Vampire in Denial by Dale Mayer

Hi there fellow readers!

How are you this fine day?

Okay…I have no idea why I’m so chipper today as I am OH-SO-TIRED …not whining, just stating the obvious…but hey, it works to our advantage, right?  I mean you get another review to peruse and I get to hopefully pass the day (well, the dull parts anyway) a little quicker than it first started.  I’d say that’s a win-win situation…how bout you?

A quick reminder, or rather a few quick reminders, before we jump into the meat of today’s post…don’t worry, they’re all exciting fun things I don’t want you to miss out on.  ^_^  Tomorrow, we have a special TWO DAY blog tour event passing through for a great children’s book that…well, you’ll want to “tune in” for all the details but trust me, it’s worth it.  In the mean time, there are three…no wait, that wasn’t loud enough…-clears throat-…THREE CONTESTS going on right now, all of which are drawing to a close very soon.  You’ve got one for an inspirational story of family and hope, and two for titles (and other prizes) more along the lines of Halloween reading fun.  For all the details and the easy entry forms, simply click on the right hand tool bar where it says CURRENT CONTESTS.  Moving forward...it’s time for today’s post!

Today’s title came to my attention thanks to an email from the author…a month or two ago.  (What?  Don’t give me that look like I’ve been holding out on you.  Just try to tell me YOU don’t schedule your reading/reviewing time too… uh-huh.  That’s what I thought… ^_^)  It’s a short story (under 200 pages) perfect for this time of year (considering the creature feature) and one that you’ll definitely want to take a crack at (okay, maybe not a crack considering it’s an ebook and cracks are never good when dealing with electronics…).  Ready for your next to-be-read list resident?  Here we go.  Today’s book of choice is…

Vampire in Denial

By

Dale Mayer

From the author…

Like being a sixteen-year-old vampire isn't hard enough, Tessa's throwback human genes make her an outcast among her relatives. But try as she might, she can't get a handle on the vampire lifestyle and all the...blood.

Turning her back on the vamp world, she embraces the human teenage lifestyle—high school, peer pressure and finding a boyfriend. Jared manages to stir something in her blood. He's smart and fun and oh, so cute. But Tessa's dream of a having the perfect boyfriend turns into a nightmare when vampires attack the movie theatre and kidnaps her date.

Once again, Tessa finds herself torn between the human world and the vampire one. Will blood own out? Can she make peace with who she is as well as what?

So, can you see why though my reading schedule is far from empty (*eyes books in waiting…gulp*) I said yes to this little beauty?  If you answered yes, YAY!  You know me, you really do!  If nay… *-*.  …just kidding.  I wouldn’t hold it against you, after all a little explanation goes a long way, and that’s just what I intend to do.  I must ask your pardon up front though as I may run into the problem of not knowing when to stop rambling on this one.  Seems to happen with short stories I enjoyed.  (Hehe)

Aside from the obvious reading choice of vampires with Halloween hot on our heels, Tessa’s voice in the synopsis simply spoke to me.  I could hear her slightly snarky attitude right from the start (score 1 point) and the concept of her being an outcast among her “kind” due to “human genes”, begged to be explored (point 2…yay!).  It seems that her “condition” is rather rare, especially coming from a pure blood line and yet, here she is in all her vampire-human glory.  It lends several interesting talents to her full arsenal like being able to see normally (human) and enhanced (vampire)…and maybe even something halfway between (nope…not telling you…that’s for me to know and you to discover).  Even her gawkiness that’s plagued her (she is only 16 after all) turns out to be something advantageous that she has simply yet to understand. 

Her relationship with her family was rather interesting as it seemed oh-so-close at times and yet at others like they were from different planets.  I suppose that’s not just the vampire issue getting in the way there because let’s face it, teenagers and parents don’t always see eye to eye but regardless of the difference of opinion, they were always there for her (point 2!)…and not just her parents, but her brothers as well.  They play minor roles in the story overall, but if she’s ever in the need for some tail kicked, they’ll be there in a flash.  Speaking of brother’s there’s one particular friend of a brother that DOES end up playing a rather key role by the name of Cody.  In Tessa’s quest to rescue her friend (and human crush) Jared, he ends up playing sidekick (not for long…he’s the take charge kind), ally (definitely good to have on your side), defender (ditto on previous comment)…and just maybe something more (I’ll let you read into that what you may). 

It’s a fight for their lives as they struggle to uncover just who or what stole her friend and ends up being oh-so-much bigger than they could have imagined.  As people…err, vamps too…keep disappearing along the way; you’ll be on the edge of your seat hoping against hope that your favorites won’t be next.  But just when the real mystery is starting to reveal itself…BAM…something new is added to the mix…and you know what?  It TOTALLY works…and not in a pretentious, I’m-just-saying-that sorta way either.  As I drew closer and closer to book’s end, I was completely ensconced in Tessa’s story as well as her character’s growth.  At book’s end, my mind was blown…so be prepared.  (Don’t say I didn’t warn you!)

To summarize, though relatively short in pages this story packs a YA punch you might not have expected.  It explores the value of friendship, the strength family can provide, the glow of your first (and/or second) crush, and the fact that growing up is hard to do, even if you have vampire genes to help you out along the way.  We’re all looking for our place in the world, for those we fit in with best to make our lives complete.  It’s not always easy road to that discovery, but the journey makes the reward that much sweeter.



Dale Mayer



Recommended reading for Young Adult fans in their teens and above…there’s nothing truly controversial here that would limit the book’s audience, but the little kiddos may not fall in love with the evil plans working behind the scenes (best to keep their dreams sweet and happy).  This title was released August 2011, so feel free to seek it out at your favorite ebook selling site.  (I hear Amazon has it and Smashwords at the very least, according to the author’s site.)  Also…if you’re curious to check out more, the short story collection Entangled includes a work by this author and it just so happens to be a story that involves a minor character from THIS book.  (Yep, it’s pretty safe to say that it just made my wish list… ^_^) 

Ebook for review courtesy of author Dale Mayer.  (THANKS!)  For more about this title (including an excerpt) as well as a complete listing of her works (fairly prolific!), be sure to visit her online, ‘like’ her on Facebook, or follow along on Twitter.  (..and if the author is reading this, I’ve love to know if Tessa’s story might one day be continued?!?)

(Oh, and one more thing…if you’ve read the book or end up reading the book, I’ve LOVE to know your pick for Tessa and why… *curious*) 

Until next time…happy reading!