ARC Review: Under A Vampire Moon (Argeneau Vampires #16) by Lynsay Sands

TLDR Recap:

Newly divorced and disillusioned with life in general, Carolyn Connor’s newlywed-ridden tropical vacation is turning out to be more depressing than relaxing when she meets Christian Notte, the gorgeous young violin player from the rock band at the resort. Of course, at 500-something years old, Christian really isn’t that young and he’s there specifically to woo Carloyn as his lifemate. Christian will have to overcome Carolyn’s past and resulting insecurities before he can romance her, much less start telling her about nanos and immortals. Can these two sort things out before another, much more sordid and dangerous plan comes to fruition? Under a Vampire Moon is a must-read!

• Title: Under A Vampire Moon
• Series: Argeneau Vampires #16
• Author: Lynsay Sands
• Prominent Characters: Christian Notte, Carolyn Connor
• Recommended Reader Age: 16+
• Sexual Content Level: light-to-moderate

*** This review is SPOILER-FREE! Read on with confidence! ***

Thoughts:

A few years past 40, Carolyn is lonely, depressed, and disillusioned. Her childhood was a rough one and her sham of a marriage left her more damaged than the social inexperience of her youth. In her mind’s eye, Caro is old, pathetic, and pretty much resigned to living the rest of her life as an old maid, without joy or companionship. She is incredibly quick-witted and perceptive, and cannot fathom how a hot, seemingly young, stud like Christian Notte would be interested in her.

Christian is not nearly as young as he looks, being one of the decendants of the long lost Atlantis, where his technologically advanced ancestors created little nanites to keep their bodies in peak condition… indefinitely. He immediately knows Caro is his lifemate, his one perfect biological match, and wants desperately to share his immortal heritage with her so they can embrace it and live together as lifemates, but Carolyn is going to take some serious convincing about her own worth.

This is the 16th book in the ongoing Argeneau Vampire series from Lynsay sands. One of the things I like about these later Argeneau novels is they all accept and look forward to Marguerite’s matchmaking hunches when it comes to finding them each a lifemate. That ground has been well covered and it’s nice to just sashay right past it and get to the meet and greet.

We first got to know Christian in Julian and Marguerite’s book, where he gave his father a hell of a ribbing about his new lifemate relationship (Christian appeared briefly in Vincent and Jackie’s book, A Bite To Remember, #5). Seeing the turnabout and sass from Julian in Under a Vampire Moon is just too much fun. Christian’s band has been mentioned before, but this is the first time we’ve gotten to “see” them play, and I could almost hear the music. Ms. Sands describes it so richly and immersively, I wish I truly could experience it! What a wonderful, intense, and energizing way to kick off this courtship!

There is a scene near the start of the book, where the family is scheming about how to get Christian and Caro hooked up, that is flat-out hilarious. Christian’s incredulous, exasperated attitude, and the way the family all play off one another throughout the conversation is wildly entertaining. It’s probably one of my favorite scenes in an Argeneau novel yet, and with 16 of them, that’s saying something! Oh Zanipolo, how adorable you are!

The dynamic between Christian and Carolyn is easy and comfortable, while also sizzlng hot. The buildup of sexual tension between them is a serious tease. It’s enough to make you want to lock them in a room together and get it on already! Caro and Christian may just be one of my favorite Argeneau couples yet. And the rest of the cast is just as brilliantly written. They are funny, supportive, and likeable… all in all, tremendously entertaining!

There isn’t a deluge of “peer”ing, as in some of the early Argeneau books, but the word is used often enough to have me cringing a little at each mention. With such quality writing otherwise, I’d have liked to see a little more variety in verbage. Really though, that’s my only complaint about the book. I think even readers who don’t typically like the Argeneau books will enjoy this one! Christian is irresistible and Carolyn is strong, yet vulnerable and relatable.

Memorable Quotes

Damn straight, Caro! Or, erm, not… straight.

She didn’t understand the anger and rage homosexuality caused in some people. Some acted like they thought the individual woke up one day and said, Well, I think I’ll piss off the universe today by switching my sexual preference. She was no expert on the matter, but it seemed to her that thinking a person could choose what gender they were attracted to was like thinking you could choose what you preferred to eat.

The funniest chapter in the whole damn book! Here’s a snippet…

Chris tian scowled at them, but then glanced to Gia as she announced, “I said you were in the closet and afraid to come out for fear the family would turn on you.”
“What?” he asked blankly.
“We would never turn on you, Chris tian,” Marguerite murmured, patting his arm. “Gay or not, we love you.”
“I’m not gay,” he pointed out, his voice rising an octave, and heard another snort of laughter from his father.

The most compelling music I never heard…

Carolyn stared, watching the muscles in his arms and chest ripple under his black T- shirt as his bow scraped so quickly over the strings of his violin that she expected to see sparks flying and smoke rising. His eyes were closed, his face transported as the music moved through him. She couldn’t seem to tear her gaze from him as he played song after song . . . and then his eyes suddenly opened and met hers. Carolyn felt like someone had jammed an adrenaline shot into her heart. She was sure it skipped a beat when his eyes opened, but when he caught her gaze and didn’t release it, her heart started thumping again, charging ahead at a frightening rate that left her breathless and almost dizzy.

If you liked Under A Vampire Moon…

If you enjoyed Under A Vampire Moon and the other novels in the Argeneau series for their easy-going style, try Maggie Shayne’s Wings in the Night series or Christine Feehan’s Dark series (you don’t necessarily need to read the Dark series from the beginning.  I recommend starting with Dark Gold to see if you like the style, then backtracking to book #1).

If you liked Under A Vampire Moon but aren’t generally an Argeneau fan, check out Rosalie Lario’s Demons of Infernum series.   The brothers have a wicked sense of humor, always have each others’ backs, and have some serious skills in the bedroom.  You may also enjoy Sandra Hill’s new Deadly Angel series (starting with Kiss of Pride) about Viking vampire angels and their service as warriors of the light to atone for their deadly sins as mortals.  Light-hearted and funny, it’s packed with witty dialogue and sexy men… er, vangels.

Final Thoughts:

Under a Vampire Moon is a thoroughly entertaining read and will have you both laughing out loud and feeling your heart clench as you sympathize with Caro’s plight. And the connection between Christian and Carolyn is simply sizzling. I didn’t want the adventure to end! Don’t dismiss this one as “just another Argeneau novel”. GraveTells thinks it’s a must-read!

Rating: Under A Vampire Moon