Customer Reviews

Be Still My Vampire Heart (Love at Stake, Book 3)

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A human vampire slayer is wreaking havoc among the Russian Malcontents. Ordinarily, the death of these vicious vampires would be a good thing but their coven master, the deadly but beautiful Katya Miniskaya, has stated that if another Malcontent is found dead, she will declare war on Roman Draganesti's vampires who subsist solely on bottled blood. Angus MacKay agrees to stop the slayer, a member of the CIA Stake-Out Team. He doesn't expect to lose his heart to Emma Wallace, who despises all vampires for killing her parents. Unfortunately, Katya has other plans in store for them all....

Each book in the Love at Stake series just gets better and better! The trademark humor of Kerrelyn Sparks is once again present in BE STILL MY VAMPIRE HEART. The splendid mixture of action and humor will keep readers thoroughly engrossed in this fascinating tale that delves deeper into the war between the vampires. Readers unfamiliar with the first two books will easily slip into the fascinating world created by Ms. Sparks although this reviewer highly recommends reading the previous books simply because this series is so enjoyable.

Angus MacKay is an adorably sexy Scottish male. After all, who couldn't love a hero who checks under his kilt after teleporting from one location to another to ensure that everything is still in place? Emma provides the perfect counterpart to this Scottish gentleman, as she is definitely a modern day woman who values her independence. Emma's struggle over the concept that not all vampires are evil is a difficult one as she has an instant attraction for Angus.

Kerrelyn Sparks continues to demonstrate her ingenuity with each installment of the Love at Stake series. BE STILL MY VAMPIRE HEART is a must buy for vampire lovers, as it is sure to satisfy. Kerrelyn Sparks is without a doubt the master of the humorous vampire tale!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

I started this series (How to marry a billionare vampire) in love with the series and with Kerryln Sparks. It was the first of her books that I had read and I immediately liked her style of writing and the characters. Then I read Vamps and the City and was completely thrown back by how much I hated the book. I think the irritating herione did it for me...now onto this this book. Be still my vampire heart redeemed the series and the author in my opinion. Kerrlyn Sparks obviously realized the error of her ways on the 2nd books because the amazing dialogue and funny characters are back in this book. I love Emma and Angus. The angst of Emma's past provides just the right amount of tension for the book along with the guilt that Angus feels...all and all it was a great read. My jury is still out on the series though. I am waiting anxiously for the next installment to make a decision.

When Emma Wallace's parents were killed by vampires, she began taking matters into her own hands. She is now a member of the CIA's Stake-Out team. Emma could care less if the vampire is good or evil. She stakes every vampire she comes into contact with. Emma's favorite hunting place is in New York's Central Park. Everything is going fine until Angus MacKay shows up while Emma is hunting. It is hard to ignore a handsome Scotsman wearing a kilt and welding a huge claymore.

Roman Draganesti is the richest vampire around. He has Angus begin searching for "the Slayer" and make the guy stop staking vampires. Seems Katya Miniskaya, co-master of the Russian-American coven, is blaming Roman for the deaths of some of her coven members. The Slayer is to be stopped before Katya goes to war!

Angus never expects the slayer to be a female; especially one as lovely as Emma! Attraction is instantaneous, so Angus must convince Emma that not all vampires are evil and to stop vigilante spree. It gets even harder, seems Katya is hunting the slayer also. Katya must capture the slayer and Angus for Casimir, the world's most evil vampire, or be "removed" herself.

***** This is the third novel in the amazing vampire romance series by author Kerrelyn Sparks. Emma and Angus are two of a kind and a perfect match for each other in more ways than one. Perfect for readers who enjoy some feisty characters, a fast paced plot, and a lot of action. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

This is the third book in Kerrelyn Sparks' series which began with "How to marry a millionaire Vampire" (a catchy title but not that close to the feeling of the book) and continued with "Vamps in the City". The second book was rather weaker than the first but this third instalment is definitely an improvement.

Emma Wallace is a member of the CIA's vampire hunter squad and she's very committed to her work - it's an opportunity for her to revenge herself on the vampires that killed her parents. She's English and arrived in America 7 months ago having previously worked for MI6. When lurking in Central Park to try and slay vampires she comes across Angus MacKay, a Scottish kilt-wearing warrior; she doesn't know if he's a vampire or not but her certainly catches her attention.

Emma knows the truth about vampires - that they are all evil. However, as soon as she starts to get to know Angus, who is indeed one of the evil undead, she has to start reconsidering her firmly held views. Angus works hard to get her to trust him and to keep her safe. There are far more politics involved in vampire slaying than Emma understands and as she gradually learns more about the Malcontents (bad vampires) her safety is put at risk. Can she and Angus stay safe and happy and will they get over their differences?

Despite our heroine Emma being English and our hero Angus being Scottish, their use of language is a little too American for verisimilitude. For example, both Emma and Angus seem to think that English slang for underwear is 'unders'; I'm an Englishwoman and I've never heard ANYONE call them 'unders', they are, of course, 'undies' (although at the end of the book she finally gets this right). Equally a running joke about Scottish attire and the sporran has Emma referring to it as Angus's 'purse'; this is the American word for handbag; a purse to Brits is a female's wallet, a small coin-holder, and not the bag that they are evidently referring to. It struck me that an American author using English and Scottish characters ought to check her dialects.

I liked the way that Kerrelyn Sparks didn't make Emma's distrust of Angus drag on and on (she was a little more polished with this tale than the first in the series where Shanna just seems so dense). The romance wasn't all that romantic particularly but you did feel that the central characters had enough in common to make a go of it. And, most importantly, unlike the previous two books, where one half of the love-interest is completely opposed to being made a vampire, this book has a little more 'realism' about the future possibilities between an undead and a mortal.

We meet the characters in the previous books in this one - Roman and Shanna feature quite a bit and Shanna's baby is part of the story; Austin and Darcy appear briefly. However it's not at all necessary to have read the other books to understand this one.

As a lighthearted read this works very well. Don't expect anything too deep, just enjoy the whizz through history that Angus provides and the well-woven story.

Angus McKay, a world-weary, battle-scared vampire has seen it all--or so he thought. When his company, McKay Security and Investigations is charged by Roman Draganesti with locating and stopping a vampire slayer working in Central Park, the last thing he expects is to find a small, sexy woman behind the killings. Emma Wallace--the name alone is catnip to the dyed-in-the-wool Scotsman--is a warrior like Angus. And, like Angus, she is committed to fighting the vicious Malcontents, vampires that still feed from and kill humans. The only problem is that Emma sees no distinction between Angus and the evil vamps she's determined to eradicate.

The only good vampire is a dead vampire. Emma has lived by this motto for years, and as a CIA agent with a mission to destroy all vampires, it has served her well. Her worldview is challenged, however, when she comes in contact with a Scottish hunk with a code of honor as unbending as his claymore. Could Angus be telling the truth when he says he's one of the good guys, or is it a trick? And could Emma ever trust one of the very beings she's sworn to kill? Emma is forced to confront these questions and her own prejudices when the Malcontents seek retaliation for the slayings.

BE STILL MY VAMPIRE HEART is the third full-length novel in Sparks' immensely popular, award-winning Love at Stake series, and fans will thrill not only at Angus and Emma's exciting, romantic story, but with the reappearance of Roman and a very-pregnant Shana. Tension escalates in the series as hostilities between the good vamps and the Malcontents continue to grow to a head, laying the path for a future showdown that readers will not want to miss. Sharp pacing, fun prose, and excellent characterization round out BE STILL MY VAMPIRE HEART, a must read for any fan of paranormal romance!

It's one of the kilt clad vampires turns in this third and latest edition to the Love at Stake series. Angus McKay is one of the most powerful vampires on the planet and has been for nearly 500 years. Now that his best buddy Roman Draganesti has settled down and is about to become the father of the first ever half vampire baby, Angus has come to town for the happy event as well as to do Roman a favor. It seems that someone or something has been slaying the Malcontent vampires in Central Park. And if he doesn't stop the killer the Malcontent leader will declare war on them.

Emma has been scarred deeply after witnessing the horrific deaths of her parents who were murdered by Malcontents six years ago. However she doesn't realise there are various factions of vampires and so transfers from London to join the CIA's Stake Out team. The team has been meddaling in Roman's affairs for months now but Emma has taken things further and become a vigilante protecting the nocturnal inhabitants of Central Park. That is until Angus shows up and a peak under his kilt has her world spinning.

As the two battle conflicting emotions they'll also have to deal with the Russian Malcontent coven who has been threatened by the evil Cassimir himself to bring them in for execution or else. An ever expanding cast of supportive and alluring vamps is there to help. The book is humorous, witty, and somewhat heart wrenching at times. I have to say Roman's story, the first in the series, is stil firmly my favorite. But this was a very entertaining entry and I look happily forward to the next book. When will we get Connor's darn it?

The third volume of the "Love At Stake" series by Kerrelyn Sparks is, unfortunately, the second in a row that ends up just being average. The first "How to Marry A Millionaire Vampire" is amazing. The next two just follow the same formula shared by millions of vampire romances... the vampire falls for the mortal, there is angst while the mortal comes to terms with the vampire lifestyle and alternates between being intrigued and turned off by it. Then the vamp and human become intimate. One or the other runs off due to a misunderstanding. They get back together at the end and kiss and make up. I'm tired of this dated formula and I am ready to read something more creative.

Angus McKay, there hero of this novel is very interesting as a character. I loved his Scottish accent and kilt and all that. Emma could have been any of the heroines of any other romance book. There was some humor and I truly enjoy the cast of supporting characters here. Vampire mind-sex is getting stale. Is it too much to ask for things to be shook up a little?

This is not a horrible book, nor will you remember it with any clarity in a week or two.

This is my favorite in the love at stake series. I loved hearing about Angus the sexy highlander. Emma was also a strong woman with a sharp tongue which made the book even better. I also adored the ending!

Sparks makes great strides in this third installment of her Love at Stake series. Witty dialogue and an absolutely endearing Angus McKay (I mean, come ON, he checks under his kilt every time he teleports just to make sure! How cute is that?!) paired with an emotionally damaged but plucky Emma Watson make this book shine. How does a woman who's psychic abilities allowed her to witness the brutal slayings of her parents at the hands and fangs of vampires with a whispered, "Avenge Us," as a moment-of-death plea deal with the fact that she's attracted to the very sort of monster responsible? Good question! And Angus doesn't have the answer, though the fact that he's in love with her motivates him to try really hard to find one.

Overall the Love at Stake series is a bit lighter in tone and content than some of the darker paranormal romance series out there, and there are some aspects that grate on my nerves - like the leader of the Stake Out team, Sean Whelan, who's the father of Roman's wife Shanna (How to Marry a Millionare Vamp), and his vitriolic rhetoric gets tiresome quickly - but it's a charming, quirky series full of feel-good romance and very individual secondary characters that are nicely three dimensional. It also seems to be building in more complexity with the Malcontents and other dangerous, old foes. The series has a lot of potential.

3.5 Stars...and bring on book 4!

Emma Wallace has a grudge against all vampires after psychically seeing her parents killed by them. She has made it her job to wipe out as many of them as she can. With her number at four dead vampires and counting, Emma knows it is only a matter of time before they become wise to her and who she is and try to get the drop on her. However, she has no intention of going down easy. Armed with stakes, she meets Angus Mackay, a vampire, in Central Park. The only thing she is sure of where Angus is concerned is that she is very attracted to him; but is he human or vampire?

Angus is an ancient Scottish vampire who is instantly besotted the first time he sees a picture of Emma, who has earned the name of the "slayer" among his kind. A good guy, unlike the Malcontents who murder humans, Angus ingests his meals from a bottle. He takes on the job of convincing Emma to leave him and his band of good vampires to the job of taking care of the Malcontents. Thinking he will easily convince Emma to stop killing vampires, he finds out soon enough that, mutual attraction aside, Emma has every intention of killing him once she discovers he is undead.

When Angus finally realizes that Emma is serious, he sets about trying to convince her not all vampires are evil. Eventually they come to an uneasy truce, and Angus becomes her partner. It soon becomes clear there are other players, and that someone from Angus' past has every intention of killing not just Emma but him as well. In the meantime, their attraction turns into something deeper, though Emma is convinced there is no way a relationship between them can work. While Angus tries to convince her otherwise, they are ambushed by their enemies and only time will tell if they survive being captured.

Be Still My Vampire Heart is a hilarious and highly emotionally charged, though very enjoyable, read. Ms. Sparks gives us a humorous look into the world of the undead, where good vampires drink synthetic blood, and the Scottish ones think nothing of checking to be sure they are completely intact after teleporting! However, just like in the human world, there are the good guys and the bad guys, and I found it very refreshing that Ms. Sparks added this dichotomy to her universe. The emotional tug-of-war that Emma feels when she realizes she is in love with a vampire, knowing her parents were killed by them, is at times heart wrenching but in a very satisfying way. Angus' old-fashioned view of the world and women in general is extremely funny and had me roaring with laughter at times. His admiration of Emma, her will to survive, and her dedication to her mission are heart warming. Ms. Sparks has outdone herself with her Love-At-Stake series and I for one cannot wait to read the rest of it!

Regina
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance