The Villages of Brytewood, Guildford, Dorking, and Leatherhead in SE England, as well as Adlerroost, Bavaria - September 1940

The quiet village of Brytewood has seen a lot of changes since the beginning of World War II. Most of the men have gone off to serve King and country, and the women have battles of their own to fight, serving as nurses, aid workers, and taking jobs in the factories that make needed supplies and munitions for the armed forces. Then there're the many strangers who now call Brytewood home, workers for the “hush-hush” munitions factory and the women and children who’ve come from London seeking safety from the Blitz. All in all, Brytewood just isn’t the sleepy little village it used to be. And that’s all before the Nazis drop their latest weapon on the countryside: spies like none the world has ever seen, dangerous, bloodthirsty, vampires.

Dr. Alice Doyle has seen a lot since taking over her father’s surgery; granted, the disappearing man who tried to take a bite out of her is a bit beyond the pale, but still, she believes she’s prepared for most anything; that is, until she meets ambulance driver Peter Watson.

Peter Watson was only two years away from becoming a vet when the war struck and he did what he had to do, become a CO (conscientious objector). His stance on the war doesn’t make Peter a popular person, and if his “partner,” Sid Mosley, doesn’t make that clear enough, the beautiful Dr. Doyle certainly does.

Can Peter, Alice, and the rest of Brytewood, including some who aren’t quite human themselves, band together to defend the home front?

SUPER NATURAL ACTS is the first in a trilogy set during World War II. Never having been extraordinarily interested in the war, I found myself caught up in the action and began wanting more info, spending nearly as much time online researching as I did reading this very entertaining book. Brytewood truly comes alive, though, through its citizens. Dr. Alice Doyle is no ordinary human, she’s also half Pixie. Her grandmother, Helen, has tried to get her to admit her heritage and accept the powers she possesses, but Alice wants nothing to do with it. Alice is also quite patriotic and when she meets Peter, she can’t help but be aggravated that a measly CO should come in such an attractive package. Why, she should be handing him a white feather, not wondering how his kisses would feel. Peter can’t understand why he’s so attracted to the beautiful doctor, what with all the snubs and sneering she directs his way. A tragedy in Peter’s past resulted in his decision to become a CO; maybe if he told Alice, she’d understand. But does he really owe her an explanation? Alice is determined she will resist Peter no matter what, but when circumstances change and the pair must work together, she sees a side of him she’d never imagined. Perhaps Peter has a good reason for being a CO, maybe fancying him isn’t such a bad thing after all.

Alice’s gran, Helen, is friends with Sgt. Howell Pendragon (a member of the Home Guard) and Mother Longhurst (the village witch). All three members of this older generation have much to teach the younger members of Brytewood if they’d just pay attention. Nurse Gloria Prewitt is a relative newcomer in Brytewood; pretty and petite, she also has a secret or two. Jeff Williams is the disgruntled supervisor of the local munitions plant; he’s sure that he could do a better job of running it than his boss Andrew Barron, who’s well liked, but possibly too nice. Then there’s Bela Mestan, a fairy and telepath; she is being forced to work for the Nazis, helping them to keep tabs on their vamp spies, Gerhardt Eiche, Wilhelm Bloch, Hans Wiess, and Paul Schmidt. And, of course, the vamps aren’t the only ones in England with plans to help the Reich; nope, there are spies and traitors aplenty in England. No one is safe, and everything they hold dear is at risk.

With well developed characters, a sense of time and place that pull you in, and of course, a likely romance, SUPER NATURAL ACTS is sure to satisfy your reading appetite. The second book in the Brytewood series is due to arrive in March 2008, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next. Stop by your local bookstore today and get your copy of SUPER NATURAL ACTS before they’re all gone.

Lori Ann