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roxnn2000's review against another edition
5.0
All good things must come to an end. The conclusion of the Love at Stake series brings us a story with a couple twists and a lot of obstacles to overcome.
Russell has been trying for the past 2 years to kill the vampire master who turned him a vampire and has been causing all these deaths and destruction in attempts to take over the world. However, Russell isn't the only one on a vengeance mission against Master Han. Jia is a were-tigress princess who wants revenge against Han for her murdered family. She insists that she and Russell team up and, after a lot of back and forth, he reluctantly agrees.
I have to say that I have been waiting for Russell's story since he went out on his own. Every time he popped up in the other books and kept going on about he was going to take out Master Han alone I wanted him to find someone to show him that he wasn't alone. I wasn't disappointed.
Jia is a strong, independent and very stubborn young woman who still has that innocence about her as well. She wants to be treated as an equal in their society and avenge her family's death, but is held back on all sides. Her cousin, Rajiv, wants her to stay at home and be a princess, her guards keep her in her room, her Vamp friends tell her it is too dangerous and even Russell tries to keep her away. However, she is determined and eventually breaks Russell down and he eventually falls in love with her, despite the fact that she is engaged.
There was also a moment where I was actually surprised when I learned something that I hadn't before, a foreshadowing of an event that I didn't see coming. Usually I'm really good at learning these things, but this one time I didn't even read any of the signs that this was coming until it happened. I don't want to go into too much detail, but it was pretty surprising and, looking back, the signs were there. I just was too involved to realize it.
As this is supposed to be the conclusion to the series, a lot of characters we haven't seen reappear in, what I can only call, small cameos that remind us of the other dangers this group of Vamps have taken on and defeated. This makes the story feel like we can see the whole journey and can remember all the adversity that has taken place in this world and that each character has come out of it even stronger than before.
Overall, I think that if this was the last book in the series I would be okay with that. I'm sad that it is ending, but I'm satisfied with where it all went. I loved the series itself as a whole and love this book as well.
Russell has been trying for the past 2 years to kill the vampire master who turned him a vampire and has been causing all these deaths and destruction in attempts to take over the world. However, Russell isn't the only one on a vengeance mission against Master Han. Jia is a were-tigress princess who wants revenge against Han for her murdered family. She insists that she and Russell team up and, after a lot of back and forth, he reluctantly agrees.
I have to say that I have been waiting for Russell's story since he went out on his own. Every time he popped up in the other books and kept going on about he was going to take out Master Han alone I wanted him to find someone to show him that he wasn't alone. I wasn't disappointed.
Jia is a strong, independent and very stubborn young woman who still has that innocence about her as well. She wants to be treated as an equal in their society and avenge her family's death, but is held back on all sides. Her cousin, Rajiv, wants her to stay at home and be a princess, her guards keep her in her room, her Vamp friends tell her it is too dangerous and even Russell tries to keep her away. However, she is determined and eventually breaks Russell down and he eventually falls in love with her, despite the fact that she is engaged.
There was also a moment where I was actually surprised when I learned something that I hadn't before, a foreshadowing of an event that I didn't see coming. Usually I'm really good at learning these things, but this one time I didn't even read any of the signs that this was coming until it happened. I don't want to go into too much detail, but it was pretty surprising and, looking back, the signs were there. I just was too involved to realize it.
As this is supposed to be the conclusion to the series, a lot of characters we haven't seen reappear in, what I can only call, small cameos that remind us of the other dangers this group of Vamps have taken on and defeated. This makes the story feel like we can see the whole journey and can remember all the adversity that has taken place in this world and that each character has come out of it even stronger than before.
Overall, I think that if this was the last book in the series I would be okay with that. I'm sad that it is ending, but I'm satisfied with where it all went. I loved the series itself as a whole and love this book as well.
yodamom's review against another edition
4.0
The last book in a very fun and entertaining series. I will miss this family of shifters, humans, angels, vampires and mixes of all. All the books ended in a HEA for the two main characters .Even as each had an expected ending, I always felt exhilarated and even giggly when it happened every time. Each book had characters I liked, good people with differences. I was lucky enough to start this series after it was published and went through each book on after the other all in audiobook form. What a treat to not have to wait for the next book to be released. So having spent the last 6 months reading these 16 books, I grew to love them and cherish their happiness. Ah, it is a bittersweet end.
This last book is about a very special vampire, Russell, He is the Vietnam Vet who has been through years of torturous heartbreak, mental instability and loneliness. He finally finds someone that is more important to him than revenge. She just might be a challenge that is too feisty for him. Their search for relief ends in love and the evils all get wrapped up in a nice black trash bag. Whaooo for them ! Yes, it is a HEA what else would you expect ?
This last book is about a very special vampire, Russell, He is the Vietnam Vet who has been through years of torturous heartbreak, mental instability and loneliness. He finally finds someone that is more important to him than revenge. She just might be a challenge that is too feisty for him. Their search for relief ends in love and the evils all get wrapped up in a nice black trash bag. Whaooo for them ! Yes, it is a HEA what else would you expect ?
birdloveranne's review against another edition
5.0
Awww....so sad the series is over. I listed to books 2 - 16 and loved all the audio book narrators. Wonderful jobs. This book was well done, characters and plot and series wrap up all excellent.
aspygirlsmom_1995's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
brigittewhoa's review against another edition
5.0
Ahhh! Why does this have to be the last one? Kerrelyn Sparks really hit it out of the park again.
bookloverchelle's review against another edition
4.0
For over 15 books I’ve enjoyed the Love at Stake series by Kerrelyn Sparks and number 16, Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire, was another joy to read. Because this is such a long standing series and the story arch does go over several books I actually do not recommend starting with this book because you will be lost. We met our hero, Russell, several books ago. He’s been a recluse from the vampires but he’s been working to take down the evil that haunts the Chinese countryside, popping up in times of need to help in the battle against the Malcontents. As his personal battle heats up he meets tigress, Jia, with the same goal. She’s been training for years to kill the vampire that killed her family but her first time in battle she freezes and realizes she needs more help. She wants to work with Russell but he’s been working on his own for so long he’s not willing to form a partnership. But there’s something about Jia that he cannot keep his distance. When the battle heats up and secrets are revealed they must work together or lose their chance at a HEA. A fun story, a great chance to see some reoccurring characters, and a great ending to a long running story arc. Fun read!
**I received a copy of this book from the publisher**
**I received a copy of this book from the publisher**
claire_loves_books's review against another edition
4.0
I've been waiting for Russell's story- he has been such a loner I wasn't sure how sparks would pull it off but she really did. This is one of my favourite books of the whole series! It also ties up a lot of loose ends nicely - if you've read the rest of the series you really do have to read this.
I like that Jia is not a damsel in distress, she can stand up for herself and she knows what she wants. Russell has been an interesting (if a bit odd) character so it was nice get inside his mind and see his motivations.
It did however frustrate me that while Jia was a great character so many of the other females in this series seem to be very stereotypical, almost fifties housewife. They stay at home and look after the kids while thief brave husbands go and fight the baddies- it's frustrating. The women are either sexy warrior women or housewives, come on, break the mould!
I like that Jia is not a damsel in distress, she can stand up for herself and she knows what she wants. Russell has been an interesting (if a bit odd) character so it was nice get inside his mind and see his motivations.
It did however frustrate me that while Jia was a great character so many of the other females in this series seem to be very stereotypical, almost fifties housewife. They stay at home and look after the kids while thief brave husbands go and fight the baddies- it's frustrating. The women are either sexy warrior women or housewives, come on, break the mould!
mollymortensen's review against another edition
3.0
Russell is a solider from Vietnam who was in a coma for 40 years thanks to an evil vampire, master Han. Since he woke up, his only thought was revenge.
Jia is a were-tiger princess who doesn't want to stay behind while the men go off to fight. She has her own plans to kill master Han to avenge her family.
I enjoyed Russell and Jia's story, even if it wasn't quite as good as the last few. (I hope Jia's cousin, Rajiv gets a short story!) I saw the plot twist coming, but it was still a good one and I enjoyed hearing from the dragon boy. Since this was the big final battle all of the old characters made an appearance!
A good ending for the series. (But according to the acknowledgements, this might not be the end for good!)
Jia is a were-tiger princess who doesn't want to stay behind while the men go off to fight. She has her own plans to kill master Han to avenge her family.
I enjoyed Russell and Jia's story, even if it wasn't quite as good as the last few. (I hope Jia's cousin, Rajiv gets a short story!) I saw the plot twist coming, but it was still a good one and I enjoyed hearing from the dragon boy. Since this was the big final battle all of the old characters made an appearance!
A good ending for the series. (But according to the acknowledgements, this might not be the end for good!)