Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

I will admit that I decided to read this based solely on the title. I stumbled across this gem in the library early last week and couldn't resist it. I expected it to be a lot cheesier but it turned out to be a fantastic read. I managed to get through it one night (thanks in part to insomnia as well as simply wanting to know what happens), which isn't too common for me since I tend to only be able to read a little bit at a time due to time constraints.

I discovered early on that the location is Lancaster County, PA. I live kind of close to there, which made it feel special. The author is from this area too, so it felt like finding a new friend.

After all the buzz about Twilight* which has Bella fall madly in love with Edward almost immediately, it was a breath of fresh air to find a teen vampire romance with a stubborn, smart female lead. I found Lucius to be far more enjoyable and likeable as well. That's not to say that neither Jessica nor Lucius made me angry at times. But I really liked the characters. And I probably would have fallen for Lucius, flaws and all.

I did not expect the twists and turns in this one, and was pleasantly surprised by them. I laughed, I teared up a bit, and had a great time reading this overall. When I finished, I immediately looked up Beth Fantaskey to find out that she does not have any other novels just yet. However, sometime in the future Jekyl Loves Hyde will be released and I am so excited for that day.

* I read all of the Twilight saga and enjoyed it, but I found myself yelling at both Bella and Edward (out loud sometimes) fairly frequently.