Series: WVMP Radio #3
Format Read: paperback
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: July 27, 2010
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
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 & 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.
Bea's Thoughts:
Several years have passed since the last book. Ciara is just a few credits away from graduating which also means she';ll soon begin working for Control, the agency that tries to keep vampires under control and a secret from the human population. She's still seeing her vampire DJ boyfriend, Shane, and they are happy together. Her best friend Lori is engaged. So of course the crap hits the fan. There's a mysterious plague killing people in a matter of hours, zombies are being forced to rise, and several major, life altering events happen in Ciara's life.
We spend a lot of time with the radio station vampires and see some of them in a new light, which I enjoyed and there's lots of Lori time too. I liked seeing Ciara's interactions with her human best friend and the vampires in her life. Ciara is not the same person she was when the series started - she no longer cons people for a living, she has people she cares about, and has made a home and a life for herself. She's having some trouble adjusting to these changes in her life and then life throws more changes at her. She and Shane have issues to work out, including their differing religious beliefs, and what they want out of their relationship.
There are several recurring themes in the book - belief, trust, redemption, hope, community, and faith. Ciara deals with all of these in the course of the book and her decisions reflect her growth and her personality. Smith-Ready wraps all this philosophy in a story full of surprises, action, romance and humor. It was an easy, engaging twisty, read that kept me turning the pages to see what happened next. I'm glad I have the next book so I don't have to wait to find out how the series ends!
Not sure if this will be up to my liking coz I'm staying away from these vamps, got tired of them, but I haven't heard of this series before and it sounds like it's worth checking out.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting a bit burnt out on vamps at the moment as I've been reading a lot of vampy UF lately but this one has some nice updates and twists to the mythology. Also, it's not an endless series, there's one book left and then it's done. I like that. The author told her story and moved on rather than drag it out. Definitely give this series a try at some point.
DeleteI love when we see growth in a character within a series. This sounds interesting and has elements I would enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI think you might enjoy this series, you should give it a try.
DeleteThe first book is on my list, the series sounded interesting.
ReplyDeleteHee, I'm just luring you into all these series that I'm reading. :D
Delete*hangs head* how have I not read these? It's been a while since I've read a vampy one. Gonna check it out! Thanks Bea!
ReplyDeleteHeh, it's hard to keep up with all of the books out there. I like that this series is not too dark, there's humor too. I also like that vampires are neither evil nor sparkly. Like humans, some are good and some are bad but all need human blood to survive. It's interesting.
Delete