The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires

By: Molly Harper

Narrated by: Amanda Ronconi

Iris Scanlon, Half-Moon Hollow's only daytime vampire concierge, knows more about the undead than she'd like. Running all their daylight errands - from letting in the plumber to picking up some chilled O neg - gives her a look at the not-so-glamorous side of vampire life. Her rules are strict; relationships with vamps are strictly business, not friendship - and certainly not anything else. But then she finds her newest client, Cal, poisoned on his kitchen floor, and only Iris can help.

Cal - who would be devastatingly sexy, if Iris allowed herself to think that way - offers Iris a hefty fee for hiding him at her place until he figures out who wants him permanently dead. Even though he's imperious, unfriendly, and doesn't seem to understand the difference between "employee" and "servant", Iris agrees, and finds herself breaking more and more of her own rules to help him - particularly those concerning nudity. Turns out what her quiet little life needed was some intrigue and romance - in the form of her very own stray vampire.

©2012 Molly Harper White (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Molly Harper and Amanda, a fanatstic duo

I have listened to all the books written by Molly and i love them all. Her books will have you laughing out loud on a bus /train. The fact that she is able to seamlessly tie all the characters together is fantastic. Great Job Molly I hope that this series continues

Chick-lit with Fangs

This is the 4th Molly Harper title that I have read and it's official, I'm a fan! I will definitely be checking out her Nice Girls series sooner than later. That being said, The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires is a feel-good-read that's sure to put a smile on your face. Amanda Ronconi's narration is cheerful and bouncy, the how-to tips at the beginning of each chapter are giggle-worthy and Harper's writing is injected with some good ol' fashion Southern charm. If you're in need of a pick-me up or just a good laugh then try The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires.

The main plot is pretty straight forward, which is one of the many reasons why I love Molly's books so much. The story is detailed enough to keep readers entertained but still simple enough to allow other literary elements to shine through, such as her phenomenal characters and top notch wit. Several peeps from her Nice Girls series make cameo appearances which I'm sure only adds to the overall experience for long time fans. For my part, I have no clue who these characters are but can't wait to make their acquaintance when I tackle her Jane Jameson books.

When I first started listening to this audiobook I was mildly confused on a few things that I feel are worth bringing up. The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires is the first full length installment in the Half Moon Hollow series. Driving Mr. Dead is a novella, which explains why it's only 160 pages and why the main characters are different. I struggled with Miranda vs. Iris' points of view. Plus, the fact that these two heroines have similar personalities and are read by the same narrator made it all the more confusing. Once I had all of my ducks in a row the story made a lot more sense. Unfortunately, I didn't realize my mistake until the end. That'll teach me to rely on GoodReads' accuracy!

I really enjoyed Amanda Ronconi's narration; she's perfectly suited for the voice of Iris. You can hear the smile in her tone as she reads the story and she delivers Harper's jokes with ease. The combination of Ronconi's narration and Molly's writing transforms this audio book into pure bliss.

It's nice to take a walk on the lighter side of Paranormal fiction from time to time. Molly Harper is a seasoned pro at writing chick lit with fangs. The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires is full of silly characters, slapstick humour and sex. What's not to love? I challenge you to read this book without cracking a smile!

Always a great story!

If you could sum up The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires in three words, what would they be?

Sexy, Fantastic, Addicting!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires?

I love it all!

Which character – as performed by Amanda Ronconi – was your favorite?

I loved cal in this book!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Cals relationship with GG!

Any additional comments?

I Love all of Molly's books!

Witty and well performed as ever

The story was great and the performance wonderful. It was nice to see new sides to some of our oldest Half Moon Hallow characters too.

A wonderful start to a series

4 stars - It was really good

“The first rule of caring for a stray vampire: Don’t tell anyone you’re taking care of a stray vampire. —The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires”

Iris Scanlon is Half-Moon Hollow's only daytime vampire concierge. She runs all the daytime errands for her clients and knows more about them than she wants. When she finds her newest client poisoned and passed out on his kitchen floor her life quickly changes.

This was another wonderful paranormal story from Molly Harper. Iris was introduced in the Jane Jameson series when she helped to plan Jane’s wedding. I loved that the new Half-Moon Hollow series started with her story. Iris was a wonderful heroine. She was compassionate, smart, and sassy when she needed to be. I loved her extensive knowledge of herbs and flowers, and wished I could steal it for myself. Her relationship with her sister was wonderful and powerful. I loved how she was parental but still stayed in the older sister role.

Cal was interesting. He was an ancient vampire who has never been weak before so as you can imagine he was a little grumpy. I enjoyed his experiences with feeling somewhat human, especially his tummy ache scene. While Cal did make a few mistakes in his relationship with Iris, I still really liked him and think he was a good partner for Iris. I loved how he adopted Gigi so quickly and played the role of protective father with her. It was quite adorable.

Cal and Iris’s relationship was filled with lots of intense looks, steamy sex, and quite a few brushes with danger. I really enjoyed the mystery that Cal was working on and how they worked together in a way to solve it. Overall, this was a wonderful vampire romance, and a wonderful start to a new series set in Half-Moon Hollow. I can’t wait to read the next book.

Just listen to it!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the print, but the narration was so good, I doubt I could create better voices in my mind.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires?

The unveiling of the bad guy

What about Amanda Ronconi’s performance did you like?

She created individual personas without making any of them sound alike. There was only one character I didn't care for the voice of (mr. Dodd's voice was very breathy/nasally and blech). I especially loved Cal's very slight accent -- one that I don't think I could have placed on my own.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I chuckled and grinned to myself a LOT. The characters are hilarious and spunky.

Any additional comments?

I grabbed this on sale as an editor's suggestion, and I'm so glad I did. I love paranormal romance, but tend to stray away from vampires because they're usually very repetitive. With Molly Harper's book, the vampires aren't some time-trapped stuffy neck suckers, and the humans aren't cowering little victims. They're all witty, hilarious, and all-around like able to listen to/read. The sex scenes aren't overly trashy or drawn out, but enough that they added to the story.

I won't spoil the end, but I definitely never saw the antagonists that played out, which is unusual for me! I also liked how, again, the conclusion to the romance wasn't predictable. I'm definitely going to be buying ALL of Miss Harper's books available on audible (probably within the month).

Another Molly Harper Hit

I love Molly Harper's heroines - witty, intelligent and snarky. I can't wait for the next one.

I can't get enough of Molly Harper!!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, yes, yes!!!! Molly Harper's characters are so real and you would really enjoy them if you have a snarky sense of humor. You forget that the characters have anything supernatural about them and just fall in love.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I can't choose.. I enjoyed them all!

Which character – as performed by Amanda Ronconi – was your favorite?

Main.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes.

Any additional comments?

don't make me wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

love it

A fun an easy to listen to narrative full of laughs and Molly Harper sense of humor that is present in her stories. Iris and Cal was new and to my palate a more interesting spin on Half Moon Hollow resident supernaturals.

Lots of laughs, but light on originality

Would have given 5 stars if it hadn't screamed Harlequin Romance louder than supernatural hijinks.