An
immortal living in the public eye must occasionally disappear for a decade
or three. Even with modern-day advancements such as plastic surgery to
explain away an eternally youthful appearance, a vampire must periodically
leave the life he has built to prevent rousing suspicion amongst the human
populace.
Ultra-famous fashion designer Jean-Luc Echarpe has stretched the limits of
his current existence and is preparing to sequester himself away in a small
Texas town for a time before re-emerging to the world with a new identity.
It promises to be a long, lonely life – until he meets the inimitable
Heather Westfield.
The single mother, schoolteacher, and budding designer shows Jean-Luc a
world such as he has never known for himself. A world of love, hope, and
family. But once again, he unwittingly puts a woman he cares for at
unacceptable risk as his centuries-long enemy resurfaces to destroy
everything Jean-Luc cherishes.
Last
year, I reviewed the third book in Kerrelyn Sparks LOVE AT STAKE
series, read the first two, and loved each so much that I have purchased all
three for several friends as ‘just because you have to read these’ gifts.
Needless to say, I was more than eager for the new release in this saga,
THE UNDEAD NEXT DOOR!
As her fans have come to expect, Ms. Sparks does not disappoint readers with
the new edition to this addictive paranormal romance series. Infusing the
stories with a heavy dose of humor, balanced with the darker side of the
paranormal world her characters inhabit. See, just as with humans, you have
good Vampires and you have evil Vampires. The good Vamps drink synthetic
blood and co-exist peacefully with the human population, protecting them
from the threat of the Malcontents.
The Malcontents are the evil vampires, who thrive on taking human blood and
life whenever possible, and work overtime to destroy the good Vamps. We
don’t like the Malcontents, obviously. No big news or spoilers here, this
is just part of the series premise.
But what is new is Jean-Luc. While we’ve seen the handsome French designer
in previous stories, he remained somewhat of a mystery, appropriate until
his own book, of course. I was intrigued by him before, but what we learn
of his past and his personality in THE UNDEAD NEXT DOOR shows
us a somewhat tragic hero who is undeniably fascinating. His sense of
honor is only rivaled by his utter loneliness, having lived a life devoid of
true commitment due to the constant threat posed by his nameless, faceless foe.
Leave it to a heroine as bright and quirky as Heather to shake up Jean-Luc’s
world to the 'nth' degree! Heather is a breath of fresh air for both Jean-Luc
and for the reader – completely guileless, this woman has a capacity for
love and understanding that surpasses most. But will that extend to the
Vampire who loves her when she discovers his true nature?
Readers new to the LOVE AT STAKE books will be glad to hear
that Kerrelyn Sparks writes each of these stories so that they work
admirably well as standalone stories, making it easy to jump right in with
the title that most interests you. Of course, each book introduces the main
characters of future books, so reading them in order certainly enhances the
experience.
For a wonderfully romantic and thoroughly entertaining read that will make
you alternately laugh with delight and sigh with romantic longing, pick up
your own copy of LOVE AT STAKE, BOOK 4: THE UNDEAD NEXT DOOR!
Reviewed by Jennifer
