Zomromcom is Olivia Dade’s first foray into paranormal romance and it’s a cracker! Edie Brandstrup lives alone in her old family home in an isolated corner of West Virginia, some twenty years after the first zombie apocalypse. When she sees a zombie heading for her neighbour, gormless dude-bro Chad, she intercepts it, even though she is armed only with a burrito, and swats it on the nose. She knows this distraction will probably result in her own death, but it might save Chad. Chad dispatches the zombie and she very quickly realises that his persona is a front – he is neither stupid, nor human. Not-Chad quickly takes charge and persuades Edie to come to his home, specifically his basement, where they will both be safe, for a while at least. Once there, it doesn’t take Edie long to realise that non-Chad is in fact a vampire, real name Gaston Maxime Boucher. She’s fine with this and as she loves a spot of popular culture, she parodies the Gaston song from Beauty and the Beast at every opportunity.

So, along with vampire Max, sassy Edie, and zombies on the loose, we get plenty of backstory to locate everything in this post-apocalyptic world. I won’t go into it here as the world building is very funny in its specificity and you’ll have much more fun discovering it for yourself. The author fleshes out necessary details to move the plot along and ignores most other things, but while there are plenty of holes in the world building, none of it ultimately mattered to me as there’s enough context and momentum to keep things interesting.

Max and Edie set off together to find out how the zombies got through the containment walls, and to try and alert the authorities about the breach. It’s clear early on that nefarious meddling is involved and these two will need all their wits, and Max’s power, to stave off more zombie attacks. They meet some superbly comedic characters on their adventure; human Doug the garrulous counterfeiter is one, and oracle Gwen, whose unfortunate predictions are no help at all, is another. There are half-fae creatures, a witch or two, and several trolls, and they all provide ludicrous counterbalances to the impending danger. Even with all the gore (beheadings, stabbings, sword fights, etc.) the overall tone is light and the banter between Edie and Max is hilarious.

Zomromcom is delicious in a way I haven’t read since Charlotte Stein’s How to Help a Hungry Werewolf. It’s completely ridiculous, but the tenderness and caretaking between these misfits is heartwarming. Max has been living next door to Edie for years, and he’s been paying attention – and falling in love with her. Edie only sees Max’s gorgeousness at first, but she quickly succumbs to his prickly charm. They are both yearning for connection, and this zombie battle gives them all the forced proximity they need.

From the first time Max calls her “my Edie” we know he’s a goner for her. Their adventure arc is well travelled – moments of sudden action and danger, interspersed with very sexy times, and the real risk of being outnumbered by the zombies, because Max, who is immortal, can apparently be killed if enough zombies set upon him. Their romance is a done-deal from early on, what they need to do is stay alive so they can stay together.

Edie has a saviour complex, likely stemming from the trauma of losing her parents in the first zombie attack. She gradually learns that she needs to care for herself, or taken to an extreme, save herself, if she wants to be with Max. The symptoms of her trauma are carefully depicted and Olivia Dade has very skilfully portrayed a complicated mental health issue in the middle of a ridiculous paranormal romance. It’s deft and thoughtful, and adds a layer of tenderness that completely won me over. This reads as the first in a series and I’ll be back for more!

I heartily recommend Zomromcom for tongue-in-cheek paranormal romcom fans, Olivia Dade fans and anyone who wants to read an absurd romantic adventure!