Maryse's Book Blog

The Undead Next Door (Love at Stake, Book 4)
I finished this book last night, and it is my 2nd favorite of the series! The comedic moments had me laughing out loud, and the action scenes were vividly described (I could actually envision it as if it were a movie). There was also a nice little twist or two. Although I found the beginning to be somewhat “strange” (I would have been creeped out by the initial encounter), and the dialogue hadn’t yet found it’s rhythm (I cringed a few times), the romance ended up being out of this world. This book kept me interested, and I was still smiling at the very end.

This novel focuses on Jean-Luc Echarpe, a world famous fashion designer from France, who is also a vampire. Due to his highly public profile over the years, the media begins questioning why Jean-Luc does not appear to be aging. To solve the issue, Jean-Luc has moved to a small town, where he is mostly unrecognized, and decides to go into hiding for the next 25 years, so that he may eventually emerge as “the prodigal son” of Jean-Luc who will continue his fashion design business.

At one of Jean-Luc’s new store “grand openings” he meets a very pretty, divorced school teacher, named Heather. She is appalled by his outrageous prices and artsy designs that can only be worn by model-types. Heather, who is a size 12, decides she can improve upon his designs (she has always wanted to be a fashion designer, and has the talent, but her past has stifled her potential). While she is redrawing his dresses that are on display, (designing them to be more practical for the everyday woman), Jean-Luc confronts her, accusing her of stealing his designs.

He finds himself intrigued by her spirit, talent and her voluptuous curves (for years he has been working with super skinny and he misses the day of Marilyn Monroe body types), and decides to show her his design studio, and offers her a short-term job. While they are discussing the prospects, Jean-Luc is attacked by his nemesis, and despite telling Heather to run away, she gets involved and tries to help him ward of his attacker (“Lui”).

Now that she is known to his mortal enemy, he swears to protect her (and her four year old daughter) at all costs. We are introduced to two very different lifestyles (while he spends much of his time in her humble home), and his heart swells with the love for the family he envisions he could possible share with her. Together, they struggle to fight their own fears of their past, and their respective futures.

A “laugh out loud” moment (Heather’s controlling angry ex-husband barges into her home furious about her new “boyfriend” and calls her a few choice names alluding to her promiscuousness – despite both these assumptions being untrue).

“Enough.”  Heather stepped between them. “Cody lower your voice before Bethany hears you. You’re drunk and you have no right to spy on me or pass judgment.”

He sneered at her. “I do, too. My daughter is living here, and I can sue for full custody now that everyone knows you’re a slut.”

“I am not. And I will never let you take her from me.”

Cody snorted. “Watch me.’

Two hundred years ago, Jean-Luc would have simply skewered the bastard and tossed his body into the river, but the modern world tended to frown upon that solution. He assaulted the man with the psychic wave. You are a cockroach.

In his inebriated state Cody had no resistance at all to the vampire mind control. He fell to the floor and scurried around the foyer on all fours.

With this squeal, Heather jumped back. “Cody what is your problem?”

“I am a cockroach,” he muttered in a squeaky voice.

“hmm, about time you figured that one out,” Fidelia stepped back as he brushed against her long skirt.

Cody attempted to go up the stairs, but tipped over and landed on his back. He squirmed, arms and legs flailing.

“Cut it out, Cody,” Heather demanded. “Get out of here before you scare Bethany.”

“What’s going on?” Emma descended the stairs, looking askance at Cody’s wriggling body.

Fidelia chuckled. “Let’s get a can of bug spray.”

“Raid!” Cody flipped onto all fours and scuttled out the front door.

You will return to normal at sunrise, Jean-Luc ordered.

“Yes master”. Cody tumbled down the porch stairs.

Here is another funny moment (when Jean-Luc and Heather were at the fair, to watch her daughter Bethany’s recital)

“Is that your friend, Heather?” Coach’s voice roared.

Heather winced. “Ignore him.”

Jean-Luc glanced at the coach. “Who is that man? What is that machine?”

“It’s a dunking booth.”

“Ah, I understand.” Jean-Luc nodded. “If he does not drown, then he is a witch.”

“No, he’s just a creep. It’s a game.” A witch? That sounded medieval. Score another point for the immortal theory.

A sweet moment when Bethany was scared and crying

… Bethany’s eyes were simply wide with worry and need. Deep inside, he felt his heart responding. Was this how a father felt? Mon Dieu, it was something he had never expected to feel. It was… odd.

He’d always thought parenthood was all about protection and duty. He hadn’t expected such a strong surge of… tenderness. He wasn’t sure he liked it. It felt so damn vulnerable. If anything happened to this little girl, how could he live with himself?

A funny moment when Jean-Luc was trying to explain to Heather how to properly pronounce his name (she was calling him John-Luke). In turn, she was explaining how to pronounce her and Bethany’s name (he would call her Hezar)

“It’s quite simple really. Watch how I do it. See how the tongue goes against the top teeth?” She demonstrated.

He moved close and leaned over to study her mouth. “I see.”

“Now you try. Tongue against the top teeth.”

He stuck out his tongue and with a quick movement, he pulled her against him and touched his tongue to her teeth.

“Aagh!” She pulled back. “Your teeth, not mine!’

Bethany erupted in giggles.

Jean-Luc stepped back with an innocent look. “I must have misunderstood.”

You see? This is why I like this book. Despite their odd situation (and fight for your life moments), we can relate to these new friends, since there are so many normal “human” moments shared. It is probably why I liked the first book of this series, too. Touching and funny. I bonded as they bonded…

5 STARS!!

On to the next in the series (which will focus on Ian – the 500+ year old vampire, who looks like a 15 year old).

Be Still My Vampire Heart (Love at Stake, Book 3)
Upon completion of book #3, I realized that this series is of a similar style to the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward. The series follows the lives of a group of vampires, and human characters, allowing the familiar characters to appear and interact with each other throughout each novel. However, each book follows a particular storyline geared towards a new specific couple (or potential couple). While I do enjoy this style, I find that when I have become attached to a particular character (or set of characters) I prefer to follow their specific adventures closely throughout future installments.

My favorite characters in this series are Roman and Shanna, and due to their respective backgrounds, their future together could make for some very interesting tales. While we get a lot more of Roman and Shanna in this novel, (at least, more than we were afforded in book#2), our main focus is on Angus McKay (the owner of the Security company that Roman employs) and Emma Wallace (a recent member of the CIA’s anti-vampire “StakeOut” team).

Angus (a 500+ year old vampire)  was a noble Highlands Warrior from Scotland. While his current profession is owner of a very successful security company (that is contracted by the Queen herself), one of his main contracts is security for Romatech Industries (and Roman’s private dwellings). While in a meeting with his staff, he is informed that there is a “slayer” targeting the “Malcontents” (the evil vampires), and their leader Katya, believing that Roman’s entourage is responsible, is threatening to declare war on Roman and his group.

Angus goes to the park where the vampire murders are occurring and realizes that the “vampire slayer” is a human woman (Emma). Due to her hate of vampires (her family was killed by them), she hunts them. While she has been fairly lucky, in her recent kills, Angus knows her luck will run out (a human cannot outfight a vampire) and feels a need to protect her. Over the span of a few days, Angus repeatedly tries to gain her trust (despite her numerous attempts at staking him). While Emma is deeply attracted to him (he is beautiful, gentle, and makes her laugh), and feels he would have been the perfect man (alive), she refuses to accept that she could fall in love with a vampire, and tries to resists him at every turn.

While this novel focuses on the potential of love (and the hardships that come with such a situation), this installment moves quickly with the constant threat of danger (after all, both Emma and Angus are fighters, and they take the bad guys, head-on).

Here are some scenes that I enjoyed (this first one sets the tone of Emma’s and Angus’s bullheaded, yet comical, bantering):

This part takes place when Angus approaches Emma for the first time in the park while she is out hunting Vampires with her wooden stakes (keeping in mind, his Scottish accent)…

He stepped toward her. “I could ask the same question. How do ye protect yerself with a wee stick when the attacker could have a gun…or a sword?”

She swallowed hard “Are you challenging me?”

“I’d rather not. ‘Twould not be a fair fight.”

Male arrogance, again. “You’re underestimating me.”

He tilted his head studying her. “That may be true. May I see one of yer wee sticks?”

She hesitated. “I suppose”. She reached into her tote bag and handed him a stake. If he got any funny ideas, she could kick it out of his hand in a second.

He closed his fist around the stake, examining it closely. “This is a sorry excuse for a stake.”

One scene that I found particularly striking, was when Angus and Emma were being held captive by the evil vampires in the cell together (and Emma was provided food, while Angus’s flask of synthetic blood was empty):

“We saw you were awake. We thought you might be hungry.” He set the tray on the table.

“Ye make a good servant,” Angus muttered.

“Indeed,” Emma agreed with a sweet smile. “Be a dear and empty the chamber pot for me?”

Alek glared at them both. “We are watching your every move. And very soon, we expect it to be quite entertaining.” Chuckling, he left the room.

Burien followed him. The door slammed shut, causing all the silver to glimmer. The bolt slid home.

Emma brought the chair back to the table. “What a creep. After I eat, I’ll find the cameras, and destroy them.” She touched the stuff in the bowl and tasted it with her fingertip. “Porridge. Not bad, actually, and I’m starving.”

Angus sighed. His flask was gone. His heart twisted. Poor Emma. Katya had come up with the perfect way to torture them both. No wonder she wanted to watch.

“I hate to eat alone.” Emma sat at the table, frowning. “Those jerks didn’t bring you any food at all.”

Then her eyes met his and her spoon dropped with a clatter on the table. At last she was realizing the true nature of their imprisonment.

“Aye,” Angus told her. “As far as they’re concerned, they have left me a source of food.”

Oooooh so ominous…

While this one was, in my opinion, better than the 2nd book, the first story in the series remains my favorite. While I did connect with Angus and Emma, I found that the ending, while good, made me cringe slightly at how a Emma decided to handle a certain dilemma.

4 stars!

Well I’m off to read the next one. Bring on Jean-Luc…hrmm…how will I picture him in my head? Any suggestions?