The Vampire Next Door [Mass Market Paperback]

Ashlyn Chase (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 1, 2011

Room for Rent: Normal need not apply

This old Boston brownstone is not known for quiet living...first the shapeshifter meets his nurse, then the werewolf falls for his sassy lawyer, but now the vampire is looking for love with a witch who'se afraid of the dark...and you thought your neighbors had issues!

Undead Sly is content playing vigilante vampire, keeping the neighborhood safe from human criminals, until Morgaine moves in upstairs. Suddenly he finds himself weak with desire, which isn't a good place for a vampire to be. And Morgaine isn't exactly without her own issues — will the two of them be able to get past their deepest fears before their chance at "normal" slips away...

Praise for The Werewolf Upstairs:

"Witty and wonderful...the entertaining plot, humor, sizzling sensual scenes, and romance make this story unforgettable."—Romance Junkies

"Original and full of laughs, steamy sex, and madcap mayhem."—Night Owl Romance

"An entertaining, funny read." —RT Book Reviews

"Delicious romance...The Werewolf Upstairs seduced me!"—Sparkling Reviews

Editorial Reviews

Review

"With its humor, dialogue, theme and heart, Chase has put together an outstandingly fun romance with a great twist! 4 1/2 Stars" - RT Book Reviews

"Lots of residents with all kinds of paranormal abilities keep the building buzzing and romance blooming in Chase's enjoyable romp for readers who like tales of lovemaking and laughter." - Booklist

"This light, kooky, paranormal romance reminded me of a TV sitcom, and those looking for a good laugh will definitely not be disappointed." - Fresh Fiction

"Chase provides a wonderful romantic urban fantasy... " - Alternative Worlds

"Unique and entertaining... Never a dull moment." - The Romance Studio

"Quirky, sexy and laugh-out-loud funny." - Bitten By Books

"A fun read... Quick and easy, light and fluffy." - That's What I'm Talking About

"Chock full of silliness that really charmed the socks off me. " - Romance Novel News

"Full of humor and romance, steamy love scenes and witty conversation. Ashlyn Chase has a great storytelling imagination... " - BookLoons.com

"A fun and steamy hot paranormal romance." - Romance Junkies

"Chase takes one vigilante vampire and throws him with a quirky witch battling intense phobias, and voila! a paranormal romance hit is born." - Romance Fiction on Suite101.com

"Romance aplenty, steamy sex scenes, and crazy antics." - Celtic Lady's Reviews

"Steamy, witty, and thoroughly entertaining... " - The Royal Reviews

"This series is light paranormal fiction at it's best!" - Debbie's Book Bag

"With Georgette Heyer's signature witty dialogue, sweet romance, interesting characters and a fun storyline, I thoroughly enjoyed Bath Tangle. " - The Bookworm 07

"Not only are the characters amazingly written, but the story itself has so much depth that I felt as if I were right there in the thick of things the whole time. " - Seriously Reviewed

"A humorous and sexy paranormal read." - Caught in a Fab Romance

"A charming paranormal tale you won't soon forget... Quirky, absolutely entertaining, and quite addictive." - Dark Diva Reviews

About the Author

Multi-published author Ashlyn Chase specializes in characters who reinvent themselves, having reinvented herself numerous times. She has worked as a psychiatric nurse, for the Red Cross, and has a degree in behavioral sciences. Her romance Strange Neighbors gets rave reviews. She lives with her true-life hero husband in beautiful New Hampshire.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; Original edition (August 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402236638
• ISBN-13: 978-1402236631
• Product Dimensions: 4.5 x 1.1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #125,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ashlyn Chase describes herself as an Almond Joy bar. A little nutty, a little flaky, but basically sweet, wanting only to give her readers a scrumptious, satisfying, reading experience.

She holds a degree in behavioral sciences, worked as a psychiatric RN for several years and spent a few more years working for the Red Cross. She credits her sense of humor to her former careers since comedy helped preserve whatever was left of her sanity. She is a multi-published, award-winning author with Ellora's Cave and Sourcebooks.

Most writers, whether they're aware of it or not, have a 'theme,' some sort of thread that runs through all of their books, uniting the whole mishmash into an identifiable signature. Ashlyn's identified theme involves characters who reinvent themselves. It's no wonder since she has reinvented herself numerous times. Finally content with her life, she lives in beautiful New Hampshire with her true-life hero husband, who looks like Hugh Jackman if you squint and they're owned by a spoiled brat cat.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun romp for paranormal friends! August 18, 2011

By Kim Adams

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I requested to review THE VAMPIRE NEXT DOOR because I had heard good things about its author, Ashlyn Chase. I also wanted to read outside my comfort zone of historical romances - I thought a "light" paranormal would do the trick.

I did not realize that I was jumping into the third book of the series which made it a little difficult to follow the characters' interaction with each other (I solved this by reading the synopsis and reviews of the first two books). The series focuses on an apartment building owned by Jason, an all star pitcher and shape shifter. Naturally Jason rents to other paranormal beings, morphing the series into a "Friends After Dark" scenario. In today's politically correct environment, why not? Especially since Chase delivers humorous mayhem, quirky characters, and a heartwarming romance.

THE VAMPIRE NEXT DOOR brings two more paranormal characters together - Sly (an accidental vampire) with Morgaine (a witch with several phobias). In fact, Morgaine already lives in the building where as Sly just visits his pregnant daughter Merry (who is married to Jason). The book opens with Sly helping a woman being attacked and he bites into the assailant's silver chain. This breaks his tooth and he seeks assistance from Morgaine. Merry sees him leaving Morgaine's apartment and notices the sparks between them. Merry then invites Sly to move into Apartment 1B, nicknamed "the Love Shack", as it brought together other couples in the series (it is also conveniently located near Morgaine). Thus the "dating game" ensues with other residents adding their own "baggage" to the mix. Jerry Springer would enjoy living in this apartment building!

Chase makes it fun to follow the "soap opera" that unfolds in this unconventional series; I would never have guessed a grandfather-to-be would make a likeable hero. THE VAMPIRE NEXT DOOR enticed me to order the first two books to complete the series.

I received an ARC from Sourcebooks for this review.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Cute but not particularly creative August 23, 2011

By Leah Bradley

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I do not regret reading this little series, but there was not a lot of suspense or creativity to the storyline. And to be completely honest, one of the characters just made me cringe. She is supposed to be a Southern Girl, but the author obviously has never had contact with a southern person. Ya'll is not singular, and the author just kept on and on and on using it as a singular pronoun. It is short for "you all" which oddly enough tends to refer to more than one person. If not for this extremely annoying butchery of southern dialect, I might have enjoyed it more.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Ugh, I hate bad southern stereotypes! August 18, 2011

By Blonde Bibliophile

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Although I don't typically review novels, I found that this one warranted a warning. As a woman from the South, I found the character of Gwyneth to be quite offensive. The author portrays her as simple minded and silly. I especially did not appreciate the author using the term "y'all" as a substitute for "you" every time the Gwyneth spoke; although it's true that people in the South are known to use the contraction "y'all", it is strictly used to replace "you all". This error, along with the the author's decision to make the character speak in out-dated, stereotypical 'hillbilly' colloquialisms made it impossible to be attentive to the plot in any scene that Gwyneth spoke. Apart from the author's diction, the plot was a bit slow and unexciting despite Chase's effort to spice it up with the lives of the other tenants.

I am sorry that this review was mainly a rant about the author's depiction of Southern people, but I do not appreciate negative and/or inaccurate stereotypes in the novels I read. I hope that this does not put you off the author; I really enjoyed the first novel in this series (Strange Neighbors), but I felt the need to voice my opinions in hopes of helping someone else avoid wasting their time and resources on a novel that, instead of being a pleasant escape, is a exercise in endurance.