MaryJanice Davidson Reviews

Page Six

Added June 14, 2006

Undead Series Book 2: Undead and Unemployed

Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Publisher: Berkley Publishing
Available At: Bookstores Everywere
Publishing Date: August 2004
Genre: Romance: Comedy/Paranormal/Vampire
Format: Paperback
Price: $5.99
ISBN: 0-425-19748-4
Author Email/Website: www.maryjanicedavidson.net
Reviewer: Summer Lasaire
Rating: 8.5 Gargoyles

After 'taking care' of Nostro, Betsy is now the undisputed Queen of the Vampires...well, maybe not undisputed to all since some vampires refuse to believe that she's the prophesized Queen. Betsy's undead life still has it's bumps and potholes, starting with her house being infested with termites and then being talked into moving to a mansion (which Jessica still swears is only a house, seeing as it only has 11 bedrooms). Getting a cool job in Macy's was a happy circumstance, but she still has a few problems; she realized that those lovely shoes under her protection would be on their own once they left the store and she's had to skip a few shifts due to murdered vampires which apparently are also her responsibility.

After being informed that she had to look into and solve the vampire murders, Betsy agrees to be bait for the pack of hunters. All night and nothing, no hunters and she's bored...until she heads to her car alone and is shot at by both bullets and arrows. Will Betsy be able to save herself?

Tall, dark and gorgeous Sinclair is still underfoot and trying to convince Betsy that as Queen and King of the Vampires, they were married by vampire law and that they should be together. Betsy is still drawn to him physically, well, who wouldn't be? He's charismatic and has a body that anyone would kill for...and he wants her badly. Too bad Sinclair gets on her last nerve, like, constantly...well, almost constantly.

Undead and Unemployed is a wonderful sequel of the trials and tribulations of Betsy Taylor, Queen of the Vampires. Although I normally don't like the 'valley girl' type, MaryJanice Davidson has created Betsy with such a multi-dimensional character that I couldn't help but love her. Sinclair is at times over-bearing, sweet, annoying and nasty, but when I saw just how in love and devoted he is to his Queen, I fell in love with him too. Undead and Unemployed's pace never slows enough to want me to put the book down for a minute, but has breathers between then next adventure that drags Betsy and crew on yet another adventure.

Action-packed and funny as all-get-out, I loved Undead and Unemployed from cover to cover...and I'm looking forward (actually to my right) to the next book in the series! MaryJanice Davidson's humor titillates, the love scenes between Betsy and Sinclair are hot and the adventures of Betsy and friends drew me into their world so totally, that I would have been hard-pressed to notice an earthquake.

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Added June 14, 2006

Undead Series Book 1: Undead and Unwed

Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Publisher: Berkley Publishing
Available At: Bookstores Everywhere
Publishing Date: March 2004
Genre: Romance: Paranormal/Vampire/Comedy
Format: Paperback
Price: $5.99
ISBN: 042519485X
Author Email/Website: www.maryjanicedavidson.net
Reviewer: Summer Lasaire
Rating: 9 Gargoyles

Have you ever had a really, really bad day? My day started out bad, and got worse in a hurry. Sleeping in, and then missing my bus to work was the highlight. I got fired, and seeing that this is my birthday and we had a sudden spring snowstorm, I had to postpone my party, got run over by an Aztec, and then, woke up dead.

Betsy (do not call me Elizabeth) Taylor had a great childhood right up until Antonia (the Ant), broke her happy home by chasing and taking down her father like a wounded gazelle, then marrying the carcass. Betsy's mom was, is, and always will be the best mom ever, in her eyes. After giving up he short modeling career, Betsy got hired at a temp service and became a secretary. It took a bit of time, but she got so much experience that she became Super Secretary, better known as an Executive Assistant.

There were several attempts as trying to 'correct God's mistake' as Betsy thought it, when she woke up in a coffin, in the funeral home, but after talking to a priest, she decided to make the best of her undead life as it seemed to be God's will. So, here she is, living with Jessica who will no longer leave her side because she refuses to let Betsy die again, and Marc, who she stopped from killing himself....and then fed on.

Things are going along fine in a weird sort of way until *dum dee de dum* Nostro (head vamp of the area) and Sinclair (Nostro's arch enemy), both decide that they want Betsy to join their undead pack, ranks, or whatever they call their B-grade stereotype selves...

Undead and Unwed is bar none, one of the funniest and absorbing books that I have ever read. I laughed so hard that I had tears rolling down my face, had people staring at me like I'd totally lost it and ended up with sore ribs. (Word of warning, watch where you read this, the same thing may happen to you.) MaryJanice Davidson has tilted the vampire world on it's axis with Betsy as Queen of the Vampires. Hmm, what can I say about Betsy...she's a valley girl type who loves, no, LOVES her designer shoes and in turns is a typical dumb blonde with the attention span of a sparrow but has odd flashes of brilliance, and she is always kind to others (well, almost always), is always willing to help anyone that needs her (when she's talked into it). Undead and Unwed is a wild ride from first page to last, has a unique way with the vampire world and has wonderful characters that you can't help but love, or love to hate.

I can't recommend Undead and Unwed highly enough, I totally loved it!

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