"Over My Dead Body" is book five from Michele Bardsley's hilarious 'Broken Heart Vampires' contemporary series about a small city in Oklahoma that becomes a protected haven for 'good guy' vampires. In the first book, several citizens are bitten by accident and those are the ones allowed to stay...the others are paid and 'enchanted' to leave to live successful lives elsewhere. So basically, we have here an entire city of otherworldly creatures...but many of them were just plain, ordinary people and the titles of Bardsley's books reinforce that: "I'm the Vampire, That's Why"; "Don't Talk Back to Your Vampire"; "Because Your Vampire Said So"; and "Wait Till Your Vampire Gets Home". Funny? Oh yeah. Good reading? Definitely.

Simone moves to Broken Heart with her daughter for sanctuary. Since the night Simone's abusive husband tried to kill her, her daughter hasn't spoken and Broken Heart just SOUNDS like a good place to be. Until even stranger things happen...like becoming a vampire, falling in love with a ?human?, developing weird powers, oh and let's not forget another attack by her now undead hubby.

You could read "Over My Dead Body" without reading the previous books...but to get the full enjoyment, I'd still recommend looking up the backlist. This series does a wonderful job of combining humor, action, magic (we're not just talking about vampires!), romance, and a continuing storyline that moves along with each book without leaving the reader hanging. Not an easy task, but Michele Bardsley manages with zippy dialogue, steamy love scenes, and just the right amount of written slapstick. If you enjoy laughter, magic, and mommyhood with challenges...check out this series. ( )