Yes, I know, I know - I have said before and will continue to say it even though hordes of angry teenagers (and their mothers) would cut off my head for it - but I dislike Twilight. With the exception of Anne Rice way back when, I find vampires a very dull, lifeless (excuse the pun) subject. HOWEVER, I was the reader and reviewer of a wonderful teen book called Tantalize by this author and loved, loved, loved it. It went past the regular, mundane ooey-gooey vampire story. (Yes, ooey-gooey will be a new term that will sweep reviewers across the country). I was so taken with Tantalize, that I specifically asked for any further books of Cynthia’s to be sent to me immediately. And I was not disappointed.

Eternal is a separate entity from Tantalizee in the fact that I was introduced to new, devious, humorous characters that I just loved. The teen angst that goes through Miranda (our female lead) is much more readable and believable than a certain Bella everyone seems to know and love. And the vampires are exactly what they’re supposed to be - beautiful but intensely scary and disgusting in their choices of food and beverage. And, close to my own heart, we have an angel. His name is Zachary and let’s just say that HE is a character that girls everywhere would want to live out eternity with.

Miranda is "turned" in a cemetery when she follows along with her best friend, Lucy, as she meets up with a very scary date. Miranda soon awakens to find herself one of the undead and a Princess to the Master of all he surveys. Yet she still has something, some tug on her soul that makes her want to be "good." That pull? An angel that was sent down and has protected her all her life. On his watch, Miranda is taken, and he must find a way to save her soul. There’s danger, romance, and a high dosage of REALLY good writing. When the author talks about Miranda’s sleeping quarters (her coffin) she lets us know that hundreds of dollars were saved because they ordered it online. This is witty, this author is talented, and I can’t wait for the next installment. Listen up America, if you want to fall in love with a teen series - pick this one. It’s worth it!