Playing in the Shadows

by Jenna Jaxon

Anyone who know me knows that paranormal is not my first love.  However, anyone who really knows me, knows I have a penchant for vampires.  Always have.  I think they are the sexiest beings--beating werewolves out hands down--writers have created.  And I’m pretty sure my preference for these luscious bloodsuckers stems from my childhood fascination with the (then) spooky television series Dark Shadows.  (I read the words and I can hear that eerie music clear as a bell.)

At four o’clock every afternoon my friends and I were glued to the TV to watch the supernatural happenings of Barnabas Collins, resident vampire and all the other ghosts, werewolves, witches and other normal and paranormal happenings in Collinwood.  Was I in love with Barnabas?  I can’t quite remember.  I’ve always loved horror movies, so maybe it was just the storyline, though I’m sure I’d have gladly been bitten at the time. LOL

So how delighted was I to find out that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp were making a movie based on the series.  And with Johnny Depp playing Barnabas Collins--just bite me now. J  I would not have believed it, considering the gray makeup, but Depp is one actor who even makes death appealing.  And sexy.  The original actor, Jonathan Frid was hardly a sex machine, though I think the allure of the vampire worked for him.  But Johnny Depp--who said when he watched the series he wanted to be Barnabas Collins--is hands down the sexiest vampire around.  (Eat your heart out, if you had one, Edward Cullen!) So if I wasn’t in love with Barnabas before, I certainly am now.

Of course, I was a bit skeptical as to how they were going to pull it off.  But in my opinion, they did so, and beautifully.  I do think they made the right choice in re-making the series as comic movie.  Though Dark Shadows was supposed to be serious in the 60s and 70s, looking back at re-runs now it was so melodramatic and campy it might not work as a serious movie.  (I do recall, however, the two Dark Shadows movies that came out in the 70s were pretty creepy, more seriously spooky than the series.)  But I love the fact that Burton took the comic sensibility into consideration, making the 2012 Dark Shadows movie a complete blast, with just enough gore and sex to satiate!

I haven’t kept up with reviews, so tell me, ladies.  If you’ve seen Dark Shadows, how do you weight in?  I’m a complete fan and left the theatre rooting for a sequel.  But I daresay there are some dissenting voices.  So, do you want to bare your neck or grab a stake?

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Almost Perfect by Jenna Jaxon

Pamela Kimball’s birthday present, a 1Night Stand adventure, promises to jump-start her life, put a new man in her bed, and help her forget her past.  Unfortunately, movie-buff Pam’s Pirates of the Caribbean fantasy takes an alarming wrong turn when she’s abandoned on a not quite deserted island—with ex-husband Roger Ware. 

Forced by hunger to accept Roger’s offer of dinner,  Pam realizes the geek she married has transformed into one of the most charming, sexiest men she’s ever met. His newfound confidence—and hot body—re-kindle old fires.  A simple kiss leads Roger to challenge her to discover how much his lovemaking skills have improved, leaving Pam torn between self-preservation and burning desire. 

With time running out before they’re rescued, Pam must decide if her heart can survive the consequences of becoming Roger’s “almost” perfect 1Night Stand.

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