Dark Needs at Night's Edge by Kresley Cole

Néomi Laress was a burlesque dancer who finally achieved her dream to become a prima ballerina. After making a fortune as a ballerina, she bought a rundown mansion named Elancourt and renovated it, making it a lovely and gracious home for herself. But on the night when it was finally done, her housewarming party was invaded by the fianceé she'd spurned. Vowing no one would have her but him, he stabbed her to death and followed by taking his own life.

Soon after, Elancourt was abandoned, but the spirit of Néomi Laress lived on in the mansion that she loved. She interested herself in the lives of those who came to live there, but no one stayed for very long. And then, in the modern day, four men moved their insane vampire brother into the decaying mansion of Elancourt, and Néomi found that the imprisoned brother, Conrad Wroth, could see her, the first man to do so in over 70 years.

Néomi finds herself drawn to Conrad, who is a vampire of the Lore. But unlike his brothers, who adapted easily to vampire life, Conrad, in his life was a member of the Kapsliga Uur. His brothers saved his life by turning him into a vampire, but while it was lifesaving for them, he had sworn with his life to hunt all vampires, and now that he was the thing he so desperately hated, all his Kapsliga comrades vowed to see him dead.

To deal with his bloodlust, he began draining his victims to death, and with each person he killed in that way, some of their memories and personalities became embedded in his own. His eyes began to go red, and his mind became fractured and crazed as the memories seemed as real as his own. When he spots Néomi, he isn't sure if she is part of his madness, or a being as real as he is. But despite his wanting to die, or to be freed to return to his madness, he can't help but be fascinated with her.

Left alone in the mansion by his brothers, Conrad and Néomi talk with each other. She tempts him out of his self-hatred by teasing him, showing glimpses of her body that he can see but never touch because of her status as a ghost. But as their affection for each other grows, will Néomi sacrifice her treasures to be alive again and gain a body to love Conrad with? And will Conrad be able to give up blood drinking and return to sanity to stay with this irrepressible ghost woman he has come to love? And more, can he help his brothers rescind the order for his own death by showing that he can be brought back from the madness of drinking blood to the point of death? Can there ever be a happy ending for two so in love, but so unlucky in life as Conrad and Néomi?

I liked this book a lot. The love story of Conrad and Néomi is by turns lighthearted and angsty, but the truth is that Conrad has to do most of the growing here. He has to decide that taking a chance on love with Néomi is worth the pain of actually having to live again, and to live up to his past misdeeds. Néomi merely has to decide to call upon the Witches to try and give her back a body so that she can finally touch and love Conrad.

Néomi is a delight to read. Despite being knifed to death by her ex-fianceé, she still has a lust for life, even as a ghost, and the details of her life (like the fact that she reads the newspaper, when the newspaper boy manages to make it land on the drive leading up to her property), made her really stand out. Conrad was the usual, more angsty character here, a vampire who never got asked if he wanted to become one, and suffered for the arrogance of his brothers who thought they knew what he wanted.

The way Conrad and Néomi finally come together and find happiness made me smile, as did the way Kresley Cole wrapped up the hanging plot threads and presented it in a prettily wrapped package at the end without ever once resorting to the usual method of making things fit. The book was a surprise and a delight, and the interaction between the two main characters was priceless. I loved it, and I think other readers will, too, especially if they like a more lighthearted rather than completely angsty vampire story. YMMV, but I call this one Highly recommended.