Review: Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire – Kerrelyn Sparks

New York Times bestselling author Kerrelyn Sparks delivers the exciting conclusion in the Love at Stake series, where a Marine-turned-vampire finds love with the shifter princess forbidden to him…

Russell wakes from a coma to find he’s become a vampire. Now he has a thirst for revenge. Determined to hunt down the master vampire who turned him, he’s used to working alone . . . until he meets Jia. She is after the same vampire for murdering her parents and insists she can help Russell on this mission. Reluctantly, he agrees, and sets up some ground rules:

Rule #1: Their partnership is strictly business. If he holds her a little too close . . . if she looks at him with those exotic eyes . . . well, that has to stop.

Rule #2: He’s in charge. Jia isn’t used to taking orders and questions every move he makes. So he stops her the only way he knows how.

Rule #3: Don’t fall in love. But the kiss that was supposed to quiet her awakens something else in him . . . something forbidden. Because Jia is engaged. To someone else.

Series: Love at Stake #16
Release Date: December 30th 2014
Publisher: Avon
Source: Edelweiss
Reviewer: Sheri
Rating:

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Reviewer’s Thoughts

4.5 Cocktails

I’ve been reading Ms. Sparks Love at Stake series for years, and I went into reading this book not realizing that it was the end of my beloved series. This was a great way to end the series, so many past and well-loved characters popped back in and I enjoyed catching up with them.

Russell is a vampire, and Jia is a tiger shifter and a princess, so a lowly vampire soldier doesn’t really feel like he’s the right man for her. He also isn’t looking for love, he’s looking for revenge, and Jia is also looking for revenge and a bit of freedom from the royal life. They are kind of perfectly matched, he doesn’t coddle her and she supports him from the beginning.

These two banter in such a way that I was quickly and easily drawn into the story and didn’t put it down until I finished it. Russell is gruff and the way Jia just kind of plows past Russell’s misgivings amused me.

I didn’t see the twist coming and the story definitely wraps up a lot of the loose ends. I will definitely revisit this story and the whole series. I highly recommend this to fans of the Love at Stake and even new readers could enjoy this book, though full enjoyment will come after reading the other fifteen books in the series.