Avid Press (Paperback), ISBN 1-929613-53-9
What happens when you take a fiery southern beauty from her warm South Carolina soil and transplant her in the cool British Isles? How about a spot of blackmail, black magic and blood-sucking?

Dixie LePage, late of Charleston, S.C., arrives in London, expecting to spend a few months settling an unexpected inheritance and enjoying the fabulous English countryside. Two great-aunts she never knew existed left her their house, and Dixie plans to take the vacation she always dreamed of.

But from the moment she arrives at Heathrow everything seems to go wrong. No trains run due to a strike -- leaving every rental car in London already taken. Determined to see and claim her inheritance, Dixie intrepidly braves the British bus system to reach the village of Bringham.

Solicitor Sebastian Caughleigh raises Dixie's hackles from the moment they meet. Caughleigh seems determined to keep Dixie from living in her aunts' house. But Dixie, no shrinking violet, quite emphatically lets Caughleigh know that she will live in her aunt's house -- no matter how much he urges her to sell and return to America.

Despite her inauspicious introduction to England, Dixie finds herself charmed by the small village of Bringham and its eccentric inhabitants. One inhabitant in particular intrigues Dixie, a particularly nice piece of good-looking named Christopher Marlowe. The epitome of tall, dark and handsome, Christopher rejoices in the uncanny knack of rescuing Dixie not only from importunate suitors, but also unwanted solicitors -- and burglars. Unfortunately, it seems that someone wants Dixie out of her aunt's house, someone quite willing to commit murder if all else fails.

As the attempts to steal from her escalate to attempts on her life, Dixie learns more about Bringham and her aunt's activities than she wants to know. Yet one other secret stuns her far more than learning her elderly aunts practiced black magic and blackmail. The one man who makes Dixie weak with desire may also be a 400-year-old vampire.

Laurey's writing style bustles along, moving Dixie and Laurey's readers swiftly into the twists and turns of navigating in a strange land among people who almost speak the same language. Well-drawn characters held the story together, even when the plot got a bit thin.

I like my heroines smart and capable and Dixie didn’t disappoint. While Christopher filled in all the boxes for a sexy and mysterious hero, I was a bit disappointed that the author never explored Marlowe's innate talent for spinning words into beautiful poetry. Somehow it didn't feel right that Christopher Marlowe wouldn't compose a sonnet or song for the woman he loved. Still, the lack of poesy aside, Marlowe performed his role well, while the villain didn’t disappoint in his evilness. However, one character in particular, Dr. Justin Corvus, really got my attention. I’m hoping the author’s next book features Justin because I quite lost my heart to him.

For those readers addicted to vampires and the paranormal -- and even those who aren't -- Walk in Moonlight will certainly please. I look forward to Laurey's next book.

Teri Smith

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