Friday, April 2, 2010

Book Review: Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between

Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between

By:  J.A. Saare

Re-Published:  May 2011, by Mundania Press with New Cover!

Publisher:  Eternal Press

Publish Date:  February 2010

Genre:  Fiction, I think maybe Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance.

Format:  Paperback,

Series:  1st book of The Renfield Syndrome (Rhiannon's Law's)

Recommendation: Yes, if you like a strong female character, a little necromancy magic, action, sexual tension, and love with a surprise here and there.

Book Synopsis:
One bad corpse can ruin your whole day.

No one knows better than Rhiannon Murphy that one bad corpse can ruin your whole day.

She left behind the flash and sass of Miami for the no-nonsense groove of New York City, eager for a clean slate and a fresh start.  A bartender by trade, a loud mouth by choice, and a necromancer by chance; she managed to keep her nifty talent hidden from those around her - until now.

The deliciously good-looking vampire, Disco, knows her secret.  When he strolls into her bar to solicit help investigating the mysterious disappearances of his kind from the city, Rhiannon discovers he's not the kind of person that appreciates the significance of the word no.

But in a world where vampires peddle their blood as the latest and greatest drug of choice, it's only a matter of time before the next big thing hits the market.  Someone or something is killing vampres to steal their hearts, and unlike Rhiannon, this isn't their first stroll around the undead block.

First Sentence:
Rhiannon's Law #27: When you're working in a gentlemen's club and one of your dancers takes off those heels, alert the big guns, an ass kicking is on the menu.

My Review and Summary:
The story starts with Rhiannon doing her job, tending bar in New York at an exotic dance club.  Disco, a friend of Cash's who became a kind aquaintance while she was on the job, has been coming in regularly lately (now that Cash hasn't been in).  Rhiannon keeps putting him off when he comes in wanting to talk to her, as she's not fond of vampires.  Rhiannon knew what Cash and Disco are, as she is a necromancer and can see the dead - so she gets a feeling from vampires (as they are dead) and ghosts.  Finally, after Disco's persistance Rhiannon agrees to meet after work.  Rhiannon soon learns Disco need her help and doesn't give her the option to say no.  Rhiannon figures the only way to return to her simple mundane life is to do the few things he needs and be done with it.  Rhiannon is to green to realize what is out there in the world, to harm her or help her, and life will never be the same.

To me there was action, sexual tension, and love all mixed into one here, and I enjoyed it.  This book does have vampires in it, but they are not the main part of the book.  Yes, the plot surrounds the vampires in search of who is killing them but Rhiannon and her necromancy ability is the main story here.  I was pleasantly surprised in a few twists of the plot and story line which I enjoy when a story does this to me.

I enjoyed the character building in the story for Rhiannon, Disco, and the secondary characters.  I felt the growth of the relationships between the characters was genuine for them.  Rhiannon learns a lot in this book about herself, her powers, and the world.  She has a lot to learn yet, which will be great to read in the next book.  Rhiannon, what can I say of this character?  I loved her!  She is just a regular person, who happens to see ghosts.  Rhiannon shies away from a ghost when she sees them, not knowing what they want or why.  Rhiannon does have her own ugly past she is trying to leave behind, but she doesn't wear it on her sleeve for pity, it has steeled her into a harder person - a fighter.  She does have a mouth, as she speaks her mind and many times it's not in the language many think woman should use.  But for me that is part of what made her wonderful to read, and even more personable to me and many times I got a chuckle out of her comments.  It was mentioned to her by other characters, "Do you kiss her mother with that mouth?"  We also got a look into her thoughts as they where in italics.

I enjoyed the start to this series, and looking forward to where the future takes Rhiannon, Disco, and all their friends.



I received this book from the author for review after mentioning I would love to read this book and review it.

This book qualifies for my Speculated Fiction Challenge at BookChickCity.

19 comments:

  1. Nice review :) I really liked this one too..funny, and romantic :)

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  2. I'm glad you liked this book! :) It was a nice read. Did you go rarr at the ending though?

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  3. This sounds like something I'd enjoy! I love the strong woman angle. Ah, another series I must read.

    btw, if you are weakening on the Shiver book... I posted another video on that review. Just thought I'd let you know. ;)

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  4. Great review hon. I have seen this one around blog land and I love your review!
    I will be trying to get my hands on this one!
    Happy Easter!

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  5. WonderBunny - The ending was a complete shock to me! :D

    ****SPOILERS******

    When I read the ending I was like NOOOOO! But I have to say I love when authors throw the spin in and even though I didn't want it to happen, I loved the book enough to count down to the next ones release. I figured something would come of those two things, but never thought she would be sent there, until I was there. I really enjoyed it!

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  6. Melissa - I think you may enjoy this read. I hope you get it. I know this summer is going to be a crazy book summer for me. Many of the series I am reading are coming out with next books this summer. LOL. Lots of reading to do.

    Cecile - Hey girl! Thank you! I hope you enjoy this one. Hope you have a Happy Easter too! :)

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  7. Lead me not into temptation - I promised myself that I wouldn't start reading any more books that were part of a series and already my resolve is wavering.

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  8. Sounds like another great book to add to my wishlist! Don't know how I missed this one, so thanks!

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  9. A fascinating review. Thanks for this

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  10. Thanks for the review, I may have to add this to my massive wish list. Have a wonderful Easter today.

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  11. HAPPY EASTER MElissa!!=)


    When I clicked on to your blog I was so excited to see this book review because the blurb is excellent!!

    I also like your recommendation sentence because that tell me all I need to know!! I WANT TO READ IT!!!
    lol!!

    Thanks for the review and have a great day!!

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  12. Petty Witter - :) Sorry to have you break you resolve. I hope you enjoy it if you get it.

    Alexia - Glad I could have brought it to your attention. I hope you get it and enjoy it.

    Boonsong - Thank you! Glad to have you visiting!

    Ryan - I hope you enjoy the read if you get it. :) I know the feeling of the massive wish list, mine is out of control! :D Hope you have a wonder Easter day! Hope Aidan had fun. :)

    Chasity - Happy Easter!!! Glad you liked the review and the blip. I thought of you as I finished the book. I think you may love this one, I hope so anyway. :)

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  13. Oh, this does sound really good I may have to get this one at some point in the future. Thanks for the wonderful review :)


    Happy Easter, by the way! :) Hey, I think we've have been friends for over or about a year now! How cool :)

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  14. Hey hon! I just wanted to drop in to see if you had a great weekend! I hope you and your family did have a wonderful weekend! Hope the bunny was good to you! Hugs to you!

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  15. Krista - I did enjoy the action and constant movement forward in the story. Hope you had a wonderful Easter! I think you are about right. We would have to look back and see when we started discussing Lamentation. :) Very cool!

    Cecile - Hey sweetie! I hope the same for you! Hope the weekend was great. We had fun and the kid had a blast with egg hunts and coloring eggs. Hugs :)

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  16. Wandering in from Book Review Wednesdays.

    Oh I'll have to check out this book! Sounds right up my alley. It'll be perfect for my book club.

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  17. Glad you liked this book. I did too! I did not yet read your full review as I have to write mine up yet. :) I will be posting my review soon at You Gotta Read Reviews.
    Have a great reading week.

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  18. Ah, Melissa- another one you are making me add to my TBR list. Take pity on me. BAHAHAHAHAHA I love the cover and after reading your review I know I would love the book too.

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  19. Manderiffic - Thank you for stopping by! Glad you liked the review, and hope you enjoy the book.

    MarthaE - Thank you for stopping by! I will have to keep an eye out for your review as well. :) I just posted an interview with Jaime the author too, if you would like to stop by to read it.
    http://melissa-melsworld.blogspot.com/

    Moonsanity - :D Every time I visit your blog I come away with another book to read. I think you may enjoy this one too. Thank you for stopping by. :)

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