Review of Candace Havens' Take it Like a Vamp

Today I am reviewing Candace Havens' "Take it Like a Vamp" published by Entangled Publishing, as part of their Covet Line.

Genre: Category - Paranormal 
Page Length: 293 Pages

Release Date: July 2012
http://entangledpublishing.com/take-it-like-a-vamp/

Book Description:

Vampire Nick Christos might have been born in the Middle Ages, but those days seem tame compared to the last eight years spent ruling the Supernatural Council. The only respite in his long days of governing is with his sweet neighbor Casey Meyers. Sure, he’s forced to take a cold shower after every encounter, but no way will he risk anything more with a human. Not with his blood thirsty ex on the prowl and out to ruin Nick’s life. But when said crazy ex shows up at the ball and flies her freak flag high, Nick has more to worry about than keeping his hands off his neighbor. He’ll have to stay closer than ever if he hopes to keep her alive, but will she want to leave him forever when she learns the truth?

Worldbuilding:

Readers of this blog may remember that more than a year ago, I had proclaimed that I was "never going to tire of vampire books", but that had come and initially I was a little hesitant to buy "another" vampire book. I've got dozens (and dozens) on my shelves and on my Kindle, but after reading the sneak peak of Chapter One on the Entangled Website I thought that I would give it a try. And I am so glad that I did. The worldbuilding was awesome and Miss Havens didn't come up with anything unique like making her vampires sparkle, but she created a great environment and the heritage and history of the vampire population was very well done.

Characters:

Okay, I don't know who I loved more the heroine Casey Meyers or the hero Nick Christos. Casey is a hoot with her sarcastic, snarky attitude and quips. And Nick is just a gem and the vampire that every woman would want to be seduced by (sorry Edward). Any woman that has felt less than beautiful or perfect can completely relate to Casey and she manages to say things that a lot of women only think. Both were very well-written and well-rounded characters that felt very real.

Pros & Cons:

There were so many pros that I don't know where to begin. I love Miss Havens' writing. The tone and texture of the words just jump off the page and you can really get a sense of the characters. The conflict is high and the romance is smoking. I couldn't think of any cons. I really enjoyed this book.

Fresh Factor:

As I mentioned earlier,  I wasn't sure that I was going to enjoy the vampire angle as it seems that every vampire story has been done and I've read it ten times, but this one was unique and very interesting. Miss Havens managed to put an interesting spin on vampires and their world, I'm so happy that I hit "buy" as I know that I will come back to that story to read again and again.

Overall:

What can I say? I loved this story. I would give it ***** 5 stars. It was a perfect read - fast, sexy, snarky, endearing and paranormal. This book is definitely worth the $2.95 that it's sold for (and more).  I only hope that Miss Haven will continue the series with some of the other super sexy vamp characters.  

My next review is Mary Buckham's new novella "Invisible Prison" and it is also a must-read!

Until next time, thanks for reading! Please feel free to add any book recommendations.

R.J.