Short but sweet (i.e., AWESOME) novella.

Summers sets the scene really well. Sydney Kildare, our heroine, is working as a courier in Alaska. Vampires exist and they're most active in parts of the world with limited daylight; they're powerful and wealthy but fry technology like cell phones and computers, so they need couriers to carry messages. These human couriers are paid a lot for their services, but they've got a dangerous job. Scheming vampires often try to intercept or steal messages, so most of Kildare's deliveries are high-speed chases. Attacks and outright murder are common.

But Sydney has a plan. Survive until she has enough money to retire in Hawaii and then retire young. She's extra-careful, always disguising her scent and appearance to throw off tails, and she has nothing to do with vampires outside of handing over their parcels.

Until she meets Malcolm Kelly, that is. Their first few meetings are really deliicious. Sexy and uncertain and a little suspicious. But as they get closer, the danger for Sydney builds.

I don't want to spoil any more, because it's a short book. I do think that Sydney and Malcolm jump from "fooling around" to "committed, ready for an HEA" way, way too fast. I wish there had been another, say, 60,000 words to connect the dots.

I would have loved this as a full-length novel. It would be a great urban fantasy/paranormal romance, with its adrenaline pumping mix of action and romance and intrigue. As it is, though, it's a fully developed world with fully developed characters but not a full developed story. The ending felt really rushed and I was left wanting more, not quite satisfied.

But I will be on the lookout for more books - fingers crossed for a novel! - by this author. ( )

Sydney is a courier for the vamps and I found her job to be fun and exciting. I could so picture people doing that and it was fun to learn how she had to change her appearance all the time and keep her real identity a secret. The opening scene was full of action as she raced to complete a run so that we got an instant taste of her job. Sydney takes her job seriously and kinda lives the part but she is still down to earth and easy to like. Because of her job she hasn't really had time for romance but Malcolm and her have instant attraction that shines through the pages. They didn't immediately jump each others bones or fall in love which was nice.The story is pretty short but its filled with action, was fast paced, and it felt complete.

I'm kinda hoping to see more of Sydney and Malcolm. The story ended well and I was satisfied with the ending but I think they would be super fun to follow on their next journey so I would definitely read more. ( )

From the first page I was hooked and read this book in two hours as I was unable to put it down.

I loved that this book was original and it is what attracted me to it in the first place. It gave a new outlook on vampires and I know this could not have been easy for the author as vampires have already been well described in may novels.

This book was fast paced and kept me on my toes throughout. I love that Sidney and Malcolm relationship did not just suddenly happen, it evolved throughout the story. I find that in most books I read in this genre relationships happen to quickly and I feel rushed into.

The only negative opinion I have of this book is that it was not long enough. I finished and found myself thinking is that it over? Not because I was disappointed by the story but because I was left wanting more.

Overall a very good quick read that I highly recommend and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

A copy of this book was received for free and all opinions are my own through reading it.

This review was first published on http://everybookhasasoul.wordpress.com ( )

I received an ecopy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I don't often read short stories because they usually don't have enough meat in them due to their short length to leave me feeling satisfied. I find that the story line doesn't have time to develop, and there's barely enough time to get to know the characters. I am very happy to say that this was not true in this case! Although it was definitely a quick read, it had a great plot and I felt there was real character development.

From Goodreads: "Sydney has survived to the ripe old age of twenty-six by being careful. She's careful when navigating her tempestuous clients, outrunning hijackers and avoiding anyone who might distract her from her plan of retiring young to a tropical, vampire-free island."

Sydney is counting down the days to her retirement, even though she is only 26 years old, because she will finally be able to move to Hawaii, a place that vampires tend to avoid like the plague due to all the sunshine there. She just has to keep her head down and go unnoticed for a couple more weeks and she will be home free. Unfortunately, fate has a different plan for her! She finds herself in the middle of a vamp takeover attempt where she'll be lucky to get out alive. Enter Malcolm Kelly, "a secretive charmer with the uncanny habit of showing up whenever she's in trouble."

This book is chock-full of action and romance, all tied up in a neat little novella package. It grabs your attention from the first page and doesn't let up until the end! It's also a very nice set up to what appears to be a great new series coming out, and I, for one, will be waiting impatiently for the first book to come out! Sydney and Malcolm are well fleshed out characters and very easy to like and root for.

In summary, this is a great quick read that I can definitely recommend to all paranormal romance lovers out there, and an awesome set up to a new series :D ( )

Don't Bite the Messenger is a fun novella with lots of energy and explosions. I wanted to read it because I thought Regan Summers' concept was great: vampires can't use technology so they have to rely on human runners to deliver messages, documents, etc. I also loved the idea of a book set in Alaska. It doesn't happen all that often (though I can think of a couple stories that do use this setting, like Kelley Armstrong's Frostbitten or Marcus Peligrimas' Blood Blade) and I love it when an author throws something a little out of the ordinary at his or her readers. It's especially cool this time because Regan Summers is actually in Alaska in real life,which makes me think her descriptions are probably the most accurate.

Of course, being a runner isn't exactly a safe job. Good runners are constantly switching things up, avoiding routine at all cost, so that they wont get caught by humans or vampires who are up to no good. I loved how Sydney, the main character, constantly changed her appearance -- and even tried to mask her scent -- in addition to her routine and habits. Smart, resourceful protagonists make things a lot more interesting. Smart, resourceful protagonists with a secret? Even better.

I also like how the author introduces Malcolm into the story. He's an interesting character and I was very curious about him. We don't get all that much information about him, especially not at first, and I enjoyed watching Sydney try to figure him out.

I'm excited to see what Regan Summers does next.

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