Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

Vampires, adolescence, true love and high tension . . . all feature prominently in Beth Fantaskey's exciting, biting book for the YA reader in us all. Marrying a vampire definitely doesn't fit into Jessica's senior year 'get-a-life' plan. Enter a bizarre new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu who claims Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth and he's her long-lost fiancé. He's arrogant, officious, embarrassingly overprotective, and, well, incredibly hot. Armed with a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire's Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica tries to imagine the transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But just when things start to heat up with Lucius, a devious cheerleader sets her sights on him. Soon Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war – and save Lucius's soul from eternal damnation. All of which leaves her to wonder: Wouldn't life be easier if she could just fall for a nice mortal boy? 'JESSICA'S GUIDE TO DATING ON THE DARK SIDE is a fast, enjoyable read with a nice balance between comedy and drama. It doesn't get too bogged down in vampire lore. Beth Fantaskey borrows only a few of the usual bloodsucker staples (eg. stake + heart = death) and puts her own spin on the genre. I adored Lucius. He's showy but endearing. His incredulous comments about America in correspondence with his cruel uncle Vasile were side-splitting. If you want a break from dark, dark vamp stories, give this one a go.' weloveya.wordpress.com