Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber was published in 2003 and it’s the first book in her Vampire Kisses Series. Raven lives in Dullsville or your average town where nothing interesting happens until the haunted Mansion has new inhabitants. Alexander Sterling moves into the mansion begins seeing Raven who is convinced he is a vampire and so is the town. Now, it’s time to prove it.
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It has been awhile since I have actually read it. I remember reading it when it first came out and I was in love with it because it was about a goth girl and a vampire. I was goth and I wanted vampires to be real so I could related to Raven. Luckily, Trevor never existed for me. Looking back on it, I still like it, not as much as before but still.
What I really like about it was the fact Alexander and Raven had dates to get to know each other even though she was already obsessed with him. It gives reasons for her obsession with him, not just because he might be a vampire but she begins to like him for his personality. Although, she was really obsessed with the idea of him being a vampire. The checking of mirror, the garlic, and her reflection before confirming that he was indeed a vampire, I thought it was funny and shallow of her. Don’t get me wrong. I thought it was shallow because Raven is supposed to be different from the rest of the town yet there she is going along with the mentality of the town. But I like that after the Snow Ball, she realized that. I think it shows growth in her character. However, I do wonder if she would have ever admitted to herself if it had never become a necessity? I’m not sure she would have. I also like the fact that she discover he was a vampire on her own. So many stories just have the vampires admitting they are “vampires,” it was refreshing to see an accidental discover. Not sure, I like the breaking and entering part but that is mostly because I’m a law-abiding citizen and I believe relationships should be based on trust. It just seems that she broke it before they started going out and I’m not really fond of that. On another note, I like the cliffhanger; Alexander leaving, makes me ask “why” and ready for the second book.
Books For The Insomniac 
How would you compare these to Twilight? I’ve been curious, but Twilight has scared me away me from YA vampire romance genre.
Also, thank you for your comment on Doubleshot Reviews. Yes, my rating system is unique…I wanted to be a bit different. My only concern with it is readers not realizing that a “double” is like a 3 on a 1-5 scale. I have the scale listed and explained on the left of the page. Do you feel it is clear or that reader will notice this or should I change something?
This series predates Twilight so it’s actually not bad. Raven is Bella but she is a stronger and a friendlier version of her. Alexander is Edward but he doesn’t come off as a stalker (it’s the other way around) and doesn’t try to isolate her from the world. They still have the emotional roller coaster of dating but Raven tends to bounce back on her own rather than waiting on other people. Plus, the books are less than or about 1/4 the length of a Twilight book. I would say that this is a good series to re-enter into the YA vampire romance.
About your rating system. It’s unique. I noticed your scale after I read the review. I didn’t show what you meant by “double” so I thought maybe you had a page/link explaining it. It was then that I noticed the rating scale on the left. I think people will notice the scale is there after they read the review. It takes a little time to get used to it but people should get it. If not, you can add little coffee cups to the saying. “Double'” and underneath it have three cups. I’m still working on my rating system but I have fleur de lis with small sayings.