Kakaku：799 saved$7.99
Luna
Not yet published IPhone 3G used's review (Going through the Motions) 『I found this book to be very disappointing. It simply lacked any emotion or real feeling of tension. It felt like watching a rerun of a TV show that you have seen dozen times before, and did not really like the first time. Everything was oddly familiar and nothing surprised. Rather than having the events create tension, the author had the characters stand around telling you why this was hard. She introduced this strange magical effect "older and more powerful than the tradition", but it operated just like the Tradition and its "oddness" had no effect on the story outcome at all. Even the finale with the heartless Snow Queen had all the suspense and excitement of watching someone make pancakes. The first book, the Fairy Godmother, was interesting, and very creative. This one is neither.』
(somewhat disappointing) 『The Show Queen is not up to Ms. Lackey's usual level. This book qualifies as a light, entertaining read that goes well with its publishing as a Luna romance, but her previous Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms were more engaging. I liked that she did not have explicit sex in this novel, which means I won't have to hide it from my kids, but the romantic relationships lacked the attraction, tension, longing, and the sizzle that make her books enjoyable. Also, the only character development I noticed was in the spoiled children learning their lessons and Ilmari learning to appreciate someone his own age. I don't expect depth from a romance novel, but it would be nice to see some reason for attraction between the mature protagonists besides the usual "she's beautiful, smart and brave" meets "he's strong-bodied and brave, yet willing to learn from her superior female viewpoint." (Quotes are my indication of a cliche, not actual quotes from the book.)
The most annoying thing was the poor editing. There are some glaring problems with internal consistency and continuity. As just one example, Ilmari is described in Chapter 4 as having "gray in his hair and beard," but in Chapter 14 "his hair was not yet graying." There are many others, and they were distracting and annoying.
The first and second books in this series were well-written (for the genre) and engaging. The third was cute enough and was interesting for expanding into Russian folklore. This fourth book feels like a draft, not a finished novel. There are some fun passages in here, and it does have the feel-good, "this is how it should be" ending that she referred to in her Author Note, so I won't give up on the series yet. Here's to hoping she returns to her usual level and gets better editing.』
(A New Take on the Old Tale) 『This was an interesting take on the old fairy tale, The Snow Queen. It starts off with the Snow Queen, who is actually a "good fairy godmother". If you've read the Five Hundred Kingdoms series, you will understand the "Tradition" that is always trying to push people into fairy tales. The Snow Queen finds out that someone is terrorizing the countryside in her name and sets out to find this imposter. When dealing with tradition, the godmothers must be very careful to twist and redirect the magic that the tradition builds around events and people. The Five Hundred Kingdom series cleverly update and transform well known stories into adventures that delight readers. The Snow Queen is a delightful and somewhat more mature read, and will satisfy a craving for light reading fantasy.』
(The Snow Queen Impostor) 『The Snow Queen (2008) is the fourth fantasy novel in the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series, following Fortunes's Fool. In the previous volume, Guiliette forgave Rheinhardt and herself and a beam of light took her into the heavens. Katya, Sasha, the Queen of Copper Mountain and the dragons returned the Jinn to his bottle, then sent the bottle to the City of Brass to hold until the Jinn reformed.
In this novel, Aleksia is the Snow Queen and the Ice Fairy, the Godmother of her domain. Although the ice and snow come from the position of her palace high in the mountains, she does have the northernmost Godmother domain. She almost exclusively deals with boys who are following traditional paths into evil ways.
While Aleksia has the brownies for company and mirror contact with Godmother Elena, most of the time she is dealing with self-centered boys and love-struck girls. Her days get quite lonely and irritating. She is beginning to detest sulky boys and naive girls.
Kay is her latest project. He is very clever and even more spoiled by his parents. He wears black garments despite his fair coloring and tends to stick out his lower lip when he is frustrated. Kay is well on his way to becoming a Clockwork Artificer.
Gerda is a very determined -- yet dependent --- maiden who loves Kay. Unfortunately, she is currently incapable of denying him anything. She is well on her way to becoming the forgiving, defensive and verbally abused wife of an arrogant man.
In this story, Aleksia has brought Kay to the Palace of Ever-Winter and given him everything he desires except company. She is acting ever so haughty toward him and has made the brownies invisible. Moreover, she is keeping the Palace rather cold so that he is always chilled. Hopefully, he will soon become so lonely that he recognizes the worth of Gerda.
Meanwhile, Gerda is traveling toward the Palace to rescue Kay. She is so nice that farmers and other travellers have given her rides most of the way. But now she is traveling cross-country and is soon to be accosted by a band of robbers within the woods.
Overall, everything with Kay and Gerda is following the script devised by Aleksia from long and boring experience. While she is waiting for developments, Aleksia receives a mirror call from her friend Alena. It seems that someone is impersonating the Snow Queen and something else called an Icehart is killing people.
The problem appears to be restricted to the land of the Sammi. These reindeer herders are not directly served by a Godmother, but are vaguely within Aleksia's rather extended domain. At least, she is the only nearby Godmother.
Aleksia starts gathering information on the impostor. Her mirror spirit Jalmari searches for mentions of the Snow Witch while she finishes up the situation with Kay and Gerda. However, the data provided by Jalmari convinces Aleksia that she must become directly involved in the new problem.
This tale takes Aleksia into the Sammi Underworld to question the dead villagers who were killed by the Icehart. The problem she faces is not getting into the Underground, but rather getting out. The task gains her a little more knowledge, but ruins her clothes and requires a major soak and shampoo to take away the stain and stench.
Like the previous volumes, this is a tale of high romance. It may be the most romantic of the whole series so far, at least by the couple count. Enjoy!
Highly recommended for Lackey fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of fairy godmothers, magical quests, and high romance.
-Arthur W. Jordin』
(Pleasant Fairy tale) 『This is a nice summer read with good character development. It isn't the best in the Tales of the Hundred Kingdoms series, but it has some nice twists.』 『Aleksia, Queen of the Northern Lights, is mysterious, beautiful and widely known to have a heart of ice. No one would seek her wisdom except as a last resort. But when she's falsely accused of unleashing evil on nearby villages, she realizes there's an impostor out there far more heartless than she could ever be.
And when a young warrior following the Tradition disappears, leaving his sweetheart and mother to fear the worst, Aleksia's powers are needed as never before.
Now, on a journey through a realm of perpetual winter, it will take all her skills, a mother's faith and a little magic to face down an enemy more formidable than any she has ever known.…』
Kakaku：480 saved$4.80
Image Comics
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (The joke gets stale) 『While the first Bomb Queen book had a funny idea (a supervillainess takes over the city and rules in amusing ways) by the second volume the joke has gotten old and tired.
If you really liked Bomb Queen wait for the omnibus volume coming out and get that. No real need to pick up this volume.』
(funny with great art) 『I loved this comic the moment I opened it. There is so much detail in the backgrounds - it's fun to spend time on each page looking for subtle humor instead of blowing through the whole thing in 15 mins.
The art in this series is so clean and well done. The character, Bomb Queen, is such a bad @$$ and she does whatever she wants and she makes me actually laugh out loud. Jimmie Robinson really captured my...heart? (not the right body part for this kind of thing) with this comic because the writing is top notch, its funny as hell and really sexy too.
I like that the comic doesn't take it seriously at all - the characters might say every now and then that so in so is in the wrong comic if you think... etc etc - its really a blast. Reading the whole series was a real treat.
Give this series a chance before you discount it as another cheap T&A thrill. Its more than just T&A (Bomb Queen IS hot though!).
Don't take the comic seriously, otherwise you'll completely miss the point. People who are offended by images/jokes of rape, murder, etc. will have let the whole thing just whiz right over their head - so just enjoy it - it's by far my favorite comic of all time.』
(Cheap jokes and b00bs) 『It is something of a sick fascination that sometimes draws me back to train-wreck sites to see if things have gotten better a second time around. "Bomb Queen: Woman of Mass Destruction," by Jimmie Robinson, took some interesting concepts about a city run by a supervillain and ran them into the ground with gratuitous nudity and a great number of distasteful "jokes" about rape, incest and pedophilia.
And yet, I returned for a second look when "Dirty Bomb" hit the stands -- and found that Jimmie hasn't really learned from his mistakes.
I know there's a market out there for nude comics, primarily among the adolescent set, but Jimmie needs to work on his storytelling if he wants to hook a more mature reading audience. Of course, as long as preteens have plenty of cash to spend, quality will probably remain a non-issue.
by Tom Knapp, Rambles.(net) editor』 『Bomb Queen is back! The super-popular series returns, wilder and sexier then ever! Bomb Queen falls for a mysterious man who finally satisfies her sex-crazed lust. But Bomb Queen must get her head out of the clouds and her legs back together, because naturally, all is not what it seems!』
IPhone 3G used's review (Old Queens, NY in Early Photographs) 『Book arrived on time in excellent condition. 100% satisfied with everything and will buy a couple more books as Christmas gifts.』
(Less than comprehensive but still satisfying!) 『I guess we all have our own opinion of what we'd like to see in a collection of old photos and the history of a particular place. In the case of this book, there are lots of old photos and interesting memorabilia, like early maps and ads for housing developments, as well as a brief synopsis of each section of the borough through the photos' descriptions. The quality of the photo reproductions is quite good, overall, and the writing is fine. I only wish it was larger and had more from the area I grew up in but, never-the-less, still a worthwhile addition to anyone's bookcase or coffee table.』
(A fascinating look into the past) 『I grew up in Hollis, Queens during the '50s&and '60s and thought that I saw a lot of changes in the neighborhood. But this book is a real eye-opener showing how the area changed from farmlands in the 19th century (including developer's ads) to a fully built up residential community by the 1940's. The book is a must read for anyone who has lived in Queens』
(Old Queens In Photographs: A Window on a Vanished Landscape) 『For this former resident (Corona and Laurelton), Old Queens presented an engrossing, illuminating, and refreshing visual window on the area of New York that has received too little historical attention. Arranged by community, the book provides concise, individual historical narratives to go with a set of photographs of people and places and old maps that can only be called amazing. Indeed, the treasures of this book, for my taste, are the many photos from the era before the construction of the subway lines that transformed rural Queens into megalopolis. Many of the area photos (structures from the 1939 World's Fair, for example) will no doubt be familiar to many. What surprises, however, are photos such as the two page spread of an untamed, deserted pre-World's Fair Flushing Meadow, a lush meadow creased by the winding Flushing River, itself crossed by the vanished Strong's Causeway that carried Corona Avenue traffic across the soggy marsh to Lawrence Street in Flushing. Equally compelling are photos of the muddy looking thoroughly rural roads of Queens Boulevard and Merrick Road (in Springfield) from the early 20th century complete with isolated farm buildings. Perhaps the most symbolic photo, however, is the panoramic photo showing a spanking new IRT Flushing Line elevated tracks slanting across a nearly-vacant 1915 Sunnyside landscape that looks more like Ohio than New York City. This book helps the reader see Queens as it existed before the housing explosion. It also makes one wonder what might have been. In effect, Old Queens shows what was lost to all-too-rapid, unplanned suburbanization left entirely in the greedy hands of the marketplace. Lack of urban planning and nonexistent historic preservation is the unspoken theme that resonates often in this book. Who wouldn't want to live in one of those handsome, tree-shaded, Victorian homes on the shady, Lefferts Boulevard in Richmond Hill, Jamaica, or Elmhurst? The question is academic, since none of these homes survived the Queens building boom of the early 20th century. Suppose Robert Moses had actually carried through plans to turn the Corona Dump/Flushing Meadow into an honest-to-goodness park with kinds of recreational facilities he lavished on his Long Island state parks? Suppose the city fathers (and local politicians) had taken a more custodial role and protected Jamaica Bay and it surrounding marshlands from pollution for descendants of the gentlemen angler shown pulling his crabpot out of a quiet channel in Meadowmere? While this reader would have liked to view a few photos from vanished communities, such as Ramblersville (Ozone Park), Black Stump (Fresh Meadows), or White Pot (Forest Hills), he believes that Seyfried and Asadorian have assembled a fascinating book that appears destined for the coffee table hall of fame, that is, if rabid readers don't tear it to shreds, first.』
(Amazing book) 『Queens usually takes third place to Manhattan and Brooklyn on NYC bookshelfs but this terrific photo collection will go a long way to remedy that. There's an enlightening introduction about the borough and wonderful photos/captions for 27 neighborhoods. My personal favorite is on pp.122-123, a jaw-dropping 1906 view of the strange junction of Jamaica Ave., Myrtle Ave. and Lefferts Blvd. in Richmond Hill. Today, this unique street pattern remains but, alas, the Triangle Hotel, later the Triangle Hofbrau, where the likes of Babe Ruth and Mae West imbibed, recently closed down. I've shown this book to a couple of former Queens people and they were amazed. Don't miss it if you're from Queens or have even a passing interest in urban history. Hopefully, the publisher is correcting a page-order problem in the beginning of the edition I purchased at a museum last summer, but don't let that hold you back. This is a real gem.』 『
Rich harvest of rare photographs recalls "good old days" in Maspeth, Jamaica, Astoria, Jackson Heights, other areas. Vintage views include DeWitt Clinton mansion, hotel where Washington slept (1790), plus recent landmarks— Astoria Studios, 1939 World's Fair, more. Captions. 261 prints.
Kakaku：699 saved$6.99
Berkley Sensation
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Queen of the vampires, meet Satan.) 『Betsy always knew that her step mother was an attention whore and was more than willing to ignore her and be ignored by her. While at a Fourth of July party (held on the 18 of July), Antonia drops that she's pregnant with Betsy's little brother or sister. At home Sinclair tells Betsy that the Book of the Dead has told of her younger sister. It also tells that her sister is the daughter of the devil and is fated to take over the world. This of course shocks her and Betsy goes over to her parent's house to find out the truth. Eric and Tina thought the book was talking about the current baby, but Antonia had another child, a daughter and lost ten months of time in the process.
She had been possessed by the devil and no one had noticed. AT ALL, the entire time she had been pregnant and came back to herself after the baby had been around for a month. Antonia freaked and abandoned her on the spot at the hospital. The baby, now named Laura, was adopted and grew up in suburb of Minneapolis. She now goes to college and is a sweet as could be. So how will Betsy tell her that she's not only Laura's older sister but also the Queen of the Vampires? 』
(Good, but light) 『Betsy Taylor is still trying to adjust not only to being undead, but a Vampire Queen. It hasn't been easy; especially the not being able to eat meat and having to drink blood part. She also has to deal with employees of her nightclub Scratch and her attraction to her vampire consort Eric Sinclair. All of this is more than enough but she also has family matters to deal with - her stepmother (who hates Betsy) is pregnant and Betsy finds out that she has a half sister, who just happens to be the devil's daughter. Now Betsy has to find this half sister before she takes over the world.
"Undead and Unappreciated" is a funny, light read - the kind of book that I enjoy while reading it and wonder why after finishing it. Betsy is a fun heroine, but can be annoying at times especially her never-ending obsession with pricey shoes. Betsy's best friend Jessica is absent for large chunks of the book, which is a shame because she's one of the best characters. Since this book is part of a series, there is little plot development and the plot lines that do emerge, like Betsy's sister (Laura Goodman - the name is one of the obvious jokes in the book) are not concluded by the end of the book. There are some good moments in the book including the introduction of Laura (who is more than she seems) and Betsy's decision to read "The Book of the Dead" (which actually makes Betsy a well-rounded character) but they are few and far between. A lot of the book feels like filler (especially Betsy attending an AA meeting) that doesn't go any place and I got tired of characters staring meaningfully at each other with no explanation. I could also do without the now seemingly obligatory fight at Scratch.
"Undead and Unappreciated" is a very light, humorous, fun to read paranormal romance - just don't expect a lot of plot. 』
(entertaining fluff - it grows on you) 『Queen Betsy and the gang are here for a third round - and what a round! This time, Betsy finds out that her bitchy stepmother is pregnant with Betsy's half-sibling - and not for the first time! Betsy sets out to find her half-sister who just happens to be the child of the Devil. No, really. Oh, and did I mention that Betsy finally admits she loves Sinclair?
This series has definitely grown on me. Betsy is annoying me less. It's not because she's getting any smarter or any less vapid, but because I'm getting used to her, and growing to love her as a character. And Sinclair! Hoo boy, he just gets hotter with each book!
I know this is a short review - I'm hurrying off to read book 4!』
(:)) 『this was a funny book i didnt know at the time it was in a series』
(Started out as a promising series&quickly turned into mindless fluff) 『The first book was wonderful, quirky&funny. It quickly became obvious that the author took advantage of its popularity and divided what should have been the next single book in the series into 2 books. The author filled these 2 books with so much mindless fluff and avoided the plot line so completely that I quickly decided there was no point in purchasing any more books in the series.』 『Reluctant vampire queen Betsy Taylor may rule the topsy-turvy world of the undead, but now Betsy's discovered that she has a long-lost half-sister who's the devil's daughter--and destined to rule the underworld.』
Kakaku：1001 saved$10.01
Berkley Trade
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Hot&Sexy) 『lyssa and jacobs story continue now with trying 2 fight this illness and with the gathering coming up jacob is needed more now than ever but will they find a cure 2 lyssas illness in time』
(Awed) 『WoW! These are my first 2 books from Ms Hill. I struggled at times with the first book. It was alot darker than I imagined and abit dry. But by the end of the book I had to know how the story ends. While it didnt quite have D/s edge of the 1st, this 2nd book is breath taking! Very few authors can grab you from the inside and put you in the characters shoes and make you feel what they feel and make you care what happens to them. For 2 days I have not been able to leave Jacob and Lyssa. I was in tears at 7am this morning. I didnt feel lacking or cheated by the end of the book. The story was told and it was a wonderful ride. I'm almost afraid to read anything else by her in fear that it wont/cant be this good.』
(No One Can Do It Like Joey W. Hill) 『I'm not a fan of the Vampire genre at all, but when Joey W. Hill writes a book, I'll buy it. But my attitude was skeptical at best. The first book stunned me with its tender portrayal of an alpha male learning the ins and outs of being a slave within the dark, twisted world of vampires. For the love of his woman that spans centuries, he gives all of himself and, as the reader, I experience every twinge of doubt and every sting to his ego. I wondered how Ms. Hill would top the first amazing story. I should have known she would surpass anything she's done before. Not only did she give me a beautiful, bittersweet love story, but a satisfying ending I didn't see coming. I'm a die hard fan who wasn't disappointed in any way. Ms. Hill delivered a fabulous story and convinced this reader that vampires can be done well. 』
(Turning more stereotypical) 『The two things I like most in the first book of this series were the inclusion without apology of "rough sex" or "SM-like" elements. The second was an attempt to break out of the gender and sex stereotypes most common in romance novels. Very sadly this book rapidly loses most of these two qualitites. First there is very little of the "rough stuff" left in this book. Oh, Lyssa talks about punishing Jacob and there is a hint that there might be "nastiness" at the big vampire meeting but frankly we see Jacob rarely on the receptive end of things. That leads into the other problem: women become the targets not only of almost all of the "rough stuff" but there is a great deal of language about how women naturally like to be treated not just harshly but in a debasing fashion -- at one point Jacob tells Lyssa he will mark her as his by doing a variety of sexual acts on her, not with her or for her. That was the greatest disappointment of all for me. By the end of the book, Jacob has acquired the power and Lyssa has almost lost all her authority. Oh, Jacob talks a good game about still being her servant but I think most of his actions and her reactions speak otherwise -- he sees her as a possession now or an object he wants to protect. At the rate this novel changed from the first I can't imagine that the third book will be much more than patriarchal propaganda that attempts to teach women to enjoy a second class status, pain, humiliation, and thrill at the power of men. I had such high hopes for Hill's writing to break through all those romantic BS stereotypes. I was very disappointed.』
(Not as good as the first.) 『I had high hopes for this one after reading The Vampire Queen's Servant. Truth be told, it was just ok. I was extremely disappointed with the ending.』 『Full servant.With his new title, Jacob must attend to Lady Lyssa's every need, venturing into a world of passion darker than he's ever known. As a vampire hunter he wasn't prepared to embrace a world where humans are sexual commodities, but he has adapted. Now he finds the integrity of his soul challenged as he serves his Mistress's needs as fully as he services her desires.
He loves her, though other servants warn against giving her his soul. Everyone knows that Vampires have no regard for humans, so why would a Vampiress bother treating a mere sex toy with respect? But Jacob knows a human servant is far more than that. His Mistress needs a warrior, a friend and a lover. A man who will serve her in all ways, even if he has to betray the priceless treasure of her love.』
Kakaku：736 saved$7.36
Schuster
Not yet published 『"If I can save one woman from these thighs, I will not have lived in vain," #1New York Timesbestselling humorist Jill Conner Browne writes inAmerican Thighs, her handbook and memoir for the Hot and Flashy. Whether young enough to look "hot" or of the age to onlyfeelthat way (in flashes with buckets of sweat), every woman has given, or will give, ample thought to preserving her best "assets" (thighs included), so that the dread transition from "cute girl" to "ma'am" won't be quite so unsettling.
Here are stories of growing up and learning about life -- usually the hard way! From disastrous haircuts and color jobs to fashion or verbal faux pas committed, from the kiss wished for but never gotten to the one that should have been skipped, these are the moments that mark each of our journeys from what we thought back then to what we now know. Since to say that Youth is wasted on the Young has got to betheunderstatement of all time, it falls upon Browne, as one older and wiser, to take a "Hit and Run" down Memory Lane for the sake of offering "Asset-Preserving Tips," with astonishing disclosures about:
Why women have risked their lives just to get a little bit blonder
How the muumuu has been fashionably resurrected as the "patio dress"
Why it's important to always have a good photo of yourself on hand -- just in case
How, no matter what skin you're in, to make it last a lifetime
Kakaku：478 saved$4.78
Harper Perennial
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Excellent Ancient Story, Excellent Modern Wisdom) 『I loved this book because it brings to life a story that is part of all of us and gives valuable insight into the complicated aspects of the contradictions present in all of life. I especially enjoyed the historical explainations, symbolic explainations and the artifacts that transcend time.』
(Excellent!) 『This translation/interpretation from the cuniform tablets gives an excellent feel for the culture from which this mythic cycle emmerged. The detailed information contextualizing the stories that forms the second half of the book is an invaluable resource for understanding the depth and breadth of the these stories.』
(Incredible Poetry and Power) 『Diane Wokstein's book of the story of Inanna, the original Goddess of the first recorded civilization five thousand years ago between the Tigres and the Euphrates, astonishes with its poetry and power.
This legend, unlike the story of Persephone, describes a woman/Goddess who receives the wisdom of civilization, chooses her mate (with advice from her mother), and willingly descends into the underworld. Also, unlike the Greek myths, there are positive and loving male figures (especially Enki, the God of Wisdom.)
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in mythology and the evolution of myth.
』
(Inanna Queen of Heaven) 『Inanna is about the Sumerian goddess of fertility and the grain. This epic is one of sacred love and worship. It celebrates the goddess religion. This epic predates that of the Iliad and the Bible and yet it predicts the great flood and other events in both. If you wish to read a book rich in Sumerian culture this is the epic for you. It gives a sense of what life was like in one of the very first cultures on earth. Reading Inanna by Wolkstein will broaden your horizons and give you an enjoyable read.』
(Inanna review: Eshleman 2) 『The story of Inanna is the heroine tale of a Sumerian Goddess. It tells the story of her coming into her power as a Goddess and the struggles she had to deal with along the way. It covers the making of her symbols of power from the Huluppu Tree, her acceptance of the holy me from, a gift from Enki, the god of Wisdom. It also tells of her marraige to the shepherd Dumuzi and their relationship. Most significantly, it tells of her journey to the underworld and her resurection. This story opens the eyes of the reader to the culture and the religious beliefs of the Ancient Sumerians. It portrays a respect and reverence for women and fertility which is unusual in present day society. Inanna and her ability to overcome struggles however, can be applied to the world of today. Through reading this book, you will learn much about overcoming adversity and becoming your own individual person.』 『A fresh retelling of the ancient texts about Ishtar, the world's first goddess. Illustrated with visual artifacts of the period. "A great masterpiece of universal literature."--Mircea Eliade』
Kakaku：799 saved$7.99
Berkley Sensation
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Funny! Funny! Funny series!) 『This is like reading a romantic comedy only the heroine is a vampire. She wakes up in the mortuary and doesn't even realize she is now a vampire though and it's hilarious watching her figure it all out. You'll like her and will laugh your way through her escapades. I have read the entire series now and I intend on reading it again one of these days. I read it for the humor more than anything else. If you liked the Southern Vampire Mystery series by Charlaine Harris, then you will like this too. This vampire is more worried about her stepmother stealing her large shoe collection than about being dead! The only thing that I didn't like was the foul language from Betsy. The author has her cussing every other word in some scenes. It is really distasteful and the story doesn't need it to be funny.』
(audio version ruined the story for me) 『"Undead and Unwed" was recommended to me after I was coming off the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer. I was looking forward to another series to start and this seemed light and fun.
I picked up the audio book at the library and as far as chic lit goes, the story was just "ok". I could get past the bad puns, and slowly warmed to the main character, Betsy Taylor. I even really liked her best friend Jessica (who was, by the way, my favorite character).
My biggest problem with the audio book was the "voice" that the narrator gave to Sinclair. I absolutely hated the accent she put on for him and it made me really dislike the character. Far from sounding like the sexy dangerous love interest, he sounded more like a snooty butler type. I got no sexy vibe for him and therefore couldn't get into the whole love interest plot line. It really turned me off from wanting to read any other books in the series.
Overall the story was light and shallow but not so much in a bad way. It was not even in the same ball park as the Twilight Series, but if you're up for "chick lit meets vampire" (think Shopaholic Series), my only advice would be to skip the audio version.
Another series I do recommend (and way better than this one) is the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. The main characters and general storyline are somewhat similar but the narrator on the audio is SO much better!』
(Sassy!!) 『A good friend recommended this book to me or I confess I would have never ordered it on my own. The cover alone was a turn off for me. But don't let it fool you! Betsy is one of the best female vamp characters to come along. She's sexy, brilliantly funny, and her wit is as sharp as a knife! The book reads very fast, and has just enough steamy romance to wet your appitite for the next in the series.』
(Funny Start to the Series) 『Poor Betsy! First she is attacked in an alley by some nasty people (if you could call them that) that aren't that familiar with soap and water. Then she gets hit by a truck, thrown into a tree and dies. Then she wakes up only to realize that her horrible stepmother stole all her designer shoes, and oh yeah - she's now the undead.
This is a laugh out loud start to a series that I'm anxious to continue reading. It's like really good chick lit mixed with vampires! A fun read.』
(So Ridiculous, It's Actually Good!) 『I decided to try this book one day when reading through some reviews of it online one day. I figured it might be good for a few chuckles, but I wasn't expecting it to be high on my list of favorites. Surprisingly, I was blown away by this book! The book opens with the death of the heroine, Elizabeth "Betsy" Taylor, unambitious executive secretary and designer shoe queen. Rather than let death stop her, she "rises again" to reclaim her shoe collection from her tacky and cruel step-mother. But Betsy soon discovers she is not like other vampires; she is able to go into religious buildings, she is not bothered by crosses, and she is unaffected by holy water. These abnormal characteristics point to a vampire prophecy of which Betsy may be the fulfillment, simultaneously placing her in danger from those who do not wish the prophecy to come true.
This is a novel in which the heroine is moderately intelligent at best, grating at worst, and simultaneously endearing always. If you love chick-lit style paranormal novels doused in humor, sarcasm, and a tough-as-nails leading lady who refuses to back down from anyone - including the man she is attracted to - this is the book for you!』 『First Betsy Taylor loses her job, then she's killed in a car accident. But what really bites is that she can't seem to stay dead. And now her new friends have the ridiculous idea that Betsy is the prophesied vampire queen, and they want her help in overthrowing the most obnoxious power-hungry vampire in five centuries.』
Kakaku：895 saved$8.95
Sandpiper
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (A quick, delightful read about a fascinating monarch) 『I recently bought this book for a paper I had to do for school. I had read Polly Schoyer Brooks' book about Joan of Arc last year, and had enjoyed it, so I was hapy to find one on Eleanor of Aqutaine. This book was clear and easy to understand, but explained the fascinating life of Eleanor in detail. Each chapter highlighted a different section of her life, from her childhood in Aqutaine, to her marriages and rules as Queen of France and England, and finally to helping her sons rule as kings of England. I was amazed by her long life in the medieval times. This book is a treasure and one I would read again. I especially enjoyed the references to the King Arthur tales and how Eleanor influenced them as a model for Guinevere!』
(Good Basic Life Of Eleanor) 『Brooks copyrighted this herself in 1983 and, although there is no useful biographic information, I get the impression she wrote it for the k-12 school library market. The book feels like it is written for an 8th grade audience but with an admirable extent to the vocabulary and historical contexts. Brooks has done a go
