Vamps and the City (Love at Stake, Book 2)

Book Description

Who says a vamp can't have it all?

Darcy Newhart thought it was a stroke of genius – the first–ever reality TV show where mortals vie with vampires for the title of The Sexiest Man on Earth. As the show's director, Darcy's career would be on track again. And she can finally have a life apart from the vampire harem. Okay, so she's still technically dead, but two out of three's not bad. Now she just has to make sure that a mortal doesn't win. If only she wasn't so distracted by a super–sexy and live contestant named Austin...

But Darcy doesn't know the worst of it. Austin Erickson is actually a vampire slayer! And he's got his eye on the show's leggy blond director. Only problem is, he's never wanted any woman – living or dead – as badly. But if he wins her heart, will he lose his soul? And if it means an eternity of hot, passionate loving with Darcy, does that really matter anyway?

Customer Reviews:

Loved it!.......2007-09-12

I'm not sure why people didn't like this one as much as the others in the Love at Stake series. It was my favorite out of the three so far, and I am looking forward to the fourth book. I really like Kerrelyn's style. I thought Austin was very lovable and intersting in Vamps and the City.

Also I didn't think I would like a book centered around a reality show, but I actually really liked the way the author did it, funny and romanitc.

Nope!.......2007-05-09

This second book the Love at Stake series almost put me off of the series completly. I could not relate to the herione and her constant whining of becoming a vampire when the alternative was to die was just too much..as well as her anxiety toward Connor the vamp who changed her. She made you want to throw things at her for most of the book. Oh just buck up and shut up already!! Lucikly the next installment "Be Still My Vampire Heart" recaptures the magic of the first book "How to marry millionare vampire". I say skip this book...some small things happen with Roman and Shanna from the first book, but nothing you can't grasp in the next book.

Wonderfully Funny.......2007-03-29

Vamps and the City, by Kerrelyn Sparks, is the sequel to How To Marry a Millionaire Vampire. Both are wonderfully funny with an original take on vampire lore.

Vamps and the City begins with CIA agent, Austin Erickson on a cleverly-punned "Stake-Out" of the DVN (Digital Vampire Network) Studio. His job is to locate and destroy vampires. Easy enough, until he meets Darcy Newhart. He's not sure if she's a vampire or just a victim, working for them. But when he finds himself falling for her, he may have to choose between his job and the girl.

Darcy is fairly new to the life of a vampire. And doesn't really like it. She prefers chocolate-flavored synthetic blood, and is trying to get a job at DVN despite, blatant the male chauvinism that still plagues the vampire community.

With witty dialog and unique characters, this is a very fun new romance-filled vampire series. I would describe it as a less-sarcastic version of MJ Davidson's Undead series. This is more drama and comedy than an action-packed adventure.

Boring.......2007-01-19

I really liked her first book and I was looking forward to her second. The second book was just boring. I'm hoping her third book is better. I never did finish the second book, it was just blah...

Hopefully her third book will be better.

Vamps and the City.......2006-12-11

Although some people might enjoy the benefits of being a vampire (can you say live forever and superhuman strength?), Darcy Newhart did not. Four years ago, she lost her job, her family, and her freedom (not to mention her life) when she was turned without her consent. Yet things are looking up. Now that Roman Draganesti, the Master of the harem to which she belonged (how medieval is that?!), was engaged to a mortal woman, she has the chance to change her life (okay, afterlife). Contacting the Digital Vampire Network (DVN for short), she pitches a new show and is hired to direct the first Vampire reality show: The Sexiest Man on Earth. Using five of the female vampires from Roman's harem as judges and a combination of vampire and human (talk about ratings boosts!) contestants, she sets out to create a hit as well as a new life for herself. Yet what happens when she can't resist one of the mortal contestants? Will she risk her new job and life for him?

Austin Erickson (AKA Adam on The Sexiest Man on Earth) is actually an undercover CIA operative working to gather information about vampires. With his off-the-chart psychic abilities, he's able to infiltrate the enemy's lair (so what if it's a luxurious penthouse?), gather information (including photos of the gorgeous Darcy), and prepare to rid the world of a few evil vamps. Yet once he really gets to know Darcy, he realizes he may just be falling in love with her. Can he compete with the vampire contestants long enough for him and Darcy to decide just what to do about their relationship...and his vampire slaying job?

How did I ever miss this series? Kerrelyn Sparks has created a wacky, witty, wonderful world in Vamps and the City. The characters are fresh and most definitely unique and the story is so much more that what you'd expect. On one level there is the romance that builds between Darcy and Austin. Both know that nothing can come of it yet neither can resist the pull between them. They each get into quite a few escapades while trying to deny their feelings and jumping each other's bones. On top of that, there is the growth of the harem vampires who learn to value their self worth. Their outlooks on life, sex and masters will leave you laughing out loud and have you cheering for them. Finally, the shift in prejudices between both the vamps and the humans is skillfully woven into this lighthearted reality spoof. I can easily recommend Vamps in the City as one book that you won't want to put down. Not only that, it will leave you eagerly anticipating the next story in the series.

Georgia
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

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Spot on about whiny whitebread feminists
A new-wave feminism
Nothing New Under the Sun
Food for thought...debate...and brawl
Butch, Bitchy and Brilliant

Vamps & Tramps: New Essays
Camille Paglia
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679751203
Release Date: 1994-10-11

Book Description

The bestselling author of Sexual Personae and Sex, Art, and American Culture is back with a fiery new collection of essays on everything from art and celebrity to gay activism, Lorena Bobbitt to Bill and Hillary. These essays have never appeared in book form, and many will be appearing in print for the first time.

Customer Reviews:

Spot on about whiny whitebread feminists.......2006-01-04

From time to time in this fascinating intellectual hodge-podge of reviews, interviews, cartoons(!), photos, celebrity profiles and other ramblings, Camille Paglia gets over her head: for instance, she admits to being a fan of Rush Limbaugh. (This was obviosly before he was outed as a junkie.) But when dealing with muddle-headed, white-bread feminists such as Katherine Mackinnon and their species, she is brilliant. She is absolutely correct in denouncing contemporary feminism as a reactionary, latter-day Victorian, uptight and essentially middlebrow phenomenon. Her spotligt on underground figure Bruce Benderson and on Edward Said is especially enlightening. But when she comes to dealing with American cultural imperialism, she starts going astray and contradics herself: how is it that American pop culture is "pagan", a saving grace, and yet--as she claims, nearly in the same breath--deeply puritanical and reactionary? Camille doesn't clear that up.

Other than that, a fascinating read.

A new-wave feminism.......2005-08-15

As a 20 year old student in a catholic woman's college (as in, all girls and nuns. Quite a combo.) and a History/political science major, I have grown thoroughly sick of both woman's studies and feminism.
That any female in her right mind could deny the influence, the absolute importance of men in society seems ludicrous and pretentious to me. After years of hearing utter bull from almost every female I've ever met, my opinion of feminism, feminists and women in general is disturbingly low. To the point of mysogyny (I probably misspelled that. Oh well).
I personally find Camille Paglia's opinions refreshing, sensible and right on the mark. Of course, not everything she writes is entirely palatable but for the most part I think she's basically stating what should be obvious to everyone (but isn't thanks to: Woman's lib, the liberal media, liberalism in general, political correctness, and those ivory-tower academics.)

Yes, she is a bitch. She is an egoiste. She is the epitome of narcissism in academia. But her basic theories are much more sensible than anything else produced by feminism. While others are prosiac, long-winded, pompous puritans with no sense of humanity and human characteristics, she is a breath of fresh air, at least to me.

I am glad I bought this book. I find it fascinating. If there are women like that in the world, perhaps I shouldn't be despairing for my gender.
Any woman who could re-iterate my personal motto "leaders should have a warm face and a cold heart" is definitely cream of the crop in my opinion. She has inspired me to a new version, a new-wave if you will, of feminism and I'm rather grateful I discovered her (despite the fact that it was my mother who introduced me to her writings).

Nothing New Under the Sun.......2005-03-10

When I was in my early 20's I found Paglia "cool." But just as outdated the term "cool" is now, so do I find Paglia's works. Almost a decade of experience in living, sexually and otherwise, has taught me that there are indeed profound differences between men and women that cannot be accounted for by culture. In particular, our sexual orientation seems as much hardwired as socially induced. I do believe that media has a profound effect on sexual development. Kids, and I do mean kids, are having sex at ten and doing know not only the slang terms but the meaning of the more erudite variants, like fellatio and cunnilingus. Yet when it comes to sexual hunger, sexual proclivities, sexual orientation, it doesn't just seem that genetics plays a role, but is now being verified to be the case. There is no "gay gene" as it turns out. Rather there is a gene that is just not being expressed. This gene, oddly enough, correlates well with handiness as well. Those with the gene are right-handed and overwhelming straight. Those who lack it have a 50-50 chance or being either lefties or righties. The gene seems to direct sexual and handiness orientation. The lack of the gene means there is no preference, so individuals have a spectrum, ranging from being straight, bisexual, and homosexual. It would seem for those who lack the right-handed gene, culture then plays a strong role in formulating orientation, especially during adolescence, setting life-long tendencies. Many continue to reject this, but the evidence is very more mounting and the gene, RGHT1, is currently trying to be sequenced by labs around the world. Lastly, I find it odd that Paglia once said that if history were up to women, we'd all be still living in grass huts thinks that genetics doesn't play a role in sexuality. Her comment about women surely underscores a biological underpinning of behavior. If Paglia believes that men are more biologically inclined to invent, systemize, and create complex ideas and structures, why would she then not think that that biology would not extend its more influence to the most primal of all biological of realms: sexuality? Strange and most "uncool" for being so anti-science. I would highly recommend any of Steven Pinkers books, especiall the Blank Slate and How the Mind Works, which aside from the decidedly pompous-sounding title, does a great service in injecting real science and reasoning into the complex matters of human behavior.

Food for thought...debate...and brawl.......2005-01-19

One of the most controversial figures in contemporary society is explosive critic, art historian, pop philosopher, and author Camille Paglia. Her newest collection of essays, VAMPS AND TRAMPS, includes sharpened swords drawn and abruptly driven into the current direction of gay activism, feminist thought, and academia. Her criticism is fierce, at once educated and adolescent, she is a rebel thinker whose mind seems in constant overdrive. She's philsophy with cajones. In addition this book contains her thoughts on all aspects of sex and sexuality, AIDS, prostitution, abortion, rape, and homosexuality. VAMPS AND TRAMPS also contains a blistering essay on Susan Sontag, an examination of Lady Di's popularity, Foucault body-of-work slams, and much more. Never boring, this book of breathless vitality is volcanic. It also contains book reviews, interviews, cartoons, and even her 'Spy' advice column, all executed in her signature bloodthirsty style.

Butch, Bitchy and Brilliant.......2004-12-19

Camille Paglia is one-of-a-kind. In a way that's too bad, but in another way, thank Goodness! She's brash, she's obnoxious, she's opinionated, she's full of you-know-what. But she is also extremely intelligent and has an incisive mind that cuts through all the rhetoric and dogma and political correctness to get through to the plain old common sense Truth. The PC branch of Liberalism has branded her as a right-winger, but I think Paglia has been more than vindicated by the 2004 presidential election. She has written time and again that if the PC Leftists did not get into the real world, that people would look to the Right for common sense. And that is exactly what has happened. She is frankly Lesbian but likes men (she says she is [...]). Although she criticizes lesbians as having no humor, Camille herself is hilarious. [...] I laughed all the way through this delightful and refreshing book. Her withering criticisms of Establishment Feminists and the American Academe are lip-smacking good. She may be butch, but she's also bitchy. However, Paglia doesn't just criticize. She also offers what I think are valid and realistic remedies. I give this book four stars. I would have given it five stars, but she contradicts herself several times. For example, at one point she admits that men need a space without women and then in another section she laments that[...] men won't let her into the raunchier [...] milieus. So, she wants exceptions made in her case? Curious, in that the thing she really hates about Establishment Feminism is their always wanting special favors for the poor female "victims of male oppression."

I think Camille and her writing are wonderful. She has the kind of great original American Mind that we have not seen since the days of our Founding Fathers. Whether you agree with her or not, you cannot ignore her. (Gloria Steinem and Susan Sontag tried to and just made big fools of themselves.) Any American who claims to have an intellect MUST read her.

She Tried to Be Good: Sirens and Vamps from the Pulp Classics (Pulp Postcards)

Average customer rating:

She tried and succeded ^_^

She Tried to Be Good: Sirens and Vamps from the Pulp Classics (Pulp Postcards)
Prion Pulp Postcard Book
Manufacturer: Prion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1853754846

Book Description

As America slowly relaxed its moral codes in the postwar era, pulp novels offered an initiation to the previously hidden demimondes of sex and hedonistic excess. While the cover blurbs feigned shock and disgust, the cover art reveled in illicit danger, their titillating scenarios offering a lurid window on America’s suppressed desires. Now, collected here, are tigresses and temptresses in all their reckless glory. Each title in the series features 23 color postcards.

Customer Reviews:

She tried and succeded ^_^.......2005-08-14

A great postcard picture collection. i gave them to my girlfriend as a present, since she has wanted a collection of pulp covers for sometime now. She loved them, I loved them, and all of our friends that also saw them got a kick out of them.
All four of the pulp cover art books by Prion are highly recommended,whether you are a fan of pulp art or just like nice pictures in general. if you are a bit of a collector of pulp covers, get em all and add 92 excellent pictures to your collection.

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A remarkable life in music!
He Could Have Been a Drummer!
Who Knew !!
cynskis

Vamp Til Ready
Al Lerner
Manufacturer: BearManor Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1593930801

Book Description

He is a composer, arranger and consummate musician. His repertoire of songs - classical, jazz and show times - have delighted audiences for over five decades. His performances have spanned the globe, accompanying some of the greatest artists of the Big Band era and the musical world: Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, Dick Haymes, Glenn Miller, Frankie Laine, Rosemary Clooney, Kay Starr and Pat Boone! They've all benefited from the talent of the one world-class pianist and conductor, a man for all occasions, who knows how to entertain. He is Al Lerner. Al Lerner is a musical wonder. For decades, he has been writing and performing songs for people of all ages. His delightful melodies have captured the fancy of music lovers, performing the classic songs people remember: Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hart, and classic show tunes from Broadway to the movies. A show business veteran, Al has played in every major convert hall coast-to-coast, and then some. He has entertained at Carnegie Hall and even conducted a Royal Command Performance for the Queen of England. As a composer, he is just as prolific. He is the author of over 200 songs, among them, the closing theme song ("So Until I See You") for Jack Paar's Tonight Show, and for several classic motion pictures. Today, Al remains ever the showman. He performs at benefits, Big Band concerts, nightclubs and special engagements. He has been a featured act for several major cruise lines; including three Princess cruises, Sitmar, and Royal Viking, and continues to entertain audiences overseas. For music that entertains. For an evening of entertainment worth repeating, nobody does it like Al Lerner.

Customer Reviews:

A remarkable life in music!.......2007-06-21

"Vamp til Ready" is a solid, endearing piece of writing that gives the reader a great insight into the golden age of jazz/big band; a long forgotten time when money wasn't what it was all about and the pure love of creating music and mastering an instrument was all a musician wanted. From humble beginnings, the book chronicles Al's adventures throughout the decades and his transformation from a smart-mouthed kid in over his head, to a professional musician of the highest demand and respect.

A great read and a poignant glimpse into a remarkable life of music; highly recommended!

He Could Have Been a Drummer!.......2007-04-27

When Al Lerner was a kid in the "roaring twenties"in Cleveland, his older brother - a professional drummer - bought him a set of drums;after learning the basics,he joined a 3 piece band playing weekend gigs for$15 a week!one wintry night as he was packing up his drums,he sees the piano player put on his topcoat and gloves,packing or 'shleping' nothing!
Being a smart kid,Al switched to the piano;then takes the reader on a fun romp through five decades of his musical memoir reminding us that he was an integral part of the Big Band/Big Singer Era.Buy it..you'll love it! You'll also find out what Vamp Til Ready means..bernard kortick

Who Knew !!.......2007-03-22

What a delightful story about a very talented musician.
The book was a collection of fun and telling stories about great singers and an even greater pianist, who was able to guide and glide his performers through their shows.
We had often heard and enjoyed these talented people, but never were we aware of what it takes to keep them "on key."
Now I wonder how often and with whom did Mr. Learner have to "vamp"'til
ready?

cynskis.......2007-03-12

Lots of stories about the Hollywood "Golden" era...some I had never heard before..not just about musicians, but actors as well...Joan Crawford, Rita Hayworth etc. A must read for anyone interested in the old time entertainment industry.

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Couldn't put it down
All hail the Queen of the Vamps!
A Fascinating Woman
Great Look Into Hollywoods First Bad Girl
A quick read of the original Vamp

Vamp: The Rise and Fall of Theda Bara
Eve Golden
Manufacturer: Vestal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1879511320

Book Description

Theda Bars's remarkable life as told by Eve Golden's heartfelt account is short of discovering a means of traveling through time and as close as we are ever likely to get to meeting the screen's great Vamp!

Customer Reviews:

Couldn't put it down.......2006-12-27

A while ago,I bought this book after reading some high praise for it on a message board. It went into my to-be-read pile, where it languished for some months while I worked my way down through previous purchases.

Then yesterday evening I started into it. And couldn't stop (except for necessities) till I'd finished it, far later than I'd intended to stay up. It was well-written, illuminated by early film history without a whiff of dustiness, illustrated with a marvelous collection of images, and best of all, took the Theda Bara I'd known only from campy college posters and revealed the delightful, complex woman behind the image.

Highly, highly recommended, and has spurred me on to buy Eve Golden's other books, and to hover by my mailbox in keen anticipation of their delivery.

All hail the Queen of the Vamps!.......2005-10-04

This is a fascinating quick read on one of the earliest real moviestars, the screen's first sex symbol, and a truly legendary star. Ms. Golden writes with a balanced style, neither an unapologetic sycophant nor a hard-to-please critic. She's an admirer of Theda's life, interested in both her acting career and in her life off of the screen, although she isn't afraid to call a spade a spade and discuss a critical turkey that Theda was cast in. However, as lively and informative a read as this may be, it can only go into so much depth about Theda's life and acting career, given what a private person she was and how a lot of details about her early life and her life after retiring from the screen may never be fully known. And, of course, since only a handful of her films survive, none of them representative of her true talents, the discussion about her films can also only go so far and deep. We get plenty of information about the storylines, critical response to them, the filming experiences, Theda's feelings at acting in them (she was quite unhappy at how most of her roles were Vamping roles instead of getting more chances to play sympathetic characters), but without having a chance to actually see these films, we can't really have a full valid analysis of them. Reviewers of the time either loved or hated her, and it really does seem like she were a fine screen actor (her stage acting is another matter), but minus the visual evidence, even a good biography such as this one can only go by what people of the time said and what is evident about her talents even in her handful of surviving mediocre vehicles. Unless more of her films are found, like 'Salome,' 'Cleopatra,' or 'Under Two Flags,' there's no way one can convincingly prove her full worth as an actor, how many of her films would have held up over time, if time might have given some of them their revenge. But what we do know for certain are the facts reported in this book, that Theodosia Goodman was a pampered child from Ohio, an intellectual snob and insatiable bookworm her entire life, interested in mysticism and things many people today would term Goth (although the stories cooked up about her by the press are another story; she was never that much of a mystic!), devoted to her husband, a very talented actor who was trapped in a role she didn't entirely feel comfortable in, a stunningly beautiful woman when photographed correctly or seen in motion (all of the photos in the book are wonderful!). I also liked the information on why most of her films were lost; it's well-known that at least 75% of all silents have been lost, but I didn't know the specifics as to why so many of Theda's in particular were lost apart from the fire at Fox Studios in 1937. Many silents were lost within their own lifetimes, not just by the Thirties and Forties. It's also explained why she went out of vogue; besides the fact that there were new Vamps on the scene, and that the public preferred flapper movies now, Theda's style of acting had majorly gone out of vogue by the mid-Twenties, when the method of acting that was taught and praised in the Teens had long since been replaced by a more natural acting style.

A Fascinating Woman.......2003-03-05

Iým not sure where or when I first heard of Theda Bara, but ever since I did, I thought it was a ýcoolý name. The name --- and that she was an actress in the distant past --- was about all I knew about her ... until I read Eve Goldenýs excellent book. I got this book more or less on a whim; but from it I learned a great deal about this fascinating actress with the cool name. It turns out that she probably was a pretty ýcoolý person as well! In fact, this book led me to seek out copies of the few remaining movies Miss Bara made --- such a pity that more examples of her work donýt exist. The examples Iýve seen are, it is often said, not her best; but she seems to have been quite a capable actress.

This is not a review of Miss Bara, however, but of Ms. Goldenýs book. And a great book it is: informative, well-illustrated (I agree with the authorýs philosophy that ýa biography without pictures is like a cake without icingý), and with a clear writing style. It is extremely well-researched too --- the numerous quotes from contemporary reviews of Miss Baraýs movies shows that Ms. Golden did her homework.

I donýt know exactly what some reviewers meant when they noted Ms. Goldenýs ýsarcasticý attitude. I enjoyed her writing. Her book was informative, not too scholarly, and written with good humor. I think itýs a book Miss Bara herself might have liked. It certainly succeeded in sparking my interest in this actress, and in the genre of silent films in general.

In this book you will learn not only about Theda Baraýs life and work; you will also discover much about the early film industry, and about Hollywood publicity operations too. And hereýs an interesting tidbit: the ýcoolý name was not really an invention of a Hollywood studio at all; in fact, the ýArab Deathý story came about as an afterthought, long after the name itself had stuck on Theodosia (ýThedaý) Goodman.

Great Look Into Hollywoods First Bad Girl.......2003-02-17

I have always had an interest in the Silent Era this was one of the first books I read on this era.Theda Bara was the movies first bad girl in reality the book will show that she was happiest with a book in her lap. What I mostly enjoy about Eve Golden and her work is her ability to write a biography without showing bias.This is a great intersting account into the life of Hollywoods "Vamp".

A quick read of the original Vamp.......2001-08-08

This is a great book considering how little info is available on Theda Bara. The author put a lot of research and care into this book. It's a terrific book for both silent film buffs and femminists. Theda deserves her title as "The Woman Who Defined VAMP"!

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Unexciting
entertaining erotic vampire romantic thriller

Real Vamps Don't Drink O-Neg
Tawny Taylor
Manufacturer: Kensington
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0758215096

Customer Reviews:

Unexciting.......2007-09-04

The number of new vampire-themed stories being published each month seems to continue to increase and consequently all the amusing book titles have already been snapped up. "Real Vamps Don't Drink O-Neg" is the rather clumsy title for a book which doesn't ever discuss O-Neg, or even what 'Real vampires' are, apart from the fact that in the story heroine Sophie Hahn doesn't believe in them, or anything else unusual. That's until she discovers that the new wife of her friend Dao seems to have shed a snake scale. Fortunately her boss knows all about this kind of thing, Dao's wife is a Lamia (a snake-like vampire) who is sucking the life out of Dao. There's only one way to rescue Dao and that's with some strange ancient Hebrew artefacts so Sophie goes to her local library to look them up.

There she bumps into Ric Vogel (another German avian surname, 'Hahn' meaning cockerel and 'Vogel' meaning bird) who is a College Professor and rather dishy. He already has the book she needs in his hands and won't give it up so she ends up agreeing to go for a drink with him. However a scary experience of a vampire biting her during the night forces her to reconsider her preconceptions about supernatural creatures and she ends up teaming up with Ric to find the artefacts. There's more to Ric than first meets the eye, however, and soon Sophie finds herself caught between trusting two vampires who keep secrets from her.

The underlying plot (searching for the Hebrew artefacts) becomes rather ignored at times for the sex scenes, then picked up again. Neither Sophie nor Ric seem to have a great deal going for them except for physical attributes and, in Sophie's case, bravery (foolhardiness?) The book never really grabbed my attention and the characters seemed too shallow. The final denouement was a damp squib with a few attempts at plot twists that didn't really feel comfortable. It seems the real point of the book was the sex scenes, some of which contained elements that many traditional readers of paranormal romances might find distasteful. Perhaps the book might have been more successful if it tried to include a little of the humour of the title or, alternatively, concentrated more on the plot and characterisation and less on descriptions of sex acts.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book, [...]. © Helen Hancox 2007

entertaining erotic vampire romantic thriller.......2007-09-04

Ironically paranormal researcher Sophie Hahn is skeptical that the paranormal exists as she has found no hardcore supporting data to affirm ghosts, werewolves and other supernatural creatures exist. However, she learns the hard way that her disbelief is false when she investigates her best friend Dao's strange illness. Sophie has discovered that vampires exist because Dao's new spouse is of that species and though she loves him, she is a black widow killing her mate.

College professor and vampire Ric Vogel learns of Sophie's discovery and recruits her to help him find two ancient relics that he believes will save Dao's life and his species. As they work together, Sophie and Ric fall in love, but if they are not careful she could be conducting her research in the afterlife

REAL VAMPS DON'T DRINK O-NEG is an entertaining erotic vampire romantic thriller starring two likable protagonists who readers will root for as a team and to defeat the villain. The story line is fast-paced from the first moment Sophie and Ric meet and never slows down until the last blood drips. Although the ending seems anemic, fans will appreciate this fun tale as the good guys battle against the evil doers in between plenty of sexual interludes.

Harriet Klausner

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Vamps and the City[hardcover]
kerrelyn sparks
Manufacturer: avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000IWXIIG

Product Description

a very funny sequel to how to marry a millionaire vampire!

Virgin or Vamp: How the Press Covers Sex Crimes

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Thorough and engrossing
A gripping read.

Virgin or Vamp: How the Press Covers Sex Crimes
Helen Benedict
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0195086651

Book Description

In the last few years, the national press has lavished coverage on several major sex-related scandals: the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill hearings, the William Kennedy Smith rape trial, and the Mike Tyson case. With each event came lurid stories pitting either a loose or virginal woman against an unwilling or monstrous man. Such extreme coverage, argues Helen Benedict, perpetuates myths that are harmful to victims of these crimes (and sometimes to the accused). In Virgin or Vamp Benedict examines the press's treatment of four notorious sex crimes from the past decade--the Rideout marital rape trial in Oregon, the Big Dan's pool table gang rape in Massachusetts, the "Preppy Murder" in New York City, and the Central Park jogger case--and shows how victims are labelled either as virgins or vamps, a practice she condemns as misleading and harmful. Benedict also looks at other factors that perpetuate the misunderstanding of rape. For instance, she shows how the New York press presented the Central Park jogger rape case as motivated by racism because of its unwillingness to consider rape an issue of gender. She also addresses our inherent language bias, the press's tendency to use sexually suggestive language to describe crime victims, and its preference for crimes against whites. In conclusion, Benedict offers a number of solutions that will help reporters cover these increasingly common crimes without further harming the victims, the defendants, or public understanding.

Customer Reviews:

Thorough and engrossing.......2005-11-10

Ms. Benedict has written a remarkably thorough, well-researched, informative book that still avoids being dry or preachy. Anyone with an interest in media, crime, women's issues, or cultural criticism in general would do well to read this book.

A gripping read........1999-11-13

Benedict's thought-provoking book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the myths of rape that continue to pervade our culture. Benedict places media coverage of sex crimes into historical perspective and casts light on our understanding of sexual violence and gender relations. This is a smart, readable book.

Vamps: An Illustrated History of the Femme Fatale

Average customer rating:

A nighttime delight!
A fun book

Vamps: An Illustrated History of the Femme Fatale
Pam Keesey
Manufacturer: Cleis Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Femmes Fatales

ASIN: 1573440264

Amazon.com

Books about goddesses, books about vampires, and books about film stars are common, but Vamps: An Illustrated History of the Femme Fatale is a rare treat: it combines all those topics and more within a historical context for understanding our long-time fascination with the dangerous, alluring female. The story starts in prehistory with the worship of a mother goddess who was also the Lady of the Beasts, and spans the centuries from ancient Greek and medieval views of harmful women through the hysterics of the romantic period. The history of film vamps goes from Theda Bara in A Fool There Was (1915) to Natasha Henstridge in the Species movies (1990s), and includes beautiful photographs of all the usual suspects--Greta Garbo, Gloria Swanson, Tallulah Bankhead, Louise Brooks, Maila Nurmi (a.k.a. Vampira), the two Morticias, and many others.

A coffee-table-size paperback, Vamps is also an eye-catching blend of well-researched (but lighthearted) writing and dramatic black-and-white illustrations on every page. Author Pam Keesey is already known for her knowledge of dark female characters, having edited other Cleis publications such as Women Who Run with the Werewolves: Tales of Blood, Lust and Metamorphosis and Dark Angels: Lesbian Vampire Stories. She draws on an impressive range of sources, including The Malleus Maleficarum, Robert Graves's The White Goddess, 1950s fetish magazines, and even Pat Robertson on the subject of feminism. The artwork samples ancient stone carvings, medieval engravings, and portraits of dangerous women by John Singer Sargeant and Edvard Munch, among others. Included are a bibliography, a filmography of stars, a videography of titles, and an index.

The only thing that seems off-base about this book is that a whole chapter is devoted to Sharon Stone. Maybe Keesey is a big fan. --Fiona Webster

Book Description

Popular vampirologist Pam Keesey invites you to feast in the company of the most beautiful, alluring and untamed women in history. From Dark Goddesses to flappers, Vamps: An Illustrated History of The Femme Fatale presents 2,000 years of campy, witty and dangerous Bad Girls -vampires, witches, bitches, vamps, femmes fatales, & screen trash together for the first time. Popular culture - especially film - is filled with images of the femme fatale, the woman who destroys those she seduces. According to Keesey, all bad girls can trace their origins to the vampire, that quintessential evil woman who uses sex as a weapon. From Greta Garbo to Sharon Stone, these irresistible women are marked as excessively sexual, creatures of great appetites who step outside the realm of acceptable feminine behavior to satisfy their desires. Keesey's fascinating cultural history is punctuated by excerpts of interviews with film stars and critics. Vamps book is a must-buy for vampire lovers and movie fans who treasure images of women as powerful, sexual beings. Includes 100 black and white photographs (including rare photographs of film favorites) along with complete annotated filmography, bibliography and video resources.

Customer Reviews:

A nighttime delight!.......2000-12-28

The rare book that combines deft writing with a wealth of facts about the women we love to hate (or envy as the case may be). A great book for both movie fans and vampire lovers, this book (given to me as a hcliday gift) is one I will read and re-read for years to come for entertainment, inspiration and research for my novels. Thanks, Pam!

A fun book.......2000-08-11

This book is a lot of fun. Ms. Keesey goes about chronicaling the history of the "Femme Fatale" - the fatal woman using books and stories, though her primary media is cinema. She leaves nothing unturned, either, exploring B films, cult cinema, and pornography. The book is informative, even if it doesnt go deep into many ideas. I found it like reading a special issue of a favorite magazine. The pictures are excellent, the style is funny. Ms. Keesey also clearly has a definate concept of the evolution of the Femme Fatale, portraying it as somewhat linear, and the lesbian edge, while interesting, and certainly valid, seems emphasized to the point where you wonder if non-lesbian women are even capable of being Femme Fatale's in this day and age. However, it is a fun fun read, and the pictures are great. An excellent coffee table book.

Average customer rating:

Tempest Storm: The Lady Is a Vamp
Tempest Storm , and Bill Boyd
Manufacturer: Peachtree Pub Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0934601259

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