Book Review: Vamp by Rob Rosen

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: MLR Press

Pages: 233

Jack’s life is finally about to improve. He gets a call from a lawyer informing him that his only living relative has died and left him a sizable fortune and lavish estate in San Francisco. Jack soon finds that his new mansion comes equipped with a humpbacked manservant, Igor, and a coffin in the basement.  So far so good. The bad news? Jack learns that he comes from a long line of  vampires, and now must become one himself, which he does. While testing out his new superhuman abilities, Jack stumbles upon Steven, a hot werewolf. Their sparks of attraction can be seen on Mars.

But then the news turns bad again, when Jack discovers someone or something is trying to destroy him. With Steven’s aid, he elicits the help of a pack of werewolves led by Blake. Jack soon finds out that he is mixed up in an ancient feud. With the help of Steven and Blake’s pack, he must stay ‘alive’ long enough to figure out what to do to survive.

Vamp is not a story of monsters reining terror on humans, but rather a very campy, sexy tale of the challenges of being a supernatural being.

I’m not a fan of novels about supernatural beings, nor am I a big fan of comedies. I found this book, however, to be a fun, sexy romp. It is a character driven plot, and its quirky characters held my interest throughout. Rosen has a unique brand of humor that pulls the reader in and keeps him/her snickering. This is a highly original twist on the whole vampire/werewolf genre. Snarky, saucy, witty. It will keep you howling.