License to Bite

License to Bite is the first book in Carrie Pulkinen's New Orleans Nocturnes series, a paranormal romantic comedy set against the French Quarter's Mardi Gras chaos. Governor's daughter Jane Anderson is turned into a vampire by Ethan Devereaux, a centuries-old vampire convinced she's the reincarnation of his late fiancée. Jane now has three weeks to master vampire etiquette and pass her licensing trial with the local vampire council, or she'll be staked—an especially awkward problem for a newly-minted vampire who still faints at the sight of blood.

Pulkinen leans into the comedy of the premise as much as the romance, pairing a grumpy, centuries-old vampire with a sunny, sheltered heroine for plenty of banter-driven friction. Readers and reviewers describe it as a fast, funny, lighthearted read that pokes gentle fun at vampire-fiction conventions (Twilight jokes included) while still delivering a genuine will-they-won't-they arc between Jane and Ethan. The book won the 2021 Raven Award and was a finalist for the 2021 InD'tale Magazine RONE Award.