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Argeneau #16
Under a Vampire Moon
Escaping a horrible marriage, Carolyn Connor has no desire to think about men a vow she s determined to keep while on vacation in St. Lucia. She ll take the Caribbean sun and sea and plenty of tropical drinks with those cute umbrellas poolside, thank you. She absolutely does not need male company, no matter how tan and rock-hard his body may be.
Easy enough, but then Carolyn meets the charming Marguerite Argeneau, who is infamous among her family for her matchmaking prowess.
Christian Notte has well known the power of finding a life mate. He s seen enough of his Argeneau relatives taken down for the count, but he never imagined he d let himself fall in love until he meets the enthralling, charmingly skittish, and oh-so-mortal Carolyn. But how will he reveal what he is and still convince this once-bitten mortal to trust him with her heart, and her, forever?"
Easy enough, but then Carolyn meets the charming Marguerite Argeneau, who is infamous among her family for her matchmaking prowess.
Christian Notte has well known the power of finding a life mate. He s seen enough of his Argeneau relatives taken down for the count, but he never imagined he d let himself fall in love until he meets the enthralling, charmingly skittish, and oh-so-mortal Carolyn. But how will he reveal what he is and still convince this once-bitten mortal to trust him with her heart, and her, forever?"
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First published January 1, 2012
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About the author
Lynsay Sands
124 books12.2k followersLYNSAY SANDS is the nationally bestselling author who is known for her hysterical historicals as well as the popular Argeneau/Rogue Hunter vampire series. With her witty and charming personality, Sands describes books as, “Waking dreams or stories, tales to amuse, entertain and distract us from everyday life.” She’s been writing stories since grade school and considers herself incredibly lucky to be able to make a career out of it. Her hope is that readers can get away from their everyday stress through her stories, and if there are occasional uncontrollable fits of laughter, that’s just a big bonus. Visit her official website at www.lynsaysands.net.
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November 16, 2021
Just a big misunderstanding!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧
Romance: 💙💚🖤💜❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌎🌍🌏🌎🌍
Character development: 😳🤬😏🤓
The heroine: Carolyn - she is in the process of divorcing her husband and is vacationing with her friend Bethany in St. Lucia when Bethany becomes ill. Left to her own devices, she has dinner with a honeymooning couple Marguerite and Julius.
The Hero(s): Christian - son to Marguerite, he is in a band and comes to St. Lucia at the request of his mother who told the resort director that their band could take the place of the scheduled band after they had to cancel out of their gig at the island resort.
The Story: Marguerite saw immediately that Carolyn was the life mate of Christian though Carolyn had low self esteem after her troubled marriage and sees herself as too old for Christian who looks 25 while Carolyn is over 40.
In order to alleviate her fears with regards to Christians age, his cousin Gia talks to Carolyn tells her Christian is gay and that the rest of his family didn’t know so it would help him out if Carolyn could hang out with him and pretend to be his girlfriend. Carolyn had been a beard before while in college to one of her good friends and since her friend Bethany was sick and she had no intention of having a fling of any sort, she thought hanging out with Christian might be fun.
Christian and Carolyn have fun together and start to get to know each other while hanging out. Carolyn starts having very sexy dreams about herself and Christian and acting like they are dating, which included kissing him was starting to wear on her considering the fact that she thought nothing could happen between them since he was gay.
The storyline was quite fun and I really enjoyed it. The book was told in dual POV, though there was only one narrator, Kirby Herborne. I haven’t heard him as a narrator but he was very good. I usually like dual narration, but I didn’t mind this guy. He had a good woman’s voice which didn’t sound too fake and a good male voice as well.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧
Romance: 💙💚🖤💜❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌎🌍🌏🌎🌍
Character development: 😳🤬😏🤓
The heroine: Carolyn - she is in the process of divorcing her husband and is vacationing with her friend Bethany in St. Lucia when Bethany becomes ill. Left to her own devices, she has dinner with a honeymooning couple Marguerite and Julius.
The Hero(s): Christian - son to Marguerite, he is in a band and comes to St. Lucia at the request of his mother who told the resort director that their band could take the place of the scheduled band after they had to cancel out of their gig at the island resort.
The Story: Marguerite saw immediately that Carolyn was the life mate of Christian though Carolyn had low self esteem after her troubled marriage and sees herself as too old for Christian who looks 25 while Carolyn is over 40.
In order to alleviate her fears with regards to Christians age, his cousin Gia talks to Carolyn tells her Christian is gay and that the rest of his family didn’t know so it would help him out if Carolyn could hang out with him and pretend to be his girlfriend. Carolyn had been a beard before while in college to one of her good friends and since her friend Bethany was sick and she had no intention of having a fling of any sort, she thought hanging out with Christian might be fun.
Christian and Carolyn have fun together and start to get to know each other while hanging out. Carolyn starts having very sexy dreams about herself and Christian and acting like they are dating, which included kissing him was starting to wear on her considering the fact that she thought nothing could happen between them since he was gay.
The storyline was quite fun and I really enjoyed it. The book was told in dual POV, though there was only one narrator, Kirby Herborne. I haven’t heard him as a narrator but he was very good. I usually like dual narration, but I didn’t mind this guy. He had a good woman’s voice which didn’t sound too fake and a good male voice as well.
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July 8, 2017
I thought it was fun. It's a perfect vacation read while you are laying on the beach because they are laying on the beach a lot. And what can be better than reading about someone doing the exact same thing as you, but doing it while richer, prettier, and more exciting than you? It's kind of like this:
Your plans of being a great cake artist? Let it go, dude. Just let it go.
In this book we have Christian, a vampire that we met in Marguerite's book and who is awesome. He finds his life-mate, Carolyn, while he and his family are at a resort in Saint Lucia. Carolyn is in her 40's, so she feels like a perv for lusting after the guy who looks in his 20's and is slightly reluctant to be around him. I get that, Carolyn. This is why I read vampire and other PNR's - so I can have book boyfriends who are centuries old. You know, almost my age. It makes me feel less cougary.
This was posted at my last birthday party location. Very funny, jerks!
Lucky for Christian, his family is willing to "help" him win her. By telling her that he is gay. Yep, that helps. Nothing like having the woman you are lusting after thinking that you are competing with her over guys. Carolyn is happy to be Christian's beard, and so begins the zaniness. Because, if television and movies have taught us anything, pretending to be gay is hilarious.
Okay, maybe not so hilarious.
Luckily, the gay thing wasn't OTT because Christian wasn't happy to be lying to her. He never does anything that would be offensive to gay people or "play it up"-type of stuff. But, it does carry on a little longer than I would wish for. By the time he finally tells her, I was ready to scream. Not really, but you know - maybe mutter or something. And then, the ending is left very very unresolved. I mean, they are together, but there are a lot of other things that are up in the air. There was a serious case of missing-epilogue going on. Maybe where a certain ex-husband gets killed by vampires....
Your plans of being a great cake artist? Let it go, dude. Just let it go.
In this book we have Christian, a vampire that we met in Marguerite's book and who is awesome. He finds his life-mate, Carolyn, while he and his family are at a resort in Saint Lucia. Carolyn is in her 40's, so she feels like a perv for lusting after the guy who looks in his 20's and is slightly reluctant to be around him. I get that, Carolyn. This is why I read vampire and other PNR's - so I can have book boyfriends who are centuries old. You know, almost my age. It makes me feel less cougary.
This was posted at my last birthday party location. Very funny, jerks!
Lucky for Christian, his family is willing to "help" him win her. By telling her that he is gay. Yep, that helps. Nothing like having the woman you are lusting after thinking that you are competing with her over guys. Carolyn is happy to be Christian's beard, and so begins the zaniness. Because, if television and movies have taught us anything, pretending to be gay is hilarious.
Okay, maybe not so hilarious.
Luckily, the gay thing wasn't OTT because Christian wasn't happy to be lying to her. He never does anything that would be offensive to gay people or "play it up"-type of stuff. But, it does carry on a little longer than I would wish for. By the time he finally tells her, I was ready to scream. Not really, but you know - maybe mutter or something. And then, the ending is left very very unresolved. I mean, they are together, but there are a lot of other things that are up in the air. There was a serious case of missing-epilogue going on. Maybe where a certain ex-husband gets killed by vampires....
dnf
December 3, 2015I find this book offensive. First you make a 42 year old woman "old" and wrinkly and obsessed with being too old to be seen with a man who looks to be in his mid to late 20s. She has been through a horrible marriage where she was lied to for years. So what do you do? Let's lie to her about the Hero being gay and needing a Beard so his family will lay off him finding a woman. And convincing her to hang out with him as said Beard with him "acting" gay. And this goes on the ENTIRE book. Great foundation for a relationship. Awesome. Thanks Ms. Sands for insulting more than half the population.
January 31, 2023
This installment, sixteenth in the long-lived Argeneau series, seems to follow on the events of book #9, Vampire, Interrupted, in which Marguerite Argeneau was reunited with her life-mate Julius Notte after five centuries apart. Now the newly (re-?)married couple are honeymooning on St. Lucia, one of the Caribbean Windward Islands, where by happy accident Marguerite meets Carolyn Connor and knows she is the life mate for Julius and Marguerite's son Christian Notte (see book #9 for that story). Marguerite senses such things, almost in each Argeneau novel it seems. Now how can this inveterate match-maker get Carolyn and Christian together?
Christian and his cousins Santo, Raffaele, Zanipolo, and Giacinta have formed a rock band, and Carolyn mentions off-handedly to Marguerite that her friend Genie, who runs the resort where they're all vacationing, is looking frantically for a replacement band, so Marguerite volunteers Christian's group and Julius (father and uncle to the band, remember) orders them to get to St. Lucia pronto to play the gig. And they do.
Once they're on St. Lucia, they verify that Carolyn really is Christian's life mate (because he can't read her mind but they can), and Gia collaborates with Marguerite to get them together somehow. A fair amount of situation comedy is sprinkled throughout the story that follows, but there are also long stretches of prose that describe every day activities in detail, sexual encounters in detail, and Carolyn's inner feelings in detail. Yes, my inner editor could have done with much less detail--make the point, dear author, and move on...I'd have cut about 100 of my edition's 350 pages.
Even though this book would have been much more fun to read in that case, I was also bothered by a plot device that was used in #14, Hungry for You, and made the backbone of more than half of the story line here: to get the immortal's life mate to spend any time with him, tell her a whopper of a lie about the immortal. In #14 the heroine needed a skilled chef asap, the match-making friend told her Cale (the immortal) was one, and persuaded Cale to go along with it. An even more distressing (to me) hoax is perpetrated on poor Carolyn.
The hoax doesn't appear till page 50 in my edition and it isn't even hinted at in the publisher's blurb (repeated at the top of this page), so it probably needs one of those spoiler tags that I try to avoid: Open this spoiler tag at your own risk, but I think it would have made the book more enjoyable, not less so, if it had been signaled in the blurb.
I agree that this ruse does indeed set up much of the humor I'd hoped for in an Argeneau adventure, and Christian's distress at going along with the lie was admirable. Also, there was a big twist at the end that cleared up some puzzling story elements (could I have seen it coming? probably not). So all that, plus my usual half star for the nanos that make the immortals so much nicer than vampires, keeps my rating at three stars for "I liked it."
Christian and his cousins Santo, Raffaele, Zanipolo, and Giacinta have formed a rock band, and Carolyn mentions off-handedly to Marguerite that her friend Genie, who runs the resort where they're all vacationing, is looking frantically for a replacement band, so Marguerite volunteers Christian's group and Julius (father and uncle to the band, remember) orders them to get to St. Lucia pronto to play the gig. And they do.
Once they're on St. Lucia, they verify that Carolyn really is Christian's life mate (because he can't read her mind but they can), and Gia collaborates with Marguerite to get them together somehow. A fair amount of situation comedy is sprinkled throughout the story that follows, but there are also long stretches of prose that describe every day activities in detail, sexual encounters in detail, and Carolyn's inner feelings in detail. Yes, my inner editor could have done with much less detail--make the point, dear author, and move on...I'd have cut about 100 of my edition's 350 pages.
Even though this book would have been much more fun to read in that case, I was also bothered by a plot device that was used in #14, Hungry for You, and made the backbone of more than half of the story line here: to get the immortal's life mate to spend any time with him, tell her a whopper of a lie about the immortal. In #14 the heroine needed a skilled chef asap, the match-making friend told her Cale (the immortal) was one, and persuaded Cale to go along with it. An even more distressing (to me) hoax is perpetrated on poor Carolyn.
The hoax doesn't appear till page 50 in my edition and it isn't even hinted at in the publisher's blurb (repeated at the top of this page), so it probably needs one of those spoiler tags that I try to avoid: Open this spoiler tag at your own risk, but I think it would have made the book more enjoyable, not less so, if it had been signaled in the blurb.
I agree that this ruse does indeed set up much of the humor I'd hoped for in an Argeneau adventure, and Christian's distress at going along with the lie was admirable. Also, there was a big twist at the end that cleared up some puzzling story elements (could I have seen it coming? probably not). So all that, plus my usual half star for the nanos that make the immortals so much nicer than vampires, keeps my rating at three stars for "I liked it."
May 10, 2012
2.5 STARS
I'm not sure why so many rated this book with such high ratings... For me, this book was a fast, funny and entertaining read but nothing I'll remember tomorrow. I usually enjoy a light read every now and then, but this one was maybe a bit too shallow. I was extremely mad at how the idea I had from all the previous books about the Hero was completely disfigured. Christian Notte was a character that had absolutely intrigued me since he first appeared. I used to think he was so interesting, male and alpha. Well, in this book we see him faking being gay to be able to spend some time with his heroine.
I don't know, this kinda ruined everything I liked about him...
I wasn't happy about the older heroine either. I just can't concentrate about what an amazing couple they are if comments like 'everybody is staring at them because she seems like his mother' are constantly being mentioned.
Still, it was a nice read, I don't regret reading it. I think that this author can do much better though because she has done so in the past. I just can't wait for the next time she presently surprises me, in the meantime I'll just keep reading the rest of this funny installments in between.
I'm not sure why so many rated this book with such high ratings... For me, this book was a fast, funny and entertaining read but nothing I'll remember tomorrow. I usually enjoy a light read every now and then, but this one was maybe a bit too shallow. I was extremely mad at how the idea I had from all the previous books about the Hero was completely disfigured. Christian Notte was a character that had absolutely intrigued me since he first appeared. I used to think he was so interesting, male and alpha. Well, in this book we see him faking being gay to be able to spend some time with his heroine.
I don't know, this kinda ruined everything I liked about him...
I wasn't happy about the older heroine either. I just can't concentrate about what an amazing couple they are if comments like 'everybody is staring at them because she seems like his mother' are constantly being mentioned.
Still, it was a nice read, I don't regret reading it. I think that this author can do much better though because she has done so in the past. I just can't wait for the next time she presently surprises me, in the meantime I'll just keep reading the rest of this funny installments in between.
February 28, 2012
Lynsay Sands - Argeneau 16 - Under a Vampire Moon
What kind of mother invites her son along on her honeymoon? One who has discovered the perfect lifemate for him. Marguerite Argeneau is the bride honeymooning in the Caribbean with her new (or new again) husband, Julius Notte. Famous among her extended family as a matchmaker extraordinaire, she casually meets Carolyn. After a quick stroll through her head Marguerite feels she will be perfect for Christian, her and Julius' 500 year old son. (The whys and wherefores for that are covered in another book: Vampire, Interrupted. No, you don't have to have read it before this one, but you will probably want to after this one.) So she arranges for Christian and his cousins to bring their band to the island to perform - and not so incidentally meet the lovely Carolyn.
Christian is thrilled with Carolyn but Carolyn? not so much. She has issues, BIG issues, especially with a 42 year old almost-divorced woman getting obsessed with a hot stud boy toy in his 20s. So cousin Gia has the brilliant idea to tell Carolyn that Christian is gay - but in the closet - and would really appreciate her being his 'pretend' girlfriend while they are on the island. Much merriment and frustration ensue...
It's a great book in the style of the earliest ones of this series. It's light and funny and we feel for poor Christian whose love life is being interfered with by both his parents and his cousins. His attempts - and failures - to keep his desire in check definitely raise the sexual temperature! Carolyn's behavior seems to be a little odd - until the end of the book when the machinations of her soon-to-be-ex are revealed.
So, witty dialog, nefarious (and not so nefarious) plots, lovely setting and hot romance - what's not to love? I'll be buying the ebook when it's out for my Kindle...
Argeneau Vampires by Lynsay Sands
#1 A Quick Bite
#2 Love Bites
#3 Single White Vampire
#4 Tall, Dark & Hungry
#5 A Bite to Remember
#6 Bite Me If You Can
#7 The Accidental Vampire
#8 Vampires Are Forever
#9 Vampire, Interrupted
#10 The Rogue Hunter
#11 The Immortal Hunter
#12 The Renegade Hunter
#12.5 Bitten By Cupid
#13 Born To Bite
#14 Hungry For You
#15 The Reluctant Vampire
#15.5 "The Gift" in The Bite Before Christmas
#16 Under a Vampire Moon
#17 The Lady Is a Vamp
What kind of mother invites her son along on her honeymoon? One who has discovered the perfect lifemate for him. Marguerite Argeneau is the bride honeymooning in the Caribbean with her new (or new again) husband, Julius Notte. Famous among her extended family as a matchmaker extraordinaire, she casually meets Carolyn. After a quick stroll through her head Marguerite feels she will be perfect for Christian, her and Julius' 500 year old son. (The whys and wherefores for that are covered in another book: Vampire, Interrupted. No, you don't have to have read it before this one, but you will probably want to after this one.) So she arranges for Christian and his cousins to bring their band to the island to perform - and not so incidentally meet the lovely Carolyn.
Christian is thrilled with Carolyn but Carolyn? not so much. She has issues, BIG issues, especially with a 42 year old almost-divorced woman getting obsessed with a hot stud boy toy in his 20s. So cousin Gia has the brilliant idea to tell Carolyn that Christian is gay - but in the closet - and would really appreciate her being his 'pretend' girlfriend while they are on the island. Much merriment and frustration ensue...
It's a great book in the style of the earliest ones of this series. It's light and funny and we feel for poor Christian whose love life is being interfered with by both his parents and his cousins. His attempts - and failures - to keep his desire in check definitely raise the sexual temperature! Carolyn's behavior seems to be a little odd - until the end of the book when the machinations of her soon-to-be-ex are revealed.
So, witty dialog, nefarious (and not so nefarious) plots, lovely setting and hot romance - what's not to love? I'll be buying the ebook when it's out for my Kindle...
Argeneau Vampires by Lynsay Sands
#1 A Quick Bite
#2 Love Bites
#3 Single White Vampire
#4 Tall, Dark & Hungry
#5 A Bite to Remember
#6 Bite Me If You Can
#7 The Accidental Vampire
#8 Vampires Are Forever
#9 Vampire, Interrupted
#10 The Rogue Hunter
#11 The Immortal Hunter
#12 The Renegade Hunter
#12.5 Bitten By Cupid
#13 Born To Bite
#14 Hungry For You
#15 The Reluctant Vampire
#15.5 "The Gift" in The Bite Before Christmas
#16 Under a Vampire Moon
#17 The Lady Is a Vamp
October 20, 2017
Carolyn is getting over a bad marriage with a trip to St. Lucia with her friend, Beth. Unfortunately Beth falls ill and Carolyn is on her own. At least until she meets Marguerite who knows she is a mate for her son, so she gets his band booked so they can meet.
But Carolyn has been mentally beaten down by her ex and she might admire Christian, but thinks he is way too young for her. His cousin decides his best chance to get to know Carolyn is to pretend to be gay and have Carolyn be his "beard" for his family.
It was a cute story. I really liked the band and wish they had a bigger role. The whole idea of fated mates is getting old, but it was nice they had to get to know each first this time.
But Carolyn has been mentally beaten down by her ex and she might admire Christian, but thinks he is way too young for her. His cousin decides his best chance to get to know Carolyn is to pretend to be gay and have Carolyn be his "beard" for his family.
It was a cute story. I really liked the band and wish they had a bigger role. The whole idea of fated mates is getting old, but it was nice they had to get to know each first this time.
April 25, 2012
Review posted: Happily Ever After - Reads
Blog Rating: 2.5/5
Carolyn is on vacation with her girlfriends to help herself recover from dealing with a bad marriage and a divorce that’s almost finalized. Her soon to be ex-husband was emotionally abusive and a schemer who only married her for her large inheritance. Carolyn’s self-confidence took a hit and she sees herself as a forty-something year old woman with a few too many wrinkles, a little extra weight and not at all desirable. Enter the Argeneau-Notte family, specifically match making Marguerite who recognizes right away that Carolyn is her son, Christian’s life mate. She works her magic and gets Christian and his band to the vacation resort and sets up a meeting between the two.
Carolyn absolutely does NOT want to be attracted to Christian, a man who looks to be in his mid-twenties. The age difference is too much for her, and although she wants to loosen up and have a vacation fling, she doesn’t want to be seen as a cougar and give in to the attraction between them. Gia, Christian’s cousin, comes up with a plan to get these two people to spend time together without the pressure of sex or a real relationship being put on the table – Gia tells Carolyn that Christian is gay and would she mind being his pretend girlfriend, since no one in his family, aside from her, knows. Carolyn agrees and their fake relationship puts them together through much of the book.
I had a really hard time liking the relationship between Carolyn and Christian based on lies from the start. Carolyn was just coming out of a marriage based completely on lies and for her life mate and his family to think that this was the best way to ease her into getting to know Christian, just didn’t sit well. Once the big reveal about Christian being an immortal finally came out, Carolyn’s reaction had me scratching my head. She initially seems scared and shocked with she walks in on the family with bags of blood attached to their fangs, but a few pages later after Christian starts talking to her about it, she’s immediately fine with everything. Easy as that. For as much build up as there was during the whole story about Carolyn not knowing who Christian really was, it was resolved very quickly and way too easily.
I did enjoy the supporting characters, which included a good amount of page time for Marguerite and Julius and Christian’s cousins in the band. They provided some laughs throughout with their good natured banter, especially when it came to trying to keep up the ruse they had going about Christian and his pretend sexual preference. Seeing the amount of page time the supporting characters received, I have to believe that Christian also received such a build-up in prior books. I came at this story as a stand-alone since I have not stayed current with this series and all 16 books. I thought it read well enough as a stand-alone, but I do wonder what fans of the series who have kept caught up will think about Christian and his story. Perhaps if I had the added layer of his history, I might have found myself more invested in the story, but as it was, it was hard to enjoy a relationship that was only “pretend” for most of the book. This was an ok read for me, parts were enjoyable, but overall I was underwhelmed with the relationship.
Blog Rating: 2.5/5
Carolyn is on vacation with her girlfriends to help herself recover from dealing with a bad marriage and a divorce that’s almost finalized. Her soon to be ex-husband was emotionally abusive and a schemer who only married her for her large inheritance. Carolyn’s self-confidence took a hit and she sees herself as a forty-something year old woman with a few too many wrinkles, a little extra weight and not at all desirable. Enter the Argeneau-Notte family, specifically match making Marguerite who recognizes right away that Carolyn is her son, Christian’s life mate. She works her magic and gets Christian and his band to the vacation resort and sets up a meeting between the two.
Carolyn absolutely does NOT want to be attracted to Christian, a man who looks to be in his mid-twenties. The age difference is too much for her, and although she wants to loosen up and have a vacation fling, she doesn’t want to be seen as a cougar and give in to the attraction between them. Gia, Christian’s cousin, comes up with a plan to get these two people to spend time together without the pressure of sex or a real relationship being put on the table – Gia tells Carolyn that Christian is gay and would she mind being his pretend girlfriend, since no one in his family, aside from her, knows. Carolyn agrees and their fake relationship puts them together through much of the book.
I had a really hard time liking the relationship between Carolyn and Christian based on lies from the start. Carolyn was just coming out of a marriage based completely on lies and for her life mate and his family to think that this was the best way to ease her into getting to know Christian, just didn’t sit well. Once the big reveal about Christian being an immortal finally came out, Carolyn’s reaction had me scratching my head. She initially seems scared and shocked with she walks in on the family with bags of blood attached to their fangs, but a few pages later after Christian starts talking to her about it, she’s immediately fine with everything. Easy as that. For as much build up as there was during the whole story about Carolyn not knowing who Christian really was, it was resolved very quickly and way too easily.
I did enjoy the supporting characters, which included a good amount of page time for Marguerite and Julius and Christian’s cousins in the band. They provided some laughs throughout with their good natured banter, especially when it came to trying to keep up the ruse they had going about Christian and his pretend sexual preference. Seeing the amount of page time the supporting characters received, I have to believe that Christian also received such a build-up in prior books. I came at this story as a stand-alone since I have not stayed current with this series and all 16 books. I thought it read well enough as a stand-alone, but I do wonder what fans of the series who have kept caught up will think about Christian and his story. Perhaps if I had the added layer of his history, I might have found myself more invested in the story, but as it was, it was hard to enjoy a relationship that was only “pretend” for most of the book. This was an ok read for me, parts were enjoyable, but overall I was underwhelmed with the relationship.
April 30, 2012
Disappointing :(
Carolyn is finally ready to move on after being in a bitter battle with her soon to be ex-husband for over two years Carolyn is finally ready to let lose with her friends in Island of St. Lucia.
But when she gets there is seems to depress her even more,because around every corner there is a newly wed couple or a couple in love and all Carolyn wants to do now is get drunk with her friends. But as it happens Carolyn can't even get drunk with her friends because one is sick and the other one is busy trying to book a band. Thats when she meets Margaret and Julius a happy couple who just happens to know a band who would love to play at the resort. When they arrive Christian is surprised to see that Carolyn is his life-mate but it won't be easy for him to convince her to give him a chance, since Christian looks around 25 and Carolyn is 40 and she refuses to fall for someone who looks younger than her, so now Christian has to convince her to give him a chance or he might just lose his life- mate.
I'm a huge fan of the Argeneau series, the books are all fun and quirky and make for a fun quick read but this book was just so off I almost didn't finish it. First of all I was so mad at the end of the book because I've been waiting for Christians book ever since I found out he was Margaret and Julians son. The book also sucked because Christian and Carolyn had no chemistry and the book was sooo... plotless there was no paranormal aspect to the book I think they mention the nano's and Christian being a vampire once or twice but it was by far not a big part of the book and the ending was so blah... It left me wondering what's going to happen between Christian and Carolyn and when is she going to turn into a vampire? What are they planning to do with Carolyn ex-husband? Where are they going to live? There was a bunch of unanswered questions that I just plain hate this book and wish I would have skipped it. By far worst book in series and if your a fan of the series I advice you to skip this book.
Carolyn is finally ready to move on after being in a bitter battle with her soon to be ex-husband for over two years Carolyn is finally ready to let lose with her friends in Island of St. Lucia.
But when she gets there is seems to depress her even more,because around every corner there is a newly wed couple or a couple in love and all Carolyn wants to do now is get drunk with her friends. But as it happens Carolyn can't even get drunk with her friends because one is sick and the other one is busy trying to book a band. Thats when she meets Margaret and Julius a happy couple who just happens to know a band who would love to play at the resort. When they arrive Christian is surprised to see that Carolyn is his life-mate but it won't be easy for him to convince her to give him a chance, since Christian looks around 25 and Carolyn is 40 and she refuses to fall for someone who looks younger than her, so now Christian has to convince her to give him a chance or he might just lose his life- mate.
I'm a huge fan of the Argeneau series, the books are all fun and quirky and make for a fun quick read but this book was just so off I almost didn't finish it. First of all I was so mad at the end of the book because I've been waiting for Christians book ever since I found out he was Margaret and Julians son. The book also sucked because Christian and Carolyn had no chemistry and the book was sooo... plotless there was no paranormal aspect to the book I think they mention the nano's and Christian being a vampire once or twice but it was by far not a big part of the book and the ending was so blah... It left me wondering what's going to happen between Christian and Carolyn and when is she going to turn into a vampire? What are they planning to do with Carolyn ex-husband? Where are they going to live? There was a bunch of unanswered questions that I just plain hate this book and wish I would have skipped it. By far worst book in series and if your a fan of the series I advice you to skip this book.
February 20, 2016
The whole "I'm gay so you're safe with me" schtick is boring and trite. I found the heroes mother and father to be very overbearing and obnoxious. Heck Christian is 500 years old, I think he's figured out the whole dating thing and doesn't need mommy and daddy to hold his hand. Luckily I really liked Christian and even Carolyn or it would have been a complete flop.
October 18, 2017
That ending sucked. I felt like it ending in the middle of a sentence. It kind of felt like a slap to the face. It’s like the author just got bored with writing or ran out of time for a deadline and was like fuck it. I am honestly so upset about the ending because I actually liked the book. I liked the characters. But now I’m just like fuck it. 3 stars when you could have been 4 or 5.
June 1, 2012
There was a really weird disconnect in this one for me. I was really looking forward to Christian's story. And I still love the characters and the warmth in this family. I liked the new cousins that were introduced well enough. But the plot was 1) offensive. Sure, people choose to have beards because of horrible family situations, but it's not a subject for a romantic comedy, certainly not in 2012, we've come too far to make light this topic. And 2) the plot was really inconsistent with the characters that the author created. Carolyn was abused and lied to in her marriage, isolated and unloved for years. And the vampires who came up with the idea can read her mind, so why would they think that she's going to just forgive being systematically lied to like this? Tthey aren't that dumb. I know, because it's the only way that Christian can get close to her without her running from him because he looks so young, yada yada. Except the author wrote that insecurity about being older and determination not to date a younger man into the character. I appreciate having a story about a 40-something woman, don't get me wrong. And her being concerned about the guy looking so young might be an issue to a real woman, I can relate, sure. But this whole plot was written in such a way that it made me constantly uncomfortable for Carolyn about being lied to, or made Carolyn just look really stupid for buying into the gay story. And it made the Argeneaus seem bumbling at best and callus at worst. So just saying that he had to do it to get her to give him a chance doesn't work for me, I just couldn't buy into the author's basic plot premise for this book.
And then toward the end it got even more frustrating because the whole story suddenly wrapped up in one really odd scene. Suddenly she came into her sexuality and confidence, then of all times? It was so bizarre. Just like that, voilà, happy ending.
This is just one of those cases where it's really just time for the series to get wrapped up already. As much as I like this family, every possible premise has been explored already. The author expanded the possibilities by creating the enforcers and the secondary, slightly more serious branch of the series focused on them, but I'd really like to see her do something new and fresh at this point. Maybe it would give her a chance to get back to her really funny, witty characters because it wouldn't be the same thing over and over again.
And then toward the end it got even more frustrating because the whole story suddenly wrapped up in one really odd scene. Suddenly she came into her sexuality and confidence, then of all times? It was so bizarre. Just like that, voilà, happy ending.
This is just one of those cases where it's really just time for the series to get wrapped up already. As much as I like this family, every possible premise has been explored already. The author expanded the possibilities by creating the enforcers and the secondary, slightly more serious branch of the series focused on them, but I'd really like to see her do something new and fresh at this point. Maybe it would give her a chance to get back to her really funny, witty characters because it wouldn't be the same thing over and over again.
March 6, 2012
Maybe it just wasn't for me...
In need of a get-away as her messy and unhappy marriage nears the final stage of the divorce, Carolyn Connor finds herself in St. Lucia. With her traveling companion down with a stomach flu Carolyn has a tough time enjoying herself alone while surrounded by honeymooning couples. Having a chance meeting with Marguerite Argeneau, a matchmaker of epic proportions, Carolyn becomes the target of her latest life-mate finding scheme.
Called to St. Lucia by his mother, Christian Notte, is surprised to find that his life-mate is terrified of him. Not of him per se, but of the perceived age difference between them. If he's going to woo her he first has to find a way to spend time with her without scaring her off. If she cannot accept the age difference she thinks is between them, how could she ever accept that he's actually very much her senior?
I have to giggle because it was on the recommendation of one of my guy cousins—thank goodness I have several so his secret is safe lol—that I decided to give this book a try. He insisted this was a great series so when I had a chance to try this I figured I should pick it up. Alas, the plot left much to be desired. The hero (with the help of his mother, father, and cousins) pretends to be closeted gay and asks her to help him fool his family by pretending to be his love interest during their vacation. Why? Because she's a nitwit with some serious issues and he looks 25 while she's in her early 40's. Seriously? Yeah, seriously.
Maybe if I'd liked Christian or Carolyn I might have been able to suck it up and enjoy it to a point. But the whole thing just irritated me. His personality is flatter than printer paper. Hers is a little more fleshed-out but her hang-ups seemed really silly for someone her age in this era. The whole life-mate thing kind of ruined it for me too. I'm not a huge fan of destined mates as it is but Christian knew he was coming to St. Lucia to meet his life-mate so it begs the question of whether they would have liked one another without the whole 'destiny' thing. I did like Gia and the other Notte cousins as well as Captain Jack who played a minor 'conflict' role in the story but overall I just didn't care for much about this book.
In the end I skimmed most of the last third of the book hoping something would change my mind. I didn't want to not finish it since it was a recommended read for me but if it hadn't been a review copy I'd have put this in my DNF pile. I think this might be one of those books people love because they know the secondary characters well rather than because it's hilarious (it really wasn't) or greatly steamy (it was alright but I've read better) or just a great plot (ugh seriously!?!).
**ARC received via Amazon Vine.
In need of a get-away as her messy and unhappy marriage nears the final stage of the divorce, Carolyn Connor finds herself in St. Lucia. With her traveling companion down with a stomach flu Carolyn has a tough time enjoying herself alone while surrounded by honeymooning couples. Having a chance meeting with Marguerite Argeneau, a matchmaker of epic proportions, Carolyn becomes the target of her latest life-mate finding scheme.
Called to St. Lucia by his mother, Christian Notte, is surprised to find that his life-mate is terrified of him. Not of him per se, but of the perceived age difference between them. If he's going to woo her he first has to find a way to spend time with her without scaring her off. If she cannot accept the age difference she thinks is between them, how could she ever accept that he's actually very much her senior?
I have to giggle because it was on the recommendation of one of my guy cousins—thank goodness I have several so his secret is safe lol—that I decided to give this book a try. He insisted this was a great series so when I had a chance to try this I figured I should pick it up. Alas, the plot left much to be desired. The hero (with the help of his mother, father, and cousins) pretends to be closeted gay and asks her to help him fool his family by pretending to be his love interest during their vacation. Why? Because she's a nitwit with some serious issues and he looks 25 while she's in her early 40's. Seriously? Yeah, seriously.
Maybe if I'd liked Christian or Carolyn I might have been able to suck it up and enjoy it to a point. But the whole thing just irritated me. His personality is flatter than printer paper. Hers is a little more fleshed-out but her hang-ups seemed really silly for someone her age in this era. The whole life-mate thing kind of ruined it for me too. I'm not a huge fan of destined mates as it is but Christian knew he was coming to St. Lucia to meet his life-mate so it begs the question of whether they would have liked one another without the whole 'destiny' thing. I did like Gia and the other Notte cousins as well as Captain Jack who played a minor 'conflict' role in the story but overall I just didn't care for much about this book.
In the end I skimmed most of the last third of the book hoping something would change my mind. I didn't want to not finish it since it was a recommended read for me but if it hadn't been a review copy I'd have put this in my DNF pile. I think this might be one of those books people love because they know the secondary characters well rather than because it's hilarious (it really wasn't) or greatly steamy (it was alright but I've read better) or just a great plot (ugh seriously!?!).
**ARC received via Amazon Vine.
April 8, 2012
This is the book that Argeneau fans have been dying for! The author finally gives the fans the happily ever after for Christian Notte. Christian is the son of Marguerite and Julius. When the married couple are on their honeymoon in St. Lucia, they run into Carolyn who is out celebrating her soon to be divorce. Marguerite instantly knows that Carolyn is the perfect mate for Christian since she has an knack for matching up immortals with life mates. Julius calls Christian and his cousins out to St. Lucia to perform as a substitute band at the villa they are staying at.
Carolyn finds Christian attractive, but she is hesitant on dating him due to the fact that he looks to be in his mid-twenties while she is in her forties. She does not want to look like a cougar to everyone. What Carolyn doesn't know is Christian is older than he appears since he is an Immortal. To ease Carolyn's fear of dating an older man -- and to get her comfortable around Christian -- his family comes up with the idea of pretending he is gay and have Carolyn pose as 'beard'. Carolyn thinks Christian needs her to pretend to be his girlfriend to keep his family on the down low of being gay.
While I am huge fan of Lynsay Sands, I have to say I was a little disappointed in this book. Yes, the humor and fun is still part of the story, but I expected so much more for Christian and his life mate. I wanted action and drama so I could be swept away in the romance. Unfortunately, the romance fell flat for me and I never could bring myself to enjoy Carolyn's character. While the family dynamics were humorous and fun to read about with the cover-ups and last minute ploys, I just didn't feel that the author gave it her all with Christian's story. Plus the ending was so rushed when Carolyn found out the truth that it felt as though the author did a rush job on it to get it finished.
While I agree with recommending this book if you are a die hard fan as I am, don't expect it to blow you away and be a favorite of the series. Expect laughter, some romance thrown in, and an odd cast of characters. Not bad, but definitely not my favorite of the series.
Carolyn finds Christian attractive, but she is hesitant on dating him due to the fact that he looks to be in his mid-twenties while she is in her forties. She does not want to look like a cougar to everyone. What Carolyn doesn't know is Christian is older than he appears since he is an Immortal. To ease Carolyn's fear of dating an older man -- and to get her comfortable around Christian -- his family comes up with the idea of pretending he is gay and have Carolyn pose as 'beard'. Carolyn thinks Christian needs her to pretend to be his girlfriend to keep his family on the down low of being gay.
While I am huge fan of Lynsay Sands, I have to say I was a little disappointed in this book. Yes, the humor and fun is still part of the story, but I expected so much more for Christian and his life mate. I wanted action and drama so I could be swept away in the romance. Unfortunately, the romance fell flat for me and I never could bring myself to enjoy Carolyn's character. While the family dynamics were humorous and fun to read about with the cover-ups and last minute ploys, I just didn't feel that the author gave it her all with Christian's story. Plus the ending was so rushed when Carolyn found out the truth that it felt as though the author did a rush job on it to get it finished.
While I agree with recommending this book if you are a die hard fan as I am, don't expect it to blow you away and be a favorite of the series. Expect laughter, some romance thrown in, and an odd cast of characters. Not bad, but definitely not my favorite of the series.
April 28, 2012
I discovered Lynsey Sands and her wonderful Argeneaus after about the tenth book in the series was out. I gobbled them all down one after the other and loved them. I do remember thinking they were getting a bit repetitive, but I simply loved this quirky family and the humor that Ms. Sands incorporates into her writing. Now that I read them as they come out, it's like revisiting great friends and catching up with their lives.
Under the Vampire Moon has the lovely matchmaker Marguerite, her husband Julius Notte, and four Notte cousins all trying to help Christian Notte win his life mate Caroline. The help is dubious at best, as Caroline is informed that Christian is gay in order to help her relax and get to know him. Caroline is a soon to be divorcee who is twenty years or so older than the age Christian looks to be. Keeping this charade going while Christian tries to win the skittish Caroline becomes a slapstick comedy of misunderstandings, close calls, and even pratfalls. It was very funny, very sweet, and quite sexy as well.
I would like to have had more of an ending, Unfortunately the book ended prior to those events. It is well implied what will be happening after the end of the book, but I would have liked things more spelled out.
I really enjoyed the book and look forward to my next visit with the Argeneau/Notte clan.
Under the Vampire Moon has the lovely matchmaker Marguerite, her husband Julius Notte, and four Notte cousins all trying to help Christian Notte win his life mate Caroline. The help is dubious at best, as Caroline is informed that Christian is gay in order to help her relax and get to know him. Caroline is a soon to be divorcee who is twenty years or so older than the age Christian looks to be. Keeping this charade going while Christian tries to win the skittish Caroline becomes a slapstick comedy of misunderstandings, close calls, and even pratfalls. It was very funny, very sweet, and quite sexy as well.
I would like to have had more of an ending, Unfortunately the book ended prior to those events. It is well implied what will be happening after the end of the book, but I would have liked things more spelled out.
I really enjoyed the book and look forward to my next visit with the Argeneau/Notte clan.
March 29, 2021
3.5 Stars
This series is generally just ok for me with select books being more entertaining. This one falls into the ok, decent, but not great category. I know going in with these books you're going to be getting insta-love, so I try to ignore that part of things. But there is a selection of these stories that become a little too repetitive of a plot for me, especially now that I'm on book 16 in the series. When there's more to the plot than boy meets girl and falls in love, I like these books more. But when it falls back on a more traditional MF romance with just the "oops forgot to mention I'm also an immortal (vampire though we don't use that word cause we're from Atlantis and like nanos)" plot device I'm left a little more bored.
Now that being said I did like Christian and his care of Carolyn. He's determined to suffer through the stupid scenario his families provided to explain a way for him to hang out with Carolyn and not scare her off before she gets to know him. It was a stupid plot device, but the two were cute as they tried to pretend they weren't actually interested in each other. And I did enjoy Julian and Marguerite's interactions with their son here too. Julian was enjoying tormenting Christian as he stumbled his way through wooing his lifemate and Marguerite's joy in finally getting to be there for her son was sweet.
Finally the other downside was how rushed the ending of this story felt. It was kind of a oops I've used up all these pages and need to wrap it all up quick in like 5 total pages. Though Carolyn's reaction to getting all the information finally was actually kinda fun. :) I'll keep on with the series because I know these are going to be light quick reads that I'll enjoy but I don't expect any great heart wrenching story out of it all.
This series is generally just ok for me with select books being more entertaining. This one falls into the ok, decent, but not great category. I know going in with these books you're going to be getting insta-love, so I try to ignore that part of things. But there is a selection of these stories that become a little too repetitive of a plot for me, especially now that I'm on book 16 in the series. When there's more to the plot than boy meets girl and falls in love, I like these books more. But when it falls back on a more traditional MF romance with just the "oops forgot to mention I'm also an immortal (vampire though we don't use that word cause we're from Atlantis and like nanos)" plot device I'm left a little more bored.
Now that being said I did like Christian and his care of Carolyn. He's determined to suffer through the stupid scenario his families provided to explain a way for him to hang out with Carolyn and not scare her off before she gets to know him. It was a stupid plot device, but the two were cute as they tried to pretend they weren't actually interested in each other. And I did enjoy Julian and Marguerite's interactions with their son here too. Julian was enjoying tormenting Christian as he stumbled his way through wooing his lifemate and Marguerite's joy in finally getting to be there for her son was sweet.
Finally the other downside was how rushed the ending of this story felt. It was kind of a oops I've used up all these pages and need to wrap it all up quick in like 5 total pages. Though Carolyn's reaction to getting all the information finally was actually kinda fun. :) I'll keep on with the series because I know these are going to be light quick reads that I'll enjoy but I don't expect any great heart wrenching story out of it all.
April 17, 2017
Read review here on BookExhibitionism.de
I've had issues with Lynsay Sands Argeneau Vampire novels in the past. I thought they were a little too light, that something was always missing and that the fated mates "Trust the Nano"-message was getting old. Not only did it feel too convenient, it also bored me a little.
But I also read almost all of her books one after another. I am not saying that they are the best thing that has happened to the world, but after going a few months without any Argeneau novels, I have to admit that I could really appreciate the light and funny setting and plot much more than before. But maybe I was just in the right place.
Lynsay Sands delivers in this novel what she has always done: A story about two different people falling in love despite their own issues. The heroine of this novel is Carolyn, a 42 yrs old human woman and a little bitter after her divorce. I didn't think she was as bitter as she perceived herself, but she did have issues to work through. The hero is Christian Notte, son of Marguerite and Julius, and vampire. (Of course, I do mean "what she has always done" quite literally, as it gets very hard to keep the couples apart. The stories merge into one big "stuff happened," and that's sorta bad.)
She felt that lusting after him was inappropiate because he, as far as she knew - and we readers know better - is a midtwenty gorgeous guy, and she.. not. So his family has this plan to make it look like he's gay and is if, because of his older brother's a semi-homophobe he wants to pretend that he's heterosexual, asking her to be his fake-girlfriend. They think this is his only chance to be close to her without her feeling like a horrible person. It sounds unreasonable right now, but it actually makes.. no sense. Maybe some. I'm just too lazy to explain all of the details. In any case, she can relate and agrees. And for the record, I do think this book might righteously offend people because it's rather careless and insensitive. (What else is new?)
There are some funny lines and I'm really curious about Christian's cousins now.
For those out there who already know Sands and love her: You'll probably love this one just as much. The ending felt a little abrupt, but I'm pretty sure the whole story will crack you up. There is one of his cousins, and Carolyn thought he was gay. When he hears that he tries way too hard to show her that he isn't. He talks in a super-deep voice, making her think that he has the flu, he thinks about cutting his hair, he emphasizes way too often how much he likes to look at pretty women etc. -- In other words, his heteronormative cisnormative worldview is super offensive, but since he looks like a butt trying to show how "no homo" he is, it's rather amusing. (Mostly in the sense that even straight people will shake their head and mutter "Oh, straight people," but well..) For those looking for a funny guilty pleasure PNR and who are willing to ignore their moral compass: Yep. This one might be for you! Ding-ding-ding!
(Future Self, if you're having a bad day, if you're feeling a little sorry for yourself, if you're in the mood.. The Argeneaus have a way of cheering you up. You get annoyed about stuff and all, but it's still amusing. Even if you feel guilty about it afterwards.)
First Thoughts:
EDIT: Not gonna read more of this series ever since I noticed the rapey-vibes and Sands addressed it in her books by being sort of.. rape-apologist-y.
I've had issues with Lynsay Sands Argeneau Vampire novels in the past. I thought they were a little too light, that something was always missing and that the fated mates "Trust the Nano"-message was getting old. Not only did it feel too convenient, it also bored me a little.
But I also read almost all of her books one after another. I am not saying that they are the best thing that has happened to the world, but after going a few months without any Argeneau novels, I have to admit that I could really appreciate the light and funny setting and plot much more than before. But maybe I was just in the right place.
Lynsay Sands delivers in this novel what she has always done: A story about two different people falling in love despite their own issues. The heroine of this novel is Carolyn, a 42 yrs old human woman and a little bitter after her divorce. I didn't think she was as bitter as she perceived herself, but she did have issues to work through. The hero is Christian Notte, son of Marguerite and Julius, and vampire. (Of course, I do mean "what she has always done" quite literally, as it gets very hard to keep the couples apart. The stories merge into one big "stuff happened," and that's sorta bad.)
She felt that lusting after him was inappropiate because he, as far as she knew - and we readers know better - is a midtwenty gorgeous guy, and she.. not. So his family has this plan to make it look like he's gay and is if, because of his older brother's a semi-homophobe he wants to pretend that he's heterosexual, asking her to be his fake-girlfriend. They think this is his only chance to be close to her without her feeling like a horrible person. It sounds unreasonable right now, but it actually makes.. no sense. Maybe some. I'm just too lazy to explain all of the details. In any case, she can relate and agrees. And for the record, I do think this book might righteously offend people because it's rather careless and insensitive. (What else is new?)
There are some funny lines and I'm really curious about Christian's cousins now.
"Christian was trained in classical violin, but he prefers hard rock," Marguerite said.
For those out there who already know Sands and love her: You'll probably love this one just as much. The ending felt a little abrupt, but I'm pretty sure the whole story will crack you up. There is one of his cousins, and Carolyn thought he was gay. When he hears that he tries way too hard to show her that he isn't. He talks in a super-deep voice, making her think that he has the flu, he thinks about cutting his hair, he emphasizes way too often how much he likes to look at pretty women etc. -- In other words, his heteronormative cisnormative worldview is super offensive, but since he looks like a butt trying to show how "no homo" he is, it's rather amusing. (Mostly in the sense that even straight people will shake their head and mutter "Oh, straight people," but well..) For those looking for a funny guilty pleasure PNR and who are willing to ignore their moral compass: Yep. This one might be for you! Ding-ding-ding!
(Future Self, if you're having a bad day, if you're feeling a little sorry for yourself, if you're in the mood.. The Argeneaus have a way of cheering you up. You get annoyed about stuff and all, but it's still amusing. Even if you feel guilty about it afterwards.)
First Thoughts:
EDIT: Not gonna read more of this series ever since I noticed the rapey-vibes and Sands addressed it in her books by being sort of.. rape-apologist-y.
May 9, 2012
Under a Vampire Moon is the 16th book in the Argeneau series. Christian Notte’s mother, Marguerite, is definately up to something. While Christians mother is on her honeymoon, he receives a call that his band is needed to play at the resort. Marguerite is known for her abilities to sense life mates. Could Marguerite have found his?
At the age of 42 Carolyn Connor is at the end of a very long and very ugly divorce. To cheer her up her best friend, Beth, decides to take her on a vacation to St. Lucia. St. Lucia, unbeknownst to her, is a honeymoon hot spot with candlelit dinners and Caribbean music. Watching all of the young and happy couples is enough to make any divorced single women depressed. The only single guys on the whole island are half of her age and that just makes her feel even older. To her Christian Notte is just another young man who is too young for her comfort level. Christian is a member of the band playing at St. Lucia and when his cousin tells her he is gay and is in need of a beard she decides to go along. When Carolyn begins to have “dreams” about Christian (in a very naughty way) she wonders if it is time to start searching for someone to fulfill her needs.
Christian has found his life mate. She is skittish and uncomfortable with, what she believes, is an age difference. Of course, at 500 years old it is definitely NOT in the way she things. You would think being a 500 year old Immortal patience would be in abundance, but being forced to pretend he is gay is just plain torture. All he can think about is having his way with her. Can Christian keep it together and earn her trust enough to tell her the truth?
Under a Vampire Moon was another win by Lynsay Sands. In Lynsay Sands world vampires are not some creature of the night, they are the Immortal. They are scientifically altered humans from Atlantis. The Atlaniteans created nano’s to fight off disease and it worked much better than imagined. The nano’s keep their bodies at peak form and health. Forever. The downside is that they must drink blood to keep the nano’s active as they use more blood than they can make. I love her original take on vampirism. This is one of my favorite series and Under a Vampire Moon did not disappoint. The characters are well formed and unique. I love the way the flow of the story pulls me in and keeps a smile on my face. I would suggest reading this whole series, but I do think this book could stand alone. However, I think reading this book alone might cause some loss of depth in the story. I loved the twist at the end and cannot wait for the next Argeneau story!!
At the age of 42 Carolyn Connor is at the end of a very long and very ugly divorce. To cheer her up her best friend, Beth, decides to take her on a vacation to St. Lucia. St. Lucia, unbeknownst to her, is a honeymoon hot spot with candlelit dinners and Caribbean music. Watching all of the young and happy couples is enough to make any divorced single women depressed. The only single guys on the whole island are half of her age and that just makes her feel even older. To her Christian Notte is just another young man who is too young for her comfort level. Christian is a member of the band playing at St. Lucia and when his cousin tells her he is gay and is in need of a beard she decides to go along. When Carolyn begins to have “dreams” about Christian (in a very naughty way) she wonders if it is time to start searching for someone to fulfill her needs.
Christian has found his life mate. She is skittish and uncomfortable with, what she believes, is an age difference. Of course, at 500 years old it is definitely NOT in the way she things. You would think being a 500 year old Immortal patience would be in abundance, but being forced to pretend he is gay is just plain torture. All he can think about is having his way with her. Can Christian keep it together and earn her trust enough to tell her the truth?
Under a Vampire Moon was another win by Lynsay Sands. In Lynsay Sands world vampires are not some creature of the night, they are the Immortal. They are scientifically altered humans from Atlantis. The Atlaniteans created nano’s to fight off disease and it worked much better than imagined. The nano’s keep their bodies at peak form and health. Forever. The downside is that they must drink blood to keep the nano’s active as they use more blood than they can make. I love her original take on vampirism. This is one of my favorite series and Under a Vampire Moon did not disappoint. The characters are well formed and unique. I love the way the flow of the story pulls me in and keeps a smile on my face. I would suggest reading this whole series, but I do think this book could stand alone. However, I think reading this book alone might cause some loss of depth in the story. I loved the twist at the end and cannot wait for the next Argeneau story!!
April 28, 2012
Ahhhh! I am so disappointed now that this book is over!
I have read almost every Lynsay Sands Book written!
I really like her books. She keeps you entertained & glued to the pages in every series. All of her books have humor & an HEA AND some kind of mystery plot.
Plot...
All of these Vampire/Immortals are decendants or relatives of the original few Vampires from Atlantis, the Argeneaus. All of them have their individual stories about finding their "Life Mate"; their one true love & it only comes once in a lifetime.
This was Marguarites son, Christian, that she just found a few books ago. He's 500 years old & in a band. All of the Argeneaus are wealthy because of the businesses they run and have run for centuries.
Marguarite is the family matchmaker & recognized Christian's life mate as such when her and his father were on their honeymoon in the Caribbean. She negotiates for the family band to fill in for a cancellation & they do. Christian has to pretend he's gay to get close to his running life mate.
Disappointment
This one started out so good, and crashed and burned. This one was 350 pages long & went on and on about this gay & cougar thing for so long I started to lose interest. It wasn't funny anymore.
Half the fun in these stories is having the Life Mate "changed" in the book & their reaction now that they have this fine body & all the flaws disappear.
AND last... The story & underlying plot was unwrapped and solved in the final 20 pages. I had no idea there was a problem at all, so it just seemed to be stuck in there at the last minute.
Just sad...
I love these books & because of all the dragging and disappointment I felt sad and cheated almost. Lynsay Sands books are ones I can't wait for because they are so light and funny at the same time hot & spicy. This one had so much potential & it was lost half way through. Boring and a creepy cougar afraid of cougaring. It wasn't descriptive on her behalf either which is unheard of for her books. One reason I like them is because I can see the characters. This one I had a cougar woman with blond hair and no head in my mind the whole time!
I have read almost every Lynsay Sands Book written!
I really like her books. She keeps you entertained & glued to the pages in every series. All of her books have humor & an HEA AND some kind of mystery plot.
Plot...
All of these Vampire/Immortals are decendants or relatives of the original few Vampires from Atlantis, the Argeneaus. All of them have their individual stories about finding their "Life Mate"; their one true love & it only comes once in a lifetime.
This was Marguarites son, Christian, that she just found a few books ago. He's 500 years old & in a band. All of the Argeneaus are wealthy because of the businesses they run and have run for centuries.
Marguarite is the family matchmaker & recognized Christian's life mate as such when her and his father were on their honeymoon in the Caribbean. She negotiates for the family band to fill in for a cancellation & they do. Christian has to pretend he's gay to get close to his running life mate.
Disappointment
This one started out so good, and crashed and burned. This one was 350 pages long & went on and on about this gay & cougar thing for so long I started to lose interest. It wasn't funny anymore.
Half the fun in these stories is having the Life Mate "changed" in the book & their reaction now that they have this fine body & all the flaws disappear.
AND last... The story & underlying plot was unwrapped and solved in the final 20 pages. I had no idea there was a problem at all, so it just seemed to be stuck in there at the last minute.
Just sad...
I love these books & because of all the dragging and disappointment I felt sad and cheated almost. Lynsay Sands books are ones I can't wait for because they are so light and funny at the same time hot & spicy. This one had so much potential & it was lost half way through. Boring and a creepy cougar afraid of cougaring. It wasn't descriptive on her behalf either which is unheard of for her books. One reason I like them is because I can see the characters. This one I had a cougar woman with blond hair and no head in my mind the whole time!
March 30, 2012
3.5 stars!
Marguerite Argeneau is at it again, excuse me, Marguerite Argeneau-Notte now. This time she's found a life mate for her son, five hundred plus year old Christian Notte. She quickly calls him and his cousins in the band down to St. Lucia when the resort band has to cancel at the last minute.
Forty-two year old Carolyn is on vacation with her good friend Beth in St. Lucia where their other good friend works as the entertainment director for the resort. She is disappointed when Beth gets sick and she's left to her own devices in honeymoon hell. Everywhere she looks there are only couples in love. Still smarting from her separation and two year ongoing divorce proceedings, she hasn't had sex or been on a date in a long time and seeing all the young couples is hell and makes her feel old. Upon meeting twenty-five year looking Christian, she is horrified to realize how really attracted she is to him, a virtual child.
There is hot chemistry between Christian and Carolyn and passions are almost constantly inflamed even under the circumstances.
I was a little disappointed in this latest installment of one of my favorite vampire series. While it did have a couple very funny scenes, it wasn't as hilarious as most Sands' stories are and given the plot itself lends itself to comical situations, this was not capitalized on.
It seemed to me Carolyn's reaction to Christian's first secret was too quick without any anger. Additionally I felt Carolyn's initial reaction to finding out Christian was an immortal was believable and caused her to run, but her following acceptance was too quick.
I also was disappointed with the ending; it ended too soon. We didn't get to see Carolyn's final reaction to the changes she would be going through nor how much better things would get.
But it was still a good story, just not as good as the others in this series and not as good as the plot would have allowed.
I do recommend this and since it is written as a true stand alone story, it need not be read in order. But if this is the first book in this series you read, do yourself a favor and read some of the others because they get much better.
Marguerite Argeneau is at it again, excuse me, Marguerite Argeneau-Notte now. This time she's found a life mate for her son, five hundred plus year old Christian Notte. She quickly calls him and his cousins in the band down to St. Lucia when the resort band has to cancel at the last minute.
Forty-two year old Carolyn is on vacation with her good friend Beth in St. Lucia where their other good friend works as the entertainment director for the resort. She is disappointed when Beth gets sick and she's left to her own devices in honeymoon hell. Everywhere she looks there are only couples in love. Still smarting from her separation and two year ongoing divorce proceedings, she hasn't had sex or been on a date in a long time and seeing all the young couples is hell and makes her feel old. Upon meeting twenty-five year looking Christian, she is horrified to realize how really attracted she is to him, a virtual child.
There is hot chemistry between Christian and Carolyn and passions are almost constantly inflamed even under the circumstances.
I was a little disappointed in this latest installment of one of my favorite vampire series. While it did have a couple very funny scenes, it wasn't as hilarious as most Sands' stories are and given the plot itself lends itself to comical situations, this was not capitalized on.
It seemed to me Carolyn's reaction to Christian's first secret was too quick without any anger. Additionally I felt Carolyn's initial reaction to finding out Christian was an immortal was believable and caused her to run, but her following acceptance was too quick.
I also was disappointed with the ending; it ended too soon. We didn't get to see Carolyn's final reaction to the changes she would be going through nor how much better things would get.
But it was still a good story, just not as good as the others in this series and not as good as the plot would have allowed.
I do recommend this and since it is written as a true stand alone story, it need not be read in order. But if this is the first book in this series you read, do yourself a favor and read some of the others because they get much better.
June 11, 2015
Another good addition to the Argeneau vampire series full of humor as always and the vacation setting was fun. I do enjoy when the male pursues the female and it's especially nice when she's older. Prompted by his mother, Christian's band replaces a cancellation and he meets Carolyn who is vacationing after her divorce.
May 11, 2012
This book reminded me of the older books in the series. It was fun, sexy, and light. I enjoyed finally reading about Christian. He and Carolyn were adorable. My only problem with the book was the ending. It was rushed and then it ended abruptly. I was looking at my Kindle thinking, "WTH"! Not smooth Ms. Sands. It's down right mean.
Read
February 13, 2013can't wait.....always seems to take so long inbetween each novel in every series that I read!! Then I read the book in a few hours.....then I'm waiting again - lol.
It's a never ending circl (but I enjoy it!!)
It's a never ending circl (but I enjoy it!!)
June 24, 2013
Nice addition to the series. At first I wasn't so sure about the fact that his whole family was mixed up in the hero's romance but it was ultimately fun. This was light hearted all around and I enjoyed it.
May 9, 2012
This book was kind of like cotton candy: light, fluffy, good and at the same time you know you are going to have a hot mess on your hands when you finish. It was more a 2.7-2.9
May 29, 2020
I really enjoyed this book, Christian Notte's book, it was funny. I mean his life mate is reluctant to be with younger men. So his cousin Gia tells Carolyn that Christian is gay, and in order for his family not to find out , asks Carolyn to be his companion while in the island. Gia does this in order for Carolyn to get to know him and give him a chance.
Christian comes to Saint Lucia where his parents are honeymooning at his mother's request, she has apparently recognized his life mate in a guest at the resort they're staying at and wants them to meet.
Carolyn has just divorced an abusive man who was after her money, and has come to Saint Lucia with her friend Beth to unwind and forget. Beth apparently became ill and does not accompany Carolyn on their vacation. This leaves Christian and her to spend a lot of time together. But he's gay! so she thinks, and she's extremely attracted to him, has steamy dreams of him and struggles to keep her distance while trying to be his beard.
This was a fun easy read, the only thing that upset me was the number of times the word gay came up. I mean really, how many times can you tell a guy, but you're gay! cause he didn't want to purchase shorts, or cause he wears black, or cause he didn't dance etc. I know I wouldn't be telling someone "but your gay!"... every time he didn't do something a gay person would supposedly do 🤦🏻♀️ that's a bit narrow-minded. Other than that, it is was fun.
"You told her I was gay."
"Yes, but see--"
"And she BELIEVED you!" he asked with horror.
"Yes, of course. Why would she think I'd lie about something like that?" she asked with exasperation. Gia and Christian
Christian comes to Saint Lucia where his parents are honeymooning at his mother's request, she has apparently recognized his life mate in a guest at the resort they're staying at and wants them to meet.
Carolyn has just divorced an abusive man who was after her money, and has come to Saint Lucia with her friend Beth to unwind and forget. Beth apparently became ill and does not accompany Carolyn on their vacation. This leaves Christian and her to spend a lot of time together. But he's gay! so she thinks, and she's extremely attracted to him, has steamy dreams of him and struggles to keep her distance while trying to be his beard.
This was a fun easy read, the only thing that upset me was the number of times the word gay came up. I mean really, how many times can you tell a guy, but you're gay! cause he didn't want to purchase shorts, or cause he wears black, or cause he didn't dance etc. I know I wouldn't be telling someone "but your gay!"... every time he didn't do something a gay person would supposedly do 🤦🏻♀️ that's a bit narrow-minded. Other than that, it is was fun.
"You told her I was gay."
"Yes, but see--"
"And she BELIEVED you!" he asked with horror.
"Yes, of course. Why would she think I'd lie about something like that?" she asked with exasperation. Gia and Christian
July 9, 2020
*2.5 stars*
This book left me feeling like I was missing the other half. The characters were nice, I enjoyed watching Carolyn evolve from a woman who thought she was worthless, ugly and old into a woman who thought she was almost pretty and deserving.
I found the family's interference in their relationship incredibly frustrating, Christan made it clear that he wasn't happy with what they wanted him to do but didn't tell him to butt out until basically the last chapter.
I spent the whole book feeling frustrated and wondering why he hadn't told her the truth. finally we get to the end he tells her the truth about himself and ends with him explaining where immortals came from.
Where's the rest?
Does he turn her? Does she finally move completely past her abuse from her Ex and accept herself as a beautiful person? Do they get revenge on her friend and her ex for trying to kill her? Do they get married?
Like what the hell! Where's the rest?
This book spent so much time trying to get them together and when they finally do were left hanging wondering what's to come next.
Overall, pretty disappointed with this book. But, onto the next we go.
This book left me feeling like I was missing the other half. The characters were nice, I enjoyed watching Carolyn evolve from a woman who thought she was worthless, ugly and old into a woman who thought she was almost pretty and deserving.
I found the family's interference in their relationship incredibly frustrating, Christan made it clear that he wasn't happy with what they wanted him to do but didn't tell him to butt out until basically the last chapter.
I spent the whole book feeling frustrated and wondering why he hadn't told her the truth. finally we get to the end he tells her the truth about himself and ends with him explaining where immortals came from.
Where's the rest?
Does he turn her? Does she finally move completely past her abuse from her Ex and accept herself as a beautiful person? Do they get revenge on her friend and her ex for trying to kill her? Do they get married?
Like what the hell! Where's the rest?
This book spent so much time trying to get them together and when they finally do were left hanging wondering what's to come next.
Overall, pretty disappointed with this book. But, onto the next we go.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2019
1/13/19end
This was a very fun read. Great characters. I love this series.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes to Self:
Spoiler:
Christian Notte(Immortal,son,500yo,cousin,bro,band mem,violin player,council enforcer,construction co. supervisor)+Carolyn Connor(Caro,42yo,mortal,aka Johnson, aka Christiana Carolyn Carver,ad co. owner,business lawyer,rich,mid-divorce,pal)
Marguerite Argeneau-Notte(immortal,his mom,matchmaker)+Julius Notte (his dad,immortal, 2,500+yo,construction co. owner)
Genie Walker(university pal,resort entertainment coordinator)
Zanipolo(his cousin,Zani,band mem,keyboardist)
Giacinta(Gia,his cousin,band mem,niece)
Santo(his cousin,band mem,drummer,nephew)
Raffaele(his cousin,band mem,nephew)
Capt. Jack(resort tour guide)
Mentioned only;
Brent(her pal,gay) +Stanley(gay)
Etienne Argeneau(immortal,his bro,game designer)
Lucern(immortal,his bro,600+yo)+Kate(mate)
Bastien(immortal)=Terri(mate)
Vincent(immortal,his cousin)+Jackie(mate)
This was a very fun read. Great characters. I love this series.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes to Self:
Spoiler:
Christian Notte(Immortal,son,500yo,cousin,bro,band mem,violin player,council enforcer,construction co. supervisor)+Carolyn Connor(Caro,42yo,mortal,aka Johnson, aka Christiana Carolyn Carver,ad co. owner,business lawyer,rich,mid-divorce,pal)
Marguerite Argeneau-Notte(immortal,his mom,matchmaker)+Julius Notte (his dad,immortal, 2,500+yo,construction co. owner)
Genie Walker(university pal,resort entertainment coordinator)
Zanipolo(his cousin,Zani,band mem,keyboardist)
Giacinta(Gia,his cousin,band mem,niece)
Santo(his cousin,band mem,drummer,nephew)
Raffaele(his cousin,band mem,nephew)
Capt. Jack(resort tour guide)
Mentioned only;
Brent(her pal,gay) +Stanley(gay)
Etienne Argeneau(immortal,his bro,game designer)
Lucern(immortal,his bro,600+yo)+Kate(mate)
Bastien(immortal)=Terri(mate)
Vincent(immortal,his cousin)+Jackie(mate)
November 18, 2018
Carolyn is getting over the separation and finalizing her divorce in St. Lucia when she meets Julius and Marguerite at the resort. She meets Christian and falls for him and worries he is too young. Little does she know though. Then she finds out what her friend Beth is really doing!!
April 21, 2019
Not terrible, but not a fan of the "pretend to be gay to get closer to the girl" trope, and the excruciating detail about low blood sugar got old fast. At least it wasn't quite as repetitive as the air infection in one of the other books.
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