Recommendsday Review - Love Bites by Lynsay Sands

Today's Recommendsday Review is Love Bites by Lynsay Sands.

There was a time when I loved Lynsay's Sands' stories, and this is one of the stories that made me fall for her. Unfortunately, our love affair was meant to be brief, but this story is still worth a reading if you're looking for a fluffy vamp tale to enjoyably pass some time.

***Spoiler Alert***

The second in the Argeneau Vampire series, Love Bites tells the story of 300 year old, vampire computer nerd Etienne Argeneau and coroner Rachel Garrett. From the back cover:

"Etienne Argeneau's three hundred years of bachelorhood were at an end. Either that, or he'd be forever alone. He could only "turn" one human in his lifetime, and most of his kind reserved that power for creating a life mate. If he turned the wrong woman . . . But what choice did he have? He had to save Rachel Garrett. He didn't know her very well, but the beautiful coroner had saved his life. To save hers he would make her immortal.

Rachel Garrett awoke surprised. All she'd wanted was to get off the night shift at the morgue; now here she was staggering to her feet naked and in a strange place. But everything would be all right. She'd just make like a bat out of- Then she saw the man of her dreams emerging from his...coffin? And the look i his bright silver eyes said they'd be spending a lot of time together. She just hoped he tasted as good as he looked."

Etienne, despite being 300 years old and as close to immortal as anyone becomes in Sands' world, is nothing if not a slightly inept nerd. He's created the best-selling vampire computer game in existence, yet finds himself unable to deal with a pesky, bumbling human named Pudge who wants him dead.

Pudge, however simple he may be, does manage to twice land Etienne in the coroner's office. The first time it's a bullet to the heart. The second time ends in a fire that renders Etienne unrecognizable. But it's Pudge's third attempt at vampirecide that sparks the romantic plot of the story. When Pudge storms Dr. Garrett's office with an axe, intent on ending Etienne's long life once and for all, the lovely coroner feels compelled to protect what she believes to be a dead body. No, it didn't make sense to me either, and all Rachel manages to do is get herself mortally wounded. To save her, Etienne does the only thing he knows how...he changes her into a vampire.

What follows is a comedy of errors wherein Etienne attempts to woo Rachel, and Rachel convinces herself she's delusional. The tension is weak, the sex is sugary sweet, and the plot is pushed forward through a series of minor misunderstandings and family meddling that eventually leads Rachel and Etienne to their happily ever after. It's light, it's fluffy, and if you're not a fan of the darker urban fantasy tales, it will probably amuse the pants off of you.

And take heart! If you like Love Bites, you're in luck. The next 6 books in the series have roughly the same plot and characters, just with different names and professions.

Rating: 3/5

~Lily