cover image Bit the Jackpot

Bit the Jackpot

Erin McCarthy, . . Berkley Sensation, $14 (299pp) ISBN 978-0-425-21213-4

The sparks fly between Cara Kim, "the oddest attraction in all of Vegas—the virgin stripper," and Seamus Fox, a 371-year-old uptight Irish vampire who hasn't had sex in 200 years, in McCarthy's droll follow-up to High Stakes . Seamus, who's the campaign manager for Ethan Carrick, the president of Vampire Nation, must turn Cara into a vampire in order to save her life after she becomes collateral damage in a nasty pre-election skirmish connected to Roberto Donatelli, who's running against Carrick. Donatelli is so eager to unseat conservative Carrick, he'll stop at nothing, even if it means driving a stake into someone or drugging an associate. Though Cara initially finds Seamus controlling and his blood too arousing, she soon finds herself and her five pets, including a devilish Chihuahua, doing more than just a shadow dance in this cute paranormal treat. (Dec.)