How To Marry A Millionaire Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks

How To Marry A Millionaire Vampire
Series: Love At Stake #1
Author: Kerrelyn Sparks
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Source: Personal Purchase
ISBN: 9780060751968

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)


Nobody said love was perfect...

Roman Draganesti is charming, handsome, rich...he's also a vampire. But this vampire just lost one of his fangs sinking his teeth into something he shouldn't have. Now he has one night to find a dentist before his natural healing abilities close the wound, leaving him a lop-sided eater for all eternity.

Things aren't going well for Shanna Whelan, either. After witnessing a gruesome murder, she's next on the mob's hit list. And her career as a dentist appears to be on a downward spiral, because she's afraid of blood. When Roman rescues her from an assassination attempt, she wonders if she's found the one man who can keep her alive. Though the attraction between them is immediate and hot, can Shanna conquer her fear of blood to fix Roman's fang? And if she does, what will prevent Roman from using his fangs on her?

MY THOUGHTS

I admit, I must be the last person in the world to read this series.  After seeing everyone rave about them, and even hosting the author on my blog, I decided to dive into the Love At Stake series by author Kerrelyn Sparks.

The first half of this book I thought was rather cliched.  While I found it funny at times, other times I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the story.  Not only was the dialogue cheesy, but so was the plot.  Then after I got past the first half of the story, it really started to pick up and really grab my interest.  I did like the authors writing style though and the side characters were ones I can't wait to read about -- especially those kilt wearing/sexy talking Highlanders!

While I am not completely sold on the series yet, this is definitely one that I am going to continue reading.  I am interested to know how the Vampire "Civil War" is going to play out now that there has been a dramatic change in hierarchy. With the fall of one and the partnership of another, you can't help but wonder what side is going to win.  I also like the side story of the Stake-Out Division of the CIA and the impact they will have for future stories.

For an old time paranormal romance mood, this one fits the bill on the quirky side.  Not one to take seriously, but one that will definitely leave you smiling.

MY RATING

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!

BUY FROM AMAZON

Contest & Guest Post with Kerrelyn Sparks

Today on My Overstuffed Bookshelf, I have the very talented Kerrelyn Sparks!!
Lets give her a warm welcome and stay tuned after reading her Guest Post for an amazing giveaway hosted by AVON books!

A Different Sort of Hero

By Kerrelyn Sparks

            Not every romance hero can be born a duke...or a werewolf.  That was the idea behind the hero of The Forbidden Lady.  Can a normal guy succeed as a hero without the benefit of a title-- or in the case of my usual supernatural heroes, without the benefit of superpowers or fangs?

            Introducing Quincy Stanton, the hero of The Forbidden Lady.  He’s a sea captain from Boston in 1769, a tense time in American history that climaxes with the Boston Massacre.  Quincy is recruited by the Sons of Liberty to spy on the British. Instead of shifting into a werewolf, he transforms into the James Bond of the American Revolution.  With no superpowers, he depends on some super gadgets—a carriage rigged with special compartments and a booby trap, a magnifying glass lined with phosphorescence so it glows in the dark, and a submersible for sneaking about Boston harbor. (This is based on the Turtle, an actual submersible used during the Revolutionary War).

            So Quincy is a different sort of hero—or is he?  Like all my heroes, Quincy possesses what I consider heroic virtues:  honor, strength, intelligence, and integrity.  He also has something else in common with my supernatural heroes—a second identity he needs to keep secret.  He can’t admit to being a spy.  It would cost him his life.  So when he falls in love, how can he gain the heroine’s trust without revealing his secret?

            It’s the same dilemma that some of my vampire and shifter heroes face.  In Wild About You, (releasing November 27^th), Howard Barr is trying to win the heart of Elsa.  Would any woman in her right mind want to fall in love with a guy who occasionally becomes a real bear?  A huge, grizzly bear to be precise. 

            Whether it’s a sea captain hiding the fact that he’s a spy, or a guy who played for the Chicago Bears hiding the fact that he’s a were-bear, it’s still a hero with a dual personality. He’s both the prince and the beast, and it will take a special heroine (or Beauty) to see past the beast and recognize the prince.  In The Forbidden Lady, Quincy becomes a very different sort of beast—an obnoxious dandy in lavender silk and a lavender-tinted wig.  Only another spy, the lovely Virginia Munro, will manage to see through his Scarlet Pimpernel-like masquerade.  And along the way, there will be a lot of laughs, some adventure and suspense, and of course, some glorious romance.

            The Forbidden Lady goes on sale in e-book form September 25^th, then in print form October 25^th. Originally published as For Love or Country, it has now been revised to be funnier and sexier than ever.  Wild About You, the thirteenth book in the Love at Stake series, releases November 27^th.  For more information, please visit www.kerrelynsparks.com. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kerrelyn Sparks’ first paranormal romance, How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire, zoomed out of the bat cave so fast it became Borders bestselling debut romance of 2005.   Each book in the Love at Stake series has become a USAToday bestseller.  When the fourth book, The Undead Next Door, landed on the New York Times bestseller list, even the Undead sat up and took notice, which made Kerrelyn a bit nervous. She lives in the Greater Houston area with her husband, children, and a house full of garlic.  So far, there are no vampires in her family. Werewolves are another matter entirely.

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CONTEST

Thanks to AVON/HarperCollins, I have:

5 copies of How To Marry A Millionaire Vampire (US ONLY)

1 $25 gift card to the e-retailer of winners choice (INTERNATIONAL)

RULES

-- Comment for your chance to win!

-- Please state if you are US or International so I know which contest to enter you in.

-- Leave an email address for me to contact you if you win!

-- Contest ends 9/30/2012

GOOD LUCK!

WOW: Wild About You by Kerrelyn Sparks

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. WOW spotlights forthcoming titles that we absolutely can't wait to read.

WILD ABOUT YOU

Author: Kerrelyn Sparks

Publisher: AVON

Expected Release Date: November 27th, 2012

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SUMMARY

(From Amazon)

Handsome Howard . . .

Hunky Howard . . .

Hot Howard . . .

It's not every day that Elsa Bjornberg feels delicate, not when she hosts a home renovation show where she can effortlessly demolish a kitchen. But from the moment she meets Howard Barr, this bear of a man makes her feel like a woman. And the way he looks at her, as if she were a pot of honey he'd like to lick . . .

Howard is not like most men. For one thing, he's a shapeshifter. And he always thought his celebrity crush would never amount to anything more than drooling at Elsa on TV. When his meddling vampire employer gets involved, the star is suddenly within his grasp—and within a hair of her life. For an ancient curse forbids their newfound love, and Howard is suddenly torn between his desire for her and his desire to keep her alive.

I have slowly been reading this series so that I could take the time to enjoy it.  I have been loving it so much that I don't want to end it so soon.  I figure by the time this book releases (on my birthday no less!) I will have a good fix going on from the rush of joy that the books are giving me.  Why does it have to be so far away??!!