Smart Bitches Trashy Books | All of the romance, none of the bullshit.

Whoa! I have to admit that I might have overlooked this book if you hadn’t spotlighted it. I’m intrigued. A lot of elements we’ve seen before yet it sounds like they are put together in a VERY fresh, unique story.

If nothing else, I need to read it because I just can’t picture how she can kick vamp butt in a ballgown with petticoats and corset on! Now that’s TALENT!

Nice review. I agree with just about all the strengths and weaknesses you assessed. My big issue was, as much as I liked the book, when I read it, I couldn’t help feeling it was one big prologue to the next book in the series, where the story will get meatier. That feeling followed me as I read, though it didn’t ruin what I was reading.

I readily admit I adore BtVS, especially seasons 1-3 so when I heard about this book I had to read it and I wasn’t disappointed but at the same time, I thought the whole story was kind of anti-climactic for me. I don’t know, I’ve been in a reading funk so it could very well be that lingering feeling.

Your review makes this book sound fascinating...but I’m still on the fence about reading it.  I’ve seen blurbs posted at several romance blogs, and I pick it up at the bookstore, but it never manages to leave the store with me.  I’m feeling bloated and overfull of series and paranormals and vampire hunters.  Maybe if I wait a while or go on a paranormal fast, concentrating on other sub-genres, I’ll be able to pick this one up without a qualm.

Why, why, why must you make me really want to read this when it’s not available at my local library?

Nice review.  Argh. I was going to write up my thoughts on it in a post tonight, but I think I’ll just link to you. :-) you said it much better than I ever will.

And the end...I so wasn’t expecting the ending when I started reading the book, yet it fit.

“Why, why, why must you make me really want to read this when it’s not available at my local library?”

Mine either. Bah. Well, I’ll have to see if I can find it next time I go bookstore hopping. Since I’ve started coming to this site, I’ve gone from reading 2 or 3 books a week to 5 or 6. Thank you Smart Bitches for the heads up on all these great reads.

I’m glad you reviewed it, Sarah. It’s been heavily promoted on a lot of blogs but I simply wasn’t sure if I should take it on good faith. Now I’ll actually make an effort to take a look at in-store.

Thanks, your timing is great. Looked a few times at the bookstore, but was undecided. Off to check my library & paperback swap.

I really, really want to read this! Hopefully it will come into the bookstore soon!

It sounds like a good read but why are ALL the vamp queens out there named Lilith? Is it a law?

Ok, I’m going to give this one a try.  You make it sound readable-- although I hope you are kidding about retrofitting Regency era gowns for stakes etc.  The costume of that era would be really difficult to use to hide anything. 

Anyone trying to get a book from the library and it’s not there-- ask a librarian to get it.  My library (not a large one) is very obliging about ordering books-- I guess they figure if someone wants to read it that much there may be others out there who will check it out.

Marg...look again, I’ve beens seeing it for awhile now...B&N & Borders.

Yes, yes, yes!

I loved this book.  And I don’t ordinarily love vampire plotlines.  IMO, the shelves at the bookstore are stuffed to the oozing point with the things, so I was really skeptical at first ("do we really need another one?).  But this one is different.

I posted at another blog about it, but to sum up my position: *hawt*!

I’m going to pre-order the sequel.

I am so leery of reading continuations or series these days… Mostly because they become these neverending story arcs that get messy, or downright boring..

It sometimes comes off as the newest attempt at selling more books, rather than an attempt to tell a really thrilling story that has a beginning, middle and end…

I will probably read this series, but only after a few books if it hasnt completely jumped the shark…

I will admit to being put off by the premise, plus the fact that this is the second Regency Buffy book to hit the shelves recently.

Just tell me this, all vampires aside, does it FEEL like an historical? Or am I going to be driven nuts by anachronisms?

Wait, what was the FIRST Regency Buffy book??

Hey there Kalen,

It felt historical to me, and Gleason had a lot of accurate details.  Nobody was shouting, “Pwned, you freakin’ vampires” outside the doors of Almack’s.  It was also nice that the mythology she wove into the existing framework wasn’t just pulled out of thin air.  It all connected to belief systems and lore which were in place in the Regency era.

But I think attitudes about what constitutes historical accuracy go on a sliding scale...a reeeeeaaaalllly slidey sliding scale.  Maybe someone’s dress had buttons when it should have had hooks, or was wearing the wrong type of underwear...or eating hors d’oeuvres that didn’t come to England until 16 years later, etc?  I wouldn’t know this type of detail.  But what I did recognize gave me confidence that Gleason had done her homework on the rest of the stuff as well.

Hope that helped.

That does help gigi, thanks! I tend to avoid paranormal historicals because they just don’t FEEL historical to me, but I’ll have to pick this one up.

Sara, the first Regency Buffy book I came across was BLOOD RED by Sharon Page (it’s an Aphrodesia erotica book). Let’s just say it goes in a totally different direction from the one under discussion . . .

Oh, cool.  I’m glad to hear this is pretty good--it’s in the box I’m expecting from B&N any day now.  I enjoyed Colleen Gleason’s writing on her blog, so figured the book was worth trying.

Hey thanks for the review!  I would have blown right past the book in the store because of the the LHK-esque cover design, but based on the review I picked it up last night and started reading it this morning.  Granted, I’m only about 10 pages in, but so far I’m enjoying it.

Generally, I’m don’t read too many vampire/vampire-hunter series—I did read first few Anita Blake books before the character went nuts; and I love Susan Squires Regency Vampire series—but I have a soft spot for regency novels and at least through page ten, this is a pretty good regency.

I think I’m going to have to go pick this up now- Borders is offering a coupon for it today as well.

I have the book, and it’s at the top of my TBR pile. Can’t wait to read it!

One of the things I love about Buffy (and the Dark Hunters, and several other vampire/hunter series I read) is the humor the writers were able to bring to an inherently dark subject. Is there any humor in this, or is it veddy, veddy serious?

Great review for a seriously great book. There were so many things that I loved about it, all of which you stated so eloquently in your review. And it fed my love for the historical and the paranormal in one book, which just made me squeee in pleasure!

Emmy, in answer to your question, I didn’t find it at all stuffy. There were definitely some light and amusing moments.

I’ve been dying to ask this of somebody for a long time:  What’s the deal with Regency romances?  (Honestly, this is a serious question.) What makes the early nineteenth century in England so fictively special that it results in reader-spasms of unbearable joy?  Why don’t other eras/periods/decades do the trick?

More to the point, why haven’t more writers ventured into these countless other eras/periods/decades (not to mention countries)?  I just don’t understand what gives with this fixation.

What’s the deal with Regency romances?

My personal theory is that it’s far enough back in history for the fantasy element to kick in, but just modern enough for the reader to think she could have survived it. American settings don’t work as well because all that nasty slavery gets in the way of the good feelings, French ones don’t seem to appeal to readers due to the mass killing off of the aristocratic class (the desire for the pretty, pretty princess element), and if you start setting them in Spain you get war, and I don’t think most Americans (the major romance market) find Germany romantic (I do, but it doesn’t seem to sell).

I have this same lack of understanding about paranormal romance. I just don’t grok the appeal (esp. vampires), but clearly it works for lots and lots of readers.

About Regencies:  I also think that Georgette Heyer’s work have something to do with how popular they are.  I know myself that she was the first “Romance” writer that I read, and so I was willing to read regencies before I became a willing reader of other types of books from the romance genre.