Single White Vampire    by Lynsay Sands Order:  USA  Can Love Spell, 2003 (2003) Paperback     Reviewed by Martina Bexte Lucern Argeneau's doting mother describes her six hundred-year-old son 'as surly and grouchy as a bear with a burr up his butt'. And why wouldn't he be, she contends, when all he's done for decades is spend time alone in his rambling mansion writing books. That all changes when his new editor, Kate C. Leever comes calling at his Toronto home demanding to know why Roundhouse Publishing's star romance author has been ignoring his growing legion of fans and more importantly, why he's ignored her many letters over the past six months. Lucern could care less about his books being runaway bestsellers and tells Kate so in no uncertain terms. Nor is he concerned about his 'loyal fans' whose unopened letters remain piled high in his foyer. He considers himself his family's 'biographer' and if the publishing industry has chosen to mis-represent his work as romantic fiction, that's their problem, not his. What does become a huge problem for Luc is denying his instant and raging attraction for Kate. One look at her slim, smooth neck and innocent demeanor and the woman has him thinking things he hasn't thought about in centuries. Logic tells him to send his persistent editor packing. But Luc's emotions, his matchmaking mother and his various 'happily married' siblings insist that Kate is just the thing to snap their grumpy brother out of his decades-long funk. Luc finds himself outnumbered and out of excuses to avoid Kate, his fans and the glow of the limelight. Before he knows it they're off to attend a Romantic Times Convention. How does a vampire (who shuns daylight and drinks blood) fare amidst the crush of crazed fans hungering to meet him? Well, you'll have to accompany Kate and Luc on their romantic adventure to see what happens next! Lynsay Sands' Single White Vampire is a breezy confection that puts a fresh and modern twist on the 'gothic vampire' tale, not to mention that it pokes good natured fun at the romance industry. Sands injects lots of laughs although some of the situations border on corny. Luckily she doesn't take herself or her story too seriously, so those moments of eye-rolling silliness can be forgiven. The Argeneau clan is large and far flung; let's hope Ms. Sands writes an encore very soon -- preferably in time for Halloween 2004. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Romance books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews