Review: Undead and Unwed by Sam Tschida

 

Bridget Jones’s Diary meets What We Do in the Shadows in this hilarious contemporary rom-com about a 300-year-old single vampire who inherits a fixer-upper in a quaint town in Vermont

Nothing sucks more than dating–especially when you've been bad at it for three centuries.

Tiffenie Ruba is 300 years old and still doesn’t have her life together. She doesn’t own a home—typical for a Millennial, which she often gets mistaken for–and she hasn’t had a relationship in forever (almost literally). When she’s not working at the local blood bank, she’s watching Hallmark movies with her cat. Tiffenie has an eternity to go but she knows she can’t go on like this.

But when she suddenly inherits a charming inn in the picture-perfect town of Valentine, Vermont (due to a case of mistaken–okay, stolen–identity), she has a chance to live out all of her Hallmark fantasies.

Unfortunately, she has to bring along a new vampire she accidentally created, pretend to be someone else, and navigate a love triangle with a hot Christmas tree farmer and her old master Vlad, who she’s still totally mad at. Can she pull it all off–and finally learn a lesson along the way?

With biting wit, a dash of spice, and the cozy warmth of a great Hallmark movie, Undead and Unwed will make you laugh until you cry as Tiffenie bungles her way toward self-improvement and true love. 

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What I thought about Undead and Unwed

Tiffanie is a 300 year-old vampire who still doesn't know what she wants!  She's not all that interested in living like a vampire and tries to exist on coconut water instead of blood, until that gets in her in a bit of hot water.   It's not good to drain your victims, even when you have somewhere to run by way of an inheritance.

This was a seriously cute take on the vampire trope in general.  No darkness here, just a good sense of humor and an easy way with the humans.  I really did like Tiffany a whole lot, and I was cheering for her to get back with her ex all along.  It was just right.  

There's a whole drama about assuming someone's identity and the mess that can get a person into as well.  Tyrone, the Christmas tree farm neighbor, was a interesting character, but clearly not right for Tiffany.

Overall, this was a very entertaining take on the vampire myth. There's romance inthere too, although for me it wasn't the centerpeice of the story. That all belonged to Tiffany. I also liked her friend Heaven who was the epitome of "rolling with the punches".  There are some slow spots, and a few head-scratching parts so it wasn't perfect, but for the most part entertaining. The ending fell apart a little for me, as it just didn't have the punch I expected, but it didn't ruin the fun. 3.5 solid stars.

 

  

Review: Witness to Murder (Colby Agendy: The Next Generation #4) by Debra Webb

Just one look

…shattered her life.

It was worse than the date from hell. Teacher Leah Gerard waited hours for the man…until she saw his bloody body being dragged away. Did she imagine it? The police believe she did, as there’s no body to corroborate her story. Then Leah becomes their prime murder suspect. Determined to find the truth, Leah hires ace investigator Owen Walker, who delves into every possibility while protecting —and captivating—Leah. But when her longtime roommate disappears, troubling questions and danger follow. Who wants Leah charged with murder? And who wants her dead?

From Harlequin Seek thrills. Solve crimes. Justice served.

Discover more action-packed stories in the Colby The Next Generation series. All books are stand-alone with uplifting endings but were published in the following

Book 1: A Colby Christmas Rescue
Book 2: Alibi for Murder
Book 3: Memory of Murder
Book 4: Witness to Murder

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 What I thought about Witness to Murder

This book starts out with a bad date and a murder, putting Leah on the cops radar and in trouble. She reaches out to the Colby Agency for help, and Owen Walker arrives to protect her while trying to figure out who is setting her up.

 This is the fourth in the Next Generation series.  There are light romantic elements and a solid murder mystery. In this case, someone is setting Leah up for murder.  This author always just gives enough info so that at some point, the reader can figure out what's going on and I like that about it. 

This was an easy-to-read mystery with romantic elements that made for a pleasant and enjoyable reading experience.  

 

Release Day Review: 5 Stars for Thrown for a Loop ( New York Legends #1) by Sarina Bowen

 

The bad boy of hockey has a few skeletons in his closet. And also a pair of old figure skates…

Zoe Carson, former figure skating queen, needs a fresh start as a hockey skating coach. An NHL gig with the New York Legends is her big chance. Unfortunately, that means facing off against the star player who broke her heart ten years ago.

Chase Merritt knows his game is off, and he’s on the verge of losing sponsors. But he doesn’t need the ice princess from that intense college summer showing up and telling him what he’s doing wrong—even when she’s right.

On the ice, they’re magic. Off the ice, they’re nothing but heat and stubbornness, and everyone on the team is enjoying the show. But when an old video of Zoe and Chase’s figure skating routine goes viral, they’re forced to work together more intimately than ever before. Can the two get it right this time or will the whole world watch them crash and burn?

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What I thought about Thrown for a Loop

Zoe Carson lives and breathes the old adage that "you never forget your first love." But things did not end well for Zoe and her first love. Years later, she's about to begin a new coaching job for the New York Legends hockey team where she will come face-to-face with Chase Merritt.

Chase also remembers Zoe, the Ice Princess as he called her, but his memories of their summer together are focused around a disastrous end to their relationship and the summer, for which he blames Zoe. There's quite a bit of tension here that will need to be resolved before they can even think about a second-chance.

There is one thing that brings them together and that's the ice. When the hockey organization finds out about Zoe and Chase skating together, they push them together for an encore. The story is told with flashbacks to their summer camp time together which are just lovely as they fall for each other.

I just loved Zoe. She so sweet and yet tough at the same time. But her heart clearly belongs to Chase and there's a sense of destiny around them that can't be denied. Chase is a bit surly, but there's a heart of gold underneath the tough shell he wears, especially around Zoe.

I devoured this book in a day. It left me with a smile on my face. If you are looking for a sports romance with a second chance at love theme, I would definitely recommend this and other works by this author.