Helpful Score: 5
Wicked Game centers on the life of Ciara Griffin, an older (26) college student who is majoring in marketing and has just found herself a job at a local radio station. Being an urban fantasy, nothing is as it first seems - the DJs at the radio station are all vampires, and Ciara is a reformed (sort of) grifter. The author puts a nice spin on the conventional vampire myth - each of the vampires is stuck in the timeperiod they were turned, unable to move forward with the rest of the world into the present time. this means they all play music from their era only and develop a half-amusing, half-tragic case of OCD. This is the least of their problems. Usually even when I'm enjoying a book I can put it down, but this book made me want to just immerse myself in it. I was always curious what was going to happen next, and that hasn't happened in a while. I recommend it for those who liked Emma Bull's War for the Oaks.
Helpful Score: 5
Who says the vampire genre is dead? I'm a longtime fine of JS-R and 'Wicked Game' is now my favorite of her books. I would buy her books in harcover if they came that way but they are only trade paperback and well worth the fourteen or so bucks. This book is huge! But you won't be dragging through it wondering when something is going to happen. I know I was flying through the pages eager to see what would happen next. The vampire DJ's stuck in their era's was a great idea and I hope they get much more screen time next book. This book could've easily been a stand alone but with the sequel (Bad to the Bone) already announced I just can't wait to see what happens next!
Helpful Score: 4
I started reading Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready around 9:30pm. I then proceeded to read it non-stop till 5:45am. I can only say thank you, thank you, thank you to Jeri herself for picking my name for the ARC contest a couple of weeks ago. Not only does she know her music inside and out, but she took everyday vampires and made them into something more interesting and original than a lot of others out there. Vampires always stay the same physical age, and are usually beautiful beings. Which is the case in Wicked Game, but these Vampires are stuck in the decade in which they were made.
The main group of characters are Vampire DJs at WMMP, and on their individual shows they play music from the era in which they mentally remain in. The main character, and totally human Ciara (pronounced Keer-ah, which is pointed out twice in the beginning so its clear), is hired to help save their radio station. Ciara doesnt know how to fight and she doesnt have super natural powers. The girl is a con artist that just uses her BRAIN! Shane, Mr. Stuck in 1995, reminds me of my flannel wearing high school days, and makes me miss all the really great influential music of that time.
Wicked Game is one of the best books Ive read in awhile, and even though I have the ARC Ill be picking it up in stores when it comes out on May 13th. Everyone should pick this book up when its released or pre-order from Amazon at the link up above! I promise you wont regret it.
The main group of characters are Vampire DJs at WMMP, and on their individual shows they play music from the era in which they mentally remain in. The main character, and totally human Ciara (pronounced Keer-ah, which is pointed out twice in the beginning so its clear), is hired to help save their radio station. Ciara doesnt know how to fight and she doesnt have super natural powers. The girl is a con artist that just uses her BRAIN! Shane, Mr. Stuck in 1995, reminds me of my flannel wearing high school days, and makes me miss all the really great influential music of that time.
Wicked Game is one of the best books Ive read in awhile, and even though I have the ARC Ill be picking it up in stores when it comes out on May 13th. Everyone should pick this book up when its released or pre-order from Amazon at the link up above! I promise you wont regret it.
SUSAN S. (susieqmillsacoustics) -
Helpful Score: 3
This is the first book I've read by this author and I was very pleasantly surprised. This is a unique tale that was fast-paced and highly entertaining. The characters are rich, the vampires are cool, and it was just a great story. I'll be reading the next in this series, I'm hooked!
This is the first book that I have read by this author. It was pretty good. A little slow at times, but overall a good read. A different view on how vampires exist. I will definitely read the next book in this series.
Calling all fans of smoldering romance, sassy heroines, and badass vampires: this brilliant series by Jeri Smith-Ready is sure to make your year! Not since Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series have I read a vampire book that's so hot, funny, intelligent, and well written.
If you like your protagonists bold and witty, look no further than Ciara Griffin. Her irreverent narration makes WICKED GAME a nonstop entertaining and mindblowing read. Ciara is a remarkably well-developed heroine: not only is she an original thinker who exudes appeal in the here and now, she also has a tender family history that is almost always subconsciously at odds with the woman she has turned herself into after her complicated childhood. This balance of present-day confidence and psychoanalytical complexities ensures that readers will never tire of learning about Ciara and following her around.
Fans of the HBO hit show True Blood will LOVE Jeri Smith-Ready's vampires. No more are they impeccably perfect and sparkly. These vampires are dangerous: the risks that Ciara takes on with her job and romantic pursuits are almost deliciously tangible. At the same time, the vampires are also flawed, neurotic in their compulsions and need of staying connected with their era. It is this weakness, this humanity in these vampires that make them appealing and all the more "realistic" to paranormal fans. I don't think I speak only for myself when I say that I'm bored by perfect paranormal creatures and naively "innocent" romances between humans and supernaturals. Toss in a hint of danger--that lethal combination of supernatural superstrength and human vulnerabilities--and you really crank the heat up in the romance and action departments.
I could say more about the sexy but not offensively purely erotic romance, or the complex vampire bad guys, or the phenomenally brilliant writing, or the number of times I cracked up reading the dialogue or evidence of Ciara's con artist background--but I think I'll leave off here. Suffice it to say that it is highly unlikely that a more well researched, smart, and supremely enjoyable paranormal read is currently out there. Jeri Smith-Ready has sated my demands for excellence in this genre, and has left me wanting much more from Ciara and her unforgettable vampires.
If you like your protagonists bold and witty, look no further than Ciara Griffin. Her irreverent narration makes WICKED GAME a nonstop entertaining and mindblowing read. Ciara is a remarkably well-developed heroine: not only is she an original thinker who exudes appeal in the here and now, she also has a tender family history that is almost always subconsciously at odds with the woman she has turned herself into after her complicated childhood. This balance of present-day confidence and psychoanalytical complexities ensures that readers will never tire of learning about Ciara and following her around.
Fans of the HBO hit show True Blood will LOVE Jeri Smith-Ready's vampires. No more are they impeccably perfect and sparkly. These vampires are dangerous: the risks that Ciara takes on with her job and romantic pursuits are almost deliciously tangible. At the same time, the vampires are also flawed, neurotic in their compulsions and need of staying connected with their era. It is this weakness, this humanity in these vampires that make them appealing and all the more "realistic" to paranormal fans. I don't think I speak only for myself when I say that I'm bored by perfect paranormal creatures and naively "innocent" romances between humans and supernaturals. Toss in a hint of danger--that lethal combination of supernatural superstrength and human vulnerabilities--and you really crank the heat up in the romance and action departments.
I could say more about the sexy but not offensively purely erotic romance, or the complex vampire bad guys, or the phenomenally brilliant writing, or the number of times I cracked up reading the dialogue or evidence of Ciara's con artist background--but I think I'll leave off here. Suffice it to say that it is highly unlikely that a more well researched, smart, and supremely enjoyable paranormal read is currently out there. Jeri Smith-Ready has sated my demands for excellence in this genre, and has left me wanting much more from Ciara and her unforgettable vampires.
I have had this urban fantasy series to read for some time. There are four books in this series. It ended up being an okay vampire urban fantasy read. There are some interesting aspects to the vampires in this book that are new and interesting. I thought the characters were okay but not great. Additionally the plot was a mystery of sorts and again was okay but not great.
Ciara is an ex-con artist trying to stay on the straight and narrow. She ends up taking a job as a marketing intern at the WMMP radio station which it known for it's authentic 40's, 80's, and 90's rock hours. Shortly into her new job she finds out that the shows are so authentic because they are run by vampires from those eras. These vampires get kind of stuck in the era they died and the radio station provides them something to latch onto and preserves their sanity.
Ciara is shocked and her first instinct is to run, but then she finds out WMMP is under the threat of being bought out by the big corporate conglomeration called Skywave. So Ciara comes up with the idea to actually tout to the world that these DJs are vampires and save the radio station. However things go horribly wrong when some ancient vampires object to this vampire coming out.
This was a decent urban fantasy featuring music and vampires; however I wasn't absolutely captured by the world, characters or story. I kind of felt like everything was just okay. Ciara is an okay character; I enjoyed her past as a con artist and how that comes into play in her new marketing job. She does make a lot of bad decisions throughout though and I didn't really engage with her all that well as a character.
She ends up dating one of the vamps form the station named Shane. Shane is honestly pretty creepy and I never really liked or engaged with their relationship.
The other vampires at the station are okay as well but lacked depth. Same with the story it just felt a bit awkward and was hard to engage with.
Overall this is an okay urban fantasy but nothing that I was super excited about. There are some interesting ideas here but most of it is pretty typical UF. There's a lot of great UF out there so I wouldn't necessarily recommend this series. I would recommend checking out the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews, the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire, the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter or the Steel and Stone series by Annette Marie instead. I don't plan on reading future books in this series.
Ciara is an ex-con artist trying to stay on the straight and narrow. She ends up taking a job as a marketing intern at the WMMP radio station which it known for it's authentic 40's, 80's, and 90's rock hours. Shortly into her new job she finds out that the shows are so authentic because they are run by vampires from those eras. These vampires get kind of stuck in the era they died and the radio station provides them something to latch onto and preserves their sanity.
Ciara is shocked and her first instinct is to run, but then she finds out WMMP is under the threat of being bought out by the big corporate conglomeration called Skywave. So Ciara comes up with the idea to actually tout to the world that these DJs are vampires and save the radio station. However things go horribly wrong when some ancient vampires object to this vampire coming out.
This was a decent urban fantasy featuring music and vampires; however I wasn't absolutely captured by the world, characters or story. I kind of felt like everything was just okay. Ciara is an okay character; I enjoyed her past as a con artist and how that comes into play in her new marketing job. She does make a lot of bad decisions throughout though and I didn't really engage with her all that well as a character.
She ends up dating one of the vamps form the station named Shane. Shane is honestly pretty creepy and I never really liked or engaged with their relationship.
The other vampires at the station are okay as well but lacked depth. Same with the story it just felt a bit awkward and was hard to engage with.
Overall this is an okay urban fantasy but nothing that I was super excited about. There are some interesting ideas here but most of it is pretty typical UF. There's a lot of great UF out there so I wouldn't necessarily recommend this series. I would recommend checking out the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews, the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire, the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter or the Steel and Stone series by Annette Marie instead. I don't plan on reading future books in this series.
I took me awhile to pick this book up to read. Once I started, it took awhile for me to get into it. I like the concept (when vamps are turned, they literally stay- mind-wise- in the time period they were turned). I liked the flawed heroine. A book like this is hard for me to rate, because, while I liked the concept, it took some time for me to get into it. On the fence about reading further.
Unemployed con-artist Ciara Griffin gets a job at local radio station WMMP as a marketing intern whose goal is to revamp (pun intended) the radio station which has been flagging and is for sale by the owner. When Ciara meets the real vampires behind the music, she has a brilliant idea. Why not use the vampires and their musical talents as a gimmick. Each vampire is stuck in the year he was turned (50s, 60s, 70s, etc) so they know that generations music inside and out. They currently play music during the overnight when most people are sleeping. The new stick is to "be vampires" and have press conferences and musical displays outside of the radio station, redubbed WVMP! This is a huge success until rival vampires protest and kidnap Ciara.
I enjoyed this easy to read book, the pages just flew by and the characters are great. Vampire or not, I really liked Shane as Ciara's romantic interest. Like everyone else, he has his problems but then again so does Ciara...especially when her conman father shows up in town. I found this to be really funny and laughed out loud at some of Ciara's antics. A wonderful start to the WVMP series.
I enjoyed this easy to read book, the pages just flew by and the characters are great. Vampire or not, I really liked Shane as Ciara's romantic interest. Like everyone else, he has his problems but then again so does Ciara...especially when her conman father shows up in town. I found this to be really funny and laughed out loud at some of Ciara's antics. A wonderful start to the WVMP series.
I really loved this book. Its an easy read and you don't need to referance back to view terms like other vamp books I have read. Its the perfect blend of rock and roll and vampires. Ciara is a con-artist I could be friends with. She is fun and whitty. And I just want to eat Shane up! I enjoyed the spin on the vampire aspect as well, they are a little different. I think there is a twist in there, about the Command, that the author won't get into until we learn more about the characters in future books.
I bought this book on double CLEARANCE at BN.com and didn't think it would be this good. I will be getting the second book next week to see what happens next with Ciara and Shane!
I bought this book on double CLEARANCE at BN.com and didn't think it would be this good. I will be getting the second book next week to see what happens next with Ciara and Shane!
Ciara Griffin is a former con-artist hoping to get a job as an intern at the local radio station. The DJ's at the station each have their own show, dedicated to 50's rock, 60's psychedelia, 90's grunge. When Ciara is hired, she finds out that the DJ's are vampires. They want her to help save the station from being bought out. The station is their link to their original life. If they lose the station, the vampires will just "fade". So, Ciara comes up with the an idea...announce to the world the vampires are real, rebranding the station as "WVMP, the lifeblood of Rock-n-roll". Soon ratings are going up...but other powerful vampires want to shut them down.
I thought the author's writing style was amusing, but I wasn't crazy about the heroine. She just wasn't very likable. I'd give this book 3 Stars.
I thought the author's writing style was amusing, but I wasn't crazy about the heroine. She just wasn't very likable. I'd give this book 3 Stars.
In this book con artist Ciara (Keer-ah) is trying to go straight. She's almost finished a degree and just needs to complete an internship to wrap things up. However, things quickly turns weird when she finds that the failing radio station she's tasked with turning around is staffed by vampires - and that the vampires are mentally stuck in the decade they became vampires in.
It's an interesting idea, though I wasn't really sure how the whole "stuck in the decade they were turned in" would really work. After reading a little over the first hundred pages, I'm still not really sure. The vampire still dress, talk and prefer things from their time or before. But they're aware that the world is different now, but apparently just can't/won't deal with that fact.
Beside that, the book is just boring. The plot plods along, with the biggest excitement when I stopped being a drunk bachlorette party that Ciara gets on the wrong side of, and being bitten by someone that she might kinda of like, but can't decide what she really wants out of him.
The book tries to make it seem like a big deal that the vampires might fade if the radio station is shut down, but didn't successfully make me care about that. Then Ciara comes up with a "crazy" idea to get more traffic to the station - lets tell everyone that the DJs are vampires who are mentally stuck in the time period they were turned in! I could tell right away that wasn't going to turn out well.
Due to being mostly bored with the plot and rolling my eyes at the rest, I gave up after 100 pages.
It's an interesting idea, though I wasn't really sure how the whole "stuck in the decade they were turned in" would really work. After reading a little over the first hundred pages, I'm still not really sure. The vampire still dress, talk and prefer things from their time or before. But they're aware that the world is different now, but apparently just can't/won't deal with that fact.
Beside that, the book is just boring. The plot plods along, with the biggest excitement when I stopped being a drunk bachlorette party that Ciara gets on the wrong side of, and being bitten by someone that she might kinda of like, but can't decide what she really wants out of him.
The book tries to make it seem like a big deal that the vampires might fade if the radio station is shut down, but didn't successfully make me care about that. Then Ciara comes up with a "crazy" idea to get more traffic to the station - lets tell everyone that the DJs are vampires who are mentally stuck in the time period they were turned in! I could tell right away that wasn't going to turn out well.
Due to being mostly bored with the plot and rolling my eyes at the rest, I gave up after 100 pages.
Very enjoyable, Smith-Ready has quite a fun turn of phrase. Very likable and believable characters and a slightly different on the vampire mythology.
This book sounded really interesting, so I was looking forward to reading it, but it turned out to be another paranormal romance where the plot ended up being secondary to the main character lusting after one of the vampires. I was disappointed.
Funny and a page turner. Never got boring.
