Necking Gets a Whole New Meaning
I first noticed the book, Undead and Unwed, while I was surfing Amazon one day. I liked the cover art and thought it looked really spunky. I took a closer look since I am a Chick Lit junkie and discovered that it was about vampires. For some reason that I now cannot remember, I continued browsing and decided I didn't need any new books that day.
But it was meant to be.
A few weeks later I accompanied my husband to the public library. He was in search of the elusive Microsoft Word, and I was his traveling companion. As he Word-processed away, I decided to browse the new book section. I was pretty shocked to see Undead and Unwed on the shelf, beckoning me. But there it was. And so I whipped out my library card and started reading immediately.
The next day or so is kind of a blur to me now. All I know is that I became completely addicted to this book. Its irreverent look at the vampire myth--coupled with the oh-so-sassy main character--really, um, sucked me in to the story. After I finished the book I made another virtual trip to Amazon and found out that there was a second book, too, called Undead and Unemployed. There was nothing to do then but plan an actual trip to the bookstore!
Once there, I discovered an entire genre of writing. I had no idea that so many stories were out there about vampires these days. Most of them looked too serious for me, so I just picked up my own copies of the Undead books. I feel like I am the last person on the Vampire Romance train. I hope that all the Vamp Lit out there is as funny and imaginative as these two books are. I never watched "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" or "Angel" on television so I am unsure whether some of the twists and turns of the stories are original or not. But to me the books were completely fresh and funny. I plan on reading anything else that this talented author publishes.
Mary Janice Davidson is the writer behind this fast-paced, smart series. Her main character, Elizabeth Taylor (but call her Betsy, please), becomes a vampire by unusual means and never looks back. Davidson's conversational writing style makes this story feel very much like a diary. Betsy surely suffers from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder because she has an almost constant internal dialog going with herself (and her readers) from page one. Betsy gets off track. She doesn't pay attention to people when they speak to her, even if they are very important within the vampire community.
Betsy is also very vain. (Pardon the auditory pun.) When she first wakes up after her death, she is horrified to see that her burial outfit consists of a terrible pink suit and cheap shoes! Betsy Taylor is a total shoe diva and does not hesitate to flex her newly-acquired vampire muscles against the person who put those unworthy shoes on her feet. The wrath of the fashion-conscious undead is swift and extreme. (Betsy puts her evil stepmother's jewelry in the blender.)
Slowly Betsy realizes that being immortal has many benefits. Even though she is completely grossed out by the prospect of biting someone's neck for her dinner, she tries to get comfortable in her new vampire skin. She is an immediate failure. She lisps when her teeth grow long, she sneezes at holy water, and she can still hold crosses in the palm of her hand. And in another imaginative twist, Betsy makes sure to tell all of her loved ones that she's not dead; she's Undead. (Because she doesn't want them to worry...)
Before Betsy has a chance to become more comfortable with her new invulnerability, she discovers that a large yet secretive vampire community exists. These bloodsuckers, who are awed by her abilities, believe her to be the coming of the long-prophesied vampire queen. Some want her dead (again). Some fall to their knees when she is near. And one just wants to get under her collar. Sinclair is the vampire Betsy loves to hate and hates to love, yet their romance is only steamy garnish to a very potent, plot-driven story. In the end, the fate of vampires worldwide rests on whether Besty will accept the shoe offering of Monolo Blahniks, Ferragamo heels, and Beverly Feldman's.
The second book, Undead and Unemployed, finds Betsy job-hunting. She can't just sit around being undead forever...well, I guess she could, but she's bored! And just because she's undead does not mean that there aren't any more new shoes to buy. The story is only beginning when Betsy lands a job in what she refers to as "Heaven." (We know it as the Macy's shoe department.) With all the same high energy as the first book, Besty's story continues and leads even further into the hidden vampire underworld and Betsy's ever-growing role within that community.
I highly recommend the adventures of Betsy to anyone who enjoys reading novels that aren't exactly great literature but are great fun. Be ready for anything, though, and definitely keep them out of reach of the kids due to some pretty erotic vampire feeding frenzies. The only warning I have other than that is that the other books on your shelf may suddenly seem quite stuffy and straight-laced in comparison. I give these books an A+. (Of course, that could mean A-positive. Come on, you knew that was coming!)