Kerrelyn Sparks

This review first appeared on A Weebish Book Blog

SECRET LIFE OF A VAMPIRE was such a blast, it sparked a desire to reread/finish the rest of the Love at Stake series, so I happily purchased a Nook copy of HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE VAMPIRE. It did not disappoint! Re-reading Ronan and Shanna’s story was a delightful trip down memory lane and a reminder of why I have such a good time with Kerrelyn Sparks’s fangtastic world. The novel sports an entertaining heroine, a somewhat suicidal but show more completely adorable hero, and introduces the yummy kilted crew of security tasked with keeping Romatech safe.

Roman Draganesti is presented the opportunity to test a creative new way for the morally inclined Vamp to indulge in Romatech’s artificial blood. Things go awry when he looses his fang and must find a dentist to re-attach his tooth before sunrise, or be a lop-sided eater for eternity.

After being relocated by Witness Protection, Shanna Wheeler, is a dentist stuck working the night shift. Fortunately, her newfound fear of blood makes working the dead night shift a relief—until the mob learns her whereabouts and sents assassins to despose of her. Her life is changed in the weirdest of ways when she’s rescued by a sexy stranger in need of her services.

Ronan, the hunky owner of Romatech Industries and the genius that saved millions—in more ways than one—with the engineering of artificial blood, is a hero a girl just can’t help but want to coddle. He’s a vampire who considers himself an abomination before God and he’s deeply depressed. I don’t know anyone who needs a happily ever after more than this unwilling vampire.

Shanna was a hoot! Her first impression of the handsome scientist was that the man is both incredibly good-looking and off his rocker. He was trying to convince her to re-attach a fang that was definitely not human. She comes to care for her eccentric savior, and she’s deeply attracted to the man, but she finds him rather weird. ::snort:: It was so fun watching her reason out the man’s strange habits and overcome her fear of blood. Which, ironic much? She’s terrified of blood and the man she digs survives off it. Hah.

Ronan and Shanna were both charming characters who were sweet, quirky, and lots of fun. I loved their story and can’t wait for them to appear in more of the series. All-in-all, HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE VAMPIRE was a blast and I’m giddy to read more from Love at Stake! show less

Sparks' Embraced series is simply a lot of fun. The characters are engaging and likeable, the plots are fast-paced, the writing is pretty great, and there's plenty of humor and action to go along with the romance. This book was no exception, and I'm glad I saved it for the proverbial rainy day since it was an easy and enjoyable read to sink into.

I will say that I'm not so sure this book lived up to the earlier books in the series. Enjoyable as it was, and as great as the romance was, the show more characters felt a little bit less developed and interesting than those at the center of the last few books. The side characters also came off as stereotypes more so than in the earlier books, and made me more cognizant of the fact that so many of Sparks side characters in this series (women, especially) are painted as stereotypes that are exaggerated for the sake of humor more so than feeling real within the story. I'd have preferred if some of them were a bit more believable and less exaggerated/silly, even if that had lessened the humor in the book, but I should say that I haven't read enough of her other books to know if this is a trend that shows itself in her other series.

That said, I still really enjoyed this work. I couldn't read these all the time, but as an occasional Princess-Bride like jaunt into easy, fantastical romance and adventure, this was a great book to have on hand. For readers who want a light-hearted paranormal romance that's heavy on both romance and humor, with plenty of adventure to spare, I'd recommend this series. show less

Book #14
I fell in love with Dougal. I loved the way he was so vulnerable and his past was really sad that nobody except for Connor knew about it and he only knew about it because when he sired Dougal to transform him into a vampire, he absorbed his memories.

Three or four books ago, Dougal lost his right hand in a battle. It turned to dust immediately so it could not be sewn back on. He has a mechanical hand now that operates on mind control. He also has learned how to sword fight with both show more hands. Before he was a vampire, he was captured and taken to China where he became a slave. He fell in love with the master’s daughter, Ka-li-lea, who helped free him. The book keeps saying how he somehow failed her and she died. He promised her, “I will find you. No matter what. If it takes a thousand years, I will find you.”

Now, he is working at Romatech in New York as the new head of security. When he sees Leah for the first time, he is reminded of Li Lei. He thinks her soul has somehow found him.
Leah Chin is a doctor and scientist who specializes in genetics. The Vamps hired her for her extraordinary talents in the field of genetics. She is a genius who started college when she was just a teenager. She is having trouble believing that vampires exist but agrees to work with them. When she meets Dougal, she is drawn to him for some reason.

There was a lot happening in this book. The fight with Master Han and his soldiers intensifies but the Vamps want to save the super soldiers and return them to normal so they have Leah, Abby and Laszlo working on a serum to cure them. Darafer, the demon, makes more trouble. How do you fight against someone who is more powerful than anyone and who can freeze time? They are told that the only ones who can stop Darafer are warrior angels and only if Darafer forces someone to do evil against their free will.

The love story is intense. Dougal loves Leah so much that he is willing to let her forget him to save her. My heart was breaking for him. One of my favorite things about Dougal was whenever Leah would say, “You wish.” Dougal would say, “I do wish.” It was so romantic.

My only complaint is that the author used the word, “winced” again too often. I counted it 75 times in this book. I’m trying not to let it bug me but it does.

Other than that, I couldn’t put this book down. It is my favorite of all the books in the series so far!

www.paranormalromanceslut.com show less

**Courtesy of CK2S Kwips & Kritiques**

Having lived, or at least, been undead for almost five hundred years, vampire Angus MacKay has seen it all. At least, he thought he had, until he met more than his match in the form of unlikely vampire slayer Emma Watson. Sure, Emma’s targets have so far been only the Malcontents, but even in killing only evil vamps, she has unwittingly brought the two vampire factions to the brink of war. It is up to Angus to convince her to stop, but after meeting show more her in the flesh, he is as concerned for her safety as he is concerned for his people. Emma stirs something in him he thought long dead, makes him long for a future he never expected…

Working with the CIA’s secret Stake-Out team, Emma thought she’d be given the chance to kill the monsters who murdered her parents. So far, her boss at the CIA seems more interested in observing the vampires than killing them, spurring Emma to work on her own, policing the park every night looking for vamps on the attack. She’s managed to take them by surprise so far, and notched several kills on her belt. But she’s the one taken by surprise by one very sexy Scot in a kilt… He doesn’t seem evil, so he can’t be a vampire, right? As Emma becomes more familiar with Angus, she begins to wonder if all vamps really are evil, and if not, can a human and a vampire find love?

I chose Kerrelyn Sparks’ Be Still My Vampire Heart to review before I realized it was the fourth book of her Love At Stake series. When I discovered this, I looked at the previous books, and decided they looked just as good as this one and bought the first and second books in the series so that I could read them in order. Although I believe that any of the books could be read out of order and be easily understood, I definitely think the series should be read in order for full enjoyment of it. And trust me, it is far from a hardship to read the Love At Stake series! It is highly unusual for me to buy more than the first book in a series from an author I haven’t read before, but I did not regret my purchases in the least.

The entire series is a wonderful blend of sweet romance with a paranormal edge and laugh out loud humor. Sparks’ mortal characters were so easy for me to identify with, as their reactions and thoughts mirrored my own. The humans respond to the vampires with a healthy dose of ludicrous disbelief as they discover the vampires live much as any human would, with their own television network, complete with reality tv shows, and their own line of hemoglobin fortified beverages that prevent the need for snacking on unsuspecting mortals.

Angus MacKay is a character guaranteed to melt any woman’s heart, even one as frozen as Emma’s. With his disarming charm, and purposely unthreatening manner, he sets out to win Emma’s trust, and ultimately her heart, even as she captures his without trying.

Emma’s pain will break your heart, but watching her find faith and hope again through her budding love for Angus will dissipate the sorrow you feel as surely as her own heart is healed.

In the midst of it all, we enjoy two plots besides the romance of Angus and Emma. Sparks’ proves herself a master of mingling multiple plots into one sensible and captivating storyline. On one front, we have the major story of Angus and Emma’s love, hampered by the brewing war with the Malcontents, the evil vampires. On another, we have the conflict between the good vampires and the CIA’s Stake-Out team, dedicated to eliminating what they perceive as a vampire threat. Unfortunately, the team hasn’t yet discerned that there are two factions of vamps, and their interference often targets our vampire heroes, unintentionally assisting the Malcontents.

The author isn’t one to forget old friends, as we also enjoy appearances by the couple from the first book in the series, Roman and Shanna, and are rewarded with updates on their lives together.

Kerrelyn Sparks has penned a series that will carry the reader through a series of emotions that perfectly emulate real life: sadness, laughter, joy, love – it is all there. I highly recommend Be Still My Vampire Heart to anyone who enjoys an offbeat paranormal romance that infuses a healthy dose of fun into the story. But do yourself a favor and pick up the entire series. You won’t be sorry. show less