Secret Life of a Vampire

This is the first of this series I've read. I liked it well enough to search out and read the others. I liked the second half better than the first half where I felt the attempt at humor was a little heavy handed. I mean she's trying to figure out what he is and android and alien come to her mind but vampire doesn't? And she's looking him all over for an off switch. The hero is very enjoyable though. I liked that he wasn't an alpha but more of a beta. He was very sweet and loving.

I would categorize Kerrelyn Sparks' latest paranormal in her vampire series, "Secret Life of a Vampire" as one of the sweeter, yet still hot, in this whole series. Her hero is more Gamma than Alpha, her heroine is an ex-beauty queen turned cop, and there's not much blood spilled unless it comes from a glass.

The vampires in this series are divided into two camps; Malcontents who want to rule the world and feed from humans at will, and the good vamps who feed off bottled blood and battle the Malcontents. Even though this same good vamps vs bad vamps has been done over and over, Sparks adds enough twists to distinguish her series from the rest. Her good vamps have their own 'Black Pages', their own Vamp Network cable TV station, and their show more own Vampire Fusion Cuisine.

This story begins at a wild vamp bachelor party that gets raided by a pair of cops due to the noise of the bagpipes. Yes, I said bagpipes. The humor in this series isn't just in the dialogue. I mean kilt wearing, sword-bearing, sexy vampires in New York City? Be still my heart.

Anyway, my enjoyment of this series is its refusal to bow to the popularity of the more serious and darker vein (couldn't resist) of stories that currently abound. Fun and funny, sweet yet with enough heat to satisfy most romance readers, I confess to being hooked. show less

I’ve been a big fan of Kerrelyn Sparks’ Love at Stake series, since I read the first book five and a half years ago. That’s why I was utterly dismayed to discover that it’s been over four and a half years since I last read one. I guess when someone has as many books on their TBR pile as I do and reads as slowly as I do, it’s bound to happen. Something winds up on the back burner whether intentionally or not, but it’s still sad, especially when they’re books that I love as much as these. All of the books up to this point have been keepers for me, and although I was definitely very happy to get back to this world, Secret Life of a Vampire wasn’t quite up to the high standard set for me with the first five novels. That’s show more not to say it isn’t good, because it is. Or that I didn’t like the characters, because I did. I simply saw a few weaknesses that were just enough to knock it down a star. I felt like the beginning (or really the first 2/3 or so of the book) wasn’t quite all the way there for me, but still, the last hundred pages or so made up for some of that. So when it came time to decide on a rating, I did waffle a little. Ultimately, I decided to go with four stars, but know that it’s a very strong four star rating.

Giacomo aka Jack has been a part of the series since book #3, Be Still My Vampire Heart. I always got the impression of him as the smooth-talking Italian Casanova, and he actually is a Casanova, being the illegitimate son of the legendary lover. He is very flirtatious and seems to know how to get a woman’s attention, but I liked that deep down he’s really nothing like his father. If anything, he’s a little uncertain of himself at times, and he’s not particularly into sleeping around. He’s obviously a man who prefers relationships to casual love affairs, and when he finds a woman to shower his attention on, he loves with his whole heart. From the moment he first sees Lara, Jack is very attracted to her and jumps in with both feet, trying to seduce her. He’s the first to declare his love, and while it was perhaps a little early in their relationship for that, I did like his style and him teleporting her to Venice to romance her was very sweet. I also love his protective nature and how he drives himself to find the bad guy to keep Lara safe. Where I saw a little bit of deficiency in his characterization is that it’s not revealed until pretty late in the story that Jack was turned into a vampire against his will, and it’s not until the very end that the circumstances of that are explained. He also lost his first love and had two other women he loved reject him when they found out he was a vampire. Because of these things, Jack could have been a tortured hero like I felt some of the other heroes have been (at least to some extent), but instead his backstory seemed to be glossed over. It just didn’t play a big part in driving his character. Overall, Jack was a really sweet hero who I liked a lot, but I just didn’t quite fall head-over-heels for him like I did with some of the earlier heroes.

Lara is a former Southern beauty queen turned New York City cop, which was an interesting dynamic that I would have loved to see explored a little more deeply. Driven by her mother to compete in pageants from the time she was a little girl, it wasn’t until she was older that she made the choice to get out of that life because it just wasn’t for her. But around that same time, she was in a car accident that seriously injured her, causing some brain damage from which it took a while for her recover. During that time, she determined that if she could make a full recovery, she was going to do something meaningful with her life. So she and her hospital roommate, who’d been shot in a robbery, banded together as best friends, moved to New York, and became police officers. Lara meets Jack when she and her partner (a guy, not the woman who’s her friend) respond to a report of loud music and partying in a hotel room, where Jack is throwing a bachelor party for Ian (All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire). Jack tries to use mind-control on her and wipe her memory, but it doesn’t work. She knows there’s something off about the guy, but at the same time, she’s attracted to and intrigued by him. When a girl on a nearby college campus goes missing and her friends appear to have had their memories wiped, she wonders if Jack had anything to do with it, while hoping he didn’t. After he admits that there are others out there like him, they start working together to find the bad guy before more women are kidnapped.

I had a similar problem with Lara as I did with Jack in that I didn’t feel like her backstory played enough of a role in her present motivations, but even more so than that, I was a little bothered by the fact that she and her roommate spend quite a bit of time speculating on exactly what Jack is since he refuses to tell her for a while. During that time, they come up with all manner of things such alien, bionic man, android, mutant superhero, but never once does vampire cross their minds even though all of his characteristics point to it, which made them seem a little dense. Then when Jack finally confesses that he’s a vampire, her first reaction is “that’s impossible, they don’t exist,” and when faced with accepting it, she can’t at first because he’s suddenly now a monster. Her reactions just seemed inconsistent to me. Luckily she isn’t too stubborn in her mindset and gradually turns around, so that in the end, I still liked her.

Just like with most of the other books in the series so far, there were a number of notable secondary characters, some of whom already had their own books or get their own books in the future. Connor (Vampire Mine) and Robby (The Vampire and the Virgin) are the two main Highlanders taking care of business at MacKay Security and Investigations where Jack works, too. As always, Phineas (Wanted: Undead or Alive) cracks me up. Phil, the wolf shifter who becomes the hero of the next book, Forbidden Nights with a Vampire, assists Jack with his investigation into the disappearance of the girls, while seeming to be hiding a few secrets of his own. Carlos (Eat, Prey, Love), the sexy panther shifter puts in an appearance acting as a guard at Roman’s townhouse, where Jack is staying. Shanna (How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire) gives Lara a little advice and encouragement, and I loved seeing her and Roman’s children, Constantine and baby Sofia. Roman as well as Angus and Emma (Be Still My Vampire Heart) are seen very briefly at Sofia’s birth. We get to see Ian (All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire) at his wedding. Apollo, the main villain of the story who is kidnapping the girls, not surprisingly has connections to the evil Casimir, leader of the Malcontents and mortal enemy of all the good vampires. Then there’s Lara’s best friend, LaToya, who helps keep her grounded, and there’s one of the missing girls, Sarah. I thought both of these ladies showed some promise as possible future main characters. It looks like Roman may have a place for Sarah in his organization, but unfortunately neither of the women become heroines of their own stories, which is slightly disappointing.

Overall, Secret Life of a Vampire was an enjoyable story and if the characterizations had been built up just a little more, I probably would have liked it even better. Another thing that could have been improved a bit is the humor aspect. This series tends to be a little more lighthearted, and several of the previous books had me in stitches at some points. This one has a couple of humorous moments that amused me, but it wasn’t quite as funny for me as some of the others were. It simply didn’t reach that perfect ratio of comedy and deeper emotions that I’d previously found in the other novels. The final thing that bothered me a bit is that the level of trust in Jack and Lara’s relationship wasn’t quite up to par for me. Jack hides his true identity from Lara for an almost frustratingly long time and his excuses didn’t quite ring true to me. There are other mortal women who’ve already mated vampire men, and while I could sympathize with his past loves rejecting him, that part of his past wasn’t brought out in stark enough relief for me to feel his pain. Then when he finally does confess, Lara instantly doesn’t trust Jack for no other reason than because he’s a vampire. She was OK with the possibility of him being any of those other things she speculated about, but not with him being a vampire, which seemed a little overblown. But eventually they get past all that and do come to trust each other, so it wasn’t all bad. Otherwise, Jack is a lovable and sexy hero, and while Lara had a few weaknesses, she became more likable as the story progressed, so Secret Life of a Vampire ended up being a good book anyway. I’m very much looking forward to continuing the series, and hopefully this time it won’t take me years to get around to reading the next one. show less

This review first appeared on A Weebish Book Blog

The Love at Stake series is one I discovered years ago in middle school, and I have continued to love her romances ever since. This novel is one that I hadn’t read yet, but after finishing SECRET LIFE OF A VAMPIRE I picked up two additional books to add to my collection. It was a fun, vampy adventure full of laughs and heated romance.

Jack throws a bachelor party to celebrate his Scottish pal’s upcoming nuptials that soon gets out of hand with the arrival of bagpipes, drunk sword fighting, and synthetic blood flavored alcoholic beverages. Things become even more disastrous when police officer Lara Boucher shows up demanding to have a look inside the blood splattered hotel room.

Laura show more Boucher, ex-Miss Teen Louisiana and newly minted beat cop, is immediately suspicious of the wickedly handsome man, but she just can’t figure out what he is. When college girls start to go missing, she’s forced to put aside the puzzle that is Jack and use his expertise apprehend the serial kidnapper.

Jack, illegitimate son of Casanova, is a vampire who has spent his life—and death—determined not to be his father. He is incredibly attracted to the alluring police officer but he’s reluctant to do anything about his interest. If his past relationships with humans has taught him anything, she will run for her life if she ever learns the truth. However, his past regrets do not stop him from flirting with her at every opportunity.

Jack was so adorable!. He is gentlemanly, old-fashion, and surprisingly naughty. The contrasts in his personality made him an entertaining hero, and I fell hard for the big romantic.

These two were so fun together! Lara couldn’t take all the secrets and unanswered questions was made it her mission to find out just what he was hiding, whether he liked it or not. Her stubborn quest for the truth made for some hilarious, somewhat cringey scenarios. It got pretty ridiculous but Lara is one hard to resist heroine and she never gave up. There were some moments where I just wanted to cover my eyes in embarrassment for her, but I can’t help myself. She was quite the quirky heroine and I loved her for it!

Reading SECRET LIFE OF A VAMPIRE was both a blast from the past and a new adventure into this fun vampire world. Fans of Lynsay Sands, Erin McCarthy, or Michelle Bardsley should give Kerrelyn Sparks a shot—she does not disappoint! show less

4.5 Stars.
Well written, entertaining and satisfying.
First part of the book is hilarious! Then it gets more serious as it gets into the criminal element and the romance between Lara & Jack (Giacomo). Not to say there aren't a lot of grins throughout the rest of the story. There definitely is. And Jacks anxiety to protect his friends & their secrets while trying to protect Lara and show her how much he cares for her is epic.
Lara is a strong young woman determined to make a difference in the world.
A VERY SMALL section toward the end could have been more fierce and exciting where there is fighting involved. That is the only reason I didn't give 5 stars.

Book #6
I didn’t buy it. Not the book, I bought the book. I had to so I could read it. I didn’t buy the romance. It just did not work for me. They met each other briefly a few times and they are already in love with each other?
When a bachelor party for vampires gets out of hand and the cops get called, Giacomo de Venicia or Jack as he’s known by his friends gets stuck with convincing the two police officers that show up that everything is fine. He will just erase their memories and be done with it except that one of the police officers, Lara Boucher, is immune to mind control so he cannot erase her memory. One of the partygoers, Laszlo, couldn’t handle his whiskey flavored synthetic blood drink so he threw it up all over show more everything. Lara thinks Laszlo has been injured and calls an ambulance. When she sees her partner and the paramedics leave without helping Laszlo, she has more questions than answers but she has no choice but to also leave. She is flabbergasted when she gets to her patrol car and her partner has no memory of even going into the hotel where the party had been.
She returns to the hotel the next morning and all records of the party are erased. The hotel records show that the room where the party was held had not even been rented the night before. None of the employees remember anything and the people in the neighboring rooms don’t remember anything either except for one man. He said that he heard bagpipes and even something that sounded like a sword fight. He couldn’t sleep so he went out to a bar and got drunk and didn’t return until daylight.
Lara decides to investigate further. She figures that the bachelor party was for a Scottish groom since there were bagpipes involved so she crashes all three of the weddings listed in the Newspaper with grooms who have Scottish surnames looking for Jack. She finds him at the last one. She discovers he has a few “superpowers” like being able to erase memories and mind control.
When she discovers that the minds of a few college girls may have been erased, she enlists the help of Jack to help her discover who kidnapped a college girl from campus. Lara knows that Jack has the ability to control minds except for her own, he has super strength and speed and he can teleport. She thinks he may be over two hundred years old also. She doesn’t know what he is but she thinks he could be an alien. She makes out with him and even teleports to his palace in Venice for a romantic evening where the caretakers and a priest tell her what a wonderful man Jack is. When she finally discovers that he is a vampire, she rejects him and tells him to go away. I didn’t get this. It’s okay to be an alien and she has obviously seen what a caring man he is but it’s not okay to be a vampire? I mean, hasn’t everyone seen Twilight, Vampire Diaries and True Blood? Vampires can be good guys. They’ve got good press lately. I just had a hard time with her immediate rejection of him. I had a harder time believing Jack was in love with Lara after only spending maybe a total of twelve hours in total with her. It seemed more like lust instead of love.
After the poop hit the fan and Lara is in big trouble so she needs Jack to save her, she decides that she can accept Jack for who he is. Wow, that was convenient.
Even though I did not like Lara and I thought the romance was forced, I enjoyed the book. The story of the kidnapped girls and what happened to them was intriguing. There was the humor that has made me adore Kerrelyn Sparks writing in the story like when Jack got his ring stuck in the lace of Lara’s panties. The humor is the main reason I started reading this series. There were also the side stories and the character building of some of the background characters who may end up having their own romance featured in a book.
The next book is Forbidden Nights with a Vampire. I have it downloaded and ready to go.
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I love the female lead in this book. I love that she was a "pampered princess" who decided to turn bad ass and escape her mom. I also loved getting to know Jack better. We've seen him walk in and out of stories so far but haven't really gotten to know much about him. The big struggle of the story is Apollo, I found this part of the story very intriguing. It's a whole different aspect to the Malcontents than we've seen thus far. I'm itching to read more about Phil...she keep giving us bits and pieces that just make me want to read his story. Phineas is amusing as always and I'm getting more of a desire to read his story as well.