Undead and Wed.

 Title/Author: Undead and Unwed by Mary Janice Davidson.

Genre:  Paranormal Romance.

Publisher: Berkley Trade.

Source: Purchased.

Favorite character:

Favorite Quote:

Synopsis: It's been a hell of a week for Betsy Taylor. First, she loses her job. Then, she's killed in a car accident. But what really bites (besides waking up in the morgue dressed in a pink suit and cheap shoes courtesy of her stepmother) is that she can't seem to stay dead. Every night she rises, with a horrible craving for blood. And she's not taking too well to a liquid diet. Worst of all, Betsy's new friends have some silly idea that she's the prophesied vampire queen.

My Thoughts:  This book is *very* funny.  Very.  Main character Betsy does not take her new status as a vampire too seriously.  In fact, you can say she doesn't take it seriously at all.  She makes fun of all the vampire tropes and myths and is even immune to a few things that hurt other vampires.  In the midst of all this, the two vampire gangs are trying to get her on their side or kill her, because her appearance has been foretold for centuries. 

Betsy is a likeable character and her humor and sassiness shine through at every turn.  She shows vulnerability in regards to her father, stepmother and mother which I enjoyed too.  I loved her shoe obsession and how she could practically be bribed by Jimmy Choos and Milano Blahniks.  She is also very sympathetic to others around her.  She helps people and vampires alike when the most rational thing would be to walk away or kill them. 

Her love interest and mentor Eric Sinclair is a typical suave, handsome, hot vampire who tries to help Besty while helping the vampire population at the same time.  He and Betsy annoy each other and she resists his help and his advances, creating tension between them. And Bety's nickname for him is hysterical. I didn't love him but I didn't dislike him either.  I would like to see him more developed in future adventures.  Then we have the bad vampire who wants Betsy on his side.  He is funny and pathetic in the way that Betsy views him...a walking cliche.  However, the atrocities he has commited over the centures show how crazy and dangerous he is.  Betsy's friends are fun as well, especially her best friend who is so thrilled that she has her friend back, she doesn't care that she is a vampire, which is just awesome. 

Even though I think this would be catergorized as Paranormal Romance, there is not a lot of romance found in this book, which is fine for me.  However, there are a few extremely intimate scenes that will satisfy (so to speak) people who like their erotica.

This might not be a problem for some readers, but because the humor did not let up, about 2/3 of the way into it I found myself struggling.  I think it took too much energy for me personally to stay in that mindset.  Yes, there are moments of seriousness but they are few compared to the humor.  Maybe if there were more it would feel more balanced.  Also...I hesitate to bring this up, but ultimately I decided to because I like to think of this blog as a discussion platform of a book, not just a review site.  I don't think the author meant to use this word as anything but trying to get her point across and I don't hold it against her, but she uses the word retarded twice.  I would bet a million dollars she didn't mean anything disrespectful by it, but it just made me uncomfortable. 

The humor and plot of this story -- thinking outside of the box and taking vampire myths and cliche's and turning them on their ear outweight any minor personal setbacks for me.  This book is a lot of fun and I wonder how Betsy will deal with upcoming vampiric issues.

All in all: Very original and laugh out loud funny.

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Three Days to Dead.

Title/Author: Three Days to Dead by Kelly Meding.

Genre: UF.

Publisher: Dell.

Source: Purchased from Barnes and Noble.

Favorite character: Evangeline Stone.

Favorite quote: “I’m the thing that the shadows fear.” ~Evangeline.

Synopsis:  She’s young, deadly, and hunted—with only three days to solve her own murder…
When Evangeline Stone wakes up naked and bruised on a cold slab at the morgue – in a stranger’s body, with no memory of who she is and how she got there – her troubles are only just beginning. Before that night, she and the other two members of her Triad were star bounty hunters — mercilessly cleansing the city of the murderous creatures living in the shadows, from vampires to shape-shifters to trolls. Then something terrible happened that not only cost all three of them their lives, but also convinced the city’s other Hunters that Evy was a traitor . . . and she can’t even remember what it was.

Now she’s a fugitive, piecing together her memory, trying to deal some serious justice – and discovering that she has only three days to solve her own murder before the reincarnation spell wears off. Because in three days, Evy will die again – but this time, there’s no second chance…~Goodreads.com

My Thoughts: Some books get under your skin. Three Days to Dead did that to me. The story holds secrets that are heartbreaking and harsh. Some are in your face and some are subtle and hinted at so you can use your imagination and wonder and ponder until the truth is revealed and hits you like a bucket of cold water.

I usually don’t like books with too many supernatural creatures, but this one worked well. The mythology is clever and comprehensive, defining their roles and traits. I especially enjoyed the vampires and gargoyles. Scenes and plot elements tie into each other to create a realistic narrative that is believable. I think this is because of Meding’s skill in peppering in information as needed instead of a big set up or too much telling.

I adored the main character Evangeline or Evy. She is so different from me. If I woke up in another body and was told I only had three days to live, I would curl up in a ball and cry. Not Evy. She rolls up her sleeves and gets to work trying to solve the mystery that will clear her name and get to the root of what is going on in her city. But even with all her toughness there are definite cracks in her tough exterior which are revealed at the proper time. Nothing is rushed and that is one of the things I love about this book.

The other great thing about this book is that the secondary characters are just as well developed as the main character. Wyatt is Evy’s handler who is also trying to help her and has some secrets and motives of his own. The other character I love is Alex. When Evy shows up in his roommate’s body, it is clear how much he cared for her. Alex becomes embroiled in the drama. He is noble, smart and interesting. He could have been just a foil or plot device to get the story where it needs to go, but Alex offers so much more.

The romance is just how I like it. Not too gushy or drawn out, no games, no entire chapters devoted to sweet nothings.  Therefore, no eye rolling or muttering "Oh brother" from me.  It is present, important and classy, but not the main element. If it wasn’t included, the book would work just as well, but it adds a nice plot point.  So, if you are looking for a book where you want and expect copious sex scenes, you may be disappointed.

There are two small elements that reminded me of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I hesitate to even bring it up because it sounds like I’m complaining, but I’m not. It is really just my own observation and opinion, but I’m here to talk about books and that is something I saw.

What I also thought was cool is that each chapter has the countdown, so as a reader you are watching the clock count down for Evy, giving the story tension.

This is not a light and fluffy story. It is deep, dark and for me, a bit emotionally draining. I felt haunted by some of it. There is a lot of information to digest, but it tastes so good. Sweet, spicy and biting.

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