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Vegas Vampires #2

Bit the Jackpot

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The "USA Today" bestselling author of "High Stakes" returns to Vegas, where falling for a vampire isn't such a long shot. "Politics make strange coffinfellows..."


Vampire Seamus Fox is supposed to be the campaign manager for a Vampire Nation presidential candidate. Instead, he finds himself running around Vegas keeping tabs on the candidate's wife and female entourage. Seamus has had his fill of women: a disastrous and deadly love affair has haunted him for over two centuries. Talk about baggage. But suddenly he finds himself obsessed with a mysterious stripper who dances behind a screen.

The sultry yet shy Cara Kim whets his appetite for more, but leave it to Seamus to fall fangs over feet for that rarest of Vegas attractions-a good girl.

After a sudden run-in on the street, though, they may soon have a lot more in common...

299 pages, Paperback

First published December 5, 2006

26 people are currently reading
1958 people want to read

About the author

Erin McCarthy

215 books4,826 followers
USA Today and New York Times Bestselling author Erin McCarthy sold her first book in 2002 and has since written over a hundred novels and novellas in teen fiction, new adult, and adult romance. Erin has a special weakness for high-heeled boots, beaches and martinis. She lives in Ohio with her family, two grumpy cats and a socially awkward dog.

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5 stars
1,383 (30%)
4 stars
1,543 (34%)
3 stars
1,253 (27%)
2 stars
263 (5%)
1 star
53 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
Profile Image for Jilly.
1,838 reviews6,684 followers
October 30, 2016
What does every politician wish for? His own personal stripper, of course. So, when Mr. Vampire gets a load of a tasty stripper, he must have her. And he gets her, but it was nothing like he hoped.

First of all, she has a bunch of animals that he has to deal with.

"Two Labs who think I'm the devil, and obnoxious Chihuahua who thinks he's the devil, and two cats who really are the devil."

That sounds about right. I have two Labs and a Chihuahua myself and that is their personalities. Of course, I'm not crazy, so no cats are allowed in my house. They really are the spawn of satan.


I don't know... I think there might be some evil...don't kill me!

Secondly, our stripper decides to redecorate Mr. Vamp's apartment. In pink and orange. Who would have guessed that a stripper might have tacky taste?

"While I was ordering the new comforter online for the bedroom, I noticed you have very boring checks to pay your bills. So I ordered you fun new ones. Betty Boop. They're adorable."

At least she's helpful.

But, the biggest problem he has is that his stripper is a man-hating virgin. Wow, a stripper that hates men? That's unheard of!! Of course, she will change for him.

Our stripper realizes that Mr. Vampire is different. Other than the blood-drinking and all. He's a nice guy. So, maybe this thing can work out after all. I mean, sure he was only interested in her for sex. And, yes, he was keeping her prisoner in his apartment. And, him calling her work to tell them she wouldn't be there for a couple of weeks might have been slightly pushy. But, underneath it all he's nice. So....

Then, our stripper has another huge revelation: Men don't respect strippers. They lust only after their bodies for sex. She's shocked!

Everything suddenly made much more sense to Cara. Independence wasn't achieved by dancing naked in defiance. It was reached through respect.


okay, so maybe some people are a little slow on the uptake..

All in all, this book was cute and funny. Paranormal Light - less calories and less filling.
Profile Image for aCupcakeBlonde.
1,445 reviews26 followers
April 2, 2008
I liked this book more than the first one. Cara was such an interesting charcater and I enjoyed Sameus' battle with himself over her love. A fast-paced story filled with murder attempts and lots of hot sex, I enjoyed it immensely. The only shadow was the character of Kelsey. A mild annoyance in the first book she was a huge annoyance in this one. I did not understand her at all, nor her attraction to a man who is undoubetly a really bad seed. But other than that this book is a delightful read.
Profile Image for felix.
46 reviews1 follower
June 12, 2024
wait why was this one ass. LIKE SO MUCH WORSE??? with better main characters but. Omfg this is crazy… this was like genuinely late-season vampire diaries incomprehensible

it is so genuinely funny how like actually unnerving and creepy and sad all of kelsey’s scenes are compared to everything else rly has been hydrogen bomb vs every other girls coughing baby AND SHE NEVER GETS A MAINLINE BOOK

i was excited bc the next one (book 3) is two of my fav characters and i just read page one of it and it’s apparently a pregnancy book yeah i’m jumping. and yet it’s the shortest one… ruh roh
Profile Image for Gemma.
454 reviews2 followers
July 26, 2010
This was just a nive fluffy read. Nothing to taxing or angsty about it.

I've given it 4 stars for this reason, but the charachters aren't memorable, though I did really like Cara. She was usch walking contradiction but I loved her for it. The fact that she was a stripper who was still a virgin was a contradiction, but I liked the fact that though this charcter was in tune with her sexuality she didn't feel the need to express it by sleeping around.

Seamus learned to not judge a book by its cover, and I really liked the part where Cara had to argue the point that though she was stripping for a living she was still a virgin, yet Seamus didn't believe her. She didn't back down and told him he was a moron.

Overall, I did like this book and it was a good one to follow after the roller coaster ride that was Black Magic Sanction.
1,254 reviews1 follower
January 7, 2016
well i really dont have much to say about this one thats different from the last one. The plot is exactly the same theres no real drama to make the story very interesting. The characters are different but not necessarily in a good way. The heroine is a virgin stripper (kind of a cute idea i guess) and while shes sweet she does this awkward thing where she goes from seductress to shy in like 2 seconds and it just doesnt work very well. I liked her well enough but we really dont get to see much of her past or even her present in how it shapes her. The hero was downright obnoxious to me not like in a hateful sort of way but he was just a low grade jerk throughout the entire book. There really wasnt much in the way of romantic development they live together for awhile (mostly out of necessity) then she dumps him...big "dramatic" event...proposal and marriage the same night. not necessarily a bad thing but my issue with it is he basically just is like "whatever sorry" about his jerkiness and she just accepts it and moves on. i wouldnt have put up with it in the first place but im certainly not going to marry a guy forever on his assurance that he'll act right i wanna see him do it first. the sex scenes were mostly ok but the one of her first time was just bad. when it hurts her rather than stop and let her get used to his ginormous vampire penis he is literally like "oh come on just let me stick it all the way in just once"...what is he a 16 year old boy? i got a couple laughs out of it but its certainly nothing worth recommending. ill read one more because i wanna see what happens with brittany but i urge you not to start the series lest you get sucked in wasting time on something you dont really enjoy just to see where it goes
Profile Image for Diana.
1,746 reviews
September 29, 2007
Ethan's re-election campaign manager, Seamus, is repressed and uptight. When he meets stripper Cara Kim, however, all restraint goes out the window, especially when she's placed in danger because of him.

The characters in this book are a lot more relatable than the first one. Cara and Seamus are great and the sparks fly.
Profile Image for Tasha.
246 reviews42 followers
November 17, 2008
This one was a little disappointing after reading 'Heiress for Heir,' which was the first book I've read from this author. Since I really enjoyed that one, I had high hopes for 'Bit the Jackpot,' but it fell short. It was too much going on with side stories and not entirely enough focus on Seamus and Cara. But when they did focus on them, they had some pretty steamy scenes.
Profile Image for The Flooze.
765 reviews283 followers
April 11, 2009
Hilarious. I laughed through the whole book. Compared with the first of the series, Bit the Jackpot was a vast improvement. McCarthy has hit her stride with Cara and Seamus, with great comedy and a lot of passion, mixed with more action. Cara is likable and Seamus is one hot Irishman. Bring on the next story!
Profile Image for Raina.
498 reviews12 followers
January 21, 2008
Loved this!! I am new to this series. This is the first one I have read so far and I can hardly wait to read the rest. It is a quick easy read - VERY steamy with loads of excitement and on going action! Lots of fun!!
Profile Image for Summer.
97 reviews28 followers
June 17, 2008
Cute story, but nothing gripping or fantastic. Female lead was likable, male lead was pretty hot, but other than that and a half-entertaining cast, the story was nothing to get excited over.
Profile Image for Heather.
480 reviews
September 28, 2008
Another fun and sexy book! It wasn't AS good as the first, but I still REALLY liked it! Not much else to say except I read it in 2 days, it's just fun, exciting and did I mention SEXY!? lol
Profile Image for Skye.
1,851 reviews3 followers
May 18, 2019
This is such a fun, easy, cutsey little read. It doesn’t involve a lot of thought processes to actually read. But it definitely leaves you with a happy, completed feeling when you finish it. Alright, throughout the story there are a number of moments in which you want to just smack Seamus over the head. And tell Cara to get over her shit and be a real adult. But, as a general, this is a fun, easy and cute read. One that I will probably pick up again and again, whenever I just need something happy and cheerful. Something to remind me that the world is actually a happy place and true love does exist.

I never thought I’d read a story about a virgin stripper. It was something of a paradox. One that I wasn’t entirely sure I’d like at the beginning. After all, it is dealing with a number of extremes of a woman’s sexuality. But, somehow McCarthy makes it work. Cara is completely strong and independent. But she’s also incredibly vulnerable, unsure… and in so many ways, prejudiced. She has such odd ideals that make her act and think in a way that makes you want to smack her around the back of her head and tell her to get a clue. Which of course makes the book impossible to put down.

I don’t like uptight men. I don’t like them in real life. And I don’t like them in books. Generally. There is something about Seamus that made me start to think about revising my opinion of uptight men. Only a little bit because every stupid moment that he had was because he was completely rigid and unbending. This was not the kind of man that you think of as your dream man…or at least, it’s not the kind of man I could picture as that. But him and Cara work so incredibly well together that you still have a skipping heart every moment that you read about such a perfect couple.

Although this is very much a cutesy love story, I like how it becomes a little more complex with the back storyline. The election battle which is set up in High Stakes continues, but gains a lot of traction. Things start to get a lot more hairy and you wonder what evil levels the Italian will sink to next time. What the next plot will be and how the “good guys” are going to beat it. Everything you need to create a storyline that is not only fun and engaging, but also makes you impatient to turn the next page.
Profile Image for Kelly Ewing.
320 reviews4 followers
November 2, 2023
Oh my god hilarious! I live the grumpy-sunshine trope with Seamus and Cara. Cara brought out the silly in him. And the level of detail to create a seamless Storting between books is top tier. There was a two week time jump from book 1 to book 2 and the internal narration picked up right away. Fantastic.
Kelsey is giving weird vibes the entire time. And we know her and Ringo’s story isn’t finished yet. But I definitely think she is not as ditzy/dumb blonde as she pretends to be.
And hello, Brittany has the flu???? No she doesn’t! No
Way! Can’t wait for her book.
3,415 reviews24 followers
December 3, 2011
Light hearted/spirited vampire romance....

Cara - virgin strip tease dancer (behind a screen - only see her shadow) to put herself through veterinary school and to pay for elder care for her Korean great grandmother in a convelescent home, lucky poker player, doesn't want a man to control her so wary of relationships - had one bad one where the guy respected her desire to wait for marriage for sex, but was have sex with everyone else. Seamus, Ethan's campaign manager - 6 weeks until the election. 200 years since the betrayal of Marie and his almost being guilloitined to death (still bears the scar), he is controlled, controlling and stays away from women, but takes care of those he feels a responsibility to (Ethan, Alexia, Brittnay and Kelsey) in his own way at least... and Kelsey, clinging to Seamus since he gave her his blood after being drained with her memory not quite in tact.

Seamus and Kelsey go to the strip club where Alexis' aunt works as strip manager - and Seamus is enchanted by the woman dancing behind the screen... he goes backstage with the intention of vampire mind game seducing her into coffee and bed - but she is resistant to him and tells him to go. He and Kelsey leave through back door to alley, where 3 thugs are waiting to kill him... Kelsey goes with one (Ringo/Kyle) who remembers trying to protect her when human and still wanting to protect her - but she doesn't remember him. Cara feels Seamus' danger and goes out into the alley, and like a deer in headlights freezes trying to make sense of the way of the fight (tall leaps, body slams that should take anyone out, fangs), and Seamus' voice in her head telling her to go back inside. She panics when one of the assassins sees her, and runs away - into an oncoming SUV.

Seamus feels responsible, and pulled, and he takes her blood and gives her his, starting the conversion of vampire to save her life... he takes her to his suite at the hotel... and it is the beginning of the end for him. He keeps her to protect her, protect the campaign, to teach her the rules, to help her learn how to live as a vampire...she wants her animals, so in a funny scene he manages to corral her 2 labs, 1 chihuahua & 2 cats and bring them to her.. she takes blood from his wrist, and orgasms as he touches her - but he does not push her to have sex with him when she is vulnerable... Alexis counsels her to 'scare' him away by being that which he most diswants - a relationship - so she starts to decorate the suite (in pink), organize his things, fawn over him, etc. And he takes it, he doesn't like it, but he wants her to be happy so he tolerates it...

And they both come to realize they love oneanother, and as difficult as it is, to trust one another - He believes her this time when she tells him she's a virgin, they have a passionate night...

Donatello, Ethan's opponent, is behind the death orders. He had converted Ringo/Kyle the night Ethan was attacked and Kelsey was drained - and behind the hit on Seamus and his girlfriend. He rations drug laced blood to the new vampire Ringo, to further enhance his control over him... Ringo feeds him information about Seamus and Cara... and when a failed attempt of sending another drugged vampire to spy on Ethan results in his capture (and detoxing), Donatello sends in Ringo. Ringo engages Kelsey's help - whom he will not hurt, and whom he will not hurt - Kelsey has already told Ethan and Seamus that Ringo is there to free Donatello's man - but she aids Ringo in access to the man's room - and when confronted by Ethan & Seamus, and then joined by Alexis and Cara - Ringo holds a knife to Kelsey's throat as a hostage to getting out - and it would work, except Kelsey forcdes the knife to slice her jugular and sends a mental message to Ringo that he should stay and let them help him - there is goodness in him (as Luke said about his father), and he surrenders (ahhhh)...

and following, Seamus feels guilty about risking the campaign by his breaking of rules concerning Cara, and avoids her.. and Alexis finds out Seamus has been feeding Cara which is against the rules as that can give him control of her... so both are mad at their mates - and Cara moves into a new room having the busboy retrieve her things (including the pink towels)... and Seamus and Ethan get drunk and go to confront Donatello - and get confined... and Seamus calls to Kelsey for help, and Kelsey gets Alexis and Cara together - and they go to the rescue, but fall into Donatello's hands - and he forces Cara to dance for him or else he'll kill the other two (already broke Alexis' wrist)... and Seamus and Ethan break free of their restraints and go to the rescue... and they get Donatello to withdraw from the election (for a conniver, he agreed a little too easily - hmmmm)...

And Seamus finds Cara visiting her grandmother, and grandmother seems to like him... and he proposes, and she accepts, and they decide on a vampire wedding that very night... ahhhh

sister Brittney and banished Carter... Brittney is sick (flu symptoms, but no fever - something vampirey?)... she can't get a hold of Alexis, and wishes for Carter, who shows up and takes care of her. Hmmmmm After they'd had sex a month earlier, and she was embarrassed, she asked him to leave, and he did - hmmmm book #3?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for TinaMarie.
3,513 reviews38 followers
May 28, 2018
Campy, vampire lite is how I'd describe these vamps. He's irish, presidential campaign manager and she's a virgin stripper. After an attack on him ends with her death, he turns her and keeps her in his hotel room to protect and teach her, along with her dogs and cats. Really not sure I want to bother with the rest of this series. I hope it gets better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Heather.
125 reviews
December 5, 2019
Legit started this book over 10 years ago and finally finished it!

I bought this after finishing the Twilight series when I was still on a Vampire kick. Made it most of the way through back in 2009 and just never finished.

Picked it back up tonight, skimmed to refresh my memory and read to the end.

Vampires aren’t my thing any more but overall it’s a fun story with some hot sex scenes!
Profile Image for Erin Rogoff.
491 reviews1 follower
June 25, 2020
Entertaining from Pg. 1 to 100% Finished!

Spicier than book one, I loved reading this book! If I had to choose a favorite character, it's still Alexis; if I had to choose a favorite pet of Cara's, it would be her dog, Spock. If there was a sequel to the Cara-Seamus romance, I would definitely read it! Now, on to reading book #3!!
Profile Image for Megan Tripp.
13 reviews2 followers
May 1, 2018
A quick, fun and cute read. Everyone needs a little kinky yet fun read in their life and this one hit the mark. Playful with a good antagonist and plot line. I enjoyed it and will probably read the others in the series.
Profile Image for Delia.
490 reviews3 followers
December 12, 2020
Ok I really wanted to like this but ....
I was looking for a cute, quick read and I didn't find it. There was just something about the characters that fell flat for me and the overall flatness of the story.
Profile Image for Charlotte Van den  Broek.
85 reviews2 followers
November 2, 2023
It's incredible funny, I picked it up in a triftshop with no expectations. And it made me giggle many times, there is enough spice. And we'll written! You can read this book easily without reading the first book.
Profile Image for Luna C.
185 reviews
June 9, 2024
Really good! I liked this one a bit better than the first but both are quite good. There is some language that I'm not a huge fan of in this series that feels a bit anti-feminist but they're still, overall, pretty good reads. Steamy and fun with a little mystery.
Profile Image for M..
2,461 reviews
July 4, 2019
It was a good read.
620 reviews1 follower
June 24, 2020
Pretty standard vampire romance.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews

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