ARC Review: Bite Me by PJ Schnyder

Title: Bite Me (London Undead, #1)
Author: PJ Schnyder
Source: Netgalley
Genre: Paranormal Romance (zombies, shifters)
Length: Novella (89pgs)
Release: Jun 24, 2013
Available at Amazon| B&N | Carina Press
Reviewer: CaroleDee

Few people walk the streets of London since the zombie outbreak, but that's not an issue for Seth. As

a werewolf, he can handle himself and save humans reckless enough to take a nighttime stroll. While on patrol he comes across a group of people under attack. The one woman brave enough to take a stand against the zombies catches his eye—and not just because of her way with a gun. Learning the beautiful woman is homeless and fends for herself only intensifies his urge to protect and care for her.

Maisie can't help but admit that she's attracted to her werewolf rescuer. She's drawn to Seth's strength and ferocity, and finds herself opening up to him in ways she never imagined, even though she's determined to not rely on Seth or anyone else. She doesn't want another person to get hurt—or die—for her sake. She has enough scars, physical and emotional, from the last time…

But when Seth realizes something is drawing the zombies to Maisie, there may be nothing he can do to save her…

Loved it! And I want more!

A mysterious zombie plague is ravishing London. It hasn't hit apocalyptic levels yet, but those stuck in the city because of quarantines/roadblocks know the zombies are roaming the streets and that they are hungry.

Maisie is a badass with something to prove. After terrible events make her toughen up she isn't afraid to take out as many of the flesh eaters as possible. Unfortunately, the zombies are evolving and Maisie finds herself in a situation where she needs a little help.

After the outbreak Seth, the pack leader of London, comes out to the humans to offer assistance in eradicating the threat. When he helps Maisie out of a bind he knows she's special. But in the midst of a zombie invasion how does he get the headstrong female to accept his attention?

Maisie is fantastic. She's a tough chick out of necessity, but is still very human. Her blossoming relationship with Seth was great to read. Their progress didn't seem rushed at all. In a lot of novellas the balance between heat and plot can be very lopsided. I was very impressed with Schnyder's ability to have a great plot AND fantastic romance in such a short read.

My only complaint is I want more and I want it now! I would love to see a full length novel with Maisie, Seth and the rest of the characters from Bite Me. If I send the author some cookies do you think she'd oblige? lol

Seriously, though, this is a fantastic read! I would recommend it to anyone that loves PNR or UF. I'll be patiently awaiting (okay maybe not patiently) book two in the London Undead series. (Which, according to the Schnyder's website is anticipated to be released in Nov 2013) 

About the Author
Born and raised in the North East, PJ Schnyder spent her childhood pretending to study for the SATs by reading every fantasy and sci-fi novel she could borrow from the local and school libraries. She scored fairly high in the verbal portion.

She was introduced to the wonderful world of romance a decade later by her best friend at an anime convention in Seattle.

She now lives somewhere temperate watching the seasons go by with her two dogs and super stealthy ninja kitty, writing her stories.

PJ would love to hear from you. Whether it’s questions or comments regarding her stories or this website, please feel free to email her.

Connect with PJ:
Website | Facebook | Amazon Author Page| Twitter | Goodreads | tumblr

Author Interview with PJ Schnyder

After devouring and loving PJ Schnyder's new zombie and Werewolf filled PNR/UF novella Bite Me I had to ask a few questions!

Ms. Schnyder was nice enough to take time out of her crazy pre-release schedule and satisfy my curiosity (Bite Me releases tomorrow!)

In Bite Me Vampires and Fae are spoken of but never appear. Do you expect to have some vamp or fae characters in future installments of the Love Undead series?

Yes. The heroine of Sing for the Dead, book 2 of the London Undead series is a fae. Based on the title and the fact that she's fae, some might be able to guess what kind. ;)

Vampires aren't featured as main characters in any of the books, but there's a possibility they may be mentioned more in book 3, Survive to Dawn.


Will all books in the series revolve around Maisie and Seth. I have to admit that I want more of them

Each book features a new hero and heroine and even introduces some new supporting characters. No worries, though, because Maisie and Seth do pop into Sing for the Dead and Survive to Dawn for a bit.


Seth speaks about being old. What is the life-span of the London Undead weres?

The London Undead Weres can live for centuries upon centuries. They do not die of old age, due to their ability to heal, but even before the zombie apocalypse the world was a dangerous place. War, hunting by superstitious humans, and insanity are all limiting factors to the life span of a Were.

With the world watching London during the beginnings of the zombie apocalypse, Seth has a lot on his hands proving the Weres are helpful as opposed to being considered another danger in the eyes of human military and government.


You're from the US, but seem to have a pretty decent grasp on British mannerisms, food, and speech. Have you spent time in the UK?

I've had the good fortune to visit London, Portsmouth, and Basingstoke on several occasions for the day job. There was one year my passport indicated 11 business trips to the UK in as many months. O.o

Colleagues in the UK were lovely and I enjoy trying good food in any country. London is a great place to explore international cuisine, but I personally enjoyed many of the traditional British dishes as well.
:)

I also enjoy several BBC programmes like Being Human, Torchwood, and Doctor Who. Having those playing in the background while I'm writing sometimes helps me maintain the voice of my characters in my stories.


What are your favorite zombie themed books/movies/tv shows?

I enjoyed Resident Evil and Resident Evil: After Life. For action movies, they were entertaining with strong female leads. More recently, I watched Warm Bodies and loved it!
Lia Habel's Dearly, Departed is one of my favorite zombie novels and Gimme Shelter is my favorite anthology of the zombie apocalypse. Edited by J.R. Blackwell, Gimme Shelter is the sister anthology to the award-winning live action role playing game Shelter in Place and features many short fiction pieces by awesome authors like Tee Morris, Philippa Ballantine, Chuck Wendig, Mur Lafferty, Jared Axelrod, and many more (even me). It was an honor to be included in an anthology with so many talented authors.

Believe it or not, I don't watch the Walking Dead. I've caught a couple of episodes but my day job has me traveling so often I can't ever seem to catch tv shows unless I'm watching them on NetFlix. I mentioned several of my favorite BBC programmes earlier though.


Any tips for surviving the zombie apocalypse?

Have good cardio. Running is always a good idea. :P

Playing games like Shelter in Place give you good ideas in preparation for a zombie apocalypse too. Consider them training scenarios. ;)

 

 A big THANK YOU to PJ for answering my questions. 

Be sure to check out her Youtube channel where she'll be answering more questions about her upcoming London Undead series!

 

Connect with PJ:
Website | Facebook | Amazon Author Page| Twitter | Goodreads | tumblr| Youtube