Dating the Undead

Charming and racy romance meets rousing mystery in the deft launch of Lyons’s paranormal erotic V-Date.com series, set in present-day London. Silver Harris doesn’t let the men she dates get too close, and they still manage to let her down. When she meets stunning Irish vampire Logan Byrne, she’s swept away despite herself, but she doesn’t get his number. Her stepsister nudges her toward V-Date, the online dating service that connects humans and vampires. Meanwhile, Logan’s boss, believing Scotland Yard is using V-Date to gather intelligence on the recently revealed vampire world, assigns Logan to monitor V-Date matchups, which brings him face to face with Silver again. As they grow close (to their mutual surprise), enigmas from both their pasts surface. The book sometimes treads well-worn paths—the descriptions of Logan’s Romani heritage are full of mystical “gypsy” clichés—and the pace can drag a bit, but Lyons nevertheless keeps readers invested until the end. Relatable characters and a well-crafted setting make this a promising start to an intriguing series. (May)