I'm a big lover of irony. So of course I enjoyed URBAN LEGEND which is about Tessa Van Doren, a female vampire. What's ironic about it is she's a Buddhist, and one of the tenets of that religion is not to hurt anyone.

Tessa brought down drug dealers, especially ones who brought their trade into her nightclub, Night Flight. She used her vampire skills and her martial arts training to fight the war on drugs. She found out from a hacker friend that a new drug was going to flood the market. In trying to track down its source, she crossed paths with Detective Tony Flynn. He carried around lots of baggage from his failed marriage, but Tessa still found him attractive. When Tessa found out the drug was being manufactured by the vampire that turned her-the husband she escaped from years ago-the fight became even more personal.

Besides being a romance, URBAN LEGEND is about the value of friends and how they can rally behind you when you need them most. Tessa Van Doren is a strong heroine and knows how to take care of herself. What I liked most is that she never lost her soul despite being a vampire and despite what she'd lost over the years. I will read whatever Erica Orloff writes next for Bombshell.

Reviewed By: Chris Redding
(c) September 2004