How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire (Love at Stake, #1)

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How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire (Love at Stake #1)

by Kerrelyn Sparks (Goodreads Author)

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 · rating details · 15,650 ratings · 918 reviews

Nobody said love was perfect...

Roman Draganesti is charming, handsome, rich...he's also a vampire. But this vampire just lost one of his fangs sinking his teeth into something he shouldn't have. Now he has one night to find a dentist before his natural healing abilities close the wound, leaving him a lop-sided eater for all eternity.

Things aren't going well for Shanna Whel...more

Mass Market Paperback, 371 pages

Published July 26th 2005 by Avon

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Best Paranormal Romance Series

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Best Paranormal & Fantasy Romances

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Dec 29, 2012 Dana Aerys rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No one really

Shelves: poor-writing, 4-romance-heads

What can I say...
The ideas in the book are interesting, it's what kept me reading. BUT the quality was horrible. felt like I was reading the draft of a book. Some things could have been fleshed out a lot more. Many things were repetitive! God's blood it was repetitive!! lol.

I give the ideas 3/5, quality 2/5.

Would I read it again? NO...
Continue the series? NO!
Recommend it? Maybe not. It annoyed me for the most part, especially the dumb rushed ending.

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Sep 24, 2012 Rebecca (everyday reader) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

When a vampire has to go to a dentist to fix a fang, I'm sorry but it is just funny. I think the way Shanna is introduced to Roman's world is a page turning ride. Their attraction to one another is off the charts, and vampire sex is cool! Her dad is the monster he accuses the vamps of being. I love how good they are for each other, Roman needs love and Shanna hasn't had good males around her. This is a great beginning for the series. Great read!!

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Jan 10, 2013 t'irla ~The BookSlayer~ rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone how enjoys humor, vampires and dentists

Recommended to t'irla ~The BookSlayer~ by: PA Lupton, Enabler extrodinaire

Shelves: kerrelyn-sparks, owned, 4-star-read

On the run from the Russian Mob Shanna finds herself protected by a vampire lord. She also finds herself hunted by a vampire lord. Can things get worse, yup they can..she falls in love with her vampire lord...well she doesn't know he is a vampire at first...worst of all...her father is not a diplomat....

My first Kerrelyn Sparks novel and I must say I LOVED it! Her characters are funny, quirky and completely lovable. The reach out of the pages and grab you. She writes from both her heroine's POV...more

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Nov 23, 2011 Merve Özcan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampire, were

Roman Draganesti bir vampir ufak bir kaza sonucu vampir dişlerinden birini kaybedince bir dişçiye gitmeye karar verir. Tanık koruma programında olan Shanna bu vampirin dişçisidir. eli silahlı adamlar dişçiye saldırınca Roman Shennayı kurtarır. Aralarında bir ilişki gelişmeye başlar. Ama Romanın harem sorunu Shannanın hayatının tehlikede olması gibi konular bu ilişkiyi hiç kolay hala getirmez.

kitap gerçekten güzel bir seriye ait içinde iskoç vampirler etekleriyle dolaşıyorlar. ben seriyi daha çok...more

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Dec 08, 2011 Angel Cullen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, vampires

i LOVED LOVED LOVED this novel ... !!!
I'm totally in love with vampires but this novel took it to the next level !
i also think I'm in love with Roman ... too bad he is taken :(
okay ... now that I'm a little bit less frantic ... i can begin :

Shanna Whelan is a dentist who's leading a very boring life ... because she is under the protection of the witness protection program because she saw something she was not suppose to see since she was at the wrong place at the wrong time, or was she ???

Roman...more

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May 04, 2013 UniquelyMoi *Dhestiny* BlithelyBookish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4-5-stars, 2013-reads, series-love-at-stake, first-in-series, first-read-of-an-author, pnr-vampires, quirky-funny-characters, avon-paranormal, author-kerrelyn-sparks

A big thanks to my GR friends who recommended this story! You were all right; it's funny, quirky, sexy, and I'm looking forward to reading more!

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Jul 22, 2010 Jael ~ *~ Syhren ~* ~ rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was really liking this book straight from page one.I found myself laughing out loud at a few things, but as the story carried on laughter turned into frustration and annoyance. Shanna basically cried through the entire book. It was nerve wrecking, every little thing bought tears to her eyes. I did like Roman he was definitely an interesting character as well as a few others. The Highlanders really peeked my interest. I hope they get books of their own. This series will probably be one I read a...more

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Mar 13, 2011 Sheryl rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampires, possibles

Although I'm only halfway through, I feel compelled to post a review. To compare, I like this a lot more than the annoying "Sookie Stackhouse" novel though it sort of reminds me of it. There are two extremely annoying things about this book:
1. "God's Blood!" This is the phrase that the main character utters every other paragraph. It was mildly cute the first time, annoying the second time, and by the 2,456th time I gladly would have dug out my eyeballs with a rusty spoon to avoid seeing it type...more

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Jan 31, 2009 Jodi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: signed

Dentist Shanna Whelan is having a rough time. Currently in the witness protection program she has no idea that she was the actual target of the hit that killed her friend. When vampire Roman Dragonesti loses a fang while testing a realistic "blood donor" doll, he needs a dentist who works the night shift. But when he goes to Shanna's office, he discovers it's under attack by an old enemy. Worse, Shanna is able to resist his mind control so he can't wipe her memory. So he takes her home. Unfortun...more

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Jul 01, 2011 Sophie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: vamps, reviewed, pnr, the-secret-corner

Ok, tell me the truth:

What comes to your mind when somebody puts as a statement (or guide) something like: HOW TO…

I’ll tell you a few:

HOW TO change a tire in your car: practical guide on how to maneuver with a big rolling rubber and not crush your fingers in the process.

HOW TO pick the best lettuce at the produce section of a local supermarket: easy tips that allow you to search for the freshest lettuce and / or any other vegetable, in order not to spend $0.69 / a lb. for a green ingredient nobo...more

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Jan 24, 2011 DarienMoya rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: rrrc-challenge-a-to-z-2011, 2011-reads, vampires

^^HOW TO DO NUMEROUS EYE ROLLS!^^

I do believe this book was feckin with me, it was outrageous, and a little bit on the cheesy side. Let us rephrase, a lot on the cheesy side, and through all this, the book moves quite well. I laughed a little, and I did like some of the characters introduced, but sadly, it wasn’t the main characters.

Shanna is in the witness protection program, and is working as a dentist.
Ridiculous 1- she is afraid of blood, but she is a bloody dentist. I don’t know who though...more ^^HOW TO DO NUMEROUS EYE ROLLS!^^

I do believe this book was feckin with me, it was outrageous, and a little bit on the cheesy side. Let us rephrase, a lot on the cheesy side, and through all this, the book moves quite well. I laughed a little, and I did like some of the characters introduced, but sadly, it wasn’t the main characters.

Shanna is in the witness protection program, and is working as a dentist.
Ridiculous 1- she is afraid of blood, but she is a bloody dentist. I don’t know who thought this was a good idea but so the book went.
When a tall dark and handsome man walks into the 24hr dentist clinic (eye roll) Shanna has to get him out immediately. Seems the Russians who want her dead have found her and the tall, dark, and good-looking man is about to lose his life along with hers.

Roman needs a dentist when his fang breaks off in sex doll that also administers blood (eye roll #2). He has to get it fixed before he becomes the one fanged vampire, and become the laughing stock of the undead world. When he finds the 24hr clinic and meets its sexy dentist, he gets a lot more than having a broken a fang. He finds Shanna fascinating, because she is able to fight his mind control. Plus, she wild, funny and all that. When some thugs show up at the clinic, it seems Roman is just in time. He has the manpower to protect her, and protect her he will.

Alright, so the book becomes pretty typical. Girl starts to like man, man struggles with the fact that he is a monster, blah blah blah. I really believe this was some kind of vampire spoof. With all the bats and capes (eye roll #3). These vampires revel in the outrageousness with all the black and gloom.

I really have no strong feelings for Roman or Shanna, but I did like Roman’s security team. All the Scots with their kilt and burr, mmmm yummy.

Ridiculous 2- Mind sex! That’s only cool when I am faraway and we can’t have physical contact, or if I am in a meeting.

I have no idea if I will be continuing the series because of the whole series is set up like this, I am gonna need my crazy cap. Truthfully, I liked some parts of the book but in all honesty this book adds nothing to the PNR genre. It’s light, fluffy and super sweet.
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Apr 06, 2013 Mara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, supernatural, this-heroine-annoyed-me, why-must-you-frustrate-me-so

This was a fun comedic paranormal, with some tongue-in-cheek moments, but it was bogged down by too many cliches to be really good. The vampires were your regular garden variety: hot, dead during the day, allergic to sunlight and stakes through the heart, won't show up in the mirror, drink artificial blood, and ready for love. What was unique for this universe, and what I thought was hilarious, was the existence of a vampire TV channel, complete with plagiarized vampire soaps like General Morgue...more

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Mar 11, 2013 Srisurang rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

ตอนเปิดเรื่องชอบมาก พระเอกดูเจ๋งดี และตลกด้วย เขาเป็นแวมไพร์เจ้าของเครือบริษัทใหญ่ผลิตเลือดเทียม แต่เบื่อชีวิตมาก อยู่มืดๆ เงียบๆ คนเดียว มีผู้ช่วยพูดเก่งร่าเริง คล้ายๆ นิค(DH)สมัยแรก แล้วมีนักวิจัยหนุ่มขี้กังวล เอาตุ๊กตาผู้หญิงที่เติมเลือดได้มา ให้ทดลองดื่มเลือด แล้วตัวมันแข็งไป เขี้ยวหลุดติดตุ๊กตาไปอันนึง ตลกมากกกก ขำก๊ากเลย คิดว่าเจอเล่มถูกใจแล้ว แต่หลังจากนั้น ไม่ค่อยขำอีกง่ะ เขาไปหานางเอก ซึ่งเป็นหมอฟัน อยู่ในโปรแกรมซ่อนพยาน เพราะไปเห็นการฆ่า

มีมาเฟียรัสเซีย กับแวมไพร์ตัวร้ายตามฆ่า พระเอกก็เ...more ตอนเปิดเรื่องชอบมาก พระเอกดูเจ๋งดี และตลกด้วย เขาเป็นแวมไพร์เจ้าของเครือบริษัทใหญ่ผลิตเลือดเทียม แต่เบื่อชีวิตมาก อยู่มืดๆ เงียบๆ คนเดียว มีผู้ช่วยพูดเก่งร่าเริง คล้ายๆ นิค(DH)สมัยแรก แล้วมีนักวิจัยหนุ่มขี้กังวล เอาตุ๊กตาผู้หญิงที่เติมเลือดได้มา ให้ทดลองดื่มเลือด แล้วตัวมันแข็งไป เขี้ยวหลุดติดตุ๊กตาไปอันนึง ตลกมากกกก ขำก๊ากเลย คิดว่าเจอเล่มถูกใจแล้ว แต่หลังจากนั้น ไม่ค่อยขำอีกง่ะ เขาไปหานางเอก ซึ่งเป็นหมอฟัน อยู่ในโปรแกรมซ่อนพยาน เพราะไปเห็นการฆ่า

มีมาเฟียรัสเซีย กับแวมไพร์ตัวร้ายตามฆ่า พระเอกก็เป็นฮีโร่มาช่วย ตอนหลัง อ่านแบบข้ามๆ เพราะเบื่อนางเอก เธอจะอะไรนักหนา รับไม่ได้อยู่นั่นแหละ เพราะสมัยนี้แวมไพร์เค้ารับได้กันหมดแล้ว เธอยังทำใจไม่ได้ซักทีทำให้รำคาญ แล้วพระเอกถึงจะนิสัยน่ารัก ฉลาด แต่ก็มีจุดที่ดูอ่อนแอ ตรงที่พอตะวันลับ หลับเหมือนหมดสติหมดเรี่ยวแรง แล้วก็เที่ยวไปหลับที่ต่างๆ ถ้าเป็นจริงน่าจะตายไปนานแล้ว อุตส่าห์คุยว่าหน่วยรักษาความปลอดภัยยอดเยี่ยมงั้นงี้ แต่ไปๆมาๆ ตัวร้าย สร้างความเสียหายได้ไม่ยากอะไร ฝ่ายพระเอก ดูอ่อนไปหน่อยอะ ไม่สะใจข้าพเจ้า

โดยรวมก็อ่านเพลินๆ นะ มีจุดชอบใจ มีจุดขัดบ้างนิดหน่อย ให้ 3.5 ค่ะ
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Feb 16, 2013 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was quite taken with this book and I will definitely read on into the series to see where it goes. I realise this is an old book and I have read more up to date vampire books in the last year, but saying that after getting over some of the cheesy bits the underlying story and character interaction is very enjoyable.

Roman and his coven are all 'for the greater good' versus Ivan's coven who are 'hardcore suck your mortal blood' vampires and then there's Shanna who gets caught up with the realisa...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Amy Jacobs rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

I admit, I must be the last person in the world to read this series. After seeing everyone rave about them, and even hosting the author on my blog, I decided to dive into the Love At Stake series by author Kerrelyn Sparks.

The first half of this book I thought was rather cliched. While I found it funny at times, other times I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the story. Not only was the dialogue cheesy, but so was the plot. Then after I got past the first half of the story, it really starte...more

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Oct 31, 2012 D.W. Nichols rated it 5 of 5 stars

Cuando empecé a leer esta novela por primera vez, no tenía idea donde me estaba metiendo. Simplemente la escogí porque era de vampiros y son unos seres que siempre me han fascinado, tanto en su vertiente benévola como maléfica. Pero antes de terminar el primer capítulo, supe que había dado con algo que iba a entusiasmarme. ¡Y en aquel momento ni siquiera sabía que pertenecía a una serie!

Que un vampiro sea alto, guapo y rico, no asombra a nadie. Que sea un cerebrito, eso ya no es común. Si además...more Cuando empecé a leer esta novela por primera vez, no tenía idea donde me estaba metiendo. Simplemente la escogí porque era de vampiros y son unos seres que siempre me han fascinado, tanto en su vertiente benévola como maléfica. Pero antes de terminar el primer capítulo, supe que había dado con algo que iba a entusiasmarme. ¡Y en aquel momento ni siquiera sabía que pertenecía a una serie!

Que un vampiro sea alto, guapo y rico, no asombra a nadie. Que sea un cerebrito, eso ya no es común. Si además le sumamos que es un antiguo monje cristiano y que pasa por una especie de depresión, surge un cocktail espinoso capaz de llevarnos a cualquier lado.
Bueno, a cualquier lado, no. Nos lleva directamente a la consulta de una dentista. Porque claro, un científico debe experimentar sus descubrimientos e inventos, aunque sea a regañadientes. Y si el invento en cuestión es una muñeca hinchable (sí, una de esas que salen tanto en las pelis cachondas para adolescentes) a la que le han implantado un defectuoso artilugio en el cuello para que al ser mordida por un vampiro pueda simular que está mordiendo a un humano, podemos imaginar el resultado. Un colmillo roto. Que debe ser reparado en seguida antes que el sueño mortal en el que se sumen los vampiros al amanecer cure la herida y sea imposible reimplantarlo. ¡Imaginaos el aspecto de un vampi desdentado!
Partiendo de ese inicio, ya podemos hacernos una idea de lo que encontraremos después.
Me encanta el humor de Kerrelyn Sparks, porque llega casi sin darte cuenta, en situaciones que podríamos catalogar de cotidianas pero que es capaz de llegar a convertir en absurdas sin ningún tipo de esfuerzo. Su prosa nos lleva de la mano de la risa al dolor sin darnos casi cuenta, y nos mete de lleno en un universo vampírico lleno de humor, con personajes increíblemente sexys y muy, muy humanos… a pesar que durante el día, están muertos.
En esta primera novela de la serie, no solo conocemos al Maestro del Aquelarre de la Costa Este de Estados Unidos, Roman Draganesti, si no que nos da un vislumbre de la historia continuada que enlaza todas las novelas (la guerra contra los Malcontents) y vamos conociendo a los personajes que poco a poco, irán teniendo su propia novela.
Sexys vampiros escoceses con faldas, un harén de vampiresas bastante pasadas de rosca, un grupo de la CIA entrenado para matar vampiros y un grupo de vampiros renegados que no quieren beber sangre sintética. Personajes dispares para una novela bastante divertida que me enganchó hasta el punto de atreverme a traducir por mi cuenta la tercera entrega que no estaba disponible en castellano en ningún sitio. Creo que con esto lo digo todo.
Altamente recomendable.(less)

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Jul 30, 2012 Saheeda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: loveatstake-paranormal-vampire-shap

This book was thoroughly entertaining. It had me laughing a few times over.
Scientist coven master, vampire Roman, is the founder of the synthetic blood that enables the 'good' vampires to get the nutrition they need without harming mortals. He comes into contact with Shanna, a sweet dentist with the Russian Vampire coven leader on to assassinate her. Roman offers her protection and the two story lines blend into one. Roman makes a final decision to battle the Russian leader of the malcontents (...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Shelley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shanna has to hide from the Russian mob by going into the witness protection prgramme. She continues her career as a dentist, but having to work the night shift at a dental clinic.

Roman, the very old vampire with extensive business interests (ie the millionaire vampire) has the misfortune of snapping off a fang whilst trying out a new device to persaude vampires not to bite humans.

Roman turns up at the all night clinic and saves Shanna from the hitmen and she becomes drawn into a world she had...more

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Feb 08, 2012 Holjo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Summary: After testifying in a murder trial against a member of the Russian Mafia, Shanna Whelan was whisked away from her home and family by the Witness Protection Program. She started a new life in New York City as a dentist in SoHo, working the night shift at a 24hr clinic. It has been a long time since anything interesting has happened in her life, but that all changes when Russian hitmen AND a gorgeous stranger show up at her clinic on the same night.

Roman Draganesti is the leader of one of...more Summary: After testifying in a murder trial against a member of the Russian Mafia, Shanna Whelan was whisked away from her home and family by the Witness Protection Program. She started a new life in New York City as a dentist in SoHo, working the night shift at a 24hr clinic. It has been a long time since anything interesting has happened in her life, but that all changes when Russian hitmen AND a gorgeous stranger show up at her clinic on the same night.

Roman Draganesti is the leader of one of the largest vampire covens in the United States. His scientific research, and his invention of synthetic blood, has made him a hero in both the human and vampire worlds. It is no longer necessary for Vampires to feed from humans, allowing the vampire community to become more self-reliant and less dangerous. Not everyone in the vampire community is happy with this change, however. There is a group of deadly vampires who believe synthetic blood is an abomination, and those who choose to consume the blood are traitors to their race. These vampires will use any excuse to start a war with Roman's coven.

One night, during a scientific experiment gone awry, Roman loses one of his fangs. If he doesn't get it repaired before daylight, the socket will heal and he'll be one-fanged for the rest of his life. Not willing to risk such an embarrassing situation, Roman turns to Shanna's 24hr (human) dental clinic for the procedure. Roman shows up only moments before the Russian Mafia - who have hired a vampire assassin to put an end to Shanna's life. Roman needs a dentist, and Shanna clearly needs rescuing, so Roman saves her life and brings her to his home.

Shanna has no idea that Roman is a vampire at first, nor did she know that such creatures really existed. When she begins to piece things together, she is torn between her strong feelings for the man who continues to save lives, and the terror she feels at the thought that he isn't human. Facing their emotions might prove to be more difficult than facing their many enemies.

Review: I used to stay away from novels that have comedic titles like this one. I made the assumption that they would be similar to satire movies like Vampires Suck or the Scary Movie franchise, which I don't care for. Now that I've read a few of them, I've realized that I jumped to the wrong conclusion. How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire had plenty of humor (especially in the first half) but there was also danger, romance, and an interesting cast of characters. I really enjoyed it. There is a clan of men who are Scottish Highlanders AND vampires in Roman's coven..... how could I not love the combination of my two favorite types of male characters??

Most of the humor in this book came from Shanna's inner dialog, confusion, and irrational behavior. However, the vampire characters add plenty of humor also. The difference is that the vampires are very serious creatures, so their humor comes from the serious way they handle situations that are completely ridiculous. Picture a bunch of vampires trying to pump synthetic blood through a life-like sex doll.... the purpose being to find ways to feed vampires without endangering humans. Their goal was clearly noble, but the circumstances are absurdly funny.

As much as I liked the book, there were a few weak points. The humor of the story began to die down in the second half of the book, and it was almost non-existent by the end. I missed it - it was my favorite part of the book. The second half introduces a more intimate relationship between Shanna and Roman. While I liked the romance, I didn't think the physical scenes between them were written very well.

Lastly, I wasn't crazy about how a few of the plotlines were resolved in the end, but I'm willing to reserve judgement on this until I read how they are continued in the next book. This book did not offer any suggestions about how Roman and Shanna would eventually address Shanna's aging while he does not. It also did not provide an actual wedding - merely the suggestion of one. And, while there is a final confrontation, the book ends with more looming conflict for the cast than what existed before the confrontation. There was a lot of unfinished business.

I am looking forward to reading more in this series, and I recommend that PR and UF fans give it a shot. If you think you might be open to a more humorous approach to these genres, then this would be a great place to start.(less)

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Feb 05, 2012 Bookie | The BookChick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4-star-read, vampires, pnr

Book Description:
So what if he's a bit older and usually regards a human female as dinner, not a dinner date? Yes, Roman Draganesti is a vampire, but a vampire who lost one of his fangs sinking his teeth into something he shouldn't have. Now he has one night to find a dentist before his natural healing abilities close the wound, leaving him a lop-sided eater for all eternity.

Things aren't going well for Shanna Whelan either...After witnessing a gruesome murder by the Russian mafia, she's next on...more Book Description:
So what if he's a bit older and usually regards a human female as dinner, not a dinner date? Yes, Roman Draganesti is a vampire, but a vampire who lost one of his fangs sinking his teeth into something he shouldn't have. Now he has one night to find a dentist before his natural healing abilities close the wound, leaving him a lop-sided eater for all eternity.

Things aren't going well for Shanna Whelan either...After witnessing a gruesome murder by the Russian mafia, she's next on their hit list. And her career as a dentist appears to be on a downward spiral because she's afraid of blood. When Roman rescues her from an assassination attempt, she wonders if she's found the one man who can keep her alive. Though the attraction between them is immediate and hot, can Shanna conquer her fear of blood to fix Roman's fang? And if she does, what will prevent Roman from using his fangs on her.

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this story a great deal. It was funny, romantic, and had a good amount of thrill to keep you interested in the story.

I happily rate this book with 4 stars. It would have garnered five stars if it weren't for the fact that:

(1) Roman incessantly used the expression God's blood. It appeared fifty times in the story. It was very overused and became grating after a while.

(2) The insertion of Shanna's father in the story seemed to be an afterthought. Well, not exactly an afterthought...let me clarify that a bit. At about 50% into the story, I could see that Shanna's father played some significant role in her life. However, the way Sparks threw in the fact that he was the leader of this STAKE-OUT team seemed a bit unfinished (Side note: the logo was described as a bat with a stake through it was hokey. Sparks could have applied a bit more creativity with that one). His insertion into the story was anemic and anticlimactic. Shanna hadn't seen her father in years and his shows up at Ivan's house out of the blue and she's relatively calm about it. It just felt contrived to me.

But even with these two minor issue, I read through the book in one setting because it kept me interested and engaged and definitely piqued my interest in the remaining books in the series.(less)

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Nov 14, 2011 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Romance novels have always been my dirty little secret—maybe it’s the Disney Princess in me all grown up and still believing in true love. But this series is one I love more for the characters than for the plots or even the genre. The book begins the “Love at Stake” series; each book a different character in the overall story. This particular book begins the story of Roman Draganesti, the inventor of synthetic blood, and how he meets his wife. Sparks has several characters from varying countries...more

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Oct 24, 2011 Rachel Thompson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, romance

Roman Draganesti has spent much of his long life thinking of himself as a demon abandoned by God. After confiding his secrets to a woman he loved, she tried to kill him, leaving Roman wary of mortal women. But now, Shanna Whelan has entered the picture. Shanna is a dentist currently in the Witness Protection Program after witnessing a brutal murder performed by the Russian mafia. However, they've tracked her down, and it seems the only person able to help her is Roman, her mysterious savior.

I co...more

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Oct 01, 2011 Lucy rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of my favorite stories!

Roman Draganesti is a brilliant scientist and the inventor of synthetic blood. He is also a vampire and the inventor of Fusion Cuisine, flavored blood for vampires. When he loses a fang testing a Vampire Artificial Nutrition Needs Appliance, he has until morning to find a dentist and have it fixed. Shanna Whelan is a dentist but there’s no way she’s putting that “animal” tooth in Roman’s lovely smile. Shanna is also in hiding from the Russian Mafia. Now the Russians ha...more One of my favorite stories!

Roman Draganesti is a brilliant scientist and the inventor of synthetic blood. He is also a vampire and the inventor of Fusion Cuisine, flavored blood for vampires. When he loses a fang testing a Vampire Artificial Nutrition Needs Appliance, he has until morning to find a dentist and have it fixed. Shanna Whelan is a dentist but there’s no way she’s putting that “animal” tooth in Roman’s lovely smile. Shanna is also in hiding from the Russian Mafia. Now the Russians have sent in a vampire assassin to find her and eliminate her and the only one who can protect her is another vampire.

I know what you are thinking. A story about a vampire and a dentist!! Really?? I said the same thing, but I kept coming back to it and wondering how a story like that was going to play out. I’m so glad I finally gave in. This is one of the series which I enjoy the most. This book, in particular, is still on the top of my favorite all time stories. Kerrelyn Sparks writes her stories with such witty and sexy banter between her characters. I can’t help but laugh throughout this series.

I just so enjoy Roman and Shanna and I am especially happy that they show up frequently throughout the series. Roman is the owner of Romatech, the laboratory that produces the synthetic blood, and employs most of the other characters that we meet throughout the series. He is also the Coven Master of the Eastern United States.

My one pet peeve, which was corrected with the next story, Vamps and the City, was the “harem” which Roman keeps as Coven Master. All these women are sitting around wearing the clothing of the time period which was in fashion when they were changed into vampires. Like there is any way a vampire could blend in and survive in the ever changing society when still walking around dressed like Scarlett O’Hara. Thankfully, they were modernized in the next story to blend in with society at large. So don’t let that distract you from the overall story.

Oh -- since I work in White Plains, NY, I am narrowing down the secret location of Romatech Laboratories, and will let you know when I find it.
(less)

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Aug 01, 2011 Madame X rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: awful-do-not-read, vampires, vip-hero, paranormal-urban-fantasy

Roman was a sixteenth century monk before he became a vampire. In the ensuing five hundred years, he has remained pretty monkish: trying to make the world a better place, and dedicating himself to the science of healing. Which is how he came to invent synthetic blood, which is how he became a corporate magnate, which is how he became filthy rich. Yes, he is kind of a broody, despairing vampire; but he is broody like a monk with a hairshirt. There's no actual bad behavior, just lots and lots of h...more Roman was a sixteenth century monk before he became a vampire. In the ensuing five hundred years, he has remained pretty monkish: trying to make the world a better place, and dedicating himself to the science of healing. Which is how he came to invent synthetic blood, which is how he became a corporate magnate, which is how he became filthy rich. Yes, he is kind of a broody, despairing vampire; but he is broody like a monk with a hairshirt. There's no actual bad behavior, just lots and lots of hating himself.

The synthetic blood was invented 18 years before the opening of "How to Marry..." and since then, Roman hasn't bitten a single living thing. He loses his tooth when he tests out a blood-filled suck-toy (in the form of a naked woman); it's been so long since he used his fangs that one just falls out.

Shanna is pretty uptight. She's in the witness protection program because she witnessed a mob hit and testified against the killers. She accepts Roman's help because it's better than being knocked off by the Russian mafia, but she hates it every step of the way. Shanna is constantly finding reasons to accuse this painfully moral vampire of aiding her for various nefarious purposes; and then, once she can't keep believing that he is evil, she moans and groans about how a relationship with a vampire will never work. In the process, she helps reinforce all of Roman's self-loathing issues.

Shanna insists from the beginning that what she wants is a normal life - a normal job, a normal husband, a big house with a white picket fence, and a dog. And she is unwilling to deviate from this image, or reconsider it. She can honestly be standing right in front of Roman (nice, hunky, madly in love with her, a scientific genius, a CEO) and complain that he is not a normal man who lives in a suburban detached home.

Frankly, I hated Shanna. I thought she was awful. She is selfish, inconsiderate, and hurtful. She is prissy and moralizing. She makes Roman beg for her attention, and it was painful to read scene after scene where she makes him grovel and abase himself in order to win her good graces.

I don't have any opinion on whether this book is objectively good or bad. My personal reaction to it was much too negative.(less)

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Jul 25, 2011 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars

I laughed at the title when I first came across How To Marry a Millionaire Vampire on the internet. The title suggested a funny book that should not be taken very serious. But, oh man, was I wrong to judge this book by its title! How To Marry a Millionaire Vampire is a novel about a female dentist under the witness protection program and a super-genius vampire who has made great advances to the vampire and human communities. The romance in this book is somewhat fast paced, but the pace is unders...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars

Another Nook free Fiday book that's been sitting on my Nook for a while, until I needed something requiring no brain power to read on the airplane. I got tired of vampire books over a decade ago but parodies I like, and the premise sounded ridiculous enough to be fun:

A 500 year old vampire loses a fang doing something quite embarrassing and then must find a dentist to replace it before his super vampire powers heal his mouth and leave him with a permanently lopsided smile. Whose office should he...more

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Jun 21, 2011 Crystaline rated it 3 of 5 stars

I feel like I need to explain why this is even in my books, so: I used to work in a used book store and wanted to read at least one book from each genre so that I could have something to recommend. Romance novels are not my preferred type of book, but the premise of this one was too ridiculous to put back on the shelf.
There is a female dentist who works at an all night dentist office and is afraid of blood and mixed up with the mob. A man-vampire comes to her so that she can replace a broken fa...more

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May 04, 2011 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am not a fan of cheesy romance stories. I can take internal questions, but after and fifth time of 'How can I love him?'/'How can I not love him?' I want to throw in the towel. This story really had potential but was ruined by a B rated, superficial, thrown together romance.

Editors: Please stop allowing the same internal dialog. Ask your writers to be a little more original in their hurried up, 3-day, love at first sight internal conflicts, or ask them to be a little more real in their time f...more

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Mar 30, 2011 Alex rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, contemporary, paranormal, book-fail

At First Sight: Roman Draganesti has been indulging on a bit of "woe is me" time for a while now, he's old and feeling slightly messed up about being a vampire, particularly since something happened with a human some, oh, 140 years ago. So he was in one of his darks moods when a couple of friends arrive with a prototype of a new product Rom's enterprises could sell on the Vampire Digital Network.

After 'testing' the prototype, he ends up in the very undignified position of having lost a fang and...more

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Oct 06, 2010 Catherine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*2.5 stars*

This book tried too hard to be funny. I’ll admit, there were one or two points during the story that I laughed but for the majority of the time, I thought the humour was childish and made the characters seem very imbecilic.

The beginning of the book wasn’t too bad although it did focus more on the romance side of things, but the disappointment stems mainly from the ending. Things happened very abruptly and jumped a lot from one place to the next and the fight scene wasn’t much of a fig...more

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About Kerrelyn Sparks

Kerrelyn Sparks is the New York Times bestselling author of a series that mimics its sexy heroes by refusing to die. Now up to book twelve, the Love at Stake series spreads laughter worldwide in thirteen different languages. In spite of a tendency to nibble on necks or howl at the moon, Kerrelyn’s vampire and shapeshifter heroes are still wonderfully romantic.

Please visit www.kerrelynsparks.com w...more

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Books by Kerrelyn Sparks

The Undead Next Door (Love at Stake, #4)

All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire (Love at Stake, #5)

Forbidden Nights with a Vampire (Love at Stake, #7)

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“Look, Laszlo. I'll have the dentist with me, and I don't want to alarm her any more than necessary. So take Vanna out of the backseat and stick her in the trunk."

Shanna halted. Her mouth dropped open. Her throat seized up, making it hard to breathe.

I don't care how much crap you have in the trunk. We're not driving around with a naked body in the car."

Oh no! She gasped for air. He was a hit man.” — 87 people liked it

“Gregori strutted toward the door. "I'm too sexy for my cape, too sexy for my fangs. Too sexy." He whirled in a circle, then struck a disco pose with a hand pointing at the ceiling. "Too sexy!" He left with a flourish of his cape.” — 81 people liked it

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How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire (Love at Stake #1)

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