msmandrake's review
5.0
Well I have to give this five stars because it made me laugh until tears ran, so that's an accomplishment! And in tribute to our author, I shall take after her and make heavy use of the exclamation point! Here are some fine examples of what made me so happy!
(Our heroine, Diana, a lovely ballerina, has come to Collinsport with her troupe of dancers! She meets Barnabas and is immediately smitten! Little does she know he is a 200 year old vampire!)
Barnabas was staring at her. "I shouldn't have kissed you."
She touched his arm. "I wanted you to,"she said gently. "It wasn't that I felt odd even before
then. And when you kissed me I imagined your lips to be weirdly cold."
"They sometimes are." he said. "My health is not quite normal."
Concern showed in her eyes. "You're not ill?"
"Not really ill," he assured her. "Rather a chronic condition. But nothing that should worry
you."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Diana could no longer close her eyes to the fact that Barnabas was the one preying on the
village girls. And this was reinforced by the knowledge that his reflection had not shown in the
bar mirror. It seemed he was no normal human. He had complained of an illness. She now
thought she knew what it must be. Barnabas was one of the living dead. The tall handsome
Britisher bore the vampire taint. Strangely, she found it made no difference in her love for
him.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"When did you first guess about me?" asked Barnabas.
"I was first sure last night when your reflection did not show in the bar mirror," Diana said.
Barnabas nodded. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Barnabas took her in his arms and touched his cold lips gently to hers. With infinite
compassion he smiled at her, then he indicated the empty coffin beside them with a nod.
"You almost make me forget the lonely hours I've spent in there, and the ones I must spend in
it over the years ahead."
"There must be a way to save you from that," she said, looking up at him.
"We'll worry about that later," he said. "I need to have a talk with Elizabeth, and you will be
late for rehearsal."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eleanor seemed in perfect health again, but she still showed a great deal of interest in
Barnabas. This troubled Diana, since she knew that Barnabas has used the pretty girl as
source of the blood supply he needed so desperately from time to time. But his only feeling
for her was one of casual friendship. (he only likes you as a FRIEND and a blood supply, so
back off, Eleanor, he's MY living dead guy!)
There is more! But this gives one a glimpse of the greatness of this book! I only regret that the cover is a fraud, because Quentin Collins who is pictured, does not appear here at all! I need to find some more of these fine novels at once!
(Our heroine, Diana, a lovely ballerina, has come to Collinsport with her troupe of dancers! She meets Barnabas and is immediately smitten! Little does she know he is a 200 year old vampire!)
Barnabas was staring at her. "I shouldn't have kissed you."
She touched his arm. "I wanted you to,"she said gently. "It wasn't that I felt odd even before
then. And when you kissed me I imagined your lips to be weirdly cold."
"They sometimes are." he said. "My health is not quite normal."
Concern showed in her eyes. "You're not ill?"
"Not really ill," he assured her. "Rather a chronic condition. But nothing that should worry
you."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Diana could no longer close her eyes to the fact that Barnabas was the one preying on the
village girls. And this was reinforced by the knowledge that his reflection had not shown in the
bar mirror. It seemed he was no normal human. He had complained of an illness. She now
thought she knew what it must be. Barnabas was one of the living dead. The tall handsome
Britisher bore the vampire taint. Strangely, she found it made no difference in her love for
him.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"When did you first guess about me?" asked Barnabas.
"I was first sure last night when your reflection did not show in the bar mirror," Diana said.
Barnabas nodded. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Barnabas took her in his arms and touched his cold lips gently to hers. With infinite
compassion he smiled at her, then he indicated the empty coffin beside them with a nod.
"You almost make me forget the lonely hours I've spent in there, and the ones I must spend in
it over the years ahead."
"There must be a way to save you from that," she said, looking up at him.
"We'll worry about that later," he said. "I need to have a talk with Elizabeth, and you will be
late for rehearsal."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eleanor seemed in perfect health again, but she still showed a great deal of interest in
Barnabas. This troubled Diana, since she knew that Barnabas has used the pretty girl as
source of the blood supply he needed so desperately from time to time. But his only feeling
for her was one of casual friendship. (he only likes you as a FRIEND and a blood supply, so
back off, Eleanor, he's MY living dead guy!)
There is more! But this gives one a glimpse of the greatness of this book! I only regret that the cover is a fraud, because Quentin Collins who is pictured, does not appear here at all! I need to find some more of these fine novels at once!
andydcaf2d's review
3.0
Don't know that I can take many more of these. So formulaic. I think Quentin comes into the next one so that will mix it up a little.
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