Your typical, cliche, paranormal romance. Eh. ( )

Once again, another fun read by Kimberly Raye. I love that she uses funny things that are relevant to the time: "I hadn't seen or talked to him in a month. No phone calls. No e-mails. No text messages. Not even a measly comment on Myspace or Facebook." The next book in the series, Sucker For Love, comes out in June. I can't wait! ( )

Very cute & sassy!! ( )

"Just One Bite" tells the story of Lil, the fabulous owner of Dead End Dating, a personal service seeking to hook up humans, vampires, werewolves and other creatures of the dark. She is filling a void in the dating market, and these preternatural beings are obviously an overlooked and undervalued demographic. There are plenty of dating stories to be told here to fill future books and the current dating/business scenes are the funniest in all four of the Dead End novels. This time Lil has a scary vampire killer/Italian mofia type man after her to find him the perfect church girl or else Lil will be staked. She also finds herself crossing paths with a demon who soon takes over the body of someone she cares for. Adding more pressure, Lil's mom is still trying to hook her up so she can marry and create baby vamps, but Lil isn't finding it easy to forget Ty, her made vamp ex-lover. When I read the first DED booking, I compared it unfavorably to MaryJanice Davidson's Betsy series. This seems to be a mistake because whereas Betsy seems to have gotten stale and lost a lot of the humor that made it soar, Lil still comes across fresh and funny. I smiled often and may have chuckled out loud a time or two. One thing I have to add, is that Raye makes mention of Brangelina and family around six or seven times over the course of the story. I remember thinking "Jeez lady, obsessed much?", but it didnt' really bother me and the last reference in the book is pretty funny. This book is just what it appears to be. A lite "chick lit" paranormal with some humor, romance, and even a little plot thrown in. Compared to the many similar vamp themed books out right now, its refreshing to find one that is still (on book four) just what is advertised. ( )

If you enjoy your paranormal romance/chicklit with a hefty dose of sarcasm and satire, you should pick up a copy of "Just One Bite" by Kimberly Raye. This is the 4th book in her 'Dead End Dating' series and I think the best one yet. Each novel has a mystery to solve and tells us a bit more about the heroine Lil, who is pretty much a caricature of the hip New Yorker who drops more fashion names than Joan Rivers.

Lil is a Born vamp from a wealthy vamp family who has broken away from the family business to open her Dead End Dating service. She is flaky, ditzy, and not at all your 'typical' vampire. She has an on-again/off-again relationship with drool-worthy bad boy Ty (a Made vamp and therefore MUCH lower class); and let's not forget sexy Remy, the Born vamp BOTH their families would love to see her settle down with. Each book reveals a bit more about Lil's inability to make a firm decision regarding these two and her mother's incessant nagging for her to settle down (with Remy). In this book, Lil has been blackmailed into finding a potential wife for Vinnie. Vinnie is a card carry member of the Snipers of Otherworldly Beings (yes, that's SOBs) and has made Lil and offer she can't refuse. She has 72 hours to find him a Catholic, Italian girl his mother will approve of (and he also has a long list of requirements like big boobs, real ones, hot looks, vagina, etc). If Lil does this Vinnie will generously refrain from making her his 500th vamp stake. So Lil is working on a short deadline, her American Express is maxed out (and there's a SHOE SALE), her mother won't stop calling about Remy, and her friend and assistant has been possessed by a serial killer Demon so she needs to find an exorcist! The vamp just can't catch a break.

I don't think I went a whole page without a snicker or an outright laugh. The book and characters are just so over the top, it's impossible NOT to laugh. So if you need a bit of paranormal comic relief, pick up a copy of "Just One Bite" by Kimberly Raye. Just be careful when you drink and read or you might blow your drink out your nose! ( )