All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire

I've read enough of Kerrelyn Sparks' books now that I know when I pick one up, I'll get a fun, entertaining, and romantic read. Ms. Sparks has a great sense of humor that resonates with me and a real talent for writing funny scenes and dialog. I often don't see the punch line coming, which makes these parts that much more hilarious. I haven't had a book crack me up as much as this one did in quite a while. Most rom coms come off as rather inane to me, like the author was trying too hard to be funny. Not so, with Ms. Sparks. Her humor is an organic part of the story, but her books are not just fun and games. She also has an equal talent for creating emotional moments and swoon-worthy scenes that are exactly what I read romance for. She show more definitely knows how to maintain the delicate balance between these two elements to create a wonderful story, and All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire was certainly no exception.

I've adored Ian since the Love at Stake series began, so I was eagerly looking forward to reading his story. He's a total sweetheart, who up until the last book, perpetually looked like a fifteen year old boy, because that's the age at which he was turned into a vampire. Even though he was nearly 500 years old, he couldn't get women (at least not without using a bit of mind control), and he couldn't get any respect, even from his fellow vampires who knew how old he was. They just couldn't seem to get past him looking like a kid to treat him like the mature man he was inside. In The Undead Next Door, he used Roman's Stay-Awake drug, which finally aged him into a twenty-seven year old man, and now he wants more than anything to find true love. Even now that Ian looks like a full-grown man, he's still having issues with fulfilling that dream. There are plenty of loose women at the Horny Devils, the vampire club started by Roman's ex-harem, but Ian isn't turned on by them in the least. He wants true love, not a one-night stand. He's also an old-fashioned, chivalrous gentleman, which not all the ladies seem to appreciate, but which I loved. He's looking for a woman who is honest, loyal, intelligent and pretty (all good attributes in my book), who loves him for who he is, but since it was nearly impossible for him to court or date women through the centuries, he has virtually no idea how to go about it. His awkwardness because of his rapid growth spurt and his uncertainties where women are concerned are utterly endearing. When he first meets Toni, he ends up flirting with her and doesn't even realize he's doing it. Ian is every bit as sweet as he was before he aged twelve years. I was thrilled to see that only his body changed, not his personality, but at the same time, he definitely proves how manly he is by uttering some of the steamiest lines I've ever read in a romance. Ian is so scrumptiously sexy, he finds himself up to his eyeballs in women who want him in very short order, but there's only one woman he truly wants.

Toni begins the story with a bit of a chip on her shoulder where vampires are concerned but with good reason. Her best friend, Sabrina, was attacked by vampires in the park and then committed to the psych ward when she told the police and medical personnel the truth of what happened. She begged Toni to prove that vampires really exist, so she could be released. Not entirely believing Sabrina herself, Toni goes to the park the next night, only to be attacked as well. The only reason the Malcontents didn't end up killing her is that Connor came to her rescue and teleported her away. Since she had fought bravely and already knew of the vampires' existence, he offered her a job as a day-time security guard, which Toni eagerly accepted, hoping to find evidence that would free Sabrina. She and Ian don't exactly get off on the right foot. He immediately suspects her of being up to something, and she thinks he's arrogant, in part because of all the women who are clamoring for his attention. Toni is quick-witted with a sarcastic, sharp-edged tongue that sometime makes her say hurtful things at first, but she harbors some obvious vulnerabilities that make her very relatable. Her family never loved or supported her, except her grandmother, and Toni has some deep-seated guilt about her grandmother's death. After Sabrina is committed, this guilt surfaces as Toni starts to believe that she always lets down the people she cares about the most. I could relate to the four affirmations she repeats to herself every morning in an attempt to actually believe them. These also showed just how vulnerable she was, but at the same time, I admired her scrappy, independent spirit and her unwavering loyalty to her friends. That devotion eventually extends to Ian as well, and I loved how she courageously wanted to fight the Malcontents by his side.

All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire boasts a very full and diverse cast of secondary characters. Most of the previous heroes and heroines return in supporting roles or at the very least, pop in for a quick visit. Roman and Shanna (How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire) play fairly strong roles along with their adorable little son, Constantine, who has some pretty amazing gifts. Angus and Emma (Be Still My Vampire Heart) are seen briefly, and Jean-Luc and Heather (The Undead Next Door), a little more. There are also plenty of future heroes and heroines as well, including Vanda (Forbidden Nights with a Vampire), Phineas (Wanted: Undead or Alive), Connor (Vampire Mine), Howard (Wild about You) who we learn a little new information about, Gregori (Sexiest Vampire Alive), Dougal (The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo), Zoltan (How to Seduce a Vampire (Without Really Trying)), Robby (The Vampire and the Virgin), and last but certainly not least, Giacomo aka Jack who will become the hero of the next book in the series, Secret Life of a Vampire. We are also introduced to Toni's other best friend, Carlos, who has some secrets of his own and plays a pivotal role in helping Toni spring her friend from the loony bin. He will become the hero of Eat, Prey, Love. I also don't think we've seen the last of Sabrina or Teddy, a geeky psych ward patient who looks out for her well-being. I thought Teddy was particularly cute and was so glad they didn't leave him behind during the escape. It seems Roman might have a very special place in his organization for these two mortals.

Admittedly, the Christmas theme in All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire wasn't quite as strong as I would have hoped, but there was a fun Christmas costume ball, and I positively loved the vampires' Secret Santa program. If I were a vampire with all the special powers that go along with it, that's what I would do at Christmas too.:-) Overall, All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire was a highly entertaining read that in turn made me laugh, say “Awww, how sweet and romantic,” and fan myself. It was a great book for Christmastime or anytime of the year. I can't wait to read Jack's book next. show less

This was quite a fun read. I haven't read any of the earlier books in the series, but that didn't seem to matter. You get enough background that you don't feel lost, but not so much that it bogs down the story. Christmas doesn't feature all that prominently but the season does contribute some nice moments in the story. And it does have a detailed and well-plotted story arc.

This was a good one. I love the addition of Carlos to the story. I hope to read more about him in future books. Toni is a great character. She's strong, and stubborn, but also very loyal and compassionate. I think she is the perfect match for Ian. The struggles they face are different than some of the other couples, not only does Toni already know about vampires when they meat, but her reasons for disliking them go far beyond what other mortal women have felt. I love the side story with Sabrina too and wonder if we will see some more of her in the future books.

Opening Sentence: ‘…The place hummed with bass guitar and rampant lust…’

Toni has a new job – bodyguard for the undead. Not an everyday job true – but it does have its perks, and she does have a reason for being there.

A week before her best friend Sabrina was attacked by vampires in Central Park – but no one would believe her and her uncle has locked her in a mental Institution. Toni went to have a look around and was attacked herself, being a martial arts expert didn’t help when they used mind control on her. Toni was rescued by another vampire – and learns that, like humans, there are good vamps – and bad.

Toni needs to prove there are vampires to free Sabrina from the mental hospital but she begins to like her new show more found employers, especially the incredibly cute Ian MacPhie, so soon finds herself torn between friendship and love.

All I want for Christmas is a Vampire is book 5 in the ‘Love in Stake’ series. Ian MacPhie has been hovering around as a secondary character for a while – but now he has come into his own and is searching for his true mate. A helpful female vamp puts his name onto an internet singles site – mentioning his castle in Scotland and great wealth – hundreds of ladies, both mortal and vamp, start to take interest in him. He quickly becomes the most talked about vampire in the nation. This brings him the notice of the evil vampires – the malcontents.

As Ian fights off women and assassins - he slowly realises that the perfect mate is right under his nose.

Kerrelyn Sparks never fails to make me laugh. Her books have all had me me in stitches one minute, on the edge of my seat in another and blushing the next. I have almost finished the series – so hope she is writing more. show less

What can I say? I dig this series even if some of the stuff in the books is implausible and sometimes ridiculous. I don’t care. I like the stories so much that I want to believe it all so I just roll with it.
Ian MacPhie has just physically aged twelve years in twelve days thanks to a drug that was originally invented to keep vampires awake during the day but has the strange side effect of aging the recipient one year for every day the drug is taken. He was transformed almost 500 years ago at the age of 15 so he has been stuck with a body of a teenager even though he has lived for centuries. It has not been good for his love life so when Roman Draganesti discovered that the drug he invented aged the user, Ian jumped at the chance to show more test it. He now has the body of a gorgeous 27 year-old.
He is ready to find the love of his life. He knows exactly the kind of woman that he wants. She has to be honest, loyal, pretty and intelligent, in that order. Oh, and she has to be a Vamp because he wants to start out the relationship with honesty and since most mortals are unaware of vampires, he would have to lie to them about who he really is. Even if a human knew he was a vampire, they probably wouldn’t understand his past. His friend Vanda decides to help him by setting up a profile on a dating site. She tells him to let her handle the details because she knows exactly what women want.
My true love will be like a shimmering starlit princess in my enchanted Highland castle. And I'll be her devoted love slave, attending to her every waking desire till she's flooded with waves of sensual pleasure.-----
It also promises to lavish lots of money on his true love and to keep her in a state or orgasmic bliss forever.
Toni Davis has just been hired on at MacKay Security and Investigations. She was attacked by evil vampires but saved by Conner, the head of MacKay Security. He explained that there are bad vampires called Malcontents and good vampires who call themselves Vamps who drink synthetic blood out of a bottle instead of biting mortals. Conner sees that she knows how to fight so he gives her a choice. She can either have her mind wiped clean and forget the event or she can go to work for him. She chooses the job of protecting the Vamps during the day while they are in their death sleep even though she despises them and has a secret agenda to somehow get proof that vampires exist so she can help her friend who was also attacked by Malcontents but now believes herself to be delusional.
Ian and Toni do not hit it off at first. He doesn’t know that Toni is the new security guard and mistakes her being an intruder in Roman Draganesti’s townhouse. They struggle until the other guards tell him that she is the new guard. To make matters worse, the next day when Toni is guarding the Vamps, women start calling and asking for Ian. His profile on the dating website is super popular and the phone just won’t stop ringing. Toni gets tired of taking messages from superficial sounding girls and even two men so she takes a permanent marker and writes in capital letters HOT, HOT STUDMUFFIN on his t-shirt while he is wearing it and while he is in his death sleep. Below the caps, she writes For a good time, call Travis. I cheered her on because that is something I would do.
Even though they are fiercely attracted to one another, Ian suspects that Toni is up to something. He tells her that he is going to investigate her and see what secrets she is hiding.
This book has all kinds of different things going on and introduces a few new characters. There is Carlos Panterra who is Toni’s next door neighbor and good friend. He is helping Toni with her agenda. He has his own secrets. There is Sabrina, Toni’s best friend and roommate who she is trying to save from a life of living in a mental hospital. There is Teddy, a strange man who they meet while visiting Sabrina in the mental hospital and we get better acquainted with some of the other characters who were mentioned in earlier books like the daytime guard, Howard, the head of security for MacKay Security, Connor and Vanda, the ex-harem girl turned part owner of the Horny Devils male strip club. There is also the whole cast from previous books. It was almost too much information to process but I managed.
I liked both the main characters in this book and I enjoyed their romance. I can’t believe how fast I am going through this series. I wonder which character will get to star in the next book, Secret Life of a Vampire.
www.paranormalromanceslut.com show less

This one was fun with a little romance mixed in. Not intensive and the background drama was silly. Still made me laugh. If you don't mind ridiculous fights and situations, you'll get a fun romp.

Read from November 30 to December 03, 2012

Listened for Fun (Audible)
Overall Rating: 4.50
Story Rating: 4.50
Character Rating: 4.50

Audio Rating: 3.50 (not part of the overall rating)

Part of my 25 Books for the Holidays for 2012

How All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire put me in the Holiday spirit: I absolutely loved this book! It made me laugh, cry, and cheer for love. Sort of makes you want your very own Scottish Vampire for Christmas :)

What I thought of the story/characters: All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire is filled with wonderful characters that will make you want to read each of their stories. I will admit this is my first K. Sparks book (yes I know I read out of order) but she just landed on my series to read list for next year. show more I want to know all about this group of vampires and shifters. I want to know how their lives turn out and how they each find love. The story of Ian and Toni was sweet. I love when it is the guy who is looking for forever romance and love. It is such a unique twist. I loved that Toni was looking to help her friend. They were just suited for each other from the beginning. Maybe it is the season but I am sucker for a HEA that is meant to be.

What I thought of the audio: Narrated by Coleen Marlo and she did a pretty good job. There were more male than female voices though. I thought this book would have been better suited for a male narrator. The pacing was excellent and she did as well as can be expected with so many male voices. I think I will be reading the rest of the series though instead of continuing on audio. show less