Format read: paperback
Genre: Paranormal Mystery Romance
Release Date: 31 July 2012
Length: 356
Publisher: Pocket Books
Formats available: audio book, paperback
Purchasing Info: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Book Depository US | Book Depository (UK)

Book Blurb:

Iris Scanlon, Half-Moon Hollow’s only daytime vampire concierge, knows more about the undead than she’d like. Running all their daylight errands—from letting in the plumber to picking up some chilled O neg—gives her a look at the not-so-glamorous side of vampire life. Her rules are strict; relationships with vamps are strictly business, not friendship—and certainly not anything else. But then she finds her newest client, Cal, poisoned on his kitchen floor, and only Iris can help.

Cal – who would be devastatingly sexy, if Iris allowed herself to think that way – offers Iris a hefty fee for hiding him at her place until he figures out who wants him permanently dead. Even though he’s imperious, unfriendly and doesn’t seem to understand the difference between “employee” and “servant,” Iris agrees, and finds herself breaking more and more of her own rules to help him – particularly those concerning nudity.

Turns out what her quiet little life needed was some intrigue & romance—in the form of her very own stray vampire.

My Thoughts:
I wanted to enjoy this book a lot more than what I did, but both the comedy and storyline had a used and tired feel to it.

Iris is a human who runs a concierge service for vampires, anything that they need done during the day she is available to do, but it was never supposed to be part of her job description to arrange witness protection for vampires in danger, and it was most certainly never to include letting a vampire into her house.

Iris was a funny leading character, although she was a little dumb, and her hair problems and candy addiction got old really quickly. Business wise she was quite an interesting character, but after Cal came on the scene her business obligations seemed to just conveniently fall by the wayside. Self-employed people can’t do things like that, especially when financially they are already struggling.

Cal was arrogant and had silver poisoning for the majority of The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires so although he had some very cool Greek ancient history to share, he didn’t make an entirely lasting mark on me.

When it came to another journey into Half Moon Hollow I was apprehensive. Jane Jamieson is my favourite series when it comes to humorous romantic mystery, Harper was my go to when I needed a laugh, and now I feel let down, like I should have just let sleeping dogs lie. Harper seemed to try and take the humour from the Nice Girls series and apply it to Iris, but it just didn’t work because there is already a Jane in the world.

Every joke felt like a set up in a bad sit-com, deliberately putting the characters in certain situations so they could make a specific joke or scripting conversations just to crack a few lame one-liners. The quirks of the characters were mentioned far too much and the same jokes were used too many times to be funny anymore.

The other thing that really irked me about this series was the inclusion of Gigi, Iris’s kid-sister. Harper says in her acknowledgements that she was really happy to be able to write about a positive sisterly relationship and then as soon as possible writes Gigi out of the action by continuously sending her off to stay with friends because living with a vampire was too dangerous. What was the point of even including what is supposed to be an important character if she’s never there, unless of course she’s available right at the end for the deus ex machina.

I feel let down by The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires, the humour was the same used in the Jane Jamieson series so the jokes were old and tired, the romance was predictable and the mystery was all but non-existent, Iris was just too dumb to see what was right in front of her face, I want to go back to the Half Moon Hollow series but I’m scared of another let down. Molly Harper was my go to author for a light, hilarious and occasionally hot read. I won’t write her off just yet but I will be very nervous about the next book in this series. I may try her Naked Werewolf series first which I have continuously heard good things about.

I give The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires 2 Stars

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

About Amanda

Amanda-Lee is a proudly addicted reader and writer from Sydney. She lives with her wonderful husband and their more like a baby than a kitten Hamish. Amanda-Lee has been blogging for 4 years now and is a lover of all genres, though she does have a tendancy to stray towards the weird and wonderful concotions in the paranormal and fantasy genres. In addition to being the Winged Lover on BLI she also runs the book blog StoryWings.

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