Natürlich mit Biss

Dead End Dating #5

by Kimberly Raye

Lil Marchette steht kurz davor, ihr eigenes Happy End mit dem attraktiven Kopfgeldjäger Ty Bonner zu finden. Doch da wird ihre Klientin Esther von einem achthundert Jahre alten Zauberer entführt, der sie bei einem Ritual opfern will. Lil muss Esther retten, und die Spur führt nach Texas. Dort erhält Lil unerwartete Unterstützung von ihrer Mutter, die wie immer versucht, ihre Tochter zu verkuppeln und ihr in jeder Hinsicht das Leben schwer zu machen. Kann Lil lange genug der mütterlichen Fürsorge entgehen, um Esther zu befreien, bevor diese das Zeitliche segnen muss?

Genres: Vampires, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Chick Lit, Humor

310 pages, Paperback

First published June 23, 2009

About the author

I've always been an incurable romantic. While I enjoy reading all types of fiction, my favorites, the books that touch my soul, are romance novels. From sexy to thrilling, sweet to humorous, I like them all. But what I really love is writing romance--the hotter the better!

I started my first novel back in high school and have been writing ever since. To date, I've published over thirty novels, one of them a prestigious RITA Award nominee, Romance Writers of America's highest award of excellence. I have also been nominated by Romantic Times magazine for several Reviewer's Choice awards, as well as a career achievement award.

I've written for several different publishers, including Harlequin Books, Leisure Books, Berkley/Jove, St. Martin's Press and Warner Books. Born and bred in the Lone Start State, I still live deep in the heart with my real-life hero, Curt, and our young children.

Like any over-worked, under-appreciated wife and mother, I have very little free time. But when I find a few precious moments, I LOVE to read. Some of my favorite authors include Janet Evanovich, Vicki Lewis Thompson, Charlaine Harris (see my Favorite Reads page for more) and the exceptionally talented Nina Bangs. Give me a bag of Sugar Babies, a Toby Keith or Kevin Fowler CD (I love Texas music), and a great book, and I'm in heaven!

Reviews

[Julie (jjmachshev) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Sucker for Love" is book five of Kimberly Raye's 'Dead End Dating' series starring the fantabulous Lil Marchette. Lil's a BV (born vampire as opposed to made...think elite vs redneck) whose life has become pretty complicated. She runs a dating service in the Big Apple and she refuses to discriminate. So she matches, shifters, vamps, demons, humans, and she's trying to get a fae match going too! Problem is that Lil is also VERY un-BV-like in that she's scared of bloody messes, actually LIKES others, and is afraid she's in love with a made vampire. Thank goodness she's still her wonderful, fashion-loving self! This time around she's dealing with sorcerers, demons, a pregnant BFF, her brother, her mother, and a whole host of others...all while trying to save one of her clients who's been kidnapped for use in a rejuvenation ceremony, finding new clients, and keeping the ones she has happy. Life for Lil is just a bloody mess!

This isn't one of my favorite series. I've finally figured out that I'm NOT in the target audience for this series. I think it would do better if the sex was toned down and it was marketed towards the teen/YA set. That's just me though. What turns me off is probably what would do so very well for the younger generation in that many times while reading, I felt like I was on FaceBook. It's the whole fashionista name-dropping and cutesy, modern slang that turns me off...but if that's your cup of tea...then you'll love this series.

[Sbuchler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

Much like the previous novel, this one was funny, but not quite as cute/endearing as _Your Coffin or Mine_ (which I might have found especially charming just 'cause it was the first of the series that I ran into.) I'm getting a little bit tired of Lil's off-again on-again relationship with Ty. If them getting together is supposed to be the happy ending, the number of times they break up in the next chapter is undermining the happily-ever-after effect. Still, the supporting cast is rather fun, and for all Lil tends to disparage her own family, I like 'em - they are fun to read about, if not to live with.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifth in the Dead End Dating series by Kimberly Raye, Sucker For Love starts off with Lil Marchette hosting a special meet-and-greet dinner party for her Dead End Dating clients. The party seems to be a success, but then one of Lil's favorite clients, Esther, disappears, leaving only a bloody couch behind. Lil takes it upon herself to hunt down Esther and rescue her despite the warnings everyone has given her. In the meantime, Lil's mother is trying to do everything she can to prevent her brother's human wife from getting pregnant and keeps calling Lil to ask for her help. This is just one of many distractions Lil has during her rescue mission that set her back on time and make her wonder if she will find Esther and if she will be alive once she does.


Lil is definitely not your typical not badass vampire, but she sure tries! She may be afraid of losing a shoe or ruining one of her favorite outfits, but she will stop at nothing to save someone in need and that's what I love about Raye's Dead End Dating series. Despite the fashion references, her characters aren't complete idiots like in some books. Sucker for Love has a great setup and plot line, and there is a lot of buildup to the final chapters and resolution to the book. Lil deals with lots of challenges throughout the novel. I feel she has grown drastically in character within the last couple of books. If she hadn't, she would not have been able to handle the events of this particular book. Raye has done a wonderful job with the character growth of this series and I'm looking forward to what she has Lil getting into next. Highly Recommended.


Contains: Adult Language, Adult Situations


Review also posted at MonsterLibrarian.com

[UT booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just absolutely love this series. Lil is hilarious and with every book, she just gets more and more fun to read. I love the budding romance between her and Ty and oh how I wish I could find out more and read the next book. Unfortunately, after reading an update on Amazon it seems Ms. Raye had some family illnesses and a death but instead of the publisher giving her an extension, they CANCELLED her. I am so mad!! I sent an email to the publisher but do you think they respond? Of course not. I can only hope that Raye finds a way to keep writing about Lil.

Update: I received a personal email from Kimberly Raye herself on June 5th, 2013. She says that Book 6 to this series in currently in the works and is planned to be picked up by a new publisher because she knows how many fans like us have been WAITING PATIENTLY FOREVER for this series to get going again. I am SUPER excited to have this update and hope it helps others hang on and wait for it!

[Deborah Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one day (couldn't put it down). It was the perfect rest and relaxation book. Some slightly more gory than usual moments, but it is about vampires and supernatural beings. I'm looking forward to the sequels!

[Tanja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lil rocks! I absolutely loved this book! AND I can't wait for "Here Comes the Vampire". There's an excerpt at the end of this book and I can tell you the best is yet to come!

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved this series!! Does anyone know when the next one is coming out?

[☔️ Stormy Day Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is for books 1-5 of the DED series. I am just reviewing them now because I litterally could not stop reading. These books were hilarious! I read a lot at night and I had to get up several times and go into another room because I was laughing so hard I thought that I might wake up my husband. If you like Katie MacAlister and Molly Harper you will love this series. I really don't have any complaints other than I'm not into name brand clothes and stuff so I either skipped over the parts that went into detail of what someone was wearing or a couple times I looked it up so that I could get an idea of what it looked like. According to Kimberly Raye's website the 6th book in the series will be re-released by a new publisher in e-book format so I am impatiently waiting for that. I read the little blurb at the end of book 5 and I'm dying to read it!

[aCupcakeBlonde · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Lil. She is one of my most favorites of the vampire heroines. And this story, where she runs off to help her friend, just made me love her so much more. However, I do wish she and Ty would just get together more. Because they are so much fun together. How independant Lil acts, she is better with him around. And this book had absolutely no sexual interaction with Ty, so I felt gypped!

Still, Lil and her mom are always a hoot and the fact that in her bumbling way she manages to match people up, like her brother and Nina One, is endearing. And the next book looks incredible...her married to Remy. Whoo boy! Can't wait!

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is such a fun series. We have Lil who at first glance is an airhead, but as you get to know her you realize she is actually pretty smart with airhead tendencies. This book is no different. Lil is still working her dating business (the whole premis cracks me up),and manages to get in trouble, but ends getting saved in the end. While the story line is very predictable, the way to get there is always hillarious!! Lil and her family issues / drama, and the whole cast of misfit new dating clients is the reason to read the story. A fun easy summer read!!

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was much better then then last book.... but not quite as good as books 1-3 of the series. What frustrated me is the end of the last book had a bit of cliff hanger where Ty says he thinks he's found a way for him and Lil to be together. But whatever that was wasn't even talked about in this book, they are just together and trying to make it work. It's an entertaining read but there are some problems with this book.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, now I have to wait for #6. Raye always includes the first chapter of the next book at the end of each of her books...and this one had a GREAT teaser for #6!! She may have married the WRONG vampire while partying in Vegas!! (ok, it's Remy. He's always been the 'perfect' born vampire for her, with a top fertility rating, but he's not Ty. I think her mom and Remy cooked up something fishy to make her THINK she's had a 'committment' ceremony with Remy. But I'll have to wait until #6 comes out!)

[Pam Masters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a strong 3.5-3.75. I enjoyed the story (which is good since I read it in less than a week). This isn't the first story I have read that contained Lil Marchette and Dead End Dating. It was an exciting read as I haven't read a vampire book in a while. The book was good at the beginning, then got a little slow in the middle. The finish was strong.

I'd say this is a good easy summer-time read.

[Ana]

DNF'ed. Most likely permanently because I got fed up after only a couple chapters. While the plot is somewhat interesting (only a little) the main character Lil has been progressively annoying me with her idea of romance and priorities. She was always a little shallow and she's not worse, you know, but I did expect it to get better. Some growth would've been nice. As it is, I have no intention of continuing this series.

[Diana Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was cute but just didn't grip me like the others. Don't get me wrong it was funny and I liked it. It's just the action was kind of slow. It seems to take forever to get to the juicy part.
But it is worth the read so that your in the know for the next one, which should from the sounds of it be a real page Turner. All in all it is a great series.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another quirky, fun read from the Dead End Dating series. The characters amuse and entertain me. Not sure how I'd classify these books but I like them.

[Krystal Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT!!! A Definate should read!!!!!!!

[Casey · Rating 2 out of 5]

One thing really ruined this book for me. All the characters are jerks. Every dang one of them cares about nothing but themselves. When the obnoxiously shallow Lil is the most caring person of the bunch, you know something's up. Nobody cares that Esther is going to be tortured and murdered but Lil... and she only cares when she thinks about it. I get that born vampires are supposed to be shallow by nature, but Merlin is human (a Warlock, but still). Sure he turned out to be a bag guy, but what about Ty? Ty is a made vampire. He was once HUMAN. Still, he wants Lil to leave the poor girl to be murdered. She should have dumped his worthless a$$. Even when they are rescued (and seriously, what a wimpy let-down of a rescue), everyone is more worried about the "fabulous" Lil and her one tiny cut on her leg than poor Esther who has been tortured, starved and skinned for a week!

[Chelsi Ulrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful one by Kimberly. I didn’t love it as much as the last couple because there wasn’t enough Ty in the book however, it was so good. Now, someone tell me where I can find Here Comes The Vampire!? I neeeeeed a copy so bad and it’s like no where to be found. 😭

[Auj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Omg I had a feeling they were at that lake the whole time.
tbh Lil does remind me of Queen Bets--they're both into shoes and fashion and try to deny their crush for a couple of books.

[Audri · Rating 5 out of 5]

bought the books
am disappointed that here comes the bride
is not in print

[Pianogirl1126 · Rating 4 out of 5]

decent got a little long at the end.

[Gina Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don’t have to know whether Twilight is that dusky after-dinner time or something much more to enjoy Kimberly Raye’s latest romp, Sucker for Love. Fifth in Raye’s Dead End Dating series, Sucker for Love will have readers happily suspending reality to forget protagonist Lil Marchette is a vampire when she sounds just like their BFF.
It’s terms like BFF, OMG and all the other dead-on (pun intended) slang and dialogue of self-proclaimed “divalicious darling” Lilliana that will suck readers into the latest book in this lovable if improbable series.
Book five finds Lil, her personal assistant Evie and her BFFs Nina One and Nina Two trying to rescue Dead End Dating from the economic downturn when a handsome crasher at her PR event makes off with a regular client and the “rescue” takes on epic proportions.
While trying to rescue her customer Lil deals with her own inattentive boyfriend, cops with direct ties to the Down Under (waaay down in vampire terms), and her own lusty brothers and their girlfriends. Seems everyone’s finding true love except Lil, and she can’t even find her kidnapped client. Although it’s a life-and-death caper, nearly every page brings a laugh, and if that sounds like an oxymoron then Raye may have just created a new genre: Paranormal Romance Suspense Humor or PRSH, as Lil would call it in her BFF code.
Some of the funniest dialogue comes with Lil’s encounters with her mother. Female readers from teens to 40-somethings can appreciate the overbearing mother/exasperated daughter dynamic. I certainly did. And then I tucked the book into my 26-year-old daughter’s purse.
Earlier reviews have compared Raye’s character Lil to Stephanie Plum or Betsy Taylor. This book’s back-cover blurb cites Bridget Jones. That I can see, as well as Helen Fielding’s other character, Olivia Joules. There’s also a little bit of Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone in the sass and caper and definitely some of Kate White’s hip Bailey Weggins. Readers who keep their copies of Vogue, Glamour or People magazine on the bedside table will definitely “get” Lil.
Although the book is classified as paranormal romance, readers don’t have to follow or even understand the vampire craze to enjoy the book. Those looking for a serious mystery should be forewarned that this series is mostly fang-in-cheek. And, those who blush at anything beyond a good kiss Francais might want to hang out the Do Not Disturb sign or choose a less explicit book.
But there’s something for everyone when Lil rushes to save her customer as she also comes to terms with her commitment issues and her commitment-shy but hunky boyfriend Ty. Meanwhile she’s also got to deal with a tanking business, a pregnant human sister-in-law and Lil’s mother’s efforts to thwart the vampire-human baby plans, one accidentally-pregnant BFF, three clueless brothers, a bunch of other wacky customers and the inherently wacky setting of small-town Texas, where everything, including the dialogue is bigger, hotter and wackier still.
Dead End Dating is just one of Raye’s series. She also writes NASCAR romance titles for HQN and steamy erotica romance in the Blaze series for Harlequin. Many of her books are set in her home state of Texas, and she even combines her various series for some serious cowboy-vampire romance, too.
Based on Sucker for Love alone, it’s not hard to see why Raye has been nominated for the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award and several Reviewers’ Choice awards from Romantic Times.
Sucker for Love was a quick read, a fun escape, a few minutes to curl up and feel divalicious. That earns an award from me any day. And, I’ve already marked my calendar for Here Comes the Vampire in March 2010....correction, had to wait for it to come out Aug 2014, and now have it on Kindle.

[Martina the Book Fairy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is technically UF since it features the same character who has not yet found her HEA, but it reads much more like a light PNR. It's very chick-lit-ish, as well, Fans of MaryJanice Davidson-type writing will love this series.

Lil Marchette is a 500+ year old born (as opposed to made) vampire with a wicked sense of fashion, a meddlesome family and her own fledgling matchmaking company. When one of her long-time clients goes missing, Lil goes looking for her. A quest that takes her way out of her comfort zone (aka NYC) and into rural Texas.

The book was cute, as the others before were, but somehow weren't as funny. Lil is a bit of a pushover, especially when it comes to her family, and I'd just love to see her stand up to her mother for once!

Normally I think I'd give up on this series, but the snippet for the next book was REALLY interesting so I'll probably end up reading it anyways . . . eventually.

[Gnome Claire *Wishes she was as cool as Gnome Ann* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lil just seemed to make the worst decisions in this book- her interfering with Nina and Rob's relationship was clearly the worst idea from the beginning and she didn't seem bothered about doing any damage control just thinking it will all work out in the end while it got worse and worse.

Her relationship with Ty also seems like a waste of time, nothing has really happened between them in 5 books and they're pretty much in the same place now that they were in the first book.

Going after Esther is the nice thing to do but Lil doesn't seem to think beyond finding Esther- even knowing that the person who's kidnapped her has already overpowered and kidnapped a vampire and then kept Esther contained for over a week and it just doesn't occur to her that saving Esther will involve both finding Esther and then dealing with the powerful warlock who's captured her.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

The narrator of this series is to die for -- she's a dedicated businesswoman that doesn't take herself too seriously as she bravely navigates through the dark world of the supernaturals, looking for love, designer clothing and her missing clients, who inevitably disappear for dark, supernatural reasons. She might be a vampire with the best of blood lines, but she's really bad at it.

The narrative is hilarious and it's hard not to sympathize with the good-hearted Lil Marchette as she deals with her incredibly overbearing and disapproving mother, flaky guys that flirt and then disappear, running a business, selfish siblings and friends that are as mercenary as they are loving.

It's light reading, but really fun.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

The narrator of this series is to die for -- she's a dedicated businesswoman that doesn't take herself too seriously as she bravely navigates through the dark world of the supernaturals, looking for love, designer clothing and her missing clients, who inevitably disappear for dark, supernatural reasons. She might be a vampire with the best of blood lines, but she's really bad at it.

The narrative is hilarious and it's hard not to sympathize with the good-hearted Lil Marchette as she deals with her incredibly overbearing and disapproving mother, flaky guys that flirt and then disappear, running a business, selfish siblings and friends that are as mercenary as they are loving.

It's light reading, but really fun.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book in this series, I'm not sure it was worth the 4 month wait I had to endure. But I won't hold that against the book!

Lil as always was funny, but sometimes I get a little tired of her narration. She drops names left and right, and uses slang terms to try to sound "hip". It gets a little annoying, but it's not enough of a problem that it makes me dislike the book.

I wish that the author would do a little exploratory fling with one of the Prince brothers :) They are definitely yummy, and Ty is getting a little boring with his constant need to be elsewhere.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love this funny and quirky series of a diva vampire with a matchmaking business (which she doesn't seem to be very good at btw). Resembles more chick-lit than typical vampire books. This book was not as good as all the others in my opinion. Kinda like ideas were running short. Tht plot was just not very strong.

Includes an exerpt for the next one in the series and sounds really good but that book has yet to be released and who knows when and if it ever will be. Very, very sad about that!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 5 in the series. Something about this one bothered me; I think that Lil was just a tad bit more clueless than previous. That's too bad because she stopped being a funny sweet woman with good intentions and became a ditz. I still like the series and I hope that the old Lil comes back as well and the previously better writing. If you're reading the series then you definitely still have to read this book but be aware that it's not as good as the others.