Zomromcom

With this lively, laugh-out-loud romantic adventure, Dade (At First Spite) whisks readers to an intriguing post-zombie-apocalypse setting populated by vampires, witches, and werewolves. When soap maker Edie Brandstrup tries to save her “sweet idiot” neighbor Chad from a zombie who has somehow breached containment, he reveals that his name’s not really Chad and he’s not really human. He’s Gaston Maxime “Max” Boucher, cranky fashion influencer and centuries-old vampire. Max is willing to let Edie ride out the zombie incursion, the first such in two decades, in his basement lair, but Edie’s determined to alert the authorities that zombies have returned before things get out of control. As the two navigate the sparsely populated containment zone designed to prevent such an escalation, they realize the situation’s bad and getting worse: someone released the zombies on purpose. Now only they and a ragtag band of supernatural allies stand ready to save the world from a second zombie apocalypse. Meanwhile, Edie and Max can’t deny their growing mutual attraction, which thrives under the constant danger. Dade’s leads have serious chemistry, both sexual and emotional, which serves them well throughout their misadventures. Edie’s sarcasm and Max’s world-weary grumpiness add plentiful humor even as the stakes mount. This is excellent fun. (Aug.)