"Fun and frolics abound in this vampire romantic comedy."

By: Kimberly Raye

Genres: Romance Paranormal

Posted: January 15, 2007

As a 500-year-old "born" vampire, Lil Marchette is at the top of the pecking order as far as vampire society is concerned. But when a girl, even an undead one, has a yen for Prada, Gucci and all things Chanel...well, let's just say our heroine is a stylish undead countess with some serious VISA bills to pay. Always a quick thinker, as well as a fly- by-the-seat-of-her-pants kind of vamp, Lil has opened her own dating service, Dead End Dating, to make ends meet. She offers full-service hook-ups for the otherworldly lovelorn, as well as for the occasional human.

Just as Lil is about to close an especially lucrative contract with a group of female werewolves in desperate need of 27 hot, alpha human men, the cops literally break down her door with an arrest warrant accusing Lil of murdering a former client. Man-handled, cuffed, read her rights and on her way to the station, she panics and escapes (no big problem with her super vampire strength) and goes on the lam. Hiding out first on her parents' estate and then with her flakey brother and his human girlfriend, Lil eventually ends up knocking on Ty Bonner's door.

Ty, a "made" vampire, has something of a past with Lil. She's attracted to him, but, here's the rub -- "made" vamps can't procreate. And Lil needs a solid mating with a "born" vamp, not only to please her parents, but also because she won't settle for anything less than Mr. Right. Even though Ty is hiding her from the cops and helping her to solve her client's murder at great personal risk to himself, Lil keeps her distance, even though the sight and smell of him are about to drive her nuts. Crazy lustful thoughts aside, there's also the very real problem that someone who knows her fairly well is trying to set her up for murder. But why? Determined to solve the vicious crime, save her fledgling business and keep Ty out of her bed, Lil forges full steam ahead. But with her eyes only half-open, her senses clouded and her common sense compromised by unrequited lust, Lil might be coming to the end of her long and fashionable existence.

Fun and frolics abound! Mostly lighthearted and silly, DEAD & DATELESS follows up it's predecessor, DEAD END DATING, as a romantic comedy you're pretty much always in the mood for.

Book Summary

After re-making and successfully matching the geekiest vampire in existence, a knock-down drag-out with a deranged serial killer, and wild and crazy sex with a to-die-for-if- I-wasn't-already-dead bounty hunter/made vampire, Lil Marchette is certain the excitement of opening Manhattan's newest dating service is way over. She's been in business over three months now, she has a nice, steady client base to pay the bills and she's completely and totally over her infatuation with Ty Bonner aka to-die-for-if-I-wasn't- already-dead (he‘s a made vamp and she‘s a born one and it just ain't gonna happen). Things are bound to settle down.

Not!

When a “secret” dater from The New York Times turns up dead- -the newspaper has been working on an article about the local dating scene--Lil finds herself the prime suspect in his murder investigation.

Murder ? While Lil's a vamp, she doesn't do gore very well and so the notion of her chopping some poor guy into little pieces goes beyond ridiculous (although with a pick-up line like “You must be a parking ticket, ‘cause you‘ve got FINE written all over you“ , she can certainly see why someone would want to). Lil is innocent, even if all the evidence points directly to her.

In addition to New York's finest, Lil has a group of desperate female werewolves breathing down her neck (pass the Altoids please). The Connecticut chapter of the Naked and Unashamed Nudist Sisterhood aka the N.U.N.S. need Lil to match each of them with a decent mate before the next full moon. Otherwise . . .

Lil isn't going to think about otherwise . She's an optimist, after all, and a firm believer in true love. While she hasn't exactly ventured into the werewolf population--born vamps move in their own social circle--she knows she can rise to the challenge. She'll simply find three dozen strong, virile, male werewolves eager to give up their wild, untamed ways and settle down. At the same time, she'll do a little investigating of her own and clear her name of all murder charges. And she'll do both without thinking about Ty Bonner.

Okay, so maybe she'll think about him a little and, perhaps, even see him. He is helping with the secret dater investigation, which means a face-to-face is inevitable. But she's not going the wild and crazy sex route again. No way. No how. Nuh, uh. She's not getting any younger (five hundred years and counting) and she's reserving the rest of her orgasms for the perfect born vamp who can make perfect little baby vamps with her.

In the meantime, Lil is keeping her mind on her business-- matching up her dead and dateless buddies, and a few furry ones, too!

Dead and Dateless by Kimberly Raye

Dead and Dateless

by: Kimberly Raye

A Novel of Vampire Love #2

Ballantine
February 1, 2007
On Sale: January 30, 2007
Featuring: Lil Marchette; Ty Bonner
352 pages
ISBN: 034549217X
EAN: 9780345492173
Paperback

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