Paranormal Bromance is a novella set in the same world as Vaughn’s Kitty Norville novels. However, I don’t think you need to have read those to appreciate this story, though of course reading that series will give you a deeper appreciation for some of what is going on in the story. I really enjoyed it, as it skewers a lot of vampire tropes while looking at what it might be like to stay young while your mind ages. I believe this story is set right around the middle of the books; at least that is where my faulty memory is placing it with the details given. Nothing in the story will spoil the books though, so feel free to give it a shot if you have been debating reading that series (you totally should though).
Sam and his two roommates are vampires, and none of them feels quite like they fit into the vampire scene. They’re not really big on political scheming, and they don’t feel quite cool enough to fit in with the rest of Denver’s vampire population. They’re geeks basically. While it’s never stated outright, it’s pretty clear one of the three has some form of social anxiety, and it’s calcifying as he progresses in his vampire age. Sam is struggling with the idea that although he looks 25, he would have been turning 40, and the world he knew is leaving him behind. In addition, he meets someone who he really likes, and how does a vampire date a human anyway, really date them and not Twilight based fantasy dating. (The book skewers Twilight and it’s pretty glorious, if an easy, and rather common, shot.) Kitty herself makes a really cute cameo via her radio show.
I do have one minor annoyance. Ginny, the girl Sam meets, follows Sam outside after he and one of his roommates plays ‘good vampire/asshole vampire” where the roommate comes in to save the day and sweep a girl off her feet after Sam does the asshole routine. Ginny is one of the target’s friends and she comes out after Sam to ask him if the routine always works. She saw through it because Sam’s tee shirt was an old Metroid tee shirt, and while that is super cute, I don’t buy it. Even though the novel takes place in 2010 (using the vampire ages and turning date as a que here), and therefore pre-gamergate, the idea of male gamers being asshole MRA types isn’t really a new one. Basically, I don’t believe a Metroid tee shirt is enough to signify that a guy isn’t really an asshole. It’s a dumb quibble, and it hardly ruins the story, but it’s been bothering me.
Anyway, yes. It’s a cute little story. I enjoyed it. And I would love to see Vaughn keep revisiting Kitty’s world. It’s a huge and well-developed one, and now that Kitty’s story is done, I just want more.
