A Very Vampy Christmas

Love at Stake #2.5

by Kerrelyn Sparks

Maggie O'Brien is thrilled when she lands a starring role on the Digital Vampire Network's hottest soap opera, As the Vampire Turns. Doesn't hurt that her leading man is Don Orlando de Corazon, the greatest lover in the vampire world! But who is Don Orlando really? Nobody knows, not even Don Orlando. As the couple sets out in search of his mysterious past, "home for the holidays" takes on a new meaning when the recently-turned vamp discovers his own Christmas miracle.

Genres: Paranormal Romance, Vampires, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Novella, Urban Fantasy

ebook

First published September 6, 2011

About the author

Kerrelyn Sparks apparently has issues with reality. After writing more than a dozen books about vampires, she has now completely gone off the deep end and wound up on another planet. But how thrilling that she can share this magical new world with her readers! Although she is best known (so far) for the Love at Stake series, which has hit as high as number 5 on the New York Times list and 22 on the USA Today list, she hopes her readers will love The Embraced as much as they did her merry band of vamps and shifters. To learn more about her paranormal, historical, and upcoming out-of-this-world fantasy romances, please visit Kerrelyn on Facebook, Twitter, or her website at www.kerrelynsparks.com.

Kerrelyn loves hearing from readers, even those who howl at the moon. Letters may be sent to P.O. Box 5512, Katy, TX 77491-5512. If you would like bookmarks and signed bookplates, please mail a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope to her P.O. Box, and she will send those items to you.

Reviews

[Jessica's Totally Over The Top Book Obsession · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute but cheesy

[Sana Zameer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read: January, 2017
Reread: May. 2025

Short, cute and cheesy! And funny too.

"No woman in her right mind would want to be yours. The waiting line
is too long."
He winced inwardly. Maggie must be listening to the lies Corky Courrant was spreading on her show
Live with the Undead.
"My heart belongs only to you, my sweet Chiquita."
"I'm not your banana!" She threw a shoe, aimed at his head.
With vampire speed, he dodged the missile. It clunked against the door. " Ay, caramba, such fiery
passion! It sets my loins ablaze!"
"You set my stomach a-hurling!" She torpedoed the second shoe at him, and it hit him squarely in his chest.
"Ouch!"

[Debra Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Your favorite soap-opera with eccentric vampires, a large dose of farcical humor and schmaltzy romance. What more could you want from a short story? Irony you say. It's in there! Grins and giggles.

[Sydney M Neblett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hard knock life

This book is equal parts hilarious and silly. I love the characters, and how the author just keeps adding in another layer to their love story. The author brought this missing cowboy into the perfect blended family with room in their hearts for one more. This book fits perfectly with the series and I can’t wait to see what happens next. Hopefully it’s Ian finding his own HEA.

[Emmeline Webb · Rating 1 out of 5]

this was for book club don't look at me like that

[Julianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for THC Reviews
A Very Vampy Christmas is a cute, holiday-themed addition to the Love at Stake series. I honestly didn't care much for Don Orlando, the infamous Latin vampire lover and soap opera star. In the previous book of the series, he came off as a comically melodramatic playboy who sleeps with nearly every woman he meets, but this short story shows a whole new side to him that I didn't expect. Readers get to find out that he's not the man we thought he was, and in fact, he has a very sympathetic and mysterious past. He turns out to be a really stand-up guy who truly is worthy of Maggie's love.

I really liked Maggie when she was introduced as Darcy's friend in Vamps and the City. She struck me as a kind, caring woman whose story of being turned vampire tugs at the heartstrings. She had a mad crush on Don Orlando, and wanted nothing more than to become his leading lady. Well, she got her wish, but he didn't end up being all she thought he would be, which broke her heart. Once he starts opening up to her though about his past, she wants nothing more than to help him find his family in hopes of reconciling with them in time for Christmas.

A Very Vampy Christmas has a delightful cast of secondary characters. Ian, one of the Scottish guards, helps Maggie and Don Orlando with their investigation. Between his Scottish accent and kilt and him not being able to get people to believe he's not a kid but a centuries-old vampire, this guy is adorable. I can't wait for his book, All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire. We get to meet the New Orleans coven master, and two transvestite vampires who are a total hoot. Don Orlando's family ends up being a mixed bag of personalities who were a lot of fun too.

This novella had a few weaknesses. The romance was sweet, but it would have been nice to have a little more build up. The one brief love scene felt kind of rushed too. The Christmas theme only orbits the periphery of the story with very little actual celebration of the holiday present. The supposed family curse wasn't very well explained either, but overall, A Very Vampy Christmas was an entertaining diversion that I enjoyed reading. A Very Vampy Christmas can be purchased as a stand-alone novella in e-book format and can also be found in the print anthology, Sugarplums and Scandal.

[Lover of Romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

A Very Vampy Christmas is a novella that is contained within the "Love At Stake" series and I had so much fun with this book here. Now I don't know how I had missed this novella all of these years and was shocked to see it when I was browsing through my local library selection but there it was and I had realized that I hadn't read it and so I instantly grabbed it up. And I have to say one....it was fantastic to be able to get swept away into this wonderful world and oh my do I miss it so much. There are so many fun moments and characters that this author has created within this world. And this novella was so different from what I was expecting it to be but what a humorous ride this author takes us on.



A Very Vampy Christmas begins with two actors in a romantic movie that are on a film set. Maggie O'Brien has always been attracted to a fellow vampire and movie star....Don Orlando. And on the surface he seems to be infamous and well known among all vamp women. But when Maggie starts to dig deeper into Don Orlando she begins to discover that this man has so many depths including a deep secret he hasn't shared with anyone....he has amnesia since he was turned. He doesn't even know if he even has family around or left anyone behind. So as Maggie and Orlando go on a search for the truth behind his amnesia and the location of his family, a love blossoms between the two.



A Very Vampy Christmas was so cheesy LOL But I have to say it had its own level of charm to it. At first I was a bit blown back by the dialogue, because its almost cringe worthy but as you read more and more you start to find yourself entertained with every page. I loved seeing these two go on a such journey together of discovery. There is a Christmas setting to this story and even though it wasn't as prominent through the story as I would have wished for, it was a nice interlude.



Overall I found A Very Vampy Christmas to be a delightful quick read that entertained me and if you are a fan of the series, definitely grab this one up here.

[Fanny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Avery Vampy Christmas es la primera novela de la serie Love At Stake y narra la historia de Maggie y Don Orlando, personajes secundarios del segundo libro.
No hay mucho que decir de esta lectura : corta, divertida y rapida de leer. Eche de menos que se profundizara mas en la trama y los personajes pero no se le puede pedir mas a una historia de menos de 90 paginas.
Me hizo mucha gracias la maldicion del mordisco!

2.5 Estrellas!

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now this I really liked !!! Maggie's story was really good. Don Orlando isn't who we all thought he was, he doesn't even know. As we find out who he is, we learn some new things on the way. The chemistry and heart ache was felt in this short story more than ever. On to the next !!!!

[Janet Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this. It was cute and Don Orlando was great in this one. I thought the worst of this man, but now I love him!!

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this was unexpected - I couldn't imagine Don Orlando being a ... read and see for yourself. And his family is one interesting bunch of people :)

[Nanou · Rating 3 out of 5]

XD énorme cette nouvelle, avec une dose de WTF déjanté. C’est comme ça que les romans doivent être !

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

originally posted at http://www.longandshortreviews.blogsp...

Reading A Very Vampy Christmas should come with a warning for funny bones everywhere. Even after re-reading the story, I still giggled and guffawed. The only reason I was affected so effectively was because of the quality writing. So even when I knew what to expect, the perfect comedic timing still came through making those clever parts continuously grin-worthy.

The first hint that I had that Ms. Sparks had written a light and entertaining tale was the ring incident. Good thing I wasn’t drinking at the time. My sudden urge to laugh uproariously would have had dire consequences for my laptop.

Then the author switched gears after hooking me with humor. She delved into both their histories and their hearts by exploring both Maggie’s and Don Orlando’s points of view. Talk about star crossed lovers! At that point, Ms. Sparks presented me with two people who very much needed love but had no idea how to go about it. They both harbored secrets and insecurities and at that point in the story, I couldn’t wait until it was revealed as to how they were going to accomplish getting beyond them. Of course, it didn’t help with Maggie shouting at Don Orlando, “I’m not your banana!” That made getting the two of them together quite the challenge. I’m glad to say, the author was more than up for the task because at the end of one chapter, she had Don Orlando drop a bombshell. I never saw that one coming and it was so gripping!

The next thing I knew, I was feeling sad and sorry for both Maggie and Don Orlando. They both had hurts. The best thing, however, is how they banded together to figure it out how to fix things. They rose to the challenge, taking them both on an amazing journey of discovery and revelation. And after a bit of uncertainty and light drama, Ms. Sparks did it again. She made me laugh and giggle when I least expected it. And she brought in one of the hunky guys from McKay Security and Investigation. I love it when characters from other books come and play too. This sentence totally cracked me up, “I’m 479 years old, ye moron.” Vampires can be so much fun.

Of course the mystery of just exactly who Don Orlando was ended up being the icing on the cake. Poor guy, his first name as a vampire was very embarrassing but adorable. Then I got to meet, Scarlett and Tootsie--secondary characters guaranteed to have readers grinning from ear to ear. I have often wondered where the author comes up with all the goofiness and hilarity she infuses her stories with. It’s a riot and I love it! I mean, there’s this serious part where he says, “…they murdered me!” the reply was, “So, you were having a bad day.” How does anyone expect me to keep a straight face with witty repartee like that?

Things did get serious for a bit, so readers will find plenty of meat and substance to hold the story together. It was good enough to keep my interest and have me rooting for the hero. He had lost so much in his life and the goal of the plot was to get it back and be worthy of loving Maggie. What great motivation! Eventually I got to find out who Don Orlando really was, where he came from and what a very unusual family he has. In fact, that brought about more laughs and smiles as well as happiness. All’s well that ends well --with a grin and a kiss.

A Very Vampy Christmas is chock full of laughs, good feelings, spicy encounters and a satisfying happily ever after that will leave fans pleased and content. It’s hard to believe that this was a short story because so much was packed into it. I enjoyed the dialogue and the secondary characters. I thrilled to the protagonists’ quick declarations of love and enjoyed the clever way Ms. Sparks wrapped it all up. If a reader is looking to treat themselves to holiday cheer, this adorable paranormal romance will do the trick.

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great series, plenty of humor, great story lines, and engaging characters. In each book you meet more characters in this world, which makes it more fun when the time comes to see their story play out.

And best of all, the story telling is always focused on the two main characters and their point of view rather, unlike another author in the genre who shall remain nameless.


Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It had earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Lynda Tatad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun novella set in Kerrylyn Sparks' Love at Stake series. Vampire Maggie O'Brien is working as an actress on the Digital Vampire Network's popular soap opera As The Vampire Turns opposite the "world's greatest vampire lover" Don Orlando de Corazon. It was her dream job, until she found out that the actor she has dreamed of is just another womanizing actor.

What she doesn't realize is that he is just playing a persona, but the womanizing is greatly exaggerated by a certain reporter named Corky Courrant. Also, he has a secret he is hiding from everyone... but when Maggie finds out what his secret is, she wants to help him! With permission to take a leave of absence from the show, they set out with the help of one of the members of Angus Security Team to help Don Orlando with his problem.

This was a fun holiday paranormal romance to read this time of year!

[aCupcakeBlonde · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tale of Maggie and her "Don Orlando" and finding our who he really is was entertaining and fun. This story takes place after book 2 but before book 4 since Ian is still young, therefore it is before he takes the stay-awake potion in Texas in book 4. I really love the characters that Kerrelyn writes and look forward to the next installment in her series. This story was a nice little bridge between stories. And I always liked the character of Maggie so it was nice for her to get her own story, even if it was a short one.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a second read. I loved it, totally changed my point of view of cheating pig Don Orlando. He's actually very gentle and loving. And Maggie? She surprised and pleased me. I loved the whole thing, even his weird shape shifting family and funny brother.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story! I wish the ending had been a little longer.

[Jenifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute little story. I laughed a few times and very much enjoyed it. Wish it was a little longer, but it was still really cute.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great Novella and I love how this introduces shifters to not only readers but some of the characters as well.

[Jessica Newbill · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome book

[Isabel Luna · Rating 2 out of 5]

No me gustó demasiado, y es que todo resulta un poco demasiado artificial y sobre todo, ocurre demasiado rápido.
Maggie esta enamorada de Don Orlando, pero en el libro anterior descubre que la persona - o el vampiro - real no es igual q el personaje de telenovela - sorpresa, sorpresa - sino más bien es un mujeriego. Ahora, aquí nos enteramos q Don Orlando no es tan malo como nos lo pintaron, sino q más bien ha sido víctima de las circunstancias y de Corky Courrant.
Los primeros dialogos dejan bastante q desear, incluso para una versión vampírica de "soap opera" pero luego se va poniendo mejor cuando nos adentramos en algunos - pocos - recuerdos de Maggie cuando estaba viva y la total falta de recuerdos de Don Orlando, cuando ya estaba no-muerto.
La breve visita a Nueva Orleans estuvo de lo más entretenida, especialmente con Scarlet y Tootsie. Lamenté q no tuvieramos más acción con ellas. Finalmente descubrimos la historia de Pierce, aunq como dije al principio todo se cuenta demasiado rápido y no hay tiempo de hacer un verdadero disfrute de la narrativa.
Ni siquiera se ha podido perfilar bien las personalidades de los personajes principales y apenas tuvimos tiempo literario con uno de los Highlanders vampíricos.
Me quedé con ganas de más, así lo más probable es q vuelva a probar suerte con una historia q sí se cuenta en serio y con tiempo.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short Christmas themed story about Maggie working for DVN on the vamp soap opera “As the Vampires Turns’ with Don Orlando. This is the guy that we all grew to hate and now they expect us to change our minds? I will for Maggie’s sake.

It’s the typical Christmas fluff story with a supernatural dysfunctional family twist. There’s all the expected corniness and too easy solutions, but they’re a real loving family and I’m really happy for Don & Maggie.

Though I do feel really sorry for Ian. It’d be awful to be 17 for hundreds of years and people never treating you as a grownup.

Footnote: I know hurricane Katrina really devastated New Orleans and the surrounding areas and I feel really bad for them. But I’m getting a little tired of reading books that were written around then mentioning it. It’s become overload. Most areas have had something happen but it’s not brought up in every story that takes place in that town.

That being said I agree that this particular mention was a different angle.

Fave scenes: meeting Don’s New Orleans friends and waking up to an audience.

[Spunky N Sassy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spunky N Sassy Rating: 5.0

~~~~~~~~~~Tracy's ★★★★★ Review~~~~~~~~~~

Maggie O'Brien finally got the role of a lifetime playing opposite the man she has been lusting after for a long time; Don Orlando de Corazon. When she learns from others what a womanizer he is, she isn't sure she will love this job anymore. Don Orlando has been enthralled by Maggie as soon as he saw her. There is something different about her but how can he changed her mind when he doesn't even know his past. Maggie encourages him to find out where he came from and along the way they discover more than his missing memories.

I loved this story. It was a quick read that kept me entertained and enthralled. I love this series and I cannot to read more from this author. Don and Maggie are so well suited for each other. I loved reading their journey. Great story full of twists. A must read series!!!

[Katarzyna · Rating 3 out of 5]

W końcu mogę przyznać szczerze, że przeczytałam wszystko co dostępne po polsku z tej serii :) Tak dawno nie czytałam nic od Sparks, że aż miło było sobie przypomnieć dlaczego tak ją polubiłam. Ta połówka była zabawna ale wydaje mi się, że trzeba mieć poczucie humoru i zdecydowanie trzeba podejść do niej z lekkim dystansem.
Mnie się podobało :) Polecam!

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely adorable. The backstory to the vampire soap opera star, Don Orlando. Also the introduction to were-critters in the series! This was just as cute and as fun as the other books in the series, but it being a novella it just skid by a lot. It was quite to the point, almost too direct really. But given it's a novella, I can excuse it.

[Devan Tam-Noll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Avvc by KS review

I enjoyed the story very much! Though I am sad that it was short compared to what I am used to. The chemistry was delightful between Pierce and Maggie, though I would have loved to read more between them. More suspense, more details to discover. Though it was brief, I enjoyed it very much.

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love this series, but short stories are rarely a win for me because they don't have time for the story to develop. This one was particularly terrible because it was so rushed and had so many ridiculous extra details crammed in. It felt like it was meant to be a novel and half of the story was cut out.

[Marla]

Part of anthology ~ Sugarplums and Scandal

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short but cute.