The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo (Love at Stake, 14) Mass Market Paperback – August 27, 2013

Dougal has been sitting in the background of the Love at Stake series since it began. He has been helping all of his friends and sitting on the sidelines while he has watched so many of his friends find their HEA and now he finally has a chance to fine his. When Dougal lost his hand in the fight with the malcontents, he thought his usefulness as a bodyguard was over. However, with the help of his friends and a prosthetic hand, he has been able to learn how to fight again and is ready for action.Leah has always been too smart for her own good. Entering college at the age of 14 has caused her to become socially inept. However, by the time she graduates, not only does she have a medical degree, she is also well known for her genetic knowledge. Knowledge that the vampires at Romatech need to help them fight the humans who are being used in Mr. Hans army. Her introduction into the realm of vampires and were creatures is difficult for someone who has also lived there life searching for mysteries that can be solved through science and logic. However, someone who is dead all day and wakes every night fall does not fall into that world.Anyone who follows this series is going to love this story. There are so many characters in this story that we know and love that we have the opportunity to catch up with. There are some wonderful new aspects to this story that are not usually discussed in the Love at Stake books. The introduction of the God Warrior angels was really well done and the way they were introduced helped them feel authentic and not like Kerrelyn was trying to copy any other stories that are out there. I also enjoyed the aspect of having reincarnation and angels in the same story.As formulated as these stories are, after 14 books it is usually difficult to find something fresh and new in a series and Kerrelyn Sparks has pulled it off with this installment of the Love at Stakes series. I know that as soon as the next book is ready for preorder I will be ordering it. I just want to put in one little request, please let Laszlo's story be the next book. He has been the funny sidekick through the last 14 books and deserves to be the leading man.

A Damaged VampireVampire Dougal Kincaid lost his hand in battle. Since then, he's been fitted with a mind-controlled prosthesis. He's spent years gaining control of his new hand, trying to get back to active security duty. He finally reaches his goal, only to lose control of his hand at the sight of--Dr. Leah Chin, a human, is brought to the vampires' research facility because of her expertise in genetics. But when she learns that vampires are real, she freaks out. Until she catches sight of--Dougal believes that he and Leah are destined to be together. But how does he convince her, when she is so skittish about vampires? And can he keep her safe, when her work in genetics is meant to undo the work of a demon who can only be taken out by angel warriors?Two Lonely SoulsDougal and Leah are two lonely souls. Literally. Dougal lost his first and only love three hundred years ago. He has been alone ever since. But when he first sees Leah, he believes that she is his lost love reborn.Leah was raised by parents who pushed her into college by the age of 14, so she never had a chance to develop socially and emotionally. She's lonely. But she's a scientist, which means she doesn't believe that human-vampire love is logical. So, why does she feel unnaturally drawn to Dougal?Funny and FulfillingYou'll enjoy Dougal and Leah's love story. They're both well-drawn, likable characters. Did I say likable? You'll love Dougal, with his green eyes and Scottish brogue. Others try to give him advice on winning Leah, with awkward results. But when he's being himself, he's as romantic as they come.The book drew me in and wouldn't let me go. Though tension and danger kept me reading, Kerrelyn's unique humor lightened the way. She has a wonderful way of playing with words.Dougal and Leah go through some dark, difficult times that will hurt your heart. But their HEA is satisfying and fulfilling. And I loved the last two lines.My only complaint? It was over far too soon.I'm happy to report that Kerrelyn is working on Zoltan's story. In the meantime, enjoy The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo!Happy Reading!

If you have read the Love At Stake series you already have an inkling as to what the story will be like to a certain extent.Dougal is one of the few remaining early members of the group that has not found a mate and then along comes Leah who not only brings out the MINE effect in him but reminds him of a love he lost 300 years ago.Leah is not only beautiful, she is wicked smart and that is why she is there to help with some genetic research that needs to be done to fight off their latest adversary (a demon no less).This is an off/on romance that in some places is a bit frustrating but still entertaining and the urban fantasy part of the plot keeps it from being too dopey or sugary sweet,The injection of angels into this series in a subtle way that does not feel copied in any way adds much to this story and I really enjoyed that part and wonder what she plans for the future in that area since we are running out of characters to find mates for in this series.Bottom Line: I like it but I can only give it 4 Stars because it is written almost to a formula in the romantic plots (the overarching UF plots are still excellent) and while you never really tire of seeing the guy get the girl this series needs some intangible things added to get it to 5 Star level in my opinion. Am I going to keep buying these books, of course, they are part of my addiction and I love seeing the old characters which unlike many series don't disappear or become cardboard cutouts but this series needs a injection of something because the best books in the series were written much earlier in the series.

Dougal Kincaid is a bit of a grouchy Scots vampire, having lost his love Li Lei three by sees years ago in China.When scientist Leah comes to work for Romatech, he's instantly smitten and convinced it's his love reincarnated . Leah on the other hand is trying to cope with vampires being real, which isn't helped by seeing Dougal rip an arm off a woman then get covered in blood. The flying woman is thankfully VANNA , a failed blood dispersion system for vamps who miss biting.After a shaky start, Leah decides to try and work with the vamps and Dougal tries to woo her.This is very funny , especially the antics involving VANNA. And young cute hybrid child Tino, the makeover scenes are great fun, there's lots of romance and in terms of plot development over the whole story arc, lots happens.

I managed to plough through to the end of this pot-boiler, because it’s very rare that I don’t finish what I start, but I really wish I hadn’t bothered. A pretty obvious plot, with the solution signalled from very early on, trite, jejune, nudge-nudge wink-wink dialogue, shallow emotional development, these are just some of the inadequacies, and the list could go on for some time. The command of dialect is appallingly bad: ‘doona’ is some kind of Australian blanket, not Scots for ‘do not’, and the author obviously does not know that the traditional way of rendering ‘did not’ is ‘didnae’. It’s rarely a good idea to write dialect or represent accents anyway, but if one does it’s vital to be (a) accurate, (b) consistent and (c) comprehensive: shoving in the odd word to identify ethnic origin is just annoying and disruptive to the flow of dialogue. Writing ‘you’ and ‘ye’ in consecutive sentences in the same paragraph is just incompetent. If you’re a fan of this author don’t let me put you off, and enjoy as many stories as she can churn out - chacun à son goo (and yes, I know the correct French is goût, but I choose my words carefully). I’m certainly not wasting further time or money.

The best thing about kerrelyn sparks vampire series is that its always going to be fantastic and this book was no different. Dougal have a well bionic hand which he mind controls only it gets stuck in some hilarious accidents. I felt his pain when reading about his lost love and seeing Leah who looks similar to her cross paths. Their relationship builds to working on why she looks like his dead love and why she feels attracted to the vampire which at the beginning she's scared of. The action is brilliant which takes you on a journey throughout the book. This definately deserves a five star rating as I was hooked from page one until the end.

It's Dougal's turn to find his mortal. Dr Leah Chan is wanted by the vamps in order to find a cure for the Demon herb so the mortals can be turned back to normal after being genetically altered by the effects of the herb. A trip to Scotland and then China follow. Great book can't wait for the next book!

Worth to read, was a lovely storyline with lot's of funny moments but also sad one. I would have loved to find more about Russel the vamp who went missing and what happened to Sean Whelan and his wife?