A Girls' Guide to Vampires by Katie MacAlister

A Girl's Guide to Vampires by Katie MacAlister

2003, Love Spell

Series: Book 1 of Dark Ones

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Rating

Synopsis: All Joy Randall wants is a little old-fashioned romance, but when she participates in a "Goddess evoking" ceremony with her friend, Roxy, Joy finds out her future true love is a man with the potential to put her immortal soul in danger. At first the ever-practical Joy is ready to dismiss her vision as a product of too much gin and too many vampire romances, but while traveling through the Czech Republic with Roxy, Joy begins to have some second thoughts about her mystery lover because she is suddenly plagued by visions of a lethally handsome stranger. Then, when she and Roxy attend a local GothFaire, Joy meets Raphael Griffin St. John, head of security, and she becomes even more bewildered because the dark and dangerous Raphael seems too close to her dreams for comfort.

The Good: The book has a light, chick lit like feel. It's an easy read and a decent mystery. While the romance grates, the sexy times are vividly described.

The Bad: Joy as a main character is just, ugh, disgraceful. She's not in control of her own mind, She believes something completely, then changes her mind on a whim - for whatever would work more t her favor. She doesn't believe in the true love summoning, yet does it anyway. She changes her vacation to join her friend searching for vampires to date even though she doesn't believe in vampires. Until she conveniently decides to believe in both vampires and true love summoning, because she wants Raphael to be her true love and a vampire to boot. She's wishy-washy, and I have no idea how she survives in the world at all. Plus, the insta-love? For real? At her age? C'mon man.