Soulless (Parasol Protectorate #1)
I really liked this book. I read a lot of fiction with Vampires and Werewolves in them, and the most interesting part is what sort of twist the author puts on the particular legend. Soulless delivers on that, with an interesting twist of being set in Victorian England in a world where the Vamps and Were's are known and even mostly accepted in society and in this case there is an interesting twist... You have the rare supernatural (who only survive the transition if they have an excess of soul), the common normal (normal amount of soul), and the ultra-rare preternatural (no soul).
Alexia Tarabotti is soulless, and her mere touch completely dampens the supernaturals ability (i.e. a vampire could walk in the day if holding on to her). A spinster who has been "put on the shelf" (at the old age of 25!) and barely tolerates the upper class world that she lives in (choosing to focus on things such as science and current events) she seems to find herself embroiled in supernatural machinations. She is friends with a foppish vampire and interacts with the supernatural regulatory agency (run in this case by an alpha were and his beta) on a regular basis.
Everything is fine until a vampire, badly dressed and not part of the local (Westminster) hive, decides that she is a viable snack. What follows is a great romp where we learn more of the underlying society, about the great plot she has stumbled onto and a fair amount of romance (at least by Victorian standards). Very satisfying book that is well written with strong identifiable characters, great dialog and a plot that moves steadily along.
