cover image The Vampire Who Loved Me

The Vampire Who Loved Me

Teresa Medeiros. Avon Books, $6.99 (373pp) ISBN 978-0-06-076303-9

In this page-turning sweet-and-sour vampiric confection, Medeiros continues the Regency tale of the Cabot sisters (following After Midnight), focusing on the dangerous love affair between youngest sister Portia and her vampire brother-in-law Julian Kane. After disappearing five years earlier, Julian has returned to London, and brought with him a killing spree-young women turning up dead in back alleys, drained of blood. Fearing the worst but believing otherwise, Portia takes it upon herself to find Julian and bring him back to the Kane family home, defying Julian's brother (Portia's sister Caroline's husband), the protective vampire hunter Adrian. When she finds him, Julian is as sexy and slippery as ever-having embraced his supernatural abilities, he's able to turn into a bat, and he may even be capable of murder. Unfortunately, Portia can't shake her love for him, nor can she forget the secret night of passion they shared before his exile. Medeiros orchestrates a skillful balance between the grisly business of vampires and the conventions of Regency romance, captured winningly in the saucy, sexy leads. Though the action can drag, Portia's will-she-or-won't-she romantic quandary drives the narrative convincingly, even if the outcome is easy to guess. Familial complications and a fine supporting cast make this an engaging romp for those who like their Regency with a little bite.