Once Bitten (Zebra Debut) [Paperback]

Clare Willis (Author)

Book Description

Series: Zebra Debut | Publication Date: December 1, 2009

Is it more than just a one-bite stand?

Angie McCaffrey has endured her share of liquid lunches and boardroom shmoozefests to win new advertising clients. But her latest account a cosmetics line for wannabe vampires involves some unusual customer research at San Francisco's hippest private nightclub. The "undead" patrons are about as genuine as Macabre Factor's press-on fangs, but one thing is very real the skin-tingling connection Angie feels with her clients' mysterious friend, Eric Taylor.

Still, there are a few problems with this hot new romance. 1) Eric is rumored to have dated Angie's scheming boss, Lucy. 2) Lucy, missing for days, just turned up dead and bloodless. And, oh yeah, 3) Angie has suddenly developed a teeny aversion to sunlight. Is Eric a real vampire, a killer, or both? Angie's got a lot riding on the answer her heart, her life, and maybe even her soul. . .

"Clare Willis offers a clever twist on the world of vampires." Alexandra Ivy, author of Darkness Unleashed

Editorial Reviews

Review

"* "This sexy, fast-paced paranormal has it all! You'll want to keep reading more." - Richelle Mead"

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Zebra Books (Mass Market); Original edition (December 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420108719
• ISBN-13: 978-1420108712
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,351,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Clare spent much of her childhood in Berkeley, California, but she also lived in Italy and England (her father is British and she holds dual citizenship) and travelled around the world before she was five. As an adult she lived in Los Angeles and Massachusetts, but always came home to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she lives now with her husband and two sons. While her family is at school and work, Clare writes with her two dogs at her feet: a cockapoo named Mocha and a terrier mix shelter puppy called Riley.

Clare's first literary success came early, when her play, The Stepsisters, (a retelling of the Cinderella story) was performed by her fourth grade class at Parents' Night. During college at UC Santa Cruz she took creative writing classes, but succumbed to the convincing argument that she needed a "real job" to fall back on and added an elementary education minor. She taught for several years, earned two masters degrees in education, and worked in educational research and curriculum development.

But the lure of writing never went away. After she married and had her first child, Clare became a stay-at-home mom, and found story ideas coming to her during the quiet hours when the baby was asleep. She wrote four books and numerous short stories. Several of her short stories were published, but it took ten years and many rejections before her first book (literally her first) was picked up by Kensington Press and she was signed to a two-book contract.

Clare has loved the paranormal world, especially vampires, since she read "Interview with a Vampire" in 1976. By using vampires as a metaphor for the struggle between good and evil in the world and in each individual, Anne Rice created an irresistible paradigm that writers could work in, seemingly forever. It also made a great metaphor for forbidden love, and as any parent knows, once something is forbidden it becomes irresistible...

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Refreshing New Vampire Romance Mystery!!!, December 1, 2009

By 

Bookaholics Reviewer (Bay Area, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once Bitten (Zebra Debut) (Paperback)

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

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth the Time and Money, December 1, 2010

By 

S. Smith "book traveler" (cezh republic) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Once Bitten (Zebra Debut) (Kindle Edition)

A good read. Plot, characters that have substance and enough pages to be worth the money. Not the great American Novel, but a book that shows the writing talent of the author. Let's face it, vampire books are for entertainment only, and this book fills the requirment at a higher level of skill than most. I look forward to seeing even better efforts from this author.

18 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars wow. how did this get a decent rating?, March 12, 2010

By 

Celeste (Knoxville, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once Bitten (Zebra Debut) (Paperback)

Let me say that I was extremely interested in this book after reading the reviews. I love vampires and books that flirt with the supernatural. This book may be okay if you dont know anything about vampire lore and know nothing about business or common sense. The information about vampire culture was probably obtained from 5 minutes spent researching wikipedia. There is nothing new or interesting and certainly no depth or thought. The main character is painfully naive, boring and erratic. I dont know Clare Willis but Im truly stumped at how she managed to take an amazing subject and make it dull.