Bite at First Sight is a delightful historical romance with a paranormal flavor. That flavor is vampire. In case the title is not a giveaway. Simply put, the chief vampire of London meets a stubborn woman doctor. Only it is not that simple. Rafael Villar is new at being in charge of the London territory and has some minion unrest to complicate his life. And Countess Cassandra Burton's interest in medicine is ignored by the men of London's medical community and so she must go to great lengths to pursue her passion.
Cassandra wants nothing more than to become a doctor, but is barred from medical school because of her sex. So she has taught herself biology and medicine. In an effort to further her self-study, Cassandra treks to the graveyard to get herself a body to take back to her lab for dissection. The graveyard is where she meets the disfigured Rafael, who thinks Cassandra is a vampire hunter. Once he determines her true mission, it is too late. She has learned that vampires are real. Now she must either be killed or turned.
In Bite a First Sight, the characters are quirky, strong, and strangely human. Often humorous, the dialog is witty. Again and again, I found myself grinning while reading. The bad guys are really evil and the good guys have a lot of heart. Every now and then a black-and-white plot like this is just what I need to read.
There are lots of lovely vampire complications in the plot. There are plotting vampires, roque vampires, vampires from other territories, vampires from a previous book in the series, vampire allies, hungry vampires, and, of course, vampire lovers.
Bite at First Sight has enough dilemmas to tax the attraction-at-first sight relationship of Rafael and Cassandra for most of the 352 pages. Despite the fact that there is a possible death sentence hanging over her head, the Countess turns her medical knowledge toward helping Rafael with his injured arm. I enjoyed reading about the stubborn, ever scholarly Cassandra and her deliberate and unconscious efforts to charm herself into London's vampire society. And into Rafael's heart.
I actually gave up on the vampire genre a couple of years ago, but Brooklyn Ann has me reading about those blood suckers once again! She has come up with something that piques my interests. Her vampire society has very strict rules that seem almost inconsistent with mind controlling predators. But I like that the vampires are far-sighted enough to police their own in an effort to live comfortably and peacefully among London's humans. Plus, I do so enjoy historical romances, so the setting is perfect! And in Bite at First Sight, Ms. Ann incorporates medical history into the story which adds depth and interest. The character Thomas Wakely is based on the real life man who founded the medical journal The Lancet and became a radical who called for medical reform.
Bite at First Sight was a very enjoyable read! It is book 3 in the Scandal With Bite series by Ann Brooklyn. Although it incorporates characters from previous books, it is easily read as standalone.
You know how sometimes, when you are looking for your next read, you can't decide which genre to go to? That problem is solved if both historical and paranormal are in you reading preferences. Bite at First Sight is the perfect combination!
**ARC provided by Publisher**
