CROUCHING TIGER, FORBIDDEN VAMPIRE is book number sixteen in the Love at Stake series by Kerrelyn Sparks. It's a quick and light paranormal romance read. It is presented by the publisher as the exciting conclusion to the series, although the author's blurb at the end of the book says, "With the end of Russell's story, I'll be bringing the series to a close, a temporary one, perhaps, since I still have a few plans."

Russell is a former Marine who awakens from a thirty nine- year long coma, only to discover that his friends and family are long dead, he's lost his home, and he's a vampire. He's been working, mostly alone, for years to find and kill Han, the master vampire who turned him. Poor Russell has been living in an isolated cave, stealing supplies and tracking down Han as a lone cowboy in search of his revenge. He's well, if superficially, presented as the archetypal lone man making a stand against evil, only to find he has more friends than he realized.

Jia is a tiger shifter princess. Han killed her family, and Jia is determined to be the one to extract vengeance for her family as well as the countless others that Han has killed. Jia insists that she can help Russell, and inserts herself into his plans over and over. Russell finally gives in, I think in exasperation over the tempting but not very bright kitten who thinks she is a big, bad tiger, and agrees that they can partner to destroy Han. Russell insists, though, that this partnership will be strictly business. Mmmm, who wants to take bets as to whether they'll stay platonic?!

Jia and Russell do manage to find Han, fall in love in the process, and there is much typical Sparks hilarity along the way. Familiarity with the previous books is not necessary, but helps with the stroll down memory lane, as a number of dead villains from prior books are present in the final battle scene. At the finale, most of the heroes and heroines from the earlier books also make cameo appearances. References to VANNA (Vampire Artificial Nutritional Needs Appliance a type of inflatable blood donor doll) as well as Blisky, a mix of blood and whiskey, and a number of other inside jokes are trotted out.

To me, the book fell victim to the desire to bring back all the old characters, like so many TV show finales do, at the expense of the storyline. CROUCHING TIGER, FORBIDDEN VAMPIRE is very much a wrap-up book, throwing in all the main characters and the kitchen sink.