MaryJanice Davidson Reviews

Page Four

Added June 10, 2006

Dead and Loving It

Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Available At: Bookstores Everywhere
Publishing Date: April 2006
Genre: Romance: Paranormal/Werewolf/Vampire
Format: Trade Paperback
Price: $14.00 US, $20.00 CAN
ISBN: 0-425-20795-1
Author Email/Website: www.maryjanicedavidson.net
Reviewer: Summer Lasaire
Rating: 9 Gargoyles

Santa Claws

Alec Kilcurt, laird of Kilcurt Holding, the most powerful werewolf in Europe, and here he is stuck having to fly over to Boston, Massachusetts for nothing more than pay homage to the King of the Werewolves' heir. Lara, was adorable, but watching her parents, happy and in love was torture as he'd not found his mate, and he'd been looking for years.

Standing on a street corner in a Santa suit, ringing her bell to encourage those with, to give to those without, Giselle Smith was shocked to see a man run across a busy street at breakneck speed to ask her out. Looking down at her costume and then back up at him, Giselle was confused as to why? She knew she was short, overweight and plain, but after a few words with the crazy, yet drop-dead gorgeous man, she figured, why not?

During an exquisite lunch in an up-scale restaurant Giselle ended up...throwing up all over his shoes. After waking up in Alec's hotel room, Giselle wanted to go home. Now, how to convince this crazy, wonderful man that she had to leave while he's doing his best to get her to stay...

Monster Love

Life in the pack was somewhat normal for Janet Lupo until she decided on a monkey (human) boyfriend. During her first experience with sex, she broke the boy's back, unintentionally. Since that day, Janet has put up a protective shield between her and everyone else, both pack and human that, frankly, showed her as extremely offensive to all around her.

Richard Will loved his live as a vampire, especially since he was born to a brute of a farmer that would just as soon hit him as look at him. Not looking forward to spending the rest of his life doing back-breaking work, becoming the undead was by far the much better life, or un-life for him. The one thing that he regrets is the loneliness that comes with the territory.

Running into each other, literally, in a dark alley, Janet and Richard didn't exactly hit it off. Actually Janet hit Richard, making him fly into a wall of a near-by building. Richard in turn had the two men following her flying...through the air soon after. What will happen when a lonely vampire pursues a tough, verbally abusive werewolf that wants nothing to do with him? Blood and fur or passion will fly, perhaps all.

There's No Such Thing As A Werewolf

Birth defects are dealt with swiftly and brutally when a pup is born that has them. Immediate death, dealt out by the father, or if he's not able to do it, the pack leader will take care of it. Drake Dragon was born blind, but with his father being killed during a challenge before he was born, he lived. His mother wanted Drake, so she hid him until he was old enough and big enough to protect himself against the pack. Having had enough of pack politics and challenges, Drake left and pursued a medical career, now he's a doctor.

Crescent Muhn was orphaned as a toddler and grew up in foster homes, which she promptly left at the tender age of 10 and then grew up on the streets of Boston. Crescent knew she was different, but just how different she never let others know. At 24 she's got no prospects, no job, and she's trying to straighten out a small gang of punks that absolutely refuse to get with the program.

Going after the gang of three, Crescent tries to stop them from mugging a blind man. It turns out that he doesn't need help, instead, it seems that she may need help, as he's become fixated on her. Can a blind werewolf doctor and a street savvy girl find something in the other that each needs?

A Fiend In Need

Antonia Wolfton is not like any other werewolf. Finding out at puberty that she can't change like the other werewolves, but instead can see the future, she kind of freaked out the rest of the pack. Unhappy, Antonia forced a vision for herself and in it, she knew she had to help the Queen. She just didn't find out until later, that the Queen she's to help is Betsy, Queen of the Vampires.

Having been turned into a vampire and then starved for the first few years of his undead life, Garrett Shay lost every bit of humanity he had, he became feral. Through circumstances, Garrett ended up being fed by the Queen of the Vampires and the healing process of regaining his humanity began.

When Antonia announces her intent to help Betsy, Garrett leaps on her. Staring into each other's eyes, both feel a connection. Can a feral vampire and an obnoxious werewolf find happiness together as a couple, or will Antonia end up with a pet?

Dead And Loving It is a wonderful set of stories that had me laughing out loud in between squirming with the passion between the couples in each tale. MaryJanice Davidson's trademark humor is embedded deeply into each page, each character is multi-dimensional and their individual stories close enough to what really could happen if our world had paranormal people in them, that the stories came alive for me. I have loved every book that I've read of Ms. Davidson's and this one ranks right up with my favorites. If you want a wild ride with lots of laughs and hot, unique romance, Dead And Loving It is a definite "must have" for your library. Anything that MaryJanice Davidson releases is an auto-buy for me and this anthology proves that I've made a very good decision on that.

Review Coordinator Note - Dead and Loving It features three book reprints (Santa Claws, Monster Love, and There's No Such Thing as a Werewolf) and one new novella.

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Updated! April 10, 2006

The Royal Treatment

Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Publisher: Kensington Brava
Available At: Bookstores Everywhere
Publishing Date: February 2005
Genre: Romance: Contemporary/Alternate Reality
Format: Trade Paperback
Price: $6.99
ISBN: 0758208030
Author Email/Website: www.maryjanicedavidson.net/index.html
Reviewer: Robin Taylor

Alaska has done well. They broke from mother Russia to form their own country. The present king of Alaska takes it upon himself to find a bride for his oldest son, Crown Prince David.

In the meantime... Christina Krabbe had a horrible day ... she assaulted her boss, got fired, spent her last fifty dollars and insulted a king. All in less than three hours. Can it get any worse? Well, actually it might get a bit better, as a complete stranger invites him to his home, as he discovers that Christina has lost everything she has. Christina figures - why not?

This alternative universe will tickle your funnybone. Christina is as irreverent as they come, and now she has the chance to become a princess, to be a future queen. She walks into the oddest of situations. The King Al is the real thing. He does have a son of age to marry her, and several other children.

Crown Prince David is okay with the idea. He likes Christina well enough, though he seems much more interested in the field of marine biology than romance. But, Christina surprises David. He finds he likes her more and more, and that they have a strong sexual attraction and compatibility.

This enjoyable story introduces Christina to royal protocol and duties as she prepares to become David's wife. A lot of things happen in the story, including an unexpected crisis, but Christina shows remarkable fortitude. This humorous story is quite engaging and is easily a one-sitting read. Fans of Ms. Davidson will like the wit displayed in The Royal Treatment, and especially how she ties in a connection with modern-day personalities. The characters are wonderful, especially the young prince and princesses. Their individuality is great, and threads this story together nicely. For a pleasurable read, be sure to pick up your copy of The Royal Treatment.

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