"entertaining vampiric fantasy"

Engaged to marry his highness Eric Sinclair, vampire Queen Betsy Taylor keeps telling the dead and undead not to throw her a surprise birthday party; everyone says they will honor her wishes. The European royal vampires visit, but Eric says they insult them as they should have come last year. Still Eric tries to be the diplomat when a follower Sophie goes berserk. She recognizes Alonzo the vampire who killed her in the late nineteenth century.

As Betsy tries to clam down Sophie, the raging vampire's human lover Liam wants to convert and to kill Alonzo not in that order. Betsy is a bit cranky as she has given up blood and her visitors don't make it easier on her as they believe she is undeserving to be queen let alone a vampire. Life after death interferes with buying midnight shoes as she plans her wedding, rehearses to act surprised at her surprise birthday bash, calm down Sophie, and let the Europeans know to stuff their opinions on her in the part of the anatomy that does not see sunshine (of course that is the entire body). Now less than one week before she turns one, there is so much to do and so little time to do it.

This is a terrific Taylor tale that starts off zany ("There's a Zombie in my Closet") and never slows down as all hell breaks loose on several fronts. Though often amusing there is a more serious undertone to the fantasy than in previous Undead tales. Besides the Alonzo "crime" that puts quite a spin on cold cases, Betsy best friend human Jessica is ailing with the vampire queen pondering the ethics of bringing her across against her will. As always MaryJanice Davidson provides an amusing entertaining vampiric fantasy.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted May 30, 2006

Summary

This New York Times bestselling author's Undead series is more popular than ever!

Betsy Taylor, Vampire Queen, already has plenty on her plate. For one thing, next week is her birthday—the big 3-1 in human years, and one in undead years. (Yes, she bit the dust on her birthday last year.) On top of that, she still has wedding plans to finalize—and it's not helping that the prospective groom is avoiding anything to do with it. And then there's her decision to stop drinking blood—something she has yet to share with Eric Sinclair, her fiancé—who also happens to be the vampire king...

So the last thing she wants to deal with is uninvited guests, even if they happen to be the powerful European vampires who have finally come to pay their respects the week before her birthday. Some of them don't want Betsy as their Queen, and will do anything to get rid of her. As if turning thirty last year (not to mention dying) hadn't been traumatic enough. And trying to give up blood is making her really cranky...But who has time to sulk? Well, Betsy does...in the latest novel in the New York Times bestselling series Christine Feehan calls "delightful, wicked fun."