Undead and Unwed (Berkley Sensation) [Mass Market Paperback]

Betsy runs into trouble when she meets othe vampires who are shocked by her refusal to conform. She insists on letting her family and friends know about her undead state (her stepmother is livid), she is squeamish about drinking blood, attends church, isn't afraid of crosses and doesn't burn up in sunlight. She isn't just any old vampire, she's the QUEEN of the Vampires, and doesn't want to be. She is pursued by sexy hunk vampire Sinclair and his cohorts, who want to enlist her help in destroying the corrupt vampire master Nostro, who treats other vampires like slaves.

Betsy is a very endearing heroine. Her passion for shoes, her enthusiasm for 'Gone With the Wind' (she really identifies with Scarlett), her courage, her generosity and her resolute refusal to conform to vampire standards, all make her a very likeable and human character. There are strong supporting characters too, especially Betsy's rich, abrasive black friend Jessica, and of course sexy hunk Sinclair, and an exciting and funny story. A real treat.

We learn that Elizabeth Taylor (... ouch aka Betsy) is attacked a few months earlier. Screaming blue murder, she is lucky to escape with only bruises and bites, unaware her garlic breath saved her life. I can't say Betsy's luck improves as she is later hit by a car, sustaining none survivable injuries. She is therefore pretty bewildered when she wakes up in a funeral parlour and absolutely furious to discover her stepmother has dressed her in second hand clothes and cheap shoes. Spending the next few hours trying to finish the job the car failed to do and facing off potential muggers and rapists, she correctly concludes that she is an invincible vampire after displaying her super strength, speed and elongated fangs.

Betsy is an ex-model who firmly believes that just because you're dead, you shouldn't lose your fashion sense. She cannot believe the cliches that abound, vampires in tuxedoes and swirling black capes ... puhleese, and with her strange new abilities she suddenly finds herself a man magnet (not that she wasn't cute before). Completely flouting vampire tradition she glibly approaches family and friends, intent on carrying on with her life . Her mother and best friend Jessica are overjoyed to see her again and don't care about her new dietary needs. As Besty is introduced to other members of the vampiric race, we learn that she really is something special; crosses and holy water don't bother her and she has the ability to abstain from feeding (eeek!!), an event she isn't looking forward to.

Ms Davidson writes firmly tongue in cheek and many of the scenes in this book are hilarious as Betsy adjusts to her new life (or death) as a Vampire Queen, complete with a destined hunky blood sucking consort. This book was a lighthearted romp which brightened my day considerably. Long live (or not) Queen Betsy!!