Day: June 10, 2008

Review: Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready

Posted June 10, 2008 by Tracy in Reviews | 11 Comments

(Thanks to Sarai who let me “steal” her review format!)

TITLE: Wicked Game
AUTHOR: Jeri Smith-Ready
COPYRIGHT: 2008
SERIES: Nope

REASON FOR READING: I had read a review on Anna’s myspace blog and was pretty interested. Then I entered a contest and won the book so why not??

SUMMARY: [from Amazon]
Newbie marketing intern Ciara Griffin lands a job at WVMP, a station threatened with being sold to Skywave, a giant communications conglomerate, unless ad revenue picks up. A former con artist with a canny way with people, Ciara soon learns that the DJs are undead and specialists in the musical eras in which they were turned into vampires. One of them, Shane McAllister (turned in 1995), is really hot and dangerously tempting. In order to attract more listeners, Ciara promotes a new marketing strategy and the Sherwood, Md., station becomes 94.3 WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock and Roll, exploiting the fang factor (which no listener takes seriously) for profit. It works, until an ancient vampire cult wants to pull the plug. Also playing in is The Control, an equally ancient paramilitary group created to protect good vampires and kill bad ones. You can read an excerpt here.

THOUGHTS/OPINION:

I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the originality of the author to make vampires that stay in their “Life Time” and yet try to deal with the ever changing, fast paced world was wonderful. Ciara (keer-ah) was a great character. She had come from a family of grifters and was trying to make a new life for herself, but the grifting was just part of who she was so it was an on-going battle for her. She had a great sense of humor and I really liked how down to earth she was. She wasn’t the type who found out about vampires and was ok, no problem. She definitely had to get used to the idea and of course the blood gave her constant “squeege” moments. She had to do for herself for years and then she’s smack dab in this campaign to try to help others which is definitely something new a different for her.

Shane was a hottie who was stuck in the grunge 90’s. He gets very close to Ciara very quickly but it doesn’t seem wrong to me – it just kind of works.

Also, the vamps are stuck in their musical eras but the author didn’t do what most people would think. The 60’s vamp was hippie, but had a dark side rather than the “I love you man!” peace thing going on. The 70’s vamp was Reggae rather than disco, the 80’s vamp was goth & punk rather than the Cindy Lauper/Madonna stereotype and so on.

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again?

She’s new to me. She has a romantic fantasy trilogy that I’m interested in reading.

Are you keeping it or passing it on?

Keeping it. I liked the book and it’s signed by the author so of course I will!

Did you enjoy the book? Yes

Would you recommend this book to others? Yes

SCORE: 4 out of 5

Anything else? I’m wondering if the author will make this into a series. There are 4 more male vampires and 1 female vampire that are DJ’s at WVMP so I’ll be curious if she if she’ll give them their own love interests.

JUST ADDED:

Email from Jeri Smith-Ready (slightly edited)

Hi Tracy,

I just wanted to say thanks for reviewing WICKED GAME on your blog–I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂

Also, I wanted to let you know that it is in fact the first in a series. The sequel, BAD TO THE BONE, will be out next May, and between now and then I’ll be posting free short stories on my website approx. one every other month) about each vampire DJ’s ‘turning,’ in their own words. Since it’s urban fantasy, the series will continue to follow Ciara and Shane and the development of their relationship, rather than give each of the vampire DJs their own romance book.

However, I’m always open to spinoffs. 😉

You can also let people know that my newsletter subscribers will get a week’s sneak peek at the stories before the rest of the world (people can go to my home page to sign up for the newsletter).

Thanks again, and have a great day!

Take care, Jeri

11 Comments

Tagged: Jeri Smith-Ready, Review

Judith McNaught: The Great Jason Debate

Posted June 10, 2008 by Casee in Discussions, Features | 28 Comments

Did he or did he not?

Have intimate relations w/ his mistress after being married that is…

Here’s an excerpt from Once and Always:

She wondered what he did during these long nights in London before he came home. She decided he probably spent his time gambling in the exclusive gentlemen’s clubs to which he belonged.

On the fifth night, Jason didn’t bother coming home at all. The next morning at breakfast Victoria glanced at the gossipy section of the Gazette that reported on the doings of the haute ton, and she discovered what Jason had been doing while in London. He had not been gambling or meeting with more businessmen. He had been at Lord Muirfield’s ball— dancing with the elderly lord’s exquisite, voluptuous wife.

It also mentioned that on the prior evening, Lord Fielding had attended the theater and been seen in the company of an unnamed brunette opera dancer. Victoria knew three things about Jason’s mistress—her name was Sybil, she was an opera dancer, and she was a brunette. Jealousy bloomed in Victoria—full-bodied, frustrated, sick jealousy. It caught her completely off guard, for she had never experienced the bitter agony of it before.

Jason chose that untimely moment to stroll into the dining room wearing the same clothes he had left for London in the night before. Except that now his beautifully tailored black evening jacket was carelessly slung over his left shoulder, his neckcloth was untied and hanging loose, and his white lawn shirt was open at the throat. Obviously, he had not spent the night at his own house in London, where he kept a full wardrobe.

He nodded distantly to her as he went over to the sideboard and helped himself to a cup of steaming black coffee.

Victoria slowly arose from her chair, trembling with hurt fury. “Jason,” she said, her voice cool and stiff.

He glanced inquiringly over his shoulder at her, then saw her stony features and turned fully around. “Yes?” he said, lifting the cup to his lips and watching her over its rim.

“Do you remember how you felt when your first wife was in London, engaging in all sorts of salacious affairs?”

The coffee cup lowered an inch, but his features remained impassive. “Perfectly,” he said.

Amazed and a little impressed with her own bravery, Victoria glanced meaningfully at the paper, then lifted her chin. “Then I hope you won’t make me feel that way again.”
His gaze flicked to the open paper, then back to her. “As I recall, I didn’t particularly care what she did.”

“Well, I do care!” Victoria burst out because she couldn’t stop herself. “I understand perfectly that considerate husbands have—have paramours, but you are supposed to be discreet. You English have rules for everything and discretion is one of them. When you flaunt your—your lady friends, it’s humiliating and it hurts.” She strode out of the room, feeling like an undesirable, cast-off shoe.

She looked like a beautiful young queen, with her long hair swaying in molten waves and thick curls at her back, her body moving with unconscious grace. Jason watched her in silence, the coffee cup forgotten in his hand. He felt the familiar, hot need for her rising in his loins, the longing he’d felt for months to gather her into his arms and lose himself in her. But he didn’t move toward her. Whatever she felt for him, it was not love or even desire. She thought it was “considerate” of him to keep a mistress discreetly tucked away so he could satisfy his disgusting lust with her, Jason realized bitterly. But Victoria’s pride was piqued at the idea of his being seen in public with that same woman.

I think it’s clear as day that he did.

What do you think?

28 Comments

Tagged: Author Spotlights, Casee Says, Casee Says, Judith McNaught

Review: She’s No Angel by Leslie Kelly

Posted June 10, 2008 by Casee in Reviews | 3 Comments

If only he’d taken another route to Trouble, Pennsylvania. Then he’d never have rescued a tire-iron-toting, drop-dead-gorgeous woman whose crazy aunts had stolen her shoes and keys and left her more than a little pissed off. There was no way he was ready to get involved with someone like Jennifer, let alone the decades-old murder case swirling around her nutty family!

But writer Jennifer Feeney was one provocative package. And her latest bestseller had stirred up a whole lot of trouble. Which meant that, between rescuing her again and again, Mike had fallen for her, big-time. Just the way he’d promised himself he wouldn’t. Now it looks as if her family’s past is going to catch up with both of them, and it’s time for Mike to choose—solve the case—or get the girl.

I’ve read several Leslie Kelly books and have enjoyed them immensely. Unfortunately I thought I had read the book that came first in this series. That was not the case and now I have to track down an out-of-print book. *sigh* I really hate having to do that, but this book was good enough that I want more.

Mike Taylor is a sucker for a damsel in distress. When he sees a woman walking alone on the side of the road, he has no idea that she is just about as far from a damsel in distress as you can get. As a matter of fact, Jen Feeney is the niece of the two batty old women that kidnapped his grandfather the year before. So when she talks of murdering the two old women, the instincts that have served him so well as a cop tell him that she has no intention of murdering anyone.

A successful author of two books that poke fun at men, Jen Feeney has gotten used to the way it has effected her dating life. Men just don’t understand that her two books, Why Arsenic is Better Than Divorce and I Love You, I Want You, Get Out are supposed to be humorous. So the fact that she’s wildly attracted to Mike Taylor means little when she knows what will happen when he finds out who she is. She has no idea how much she has under estimated Mike. Not only does she not send him running, but his protective instincts are aroused when he finds out that she’s been recently harassed by an unknown person.

Mike and Jen are polar opposites. Leslie Kelly really showed how opposites really do attract. Mike enjoys taking care of women. Jen would not be who she is without her independence. While she can appreciate Mike’s need to protect her, she refuses to let him coddle her. Her independence and need to take care of herself could make her seem like a feminist man-hater, but instead she comes off as a strong woman that knows exactly what she wants. Mike has to learn that he can protect her, but he can’t suffocate her w/ his need to take care of her. The author did a great job of writing the relationship between the two.

We also get a small tidbit of Jen’s books at the beginning of each chapter. Here are a few of my favorites:

Every man having a supportive little woman standing behind him. He just doesn’t realize that eventually she’s going to be holding a cast-iron skillet aimed directly at his skull.
–Why Arsenic Is Better Than Divorce by Jennifer Feeney

Or…

You ever wonder why a boy is so close to his mother? It’s because she’s the only woman in the world that will wipe his face, kiss his ass, laugh at his penis jokes, and think he’s the most handsome man on the face of the Earth. Well, until the day he gets married and his wife feels that way.
That lasts about 18 hours.
–I Love You, I Want You, Get Out by Jennifer Feeney

And…

What any cheating husband needs to realize is sometimes women really do take little oaths like “fidelity” and “forsaking all others” seriously. If he did, he might not have to learn firsthand that his wife also takes the whole “till death do us part” thing serious…by waking up with an ax in his face.
–Why Arsenic Is Better Than Divorce by Jennifer Feeney

These were highly amusing passages that I had to share w/ my husband.

I really enjoyed this book. Fans of Rachel Gibson and SEP should really enjoy the humor that Leslie Kelly brings to the pages. I really look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

4.5 out of 5.

This book is available from HQN. You can buy it here or here in e-format.