While this isn't my genre of choice, I found the book highly entertaining and well worth a read.
The novel is An Element of Time by BeBe Knight.
Naive and grieving for her murdered family, Veronica is roped into a job for which she is ill-equipped. She's in for a surprise when she faces the man she is sent to kill single handed. You'll feel plenty of emotion in this well-written novel, but the only thing you'll taste is cooked steak and raw blood. The sense of smell is accentuated during peak times, and descriptions give a good idea of the unoccupied houses that surround the areas Veronica visits.
Once I suspended belief that such creatures exist among people, I found the book highly entertaining and well worth a read. Be prepared for some sizzling love scenes.