"A hilarious twist on vampire lore!"

Betsy Taylor is having a really, really bad day. She's laid off from her administrative assistant job on her birthday. When she gets home, her stepmonster -- er, stepmother -- has a lame excuse for her parents missing out on her party. Betsy is actually relieved when the party is postponed due to the inclement weather. Her cat Giselle decides to top things off by running away and ending up in the middle of the street. Betsy stomps out to rescue Giselle and gets creamed by a Pontiac Aztec.

Death isn't so bad, until Betsy wakes up in the funeral home, in a coffin. Ugh! She's even more appalled to find herself dressed in a hideous pink suit and cheap Payless shoes. Her stepmonster must be getting her revenge at last. Betsy's designer shoes are not on her feet, as they should be. Betsy thinks she must take care of matters to get to heaven at last. After several death attempts fail, she becomes resigned to her fate. Betsy didn't ask to be a vampire, but she will cope as best as she can. Undead or not, it's time to get back her shoes.

Hilarity ensues as Betsy's "take no crap" attitude is shown. Betsy isn't an angsty vampire, she's the same person she was in life. Slightly selfish, loyal to her friends, and sharp tongued with a caustic wit. When vampire politics raises its head, Betsy wants no part of it. And what's with this nonsense about her being the prophesied vampire queen? Betsy's not royalty, especially if it means hooking up with these undead types. Not a one of them has a sense of humor. What's an undead chick to do?

With help from her best friend Jessica and new friend Mark, Betsy tries to stay out of the vamp politics and get into the swing of being undead. Sinclair, a too-handsome-for-his- own-good vampire, tries to recruit Betsy to take his side in the upcoming vamp war. The opposing side is led by a poorly dressed maniac who has delusions of grandeur. Why won't they both just leave her alone?

Fans of Ms. Davidson will be thrilled with her single-title print debut. She has retained the humor that has appealed to so many of her fans from electronic publishing. I cannot wait for the sequel to UNDEAD AND UNWED, titled UNDEAD AND UNEMPLOYED, due out later this year from Berkley. Try this very unusual vampire tale for a refreshing change of pace. You won't regret it!

Sensuality: Mildly explicit sex; sexually explicit scenes: 5

Note: UNDEAD AND UNWED was originally released in ebook format from Ellora's Cave in 2002. It has been revised and expanded for Berkley Publishing.

Reviewed by Denise Powers
Courtesy Sensual Romance Reviews
Posted February 26, 2004

Originally published in ebook format by Ellora's Cave in 2002, UNDEAD AND UNWED has been revised and expanded for Berkley Publishing Group.

Summary

From Just Laid-Off Secretary to Queen of the Undead...

It's been a helluva week for Betsy Taylor. First, she loses her job. Then, to top things off, she's killed in a car accident. But what really bites (besides waking up in the morgue dressed in a pink suit and cheap shoes courtesy of her stepmother) is that she can't seem to stay dead. Every night she rises, with a horrible craving for blood. She's not taking too well to a liquid diet.

Worst of all, her new friends have the ridiculous idea that Betsy is the prophesized vampire queen, and they want her help in overthrowing the most obnoxious, power-hungry vampire in five centuries -- a badly dressed Bela Lugosi wannabe, natch. Frankly, Betsy couldn't care less about vamp politics, but they have a powerful weapon of persuasion: designer shoes. How can any self-respecting girl say no? But a collection of Ferragamos isn't the only temptation for Betsy. It's just a lot safer than the scrumptious Sinclair, a seductive bloodsucker whose sexy gaze seems as dangerous as a stake through the heart...