Vampire Mine

Vampire Mine is the tenth book in Kerrelyn Sparks’s Love at Stake series. About to turn 500 years old, Connor is having a “mid-life crisis.” He’s having trouble following orders, which is causing friction with his boss, Angus. On one such night, he ignores a direct order from Angus to follow a lead on their arch enemy, Casimir, and ends up at a camp near Mount Rushmore, where he finds several dead humans. While still at the scene, he sees some mysterious flashes of light, and upon investigation, he discovers a barely conscious, naked woman with burn marks and wounds on her back. Thinking she’s a Malcontent who might be able to give them information about Casimir, he teleports her to Romatech for medical attention. However, it show more quickly becomes clear that she’s neither Vamp nor human when a human touches her and almost instantly dies. Knowing she poses a risk to the mortals at Romatech, Connor takes her to a remote cabin to look after her, where he eventually discovers that she’s an angel of death. Marielle was banished to Earth for disobedience, where she’s stuck in her human form, but retains some of her angel powers. Never having been human before, she finds everything about it a new and interesting experience, particularly her attraction to Connor. However, missing the Heavenly Host terribly, she’s determined to earn her way back to heaven. After spending some time with Connor and his friends, Marielle finds purpose in helping them defeat Casimir and believes that it may be the whole reason she was abandoned on Earth. By the time she’s ready to assist in taking down their nemesis, though, she’s fallen in love with Connor and isn’t sure if she truly wants to return to heaven after all. But if she stays, Connor doesn’t feel worthy of a sweet angel like Marielle, instead believing that actions in his past have made him irredeemable.

Connor watched many of his fellow Vamps fall in love, and while that’s well and good for them, he scoffs at the idea for himself. He believes he’s a cold-hearted bastard and has no intention of following in their footsteps. He loved someone once, and it ended in tragedy, so he’s avoided any romantic entanglements ever since. As he approaches his 500th birthday, he’s also starting to have something of an existential crisis as well. When he finds Marielle, it gives him something to focus on, but when someone he cares about is harmed after touching her, he blames himself for bringing her into the midst of the people he thinks of as family. However, when he finds out she’s an angel, he vows to protect her while she’s on Earth and do everything he can to help her get back to heaven. After discovering that she can sense impending death anywhere in the world with her angel powers, he thinks they might have found the perfect secret weapon to taking out Casimir, so he begins to train her in focusing her powers to help them do just that. Along the way, he starts to develop feelings for her that he thought were long dead, but his love may not be enough to keep her on Earth. And even if she did stay, Connor believes himself marked for hell because of things he did in the past and doesn’t believe himself worthy of his beautiful angel. Connor is one of the sexy, Scottish Highlander Vamps in this series that I’m a total sucker for. He’s not the kind of guy who sleeps around and I think it was briefly mentioned that he’s been celibate for a long period of time, which is always appealing to me. He’s experienced tragedy in his life that gives him some of the hallmarks of a classic tortured hero, although I have to admit that I found myself wishing that his feelings surrounding everything that happened had been deepened a little more and that it hadn’t taken until nearly the end to find out what was bugging him so much. But overall I really liked Connor and thought he was a good hero.

Like Connor, Marielle sometimes has trouble following orders. Years ago, she was a healer angel who really enjoyed her work, but after disobeying, she was reassigned to be an angel of death as punishment. Now she’s once again defied orders, which has resulted in her banishment from Heaven and losing her wings, though not all of her angel powers. Trapped in her human form on Earth, she awakens to find herself in Connor’s care. She’s horrified to learn that she harmed someone while unconscious and can’t understand why Connor seems to be okay after touching her. She soon learns that he’s a Vamp, creatures many of her fellow angels disdain and call Cheaters for having cheated death. But Marielle is open-minded enough to realize there are both good Vamps and bad ones who are called Malcontents. When she discovers that her powers might be able to help the good Vamps defeat their enemy, someone who has destroyed many human lives, she’s eager to help. Connor spends every night training her to focus her powers so that she’ll know how to protect herself and they can use them to find Casimir. In the process, she begins to fall for her handsome protector, and finds herself in a quandary about whether she wants to stay with him or return to Heaven as she originally planned. But if she decides to stay, she may have trouble convincing Connor he’s a worthy mate for an angel. Marielle is totally adorable. She’s sweet and innocent, completely unfamiliar with her new human body and all the feelings that come with it, both physical and emotional. I love her for being so kind, compassionate, and accepting of Connor and all his flaws. At the same time, she’s brave enough to go into battle with them against Casimir, so I thought she was a pretty well-rounded heroine.

As is usual for this series, there are appearances in supporting roles by many of the other characters who have their own books. Of course, Roman and Shanna (How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire) are the leaders of this merry band of Vamps. They experience some pretty significant changes in this story, as does Shanna’s father, Sean. As the heads of Mackay Security and Investigations, Angus and Emma (Be Still My Vampire Heart) are also front and center, leading the charge against Casimir. Jean-Luc (The Undead Next Door), Ian (All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire), Jack (Secret Life of a Vampire), Robby (The Vampire and the Virgin) and Phil (Forbidden Nights With a Vampire) all take part in the pivotal battles. Phil’s mate, Vanda, along with her sister, and Phil’s sister, Brynley, show Marielle the ropes of being human and teach her a few questionable (LOL) things. Brynley will be paired with Phineas, who is seen several times in his new capacity as head of security at Romatech, in the twelfth book, Wanted: Undead or Alive. Playboy Gregori, who’ll become the hero of the next book, Sexiest Vampire Alive, can’t resist coming to visit and flirt with the lovely Marielle. Some other series characters are mentioned but don’t have actual lines, and we also get updates on several of them, many of whom are now expecting.

I have to admit that I finished Vampire Mine feeling that it definitely had some weaknesses and wasn’t the strongest, nor one of my favorite books of the series. One of my biggest issues was that there were two main plot points needing resolution, the first being the big battle with Casimir, and the second being Connor’s feelings of unworthiness. Unfortunately I came away from reading the book, feeling rather let down on both counts. The points were resolved individually, but in both cases, they felt rushed and rather anticlimactic. There just wasn’t quite enough tension or buildup to either one and then they were both over in fairly short order. The other thing that kind of bugged me is that there’s quite a bit of repetition. Connor keeps saying how he’s on hell’s short list, not worthy, etc., while Marielle keeps saying that she has to find a way back to heaven, both of which got a little tiresome after a while. I think a little deeper introspection and character development might have helped with this. I was ever so slightly disappointed with the steam factor as well. I seem to recall most of the previous books of the series being pretty sexy, but this one only had two love scenes that I thought were only perhaps a half-step above moderately descriptive. Up to that point, I kind of felt like I was being hit over the head with what was supposed to be sexual tension, but it was more told than shown. That’s not to say that the story was bad, though. I did still enjoy it for what it was. I know this series is on the lighter side of the paranormal spectrum, so I don’t exactly hold it up to quite as high of a standard as I would a more serious one. In some ways that helped to save it for me. I also really liked Connor and Marielle, both as individual characters and as a couple, which is always a big plus in any romance’s favor. And there are lots of other fun supporting characters to catch up with as well. There were several amusing moments as Marielle learns about being human, and also a LOL funny scene where the Vamps have to figure out what to do about Sean Whelan, a guy none of them likes very much, when things don’t go as planned. So overall, despite my issues, Vampire Mine was still a pretty good read. show less

Finally!!! I got to read about my…errrr…Connor. Throughout the series, I have been wanting to read his story because with his grouchy comments, he obviously had something against love. Connor is another sexy kilt wearing Scotsman who works for Mackay Security and Investigation as the Roman Draganesti’s personal guard. He is nearing is 500th birthday which is the equivalent to a mortal’s mid-life crisis. Unlike other vampires, he enjoys his death sleep during the day because he can feel no pain or have any painful memories. He believes that he is bound for hell for things he did in his past but Father Andrew tells him all he has to do is confess his sins and he will be forgiven. Connor is not about to do that. He tells Father show more Andrew, “I confess nothing.”

When Connor is sent to Mount Rushmore to make sure their enemy is not there, he sees unusual lightning and hears a woman and a man arguing. He hears the man tell the woman that she is banished and then he find the woman alone, naked and bleeding on the ground. He thinks she may be a Malcontent, the enemy, but he isn’t sure so he teleports her to Romatech. She keeps mumbling and telling him not to touch her. Roman and Laszlo think she is an angel because the cuts on her back have strange bones that do not match human anatomy. One of the beloved mortals – I can’t say who or it will spoil it – touches the angel and almost dies so Roman attempts to turn them into a vampire. Roman is then angry at Connor for endangering everyone by bringing an angel of death to Romatech so Connor takes her to Howard, the bear shifter’s cabin to help her heal.

We find out that Marielle is an angel of deliverance. She delivers souls that are already dying to heaven. She has trouble obeying orders so was banished when she thought she could save the children of the family that Casimir and his minions killed. She thought that the children could be healed instead of delivered unto death so she did not follow orders and another angel had to do her job. Her wings were torn from her body and she was left to fend for herself in the mortal realm. She believes she can get back her wings and go back to heaven if she helps the Vamps defeat Casimir but as she gets to know Connor, she starts to fall in love with him. How will she ever leave him?
This book had some humor in it and it was fun to watch Marielle learn to be human especially when Vanda, Marta and Brynley teleport in and decide to give her tips on how to be a female and they tell her about blow-jobs. What a nice thing to teach an angel! Mostly though, the book was serious and even had a death of well-loved character. I cried.

Sideline Stories -

Corky Courrant, the trouble-making talk show host who is now having an affair with Casimir stirs up more trouble. I really hope that someone stakes her in one of her huge boobs and hopefully it will be Vanda since Corky has caused her so much trouble. Another mortal gets transformed into a vampire when they are attacked by a Malcontent during a battle. This person might not like being a vampire so much though. Dougal was mentioned in this book but nothing was said on how well he is doing with just one hand since his right hand was chopped off. Lots of couples are pregnant and having children. I’m having a hard time keeping up with it all.

Of course, I cannot tell you the end of the book but if you are reading these books in a random order, I think this one is a must-read before you read book #11 or higher.
Now that I read Connor’s story, I have found a new crush. I found him in the last book. Mikhail from Moscow has been mentioned in a few of the books but in Eat Prey Love, his personality was shown as mostly quiet but super sarcastic with a dry sense of humor. I love sarcastic men.
I’m ready for the next book, Sexiest Vampire Alive.

www.paranormalromanceslut.com show less

3.75 Stars

As you can tell by my 4 instead of 5 stars, this is not my favorite of the series. I did enjoy reading it. The writing itself was well done. It flowed with ease. So it wasn't the writing or even the plot I had trouble with.
Here is a quote from the book that will stay with me for the rest of my life!

“Blessed is he who finds his destiny and fulfills it.”

I think my main problem is with Marielle. For an angel of her age, that has dealt with humans for more than a millennium, she seemed to be a bit deficient on the ways of humans and her character seemed bit anemic. The romance and attraction between Connor & Marielle seemed a bit stiff. To be honest, a bit boring.

That said, there is a lot I did truly enjoy about the story. show more The parts the various angels played, the secrets we learn about Conner, how things play out with the Malcontents and even Shanna's father are all intriguing and well played out. I just feel that the relationship part and the character of Marielle didn't hit its true potential. show less

Vampire Mine by Kerrelyn Sparks
Love at Stake series book 9. Paranormal vampire romance. Can be read as a stand-alone but better as part of the series. Religion keynotes as a warning.
Connor can’t believe all his friends have fallen in love. It’s definitely not something he’s interested in. Until Marielle. An Angel without her wings. Literally. Connor finds himself fighting both his attraction to the beautiful woman and his tragic and violent past.

A literal Angel. This was amusing with Marielle learning all about bodily functions she’s never noticed or had to deal with as an Angel. Of course, there are serious issues like the Malcontents and the whole faith topic too but romance is the central theme.
Overall enjoyable and romantic.

It makes me happy to see Connor fallen at last :) Anyway, I was incredibly happy with this book, it felt so much like the first few books in the series. I didn't want to stop reading, I laughed out loud a lot, and I just adored all the characters. About half way through I figured out that missed a book in the series, I am going to go back and read it, the book was still very understandable but there were a couple of characters here and there that I didn't know.
I liked how neat and precise the plot in this book was. I also like how she kept her lore consistent and tight. If she hadn't this book would have been bad. I am sad/and not sad to say we lose a couple of people in this book. I won't share who, but *moment of silence* for a strong show more wonderful character that has been with us a few books.
I will, as always, continue to read this series and support Kerrelyn Sparks, she is amazing, imaginative, and I can't wait to see what is going to happen with a huge vacancy in the books she now needs to fill. show less

I am an Urban Fantasy devotee. I don't mind a little bit of romance, but I don't read a lot of novels where the romance is the most prominent aspect of the story. That said, there are a few paranormal romances that I really enjoy. Kresley Cole's "Immortals After Dark" series is one of those. Kerrlyn Spark's fantastic "Love At Stake" series is another. Not only do I buy each of these when they are released, but I have noticed that they quickly fly past many of my Urban Fantasy's to the top of my TBR pile. Yes this series always features a man and a woman (one or both members of the couple are supernatural beings of some type) who come together by the end of the book despite odds against them. Yet, these books are filled with humor and show more amazing characters that somehow manage to all fell unique and different.

"Vampire Mine" was no exception. Readers have been clamouring for Conner's book for a long time...and now we have it. In this volume, Conner finds himself taking care of a fallen angel named Marielle. What happened to her? What did she do that was so bad that she was tossed from heaven? Can Conner get past his self-hatred/self-pity (and that IS how it came across to this reader) and find a future with this angel, who only wants to get back to heaven? Yes, these too do get together fairly easily. I found this refreshing. Sometimes that back and forth interplay gets old very quickly.

Marielle is adorable. I really liked her and I think she is going to prove to be a great addition to this world. Conner is more fleshed out then I have seen previously and I enjoyed his back story a great deal. We see major plot story progression here involving a big change for Roman and Shanna and their family. We find out there are some new babies due for several of our previous book's starring couples. And Casimir, or dear.

The good vamps hunt for the Malcontent (evil) vamps has been an ongoing thread since the first book. That story is hugely wrapped up by the end of "Vampire Mine". There is a new thread that is left dangeling and we are sure to have more adventures to come. There are several complaints that this story wrapped up too easily and while I can see where these points are coming from, I was just really glad to see the story progress in this new way. It was time for something to happen or that particular plot line was going to sour.

Overall I am very pleased with the newest installment and look forward to everything the future brings to the "Love At Stake" series. show less

This book is the first one that I read in the series and I am now reading the back list! I had heard a lot about the Love at Stake Series but as I am not that fond of Paranormal Romance, I decided to skip it. However, I met Kerrelyn Sparks at the RT Booklovers Book Fair in Los Angeles in April and I got a signed copy of this book just for the heck of it.

I started reading this when I got home and I could not put it down! I enjoyed the sparks that flew between Connor and Marielle! And just imagine my surprise when I read that Marielle was a Fallen Angel and she was falling in love with a Vampire!

I did cringe at some parts where I thought the curse words were inappropriate especially when they were said in front of Marielle. However, I show more guess I could excuse this because Connor is a vampire? *shrugs* I did like how the author weaved in a few positive spiritual elements all throughout the story however, I thought the sex scene between Connor and Marielle was a bit awkward or I just felt awkward reading that part. I guess I was just thinking how unlikely an Angel and a Vampire having sex is.

Another element that I love about this book is the way the previous characters were weaved into the story. I love reading about the other characters and now that I am reading the back list, I am appreciating this even more. show less