Review: Bring on the Night by Jeri Smith-Ready

Bring on the Night by Jeri Smith-Ready

WVMP Radio #2

Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin seems to finally have it all. A steady job at WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock 'n' 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.

This book is set about three years after the last book with Ciara training for her position in the control. Much to her chagrin, she is stationed with the Immanence Corps, a group filled of vampires and humans with special abilities. However, before she can get officially "signed" in, a insanely virus starts sweeping her campus. At first the doctors think its chicken pox, but when it starts killing people within hours of the onset of symptoms they quickly realize this virus is something more. Long story short, Ciara is one of the few at a major risk. Some major events happen that start a tailspin that will leave everyone forever change.

I'm having a hard time talking about this book without spoiling anything, it just really was that eventful. The book at its core is really mostly about belief and faith. As we know from the previous books, Shane has it and Ciara has the absolute opposite. It is her utter lack of faith that allows her blood to heal vampires from holy wounds. Due to the events in this book, her lack of faith is challenged, and for the first time in her life she finds herself wanting to believe in something.

The characters in this series will just grip you and make you care so much for them. Each one's personality is completely unique and I found myself loving each and every one of them despite their quirks. In this book, we get a closer look at the DJs and who they really are. I also loved the progression in Shane and Ciara's relationship. It took leaps forward, and well, backwards as well. Everything between them feels so real, and I really enjoyed seeing them together. The road between them will still be long and I'm sure filled with potholes, but I think it will be a journey worth spending.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read it in just one setting, I just couldn't put it down. After the events of this book, I can only imagine where the next book will lead. I really love the new direction things are taking, and I cannot recommend this series any more highly.

Rating:

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Bring On the Night (WVMP, Book 3)

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Review: Bad to the Bone by Jeri Smith-Ready

Bad to the Bone by Jeri Smith-Ready

WVMP Radio #2

If you’re just joining us, welcome to radio station WVMP, “The Lifeblood of Rock ’n’ Roll.” Con-artist-turned-station-owner Ciara Griffin manages an on-air staff of off-the-wall DJs—including her new boyfriend Shane McAllister—who really sink their teeth into the music of their ‘Life Time” (the era in which they became vampires). It’s Ciara’s job to keep the undead rocking, the ratings rolling, and the fan base alive—without missing a beat.

For Halloween, WVMP is throwing a bash sure to raise the dead. They’ve got cool tunes, hot costumes, killer cocktails—what could go wrong? Well, for starters, a religious firebrand ranting against the evils of the occult preempts the station’s midnight broadcast. Then, when Ciara tracks down the illegal transmission, the broadcast tower is guarded by what appears to be…a canine vampire? And behind it all is a group of self-righteous radicals who think vampires suck (and are willing to stake their lives on it).

Now Ciara must protect the station while struggling with her own murky relationship issues, her best friend’s unlikely romance with a fledgling vampire, and the nature of her mysterious anti-holy powers. To make it to New Year’s in one piece, she’ll need to learn a few new tricks.…

Now that Ciara is for all intents and purposes the station owner, its up to her and her innate abilities to keep the station going. Since she has gone straight, she is working practically around the clock to support her vampires by spinning PR left and right. Just when things are looking up, an anti-vampire religious group starts wreaking havoc. Their attacks start out small at first, but quickly turns into a tailspin of danger. With everything on the line, its up to Ciara and the gang to put a stop to the religious nuts before its too late.

Its amazing to see how far Ciara has come from her con-artist days. At the start of the first book, she never really let herself have any real ties, so she could make a break for it at a moments notice. Now, shes got a serious boyfriend and a group of really good friends that depend on her. Having anyone depend on her is an absolutely terrifying concept, but she really is trying to work through her fear and accept it. I loved how Ciara instantly fell for the dog, and was completely attached at once. It was nice to see that "weakness," considering she hasn't jumped to trust or care for anyone that quick before.

I love the dynamic between Ciara and Shane. Now that they are past that initial goo goo eyes stage, they start to have conflicts and struggle to figure out how to work together, just like a real couple. I love how her messiness drives him nuts, as his OCD and leaving her instruction notes makes her go a little "batty" as well. I didn't really care for the slight love triangle aspect with David, but I really do not think anything is going to come of it, so its not really something to worry about.

This series is progressing very well. I love the character development. Everything was very realistic and this book only made me care for the characters more. I look forward to seeing Ciara overcoming her struggles to recover from the con-artist business as well as her relationship with Shane. I cannot wait to read the next book and see how the station and DJs are making out. Very awesome second book in a great series!

Rating:

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Bad to the Bone

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Review: Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready

Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready

WVMP Radio #1

Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin is trying to live the straight life, even if it means finding a (shudder!) real job. She takes an internship at a local radio station, whose late-night time-warp format features 1940s blues, 60s psychedelia, 80s Goth, and more, all with an uncannily authentic flair. Ciara soon discovers how the DJs maintain their cred: they’re vampires, stuck forever in the eras in which they were turned.

Ciara’s first instinct, as always, is to cut and run. But communications giant Skywave wants to buy WMMP and turn it into just another hit-playing clone. Without the station—and the link it provides to their original Life Times—the vampires would “fade,” becoming little more than mindless ghosts of the past. Suddenly a routine corporate takeover becomes a matter of life and un-death.

To boost ratings and save the lives of her strange new friends, Ciara re-brands the station as “WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock ’n’ Roll.” In the ultimate con, she hides the DJs’ vampire nature in plain sight, disguising the bloody truth as a marketing gimmick. WVMP becomes the hottest thing around—next to Ciara’s complicated affair with grunge vamp Shane McAllister. But the “gimmick” enrages a posse of ancient and powerful vampires who aren’t so eager to be brought into the light. Soon the stakes are higher—and the perils graver—than any con game Ciara’s ever played…

Meet Ciara Griffin, pronounced Keer-ah, a smart, witty, interesting con-artist. Yep, that's right, con-artist. She chose the last name Griffin as a play on the title, grifter, someone who swindles people out of money. The book starts with her in an interview for a summer intern position at a radio station. She gets the job, but quickly realizes things are not as they seem. The DJs are vampires and are at risk at losing the station, which is the only thing holding them onto sanity. As the Marketing Intern, she devises a plan to bring the studio lots of money to convince the owner not to sell, all the while struggling to keep her con-artist instinct in check.

This books take on vampires is really unique. A vampire in this world is completely stuck in the time that they died, unable to move forward. The Djs each represent a different decade in music and make for a crazy motley crew. Another uniqueness these vampires have from other books is that each one develops a form of OCD. These compulsions made for some very funny moments in the books. I find it really interesting that while these vampires are technically immortal, most only last 30-40 years before losing their mind or just going "vacant." They rarely live past 80 years "undead." So, while they do not age, they really aren't immortal at all.

I loved Ciara's character. She is very flawed, but this book seems to be her turn around point. For the first time in her life she seems to want to play it straight and earn her way. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Ciara and Shane. The progression was very realistic. There was just the right amount of tension and hesitation to keep it from feeling rushed, but it also didn't drag out either.

I really liked this book. It definitely wasn't a typical vampire book and I loved the unique take. This definitely seems like a very promising series that will not disappoint. I cannot wait to see if Ciara's continued influence can keep "her" vampires from going vacant. Maybe, just maybe she will be able to help them adapt as the world changes, only time will tell.

Rating:

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Wicked Game

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