Customer Reviews

Last Vampire Standing (Paranormal Romance (Berkley))

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Over two centuries old, vampire Francesca Marinelli feels undead life is great since she regained her freedom due to her new friend Maggie digging her out of the ground while renovating her house. She loves living in St, Augustine where she was born in 1780 and now is considered royalty by the local press and has a boyfriend paranormal crime investigator Deke Saber. Cesca likes having friends who are loyal because of their relationship not her rank and working as a tour guide of St. Augustine's Old Ghost Town. However, on the down side is her recent battle with the French Bride Killer (see LA VIDA VAMPIRE) has given her unwanted publicity amidst vampire circles who detest the Vampire Princess as the media calls her.

The PR proves ominous when Jo-Jo of the Atlanta vampire nest begs Cesca for sanctuary from a vamp who wants to stake the stand-up comic for certain jokes he told. Finally her shapeshifting childhood friend Triton keeps sending her telepathic warnings that she is in trouble while an insane vampire comes to Florida seeking to kill Jo-Jo and anyone protecting him.

The second humorous Vampire Princess urban fantasy is an enjoyable lighthearted thriller filled with tension somewhat abated by the amusing observations of modern life by the heroine, who was buried in 1803 so has the late eighteenth century as her reference points. The story line is fast-paced as trouble from Georgia comes to the Sunshine State. Nancy Haddock provides a jocular tale even with a paranormal psychopath coming to kill anyone harboring Jo-Jo ergo Cesca.

Harriet Klausner

Last Vampire Standing by Nancy Haddock

I knew with the very first chapter of La Vida Vampire (Oldest City Vampire, Book 1)
that I had found something worth my book reading time, my patience and my cash. I don't think I had even actually finished this book before I was off and running recommending it to anyone that would listen to me. I just knew that here was finally an author that knew how to write a fresh, funny vampire mystery/romance series. Now with the release of Ms. Haddocks newest, "Last Vampire Standing (Oldest City Vampire, Book 2) I am positive that we have the making for a long running series; a wonderful roller coaster ride that has me chortling with glee, and already anxious for my next fix of Princes Francesca, or Cesca (rhymes with Fresca) as she likes to be called!

All Cesca ever wanted from her underdead life...er...death was to make up for the centuries of being buried. She wants to live her life like a semi-normal human being. She wants to blend with the humans, shop Wal-Mart, surf (yes; a surfing Vampire, who knew!) have a boyfriend and give her historic ghost tours. After all she is living history. But alas, the road to hell is paved with good intentions and what could she do when the fates brought to her doorstep Jo-Jo the Jester? Yep J J the Jester (Ms Haddock has a real creative imagination!)
Then comes more trouble in the shape of Ike the head vamp from Daytona, his henchwoman Laurell (who braids her hair using human bones as decoration) and Vlad the head honcho from Atlanta (what mother would name her baby Vlad?) and Marcus, a blast form Cesca's past. Toss into the mix Cesca learning how to fly, helping J J with updating his comedy act, some new Vamp powers of hers coming on line, a prophecy starting to come true, an old very old friend helping her out, a shape shifting cat and a surprise from her boyfriend Deke--and you have the makings of a rollicking good read.


This second book in the series delivers a more difficult mystery to be solved, wonderfully fleshed out secondary characters and even some pretty humorous tertiary characters like next door neighbors Hugh and Selma Lister.

Run, walk, fly or down-load it to your Kindle; I don't care how you do it, just go and get this book. If you haven't read La Vida Vampire yet, then may I suggest that you splurge on that book too, although you don't need to have read it to understand what is going on in this second book in the series!

Happy reading!

I loved Nancy Haddock's La Vida Vampire (Oldest City Vampire, Book 1); the heroine Cesca is a very hip, snarky gal who loves surfing and home decorating, works as a ghost tour guide, and oh, happens to be a vampire who hates blood (it makes her queasy, and she'll only drink caramel macchiato-flavored blood from Starbloods). In "Last Vampire Standing," Cesca ends up aiding Jo-Jo, a fugitive vamp who seeks to be America's next greatest comic and also serves as Cesca's instructor for flying lessons. The original novel was snappy and funny, but "Last Vampire Standing" never gets off the ground, much like Cesca's attempts at flight.

Part of the plot is a carryover from "La Vida Vampire": Cesca's girlhood crush on Triton plays a role in "Last Vampire Standing," and Pandora the shapeshifter is back, as is Cesca's love interest, Deke Saber. Now for the bad: the numerous plot threads dangle (example: a major character makes an appearance in the first twenty pages, and isn't heard from again until Chapter 21). I just wasn't interested in the several weak side plots. The novel dragged along; sexual innuendo and bedroom romps serve as frequent page filler rather than actual action or intrigue (sort of parallel to Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Series' slide into Sookie's bedroom antics). I realize that this is a paranormal romance, but Cesca was an innocent, blushing vampire virgin in the first book; she seems to have been attending Kama Sutra cram sessions in the interim. We do get to see more of Cesca's psychic powers in use, but there are no other vampire powers at work (the flying lessons were a definite dud). The flashbacks to Cesca's human life were well-drawn; I would have liked to hear more historical details from early St. Augustine.

Jo-Jo is a weak, annoying character. You'd think after centuries of experience as a court jester, he'd have picked up some remotely funny one-liners, but no. He doesn't really serve much of a purpose; although he swears to serve as Cesca's protector, he's never around after getting a contract with a high-powered agent and ditching Cesca for Leno and Oprah (amazing, since the guy has ZERO talent except for the vampire novelty factor). The novel's baddies are just mere sketches, here and then gone, and the central plot point appears in one chapter and is never fully explored. There is some good material here, but it needed to be more developed (the various plots lack cohesiveness and the secondary characters are forgettable). I really wanted to like this after loving "La Vida Vampire," but it was a struggle to finish reading it.

This is the follow-up to Nancy Haddock's "La Vida Vampire" which I really enjoyed (in fact, I awarded it five stars in my review). In that book we met Francesca Marinelli, a vampire who has just emerged from being trapped underground for two hundred years. Her love interest, policeman Deke Saber, along with several other characters, made it an enjoyable read.

"Last Vampire Standing" was rather different. I can't speak for the whole book - as I wasn't able to finish it - but having read three-quarters of the way through I was still no nearer to discerning a real point to the book. There were a couple of new characters (including the vastly un-funny vampire comic Jo-Jo), the supernatural cat made another appearance, as did various other characters from the previous story, but it all felt completely directionless. It's unusual for me to give up on a book but I found this one so boring and pointless that I couldn't face completing it. A shame after the enjoyment of the first story, I fear Nancy Haddock wrote this one rather quickly without thinking hard enough about what new things she could actually say.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2009

Last Vampire Standing is the second book in the series featuring 227 year old Vampire Cesca. Called a "fanged" Gidget by her best friend Maggie's financee, Cesca likes to surf and takes online College courses for home decorating. She also can't stand the smell of blood, so holds her nose when drinking her "Starbloods". Cesca now has a live in (sorta) boyfiend - Saber, who was the investigator trying to bring her down in La Vida Vampire. Cesca likes to go it alone and is uneasy around other Vampires, as she is not sure if she wants to learn how to use her Vampire powers or not. This go round Cesca and friends solve another mystery which begins when a Vampire Stand up comic blows into town. If you are looking for a wonderful read full of laughs and snarky comments, this is the book you have been looking for. I hope the series does not end with just three books in the series.

Francesca is back and better than ever. Her love life with Saber is hot and glorious; life seems to be perfect - until a number of events start to make her feel uncomfortable. A vampire killer stalks her, a young paranormal explorer videotapes her, and people are shooting guns and arrows at her. Meanwhile a ancient vampire named JoJo shows up and asks for her protection. This story picks up exactly where the first one left off. I wouldn't read this book unless you have read the first novel. I was happy to see that the characters evolved and grew into even more fun than the last story.

I loved the first book and, as soon as I was done, I ordered this one. Again, couldn't put it down. It is fun and has some suspense and mistery to it. Believable and well written. Has a little sex, but not overdone. I would highly recommend this book and, given the number of paranormal romance books I read and don't love, that is saying something!

Very enjoyable book! Had to buy the sequel after I read Last Vampire Standing! If you enjoy a bit of mystery, a touch of romance, and a pinch of humor you'll enjoy this book!

This was a second great novel in the series by Nancy Haddock. I once again enjoyed reading about an area where I grew up in (and the Florida Gators were acutally mentioned in this story!).

The characters were the same that I loved in the first book in the series, La Vida Vampire, but a lovable Jo-Jo was added this go round. You couldn't help but laugh at his jokes, even if they were corny. And the plot was fun and had me guessing until the end. But I want to know more about Triton. I haven't seen where there is going to be another book in the series, but I sure hope there is going to be one!

Finally the famous Sunshine State vampire Francesca Marinelli is back and her adventures in St. Augustine continue. The surfing and shopping addicted vampire princess is back to causing some havoc in Florida.

LAST VAMPIRE STANDING picks up where La Vida Vampire left off. Due to her fight with the French bride killer Cesca gets unwanted to attention from the vampire society, who doesn't like the attention she attracts to the existence of vampires. But that doesn't disturb Cesca's fun, especially when she has a wonderful house warming party in her near future, unfortunately the party is crashed by Jo-Jo, a former medieval jester. He needs her help, because he is on the run from his vampire community. At first Cesca is reluctant to help him because normally she doesn't like Vamps, but Jo-Jo is just too sweet, so that she wants help him to realize his dream of a show business career. Unfortunately Jo-Jo problems follow him from Atlanta and Cesca's well organized life is suddenly turned upside down.


To fully enjoy LAST VAMPIRE STANDING you should read La Vida Vampire prior to reading this one, so that you get the background information about Francesca and the rest of the gang. You meet several of the characters again, that you encounter in La Vinda Vampire, like Pandora the shapeshifter or Triton, Cesca's girlhood crush and her relationship with Deke Saber is getting more and more intense.

LAST VAMPIRE STANDING is from the first to the last page a thoroughly enjoyable book and I had a hard time to put it down, because I wanted to see how the story line continues. I had a great time discovering new sides to Cesca as well as the development of the secondary characters.

If you are looking for a fun story that is a mixture of urban fantasy and some thriller, you definitely have to pick up your copy!

Courtesy of Loveromances and More