Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith


Tantalize
Cynthia Leitich Smith
Candlewick Press
February 13, 2007
ISBN# 978-0-7636-2791-1

After the death of her parents, Quincie Morris grew up fast. Still a teen attending high school, she and her Uncle Davidson run the family restaurant that Quincie has inherited. In order to survive and compete with other local restaurants, they’ve just finished having it renovated. The new restaurant, Sanguini’s, will have a menu and atmosphere geared towards vampires.

Their brilliant new plan suddenly takes a dangerous turn when Vaggio, the chef and long-time family friend, meets with a tragic end. Mourning his loss, and just weeks away from Sanguini’s opening, Quincie and Davidson set out to find a new chef and train him to play a believable vampire. Not an easy task, but once Quincie puts her mind to it she’s not about to back down. By the time she’s done with Bradley, the flirty new chef, he’ll be the most convincing vampire ever.

Quincie’s best friend, Kieren, is leaving soon, because his werewolf side needs to find a pack. When Kieren becomes a suspect in Vaggio’s murder, Quincie’s life begins to spin out of control. She’s loved Kieren for years, but now she has to face the fact that the beast within him could very well have done the deed. With Uncle Davidson preoccupied with his vampire wannabe girlfriend, Quincie turns to Bradley for friendship. In a moment of clarity, she’ll realize that life as she knew it no longer exists and there may be no turning back now.

Tantalize is an enchanting paranormal romance. Quincie leads a complicated life for a young woman, and her support system of friends and family is rapidly dwindling. Through it all her heart is with Kieren, the half-werewolf of her dreams, even when her trust in him falters. With an intriguing murder mystery to capture the reader’s attention, Ms. Leitich Smith fuels her captivating tale with a heavy paranormal influence and a sweet first time love. The action flows from the start and doesn’t let-up before the shocking end. Without a doubt, this is a creative story you won’t want to miss, and an author that both teens and adults will be hoping to see more from in the near future.

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews

1 comment:

Katie said...

I'm really looking forward to reading this one. I didn't have time this week but maybe the next (or next) It just sounds so good! :)