In a beyond suspicion time, when M/M romance was still a budding genre mostly for the ebooks market, Hal Bodner wrote Bite Club, and it’s surprising how much it sticks with what we now believe being the common rules of a M/M paranormal vampire romance. Probably the only exception is the character of Becky, the girl best friend of vampire Chris, who should be a main character of her own, so nice she is.

Becky is a coroner in Los Angeles, a little overweight, a little hopelessly in love with her best gay friend Chris, Becky is a strong heroine, very clever and with a big heart. Even if she is obviously in love with Chris, she is not in a sour mood since she cannot achieve her dreams; she is genuine, so much that Troy, Chris’s long-time companion, doesn’t exactly like her, but at least is able to accept that she is part of Chris’s life.

Chris is an ancient vampire, 240 years old, and Troy is Chris’s lover since the 1950s. Chris and Becky met in the ’80, when Becky was in med school and Chris was in one of his “experiments”. Since the first moment Chris made it clear to Becky that he was gay and in love with Troy, so he has never once given a chance to Becky, but still, she cannot avoid to fall in love for the handsome man.

As I said, I like Becky, even if she has no chance to win Chris, Troy, Chris’s husband, is too much of an handful, and so cute, that no one in his good mind would leave him. Monkey, as Chris calls him, is “jumping” like the animal itself, always in motion, coquettish enough to make it clear he is gay, and proud to be, but not to the point of being a farce. Of course he is exaggerating his attitude, but I think it’s also a way to protect himself from the world, those few time Chris is not there to do that.

Chris is a little aloof, but he is obviously in love with his little monkey, and he would do everything to protect him; but he is also a good friend, and when Becky needs him, he doesn’t think twice to come to her help. Chris is probably too good to be true, but he is the friend and the lover everyone would like.

I decided to concentrate on the romance point of the novel, probably since I was surprised to find them and to be so good. But I have to warn the readers, this is also a paranormal horror, and the horror elements are quite bloody (no pun intended).

Amazon: Bite Club: A West Hollywood Vampire Novel (West Hollywood Vampire Novels)
Amazon Kindle: Bite Club: A West Hollywood Vampire Novel (West Hollywood Vampire Novels)
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Alyson Books (June 1, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1555839037
ISBN-13: 978-1555839031

Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle