The Undead Next Door by Kerrelyn Sparks

The Undead Next Door by Kerrelyn Sparks

Fourth in the Love at Stake series

5 stars

Heather Westfield is a recently divorced single mom living in Texas. When she met Jean-Luc Echarpe she couldn’t deny her attraction to him. Something’s off about Jean-Luc. He sleeps all day, has sword wielding bodyguards, and never seems to age. Heather has always lived a quiet life, but her world is changing and they might have a chance at happily-ever-after. That’s if a murderous vampire villain doesn’t kill them first. Kerrelyn Sparks is one of my favorite writers ever. I absolutely adore her books and this series holds a special place in my heart. The Love at Stake series is the first adult series I ever started. I read the series out of order so I knew kind of what happened in Jean-Luc and Heather’s story. I enjoyed this book though. It’s probably one of my favorites in the series. It isn’t my favorite (that title goes to The Vampire and the Virgin, which is the first book I read by Ms. Sparks), but it’s a really good book. I was never bored and if I remember correctly I sped through this book in a day.


The main female character is Heather. Heather is probably one of the more real heroines in the Love at Stake series. What do I mean by real? I mean she doesn’t have any special powers like telepathy. She’s incredibly normal. That’s probably my favorite thing about Heather. I like when authors bring heroines in that are completely human and have absolutely no clue of another world or power. It makes it more enjoyable and interesting. Heather is also a mom. You don’t see that very often in romance novels. She’s a great mom and she also so has a job, a real job. Not some corporate CIA or FBI job. She’s just a normal school teacher. Aside from being a normal heroine, she’s strong and she’s very determined. I liked that about her and it made for an interesting part when Jean-Luc revealed his big secret.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 8

The main male character is Jean-Luc. Jean-Luc is a fashion designer and he isn’t gay at all. I appreciate that he has a job that could be consider as gay, but he is obviously a very straight man. I like Jean-Luc a lot. He isn’t my favorite of the men in the series, but he’s not my least favorite. He’s funny and I really liked his interaction with Heather’s daughter. He’s definitely swoon worthy and he can handle his own with killer vamps and arguing Highlanders.



Character Scale: 8

I really enjoy this series and urge people to pick because it’s not very well known. The Undead Next Door was definitely a great installment! It’s also a really funny book, which is one of my favorite things about this series. You’ll never fail to laugh out loud with these characters.



Swoon Worthy Scale: 8

The Villain-Some things are better left to be unknown for the book. Not the fiercest villain, but still an interesting battle scene as always.


Villain Scale: 7.5

There’s Cody, Heather’s ex. He’s a jerk and I didn’t like him at all. I’m curious though about where he ends up in the future. Bethany, Heather and jerk face Cody’s daughter, she’s absolutely adorable. She’s also funny and cute which is perfectly uplifting. Then there’s the neighbor and Heather’s friend, Fedelia. She’s absolutely hilarious. Constantly threatening people with a gun is a way to win my heart in a book and make me laugh.


Character Scale: 8

I really enjoy this series and urge people to pick because it’s not very well known. The Undead Next Door was definitely a great installment! It’s also a really funny book, which is one of my favorite things about this series. You’ll never fail to laugh out loud with these characters.

Cover Thoughts: I actually hate the cover. The guy is kind of creepy looking and it just looks weird. I don’t like it at all.