Review: The Vampire Shrink (Kismet Knight, Ph.D., Vampire Psychologist #1) by Lynda Hilburn

TLDR Recap:

Dr. Kismet Knight, a psychologist based out of Denver, does not believe in vampires. That all changes after a fateful session with a vamp wannabe new client that claims to hang out with them and Kismet is opened to a side of Denver she thought impossible to exist. After a string of dead exsanguinated teens comes to light, Kismet finds herself not only in a love triangle with head of the local vamp coven, Deveraux, and FBI investigator Special Agent Alan, but the new fixation of a dark, demented vampire that is the embodiment of pure evil. The Vampire Shrink is a GraveTells Must-Read!

• Title: The Vampire Shrink
• Series: Kismet Knight, Ph.D., Vampire Psychologist #1
• Author: Lynda Hilburn
• Prominent Characters: Kismet, Deveraux, Alan
• Recommended Reader Age: 18+
• Genre: Dark Paranormal Action Fantasy
• Sexual Content Level: moderate

*** This review is SPOILER-FREE! Read on with confidence! ***

Thoughts:

Kismet is not your average psychologist. Since childhood, she’s been plagued with a hit-or-miss ability to read minds that caused her to bury her nose in books and become introverted. She’s smart, professional, and very level-headed…until Deveraux walks through her office door.

Head of the local vampire coven, Deveraux is extremely powerful, devastatingly handsome, and has a surprisingly strong moral character for a vampire. Wanting to convince Kismet of his supernatural status for reasons of his own, Deveraux’s meeting with Kismet only causes her to behave like a stuttering love-struck teenager and increases her disbelief of the supernatural to grow.

Kismet is fast becoming a believer, however, when a trip to the E.R. leads to her introduction with an extremely good looking FBI agent, Alan, who’s been investigating a long trail of dead exsanguinated teenagers across the country. With Alan and Deveraux, Kismet is plunged into this new world of horror and para-normality and likewise steam rolled with her feelings for both men. However, her relationships take the backburner as Kismet fights to stay alive when she becomes the target of a great evil that has descended upon Denver and locked her into its crosshairs.

This novel is fast-paced from the beginning and has quickly become one of my favorite vampire reads. It’s jam-packed with action, horror, and romance, as well as characters that are endearing and sure to win over the toughest critic.

Memorable Quotes:

A childhood best left in the past, but a liability in the present…

My entire body tensed up. I hadn’t been exaggerating when I told Nancy that being in the presence of a great-looking male – in a non-work situation – brought out the worst in me. She knew some of the facts about my childhood, but not all of them. I was a classic example of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. My shyness had been a beacon, attracting every predator in the environment, including the popular handsome boys who’d taunted me. Even now, part of me wanted to regress into a stammering adolescent, waiting for the next cruel prank or hateful humiliation.

The draw of a master vampire…

There was something magical about the sound of his voice, and his words held me like aural arms. I found myself completely relaxed and at peace in a way I’d never experienced before.

Sad, but true…

“Humans have the most remarkable ability to ignore what they do not wish to see. The stronger the mind, the harder it is to accept what is hiding in the shadows.”

If you liked The Vampire Shrink…

If you enjoyed The Vampire Shrink and are looking for more supernatural, action-packed romances take a look at Charlaine Harris’ Dead Until Dark, the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire series, a funny, supernatural, and romance-laden romp through Louisiana, or continue with Kismet’s engaging story with Blood Therapy (Kismet Knight #2), due to be released Fall 2012.

Final Thoughts:

The Vampire Shrink is a vivid, modern, and imaginative new take on the everyday vamp novel that will renew your interest in the genre. Hilburn’s writing flows of the page like silk and leaves you breathless with laughter and anticipation. In other words, The Vampire Shrink is a must-read!

Rating: The Vampire Shrink