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Book Reviews of Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1)

Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1)
Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs - Jane Jameson, Bk 1
Author: Molly Harper
PBS Market Price: $8.09 or $4.19+1 credit
ISBN-13: 9781416589426
ISBN-10: 1416589422
Publication Date: 3/31/2009
Pages: 384
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 211

3.9 stars, based on 211 ratings
Publisher: Pocket Star
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

22 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

amichai avatar reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on + 368 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 9
Although I finished the book, I cannot call it original or especially clever. The main character, Jane, is very like Maryjanice Davidson's Queen Betsy, but the setting is a town in Kentucky and vampires have recently "come out" to regular humans as in Charliane Harris's Sookie Stackhouse novels. More than one character is similar to a character in the Queen Betsy books. If you love the genre more than you value originality you may enjoy the book.
poohbritt avatar reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on + 37 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
Reviewed on htt://Bookishbritt.blogspot.com

So I'm especially fond of Jane Jameson because she is of a most honorable profession. One we can all admire: a librarian. Or at least she was until she's unceremoniously canned with only a Shennanigin's gift certificate for her pension. She gets tipsy, wonders home, and is mistaken for a deer and shot by a red-neck. Enter Mister Tall-dark-and-dead, shake and bake, and Jane is getting a visit from the Undead Welcoming Committee.

Of course in death as in life, bad luck keeps finding her and someone ends up pinning murders on her, drawing scrutiny from the vamp elders. (One of the elders kind of sounds like Dakota Fanning...fanged.) All the while, Mr. Tall and Dark turns into Mr. Hot and Cold and her relationship with her sire remains undefined. Not to mention her southern family don't take kindly to their darling daughter being undead.

It was a really good start to a series and I especially loved that the main character was intelligent. Aloof, maybe, but not dim like Betsy (Maryjanice davidson's series). Thus her humor is quick wit. I can't wait to read "Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men"
ophelia99 avatar reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on + 2527 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
This looked like a fun read and I was in the mood for something funny. This book met all my expectations it is a very funny, light, and clever read. Incredibly entertaining. It is the first book in the Jane Jameson trilogy. I listened to this on audio book; the audio book was very well done and probably contributed to me liking the book so much.

Jane Jameson is a children's librarian...at least she is until her evil boss lays her off because of budget cuts. After spending the night after her lay-off drowning her sorrows in mud-slides, her day just gets worse. She gets shot walking home by a drunk man who drives by in a truck and shoots her thinking she is a deer. Well this is the beginning of her undead life, as sexy Gabriel (a man she meet at the bar that night) saves her life...kinda...by turning her into a vampire. Now Jane must find a job, figure out how to navigate her new vampire lifestyle, and defend herself against murder charges.

This book was a hoot. Jane is just your normal girl, turned vampire. She is snarky and funny, and is surrounded by polite southern-woman doing their best to insult sweetly. This book drops the mystery surrounding vampires and represents them as the normal people they probably would be if your average everyday Joe got turned. For example, when Jane is awake at 2am trying to figure out what to do with her night she decides to go where any proper southern girl would go at 2am....Walmart...and finds it to be a secret hang-out of the undead. When her new found friend Andrea offers to take her to a vampire bar...Jane is braced for the worst but finds herself in a sports bar not unlike the ones she went to when she was a bit more alive.

The chemistry between Jane and her sire, Gabriel, is off and on but more realistic because of that. There are a lot of great characters in this book besides Jane, and Gabriel is one of them. Gabriel is kind of your brooding mysterious type, but he is also a normal guy. He occasionally does something stupid or finds himself at a loss for words, making him a more real vampire than most you read about. Then there is the ghost of Jane's Aunt Jettie who is always there to add some humor to the situation (as if Jane needed help with that).

The book does have a good mystery woven into the plot. Jane is accused of murder and becomes the victim of increasingly brutal attacks on her person. She needs to figure out what is going on else the Council order a decapitation. The plot moves as a quick pace and never gets boring. This book doesn't have a lot of action and is more a mix of paranormal, mystery, humor, chick lit, and romance.

Overall a fresh take on vampire society, very engaging and lots of fun. I really enjoyed this book, it was a nice departure from what I normally read and had me laughing out loud a number of times. I can't wait to listen to the next book "Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men".
snowkitty avatar reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on + 114 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
As much as I did like this book, there were a few things that bothered me about it. The author tended to climb up on a soap box a few times to point out what are most likely personal pet peeves. One was about smoking. This scene (or scenes) didn't fit in the large or small scale of things. It seemed to be just stuck in there. Another was accepting people 'the way they are.' Again, did not fit. Whether I agree or disagree, this wasn't the place to rant.
Although there was a fair amount of action, not a lot of suspense. Also, I would have liked Jane's relationships with others more defined. It seemed the men in her life were not very supportive, and her sister and mother were horrible people. Hopefully in her next couple of books, those two will be dealt with.
myhotstylist avatar reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on
Helpful Score: 3
Meet Jane Jameson, ordinary librarian, if at best. Her story starts off pretty harsh. Her boss fires her, sends sends her off with a giftcard to Shennegans. After getting drunk at the bar, she drives home, and is mistaken for a deer, shot and left for dead.

Then the handsome (undead) man she met at the bar comes behind her and saves her from death by turning her into a vampire. Now Jane must re-adjust to everyday (un-life) and learn to cope with being one of the undead. She meets a preppy vampire realter that shows up on her doorstep with a gift basket and guide for the newly undead.

On the first night outing she has, she ends up in a squabble with a vampire named Walter, who was later found burned to a crisp in his car. Now the Vampire counsil thinks Jane is behind the killing, and strange things start happing all around her. Someone (or something) wants Jane out of the picture for good.

I enjoyed this book, but not enough to make it a keeper. I didnt like her sister or mother. I wasnt fond of the constant "name dropping" or the repetitive use of the word "cryptic". The book was pretty much set in present day, but I think the author tried a little too hard to make the book stand out. The mystery fell flat for about a 100 pages or so, and didnt pick up until the end. I am proud to say I had the killer guessed, and was overall pleased with the end resolution. Nothing too complicated. It worth a book credit, and hey, theres some wolves thrown in for good measure. I will be reading the rest of this 3 book trilogy, just to find out what happens to Miss Jane Jameson, her friend Zeb, and her sire Gabriel.
reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on
Helpful Score: 2
Really good book, quick read with plenty of humor. Cross between Katie Macalister and Charlaine Harris.
reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on + 11 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Really quick read and pretty funny. Jane is a modern woman thrown to the mercy of an ancient vampire. Between her best friend, a vampire named Dick Cheney, and her family, I was laughing out loud. I can't wait for the next one in the series.
dastephan6 avatar reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on + 132 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I really liked this book. It was a lite and funny pick me up read. I knew who
the killer was from the beginner, but it was still worth the read!
reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on + 7 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Expertly written! Loved this story. The humor that is drawn from everyday interactions is something that everyone can identify with.. the people in our community, our family, who does not have a couple gossiping/interfering members in our community! It has a refreshing take on vampires and there is a bit of romance ( just a bit, you really don't go in full force till book two!) My husband even enjoyed this! (We generally disagree on reading material).
SoCaliGirl avatar reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on + 37 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Great book!If you like Mary Janice Davidson you'll like this book.Looking forwards to the next.
Catherine1 avatar reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on + 60 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This book is kind of hard to rate. I enjoyed it and read it quickly, but I felt kind of let down when I finished it.

Jane Jameson is fired from her job as a librarian. After going out and getting drunk she wakes up to find that she's a vampire. The circumstances that lead to her being turned are like none I've ever read. I thought it was hilarious. After she wakes up Jane has to learn how to deal with her new life. There's a lot of funny supporting characters throughout the book. I particularly like her friend, Zeb. I liked that he didn't wholeheartedly embrace her becoming a vampire. I thought it was a lot more authentic that he had to work at not being freaked out by her.

I think the most stand out quality of this book is the humor in it. Jane makes for a very hilarious narrator. At times her schtick wore thin and I just wanted her to take things seriously and think. As I was reading I was strongly reminded of Mary Janice Davidson's Undead series and the Lynsay Sands Argeneau Vampires series. Jane is not like Betsy, but the slapstick quality of the humor reminded me of both those series.

I really enjoyed the excerpts from The Guide for the Newly Undead. I thought that was a fun way to start each chapter.

Even though I enjoyed Jane I also couldn't help but question her intelligence at times. ***Begin Spoilers*** She is being investigated by the Council because they suspect her of killing someone. Instead of going to the Council when bad things start happening to her, she just ignores it. Maybe if only one of those things had occurred I could understand it, but all of them put together should have made Jane conclude that someone has it out for her. Especially when she was shot! But no, she thought it was smarter to just ignore what was happening and hope the council found some other reason why someone put her purse at the crime scene.

Also, she felt someone watching her house while these things were happening to her. Shouldn't she have connected the dots and figured out they might be connected? Why didn't she ask her Aunt Jettie (who's usually there anyway) to hang around the house and watch for anything suspicious. If something happened her aunt could have passed on who was doing it. ***End Spoilers***

I didn't really get the attraction between Jane and Gabriel. They had witty banter going on, but he seemed like another Zeb to me. By that I mean just a platonic good friend. I never felt any sexual tension between them. I found the parts that dealt with their attraction to be pretty boring because it truly seemed out of the blue. Why are they hooking up? Because they're both there? I didn't see many other reasons. I did like how Jane was honest about the oddness of some of her actions. Toward the end she has an... encounter with Gabriel that I thought came out of nowhere. It didn't really seem like the ideal reaction to the discussion they were having. I liked that afterward she admitted that it was a stupid reaction and that it didn't change anything.

I'll probably read the next one. I'm unsure if I like this series or not, so I figure book 2 will help me decide one way or another.
mazeydazey avatar reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on + 140 more book reviews
I enjoyed this funny light read; similar to Stephanie Plum only as a vampire! LOL. Others compare the books to Queen Betsy but since I haven't read those I can't say. Jane is smart, sharp tongued and extremely witty. If you like a book that makes you laugh with a little mystery and a ton of friendships, this is for you.
reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on
I listened to the audio book and was laughing constantly throughout. No - it's not a literary genius book, but it's a great "fluff" listen to or read. It was worth it and right away I was getting the 2nd books and preparing for the 3rd book.
ra7 avatar reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on + 1029 more book reviews
I really enjoyed this book. It had the perfect mix of humor and sarcasm. It's a light, fluffy read that's perfect for just about any reading mood. I loved Jane's obsession with books!
reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on + 929 more book reviews
Thought this was such a fun, light book to read. I laughed out-loud several times. It reminds me of a mix between Mary Janice Davidson and Gena Sholwater.

Jane is such a likeable character as well as her best friend, Zeb. She is quirky and such a delight. She isn't as self-centered as Betsey from the "Undead" series but both of them kind of talk without a filter.

Can't wait to read the rest of the series.
dawnierie avatar reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on + 87 more book reviews
I really liked this book! The characters where witty. Some of the comments the Author wrote had me chuckling. I recommend this book. This is not my usual genre and I started the second book immediately after finishing the first.
danielleraybuck avatar reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on + 76 more book reviews
Really good. The "who done it" surprised me up until the end and that rarely happens!
reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on + 151 more book reviews
I loved this series and really identified with Jane the librarian!! The author's funny, snarky tone and her very real depiction of small town Kentucky set this book apart.

Also, I have to take issue with the reviewer who said these books were just like Maryjane Davidson -- I really hated that series in the same way that I hate Sex in the City. This series avoids that cloying high heel shoe fanatic chick lit feel, while remaining light and fun.
paisleywings avatar reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on + 232 more book reviews
I enjoyed this book. Good caper about a librarian vamp.
reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on + 129 more book reviews
Jane Jameson was a children's librarian until she got fired, went to a questiionable Bar and woke up undead! This is a very entertaining story with lots of unusual characters. Humor abounds. Similar to the "Stephanie Plum" books with quirky characters and lots of humor. Enjoyed this one, 5 star's. Can't wait to read Book 2 in this series.
barbdonna avatar reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on + 7 more book reviews
Very funny. I love all Molly Harper books!
sbieble avatar reviewed Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, Bk 1) on
Maybe it was teh Shenanigans gift cerificate that put her over the edge. When children's librarian and self-professed nice girl Jane Jameson is fired by her beastly boss and handed twenty-five dollars in potato skins instead of a severance check, she goes on a bender that's sure to become Half Moon Hollow ledgend. On her wayhome, she's mistaken for a deer, shot, and left for dead. And thanks to the mysterious stranger she met while chugging neon-colored cocktails, she wakes up with a decidedly unladylike thirst for blood.

Jane is not the latest recipient of a gift basket for the Newly Undead Welcoming Committee, and her life-after--lifestyle is taking some getting used to. Her recently deceased favorite aunt is now her ghostly roommate. She has to fake breathing and endure daytime hours to avoid coming out of the coffin for her family. She's forced to forgo her favorite down-home Southern cooking for bags of O negative. Her relationship with her sexy, mercurial vampire sire keeps running hot and cold. And if that wasn't enough, it looks like someone in Half Moon Hollow is trying to frame her for a series of vampire murders. What's a nice undead girl to do??