Forbidden Nights With a Vampire audiobook

OMG I loved this one almost as much as Ian's. This book was hott! Great book must read!

4.25 StarsThis one got more into the Vamp war and had less humor than the ones before it. There is more suspense, twists & turns in this one. The story flows fluidly, so it is fun and easy to read. I felt it got just a smidgen bogged in Vanda's past, but that is the only negative thing I can say about it. Both Vanda & Phil where a lot of fun to get to know. The romance parts were adult & steamy, but not overdone. A great series I intend to continue to follow and read.

The best book in this series!!After of course :)Not like the previous books, that got many humor aspect, this book is more emotional.Vanda Barkowsky got a hard past.Betrayal, lost her family, lost her lover, chased by Malcontents again and again, make her personalities is hard too. And then she must go to anger management, because some worker in her club, Horny Devils is complaint that she can't control her anger. She, of course, disagree to go to anger management, and relieved there no one want to become her sponsor, but she got surprised when one of MacKay S&I guard, Phil Jones, want to be her sponsorVanda knows Phil, from the beginning, when Phil first become guard in his nineteen. But the rules that guard can't be involved with their client, make she back off. She then enjoy to flirt him,because she feel bored with her condition in harem. When Roman's harem is dismissed, she never see Phil again. Guess her feeling when finally she meet Phil again, because he is not a desperate and lost young boy, when he first work in Roman's house, but become a grow man.Vanda still disagree to go to anger management, but Phil insist her too, and we will get know more of Vanda's past and Phil to. Vanda is afraid to shape-shifter, especially werewolves, so how Phil can explain to her, that he is a werewolf and an Alpha? Vanda feel guilty, when Phil accused her to play with his feeling, but what Vanda supposed to? She afraid to lost people that she love, so she playing hard to get..Things got more complicated, when Malcontents attack again. Their leader, Cassimir is pissed off. He want some vampire that kill his friend to perish, and Vanda was on his list. First her club get bombing, and then they almost captured her in New Orleans. With Phil's help, she gone to Phil's cabin, and finally learn, that he is a werewolf. Can Vanda face her fear, and forget her past, to make a step forward with the man that she loved?Vanda and Phil is the best couple in Love at Stake series after all! Vanda is a hard woman, but of course its because her past is hard too. She cant face a betrayal, so when she know, that her sister is betray her, her heart is torn in two, but she know, that some thing must be forgiven.Phil, oh I adore him too. Dunno, I always get crush to shape-shifter than vampire, maybe because their attitude, and they're seem so manly, raw, and desirable. *LOL*.. Phil have a hard past too, his father is banished him, because he's disobey his father, and he believe that werewolf must leave an old way, and adapt a new culture..This book, I swear, is the steamiest in this series. The lovemaking is raw, hot, but tender too. I'm glad there are no wasting sexual tension, or some "meh" love scene. Phil and Vanda is clear, they're want each other, even though Vanda is playing hard to get, but watch out, when she finally accept him!...And the ending.. Well the ending is almost make me cry. Don't want to spoil in here, but is the best ending for this series ^^..Next is Robby Mackay's story, he is a descendant of Angus MacKay, and he got some terrible condition in this book.Can't wait to know what happen to him next in ....

Reviewed for THC ReviewsI don’t know why I keep letting so much time pass between my reading of these Love at Stake books, because they’re nearly always perfect reads for me. Forbidden Nights with a Vampire was no exception. This one pairs Vanda and Phil, two characters I’m pretty sure have been on the canvas since the series began. Vanda is a former member of the Coven Master’s harem, while Phil works for MacKay Security and Investigation as a daytime guard, looking out for the vampires while they’re in their death sleep. These two have been attracted to one another for as long they’ve known each other, but Phil never would have dared break trust either with Vanda or his employer by giving in to her flirtation during those years. Now things are different, and he’s more than ready to pursue her. However, when he agrees to be her anger management sponsor, it throws another potential “forbidden” aspect into their relationship. But that’s nothing compared to them finding out that the evil Casimir has a list of Vamps he intends to kill and that Vanda is on it. Not to mention, things really start heating up with an escalation in the conflict with Casimir and the Malcontents. There’s a lot going on in this book to keep the reader engaged, and I loved every minute I spent reading it.Vanda was born in Poland during the early part of the 20th century, which meant that when WWII started, she was right in the thick of things. After losing her entire family, being turned into a vampire, and fighting in the war, she was exhausted and sought out the peace and quiet offered by the harem of the Coven Master for the East Coast of the US. She spent decades there, but when Roman released all of the women in his harem, she started a new life as the owner of a male vampire strip club. While she was still in the harem, though, she met Phil, one of her guards, who definitely caught her eye, so she spent many nights flirting with him even though nothing ever came of it at the time. Now she finds herself the object of several lawsuits by her former employees alleging that she can’t control her temper. As a result, Roman rules that she must attend anger management classes, but no one will step up to sponsor her except Phil. Vanda doesn’t want a sponsor or classes, but Phil can be surprisingly persuasive and not easily driven away. He also saves her life more than once when one of the vindictive ex-employees comes after her. But the biggest threat comes from Casimir, the leader of the Malcontents, who will stop at nothing to see Vanda dead for her role in the killing of another high-ranking Malcontent. Prickly heroines like Vanda often don’t resonate with me, but Kerrelyn Sparks does an excellent job of showing how Vanda’s anger is a shield that protects her vulnerable heart. She lost everyone she ever cared about in the war, including a former love who was mortal, and since she believes that Phil, too, is mortal, she fears losing him as well if she allows herself to truly care about him. She also fears that if he finds out what she really did during the war, he’ll think she’s a monster. But Phil patiently chips away at that wall, showing her that they’re perfect for each other and that nothing need stand in their way. I ended up really liking Vanda, because she’s the perfect mix of a spunky heroine who doesn’t take crap from anyone and one who has sympathetic flaws and weaknesses that are easy to relate to.After being banished from his pack for not falling into lock-step with his father’s demands, Phil went to work for MacKay S & I. While he was her guard, Vanda presented a delicious temptation, but one he was determined to resist. Now they’re both at different places in their lives. She’s no longer a harem girl, and he’s just returned to New York after a longterm assignment in Texas. When he witnesses Roman’s ruling and sees that nobody is stepping up to sponsor Vanda, he offers to support her, but it takes a lot of patience and persuasive skills to get her on board with it, two things that he possesses in abundance. As she slowly reveals bits and pieces of her past, Phil intuitively realizes why she is the way she is. But when she still tries to keep her heart locked up tight, he’s determined to break through, because he knows she’s his mate and he’s not going to let her get away this time. However, in addition to all the death threats against Vanda, she’s terrified of wolves. The Nazis sent them to chase her down during the war, so he isn’t quite sure how she’s going to react when she finds out that he’s no mere mortal. Phil is one of the most scrumptious romance heroes I’ve read in a while. He’s an alpha werewolf, who exerts his dominance when necessary, but at the same time, he’s kind, compassionate, and tender, the proverbial alpha with a heart of gold, which is my favorite kind. He’s also a delicious lover, always taking his time, even when he’s ostensibly giving the beast in him free-reign. I love how he’s so patient with Vanda, giving her time to come to terms with things, but not letting her hide from him. He also has an interesting backstory of his own and must come to terms with certain things related to his heritage. Phil was just an all-around dreamy hero who’s definitely earned a spot on my favorite heroes list.When reading these books, I never cease to be amazed by how Kerrelyn Sparks manages to wrangle such a huge cast of characters and give them all a moment in the spotlight or at least a mention. Most of the past and future characters who have their own books are present in one way or another including: Roman and Shanna (How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire), the fearless leaders of the East Coast coven, and their adorable little ones, Constantine and Sophia; Austin and Darcy (Vamps in the City); Maggie, one of Vanda’s former harem sisters, and her husband, Pierce (A Very Vampy Christmas); Angus, owner of MacKay S & I, and his wife, Emma (Be Still My Vampire Heart); Jean-Luc and Heather (The Undead Next Door); Ian and Toni (All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire); Jack and Lara (Secret Life of a Vampire), who celebrate their engagement with a big party; were-panther Carlos (Eat, Prey, Love); Connor (Vampire Mine); Gregori (Sexiest Vampire Alive); were-bear Howard (Wild about You); Vanda’s friend, business partner, and former harem member, Pamela (V Is for VampWoman); Dougal (The Vampire with the Dragon Tattoo), who loses something very important in this book; and Zoltan (How to Seduce a Vampire (Without Really Trying)). As a friend of Phil’s and a fellow employee of MacKay S & I, Phineas (aka Dr. Phang) plays a significant role and as always makes me laugh. In Wanted: Undead or Alive, he’ll be paired with Phil’s sister, Brynley, who we meet for the first time. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about Brynley. She helps in a lot of positive ways, but at the same time, she’s pretty prejudiced toward Vanda because she’s a vampire. I guess she’ll be getting some sort of awakening since she’ll be falling in love with one in the future. Last, but certainly not least is Robby, who goes through an ordeal in this book, so I’m very happy that he’ll be the hero of the next one, The Vampire and the Virgin. And that’s not even all of the supporting characters. We also get a visit with the colorful New Orleans coven, a group of misfit, teenage werewolves, the villainous Malcontents, and more. It would be easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of characters present in this story, and yet, the author somehow manages to weave them all seamlessly into the narrative and also writes their dialogue in such a way that I can hear all of their different accents in my head as I’m reading, which is some masterful writing skills.Overall, Forbidden Nights with a Vampire was another awesome read in this series. Vanda and Phil were both great characters who fit together perfectly like two pieces of a puzzle. Their romance is by turns emotional, tender, sweet, and smokin’ hot. The supporting characters added all the herbs and spices to create a flavorful story. Then there are the death threats against Vanda, which give the reader plenty of suspense and excitement. We also get some development to the series story arc with the escalation of the conflict with the Malcontents slowly turning into all-out war that I’m sure will play out over the books yet to come. I’m totally energized to pick up the next book, so I’ll have to remind myself not to wait so long next time around. I’m really looking forward to Robby’s story and all the rest, as well as seeing how things play out with the Malcontents. It all promises to be very exciting.

3 1/2 stars. Was glad to get Phil's story because he intrigued me from before. I figured he was something more. Vanda annoyed me though for most of the book but it was an entertaining read. Just not my favorite.

A FABULOUS book!!!.. When I turned the first page. I didnt know this book was Phil's and Vanda's. And you can imagine how thrill i was. I did suspect Vanda had a thing for Phil in Ian's book. when she asked Ian How's Phil? But I shrugged it away. And now It surprised me. Vanda is true riot, love her wild ways. She is actually the beast and Phil is the beauty :DD. And as for Phil, We havent know anything about Phil in the previous books. We didnt know if he was handsome or not. This book did described her well. Every turn was a surprise for me. The Fight. Wow. It was pretty intense. Haha. Loved Carlos when he dragged the Malcontents in to the woods. Eerie and scary as hell but at the same time cute. He is so naughty. And Howard Barr. The very first time we saw him shift in to bear.. *Low whistles*. That was cool. Felt bad for Robby, glad he is okay and all. And It was great meeting the other were-wolves n Phil's twin sister Bryn, and the other banished were-wolves, poor them , was happy for them now that they have a place and important things to do. They are better off without their family who actually banned them. The wedding seemed beautiful and Oh boy! What Vanda did to Miss Implant! L.M.F.A.O!! Loved that scene.. and LaToya.. geez girl. She is another riot!.. Poor Dougal! I hope Roman will figure something out!

Okay so maybe I didnt enjoy this as much as the rest but it's still so good

Wohohoy... akhirnya setelah ada bau-bau shifter di buku sebelumnya, mereka dapat spotlight tersendiri di sini. Si bodyguard Phil sudah bikin kepo sejak perubahannya menjadi werewolf di buku-buku sebelumnya. Dan Vanda love interestnya juga tipe Vampire yang dominan dan penuh warna. Jadi aku menunggu dan membaca yang satu ini dengan antusias.Dan instingku gak meleset. Buku ini intens, HOT, seksi, seru dan juga penuh momen emosional. Phil tampil menawan dan menggetarkan dengan sisi gentleman dan beastnya. Dia dominan tapi juga super perhatian dan cukup sensitif dengan perasaan dan kebutuhan Vanda. Vanda, aku cukup kaget dengan sisi rapuh dari gadis vampire ini. Latar belakang masa lalunya juga penuh warna banget. Walaupun sepanjang buku kita di suguhi dengan penolakan dan denialnya, aku menikmati sisi tarik ulur penuh tensi mereka berdua.Sisi action dan pertempuran juga cukup banyak dan seru. Asyiknya kita juga bisa mengintip kehidupan komunitas werewolf versi seri ini. Aku berharap akan lebih banyak buku tentang ras pnr yang satu ini. Bacaan yang tampil lebih dan memorable dari seri yang panjang banget ini.My rating : 3.7/5

Re-Read!Book 7 of Love at Stake is Ms. Vanda's book as well as day-guard/werewolf Phil's! I remember that the publishers had books 6 and 7 basically come out back to back (I think a month or so apart?) and being a little underwhelmed with this one at the time. However, having been re-reading these so spaced out, I have a new appreciation for this one. This is all about grief and Vanda healing from past traumas. She lived through Nazi Germany and did some unspeakable things. Phil was always a distraction at the townhouse but when he reciprocates her feelings it's all too real. Plus this is where the war really kicks off. Friends of the Vamps get serious trauma and injuries here that last. Also, Shanna's school for the Supernatural starts to gain some headway; and I know how that develops along with the series. Another nice entry to this cute little romantic series.

For the last three years Vanda Barkowski has managed her own Vamp nightclub, where sexy Vamp men dance and strip for excited Vamp women. With her purple-dyed hair, purple catsuit and whip coiled around her waist, Vanda lives to shock. She also has something of an anger management problem, and now the Coven Master, Roman Dragenesti, has ordered her to undergo anger management sessions. Again.Only one man steps forward to sponsor the fiery vampire: Phil Jones, a mortal and Vanda's day guard from when she was a part of the Covern Master's harem for five years. During that time, she flirted outrageously with the attractive young man, but she was forbidden to him. Now, as her sponsor, she's again forbidden to him but Phil's not about to let that get in his way. What Vanda doesn't realise is that Phil is a werewolf - and an Alpha, meaning he can summon the power of his wolf and change at will. Trying to get to the root of her fears and anger, Phil slowly uncovers Vanda's harrowing past in Europe during the Second World War - and her terror of wolves.Now faced with an imminent battle between the synthetic-blood-drinking Vamps and the mortal-drinking Malcontents, secrets will out and the truth will have to be faced.The last couple of Sparks novels have been a lot of run to read - up there with Lynsay Sands and Katie MacAlister. Vanda is a delight: foul-mouthed, hot-tempered, yet beneath it all riddled with guilt and loneliness.Phil was a breath of fresh air: unpretentious, calm, sexy, doesn't beat about the bush but goes for what he wants with single-minded determination. This story was also refreshing in that it didn't have the classic romance arc of him and her falling in love, she discovers his secret and runs away, he has to prove himself to her, he gets her back. That gets pretty tired pretty quickly - the previous book in the series, Secret Life of a Vampire, had that, as do many others. In contrast, Vanda and Phil were strong and more mature, fell for each other quite quickly and dealt with the obstacles in non-melodramatic fashion. My kind of heroes.There's humour here too, some fun banter and a few hilarious cross-dressers mouthing plenty of dirty innuendoes. Not original, but certainly fun. The over-arching plot regarding the ongoing war with the Malcontents ups the ante, but fighting between the factions doesn't take up so much space that it gets boring. While a few of the minor characters are a bit superficial, the main two more than make up for it. Weaving vampires into World War II and the concentration camps added a more concrete sense of realism and a new angle that carried with it raw danger and sorrow. Overall, Forbidden Nights With a Vampire is a mix of light and dark, fun times and tense danger, making it highly enjoyable.

I jumped into this without reading all the previous books in the series. Therefore, all the past characters that appeared and so many of their past are being recapped in a brief way threw me off balance. I find it frustrating and annoying at times that the cast was HUGE and they are like one big happy family. Everyone seemed to be married. There are Roman/Shannan, Ian/Toni, Jack/Lara, Maggie/Pierce and etc... It felt too cliche. Maybe I only have myself to blame for skipping the previous books. I'm sure for those who follow through every single book, they will appreciate all the past characters appearance.Initially, the book started with Vanda who needs an Anger Management sponsor as per ordered by Roman. Okay, this is totally funny in a weird way because I've never heard this before in any PNR books. So, Phil, volunteered himself to be her sponsor. They both knew each other 8 years ago when Vanda was in the harem and Phil was her guard. They had not seen each other for the past 3 years after Vanda left the harem to live on her own. From the beginning, Phil is pining on Vanda because he want her since all those years ago. Vanda was pushing him away reluctantly because she thinks he is a mortal. She used to have a mortal lover, who died for saving her. Okay, since from the book excerpt, we know that Phil is definitely not mortal, he kept his identity a secret for his own reason. But most of his work buddies do know about his identity. So, is that a secret or not a secret? I'm not sure, it seems like only Vanda is in the dark about this. Phil, seems like the perfect guy. He did and say all the right thing all the time. A little too perfect for my taste. Okay, I'm a masochist. The romance between them was not really build up, maybe due to them having know each other years ago. Phil reappearance simply means he want to finally claim her for himself. But anyway, the smut was HOT. And after Vanda find out Phil's true nature, she only freaked out and contemplate her decision for about 10 minutes before jumping on each other again. I would like this angle to be more panned out and develop. What vampire books will be complete without some politic conflicts. We have Malcontents (bad vamp) wanted to start a war with Romatech (good vamp). A lot of plotting and strategies are going on there, but Vanda does not really involve in all this, although she did appeared to help in the fight half way through. I'm sure this war will continue through the next book, since Casimir, the Malcontent's boss, is still alive.

BEST BEST BEST novel so far in the series!!! Much better than my previous fave Be Still my Vampire Heart. I was so sure i would hate Vanda but hell, i can be so wrong sometimes. I lover her character.. and i love Phil!!! can i take him home? ^_^(view spoiler)[I can testify that all of the previous book in this series is really quite hilarious.. BUT this one? make that times 10! It started on a really light hearted funny note wherein Vanda is summoned for accusations and then later on was sentenced by Roman to an anger management program then Phil volunteered to be her sponsor. I swear i was doubling over laughing at the accusations! haha, it made my night! As the story progressed, i can really see how Phil is attracted to Vanda, the purple haired girl. I mean, 8 years of flirting? pent up frustrations. I became Phil's admirer when he rescued Vanda from the python. Heroic and very sweet of him to have thought of that (as in when he woke up, the first thing in his mind was Vanda's safety). I was surprised when war broke out. I didn't see that one coming. The bombings? hell.. i was shocked. I was loving the plot more and more. I was waiting for Vanda to find out the truth about PHILUPUS. I really thought i'm going to hate her reaction, but it didn't happen.. she actually accepted that Phil is a werewolf (and an Alpha at that!). Maybe her acceptance is due to the fact that Ms. Sparks was kind and clever enough to let Phil save her life lots of times before the "coming-out". I also thought that Vanda's secret would be horrible.. but as it turns out, she only killed some bad guys so its not a shocker, really.other thoughts: i commend the fact that for once, the heroine isn't anti-vamps (she just had to be anti werewolves.. and oh, behold, the hero just had to be one! haha ^^ ). Vanda's character is completely different from the other heroines which makes her a breath of fresh air. I love how devoted Phil is to Vanda. They do make a very nice couple. I feel bad about Dougal's hand (does he also get a happy ending?). And lastly.. GREAT ENDING! i am absolutely happy ecstatic etc about the ending. Best ending so far. ^_^ Now i'm certain that the next books would be oh so great as well! (hide spoiler)]

What a great book. This might be one of my favorites of the series so far. I love Vanda and her inner struggles. I've always loved Phil, even before I knew he was a shifter. As we go through the book and see Vanda cope with her anger and move forward I couldn't help but be proud of her as if she were a dear friend or relative. And I was SO happy for Phil when she gave in to him at last. The end brought tears to my eyes, what a great way to end her story.

I love this series!! I didn't think I would like Vanda that much until the first few pages. A hot-tempered, whip toting vampire being chased around by a sexy as hell Alpha werewolf?? Whats not to love. Vanda had such a touching story and Phil gave her the perfect present (view spoiler)[Jozef lives!! (hide spoiler)] What an awesome ending!