In the Heat of the Bite by L. Dare

LDare-In the Heat of the BiteIf you are searching for something with a romance novel feel but the thrill of vampires and werewolves and witches, then I have an author for you.  Lydia Dare, although she’s really a pseudonym for a writing team of Tammy Falkner and Jodie Pearson, has the BEST of both worlds like nothing I’ve ever read before.  I just finished In the Heat of the Bite, after reading it as fast as possible, and I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.

Chivalry is far from undead…

Matthew Halkett, Earl of Blodswell, is one of the few men in the ton who can claim to be a knight in shining armor- because that’s precisely what he was before being turned into a vampyre. When he spies a damsel in distress in the midst of a storm in Hyde Park, his natural instinct is to rush to her aid…

But not every woman needs to be rescued…

Weather-controlling witch Rhiannon Sinclair isn’t caught in a storm-she’s the cause of it. She’s mortified to have been caught making trouble by the imposing earl, but she doesn’t need any man-never has, and is sure she never will…

But when Rhiannon encounters Matthew again, her powers go awry and his supernatural abilities run amok. Between the two of them, the ton is thrown into an uproar. There’s never been a more tempestuous scandal…

My love of books began with a historical romance novel, so I have a soft spot for that genre.  I love the overly romantic, overly dramatic, soap opera-esk sound that historical romance has.  I thought it would be strange to have vampyres and witches and Lycan’s in that setting, but it’s not.  Lydia Dare makes it work, and it makes reading a regular ol’ historic romance novel a little hard, because you want that vampyre to jump out of the shadows.  Or even a modern setting paranormal romance, you want a little more decorum from the wild and unabashed characters.  It really is the coolest mixture!

But that couldn’t work if you have bland characters.  Matthew Halkett is like most romance novel heroes, he’s an Earl, he’s debonair, he’s a gentleman, he’s strong and virile…he just happens to be a vampyre.  I love bad boys, I think all women do, but there’s something about a nice guy that just makes my heart flutter and Matt does just that.  Rhiannon, she’s the same as most damsels in distress, she is fiery, strong willed, and daring…except she’s a witch who can call on a storm when she gets angry.   They come together perfectly, it’s very sweet and touching.  The epitome of a good romance.

All the minor characters are just as vibrant and touching and lovable.  I especially liked the Hadley brothers and their mischievousness.  They shake the story up in their Lycan ornery, but protective way.   And I can’t forget the old and cranky Duchess of Hythe, who gets Rhi drunk so she can get Matt’s attention.

The plot is characteristic to a regular historical romance and not a paranormal one.  Which works, I promise you.  There are no territorial fights or hidden agendas or hunting for a lost and needed relic.  It’s literally a romance where a girl is trying to save her little sister from a horrible fixed marriage just for money and a fancy title and manages to run into someone who can help her….who happens to be a dashing vampyre gentleman and then they fall madly and irrevocably in love.  Awe.  I didn’t miss the adventures and vampyre world that are typically found with vampyres.  You think you would, but you don’t.  And you’d think that Rhi’s powers of calling the rain and lightening would stand out like a sore thumb amongst the horse drawn carriages and the ‘Your Graces’ and the chaperons, but it doesn’t.  It’s rather funny at times actually, like the scene where she’s so upset she sends an icicle down the Duchess of Hythe’s cleavage.  My ONLY complaint would be the ending, and I will not under any circumstances spoil that here; however it’s too um clean and perfect for me.  I know I know, that’s how it’s supposed to go in a romance novel, but sometimes a nice twisted ending is just as good and just as satisfying.

It’s a no brainer that I encourage you to read In the Heat of the Bite!  You won’t be disappointed.

Read Order
It Happened One Bite
In the Heat of the Bite
Never Been Bit

About Nikki R 120 Articles
SAHM of 2, happily married bookworm, blogger and aspiring author. If I could read/write all day, every day, I would. Luckily I have a very understanding, and patient, husband who lets me get away with it as much as possible. Now if only the kids would understand my obsession, and the house would clean itself, then I'd be all set.