Customer Reviews

I Want You To Want Me

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The wait is over. Since we met him in Any Way You Want It, I've been looking forward to Vittorio's story, and waiting for Ren's responsible brother to find someone break his own `curse', someone who could get past his grumpy, serious, reserved self and make Vittorio lose a bit of his ridgid self-control. And lovely sculptor Erika does all that. The relationship between lampir (think vampire-lite) Vittorio and Erika has a nice amount of steam and the fact that Vittorio can't hold to his noble intentions around Erika once he gets a taste of her wonderful life energy and along with the fact his self-control is overcome by his desire whenever she's near serves to up the intensity of their love scenes a notch. But Vitorrio also irked me with how selfish he is truly being by putting Erika in danger - even though he does deserve some happiness. It wouldn't have been nearly as frustrating if he'd let Erika in on his problem, so she could make her own choice as to whether she'd accept the dangerous price of loving Vittorio and so that she had the knowledge to avoid stumbling into the killer targeting all the women in Vittorio's life.

Along with some brief appearances by Ren and Maggie, the couple from the previous book, the story has a nice perk in that author Love does a really good job of setting up her next leading man, up next is not a brother or a lampir but a demon. Demon Maksim has some interesting moments in the story struggling with a conscience that I suspect demons are not supposed to have. Though I would have been happier if Love had left out the usurious, creepy more than titillating, consensual sex between him and the killer Orabella - he knows she's trying to using sex to manipulate him but he doesn't care. I thought mixing in their non-sexy scenes in with Erika and Vittorio's romance dampened some of the impact of Erika and Vitorrio's love scenes. But the scenes don't take away from Maksim, he still ends up being an intriguing mix of dark and light in the story and I'll be reading the next book to see just how the promise of redeeming this bad boy is fulfilled.

*****Synopsis***
As predicted by a very reliable fortune teller, sculptor Erika's relocation to New Orleans is well on the way to being the best move of her life and her work is beginning to gain some notice with a big show on her horizon. Now if only her promised `Prince' would turn up to fill her lonely nights - and her friend and landlord Maggie's steamy relationship with musician Ren only makes Erika feel more alone. When Ren's brother Vittorio moves in upstairs, Erika wonders if he's `the one'. Vittorio's gorgeous and makes her heart race, but he's also rude, serious, moody and seems not to be at all attracted to her. Vittorio can't afford to succumb to the lovely lively Erika, even though after just a taste of her energy he's addicted, but loving Erika could be a death sentence for her - Vittorio suspects that someone has been killing any mortal woman that he befriends and if that someone is who Vittorio thinks it is, it may already be too late for Erika.

Description from the book cover: Erika Todd moved to New Orleans because she needed a change - and, well, yes, because that's what her fortuneteller said she would do. Not that she'd admit that to many people. But so many of the psychic's predictions--about her work, even finding that stray black cat--have already come true. Now all the lonely sculptor needs is to meet and fall in love with the prophesied dark-eyed prince.

Reclusive musician Vittorio Ridgewood has a new neighbor he's been trying to avoid. Sure, she's gorgeous, but she's coming on strong, and the last thing the 200 year-old vampire needs is to get involved with another mortal. Especially since several of his former human paramours have lately been turning up dead. Sensing the relentless beauty needs someone to watch over her, Vittorio agrees to sit for a sculpture, and their attraction to one another quickly ignites. But is passion even this hot worth dying for?

My View: Finally, a vampire book I can sink my teeth in. Usually I have a problem reading vampire books because the blood and gore the authors feel they need to use is too much for a romance, but Kathy Love puts together a story that works for me. Of course, actually Vittorio isn't a conventional vampire, but a Lampir. What makes Vittorio different is that he doesn't suck blood, but energy. No gore there. That leaves the story to entice the reader and Love did a great job at that. The story is a fast paced quick read featuring the interactions between Vittorio and Erika and Vittorio's mother and her Demon lover Maksim. Vittorio is reluctant to get involved with Erika with good reason, I just wished that after they got together that he would explain just a little to Erika so she knew to be a little worried about what was to come. Otherwise, I liked the story. I didn't get to read the first story in this series and am excited to add it to my collection.

I picked this book up after coming across it on amazon! It was a wonderful book! I love a good vampire and romance book and this fit's both categories! There is much sex in this book, along with romance and a little bit of mystery. This book is a wonderful read, buy it today! I didn't read the first book, and I didn't need too, it was a story all in its own! I would give it 4 stars. read it today!

Allegedly Erika Todd insists she moved to New Orleans to be close to her recently married friend and to jump-start her career as a sculptor. In reality she knows she moved because her fortune teller, known for accuracy, insisted she must starting with her now house mate, a black cat. The only thing that has not happened yet is finding her true love.

She is attracted to her neighbor Vittorio Ridgewood, but he avoids her like she has the plague. He knows he wants her too, but the two century old vampire has sworn off mortals as they die leaving him forlorn; grieving is not worth the short time he would give away his heart. His perspective radically changes when his stalker abducts her.

The sequel to ANYWAY YOU WANT IT is an entertaining paranormal romantic suspense romp. The fast-paced story line centers on whether Erika can persuade Vittorio that he only has fangs for her; she fails until the "matchmaking" kidnapper forces the issue; albeit deep into the plot. Vampire romance fans will enjoy this amusing tale between the immortal and the human sculptor.

Harriet Klausner

Kathy Love has another amazing novel in her series of vampire, demon, werewolf series. We are back in New Orleans where Vittorio, a 200-year-old vampire, falls in love with Erika, a sculptor and believer in fortunetellers. Vitorrio is back in New Orleans to figure out what has happened in his past, there are 30 some female friends that have died. He meets his neighbor Erika and falls in love instantly. Vitorrio doesn't feel he can be in love because of the danger that he knows is out there. You have to read this to find out if Vitorrio and Erika end up together. But, let's just say I Want You To Want Me will make you want more!

Kathy Love is a fantastic writer, but this sequel is a little lacking in my opinion. I loved "Any Way You Want It", Ren and Maggie had chemistry that sizzled on page. In "I Want You To Want Me", we have Ren's younger brother, Vittorio, and Maggie's friend, Erika, falling in love. The only problem is there was no chemistry between these two characters. When I has half way through this book I really wanted to put it down and not finish it. My main problem with the story was Erika. In the first book, we're introduced to a vibrant and outgoing girl. In this book, she has morphed into a one-dimentional character. She's boring and I had a hard time believing Vittorio would fall in love with her.

Vittorio was an interesting person to read about, but Ms. Love really downplayed his being a lampir in the interactions between him and Erika. One of the reasons why I liked Maggie in the first book was because she was smart and figured Ren out. In this book, Erika makes a few comments about Vittorio not eating much or how he gets into her apartment without a key, but that's as far as it goes and those missing interactions kept Erika from fully developing. I would have liked Erika to start figuring him out through art like Maggie did Ren through music. She didn't and I think the story suffered from her just being a sculptor and not an art connoisseur.

The first half of this book was very awkward between V and E, and I felt that awkwardness come through the writing, as if Ms. Love was forcing them to connect when that connection really wasn't there. The title, too, was a little weird because it was as if it really applied to Vittorio's mother, who had a twisted interest in her son, instead of to Erika.

The positives of this book was introducing Maksim, who I hope is the main hero in the next book. He is a demon with a penchant for food and sex, and there was an interesting moment with him and Jo (the third friend) in the epilogue.

Overall, I gave this book three stars because while I didn't particularly like this love story, I do like Kathy Love's books in general. Especially when she writes about bad boys turning good (like Christian in Fangs but no Fangs). I think if you read "Any Way You Want It", then definitely read this one but maybe buy it used and save some money.

ANY WAY YOU WANT IT!

Kathy Love returns to the world of Vampires with ANY WAY YOU WANT IT, a sweet and tender love story with the same quirky and funny narration of her previous books.

Ren is the lead singer in a rock band that plays in a colorful bar in Bourbon Street in New Orleans. He and his band - The Impalers have played and lived in New Orleans for over 200 years - adjusting to the different types of music through the ages.

Maggie as just been jilted at the altar a disastrous and arrives in New Orleans for a vacation with her friends - Jo and Erika. As they step into the bar that Ren is playing there is an instant connection between them - Ren is playing a piece of music that no-one has heard before because it was never published and only known to the composer - but the composer has been dead for over 150 years.

Maggie lives in DC, her job is authenticating classical pieces of music that composers wrote but never published. Before she leaves on her vacation she receives a package from England with sheets of music pertaining to a Renaldo D'Antonio - a little known Italian composer. She can't believe that Ren - a rock musician at a dive bar is playing a piece of music that was in that box!

The attraction between Ren and Maggie is instantaneous, hot and powerful. He is very attracted to her, finding her luscious and gorgeous - yet there is an inner aura of shy innocence and naiveté. Maggie has felt dowdy and unattractive all her life. Her friends are the one that get all the attention - not her. So when yummy and gorgeous, sexy Ren starts paying attention to her, she is incredulous and skeptical to say the least!

Ren is a lampir - an immortal, who unlike vampires his sustenance comes from other people's energy. He has his inner demons - and though he knows that Maggie is truly special, he pushes her, only to realize that he cant let her go because she is his salvation.

The character development and the attraction and bonding they come to is why Kathy Love is such a great writer. This is a true contemporary romance, where both characters slightly are flawed but each comes to their own. Maggie losses her insecurities and blossoms like a butterfly out her cocoon as she realizes she has fallen in love with this mysterious, complex yet compellingly sexy man. Though the plot is simple and the storyline a bit thin, Kathy Love more than make up for it in the character development, budding romance and steamy love scenes. I think you will really enjoy Ren's and Maggie's story!

****The sequel to this novel is I WANT YOU TO WANT ME - and it explores the story of Vittorio - Ren's half brother and Erika - Maggie's friend whom we meet in ANY WAY YOU WAN IT.

This is the follow-up to 'Any Way You Want It' featuring some of the same characters although this book works fine on its own. As in the previous book, the action takes place in New Orleans where human Erika Todd finds herself meeting up with Vittorio Ridgewood again. Vittorio is the brother of Erika's friend Maggie's new husband, Ren (Maggie and Ren's romance was the focus of the previous book) and, like Ren, Vittorio is a lampir, a kind of vampire. Erika doesn't know this, however, she just knows that her very accurate psychic has prophesied that she will find the prince of her dreams, and described someone who sounds very like Vittorio.

Vittorio likes Erika a lot. However he knows that his former girlfriends have all died, many in rather inexplicable ways. He fears that a woman from his past is disposing of his former loves and so doesn't want to put any woman in danger. However he finds it hard to keep away from Erika. When Erika starts to unpeel the layers of reserve and shyness from Vittorio she finds someone she wants to know - but can he keep her safe, or can the machinations of the dangerous woman cause her death as well.

I enjoyed this book more than the previous one in the series, finding it more satisfying with regard to characterisation and events. I did feel occasionally annoyed with Vittorio, that he didn't explain what he was and why he was behaving so oddly, but then it would have been a rather short book. There was no real doubt that there would be a happy ever after but it was still worth a read.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008