11. Tantalize (Book 1)

By Cynthia Leitich Smith (336 pp, ebook)

I have been wanting to check this author out and grabbed this from the library. I think it's considered YA and it's a paranormal romance. The main character Quincie has lost her parents but inherited their restaurant and her family is trying to re-launch it as a vampire themed place -- which I love this set up. Her best friend is a hybrid werewolf and still learning the ropes of this. The problems of running a restaurant go side by side with murder and supernatural creatures at odds. Again, I'm not the best audience for YA -- at times I really enjoyed the book but I had trouble following the rules of the world-building and it was darker than I expected.