Michael Romkey

Terrible tacky vampire cheese. Dated, circa mid-80s. Overblown and campy. You might not be able to admit to yourself how much you are enjoying it. And wow, is it terrible. In the best possible ways.

Set in 1989, David Parker is a frustrated musician whose wealthy family wanted him to become an attorney. He marries the boss's daughter and lives to regret it. While he's working, she's having fun with his office mate. He is lonely, addicted to cocaine & hits bottom. Soon after he is fired from his job, divorced, and meets up with a gorgeous Russian woman named Tatiana. He falls for her almost immediately; unbeknownst to him, she is a vampire. Eventually he decides he can't live without her show more and begs her to make him a vampire as well. That's when the story REALLY begins.

The story is done in diary format so the reader can get into David's head and know his feelings as well as the events that led him to Europe. Once he is in Europe, he finds a nemesis in the form of another vampire, whose identity I will not disclose here. Suffice it to say that David, the fledgling vampire, has unknowingly stepped into a struggle between two different vampire factions.

Although set in the 1980s, Romkey made this book interesting by including within its pages several real historical figures, each with his own story to tell and his own role to play in the fight between factions.

I liked this novel. Very smooth writing; David's character is nicely developed and it is a fun read. Recommended. show less

So, that is what it is like to be taken over by an outside entity (in this case, the vampire virus). You want to like Rosseti in spite of his bad choices. Especially in not just killing Deserai. The ending just kind of dangles.

I liked this book, but not as much as I wanted to. I followed the story to the climax, but was overwhelmed by the characters (good AND bad) and the myriad story lines. By the end I just wanted to finish, having lost any sense of caring what would happen to the main characters.
Now don't get me wrong. I did enjoy the book for the most part and was really interested in the vampire 'coming of age' process. There were some incredible sections of the book that just flew by. I also felt however, show more that the author kept adding characters and plots to what would have been a great read if left to complete the story with just the main characters.
I WILL recommend this to others seeking intriguing vampire fiction. I will also seek the authors other works. He has a unique voice that I want to read more of. show less