An interesting & different look at vampires - quite a few things are definitely different in this book, then in traditional vampire folklore.

There are some very interesting characters in the book, but the main character is way too naive, and often contradicts herself. One of the more interesting characters in the book you never actually meet, and when she finally does show up, she's dead. For example, throughout the book, she kept telling herself she didn't believe in vampires, she didn't believe in vampires - over & over again. But then when she finds out the guy she likes really is a vampire, she accepts this very matter of factly, without needing any proof whatsoever that he was a real vampire, and not a vampire wannabee.

There's some romance in the book, nothing terribly compelling about any of the scenes. The cops are complete idiots, which drove me a little crazy.

I admit, I did read this book very quickly, I think mainly because I was waiting for the book to pick up speed. What you think is just an introduction & character development, is basically the actual plot. I kept reading because I was waiting for that final big bang that comes at the end of a great book - and there really wasn't anything.

Even with all those negatives, I did still enjoy the book. It's not anything I'll ever read again, but I don't consider it wasted time reading it, either. ( )

One of these days I'll learn that there's a reason the freebies are free.

The overall story was interesting, but the story was pretty much the last three chapters of the book. The rest of it can be pretty much summed up as, "I'm so overworked this sucks, my boss is missing this sucks, oh look hot guy at a trendy club, BAM - can't live without him, when will I see him again, WHY HASN'T HE CONTACTED ME?!?!?!, oh maybe if I track him down at work he will be flattered, and not completely squicked out by the fact that I'm an obsessive stalker". Ew.

The romance was completely unbelievable. The heroine was firmly in the TSTL camp. She becomes obsessed after one meeting and stalks the guy. And just to make it even more nauseating, she pulls a "Bella". Yea, gotta love the heroines that need their man to live. Maybe my divorce made me too cynical, but I have yet to meet a man that I have wanted to die without. Puh lease.

The hero wasn't all that heroic either. He was written cold, remote, and was very 2D. As a reader, I had no sympathy for him and had a very hard time giving a shit about what happened to him. There was no passion. He was kind of a whiny little bitch.

Definitely not my cuppa tea. ( )

Angie McCaffrey gets her chance to shine when her boss at the advertising firm, Lucy, is unexplainably absent. Angie steps in to continue work on a line of cosmetics for weekend vampires and finds an intriquing and irresistable man at the same time. But when her boss turns up dead from blood loss, and Angie starts shunning the light of day, she begins to suspect that there is more than make-believe to the vampire scene in San Francisco.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are very well developed, particularly Angie and her best friend, Steve. The story is good and there is a nice twist that makes me think this might become a series. The author seems to really know and love San Francisco so the sense of place is strong. Surprisingly, this book is pretty light on sex, more suggestive than anything else. It is well done and I found it refreshing not to have to plow through pages of heaving and throbbing and still have a nice paranormal romance. ( )

Once Bitten by Clare Willis
Paranormal Romance- Dec. 1st, 2009
5 stars

Fantastic Refreshing New Vampire Romance Mystery!!!

This book was fabulous from start to end. I truly was hooked from the first couple of pages.

I often tend to skim a few of the vampire books just because they often become to cliché as the story progresses. However, Once Bitten takes on an entirely different approach to the world of vampires. The story introduces the reader to an assortment of characters who are classified as wannabe vampires or the actual real thing. But the fun part is guessing who is what and how does any of this relate to the matter at hand. The writer does an excellent job in creating a mystery full of twists and excitement. The romance element added the extra topping to a wonderful fun read!!!

The characters were a pure delight. I loved Steve's character, he really added a great sense of humor to the storyline. Nicolai's character was also fascinating, he gave the really interesting historical and knowledge element to the novel.

I actually work in San Francisco near the Bay Bridge. I really thought the writer did a fantastic job with the scenery layout and description, it was very accurate.

I can only hope this is only the beginning of a new series. I would love to read more about Angie and Eric in future upcoming books. There is a lot that could be discussed and elaborated into further details for a potential series. Do not miss this book!

Reviewed by Monica from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club ( )