Romancing the Dark Side

Dark Dates by Tracey Sinclair 
Series: Cassandra Bick Chronicles #1 
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy 
Published by Author on April 2012 
Format: eBook 
Pages: 246 
Source: Author 
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My Initial Thoughts: Cassandra is a fabulously written geek-girl heroine with enough supernatural drama that could easily make her Sookie Stackhouse’s long lost cousin!

Undead and looking for love? Forget eHarmony undead of the world…Cassandra is all you need! Cassandra Bick runs a supernatural dating agency in London, where she works as a matchmaker for Others using her abilities as a Sensitive (yes, with a capital S). Business seems to be flourishing for Cass, she has a new sexy client and life seems pretty normal(well normal for her), until an old flame and friend shows up on her doorstep, with trouble lurking not too far behind. Cain is a hunter of the supernatural, but he also has a few secrets of his own. When a killer begins to target young vampires in the city of London, Cassandra sets out to find the evil villain, with a little help of her supernatural friends…Buffy style!

This is one of those books that unexpectedly keeps you up all night with its intrigue and humor. I was drawn to Cassandra’s character from the very start, besides her Sensitive abilities she’s a fellow geek-girl who’s a bit quirky and speaks her mind. Her references to Anne Rice, Buffy, Angel and Supernatural made me love her a little more, what can I say? the girl has great taste in TV shows! Cassandra is an independent woman with a business, friends, brains and great one-liners. She always tries to see the good in people, supernatural or human and is no wilting flower…she can hold her own.

The only bones I have to pick with Cassandra are her lack of self-confidence and weakness when it comes to Cain. I didn’t get how a smart and independent woman could go around comparing herself to every “beautiful woman” around her and how easily she gave into Cain…especially when he had a couple of jerk moments. I understand their past and his sex appeal, but there were times where I wanted her to just snap out of it and focus on the real danger!

That being said, while I wasn’t head over heels about Cain’s character I can see the allure. He’s a protector, a bad-boy with secrets and incredible sexy. His character grew on me as the story unfolded and he does redeem himself when he finally reveals his secret View Spoiler » to Cassandra. Cain does have a sweet side to him that’s romantic, but he tries to keep his distance from Cassandra in order to give her a chance at a “normal” making their relationship a bit complicated. Enter Laclos, the sensuous master vampire. He’s the other love interest in the story and although I’m not usually a fan of a love triangle, this one works for me. Laclos is charming, open-minded (you’ll see what I mean), powerful and not at all threatened by Cain. He’s intriguing and I can’t wait to learn more about him. I love that the author gives Cassandra two potential love interests, she has a tough decision choosing between those two. One of the smexiest scenes in the book is when Cain meets Laclos for the first time, I was surprised at what transpired but loved every minute of it!

Dark Dates is a smart, funny character driven story with strong paranormal elements and a little bit of mystery. The characters all have charismatic personalities that jump off the page and mesh perfectly. Readers will be hooked from the first page with Tracey Sinclair’s friendly tone and snark. Whether you call it urban fantasy or paranormal romance, there’s no denying Dark Dates will delight any supernatural lover! I will definitely being reading more by this fabulous author.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.