Rawr! Review of "Eat Prey Love" by Kerrelyn Sparks

 Haha, can I just say how much I love this title? Genius!

Disclaimer: This book was borrowed from the library. I did not receive this book, or any sort of compensation, in exchange for a review.

Type: Series, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Shifters, Vampires, Werepanthers, Weretigers, Psychic Powers, Puddles of... is that what I think it is?!

Why this book?: Originally this book was on my "I'll read it if I see it somewhere for cheap" list, but the lovely ladies at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books mentioned a particular scene (the word "splooge" was used.. a lot) and, well.. I had to see what they meant.

About the book: Caitlyn Whelan has just reconnected with her sister after being kept apart for years. Now, not only will they remain in touch, they'll be working for the same company. Caitlyn has always had a very useful psychic gift - being able to communicate with humans and most animals, no matter what the language. And she always had a thing for stray animals. Carlos is a werepanther, one of the last few left in the world. And he just got a tip that there might be some more werepanthers in a remote region. Despite fighting the decision, and his attraction to Caitlyn, she is assigned to be his translator on the trip. Now the two must battle the harshness of the jungle, and a group of mysterious men who all have the same odd tattoo...

For the longest time, I couldn't make myself read anything by this author. I'm not sure why, maybe because I didn't like one of the earlier books in this series. But since then, I have read "The Undead Next Door," "The Vampire and the Virgin," and now "Eat Prey Love," and it's been all good experiences. Kerrelyn Sparks is definitely on her way to being an author I love. And "Eat Prey Love" was definitely another good installment in the series. I loved the banter between the two characters - Caitlyn was quippy, amusing, and the two played off each other perfectly. Caitlyn knew she liked Carlos, knew that he liked her too but wasn't going to act on it, so she took it upon herself to flirt. And it was brilliant. Caitlyn is the kind of person I want to be friends with, and not just because she can talk to animals (which would be awesome!). And Carlos - well, he'd definitely be more than a friend.

I did feel like the ending felt a bit rushed, however. The book had some excellent descriptions (the "splooge cave" scene included), but suddenly the excitement was over, and it seemed like the author only had a short amount of space left, so she had to tidy up and get through it too quickly. Don't get me wrong, it's a satisfying ending, but it just seemed everything happened too quickly, and we were getting a summary of the events, rather than actually reading them as it happened.

So all in all, I did enjoy this book. I look forward to reading more of this series and seeing some of the characters we meet (weretiger!) in future books - maybe he'll get his own story, which would be nice. And this novel has definitely been the book that made me want to go back and read more of the series, maybe even give the one I read and didn't like a second chance.

Recommendation: Definitely recommending this to fans of good Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy. And people who just enjoy awesome snarky female characters.

Final rating: FOUR out of FIVE (4/5).

Have you read this book? Or maybe more of the series? Share your thoughts in the comments! Want to read it? Pick up a copy at Amazon.com!

Have a great Monday, and of course, Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda, aka Morning Glow ~!~

Review of "The Vampire and the Virgin" by Kerrelyn Sparks

I'm not so much for the cover of this book. I mean, if you look at the vamp in a certain light, he looks so pale he's almost sparkly. And we all know how I feel about sparkly vampires. Badly.

Disclaimer: "The Vampire and the Virgin" by Kerrelyn Sparks is a library copy. I was not given this book, or any sort of incentive, for a positive review.

Type: Vampires, Paranormal Romance, Series

From the back of the book: " FBI psychologist Olivia Sotiris was looking for a cool ocean breeze, sand between her toes, and a break from her crazy, chaotic, and sometimes all-too-dangerous life. But when she escaped to the small Greek island of Patmos, all she got were meddling grandmothers trying to marry her off. Can't they see that none of the men around interests her - except Robby MacKay?
Robby needs to cool off, too, since all he can think about is revenge on the Malcontent bloodsuckers who once held him captic - but then he meets Olivia, the beauty with wild curls and a tempting smile. When a deadly criminal from a case back home tracks her down, Robby will have to save her life - along with giving her a first time she'll never forget... "

I have read a book by this author, and actually in this series, before. And while it was good, I didn't go out actively searching for more of her books. Since then, I have picked up one or two at sales and such, but haven't gotten a chance to read them yet. I keep buying books at used sales, garage sales, etc.. and then never get to them. Quite frustrating! Also, not the point. A while ago, I happened accross the synopsis for "The Vampire and the Virgin" and I said to myself - Yep, gotta read that one. I'm really glad I finally got my hands on a copy.

I have a thing for cop dramas (Bones! Castle!.. Etc!) And some of my favorite episodes are when the heroine goes up against a serial killer, either after he's already in jail or not, and even though he teases her, scares her, and more, she's willing to take on the case, and eventually kicks the bad guy's butt. And that situation is what Olivia faces. Olivia is an interesting character, with an even more interesting ability - she can sense people's emotions, as well as tell when they're lying. Because of that, she doesn't date people for long. The instant she knows he's lying, he's outta there! Except for Robby, whom she can't read. So Olivia, so used to knowing where she stood in a relationship, was thrown for a bit of a loop, which I enjoyed seeing. I was a little thrown at how quickly she got paranoid and how easily she believed Robby could betray her (not really any spoilers here, people, it happens early on). But the reader has to remember, Olivia is somehow being stalked by a man who is in an isolated cell in prison. If someone was stalking me, sending me letters and packages and scaring the crap out of me, I would be quite paranoid as well.

And Robby... dang do I love a man who wears a kilt! I'm a big fan of the kilt. I'm also a big fan of finding out if the myth of men wearing nothing under their kilts is true or not. And I couldn't help chuckling to myself when this legend is brought up in the book during a Christmas get-together. Robby undergoes a transformation throughout the book, from a vampire bent on revenge to the man Olivia needs and loves. I loved watching his character grow. I also loved seeing how his and Olivia's long distance relationship developed. From emails, to picture sharing, telling stories of family and friends, and eventually to getting webcams to chat face-to-face. It was.. dare I say it? CUTE!

As I believe I've mentioned before, I'm a big fan of series. Especially series were each book features a different character, or each character gets their own run of books, then it switches. Some examples of this are Sherrilyn Kenyon, Katie MacAlister, Lynsay Sands, etc. Kerrelyn Sparks' Love At Stake books follow this tradition, and past characters show up as friends, family, etc. And because of "The Vampire and the Virgin," I found some more single side characters that I cannot wait to see get their own stories, and I hope they do. So I will definitely be checking out more of this series in the future.

I'm going to give "The Vampire and the Virgin" a FOUR out of FIVE (4/5). I enjoyed it, enough that I'll be looking for more by this author in the future. Especially if they include more kilted men. It's hard to go wrong with more kilted men.

Check out "The Vampire and the Virgin" by Kerrelyn Sparks!
Happy Reading
~!~ Morning Glow