A Taste of the Nightlife

Vampire Chef #1

by Sarah Zettel

Charlotte Caine isn't called "the Vampire Chef" because she's a member of New York's undead community-she just cooks for them. Her restaurant, Nightlife, is poised to take the top slot in the world of "haute noir" cuisine.

But when a drunk customer causes a scene, a glowing review from the city's top food critic doesn't seem likely-especially when that customer winds up dead on Nightlife's doorstep. Now, with her brother under suspicion for the murder, Charlotte has to re-open her restaurant and clear her brother's name-before they both become dinner.

Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Vampires, Cozy Mystery, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Romance

297 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 5, 2011

About the author

Sarah Zettel is the critically acclaimed author of more than twenty novels, spanning the full range of genre fiction. Her debut novel, Reclamation, won the Locus Award for Best First Novel. Her second release, Fool’s War, was a 1997 New York Times Notable Book, and the American Library Association named Playing God one of the Best Books for Young Adults of 1999. Her novel Bitter Angels won the Philip K. Dick Award for best science fiction paperback in 2009. Her latest novel, Dust Girl, was named as one of the best young adult books of the year by both Kirkus Reviews and the American Library Association. Zettel lives in Michigan with her husband, her rapidly growing son, and her cat, Buffy the Vermin Slayer.

Reviews

[Marlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of vampires moving openly in society (though of course, not in broad daylight) is a popular one in recent times. The idea that they might want to dine on something besides blood, whether real or synthetic, is not. In Sarah Zettel's world, vampires also find nourishment in broth, eggs and milk, and "haute noir" dining is starting to become popular. Menu items for the undead in our heroine Chef Charlotte Caine's restaurant include chicken-miso broth, pumpkin soup with a foamed raw veal sauce (or crème fraiche for humans), and a Special Blend sangria.

Charlotte and her undead brother Chet have recently started the after-dark restaurant they call "Nightlife", and on the evening that we meet them, a vamp food critic by the name of Anatole Sevarin has unexpectedly come in. Charlotte is, of course, excited and nervous, so she is understandably vexed when one of the human customers complains about her meal and asks to see the chef.

After a sequence of events during which a young warlock (male witches are called warlocks in this world - hey, it's her world, she can call them what she wants!) enters and unsuccessfully tries to get the fussing woman to leave with him, then throws a fireball and sets off the sprinkler system, Charlotte looks around to find that the critic has vanished.

Returning the next morning after a visit to the farmer's market, Charlotte is somewhat surprised to find the corpse of the warlock lying inside the door. Charlotte takes this personally, since as the scene of a murder, her restaurant will be closed for an unspecified length of time. Since she has nothing else to do, Charlotte decides to find out who killed Dylan Maddox and why he was left in her restaurant.

This is a fine addition to the new-ish mystery genre of "paranormal cozies". It's easy to identify with Charlotte, and not just because the story is written in the first person from her point of view. Zettel is very good at putting the reader into the chef's skin, while at the same time, providing enough perspective to notice things that she doesn't.

The book includes a preview of the next in the series, Let Them Eat Stake, due in April 2012, but no recipes for vamp-friendly cuisine.

[Nicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked Sarah Zettel's Camelot quartet a lot on first reading, but it didn't stand up very well to me writing an essay on it. This... I felt the whole way through how she was manipulating the readers' thoughts and feelings. I could feel it, and it annoyed the heck out of me... but I still couldn't put it down. So I'm wavering between two and three stars here. I don't know if I can explain how ambivalent I feel about it. (I've changed the star rating three times so far in typing this paragraph.)

I wasn't in love with the characters. I was reminded constantly of other books -- Robin McKinley's Sunshine, for one, with the first person female narrator who loves to cook, isn't conventionally brave, and gets messed up with vampires, and has two men with whom she has sexual attraction, one of whom is a vampire and the other of whom is a warlock... (I don't remember exactly the details of Mel in Sunshine, but I seem to recall some details which pointed in that direction.) And of other urban fantasy books. The tone really didn't come across as anything new, and sorry, but I don't think Zettel is that skilled at writing mysteries. She doesn't give you the tools to solve it yourself, which makes it confusing and that bit boring.

And yet. I wanted to know which guy she picked. I wanted to know her brother'd be okay and she'd reopen her restaurant. There was enough there to keep me turning the pages. I even think I'll probably read the sequel, though I'm in no hurry. I'm just... disappointed.

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chef Charlotte is co-owner of Nightlife Restaurant with her vampire brother Chet. When a drunk customer who made a scene (in the presence of influential restaurant critic Anatole) is found dead the next morning, Charlotte's brother Chet comes under suspicion. The victim was a member of a powerful Maddox Witch family known for their Vampire hunting. Brenden Maddox, brother to the victim comes to the restaurant to ask questions at the same time as Anatole the critic (and a vampire) is there seeking answers too.

Charlotte starts working with both men to find out what is happening and why a man was killed in her place. The more she digs into the case, the more her brother looks suspicious. Both Anatole and Brenden seem personally interested in Charlotte which fuels their rivalry inspite of the fragile truce to work together.

There are several things about this book that are a pleasant surprise. Firstly it is definitely a cozy mystery in-spite of the vampires or romantic tension. The world building is simple with the least amount of fuss. The paranormal is out in the open now and the night life crowd enjoys a good meal (no human blood - that's illegal.) Charlotte is a bona-fide Chef and big sister, always taking care of her younger vampire brother Chet who the rest of the family has disowned.

Charlotte herself is a great character. The old saying never trust a skinny cook is employed here with Charlotte who has some curves and meat on her bones, which I always like rather than the same-old perfectly thin heroine. She is a bit feisty without being bull headed. She also doesn't get much sleep but a few short hours here and there. I really wanted to make her get some sleep after a while!

Brenden is the reasonable member of the Maddox witch family and is willing, up to a point, to investigate his brother's murder with Charlotte and Anatole rather than solo. Anatole is an old vampire who enjoys having a secure life and really doesn't want to live in the closet (or is that the coffin?) any more so solving the murder is critical to him. Charlotte just wants to clear Chet and maybe even herself from the police's list. Both Brenden and Anatole are classic dangerous charmers. Brenden is dark and human, Anatole is blond with old-world romantic ideas and fangs. This sets up a competition between the two for her which could be interesting in future books. I found it interesting that usually I clearly like one "potential love interest" more than the other in these setups, but I thought both had their good points in this case. If you have read the book, perhaps you could chime in with your thoughts on that.

There is occasional humor without feeling forced. I like humor in my books, but only when it sounds natural and this did to me. The plot has enough developments to keep the reader interested without moving into the urban fantasy dark mode. It was paced well without any dragging middle. It is a solid cozy mystery, just with vampires and witches. The climatic confrontation with the killer is satisfactory and I had developed my ideas of the whodunit and why as the story progressed. The wrap up leaves enough open for the next book to have both Brenden and Anatole as recurring characters which I liked both of the characters so that worked.

As far as I am aware this is a unique book. It has the standard vampires, werewolves and the usual cast of creatures but in true cozy format - not the dark "gritty" or "sexy" urban fantasy world. The heroine does not wield a sword or have any abilities past the kitchen. It has all the ingredients for a successful cozy: a murder mystery, a likable heroine, interesting supporting characters, pinches of magic and danger mixed with sprinkles of romantic tension served up with a paranormal world that is integrated smoothly. I wonder why nobody has thought to do this vampire lite before. Likely because not just any author could pull this off as well as Ms. Zettel has. I will certainly be anxiously awaiting the next book to be released.

Obtained Through: from publisher for an honest review

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[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. So what happens when a really great author decides to write a formula genre novel? You get A Taste of the Nightlife, a cute but uninspiring mystery/paranormal romance. I really adored Sarah Zettel's Fool's War, I gave it one of my very few five star reviews, so I was hoping for more from this book, despite having my doubts when I read the description. I'm a fan of this genre, so I hoped she'd write something a bit more special than the typical book, but it was really checklist cozy mystery/paranormal romance. Charlotte is a very typical average woman heroine who is a bit grouchy, isn't beautiful, is short and curvy, and hasn't had a date in a year, and yet of course the two absolutely stunning guys she meets are instantly head-over-heels for her after they've exchanged maybe five words. And this is despite the fact that one is a super powerful and very old vampire who could be a king among his kind. And the other is a powerful warlock who on the surface has every reason to dislike her and is in the middle of a family crisis and shouldn't be interested in romance at all right now. But both are completely charmed by her, are willing to risk danger to help her, and aren't bothered by competing with each other to boot. Because love triangles are the staple of paranormal romances, gotta have 'em, check! Anyway, the characters are cute, the mystery was fine, all of it was enjoyable, but none of it was especially unique. It just felt like a good author having fun with a genre that she enjoys (putting a positive spin on it) without making any great impact. 

If you like cozy mysteries, this is a good bet for you. The romance is mild, just a few kisses, but the guys are very handsome. It's definitely not going to be a hot sexy series. I think the subtitle sums it up when it says that it's, "A Vampire Chef Mystery." So expect cute cozy paranormal mysteries with a dash of romance.

[Bree · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read a lot of urban fantasy and expected to find this book to be right up my alley. Sadly, I found it lacking in something.

Charlotte and her vampire brother, Chet, own Nightlife, a restaurant that caters to both humans and paranormals. After a disturbance from a guest shuts them down for the night, that same guest is found dead the next day in the restaurant foyer. Because Charlotte and Chet are both potential suspects, Charlotte sets out with some unexpected help to solve the murder.

I think it was Charlotte's personality that I found hard to follow. I wanted to understand her better, and even now I don't really "get" what she's about other than that she loves her ocupation. I also found myself stumped by strange choices in wording. For example, Marie-Our-Pastry-Chef. Now she mentioned her sous chefs, lines cooks, servers, etc, but Marie was always mentioned as Marie-Our-Pastry-Chef-hyphens-and-all-every-time. Not a huge problem, except that it made me stop every time I read it. She also used the words vamplette and nebbish to describe people. I don't understand "vamplette" at all but nebbish was even more interesting because she referred to this "nebbish individual" multiple times and we never even meet him. Is that the point? That he's unimportant...thus, the nebbish?

On the bright side, I actually think there's potential here for future books so long as Charlotte gains a personality. Her best point in the book - when I finally felt I might like her - was when she cooked for the poor using the foods she knew would just go bad while the restaurant was shut down.

I won a copy of this through the goodreads first-reads giveaway.

[Mari · Rating 1 out of 5]

Starts out as interesting, but too soon trades from mystery to a very very very bad romance. First you have Charlotte; Foodie supreme and a rather pronounced hater of all thin women.
The biggest mystery, really is exactly why in all paranormal romances( which apparently is what all paranormal stories are) do all sexy male supernaturals ALL fall in love with the rather unappealing, unattractive and bad tempered heroine of the story.
Charlotte is convinced that everyone except her is an idiot. She acts like her brother is still a little kid, even though he seems to be far more mature than she is. In fact she expects him to tell her everything he is doing, even though she tells him nothing, as if she were a parent. The reason she thinks he is immature is that at one time he fell in love and believed in it. In Charlottes opinion only sixteen year olds believe in true love. In my experience sixteen year olds are far too cynical to believe in anything not selfish. Even worse; She has NO reason to investigate the murder. None. her brother is in danger BECAUSE of her investigation. The police are involved. She finds incriminating evidence that could end up putting her or her brother in jail only because she was investigating, after everyone, including the police asked her not to.
The mystery is so uninteresting and badly laid out you won't even notice its there.

[CJ - It's only a Paper Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's somewhere between a 3.6 and a 3.8.

This book has potential and I find that I like the main character's Type A personality. This is a New York book and the main character "lives" a few blocks away from me. If that block actually existed. Someone should've checked their Google Map.

The mystery is interesting but the characters could use a little more developing. The mystery surrounding the Midnight Moon thing? anti-climactic in my opinion.

The love interests? Well, one wasn't described all that well and the other, well he's a little boyish. Yet, I love them both.

Still a good start and let's just hope it goes upward from here on out.

[Nora-adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cozy with real bite!

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlotte and Chet, siblings, AKA C3 and C4--Their parents' names also started with C-- open a vampire-friendly restaurant. The business is going well, until a warlock is found dead with 2 punctures on his neck. Suspect #1? Chet, who got turned into a vampire as a teen. However, the coroner finds that the punctures are from needles, not fangs. Charlotte is suddenly caught in between a feud of vampires and warlocks, and the black market of human blood.

The mystery itself was good, but two things bothered me: The swearing (not a lot, but enough to be annoying), and the lack of recipes. I also am not up on my paranormal vocabulary and I didn't understand some of the terms. At this point, I'm not sure if I'll read more of the series.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great start to a mystery series. It's no secret that I love all things paranormal, and this book and author definitely made a place for itself on my must read list when the next installment comes out.

We have Chef Caine, aka Charlotte Caine, the chef and part owner of a NYC restaurant called Nightlife. She's got a brother who is a vampire and he apparently has gotten himself into some trouble. Which has resulted in a dead body being found in the restaurant. Chef Caine finds herself needing to balance a food critic who is also a vampire, a anti-vamp family who also happens to be a family of witches, a squad of police dedicated to all things paranormal, getting her restaurant back open and solving the mystery.

This reminded me a little of Madelyn Alt's bewitching mysteries. It's a light little book, with a little comedy, a lot of mystery, a neat "paranormal setting", allusions towards a little romance and the solving of a mystery with a little action.

There were moments when I chuckled out loud while reading this. And I am definitely a fan of Charlotte and her thought processes. I also instantly loved her attitude and sarcasm. Her roommates are a great compliment and great story telling device as they are in some ways comic relief and in some ways they provide great potential for more in the series without feeling like they were just dumped on us later to be able to come up with a story. Our Russian vamp and our security consultant witch provide the potential for a love triangle of sorts (and unlike the triangle that Ms. Alt constructed early on, I like both of these two characters very much).

There is just enough cooking to intrigue me, and it's nicely overdone so I didn't feel stupid or overwhelmed by the cooking terms, references, or explanations. In fact, if the author has any experience, it was a nice little look inside the kitchen of a good restaurant. The only real downside is that also like Ms. Alt's stuff, the answer to the mystery sort of came out of no where. I am not sure the reader really had all the information necessary to figure it out. Having been introduced to mysteries via Agatha Christie, I like to be able to look back as go "ahhhh.... There were the hints that I should have seen but I missed...." and I am not sure this really had that.

But there was just enough action, humor, and like-ability to the characters that I think I have found another mystery series to follow. Ms. Zettel has written a culinary mystery that would lead me to want a reservation in her establishment!

p.s. The preview for the next in the series was equally intriguing and has my mouth watering for it's release!

[Katharine Kimbriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun little mystery, sort of a cross between a cozy and an amateur detective story. Chef Charlotte Caine is the co-owner and head chef of Nightlife, a high-end NYC restaurant that caters to the, well, late night life – werewolves, vampires, and their ilk. This was a natural progression for her, since the co-owner, her younger brother Chet, became a vampire under circumstances Charlotte tries hard not to remember.

This is a story of cause and effect, or possibly chain of events – Charlotte is not quite sure. Things start with a very public scene among a vampire guest, a “vamp tramp” (person who pursues vampires for love and/or money) and a spurned admirer that causes fire and an explosion of sprinklers (turns out the interloper is a magician.) Things get messy when the magician’s body turns up, drained of blood, the next dawn.

But all is not as it seems. Before she can bat an eyelash, Charlotte finds herself juggling trying to steer the police away from her always-in-trouble brother, getting her restaurant cleaned up and back on track with no money left to fall back on, and not one but two men abruptly in her orbit. Suddenly a cousin of the dead magician (and apparently also of the supposed vamp tramp, who was a witch) the charming and magical Brendan Maddox, is asking a lot of questions, even as Anatole Sevarin, gourmand vampire critic and charming Slavic heartthrob, is also nosing around.

It quickly becomes apparent to Charlotte that there are too many things that don’t add up. The Maddox family hates vampires with a passion – the Maddoxs built their empire staking them, before vampires had rights. Sevarin’s reasons for solving the death of a Maddox lead down dark trails, hinting at other deaths, deaths that look like vampire strikes but are something else. Suddenly Charlotte has someone copying her menu and dishes (a huge no-no in the culinary world), there’s human blood stashed in her restaurant, and now the police are asking her a lot of questions.

It sounds like it’s all over the map, but Zettel does a fine job of swiftly building a secondary netherworld with a lot of depth without overpowering the reader. The only place I was slightly at sea was at the very end, where I don’t know if one of the bad guys made it out alive from a very nasty situation. The tough-as-nails, protective heroine and her golden boy looking-for-an-afterlife brother are appealing, the professional restaurant setting was interesting, and I’ll look for the next one! Call this 3+ stars -- neither a laugh a minute nor a sexy romance, but we have kernels of both here.

[MAP · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this as a Goodreads Giveaway.

First, a word of warning about the legitimacy of my review: The last time I read a book about vampires was some time in the mid-90s when I read Interview with the Vampire. I have not remotely hopped on the new vampire craze train, and just the thought of the Twilight novels make me queasy. Therefore, if there are cliches or trite elements to this book that have been endlessly recycled in this newest slew of vampire novels, I know nothing about them and cannot speak to them.

Ok. This book follows Charlotte Caine, a "dayblood" chef and her vampire brother, who run a restaurant for vampires. On the eve of their greatest triumph -- the famous vampire food critic is sitting in their restaurant -- a warlock starts a fire, shuts down the restaurant for the night, and then ends up dead in their restaurant the next morning. This drags Charlotte, her brother, the food critic, and the dead warlock's family into a web of backstabbing, illegal businesses, lethal consequences, and the constant threat of arrest by the Paranormal police squad.

Overall, this was a cute book. I liked the character of Charlotte, though the writing style grated on me some -- some of the "Funny" felt forced. It's not a higher rating because I'm still not totally sure what was actually going on, and the ending felt rushed and strange -- a lot of what was happening in the final showdown didn't even seem necessary.

Will I read this book again? Probably not. Will I pick up the next in the series if I remember by the time it's released next year? Probably. Therefore, 3 stars.

[Lucinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Taste of the Nightlife (Obsidian 2011) introduces Charlotte Caine, head chef in the new restaurant Nightlight, serving the undead in New York City. It’s been 10 years since the Equal Humanity Acts recognized vampires, werewolves, and other paranormals as equal citizens, and Nightlight is just beginning to make its mark in the world of "haute noir" cuisine when restaurant critic Anatole Sevarin appears late one night. Flustered by the famous food reviewer, Charlotte is horrified when a glamorous guest makes a fuss over a were-hair in her soup. As Charlotte tries to sooth the woman, a drunken warlock appears and tosses fireballs at the woman’s vampire date, setting off the sprinklers and shutting down the restaurant for the night. By the time Charlotte and her crew have finished cleaning up the mess it’s very late, and she is startled when a warlock appears at the door. Explaining that the woman who started the catastrophe was his cousin Dylan, Brendan Maddox offers to pay for the damage. When Charlotte returns to the restaurant early the next morning, she stumbles over the dead body of Dylan Maddox, who has wounds in his neck and appears to have been drained. Charlotte doesn’t think things can get any worse, but they do when her younger brother Chet, who joined the undead several years earlier, becomes the prime suspect. With the help of warlock Brendan Maddox and vampire Anatole Sevarin, Charlotte sets out to clear Chet’s name and hopefully reopen her restaurant before she runs out of money. This humorous paranormal mystery is the first in the Vampire Chef series.
Sarah Zettel page at SYKM

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive A Taste of the Nightlife through Goodreads, and I am definitely glad that I did. This is the first book in the new Vampire Chef series, and it does a great job at setting up Zettel's world and introducing the reader to Charlotte. Told in first person narrative by Charlotte, the reader enters a world where vampires live amongst us although not everyone likes the idea of nightbloods. Charlotte finds herself caught between the two worlds in that while she is human while her beloved little brother is not. Zettel does a great job at world building and developing her main characters. She also introduces two suitors for Charlotte that are equally likeable setting up a good triangle. A Taste of the Nightlife also contains a solid mystery amongst its family squabbles, sibling troubles, and romantic entanglements. Overall this was a great read that I would recommend for mystery lovers as well as readers who enjoy the supernatural. I am looking forward to reading Charolotte's next adventure.

[Krisnow18 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The start of an interesting new series. Charlotte is a chef and beginning a new restaurant, Nightlife. Her brother Chet is a vampire so she has an "in" with that life. The city's top food critic shows up to do a review but a drunk customer causes a scene with one of the other patrons. A body is found, Chet becomes a suspect, so Charlotte sets out to prove him innocent, becoming a suspect herself.

Along the way she meets Brendan Maddox, a rich security expert, who's family is anti-vampires, and the food critic, Anatole Sevarin, who is a vampire. Feelings arise - for both of them.

I will be reading more of the series.

[Thain · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well done urban fantasy that manages to combine cooking, vampires, magic, and crime without coming off as ridiculous with a strong, female main character who isn't some amped up Xena warrior princess with a personality that could have easily been a guy's but then someone told the author that a girl as a main character would sell better.

[Dakota · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed that. I haven't read a cozy in a while and the style of writing made me want to find out what happens. On to book two

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in a near-future in which vampires, werewolves and warlocks have been given the legal status of regular people. Charlotte is a chef in a restaurant co-owner ed by her vampire brother. It's open during the night to serve the vampires and such. (Some vampires may bite and take the blood without permission, some find people who voluntarily get bitten, many drink blood that was collected from animals. And they may eat other food.)

After a dispute takes place in the restaurant, the next day a dead body mysteriously appears in the restaurant. The police shut down the restaurant during their investigation. Meanwhile, various issues come to Charlotte's attention. The dead person was a member of a warlock family that wanted to revoke legal status to vampires. The dispute had to do with a young member of the warlock family who left the family. Her brother was doing something with the accounting. Etc. Charlotte, a vampire food critic and a warlock security professional try to figure out what's happening.

I've liked some of the author's science fiction. The speculative fiction aspect didn't work as well for me. The mystery element did have various aspects that had to be worked through, but was not quite my taste in mystery.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and entertaining read. There wasn't a whole lot of substance to this book but it was still a fun read. The characters are all fairly two-dimensional, including Charlotte, again, not a whole lot of substance to any of the characters. The mystery, while entertaining, doesn't leave a lot of room for the reader to try and figure out who did it and why. We just see a lot of things happen to Charlotte and she doesn't figure things out very quickly. There was sort of a love triangle in this book but it wasn't too obnoxious, so I let it go. I did enjoy the world, where vampires are out in public and trying to exist, it made the rest of the story interesting to see how that was handled throughout the book. Overall 3 out of 5 stars.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quotable:

“I think the world’s changed a whole lot since my grandfather could name his price for making paranormals go away,” he said. “Whether I agree with the changes or not, we’re going to cause a hell of a lot more trouble trying to put things back the way he says they used to be than we will trying to figure out how to make the best of what they are. I think some paranormals are monsters. I think some humans are monsters.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who to believe and why is her brother lying to her. These are just a few of the questions among the stress of attempting to find out who dumped a body in her restaurant and tried to frame her for it. Life got interesting.

[Juli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. I like that it made me laugh out loud more than once, too, and Brendan. Sighs. I'd like to hope Ms. Zettel gets to finish this series sometime. I plan on reading the next book, if I can find it, but I hope Charlotte ends up with him and can survive whatever comes next for them.

[Angraecus Daniels · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly entertaining. A basic, formula-based urban fantasy. No where near as good as Fool's War.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of a bland story, one that never really got me excited about anything in it.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the love triangle, I very much enjoyed the book.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story but I never felt any connection with the characters

[Ren Puspita · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 stars

Rather than a cozy mystery, A Taste of the Nightlife remind me of urban fantasy novel set in its glory urban fantasy setting, which is circa 2010-2014. This book also written in 2011, and because I read 12 years later, a.k.a 2023, some things feels outdated, like Blackberry, lol. A Taste of the Nightlife is the first installment of Vampire Chef Mystery series. Introduced Charlotte Caine as a chef of the haute noir cuisine restaurant, Nightlife, that not only cater to human, but also supernatural creature. Like, vampire and the like. Even Charlotte's own brother, Chet, is a vampire. While try to prepare food that will impressed a vampire food critic, Anatole Sevarin, a warlock try to make a ruckus in the restaurant. Said warlock also later found dead in Nightlife, threaten Charlotte's reputation and Chet's, because the warlock found to be drained to death. But Charlotte will find that her reputation is the last thing she need, because apparently Chet hiding something from her and some vampires suddenly find her better dead than living.

The setting of this book remind me of Sookie Stackhouse novel, despite I'm not read the book and watching its series adaption, True Blood. The supernatural creatures are out in the open and human didn't have choice to cohabit with them. Actually, some human also try to bring this other creatures to where they belong, hiding from the plain sight. While the setting is not that unique, the story still interesting. The mystery is well written, although Charlotte seems like a headless chicken in her investigation to solve the murder in her restaurant. I can't help to picture Cate Blanchett as Charlotte, because she will do her justice. Charlotte is stubborn, and apparently a queen in her kitchen, but also have her own moment of vulnerability especially when it comet to Chet. Reader will get to know the background of Chet turning to vampire and how Charlotte still feel responsible about her baby brother. I also like that Charlotte is still human to the end, she's also not immune to the vampire mumbo jumbo aka mind control. Her weapon is only her wits and sassy remarks. Also her cooking ability that in the end will save her from her predicaments.

Not totally cozy, because the stake is high. Like, we talk about money, or blood laundering. Apparently, in the Nightlife world, taking blood from the vein in considered as taboo, although some human want to volunteer. So, the vampire mostly drink animal blood. Also, the romance is one of the focus, since Charlotte not only have one, but two love interests. Yeah, more like love triangle, but the end is not final. It's apparent that Charlotte with one of the love interest, Brendan Maddock, a warlock that also family with the dead warlock in Charlotte's restaurant, is the end game. But I can't help to want to ship Charlotte with Anatole Sevarin. While I can see that Brendan is a save choice (he's a human, although a warlock), Anatole have his own charm. At first, I pictured him like a food critic from Ratatouile's movie. But, turn that he's charming and hot. Like Russian charming. His interaction with Charlotte also seems interesting compared to Brendan's. Yeah, a girl can hope, tho.

With the ups and downs, I still enjoy Charlotte's investigation and adventure in this book. The description of some food is delish, although if there's blood in it, it will maybe make reader squeamish. The villain also cartoonish and 2D, but that's part of the charm. Charlotte and Chet's relationship also in need of amend, because something bad happen between them. All the more reasons to read the next book!

[SoBeA · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I just read my first cozy

I probably would've liked it more, had I known it was a cozy.

Plot wise....

So the h, owns a restaurant with her famously irresponsible, and somewhat newly vampired  brother. Then they find a body, at their place of business....so the rest of the book is the h, trying to figure out how badly her brother screwed up as to lead to a dead body....all the while knowing she's going to have to sav him, since it's her fault he's all campy, and at the same time fighting off the advances of H 1 and H2....yeah, okay I never really got into this story.

Ms zettel does a good job of making  it seem like  a lot is  happening , without a lot actually happening....like it will seem like a lots's going on, but if you think about it, it takes ages for anything to actuallY b accomplished. 


Then there's the reason the h feels like she has to save her brother....it's a secret for most of the book, but when it comes up...well, it's sorta lame....I'm sure if the description had been heavier, more guilt ridden/ angsty, i'd have bought it, but the way it's described is so freaking tame, it was sorta hard to take it seriously....and t had the added effect of making me like the h even less...

Well, that's not quite true...it's not that I don't like the h, it's that I don't care....i dont care what happens to her restaurant, or any pf the myriad pf secondary characters that pop up through out the book, or about the ensuing vamp vs non vamp politics, .i dont care whoch H she chooses, i dont care the least little bit about what goes on in the next book.

I'm not sure if it's because I didn't like the h's voice, there wasn't enough world building for me to truly get pulled Ito the world SZ is trying to create or that it's just that I was expecting a pnr- ish UF, and got a cozy instead. And
It's not that this is badly written or anything,it's just that I didn't get sucked in, I didn't like anyone, and again, I just didn't care.... I never found that overarching  need to keep reading, keep going despite the chores and other real-world things I had to do...and I think that's what's most got me disappointed... Like what I'm guessing most readers want, I wanted to want to keep going, to find that driving need to put everything aside and just keep reading ...but pretty much the opposite happened...so much so that I'll  admit to staying up super late to finish this,  just so I didn't have  to start another day finding excuses not to finish this...so, for me this is a 2 star read.

If you're a fan of cozies or want to try one, there's a good chance you'll like this, but it's not for me....and it may be a while before I give another one a try...though maybe going in knowing what I'll be getting ( and actually reading reviews!) will make all the difference!

On a side note, years ago I read one of Ms Zettel's Camelot books...IMO it was a lot better( while still being super clean), it's not a cozy, but a historical, and definitely worth a chance :D

[Rhianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scrumptious Paranormal Palate Pleaser for the Epicurian Mystery Reader

Until a warlock from a prominent family was found slain in the restaurant's foyer, "Haute noir" chef Charlotte Caine's biggest concern was impressing NYC's top vampire food critic and keeping Nightlife's crew paid. Now she's dodging murder accusations, trying to get her restaurant reopened and somehow prove that she and her vampire brother, Chet, aren't using the place to "blood launder".

With NYC's Paranormal Squadron following her every move her only help comes from a handsome warlock with family ties to the victim and a very ancient, eloquent vampire turned food critic. As the plot thickens and suspicion shifts, Charlotte's restaurant isn't the only thing facing its demise.

Ahhhh! What a delicious book. Combining two things this reader has a passion for in life, great food and paranormal elements in fiction, Zettel pulls off one satisfying blend of genres. Admittedly, the concept of Vampire Chef Mysteries comes off as cheesy (no pun intended). Zettel's world building, however, takes what seems silly and blends the ideas into a plausible, dark delight. The mystery element, while key to the plot, at times gets a little overshadowed by the gourmand details but if you're a foodie you'll love the attention to detail.

Charlotte is an exceptional character. There are a very small handful of characters I'd call favorites and she's joining them. The protective older sister, the girl so devoted to her career she has scars, the boss who puts the needs of her staff first. I think readers with strong protective and maternal instincts will find her personality very relatable. Meanwhile, her potential beaus are both sexy and intelligent, each the sort of alpha male who doesn't completely bulldoze the girl or growl "mine" at the competition. I'll admit a partiality to Anatole with his elegant graces but Brendan is quite charming too.

Honestly I thought blending paranormal elements into a foodie mystery was going to fall flat on its face but somehow the unique flavors of each come together like the strange mix of curry and coconut in my favorite chocolate bar (Theo Chocolate)... they probably won't work for everyone but will be cultishly popular with others. I'd highly recommend this novel to Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance readers who're looking for something fresh and fun to break them out of a reading rut. While mystery readers who love cozies and cooking mysteries might also enjoy this the paranormal elements do overshadow the chef elements through most of the storyline so if you don't like vampire books I'd suggest passing. Overall I absolutely LOVED this book and immediately added Let Them Eat Stake, the 2nd installment in the series which releases in Spring 2012, on my wishlist.
***ARC received from Publisher as requested.

[P. Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a big fan of the premise of vampires and other paranormals living out in the open among humankind. Me of little faith, I just don't buy that we would ever tolerate human-like predators among us.

That said, A Taste of the Nightlife is a promising start to a new mystery series. By and large, it doesn't bring anything particularly original to the paranormal (urban fantasy) or mystery genres. I say that, in the event you're a stickler for "original." I'm not;I like tropes. A Taste of the Nightlife is a entertaining book.

Charlotte Caine is the head chef and owner of Nightlife, a newish restaurant that caters to vampires. Vampires can't eat solid food, but do enjoy liquids, especially those that are protein based. As the story begins, Charlotte has just gotten the "good" news from her brother Chet (who is a vampire) that Anatole Sevarin, noted vampire food critic, has arrived in her restaurant. A good review from Sevarin is just the boost her restaurant needs.

Unfortunately, right after the good news, she gets bad. A customer has a complaint about the food and demanding to speak with her. The customer, a young woman named Pam, has found werewolf hair in her soup, and goes on to make a scene, demanding that Charlotte fire one of her staff. The situation falls into total chaos, when a drunk young man bursts into the restaurant. The man seems to be Pam's jilted lover. He is also a warlock, and in a fit of rage, nearly burns down Nightlife.

Just when Charlotte thinks things couldn't get worse, a few hours later, that same man is found dead and drained of blood on her doorstep. The chief suspect? Her brother Chet. Now her restaurant is a crime scene, and the only way she can reopen (and pay her rent and employees' salaries) is to find the murderer.

I imagine Charlotte isn't the first chef-turned-sleuth in the mystery genre, but she's the first I've encountered. I like how her approach to stress is to cook, because that's what chefs do. They feed people. Set in New York, the story is infused with the flavors of big city life.

One thing I particularly liked was that the protagonist suffered some real life consequences for her amateur sleuthing. In some series--Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series--the protagonist causes all sorts of mahem and destruction, and somehow never gets sued, arrested or made to pay for damages. Though it isn't a big part of the story, Charlotte's crime solving hijinks do get her in some trouble. It's a minor thing, but it was nice to see this reality acknowledged.

Though vampirism is a facet of the plot, I wouldn't call this a vampire book, and therefore, I'd recommend it to those who normally avoid all things vampire.

The story also contains a love triangle, so if the whole "torn between two lovers" thing isn't your shtick, well, you have been warned.

Fun book. I'm looking forward to the next in the series.