Bite Me by PJ Schnyder

Grade: B+

Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Paranormal (shifter, zombie), Novella
Series: London Undead #1

Reviewed by Anne

90 pages

Zombies have invaded the world, but seem especially drawn to London.  Werewolves have always existed in secret, and they are immune to the zombie virus.  The zombie outbreak presented them with an opportunity to come out to the world.  Seth is Alpha of a werewolf pack in London.  He and his pack are working to protect the humans, even though many humans are still pretty scared of werewolves.  Maisie is a young woman who was orphaned and maimed in a zombie attack.  She's on her own now, and despite needing crutches to walk for any distance, she is a fierce hunter and defender of those she cares about.  One night she comes across some tourists under zombie attack.  Yes, in this London there are still tourists.  Now they come to see or hunt the zombies!  Just as Maisie's assistance is looking to be not quite enough, Seth comes to their aid.  He's fascinated by this small but feisty human.  She admires his strength and skill and remarkably isn't afraid of his bad werewolf self.  

 

I really liked this story! The author accomplished a lot in a novella format, leaving me with both a satisfying story and some unanswered questions about the world she built. Maisie and Seth were fun characters, though a little simple, probably due to the novella format. The post-zombie attack London - complete with the Zombie Hunter tourist crowd was well done! There were interesting questions about the zombies. What had started them? What might stop them? Why were they so drawn to London?  There's plenty to work with in future installments.

I loved that Maisie is really tough, even though she's a human. Seth, as alpha of his pack was a pretty stereotypical alpha with the heart of gold. I'm pretty fond of that stereotype, though, so it wasn't a problem for me.

I did have one issue with the story, though. I thought the ending was too much, too abrupt, and too soon.  It was both that I wanted more time with Seth and Maisie and that the final sex scene seemed poorly timed. Maybe a few days later would have been more believable.

It says a lot of good about the book that my complaint has to do with the sex in it. Generally I complain because a book has too little sex. In this case I was so engrossed in the story, the sex pulled me out (ha!) of it. So it's a good thing.

I recommend this book for readers who enjoy a good shifter story and those who enjoy a strong female lead. I really enjoyed it and will be looking for the next one!

I will say I'm not a huge fan of the cover.  I'm fine with a romance that has zombies in it. Not so much zombies on the cover. Or maybe that's supposed to be Maisie?  It's definitely not my favorite cover.  What do you think?