It Happened One Bite by Lydia Dare... A Review

I'm chasing the cold away this week with some hot reads! Today I want to share with you It Happened One Bite by Lydia Dare...

Blaire Lindsay has been warned that her ancestral home in the Scottish Highlands is haunted. But it will take more than tales of fictional ghosts to frighten Blaire, a battle-born witch with supernatural strength and the ability to make sparks fly from her fingertips. Hearing spectral wails, she decides to search for their source, and is surprised to find a handsome English baron chained to the dungeon wall. Once Blaire frees James, Lord Kettering, from his bonds, she quickly finds herself in the arms of the vampyre lord, whose perfect manners are more dangerous than anything Blaire has ever faced... Soon her family’s castle is overrun with vengeful vampyres from James’ past, which threaten both of their futures. Blaire and James join together in the fight of their lives to save everything they hold dear from the forces of evil...

Do you love your Historical's with a wee bit of witchcraft?! Well, It Happened One Bite by Lydia Dare is a Paranormal Historical! The setting is one of my favorites... Scotland! And the time frame is 1817! Add to that mix a heroine that is feisty and a witch, a handsome vampyre that almost melts our heroine's heart, and a dark and mysterious castle!

The story opens up in Edinburgh, 1797. Five witches have hunted down a particular vampyre, charming in appearance, but deadly. Deadly to the daughter of one of the coven... sometime in the future. The vampyre is James Kettering and the witches take his very essence away and bury him in a castle in the Highlands, never to be heard from again... or so they thought.

The story jumps 20 years in the future. Those five witches have passed down their powers to their daughters, one of which is Blaire Lindsay. Upon the death of Blaire's mother, eventually it is found out that her mother had an estate... in the Highlands. Are you seeing part of the picture here? Buried in the basement of that estate is James Kettering, and when Blaire shows up to claim her ancestral home, guess who is discovered stirring in the basement?! But this is just the start of a fantastic story! When Blaire frees James from the basement, she knows he's not your average man, and what ensues is just amazing!

The banter between Blaire and James is so wonderful! She is a great heroine, who is feisty and strong willed, but yet she can't help but melt at James Kettering's touch. Sparks and passion ignite every time Blaire and James get near each other, but love between a witch and a vampyre? And especially since it was Blaire's mother who helped banish James for 20 years in the basement! Why did they banish James into the Highlands? What secrets lie in wait for both Blaire and James to discover?

There is so much more to this novel than the fire between Blaire and James. The story feels fresh in its approach, sprinkled with humor and filled with an intriguing mystery. The writing is wonderful. Blaire does talk with a Scottish Brogue, but it should only take a few pages before the dialect feels natural. And that Scottish Brogue is only coming from Blaire's family and relations, the rest of the dialogue is written without the added Highland "flavor". But the way Blaire talks also adds authenticity to the time and place. And I really enjoyed "listening" to her.

Simply put... I just loved this book! Lydia Dare's writing just pulled me in! I became totally absorbed in the story, which had just enough witchcraft and vampyre lore to satisfy me without overwhelming the whole plot. The romance was smart & sexy. And the characters were were well developed and entertaining. Blaire herself kept me reading as I just had to know how she was going to handle all that was put in front of her. If you enjoy vampyres, a bit of witchcraft and "The Highlands", plus romance, a great story and a bit of mystery, Read This Book!

I want to thank Sourcebooks for sending along a copy for review! I loved it! AND I hear that It Happened One Bite is the start of a new series by Lydia Dare! I can't wait!