In Lara Ann Dominick’s Oil and Water, Elsie wanted everything to be a little more. More 
exciting, more dangerous, more passionate. She wanted a life straight out of those paranormal romance novels she loved to read. But Sam, her on-again-off-again boyfriend was a long shot from the excitement she craved. When her path crossed with Cy’s she found herself captivated, wrapped up in a romance she could never have imagined. It was everything her books had promised and so much more. The problem was she soon discovered that the fiction was a little too close to reality and the danger far more than she had expected. Cy’s ex-girlfriend, Amber, is intent on destroying him, and anyone who gets in the path of her revenge, and her scheme is deeper, more twisted than anyone could imagine.
Lara Ann Dominick’s Oil and Water is a great addition to the paranormal romance genre. Danger, betrayal, and excitement are a constant companion in a world where the supernatural live within the shadows under the rule of their council, answering to them for any missteps that could threaten their existence. I enjoyed getting to know the Elsie and her friends and understanding their group dynamic. The interactions are smooth, real, and everything you would expect. Humour, tension, heartbreak, and secrets weave their way through the group, threatening to destroy them in the wake of Elsie’s new relationship and her past mistakes. The growth of her character as she emerged from a relationship where they had both settled, to one which took her breath away was great to watch. But this tale is not all romance. There is a dark side to the vampire world which Cy is part of, and his ex-girlfriend Amber has her own schemes. Alongside Opal, the cruel, heartless killer out for power and herself, she is everything Elsie is not, and wants to see claim unfathomable power. Written in a shifting first-person perspective from Elsie to Opal, you are given unique insights into the character’s mindsets and able to see their complete contrast, the two are like oil and water, and yet in order to save themselves, they must come together and find a balance, or risk being destroyed. Gripping, entertaining, and moving this paranormal romance has more than one surprise in store.
K.J's Athenaeum 