Review: Would you want to be a Runner?
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 18, 2012
I received an e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.To be fair, even though I'd put this in my romance category for organizing purposes, this isn't a romance first and foremost.  There is a romance, and it becomes important, but the larger emphasis is on Sydney's unique talent of staying alive in a profession that almost requires its employees to die horribly.  That profession is being a 'Runner' for vampires.  Sydney does have an advantage most others don't, but the fact remains she's alive and living far longer than most.The pace of this novella, which clocks in at about 100 pages or so, is fast and doesn't give you time to enjoy the scenery (not that there's much to enjoy, snow and creepy vampires and explosions aplenty).  This works to its advantage when the action scenes are the focus, but draws attention to the few 'slow' scenes when Summers is building the characters.  It does help you to overlook the sometimes broad strokes given to the world development or to the characters themselves, but only until you're finished.I enjoyed the chemistry between Sydney and Malcolm, neither were typical, but they were also not so different as to feel weird or out of place.  Summers gives us sound motivation for why Sydney does what she does, but cuts the corners at bit on Malcolm's end, instead giving us a somewhat mysterious guy who showed up to save Sydney on occasion.  This wide swath is also given to a few others--Bronson, a Master vampire who employs Sydney regularly; McHenry, Sydney's boss.I give full props to Summers that instead of having her vamps be much more into land wars and legal loopholes than terrorizing the local populace (at least much of the time).  It makes sense that they'd whinge at each other over clauses and contractual stipulations.  There's a bit of timey-wimey hand waving given to explain vampires and their integrated existence with humanity--its an accepted truth of the current world thus no one feels a great need to dwell on the how's.  Some background is given in relation to Sydney's own personal history, but otherwise small bits of info (like vamps don't live in Texas--smart fellows) are doled out at random moments.I quite enjoyed this novella and hope there's more in the future--either set in this world or in another I'm not picky.  Summers writing is fluid and easy to get into, moving you along with the action with very little problem.  Definitely recommended more for the urban fantasy fan, the romance is secondary at best so this wouldn't be called a proper paranormal romance.