Customer Reviews

Fanged & Fabulous (Immortality Bites)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Judging from all accounts, the vampire romance novel is here to stay for a good long time. As with any other venue, there will be some good practitioners and some who also ran.

After reading FANGED & FABULOUS, Michelle Rowen's second novel about new vampire Sarah Dearly, I'm inclined to believe that the author and heroine are both going to be around for a bit. Or a bite.

Rowen drinks deeply in the same vein (and I've got to stop that soon) that MaryJanice Davidson (UNDEAD AND UNEMPLOYED) does. In Rowen's world, as in Davidson's, vampires are a many-splendored thing, but not necessarily to always be taken seriously.

Sarah Dearly is a riot and a mess, a combination which always seems to strike gold in the romance market. In the previous novel, BITTEN & SMITTEN, Sarah was turned into a vampire by a blind date and very nearly killed by vampire hunters. She also became the lover of an ancient vampire named Thierry de Bennicoeur, who apparently wants to keep Sarah at arm's distance. During the events of that novel, she ended up becoming known as the Slayer of Slayers, a reputation that guarantees her eternal enmity with the vampire slayers stalking her kind - but it also kind of serves to keep them at arm's distances as well.

The new novel brings Sarah a lot of problems. Her relationship with Thierry isn't going well. To make matters even worse, she seems to be getting along better with her lover's wife than her lover (there's a definite problem with getting a divorce when you're a vampire, as Sarah discovers). And there's only so much sympathy Sarah can take from the wife before she's ready to snap.

To complicate things further, Sarah is also invited into the inner circle of vampires, called the Ring, by another ancient vampire, Nicolai. It doesn't help that Nicolai seems to be at odds with Thierry for reasons known only to them.

Then someone blows up Sarah's apartment. She loses her "shard," a mystical object that is the only way she has of seeing her reflection (she can't even check her look without it and has to depend on the honesty of her friends!), a pair of secondhand Pradas that were to die for, and all her other belongings.

With her vulnerability brought into sharp focus, and wanting to do a little butt-kicking in revenge, Sarah starts taking self-defense lessons from the two bodyguards Thierry assigns to keep watch over her. But even as she starts learning to take care of herself, things take another turn for the worse when Gideon Chase - the master hunter of the vampire slayers - locks onto her trail and determines to stake her himself.

Rowen keeps the book moving along quickly. Her wry humor is a lot like Davidsons, and readers of both series may enjoy the resonance between the books or be disturbed by it, but she's definitely one to read as the vampire romance novels start getting a bit long in the tooth. (Sorry. Compulsive.)

The plot circles a little bit before striking out into new territory, but the scenery is pleasant and the company is good. FANGED & FABULOUS is only Rowen's third novel, so she's entitled to spend some time sharpening her craft. However, she's off to an outstanding start and I'm eagerly awaiting her next books.

I'm a big fan of Michelle Rowen's funny, self-deprecating humor, so when FANGED & FABULOUS came out, I had to get it. Don't let the back cover fool you - this book is less about a love triangle between Sarah and her men as it is about Sarah growing as a person/vampire. That being said, I went into this expecting the love triangle, but I was not disappointed in the slightest.

FANGED AND FABULOUS starts out with Sarah Dearly trying to enjoy a jog, when she's attacked by a vampire slayer. He backs off once he realizes exactly who she is - the Slayer of Slayers (or so he thinks). This starts a whole chain reaction in the vampire community - those that aren't terrified of Sarah want to kill her just to prove they can. Given that Sarah's generally incompetent, this poses a big problem for her.

To add to Sarah's problems, Quinn is professing love for her, and Thierry keeps pushing her away. What's a girl to do? Not the expected, that's for sure.

This is a light-hearted, very fun romp of a novel. It's not dark and angsty and full of soul-mates, so if you are looking for something more 'serious' than BITTEN & SMITTEN (the first novel), you'd best look elsewhere. However, this is a book that is pure breezy fun, and I found myself laughing aloud in several spots.

Fun, frisky read. Looking forward to her next book, LADY AND THE VAMP.

Sarah Dearly never asked to be turned into a vampire, and all she had wanted was her normal life back. However, the month before she was turned into a vampire by a bad blind date. Then, by total accident, she started a war between the "adorable, pointy-toothed bunnies" and the vampire hunters who have nicknamed her the Slayer of Slayers. Sarah didn't want this reputation; she doesn't want to be constantly hunted by vampires and slayers like a "monster in a video game." She just wants a normal immortal life with her vampire boyfriend! Was that too much to ask for?

Sarah has just received a job offer from another ancient vampire named Nicolai, who has a long- standing rivalry with her current boyfriend, Thierry. Since Sarah is the "Slayer of Slayers," Nicolai would like her to join a vampire organization called The Ring, a group of vampire counseling elders.

That evening Sarah's apartment blows up, she loses her "shard," the only thing she can actually see her reflection in, and her second-hand pair of Pradas. All she's left with is her ratty bathrobe and a pair of fuzzy pink slippers. Good friends George takes her and her werewolf dog, Barkley. Never mind the boyfriend who keeps blowing her off more and more as time goes on, along with her hot-fanged friend, Quinn who is trying to turn her self-defense lessons into make-out sessions.

Now someone's killing vampires, vampire hunters and humans, bodies drained of blood, with puncture marks on their necks. Two bodyguards hired by her 600-year-old vamp boyfriend are following her. Then she finds out the leader of all the vampire slayers, Gideon Chase is hot on her tail, too. What's a vampire to do?

This book is a funny and witty tale of a "baby" vampire who isn't exactly thrilled of her new "condition." I laughed out loud all through the book. The dialogue by this bestselling author is sarcastic and hilarious and the characters will leave you waiting impatiently for the next installment. This is the sequel to Bitten & Smitten, and I enjoyed reconnecting with those characters and seeing how their lives have changed since Sarah's transformation.

Armchair Interviews says: If you like paranormal romances, you're going to love Fanged & Fabulous!

One bad date changed Sarah Dearly's life into an unlife and was the first step on the road to her gaining the reputation of being the vampire who slays slayers. That has both vampires and hunters afraid of her and wanting her dead. She also has two men who simply want her, but Thierry, the one she prefers, keeps trying to push her away. Romance really should not be at the top of her list of concerns. Someone is trying to kill her, even blowing up her apartment to do so. Sarah does not really know who to trust, who she should be with, or what is going on, but she's determined to get to the bottom of it. She'll have to, if she wants to stay undead and not just dead.

**** Fun vampire books are among the newer subgenres that makes reading a joy, and this is definitely one of the best examples of that kind. Ms. Rowen dares to defy the paradigms in at least one instance as she resolves matters in this book, making for a refreshing change as she does the unexpected. ****

Amanda Killgore

Sarah Dearly has been a vampire for less than two months and is dating
a married, much older man with a drinking problem. At the same time
she manages to maintain her incorrigible and sassy personality. Now
the vampire hunters are intent on killing her, she is dog-sitting a
werewolf, she has agreed to investigate her best friend's husband, and
she has to let down her former friend.

Thierry de Bennicoeur is smart, sexy and rich. And thanks to his wife,
Veronique, has been a vampire for seven centuries. The years they have
spent `exclusively' together are few in number. Their official record
of vows has been lost in time. Sarah is a breath of fresh air in a
long, angst-filled life.

Thierry is perfect, minus his wife. Being hunted by the `Hunters',
having her best friend turn 30, and her bodyguards. Well, we won't go
into them. Life is not always safe, or sane.

Fanged & Fabulous is a smart, delightful tale of a new vampire
learning to deal with issues of life, love and the world. Ms. Rowan
writes with a fun style. That said, the climax of the novel was a bit
too anticlimactic for its buildup.


Barb
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

To be sarcastic is one thing, but in this book it's tooo much. It really started to irritate me.

Sarah Dearly is still adjusting to the whole vampire lifestyle. Unfortunately, rumors of her escapades in BITTEN AND SMITTEN have escalated to an utterly ridiculous level as Sarah is now being dubbed the "Slayer of Slayers". Thierry, a Master Vampire and her boyfriend, hires bodyguards for Sarah, but who will protect her heart from Thierry? And is Quinn, the hunter turned vampire, actually the man for Sarah instead?

What a hilarious story! Michelle Rowen's fantastic sense of humor kept me laughing throughout FANGED AND FABULOUS. Sarah continues to stumble headlong into trouble, but her loyalty and snarky attitude make her all the more endearing throughout each situation she finds herself trapped in. Despite being a sequel that immediately follows and builds upon the events in BITTEN AND SMITTEN, FANGED AND FABULOUS is easily read as a stand alone. The events are recapped, albeit in quite an amusing manner, so that all of the necessary back story is available for readers new to the series.

The romantic angle gets a bit of a twist in FANGED AND FABULOUS. Michelle Rowen takes some chances as the outcome of Sarah's love for Thierry and Quinn's love for Sarah remains in flux as the reader wonders just how all of this can resolve with that crucial happily-ever-after. Never fear, however, as the ending is absolutely perfect.

FANGED AND FABULOUS is an entertaining and lighthearted story that only makes me want to read more about these fantastic characters. Michelle Rowen has certainly outdone herself with this one, as even the secondary characters are simply begging for their own happy endings. Keep them coming, Ms. Rowen!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Fanged & Fabulous was every bit as good as the first book Bitten and Smitten. Sarah Dearly and all the other characters are so entertaining and I'd love to see a sequel to this series. The next book, the spin-off looks like it will be just as good!

Michelle has created an interesting continuation of her Immortality Bites series with Fanged and Fabulous. The story deals with some of the ramifications of the first novel as Sarah is labeled the Slayer of Slayers and this opens up a mess of problems for her with the hunters and vampires. Despite all of the problems the hunters were creating for her, Sarah seemed more wrapped up in her romantic issues with Thierry than the perils that were occurring around her which makes for some interesting predicaments.

Sarah's obsession with Thierry could have distracted from the plot but Michelle has a unique way of making the romance more important to the reader than the events in the book until she is ready to have us switch focus back and then she delivers on the plot. The book was very enjoyable and the romantic layer made it fabulously cute on many levels. She expertly planted a few plot points that I have no doubt we will be seeing in later installments. I look forward to the next book and I would recommend this book if you need a good light romantic paranormal fix.

This is the second in a series I stumbled onto in a used bookstore & fell in love with!

Sarah Dearly is a fun and dynamic character with a depth that is so well written she is easily see in your mid's eye. Her descriptions and dialouge are so vivid it is easy to see her and hear her when you are reading the book. The great thing is that all of the chracters in the book are as equally well written. You feel for Sarah and even Thierry as the series goes on ... Sarah can be a handful!

This book as well as the series so far has been fun & easy to read & I am so glad I found it and took a chance!