Born to Bite

Scottish vampires are combing the heather-covered hillsides searching for true love in this pallid anthology. The always reliable Howell (Highland Hunger) turns in “Dark Secret,” in which a woman assigned to spy upon a man learns he’s a vampire on a quest to save the half-vampire children called Lost Ones. In Cosby’s absurd “Highland Vampire,” human Rowan helps vampire Aedan out of a spelled circle and then manages to survive a local lynch mob, her own turning, instant pregnancy, kidnapping, and many other perils in rapid succession. In Ridley’s “Never Been Bitten,” a vampire mom has no aversion to clouding her own daughter’s memories if it saves her from bloodlust, but this interesting premise is given no room to develop. Even die-hard fans of vampires and the Highlands won’t find these stories worth the trade paperback price. (Sept.)