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Nocturne Falls #8
The Vampire's Accidental Wife
Welcome to Nocturne Falls, the town that celebrates Halloween 365 days a year.
The tourists think it's all a show: the vampires, the werewolves, the witches, the occasional gargoyle flying through the sky. But the supernaturals populating the town know better.
Living in Nocturne Falls means being yourself. Fangs, fur, and all.
Las Vegas headliner and vampire Desdemona Valentine is one cool, collected diva on the outside. On the inside, she’s petrified of falling in love after her last relationship nearly killed her...literally. Protecting her wounded heart makes for a lonely life, but she has her fame and fortune to keep her company. Who needs anything more?
Julian Ellingham does. One look at Desdemona on stage, and the vampire is smitten. She initially ignores him, but his relentless pursuit pays off when a wild night ends in a Vegas wedding. Finally, Julian has everything he wants while all Desdemona wants is...a divorce.
Julian sweet-talks Desdemona into letting him prove his love, but his time is running out. Especially after someone repeatedly tries to turn his bride to ash. When Desdemona flees Vegas for the spooky streets of Nocturne Falls and Julian’s protection, he’s more than willing to help out. But can he convince Desdemona to trust him, or will ‘death do us part’ become a reality?
The tourists think it's all a show: the vampires, the werewolves, the witches, the occasional gargoyle flying through the sky. But the supernaturals populating the town know better.
Living in Nocturne Falls means being yourself. Fangs, fur, and all.
Las Vegas headliner and vampire Desdemona Valentine is one cool, collected diva on the outside. On the inside, she’s petrified of falling in love after her last relationship nearly killed her...literally. Protecting her wounded heart makes for a lonely life, but she has her fame and fortune to keep her company. Who needs anything more?
Julian Ellingham does. One look at Desdemona on stage, and the vampire is smitten. She initially ignores him, but his relentless pursuit pays off when a wild night ends in a Vegas wedding. Finally, Julian has everything he wants while all Desdemona wants is...a divorce.
Julian sweet-talks Desdemona into letting him prove his love, but his time is running out. Especially after someone repeatedly tries to turn his bride to ash. When Desdemona flees Vegas for the spooky streets of Nocturne Falls and Julian’s protection, he’s more than willing to help out. But can he convince Desdemona to trust him, or will ‘death do us part’ become a reality?
382 pages, ebook
First published May 8, 2017
736 people are currently reading
1183 people want to read
About the author
Kristen Painter
186 books3,368 followersKristen Painter likes to balance her obsessions with shoes and cats by making the lives of her characters miserable and surprising her readers with interesting twists. She currently writes award-winning paranormal romance, paranormal women's fiction, and cozy mysteries. The former college English teacher can often be found on twitter @Kristen_Painter, Facebook at www.facebook.com/KristenPainterAuthor where she loves to interact with readers and her blog: http://kristenpainter.com/blog/.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 256 reviews
November 21, 2017
Audiobook Review
I feel like I'm speeding through these books! I really want to slow down, but they're such good audiobooks to get me through my commute and house chores every day that I can't take a break.
In this book, Julian Ellingham - one of Nocturne Falls' premier residents - is forced to reveal a secret he's been keeping for 8 months: He and sultry Las Vegas performer Desdemona Valentine are married! But what seems perfect for Julian is an impossible situation for Desi, and the two must decide if any amount of love can overshadow a dark, dark past.
As if that weren't enough, a dangerous woman has come to town with ties to the notorious vampire hunter Van Helsing. Now the entire town is at risk from this new visitor and Julian has to protect more than just his new love interest.
Painter does a great job of including a diverse cast of characters in the supernatural sense and otherwise. Usually, she creates a good story with interesting characters and clear ties to previous books in the series, and this one is no exception.
It was good. It was entertaining. On to the next!
I feel like I'm speeding through these books! I really want to slow down, but they're such good audiobooks to get me through my commute and house chores every day that I can't take a break.
In this book, Julian Ellingham - one of Nocturne Falls' premier residents - is forced to reveal a secret he's been keeping for 8 months: He and sultry Las Vegas performer Desdemona Valentine are married! But what seems perfect for Julian is an impossible situation for Desi, and the two must decide if any amount of love can overshadow a dark, dark past.
As if that weren't enough, a dangerous woman has come to town with ties to the notorious vampire hunter Van Helsing. Now the entire town is at risk from this new visitor and Julian has to protect more than just his new love interest.
Painter does a great job of including a diverse cast of characters in the supernatural sense and otherwise. Usually, she creates a good story with interesting characters and clear ties to previous books in the series, and this one is no exception.
It was good. It was entertaining. On to the next!
October 13, 2021
I absolutely love Kristen Painter's Nocturne Falls series. In this one, book eight, Julian is finally featured! The third of the Ellingham boys/vampires and notorious playboy, he's finally found the woman he wants to settle down with. At first, I wasn't sure I would connect with Desi... had the same worry about the previous heroine in book 7 since they both came from that glitzy Las Vegas lifestyle rather than the more humble backgrounds of some of the previous characters, but she completely grew on me, and I loved watching her and Julian genuinely grow together. And as a bonus, this one contained plenty of Bertie, Sheriff Hank's wacky werewolf aunt! Loved it.
Please excuse typos. Entered on screen reader.
Please excuse typos. Entered on screen reader.
May 28, 2024
*delighted squeals*
I initially planned to read one chapter, then head to bed (oh you foolish woman) but the story nabbed me from the first page and absolutely refused to release its vicelike grip on me. ‘One more chapter then I’m done for sure.’ Famous last words every reader is familiar with and I’m no exception.
The story was fantastic. The characters incredibly charming- even the side ones and I loved the development of Desi. Oh, how I adored her. She stuck to her beliefs, well, for the most part because of course we’d have no HEA if she kept them all the way to the end. She was bold, beautiful and a fashionista (come on leopard leggings, lol). Will forever love me a strong feminine lead. Women can be strong AND embrace their femininity. Duality, baby! Lots of books tend to have the FMC sacrifice one over the other but I loved that TVAW didn’t do that.
Julian was absolutely darling! Make characters who are vocal with their emotions will always rank high on my favourites list and Jules was no exception. His continuous professing of his -at first- unrequited love, was sometimes heartbreaking. Especially after that fountain kiss. I did tear up a bit when he basically told her that she couldn’t just give him a ‘thank you’ kiss because it gave him false hope. *wipes tears* I was anxiously awaiting the moment Desi would overcome her trauma and was able to love. Not just for Julian, but herself too. All that past was hurting her.
Side characters were good. I have not read the other books in the series, but I felt as though they were represented well in this story. I got a glimpse into their family life with the matriarch, Eleanor keeping them together while ruling with a strict hand. I liked all the mention of the lesser known and talked about supernaturals and that scene in the basement that wasn’t really a basement was quite heartwarming. Definitely gave the community that was seen, felt and referenced throughout the story.
The villain got off way too easily and I hated that for them, but understood the reason behind it. It wasn’t poetic, but that’s because I’m petty and after what she did, she deserves to suffer. For eternity.
Loved, loved, loved this read. Was it a bad idea to start reading this before bed? Certainly. Do I regret it? Not in the slightest!
I initially planned to read one chapter, then head to bed (oh you foolish woman) but the story nabbed me from the first page and absolutely refused to release its vicelike grip on me. ‘One more chapter then I’m done for sure.’ Famous last words every reader is familiar with and I’m no exception.
The story was fantastic. The characters incredibly charming- even the side ones and I loved the development of Desi. Oh, how I adored her. She stuck to her beliefs, well, for the most part because of course we’d have no HEA if she kept them all the way to the end. She was bold, beautiful and a fashionista (come on leopard leggings, lol). Will forever love me a strong feminine lead. Women can be strong AND embrace their femininity. Duality, baby! Lots of books tend to have the FMC sacrifice one over the other but I loved that TVAW didn’t do that.
Julian was absolutely darling! Make characters who are vocal with their emotions will always rank high on my favourites list and Jules was no exception. His continuous professing of his -at first- unrequited love, was sometimes heartbreaking. Especially after that fountain kiss. I did tear up a bit when he basically told her that she couldn’t just give him a ‘thank you’ kiss because it gave him false hope. *wipes tears* I was anxiously awaiting the moment Desi would overcome her trauma and was able to love. Not just for Julian, but herself too. All that past was hurting her.
Side characters were good. I have not read the other books in the series, but I felt as though they were represented well in this story. I got a glimpse into their family life with the matriarch, Eleanor keeping them together while ruling with a strict hand. I liked all the mention of the lesser known and talked about supernaturals and that scene in the basement that wasn’t really a basement was quite heartwarming. Definitely gave the community that was seen, felt and referenced throughout the story.
The villain got off way too easily and I hated that for them, but understood the reason behind it. It wasn’t poetic, but that’s because I’m petty and after what she did, she deserves to suffer. For eternity.
Loved, loved, loved this read. Was it a bad idea to start reading this before bed? Certainly. Do I regret it? Not in the slightest!
October 9, 2019
There is something not quite meshing with this series and me; I like the premise, I like the world building and I like the characters. I'm just not so keen on the author's 'voice' or narration style or the way the story is told. I can't really explain what I mean, but it messes with my enjoyment of this series. It's weird.
February 21, 2018
Well, now I come to the last Nocturne Falls romance book I haven’t yet read (I’d read the last, or most recently published, Nocturne Falls related book – the most recent Frost book, after this one). Again, and this is kind of a reoccurring theme with me, I was reluctant to read this specific pairing. More the Julian part.
You know rakes? And having them be a main character in a romance story? Most, or I should say, at the most we are talking about men who have ‘been with’ (oddly this is a quite clean undescriptive series, sex wise, so ‘been with’ instead of ‘fucked’) a large number of women in a rather short period of time, though occasionally ‘short period of time’ is ‘thirty years’. Here? Well, there’s no question Julian is a rake. He’s not someone who liked the idea of pretending to be one (as has been seen in some books), he’s not the one who is considered one but didn’t realize others thought of him that way, etc. etc. No, others know he is one, and he knows he is one. Of course he lives in ‘modern times’ so using the word ‘rake’ seems vaguely odd. Except . . . and here’s why I went on about 30 years and the like, except Julian has been a rake since before 1666, and it’s now, oh, 2017. He’s been with a ton of women for more than 350 years. He’s never been anything but a womanizer. When his family was ‘saved’ from the plague of 1666, his two brothers were married – while he himself never had considered the idea. He had continued to not considered the idea until about a year before this book begins (or, well, there’s a mix of ‘some stuff happened before this book starts’, ‘stuff happened’, ‘it’s now a year later’ that messes with my ability to tell time) when Julian first spotted Desdemona Valentine performing in Vegas. As a Vampire. Or, I should elaborate, she was performing as a human pretending to be a vampire (while, in actuality, having been a vampire for hundreds of years).
This is one of those rare Vampire-Vampire stories. It’s almost like seeing one of those creepy kinda icky books titled something like ‘My Billionaire’s Boss’s Butler’s Billionaire Boyfriend’s Roommate’, though here both parties would be billionaire’s, or, I mean, Vampires. If I recall correctly, this is only the second time in this series that two of a kind romance each other, and that includes the Frost series (well, a Winter Elf and a Summer Elf are two different things . . . in that universe). Here we have two vampires, and in ‘The Werewolf Meets His Match’, there are two werewolves.
Now that I’ve written all of that above, I’ve forgotten what I had actually intended to write about this book. Hmms. I rather liked both main characters, and the story.
ETA: Ah, I recall now what I wanted to write.
Julian and Des open the book in the same bed. Julian had been chasing her for a while, and Des kept putting him off. Willing to be near him but . . . she just can't allow herself to love because of her past history. Why are they in bed together at the start of the book then? Because . . . they had just gotten married the night before (not seen in the book). Des, you see, was celebrating a career advancement type thing (television contract), and was drinking. One thing lead to another and . . . well, I forgot to mention this part - they are in Las Vegas, so . . .Julian and Des got married.
Julian wakes up the next morning and wanders around, happily doing things, getting a drink, getting Des a drink, etc. (Crap. 'next morning' technically is 'next evening' since, Julian is a daywalking type vampire, but Des is a night-walking type vampire - as in, Julian can survive regardless of the time of day, while Des will burst into flames in sunlight). Des wakes up, looks around and . . . well, long story short, she's quite annoyed about the situation. One thing leads to another and Julian talks her into allowing them to stay married for a year then, if she still can't 'love' him, they'll get divorced.
Flash forward almost a year - Des calls Julian needing his help (and quite reluctant to ask for it). There's someone stalking her, which in and of itself isn't unusual, but they've injured her double in a car crash - so this is a much more serious situation. Again with the 'one thing leads to another' and Julian and Des head to Nocturne Falls to hide.
For the vast majority of their marriage, no one knew they were married - except for each other. And they hadn't actually consummated the marriage despite waking up in bed together afterwards.
Stuff in Nocturne Falls occurs. Des' backstory is revealed. Stalker bounces around. More story unfolds. etc. etc. The end.
Rating: 4.5
February 21 2018
You know rakes? And having them be a main character in a romance story? Most, or I should say, at the most we are talking about men who have ‘been with’ (oddly this is a quite clean undescriptive series, sex wise, so ‘been with’ instead of ‘fucked’) a large number of women in a rather short period of time, though occasionally ‘short period of time’ is ‘thirty years’. Here? Well, there’s no question Julian is a rake. He’s not someone who liked the idea of pretending to be one (as has been seen in some books), he’s not the one who is considered one but didn’t realize others thought of him that way, etc. etc. No, others know he is one, and he knows he is one. Of course he lives in ‘modern times’ so using the word ‘rake’ seems vaguely odd. Except . . . and here’s why I went on about 30 years and the like, except Julian has been a rake since before 1666, and it’s now, oh, 2017. He’s been with a ton of women for more than 350 years. He’s never been anything but a womanizer. When his family was ‘saved’ from the plague of 1666, his two brothers were married – while he himself never had considered the idea. He had continued to not considered the idea until about a year before this book begins (or, well, there’s a mix of ‘some stuff happened before this book starts’, ‘stuff happened’, ‘it’s now a year later’ that messes with my ability to tell time) when Julian first spotted Desdemona Valentine performing in Vegas. As a Vampire. Or, I should elaborate, she was performing as a human pretending to be a vampire (while, in actuality, having been a vampire for hundreds of years).
This is one of those rare Vampire-Vampire stories. It’s almost like seeing one of those creepy kinda icky books titled something like ‘My Billionaire’s Boss’s Butler’s Billionaire Boyfriend’s Roommate’, though here both parties would be billionaire’s, or, I mean, Vampires. If I recall correctly, this is only the second time in this series that two of a kind romance each other, and that includes the Frost series (well, a Winter Elf and a Summer Elf are two different things . . . in that universe). Here we have two vampires, and in ‘The Werewolf Meets His Match’, there are two werewolves.
Now that I’ve written all of that above, I’ve forgotten what I had actually intended to write about this book. Hmms. I rather liked both main characters, and the story.
ETA: Ah, I recall now what I wanted to write.
Julian and Des open the book in the same bed. Julian had been chasing her for a while, and Des kept putting him off. Willing to be near him but . . . she just can't allow herself to love because of her past history. Why are they in bed together at the start of the book then? Because . . . they had just gotten married the night before (not seen in the book). Des, you see, was celebrating a career advancement type thing (television contract), and was drinking. One thing lead to another and . . . well, I forgot to mention this part - they are in Las Vegas, so . . .Julian and Des got married.
Julian wakes up the next morning and wanders around, happily doing things, getting a drink, getting Des a drink, etc. (Crap. 'next morning' technically is 'next evening' since, Julian is a daywalking type vampire, but Des is a night-walking type vampire - as in, Julian can survive regardless of the time of day, while Des will burst into flames in sunlight). Des wakes up, looks around and . . . well, long story short, she's quite annoyed about the situation. One thing leads to another and Julian talks her into allowing them to stay married for a year then, if she still can't 'love' him, they'll get divorced.
Flash forward almost a year - Des calls Julian needing his help (and quite reluctant to ask for it). There's someone stalking her, which in and of itself isn't unusual, but they've injured her double in a car crash - so this is a much more serious situation. Again with the 'one thing leads to another' and Julian and Des head to Nocturne Falls to hide.
For the vast majority of their marriage, no one knew they were married - except for each other. And they hadn't actually consummated the marriage despite waking up in bed together afterwards.
Stuff in Nocturne Falls occurs. Des' backstory is revealed. Stalker bounces around. More story unfolds. etc. etc. The end.
Rating: 4.5
February 21 2018
May 16, 2017
No No No!
One thing I really can't stand is when you are reading a series and the author suddenly changes the character. Suddenly!!
All previous books we have our third brother, Julien, as the carefree playboy. Of course we know this has to change somewhat for him to have a HEA of his own and that should be the story. How does this change come about and who is the sweet girl who makes him give up his wandering ways.
Not here. The novel opens and he is already a changed man. WHAT HAPPENED!!!
And we don't know what happened. He saw Desi, and that was it, we are told. Accept it. Not good enough for me. Especially since she is so unlikeable we can't even see what attracted him enough to make this huge change. She undergoes some changes, she has a bit of a back story, blah blah blah we aren't invested in her.....What about Julien??? We will never know as he has been replaced with a new, wimpy boring model.
To make matters worse there are even hints sprinkled throughout that he really wasn't the man his brothers assumed he was all along. Not cool, seriously not cool.
Take the character you have created and work with that. It would have been interesting to read. This was not, I kept thinking...who is this guy? Why do we even care about this guy? And we don't.
Yes I will keep reading this series as I love the town, the whole concept and other characters. DiDi was great and Birdie played a fun role in this one. However the main two I really could have done without. So disappointing.
One thing I really can't stand is when you are reading a series and the author suddenly changes the character. Suddenly!!
All previous books we have our third brother, Julien, as the carefree playboy. Of course we know this has to change somewhat for him to have a HEA of his own and that should be the story. How does this change come about and who is the sweet girl who makes him give up his wandering ways.
Not here. The novel opens and he is already a changed man. WHAT HAPPENED!!!
And we don't know what happened. He saw Desi, and that was it, we are told. Accept it. Not good enough for me. Especially since she is so unlikeable we can't even see what attracted him enough to make this huge change. She undergoes some changes, she has a bit of a back story, blah blah blah we aren't invested in her.....What about Julien??? We will never know as he has been replaced with a new, wimpy boring model.
To make matters worse there are even hints sprinkled throughout that he really wasn't the man his brothers assumed he was all along. Not cool, seriously not cool.
Take the character you have created and work with that. It would have been interesting to read. This was not, I kept thinking...who is this guy? Why do we even care about this guy? And we don't.
Yes I will keep reading this series as I love the town, the whole concept and other characters. DiDi was great and Birdie played a fun role in this one. However the main two I really could have done without. So disappointing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2017
I have been waiting for Julian's story since the first Nocturne Falls book, so finally I got his story.
I think I had such high expectation that in some degree, I set myself up to be disappointed. In some aspects I was, but in others I was more than happy.
I really enjoyed the story line. I like the 'accidental" marriage part. But I really wish there would have been more parts with the family. I loved the bits that we got, I wanted more. Then add to that, during the big show down, none of them seem to have been informed. I kept wondering where they were? Cause let's face it they would have railed around Desi, wouldn't they? Found a bit odd they were not informed.
The second bit that I found a bit underwhelming was Desdemona's reason. Her actually story. I mean I got it, it was horrible but it was like 100 years ago and I didn't understand why she held on to it so long...
In the beginning I wasn't quite sure how I felt about Desi, I kept thinking she better has a good reason and her dressing style? Uhm, yeah, well let's say we don't see eye to eye. But she more than grew on me. While I didn't quite feel her pain, I do get her fear of new commitment. I loved that she turned out to be loyal and caring. I loved the friendship between her and Julian. Their relationship was beyond endearing. It's not really swoony romantic but so much more heartfelt, it has much more depth.
I still adore Julian. Though I was surprised he didn't push/pursue his interests a bit more. But I adore on the other hand, that he respected Desi's wishes and that he cared enough to let go.
The support cast was fantastic- as always. I feel like they getting better and better each book. It is one of my favorite things about the series. Painter seem to excel at it more in each book.
I can't wait to read the next book simply o revisit them all.
Just like all the other books in the series this is well written and thorougly enjoyable. Somehow Painter manages to throw in some awesome world building, loads of interesting character but keeps it still light hearted and sweet. Just the right balance of things to make this a captivating book. In fact I read this in one sitting, it's that enjoyable.
A great addition to the series. And now I am hoping the next book will be released soon (as well as wondering who will be featured..)
I think I had such high expectation that in some degree, I set myself up to be disappointed. In some aspects I was, but in others I was more than happy.
I really enjoyed the story line. I like the 'accidental" marriage part. But I really wish there would have been more parts with the family. I loved the bits that we got, I wanted more. Then add to that, during the big show down, none of them seem to have been informed. I kept wondering where they were? Cause let's face it they would have railed around Desi, wouldn't they? Found a bit odd they were not informed.
The second bit that I found a bit underwhelming was Desdemona's reason. Her actually story. I mean I got it, it was horrible but it was like 100 years ago and I didn't understand why she held on to it so long...
In the beginning I wasn't quite sure how I felt about Desi, I kept thinking she better has a good reason and her dressing style? Uhm, yeah, well let's say we don't see eye to eye. But she more than grew on me. While I didn't quite feel her pain, I do get her fear of new commitment. I loved that she turned out to be loyal and caring. I loved the friendship between her and Julian. Their relationship was beyond endearing. It's not really swoony romantic but so much more heartfelt, it has much more depth.
I still adore Julian. Though I was surprised he didn't push/pursue his interests a bit more. But I adore on the other hand, that he respected Desi's wishes and that he cared enough to let go.
The support cast was fantastic- as always. I feel like they getting better and better each book. It is one of my favorite things about the series. Painter seem to excel at it more in each book.
I can't wait to read the next book simply o revisit them all.
Just like all the other books in the series this is well written and thorougly enjoyable. Somehow Painter manages to throw in some awesome world building, loads of interesting character but keeps it still light hearted and sweet. Just the right balance of things to make this a captivating book. In fact I read this in one sitting, it's that enjoyable.
A great addition to the series. And now I am hoping the next book will be released soon (as well as wondering who will be featured..)
May 16, 2021
This was an...interesting direction to take Julian's story. He is the most high maintenance of the Ellingham brothers. And then he gets paired with a girl who is even more high maintenance. It went a very different direction than I would have expected for his story.
But despite all the drama, this just wasn't a very interesting book. It could have been. But it needed serious chopping. Too long and too much setup to go a totally different direction with the final villain.
But despite all the drama, this just wasn't a very interesting book. It could have been. But it needed serious chopping. Too long and too much setup to go a totally different direction with the final villain.
December 2, 2022
Julian Ellingham has been the carefree playboy baby of the Ellingham vampire family -- until he meets sexy Vegas headliner (and fellow vampire) Desdemona Valentine. He falls for her in a heartbeat, but her past trauma has made her avoid all relationships -- until she needs his help evading a stalker.
So, parts of this book I really like. I like the ending, especially with , and I'm happy to read about Julian's happy ending. But I have a hard time connecting to Desi. Even after she knows she has a potentially dangerous stalker, she still wanders around town like she doesn't have a care in the world. That part really bugged me. I like her spunk and bravery, but I can't really connect with the Vegas pizzazz side of her.
So, parts of this book I really like. I like the ending, especially with , and I'm happy to read about Julian's happy ending. But I have a hard time connecting to Desi. Even after she knows she has a potentially dangerous stalker, she still wanders around town like she doesn't have a care in the world. That part really bugged me. I like her spunk and bravery, but I can't really connect with the Vegas pizzazz side of her.
April 14, 2018
2.5 stars.
I was looking forward to vampire baby brother Julian's story but I am disappointed with both him and his object of affection. Desdemona is one of those heroines who blow hot and cold and keep her man dangling on a hook. Even though at the end, she did make a bit of a selfless act, it was too late for me to like her. Julian is also a bit too spoiled by his grandmother
All in all, one of the weakest pairing for the series.
I was looking forward to vampire baby brother Julian's story but I am disappointed with both him and his object of affection. Desdemona is one of those heroines who blow hot and cold and keep her man dangling on a hook. Even though at the end, she did make a bit of a selfless act, it was too late for me to like her. Julian is also a bit too spoiled by his grandmother
All in all, one of the weakest pairing for the series.
February 6, 2019
A sweet little romance with a vampire twist. It fell a bit flat in the middle but apart from that I enjoyed it. Nocturne Falls is the perfect place the Vampires and all the other species to set up home. The arrival of a vampire hunter was most unfortunate, obviously the witches spell that kept humans from realising that things were not quite normal in the town was not working the day she turned up.
May 13, 2017
It's no secret I've fallen in love with the Nocturne Falls books this year. They've got a perfect balance of romance and action, set in a town where it's Halloween every day. What's not to like?
This installment is finally about Julian. The wait was completely worth it! Julian and Desi make such a cute pair. Desi is a bad-ass business woman and Julian may seem like a ladies man, but he's really just a big ball of fluff. I just love them both so much!!!
As with the others in the series, there's also quite a bit of action and suspense as Desi and Julian work to find the person who's been stalking and threatening Desi. Obviously, because this is Nocturne Falls, the whole town is gonna pitch in to help out.
Because Kristen Painter is a goddess knows exactly what I want, Aunt Birdie is heavily featured and swoops in to help save the day. Bless Aunt Birdie and all of her badassery, she's the true star of Nocturne Falls.
This book is just amazing. I'll just be over here, patiently waiting for the next installment.
This installment is finally about Julian. The wait was completely worth it! Julian and Desi make such a cute pair. Desi is a bad-ass business woman and Julian may seem like a ladies man, but he's really just a big ball of fluff. I just love them both so much!!!
As with the others in the series, there's also quite a bit of action and suspense as Desi and Julian work to find the person who's been stalking and threatening Desi. Obviously, because this is Nocturne Falls, the whole town is gonna pitch in to help out.
Because Kristen Painter is a goddess knows exactly what I want, Aunt Birdie is heavily featured and swoops in to help save the day. Bless Aunt Birdie and all of her badassery, she's the true star of Nocturne Falls.
This book is just amazing. I'll just be over here, patiently waiting for the next installment.
June 22, 2023
Nice little romance - not much heat on or off page. Our MC was "twitterpated" but it went ok for him. Also missing the humor of previous installments. Had an interesting twist in this one, and no end of characters for more books.
July 15, 2021
The Vampire’s Accidental Wife is book 8 in the Nocturne Falls series. This book is about Julian Ellingham and Desdemona (Desi) Valentine Clark. Julian is the youngest of the 3 Ellingham brothers, but still well over 400 years old. Julian and Desi are both vampires. I’ve been binging this series this year, but when it was time to read this book, I stopped. I put off reading this book for a few months because I wasn’t all that excited to read about Julian. In all of the other books that he has appeared in, he was made out to be kind of a tool. He was supposedly immature and a womanizer and not one to be taken seriously. Reading this book, that all turned out to be incorrect. I did kind of struggle with the departure from his personality in prior books to what it was in this book because it was never addressed. We really needed Julian to have a conversation with his brothers to clear up their misconceptions about him being an irresponsible playboy. They all loved each other but one of the issues Julian had was that he felt his brothers didn’t take him seriously or respect him as a man and as a contributing member of their family and, essentially, empire.
Julian was very caring and devoted to his wife, even though their marriage only took place after an extreme amount of champagne was consumed, and Desi was clear that she did not want to be married to anyone. The big mystery and suspense in this book is that someone is out to kill Desi and has been stalking her. I really enjoyed this book. It was very well rounded and complete. The romance was great, the character development was excellent for Desi, and the mystery was good.
As usual, we got to see many of the other townsfolk from Nocturne Falls and watch them come together in a time of need to help out Julian and Desi. I really love this town and all of the people in it. I look forward to continuing the series.
The narration was good, as usual. It is the same narrator as the rest of the series and he has a lot of different voices. I recommend this audiobook.
Julian was very caring and devoted to his wife, even though their marriage only took place after an extreme amount of champagne was consumed, and Desi was clear that she did not want to be married to anyone. The big mystery and suspense in this book is that someone is out to kill Desi and has been stalking her. I really enjoyed this book. It was very well rounded and complete. The romance was great, the character development was excellent for Desi, and the mystery was good.
As usual, we got to see many of the other townsfolk from Nocturne Falls and watch them come together in a time of need to help out Julian and Desi. I really love this town and all of the people in it. I look forward to continuing the series.
The narration was good, as usual. It is the same narrator as the rest of the series and he has a lot of different voices. I recommend this audiobook.
May 12, 2019
Sheeesh it took me so long to finish this book. Some other book was more interesting. Not good. And I like this series!
So we finally have Julian's story...and he's sooo sweet and much deeper than his playboy facade. And he's married the woman of his dreams...except she doesn't want to be. Add to that stress is someone trying to harm Desi. But Julian and later, Nocturne Falls residents, rally behind Desi. And they do eventually get their HEA.
Desi is so strong and stubborn and set in her ways, that really, I almost wanted Julian to not go for her anymore. Poor Julian. How could she not?! Anyway, part of her resistance to Julian is what made me not so into this book. Though I did imagine a more horrific experience with Alfonso that what was eventually revealed. Sigh. Oh well.
Not one of the best in the series...but it's Julian so ok.
So we finally have Julian's story...and he's sooo sweet and much deeper than his playboy facade. And he's married the woman of his dreams...except she doesn't want to be. Add to that stress is someone trying to harm Desi. But Julian and later, Nocturne Falls residents, rally behind Desi. And they do eventually get their HEA.
Desi is so strong and stubborn and set in her ways, that really, I almost wanted Julian to not go for her anymore. Poor Julian. How could she not?! Anyway, part of her resistance to Julian is what made me not so into this book. Though I did imagine a more horrific experience with Alfonso that what was eventually revealed. Sigh. Oh well.
Not one of the best in the series...but it's Julian so ok.
June 25, 2017
Consummate playboy Julian Ellingham has found himself accidentally married to Vegas headliner Desdemona Valentine after one too many glasses of champagne. Julian doesn't mind, because he loves her; Desi, however, has reservations, because her last husband left her on a deserted island to die. (She's also a vampire, and was married to a vampire pirate a century ago.)
As others have mentioned, Julian's personality does a 180 in this installment. While the plot was serviceable, I would have preferred a story about how Julian reformed, rather than having it explained in an info-dump.
A big shout-out to Aunt Birdie, the werewolf receptionist at the police station. Apparently, she's a hacker of epic proportions, as well as a badass.
As others have mentioned, Julian's personality does a 180 in this installment. While the plot was serviceable, I would have preferred a story about how Julian reformed, rather than having it explained in an info-dump.
A big shout-out to Aunt Birdie, the werewolf receptionist at the police station. Apparently, she's a hacker of epic proportions, as well as a badass.
January 29, 2019
Needing a break from all the fantasy I’ve been reading lately, I decided for a quick read within my favorite town in the world, Nocturne Falls! This time I read The Vampire’s Accidental Wife, a book I’ve been waiting forever to read! In it, we see playboy Julian finally decide to settle down, only for a change of pace, the woman he loves doesn’t want a relationship with him at all.
Desdemona Valentine is a Vegas celebrity with her own show, she’s a vampire pretending to be a human pretending to be a vampire, so it all works out! Julian has been to many of her shows and somewhere down the line, fell in love with her and one night after way too much to drink, Desdemona wakes up to find herself a married woman, which wasn’t in her plans whatsoever. Despite enjoying Julian’s friendship, she swore to herself she would never love again after her first relationship went seriously wrong.
Julian decides to give Desi a deal, he asks that she wait one year until they file for divorce and in that year, he would try to convince her to stay married to him. Months have passed, and while Desi continues to enjoy Julian’s company, she still has no feelings for him other than friendship. But then out of nowhere an accident occurs, Desi’s daylight partner, Sam, who’s a shapeshifter and makes herself look like Desi during the day to protect Desi’s vampire secret, gets attacked, Desi fears for her life and knows the only person who can help her is Julian.
After making sure Sam would be protected by a bodyguard, Desi goes with Julian to Nocturne Falls where she soon falls in love with the delightful town where supernaturals can be themselves openly. While she’s here, Julian tries to figure out who could be after Desi and want her dead. It’s not long before Desi’s stalker realizes she’s in Nocturne Falls and her life once again becomes in danger.
Ever since I started this series I was eagerly awaiting the time when it would be Julian’s turn to settle down! He’s the youngest of the Ellingham brothers and the residential playboy of the town. Thinking of him settling down seemed impossible, yet I was more than eager to see that time come! Desi was definitely a challenge for him, as she rightly should be! That she didn’t fall for him as the many women have fallen for Julian in the past was the icing on the cake.
Though we all know that this series is part mystery and part paranormal romance, so you can pretty much figure out how things will end for Julian and Desi. And I must say I quite enjoyed their journey to their romance! It was sweet and just kind of perfect! I love a nicely drawn out romance, it’s such a breath of fresh air from some of the insta-love stories I come across!
Oddly, I find myself really want to know more about Desi’s shapeshifter friend, Sam. As we learn a thing or two about what’s going on with her through phone conversations with Desdemona. There’s definitely a possible story there, maybe a novella even! And I really want to know more about that! Lol! You never know who will turn up in the next Nocturne Falls book, so anything is possible!
The mystery to this one was rather good! I had my suspicions and was actually rather thrown when I found out I was very, very wrong! Lol. Though it was still a realistic turnabout to find out who the stalker was. The dramatic change of events made for a heart-racing conclusion as well, but in the true fashion of this series, all ends as it should be!
The Nocturne Falls series is one I cannot get enough of! It’s the perfect read for paranormal lovers and mystery readers too! I’d say it’s a nice 50/50 balance of love and mystery, making for quite the enjoyable read! While each novel is a standalone of sorts, there will be teeny tiny spoilers regarding other characters and their happily ever afters, but none that should surprise you in the long run should you want to start with a particular novel instead of the first one!
All in all, The Vampire’s Accidental Wife was an enjoyable read and a worthy ending for one of my favorite characters. Of course, that’s not to say that Julian (and Desi) won’t pop up again in future books as side characters, that’s positively the best part of this series, you never truly say goodbye to any of the characters!
Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars
Desdemona Valentine is a Vegas celebrity with her own show, she’s a vampire pretending to be a human pretending to be a vampire, so it all works out! Julian has been to many of her shows and somewhere down the line, fell in love with her and one night after way too much to drink, Desdemona wakes up to find herself a married woman, which wasn’t in her plans whatsoever. Despite enjoying Julian’s friendship, she swore to herself she would never love again after her first relationship went seriously wrong.
Julian decides to give Desi a deal, he asks that she wait one year until they file for divorce and in that year, he would try to convince her to stay married to him. Months have passed, and while Desi continues to enjoy Julian’s company, she still has no feelings for him other than friendship. But then out of nowhere an accident occurs, Desi’s daylight partner, Sam, who’s a shapeshifter and makes herself look like Desi during the day to protect Desi’s vampire secret, gets attacked, Desi fears for her life and knows the only person who can help her is Julian.
After making sure Sam would be protected by a bodyguard, Desi goes with Julian to Nocturne Falls where she soon falls in love with the delightful town where supernaturals can be themselves openly. While she’s here, Julian tries to figure out who could be after Desi and want her dead. It’s not long before Desi’s stalker realizes she’s in Nocturne Falls and her life once again becomes in danger.
Ever since I started this series I was eagerly awaiting the time when it would be Julian’s turn to settle down! He’s the youngest of the Ellingham brothers and the residential playboy of the town. Thinking of him settling down seemed impossible, yet I was more than eager to see that time come! Desi was definitely a challenge for him, as she rightly should be! That she didn’t fall for him as the many women have fallen for Julian in the past was the icing on the cake.
Though we all know that this series is part mystery and part paranormal romance, so you can pretty much figure out how things will end for Julian and Desi. And I must say I quite enjoyed their journey to their romance! It was sweet and just kind of perfect! I love a nicely drawn out romance, it’s such a breath of fresh air from some of the insta-love stories I come across!
Oddly, I find myself really want to know more about Desi’s shapeshifter friend, Sam. As we learn a thing or two about what’s going on with her through phone conversations with Desdemona. There’s definitely a possible story there, maybe a novella even! And I really want to know more about that! Lol! You never know who will turn up in the next Nocturne Falls book, so anything is possible!
The mystery to this one was rather good! I had my suspicions and was actually rather thrown when I found out I was very, very wrong! Lol. Though it was still a realistic turnabout to find out who the stalker was. The dramatic change of events made for a heart-racing conclusion as well, but in the true fashion of this series, all ends as it should be!
The Nocturne Falls series is one I cannot get enough of! It’s the perfect read for paranormal lovers and mystery readers too! I’d say it’s a nice 50/50 balance of love and mystery, making for quite the enjoyable read! While each novel is a standalone of sorts, there will be teeny tiny spoilers regarding other characters and their happily ever afters, but none that should surprise you in the long run should you want to start with a particular novel instead of the first one!
All in all, The Vampire’s Accidental Wife was an enjoyable read and a worthy ending for one of my favorite characters. Of course, that’s not to say that Julian (and Desi) won’t pop up again in future books as side characters, that’s positively the best part of this series, you never truly say goodbye to any of the characters!
Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars
June 15, 2017
Playbook Prince and the Showgirl
Hiding in plain sight is making a thing so blatantly obvious that everyone overlooks it. That is exactly what Desdimona Valentine did with her Las Vegas show 'VAMP", and it worked well. That is it did till an unknown stalker started sending death threats and attempted to take out her Skinwalker double, Sam. In a moment of desperation she calls Julian Ellingham, the vampire whom in a drunken stupor she somehow managed to get herself married to eight months before. Julian swoopes in, arranges a guard for Sam at the hospital, and flies Desi off bag and baggage to his home in Nocturne Falls. From that point on her live is a series of events that tie a hideously scarring past to an future that promises her everything she could ever hope for, but only if she can truly let the past go and face her greatest fear. - They just keep getting better. -
Hiding in plain sight is making a thing so blatantly obvious that everyone overlooks it. That is exactly what Desdimona Valentine did with her Las Vegas show 'VAMP", and it worked well. That is it did till an unknown stalker started sending death threats and attempted to take out her Skinwalker double, Sam. In a moment of desperation she calls Julian Ellingham, the vampire whom in a drunken stupor she somehow managed to get herself married to eight months before. Julian swoopes in, arranges a guard for Sam at the hospital, and flies Desi off bag and baggage to his home in Nocturne Falls. From that point on her live is a series of events that tie a hideously scarring past to an future that promises her everything she could ever hope for, but only if she can truly let the past go and face her greatest fear. - They just keep getting better. -
May 8, 2017
Kristen hits it out of the park with this one. Julien finally meets his match, in more ways than one! I love his character a lot but it was nice to see someone give him a run for his money after all the years of his playboy years charades. I wasn't quite sure at first if I liked Desi. There were moments I wanted to shake her because she seemed to almost mistreat Juien by sticking around but not loving him in return. But at the same time, she would feel bad about it. In the end, we see why she was hesitant. Everything falls into place. She also has a crazy psycho after her wanting to kill her. Who wouldn't take any help and protection they could get?! She's lived a solitary life, other than her work so she doesn't have anyone but Julien. We see a little of Harlen again. I so hope he gets a book. I just love him. This was a wonderful read with appearances of lots of other characters from Nocturne Falls.
October 20, 2019
2019 BK 338. Julian Effingham had been going to Las Vegas to check out the wedding chapels and other ideas for entertaining people in Nocturne Falls, and found him falling for VAMP's fantastic vampire star Desdemona Valentine. After months of persuasion, they spend a night with a little to much to drink, and wake up married the next morning. Their plans to spend a year seeing if they even like each other enough to stay married are disrupted when a stalker threatens and then makes attempts to kill Desdemona. Fleeing to Nocturne Falls, the couple thinks they are safe until (1) the stalker follows them and 2) Julian's grandmothers learns they are married.
April 3, 2022
Once again, I stayed away from this utterly delightful series for far too long. (On the upside, that means there's a whole new pile of books in it available for me to discover!) The world of Nocturne Falls and its myriad supernatural inhabitants is entertaining as ever, and I was especially thrilled to finally get to see Julian find his HEA which was clearly long overdue. Desi is a great match for him, and a serving of all this romantic fun with a small side of action was just what my fever-addled brain needed right now. Already very much looking forward to the next book, which I definitely won't wait as long to pick up as I did this one!
May 18, 2017
3.5 stars - these are always fun
January 14, 2018
Still enjoying this series.
March 16, 2022
Totally wishing I lived in Nocturne Falls....with appropriate hottie of course :)
June 7, 2025
Que triste la vida de esta chica, recompensada al fin.
June 14, 2021
Eighth in the Nocturne Falls magical realism fantasy series and revolving around a town that celebrates their supernatural citizens. The couple focus is on Julian Ellingham and Desdemona Valentine.
My Take
Painter uses third person dual protagonist point-of-view from Desi's and Julian's perspectives, so we learn their thoughts, emotions, and actions. It's how I know that Desdemona is a terrified whiner. Sure she likes Julian, but not that much. Not marrying much.
Painter does drag out the reasons why Desdemona doesn't want to get involved with anyone, and while it makes a kind of sense, jeez, not everyone is the same. It seems a rather lame reason for jumping onto that "never again" truck.
I enjoyed Julian's conundrum, but Desi's whinging drove me nuts. Sure it was a horrible experience . . . even more horrible than you can know, but oy. That whole "woe" thing and equating everyone with her first husband. Jeez. I think Painter would have done better if she'd emphasized more about what Alonso had done to her at the end. Instead, after all the pages of whining, Painter drops his actions into a few paragraphs and then leaves it.
Julian keeps proving what a great guy he is, and . . . well, oh woe. That's not his brothers' reactions though, lol. More proof comes through Desdemona's experiences with him. And those secret candy stashes she finds, *more laughter*.
This is so unlike everything we've been led to think about Julian...okay, yes, Painter had started dropping minimal clues in previous stories, but in The Vampire's Accidental Wife, Julian goes nuts with his honor. It's so cute, lol. We also learn a truth about his flirtatious ways. Who'd've thunk?
It's an emotional story with a very depressed Julian. He's not liking that bargain he's made with Desi, and he is making his plans to change her mind. Only, he is an honorable vampire, and he will honor Desdemona's wishes. However much his heart is breaking.
Hmm, I am envious of their metabolisms . . . sigh . . . That Jean Lafitte sounds like a nice guy . . . from what Remy says.
Pace-wise, I'd have to split it in half. The story does move along until we get bogged down by the whiny Desi, which falls into that character aspect of the story. I gotta say that the town and its citizens are part of the character side too. It's such a supportive and caring group of people. There's also a good bit of action what with stalkers, threats, that clever bit of emotional torture, and kidnapping.
It's the damaged who really know how to survive.
The Story
Las Vegas headliner and vampire Desdemona Valentine is one cool, collected diva on the outside. On the inside, she’s petrified of falling in love after her last relationship nearly killed her...literally. Protecting her wounded heart makes for a lonely life, but she has her fame and fortune to keep her company. Who needs anything more?
Julian Ellingham does. One look at Desdemona on stage, and the vampire is smitten. She initially ignores him, but his relentless pursuit pays off when a wild night ends in a Vegas wedding. Finally, Julian has everything he wants while all Desdemona wants is . . . a divorce.
Julian sweet-talks Desdemona into letting him prove his love, but his time is running out. Especially after someone repeatedly tries to turn his bride to ash. When Desdemona flees Vegas for the spooky streets of Nocturne Falls and Julian’s protection, he’s more than willing to help out. But can he convince Desdemona to trust him, or will "death do us part" become a reality?
The Characters
The almost two hundred-year-old Desdemona Valentine, a.k.a. Mary Clarke, is a vampire who was never going to get involved again. A diva and the star of Vamp, she's a vampire playing a vampire, who lives in the Skye Towers in Las Vegas. Samantha "Sam" Arnett, a skinwalker, is her daytime body.
Julian Ellingham is the third brother (and grandson) of the vampiric Ellinghams. He lives in the penthouse of the Excelsior in Nocturne Falls. His "day" job is as VOD, the Vampire of the Day; his real job is business development for Nocturne Falls.
Nocturne Falls, Georgia, is . . .
. . . run and mostly owned by the Ellinghams. The very secretive Elenora Ellingham, a.k.a. Didi, is the matriarch, the boys' grandmother, and the vampire who turned them. Hugh is the middle brother who recently married Delaney ( The Vampire's Mail Order Bride , 1) who runs a sweets shop in town, Delaney's Delectables. She's recently had her baby, George. Stanhill is Hugh's rook. The grumpy Sebastian is the oldest brother engaged to Tessa Blythe, a valkyrie and librarian ( The Vampire's Fake Fiancée , 5; "The Vampire's True Love Trials", 06.5). Duncan is Tessa's cat. The dour Alice Bishop is a very powerful witch whom Elenora saved a few hundred years ago. It's Alice's abilities that prevents the truth about the town from coming out. Frauke is Grandmamma's cook. Wentworth is her special occasion butler.
Sheriff Hank Merrow is a werewolf. He's married to Ivy ( The Werewolf Meets His Match , 2), and they have a new baby girl, Hannah Rose. His deputies include Remy Lafitte, a vampire who had to leave New Orleans; Birdie Caruthers, Hank's aunt and a werewolf, is the police receptionist; Cruz ( The Shifter Romances the Writer , 6); and, Jenna Blythe, a valkyrie and Tessa's sister.
Willa Iscove is a fae jeweler who owns Illusions and whipped up a little charm for Julian. She's hooked up with Nick Hardwin, a gargoyle who works the night shift ( The Gargoyle Gets His Girl , 3). Jasper is her cat. Ramona Rabine, a brownie, works for Willa. Ivan "Van" Tsvetkov is a dragon shifter and former MMA fighter ( The Dragon Finds Forever , 7). Monalisa Devlin, a Will-o’-the-Wisp, is Van's fiancée who works as a receptionist for Pandora. Monalisa's father, Padraig, is a powerful and dangerous leprechaun king in Vegas. Pandora Williams is the reigning real estate witch; Professor Cole Van Zant is her fiancé ( The Professor Woos the Witch , 4). Marigold Williams, a green witch and Pandora's sister, owns the Enchanted Garden, the local florist shop where Joe works as a delivery guy. Corette Williams is Pandora and Marigold's mother and a witch herself. She runs Ever After, a bridal shop. She's engaged to Stanhill ("The Witch's Halloween Hero", 4.5). Zombie Donuts is new. I Scream is the local ice cream shop. Insomnia is the local supernaturals-only bar owned by Lucien, a retired grim reaper. Chet is one of the bouncers. Elmira is one of the servers. Salvatore's, owned by Mr Brunetti, makes the best pizza. Tim is one of their waiters. Greyson Garrett is a local jack-of-all-trades vampire who also works as one of the VODs. Pete is a fae pharmacist. Imari Zephara is a masseuse as well as a retired jinn. Norma Turnbuckle is a hobbit. Jayne Frost is a winter elf and the Winter Princess. Undrea Seely is a mermaid.
Freddy and Lou Kovac (half-ogre and bits of Sasquatch on his mother's side; Rella is his wife) are doormen at the Excelsior. Ryde is the Nocturne Falls version of Uber. Trevor, an avian shifter, is one of their drivers. Dr Navarro treats Desi; Cara Willis is a nurse. The Basement is an employees-only area for the town. The Pinehurst Inn is a great place for a shady rendezvous. Harmswood Academy is a private school for supernaturals. Pumpkin Point is a new suburb.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Harlan is a gargoyle recommended by Van. Desert Blooms is a florist shop. Heather Cross runs a Facebook fan page about Desdemona. More fans include Brian Brennan, Vera Mears, and Abigail Helmsman.
The Talisman Club is a club for vampire hunters. Harker Enterprises sent Desi black roses. It was started by Arnold Helsing, Abigail's father. Arnold Helsing Jr is/was Abigail's step-brother. Brighton Pharmaceuticals sells dangerous drugs.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Alonso Mora had been a vampire privateer; his ship was the Night's Mistress. Jean Lafitte had been a pirate and was Remy's grandfather. Pierre had been Jean's brother.
The Cover and Title
The cover is fuchsia with a gradient sky, a quarter moon on the right, and bats flying in the background above the Las Vegas skyline. Sandwiched between the title in a white gothic font with a thick black outline at the top and an info blurb followed by the author's name below it in a serif in white with that thick black outline is a deep fuchsia sofa with the Black Desdemona (in a tight fitting black tank, blue jeans, and knee-high leopardskin stiletto boots, one leg crossed over her knee) giving the gray besuited Julian (facing us but looking at his love and holding out a goblet of blood) the side-eye. The ubiquitous carved jack-o-lantern is on the left above the brown sign providing the series information in a pale yellow.
The title just makes it under the wire, for in a way, Desdemona is The Vampire's Accidental Wife.
My Take
Painter uses third person dual protagonist point-of-view from Desi's and Julian's perspectives, so we learn their thoughts, emotions, and actions. It's how I know that Desdemona is a terrified whiner. Sure she likes Julian, but not that much. Not marrying much.
Painter does drag out the reasons why Desdemona doesn't want to get involved with anyone, and while it makes a kind of sense, jeez, not everyone is the same. It seems a rather lame reason for jumping onto that "never again" truck.
I enjoyed Julian's conundrum, but Desi's whinging drove me nuts. Sure it was a horrible experience . . . even more horrible than you can know, but oy. That whole "woe" thing and equating everyone with her first husband. Jeez. I think Painter would have done better if she'd emphasized more about what Alonso had done to her at the end. Instead, after all the pages of whining, Painter drops his actions into a few paragraphs and then leaves it.
Julian keeps proving what a great guy he is, and . . . well, oh woe. That's not his brothers' reactions though, lol. More proof comes through Desdemona's experiences with him. And those secret candy stashes she finds, *more laughter*.
This is so unlike everything we've been led to think about Julian...okay, yes, Painter had started dropping minimal clues in previous stories, but in The Vampire's Accidental Wife, Julian goes nuts with his honor. It's so cute, lol. We also learn a truth about his flirtatious ways. Who'd've thunk?
It's an emotional story with a very depressed Julian. He's not liking that bargain he's made with Desi, and he is making his plans to change her mind. Only, he is an honorable vampire, and he will honor Desdemona's wishes. However much his heart is breaking.
Hmm, I am envious of their metabolisms . . . sigh . . . That Jean Lafitte sounds like a nice guy . . . from what Remy says.
Pace-wise, I'd have to split it in half. The story does move along until we get bogged down by the whiny Desi, which falls into that character aspect of the story. I gotta say that the town and its citizens are part of the character side too. It's such a supportive and caring group of people. There's also a good bit of action what with stalkers, threats, that clever bit of emotional torture, and kidnapping.
It's the damaged who really know how to survive.
The Story
Las Vegas headliner and vampire Desdemona Valentine is one cool, collected diva on the outside. On the inside, she’s petrified of falling in love after her last relationship nearly killed her...literally. Protecting her wounded heart makes for a lonely life, but she has her fame and fortune to keep her company. Who needs anything more?
Julian Ellingham does. One look at Desdemona on stage, and the vampire is smitten. She initially ignores him, but his relentless pursuit pays off when a wild night ends in a Vegas wedding. Finally, Julian has everything he wants while all Desdemona wants is . . . a divorce.
Julian sweet-talks Desdemona into letting him prove his love, but his time is running out. Especially after someone repeatedly tries to turn his bride to ash. When Desdemona flees Vegas for the spooky streets of Nocturne Falls and Julian’s protection, he’s more than willing to help out. But can he convince Desdemona to trust him, or will "death do us part" become a reality?
The Characters
The almost two hundred-year-old Desdemona Valentine, a.k.a. Mary Clarke, is a vampire who was never going to get involved again. A diva and the star of Vamp, she's a vampire playing a vampire, who lives in the Skye Towers in Las Vegas. Samantha "Sam" Arnett, a skinwalker, is her daytime body.
Julian Ellingham is the third brother (and grandson) of the vampiric Ellinghams. He lives in the penthouse of the Excelsior in Nocturne Falls. His "day" job is as VOD, the Vampire of the Day; his real job is business development for Nocturne Falls.
Nocturne Falls, Georgia, is . . .
. . . run and mostly owned by the Ellinghams. The very secretive Elenora Ellingham, a.k.a. Didi, is the matriarch, the boys' grandmother, and the vampire who turned them. Hugh is the middle brother who recently married Delaney ( The Vampire's Mail Order Bride , 1) who runs a sweets shop in town, Delaney's Delectables. She's recently had her baby, George. Stanhill is Hugh's rook. The grumpy Sebastian is the oldest brother engaged to Tessa Blythe, a valkyrie and librarian ( The Vampire's Fake Fiancée , 5; "The Vampire's True Love Trials", 06.5). Duncan is Tessa's cat. The dour Alice Bishop is a very powerful witch whom Elenora saved a few hundred years ago. It's Alice's abilities that prevents the truth about the town from coming out. Frauke is Grandmamma's cook. Wentworth is her special occasion butler.
Sheriff Hank Merrow is a werewolf. He's married to Ivy ( The Werewolf Meets His Match , 2), and they have a new baby girl, Hannah Rose. His deputies include Remy Lafitte, a vampire who had to leave New Orleans; Birdie Caruthers, Hank's aunt and a werewolf, is the police receptionist; Cruz ( The Shifter Romances the Writer , 6); and, Jenna Blythe, a valkyrie and Tessa's sister.
Willa Iscove is a fae jeweler who owns Illusions and whipped up a little charm for Julian. She's hooked up with Nick Hardwin, a gargoyle who works the night shift ( The Gargoyle Gets His Girl , 3). Jasper is her cat. Ramona Rabine, a brownie, works for Willa. Ivan "Van" Tsvetkov is a dragon shifter and former MMA fighter ( The Dragon Finds Forever , 7). Monalisa Devlin, a Will-o’-the-Wisp, is Van's fiancée who works as a receptionist for Pandora. Monalisa's father, Padraig, is a powerful and dangerous leprechaun king in Vegas. Pandora Williams is the reigning real estate witch; Professor Cole Van Zant is her fiancé ( The Professor Woos the Witch , 4). Marigold Williams, a green witch and Pandora's sister, owns the Enchanted Garden, the local florist shop where Joe works as a delivery guy. Corette Williams is Pandora and Marigold's mother and a witch herself. She runs Ever After, a bridal shop. She's engaged to Stanhill ("The Witch's Halloween Hero", 4.5). Zombie Donuts is new. I Scream is the local ice cream shop. Insomnia is the local supernaturals-only bar owned by Lucien, a retired grim reaper. Chet is one of the bouncers. Elmira is one of the servers. Salvatore's, owned by Mr Brunetti, makes the best pizza. Tim is one of their waiters. Greyson Garrett is a local jack-of-all-trades vampire who also works as one of the VODs. Pete is a fae pharmacist. Imari Zephara is a masseuse as well as a retired jinn. Norma Turnbuckle is a hobbit. Jayne Frost is a winter elf and the Winter Princess. Undrea Seely is a mermaid.
Freddy and Lou Kovac (half-ogre and bits of Sasquatch on his mother's side; Rella is his wife) are doormen at the Excelsior. Ryde is the Nocturne Falls version of Uber. Trevor, an avian shifter, is one of their drivers. Dr Navarro treats Desi; Cara Willis is a nurse. The Basement is an employees-only area for the town. The Pinehurst Inn is a great place for a shady rendezvous. Harmswood Academy is a private school for supernaturals. Pumpkin Point is a new suburb.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Harlan is a gargoyle recommended by Van. Desert Blooms is a florist shop. Heather Cross runs a Facebook fan page about Desdemona. More fans include Brian Brennan, Vera Mears, and Abigail Helmsman.
The Talisman Club is a club for vampire hunters. Harker Enterprises sent Desi black roses. It was started by Arnold Helsing, Abigail's father. Arnold Helsing Jr is/was Abigail's step-brother. Brighton Pharmaceuticals sells dangerous drugs.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Alonso Mora had been a vampire privateer; his ship was the Night's Mistress. Jean Lafitte had been a pirate and was Remy's grandfather. Pierre had been Jean's brother.
The Cover and Title
The cover is fuchsia with a gradient sky, a quarter moon on the right, and bats flying in the background above the Las Vegas skyline. Sandwiched between the title in a white gothic font with a thick black outline at the top and an info blurb followed by the author's name below it in a serif in white with that thick black outline is a deep fuchsia sofa with the Black Desdemona (in a tight fitting black tank, blue jeans, and knee-high leopardskin stiletto boots, one leg crossed over her knee) giving the gray besuited Julian (facing us but looking at his love and holding out a goblet of blood) the side-eye. The ubiquitous carved jack-o-lantern is on the left above the brown sign providing the series information in a pale yellow.
The title just makes it under the wire, for in a way, Desdemona is The Vampire's Accidental Wife.
November 3, 2017
Just when you think a Kirsten Painter book can't get better...she comes out with this. Definitely one of the best in the series.
October 29, 2019
Some are going to have issues with Julien's supposed "switch" but I totally saw this coming in the previous books. He had been spending so much time in Vegas after all ;)
May 30, 2017
Ok this one is definitely my favorite
Love Julian and Desi. Wow Julian is a different but beautiful character under the personality he portrays. Desi is just a wonderful and unique character which has her own problems but still goes ahead and determined to keep being a strong woman. Love how their relationship grows. I would like to know more about Sam and Harlan, it made me curious about their interaction. Also love that we got to see Jayne Frost even if it was just for a moment, and Peter. Still gotta love the secretary of the sheriff office which I call Aunty B. Can't wait for the next book!
Love Julian and Desi. Wow Julian is a different but beautiful character under the personality he portrays. Desi is just a wonderful and unique character which has her own problems but still goes ahead and determined to keep being a strong woman. Love how their relationship grows. I would like to know more about Sam and Harlan, it made me curious about their interaction. Also love that we got to see Jayne Frost even if it was just for a moment, and Peter. Still gotta love the secretary of the sheriff office which I call Aunty B. Can't wait for the next book!
July 12, 2017
Not quite the best book so far but it's up there. It had a really slow start and I only got more interested in it somewhere down three quarters way of the story. Things didn't pick up until you see more of Birdie so she was really quite a star in this story.
Whereas for Julian- well. His character started off like a playboy, never one to settle down. So it was hard to buy in to this 'new' side of him who has fallen deeply in love with another. I basically had to cast aside most of what I thought his character was from the earlier books in order to understand his angle here. I didn't quite like this sudden change in character.
I would have enjoyed this story more if it weren't for the repetitiveness in the first half of the book. The constant reminders of why they couldn't be together was... supremely annoying.
But, this story did have some pleasant surprises towards the end. I love a good sprinkling of girl power in a story and it was tastefully delivered.
Whereas for Julian- well. His character started off like a playboy, never one to settle down. So it was hard to buy in to this 'new' side of him who has fallen deeply in love with another. I basically had to cast aside most of what I thought his character was from the earlier books in order to understand his angle here. I didn't quite like this sudden change in character.
I would have enjoyed this story more if it weren't for the repetitiveness in the first half of the book. The constant reminders of why they couldn't be together was... supremely annoying.
But, this story did have some pleasant surprises towards the end. I love a good sprinkling of girl power in a story and it was tastefully delivered.
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