The Vampire Shrink

The Vampire Shrink had me from page one. A can't put down until read all the way through kind of book. Dr. Kismet Knight, Vampire Psychologist wanting to help all the vampire wannabes from their delusions. I was sucked into the story and I went along for the ride. It had me laughing to almost sobbing my heart out. A must read for all you vampire lovers.

I thought The Vampire Shrink was well-written and a fun book to read! I enjoyed it very much because it had just enough sex, just enough blood (for a book about vampires), and a splash of humor. The main character, Kismet, like most of us, cannot bring herself to believe there are actually vampires living amongst us. When she comes face to face with the handsome and charismatic Deveraux, she gladly discards her previous doubts and willingly believes in vampires! I liked the subplot with the FBI agent and the cast of characters created by Ms. Hilburn. Most of all, I enjoyed getting to know the character of Kismet and the peek we were given into her thought processes! I cannot wait for the sequel, Dark Harvest!

Despite initial misgivings, I really enjoyed this book. Although I like paranormal romance, I often find myself gagging at all the wrong times. Not so with this book. I felt a strong kinship with the Vampire Shrink, Dr. Kismet Knight. An unusual name, but it doesn't get in the way of the story. Told from Dr. Knight's point of view, the reader only knows what she knows -- which isn't much. As the title suggests, the book is about Dr. Knight's journey and not necessarily about vampires. Don't get me wrong, vampires are a very large part of that journey. However, I could just imagine how I would react if someone showed up in my office professing to be a vampire. I'd laugh, loudly, and then go in search of the hidden camera. From the initial revelations to the final showdown, the story makes a logical progression that felt true to the characters involved. I can't imagine it was easy for the author to maintain that integrity, but it pays off in a tightly written narrative. I won't go into all the story details since I think that other reviewers have done a nice job. I will say that Dr. Knight isn't a superhero, she's a woman who finds herself thrust into some interesting, and terrifying, situations and has to find out the truth for herself. Of course no woman is an island, and she has help from a super-sexy FBI agent, a surprising police detective, as well as compelling vampire coven leader, Devereaux. Along the way there's some sizzling sexual tension, interesting therapy sessions with actual vampires, and a very, very nasty villain. I enjoyed this book. It's romantic fantasy without going way out over the rainbow. I hope that there will be more to come. One reviewer unfavorably compared this book to those of J.R. Ward and Kresley Cole, but I don't think that's a fair comparison. Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series is a favorite of mine, and I also enjoy the Black Dagger Brotherhood. However, I would be more likely to compare The Vampire Shrink with Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld Series, especially Bitten (Women of the Otherworld, Book 1).

When Dr. Kismet Knight meets the vampire of her dreams, she has a hard time believeing she's not in a neverending nightmare. Kismet is a wonderful character, with the unique ability to have the open mind a practicing psychologist needs and yet the practical, "let's be real" attitude of a woman in the twenty-first century. She doesn't believe in boogey men or vampires or anything like them until she meets them in a series of escalating adventures that challenge our heroine to survive. The fact that an 800-year-old wealthy, powerful, stunner of a vampire has fallen hard for her goes far in convincing her that vampires, maybe, just might exist. Maybe. This is an involving, fun read, and I loved the author's sassy voice and her insights into psychotherapy, insights made more realistic by the author's own background in the field. Kismet provides a running internal commentary much as our own might be while counseling her patients. For example, she struggles between the objective desire to unjudgmentally advise a teenage wanna-be vampire patient about her blood-drinking practices and unsafe sex, and wondering if her license would be taken away if she locked her client in a closet until the girl grows out of this phase. Kismet is sympathetic and yet strong, tolerant and yet with definite lines she will not cross. She's a wonderfully complex character and more than a match for the two suitors--one vampire, the other an FBI agent--who want to call her their own. I'm not a huge fan of the vampire genre, but I'm glad I read this one. Whether one is or is not a fan of the genre, every reader will find something to like here. If you like hot triangle romances, chick-lit vampire, or psychological thrillers with some of the scariest bad guys imaginable, The Vampire Shrink is for you.

This is an enjoyable and new twist to the paranormal genre. Particularly I enjoyed how lots of the questions you anticipate asking, the author smartly gets there before you and solves your diliemma. Kinda like--why her, why now--and you're there! This seems like the start of a new series and will be an auto-buy for me if I see anymore by this author. Feel comfortable investing your $$ in this particular and unique new group of characters.