Erin McCarthy: High Stakes

Ethan Carrick is a gorgeous, fabulously wealthy casino owner. He also happens to be a vampire and not only that, he’s president of the vampire nation. He’s up for re-election and to prove he’s through sowing his wild oats, Ethan needs a wife. Brittany Baldizzi, his lovely and naive young dentist, fits the bill just perfectly. She is also half vampire, an “Impure”, which will help him win the minority vote in his campaign. The only thing is that Brittany doesn’t know she’s half vamp or that she’s doing teeth cleanings for vampires. Ethan talks her into moving into his casino under the guise of dental care for his employees.

Alexis Baldizzi is Brittany’s sister and she’s not about to sit idly by while this blood-sucking freak kidnaps her sister. She has raised Brittany since the death of their mother and she’s not going to stop looking out for her baby sister now that they are adults. Ethan is bowled over by the feisty prosecutor when she storms his hotel demanding to see her sister. Alexis is the first woman in ages who hasn’t swooned at his feet. When she finds out what Ethan is really up to she proposes to take her sister’s place during his campaign. Neither of them have any idea what they are getting themselves into. This feisty blonde just might karate kick her way into his ancient undead heart.

Erin McCarthy’s vision of vampires in Las Vegas is genius. It’s the perfect cover for vampires since everyone sleeps all day and stays up all night. Alexis’s tough demeanor is just a cover for a girl who is desperate to be loved. Her martial arts skills add a funny element to the story especially since she’s trying to kick Ethan’s ass all the time. A few things I didn’t love: the sex scene descriptions were a bit strange, and I wasn’t really sure where some of the sub-plots and characters fit into the story. High Stakes is the beginning of a new series so I’m hoping that it will come together for me in the next book. The second book in the series will be Bit the Jackpot to be released in December 2006.

You can order this book by clicking on the Amazon link above. The US release date is August 1, 2006. The UK release will also be in August 2006.

Popularity: 3% [?]