Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Here is my review for Jessica's Guide to Dating the Dark Side.

It’s one thing to find out you’re a vampire princess. It’s a whole other thing to actually rule. Newly married Jessica Packwood is having a hard enough time feeling regal with her husband, Lucius, at her side. But when evidence in the murder of a powerful elder points to Lucius, sending him into solitary confinement, Jessica is suddenly on her own. Determined to clear her husband’s name, Jessica launches into a full-scale investigation, but hallucinations and nightmares of betrayal keep getting in her way. Jessica knows that with no blood to drink, Lucius’s time is running out. Can she figure out who the real killer is—and whom she can trust—before it’s too late?

I am going to start with the cover. I like these covers because they leave the guy a mystery. I have the description in the book about how Lucius looks and my brain takes that information, processes it, and then I create those features. Once a male character is given a face, and lets say I am not crazy attracted to him, the character in the book loses a little appeal, and sometimes a lot of appeal. I like Lucius and am super happy he is perfectly stored in my brain. Anyone else feel this way? 

On to the pages! While Jessica has been a pretty strong character with great attributes, she finds herself in a vampire kingdom. I think this is one of the few times I will actually accept my leading character being a bit weak. Don't get my wrong, she by no means is helpless in this book. She has a lot of enemies going on this book trying to prevent her from getting the "vote" and keep Lucius away from her. 

Ranerio I thought was a fantastic addition to this story. He brought in humor, loyalty, and a strong sense of danger. I mean he basically is - no wait, I won't spoil it. But suffice to say he is pretty bad ass. While my dear Lucius is caged, Ranerio steps in offering Jessica guidance, training to stake some vampires and protection. 

Mindy's appearance, while a good addition to the story. She was valuable to have brought back in, but would the vampire community let this outspoken American teenager run around the castle? I feel like their rules were really strict and then in walked Mindy. 

I did figure it out, the bad guy, what was happening to Jessica really quickly. I finished the book really quickly but I wasn't dying to know what happened next because I thought I figured it out. This takes away from the intensity of my love for the book, but in the end, it was solid and I liked it!