Waltz with a Vampire

As an obsessive reader of both the regency and paranormal genres, with a particular fondness for WIT, this is one of my all time favorites. The only thing I don't like about the book is the cover - a style which I normally like very much, but I think it does a grave disservice to the contents, implying a level of fun (correctly) and modernity (UNtrue) and in no way indicates that it's an exceptionally well done PERIOD piece. Usually I'm not wild about dialect, but Maggie MacKeever has a deft and amusing touch with it that I really appreciate. And I can only imagine how much fun she had either creating and/or researching the 'Romanian proverbs' at the beginning of each chapter. Isidore is a HOOT!! Her characters have a wonderful, down to earth realism to them which is refreshing in a shared genre book where such is often not the case in either genre. And I enjoyed every single one of the supporting characters and the dialogue. In fact, her facility and gently satirical touch reminds me of Jane Austen - a similarity I have rarely perceived in modern writers. And MacKeever can WRITE! I cannot recommend this piece of charm, fluff and quality strongly enough. And I sincerely hope that she will write in this genre again. Waiting for the next book impatiently - - a real fan

I like the fast disappearing Regency genre and I suppose inserting a "vampire" theme is a way to draw in an audience wishing for more spice in their books. Whether it succeeds remains to be seen. I liked this book - the characters in it were very different. The lead woman, Emily, was a contrast to the norm. Left in charge of a strange society after the death (murder?) of her father, she enlists the help of a vampire to retrieve items stolen from this same society. Val (Ravensclaw aka Count Revey-Czobar) - after some time, fully admits to being "other-worldly". We are not inundated with a lot of information about the vampire life or Emily's society. I can't yet decide if I liked that or not. It seemed so much of the story missing, yet I get tired of books that have to spend a lot of time explaining their world. After all, a Regency novel has a limited number of pages to get the story done. I enjoyed the secondary characters which are introduced. Emily's conflicted feelings about her ex-fiancé are an added benefit. Emily's overt desire of Val does add the needed spice. The seduction scenes - all thwarted for the most part - are well done. The story of retrieving the missing items is lost in all the other events but the story does come to a fairly predictable ending. Yet there is a little indecisiveness to the happily-ever-after. I am looking forward to other books like this by this author as I have already read some of her more traditional Regencies.

This book -- like most of MacKeever's -- is a very engaging and amusing read. Unlike the previous reviewer, I really enjoyed the details that gave me a strong sense of being in Edinburgh. As for Emily and Val, I thought they were great together, and was sorry for their story to end. I especially liked the Romanian proverbs that headed each chapter, and several of them made me laugh out loud. And then there was the ghost-- People unfamiliar with traditional Regencies might not understand the conventions, or that only so much 'sizzle' is allowed. (Emily and Val definitely pushed the envelope.) For those of us familiar with the genre, Maggie MacKeever has long a favorite. For her to add vampires to her repertoire is a real treat, and I hope she does many more 'paranormal' stories. I'd rate this a 'must read'.