Undead and Unemployed

Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Published: August 3, 2004 (Berkley)
Category: Paranormal Romance
Quote of Choice: "I know that look. She's got an idea. Or she needs an Ex-Lax."

I can't stay away from the paranormal fiction, can I?

We rejoin Betsy, now the Queen of the Undead, and she's still trying to avoid her attraction to Eric Sinclair (aka Betsy's consort/king AND a super sexy studmuffin vampire). At the same time, she's trying to solve brutal vampire killings, avoid being queen, and keep a part-time job in the shoe department at Macy's.

At first, the killings were attributed to a gang called the Blade Warriors, composed of teenaged misfits and a priest for their leader. They make the mistake of trying to kill Betsy, but are a bit confused by her quirky personality and the things she says, like "blow me." In short, she changes their perception of vampires and they become friends, trying to figure out the identity of the person who was anonymously directing the Blade Warriors.

There was a bit more romance in this one, but again, not as much as I'd like. Hey, why call it paranormal romance if there's not much romance in it? At least Betsy isn't trying to hate Eric anymore by the end of this book. Also, I was a little annoyed by her whole "I don't want to be queen" thing because I can't stand it when characters don't want to take responsibility. I mean, she's dead and doesn't really have anything better to do with her un-life.

Why not be the queen and have your studmuffin too?