Bad to the Bone Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Reading Wicked Game was definitely a highlight of my summer reading last year. It easily made my Best of 2008 list and I've been looking forward to the sequel ever since. And let me tell you--you want to get a hold of this book. And if you haven't read Wicked Game yet, now's the perfect time to do so as the mass market edition was recently released! That way you'll be primed and ready for this rockin' sequel.
Ciara's life has changed just a little bit since she first came to WVMP as a part-time marketing intern. She is now, for all intents and purposes, the station owner. What that means is she is on the clock 24/7 taking care of her little flock of vampire DJs, spinning PR as the vamps spin the tunes that are their lifeblood. She's working towards her degree, taking night classes at the local community college. She is also in an increasingly serious relationship with Shane McCallister--the station's resident 90's grunge rock expert. When a group of anti-undead religious fanatics comes to town determined to stop the signal, dismantle the station, and destroy the vamps for good, Ciara and the gang refuse to go gently into that good night.
This series is just so entertaining. I can honestly say I went in not knowing what to expect plotwise, and I finished it feeling like Ms. Smith-Ready took everything and everyone in exactly the direction they needed to go. I felt thoroughly satisfied and, more importantly, I cared about each of them more than before. Even Regina. Though Jim still scares the crap out of me and Shane should not let him anywhere near Ciara ever again no matter what kind of lousy shape he's in. I continue to be extremely fond of Ciara and so it was both heartbreaking and extremely gratifying to watch her deal with her manipulative, ne'er do well father, her growing feelings for Shane, a new undead pet, and finding herself suddenly homeless. And I do have to say that, within the larger UF world, it's nice to find one without a love triangle. I love reading about Ciara and Shane. They're flawed, messed up, in danger of going off the deep end in more ways than one. And despite all of this, they treat each other carefully. How often do you read about a human/vampire couple in which the vampire is the more vulnerable of the two? She takes care of him. She keeps him tethered to the here and now. It's freaking awesome. The good news? Pocket Books bought two more books in this series. The third one will be out sometime next year.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Bad to the Bone

Click here for more information about Bad to the Bone

Read More...

Bring On the Night (WVMP, Book 3) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I am not one for putting spoilers in my reviews. But what to do when a book is almost one giant spoiler? This was one of hardest reviews I've written. I loved the book and want to tell you why...but how to tell you that without ruining anything. Hmmmm......So here's my attempt at a non spoilery - yet interesting book review.
Bring on the Night is about Faith.
Ciara's lack of it.
Shane's complete, blind belief in it.
How many pieces of your soul will you sell to protect those you love?
And oh yeah - there are zombies!
Bring on the Night reminded me of a three act play.
Act 1: The set up to the story. Things are better than they have ever been.
Act 2: Then they are not.
Act 3: The aftermath.
Ciara's finally finishing up her college degree and has just completed her training with "The Control" - a secret government agency whose mission is "to balance the safety and well-being of humans AND vampires." Yeah right. They aren't named The Control for nothing....they blackmailed her into service and they are exerting an ever increasing amount of control over Ciara & Shane's lives.
Despite the Control looming over them, Ciara and Shane have never been happier - they're living together, she's helping to plan best friend Lori and David's wedding. That is until dead bodies start popping up. They have reason to suspect it may be one their own. Jim, one of the vampires that works as a DJ at the WVMP radio station has been acting more and more reckless.
But what they uncover is something much more sinister. A plague is spreading, the dead are rising and the events that unfold change their lives forever.
The tone is very different for Bring on the Night than in the previous two books in the series. It's more introspective. I loved it. I really like when people get pushed to their breaking points and see how they handle it. Everything changes and no one will be the same. Relationships are different, the dynamics have shifted.
That's not to say there isn't plenty of Jeri's trademark witty dialogue, musical influences and vampy goodness at every turn. While it is a darker book it's still action packed!
OK - that's it for non-spoiler intel! So instead, I'm going to wrap up my review by giving you my top 5 reasons that you should go buy this book (and the first two - Wicked Game & Bad to the Bone if you haven't read those yet).
Number 5 - The Control. Government secrecy, manipulation and intrigue at its finest. I love me some secret government conspiracies!
Number 4 - Zombies! Seriously....who doesn't love zombies??
Number 3 - More vampires! The other vampire DJ's are starting to play a much larger role in the series, which I think is a good thing. Lots more Regina - there can never be enough Regina in my opinion!! And even more of elusive vampire Monroe.
Number 2 - Sexy, sexy Shane. I have a somewhat unhealthy (or so my husband tells me) obsession with this particular vampire. And oh -yea ..that David guy is still there for those of you who are David fans......lol.
The Number 1 reason you should go buy this book??- Here's the deal. Jeri has this planned as a five book series. She is signed through book 4 (which is tentatively titled "Let it Bleed" - due out 7/2011 - AWESOME title!). I NEED book 5 (tentatively titled "Lust for Life")! So we need lots of people to buy Bring on the Night and show their love. Consider it a personal favor. You'll have my undying gratitude - my undying devotion and ....ok sorry that's all I got but it would make me very very happy!
Nitpick: The solution to the plague storyline felt overly complicated to me. There were a lot of loose ends to wrap up (which she did) but there were several explanations when one would have been fine.
Loved: I love these characters so much and I was thrilled to see them all back. The series is really taking a big leap forward with this book and I like it.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Bring On the Night (WVMP, Book 3)

WHAT'S BLOOD GOT TO DO WITH IT? Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin seems to finally have it all. A steady job at WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll. A loving relationship with the idiosyncratic but eternally hot DJ Shane McAllister. A vampire dog who never needs shots or a pooper-scooper. And after nine years, it looks as if she might actually finish her bachelor's degree! But fate has other plans for Ciara. First she must fulfill her Faustian bargain with the Control, the paranormal paramilitary agency that does its best to keep vampires in line. Turns out the Control wants her for something other than her (nonexistent) ability to kick undead ass. Her anti-holy blood, perhaps? Ciara's suspicions are confirmed when she's assigned to a special-ops division known as the Immanence Corps, run by the Control's oldest vampire and filled with humans who claim to have special powers. To a confirmed skeptic like Ciara, it sounds like a freak fest. But when a mysterious fatal virus spreads through Sherwood—and corpses begin to rise from their graves—Ciara will not only get a crash course in zombie-killing, but will be forced to put her faith, and her life itself, in the hands of magic.

Click here for more information about Bring On the Night (WVMP, Book 3)

Read More...