Reviewer: Lori Graham
Title: I'm The Vampire That's Why
Author: Michele Bardsley
Publisher: Tom Doherty Books
ISBN: 0-4512-1937-6
Release Date: September 2006
Genre/Sub-genre: Gothic Romance/ Paranormal - Vampire
Year/Setting: Current/Oklahoma
Overall Rating: 4.25
Sexual Content Rating: Sexual
Language (Profanity) Rating: Moderate +
Violent Content Rating: Moderate
Michele's Website: www.michelebardsley.com
Jessica Anne Matthews isn’t living a life any woman would envy but it certainly was a normal one. Her husband had passed away and she was raising two children by herself in a small town in the middle of nowhere in Oklahoma. Her life might not be exciting but it was familiar. This was the town she grew up in – familiar house, familiar people, familiar surroundings – all in all she was doing okay.
Until one night, she finds herself taking out the trash for her son once again. She knows he will say he forgot but none the less, she is doing it yet again. Her entire world changes that night though when she is grabbed from behind and feels herself die. Her final thoughts were of the pain, then the weightlessness and of her children now being left with no one.
When Jessica awakens, however, the pearly gates aren’t exactly what she thought they would be. She found herself with a naked stranger, a man no less, doing things she couldn’t understand. What starts out as a joke from her (a comment that she must now be a vampire) is quickly turned into anything but a joke. The naked man with her seeks to comfort her by telling her the children are being taken care of by Damian (this is freaking her out since she doesn’t know Damian either) and that she will be instructed in her new life.
As they begin her "training", Jessica learns her grandmother’s ring plays into her new life as well as the town itself. It seems she wasn’t the only one "turned" that fateful night. In fact, the entire town is being transformed into a new colony. Patrick O’Halloran is the one constant she seems to find right now in this new life and since he looks a bit like Remington Steele this isn’t so terrible.
There is a bit of suspense and mystery to this story because as Jessica’s training unfolds it appears there is another out there bent on doing evil and challenging the new lifestyle being created. As Jessica gets to know Patrick better, she finds that the majority of the people around Patrick believe the evil is coming from Patrick’s twin. Jessica, however, knows differently and is determined to prove it.
Jessica is asked to take on a whole lot in a relatively short period of time. The ease that she accepts being in this new state of "living" was a bit hard for me to grasp. The storyline itself was a great read and easy to follow but I just couldn’t put myself in Jessica’s place. As a heroine, she had a curious mind and a quick wit which was fun. Patrick is an incredibly sexy vampire leading the way but yet has a strongly compassionate and caring side as well. He can be tough and protects Jessica in every way he possibly can and yet is incredibly gentle with her when needed. The other characters that flow through the story are very flattering to the two main characters. My only stumbling block again is how easily the children seem to accept their mother is now a vampire and they can’t be with her during the day.
I truly enjoyed reading the story very much but had some struggle with those two leaps of knowledge.
Lori
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