Review & Contest: AFTER MIDNIGHT by Lynn Viehl

Ready for some YA this Sunday? I’m giving away a copy of the new book by Lynn Viehl, After Midnight. Think mysterious boys riding horses at midnight, romance, ancient rivalries.

THE OFFICIAL BLURB: Sophomore Catlyn Youngblood is used to the nomadic existence she and her two older brothers have shared since the death of their parents. When they settle down for good in the sleepy backwoods town of Lost Lake, Florida, Cat thinks they might finally fit in. Instead, they're shunned by the locals. While riding her horse late one night, Cat meets an enigmatic and handsome boy named Jesse Raven. Even more strange than her overpowering attraction to him is Jesse's apparent aversion to the sun. As their attraction intensifies, long-kept secrets come to light. Cat learns that the Ravens are a centuries-old vampire clan . . . and worse still, that she and her brothers are descendents of Abraham Van Helsing, the world-famous vampire hunter. Mortal enemies by blood, the two families do all they can to keep them apart. But Cat and Jesse will risk everything to be together—including death.

MY THOUGHTS: One of the official blurbs for this first in a new series by veteran author Lynn Viehl called it a cross between Twilight and Romeo and Juliet, and that’s pretty spot-on, I think. I was having serious Twilight flashbacks in the very beginning, what with the loner girl heading to her new school, complete with disastrous lunchroom scene. Ho-hum.

            But then the plot begins a slow twist into something deeper and more interesting than girl-loves-vampire. Cat is the descendant of an infamous vampire hunter, for one thing, with her own interesting family history she’s trying to unravel even as she falls for mysterious Jesse Raven, a pale, black-haired boy who (like Cat) loves to ride his horse after midnight.

            Ultimately, the Twilight comparison isn't fair. Viehl takes readers deeper into the question of identity and belonging, family loyalty and the power of love. Oh yeah, that’s the Romeo and Juliet thing.

            After Midnight is a good, quick read. Jesse won’t send hearts a’flutter like Edward, nor will he send other teeth a’grinding. And that’s a good thing. Cat’s a likeable, down-to-earth teen heroine with a couple of Very Interesting older brothers. Don’t know what’s coming up next in this series, but I hope it’s the story of Cat’s sexy older brother Gray, a mystery himself.

Want to win a copy of After Midnight? Tell me your favorite: Twilight, or Romeo and Juliet? I’ll go with the morbid R&J, I think. Yeah, so, everybody dies (not everyone can glitter!). You know the drill: +1 for comment, +1 for blog follow, +1 for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and +1 for Tweet or Retweet. Fly!