L. J. Smith Scores With 'The Vampire Diaries'

So, we all know there are a thousand and two books out there about vampires and love, tragedy and betrayal, right?

And, as much as it hurts to admit, most of them are painfully cliche.'

However, once in a while you come across one that really gets your blood pumping; pun not intended. The Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith does just that.

Instead of your usual dark-haired, pale-skinned lonely girl who scores an awesomely smokin' hot vampiric boyfriend, this one stars Elena, a tan, blonde princess who rules the school.

And Stefan is her 'match made in...' well, wherever vampires come from.

But, as an added twist, there's also Damon, who is Stefan's brother and considerable hotter and/or more seductive what with his daring and out-going attitude.

But instead of Stefan falling at Elena's feet, she's hit with a nasty surprise when she falls for Stefan and he doesn't return the favor. As another wicked awesome add-in, Damon is also affectionate toward Elena.

And Damon and Stefan are brothers who hate each other!

There's so much drama in these books and every ounce of it is so unsuspected that you'll never want to put it down.

The glory of it all, though, is that it's so believable! The characters are realistic but there is just enough super natural-ness that you'll appreciate it as a vampiric tale!

I recommend this book to vampire lovers and anyone who justs needs a good read!