La Vida Vampire by Nancy Haddock
Summary Deal :: Cesca (sess-ka) is a vampire that tries to be human and works as a tour guide in FL. Then someone from one of her tours turns up dead and they suspect her. So she ends up working with the police and a paranormal creatures expert named Saber to solve the murder. A side story includes an old wizard, a cat that shapeshifts into a panther, and an old flame that shapeshifts into a dolphin. the wizard that “created” Cat and dolphin-boy says that there is a big bad evil coming and he needs Cesca’s powers combined with dolphin-boy’s powers to fend it off, but this is barely included in this first book.
Major player break down :: Francesca is a 200+ yr old mind-reading, future-seeing vampire that’s been in the ground for about 200 yrs of it…so she is new to the modern world and wants to fit in..surfing, salsa dancing, having a job as a tour guide…she is the most un-vampire Ive ever “met”. Deke Saber is the love interest that is playing bodyguard since she is being targeted by various meanies. Then there is the wizard and the cat, but they dont appear too much.
Classification :: it is classified as paranormal romance, but i classify it as chicklit/mystery
Action/Romance :: romance luckily is light and is all the sexual tension btwn vampire chicky and Saber. action is fairly light, too, since it’s a murder mystery and it is more running around trying to solve the case/talk to people than actual fighting.
Overall Opinions :: 2/5 stars. it would be ok as a Pocket Book. i didn’t not like it, but it certainly wasn’t anything special. the beginning where the wizard talks about the ominous bad guy coming and how their powers combined are needed to stop it felt contrived. there was nothing about the plot that required her to be a vampire, so all the paranormal stuff thrown in occasionally like the Cat seemed a little out-of-place next to the “some chick got shot and Cesca happened to know her” main plot. neither her (lack of) vampiric abilities nor the psychic gift she has were necessary to solve the murder – hence my opinion that making her a vampire was unnecessary to this book. the character of Saber was kinda flat. he’s this gorgeous, perfect guy that she calls by his last name even when she is sleeping with him. i think the only quote that i found lol funny was the one i posted on jenn’s blog. so i guess my overall opinion is that i would recommend for lauren or sarah, but probably not for jenn since this book really was more of light-reading chicklit than a vampire novel.
Rereadability :: none, while i don’t regret the time spent reading the first one, it wasn’t worth a second read.
Getting Next Book :: maybe if i’m bored, and i wouldn’t mind reading the second one, but i have no desire to run out and get it. the 3rd one doesnt come out until spring 2011.
ally-cat 