Love At First Stake by Mila Nicks

This book really surprised me. After having endured other stories featuring vampires in modern times, I was not looking forward to reading this. However, from the very first page I was intrigued and dare I say envious. We are introduced to Charlotte, who runs her family’s bookshop and lives a simple yet blissful life (so jealous). That was until someone broke into her shop and ransacked the place. And the worst part was, she had to call the only cop working in town apparently, her ex-boyfriend Daryl. Or she thought that was the worst part. No, the hot, naked vampire that mysteriously appeared in her shop took the cake. 

The-vampire-known-as-Gabriel was not what Charlotte expected. For starters, he wouldn’t leave and wouldn’t wear any clothes. Well, except for pants. Above all else, they couldn’t seem to stop bickering. But it was more than that. Gabriel was complex yet caring. Although he was a vampire who needed to consume blood to live, he didn’t consume humans. One could argue that Gabriel was more human than vampire. He had beef with his brother (family drama), he met Charlotte’s parents, pretending to be her boyfriend, and wanted to protect Charlotte from other vampires. That definitely sounded like love to me. Both Charlotte and Gabriel developed feelings for one another and though they were from very different worlds, they loved, understood, and respected each other. 

I liked that this was written more as an opposites attract as opposed to a vampire falling in love with a human. It made Gabriel more relatable to the reader and gave us a chance to really see their love develop. With other vampire/human love stories, it comes across as more of an obsession and the relationship is possessive and toxic, rather than loving and caring. 

Love At First Stake has something for both the romantic and the vampire lovers. It’s smart, funny, a little scary but so endearing. An amazing book you should definitely add to your library. I’m glad I added it to mine.