My Roommate Is a Vampire

Levine debuts with this lighthearted and charming paranormal rom-com. Aspiring artist Cassie is suspicious of the too-good-to-be-true Chicago apartment listing she finds online—but with eviction looming, she’s low on options. She takes the room, moving in with the apartment’s oddly old-fashioned owner, Frederick J. Fitzwilliam. As strange and out of touch as Frederick seems, he’s also rich, considerate, wildly handsome, and a gentleman. Cassie works during the day while Frederick claims to be out of the apartment “on business” most nights, so the pair communicate largely through sweet (and increasingly flirtatious) notes. Cassie’s not looking to complicate their living situation, but she can’t deny how much she enjoys their dynamic—until the night she ducks home unexpectedly and discovers Frederick slurping from a blood bag. Frederick is a vampire, he’s been in a coma for a hundred years, and he wants Cassie’s help getting up to speed on the modern world before his old flame Esmeralda shows up demanding they pick up where they left off. This adorable odd couple proves easy to root for, with Frederick’s awkwardness navigating modern life adding both humor and pathos. The supernatural conflict wraps up a bit too smoothly, but there’s so much fun to be had that readers won’t mind. This one is good to the last drop. Agent Kim Lionetti, Bookends. (Aug.)