Night's Immortal Kiss
Review by The Mad Bibliographer, submitted on 26-Feb-1995

Adapted from "Vampires in Print," _The Vampire's Crypt_ No. 11 (Spring 1995, slated for March 1995 publication)

Review by Cathy Krusberg

Cheryln Jac. _Night's Immortal Kiss_. Pinnacle, 1994; $4.50/$5.50; ISBN 0-7860-0035-X. Vampire romance. Yes, author's first name is spelled "Cheryln."

Rachel Domecq travels to Sans Souci Plantation, ostensibly as Director of the Louisiana Antebellum Preservation Society, to encourage the reclusive Beaumondier family not to let their elegant antebellum home rot to the ground. In fact, she is seeking her brother Steven, drawn to Sans Souci by the telepathic bond they share. The four Beaumondier women are a strange lot: normally they discourage visitors, but not only do they urge Rachel to stay, they send to her hotel for her things!

The Beaumondiers are in fact a family of vampires with serious family problems. The females are all past child-bearing age for their species: their one hope for perpetuation of the family lies with Alexandre, whose specialty is angst-ridden self-pity. They consider Rachel a virtual godsend, except for one small problem: Alexandre, pardon the pun, won't bite, although his child-fathering years will soon be past. What to do, what to do?

Despite numerous cliches and just plain un-clever premises, I enjoyed this book. Okay, the deus ex machina ending bothered me a little, and police officer Mike Dellos's going undetected for days while hanging about the outskirts of Sans Souci stretched my suspension of disbelief hair-thin. Come to think of it, so did the way the Beaumondiers kept Rachel hanging about. Come to think of it ... I guess this book qualifies as a guilty pleasure. I can pick at a lot of things that are hopelessly worn-out cliches, that are too facile, too unbelievable, too oh-give-me-a-break -- and I *still* enjoyed reading the book. Yes, really. Maybe I'm acquiring a taste for mind candy.