Secret Life of a Vampire

This review first appeared on A Weebish Book BlogThe 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 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!

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 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.

I am officially a fan of the Love At Stake Series. I absolutely adore the world that Kerrelyn Sparks has created. In my opinion, it is one of the best 'worlds of vampires' in the publishing market right now. I like the humor and I love the characters. But just as much as I love the characters, those characters are also my biggest gripe with the series. That is because the more of the Love At Stake books I read, the more that the male vamps and female love interests start to seem the same. The men are all good hearted, protective and strong, synthetic blood drinking vamps who long for love but have waited their whole (long) lives to find the real deal. The woman are all shocked to find out that the man is a vampire, then they look at all the previous female characters and think how happy they seem. I just wish Sparks would shake the love stories up a bit...give us Pheneus's (spelled wrong, sorry) story, make two vamps fall in love with each other...something. I can't tell you how pleased I am that the next book focuses on one of the female vampires. I also like urban fantasy more than romance and I know thats not the case with alot of readers, but I would enjoy some more action in the books. Sparks did a great job with the final 'showdown' in this story. It was the best confrontation so far. I also adore that she has introduced some 'shifter' type characters and I think that is another good step in keeping things spicy. Despite my tirade here, this is a romantic vampire series that is a cut above many of the others out there. I have completely given up on a couple of those series and I am still firmly a "Love at Stake" fan.

Secret Life Of A Vampire is about Jack the son of Casanova and Lara a cop. A girl disappears from the nearby college and Jack is the only one who can help Lara solve the mystery. Lara goes under cover as a college student and gets taken like she wanted. A good story but not as good as the others.

I liked this and found it pretty funny, which is what I want from the Love At Stake series. The two characters seem to have pretty good chemistry and the story moves with out having those, "that is so far fetched, or you see it coming, what a stupid thing to do" moments that many of these book seem to have.

Having said that, the repetitiveness of thought is eye rolling and boring at points. How long it takes her to come to terms emotionally was dragging. Her complete rejection of him after being told what he is with out thought of who is and has been, just annoying. It takes her weeeks? to look at him from the view point of his actions, really? His totally rejection of trusting her, while understandable because of his past, is not believable, if he loves her.

So 3 stars, probably on the plus side because of the good story line and laughter. If you are reading the series, it is worth reading.

Secret Life of a Vampire starts out with a bachelor party ending bad, with a bad result of Blissky ( Whiskey-flavored blood) what else would it be at a vampire bachelor party right? Well right when you thought it couldn't get worse, with blood all over the place, there is a knock at the door with words "NYPD, Open up," Jack, a vampire and the son of the real Casanova, knowing he can control human minds, is thinking that this will be no problem right? Wrong, his obstacle is the most sensational and beautiful woman he has come across, however there is a snag, her mind is blocked to him. What's a vampire to do?Well Jack tries to go about with a somewhat ( but not really) reasonable explanation of the reason for the party, with blood everywhere, and all over his partner- Lazlo (who drunk too much blissky). However he is able to avoid her questions that night, but what about the future nights to come? Lara Boucher has recently become a police office, her goal however is to become a police detective. But when she answers a call of a noisy party and goes down to investigate, and finds a bizarre situation she knows she needs to find answers with the captivating Italian Jack. But as she pursues the investigation, she finds herself being drawn to Jack's sensual warm gaze, and she ends up getting herself in a whole lot more than she bargained for. Thus begins a whirlwind of romance, danger, a mystery that leaves you breathless in anticipation, and a desire that will sizzle your senses!I am never disappointed with Kerrelyn Sparks, and this one I can say is one of my favorites!!! I was thoroughly satisfied with Jack and Lara's whirlwind of a romance. I couldn't resist in falling for both of the captivating characters. Jack is a vampire although turned against his will. His father was the real authentic Casanova, however Jack has no desire to be like his father in any shape, way or form. He wants to find one woman that he can love and cling to her forever. Jack has a romantic side, that I think we all wish we had in the men in our lives. Of course he promised Connor, that he would not tell Lara of his true identity since that could put many good vampires at risk. But the longer their courtship continues the harder it is to be with -holding the real truth from the one he really loves. He knows he has to trust his heart and trust Lara to still love him after knowing all! Lara Boucher although very strong willed, has suffered a bit in her past. She was in accident and thus her mind was a bit damaged, and she had to work hard along side her best friend, to become a police officer. She is determined more than ever the solve the answers that she craves, as she starts her own investigation, so does she start a courtship with that virile Jack who stirs her senses. Lara is a beautiful, courageous and strong willed woman and a fighter for everything that she believes in. I felt a kinship and took both sides to both Jack and Lara. They are both stubborn yet so alike, and I was definitely enjoying watching these two characters interact with one another. It was definitely a mix of all the ingredients that I enjoy it a well done baked romance!

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 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.

Very enjoyable story with lots of humor and exciting action. I particularly like it when the hero falls in love first. Vampire Jack (Casanova's son) hosted a bachelor party that got really wild. Police officer Lara investigated and Jack was unable to erase her memory.

I am very disappointed in myself. I finished this book a couple of weeks ago and totally forgot about the review part. Oh well, I am here now. So...let's just jump in. I started reading this book directly after the last couple of books that came before it in the series and I had to put this one down for awhile because I was starting to get rubbed wrong by the books...they felt similar, which it should be, but I needed a break. I took one and then I started this book over. I was pleasantly surprised and happy about how much I enjoyed the book after a break. This is book six in the Love at Stake series. As with most romance series you can pick this book up and be fine reading it alone...but it would be best if you started from the beginning.

I love the fun carefree, yet life and death, feel of these books, it's a unique and interesting juxtaposition. The villains in this book were a bit different than the usual villain in the rest...it was nice to take a break and conquer some non-vanilla evil. I liked the interesting chemistry between the two main characters but I am starting to feel like I am reading the same story with a different twist at this point. I hope the next book proves a bit different. Overall, a pretty great read, minus some of the negatives I mentioned.

I love the characters in this story, they are interesting and I can't wait to get to Carlos' story. Also, sorry my thoughts are all over the place in this review.

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.