The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride by Kristen Painter
My rating: 5 out of 5
The Story
Welcome to Nocturne Falls, the town that celebrates Halloween 365 days a year.
The tourists think it’s all a show: the vampires, the werewolves, the witches, the occasional gargoyle flying through the sky. But the supernaturals populating the town know better.
Living in Nocturne Falls means being yourself. Fangs, fur, and all.
After seeing her maybe-mobster boss murder a guy, Delaney James assumes a new identity and pretends to be a mail order bride. She finds her groom-to-be living in a town that celebrates Halloween every day. Weird. But not as weird as what she doesn’t know. Her groom-to-be is a 400-year-old vampire.
Hugh Ellingham has only agreed to the arranged set up to make his overbearing grandmother happy. In thirty days, whatever bridezilla shows up at his door will be escorted right back out. His past means love is no longer an option. Not if the woman’s going to have a future. Except he never counted on Delaney and falling in love for real.
Too bad both of them are keeping some mighty big secrets…
My take on it
I very much enjoyed the book. The cover suggests a fluffy romp which it starts out as – there are no explicit scenes and all sex happens behind closed door. This doesn’t detract from the overall sexiness of the tale though. It’s written really well and I read it in a day, even though I tend to enjoy my books a little darker with more hurt / comfort.
The story quickly deepens and Delaney is faced with a life-or-death decision, both in regards to her love life but also when her past catches up with her. The first instalment concentrates on Delaney and her love interest Hugh.
There are so many more interesting characters that I would love to find out more about, such as the werewolf sheriff, Hugh’s brothers who both have issues with women, and the gargoyle Nick.
But what I loved most, despite the inane title (I’m generally not fond of ‘mail order bride romances’) is the characterisation of the heroine. She’s so cool, from her love of all things chocolate to her slight dizziness. She’s smart, kick-ass and doesn’t take crap from the gorgeous vampire.
The author manages to conclude the story nicely while leaving many questions open: will Delaney open her dream shop? How will the competition react? Who else will find love?
Can’t wait to read the next volume!
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