Boys that Bite: A Blood Coven Vampire Novel by Mari Mancusi

What do you get when you throw together a pair of distinctly different twin sisters, a tubby, pimple-faced vampire slayer, an Orlando Bloom look-alike with fangs, and a gaggle of money-grubbing Druid monks? A refreshingly unique teen vampire series that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Unlike her vampire-obsessed sister, Sunny McDonald would rather play field hockey and make moony eyes at the resident  high school hottie than hang out in graveyards and Goth clubs. Her averageness vanishes, however, the night her sister dragged her into Club Fang. Wearing a t-shirt brandished with the words “Bite Me,” Sunny catches the eye of Magnus, a vampire hottie who mistakes her for her sister.  After sinking his teeth into Sunny’s neck, she discovers that she will soon join the ranks of the walking undead. Even worse – she would miss the prom! This turns out to be very inconvenient for her sister Rayne, who secretly signed up to be converted into Magnus’ bloodmate.

With less than a week to reverse the curse and rejoin the land of the living, Sunny must track down the Holy Grail and devour the last remaining drops of the blood of Christ. Just when things couldn’t get more complicated, Sunny finds that her quest to reverse the bite may lead to a fate worse than turning into a fanged pumpkin after her week is up: falling head over heels for the bloodsucker who bit her.

If you’re in the mood for a good vampire story, but burned out on the formulaic star-crossed-lover melodrama, then pick up this book. The tounge-in-cheek humor and madcapped misadvenures  will send readers – especially fans of Buffy – into  fits of giggles. Mancusi keeps the quips coming without overdoing the sarcasm, and her take on vampire lore will intrigue and entertain even the most jaded vampire fans. The first book in the series, “Boys that Bite will definitely leave readers thirsty for more. I know I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the next installment!

“Goodbye, She Lied” by Russ Hall

My friends always laugh at me for being the only Murder She Wrote fanatic without blue hair and a walker. What they don’t realize is that J.B. Fletcher is a hip, hip lady, who exemplifies the meaning of Girl Power! Not only is she a snazzy dresser (love the khaki trench coat!), but she is also a brazen, balls-to-the-wall crime fighter who puts local law enforcement to shame. That’s what I love about amateur women detectives! And that’s why I had such a great time accompanying Esbeth Walters – a Texified Mrs. Marple – on her quest to help her pal “Boose” find the con artists who cheated his elderly mother out of $64,000. 

A retired school teacher and full-time sleuth, Esbeth is the kind of woman that good ol’ Texas boys would call a ‘pistol.’ Much like my girl J.B. Fletcher, the sleuthing senior gets nothing but eye rolls and condescending remarks from local law enforcement. But that doesn’t stop her from taking on a new case when a friend in need comes knocking on her door. When Boose – an endearingly cantankerous rough-n-tough Texan – asked her to find the tricksters who stole his mother’s rest-home fund, she reluctantly answers the call of duty. After snooping around the local nursing home – run by a shifty director and an imposing nurse with about as much warmth as a prison guard – Esbeth discovers Boose’s mom wasn’t the only resident who was bamboozled by money-grubbing grifters. She soon stumbles upon another mystery when a damsel in distress enlists her help in proving her husband’s bizarre car accident was not a suicide. With the help of her elderly sidekick, Gardner Burke (who, if this ever became a movie, could be played by Clint Eastwood), Esbeth unearths (literally) connections between the two mysteries and discovers her cozy Hill Country hamlet is a hotbed for swindlers and cold-blooded murderers.

 I’m not sure what disturbed me the most about this mystery, the two ruthless hit men who like their weapons a little too much, or Esbeth’s foreboding dread of living her last remaining years in a grim rest home that reeks of Lysol and death. This book definitely left me feeling a little uneasy in many ways. But that’s not to say I didn’t have a heck of a good time reading it!

 This read is perfect to snuggle up to with a steaming mug of chai tea – my fave!  With  the nights getting darker and colder, what better than a good murder mystery with a good dollop of Texas grit thrown in too! Thanks Russ, for creating another fun and feisty female detective series. Keep em’ coming!

Do you have a favorite amatuer sleuth? If so, who?