Once Upon A Romance's Review Of...
How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks

onceuponaromance.net

Reviewer: Connie Payne
Title: How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire
Author: Kerrelyn Sparks
Publisher: Avon
E-ISBN: 0-06-075196-7
Release Date: August 2005
Genre/Sub-genre: Paranormal Romance
Year/Setting: Present - New York
Overall rating: 5.0
Sexual content rating: Sensual (a couple explicit scenes)
Kerrelyn's Website: www.kerrelynsparks.com

Any one who knows me or my reading preferences knows Vampire books are not nor have they ever been in my TBR pile or on my TBR list.

But...I was intrigued by the blurb Kerrelyn Sparks sent to me of How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire. Intrigued to the point where I had to give it a try. And let me say, it was much more than I'd expected. There's so much to this book, but I'll try to sum it up as best I can, though I know there will be something left out as there are so many layers to this story. And it wouldn't be fair to tell you everything anyway, now would it?

Roman Draganesti has been a vampire for over 500 years. He's the good guy. He's caring and compassionate. His concern for vampires is great. He's very protective of them, especially of those in his coven. His concern even extends toward the humans. So much so that he invents synthetic blood that not only saves mortal lives who are in need of transfusions, but saves their lives by selling the synthetic blood to the vampires (it comes in flavors, too!). No more biting!

It's with an accident on a human prototype (you'll have to read for yourself!) that causes Roman to break a fang, but enables him to meet Shanna Whelan at an all night dental clinic.

Poor Shanna. She was just thinking how boring her life was when she gets a call from the Russian mob telling her they've found her (she's supposed to be in witness protection) and are coming after her. Practically in the next breath a man appears wanting her to replace a wolf tooth in his mouth. She thinks Yuck, and refuses. But don't think it ends there.

From there on in boring is not what one would call her life. Danger, humor, attraction, fear, anger, and love (to name a few) begin to pelt her emotions and life. Sometimes simultaneously.

As she gets to know Roman she sees the good in him, the good he's done for so many, where he sees only the fact that he caused many in his lifetime to become vampires and doomed their immortal souls. It's not long though before Shanna's love gives him hope. Hope for a normal (semi-normal) life. Hope that God hasn't abandoned him.

In How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire the good vampires (some wear kilts!) are very good (fun, too) and the bad vampires are very bad. I found when reading from Ivan's (bad vamp) point of view I wanted to hold the book by the tips of my fingers like I was touching something slimy. He was umm...icky to put it mildly.

There was much action, lots of laughs (every time I laughed out loud I had to stop and tell my husband what was going on), tender scenes and lessons learned. Kerrelyn packs each page to its fullest with all of this and more. The characters are full of life and seem real, yes even the vampires, their feelings and emotions jumping off the page. For example, I commiserated with Shanna and her dilemma. I sympathized with Roman. I empathized with Laszlo. Shook my head at the rogue Gregori. See...I could go on and on.

Kerrelyn left me wanting more. I got to the last page and hollered, "Where's the rest? Where's the epilogue? What happened to them?" I can only hope her next book is a sequel with Roman and Shanna and the other vamps revisited.

I do want to say in a serious context the subject of vampires, blood, covens, etc. would make many uncomfortable. But Kerrelyn Sparks' intentions as far as I can see are pure fun. Her writing and imagination is fresh and lively (no pun intended) and grabs you and doesn't let you go until the very last word. I admire the way she writes, how she wove the plot together.

If someone said I had to pick on something, find something negative from my perspective, it would be the seeming over use of the phrase "God's blood." That's it.

As a non-vampire reader, I wasn't expecting to go on that thrilling of a ride. And whether I'll read another vampire story remains to be seen, but if I do you can be sure it'll be Kerrelyn's next vamp book.

If you've never read a vampire romance before, then How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire is the one to cut your teeth on (pun intended).

Connie

Question or comment regarding the review or the book? Click here and let Connie know.

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