Vampires, Ghouls and Goddesses

Real Vampires Have More to Love
Gerry Bartlett
Berkley, Dec 7 2010, $14.00
ISBN: 9780425236970

Shopkeeper vampire Glory St. Claire feels ill for having to kill a mortal technofreak although she intellectually knows she had no choice. Making matters worse, is Brent Westwood’s will stipulates that if his two children snarling crossbow carrying Viv and her sibling David want to inherit the multibillion dollar estate of their late father, they must slay Glory. She does not want to kill them, but her protectors will without remorse.

At the same time, Glory arranges a bachelorette party for her friend Flo and helping Aggie the siren host a bridal shower. Finally, Glory struggles between jealous Ray the rock star, former bodyguard Rafe Valdez the shapeshifter, and Jeremy Blade in town for the wedding. However, as Jeremy has to leave, the man Glory killed has found another way to come after her besides manipulating his offspring.

The latest Real Vampires urban fantasy is a fast-paced entry as the son and daughter have several billion reasons to kill Glory who muses that Brent from the grave would still find a way to try to kill her manipulating his adult kids. Although a bounty would have helped the Westwood brood and a super villain feels like comic book caricature in nature, fans of the series will njoy the sixth twisted adventure of Glory who still believes she is too big though the males sniffing at her blood say otherwise. Harriet Klausner

Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls
Victoria Laurie
Obsidian, Dec 28 2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9780451231970

She is a psychic with her strongest abilities being mediumistic in nature. She is also an intuitive and M.J. Holliday uses her talent to be a ghostbuster sending bad spirits back to the lower levels and closing their portals. Finally she also sends good spirits trapped here to the light. Her best friend Gilly, her lover Heath and cable TV producer Peter “Gopher” Gophner shoot an episode of a new Ghoul Getters.

They are in Ireland investigating Dunlow Castle said to be haunted by several spirits who obey the first lord of the castle Ranald Dunnyvale. It is rumored there is gold treasure hidden in the vast manor house, but guarded by the phantom, an evil dark blob that can drive people insane or kill them. When they arrive, the Americans realize just how dangerous the phantom is. When they come out of a spell Gopher is missing. Someone kidnapped him and he will not be returned to them until M. J. gets rid of the phantom. This malign demon could easily kill her if she does not listen to Ranald or Sam Whitefeather, Heath’s dead grandfather

Want to read some of the spookiest mysteries written today; choose Victoria Laurie who is a maestro of the paranormal whodunit. Her current supernatural mystery is a combo of the TV shows Ghost Whisperer and Ghost Hunter. The keys are a strong Ghostbuster crew whose interactions with each other and the beyond seem plausible, and the genuine sense that the Phantom is a real danger. The latter will have readers leave the lights on at night and the former will have the readers wanting to text message them for help with every noise. With humor, eccentricity, and a malevolent menace, The Ghost Hunter in Ireland is a ghoulishly delightful mystery (see Ghouls Gone Wild). Harriet Klausner

Goddess of Legend
P.C. Cast
Berkley, Dec 7 2010, $15.00
ISBN: 9780425228166

In the Crystal Cave Water Goddess Coventina better known by her beloved Merlin as Viviane fears her loved one will soon fade into nothingness. The only way Merlin may be saved is if King Arthur avoids the darkness, but the monarch is depressed over his wife and best friend which expedites his going into the abyss.

Increasingly desperate Viviane finally sees a slight possibility in twenty-first century photojournalist Isabel Cantelli after her car plummets off an Oklahoma bridge when she avoided a chipmunk. Viviane fast forwards Isabel into Camelot as a countess to seduce Lancelot away from Guinevere. However, instead of Lancelot, Isabel is attracted to King Arthur who wants her too, but a deal is a deal or is it.

This is a terrific refreshing (hard to believe something new can be created from Camelot) retelling of the Arthurian legend as Isabel turns the romantic triangle into a quadrangle. The key cast is fully developed so that the reader will believe that the Sooner has landed in the midst of the Camelot threesome. Fast-paced fans will enjoy this charming romantic fantasy as Isabel sums up the plot quite nicely when she informs Arthur that he is better for her heart than a cardio workout.
Harriet Klausner