Vamps and the City

This is pure bubble gum for the brain! Darcy is still struggling to find her place in the vampire world after a violent encounter four years ago ended her human life. She's grieving her humanity and tries to distract herself from her troubles by directing a vampire reality show, unaware that Austin, Vampire Slayer and CIA Operative for the "Stake Out" team is working undercover as one of the contestants. Austin falls head over heels, but his principles are challenged when he finds out Darcy is one of the undead.

The scenes with the show's contestants were extremely entertaining and just the kind of "out there" humor I needed after reading a couple of "tear-jerkers." The relationship moved too fast, but something about this series has me show more suspending all belief and just enjoying the ride. It was nice to get a small update on Shanna and Roman, too. I loved the way the book ended, even if it was a bit predictable. Overall, the book flowed nicely and was a lot of fun to read. show less

Vamps and the City was another great installment in the Love at Stake series. It was a really fun read that was essentially a paranormal spoof of The Bachelorette, except in this case, rather than having only one bachelorette, there are five, the cast-off harem of Roman Dragenesti from the first book. I'm normally not a big fan of reality TV and have never actually watched The Bachelor/Bachelorette. I wasn't quite sure how I would like the premise when I started the book, but it didn't take long for me to really get into it. The story was pretty amusing and light-hearted with several LOL moments, and yet, Kerrelyn Sparks still managed to infuse the narrative with plenty of emotion and even some angst. Overall, it was a very enjoyable show more read.

I couldn't help but feel for Darcy in her situation. She has been living among the vampires for four years, but is having trouble being accepted as an intelligent and capable person in the chauvinistic, male-dominated vampire world. Her nervousness about applying for the job at the TV station made her sympathetic. It can be hard for an author to make a drop-dead gorgeous woman who doesn't seem to have any outer flaws vulnerable, but I think Ms. Sparks did a beautiful job of it with Darcy's character. I really liked that her first inclination when asked about her dream man was to describe his personality. Since I tend to pay more attention to a man's personality too, I could relate. It was really cute that she fell as head over heels at first sight for Austin as he did for her. She thinks that Austin's handsome co-worker is just OK, but is super attracted to Austin, even though her friends thought he was just meh. I've often had a tendency to go for guys that other women don't, so this was another way in which Darcy was relatable to me. I also think it showed that Darcy wasn't a shallow woman. Then there is her angst and turmoil over how she came to be a part of the vampire world, and how she can ever make a life with Austin with all that baggage. Everything came together to make Darcy a very likable and admirable heroine.

Austin was an equally likable hero. He does, of course, lie to Darcy about his identity at first, because he was working undercover for the Stake-Out team. He has also been taught to believe that all vampires are evil and must be killed, but underneath he has a pretty open mind. Once he starts to see the truth of things, he comes around pretty quickly and even becomes protective of the good vampires. It was really cool that Austin had psychic and telekinetic powers. This is a little different for paranormal romance, but it fit the story quite well. I loved that Austin is seriously attracted to the whole package that is Darcy and not just her beauty. It was really sweet that Austin doggedly pursued Darcy while she was a bit more reluctant because of her situation. Overall, Austin was an incredibly nice guy with a sensitive side who usually always said just the right thing in romantic situations.

Vamps and the City has a strong supporting cast. Roman and Shanna (How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire) put in a couple of brief appearances. The women of the harem were a hoot, although the only one who wasn't exceptionally shallow was Darcy's friend, Vanda. She gets to become the heroine of book #8, Forbidden Nights with a Vampire. We are also introduced to Emma, a new co-worker of Austin's on loan from MI6. She will be the heroine of the next full-length novel in the series, Be Still My Vampire Heart. The vampire men, Connor (Vampire Mine), Ian (All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire), and Gregori (Sexiest Vampire Alive) also have roles in the story. I thought that Darcy's other friend, Maggie would make a good heroine too, but it doesn't look like she has her own book yet.

I enjoyed the initial mystery of whether Darcy was a vampire. There is a constant is she or isn't she vibe throughout the first third or so of the story. The reveal of both character's true identities came a little sooner than I expected, which led to a temporary separation in the middle of the book. Although Austin and Darcy's break-up made perfect sense for the story, this part lagged a little for me, because I really missed their sparkling chemistry. The ending had a great twist to it that I wasn't expecting, and I have to say that I'm really liking the development of the series story arc. Some things happened in this book that advanced the overall plot, and I'll be looking forward to seeing where things go next. Overall, Vamps and the City was a great read that has me eager to continue the series as soon as possible, and with two winners in a row, Kerrelyn Sparks has earned a spot on my favorite authors list. show less

Kerrelyn Sparks is one of my favorites when it comes to lighthearted paranormal romance. And while it's taking me a little longer to really get into this Love at Stake series (compared to her more recent Embraced series), this book grew on me as it kept going. She does such a fantastic job of balancing angsty romance against humor and real life/undead concerns, there's just no way not to get sucked into the story here. And while the heroine put me off just a bit in the beginning of this book, she grew on me pretty fast. We also got more justification for the insta-lust than a lot of paranormal romances offer, which I appreciated.

All in all, there's no question that I'll continue with the series, and the escape this book offered was a show more welcome one. show less

This reminded me of why I liked the series in the first place. There was a lot of corny humor and no over the top war/capture scenes that make you wonder how stupid it can get. OK, so the end was a little corny/fast/beyond reality, but still the whole book had parts that made me laugh and that is why I started this series, not for the background plot of the malcontents vs bottle feed. I don't know why I skipped the book really but I did and am glad that I got to come back to it.

Another good Love at Stakes book, but I was a little bummed with the ending... Why go back to mortal? Yes, I understand wanting the sun and everything, however, I really thought Darcy would come to terms with who she had become.

She and Austin will have their work cut out for them, though, I hope they'll be an asset to their vamp friends.

I was laughing my head off during the whole Vamp reality show, it was SO funny, but such a great way for the older female vamps to realize they could stand on their own two feet, and not need a master anymore. It was hilarious to see the reality show filming, as I have always laughed at real reality shows as well.

Fun book, a lot of LOL moments, and a lot of sad ones too.

Shanna will have a hard time keep show more on running from her dad, that man is serious trouble both for her, and all of the vamps. show less

4.75 Stars

So well written that it flows like a silky stream of decadent cream.
Before you know it, you have drank every last drop!!
The characters and situations they find themselves in are often highly comical and sometimes a little scary. It is a perfect blend.
Kerrelyn Sparks 'Love At Stake' series has made it to my top 10 Series Following file!
And this was only the 2nd book in the series.

Warning: The sex scenes are on the mild side. They are there. They are adult. But they are NOT erotica.

I’m gobbling these books up like they are warm chocolate chip cookies but if I eat too many chocolate chip cookies, I get a bellyache. I hope the only bellyache I get from reading the Love at Stake series is from laughing so hard at some of the hilarious scenes. The second book was as good as the first. Let’s hope they continue to whet my palette.
Darcy Newhart was just hired on as the director of the first reality show for DVN, Digital Vampire Network. The women who were formerly in Roman Draganesti’s harem are looking for a new master. The show will be called The Sexiest Man on Earth. Darcy decides to put her own twist on things and adds mortal men to the contestants which may boost her career or it could end it.
Austin Erickson show more works for the CIA in a secret group called the Stake-Out team. They believe that all vampires are evil and need to be killed. The leader of the group, Sean Whalen’s daughter recently fell in love with Roman Draganesti, a vampire, but Sean refused to believe her that she is with him of her own free will and that there are two kinds of vampires, the malcontents who prey on mortals and the good vampires who drink synthetic blood. He believes she has been brain-washed and has ordered his team to find her.
Austin and another CIA agent sign up for Darcy’s show to get information on vampires and the whereabouts of Shanna Whalen. When Austin meets Darcy, he believes she is a mortal who is somehow being influenced by vampires. He is attracted to Darcy from the start and they start to fall in love with each other but their secrets could ruin their relationship.
I really enjoyed the story and I’m starting to really like some of the other characters in the book. I’m excited to see who will fall in love next.
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