In the latest installment of Lynsay Sands’ Argeneau series, we are taken back to the town of Port Henry, where vampire Harpernus Stoyan has been passing his days in a depression after losing his life mate while attempting to turn her immortal.  Due to the relative safety of Port Henry, the vampires in charge of North America decide to send a recently turned teenager named Stephanie to live there in hiding from a group of evil vampires intent on using her for breeding purposes.  Alexandrina Argenis is sent to protect the girl.  Before heading to Port Henry, Drina is told that Harper is most likely her life mate but would be tough to convince in his current state of mind.  As the tension mounts between the couple, they must figure out how to keep their teenage charge safe and whether they can have a future together. 

The Argeneau series never fails to entertain me and this novel is no exception. This is not a deep and dark series, although it does have moments of action and suspense which are more prominent is some installments than others.   The Reluctant Vampire is a perfect blend of humor, romance, and a touch of suspense.  The strength of Lynsay Sands' novel is found in her characters.  Harper is a strong character and easy to fall in love with.  He is relatively easy going compared to Drina, but is not a pushover.  Harper is reliable, considerate, and has all those other tender attributes most women want in a man.  While not a rogue hunter, he is still very much an alpha male.  However, the character that impressed me the most was Drina.  She may be my favorite female lead of all time.  The woman has lead a fascinating life, yet is so practical you can’t help but identify with her.  When faced with a life-mate wallowing in self-pity, she deals with it head on and does not give him a chance to close himself off for long: 

“Fine,” she snapped, finally unleashing the rebellion stirring within her.  It was a familiar sensation for Drina, and she turned on him, and said coolly, “Well, first off, I resent that in punishing yourself, I too will be punished.  And second, I should warn you, I don’t intend to take that punishment for very long.  You may want to wallow in your guilt and shun what we could have, but that doesn’t mean I intend to wait around forever for you to ‘adjust’.  You have two weeks. Once Victor and Elvi return, and I leave here, I’m asking Marguerite to actively look for another possible life mate for me.  One who will actually want me.”  She smiled coldly into his stunned face, and added, “And I’m sure she will manage it.  After all, I’m your second possible life mate in two years.  With Marguerite actively looking, it might not even take that long.”

Although Drina wanted Harper and she felt bad for his situation, she was able to give him the verbal slap in the face he needed to snap out of his self deprecating thoughts.  That was a treat for me to read, since often I find that female leads get too caught up in the alpha male’s drama to express what they really feel.  In fact, many times while reading I have imagined myself in the leading lady’s place and wanted to say something just like that. 

The supporting cast in this novel is superb.  Stephanie had me laughing repeatedly with her matchmaking efforts.  There is a whole scene featuring Harper, Drina, and Stephanie on a shopping trip to Wal-Mart that was hilarious.  I also enjoyed the twist that Sands has given to Stephanie’s powers and the implications it could have to future installments.  Teddy, the sheriff at Port Henry, is remarkable.  He is another no-nonsense character that I wish to see more of in the future.  Teddy is mortal, but handles the vampires and all their issues with ease.  Finally Anders, the rogue hunter sent with Drina to protect

Stephanie, is more than memorable.  I particularly enjoyed the scene where he has a heart to heart with Harper about life mates.

The Reluctant Vampire is a wonderful addition to the Argeneau series and an entertaining read.  The plot moves quickly for the most part, the characters are captivating, and you will find yourself laughing often.  Fans of the series should be very happy with this one.  Readers new to the series can rest assured that while this is definitely part of an on-going saga, it can be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone without much difficulty following the plot.  I highly recommend this novel, and encourage readers to check out the rest of the series as well.

~ Denise