Sunday, August 24, 2014

From the Archives: Undead Series by Mary Janice Davidson

I began keeping a reading journal several years before I began blogging. I find it interesting to sift through my thoughts of books that I read back then. My reviews were often brief and contained little substance, but I thought it'd be fun to document them here on my blog as well as share them with you. Here are four I read in the later half of 2005: 


Undead and Unwed by Mary Janice Davidson
Berkley, 2004
Fantasy; 255 pgs

Along with my interest in Laurel K. Hamilton’s vampire hunter series came many recommendations for the Undead series by Mary Janice Davidson. Undead and Unwed is the first in the series, where Betsy Taylor, a somewhat superficial and fashion conscious heroine suddenly finds herself dead and a vampire to boot. She has abilities that are unusual even among vampires and as a result is believed to be the queen whose coming was foretold by prophecy. This book was full of humor, romance, the supernatural, and the expected fight between good vs. evil. Although I definitely feel the draw to this series, the main character’s continual chatter can be annoying at times.


Undead and Unemployed by Mary Janice Davidson
Berkley, 2004
Fantasy; 272 pgs

In the second installment of Mary Janice Davidson’s Undead series, Queen of the Vampires, Betsy Taylor reluctantly agrees to find out who is killing vampires in the city, while maintaining her new job selling shoes at Macy’s. Undead and Unemployed made me chuckle out loud several times. This is a great light read that is quite entertaining.


Undead and Unappreciated  by Mary Janice Davidson
Berkley, 2005
Fantasy; 271 pgs

This is by far my favorite in the Undead series that I’ve had the chance to read so far. Betsy, Queen of Vampires, seems to be maturing a little bit as a character. In this third installment, Betsy discovers she has a half sister who just happens to be the child of the devil, destined to rule the world. This is just one of the many challenges facing Betsy during the course of the book. Undead and Unappreciated is a lighthearted and enjoyable reading experience, full of romance, a little action, and a great deal of humor.


Undead and Unreturnable  by Mary Janice Davidson
Berkley, 2005
Fantasy; 250 pgs

A serial killer is after tall blond women, ghosts are popping in for favors, and there are wedding plans to be made. Betsy, the Queen of Vampires, has her hands full. Mary Janice Davidson brings us her fourth installment of the Undead series. Betsy is her usual self and it’s never a question of whether or not she will get into trouble, but more a question of what exactly that trouble will be. I enjoyed Undead and Unreturnable and am curious to see what further adventures Ms. Davidson has in store for Betsy and her friends.


© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

12 comments:

  1. I've seen this series around and it looks like cute. I like the covers and titles. I used to read Gena Showalters Lords of the Underworld books, but then I just kind of lost interest in them. I should pick them up again. Happy weekend!

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    1. Naida - This wasn't my favorite series, but it was entertaining. I don't think I've read any of Gena Showalters' books.

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  2. I have heard about this series long back, and it used to be on my TBR then. I don't think I've checked it out though. It does sound like a good fun series.

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    1. Athira - I wonder if she's still writing the series. I haven't read any more books in the series other than these.

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  3. I've seen this series but never picked it up. This looks like it could be fun and not to vampire-y. I'll have to look for them especially since you enjoy them!

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    1. Katherine - I remember the main character annoyed me no end sometimes, but they were fun reads just the same. More comedy than seriousness, for sure.

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  4. Sounds like a great light read to balance some of the more gruesome vampire novels!

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    1. Jenclair - Definitely. It's been ages since I last picked up one of her books though.

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  5. I've had this series on my TBR list for ages but haven't yet given it a try. It sounds like I should, don't you think? :)

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    1. Samantha - You would probably like this series, Samantha. The main character annoyed me at times, but she did grow on me. It's a fun and very light series.

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