Overbite by Meg Cabot {book tour}

Overbite

Author:  Meg Cabot

Publisher: Harper Collins
series:  Insatiable #2
soft cover (also available in hard cover): 290 pages

Source: TLC Book Tours

"foodie" elements:  no (unless you're vampire...)

random excerpt:  "Somebody turned him into a vampire," Meena said.  She walked over to the couch to lift up the remote, then turned down the volume of the television.  "He attacked me.  I staked him.  That was his mother who called this morning.  I had to go out to New Jersey to talk to a police detective.  Is there any of that pizza left?  I'm starving." p. 105

summary/synopsis (from Goodreads):  Meena Harper has a special gift, but it's only now that anyone's ever appreciated it. The Palatine Guard — a powerful secret demon-hunting unit of the Vatican — has hired her to work at their new branch in Lower Manhattan. With Meena's ability to predict how everyone she meets will die, the Palatine finally has a chance against the undead.

Sure, her ex-boyfriend was Lucien Antonescu, son of Dracula, the prince of darkness. But that was before he (and their relationship) went up in flames. Now Meena's sworn off vampires for good ... at least until she can prove her theory that just because they've lost their souls doesn't mean demons have lost the ability to love.

Meena knows convincing her co-workers — including her partner, über-demon-hunter Alaric Wulf — that vampires can be redeemed won't be easy ... especially when a deadly new threat seems to be endangering not just lives of the Palatine, but Meena's friends and family as well.

But Meena isn't the Palatine's only hope. Father Henrique — aka Padre Caliente — New York City's youngest, most charming priest, has also been assigned to the case.

So why doesn't Meena — or Alaric — trust him?

As she begins unraveling the truth, Meena finds her loyalties tested, her true feelings laid bare ... and temptations she never even imagined existed, but finds impossible to resist.

This time, Meena may finally have bitten off more than she can chew.

my thoughts/review:  I was reluctant to start another vampire series.  I'd seen seen the first book in the series, Insatiable, in the library and even read the dust flap.  But I never brought it home.  And it may have stayed that way...and I wouldn't have been the wiser...and one day I may have decided to read it anyway.  BUT.  When I was approached to be on the tour for Overbite, the second book in this series, I instantly said YES.  Apparently, deep down, I couldn't resist.  So.  I had a couple of months to wait.  And being me, I don't like starting books mid-series.  Or out of order at all.  I like background.  And history.  And being in-the-know.  So the next day I mosied into the library in search of Insatiable.  And promptly finished reading it.

Now, I know this tour isn't for Insatiable, but it's worth mentioning since it is, afterall, a series.  Insatiable was thick and full of fantastic character introductions aside from the exciting storyline.  I'm a sucker for the supernatural.   Meena Harper "knows" things.  When people are going to die to be precise.  Lucien Antonescu is the son of Dracula.  Alaric Wulf is not a wolf, but he does despise vampires.  Along with these three main characters are a fun supporting cast that include Meena's brother Jon (with the man-crush on Alaric) and her dog, Jack Bauer (hater of vampires).

While I believe that Overbite would be completely enjoyable to someone even if they hadn't read Insatiable...I always find it better to have read the previous books.  Overbite was fun and very fast-paced.  I finished it in a day, as well.  But I was hoping for a longer story...I think I was spoiled by Cabot's lengthy series introduction.

Cabot puts her own spin on the supernatural laws, beings, and lore while keeping "common knowledge" in mind.  And I especially appreciate a different view of vampire's from the heroine of the story.  Sure, she can't help but falling in love with a vampire once upon a time. But she doesn't like it.  And she surely doesn't want to become a vampire herself.

I'm looking forward to the next installment in this series.

about the author (via Goodreads):  Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.

She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney.

Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.

Find more about Meg on her Website (fantastic source for FAQ's!), Facebook, and Twitter.

*I received a free copy of this book to review from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions stated in this post are 100% mine.
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