I originally thought that the Love at Stake series had been written ages ago, which influenced my first impression quite a bit. After I saw that it's been published in the great year of 2005, I wasn't sure about my rating or opinion anymore.

While How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire was certainly no bad read, it was also not particularely outstanding. Parts of it I definitely enjoyed, and I think I'll continue reading this series, or at least some of the books: The vampires are more old-school (in their biology, not their morals!) than most vampires you'll get to read about these days, the writing was good, the plot interesting enough.

But the story as a whole felt a little messy and under-developed. I feel like it could have been better executed. Parts were too silly, for example the entire "I'm a vampire, I have lost my fangs!"-situation, which was adorable when Antsy Pants sang about it, but not written well enough to work for me in novel-form.

The protagonists didn't lack chemistry, but it came across as if they ended up together mainly because the author wanted them to be. Too constructed, and a little too stiff. The novel was a not-too-well-thought-out mixture of comedy and romance, that eventually couldn't really convince me.

However much I might criticize these things, it was also a promising start. I have a soft spot for paranormal series' once I start them, and this one isn't an exception.

I do recommend reading an excerpt of the Love at Stake novel that speaks to you the most, but I don't think How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire is a must-read for paranormal fans.