Review: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Publisher: Harcourt Publishing
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Heat Rating: 1

Blurb

The undead can really screw up your senior year . . .

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction.

LynnMarie’s Review

Though the cover of Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side is beautiful and eye catching, the title made me leery. I expected a shallow teen read, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

As an adult lover of young adult romance, I was eager to read this book. It was written in a first person POV, common for young adult reads. Our heroine, Jessica, was easy to fall in love with; funny, witty, and sometimes stubborn.

When Lucius comes into her life, as her parents’ border, she is quick to reject his advances. He insists they are destined for each other, and must be married as soon as possible. Apparently, she has vampiric bloodlines, which her adoptive parents confirm. She’s not ready for such commitments and revelations, only being in highschool. Though she’s very attracted to Lucius, she denies her growing feelings for him, and tries to ignore everything she’s learned.

When another love interest enters the picture, Jessica feels the pangs of jealousy. But it appears she may be a little too late, because Lucius seems to have moved on to better things when she finally accepts her feelings for him. This book appears a light hearted read, which it is, but it also has a lot of depth that pleasantly surprised me.

Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side was a page-turning young adult paranormal romance. I thoroughly enjoyed it. From the humorous and engaging narration, to the sweet romance, this book is a must read for YA lovers!

5 Tea Cups!