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Immortal Longings
Lauren and Kayla are the perfect high school couple–except they aren’t actually a couple. The cute, smart, sarcastic Lauren is secretly in love with her best friend, Kayla, the gorgeous bi-racial lead actress in the drama club. But Kayla, one of the most popular girls at school, changes partners (male and female) like other girls change shoes.
After seeing a play in Manhattan one autumn afternoon, the two 17-year-olds wander into a vintage clothing store, Deja Nous. Their impromptu shopping spree leads to a chance meeting with the mysterious and beautiful owner, Elizabeth Valiant. Despite strange, subtle warnings from Matt, another clerk at the store, both girls agree to take after-school jobs at the enticing shop. On the ride home to Queens, Kayla talks non-stop about the wonderful clothes, the fabulous Elizabeth and how much fun the girls will have working together.
Deja Nous–and the intriguing and sensual Elizabeth–soon becomes an obsession for Lauren and Kayla. Then, after being accosted at the subway by a strange man and overhearing a surprising conversation, Lauren accidentally discovers the secret behind the shop and the Valiant family. As she delves deeper into the mystery, she realizes that her life and that of her beloved Kayla are in danger–life-threatening danger–from a centuries-old curse.
After seeing a play in Manhattan one autumn afternoon, the two 17-year-olds wander into a vintage clothing store, Deja Nous. Their impromptu shopping spree leads to a chance meeting with the mysterious and beautiful owner, Elizabeth Valiant. Despite strange, subtle warnings from Matt, another clerk at the store, both girls agree to take after-school jobs at the enticing shop. On the ride home to Queens, Kayla talks non-stop about the wonderful clothes, the fabulous Elizabeth and how much fun the girls will have working together.
Deja Nous–and the intriguing and sensual Elizabeth–soon becomes an obsession for Lauren and Kayla. Then, after being accosted at the subway by a strange man and overhearing a surprising conversation, Lauren accidentally discovers the secret behind the shop and the Valiant family. As she delves deeper into the mystery, she realizes that her life and that of her beloved Kayla are in danger–life-threatening danger–from a centuries-old curse.
- GenresLGBT
340 pages, Paperback
First published January 3, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 9, 2016
Sheridan Le Fanu’s CARMILLA may have been smart and sexy, but the lesbian themes in Bram Stoker’s DRACULA do not appear to have been more than vaguely grasped by the author himself.
Diane Dekelb Rittenhouse never grasps anything vaguely. Her grip on such matters remains firm and uncanny, and her fiction fairly seethes with sexuality of most kinds. She not only knows how to scare us and draw us in … but how to turn us on as well. “Immortal Longings” will have readers undoing a button or two and proffering their necks (or whatever) with breathless anticipation.
Diane Dekelb Rittenhouse never grasps anything vaguely. Her grip on such matters remains firm and uncanny, and her fiction fairly seethes with sexuality of most kinds. She not only knows how to scare us and draw us in … but how to turn us on as well. “Immortal Longings” will have readers undoing a button or two and proffering their necks (or whatever) with breathless anticipation.
August 9, 2012
Written by my very dear friend Diane, I've been waiting for this book to arrive in the mail since the day I found out about its existence! It's not your usual teen vampire angst story by any stretch -- it has fun, rich characters and a mesmerizing mystery, a premise that kept me reading until long past my bedtime. Best of all, the teen girls that populate this story don't exist for some guy who treats them like crap, they're equals in love with one another, fighting against a force for darkness that wants to make them "love" slaves. A nice change of pace! Lots of action and intrigue -- highly recommended!
May 21, 2012
strong compelling. characters.really good lesbian vampire. story
August 1, 2024
The slow burn of this book is excellent. The sudden ending with things wrapped up in a bow felt forced. It’s almost a wannabe Buffy the vampire, but mixed with Bella from twilight. It was an enjoyable story, but the ending was unbelievable.
September 10, 2016
This lovely little story starts slowly at first, like an onion adding layers, each chapter creating more and more mystery. Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse has a way with texture and place. The vintage clothing shop was so real to me, with all its antique clothes, and spell endowed jewelry.
Lauren is a young woman in hiding, wearing dowdy clothes, afraid to show who she really is, and afraid to tell her best friend that she is in love with her. That is until a seductive vampire slowly seduces her out of her shell.
Of course, you know from the start that Lauren is being stalked, but who and why, and what everybody wants is not so obvious. There was one part in this book that had a very imaginative and intriguing revelation that I absolutely loved, but I don't want to give away.
I believe Rittenhouse may have written this slightly as a homage to Joseph Sheridan La Fanu's vampire story 'Carmilla.' The book is spiced with all kinds of classic, gothic, vampire lore, the heroine's name is Lauren (like Laura from 'Carmilla'), and the vampire Elizabeth has little interest in men, only truly pursuing young, beautiful women. And like Camilla, you're never quite sure of Elizabeth's motives. There's always a murky darkness underneath her smooth surface.
Lauren is a young woman in hiding, wearing dowdy clothes, afraid to show who she really is, and afraid to tell her best friend that she is in love with her. That is until a seductive vampire slowly seduces her out of her shell.
Of course, you know from the start that Lauren is being stalked, but who and why, and what everybody wants is not so obvious. There was one part in this book that had a very imaginative and intriguing revelation that I absolutely loved, but I don't want to give away.
I believe Rittenhouse may have written this slightly as a homage to Joseph Sheridan La Fanu's vampire story 'Carmilla.' The book is spiced with all kinds of classic, gothic, vampire lore, the heroine's name is Lauren (like Laura from 'Carmilla'), and the vampire Elizabeth has little interest in men, only truly pursuing young, beautiful women. And like Camilla, you're never quite sure of Elizabeth's motives. There's always a murky darkness underneath her smooth surface.
February 8, 2012
The story is told from the POV of Lauren, a high school student hiding a secret from everyone. When her best friend, Kayla, and she go into Manhattan and find a new clothing store, Deja Nous, and both of them fall in love with not only the items for sale, but also Elizabeth, one of the shop's salespeople.
Elizabeth provides a turning point for Lauren, who had always been less interested in her looks, especially when Elizabeth, through her Uncle George, hires the two girls to work at the clothing store. Lauren notices something weird about the store, that while the clothes and jewelry sold are ridiculously low-priced for young people, the prices seem to change for older women. The clothes and jewelry offered are supposedly from antique and estate sales, and Elizabeth knows how to dress for success in all of the styles, and begins teaching Lauren how to do the same.
While Lauren is reveling in her new-found look, she starts having dreams about cats, a pretty Persian who comes into her room at night, licking her and nipping her, which leads to her having a harder time during daylight hours. Kayla is experience the same lethargy during the day, but they both pick up as it progresses, and particularly when they head off to work, and Elizabeth.
Things start happening when Lauren realizes that the people trailing after Kayla and her when they leave the store aren't just the cultists Elizabeth and her friends say they are. There are darker secrets contained within Deja Nous than she expected, and Kayla's and her lives are at risk.
Torn between her best friend and her infatuation with Elizabeth, Lauren has to make a decision - let Elizabeth finish what she started, or rescue Kayla, and hopefully, herself, as well.
Elizabeth provides a turning point for Lauren, who had always been less interested in her looks, especially when Elizabeth, through her Uncle George, hires the two girls to work at the clothing store. Lauren notices something weird about the store, that while the clothes and jewelry sold are ridiculously low-priced for young people, the prices seem to change for older women. The clothes and jewelry offered are supposedly from antique and estate sales, and Elizabeth knows how to dress for success in all of the styles, and begins teaching Lauren how to do the same.
While Lauren is reveling in her new-found look, she starts having dreams about cats, a pretty Persian who comes into her room at night, licking her and nipping her, which leads to her having a harder time during daylight hours. Kayla is experience the same lethargy during the day, but they both pick up as it progresses, and particularly when they head off to work, and Elizabeth.
Things start happening when Lauren realizes that the people trailing after Kayla and her when they leave the store aren't just the cultists Elizabeth and her friends say they are. There are darker secrets contained within Deja Nous than she expected, and Kayla's and her lives are at risk.
Torn between her best friend and her infatuation with Elizabeth, Lauren has to make a decision - let Elizabeth finish what she started, or rescue Kayla, and hopefully, herself, as well.
February 17, 2013
Atmospheric lesbian YA vampire novel with interesting plot twists. I liked the protagonist and a lot of the setup. On the other hand, most of the secondary characters didn't come alive for me and the ending felt as if it belonged to a different novel. That said, I certainly didn't put the book down on my way to that ending and would be willing to give this author's other works a read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews