What do you think?
Rate this book
Argeneau #19
One Lucky Vampire
Luck be a vampire tonight...
When Nicole Phillips agreed to hire a housekeeper, she pictured someone a little frumpy and almost certainly female. Instead, she gets gorgeous, unmistakably male Jake Colson. The man is proving indispensable in the kitchen—and everywhere else. Except Jake might not be a mortal man at all.
...and every night
Who wouldn't want to be a tall, dark, powerful vampire? Jake, for one. He's barely had time to adjust to his new state before he's roped into a family favor. Still, secretly playing bodyguard to sweet, sexy Nicole is turning out to be the wildest ride of his life. First he'll put a stop to whoever's targeting her. Then he'll prove that this kind of love, and luck, happens only once in an eternity.
When Nicole Phillips agreed to hire a housekeeper, she pictured someone a little frumpy and almost certainly female. Instead, she gets gorgeous, unmistakably male Jake Colson. The man is proving indispensable in the kitchen—and everywhere else. Except Jake might not be a mortal man at all.
...and every night
Who wouldn't want to be a tall, dark, powerful vampire? Jake, for one. He's barely had time to adjust to his new state before he's roped into a family favor. Still, secretly playing bodyguard to sweet, sexy Nicole is turning out to be the wildest ride of his life. First he'll put a stop to whoever's targeting her. Then he'll prove that this kind of love, and luck, happens only once in an eternity.
353 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 24, 2013
About the author
Lynsay Sands
111 books11.9k followersLYNSAY SANDS is the nationally bestselling author who is known for her hysterical historicals as well as the popular Argeneau/Rogue Hunter vampire series. With her witty and charming personality, Sands describes books as, “Waking dreams or stories, tales to amuse, entertain and distract us from everyday life.” She’s been writing stories since grade school and considers herself incredibly lucky to be able to make a career out of it. Her hope is that readers can get away from their everyday stress through her stories, and if there are occasional uncontrollable fits of laughter, that’s just a big bonus. Visit her official website at www.lynsaysands.net.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 622 reviews
July 11, 2017
I will be finishing this series because of stubbornness, and the fact that I am waiting for one character-in-particular's story. But, damnnnn.... clean it up a bit, will ya?
There are several times when the person who is talking has the wrong name written for who they really are. There are also many inconsistencies that show up through the books. For instance, in the end of this book, the bad-guy kept describing Marguerite as "the brunette". Um, really? A brunette has brown hair, right? Well, what color IS Marguerite's hair? In the first book, it is blonde. A few books later, she is a red-head. And, then there is strawberry-blonde and auburn thrown into the mix here and there to try and fix the problem. But, a brunette? This is the first time she is described that way. And, Marguerite shows up in most of these books. I really can't tell if it is her until they actually say her name these days. The descriptions don't seem to mean anything. And, we know she doesn't dye her hair. That would be a good excuse for us humans. I have dyed my hair for so many years that I have no idea what color it started out, and that's pretty typical. You would have to check the carpet to see what color the drapes used to be except that everyone keeps hardwood floors these days.
aww, the good old days... Did you know that they used to use rakes on the shag carpeting? To keep those lovely strands fluffy!
So, what's going on? Is it laziness after all of these books, or is someone just forgetful? Also, where is the editing person? If I'm catching things, someone who is more qualified than I am should be totally catching more. I am lazy and barely care.
I could beat that.
And, since I'm ranting now, let's talk about the fact that we get an in-depth explanation of how the vampires came to exist in every single book. My thoughts are that if someone is going to pick up a book 19 of any series and feels a little lost, that's book karma. Screw you, newbie!! You think you can get out of the misery of reading every crappy book in the series and only pick up the one that is entertaining and funny? Abso-fucking-lutely not! Get to the back of the line. You can read it after you've paid your dues.
Okay, this is freaking adorable. Me want puppies now.
Oh yeah, I was angry-ranting. So, then there is this thing where the "life-mates" pass out when having sex because it is so intense. Ugh. First off, no. I'll pass on the passing-out sex, thank you very much. Secondly, this wasn't the case in the earlier books. It was a possibility, but not a for-sure-will-happen thing. But, somewhere down the line, the books changed it to being a requirement that happens every single time. That's annoying. Not sexy. And, they pass-out to the point of being unresponsive. In this book, they pass out and a big guy picks them both up, NAKED, and lays them in bed! That is soooo not sexy!
Some things should remain unseen.
About this book? Well, it was fine. The couple was nice enough, there was a little bit of a mystery, and a couple of smile-worthy moments. It didn't suck, but I'm going to be finishing this series by sheer will-power at this point.
Getting in touch with my male-side, I guess.
There are several times when the person who is talking has the wrong name written for who they really are. There are also many inconsistencies that show up through the books. For instance, in the end of this book, the bad-guy kept describing Marguerite as "the brunette". Um, really? A brunette has brown hair, right? Well, what color IS Marguerite's hair? In the first book, it is blonde. A few books later, she is a red-head. And, then there is strawberry-blonde and auburn thrown into the mix here and there to try and fix the problem. But, a brunette? This is the first time she is described that way. And, Marguerite shows up in most of these books. I really can't tell if it is her until they actually say her name these days. The descriptions don't seem to mean anything. And, we know she doesn't dye her hair. That would be a good excuse for us humans. I have dyed my hair for so many years that I have no idea what color it started out, and that's pretty typical. You would have to check the carpet to see what color the drapes used to be except that everyone keeps hardwood floors these days.
aww, the good old days... Did you know that they used to use rakes on the shag carpeting? To keep those lovely strands fluffy!
So, what's going on? Is it laziness after all of these books, or is someone just forgetful? Also, where is the editing person? If I'm catching things, someone who is more qualified than I am should be totally catching more. I am lazy and barely care.
I could beat that.
And, since I'm ranting now, let's talk about the fact that we get an in-depth explanation of how the vampires came to exist in every single book. My thoughts are that if someone is going to pick up a book 19 of any series and feels a little lost, that's book karma. Screw you, newbie!! You think you can get out of the misery of reading every crappy book in the series and only pick up the one that is entertaining and funny? Abso-fucking-lutely not! Get to the back of the line. You can read it after you've paid your dues.
Okay, this is freaking adorable. Me want puppies now.
Oh yeah, I was angry-ranting. So, then there is this thing where the "life-mates" pass out when having sex because it is so intense. Ugh. First off, no. I'll pass on the passing-out sex, thank you very much. Secondly, this wasn't the case in the earlier books. It was a possibility, but not a for-sure-will-happen thing. But, somewhere down the line, the books changed it to being a requirement that happens every single time. That's annoying. Not sexy. And, they pass-out to the point of being unresponsive. In this book, they pass out and a big guy picks them both up, NAKED, and lays them in bed! That is soooo not sexy!
Some things should remain unseen.
About this book? Well, it was fine. The couple was nice enough, there was a little bit of a mystery, and a couple of smile-worthy moments. It didn't suck, but I'm going to be finishing this series by sheer will-power at this point.
Getting in touch with my male-side, I guess.
January 15, 2022
I like the formula!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧
Romance: 💙💚🖤💜
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌎🌍🌏🌎🌎
Character development: 😳🤬😏🤓
The heroine: Nicole Phillips - she is a niece to Marguerite Argeneau’s maid and her family believes her husband whom she is divorcing is trying to kill her. However, Nicole refuses to believe it and won’t do anything to protect herself.
The Hero(s): Stefano Jacob Colson Notte (a.k.a. Jake Colson) - a professional bodyguard to the rich and famous, Jake is an immortal, though he never wanted to be. He was working for Vincent Argeneau and he was attacked and was bleeding out when Vincent turned him against his will. He left his family and Argeneau Enterprises after that and is currently working security in Ottawa Canada.
The Story: Marguerite Argeneau tracks Jake down and asks him to provide security for Nicole. If you have read any of the previous books you know that Marguerite is gifted at finding fated mates for immortals. Marguerite tells Jake he has to go in undercover as a cook/housekeeper which Nicole needs.
The narration was good, though I really like dual narration. This one was narrated by Jack Dupont who is great with voices. He had a different voice for each of the characters, which I really liked. The story in this one was a bit different than some of the other books. It was a bit odd since Jake has only been an immortal for seven years and didn’t know everything about being immortal.
Jake grew up with immortal parents and a younger half brother who was immortal, though he must have been the child of a first marriage and so his family kept their immortality from him until his 18th birthday when they gave him the choice. Though he grew up as horror film buff and that was before vampires sparkled, before they appeared in diaries, when they were truly monsters, so he couldn’t get past the fact that they were monsters and didn’t want to be one. Then was later turned against his will.
These books follow a formula. The protagonist finds his/her life mate and they have to have the big reveal about the fact that they are immortal, they have to drink blood, the history of immortals and what it means to be life mates. Then there is usually some time where the human has some sort of hang up or isn’t ready to commit for life, then they discover how great steamy intimacy is between life mates, and they really enjoy that for a while, then there is some sort of outside force that tries to tear them apart and so on. This book followed that formula pretty well, but I still enjoyed it and plan to read more of the series.
I like the formula, love the meeting, the reveal, and the steamy life mate scenes and there is always a great side storyline to boot. There are always great supporting characters (many Argeneau’s and Notte’s). Also I love the fact that each is basically a stand-alone. I have been reading them all out of order and miss nothing.
Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Twitter|BookBub
The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧
Romance: 💙💚🖤💜
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌎🌍🌏🌎🌎
Character development: 😳🤬😏🤓
The heroine: Nicole Phillips - she is a niece to Marguerite Argeneau’s maid and her family believes her husband whom she is divorcing is trying to kill her. However, Nicole refuses to believe it and won’t do anything to protect herself.
The Hero(s): Stefano Jacob Colson Notte (a.k.a. Jake Colson) - a professional bodyguard to the rich and famous, Jake is an immortal, though he never wanted to be. He was working for Vincent Argeneau and he was attacked and was bleeding out when Vincent turned him against his will. He left his family and Argeneau Enterprises after that and is currently working security in Ottawa Canada.
The Story: Marguerite Argeneau tracks Jake down and asks him to provide security for Nicole. If you have read any of the previous books you know that Marguerite is gifted at finding fated mates for immortals. Marguerite tells Jake he has to go in undercover as a cook/housekeeper which Nicole needs.
The narration was good, though I really like dual narration. This one was narrated by Jack Dupont who is great with voices. He had a different voice for each of the characters, which I really liked. The story in this one was a bit different than some of the other books. It was a bit odd since Jake has only been an immortal for seven years and didn’t know everything about being immortal.
Jake grew up with immortal parents and a younger half brother who was immortal, though he must have been the child of a first marriage and so his family kept their immortality from him until his 18th birthday when they gave him the choice. Though he grew up as horror film buff and that was before vampires sparkled, before they appeared in diaries, when they were truly monsters, so he couldn’t get past the fact that they were monsters and didn’t want to be one. Then was later turned against his will.
These books follow a formula. The protagonist finds his/her life mate and they have to have the big reveal about the fact that they are immortal, they have to drink blood, the history of immortals and what it means to be life mates. Then there is usually some time where the human has some sort of hang up or isn’t ready to commit for life, then they discover how great steamy intimacy is between life mates, and they really enjoy that for a while, then there is some sort of outside force that tries to tear them apart and so on. This book followed that formula pretty well, but I still enjoyed it and plan to read more of the series.
I like the formula, love the meeting, the reveal, and the steamy life mate scenes and there is always a great side storyline to boot. There are always great supporting characters (many Argeneau’s and Notte’s). Also I love the fact that each is basically a stand-alone. I have been reading them all out of order and miss nothing.
Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Twitter|BookBub
September 26, 2013
This is Jake's and Nicole's story.
First off, Jake's full name is Stephano Jacob Colson Notte. We've already met him in Vincent's book A Bite to Remember, where he was almost ḱilled and had to be turned by Vincent to be saved.
Nicole is the niece of Marguerite's housekeeper, though she hasn't shown up in any book before.
After being changed into a vampire 7 years ago, Jake ran away from his family, changed his name and now works as a bodyguard.
Marguerite finds him and convinces him to protect Nicole because she had some suspicious accidents that could be murder attempts by her soon-to-be ex husband. But as Nicole doesn't believe they was more than accidents and won't accept protection, Jake pretends to be her new live-in housekeeper/cook.
During the following days, while there are a few more murder attempts, Jake realizes that Nicole is his life mate and while he still struggles with his own vampire status, as well as protecting Nicole, he now has to win her for himself
I give this latest installment of the series 2.5 stars. The story line was a bit thin and there were some unresolved plot points. Some things that were mentioned don't really match what happened in earlier books. For example in this book, it is said several times that Jake was ungrateful after waking up a vampire and never thanked Vincent, but in the book were he was changed, he did thank Vincent and while not really happy about being a vampire, he admitted that it is better than being dead.
Also, the end was a bit rushed and I would have liked some more cleaning up of plot points. An epilogue would have been nice.
That said, I did like the characters. They weren't my favorite, but likeable.
I was happy to meet the twins again, whom I hope will get their own books soon.
All in all the book was enjoyable, though I know Ms. Sands can do better
I have the feeling, she is running out of ideas for new storys.
Hopefully, she'll rise to former heights again, as I really like this series
First off, Jake's full name is Stephano Jacob Colson Notte. We've already met him in Vincent's book A Bite to Remember, where he was almost ḱilled and had to be turned by Vincent to be saved.
Nicole is the niece of Marguerite's housekeeper, though she hasn't shown up in any book before.
After being changed into a vampire 7 years ago, Jake ran away from his family, changed his name and now works as a bodyguard.
Marguerite finds him and convinces him to protect Nicole because she had some suspicious accidents that could be murder attempts by her soon-to-be ex husband. But as Nicole doesn't believe they was more than accidents and won't accept protection, Jake pretends to be her new live-in housekeeper/cook.
During the following days, while there are a few more murder attempts, Jake realizes that Nicole is his life mate and while he still struggles with his own vampire status, as well as protecting Nicole, he now has to win her for himself
I give this latest installment of the series 2.5 stars. The story line was a bit thin and there were some unresolved plot points. Some things that were mentioned don't really match what happened in earlier books. For example in this book, it is said several times that Jake was ungrateful after waking up a vampire and never thanked Vincent, but in the book were he was changed, he did thank Vincent and while not really happy about being a vampire, he admitted that it is better than being dead.
Also, the end was a bit rushed and I would have liked some more cleaning up of plot points. An epilogue would have been nice.
That said, I did like the characters. They weren't my favorite, but likeable.
I was happy to meet the twins again, whom I hope will get their own books soon.
All in all the book was enjoyable, though I know Ms. Sands can do better
I have the feeling, she is running out of ideas for new storys.
Hopefully, she'll rise to former heights again, as I really like this series
November 20, 2015
Keepin' it short and sweet: Loads of fun and plenty of passion! Lynsay Sands ROCKS the Vampire genre!
August 13, 2013
Lynsay Sands has always been one of my favorite authors to read from when it comes to vampire romances. She was one of the first paranormal authors that made me fall in love with the genre. I was given a copy of One Lucky Vampire in return for a honest review through Edelweiss. I was really excited to be able to read Jake's story. After reading this one though, it made me want to re read the whole series. Even though it's not my favorite one in the series, it was still just as fun and unique.
Jake is still adjusting to his life as a vampire. It feels like just yesterday when he was turned when he was almost killed. Now he still has issues with being a vampire, having hated vampires most of his life. When Marguerite comes to him for his help, he can't say no to her, even though he knows that there must be more than one purpose for her asking for his help. A young woman's life is in danger from her soon to be ex husband, who wants her for her money, and after a few murder attempts, Marguerite is convinced that Nicole's life is in danger. Nicole loved her husband in the beginning, but it became apparent that her husband was just using her for her money. When Marguerite convinces her that she needs a cook/housekeeper so she can focus on her paintings, she reluctantly agrees, but she never expect a hunk of male goodness to arrive on her doorstep. Jake at first isn't going to complain with protect a sweet and beautiful young woman, but when he tries to read her, he finds out that she is his life mate. Now he is in a world of trouble, because that is the last thing he needs. But before he realizes it he finds that Nicole is everything he needs.
I found One Lucky Vampire to be a cute read. It does have the same uniqueness that Sands has with this series. Although what I loved about this, is that Jake is unlike her other heroes in a way. He is very bitter in the beginning about vampires and who he is. The way that this author puts together this story is quite enchanting in a way. I loved the way she puts these two together, and there is quite a good mystery involved as well that added a certain flavor to it. A fun and witty vampire romance that is full of endearing characters, thrilling plot, and enough sensuality to fog your windows!!
Jake is still adjusting to his life as a vampire. It feels like just yesterday when he was turned when he was almost killed. Now he still has issues with being a vampire, having hated vampires most of his life. When Marguerite comes to him for his help, he can't say no to her, even though he knows that there must be more than one purpose for her asking for his help. A young woman's life is in danger from her soon to be ex husband, who wants her for her money, and after a few murder attempts, Marguerite is convinced that Nicole's life is in danger. Nicole loved her husband in the beginning, but it became apparent that her husband was just using her for her money. When Marguerite convinces her that she needs a cook/housekeeper so she can focus on her paintings, she reluctantly agrees, but she never expect a hunk of male goodness to arrive on her doorstep. Jake at first isn't going to complain with protect a sweet and beautiful young woman, but when he tries to read her, he finds out that she is his life mate. Now he is in a world of trouble, because that is the last thing he needs. But before he realizes it he finds that Nicole is everything he needs.
I found One Lucky Vampire to be a cute read. It does have the same uniqueness that Sands has with this series. Although what I loved about this, is that Jake is unlike her other heroes in a way. He is very bitter in the beginning about vampires and who he is. The way that this author puts together this story is quite enchanting in a way. I loved the way she puts these two together, and there is quite a good mystery involved as well that added a certain flavor to it. A fun and witty vampire romance that is full of endearing characters, thrilling plot, and enough sensuality to fog your windows!!
December 28, 2015
Snore...snore...snore...what? Was I reading? Oh yes, I was reading the most boring book ever that was not a law school text book! Well maybe not that bad.
But this book WAS boring. Not much happened until the end. There was ZERO chemistry between H/h. It woke up a tiny bit at the end.
Similar to the last book, countless pages were given to food, cooking food, shopping for food and thinking about food.
The heroine was TSTL. She bugged the crap out of me. The Hero was such a bore. Plus he was the worst bodyguard ever.
Safety gang
But this book WAS boring. Not much happened until the end. There was ZERO chemistry between H/h. It woke up a tiny bit at the end.
Similar to the last book, countless pages were given to food, cooking food, shopping for food and thinking about food.
The heroine was TSTL. She bugged the crap out of me. The Hero was such a bore. Plus he was the worst bodyguard ever.
Safety gang
February 4, 2020
3.75 Stars
This one was okay, better than some. I liked the simple storyline and the mysterious element to it.
To me, this didn’t have romance, none of that insta-attraction I crave in a paranormal read, especially when you find your mate so quickly in this series. But I did like trying to figure out who wants Nicole dead.
I liked that Nicole and Jake have a simple friendship storyline. I didn’t find their relationship too steamy but it was a decent book to have in the background while I worked.
Jake is a bodyguard, but acting like a housekeeping, kind of a cute storyline. Jake didn’t want to be turned, but he’s accepting his new fate.
I didn’t really get Jake’s issues, but that’s okay. I was more focused on who the murder was.
This one was okay, better than some. I liked the simple storyline and the mysterious element to it.
To me, this didn’t have romance, none of that insta-attraction I crave in a paranormal read, especially when you find your mate so quickly in this series. But I did like trying to figure out who wants Nicole dead.
I liked that Nicole and Jake have a simple friendship storyline. I didn’t find their relationship too steamy but it was a decent book to have in the background while I worked.
Jake is a bodyguard, but acting like a housekeeping, kind of a cute storyline. Jake didn’t want to be turned, but he’s accepting his new fate.
I didn’t really get Jake’s issues, but that’s okay. I was more focused on who the murder was.
September 29, 2013
I was so disappointed mainly because I read this book already, it was a called A Quick Bite. If Lynsay wanted to revisit the carefree bumbling vampire mystery style that started it all I don’t get why she did it for this book, it would have made more sense to do it for the 20th book. So much of this book was silly and made no sense starting with Jake’s name. We were already introduced to this character as Stephano Notte in A Bite to Remember, so now having him go by Jake Colson made no sense. I get that he was upset about being turned, but since his family always knew where he was it kind of defeated the point. It almost seemed like Sands had written the outline for this book, and then decided she wanted to connect him to the Argeneau/Notte families but for some reason preferred the name Jake over Stephano, so she came up with this silly explanation. Also Jake is the worst bodyguard in the world, most of the confusion in this story should never have happened. Some minor investigative work and a few quick background checks should’ve been done. Jake hired a locksmith, a security company, and Dan as backup. But he never hired a tech guy or PI to do a few quick checks? I don’t know if I will be continuing on with this series. I do want to read Justin Bricker’s story but who knows when she’ll get around to it, or if it will be any good.
June 16, 2017
I almost DNFed this one. Thank to my principle in reading, I finished it.
Enough said. :(
Enough said. :(
August 16, 2015
(3 stars - I liked it) Book 19 wow! The Argeneaus have been sort of a mixed bag lately with some good and some so so. This one starts off well though, enough to snag me into reading to the finish when I only meant to take a peek.
I enjoyed One Lucky Vampire and I really liked Jake (aka Stephano Notte) and I also liked the heroine Nicole who is an artist - and I thought the fact that she worked multiple canvases at a time was pretty fun - but I actually liked the story a lot more before the big reveal to the heroine of the 'secret of the nanos'. I probably should have skimmed because it is getting really hard sitting through the Atlantis spiel for the nth time and I actually realized this time through that the love scenes have sort of lost their charm - the ecstasy of the shared passion is sort of marred by knowing that the pair is going to go falling to the ground in an orgasmic induced coma.
For us oldtimers, there is a whole slew of past leads putting in appearances, and I thought that the cousins - who initially call Jake Pinocchio were kind of funny. It is sort of awkward - since they are able to 'read' Jake and Nicole and that seems pretty voyeuristic -that they stay around while Jake and Nicole start doing their lifemate 'bonding' but really the fact that the pair don't practice 'safe sex' means that Nicole and Jake need someone around to make sure le petit mort doesn't end up fatal(a tumble to the tile during shower sex could be curtains for Nicole.)
I know, since I had a far number of nits, it's going to sound sort of weird, but I still did enjoy the story and thought that it was better than a fair number of the more recent offerings in the series. Somehow, there were enough fun bits in the story that One Lucky Vampire ended up being more that the sum of its parts.
I enjoyed One Lucky Vampire and I really liked Jake (aka Stephano Notte) and I also liked the heroine Nicole who is an artist - and I thought the fact that she worked multiple canvases at a time was pretty fun - but I actually liked the story a lot more before the big reveal to the heroine of the 'secret of the nanos'. I probably should have skimmed because it is getting really hard sitting through the Atlantis spiel for the nth time and I actually realized this time through that the love scenes have sort of lost their charm - the ecstasy of the shared passion is sort of marred by knowing that the pair is going to go falling to the ground in an orgasmic induced coma.
For us oldtimers, there is a whole slew of past leads putting in appearances, and I thought that the cousins - who initially call Jake Pinocchio were kind of funny. It is sort of awkward - since they are able to 'read' Jake and Nicole and that seems pretty voyeuristic -that they stay around while Jake and Nicole start doing their lifemate 'bonding' but really the fact that the pair don't practice 'safe sex' means that Nicole and Jake need someone around to make sure le petit mort doesn't end up fatal(a tumble to the tile during shower sex could be curtains for Nicole.)
I know, since I had a far number of nits, it's going to sound sort of weird, but I still did enjoy the story and thought that it was better than a fair number of the more recent offerings in the series. Somehow, there were enough fun bits in the story that One Lucky Vampire ended up being more that the sum of its parts.
September 26, 2013
4.5 Stars!!
Not my favorite in the series, but I still loved it!!!
All the books in this series are humorous, suspenseful, and erotic. These vampires are just plain fun. I have been reading this series for years and love everyone of the Argeneau family members.
The vampires aren't really traditional vampires. They are the survivors of Atlantis who were medically treated with nanos to keep them healthy. The nanos require more blood than their bodies make, so the Atlanean's existence inspired the "vampire" urban legend. The nanos keep them young, healthy and immortal.
Each book is a stand-alone with a great HEA. I would recommend reading them in order, because characters from previous books are always getting involved to help save the day.
These books are the perfect break after reading angsty, emotional books. They really lift my spirits.
Not my favorite in the series, but I still loved it!!!
All the books in this series are humorous, suspenseful, and erotic. These vampires are just plain fun. I have been reading this series for years and love everyone of the Argeneau family members.
The vampires aren't really traditional vampires. They are the survivors of Atlantis who were medically treated with nanos to keep them healthy. The nanos require more blood than their bodies make, so the Atlanean's existence inspired the "vampire" urban legend. The nanos keep them young, healthy and immortal.
Each book is a stand-alone with a great HEA. I would recommend reading them in order, because characters from previous books are always getting involved to help save the day.
These books are the perfect break after reading angsty, emotional books. They really lift my spirits.
September 27, 2013
There are very few M/F authors I will read. Lynsay Sands is one of them. I enjoyed the hell out of this book! Let me tell you why...
*She ate sorbet - TWICE!
*He read some recipes, although it may have been in a different language
*He employed a slightly altered version of the secret handshake
*They brushed their teeth!
*They painted an ass-load of fences
And the best part of this whole thing?
Only 12 other people in the whole world will understand what the hell I am talking about in this review. :D
*She ate sorbet - TWICE!
*He read some recipes, although it may have been in a different language
*He employed a slightly altered version of the secret handshake
*They brushed their teeth!
*They painted an ass-load of fences
And the best part of this whole thing?
Only 12 other people in the whole world will understand what the hell I am talking about in this review. :D
November 3, 2013
I have been a big fan of the Argeneau books for a long time. This one was extremely disappointing though! Most of the story was spent with her explaining what immortals were or what happened in the past. Yes, there is a need to explain a little so that people new to her books can understand. But this seemed like most of the book was explanations. And there was nothing unpredictable to the book. Yes, the bad guy was left to the end, but it didn't work. She wrote the entire book as if the culprit was one person and then tried to make it a surprise at the end. But it just made it feel anticlimactic and empty since that character had no place in the story. No emotional investment. And there was no action or suspense to any of it other than the car scene. The rest was just flat. It's sad that her last several books just seem to be a fill in the formula type of book without any real substance. And certainly nothing new or intriguing. Male character has some kind of tragic element to his life. Meets female who also has some kind of issue going on. She is his life mate/he is hers. Some kind of plot keeps them from easily getting to their happily ever after. But they overcome and everything turns out fine in the end. That is ok when the details are filled in with a creative and compelling storyline but these books (especially this one) have gotten to the point of feeling like its just written to get another book out at a certain time. Without any real passion for the story. There's no depth to the characters and no originality to the approach of the story. It makes me sad because I loved her books. This was just dull and dragged the entire book. Plus, is the text big and pages have less text or what? They just take so little time to read anymore.
October 8, 2013
I love the Argeneau books. I always get a good chuckle and enjoy them for what they are: light, fun reads. You can't take them too seriously, and if you're looking for something emotionally angsty, you won't find them here. However, if you want a book that's easy to zip through and entertains at the same time, these books are perfect.
April 28, 2018
Mini-Review:
Normally, I try to go from the start of a series but I figured it doesn't matter too much with this one. A cute, preternatural romance where I zoned out on the explanations about nanites and ignored the frail attempts at suspense/mystery. I think if I tried to read this book, I wouldn't have gotten that far. As an audiobook, it was ok. Basically an easy to follow story that made me laugh a few times as I did other things.
Normally, I try to go from the start of a series but I figured it doesn't matter too much with this one. A cute, preternatural romance where I zoned out on the explanations about nanites and ignored the frail attempts at suspense/mystery. I think if I tried to read this book, I wouldn't have gotten that far. As an audiobook, it was ok. Basically an easy to follow story that made me laugh a few times as I did other things.
July 28, 2021
Why do I even keep bothering with this series.
Right, I needed an audio book and this one was free.
Every male character is interchangeable with another, same goes for the female characters. Everyone has such flat characteristics. There’s never any conflict except when we add a „mentally deranged antagonist“ to spice things up but people just talk things out and no one ever really disagrees with anyone.
Anyone got any kind of problem? The entire extended family shows up. Someone always has a solution. There’s mind reading and other people always know who wants to bang who and everyone is understanding about the main characters going full on horny teenager.
There’s so much more I could add but I already wasted enough time on these books.
The first 3 were fun, the rest is repetition.
Right, I needed an audio book and this one was free.
Every male character is interchangeable with another, same goes for the female characters. Everyone has such flat characteristics. There’s never any conflict except when we add a „mentally deranged antagonist“ to spice things up but people just talk things out and no one ever really disagrees with anyone.
Anyone got any kind of problem? The entire extended family shows up. Someone always has a solution. There’s mind reading and other people always know who wants to bang who and everyone is understanding about the main characters going full on horny teenager.
There’s so much more I could add but I already wasted enough time on these books.
The first 3 were fun, the rest is repetition.
March 25, 2024
The usual story line but I hadn’t read one in a bit so it was a quick fun read. Boy meets girl, boy realizes she’s his life mate but someone wants to kill her? Or kill him? Oh my! But nothing stops twu wuv!
September 26, 2013
Kitty‘s review posted on Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
Review copy provided for an honest review
5 STARS
A twist on Beauty and the Beast that only Lynsay Sands could bring to life! Fun, fast-paced, and totally hot.
Stephano Jacob Colson Notte never, ever wanted to be a Vampire. He felt betrayed by his family when he turned 18 and they felt that he was old enough to know the truth and give him the option of becoming a Vampire. No possible way was he becoming an evil bloodsucker! Until tragedy strikes and he is turned. The life that he knew was suddenly gone and he wanted nothing to do with his family. Living under the name of Jake Colson away from the Argeneau’s and Notte’s as a hired body-guard, his life is as he wants it. Anonymous and no one knows he’s a Vampire. Until Aunt Marguerite seeks him out and brings him back into the fold.
Nicole Phillips does not believe that someone is trying to kill her. Yes, she is going through a messy divorce from a man who only wanted her for her money and what she could give to him. But, there is no way that he’s trying to kill her before the divorce is final. No one can convince her that she is in danger. Marguerite, an old family friend decides to come to her rescue without her even knowing it and brings Jake Colson into her life as her housekeeper. Really, a hot man that could cook and clean? Not exactly who and what she had in mind.
After a bunch of mishaps that puts Jake on death’s door, Nicole is brought into the fold and finds out exactly who and what Jake Colson is – VAMPIRE! Marguerite was one too? And the Notte’s? Oh. My. God.
What transpires brings Jake to his senses and makes him realize that he is not a Vampire but an Immortal. All the movies and stories he read as a kid were just that, stories. They are no different from any human other than the Nano’s making them need blood to survive. Who would have thought that he’d find his life mate after only 5 years? Why didn’t anyone tell him about this “shared pleasure” thing? Wow – making love with Nicole is unbelievable. Now, he has to convince Nicole that he is a loving, caring, man … not a blood-thirsty bloodsucker!
Of course, Aunt Marguerite is back. We can’t have an Argeaneau story without her. And, I wouldn’t want one. Lynsay did things a little bit different this time around. A little twist her and a a little turn there. But, the result was wonderful. Classic Lynsay writing – sexy, totally erotic, wicked and just plain fun! It amazes me that, 19 books in, no story is repeated. They are always fresh with different stories. Always a little intrigue and they always keep me smiling. Started it and couldn’t stop until I finished it. Love Jake – Love Nicole – adore every single one of the Argeneau’s and Notte’s. So looking forward to book 20 and hope that this series is like the Energizer Bunny – it keeps going and going.
Review copy provided for an honest review
5 STARS
A twist on Beauty and the Beast that only Lynsay Sands could bring to life! Fun, fast-paced, and totally hot.
Stephano Jacob Colson Notte never, ever wanted to be a Vampire. He felt betrayed by his family when he turned 18 and they felt that he was old enough to know the truth and give him the option of becoming a Vampire. No possible way was he becoming an evil bloodsucker! Until tragedy strikes and he is turned. The life that he knew was suddenly gone and he wanted nothing to do with his family. Living under the name of Jake Colson away from the Argeneau’s and Notte’s as a hired body-guard, his life is as he wants it. Anonymous and no one knows he’s a Vampire. Until Aunt Marguerite seeks him out and brings him back into the fold.
Nicole Phillips does not believe that someone is trying to kill her. Yes, she is going through a messy divorce from a man who only wanted her for her money and what she could give to him. But, there is no way that he’s trying to kill her before the divorce is final. No one can convince her that she is in danger. Marguerite, an old family friend decides to come to her rescue without her even knowing it and brings Jake Colson into her life as her housekeeper. Really, a hot man that could cook and clean? Not exactly who and what she had in mind.
After a bunch of mishaps that puts Jake on death’s door, Nicole is brought into the fold and finds out exactly who and what Jake Colson is – VAMPIRE! Marguerite was one too? And the Notte’s? Oh. My. God.
What transpires brings Jake to his senses and makes him realize that he is not a Vampire but an Immortal. All the movies and stories he read as a kid were just that, stories. They are no different from any human other than the Nano’s making them need blood to survive. Who would have thought that he’d find his life mate after only 5 years? Why didn’t anyone tell him about this “shared pleasure” thing? Wow – making love with Nicole is unbelievable. Now, he has to convince Nicole that he is a loving, caring, man … not a blood-thirsty bloodsucker!
Of course, Aunt Marguerite is back. We can’t have an Argeaneau story without her. And, I wouldn’t want one. Lynsay did things a little bit different this time around. A little twist her and a a little turn there. But, the result was wonderful. Classic Lynsay writing – sexy, totally erotic, wicked and just plain fun! It amazes me that, 19 books in, no story is repeated. They are always fresh with different stories. Always a little intrigue and they always keep me smiling. Started it and couldn’t stop until I finished it. Love Jake – Love Nicole – adore every single one of the Argeneau’s and Notte’s. So looking forward to book 20 and hope that this series is like the Energizer Bunny – it keeps going and going.
June 27, 2020
Setting: Ontario, Canada contemporary
Genre: Paranormal romance
When Stefano Jacob Colson Notte turned 18, his mother and step-father told him they and his younger half-brother were Immortals, and offered to turn him. After growing up on horror movies, he equated vampires (the common name for Immortals) with evil monsters and he declined. He became emotionally distant from his family, but he worked for Vincent Argeneau. In A Bite to Remember (Argeneau #5), Vincent turned Stefano without permission after finding him bleeding out from a chest wound inflicted by a psycho. For some reason Stefano was pissed off that he had been turned against his will so he left home. Seven years later, using his middle names, he is working in security in Ontario. Marguerite Argeneau finds him and asks him to provide security for the niece of her maid, but under the guise of being her cook/housekeeper. Nicole's family believes her soon-to-be ex is trying to kill her, but she doesn't believe it. The plot revolves around finding out who has targeted her with death, as Jake and Nicole fall in love. She is his life-mate, but her marriage was a disaster, so she is shy of any relationship.
I enjoyed the plot, though there could have been more mystery around the perpetrators of all the "accidents" that occur in the course of the story. I liked the characters too, with the good and bad of each showing. I did want to sit Jake down and explain how disregarding a woman's opinion does not lead to love. And Nicole needed to be a bit more forceful, though that dress-up play did show her adventurous side.
As usual, Sands shows a good grasp of the language. It's nice that I have to actually think about it in order to evaluate it. I mean, it was so smooth! Not once was I dragged out of the story by egregious errors in usage.
In regards to the audio production, I do wish the studio would settle on one narrator. Of all the many readers this series has had, I enjoyed Angela Dawe most. However, Jack DuPont did a fairly good job with the narration of this book.
Genre: Paranormal romance
When Stefano Jacob Colson Notte turned 18, his mother and step-father told him they and his younger half-brother were Immortals, and offered to turn him. After growing up on horror movies, he equated vampires (the common name for Immortals) with evil monsters and he declined. He became emotionally distant from his family, but he worked for Vincent Argeneau. In A Bite to Remember (Argeneau #5), Vincent turned Stefano without permission after finding him bleeding out from a chest wound inflicted by a psycho. For some reason Stefano was pissed off that he had been turned against his will so he left home. Seven years later, using his middle names, he is working in security in Ontario. Marguerite Argeneau finds him and asks him to provide security for the niece of her maid, but under the guise of being her cook/housekeeper. Nicole's family believes her soon-to-be ex is trying to kill her, but she doesn't believe it. The plot revolves around finding out who has targeted her with death, as Jake and Nicole fall in love. She is his life-mate, but her marriage was a disaster, so she is shy of any relationship.
I enjoyed the plot, though there could have been more mystery around the perpetrators of all the "accidents" that occur in the course of the story. I liked the characters too, with the good and bad of each showing. I did want to sit Jake down and explain how disregarding a woman's opinion does not lead to love. And Nicole needed to be a bit more forceful, though that dress-up play did show her adventurous side.
As usual, Sands shows a good grasp of the language. It's nice that I have to actually think about it in order to evaluate it. I mean, it was so smooth! Not once was I dragged out of the story by egregious errors in usage.
In regards to the audio production, I do wish the studio would settle on one narrator. Of all the many readers this series has had, I enjoyed Angela Dawe most. However, Jack DuPont did a fairly good job with the narration of this book.
August 16, 2014
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this series. Love because I really enjoy some of the light humor that this series usually offers. Hate because now that we are at book 19, sometimes I feel like I’ve read that before.
I had high hopes for ONE LUCKY VAMPIRE, mainly because I have enjoyed the past few books in this series. But while reading this I couldn’t help but feel that although it’s a completely different couple, with their own issues and set of problems and chemistry… I just felt that it was all cut from the same cloth. I really hate when I feel like a series is repetitive and I really want something to shake things up a bit in this world. Maybe Marguerite shouldn’t be the matchmaker in every book. Maybe the whole mate and nanos thing needs a fresh spin on how it’s told. I don’t know what I’m looking for really, just something other than “Margarite knows these two people are mates and she sets things up so they are in close proximity and they are bound to fall for their mate chemistry”.
This is a sweet read and the hero is verra sexy, so after I put my own mental hang-ups aside of what I want, I thought it was enjoyable. Not as funny as some others in the series, but still a light read. In the end though, for me, it fell a bit flat. With so many ups and downs I’ve had with this series, I have to question myself whether I want to continue reading them.
*ARC provided by publisher
January 23, 2016
The book was nice and all but not great. I would have loved this story if not for the fact that it lacked a bit of romance seen in other Lynsay's books and the fact that jake's family was so annoying or it felt that way to me atleast and i am one of those people who likes to see family and friends from other books be a part of the book. I just felt the couple had no privacy what so ever, they literally had no time to themselves. I also didn't like the fact that twins saw the heroine naked, argh it just felt especially since none of the other books had that. The couples were embarrassed and teased by other people in the series but not like this one it just felt really awkward and creepy to me, honestly if the twins knew what was happening then they should have stayed away,. Argh i was so looking forward to this, since Lynsay's books are quite funny this one had, only a small amount of humour. Another thing that really bugged me was that Jake's family didnt tell him about their vampirism and messed with his mind while growing up and at the start of the book Jake says that himself but later on completely forgets that and says sorry to his family when his family should have be the one to do so. Also if his parents cared him about so much they should have contacted him somehow, he was away for 7 years. Most of all they could all read his mind when he was living with them how come they didn't notice how Jake felt about all this and try to make amends rather than making him feel betrayed and lonely for years. There were a few more things that annoyed me but not as much as the ones mentioned above.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2015
~ 3 Lucky Stars ~
One Lucky Vampire is book 19 in the Argeneau series by Lynsasy Sands. I like a cute fun light romance. I have enjoyed the Angeneau Series from the beginning. Some of the books are better then others, but the series has not brought anything new into the mix.
One Lucky Vampire was an enjoyable sweet read. Not as funny as some of the other books in the series. Nicole is sweet, has a surprising naughty side, and is Jake's lifemate so he must reveal the immortal world to her and explain what he is. Jake is a nice guy, but he abandons his family after they showed him nothing but love and patience, which was a little childish on his part. Jake needs a great woman to show him the error of his ways and Nicole needs a man that will cherish not use her and that's exactly what both get.
The thing with this series is that the couples don't have the same spark and impact as the ones in the earlier books. In the end it was repetitive. Nothing new and exciting happens. The series feels to me at an end.
One Lucky Vampire is book 19 in the Argeneau series by Lynsasy Sands. I like a cute fun light romance. I have enjoyed the Angeneau Series from the beginning. Some of the books are better then others, but the series has not brought anything new into the mix.
One Lucky Vampire was an enjoyable sweet read. Not as funny as some of the other books in the series. Nicole is sweet, has a surprising naughty side, and is Jake's lifemate so he must reveal the immortal world to her and explain what he is. Jake is a nice guy, but he abandons his family after they showed him nothing but love and patience, which was a little childish on his part. Jake needs a great woman to show him the error of his ways and Nicole needs a man that will cherish not use her and that's exactly what both get.
The thing with this series is that the couples don't have the same spark and impact as the ones in the earlier books. In the end it was repetitive. Nothing new and exciting happens. The series feels to me at an end.
September 27, 2013
I love the the Argeneau vampires.. cuz me.. immortals. Being Atlantians with Nanos is oringinal.
But this latest book was not as good as the others. It's still interesting. Though Margarite needs to step away. Having her be the matchmaker in all the books is getting old. I'd like more of the history, problems and inner workings of being a Atlantis immortal, than just lets see who I can match together this time.
Having Jake be fake being Nicole's housekeeper to be her bodyguard was off. It didn't play it well and it wasn't used enough before she 'found out'. And she was too easy going about all the changes being made and too uninhibited around strangers in her house.
Too many people kept showing up, with the mind-reading thing going overboard. I kept expecting some catastrophe to force her to change, but got a quiet 'yes, I will' instead which left me dissapointed.
The 'who's tring to kill who was interesting, sort of. The methods were OK.
As you can tell I wasn't real happy with this one.
Bett scene: Jake in the hot tub.
But this latest book was not as good as the others. It's still interesting. Though Margarite needs to step away. Having her be the matchmaker in all the books is getting old. I'd like more of the history, problems and inner workings of being a Atlantis immortal, than just lets see who I can match together this time.
Having Jake be fake being Nicole's housekeeper to be her bodyguard was off. It didn't play it well and it wasn't used enough before she 'found out'. And she was too easy going about all the changes being made and too uninhibited around strangers in her house.
Too many people kept showing up, with the mind-reading thing going overboard. I kept expecting some catastrophe to force her to change, but got a quiet 'yes, I will' instead which left me dissapointed.
The 'who's tring to kill who was interesting, sort of. The methods were OK.
As you can tell I wasn't real happy with this one.
Bett scene: Jake in the hot tub.
August 18, 2014
Tenia este libro en mi lista de pendientes desde hacia un par de semanas, la razon : era que despues de leer la sinopsis, la historia no me llamaba para nada, algo sorprendente puesto que desde siempre que sale algun libro de la saga Argeneau voy corriendo a descargarlo para luego devorarlo; Obviamente decidi leerlo porque le tengo mucho cariño a la saga y a sus personajes.
El libro es muy gracioso y divertido como los anteriores de la saga, a pesar de que muchos digan que la saga ya es muy repititiva o que todas las historias son iguales, yo sigo disfrutando los libros casi tanto como los primeros y aunque hay historias mejores que otras, nunca me quedo con mal sabor al terminar las lecturas, por eso me sigue gustando muchisimo la saga.
A pesar de que el libro al principio no me llamaba la atencion, me termino gustando bastante.
3.5 Estrellas!!
February 19, 2015
The Argeneau novels are my absolutely comfort-reads! Yeah, some are better than the others but they always deliver some funny fluffy romance with a HEA.
It might feel like the same-ole-same-ole and that is kind of true. But for me this is something that belongs to the charm of them. It's like visiting your favorite restaurant and ordering the same dish you always order just because you like it so much.
The MCs were likeable, the Notte family was hilarious at times and I got to see some of the previous couples again.
I'm very curious to read more about Tomasso and Dante now. But I have the feeling I'll have to wait for their stories like centuries. It's the same as with Justin Bricker, whom I missed in here. *sigh*
February 2, 2019
Background characters were more entertaining than the main couple. The climax came out of literally nowhere with a single, throw away line of possible foreshadowing, and I may have just dislocated something reaching for that.
September 27, 2013
liked the book very much .....had fun with the italian twins .....
June 20, 2022
No vi venir q este Jake era el personaje de Stephano q conocimos en el libro de Vincent&Jackie. Un mortal en una familia de inmortales xq su mamá se había casado con uno cuándo él era un niño. Luego pasó lo de la converción sin permiso y ya luego desapareció, aunq esa trama fue el puntapié inicial para la aparición de los personajes Notte en la trama Argeneau.
Aquí tenemos de nuevo a Stephano, reconvertido en inmortal y renombrado Jake. Vive su nueva vida a desgana, alejado de su familia y enojado con el mundo. Me gustó particularmente el enfoque q le dieron a este personaje, su punto de vista de xq no había perdonado del todo a su familia el q fueran inmortales y cómo la conversión sin autorización solo sirvió para alejarlos más de ellos.
Luego vino la protagonista femenina, Nicole, pintora de fama mundial atravesando un divorcio problemático después de un matrimonio todavía más problemático. Aunq no hay mucho q decir de ella, también fue un personaje q me gustó, aunq solo fuera xq no ha sido la típica mujer despechada y asustada, enojada e insegura luego de una experiencia romántica/matrimonial traumática. Sí, Nicole obviamente tiene inseguridades en relación a su mambo con Jake, pero son normales y no significan realmente un impasse para ellos como pareja.
El problema de toda la trama: es muy insulsa y se echa en falta el factor romance. En un primer momento, Jake&Nicole se conocen, se gustan, ambos creen q el otro es muy sexy y empiezan una serie de comentarios sexys q no obstante resultan muy tibios. Luego está el drama de los intentos de homicidio q obviamente se tienen q resolver, y debo decir q es lo único q fue realmente logrado xq no vi venir la explicación final. Pero después, toda la trama va muy lenta en relación a prácticamente todos los temas interesantes: la relación de Jake con su familia, su reconciliación y sobre todo el romance con Nicole. Obviamente hay escenas muy calientes, pero toda la cuestión pasa de estar ambos fantaseando con el otro a luego no poder mantenerse con la ropa puesta de una forma en q el tema del "amor compartido entre inmortales" realmente no termina de satisfacer. Dicho mal y pronto, no encontré química entre Jake&Nicole y así los "te amo" salieron muy forzados.
Pero en general, me gustó la línea q quiso ser - solo q no lo logró - xq la trama resultó original aunq no se la haya explotado lo suficiente.
Aquí tenemos de nuevo a Stephano, reconvertido en inmortal y renombrado Jake. Vive su nueva vida a desgana, alejado de su familia y enojado con el mundo. Me gustó particularmente el enfoque q le dieron a este personaje, su punto de vista de xq no había perdonado del todo a su familia el q fueran inmortales y cómo la conversión sin autorización solo sirvió para alejarlos más de ellos.
Luego vino la protagonista femenina, Nicole, pintora de fama mundial atravesando un divorcio problemático después de un matrimonio todavía más problemático. Aunq no hay mucho q decir de ella, también fue un personaje q me gustó, aunq solo fuera xq no ha sido la típica mujer despechada y asustada, enojada e insegura luego de una experiencia romántica/matrimonial traumática. Sí, Nicole obviamente tiene inseguridades en relación a su mambo con Jake, pero son normales y no significan realmente un impasse para ellos como pareja.
El problema de toda la trama: es muy insulsa y se echa en falta el factor romance. En un primer momento, Jake&Nicole se conocen, se gustan, ambos creen q el otro es muy sexy y empiezan una serie de comentarios sexys q no obstante resultan muy tibios. Luego está el drama de los intentos de homicidio q obviamente se tienen q resolver, y debo decir q es lo único q fue realmente logrado xq no vi venir la explicación final. Pero después, toda la trama va muy lenta en relación a prácticamente todos los temas interesantes: la relación de Jake con su familia, su reconciliación y sobre todo el romance con Nicole. Obviamente hay escenas muy calientes, pero toda la cuestión pasa de estar ambos fantaseando con el otro a luego no poder mantenerse con la ropa puesta de una forma en q el tema del "amor compartido entre inmortales" realmente no termina de satisfacer. Dicho mal y pronto, no encontré química entre Jake&Nicole y así los "te amo" salieron muy forzados.
Pero en general, me gustó la línea q quiso ser - solo q no lo logró - xq la trama resultó original aunq no se la haya explotado lo suficiente.
April 9, 2017
Jake the Vampire er rather... Immortal and Nicole.
Jake is a Vampire, when he never wished to be. He's got a chip on his shoulder about it. For 7 years he's struggled to come to terms with it. At loose ends, he is ripe for match making machinations. Marguerite (a family friend) sets him up to work as a bodyguard disguised as a housekeeper for her human friend, Nicole. Nicole keeps almost getting killed by strange accidents as she goes through an contentious divorce.
I haven't read anything else in this series, but I often don't read series in order. I don't think it damaged the story to be read on it's own, out of order. It's a little campy and full of quirky humour, but there is also a nice arc of Jake learning to appreciate his new life and the family he had left behind. As a housekeeper, he sucks, and he also kinda sucks at being a body guard. Their romance felt a little stilted at first, but they had only known each other for a couple days at that point and she was heart sore or at least bruised in her pride from the divorce. By the end I felt a sweet connection between the two.
The mystery of who is trying to kill Nicole keeps things in a constant state of chaos. You'll get a wee bit frustrated with Nicole, but bear with it.
The Vampire/Immortal thing is pretty straight forward lore and like so many other versions. The side characters were funny if sometimes annoying.
The ending actually was a surprise and except for the villain monologuing, a fun twist to an entertaining tale. I look forward to seeing these characters again in the series, and will read/listen to more.
I listened to this on audio and the reader, Jack Dupont, was pretty great. I liked his voices and was always able to tell who was talking.
Jake is a Vampire, when he never wished to be. He's got a chip on his shoulder about it. For 7 years he's struggled to come to terms with it. At loose ends, he is ripe for match making machinations. Marguerite (a family friend) sets him up to work as a bodyguard disguised as a housekeeper for her human friend, Nicole. Nicole keeps almost getting killed by strange accidents as she goes through an contentious divorce.
I haven't read anything else in this series, but I often don't read series in order. I don't think it damaged the story to be read on it's own, out of order. It's a little campy and full of quirky humour, but there is also a nice arc of Jake learning to appreciate his new life and the family he had left behind. As a housekeeper, he sucks, and he also kinda sucks at being a body guard. Their romance felt a little stilted at first, but they had only known each other for a couple days at that point and she was heart sore or at least bruised in her pride from the divorce. By the end I felt a sweet connection between the two.
The mystery of who is trying to kill Nicole keeps things in a constant state of chaos. You'll get a wee bit frustrated with Nicole, but bear with it.
The Vampire/Immortal thing is pretty straight forward lore and like so many other versions. The side characters were funny if sometimes annoying.
The ending actually was a surprise and except for the villain monologuing, a fun twist to an entertaining tale. I look forward to seeing these characters again in the series, and will read/listen to more.
I listened to this on audio and the reader, Jack Dupont, was pretty great. I liked his voices and was always able to tell who was talking.
April 28, 2018
I don't read as many vampire romances as I used to, but every once in a while, I like to dip my toe back in. When I do, I usually stick to authors I know and like. Lynsay Sands happens to be one of them. This was just not her best. It was a resounding MEH. I knew going in that it was going to be pretty formulaic, honestly, that's part of this series' charm. Unfortunately, it was just so mediocre in every way.
It should have been something like this:
One grumpy vampire + mortal in need of protecting/saving + holy crap we're mates! + wow, I never thought I'd feel like this + witty banter and crazy chemistry = adorable and sigh-worthy.
What it actually was:
One pathetic self hating vampire + heroine who kept calling herself a "ho" for wanting to sleep with said vampire + sex scenes that never really reached steamy staus because the H/h kept blacking out+ no witty banter or chemistry =subpar romance.
I wasn't expecting great literature but damn, this was just bad. The plot was annoying/pointless, the heroine kept slut-shaming herself, the hero wasn't all that into the heroine for the first third of the book, and it just wasn't funny, even when the book tried. One of my favorite things about this series is that I always end up laughing out loud. At least once. Not so much, here. I always enjoy seeing characters from other books pop up but it just wasn't enough to save this book.
My verdict? I don't wish I had my time back or anything, it was mildly entertaining, but save your money. Unless you're a die-hard fan of the series (I'm not) and insist on reading them in order (I
don't), skip this one. You're not missing anything.
It should have been something like this:
One grumpy vampire + mortal in need of protecting/saving + holy crap we're mates! + wow, I never thought I'd feel like this + witty banter and crazy chemistry = adorable and sigh-worthy.
What it actually was:
One pathetic self hating vampire + heroine who kept calling herself a "ho" for wanting to sleep with said vampire + sex scenes that never really reached steamy staus because the H/h kept blacking out+ no witty banter or chemistry =subpar romance.
I wasn't expecting great literature but damn, this was just bad. The plot was annoying/pointless, the heroine kept slut-shaming herself, the hero wasn't all that into the heroine for the first third of the book, and it just wasn't funny, even when the book tried. One of my favorite things about this series is that I always end up laughing out loud. At least once. Not so much, here. I always enjoy seeing characters from other books pop up but it just wasn't enough to save this book.
My verdict? I don't wish I had my time back or anything, it was mildly entertaining, but save your money. Unless you're a die-hard fan of the series (I'm not) and insist on reading them in order (I
don't), skip this one. You're not missing anything.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 622 reviews