That Killer Smile

Rivals become lovers in the entertaining, if lightweight, third Bite Nights paranormal erotic romance (after Drop Dead Gorgeous). In an alternate present-day London, it’s been a decade since the existence of vampires was revealed. Cat Adair and Ronin McDermott have carved out comfortable niches for themselves: 185-year-old vampire Cat created and runs V-Date, an online dating service that matches humans and vampires, and ancient vampire overlord Ronin owns a nightclub where vampires and humans can come together. Despite a passionate encounter several years ago, Cat and Ronin’s relationship is almost entirely antagonistic, but their attraction may be strong enough to eventually overcome their antipathy. Meanwhile, two local vampires have recently been murdered—an important plot element that is unfortunately relegated to the background much of the time. As with previous entries in the series, the sex scenes smolder, but other aspects are painfully predictable. Ronin’s power over everyone around him, vampire and human, also creates some uncomfortable scenarios, as when he has sex with a willing woman and then unilaterally removes her memories of the encounter, leaving her to wake up the next morning wondering whether she was roofied. Still, series fans curious about Ronin and Cat’s pasts and future will be glad to have many questions answered by this outing. (Feb.)