Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Skull Creek #3

A Body to Die for

Rate this book

Vampire Viviana Darland is on a quest: to recapture the best orgasm of her almost-eternal life, before her impulsive past (namely the two revenge-driven vampires she created) catches up with her. Surely she's due at least one last earthly pleasure? And with Garret Sawyer, pleasure is always a sure thing....

Garret, a fellow vamp, has a hundred years' sexual experience under his, uh, belt...but he's never forgotten his first love, Viviana...or her bitter betrayal. So is he glad to see her? No. Can he resist giving her the screaming O she so desperately needs? Hell, no!

But Garret's on a quest of his own. He's this close to finding and destroying his sire, thereby regaining his humanity. Only, little does he guess his search will lead him right back to the woman sharing his bed....

217 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 23, 2008

Loading interface...
Loading interface...

About the author

Kimberly Raye

132 books454 followers
I've always been an incurable romantic. While I enjoy reading all types of fiction, my favorites, the books that touch my soul, are romance novels. From sexy to thrilling, sweet to humorous, I like them all. But what I really love is writing romance--the hotter the better!

I started my first novel back in high school and have been writing ever since. To date, I've published over thirty novels, one of them a prestigious RITA Award nominee, Romance Writers of America's highest award of excellence. I have also been nominated by Romantic Times magazine for several Reviewer's Choice awards, as well as a career achievement award.

I've written for several different publishers, including Harlequin Books, Leisure Books, Berkley/Jove, St. Martin's Press and Warner Books. Born and bred in the Lone Start State, I still live deep in the heart with my real-life hero, Curt, and our young children.

Like any over-worked, under-appreciated wife and mother, I have very little free time. But when I find a few precious moments, I LOVE to read. Some of my favorite authors include Janet Evanovich, Vicki Lewis Thompson, Charlaine Harris (see my Favorite Reads page for more) and the exceptionally talented Nina Bangs. Give me a bag of Sugar Babies, a Toby Keith or Kevin Fowler CD (I love Texas music), and a great book, and I'm in heaven!

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
59 (26%)
4 stars
66 (29%)
3 stars
66 (29%)
2 stars
26 (11%)
1 star
5 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Profile Image for Buggy.
538 reviews689 followers
October 30, 2011
“Forget desperate. One hundred and eighty years without an orgasm had finally taken its toll. She’d crossed the line from desperate to completely deranged.”

Vampire Viviana Darland has come to the small Texas town of Skull Creek seeking out the last and only man to ever gave her an orgasm and she‘s not leaving until she gets it. Hot on her trail are two revenge driven vampires she created, hell bent on destroying Viv to regain their humanity in a kill the sire become human again domino effect.

Viv’s tired of running and she’s willing to pay for her past but first she’s going to seduce Garret Sawyer and get her last O on. This vampire is going to go with a bang. (LOL, I don’t think I’ve ever used the O word quite so many times in a review before)

When not creating custom motorcycles at his chop-shop or breaking horses Garrett is also searching for the one that created him. He‘s close now, he can feel it, so the last person he has time for is Viviana. It’s been over a hundred years since he’s seen her and despite banging everything in sight he still hasn’t been able to get over the pain of his first love’s betrayal. And now just when he’s taken a vow of chastity she’s trying to seduce him, come on, like that’s ever going to happen again. Theres just no way he’s going to give her what she wants, what she needs.

This is the final book from Kimberly Raye’s sexy and hilarious Love At First Bite trilogy. Set in Skull Creek Texas (I want to move there) These quickie romances follow the love connections of eccentric but completely likable women as they get their groove on and find true love with gorgeous Texan cowboys who also just happen to be vampires.

Now while I loved the first two books Dead Sexy and Drop Dead Gorgeous this final instalment was a disappointment. It was missing the humour, small town antics and hilarious secondary characters that made the first two books great. The ending also felt rushed and was really more of a set up for her next series then a satisfactory conclusion. Still this had its moments on motorcycles and underwater and I will give it this; it’s very Blaze-ish (if you know what I mean) but I guess with a tag line about a vampire seeking her last orgasm how could it be anything but erotic. I would recommend the first two from the series and sadly give this a miss.
Profile Image for Martel.
225 reviews33 followers
January 16, 2016
Still enjoying the series, quick, fun, no-brainers reads, perfect in audio to alleviate boring housework ;)
Profile Image for Julie (jjmachshev).
1,069 reviews291 followers
November 1, 2008
Pretty hot for a Harlequin Blaze title, "A Body To Die For" is Kimberly Raye's last book in her 'Love at First Bite' often humorous contemporary series about vampires in a small town in Texas. If you're looking for a humorous, quick, three book read (that will likely hook you on this author), you really should pick these up. They're just the thing for an afternoon pick-me-up!

Viviana is a vampire who's tired of the guilt she feels for having turned so many people. Even though they begged her to do so, she still feels lonely and empty. And now a pair of them are after her to put an end to her life and free themselves from the endless night, and Viviana is feeling just guilty enough to let them...but NOT until she treats herself to one last fabulous orgasm from the one man/vampire she's never been able to forget.

Garret has finally made himself a home and substitute family here in Skull Creek, Texas. He's also tired of the vampire life and has been searching for the anonymous vampire who made him. He plans to kill his maker and thus become a human again. Maybe then he'll finally be able to settle down and forget the sexy vampire he once loved.

Although there are a few humorous spots in this third book, the first two were much funnier. But I found I really didn't mind as Garret and Viviana's situation wasn't really one that lent itself to much laughter. They're both unsure of their feelings and each other and reading about the two of them making their way towards each other emotionally was just the thing. As a bonus, Raye gives us a glimpse of her next hero who's gonna have an interesting story I'm sure. He's already a werewolf, and now he's been bitten by a vampire. And I'm guessing it will be another humorous tale if the little I glimpsed holds true. "Once Upon a Bite" will be part of 'Blazing Bedtime Stories', a February 2009 Harlequin Blaze Valentine release.
Profile Image for Juliana Sandis.
33 reviews
December 16, 2020
Viviana Darland e Garret Sawyer são vampiros. Viv foi a primeira paixão, mas também a primeira decepção de Garret, então ele não esperava encontrá-la nunca mais. Mas Viv reaparece em sua vida depois de quase um século, com um objetivo muito claro: conquistá-lo e levá-lo para cama. Garret reluta em cair nas garras dessa mulher de novo, mas... e quando o desejo começa a falar mais alto?
Viv por sua vez, só precisa realizar um último desejo, antes de se entregar nas mãos dos inimigos que querem cravar uma estaca em seu coração: ter uma última noite de paixão com Garret, o homem que ela jamais esqueceu. E nada pode deter uma mulher determinada, não é mesmo? Ainda mais uma vampira.

"- Quer dizer que você gosta dessa mulher? - perguntou Meg.
- Não. - Não chegava nem perto de gostar de Viv Darland.
Decepção? Com certeza.
Ressentimento? Idem.
Medo? Um pouco.
Luxúria? Aos montes.
Mas era só isso. Nada além. Nada demais.
Ele ignorou aquela vozinha que insistia em dizer o contrário."

Quem nunca tentou não gostar de alguém né? hahahaha
Já posso começar dizer que adorei o tema, afinal não resisto a uma história de vampiros! O livro aborda uma história de segunda chance para o amor, mostrando um pouquinho de como eles se conheceram no passado, e a Viv e Garret se reencontrando tantos anos depois. É uma história bastante sensual também, perfeita pra quem gosta de livros hot.
Acredito que a história tinha potencial para mais drama e mais romance, assim como mais detalhes sobre o universo dos vampiros, faltou explorar alguns elementos.
Foi meu primeiro contato com a autora e ela tem uma escrita bem rápida e fluida. Fiquei curiosa pela história dos outros personagens que aparecem, preciso procurar pelos livros deles kkk
Recomendo pra quem procura uma história rapidinha e gostosa!
Profile Image for Heids Van.
305 reviews1 follower
August 25, 2024
I made the mistake of reading this one first I the series years ago, I have since managed to get the rest to read and honestly it just makes the impact of this one so much more. Garrett will always be my favorite since he was the first I read about but now I have begun to love all the characters can't wait to read the next one.

Story wise I love the play and pull between him and Viv especially the exploding tank part it never fails to make me laugh.
Profile Image for Nicole.
1,594 reviews164 followers
October 2, 2021
TW: Domestic Violence, inference of sexual abuse

My favorite of the series. This does get a tad bit darker that the first two of the series but there’s more at stake for our two love interests (pun intended)! And we get introduced to werewolves too?!? Where’s Matt’s book?!
Profile Image for Tara.
941 reviews56 followers
February 4, 2010
When I first became an active member of GR back last September, I was considering joining one of the challenges and I needed and author who's last name started with "R". So I came across Kimberly Raye. I was new to the pnr genre and I couldn't imagine not liking something, so I went on pbs and ordered the 5 book by her. The 3 in this series, plus the book that contained the short story and The first in her Dead End Dating Series. I didn't end up using them for the challenge and they sat until December's tbr challenge. I read the first of each series and I really had no desire to read anymore.

So when the February pnr challenge called for a second chance author, I went back to my Raye collection...

I realized what it is I don't like about her. It's the way the women aree in her books. The heroine of the Dead End Dating Series is shallow and vapid. The heroines in these books (the 2 I've read so far) lack dimension. They are flat and 2d.

Viviana Darland is a 200+ year old vamp that runs around like a horny co-ed trying to figure out how to get the hot guy to sleep with her. This book didn't need to be 217 pages. After 60 I had the point. And after 3 books (Although I accidentally skipped the 2nd, which is too bad because the guy was in the first and was at least someone I thought was mildly interesting) it seems that the arc she was going for ended with a thud heard around the world. After 3 books of whining for humanity everyone just decided to move on.... it just seemed anticlimactic. Which in a way is good because at some point I'll go back and read the book I still have and I won't really feel cheated. I can look at is as a stand alone pnr.

Garret Sawyer is the hero of this book and somehow her sexy cowboys are always a little more developed than her female. It's like she spends a lot of time crafting the perfect man. Or more precisely she just keeps tweaking this guy and using him over and over so I guess she has to get him right, she;s had a lot of practice.

I guess I would say, if you a looking for something mindless to read that has a few sexy scenes and not much else, go ahead and give this a read, But if there is a better option, take it.
Profile Image for TINNGG.
1,205 reviews20 followers
January 31, 2014
Hmmm… I think… my impression of the series will be with the last book. Let's just say there are inconsistencies in the world building.

Ok, so we shall call the three heroes met so far, Dumb, Dumber, and Dumberer. I'll let you figure out which gets which title.

So you're some 18th century freedom fighter, and you wake up a vampire. You go to visit your girlfriend who immediately breaks up with you because…she's a vampire too and "it doesn't work like that". Uh Huh. 200 years later, she shows up and you're still looking to find the vampire who sired you. What - were vampires so thick on the ground that a 1-horse town in the territory that would someday be known as Texas would have more than say…1? And he acted so surprised near the end when he bonded with her (by biting her) and had sudden access to her memories. -->face palm

So our h - a vampire and also his sire - has, over the centuries, turned a number of people who were essentially dying, and also a couple who were part of a group of human slaves she freed in Mexico. They're stalking her with the intent of killing her because they want their humanity back (never mind that they pressured her to turn them in the first place). She's only ever had a good time with the H, so she's decided to a) stop running from them, and b) hunt him down for one last round of woohoo. He's not exactly cooperative, mostly because he doesn't trust her (and suspects she used her vampire wiles to get him in the sack in the first place). Eventually, he gives in - sort of - and does the whole impersonal thing. She hunts him down afterwards, more woohoo occurs, he bites her and… later comes to her rescue when the goons catch up. They finally stop with the self-sacrifice bs (he was going to meed the sunrise, she asked his buddies to stake her), HEA.

So ok, I get that she was scared to tell him (or risk him biting her). What I don't get is why it took him biting her 200 years later to figure out whodunit.
Profile Image for Raina.
495 reviews11 followers
March 26, 2011
Hmm. Interesting. I picked this up because I really love her Dead End Dating series, but when she writes for Harlequin (should have been indicator #1) she throws all talent and the need to think about plot out the window. Don't get me wrong, it is a perfectly respectable trashy novel complete with shirtless cowboy on the cover, but it is quite far from being up to par with the rest of her books.

That said, I liked the characters in this book but the way she writes women is really starting to tick me off. They are just cardboard cut outs. Totally two-dimensional.

Viviana Darland, the lead female in this book is a 200+ year old vampire who spends the entire story running around like a horny co-ed trying to figure out how to get the hot guy to sleep with her....oh and she also nearly avoids getting staked, but that was all of three pages long and probably the most exciting part of the book. Honestly, this book didn't need to be 217 pages. After 60 you get the point. However, after THREE books worth of all these vamps pining for their lost humanity and then all of a sudden everyone just decides it's not a big deal...let's all just move on. HUH?!?! I seriously wasted my time reading this?! How anticlimactic and utterly lame.

I suppose if you are on the look out for something completely mindless to read that has some racy sexy scenes and not much else this will fill the void, however, if there is ANYTHING on hand that might promise to be a better option, take it!
Profile Image for Terri Pray.
Author 131 books42 followers
March 26, 2012
This review is for the audio version of the book, as sold by Audible, with Zoe Hunter as narrator.


Viviana Darland wants one thing before she dies, one thing before her past catches up with her and she lets two vampires who have been tracking her for some time, get the one thing they want. Her death which will lead to their freedom from their lives as a vampire. That one thing is a real orgasm and there's only one man, or vampire, who can give that two her. Garret Sawyer.

Garret wants nothing to do with her, sexually, despite the fact that as a vampire he lives on both blood and sexual energy. This is the one who got away. The woman who broke his heart and he's determined not to go there again.

This is a re-listen for me, and I've come to enjoy Kimberly Raye's vampires, and the entire setting of Skull Creek, but a part of the enjoyment this time around was the skill of the narrator. As a whole the story and setting works for me, it's nicely rounded out, and although the other stories are linked into this one, you can read, or listen to them, as stand alones.

Profile Image for Adriana Fogaça.
560 reviews6 followers
July 13, 2013
Amor À Primeira Mordida 3/3
Sede de Prazer
Kimberly Raye
H. Fuego 23
2009

Bom, este é o último livro da série.

Como só li o anterior, não li o primeiro.

Posso dizer apenas que achei este melhor que o anterior, muito melhor.

Garret e Viviana juntos são perfeitos.

Adoro todo o desenrolar da estória.

Recomendadíssimo!!!

ADORO!!!
Profile Image for Elle.
656 reviews13 followers
July 21, 2010
Hmm. Interesting.

I liked the characters in this series and this book. But I am starting to realize that I don't like Kimberly Raye's take on vampires.

This book was better than book 1 and 2 in some ways, worse in others.
Profile Image for Alexis-Morgan Roark.
Author 3 books458 followers
June 25, 2011
I just can't get into the other books of this series. I have had these files for so long on my computer, that I promised myself I'd finally finish them.

Easier said than done.

Fast, fun, sexy Blaze read with a most interesting ending...hmmm, when does HIS story come out? LOL
117 reviews
January 15, 2015
I love tthis book.I love sexy vampires.I thought this book was exciting and so sexy.I didn't want the book to end.I waanted to read more.I recommend this book to everyone.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.