. Sometimes I just want a book with plenty of laughter, one I will be sucked into and will complete in no time at all, one I will have a lot of fun with, and one I will be more than willing to say ‘it wasn’t perfect, but it was perfect for what I needed’ – and such is exactly what Bitten & Smitten provided.
It was light-hearted and fun, leaving me more than willing to dive into the next book. I may not be overjoyed with the romance in this one (I’m not feeling the couples at all), but I’m hoping that will come in time. Everything else I wanted from this book, I got – and that is all I can ask for.
Without a doubt, this is a series I want more of.
Bitten & Smitten is the first book in Michelle Rowen’s Immortality Bites series, and I seem to have found myself another paranormal romance series that I will need to follow. Fortunately, there are a few books out already for me to sink my teeth into, so this series should keep me busy for a while once I get hold of the next few books – starting with Fanged & Fabulous.
As the titles will have you guessing, this is not a series to be taken seriously. It’s a light-hearted series, filled with plenty of amusement to leave you chuckling out loud. Sure, there are plenty of heavier moments – deeper moments for the storyline, moments where things become more serious to progress the story forward – yet on the whole this is an entertaining read that will leave you with a bounce in your step.
In all honesty, this was exactly what I needed from the book. Sometimes I just want a book with plenty of laughter, one I will be sucked into and will complete in no time at all, one I will have a lot of fun with, and one I will be more than willing to say ‘it wasn’t perfect, but it was perfect for what I needed’ – and such is exactly what Bitten & Smitten provided.
It was light-hearted and fun, leaving me more than willing to dive into the next book. I may not be overjoyed with the romance in this one (I’m not feeling the couples at all), but I’m hoping that will come in time. Everything else I wanted from this book, I got – and that is all I can ask for.
Without a doubt, this is a series I want more of.
nevermind
December 13, 2021DNF at 51%
March 18, 2011
Bitten & Smitten captured me from the very beginning.
It was so funny, I actually laughed out loud many times.
Sarah Dearly was going on a blind date that her friend Amy set up for her.
The guy is clearly a lunatic, because he bites her on the first date, literally.
He also gets killed by vampire hunters.
Yeah, the guy’s a desperate vampire.
Sarah has to run for her life when the hunters discover the bite marks, and she runs into a 600-year-old vampire who wants to commit suicide.
He’s helping her, though, and not just with the hunters.
Sarah would be dead if it wasn’t for him, because she needed his blood to survive as a vampire.
But a life as a vampire wasn’t what Sarah wanted; she’d do anything to be a normal human again.
After a while she meets a guy named Quinn at a bar, and she tells him that she’s a vampire (good move, Sarah!) and he tells her his little secret too; he’s a vampire hunter.
So now she’s running from a vampire hunter who knows her name and what she looks like, and she can never rest.
At least not until he becomes a vampire too…
Sarah can be a little bitchy sometimes, but her heart is pure.
She saves her reality with lots of denial at first, then with lots of sarcasm.
I don’t really buy her so-called love to Thierry, just that she thinks that he’s very hot, mysterious and hard to get.
Thierry is a private man, with not so much of a personality.
He’s kind of boring; I guess his personality disappeared with his age.
Though, he has his moments when he doesn’t understand what Sarah’s talking about.
I would say that he really doesn’t belong in a relationship with Sarah; sure it can be a great fling with both of them, but nothing more.
But seriously, Sarah’s an outgoing woman who knows what she wants, and Thierry?
Well he just wants to die.
I don’t say that he should die; it would be nice to have him around, just not as Sarah’s boyfriend.
Quinn on the other hand is great for Sarah in my opinion.
Sure he was going to kill her at first sight, but he didn’t know that vampires are like humans in some ways.
There are good vampires and bad vampires, just like there are good humans and bad humans.
He was raised to think that all vampires were bad, so it’s not really his fault.
Honest now, wouldn’t Sarah and Quinn make a cute couple?
Even Amy thinks that.
Amy is a very unique character, she believes in true love and that it will last forever.
She might have made a mistake with Sarah’s blind date, but it really wasn’t her fault.
Her reaction when Sarah says that she’s a vampire is priceless.
First she’s about to scream and then she’s super-jealous.
Bitten & smitten really is well written, and very funny.
The characters came alive with their personality, well… most of them.
I assume that Thierry has his personality in his own way… the private way, but I still don’t like him.
It was so funny, I actually laughed out loud many times.
Sarah Dearly was going on a blind date that her friend Amy set up for her.
The guy is clearly a lunatic, because he bites her on the first date, literally.
He also gets killed by vampire hunters.
Yeah, the guy’s a desperate vampire.
Sarah has to run for her life when the hunters discover the bite marks, and she runs into a 600-year-old vampire who wants to commit suicide.
He’s helping her, though, and not just with the hunters.
Sarah would be dead if it wasn’t for him, because she needed his blood to survive as a vampire.
But a life as a vampire wasn’t what Sarah wanted; she’d do anything to be a normal human again.
After a while she meets a guy named Quinn at a bar, and she tells him that she’s a vampire (good move, Sarah!) and he tells her his little secret too; he’s a vampire hunter.
So now she’s running from a vampire hunter who knows her name and what she looks like, and she can never rest.
At least not until he becomes a vampire too…
Sarah can be a little bitchy sometimes, but her heart is pure.
She saves her reality with lots of denial at first, then with lots of sarcasm.
I don’t really buy her so-called love to Thierry, just that she thinks that he’s very hot, mysterious and hard to get.
Thierry is a private man, with not so much of a personality.
He’s kind of boring; I guess his personality disappeared with his age.
Though, he has his moments when he doesn’t understand what Sarah’s talking about.
I would say that he really doesn’t belong in a relationship with Sarah; sure it can be a great fling with both of them, but nothing more.
But seriously, Sarah’s an outgoing woman who knows what she wants, and Thierry?
Well he just wants to die.
I don’t say that he should die; it would be nice to have him around, just not as Sarah’s boyfriend.
Quinn on the other hand is great for Sarah in my opinion.
Sure he was going to kill her at first sight, but he didn’t know that vampires are like humans in some ways.
There are good vampires and bad vampires, just like there are good humans and bad humans.
He was raised to think that all vampires were bad, so it’s not really his fault.
Honest now, wouldn’t Sarah and Quinn make a cute couple?
Even Amy thinks that.
Amy is a very unique character, she believes in true love and that it will last forever.
She might have made a mistake with Sarah’s blind date, but it really wasn’t her fault.
Her reaction when Sarah says that she’s a vampire is priceless.
First she’s about to scream and then she’s super-jealous.
Bitten & smitten really is well written, and very funny.
The characters came alive with their personality, well… most of them.
I assume that Thierry has his personality in his own way… the private way, but I still don’t like him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2009
I purchased this book from a library book sale with several other random things. I had no idea this was part of a series, but thought the author sounded weirdly familiar.
The reason was that a month before, while at a used bookstore, I had picked up #4 in this series just thinking it looked interesting. This book is #1. When it came time to read them, it still hadn't occurred to me that I might have another book by this author in the ginormous piles that sit behind my chair. I just happened to pick #1 first.
Talk about luck.
Another lucky thing was finding these books in the first place. I ordered #2 and #3 via Borders.com today while redeeming my Borders bucks for the month, and I'm excited for them to arrive.
At first, I was rolling my eyes at her name (Sarah Dearly), but then it just became something else that endeared me to the character. Unfortunate name. The ability to wear a pj shirt with sparkly 'DIVA' on it out and about. (Not to mention the Tweety Bird sweater.) At the same time, liking fancy designer shoes.
Also the whole thing with Quinn and Thierry was amusing.
It worked as a stand-alone (while still making you miss the characters at the end), and I was very pleasantly surprised when I discovered a whole series. :) If they continue in the same spirit, I will be a very happy camper indeed.
The reason was that a month before, while at a used bookstore, I had picked up #4 in this series just thinking it looked interesting. This book is #1. When it came time to read them, it still hadn't occurred to me that I might have another book by this author in the ginormous piles that sit behind my chair. I just happened to pick #1 first.
Talk about luck.
Another lucky thing was finding these books in the first place. I ordered #2 and #3 via Borders.com today while redeeming my Borders bucks for the month, and I'm excited for them to arrive.
At first, I was rolling my eyes at her name (Sarah Dearly), but then it just became something else that endeared me to the character. Unfortunate name. The ability to wear a pj shirt with sparkly 'DIVA' on it out and about. (Not to mention the Tweety Bird sweater.) At the same time, liking fancy designer shoes.
Also the whole thing with Quinn and Thierry was amusing.
It worked as a stand-alone (while still making you miss the characters at the end), and I was very pleasantly surprised when I discovered a whole series. :) If they continue in the same spirit, I will be a very happy camper indeed.
June 1, 2018
Loved it! I needed something to make me laugh, and this book had me laughing out loud again and again. I know humor's an individual thing, so even if you're also looking for romantic comedy with much more comedy than romance, my laughter might not translate to yours. Caveat risor and all that. But this one has funny twists and turns and even meta-twists all the way through an adventure among the polite, self-effacing vampires of Toronto (Canada) who are menaced by an invasion of vicious vampire hunters. Yes, the vampires are meek and nice and the hunters are mean and nasty, and plenty of other standard tropes of vampire literature are turned upside down.
Familiar plot devices of romance novels are also twisted for fun. The Normal Young Woman You Are Supposed to Identify With is named Sarah Dearly (yes) and starts the story with her blind date of the evening trying to bury her in a cemetery to hasten healing after he bit her, so she's already a vampire on page zero, and we go through the hectic first week of an incredulous fledgling's existence. Immediately the hunters show up (they always seem to spring out of nowhere) and stake her date, and then when they see the damsel they've rescued has already been bitten, they attack her too, but she flees with her newfound vampire speed out onto the Bloor Street Viaduct, where she discovers a Tall, Brooding Romantic Hero about to jump and, naturally, stops to persuade him not to kill himself (are you with me so far?). Needless to say he is a centuries-old master vampire who owns several clandestine vampire night clubs and is just bored with existence, and of course jumping off the viaduct won't kill him but it's the place to go to contemplate staking himself. After the hunters finally catch up, they do jump off into the icy waters of the Don River, and the fun really begins.
The plot device of the Romantic Triangle is exploited up and down for laughs (and I won't reveal who the Other Man really is even in a spoiler tag), as are the devices of the Best Friend and the Extremely Uncomfortable Trip Back to Her Home Town for the Wedding She Can't Get Out Of--all of that is twisted wildly before we're through, but what really makes the book work is the author's playing with the plot devices of Antagonism Between Potential Lovers and the Impetuous Heroine Who Makes Unbelievably Foolish Choices. No falling into bed, enough killing to qualify for an action story, a fast pace, and a heroine who's genuinely torn between saving her own skin and doing the right thing.
Familiar plot devices of romance novels are also twisted for fun. The Normal Young Woman You Are Supposed to Identify With is named Sarah Dearly (yes) and starts the story with her blind date of the evening trying to bury her in a cemetery to hasten healing after he bit her, so she's already a vampire on page zero, and we go through the hectic first week of an incredulous fledgling's existence. Immediately the hunters show up (they always seem to spring out of nowhere) and stake her date, and then when they see the damsel they've rescued has already been bitten, they attack her too, but she flees with her newfound vampire speed out onto the Bloor Street Viaduct, where she discovers a Tall, Brooding Romantic Hero about to jump and, naturally, stops to persuade him not to kill himself (are you with me so far?). Needless to say he is a centuries-old master vampire who owns several clandestine vampire night clubs and is just bored with existence, and of course jumping off the viaduct won't kill him but it's the place to go to contemplate staking himself. After the hunters finally catch up, they do jump off into the icy waters of the Don River, and the fun really begins.
The plot device of the Romantic Triangle is exploited up and down for laughs (and I won't reveal who the Other Man really is even in a spoiler tag), as are the devices of the Best Friend and the Extremely Uncomfortable Trip Back to Her Home Town for the Wedding She Can't Get Out Of--all of that is twisted wildly before we're through, but what really makes the book work is the author's playing with the plot devices of Antagonism Between Potential Lovers and the Impetuous Heroine Who Makes Unbelievably Foolish Choices. No falling into bed, enough killing to qualify for an action story, a fast pace, and a heroine who's genuinely torn between saving her own skin and doing the right thing.
June 22, 2013
After going to a rendezvous arranged by her best friend, a young woman woke up in a cemetery, the man trying to burying her. He pretends to be a vampire and that she now belongs to him. She, of course, hit this obviously crazy man with the pepper spray that every woman must permanently have with her and she run away, only to fail into the hands of other madmen pretending to be vampire killers. They stick a stake into her aggressor’s heart and she only survives thanks to the intervention of a suicidal man passing by (after insisting that he could also kill himself after saving her). Her savior turns out to be a seductive man aged of some centuries. Which of course she does not believe. She is finally forced to bow before the evidence when she unwillingly licks her boss’ cut finger, alluring for her blood.
Will she manage to adapt to her new life? Will she escape the crazy vampire killers? And more important, will she convince her savior that life is worth living, if only to go out with her?
You will have understood it, this book uses some deadly humor with an original approach of the vampires’ stories. The characters themselves are rather interesting : the heroine has quite a unique way of seeing things and the hero constantly want to kill himself which seems to destroy any hope of a stable relationship.
A book to have absolutely.
Will she manage to adapt to her new life? Will she escape the crazy vampire killers? And more important, will she convince her savior that life is worth living, if only to go out with her?
You will have understood it, this book uses some deadly humor with an original approach of the vampires’ stories. The characters themselves are rather interesting : the heroine has quite a unique way of seeing things and the hero constantly want to kill himself which seems to destroy any hope of a stable relationship.
A book to have absolutely.
May 21, 2013
As soon as I started reading this book, I was instantly hooked by the main character, Sarah Dearly. Sarah is on a blind date with a guy who bites her, but then gets killed by vampire hunters right before her eyes. Sarah has no idea vampires exist and gets thrown for quite a loop learning that she's now a vampire, too. Trying to get away from the vampire hunters who just killed her date, she crosses paths with a man who is on the verge of killing himself, who turns out to be a 600 year old vampire. He helps Sarah out and agrees to be her adoptive sire and teach her the ways of vampirism. Things quickly get complicated, but it's always entertaining with Sarah around.
The story is told from the first person point of view, and it is so much fun hearing this story from inside Sarah's head. She's got this sarcastic sense of humor, but it's funny and light-hearted. At the same time, she goes through some serious and frustrating times in the course of one week and I often felt sorry for her. But then she'd do something amazing that made me think she's gonna pull through this vampire thing--she's got what it takes to be a survivor. And she does survive. Obviously since there are a few books after this one. A fun, light-hearted and entertaining story that has me wanting to find out what happens next to Sarah Dearling, fledgling vampire living in Tornoto, Canada.
The story is told from the first person point of view, and it is so much fun hearing this story from inside Sarah's head. She's got this sarcastic sense of humor, but it's funny and light-hearted. At the same time, she goes through some serious and frustrating times in the course of one week and I often felt sorry for her. But then she'd do something amazing that made me think she's gonna pull through this vampire thing--she's got what it takes to be a survivor. And she does survive. Obviously since there are a few books after this one. A fun, light-hearted and entertaining story that has me wanting to find out what happens next to Sarah Dearling, fledgling vampire living in Tornoto, Canada.
September 22, 2008
Sarah Dearly goes on a blind date, and the next thing she knows, she's being buried. She of course freaks out, and the guy said she's been turned into a vampire. She watches vampire hunters kill her date/sire then decides she better run. She ends up running right into Thierry, who just happens to be a master vampire with a death wish. He saves her and sort of takes her under his wing. And he's hot.
Sarah is quite determined to take care of herself. At one point, she goes into a bar that is filled with vampire hunters. She was flirting with a guy, and accidentally told him she was a vampire. Quinn (the guy) turned out to be one of the vampire hunters. She makes it out alive, but that definitely not the last she sees of him. And he's hot.
So many funny things happen in this book. I laughed out loud quite a few times.
Sarah is quite determined to take care of herself. At one point, she goes into a bar that is filled with vampire hunters. She was flirting with a guy, and accidentally told him she was a vampire. Quinn (the guy) turned out to be one of the vampire hunters. She makes it out alive, but that definitely not the last she sees of him. And he's hot.
So many funny things happen in this book. I laughed out loud quite a few times.
September 11, 2010
I randomly picked up this book while browsing for a different book, something about the cover caught my eye and it looked like a quick read so i grabbed it. I read the book in 2 sittings! I loved this book. I was skeptical at first since romance novels aren't really my style but this book packed a punch. It wasn't filled with the gushy, voyeuristic, and sometimes downright weird "romance" scenes but instead filled with snarky, sarcastic, and hilarious banter and situations.. I loved the heroine, Sarah, and her very real and relatable personality...even if her situation isn't terribly real or relatable. This book is also a nice quick read for when you want something entertaining and light. luckily it's also part of a series so there's plenty more to read if you find yourself wanting more of this story after gnashing through this short book.
November 11, 2010
I have to admit, I didn't read the last 50 pages of this book. I just couldn't do it! I tried, I really did, but I simply couldn't drag myself through a mess like that. I mean it was just so contrived, all over the place, badly written and seen before. When I sat down with this book I was most of all looking forward to a funny, comical book. Admitted, Rowen did try to be funny, but failed quite miserably if you ask me. Nothing really seemed original, every intented surprise fell flat and the female main character is one of the most annoying ones I've ever encountered. So, no. I didn't finish this book. Shoot me. I just couldn't do that to myself.
April 18, 2019
The only book that actually made me hook on for vampire romance story. It's amazing how Michelle makes the book so enjoyable from the first page til the end. I remembered stumbling on this book in the library when I was in high school, and at first I wasn't interested from the looking at the cover, but after reading just the first page..DAMN i was curious as hell! Ever since then, I've been recommending to fellow bookworm as well. Still my favourite til today, as i just finished reading it yesterday. I forgot some parts and was surprised all over again. I have yet to read the rest of the series, and I'm looking forward!
September 29, 2015
3.5
La protagonista Sarah, es sumamente divertida, sarcástica, ocurrente y ..torpe. Es un libro bastante sencillo, ligero y muy divertido.
La protagonista Sarah, es sumamente divertida, sarcástica, ocurrente y ..torpe. Es un libro bastante sencillo, ligero y muy divertido.
August 11, 2024
I've read this book a million times and I still love it.
December 31, 2023
i'm done. i know this was one of the author's first books, if not the first, but what a dreadful experience was reading about so many people with suicidal tendencies??? and behaviors???? being vampires don't give them a free pass because my shrink certainly isn't giving me a free pass either. not the best moment for me to grab this one. can't fully recommend. the buffy-esque narration also doesn't work as well as the author hoped, and i'm sorry about that.
July 28, 2021
Such a fun, entertaining read! I've had some bad dates but when your blind date bites you and turns you into a vampire, you win the competition. A new world opens up filled with humor, danger, friendship and romance. This book left me smiling!
March 23, 2020
Camouflaged by a supernatural romance cover is a novel with less romance but more comedy and wit than I am used to. A fun romp and simply unputdownable.
June 6, 2021
Fun and funny quick easy start to a series by an author I enjoy reading for escapism.
July 27, 2021
3.5 Stars
From the cover and the blurb I was expecting more comedy, or maybe the funny fell flat for me. I did enjoy the creativity of the plot and the well done character development.
From the cover and the blurb I was expecting more comedy, or maybe the funny fell flat for me. I did enjoy the creativity of the plot and the well done character development.
October 14, 2021
Fluffy
Back and fourth and slightly annoying. There was plenty of drama for sure. Not much on the mush actually and it wasn't explicit at all. Shrug.
Back and fourth and slightly annoying. There was plenty of drama for sure. Not much on the mush actually and it wasn't explicit at all. Shrug.
January 31, 2019
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55 points/100 (3 stars/5).
Sarah Dearly went on a blind date gone wrong. Now she is a vampire and she has all these vampire hunters trying to kill her. She got fired from her job. She is losing her reflection! Her life sucks! Good thing there is the super sexy Thierry de Bennicoeur around to help her out. It is too bad he wants to kill himself.
2018 has been my year of the reread and catch up. See, Immortality Bites came out with a sequel spinoff trilogy sometime between 2018 and when I last read this series a decade ago. So I thought I would reread this and get to the new stuff. Back then, when I found that I really liked stories with vampires I employed a very, very wide net to find what I liked and what I didn't like. This is one of those series in that wide net that I found that I didn't mind, but it wasn't quite what I was looking for, so I stopped reading stuff like it. It is one of those series that are part of the early urban fantasy boom crossed with chick lit.
If you're looking for a very light series where even if bad things happen, everything is all okay in the end, look no further. None of the events are taken seriously, even when they should be. Bitten & Smitten is just completely light and bubbly on the tone. Even through all the death and pain that happens, everyone just shakes everything off within moments and goes back to whatever it was they were doing.
The main character, Sarah Dearly, is a ditz. There is no making sound better than it is. She flits from event to event like a moth. She doesn't listen to any advice, thinks she knows better than those who actually know better, and generally has a bad time because of it. She doesn't really question anything that is happening to her, because hello! She is turning into a vampire! You think you'd ask some questions about to expect, no? Sarah just doesn't really like thinking about anything she thinks might cramp her style. While she is clearly written like we're supposed to find her smart and funny and that everything is someone else's fault, I found Sarah a bit more annoying and I found she caused more problems than she solved.
The love interest, Thierry de Bennicoeur, is a special kind of love interest. He ignores the main character, except when she forces him to pay attention to her. He never talks to her about anything that is going on in her life even though life is dangerous for vampires currently. He does tell her to just follow everything he says to do, though. Then if she doesn't listen, he threatens her by tossing her out on her ass. Oh, and did I say that he is supposed to be her fill-in Sire, her mentor, her guide to being a vampire? Because that imbalance of power never goes wrong. A match made in heaven! Toss in the fact that all of the problems above are caused by his severe suicidal tendencies and that Sarah doesn't want to be a vampire, and Thierry and Sarah are really just a perfect match.
I do have some major problems with the plot. Like, is every single person in this city a vampire hunter or a vampire? Because those are the only people we meet, almost. What is with this worldbuilding? I couldn't begin to tell you how to sire a vampire in this series, because it just seems to happen, despite the main character and two other people close to her being sired this book alone. What are the vampire capabilities? How in the world are they so utterly defenseless against hunters? How many do they lose a week to vampire hunters if this many got killed in a single book? How in the world do they cover all those deaths up without the humans finding out? I could go on and on with questions but the biggest question I have is:
How in the world did it take this ditz of a main character to finally wake up the vampires enough for something to happen versus the vampire hunters?
Yes, I have some problems.
Yet it was kind of fun to read if you want to stop thinking and just enjoy it. It was pretty good mindless fun, if you're into that sort of thing.
55 points/100 (3 stars/5).
Sarah Dearly went on a blind date gone wrong. Now she is a vampire and she has all these vampire hunters trying to kill her. She got fired from her job. She is losing her reflection! Her life sucks! Good thing there is the super sexy Thierry de Bennicoeur around to help her out. It is too bad he wants to kill himself.
2018 has been my year of the reread and catch up. See, Immortality Bites came out with a sequel spinoff trilogy sometime between 2018 and when I last read this series a decade ago. So I thought I would reread this and get to the new stuff. Back then, when I found that I really liked stories with vampires I employed a very, very wide net to find what I liked and what I didn't like. This is one of those series in that wide net that I found that I didn't mind, but it wasn't quite what I was looking for, so I stopped reading stuff like it. It is one of those series that are part of the early urban fantasy boom crossed with chick lit.
If you're looking for a very light series where even if bad things happen, everything is all okay in the end, look no further. None of the events are taken seriously, even when they should be. Bitten & Smitten is just completely light and bubbly on the tone. Even through all the death and pain that happens, everyone just shakes everything off within moments and goes back to whatever it was they were doing.
The main character, Sarah Dearly, is a ditz. There is no making sound better than it is. She flits from event to event like a moth. She doesn't listen to any advice, thinks she knows better than those who actually know better, and generally has a bad time because of it. She doesn't really question anything that is happening to her, because hello! She is turning into a vampire! You think you'd ask some questions about to expect, no? Sarah just doesn't really like thinking about anything she thinks might cramp her style. While she is clearly written like we're supposed to find her smart and funny and that everything is someone else's fault, I found Sarah a bit more annoying and I found she caused more problems than she solved.
The love interest, Thierry de Bennicoeur, is a special kind of love interest. He ignores the main character, except when she forces him to pay attention to her. He never talks to her about anything that is going on in her life even though life is dangerous for vampires currently. He does tell her to just follow everything he says to do, though. Then if she doesn't listen, he threatens her by tossing her out on her ass. Oh, and did I say that he is supposed to be her fill-in Sire, her mentor, her guide to being a vampire? Because that imbalance of power never goes wrong. A match made in heaven! Toss in the fact that all of the problems above are caused by his severe suicidal tendencies and that Sarah doesn't want to be a vampire, and Thierry and Sarah are really just a perfect match.
I do have some major problems with the plot. Like, is every single person in this city a vampire hunter or a vampire? Because those are the only people we meet, almost. What is with this worldbuilding? I couldn't begin to tell you how to sire a vampire in this series, because it just seems to happen, despite the main character and two other people close to her being sired this book alone. What are the vampire capabilities? How in the world are they so utterly defenseless against hunters? How many do they lose a week to vampire hunters if this many got killed in a single book? How in the world do they cover all those deaths up without the humans finding out? I could go on and on with questions but the biggest question I have is:
How in the world did it take this ditz of a main character to finally wake up the vampires enough for something to happen versus the vampire hunters?
Yes, I have some problems.
Yet it was kind of fun to read if you want to stop thinking and just enjoy it. It was pretty good mindless fun, if you're into that sort of thing.
May 20, 2024
Eh it was ok.
September 11, 2016
As a completely irrelevant side note, my screwed-up brain kept reading Thierry's last name as "Biencoeur" (which means GoodHeart) instead of "Bennicoeur" (which means... nothing really).
My reading words that weren't actually in the book might be a side effect of all the times I started ramming my head on the desk, though. I would say the heroine was dumber than a post, but that would be insulting to posts everywhere, and I'm not so eager to be getting angry e-mails claiming slander against posts. Within the first hundred pages, I had three major headdesk moments. The book starts just after Sarah has been bitten, when her date is trying to bury her in the graveyard. Sarah pulls out a can of pepperspray and tries to run away, but he keeps coming after her, insisting he's a vampire. When she runs into a group of men, she's relieved and asks them for help, which they're only too happy to give her, since they get their jollies from killing vampires like her date. Before the staking begins, she thinks to herself how lucky it is she just happened to run into a group of helpful guys randomly hanging around a graveyard in the middle of the night. No, really, that's her actual thought, and it's not meant ironically. She then stands there and watches the hunters stab her date until he's just a pile of goo, which must take awhile, because they hack at him over and over. Only when they're finished and turn their attention back to Sarah does she think this might be a good time to try to leave.
After having watched the hunters in action, you'd think she'd figure out "man, I'm screwed. These people are dangerous, and maybe it's best if I lie low and keep my mouth shut about all this vampire stuff." What she does instead is get mad at Thierry for telling her she'll have to give up her human life (as it's too much of a risk) and runs into a bar, where she gets trashed and tells him all about being a vampire. Keeping a secret by blurting it out to strangers? Strategy fail. And is anyone surprised to hear her new confidante is a hunter, since she's stumbled into a hunter's bar?
This was really the fatal flaw in the book for me. The idea is that Sarah is a bit fluffy-headed, a flawed and materialistic woman with room for character growth, which is fabulous in concept but there's something wrong with the execution if I'm mentally placing bets as to how many times she should have earned a Darwin award by now. Being a bit self-absorbed and clueless is one thing, but her total lack of self-preservation made me grit my teeth.
Taking Thierry from the typical mysterious, brooding hero into someone who's actually suicidal was a daring choice, and I wish more time had been spent on that and why specifically he wanted so badly to end it. He seems like he could be an interesting, complex character, but we spend so little time with him, it's hard to be certain.
I really enjoyed the Quinn subplot, the identity struggle and the way he's forced to re-evaluate everything he's ever known. This part of the story had some real meat to it, and while the emotional payoff at the end was perhaps not as shocking as it was intended to be, and I think seeing the story from his perspective instead of Sarah's would have been a lot of fun. He suffers and struggles more than she does, and there are some really interesting implications for him after his final plot twist.
If my description of Sarah's behaviour and decision-making abilities doesn't make you cringe, you might find this a fun, light read. Rowen does a few unconventional things with her vampires the fang fiends may want to check out (although I sort of feel like she's taken away all the disadvantages, leaving Sarah to whine about... well, not much, really).
My reading words that weren't actually in the book might be a side effect of all the times I started ramming my head on the desk, though. I would say the heroine was dumber than a post, but that would be insulting to posts everywhere, and I'm not so eager to be getting angry e-mails claiming slander against posts. Within the first hundred pages, I had three major headdesk moments. The book starts just after Sarah has been bitten, when her date is trying to bury her in the graveyard. Sarah pulls out a can of pepperspray and tries to run away, but he keeps coming after her, insisting he's a vampire. When she runs into a group of men, she's relieved and asks them for help, which they're only too happy to give her, since they get their jollies from killing vampires like her date. Before the staking begins, she thinks to herself how lucky it is she just happened to run into a group of helpful guys randomly hanging around a graveyard in the middle of the night. No, really, that's her actual thought, and it's not meant ironically. She then stands there and watches the hunters stab her date until he's just a pile of goo, which must take awhile, because they hack at him over and over. Only when they're finished and turn their attention back to Sarah does she think this might be a good time to try to leave.
After having watched the hunters in action, you'd think she'd figure out "man, I'm screwed. These people are dangerous, and maybe it's best if I lie low and keep my mouth shut about all this vampire stuff." What she does instead is get mad at Thierry for telling her she'll have to give up her human life (as it's too much of a risk) and runs into a bar, where she gets trashed and tells him all about being a vampire. Keeping a secret by blurting it out to strangers? Strategy fail. And is anyone surprised to hear her new confidante is a hunter, since she's stumbled into a hunter's bar?
This was really the fatal flaw in the book for me. The idea is that Sarah is a bit fluffy-headed, a flawed and materialistic woman with room for character growth, which is fabulous in concept but there's something wrong with the execution if I'm mentally placing bets as to how many times she should have earned a Darwin award by now. Being a bit self-absorbed and clueless is one thing, but her total lack of self-preservation made me grit my teeth.
Taking Thierry from the typical mysterious, brooding hero into someone who's actually suicidal was a daring choice, and I wish more time had been spent on that and why specifically he wanted so badly to end it. He seems like he could be an interesting, complex character, but we spend so little time with him, it's hard to be certain.
I really enjoyed the Quinn subplot, the identity struggle and the way he's forced to re-evaluate everything he's ever known. This part of the story had some real meat to it, and while the emotional payoff at the end was perhaps not as shocking as it was intended to be, and I think seeing the story from his perspective instead of Sarah's would have been a lot of fun. He suffers and struggles more than she does, and there are some really interesting implications for him after his final plot twist.
If my description of Sarah's behaviour and decision-making abilities doesn't make you cringe, you might find this a fun, light read. Rowen does a few unconventional things with her vampires the fang fiends may want to check out (although I sort of feel like she's taken away all the disadvantages, leaving Sarah to whine about... well, not much, really).
April 4, 2020
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Siguiendo la tónica de mis últimas relecturas, esta ha sido un poco decepcionante. Tenía un maravilloso recuerdo de este libro: divertido, romántico y con química. Mi recuerdo de Thierry, el protagonistas, era mucho mejor de lo que ha sido el reencuentro... una lástima.
A ver, la historia está bien, me ha gustado una vez más. Nos encontramos ante Sarah una chica que, tras una horrible cita a ciegas, acaba convertida en vampira y en medio de una persecución por su vida. Añadamos a la mezca a un antiquísimo vampiro que no quiere seguir viviendo y a un cazavampiros que ha crecido con la idea de que los chupasangres son malvados y deben morir, y tenemos un resultado más que decente para una lectura entretenida.
El problema es que no he sentido la química del romance que sentí la primera vez que lo leí. Diré más, he sentido más feeling entre Sarah y Quinn que entre Thierry y Sarah. Thierry, manteniendo su fachada de hombre estoico al que no le afecta nada, no tiene más que dos momentitos en los que realmente parece celoso o románticamente interesado en nuestra protagonista. La verdad es que, tras leer el libro, lo pienso y me pregunto: ¿por qué se gustan? No veo que ocurra nada entre ellos dos para que surja la chispa del amor. Entiendo que desarrollándolo mejor y elaborando buenas escenas entre ellos (que no las hay) la autora podría haber jugado mejor la baza de la "jovenzuela moderna y rebelde que conquista al vampiro jefe con su desparpajo y cabezonería", pero es que ni eso está tan bien llevado como para comprender por qué se gustan... Con Quinn, en cambio, entiendo el motivo de que le guste Sarah (más allá del atractivo físico, Sarah hace varias cosas por él que son dignas de amor).
Esta parte, por lo tanto, me ha dejado fría. Y por eso ha bajado mi opinión de magnífica a entretenido.
Porque es innegable que la historia en sí es divertida. Las conversaciones entre los personajes son graciosas, hay varios secundarios muy interesantes que merecen la pena (luego está Amy, la insufrible mejor amiga de Sarah que es para darle un sartenazo en la cara, pero bueno...) y la forzada incursión de nuestra protagonista en el vampirismo nos regala escenas muy pero que muy hilarantes que te hacen reír.
En sí, es una lectura decente si quieres pasar un rato entretenido. Aunque creo que en este género hay muchas opciones y las hay mejores. No descarto seguir leyendo la saga, pues era mi intención principal con esta relectura. El ritmo de la narrativa de la autora, además, es ágil; por esto, imagino que el segundo libro también será fácil y rápido de leer. Probablemente me anime para ver si la trama romántica mejora un poco y, por qué no, para reencontrarme con alguno de los personajes intersante.
Siguiendo la tónica de mis últimas relecturas, esta ha sido un poco decepcionante. Tenía un maravilloso recuerdo de este libro: divertido, romántico y con química. Mi recuerdo de Thierry, el protagonistas, era mucho mejor de lo que ha sido el reencuentro... una lástima.
A ver, la historia está bien, me ha gustado una vez más. Nos encontramos ante Sarah una chica que, tras una horrible cita a ciegas, acaba convertida en vampira y en medio de una persecución por su vida. Añadamos a la mezca a un antiquísimo vampiro que no quiere seguir viviendo y a un cazavampiros que ha crecido con la idea de que los chupasangres son malvados y deben morir, y tenemos un resultado más que decente para una lectura entretenida.
El problema es que no he sentido la química del romance que sentí la primera vez que lo leí. Diré más, he sentido más feeling entre Sarah y Quinn que entre Thierry y Sarah. Thierry, manteniendo su fachada de hombre estoico al que no le afecta nada, no tiene más que dos momentitos en los que realmente parece celoso o románticamente interesado en nuestra protagonista. La verdad es que, tras leer el libro, lo pienso y me pregunto: ¿por qué se gustan? No veo que ocurra nada entre ellos dos para que surja la chispa del amor. Entiendo que desarrollándolo mejor y elaborando buenas escenas entre ellos (que no las hay) la autora podría haber jugado mejor la baza de la "jovenzuela moderna y rebelde que conquista al vampiro jefe con su desparpajo y cabezonería", pero es que ni eso está tan bien llevado como para comprender por qué se gustan... Con Quinn, en cambio, entiendo el motivo de que le guste Sarah (más allá del atractivo físico, Sarah hace varias cosas por él que son dignas de amor).
Esta parte, por lo tanto, me ha dejado fría. Y por eso ha bajado mi opinión de magnífica a entretenido.
Porque es innegable que la historia en sí es divertida. Las conversaciones entre los personajes son graciosas, hay varios secundarios muy interesantes que merecen la pena (luego está Amy, la insufrible mejor amiga de Sarah que es para darle un sartenazo en la cara, pero bueno...) y la forzada incursión de nuestra protagonista en el vampirismo nos regala escenas muy pero que muy hilarantes que te hacen reír.
En sí, es una lectura decente si quieres pasar un rato entretenido. Aunque creo que en este género hay muchas opciones y las hay mejores. No descarto seguir leyendo la saga, pues era mi intención principal con esta relectura. El ritmo de la narrativa de la autora, además, es ágil; por esto, imagino que el segundo libro también será fácil y rápido de leer. Probablemente me anime para ver si la trama romántica mejora un poco y, por qué no, para reencontrarme con alguno de los personajes intersante.
August 12, 2021
This book falls majorly flat for me. I love paranormal romance books… which I think is where this is supposed to be placed? I found the romance to be badly planned out with a love triangle that made no sense in either direction. The man she falls in love with seems to be hardly in the book at all lol… and this truly has been one of the most predictable books I’ve ever read. It was like each chapter had a billboard screaming what was coming next. That combined with completely unlikeable characters centered around a ditsy main character made this one a low rating in my eyes. The only thing I liked about it was.. well.. vampires. And that it was super quick and easy to read which made it a little less painful than it might have been otherwise.
February 1, 2016
Bitten & Smitten has a really cute premise - a girl gets turned into a vampire and is saved by a super old vampire who wants to kill himself. In turn, she ends up saving him by bringing enjoyment back into his life. It's just too bad that's the only positive thing I can really say about this book...
Sarah, the female protagonist, seemed to lack any common sense about pretty much anything. She consistently would end up in situations where she was about to be killed because she couldn't fathom *not* running off to do all the normal things she used to do. Who cares that a master vampire warns you about various dangers? Who cares if you get attacked for being a vampire twice in a few days and barely live? The best solution is to keep parading around at night all alone and then lie to all of your friends and family about everything because you're too afraid to do anything else.
Of course, Thierry, the lead male character, wasn't any better. He never seemed to really do anything special. It's like he'd appear and Sarah instantly was like oh damn he's so hot and sexy. He'd then be an ass and she'd be like god what a jerk I never want to see him again. Then she'd see him again and be infatuated and so on and so forth. There wasn't even any real dialogue between the two of them to show any type of relationship! URGH
I feel like I could rant about how the conflict was confusing and frustrating or about how the side characters made no sense and seemed to change their outlook on life every 5 seconds - but I won't.
It's clear to me that this book is targeting a different audience than me. If you're hoping for realistic and interesting characters or a captivating plot or a beautiful romance - I'd recommend you look elsewhere.
Sarah, the female protagonist, seemed to lack any common sense about pretty much anything. She consistently would end up in situations where she was about to be killed because she couldn't fathom *not* running off to do all the normal things she used to do. Who cares that a master vampire warns you about various dangers? Who cares if you get attacked for being a vampire twice in a few days and barely live? The best solution is to keep parading around at night all alone and then lie to all of your friends and family about everything because you're too afraid to do anything else.
Of course, Thierry, the lead male character, wasn't any better. He never seemed to really do anything special. It's like he'd appear and Sarah instantly was like oh damn he's so hot and sexy. He'd then be an ass and she'd be like god what a jerk I never want to see him again. Then she'd see him again and be infatuated and so on and so forth. There wasn't even any real dialogue between the two of them to show any type of relationship! URGH
I feel like I could rant about how the conflict was confusing and frustrating or about how the side characters made no sense and seemed to change their outlook on life every 5 seconds - but I won't.
It's clear to me that this book is targeting a different audience than me. If you're hoping for realistic and interesting characters or a captivating plot or a beautiful romance - I'd recommend you look elsewhere.
March 27, 2011
I really liked this start to the series! It's a bit more PG13 rated than what I'm used to, but still a fun, enjoyable read. Sort of reminds me of the Lily Bard series, combined with a PG13 version of Sookie Stackhouse.
Though at times I felt as though I was reading about a teenager, and not a grown woman, Sarah's adventures from human to new vampire were entertaining and humorous. I love her wit and sense of humor, especially her demeanor towards Thierry, who everyone else seems too afraid to speak to in that manner.
George and Quinn are definitely on my list of favorite people in the book, and I really enjoyed seeing what became of Quinn.
Overall, nice light yet captivating read. Not comparable with say Night Huntress, but this is more innocent and "fun". Good read for those who want to read "safe" love scenes :) and a good laugh.
Though at times I felt as though I was reading about a teenager, and not a grown woman, Sarah's adventures from human to new vampire were entertaining and humorous. I love her wit and sense of humor, especially her demeanor towards Thierry, who everyone else seems too afraid to speak to in that manner.
George and Quinn are definitely on my list of favorite people in the book, and I really enjoyed seeing what became of Quinn.
Overall, nice light yet captivating read. Not comparable with say Night Huntress, but this is more innocent and "fun". Good read for those who want to read "safe" love scenes :) and a good laugh.
December 8, 2012
This book is a quick read, but it is not light hearted and simple as the title implies. It's about a women made into a vampire against her will, I know we've all read this before...but this book is really good and nothing is cut and dry. Sarah has not one but two love interests making quite the triangle and one has a wife!!! I like reading all the different takes on vampires that one author has compared to another. Like these vamps can go out in the sun, have no reflection and can't eat solid food. Every author takes a little of vamp lore and makes up their own. I really liked the story and Sarah didn't annoy the crap out of me, like Besty now does in Davidson's books. I will definitely read the next one.
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