love at first bite

Edie Brandstrup had a trying day and just wanted to go home and eat her burrito. She lived alone in her parents’ house. They died twenty years before, during the zombie invasion. They got her to safety, but they couldn’t save themselves. Edie stayed in the house because it reminded her of them, even though it was close to the zombie enclosure. However, after that invasion, there were layers of defenses between Edie and her neighbors and the zombies.

Not that there were many neighbors left. Although there is Chad, who lives next door. Edie is not a fan of Chad. She thinks he’s not too bright, so when she sees a zombie heading for him while he’s going inside his house, she attacks the zombie with the only weapon she had at hand, her burrito. But when he killed the zombie and yelled at her for trying to use a burrito as a weapon, calling her “human,” Edie thinks she may have underestimated Chad.

It turns out Chad wasn’t Chad at all. He is really Max, a vampire who has not only saved her a couple of times before but he also has a huge lair under his house where he can stay until the zombie outbreak is taken care of. But there is a problem. Well, a couple of problems. First, he has no food for humans, just a refrigerator stocked with blood. And second, there is no alarm going off.

When the zombies were contained in the enclosure, there were alarms set up so that the residents who lived close would be notified if there was ever a breach, so they could get to safety. But there are zombies roaming the neighborhood, and no alarm. Edie tries to call the hotline, but when she finally gets through, she doesn’t find anyone helpful and then the call is cut off. She feels like the only answer is to go out there and make their way to the enclosure, to find someone to sound the alarm and get some help.

Max refuses to let her go alone and makes plans for them to move through the area safely. But as they come up against challenge after challenge, they find themselves growing closer. The chemistry between them is sparking, and in between zombie battles, they find time to kiss and such. But will they be able to survive this second zombie invasion and find a way to be together, or will they lose their heads?

Zomromcom is a spicy rom com set in a world with zombies, vampires, witches, fae, and aliens. The romance is sweet and hot, and the fear of zombies is real. Author Olivia Dade is beloved for her romances, and while this is a bit of a departure, it does have her signature strong characters, witty dialogue, and solid love story. I thought this story was a lot of fun. I’m generally not a big fan of zombie stories (The Walking Dead traumatized me), but I enjoyed reading this book, and I thought Dade had a lot of fun with the supernatural elements. If you’re looking for a modern, funny, adult vampire romance story, then this may be just the story you’ve been waiting for.

Egalleys for Zomromcom were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.