Review: Vampire in Denial by Dale Mayer

Vampire in Denial

Family Blood Ties Series #1

Dale Mayer

Published: August 1st, 2011 by Valley Publishing

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 having the perfect boyfriend turns into a nightmare when vampires attack the movie theatre and kidnap 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?

I got the chance to read Vampire in Denial at the same time of In Cassie's Corner (review here). As I had read ICC first and never really got into it, I hadn't entered this book with the highest of expectations. 

However. While this story did remind me a little of other vampire books I've read, I was pleasantly surprised to find I actually kind of enjoyed this book. There was a twist or two I hadn't seen coming, and I like Tessa much more than Cassie.

Though, I do think Mayer could've made this longer and more complex very easily. It is only about 215 pages, and I think it could've been drawn to at least 325, if not more. It is a little too fast-paced to be considered realistic (even if it is vampires-- make me believe it), but all in all, I think it was a pretty good book. I will definitely be giving book 2 in the series a go. :)

My Rating:

3.5

Freelance writer Dale Mayer lives in the beautiful Okanagan valley in British Columbia, Canada. She's multi-pubbed in nonfiction and is currently writing The Essential Series including The Career Essential Series(The Resume, The Cover Letter, The Interview), Lifestyle Essentials (Ergonomics for today's world, Raising the dyslexic child, etc.), and the Gardening Essential Series, (Beginning with Bulbs, Urban Farming, Gardening for Seeds, etc.).

Stay tuned as she adds to these and several other proposed series. For the last decade, she's written on all of these topics either under her own name or as a ghostwriter. As a researcher and technical writer, Dale has a wealth of knowledge she can't wait to share!

However, fiction is her passion. Here, she writes taut psychological suspense with romance and paranormal elements. She has recently branched out into writing both mystery and urban fantasy books for young adult with the occasional vampire book thrown in just for fun.

Review: In Cassie's Corner by Dale Mayer

In Cassie's Corner

Dale Mayer

Published January 3rd, 2012

Self Published

Faith and loyalty are tested as a young girl learns what it is to believe -- in herself, in her friends, and in life after death.

Cassie's best friend, bad boy Todd, is gone. Gone as in dead. Gone as in ghost.

But she doesn't realize that when he wakes her in her bedroom and begs her not to believe what they say about him. It's not until the next day when her parents tell her about the accident that she learns the truth...

The police believe Todd was living up to the family name, drinking and driving and coming to a predictable end. It's up to her to find out the truth and clear his name.

Todd is shocked at his sudden change in circumstances...and angry. He struggles with his new ghostly reality, realizing all he's lost as he watches his brother build a relationship with Cassie as the two pair up to find out what really happened to him.

The truth isn't always pretty, and Cassie has to be stronger than ever before. Especially when the whole world seems to be against her.

A few weeks ago, Mayer contacted us about reviewing a selection of her books. While Mel has a mountain of requests to dig through, I decided I could take two of them on; Vampire in Denial and In Cassie's Corner. I haven't read any vampire books for a while, and I am a huge ghost fan, so both of these sounded fun to me. 

In Cassie's Corner is about Cassie Merchant, and how her best friend, Todd, is killed in a car wreck, and his ghost is now lingering around. While the story is original and different, Cassie and I never really made friends.

I loved the idea behind this book, but I don't feel it followed through. There were a lot of plot holes I kept getting stuck in and found it hard to get out of them. Along with that, it didn't seem very realistic in places-- And while yes, it is fiction, I don't believe pragmatic police work and mourning time should be sacrificed. 

Overall this was not the book for me, but I wouldn't discourage anyone from giving it a go...

My Rating:

2.5

Freelance writer Dale Mayer lives in the beautiful Okanagan valley in British Columbia, Canada. She's multi-pubbed in nonfiction and is currently writing The Essential Series including The Career Essential Series(The Resume, The Cover Letter, The Interview), Lifestyle Essentials (Ergonomics for today's world, Raising the dyslexic child, etc.), and the Gardening Essential Series, (Beginning with Bulbs, Urban Farming, Gardening for Seeds, etc.).

Stay tuned as she adds to these and several other proposed series. For the last decade, she's written on all of these topics either under her own name or as a ghostwriter. As a researcher and technical writer, Dale has a wealth of knowledge she can't wait to share!

However, fiction is her passion. Here, she writes taut psychological suspense with romance and paranormal elements. She has recently branched out into writing both mystery and urban fantasy books for young adult with the occasional vampire book thrown in just for fun.