Foxy's Tale

The Reluctant Vampire #1

by Karen Cantwell, L.B. Gschwandtner

Foxy Anders has a list of problems as long as a shopping spree receipt from Neiman Marcus. She's a retail spender with no money to spare and a former beauty queen with no man in her life. After a nightmare divorce she's left with one asset, a building off Washington, D.C.'s classy DuPont Circle. By turning the ground floor into an antique shop, Foxy figures she has an excuse to spend money ... that she doesn't have.

Foxy also has a teenaged daughter, Amanda, who likes to blog secretly about her biggest problem - Foxy. At least, she thinks Foxy is her biggest problem. But that's all about to change when she hooks up with Nick, a cute guy at school who evidently has a gift for attracting older women. Amanda just doesn't know HOW much older they really are.

When Foxy rents the garden apartment to stylish, shoe-fettishista Knot, who turns out to have a knack for talking wealthy Washington A-listers into Foxy's antiques, it looks as if Foxy will make it on her own after all. Except that Knot is also a genius at creating problems ... in his love life.

They're a quirky threesome to be sure, but when mysterious, bumbling, Myron Standlish arrives on the scene with a suitcase full of Yiddish-isms, he brings along his own set of problems, larger and stranger than all of theirs put together. Oy vey. How will Myron's personal journey affect their lives? Well ... that's Foxy's Tale.

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Vampires, Chick Lit, Humor, Fiction, Mystery

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 7, 2011

About the author

Karen's novel, Take the Monkeys and Run was a semi-finalist in the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest (under the original title of Monkeys in My Trees)and has gone on to be a Kindle bestseller on Amazon. She has written three more books in the Barbara Marr Murder Mystery Series: Citizen Insane, Silenced by the Yams, and Saturday Night Cleaver.

When she's not writing, Karen loves gardening and spending time with her family. She is currently working on the release of Keep Me Ghosted, the first book in the new Sophie Rhodes Ghostly Romance Series, as well as beginning the draft of Kiss Me, Tate, part of the upcoming Barbara Marr spin-off, Love in Rustic Woods Series. Karen loves to hear from readers, so feel free to drop her a line at karen.cantwell@yahoo.com. You can also stay in touch by liking her Facebook Page, Karen Cantwell Author

Karen's website: Karen's Website


Karen's books and short stories:

Take the Monkeys and Run (Barbara Marr Murder Mystery #1)
Citizen Insane (Barbara Marr MM #2)
Silenced by the Yams (Barbara Marr MM #3)
Saturday Night Cleaver (Barbara Marr MM #4)
The Chronicles of Marr-nia, Short Stories Starring Barbara Marr
It's a Dunder-Bull Wife, A Barbara Marr Holiday Tale
A Spirited Season, Holiday Tales with a Paranormal Flair

Books to be released in 2013:

Keep Me Ghosted (Sophie Rhodes Ghostly Romance #1)
Kiss Me, Tate (Love in Rustic Woods #1)
Piper Nash and the Power Police (YA Fantasy)
Dead Man Stalking (Barbara Marr MM #5)

Reviews

[Debra Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading this story because I have read Karen Cantwell’s Take the Monkeys and Run. I thoroughly enjoyed that story and was excited to read her newest book, Foxy’s Tale, which she wrote with co-author, L.B. Gschwandtner.

Foxy’s Tale is the story of Foxy Anders, a recently divorced woman and her teenage daughter Amanda. Foxy is the ditzy beauty queen blonde who is more interested in shopping for the latest fashions than trying to parent her daughter. Amanda is going through a Goth phase and is sullen and blames her mother for their current living conditions in a multi-family house near Dupont Circle in Washington, DC. To make ends meet, Foxy has to rent 2 of the apartments – one to Knot Knudsen, an over-the-top gay guy and Myron Standlish, a bumbling old man with a secret.

I would have like to rate this book higher, but I was disappointed with this book. The writing styles of each author did not always gel well together. Sometimes the writing was breezy and fun and at other times, it was flat. Some of the scenes went on far too long and did not advance the storyline. Also there were continuity problems. For example, in one scene Amanda’s backpack is inside her apartment and in the next scene, her backpack is next to her. The worst problem was the formatting for Kindle. It was all over the place. There were so many instances where the formatting was off—it jarred me out of the story numerous times.

The story could have easily focused only on Foxy and Amanda and their journey to understanding each other. The whole vampire storyline seems forced to me. It seems like each author had an idea for a book and they tried to force them together. There wasn’t any real back-story except for a short opening scene to understanding Myron and why he was on his secret mission to find an old trunk. What were the consequences if he didn’t find what he was looking for? The authors keep saying that time was running out, but never really explained why time was running out. I think this is a missed opportunity because the character of Myron was likable one. Without revealing any spoilers, the Nick storyline seemed a bit far-fetched as well. It could easily have only been a Nick/Amanda storyline and all the teenage angst surrounding their relationship.

For more than ¾ of the book, Foxy is very self-centered worrying only about her next pair of shoes or dress. She’s not a very good mother and doesn’t make any effort to learn how to be a better one. The world revolves around Foxy and in her mind, that’s the way it should be. When she comes back from a shopping trip in Florida, all of a sudden she becomes interested in her daughter. Why? What was the catalyst for this new mindset?

The neighbor Knot Knudson was so stereotypical that it took away the pleasure of reading about him. I have many gay friends and not one of them would go screaming from a room because something spilled on their shoes. When the authors focused on Knot’s ability to engage and sell the antiques to well-to-do customers, he came across as much more believable and likable character. He was definitely a fun distraction in the story.

Foxy’s Tale could have been a fun and breezy read if the authors had narrowed the storyline a bit. Trying to include so many ideas and characters did not allow the authors to flesh out the characters to their fullest and, I believe in the end, did not help this story.

Sometimes it takes more than one book to reach your stride so I will be interested to see where the authors take the story next. If they keep Myron's character, I for one, would like to hear about more of his story. He seems like such a sad-sack type of guy, but why? I would like to see something good happen to him.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

was getting into but oy vey what a bad ending. I don't really think it is Foxys Tale either but I know that makes for a clever title

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story!

A delightful story that moved well. The characters were so real & the story had a bit of everything. Romance, mystery done wonderfully!! Definitely a great book to enjoy and amuse you!!

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Single mom and former beauty queen, Foxy Anders, hasn’t had an easy life but she’s doing the best she can to make ends meet. After a messy divorce, she opens an antique shop in Washington D.C.’s fancy DuPont Circle. She hopes to sell her merchandise to the wealthy people living in the area.

Foxy’s teenaged daughter, Amanda, is sick and tired of her mother’s antics. Her mom does nothing that Amanda expects a mom to do like cook and take care of their house. To make matters even worse, Foxy goes on shopping sprees and spends money they don’t have. Amanda takes her frustrations out in her blog, where she lets her feelings be known to all…that is, if anyone is really reading it.

Things get really crazy when Foxy rents out two apartments in their building. One goes to Knot (pronounced Kuh-not) who becomes Foxy’s best salesman. Of course Knot has a few quirks of his own – he has a shoe fettish and has a thing for a wealthy political figure. The other apartment goes to Myron Standlish, an older Yiddish-speaking gentleman with a refrigerator full of bottles of blood.

When Amanda becomes involved with Nick, a fellow high school student, she’s shocked to see him being stalked by an older woman and Nick is doing nothing about it. She has to wonder if perhaps he’s interested in the older woman, but she’s stunned when she learns exactly how old this person is. She confides in Knot and Myron, since she’s convinced her mother’s failed love life wouldn’t be of any help.

Meanwhile, Foxy is going through her own romantic issues when she meets a guy she’s convinced is the man of her dreams. But, when she meets his fiancé, she knows she has once again made a bad choice in choosing men.

This is a cute book which has a little bit of everything – romance for adults as well as young adults, comedy, and a touch of paranormal. The book has characters you will really come to care about. I know I did. An old Yiddish vampire? Too funny. You might not want to read this one in public or people will wonder why you are laughing out loud. This is the first book of a series “The Reluctant Vampire” and I’m already looking forward to the next one.

The author sent me a copy of the ebook for review but this did not influence my review in any way.

[Romancing the Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Posted on Romancing the Books blog
Reviewed by Angie
Review copy from Booklending.com

I have to say that this is one of the ODDEST books I have read in a long time. I don’t necessarily mean odd in a bad way, it was actually a really cute book that I enjoyed!

Foxy will never win Mother of the Year and a lot of mothers will probably dislike her for how absolutely clueless she is about raising her daughter, Amanda. Yes, I know it’s a book, but really…she makes you wanna throttle her due to how absolutely selfish she is!

Amanda is one of the most captivating young adult protagonists that I’ve read lately. She’s vulnerable, yet strong. She’s very self-sufficient and though she goes through the typical Goth stage that nearly all teens go through, she finds her own path once she starts to gain some confidence in herself.

The other characters – Knot, Myron, Congressman X, and Nick - bring a lot of funny subplots to the book. Knot is your somewhat typical gay guy with a great sense of style, able to cook, in lust with all the wrong men and able to charm the money out of rich women when it comes to selling antiques. Myron is just adorable in that weird, foreign, old man type way. I don’t mean that as a slight, he truly IS a weird old foreign man! I wish there was a bit more depth to Nick and that his story was a little more fleshed out, but overall he was a good match for Amanda.

There were flaws with the editing that could do with some tweaking. There were some random grammar errors – cars have brakes to help slow them down, not breaks. There were a lot of what I felt were unnecessary sentences and some sentences that weren’t really sentences at all that were just thrown in there for no reason other than to add to the word count. BUT, overall, it was an amusing book that kept my attention and has me wanting to read the sequel.

Foxy’s Tale is humorous, engaging, and a bit confusing. I definitely recommend it to anyone with a sense of humor that likes chick lit, paranormal, a little romance, a lot of laughs, and a few young adults who capture the story.


Favorite Quote: “Myron, you are still a putz.”

[L.C. Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foxy Anders has problems, but she is no airhead. She is, however, a shopaholic and she can't seem to understand her daughter, Amanda. Amanda is sullen and wears Goth attire. Other characters are Knot Knudsen and Myron Standlish who rent rooms from Foxy. Knot is flamboyantly gay and is very good at decorating and upselling antiques to rich people. He goes to work for Foxy in her antiques store and soon has her finances headed in the right direction. Myron is a mysterious little Yiddish man who keeps vials of blood in his refrigerator and who may or may not be a vampire. The characters are delightful and well-drawn.

Foxy's Tale is a vampire story, though the vampires don't take over the story. They have more of an incidental and mysterious role. The actual story is between Foxy, a recently divorced former beauty queen, and her teen daughter, Amanda. Foxy is not the "normal" mother Amanda craves and this makes for conflict. Foxy is forced to manage her own life for the first time. Foxy is reeling after a divorce from her worthless husband. The ex has left her in a financial bind and Foxy is forced to turn the house she got in the settlement into a home and antique store and also rent out rooms in order to make ends meet. Her qualifications for becoming a businesswoman do not exist. Foxy became a beauty queen because that's what girls did when she was growing up. After that they got married, preferably to a man who was expected to take care of them.

By the end of the book, Amanda and Foxy have grown and have begun to understand each other as they never have before. A part of the mystery of Myron and the secret hidden in the house are revealed, but enough questions are left to lead into the next book in the series.

The characters are likable and well-drawn and the writing is seamless and does not come across as written by two authors in collaboration. Funny moments and witty one-liners are sprinkled throughout and the action moves along at a fast pace. This book is a delightful read.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was already a fan of Karen Cantwell when I downloaded Foxy's Tale for my Kindle so I was eager to discover the first in The Reluctant Vampire Series co-written with L.B. Gschwandtner. I expected more of a paranormal story but what I found was a delightfully charming family story with plenty of wit - and just a touch of vampires.

Foxy Anders is a former beauty queen, former wife to a football player, and former all around success. Down on her luck she ventures to Washington D.C. to open an antique store, run a boarding house and try to bridge the ever widening gap between her and her teenage goth daughter Amanda. Though the book bears the title Foxy's Tale I felt that Amanda definitely stole the show. It is through her eyes (and her sardonic blog "Amanda's Life in Hell") that Foxy's selfish tendencies are unveiled, and through Amanda's perspective that the reader becomes better acquainted with Foxy's eccentric boarders: shoe addict and amateur chef Knot Knudsen (pronounce the K's) and the elderly foreigner Myron Standlish who might just be stocking his refrigerator with blood.

As Foxy struggles to get her business off the ground she's saved by Knot's eye for antiques but she's also tempted to rationalize blowing her profits on "business" vacations and a new wardrobe. Meanwhile, Amanda gets sidetracked out of her disdain for Foxy by the entrance of Nick - a boy at school who's harboring some nasty secrets. Mother and daughter have never seen eye to eye but when the supernatural enters the picture, they just may find a way to pull together against a much scarier common foe.

I really enjoyed this novel and loved that it contained the same elements of quirky characters, funny plot, and engaging dialog that I saw in Cantwell's other work Take the Monkeys and Run. Though I would have preferred a more solid ending, I liked the story arc and I'm excited to see where Cantwell and Gschwandtner take the series in future entries.

[Angela Holtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Lilac Wolf and Stuff

Let's see, cover has that cute cartoon thing going on again. It's a paranormal novel but it's so unique. Really that's the best word I can think to use here. I've read so many over the last two years that sometimes I cringe for the first few pages. Thank God for the good paranormal writers out there - you know who you are!

There is just a hint of vampires in this book, nothing out in the open. Foxy is running an antique business, luckily one of the first tenants Knot Knudsen (pronounce the Ks) has a flair for her business and really she would have been lost without him. Next comes in this old Jewish man Myron Standlish. You know I spent half the book reading Standish until a character pointed out that Standlish was a little off if he was hoping to sound more American. I almost went back to re-read the book. I probably will someday. LOL

Amanda hates the new house, living with strangers and mostly her mother. I don't blame her. Foxy gets on my last nerve. She spends money as fast as she gets it and doesn't try to connect to her daughter and just tries to change her. Amanda has this Goth thing going on and I love the point made in the story that Amanda is hiding her true self, not trying to make some obnoxious statement. I'll never look at a strange teen the same again.

She becomes friends...and a little more...with Nick, a normal teen boy. Until we find out some crazy lady vampire and her sisters are trying to make him a vampire and have been feeding off him. The only person he can trust is Amanda.

Well you'll never believe how this works out. First I was in shock...it was so unexpected...I mean you'll never ever guess. And then after I got over my shock I laughed and laughed. It's a different book, very quirky, very fun.

[Susan Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vampires have been a part of our literary psyche for nearly two hundred years now. In that time, they have evolved from villains – sophisticated monsters – to heroes, as in that handsome, big-game-hunting Edward Cullen. Now, Karen Cantwell and LB Gschwandtner have given us a new kind of vampiric anti-hero: the vaguely Yiddish Myron Standlish in Foxy’s Tale (The Reluctant Vampire Series, Book 1).

This novel comes together so seamlessly that I would not have known it was a collaboration. The characters, particularly Mr. Standlish, are well-drawn and interesting. The true meat of the story is the relationship of a beauty-queen, Foxy, and her slightly rebellious teenaged daughter, Amanda. After a messy and costly divorce, Foxy seeks to transform herself, not realizing that her daughter is attempting to do the same thing.

Overall, the vampire theme is just incidental to the story – like one of several spices rather than the main flavor of the dish. The writing is engaging, though initially I found the present-tense format somewhat off-putting – I felt like I was reading a script rather than a novel. I was a little disappointed in the ending, which felt unresolved. However, as this is the first book in a series, I’m sure the questions I have will eventually be answered.

This is a light, entertaining read that I would recommend to anyone seeking an escape from reality and a few laughs. I look forward to getting to know Myron better in the future.

[Dianne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure that this book was really co-written by Ms Cantrell. (this was said with tongue in cheek)
I adore all her books and I can't see where she had made her mark in this 'collaboration'.
I felt I was being generous in giving it two stars ( this is at Amazon where 2 stars is the same as one star is here)and that is only because I did finish this book.

I just am not seeing what everyone else seems to see with this novel. I am seeing narrative that doesn't flow, very little plot if any, characters so shallow and annoying that you just may want to smack upside the head, little or no character growth (at least until the last 20% of the book) unbelievable dialogue, a bit of skulduggery in that Foxy and her husband are nearly dead ringers for Kathy-Lee and Frank --- and the only descriptions that may have been interesting was about clothes and shoes. I found no humor until the very last page. The addition of Vampires seemed to have been added after the main body of the story was told.

What I did like was Amanda and M.Standlish. Amanda grew as a character better than her empty headed, shallow and almost uncaring mother.

Perhaps this novel was supposed to have been aimed at the teen market first and then had some spicy-ish bits thrown in to make it palatable for the adults?

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book- after all, the whole vampire thing is getting to be a bit much. At its heart though, this is a story about families and relationships not about blood sucking creatuers of the night. Foxy is a former beauty queen recently dumped by her former NFL-star husband and struggling to parent her daughter when she is barely a real grownup herself. She's a shopaholic who worries constantly about her daughter Amanda's goth style and only has a decent business because of the work of Knot Knudsen, a guy who basically wandered in off the street to rent a room only to become her antique store's savior. Add in a third boarder, weird Myron who keeps blood in the fridge, and Amanda's wish that her Mom was more like June Cleaver, and you have an amusing cast of quirky characters that are surprisingly compelling.

The book is well-written and funny, and I enjoyed it more than I anticipated. The book resonates because it has heart, and the oddball characters all have a pathos that make their stories compelling. All in all an excellent summer read; I look forward to the next installment in this unusual series. 4 stars.

[Maxine]

I received this book in a GR giveaway and I really wanted to like it. Truth is, though, I really didn't.

In the interest of full disclosure, I don't like either chick lit or vampire stories, which is what this book is about. Of course, that begs the question, why did I ask for this book when I don't like either of these things. I mean, it's not like the authors didn't say up front what the book is about 'cause, you know, they wouldn't want those million or so readers who do like this kind of thing to read it. The thing is, I really liked the cover - I thought it was gonna be a kind of spoof but, if it was, I missed it, probably 'cause, well, I don't like chick lit or vampire stories - kinda circular I know, but, well, I guess you can't really get what you don't like.

But I read other reviews by people who are clearly fans of these genres and they loved Foxy's Tale so, if you're a fan, I would ignore this review and read the book. Because, seriously, a review written by someone who doesn't like a certain genre is no review at all and, for that reason, I'm not rating it.

[Rebecca Graf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Divorce can be hard on those involved. It causes tension between parent and child. This story is that of a young girl and her mother on their own after a nasty divorce. They move above a store the mother is opening and rent out two of the other apartments. What they find are unique people who become a part of their unusual family along with some old, dark secrets.
I found this to be a delightful read with a little bit of drama, some mystery, and humor to keep me chuckling. Okay, there is a lot of mystery. You never know what is going on and what really is going on will completely surprise you.
The characters are great. They are uniquely created with such depth. I could see them in mind clearly as they went about causing drama in this small shop.
I had a vague idea toward the end of the story what the big secret was, but it wasn’t until it was nearly revealed did I figure it out. Great plot.
There is some language and a character with an alternative lifestyle, but there is nothing explicit.
Note: I purchased this book with my own funds with no expectation of a positive review.

[Scooper Speaks]

This book is a did not finish book for me. Man, it was so not for me. I bought the e-book for $2.99 and am smacking myself for not reading a sample before spending the money. Here's a small taste from the book.

"She puts her hands on her hips and tilts her head back and forth. She just can't decide. Higher or lower? She's been at this sign-raising for over thirty minutes now, and she knows these kind men are becoming very annoyed with her." (p. 6)

"Suddenly Foxy sees her daughter as if she's looking through a time machine. " (p. 171)

"He runs on and on, stumbles in the snow, raises himself up again, stumbles forward until finally, pelted by snowballs, exhausted, cold and feeling as if he is back in Prussia all over agan, after all these years and all the searching and all the deals and all the disappointments, up from his soul and out of his mouth a wail erupts like the howl of a lonely wolf that's been abandoned by its pack." (p. 509)

[Fallon · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Foxy’s Tale’ was a good book, it wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad…it was good. Really I should have liked it more, I wanted to, and I know a lot of people will love this book, but it just wasn’t what I was expecting. The writing was fantastic, the world was described beautifully and you can imagine you’re right there but I just couldn’t get into it. The characters were too shallow for me, yes they grow throughout this story, and really that’s what it was a big coming of age story. I was expecting more paranormal, since it was the reluctant vampire series. Really there was hardly any vampire talk, it was alluded to and discussed briefly at the end but, I don’t know I was disappointed. Also, I understand that this is the first book and a lot of world building occurs during the first book so you can expand upon them in the future. I do think that people will like this, like I said the writing was great, but it just wasn’t what I was hoping for.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think the two authors meshed well in this book, the writing seems stilted. Maybe their styles are too different; there was too much narrative not enough dialogue.

I had a hard time liking Foxy, her character was well rounded she was just too shallow. Although she was starting to grow a little by the end of the book, so maybe she does have potential. Her daughter Amanda was likable enough, a typical unhappy teenager who kept a journal on a blog. Her boyfriend Nicks story line never made any sense to me.

I really liked Knut, he was a bit over the top but had a lot of funny dialogue. Poor Mr. Standlish's character, a hapless vampire, had a lot of potential but his character was never fully developed.

I didn't notice many editing or formatting problems, the story just fell flat for me. If there is a sequel I don't think I will read it.

[Johnny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun to read but so much wrong with it: switching between past and present tenses in the same sentences. Switching point of view between characters in the same paragraphs. Errors in dialogue punctuation (and the occasional typo but nobody's perfect). A nice set of characters, though none of them more than caricatures. But despite all that very enjoyable light reading, and with a very accurate quote near the end of the book:

"Sometimes there's nothing you can actively do to help someone else. Sometimes they just need you to listen. But you can be there, ready to help if they ask. You can show you care by including that person in your life somehow. For instance, you could ask him to come over for a meal and just hang out with you. That's something you can do."

I wish more people thought like this.

[Kristin Whitehouse · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so disappointing to me. I read Take The Monkeys and Run and loved it, so when I saw Karen Cantwell had a new book I grabbed it. Maybe the fact that it was co-authored. It was fairly seamless in that you couldn't tell which author was writing at the time. The book read more like a play to me than a book. It was supposed to be funny, but I didn't laugh once, and the only character I really even liked was Amanda. Roxy was too irresponsible, a thoughtless mother and as for Knot, can you say over the top? The ending was left open for another book. I'll probably give it a shot, if only to see how it ends up.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read Karen Cantwell, and loving her stuff, I wasn't surprised at this book, but the collaboration with LB Gschwandtner is a total success.

Foxy's Tale is a riot of fun. A narcissistic Mother of a Teenaged Daughter. A gay man with a shoe fettish, and a strange little man with another fettish, combine to make the Teen's life a life in "hell". This is laugh out loud funny, with twists you don't expect, and it keeps you guessing to the very end. It's a clean book, suitable for teens, with a touch of paranormal. LOVE it!

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a slow start (which may be due to me reading the paper version after I've become so used to reading on my apple devices) I ended up really liking this story. The storyline, as well as the characters developed throughout the story and by the end of the first novel in this series I found myself wanting to real the next installment right away! I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book and I'm glad I did, as it has introduced me to a new series and author that I will continue to follow in the future.

This book ended up being a great surprise that I would recommend to anyone.

[Literary Chanteuse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must say that this book had me guessing the whole time. I just could not figure out what the big mystery was even with the few hints that were given by the author. Well done, very creative! I like the characters who I didn't expect to be too memorable but they managed to linger in my mind after wards. I can't imagine what the author will have in store for the sequel but I can't wait to find out.

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

More gym reading. So, I like supernatural fiction. But the vampire element of this story made NO SENSE whatsoever. I would have been fine with just the mother/daughter thing, but the vampire stuff just didn't gel with the rest of the story. Foxy is a horrible, awful mother. She's not that great of a person in general. Knot was a parody. The only person I liked at all was Amanda, but she lacked a lot of depth. Ug.

[Brittany Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Foxy's Tale" wasn't at all what I expected. I will say it has made me interested to read book 2. Book 1 made me a little bored at times, but I now understand that we are building a story here, more than just one book's worth, so I accept the building of information as a first book's due course, and my guess is I will enjoy having that background for subsequent books.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't really call this a vampire story as most of the book concerns Foxy and her daughter Amanda and the vampires were really only a minor part of the story. This isn't a bad book but it isn't great either. The characters were rather shallow, although they did start to grow later in the book. And I had pretty much figured out what was going to happen about halfway through.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the book was pretty silly. It is not a book to read if you are looking for a serious book. The book was supposed to be about vampires, but it seemed very forced. I really did not like the ending at all, it was very anti-climatic. It was just all over the place and not very well put together.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading take Take the Monkeys and Run I was expecting this to be better than it was. Not that the story isn't cute and worth a look but I found the Foxy's character just a little (ok maybe a lot) annoying. i'm in way saying that this book is not worth taking a look but I found it hard to get into. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon in the sun.

[Amanda Knox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh - this book had a decent concept, but execution was lacking. Writing was disjointed and made reading confusing at times. It felt like action would stop at random and suddenly the story was somewhere else.
Ending left many things dangling, but I hear there is a sequel to come. I will not be reading it.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this one as much as the the Barbara Marr mysteries. The characters were not as likable and i did not relate to the humor or the story line. I had a hard time getting into the story. I will definately read more Barbara Marr mysteries, but not anymore about Foxy.

[Trudi Jorda · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable if predictable tale. The cast of assorted characters make this a tale worth reading. You may want to slap Foxy around a bit as being the worst sort of parent-- but each of the characters evolves and grows into someone better!

[Johnna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't understand why this book was called Foxy's Tale. It really emphasized most of the story on her daughter Amanda. It also ended horribly. I wouldn't recommend it either, but I got it as a free book for my kindle, and I am glad that I didn't pay for it!