Fledging vampire and part-time bartender, Sarah Dearly is trying to come to terms with her very dysfunctional life. Two and a half months ago she was changed into a vampire and her life as she knew it changed drastically. She has been chased and almost killed by vampire hunters and her new boyfriend is Thierry, a seven hundred year old master vampire. Sarah loves Thierry dearly even if he tends to be cold and standoffish at times and is married to another vampire who won't give him a divorce. For the moment Sarah is unemployed, homeless and needs money fast. She is tired of staying at her friend George's place, who is a waiter at Thierry's club. Thierry is willing to take care of Sarah, but Sarah is a modern girl after all and doesn't want to have to rely on her rich boyfriend to give her money. He already has done so much for her and she wants to show him that she can adjust to the vampire lifestyle.

Sarah's ten year high-school reunion is also around the corner. Thierry will gladly go but then Sarah has to explain to her parents who Thierry is and why she is dating a married man. One night Sarah is tricked by someone she trusted and is staked. She is saved by the legendary Red Devil who is a masked superhero of sorts who saves vampires from slayers and other hunters. Thierry thinks this Red Devil is up to no good and is out to harm Sarah. But Sarah brushes Thierry's concerns off.

When Sarah and Thierry go to her high-school reunion she is confronted by an old classmate who wants revenge for the way Sarah treated her in high-school. A curse is placed on Sarah where she becomes a nightwalker. A nightwalker is much like a vampire but this creature can not walk in the daylight, craves blood all the time and will kill to quench their thirst. Now Sarah has to figure out how to erase the curse, find out who the Red Devil is and try and appeal to Thierry's wife Veronique into agreeing to a divorce.

STAKES & STILETTOS is the fourth book in the on-going saga of Sarah Dearly and her quest for a normal life as a vampire. Sarah has an engaging voice and her wit and internal thoughts makes for great reading. The situations Sarah finds herself in will bring out the laughs and concern for Sarah who just can't catch a break. Sarah has a wonderful group of friends and companions such as her best friend Amy who was turned into a vampire and married one, George a gay vampire who becomes Sarah's bodyguard and of course the sexy Thierry who loves Sarah deeply with her faults and all.

Michelle Rowen has written a delightful vampire tale that readers cannot get enough of. The way things end will make you want to read on about Sarah and how she maneuvers through life as an undead female in STAKES & STILETTOS.

Book Summary

Newly vamped Sarah Dearly wants her normal life back, but fate is fighting against her. She tries to get a regular job and gets staked in the interview, only to be rescued by a masked vampire who calls himself the Red Devil. Then a wallflower-turned-witch curses her, making her a bloodthirsty, sun-allergic nightwalker--the worst vampire there is. As if all that weren't enough, she can't get married because her 600-year-old boyfriend, Thierry, is in a centuries-long marriage of convenience he can't escape.

As Sarah's nightwalker tendencies make her more dangerous, even to those she loves, she'll have to counteract that curse, unmask the increasingly intriguing Red Devil, and get a commitment from her man. But if that's what it takes to secure her happiness, Sarah is ready...even if it means embracing her inner vamp to do it.