Why am I reading trashy vampire romance novels? Because it's totally the hottest trend in publishing right now. Duh.

But, man, I must have picked a bad one. This writing made me want to hold my nose. ( )

In the first book in the Castle of Dark Dreams series, Donna goes to Galveston, Texas to investigate an adult theme park for her radio talk show. She doesn’t expect to find anything supernatural-related, but then she meets Eric the Evil.
Eric is an 800-year-old vampire, and he and his two best friends, Brynn and Conall (a sensual sex demon and a cursed immortal warrior respectively), enjoy working as actors at the theme park to make their customers’ fantasies come true. They don’t enjoy, however, Donna nosing around since she could expose their paranormal secrets all over the airways. Donna and Eric instantly clash, but with a little help from Sparkle Stardust (a cosmic troublemaker) and Asima (a cat-shapeshifter), this unlikely couple doesn’t stand a chance.
Sparkle and Asima are my favorite characters. They bring a lot of bawdy humor to the story.
I liked the book but found the beginning confusing. The book’s blurb hinted at a sex theme park and the women who called into Donna’s talk show confirmed it, but nothing sexual actually happened between the actors and their customers. Once I knew what to expect, the book made more sense. I also found it strange that Eric and his friends rarely cursed. (They would say butthole instead of asshole, for example.)
The book is well edited, and the scenes with shifting POVs blended without much confusion. I look forward to finding out more about Brynn and Conall in the upcoming books.
3 Stars

Disclaimer – I won a print copy of this book in a contest and volunteered to review it. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape, or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion.
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We have the hottie vampire, a talk show host looking for something weird and wacky, Sparkle Stardust is around helping, and let the fun begin. ( )

amusing ( )

I enjoyed Nina Bangs' Wicked Nights. It's a contemporary vampire romance that is graphically erotic. It's fun, witty, irreverant, modern, and sometimes sweet. What it isn't is goth, dramatic, brooding. Wicked Nights doesn't take itself too seriously. I like the theme park/midnight radio premise; it's original. I reccommend reading it while eating candy. You'll look at chocolate covered cherries in a whole new way. ( )