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roxnn2000's review against another edition
5.0
This is the third in the Love at Stake series.
Awesome! This is pretty much all I can say. Funny, honest, and filled with drama and heartbreak. Very well written.
Angus is an interesting vampire, alive for hundreds of years and has never been in love since his wife left him after he was first turned. Now he has met a woman that makes him feel alive again and is perfect...except for the fact that she has been slaying vampires and considers them to be her enemies.
Emma is just trying to avenge her parents death by killing off the creatures that took their lives when she finds love in Angus which turns her vampire slaying world upside down.
I read this book in a few hours, it was hard to put down. :)
Awesome! This is pretty much all I can say. Funny, honest, and filled with drama and heartbreak. Very well written.
Angus is an interesting vampire, alive for hundreds of years and has never been in love since his wife left him after he was first turned. Now he has met a woman that makes him feel alive again and is perfect...except for the fact that she has been slaying vampires and considers them to be her enemies.
Emma is just trying to avenge her parents death by killing off the creatures that took their lives when she finds love in Angus which turns her vampire slaying world upside down.
I read this book in a few hours, it was hard to put down. :)
yodamom's review against another edition
4.0
Sweet, romantic, fun and sexy.
Ah sweet Angus, he stole my heart. I loved how he checked under his kilt overtime he shifted to make sure he was all there. He was the perfect gentleman, honor bound, respectful and driven to make his woman happy. Oh and happy he does versa well.
< wink >
Emma his sworn enemy, hates all things fanged, she kills them regularly. That is what draws attention to her, she is going to be killed by the malcontent vampires if she doesn't stop. Angus is charged with stoping her but her hatred blinds her to his real personality, she only sees a monster. She has reason, her history with fanged ones is not pretty and is backed up with a long ago promise.
Her stubbornness, his determination and their hunters will have them facing many realities before the end of the book .Where they end may be a predictable finale, but the path there was fun, exciting and enjoyable.
Ah sweet Angus, he stole my heart. I loved how he checked under his kilt overtime he shifted to make sure he was all there. He was the perfect gentleman, honor bound, respectful and driven to make his woman happy. Oh and happy he does versa well.
< wink >
Emma his sworn enemy, hates all things fanged, she kills them regularly. That is what draws attention to her, she is going to be killed by the malcontent vampires if she doesn't stop. Angus is charged with stoping her but her hatred blinds her to his real personality, she only sees a monster. She has reason, her history with fanged ones is not pretty and is backed up with a long ago promise.
Her stubbornness, his determination and their hunters will have them facing many realities before the end of the book .Where they end may be a predictable finale, but the path there was fun, exciting and enjoyable.
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
2.0
I toyed back and forth between 2 and 3 stars with this one. I eventually went with 3 because while the racism does stand out to a degree far worse than ever before with the introduction of a Black character who not only acts akin to a white conservative nightmare in general temperament - he has an overly exaggerated speech pattern consisting primarily of slang and assumed to be a drug dealer on sight - but also exists purely to convey how good of heart his white savior must be to take on such a clearly indecorous character, it only lasts a few pages and I've already documented that racism seems to be a cornerstone of this series.
This was a less casual showcase than usual and can't be waved away by the vampires coming from a different time since our very modern FL engages in it as well, but I can't dock stars for reading an obviously racist book when I know it's going to be racist. I make note of it because it's important to point it out, however, I don't see the gain in dropping a star for something so largely inconsequential.
A book that is purposely being harmful or is reflective of a deeper societal ill in some unintentional yet still dangerous way is worthy of being docked accordingly. This book is so lacking in reach and intention that it's not worth it despite how grating it is. Basically this series is the literary equivalent of rom-coms in the early 2000s. There are a lot of problematic ideals in most of those movies yet they're undoubtedly entertaining. There's a conversation to be had so as not to get complacent in the beliefs they reinforce nor am I condoning the inclusion of the racism in the first place I'm simply stating that this book barely is hurting anyone especially 15+ years after its publication so I don't care all that much.
I've seen enough racist or equally deplorable ideology interwoven into books to not get fussed over such a (comparatively) small thing. That being said, I reserve the right to change my mind going forward as admittedly I have noticed an increase in crummy messaging as each book progresses.
Anywho, back to the topic at hand.
Like the previous book this is enemies to lovers. The FL Emma is on the same anti-vampire task force as the ML Austin in that one. She's a vampire slayer trying to avenge the murder of her parents. Vampire Angus McKay, whom we met in the first book, runs a security firm and is a major coven leader; please do not ask me which one because I only remember that Roman is in charge of North America. In order to stave off another vampire war he needs to stop Emma from slaying for the time being.
I thought the set up was fine, though I do not like Emma at all. I felt bad for her, of course, because she lost her entire family at a fairly young age. But, her reasoning for hunting vampires left a bad taste in my mouth. Just because her parents were killed by one vampire doesn't mean that all vampires are bad people. It reminded me of a couple years back when Liam Neeson disclosed that after a personal friend confided in him about her rape he went out that night in a fury hellbent on murdering a Black person in some twisted retributive effort.
Sub in Black people for vampire and it sounds a lot more suspect, doesn't it?
Obviously she works through it or else she'd never be able to fall for Angus but I never got over how ridiculous her hatred was in the first place. Plus, it reeked of exceptionalism at first since she only gave Angus a pass initially due to how attractive he was. I guess vengeance for your parents' brutal murder comes second to potential supernatural sexytimes.
The Russian coven are somewhat the villains again. I'm disappointed actually because for a moment it seemed like they would be moving in a more progressive direction given the fact that they now have the first and only female led coven in the world.
Unfortunately, Russia = bad is too strong to overcome so Katya had to have some centuries old grudge against Angus that she needed revenge for. For all the girl power Sparks tries to infuse in these books she's lowkey coded female power as fundamentally unsustainable by putting women in charge of the 'bad' coven. After all as long as 'good' men are in power then why do we need women leaders at all? /s
Though to be fair, given the outdated gender politics embedded in every aspect of this series that's more likely a subconscious feature rather than a bug.
Emma gets over her prejudice quicker than Austin which on one hand was nice since their waffling over whether or not vampires are monsters is annoying when it's so painfully clear they aren't. On the other as annoying as it was it created far better tension in the story so I would have preferred Emma struggle to come to terms more.
There's some plot stuff that started in the previous book(s) continuing into this one so if you were concerned about the baby or care about the Casamir threat then have no fear. I vaguely care about 1 and a half of those things so I was satisfied.
The sex continues to be mid. Once more there is only one tepid sex scene inserted so close to the end it feels like the author was forced to include it.
Weird thing that is not in any way Sparks' fault - I listened to this on audiobook part of the time and despite Emma being British they got an American voice actor who only does Angus' Scottish accent never Emma's. But in the last book and the current one I'm reading (#4) whenever Emma appears they do her accent. Like am I supposed to assume Emma's thoughts are American for some reason?
For better or for worse (hint: it's for worse) this series has taken over my life now. Save yourself if you can.
This was a less casual showcase than usual and can't be waved away by the vampires coming from a different time since our very modern FL engages in it as well, but I can't dock stars for reading an obviously racist book when I know it's going to be racist. I make note of it because it's important to point it out, however, I don't see the gain in dropping a star for something so largely inconsequential.
A book that is purposely being harmful or is reflective of a deeper societal ill in some unintentional yet still dangerous way is worthy of being docked accordingly. This book is so lacking in reach and intention that it's not worth it despite how grating it is. Basically this series is the literary equivalent of rom-coms in the early 2000s. There are a lot of problematic ideals in most of those movies yet they're undoubtedly entertaining. There's a conversation to be had so as not to get complacent in the beliefs they reinforce nor am I condoning the inclusion of the racism in the first place I'm simply stating that this book barely is hurting anyone especially 15+ years after its publication so I don't care all that much.
I've seen enough racist or equally deplorable ideology interwoven into books to not get fussed over such a (comparatively) small thing. That being said, I reserve the right to change my mind going forward as admittedly I have noticed an increase in crummy messaging as each book progresses.
Anywho, back to the topic at hand.
Like the previous book this is enemies to lovers. The FL Emma is on the same anti-vampire task force as the ML Austin in that one. She's a vampire slayer trying to avenge the murder of her parents. Vampire Angus McKay, whom we met in the first book, runs a security firm and is a major coven leader; please do not ask me which one because I only remember that Roman is in charge of North America. In order to stave off another vampire war he needs to stop Emma from slaying for the time being.
I thought the set up was fine, though I do not like Emma at all. I felt bad for her, of course, because she lost her entire family at a fairly young age. But, her reasoning for hunting vampires left a bad taste in my mouth. Just because her parents were killed by one vampire doesn't mean that all vampires are bad people. It reminded me of a couple years back when Liam Neeson disclosed that after a personal friend confided in him about her rape he went out that night in a fury hellbent on murdering a Black person in some twisted retributive effort.
Sub in Black people for vampire and it sounds a lot more suspect, doesn't it?
Obviously she works through it or else she'd never be able to fall for Angus but I never got over how ridiculous her hatred was in the first place. Plus, it reeked of exceptionalism at first since she only gave Angus a pass initially due to how attractive he was. I guess vengeance for your parents' brutal murder comes second to potential supernatural sexytimes.
The Russian coven are somewhat the villains again. I'm disappointed actually because for a moment it seemed like they would be moving in a more progressive direction given the fact that they now have the first and only female led coven in the world.
Unfortunately, Russia = bad is too strong to overcome so Katya had to have some centuries old grudge against Angus that she needed revenge for. For all the girl power Sparks tries to infuse in these books she's lowkey coded female power as fundamentally unsustainable by putting women in charge of the 'bad' coven. After all as long as 'good' men are in power then why do we need women leaders at all? /s
Though to be fair, given the outdated gender politics embedded in every aspect of this series that's more likely a subconscious feature rather than a bug.
Emma gets over her prejudice quicker than Austin which on one hand was nice since their waffling over whether or not vampires are monsters is annoying when it's so painfully clear they aren't. On the other as annoying as it was it created far better tension in the story so I would have preferred Emma struggle to come to terms more.
There's some plot stuff that started in the previous book(s) continuing into this one so if you were concerned about the baby or care about the Casamir threat then have no fear. I vaguely care about 1 and a half of those things so I was satisfied.
The sex continues to be mid. Once more there is only one tepid sex scene inserted so close to the end it feels like the author was forced to include it.
Weird thing that is not in any way Sparks' fault - I listened to this on audiobook part of the time and despite Emma being British they got an American voice actor who only does Angus' Scottish accent never Emma's. But in the last book and the current one I'm reading (#4) whenever Emma appears they do her accent. Like am I supposed to assume Emma's thoughts are American for some reason?
For better or for worse (hint: it's for worse) this series has taken over my life now. Save yourself if you can.
meowmeowkitty_reader's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
birdloveranne's review against another edition
5.0
Listened to the audio book. I really, really liked the narrator's voice. Excellent job on the audio book, requires a 5 star review! Plus I loved the ending.
oneilljones's review against another edition
Introduction of a side character that was thee most racist caricature I’ve read in ages. The narrator did NOT help matters any
beastreader's review against another edition
4.0
Emma Wallace is a vampire slayer of the most dangerous kind. Her parents were killed by vampires. The only thing Emma has in her heart is revenge. She is on the warpath, taking out vampires.
Scotsman Angus MacKay has been sent to stop the slayer. He has lived for centuries, so taking out one little slayer should be easy. From the first moment Angus meets Emma, he becomes memorized with her beauty and strength.
Emma can’t resist a fellow countryman, especially one as hot as Angus. Emma can’t wait to find out what Angus is packing under his kilt, till she learns he is a vampire and then all she wants to do is stake him through the heart. Angus will do everything in his powers to stop Emma, even if it takes him eternity.
Be Still My Vampire Heart is book three in Kerrelyn Sparks’s Love at Stake series. You don’t have to read the first two books in order to enjoy this story. Though after reading this book, I want to read the rest of the book sin this series. Who doesn’t love vampires, who a sense of humor? I know I do. Plus, these vampires are sexy. Emma and Angus are the new Buffy and Angel. I loved that Kerrelyn Sparks didn’t make this story dark or her characters tormented. Not all vampire books have to be like that. I enjoy when I read a book of this genre that is new and refreshing, especially when the author adds in comedy and sarcasm into the mix.
Scotsman Angus MacKay has been sent to stop the slayer. He has lived for centuries, so taking out one little slayer should be easy. From the first moment Angus meets Emma, he becomes memorized with her beauty and strength.
Emma can’t resist a fellow countryman, especially one as hot as Angus. Emma can’t wait to find out what Angus is packing under his kilt, till she learns he is a vampire and then all she wants to do is stake him through the heart. Angus will do everything in his powers to stop Emma, even if it takes him eternity.
Be Still My Vampire Heart is book three in Kerrelyn Sparks’s Love at Stake series. You don’t have to read the first two books in order to enjoy this story. Though after reading this book, I want to read the rest of the book sin this series. Who doesn’t love vampires, who a sense of humor? I know I do. Plus, these vampires are sexy. Emma and Angus are the new Buffy and Angel. I loved that Kerrelyn Sparks didn’t make this story dark or her characters tormented. Not all vampire books have to be like that. I enjoy when I read a book of this genre that is new and refreshing, especially when the author adds in comedy and sarcasm into the mix.
cheesygiraffe's review against another edition
3.0
I love a Scottish accent and a kilt. Emma and Angus make a good couple.
fireth's review against another edition
3.0
I'm getting addicted to this series. Its easy reading, funny at times and can finish one novel in one sitting.....