Stakes & Stilettos

Sarah Dearly might be a new vampire but her life has been exciting to say the least and now she has a new boyfriend, a master vampire no less, Thierry de Bennicoeur. She bumped up against him one night and they helped each other. Sarah is trying hard to be a normal vampire and get a full time job and keep her boyfriend. But it just doesn't seem to be in Sarah's future - normal that is. Thierry was tired of living and had decided to finally just end his life, well until he found himself helping a sexy and young vampire being hunter by slayers. Now for maybe the first time in his 600 years, Thierry is alive and has to admit he is falling for the ever-senescent Sarah. But he has been in a name only marriage forever and his past just might be catching up. Sarah and Thierry have agreed to go to her high school reunion; the last thing Sarah feels the need to do before embracing her life as a vampire. However the fates have other things in mind, first she is staked at a job interview, then she meets and is rescued by the Red Devil (a masked vampire myth), and if that isn't enough Sarah is cursed by a crazy black witch to be a nightwalker. Thierry has helped and stood by Sarah through all of this, but if the curse can't be lifted will they be able to continue. And what about the sudden reappearance of the Red Devil, does he have plans that might harm Thierry and Sarah? Love is in the air so what could go wrong? Stakes & Stilettos brings fun loving Sarah and the solemn Thierry together. You would never believe they could be a couple, but this is a serious case of opposites attracting and falling head over heels. Sarah just wants her man and a steady job - not asking a lot. Thierry was done with everything until Sarah whirled into his world. Now the two of them are on a Roller coaster of cosmically funny mishaps and serious consequences. Sarah had me laughing in a few places and I had to love when Thierry tried to develop a sense of humor. But just the fact that no matter what hit them, Thierry and Sarah stayed together and found a way around it, under it or through it showed the depth of the love between them. Stakes & Stilettos will have your eyes rolling and the smiles coming from the first page to the last. I absolutely can't wait until the next book so I can see just how they defeat anything and everything trying to come between them. Jo Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I absolutely loved this book! I've been a fan since the first book in the series and i can honestly say that if you liked the first three books, this one does NOT disappoint. It was prob. my favorite of the series so far. It's fast paced, witty, and enjoyable. The only downside is the cliff hanger ending which, while very nail biting ( heh biting ), is going to be hard to wait until august to find out what happens. Great read that i would, and do, recommend to any fans of the vampire genre!

I have gotta say that while I was happy with the action break in Sarah's story for Quinn's in Lady & the Vamp, I am happy to be back in the middle of Sarah Dearly's not so fangtastic immortality. Thierry is featured more in this story than in the others, with the readers getting a glimpse into his head and background. I have always liked Thierry in spite of his seeming coldness but now you get a true idea of why he does what he does, and who he is, and it makes him much more endearing as a character. Sarah gets into her usual amount of trouble, getting staked, cursed, and rescued by a masked person calling himself the Red Devil. Add in parents concerned that she is dating a married man and a ten year high school reunion and all hell is literally breaking loose. This installment has a lot of action, great character building and awesome plot development. This story is part of a two story arc with the last in the series coming in September, so don't expect complete resolution, but it does end on a "happy for now" note that will hopefuly hold you over for the six months until Ms Rowen concludes this series. I know I am on pins and needles waiting!

As someone who has been a fan of Michelle's books since her very first release, Bitten & Smitten, maybe I'm a bit biased. Maybe my love of her hero, Thierry de Bennicoeur (and proving my devotion, I know how to spell his name *without* looking it up) knows no bounds. And yes, maybe I would be happy if this series went on for oh, another 20 books or so. That aside, I loved Stakes & Stilettos, book four in the Immortality Bites series! Sarah is back at her witty, determined, lovable best as she deals with her new cursed status as a nightwalker and her ongoing romance with Master vampire, Thierry, whose surprising past comes out more in this book. And the ending definitely left this reader anxiously awaiting Tall, Dark & Fangsome. How long is it until August again?

Old high-school rivalries can't get much more dangerous when they involve a newly-turned vampire and a malevolent witch. Before Toronto vamp-fledgling Sarah Dearly knows what has happened, she finds herself suddenly conforming to all of the vampire cliches -- unable to withstand sunlight, unintentionally attacking, and disliking crosses. This not being the norm for vampires, she soon learns that she has been cursed. In the meantime, there are potentially worse problems brewing. An old, mysterious vampire, the Red Devil, has appeared in Toronto, with unclear motivations. As an ally, he could be a powerful friend to Sarah; as an enemy, a dangerous foe. And even with the preternatural drama set aside, the plucky heroine still has relationship issues to sort through with her "tall, dark, and fangsome" master vampire boyfriend, Thierry. Michelle Rowen's work just gets better and better, which, based on the quality of the previous incarnations of her "Immortality Bites" series, is impressive. The development of her characters and their interactions with one another is well-crafted and realistic, and the fact that she has dedicated her series to just a few characters within the universe makes for a more well-fleshed-out story. Ms. Rowen's books are much more along the lines of "urban fantasy" than a fully-fledged paranormal romance, which only makes them better -- the plots are fantastic, and more attention is given to how things develop between the leads than would be if it was simply assumed that things were perfect between them. For fans of the author's work, there is a hidden little gem -- a few characters from her standalone novel, "Angel with Attitude", cameo as old friends of Sarah. This is a delightful little touch that new readers or readers of only "Immortality Bites" might miss, but they lend another dimension to this novel by hinting that the two "worlds" are connected. Five stars for a top-of-the-line author and an awesome book!