Undead And Unwelcome

After the events of Undead and Unworthy (book 7), Betsy finds herself in a tense situation. Returning the body of Antonia the werewolf to her Pack, isn't exactly the Vampire King and Queen's idea of a good time. But politics aren't always fun, so Betsy and Eric head to Cape Cod in attempt to make peace with the Werewolves. While events are unfolding on the Cape, things back home are spiralling out of control for Marc. Laura has slipped a little to the dark side, and without the Vamps around to help him Marc is left with a desperate situation.

The first part of Undead and Unwelcome seems to be mostly a recap of what happened in book 7. There's quite a bit of explaining who all the characters are and an endless amount of retelling the story of Antonias death. Personally, I think by book 8 in the series it's time to stop with the endless exposition. (If people want to get caught up they should read some of the earlier books. Fans already know who everyone is.) Things do pick up in the second half of the book when the story finally starts to move forward, but I wouldn't call this one of the more eventful Betsy stories. And there's a definite lack of character development. Much of the story occurs during internal dialogue from Betsy and Marc, while Sinclair and Jessica barely even have lines. There is some interesting development with BabyJohn, which I enjoyed, but not a lot else happens in this outing.

Definitely one of the slower stories in the Betsy series, I think Undead and Unwelcome would have worked better as a short story with all the repetition cut out.

One of my favorite series! Its an easy read, funny, and love it to bits...

Betsy's werewolf friend Antonia died trying to save her, and Betsy and Co must now return her body to the Were Pack in Cape Cod. Unsure of how they will be received the group must navigate Were politics, BabyJon creeping everyone out, Marc's inability to use proper grammar and an alpha in training. While Betsy is in the Cape Marc is left to deal with Laura's increasingly erratic and dangerous behaviour - and quite a bit of the book is told from his perspective. I still get a chuckle out of a couple of Marc's lines - "Fifteen minutes ago I nearly experienced the heartbreak of fecal incontinence" had me howling.
If you're looking for a series with a lot of character development and movement, the Undead series probably isn't for you, but I thought that Betsy showed a little more depth this go round, and the change of scenery to the Pack territory kept the book fresh. This is the 8th book in the series and it was a great addition to a very humourous series.

Fans of Betsy, the Vampire Queen, may be somewhat disappointed in the newest installment of this popular series. The author brings us back to the Wyndham Werewolves, uniting them in grief and tragedy with our favorite vampires. Although it is obviously delicate subject matter, MaryJanice Davidson is well known for her wonderfully humourous writing, but this book falls a little flat. Little character development, lightly touching on issues that require more depth and a less than satisfying climax leave the reader feeling somewhat cheated. As a fan of this series, I waited for months for this book and upon finishing it, felt like there was still so much that could have been added and expanded on. There is also some character "errors" noted to true fans of the series, making the reader feel like the author wasn't really that into the story herself. However, in the end, it will still make you anxious for the next "chapter" in this series while those of us "Betsy addicts" wait to see what happens next in the world of the undead and fashionably fabulous.