Jumping into a series already in progress is a tricky thing to do. Forbidden Nights with a Vampire is the seventh book in the Love at Stake series by Kerrelyn Sparks. I figured that while there is an overarching storyline throughout the series all the books could be read as standalones if necessary. I lucked out because this is exactly the case here. I was able to follow along with the story and understand the world it was set in just fine. So the fact that I jumped into the series on book 7 didn't hinder my enjoyment of it. I just felt that there were definitely some other missed opportunities here. 
 Forbidden Nights with a Vampire is the story of Vanda (a vampire who owns a male strip club and has a secret past) and Phil (a vampire guard and alpha werewolf) and their "forbidden" romance. First off, I want to formally state that I liked them as a couple. That being said, most of their relationship was a total cheese fest. I still enjoyed their love story and I wanted them to end up together but their dialogue was so sappy. I had a case of the eye rolls on more than one occasion. There were also lots of moments for humor and there were definitely jokes but they just weren't really landing for me. It wasn't the book to make me "LOL". As for the smut, it was about the average I would expect in a paranormal romance. It was sufficiently steamy but nothing out of the ordinary. 
 Maybe it's just me but I had this crazy idea. SLIGHT SPOILER: Vanda's mysterious and painful past in embedded in World War II. From the little bit we find out about it, it seems like a really compelling story. So compelling in fact, that I kind of wish the story took place entirely in that time period. Now, if you've read my reviews before, you all should know that I'm RARELY a fan of something historical. However, in the case of Forbidden Nights with a Vampire I think it would have made the story so much more interesting! I realize that the present day setting goes along with it being part of a series that takes place in present times. But if I was looking at this as a standalone, then I have to say that the present day setting doesn't really do much of anything to help the story be more captivating. JUST SAYING... 
 In the end, I just kind of got an average paranormal romance. It wasn't bad and it wasn't great. It was in that middle grey area where, while enjoyable in the present, the story isn't really something that I'll remember all that well in the future. There were just too many issues holding it back from being really great. (view spoiler)[ Here are a few examples: There were these Japanese vampire tourists that were written in such a stereotypical way that it bordered on racist. The huge war / battle royale at the end is barely shown and over in the matter of a couple of pages. Why have so much of the book leading up to that moment and not show it? Also Vanda's estranged vampire sister is now back in the picture and we barely explore her as a character or their relationship. Such a missed opportunity! (hide spoiler)] I don't want to make it sound like I hated Forbidden Nights with a Vampire because I didn't. It was just pretty average for me and ultimately will just blend into the background of all the other paranormal romances I've read.