Take it Like a Vamp by Candace Havens

Vampire Nick Christos might’ve been born in the Middle Ages, but the good old days seem tame compared to the last eight years he’s spent ruling the Supernatural Council. His only respite is with his cute neighbor Casey Meyers, a woman he wants more than any undead man should. Sure, he’s forced to take a cold shower after every encounter, but there’s no way he’ll test his own strength by getting too close to a human, and he’s not willing to risk her life–not with bloodthirsty family on the prowl out to ruin Nick’s life.

 

When said Nick’s kin shows up, the innocent Casey is caught in the middle of a centuries old fight, and Nick’s biggest fear is realized. Now, instead of keeping his hands off his neighbor, he’ll risk everything to save the human he’s come to love.

 

Title: Take it Like A Vamp | Series: Take it Like A Vamp | Author: Candace Havens | Publisher: Covet, an imprint of Entangled | Genre: Paranormal Romance | Source:  purchased| Rating: 3.5-4

I’m a bit on the fence about this one. While I liked it,—and the author’s witty dialogue—towards the end of the book, parts of the plot felt rushed and not fully fleshed out.

 

So, here’s what’s going on. Casey Meyers is a graphic artist with a horrid dating history and a mad crush on her hot neighbor who also happens to be her best friend. Nick Christos is hot enough to make your panties melt. He’s also a Vrykolakas—a werewolf that has been turned into a vampire—who just so happens to be the head of the Supernatural Council. Per the Council’s rules, Nick must marry to keep his position. Getting married isn’t high on his list of priorities so he decides to flaunt a fake fiancée in front of the council and Casey fits the bill. While she doesn’t know what he is, the attention that he’s given her has landed her in the sight of a crazy witch intent on destroying everything that Nick holds dear. Now to keep her safe, Nick must claim her as his own but first he needs to reveal his true self to her.

 

Okay, so Nick was a very likable vampire but he had his questionable moments. He’s attracted to Casey but he can’t act on it because he’s afraid it will put her life in danger. Given that he never acted on his attraction to Casey in order to protect her, it felt a little odd that he would parade her in front of the Council. Another thing that kind of bugged me about Nick was the fact he wanted Casey to trust him but he refused to tell her anything.

 

Casey had her likable points yet she was a tad bit whiny. It wasn’t enough to put her on the unlikable heroines list but I would have like to have seen her a bit more secure in who she was. Although I do have to applaud her for keeping it together when she learned what Nick was. I think some of my favorite Casey moments was watching her trying to figure out what Nick was and what trouble he was in. I have to agree with her, I would have been guessing Mafia/Mob as well.

 

The chemistry was there from the start. Every time they were in the room together Casey would get all hot and bothered and Nick would get all fangy and turned on and would flee. The conflict stemmed from lack of communication. If Nick would have just told Casey what he was things would have gone a lot smoother.

 

There is a bit of suspense thrown in in the form of Alvinia, a witch who once had her claws in Nick. While this was an interesting aspect and it did throw me a surprise, it felt more like a page-filler and really could have been flesh-out a bit more. Plus, I really wish that Nick would have made good on his threats of destroying Alvinia. Every time she would show up, Nick threatened to rip her throat out yet he never acted it on so his empty threats started to get annoying. And it never really felt like the Alvinia issue was fully resolved.

 

While I loved the first part of the book and still found the entire book engaging, the book started to feel rushed towards the end and made the plot feel a bit disjointed. A few extra chapters could have been added to allow the author to expand on a few points and even out the flow.

 

The paranormal aspect of this book was front and center, which given this was a paranormal romance it was hoping for. I actually got to see the characters shift into their paranormal beings, which is something that was lacking in the book two.

 

So, this is the first book in the series. I read Baby’s Got Bite first and now, having read Take it Like a Vamp, I wished I would have read the books in order because this book gives more details about Linc, the hero in the second book.

 

Overall, I liked Take it Like A Vamp. A few things could have been handled a bit differently but it still made for an enjoyable weekend paranormal read.

 

Take it Like A Vamp Series

1-Take it Like A Vamp

2-Baby’ sGot Bite