Review of Bad to the Bone by Jeri Smith-Ready - Vampire Dogs and an Authographed Book Giveaway

Title: Bad to the Bone (WVMP Radio, #2)
Author: Jeri Smith-Ready
Pages: 384 Pages, Paperback
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Standalone/Series: Series
Release:  Already Out
Publisher: Pocket
Purchased by me
Author info: http://www.jerismithready.com/
Spoiler Alert: some if you haven't read first book Wicked Game
GoodReads Blurb: Turn On. Tune In. Drop Dead.

If you’re just joining us, welcome to radio station WVMP, “The Lifeblood of Rock ’n’ Roll.” Con-artist-turned-station-owner Ciara Griffin manages an on-air staff of off-the-wall DJs—including her new boyfriend Shane McAllister—who really sink their teeth into the music of their ‘Life Time” (the era in which they became vampires). It’s Ciara’s job to keep the undead rocking, the ratings rolling, and the fan base alive—without missing a beat.

For Halloween, WVMP is throwing a bash sure to raise the dead. They’ve got cool tunes, hot costumes, killer cocktails—what could go wrong? Well, for starters, a religious firebrand ranting against the evils of the occult preempts the station’s midnight broadcast. Then, when Ciara tracks down the illegal transmission, the broadcast tower is guarded by what appears to be…a canine vampire? And behind it all is a group of self-righteous radicals who think vampires suck (and are willing to stake their lives on it).

Now Ciara must protect the station while struggling with her own murky relationship issues, her best friend’s unlikely romance with a fledgling vampire, and the nature of her mysterious anti-holy powers. To make it to New Year’s in one piece, she’ll need to learn a few new tricks.… 

I loved the first book in this series, Wicked Game, that introduced us to Ciara - the con-artist with a tarnished heart of gold. We also met the vampire DJs that have their own decade themed shows at WVMP and Shane - the smokin' hot grunge music god/ vampire that won his way into Ciara's heart. Now we fast forward a few months and Ciara is still hoping to keep the radio station profitable and free of takeover by a big radio conglomerate while posing as her now deceased boss. The big live Halloween eve show for the station at the Smoking Pig, the bar her best friend Lori works at, starts without a hitch but soon goes down hill when their live radio show is pirated by a belligerent anti-vampire religious group. Soon they find out that the group pirating the show might have some ties to "the Control" - the group that regulates the vampires in the U.S. Ciara ends up in some very dangerous situations as she tries to get to the bottom of who is pirating the station and she will have to put all her con skills to good use to try and stay alive.

While trying to figure out the shadowy group targeting the radio station Ciara still has to deal with the aftermath of her father's betrayal of her and the Control from the previous book. Her feelings about her father are all mixed up, the need to report on him to the Control conflicts with the need to keep her family safe. I have a feeling that her daddy issues will take several books to resolve if they can ever be resolved and further bombshells are dropped on her about her family as the book progresses. I'm curious to see how it plays out in the future books along with her anti-holy blood that can heal wounds inflicted by holy water. Is it based on how she was raised by her family who in the end made a mockery of Christian faith by fleecing believers of their money or is it genetic and all her family members have the same trait. It's an interesting twist that Ciara's blood does have those properties.

Ciara is also still in a relationship with Shane - her vampire DJ with OCD, good taste in music, and is good in bed. For Ciara it's the longest relationship she's ever had with a man, four months, and she's terrified that she will screw it up like she seems to do everything in her life. Shane on the other hand wants to move their relationship to a new level and live with her. Though life with Shane isn't going to be easy - with his OCD it drives him to leave detailed multi-page notes about proper dishwashing etiquette even though he doesn't need to use dishes himself. Though in return she gets to live with her hot musician DJ vampire boyfriend who loves to ravish her body. Decisions, decisions....

I think one of my favorite "new characters" in this book  is the vampire dog that Ciara rescues from death by sunlight when someone from the group terrorizing her radio station leaves him changed up outside. The dog is fiercely loyal and protective of Ciara and thankfully can survive on blood donations from dogs so we never had to read about the vampire dog feeding from other dogs - thank goodness. His fierce loyalty and protectiveness also create some mayhem in Ciara's life as well.

This book is a 4.5 out of 5 for me - I love Ciara's dry and snarky humor as well as her smokin' hot vampire boyfriend. And yeah for vampire dogs!

 So I have a signed copy of Bad to the Bone to give to one of my readers (US/ Canada only giveaway). Since Jeri Smith-Ready is one of the authors I'm hoping to meet at BEA (she's doing a Shade signing/ YA panel/ and blogger reception -I swear I am not a stalker ;) I thought my giveaway question could be BEA/author oriented. If you're going to BEA who are some of the authors you're hoping to meet/ which signings are you going to? If you can't make it to BEA but have an author you would love to go to a signing of let me know?

To Enter:
-Answer a question from above

-To get extra entries: follow my blog/ follow me on twitter/ tweet about the contest - just let me know (and leave the name you use to follow me with) and leave a link if you tweet! (each counts as one extra entry)

The contest ends on June 2nd so make sure and enter!