Bitten & Smitten
Bitten & Smitten book cover

Bitten & Smitten

Mass Market Paperback – January 1, 2006

by
Price
$5.57
Publisher
Forever
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0446617000
Dimensions
4.13 x 1 x 6.75 inches
Weight
6.7 ounces

Description

From Publishers Weekly Rowen hits the nail (or is it the stake?) on the head with her feisty debut novel about a reluctant vampire trying to cope with her newfound otherworldly status. After a blind date bites Sarah Dearly on the neck and is killed by vampire hunters, she discovers she's not only a vampire but also has been left to learn the ropes of the night by herself. Thank goodness for wise "master" vampire Thierry de Bennicoeur, who saves her life, shows her to the nearest vampire hangout and wins her heart in the process. Next comes a mix of misplaced trust, stakings and bad double dates, all with the goal of outwitting the vampire hunters and getting Thierry to see that Sarah's the one for him. Rowen perfectly balances suspense and wit by tossing in one-liners just when the novel could start getting too serious ("I just need to wash my face and brush my fangs first and we can get out of here," Sarah says). Mentions of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Anne Rice ground the novel and make it a true modern girl's guide to (vampire) life. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Blind dates can be bad, but Sarah Dearly's date is a true contender for worst ever. His neck nibbling didn't just leave a bruise; it turns her into a vampire, and the newest target for a pack of zealot vampire hunters. With her date now their latest victim, Sarah runs for her immortal life--straight into Thierry de Bennicoeur, a master vampire who is just a wee bit suicidal. Thierry can't resist a damsel in distress and agrees to teach Sarah how to live the vampire life if she'll help him end his own. But as it turns out, Sarah may be his best reason for living. Bitten & Smitten is a study in contrasts: frothy chick-lit wrapped around a grittier reality and a flip side featuring a modern heroine paired with a Brontean hero. And Rowen makes it all work together beautifully. Let us welcome this fresh voice to the genre. Nina Davis Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Michelle Rowen is a full-time writer and self-confessed bibliophile living in Ontario, Canada. Her first young adult fantasy novel will be published in Fall 2009 from Walker Books for Young Readers. Under the pseudonym Michelle Maddox she has also written futuristic romantic suspense for Dorchester. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • Get "bitten and smitten" (Sherrilyn Kenyon,
  • New York Times
  • bestselling author) by Michelle Rowen in her supernatural, sexy debut about a blind date from hell --
  • literally
  • .
  • Dear Mom,I might be a wee bit late for Cousin Missy's wedding. It's been a tough week. Turns out, my blind date from hell was literally from hell. Guy bit me. Next thing I know, I'm being chanced all over the city by vampire hunters. And did I mention that I got fired, too?Bright side - I met a man. Thierry de Bennicoeur. How great is that name? Anyway, he's sexy, six-hundred years old, and a tad suicidal, but no one's perfect, right? And we have a deal - he's gonna show me the ropes of the vampire world, and I'm supposed to help him end his existence. Or maybe I'll just try to convince him life is worth living - no small challenge with the mostly immortal, let me tell you. I'll admit it's a complicated relationship. But with any luck, I just might have a date for that wedding after all...Hugs and Kisses,Sarah

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(420)
★★★★
25%
(350)
★★★
15%
(210)
★★
7%
(98)
★
23%
(323)

Most Helpful Reviews

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A Vampire Hater Loved This Book

I'm not a big fan of vampires in general, so it was with some trepidation that I picked up this book. And you know what? After finishing this book, I couldn't remember what my problem with vampires was to begin with. Michelle Rowen's first book is simply delightful. The language sparkled, the characters were lovable, the plot was engaging, and it had so many funny, memorable lines. Sarah Dearly, the protagonist, is a *girlfriend* with three snaps and a head shake. She made me want to pack my bags and infiltrate the Toronto vamp scene. This book should be made into a movie.

I am looking forward to Michelle Rowen's next book. And the one after that, and the one after that.
10 people found this helpful
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Bitten and Boring

Sometimes I truly believe that there can be too much of a good thing. Vampire romance novels are one of them. We had Anne Rice the Queen of angst, homoerotic love, and bloodsucking history , and we have MaryJanice whos "undead" series is unique funny and very sexually explicit, We have many others on the sidelines that dabble in vampire stories like Kenyon, and Hamilton (whos anita blake series is seriously overrated), Feehan, Ashley, and so many others. This book "bitten and smitten" had a promising hook, but again it read to me like a used buffy script, or a rip off of Maryjanice, there wasnt anything new and exciting or even romantic about it at all. Thierry de Bennicoeur? did she go to a "cheesy vampire hero name generator" and pluck that one out? There was a skeleton, the barest of skin, sort of story trying to have its way onto literary infamy, but she just couldnt pull it off in the end.
8 people found this helpful
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A hugely enjoyable chick lit vampire tale

What a fun book! The main character Sarah is hilarious and sarcastic... seeing the vampire world through her eyes was a hoot. I enjoyed every page and can't wait to see what the author's next one will be like. I've added her to my automatic buy list.
5 people found this helpful
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An okay book from a developing writer

First off let me say that overall this book was fun. However, I felt that at times the author could not decide if she wanted a light-hearted book (a not wholly successful duplication of the Undead series by Mary Janice Davidson) or one with more serious undertones. Perhaps it was just that her humor was inconsistent. My biggest complaint about the book and the main reason I did not score it higher was the lack of a believable relationship between the heroine of the story (Sarah) and the master vampire. There was no emotional connection between the two and it often seemed their relationship was what the author thought was "supposed" to happen. (Doesn't the girl always want the brooding master vampire?) The author did a great job with some of her secondary characters. The most developed was Quinn, a vampire hunter who experienced the most change and growth of the characters. He seems a likely candidate for a future sequel. If that comes to past, I would definitely pick his book up.
5 people found this helpful
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Enjoyable, but . . .

While I enjoyed the story of master vampire Thierry, a vampire who has decided he's lived too long and wants to call it quits until he meets newly bitten smart mouthed Sarah who hasn't a clue as what has happened to her or what she must do to survive since her "sire" has been murdered by vampire hunters.

I love vampire romance but I have never read a novel about such weak, cowardly vampires, especially Sarah's sire who when attacked by vampire hunters offers them money to go away and spare his life. Not once did Sarah's sire put up a fight for his survival, he just stood there while the hunters killed him. The other vampires throughout the novel are no better, except for Thierry who has a death wish and sees a confrontation as a way out.

This is first novel I've ever read about vampires being cowards and up until nearly the last chapter that's exactly what they are until Sarah makes them realize is one scene that "there's more of us than them", and even that doesn't really go across well as most of the vampires run for their lives.

Where are the vampires having the power of glamour, mind control, inhumane strength, and dominance?

I've heard Ms. Rowen plans a sequel to Bitten and Smitten, but unless her vampires can muster up a spine, I think I'll pass, as I cannot abide "weak" vampires.
4 people found this helpful
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Conflicting information?

I say this book was bleh for me, I only picked it up because Mary Davidson wrote a blurb on it. It was okay, but ... Sarah.. was just so normal..... She doesn't have Anita/Rachel's kickass ness, nor Betsy quirky shoe love, or even just something that's unique to her. I think the romance novel I picked up had more personality than Sarah. But anyway, it was an okay read despite all that. The one thing that gets to me, is the description of how the vampires die. On page 52 I think, Thierry tells her that "...must be very old" since it was a pile of goo that was left. However later in the story, Quinn then says that the older vampires disappear the fastest while the young one stay solid, and what happens to the traitor of the club proves it. Somebody should have caught that....
3 people found this helpful
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Fun reading !

Liked this book lots. Rowen has managed to do what other lighter fare vampire divas have not been able to accomplish - and that is writing with true wit, chuckle out loud humor, and a very light touch. This is the first light vampire book I've been able to get through completely - and I enjoyed every single page. Will pass this along to all my friends who could use a laugh at the end of the day.

Kudos to Rowen. Long may you write.
3 people found this helpful
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Not the worst book about Vampires

However, far from the best as well. Almost every character in this book was a cliche. Surprisingly, the author managed to pull it out of the trash with her writing, even with all those cliches. Let's see there was a depressed ancient Master Vampire who employs and protects all the other lost vampires, a rude butler type who hounds the heroine for not showing enough respect to his hallowed master, a token gay vampire cocktail waiter, a band of racist, ignorant and buffoon vampire hunters (one of whom sees the light of course), a ditsy heroine who gets bitten on a blind date and just captures the bored, dissolusioned Master's attention and heart and a traitor in the midst. Hmmm read all that before a time or two. Oops forgot the gorgeous Master's separated wife. Rowen has a good sense of humor and it saved waht could have been a abysmal first book. I would read another book of hers but I'd borrow it from the library as this one was not worth my hard earned money, yet as I mentioned, the writer does have a sense of humour and shows promise so who knows she may very well write a much better book next time. I'll check it out from the library and let you know.
3 people found this helpful
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A delightfully funny satire

This is an upbeat, delightfully funny book with a decent story. Granted it's rather light-hearted, but sure to provide the reader with quite a few good chuckles.
3 people found this helpful
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I LOVED IT

I COULD NOT STOP READING IT. IT MADE LAUGH OUT LOUD. AND I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE. AS FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE PUTTING DOWN ON BITTEN & SMITTEN NEED TO STOP BEING SO BORING AND GO HAVE SOME FUN. THIS BOOK WAS GREAT. WE NEED NEW LAUGH'S....... GIVE IT A CHANCE & DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE BORING PEOPLE WHO THINK THEY KNOW IT ALL. THEY NEED TO JUST LIGHTING UP.......
3 people found this helpful

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