by Kelly M. Smith:
I’ll admit, whenever I begin a new novel, even by an author I already enjoy, I am filled with trepidation that the novel I am about to read will be…well, let’s say below par. I had high hopes for “Day Shift”, but I was still filled with that nagging sense of dread. I needn’t have fretted at all.
From the moment I was introduced to Zaria Stonewell I knew she wasn’t the typical modern, romantic vampire-novel femme fatale. She was a victim, a fighter, and brave, living in a world in which vamps and humans could coexist while she was terrified of them.
In this version of Houston, Texas, vampires lived on synthetic blood products (think “True Blood” with better marketing schemes) or willing human donors. As long as vamps didn’t get a blood rush or blood lust in public, humans were basically as safe as they would be in an all-human environment. Humans also had to be careful not to get addicted to the synth products or else vamps wouldn’t be the biggest threat around!
Zaria had the great misfortune to witness a vamp (her ex, Kurt) in blood lust and a human addicted to synth blood (her own brother, Zander) and the experiences soured her on all vampire kind.
When she witnesses a biting incident right outside work, Zaria is thrust headfirst into the world of the Undead when a vamp cop is assigned to her case and her case expands from one isolated incident to a conspiracy run by her ex-husband Ivan, all having to do with his popular comic book, “Dracula 2012”. Zaria is forced to deal with her fear, discover truths and her attraction to the dangerous Dectective Greg Parsons.
This is a fun, quick read for vamp lovers with strong characters and a twisting plot that will keep the reader reading well after the time they should’ve put the eReader away and gone to sleep. The plot mixes vamp-romance with a crime drama and, as a lover of both, I can say that the author combined them both well.
My only real criticism is along the lines of the dialogue. I am not Puritanical in any way, but I found the excessive use of profanity a bit much. It took away from what was, essentially, a very emotional and good story. All in all, I do recommend this book to anyone who likes vamps, crime and romance without too much vulgarity.
I give “Day Shift” a 4 out of 5.
Day Shift can be found on Amazon.com.
Comments are closed.