Anna Winthrop has a precious package to deliver to Jane Jameson-Nightengale of the local World Council for the Equal Treatment of the Undead. Anna doesn't like flying, and especially not in the tiny plane that awaits her for her flight to Half-Moon Hollow, Kentucky, and there is only one passenger, besides the uncouth pilot Eddie. In spite of all her insecurities, what are the chances of the plane crashing, thinks Anna: one in nine million? Well, she was that statistic, albeit with the aid of Eddie, who was after her precious cargo, and tried to kill her before jumping out of the plane in a parachute. So Anna is left with the other passenger, who however gorgeous, never lifted a finger to help her until he jumped out of the plane, without a parachute, thank you very much, and dragged Anna along with him. And the mystery man, Finn Palmeroy, is a vampire. Stuck in the middle of nowhere with a probably hungry vampire, and at least one man who wants her dead: this was not part of the job description!

WHERE THE WILD THINGS BITE is one of the best books I have read this year! Even though, it is the fifth instalment in this series, WHERE THE WILD THINGS BITE works perfectly as a standalone, and while Ms. Harper's worldbuilding is astonishing, she is able to relay the gist of it in a few concise sentences; she even adds to more elements about shifters, which were mindblowing. Anna is the ultimate city girl trying to survive a forced camping trip: she is a germophobe, prone to panic attacks, and so insecure she doesn't even realise that she is brave and resourceful, or even attractive. Finn is GQ gorgeous, a smooth talker, and cannot get to first base with Anna, who doesn't bite, pardon the pun.

As expected from the brilliant Molly Harper, the dialogues are witty, the writing is vibrant, seamless, and linguistically impeccable, and the story innovative. WHERE THE WILD THINGS BITE is a book that is bursting with excitement, action, laughs, but most surprising of all is the extraordinary depth to Anna and Finn's characters. Anna doesn't act the way she does merely as a form of comic relief; events in her life made her neurotic, and I couldn't help but commiserate upon learning of her past. Finn is another matter altogether: he oozes charm, but he is shifty, and he has a lot of redeeming to do; I simply fell completely in love with these two amazing characters. I also love that Ms. Harper took the time to extrapolate and let the reader know why the book was so valuable, and there is a lot to do with that information!

Molly Harper makes it look so easy, that it made me realise the inestimable value of perfectly executed escapist fiction. While some serious issues are mentioned in WHERE THE WILD THINGS BITE, I was so captivated by Anna and Finn's adventures, that I forgot for a few fleeting hours that all is not well in this world, and this is the highest form of compliment I could ever pay an author. Brava, Ms. Harper, for a job exceptionally well done!