Beth Fantaskey, author of Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Darkside, is giving away prize packs containing her book. Here are the details, taken directly from her blog:

In celebration of summer - and Jessica’s Guide’s selection as one of Good Morning America’s “Hot Summer Reads” - I’m launching a new giveaway with two top prizes.

Once again, I was going to have you actually DO something to win - and once again, I changed my mind, thinking, “Summer is supposed to be LAZY.  We should all just be reading by the pool!”

So to enter, just add a comment below or e-mail me at bethfantaskey@yahoo.com.  If you enter using a comment, please leave me some way to contact you if you win!

Two people will win:

* A signed book

* One of a limited number of new T-shirts with the Jessica’s Guide cover art featured on the front.  (Only 20 shirts in existence!)

* A few random sample pages from my next book, Jekel Loves Hyde.

* A surprise, as yet to be determined… but I promise it will be fun!

The contest is open to international residents.  Deadline is Midnight, EST, July 22.  I’ll draw two names the next day.

ALSO - Lots of readers are asking if I can come to their towns to sign books.  I’d appreciate it if you’d let me know where you’re from, when you enter, so I can start figuring out where interest is greatest.   THANK YOU!!!!

Click here to link to Beth’s blog.

Lucius opened his mouth slightly, and I felt the faintest touch of his fangs touching my skin just above the spot where my blood pulsed strongest.

His fangs…

I didn’t care it if was irrational. I didn’t care if it was impossible. I just wanted to feel them. I needed them, like I’ve never needed anything in my whole life. In my mouth, my own teeth began to ache. That delicious, delirious agony of something struggling so hard to be born.

When Lucius rocks into town, declaring that he’s a vampire and Jessica is his betrothed (and also a vampire), Jessica tells the big tall Romanian guy to take a hike. I mean, come on, vampires? Insert big, loud snorting noise here. Jessica isn’t buying it, not even when her parents encourage her to listen to Lucius’s story, especially the part about the whole betrothed stuff.

But vampires aren’t real. Right? Right. So that means that her parents must have gone crazy, and the guy with the hypnotizing stare and ancient disposition must be some kind of crack pot. And Jess can’t be a vamp. She’s lived in her body her whole life. She’d know about something like that, right? But then Jess’s parents invite him to stay with them for as long as he needs, and Jessica thinks that maybe her parents have gone a little mad too.

Lucius enrols at her school and wins everyone over. Well, everyone with ovaries, anyway. He follows Jess everywhere, holds the door open for her, buys her lunch, defends her honor – gah! It’s just so frustrating and Jess wonders why he just can’t leave her alone?

If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering what the hell Jessica’s problem is. If a really hot, European guy ambled into town and told me that he wanted me to be his princess, my reaction would be the exact opposite of Jess’s. But Jess has her reasons, or reason, rather, and his name is Jake.

Jake isn’t anything like Lucius. He’s American, for one. He doesn’t have any of that European allure that Lucius has, but he’s nice. And he likes Jess. Enter love triangle here.

In terms of character, I found Jess annoying. I found being inside her head incredibly frustrating and I almost wished – no, I definitely wished – that this story had been told through Lucius’s perspective. I hated her naivety. Sure, if someone told me that they were a vampire I wouldn’t believe them either. But when the proof is presented in front of you and you just keep denying and denying and denying on the surface when deep down you really believe, well, that just gets annoying. And I really hated that Jess decided she wanted Lucius when she realized he no longer wanted her. Even though I hated all these things about her, I was compelled to keep reading.

I did, however, love Lucius. Not at first – I needed some convincing – but after a hundred pages or so, I was sold. I loved his rebellious streak; I loved his old manner. I loved how he chose the one girl he knew Jessica would hate him to fraternize with.

The cover is beautiful, although the guy who is obviously supposed to be Lucius reminds me a little of the Count from Sesame Street. What do you think?

I’m pretty sure fans of teen vampire books will want to give this one a go. Make sure you tell us what you think!

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