Undead and Uneasy by MaryJanice Davidson Review

Today I'm sharing a silly bit of fluff I read a bit ago because who doesn't need that nowadays?

Undead and Uneasy by MaryJanice Davidson
Audiobook Paranormal Fiction
Released 2007
Amazon | Goodreads | Better World Books 

Weddings are never easy. But when you're Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor, they can become downright deadly...

In the days leading up to The Big Day, Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor seems to have a full house - and the wedding guests have yet to arrive. Along with her human buddies, there's a ghost, a werewolf, and a Fiend crashing at her place. And though her fiancé, Vampire King Eric Sinclair, conveniently disappears when the conversation turns to seating charts and flower arrangements, he does manage to make his oh-so-sexy presence known at other moments.

Betsy knows the next few weeks won't be smooth sailing - but she never expects just what's in store for her. Cold feet are no surprise, especially with an undead groom. But when Sinclair truly goes missing - and not just to avoid wedding preparations - along with most of her friends and loved ones, Betsy is frantic. Alone and afraid for the fate of everyone she loves, Betsy can't trust anyone as she tries to find them and whoever is behind all the disappearances. And what happens next will shake the foundation of the vampire world forever. 

These Are My Thoughts:

3 1/2 stars

I read the first two books in this series back in 2004. I know, that was ages ago. I loved Undead and Unwed so much I gave it an A- at All About Romance. I loved the sarcasm and the over-the-top superficial heroine and the in-your-face sensuality all of which wasn't overdone yet back then. It was a case of the right book at the right time. I was burning out on traditional romances, after having read too many in a row. I wasn't as thrilled with Undead and Unemployed though. It seemed to pretty much go nowhere and ennui quickly set in as Betsy and Sinclair’s relationship lost its lustiness. After getting through it, I didn't feel the urge to continue the series and mostly forgot about it. So why am I reading book 6 now, you ask? Honestly, only because the battery on my Ipod died, I needed something to listen to on my commute and I had this audio on CD all nice and handy-like.

I think the time and space and perhaps skipping four books in the series may have been a good thing because I thought this book was fun. Yes, it is mostly filler, and is still missing that lusty goodness, but I appreciated the funny quips and unending sarcasm even when nothing much at all is going on. Basically Betsy The Vampire Queen wants a genuine wedding to her lover Sinclair The Vampire King. The mysterious “Book of the Dead” proclaims them already married and that’s good enough for Sinclair but Betsy’s still a girl and she wants the whole shebang. He gives her a few million to get it done and then promptly disappears for a good chunk of the book. This leaves Betsy all alone and forces her to make some decisions and find her inner power when a Big Bad enters the picture. Betsy is miffed, she moans and complains (for most of the book) but I never got the impression that she was overly bothered by Sinclair’s extended absence. His assistant is the one who fears he might be dead but Betsy doesn't give it a second thought until she is forced to.

So what else happens because surely that can’t fill five hours of audio, right? Well, since you asked, here you go: Betsy is saddled with the care of her baby half-brother, all of her live-in friends and hangers-on have gone missing too, and werewolves show up and try to shoot her dead because one of them is missing as well and they blame her. Something fishy is afoot and Becky eventually investigates.

Basically all of the key characters are out of the picture (which is ok for me since I don’t remember most them anyway!) and this book zooms in on Betsy. It’s mostly sexless (boo) but it is funny, silly, mindless fluff and it didn't at all annoy me. It won’t change your life or make you look at the world any differently but it might make you laugh and sometimes that’s better than nothing, right?

Here’s a little taste of the twisted humor. If you find this amusing you might want to check the book out or seek help. Whatever works.

“Garrett would eat his own balls before he’d ever hurt Antonia, and he’d never, never kill her.”

Derik shuddered and covered his eyes. “Must you use phrases that I’ll never get out of my head? Eat his own balls? Who says that?”

Betsy does, LOL. I love how she can squick out a big bad werewolf with only her words.

And just when I was about to doze off, the dialogue and turn of phrase catches me off guard and forces me to keep on listening.

“So you, uh, don’t love me, yeah, I’m getting that.

“Not fucking likely, you blonde leech on legs. I dream about locking you up in a sunny cell.”

I don’t know, maybe it’s my mood but I found this stuff funny. Feel free to join me in my dark little corner of shame over here.

Narration Notes: Nancy Wu has an upbeat voice that’s perky, slightly bratty and truly fits the sarcastic Betsy. Sinclair though? Ugh. He sounds rather snooty instead of alpha whenever he utters his dialogue. Snooty is not sexy. It’s just snooty and a little off-putting. Isn't Sinclair supposed to be sexy with his “big hands, big teeth, big dick”? Or am I remembering him wrong? No matter, he’s hardly in this book anyway.