August 8, 2014

REVIEW: Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men (Jane Jameson #2)

Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men (Jane Jameson #2), by Molly Harper
Published August 25, 2009
Publisher: Pocket Star
Format: audiobook, gifted
Genre: adult paranormal romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
 

Rating: 4 STARS

(From Goodreads) With her best friend Zeb's Titanic-themed wedding looming ahead, new vampire Jane Jameson struggles to develop her budding relationship with her enigmatic sire, Gabriel. It seems unfair that she's expected to master undead dating while dealing with a groom heading for a nuptial nervous breakdown, his hostile werewolf in-laws, and the ugliest bridesmaid dress in the history of marriage.

Meanwhile, the passing of Jane's future step-grandpa puts Grandma Ruthie back on the market. Her new fiance, Wilbur, has his own history of suspiciously dead spouses, and he may or may not have died ten years ago. Half-Moon Hollow's own Black Widow has finally met her match.

Should Jane warn her grandmother of Wilbur's marital habits or let things run their course? Will Jane always be an undead bridesmaid, never the undead bride?

Combining Mary Janice Davidson's sass and the charm of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse novels, this is an incredibly satisfying read for fans of paranormal romantic comedy.


When I need a sure thing on the light side, Molly Harper is always my go-to girl. Okay. That sounded really bad. But, you know what I meant. I have never met a Molly Harper book I didn't love and didn't laugh out loud at repeatedly. Sometimes, especially after a few deep heavy reads, her books are absolutely perfect to bring me out of a funk.

In the second Jane Jameson book, Jane is playing Best Maid to her BFF Zeb and his fiance Jolene. And, it is the wedding from hell. His family hates her and her family hates him, and they go to extremes to try and derail all the plans. Meanwhile, Jane is dealing with her own stressors - namely, her sister and Gabriel. Her sister is still trying to squeeze her for everything she has and Gabriel is acting shifty and shading one minute and telling her he loves her the next. And, all of this happiness is capped off by the fact that Grandma Ruthie's new fiance is not exactly human.

I love Jane. Really, I do. But, seriously, my girl needs to grow a backbone. A strong one. She is treated horrendously by her grandmother and her sister. Her mother walks all over her. And, most of the time, Jane sits back and lets them. She cracks a sarcastic comment from time to time, but otherwise let's them crap all over her. And, I have no idea why. She could put them in their places in more ways than one.

And, Gabriel's another one. He has these wonderful moments that make me swoon. And, then he acts like an ass and tells Jane to trust him. She catches him in lies, asks him about them, and he blows her off. She lets him. I get that Jane is a librarian at heart and not this big, bad vampire. And, maybe that's the beauty of her and this series. She's this delicious dichotomy. She's an undead bloodsucker that can't hurt a fly's feelings.

With Gabriel in Europe or wherever the hell he was most of the time, the focus shifted to the other people in Jane's life. We learn a lot more about Dick, and I learned there's a lot more to love about him. He's this loveable cad with bad manners and a big heart.

The weres in Half Moon Hollow are a crazy bunch. Jolene's family is nearly as nuts as Jane's and Zeb's. Their customs and traditions, especially around weddings, are completely off the wall, and with the Kentucky redneckness thrown in for good measure, These people are an absolute hoot.

Once again, I listened to the audio version, and once again, Amanda Ronconi's narration is absolute perfection. Even though I have a few of these books in paperback, I choose to listen to them instead. The audio versions are just so much fun. Ronconi's delivery is hysterically accurate, and I love every minute of it.

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