Title: Undead and Unwelcome
Author: MaryJanice Davidson
First published June 2, 2009
282 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9780425227732 (ISBN10: 0425227731)
Rating: 3.77
Overview
MaryJanice Davidson’s Undead and Unwelcome is a hilarious and thrilling addition to the vampire series. Betsy Taylor, the suburban vampire-queen housewife, has got herself into a new mess- an entire pack of angry werewolves.
After taking her werewolf friend Antonia’s body to Cape Cod, Betsy is riddled with guilt as she faces the Wyndham werewolves. With no idea what to expect, Betsy and her husband Sinclair try to keep the peace while their legal ward BabyJon causes chaos with every werewolf he meets.
Meanwhile, back at the St. Paul mansion, Betsy’s posse is on high alert as her half-sister’s erratic behavior threatens to cause a whole new level of trouble. Get ready for shocking surprises and witty humor in Undead and Unwelcome.
About the Author
Meet MaryJanice Davidson – an American author and motivational speaker who has made waves in the literary world with her paranormal romance novels, young adult fiction, and non-fiction works. She is the mastermind behind the UNDEAD series and the intriguing time-traveling historical fiction A CONTEMPORARY ASSHAT AT THE COURT OF HENRY VIII.
As a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, MaryJanice is a prominent figure in the industry, and she shares her wisdom through a bi-weekly column for USA Today. She resides in St. Paul with her loved ones, and you can connect with her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.
If you are a fan of her work or are interested in learning more about this talented author, be sure to check out her Facebook page and social media accounts. MaryJanice Davidson is a force to be reckoned with, and her passion for writing and speaking will inspire you.
Editoral Review
Undead and Unwelcome by MaryJanice Davidson is a funny and fast-paced paranormal romance novel published on June 2, 2009. Davidson is known for her witty and irreverent writing style, and this book is no exception.
It is the eighth installment in the Undead series featuring Betsy Taylor, a vampire queen who struggles to manage her newly acquired royal duties while dealing with various supernatural threats and relationship dramas. The plot revolves around Betsy’s attempt to welcome a delegation of visiting vampires from Europe who are supposed to help her combat an imminent threat from a group of rogue vampires.
However, the delegation turns out to be a bunch of spoiled and snobbish aristocrats who look down on Betsy and her American ways. As if that is not enough, Betsy’s half-sister Laura gets possessed by an evil spirit who wants to use Laura’s body to bring about the end of the world.
Betsy has to juggle her diplomatic duties, her family crisis, her human responsibilities, and her love life while fighting off the bad guys and saving the world from destruction. Davidson’s writing style is breezy, sarcastic, and self-aware.
She makes fun of the vampire genre conventions, pop culture references, and political correctness. She also includes footnotes, lists, and letters from readers that add to the humor and metafictional quality of the narrative.
However, she also knows how to create emotional and suspenseful scenes that keep the reader engaged and invested in the characters. There are several touching moments between Betsy and her human best friend Jessica, her vampire husband Sinclair, and her adoptive father the devil.
There are also some scary and intense scenes involving the evil spirit and its minions, the rogue vampires and their victims, and the climactic battle between good and evil. The main characters are well-developed and likable.
Betsy is a strong and independent woman who has to overcome her insecurities and doubts to fulfill her destiny as a queen and a hero. She is also sarcastic, funny, and loyal to her friends and family.
Sinclair is a dashing and romantic vampire who loves Betsy despite her flaws and quirks. He is also protective, wise, and cunning in his strategies to defend his queen and his clan.
Jessica is a smart and resourceful human who serves as Betsy’s confidante, assistant, and moral compass. She is also a foil to Betsy’s supernatural powers and privileges, as she represents the common sense and empathy that Betsy sometimes lacks.
The setting is mostly contemporary Minneapolis, but there are also visits to Paris, London, and Las Vegas, as well as flashbacks to ancient Egypt and Rome, that add to the variety and richness of the world-building. The conflicts are both internal and external, as Betsy has to deal with her personal issues and her public responsibilities, and as she faces different kinds of enemies and obstacles that test her skills and her values.
The themes include identity, family, love, power, redemption, and the struggle between good and evil. The historical and cultural significance of the book is limited, as it is mostly a fun and light-hearted entertainment for fans of paranormal romance and urban fantasy.
The strengths of the book are its humor, its characters, its pace, and its genre awareness. Davidson knows how to write a funny and sexy dialogue, a steamy and thrilling scene, and a cliffhanger and resolution that satisfy the readers.
She also subverts some of the cliches and stereotypes of the vampire genre, such as the dark and brooding hero, the damsel in distress, and the tragic ending. She makes the reader laugh, cry, and root for the underdog.
The limitations of the book are its predictability, its shallow treatment of some issues, and its occasional repetition of jokes and patterns. Davidson relies too much on the formula of her previous books and does not offer much innovation or complexity in her storytelling.
She also touches upon some serious themes, such as racism, sexism, and mental illness, but does not explore them thoroughly or sensitively. Overall, Undead and Unwelcome is a fun and entertaining read for fans of the Undead series and the paranormal romance genre.
It offers laughs, thrills, and heartwarming moments, but also some flaws and shortcomings. It is not recommended for readers who dislike humor, sex, violence, or supernatural elements in their literature.
It is rated 3.5 out of 5 stars, based on its style, characters, plot, and themes, but also on its originality, depth, and impact.
