Vampiro blanco, soltero, busca...

Argeneau #3

by Lynsay Sands

«Lucern». Exitoso biógrafo de la familia cuyos libros han sido catalogados recientemente como «romance paranormal». Tiende a la reclusión. Odia las masas y a las mujeres agresivas. No le gusta tomar el sol y le desagradan las comidas con ajo o los símbolos religiosos. Le gustan los valores anticuados, los platos picantes mexicanos, los cuellos cálidos y perfumados y los labios rojos y carnosos. Tiene más fuerza que diez hombres juntos y puede desaparecer en un abrir y cerrar de ojos. Por el momento, no se ha dado cuenta de que está buscando a una mujer con quien compartir la eternidad.

MBS [Mujer blanca soltera]: «Kate C. Leever». Nueva editora de novela romántica en la editorial Roundhouse. Alegre y graciosa. Hace poco ha descubierto a un autor a punto de convertirse en un gran éxito. Es más, éste podría hacer que su carrera despegara. (Al escritor guapo, alto y moreno sólo le hace falta que lo lleven a un par de congresos de novela romántica y le presenten a sus admiradoras... y que le impidan seguir actuando de forma tan extraña en público.) No le gustan «los escritores difíciles, groseros, repelentes y testarudos». Por el momento, no se ha dado cuenta de que ha conocido al hombre de sus más salvajes sueños.

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

313 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

LYNSAY 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.

Reviews

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

3.5 Stars

This book was the best so far. It was funnier then the other two. I would have gave it a full 4 stars if the heroine didn't piss me off towards the end of the book with her stupid cowardly actions. But even still a pretty good read. I loved the hero he was so grumpy and cute!

[Cece ❀Rants, Raves &Reviews❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so funny and so cute like Lucian ugh my heart lil baby

“Would she make him the happiest man on God's earth or the most miserable man that ever existed? He was hoping for the happy option.
"I love you."
That was a good start, Lucern decided.”

Luc is the writer of vampire romances which he bases on his own life events because he is *drum roll* a freaking vampire

Kate is his new editor who was weirdly 3D and developed for such a short novel. And like this book got so real on life it kinda hurt

“That's why they pay me the big bucks." He gave her a wink.
Kate laughed. None of them got paid big bucks. They were underpaid, overworked and stressed out most of the time”
Ouch babe i feel

Kate is trying to save her career and publicize Luc’s book but they didnt totally get along for the first few... weeks and clashed a couple of times

“She was only halfway down when she spotted him. She immediately paused, blinked, then scowled. "You aren't ready!"
It was Lucern's turn to blink. His angel was bellowing. She was also frantic. The serene vision was gone.”

And what good modern vampire book wouldn’t critique Buffy and her stake-happy nature!??
“He was still ranting about writing to whomever was in charge of the Buffy show and straightening them out, when Kate returned”

The slow-burn of the two people learning more about each other trying to be professional but attracted was hilarious, especially Kate’s POV

“And she would act professionally even if that's all it was, an act, and she really wanted to rip his designer suit off and plaster herself to his naked body.
Ohhhh. This wasn't good.”

And then when Kate found out his vampirism secret, they broke into a blood bank together and I was laughing so fucking hard

“In your years of living," she began in a strained tone, "I don't suppose you learned anything about burglary, did you?"
"A thing or two," Lucern admitted.
"Good." She sounded relieved. "Because all I know about it is what I've seen on TV.”

Overall a funny entertaining read with cute scenes and Luc is my anti-social bookcrush baby

“She'd forgotten to tell him that his book was nominated in three different categories. She winced when he turned an accusing glare on her.
"You're nominated. That doesn't mean you'll win," Kate said soothingly.
"And the winner is-- Luke Amirault for Love Bites!"
"Merde," Lucern muttered.”

[Jilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book series is getting better as it goes on. There is some seriously funny situations in each book, like the priest in the first one who was trying to secretly feed the girl he suspected of being a vampire garlic, the scene in the second one where he's trying to convince her he's not a bloodsucking demon after she finds him sleeping in a coffin, and in this one where they go out at night to rob a blood bank. Our heroine has been watching too much television and it's pretty funny.


Aww, who's a good little robber? You are! Yes, you are!

So, in this one we have Kate, a book editor, who is trying to convince Luc, a vampire and vampire romance novel writer, to go on a promotional tour. She's a bit on the pushy side, but it's a good thing because she finally pressures him into attending a week-long conference for romance writers and their fans. This is a tricky situation since he is a vampire. Hilarity ensues.


Ouch! That's awkward, man.

I loved how when Kate realized he was a vampire she just got to work on finding him blood to drink. This woman was dedicated to seeing to her author's comfort. I wish more people in the service industry were this un-judgmental. Gee, you ask for one smiley-faced tattoo on your boob with the nipple as a nose, and suddenly everyone is telling you to put down the bottle of Jack Daniels. SMH


Note to self: You have two boobs....

Anyway, I'm loving the fun and light cuteness of these books. There wasn't even a bag guy or mystery in this one, and yet these vampires are always managing to get staked. Not that I can judge them for that. I would be a vampire for about 10 minutes before blowing the vampire-secret-existence thing and finding an angry mob with pitchforks at my doorstep. Hey, what can I say? I have a big mouth. I'm honest.


Jilly's at it again...

Oh crap, I almost forgot to mention that these books also bring on the smut - big time. There was another hilarious condom scene. Although, aren't most condom scenes hilarious? Well, maybe it's just me.

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man of few words!



The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💚❤️💜
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌏🌎
Character development: 🤓😉☺️😍🥰
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Solo Narration

The Hero: Lucern Argeneau - he is immortal and is the family biographer. Though he publishes his books as fictional romance novels. He is staid and broody and not interested in much of anything. He is very old and set in his ways. He didn’t like aggressive females as he was born in a time when women were submissive and timid and knew their place. He couldn’t imagine giving up his freedom for a wife either.

The heroine: Kate C. Leever - she is an editor for Roundhouse Publishing, the publisher of Lucern’s books. She is very frustrated that they don’t have Lucern’s unlisted phone number. Especially since he is a highly popular romance author and bookstores around the world are clamoring to have book signings, and publications want interviews with him.

The Story: When Kate shows up at Lucern’s home, he is not happy to find out that he is attracted to the woman. He already had a bunch of family in Canada for Bastian’s wedding which was happening soon. Though his mother, Marguerite thinks it is up to her to make sure they find their life mates and get married.

When Lucern tried mind control to get Kate to leave his home, he found that he couldn’t read or control her mind. This meant she was a possible life mate, though he didn’t want to think about it at first. He went to get his blood and told her to go choose a room to stay in for the night. They were acrimonious for most of her visit, though they were also very attracted to each other. When she got him to agree to go to a romance book conference, she left and they meet up again at the conference.

This book was written in 2003, and you could tell. It was funny when they were talking about the shows Buffy and Angel like they were still on the air. Lucern had never had a TV since he was old fashioned and of the mind that it rots the brain, so it was funny when he was watching TV with one of the other editors, he loved it.

This book was told in dual points of view via solo narration. It was narrated by Charlotte Claremont. This was the first book I have listened to with her as a narrator. She has a sort of deep voice for a woman, though it is feminine. She is good at doing male voices and does a few different voices and accents for different characters which is good, though at times her tempo is a bit more like reading than voice acting.

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[Darien · Rating 4 out of 5]

NO LONGER SINGLE!!!

I love, love and love this book. By far the funniest of the series and my second favourite. No matter how awesome Lucern is he doesn’t shine like my Thomas, read the series and you will know what I am talking about.

Lucern Argeneau is the oldest of the Argeneau children so that makes him a little over six hundred 612 to be exact, he’s an old vampire. Bored with life he keeps himself in solitude, because once you are that old you have seen it all. He is also a scholar and distinguished author, pfffft. He wrote fiction books about vampires and somehow his works ended up in the genre romance. That really irks Luc, his plan was never romance. He’s always kept out of the limelight but now it seems his publishers wants him to do a book tour and duh his answer is big NO! They pull out the big guns, and those guns comes in the form of his editor Kate C Leever and she just wont take no for an answer. His once quiet life is about to get a shake up and a healthy dose of romance.

Kate knows she can convince the recluse known as Luke to do the book tour, so she hops on a plane from New York and head on over to Toronto. She will speak to him even if she has to camp out on his front yard. Well that wont be necessary, she finds a way to get invited to stay over at his home for the night but she can tell good old Luc doesn’t like it one bit. At least she can convince him to go on a book tour. Yeh right what she gets is some stern no’s and one word answers. Seems Kate might lose her job because of this hard headed but very sexy man. Kate gets lucky with the help of his mom and he decides to a Romantic Times interview but Luc was misinformed R.T is not a interview but a conference oops, well lucky Kate she might get to keep her job after all.

Lucern can't believe he is at romantic conference surrounded by crazy romance readers. How is he gonna get through this week plus every event is in daylight and him and the sun don’t exactly get along. Upside, his beautiful editor is there and this is the first time in over a hundred years he is finally interested in someone. This conference becomes a hoot, Lucern is hilarious the things he says will have you laughing your ass off. Throw in crazy romance readers, some very uncomfortable but hilarious moments and you have reading magic.

I enjoyed reading this book, the leads are a match made in heaven. Sands writes with simplicity but it packs a punch. A light fun series with relatable characters and vampiric good fun. These vampires will have you laughing and have tears running down your face. All the vampire fun without all the angst and blood. I recommend this series in a big way.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I had ever read by Lynsay Sands, and it certainly wasn't the last one. The first time I read it, I thought it was the funniest book since sliced bread and ran out to buy whatever else of hers I could put my hands on.

I just finished re-reading it and find myself thinking that it didn't quite stand up to the test of time, but that if I were a first-time reader, I would love this book. If you are tired of the dark, broody, 'I should not be allowed to live' type vampire, you will appreciate Lynsay's take on the genre. The vampires really have it all---soul, they can eat, drink, and go outside for brief periods. As a matter of fact, they are descended from a race that lived on Atlantis, and their bodies are infused with "nano's," which makes them need to drink blood, but they are not a traditional vampire.

While this books male protagonist is surly and scowly, he does grow and mellow, and once he realizes that he cares for Kate, the editor of his novels, he becomes even more even-tempered. It was fascinating watching him grow from a man with no sense of humor and one-word answers for everything ("no") to the man he turned into.

The humor is infectious, and this was one of the very first authors I had read at the time that uses humor this way; now, there are many but they don't all hold a candle to this author for longevity and growth. Lysay has grown as a writer with each and every book. I urge you to try some of them, including her historical books---or as I like to call them, 'hystericals'!

[Viri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apenas recordé que ya lo había leído y lo hice porque fue pura casualidad.
Divertido, espontaneo y perfecto para pasar el rato ;)

[Izzah ꒰Duchess of Cabria ಇ ⭑✧ ᴏɴ ᴘᴀᴛʀᴇᴏɴ ✧ ⋆꒱ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strong beginning but it went downhill from there

Mega grump, reclusive, 600 year old vampire that has never even watched TV vs an overworked, but bright, sunny editor that never gives up.

It should have been so cute~
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is #3 in the recommended reading order for the Argeneau series of 30 paranormal romances (so far), but it was the first Argeneau book to appear, in September 2003. In it Lucern Argeneau, age 612 and the oldest of Marguerite's kids, finds his life mate at long last in his editor, Kate C. Leever. Now bear with me, 'cause this gets complicated.

In the first third of this book Lucern's kid brother Etienne, age only a bit over 300, gets married to Rachel Garrett, and the story of how he got together with his bride wasn't told until the prequel Love Bites came out in January 2004.

Then in July 2004 the world got the real sequel to Lucern's story, in which the middle brother Bastien Argeneau finds happiness with Kate Leever's cousin Terri. That's Tall, Dark & Hungry.

Finally in November 2005, more than a year later, the youngest of the Argeneau siblings, Lissianna, a mere 202 years old, is the first of the four of them to find a life mate in A Quick Bite.

I've been reading the Argeneau books in the author's recommended reading order, which tells the siblings' stories one after the other: first Lissianna, then #2 Etienne, #3 Lucern (here), #4 Bastien (to come). Curiously, they fit together seamlessly except for a few little tells--for example, the whole thing about your life mate being the only one whose mind you can't read or control isn't fully developed yet in Lucern's story.

These are all paranormal romances, and they involve the nicest vampires you could ever hope to meet, all because of the author's brilliant idea: nanobots! Vampires are from the lost continent of Atlantis, where advanced science developed self-replicating nanobots to heal injuries quickly when injected into a person's bloodstream; they also cured all diseases and prevented aging, and all they need is some of the person's blood, which of course needs to be replenished (frequently).

So there's a touch of science fiction for the backstory, and a feeble attempt in this book to explain what wasn't clear in #1 or #2 (in the recommended order, mind, not publication order)--why the vamps developed mind reading and mind control, which is what lets them live undetected among us. Not too convincing, something about nanobots in the brain. Hmm.

The vamps aren't quite immortal, because they can be killed by anything that completely overwhelms the nanobots--for example, if there's a major injury and no blood sources around, the "nanos" will exhaust the vamp's own blood and that's it. Also, as in this book, what a stake to the heart does is to stop the blood circulation so the nanos can't do the quick healing--pull out the stake, get the heart beating again, and the vamp heals right up!

And sunshine is avoided as much as possible because it makes the nanos work overtime and use up blood; so a nocturnal lifestyle is pretty much preferred but not totally necessary.

The first two books (in recommended order) were light-hearted comfort reading with a bit of action and danger; this one is all that but it's also full of uproariously funny scenes with one delightful mishap after another. It even takes "meet cute" up to the level of slapstick comedy! Big laughs for me. And the awful plot devices of romance novels are somewhat muted here--misunderstandings arise rather naturally from the personalities of Lucern and Kate, who are well developed as self-doubting introverts.

There's meta humor too, because Lucern is a famous writer of vampire romances, which were just biographical, barely even disguising names of his family; he is the fictitious author of A Quick Bite and Love Bites, and Kate is his editor who, with Marguerite's help, manages to persuade Lucern to attend a romance magazine's annual five-day convention. I suspect I've read a glorious parody of such affairs--if you've been to one you might enjoy this book even more than I did!

[Hannah B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The completely random staker could definitely have been deleted (I was even thinking wow! there’s no semi-unhinged murder plot like the first couple books! lmao) but overall I was giggling fr

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5 🌶️🌶️.5/5

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third book in the series and I am still addicted. The Argeneau of focus in this one was Lucern and he played the role of the curmudgeonly old vamp (over 600 years old) who was growing tired of life. Enter his editor - Kate C Leever. Kate took over "handling" Luc when his old editor died of a heart attack. Growing increasingly annoyed at his lack of communication she finally - in a desperate bid - flew to his house in Toronto to make him commit to an interview or a book tour or just to giving her a phone number so she could contact him. The funny is that Luc writes paranormal romance novels - which of course are actually non-fiction chronologies of his families lives - but are sold as paranormal romance. (Reminds me of a certain J.R. Ward....)

Anywho - Kate gets to Luc's house and of course slap stick comedy and misunderstandings abound. Finally Luc agrees to do the "R.T. Thing" just to get Kate out of his house and out of his life. Poor Luc didn't realize he agreed to 5 days in New York at the Romantic Times Convention! (I know!) And Kate doesn't know he is a Vamp at this point - so you just know it's gonna be all kinds of goodness!

It was fun following Kate and Luc's misadventures and steamy adventures while they wondered what that ringing was - It's the Clue-phone people - answer it! Seriously though - it was very enjoyable and I am already slowly ingesting the 4th book in the series to see what Argeneau Vampire will end up in the Love Seat next.

[Kyle, E · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found the plot incredibly predictable, the characters weren't very interesting and lacked any real depth and nothing really happened in the story. The entire book solely revolved around their relationship which had really obvious directionality. There were a few very funny moments in the middle like when Luc is trying to find condoms and can't think clearly because all the blood is being rerouted from his head. I was laughing my ass off at that, but that is the only real moment in the book that I actually felt engaged.

When you've read a million of these I want him/her but we can't be together books you really just want them to get on with it and can't be bothered with the whole angsty inner monologue about how they are too scared to risk everything for one another. Of course they will. Just get on with it already. Usually when that kind of story unravels it is wrapped up in some bigger story line when they're wrapped up in the middle of some action or war but there was none of that in this book and so all that was left was a drawn out predictable angsty love story.

I'm not sure why I keep coming back to these books because they are pretty similar in story considering that they circulate around a single family. I would say that this has put me off reading any more of these, because it has, but then, I'll probably read them anyway. I need vampires.

[Umaiya ❄️Ramblings of a Scattered Mind❄️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this one was definitely a lot funnier than the last two.Like Lol funny.
I loved how grumpy and cute Luc was.
Unfortunately the beginning was stale and it felt like I was rereading the previous books rather than the next in the series. I have a feeling this is will be a recurring thing which makes me reluctant to read any further . . . *sigh*

[za_pomniane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4 ⭐

[kookyquinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good lord this heroine was annoying. The book would have been five stars had she taken that down from an 11 to a 3.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate C. Leever is an editor at Roundhouse Publishing. One of her authors, Lucern Argeneau (a 612-year-old vampire), is stubbornly refusing to do book-signing tours, conventions and interviews. Kate decides to do the direct approach. She shows up at Lucern's house, suitcase in hand. Twice, he slams the door closed in her face. The third time Kate wedges her foot between the door jam and the slamming door. It hurt but at lease she has his attention.

At first, Kate doesn't know Lucern is a vampire, and when she finds out, it leads to one comic misadventure after another. Kate has all sorts of misconceptions about vampires. Despite these, she is attracted to Lucern. The passion is off the scales, because they can feel each other's passion and this rackets up the physical response. When Lucern's mother tells Kate the sacrifices she will have to make in order to share an immortal lifetime with Lucern, Kate has to seriously think about whether she loves him deeply enough to be willing to make these sacrifices.

The comedy, sometimes slapstick, is hilarious from the head wound in the kitchen to the codpiece scene at the Romantic Times Convention. Then there is the blood bank robbery scene. Each scene is funny as all get out and sets up the reader for a delightful escape into the two settings. The protagonists, Kate and Lucern, have their misunderstandings and their love and passion. Lucern is portrayed as a grumpy recluse with a hard shell and a soft underbelly. Kate is an aggressive, stubborn woman with a protective streak for her authors. The plot surrounds Kate and Lucern's growing attraction to each other. Their love is a slow-burn as they get to know each other. Neither say "I love you" until near the end of the book. This leads to being unsure of each other and to feelings of loneliness. The descriptions are funny and sexy. The dialogue fits each character and thoroughly expresses their thoughts to the reader. The pacing is steady. There is no sagging middle which I could detect. Overall, this is a Paranormal Romance set in Canada and the United States. It is a lighthearted read with the hope for the future of many more novels in the Argeneau series. Adult situations and language.

[Lady Tea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ratings: 2.4 / 5

I REALLLLLLY wanted to like this a lot more, since Lucern is totally my type, but....

....yeah, rather than be eager to finish it as I was the first two books in this series, I found myself putting it off more and more, which finally decided me that maybe I didn't really care about this overall.

The problems can be summed up in two major aspects: Kate and the RT convention.

Like...okay, she was semi-annoying all throughout the book, but after a while it got tiresome. She's an editor that's inconsistently competent and then not, professional and then unprofessional, acting like a grown-up one moment and then like a child the next. On the one hand, she's supposed to be a foil to Lucern by being a "modern woman", and yet she's constantly waiting for Lucern to make the first move and then feels insecure when he doesn't.

I didn't know what to make of her except that I didn't see her as a good fit for Lucern; and, to be clear, the story doesn't really do a good job of convincing us why they should be together, either.

At the beginning part, when they were together at Lucern's house and she kept trying to convince him to do something for his career (and hers, let's face it), I felt like maybe it could gradually grow into something I could suppose--Lil Miss Sunshine poking the Growly Bear, so to speak. But unfortunately, that plot is ground to a halt quite suddenly as Kate just up-and-leaves very quickly (seriously, she gives even Lucern whiplash!), and then we cut to the RT convention that Lucern's forced to go to where...I'm sorry, but their romance just does NOT develop organically. They're either interrupted or Kate ends things way too many times, everything seems like it's being done for hijinks and laughs rather than actual plot development; and again, nothing that happens makes it seem like Lucern and Kate should be together.

I got a sense a lot of times what I felt Lynsay Sands was trying to go for, but ultimately I'd say that this was a failure of vampiristic proportions in terms of being a proper romance.

Next, please! (Though, not for a while--think I wanna move on to something else now.)

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good thing that this is an old series and I have all of the books so far, because the way the author ends the books STINKS!!! It just ends. Blah, blah, blah The End. Uggggg why do they do this, we need a little closure. Now the next book picks up right where this one leaves off, but ending a book this way is just "dirty pool".

This story was very good, even though Kate was so annoying and too Type A, right up to the last chapter. It just fell apart. It was as if the author was at her word limit. Yeah sure Kate knew Luc was a vamp and she was okay with it, but his solution for them to be together was way out of left field and not even mentioned until the last few pages. This just really cheesed me off. Of course I have to read the next book in the series Tall, Dark & Hungry to find out what will happen to these two....

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was weeding at the library and this was pulled for discard. I felt compelled to read it as it had only been checked out once and that was in 2003. Cheesy, cliche, what was expected. Yet, I finished it, so something sucked me in (see what I did there 🤣).

[b.andherbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reclusive vampire writing his families' histories (and HEAs) turned into inadvertent romance author finds his new editor on his doorstep. After ignoring all of her emails begging him to consider a book tour or even an interview, Kate is ready to use her charm, in person, to woo the author who is sure to secure her place in her publishing company.

He's a grump, she's persistent. There's a wedding, the family seems to all be allergic to the sun, and wait why is Lucern's head covered in blood?

Finally convincing Lucern after some major sexual tension to attend the RT (romantic times, RIP) Convention, Kate considers this a win. But major debacles await, including the fact Kate and Lucern cannot seem to keep their hands (or his teeth) off each other.

But once Kate discovers Lucern's vampires are so realistic because he is, in fact, one himself, will she be willing to give up everything to be his wife?

What a ride. This was truly ridiculous, but so fun. The best part was that Lucern is never mocking of the romance genre, even if he doesn't like "forward modern women." I also loved that while he was an old vampire, Lucern is quite awkward, not always super smooth, and is a big ol' mama's boy. LOL. Not your typical alpha vamp here.

ALSO - wtf they are from Atlantis and their blood is full of nanobots and that is why they are vamps?! I wasn't expecting that at all, so good job Sands.

There was a weird moment when Lucern is trying to feed of Kate's male coworker (homosexual is used), and some other outdated gender stuff, but overall I had a great time reading this.

I do have to say, what the heck was up with the rando who showed up and staked Lucern in the hotel room, who they kill, and then he just kind of disappears from the plot???? Okay...

Fun times.

[❀⊱RoryReads⊰❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

The Argeneau series is a great escape from reality. Plenty of humor, likeable characters, and, of course, a happily ever after for all.

[Francesca the Fierce (Under the Covers Book Blog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book and I have to say it was the funniest and cutest of the series so far, which is why I'm giving it 5 stars.

Lucerne is 600+ years old, and a bit of a grumpy old man. He's become a paranormal romance writer by writing the stories of his sister Luciana meeting and marrying Greg and his brother Etienne meeting and marrying Rachel. They are promoted as paranormal vampire stories, go figure!

He now has a new editor, Kate C Leever. He's never met her, but she's been writing to him to try to get him to do a promotional book signing tour, interviews, anything to promote his books. If he ever replies to her letters it's always along these lines: "Dear Ms. Leever, No. Lucerne Argeneau, Toronto, Canada."

After repeated attempts, Kate decides to fly from NY to Toronto and try to convince him in person. Her job my depend on getting him to do something.

I could tell this was going to be a fun book from the beginning when he's in the kitchen thinking to prepare tea and then get Kate to leave his house, and while he's drinking from his bag of blood with the refrigerator opened, Kate comes in, the bag rips, blood flies everywhere, he bangs his head, and she thinks he hurt himself. LOL Along these lines we keep getting memorable funny moments like: "Katie is trying to free his codpiece from the tablecloth, not him from his codpiece." or "You don't plan to go out and buy condoms, do you? You're naked!" and then he calls the front desk "Condoms, I need condoms" and ... "They have sizes?".

We don't get to see as much of the Argeneau family as usual. But we do get a glimpse of Etienne and Rachel's wedding. And at the wedding, when Kate finds the men outside by the car, they let her think that they were out smoking a "debbie" (they're all over 300+ years old, they don't know slang) instead of drinking blood.

Lucerne agrees, thanks to his mom misleading him, to attend the Romantic Times conference. This turns into a fun ordeal for Lucerne and Kate. He has to get over his grumpiness, and she takes the fact that he's a vampire very well (probably thanks to the books).

By the end of the story the make the cutest couple, and I just had so much fun reading their story. It never ceased to be entertaining. There wasn't much drama, action, or danger. Actually there was even less than in previous books. Just one random attempt to stake him. So I would classify this more as a humor contemporary paranormal romance. If you're into that and want a break from reading serious books, you'll enjoy this one!

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been making my way through this series in no particular order. Honestly, I'm not even sure why. The highest rating I've given any of the books was four stars. It's probably because these books are easy to read, funny, and low on the drama. I find the predictability of it all comforting rather than boring. When each of the vampire MCs find their mate, they realize how rare it is and how lucky they are. Sure, the grumpy 600-year-olds might drag their feet a little a lot, but pretty early on they realize what they have is special and fragile and work hard not to screw it up. That alone makes them better than half of the shitty romances I find myself reading.

This is Lucern's story, one of Marguerite's sons. He would definitely fall in the category of grumpy 600-year-old dragging his feet.



He's a reclusive but very successful PNR romance writer who never leaves his house and is one step away from telling kids to get off his lawn. While his old editor understood that he refused to make any public appearances, his new editor, Kate Leever, is determined to convince him to do some kind of publicity for his book series. After several attempts on Kate's part to get any kind of response from Lucern other than a letter with a giant No, she decides to hop on a plane and speak to him in person. When Lucern finds her on his doorstep with a suitcase he's horrified and rude. She eventually forces her way into his house.

I wasn't really a fan of Kate's lack of boundaries but obviously, we wouldn't have much of a plot otherwise. I guess her job was on the line so that was a part of her forcefulness. Anyways, Lucern decides to go to his kitchen and feed from a blood bag with Kate in another room for..reasons? Of course, she decides to follow him and surprises him mid-feed causing him to splash blood everywhere. He tries to convince her he hit his head but that just gives her an excuse to stay and make sure he doesn't have a concussion because he obviously refuses to go to the hospital. So Kate has a reason to stick around and Lucern discovers that Kate is a possible life mate. From there the book follows the usual Argeneau series plot. Lucern agrees to do a little publicity after his mother shames him into it and he gets to spend more time with Kate. Shenanigans and romance ensue.

There is something very comforting about this series. There aren't a lot of surprises and each book has characters from previous books. You know exactly where the plot is going and that it will end in romantic speeches and life long commitment. My only issue with some of these books is that as romantic as you're my mate and therefore there is no question that we belong together can be, if not written properly it can actually ruin the romance of the book. Which I see a lot of in the later books in this series. It rubs me the wrong way when the vampire H/h is trying to reassure the non-vampire H/h that they belong together because you know, science. The vampire basically tells them that even if they don't love each other now, they will. Science can't be wrong. Ugh. But I digress. The point is that fortunately, that's not an issue in this book. In the earlier books of the series (like this one), the non-vampire has to make a decision the old fashion way.



You know, relying on feelings.

As for the H/h, I liked them both. Sure, Lucern was grumpy and painfully old fashion. And crotchety. I kept waiting for him to yell at Kate and call her a whippersnapper.



Kate worked her way into his heart just by being herself.

Kate, as annoyingly insistent and stubborn as she was, was perfect for Lucern. She was independent, capable, and didn't need Lucern. She wanted him. She didn't need him. That was new for Lucern and it was really sweet to watch as he learned the difference between the two. They made a great couple.

Overall it was a cute book, and despite the three-star rating, one of my favorites of the series. There's something to be said for mindless fun. And that's exactly what this book is.

[t'irla ~The Bookslayer~ aka Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, so the series is getting a bit better.

Description:

SWM - "Lucern." Successful biographer of family, books recently categorized as "paranormal romance." Something of a recluse. Hates crowds, aggressive women. Doesn't like sunbathing, garlicky dinners or religious symbols. Likes old-fashioned values; spicy Mexican dishes; warm, nice-smelling neck; and plump red lips. Stronger than ten men and can vanish in the blink of an eye. Currently unaware he's seeking a woman to share eternity.

SWF - "Kate C. Leever." Newest editor of Romance at Roundhouse Publishing. Perky, fun. Has recently discovered a legacy author just dying to be broken out. In fact, her career could take off from it. (The tall, dark, handsome writer just needs to be taken to several romance conventions and introduced to his fans . . . and stopped from acting so strange in public.) Dislikes "difficult, rude, obnoxious, pig-headed writers." Currently she's met the man of her wildest dreams.

My Thoughts:

A much more 3 dimensional book than the last two, this book is still missing that edge that takes a book from being "ok, ya I liked it" to "its a great book you have to read it". LS's characters were more rounding in this outing. In fact Lucern is how I like my heroes, cranky, rude, standoffish, stiff, isolated with a soft heart who can be embarrassed and unsure of himself. Kate is a pushy heroine..a very real representation of what a editor can be like:)...Like a dog with a bone she will not leave Lucern alone and insists that he do some publicity. I absolutely adored the conference scene with Lady Barrow..priceless. The funny bits in some ways make up for that missing edge but they were few and far between. However, I will read book 4 and hope as this was a step up from the first two books, it will be a step up from this one.

A soft 3.5 stars rounded to 3 but I am still wondering why some of my trusted enablers "love" this series. On to Tall, Dark and Vampire and hopefully will find out.

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Lucern Argeneau just wants to be left alone; however, he just can't seem to get rid of his new editor Kate C Leever who keeps hounding him to do some publicity for his new books. Kate takes up residence in his house and seems like she will not leave until he agrees to do something, then the worst happens, his very determined mother gets involved and decides to do a little matchmaking. But the more he is in her company the more he realizes maybe he doesn't mind having her around at all.

I have read a few of the Argeneau books and this is definately one of the best ones. Luc and Kate are both charming characters, Luc is the crusty, grumpy man hiding a warm and senstive heart, and Kate is the modern woman who can't help falling for him. And frankly who can blame her, Luc was adorable!

This book was also hilarious, I pretty much laughed my way through the whole thing. There are some particularly funny scenes, like the debacile with the condoms, and of course *laughs* the jewelled, duck shaped codpiece! For those parts alone I would read this book.

It did end rather abruptly though and I think it could have used a few more pages to slide it more easily into a good ending, it felt rather rushed and clunky in the last 10 or so pages. But the book up unto that point was good. Although this series and this book, I don't think is the best in the Paranormal Romance department, it is certainly entertaining and good if you want something light hearted and funny to read.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I enjoyed this book even more than the first. And I really enjoyed the first. I always go for books with mysterious male vampires who need to be woke up by a woman! haha. I really like how Sands writes and how each installment in the series is telling the story of each family member in the Argneau family. Lucian was this stories family member and I loved him. Lucern is a famous paranormal romance novelist. The funny thing is, he isn’t writing fiction at all. He's pretty much a hermit. His only visitors are his mother and his siblings.
Until Lucern's editor Kate Lever, down at Roundhouse Publishing( recently promoted) shows up at his door step. Uninvited. She needs Lucern to attend a book signing or to do an interview(or anything) to make her look better at work. Luc turns out to be a lot more grumpy and high strung than she had thought, and finds what she wants will going to be harder to get than she thought. It doesn’t help that she finds him incredibly attractive and he also feels the same way about her!

This is a great edition in the series and I recommend it for all vampire romance lovers! You'll be hooked once you start this series.

Read more: http://romancefiction.suite101.com/ar...

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun filled read but it sort of lagged in the middle when the heroine took her romance writing vampire hero to a Romantic Times convention. There were lots of insider jokes that I semi got because I subscribed to the RT mag for ages but readers unfamiliar with RT might be a little lost. The heroine behaved like a brainless nitwit until the book ended but the hero was a great change of pace. Very little brooding and lots of sex appeal. Overall a very average but not quite "meh" read.

[Maryab Maryab · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start. Luc's favorite word..."no"
I have to admit this series is growing on me. Each book has gotten better. I'm really enjoying this one!

The RT convention... great story. Loving the codpiece issue. Hilarious! This couple is truly great together.

This was a fun read. Love the characters and the conflict. Highly recommend this one!

[AG Reads]

I barely got past the first chapter. Already I hate the pushy heroine, and tbere is nothing less sexy than a bumbling, tongue-tied vampire who allows himself to be mowed over by the pushy h. This was everything I hate in main romantic characters painfully written into a single chapter.