What do you think?
Rate this book
Undead #2
Undead and Unemployed
Nothing can make Betsy Taylor give up her shoe fetish - even dying and rising as the new Queen of the Vampires. Being royally undead isn't all it's cracked up to be - there are still bills to be paid. And Betsy is determined to live as normally as possible, even if it means getting a job. A "feet" she accomplishes with panache, landing her dream job selling designer shoes at Macy's.
Things couldn't be better - except for her new friends, who keep pestering her while she's on the clock. As if she has time to socialize when there are deliciously sinful shoes to try on - and buy at a discount. It seems that vampires are being murdered in St. Paul, and they're all clamoring for Betsy to do something about it. The worse part is she's going to have to enlist the help of the one vamp who makes her blood boil: the oh-so-sexy Sinclair. Now, she's really treading on dangerous ground - high heels and all...
Things couldn't be better - except for her new friends, who keep pestering her while she's on the clock. As if she has time to socialize when there are deliciously sinful shoes to try on - and buy at a discount. It seems that vampires are being murdered in St. Paul, and they're all clamoring for Betsy to do something about it. The worse part is she's going to have to enlist the help of the one vamp who makes her blood boil: the oh-so-sexy Sinclair. Now, she's really treading on dangerous ground - high heels and all...
272 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 3, 2004
About the author
MaryJanice Davidson
132 books5,308 followersMaryJanice Davidson is an American author and motivational speaker who writes mostly paranormal romance, but also young adult and non-fiction. She is the creator of the popular UNDEAD series and the time-traveling historical fiction A CONTEMPORARY ASSHAT AT THE COURT OF HENRY VIII. MaryJanice is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author who writes a bi-weekly column for USA Today and lives in St. Paul with her family. You can reach her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.
www.maryjanicedavidson.org
@MaryJaniceD
MaryJanice's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/maryjanicedav...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/maryja...
www.maryjanicedavidson.org
@MaryJaniceD
MaryJanice's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/maryjanicedav...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/maryja...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,041 reviews
August 29, 2016
Being a soulless denizen of the undead was really hard sometimes...
Betsy, now the queen of the vampires, is struggling to find her way in the vampire world. Well, not really. She actually just wants to live her unlife in the same way, with no changes, except of course the drinking blood and being nocturnal thing. Obviously, becoming a vampire meant a few changes, but it didn't change her personality. She's still completely superficial and vain. She just happens to be a soulless undead killing machine who is superficial and vain.
She is also unemployed, but being the amazingly lucky girl that she is, she manages to land her absolute dream job:
"You have a job?"
"Uh-hum." I tried to look modest. Not everybody could land the job of a life-time. "Selling shoes at Macy's."
Tina wasn't as fawning or floored as I expected. Weird.
Yeah, for some reason, the other vampires, who considered her their queen, weren't real impressed with her new shoe-selling gig. Crazy! We all know that shoe salesmen are the celebrities of society.
So regal..
Although Betsy should be living the dream with her new job, she unfortunately has to keep doing this Queen deal - which means dealing with the fact that there is a group of vampire hunters out there with pointy sticks. That's going to be a problem.
Let's just see where this goes..
This book was as funny and ridiculous as the first one. I love Betsy as a character, even though I would hate her in real life. I would totally stake her. But, reading about a shallow, silly, shoe-obsessed girl who becomes a vampire is very fun. I'll allow it.
Betsy, now the queen of the vampires, is struggling to find her way in the vampire world. Well, not really. She actually just wants to live her unlife in the same way, with no changes, except of course the drinking blood and being nocturnal thing. Obviously, becoming a vampire meant a few changes, but it didn't change her personality. She's still completely superficial and vain. She just happens to be a soulless undead killing machine who is superficial and vain.
She is also unemployed, but being the amazingly lucky girl that she is, she manages to land her absolute dream job:
"You have a job?"
"Uh-hum." I tried to look modest. Not everybody could land the job of a life-time. "Selling shoes at Macy's."
Tina wasn't as fawning or floored as I expected. Weird.
Yeah, for some reason, the other vampires, who considered her their queen, weren't real impressed with her new shoe-selling gig. Crazy! We all know that shoe salesmen are the celebrities of society.
So regal..
Although Betsy should be living the dream with her new job, she unfortunately has to keep doing this Queen deal - which means dealing with the fact that there is a group of vampire hunters out there with pointy sticks. That's going to be a problem.
Let's just see where this goes..
This book was as funny and ridiculous as the first one. I love Betsy as a character, even though I would hate her in real life. I would totally stake her. But, reading about a shallow, silly, shoe-obsessed girl who becomes a vampire is very fun. I'll allow it.
May 26, 2024
"Being a soulless denizen of the undead was really hard sometimes."
I’m sad to say that the second book of the Undead series fell short of my expectations.
The first third of the book is pretty boring: Betsy has financial and termite problems, so she needs a job, and a new place to live.
Then a group of vampire hunters appears, killing vampires all over the city. Betsy is enlightened that as a queen she has certain responsibilities.
“We're getting reports of quite a few staked vampires.”
“So?”
She looked at me.
“Ah, no,” I whined. “What, this is my problem?”
"You're the queen.”
“Oh, so I have to protect the city's vampires?”
"The world's vampires, actually,” she said gently.
On top of this, she gets some upsetting news from her stepmother, and a little girl as a companion, whose entity is a surprise only for Betsy, but not for the reader.
The intended turns of the story are too obvious – I mean the antagonist supporting the above mentioned vampire hunters, aka the Blade Warriors, aka the Broody Warthogs. Although their entrée was awesome, I got tired of them soon.
I hoped for some development of Betsy, but she has the same naïve, self-centered, negligent attitude she had in the first book. But even so, she is funny most of the time. :)
The final action scene is just lame; I expected a more spectacular ending. I don’t mind that Betsy escapes almost miraculously, thanks to being a supervamp, but the whole scene, especially the revenge, is performed poorly.
All in all
Despite the predictable plot turns, and the uninteresting but at least quickly disappearing new characters, Undead and Unemployed still provides enough laugh-out-loud situations and sparkling dialogues to have a good time with it. A light and amusing read!
And the first who shall noe the Queen as a husband noes his Wyfe shall be the Queen’s Consort and shall rule at her side for a thousand yeares.
—The Book of the Dead
If that rat bastard Sinclair thinks I’m going to be his wife for a thousand years, he’s out of his fucking mind.
—From the private papers of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth I, Empress of the Undead, Rightful Ruler of the Vampires, Consort of Eric I, Lawful King
My favorite quotes.
August 10, 2022
These are so easy to read. Everything I said about the first book holds: this sometimes feels dated (2 for 2 on the use of the "r" word) and sometimes a little cheesy, but there are genuine laugh out loud moments. Sometimes, I feel myself start to get stressed about the plot things, mostly when no one listens to Betsey or when Sinclair is being an alpha-douche. And then I remember that this is supposed to be all funny and relaxed and tongue-in-cheek. The stuff I enjoy outweighs the little annoyances. I mean, she's a six-foot-tall undead vampire queen who works at Macy's and wants to adopt a child ghost. It's the perfect popcorn read and it's getting me through some super stressful work times.
January 18, 2012
Yet another book of giggles to drive the blues away.
Following Betsy's journey of coming to terms with being the Queen of the Undead and (according to Vampiric Laws) married to her consort Sink Lair (Sinclair) was another hilarious conquest for me. I love Betsy and her witty sense of humour, her 'Blonde' ways, her simple deduction on life (or rather unlife).
This book took us on a couple of different routes, the major route of finding out who was killing the vampires, another route where family life plays a small part (her step monster) of upsetting Betsy... and I think my favourite adventure was Marie. I loved Marie!!!!!
I will definately be picking up the next installment to see how Betsy is getting on in her undead life!!!
Following Betsy's journey of coming to terms with being the Queen of the Undead and (according to Vampiric Laws) married to her consort Sink Lair (Sinclair) was another hilarious conquest for me. I love Betsy and her witty sense of humour, her 'Blonde' ways, her simple deduction on life (or rather unlife).
This book took us on a couple of different routes, the major route of finding out who was killing the vampires, another route where family life plays a small part (her step monster) of upsetting Betsy... and I think my favourite adventure was Marie. I loved Marie!!!!!
I will definately be picking up the next installment to see how Betsy is getting on in her undead life!!!
May 3, 2015
It's really hard to enjoy a book when the main "love interest" (and I use that term very loosely) is a total douche bag. I mean come on. I can take a moody male character to a certain extent. But a character that's a complete ass? And no one is willing to call him out on it except for Betsy? BS.
I am of course talking about Sinclair. I didn't like him much in the first book but his presence really put me off in this one, to the point where I decided I was going to stop reading midway through the book. Very disappointing. I just can't get over the fact that he would go over to where she works, try to force her to quit her dream job, and then vampire mojo her boss into firing her. That sh*t is not cool. No man should ever be in charge of a woman's life like that and vice versa. To force the person you "love" to quite the job they love is ridiculous, especially in the way that he tried.
Really the only part of the novel I semi-liked was Betsy. Even though she had some annoying Sinclair-involved moments, she was really quirky and fun to read. Everything else in the novel was a downer. Jessica and Mark, her so-called best friends, were immature and annoying the entire time. Plus they were completely unsupportive of her. If I say I don't like a guy because he's a jerk, I expect my besties to back me up instead of saying how nice and hot he is all the time.
Overall, I did not like this book, hence the low rating. Even though I like romance novels, I feel like my standards have changed for them overall. I'm no longer into the brooding mysterious unavailable a**hole types in these kinds of books. I want personality, not "perfection" in these characters, so I will be looking elsewhere in the romance department.
Rating: 1 out of 5 Stars
I am of course talking about Sinclair. I didn't like him much in the first book but his presence really put me off in this one, to the point where I decided I was going to stop reading midway through the book. Very disappointing. I just can't get over the fact that he would go over to where she works, try to force her to quit her dream job, and then vampire mojo her boss into firing her. That sh*t is not cool. No man should ever be in charge of a woman's life like that and vice versa. To force the person you "love" to quite the job they love is ridiculous, especially in the way that he tried.
Really the only part of the novel I semi-liked was Betsy. Even though she had some annoying Sinclair-involved moments, she was really quirky and fun to read. Everything else in the novel was a downer. Jessica and Mark, her so-called best friends, were immature and annoying the entire time. Plus they were completely unsupportive of her. If I say I don't like a guy because he's a jerk, I expect my besties to back me up instead of saying how nice and hot he is all the time.
Overall, I did not like this book, hence the low rating. Even though I like romance novels, I feel like my standards have changed for them overall. I'm no longer into the brooding mysterious unavailable a**hole types in these kinds of books. I want personality, not "perfection" in these characters, so I will be looking elsewhere in the romance department.
Rating: 1 out of 5 Stars
Want to read
June 3, 2008Betsy Taylor, the new queen of the vampires (and a most unwilling queen too, might I add) is back - and in need of a job. (Hey, designer shoes don't grow on trees, you know.) On top of needing to find - and then keep - employment, she also has the small problem of figuring out all the recent vampire murders.
Even though many people call this series a romance series, I just can't see the romance. Yes, Sinclair is head over heels in love with Betsy (though he has an odd way of showing it), and yes Betsy does love Sinclair (though she'd rather die - again - than admit it, even to herself), but really this series just doesn't have enough elements of a romance to truly be a romance series. Heck the main character ends up determined to stay away from the romantic lead by the end of the book! (As Betsy says, "Nothing good can come of having sex with Eric Sinclair.")
After reading the first book I was annoyed with Betsy but intrigued by the story. Now, after having read the second book, Betsy is growing on me. She's like Buffy, only slightly more vapid, much vainer, and not quite as kick-ass. But still charming.
Even though many people call this series a romance series, I just can't see the romance. Yes, Sinclair is head over heels in love with Betsy (though he has an odd way of showing it), and yes Betsy does love Sinclair (though she'd rather die - again - than admit it, even to herself), but really this series just doesn't have enough elements of a romance to truly be a romance series. Heck the main character ends up determined to stay away from the romantic lead by the end of the book! (As Betsy says, "Nothing good can come of having sex with Eric Sinclair.")
After reading the first book I was annoyed with Betsy but intrigued by the story. Now, after having read the second book, Betsy is growing on me. She's like Buffy, only slightly more vapid, much vainer, and not quite as kick-ass. But still charming.
October 4, 2019
Just as funny as the last one...Betsy and her shoes now THAT is true love!
March 7, 2021
3 Stars for Undead and Unemployed: Undead Series, Book 2 (audiobook) byMary Janice Davidson read by Nancy Wu. I enjoyed the first book more. This was ok but I’m holding off on the next book for now.
September 15, 2020
Liked it okay, but the end was outlandish -- will continue for a while, but not into the weird stuff.
September 14, 2017
Queen Betsy has returned, this time with a job, and a few new skills in life!
Finally I had a chance to buy Book #2 and Book #3, and just a few days ago they finally arrived! Now at last I can find out what happened in those books, as Book #4 has some hints to it, but all that did was make me want to read the whole story. :P
As the title also says: Unemployed. Betsy wants a job! She wants to have some money of her own to buy shoes, clothes, and other fun things. Of course her best friend has all the money in the world, but, and I loved Betsy for it, she doesn't want to rely on that. I was really proud of Betsy. She is a bit snarky at times, and sometimes a bit too over the top, but in this case I was just so happy. A lot of people would just have accepted the money, but not Betsy. And her job was just perfect for her. At the shoe department at Macy's! Yep, she gets discount on her shoes and she works with the items she loves the most in the world.
As you can imagine managing a job while also being a Queen and dealing with some evil baddie, isn't the easiest. Not to mention the fact that Sinclair is NOT amused by the fact his Queen is now working.
We meet new guys (the Blade Warriors, though I much prefer the names by Betsy: Broody Warthogs or Word Barriers), though of course, since I read book 4 already, they weren't that new to me, but it was still fun to get a proper introduction to them. I am not sure if I quite liked them. Especially not their reasons to kill vampires. Jon was just plain annoying, even more so than in book 4. Really, you would think that he would get the hint, but oh no, he had to keep on going. I just wanted him out of the way. I get that you fell in love with Betsy, but really, you can see she has zero interest in you.
Like the previous book we have a baddie (it seems that every book has a villain of the week or something like that), and it was fun figuring out who it was, though I have to say all my guesses were wrong (nooooo). I didn't know it was that person until it was too late. I guess I could have seen it coming. But I was so absorbed with all the other things going on I didn't notice.
I had a laugh at the fact that it took Betsy ages to figure out what Marie was. I just knew instantly what was going on. There is just no way a little girl is wandering around like that. Especially not in those clothes.
But that little girl also brought some sadness with her. I did cry during THAT moment. So sad, but also so sweet and happy.
I was a bit annoyed at the Sinclair x Betsy situation. I could understand that it wasn't easy for Betsy, being pushed into King/Queen stuff, anyone would probably react the same way, at least for a bit. But really, I wanted her to at least try to like Sinclair. At least try to make it work in some way. Instead she kept bitching, whining, be a total ass towards Sinclair. And really? Everyone can see that she is just head over heels in love with Sinclair. She is just being stubborn and Betsy. :P
And it is fun to see Betsy learn a bit more how to become a queen. She did some Queeny things in this one, though of course still with a big portion of reluctance.
I wasn't sure what I thought about the Priest and his POV parts. I would rather have seen Sinclair's or someone else's POV.
The ending was fabulous, and even though I knew it would be fine (gee, there are so many books featuring the character), I was still really worried about her.
All in all, I laughed my butt off while reading this book. I just flew through it!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Finally I had a chance to buy Book #2 and Book #3, and just a few days ago they finally arrived! Now at last I can find out what happened in those books, as Book #4 has some hints to it, but all that did was make me want to read the whole story. :P
As the title also says: Unemployed. Betsy wants a job! She wants to have some money of her own to buy shoes, clothes, and other fun things. Of course her best friend has all the money in the world, but, and I loved Betsy for it, she doesn't want to rely on that. I was really proud of Betsy. She is a bit snarky at times, and sometimes a bit too over the top, but in this case I was just so happy. A lot of people would just have accepted the money, but not Betsy. And her job was just perfect for her. At the shoe department at Macy's! Yep, she gets discount on her shoes and she works with the items she loves the most in the world.
As you can imagine managing a job while also being a Queen and dealing with some evil baddie, isn't the easiest. Not to mention the fact that Sinclair is NOT amused by the fact his Queen is now working.
We meet new guys (the Blade Warriors, though I much prefer the names by Betsy: Broody Warthogs or Word Barriers), though of course, since I read book 4 already, they weren't that new to me, but it was still fun to get a proper introduction to them. I am not sure if I quite liked them. Especially not their reasons to kill vampires. Jon was just plain annoying, even more so than in book 4. Really, you would think that he would get the hint, but oh no, he had to keep on going. I just wanted him out of the way. I get that you fell in love with Betsy, but really, you can see she has zero interest in you.
Like the previous book we have a baddie (it seems that every book has a villain of the week or something like that), and it was fun figuring out who it was, though I have to say all my guesses were wrong (nooooo). I didn't know it was that person until it was too late. I guess I could have seen it coming. But I was so absorbed with all the other things going on I didn't notice.
I had a laugh at the fact that it took Betsy ages to figure out what Marie was. I just knew instantly what was going on. There is just no way a little girl is wandering around like that. Especially not in those clothes.
But that little girl also brought some sadness with her. I did cry during THAT moment. So sad, but also so sweet and happy.
I was a bit annoyed at the Sinclair x Betsy situation. I could understand that it wasn't easy for Betsy, being pushed into King/Queen stuff, anyone would probably react the same way, at least for a bit. But really, I wanted her to at least try to like Sinclair. At least try to make it work in some way. Instead she kept bitching, whining, be a total ass towards Sinclair. And really? Everyone can see that she is just head over heels in love with Sinclair. She is just being stubborn and Betsy. :P
And it is fun to see Betsy learn a bit more how to become a queen. She did some Queeny things in this one, though of course still with a big portion of reluctance.
I wasn't sure what I thought about the Priest and his POV parts. I would rather have seen Sinclair's or someone else's POV.
The ending was fabulous, and even though I knew it would be fine (gee, there are so many books featuring the character), I was still really worried about her.
All in all, I laughed my butt off while reading this book. I just flew through it!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
September 6, 2020
3+ stars
This is the second of the series, and I was a rebel and did not read the first one. This turned out fine; the author gave a quick introduction to all characters. It’s a very light and fluffy book about a vampiress; more cozy chick-lit than urban fantasy. For what it is, it was done well.
Betsy is a vampire, but she doesn’t kill people. She’s a little ditzy but has a kind heart. She’s a shoe and fashion addict and ends up getting a job at Macy’s. She’s also somehow the vampire queen (explained in book 1) and therefore responsible for vampires, so when somebody starts going around killing them off, it’s her job to get to the bottom of it.
She also ends up moving into a huge mansion that has a light case of haunting.
There’s a love interest who’s one of those I-hate-you-but-I-can’t-resist-you types. He’s too controlling and possessive for a healthy relationship in case any of you are thinking about getting together with someone silimar.
DO NOT FALL FOR IT.
Frequent strong language | Some sexual content | Mild violence
This is the second of the series, and I was a rebel and did not read the first one. This turned out fine; the author gave a quick introduction to all characters. It’s a very light and fluffy book about a vampiress; more cozy chick-lit than urban fantasy. For what it is, it was done well.
Betsy is a vampire, but she doesn’t kill people. She’s a little ditzy but has a kind heart. She’s a shoe and fashion addict and ends up getting a job at Macy’s. She’s also somehow the vampire queen (explained in book 1) and therefore responsible for vampires, so when somebody starts going around killing them off, it’s her job to get to the bottom of it.
She also ends up moving into a huge mansion that has a light case of haunting.
There’s a love interest who’s one of those I-hate-you-but-I-can’t-resist-you types. He’s too controlling and possessive for a healthy relationship in case any of you are thinking about getting together with someone silimar.
DO NOT FALL FOR IT.
Frequent strong language | Some sexual content | Mild violence
November 15, 2017
As the title says, this is a story about an unemployed vampire.
Vampire queen, to be exact...which unfortunately isn't a well payed job, so she needs to find a real one.
Because, you know, she wants to adopt a 5 y/o ghost, and having a kid costs money. Even a ghost kid. The only one she can have, considering her king's "dead sperm" can't get her pregnant.
And she wants a family so bad, especially now that her dad thinks it was impolite from her to get back to life after they organized the funeral and everything, and her stepmother is mad she didn't actually die because now she can't have her shoe collection.
This is a random and bizzare book. Accept it for what it is or don't even start reading it.
I personally enjoyed it very much.
Vampire queen, to be exact...which unfortunately isn't a well payed job, so she needs to find a real one.
Because, you know, she wants to adopt a 5 y/o ghost, and having a kid costs money. Even a ghost kid. The only one she can have, considering her king's "dead sperm" can't get her pregnant.
And she wants a family so bad, especially now that her dad thinks it was impolite from her to get back to life after they organized the funeral and everything, and her stepmother is mad she didn't actually die because now she can't have her shoe collection.
This is a random and bizzare book. Accept it for what it is or don't even start reading it.
I personally enjoyed it very much.
February 4, 2019
La fel ca si prima carte din serie, a fost un deliciu sa citesc continuarea. Mi s a parut super amuzantă și la fel de bine scrisa. In continuare imi mentin ideea ca mi se pare o parodie... dar pe cuvânt ca nu e deranjant. Se citeste usor si repede si e chiar simpatica. Numai buna de citit la sfarsit de saptamana. Poate ca voi continua seria daca se va traduce in continuare... eu una asa mi as dori pentru ca e amuzantă.
April 24, 2019
3.5 stars
Though it still has some flaws I think that the second book in this series is an improvement over the first. Betsy Taylor after discovering at the end of the previous book that she is destined to spend the next thousand years of her afterlife with Eric Sinclair is determined not only to avoid him but to get on with her existence as best she can despite her vampiric condition and her new royal responsibilities. That’s both made easier by the acquisition of a dream job selling designer shoes at Macy’s in the mall of America and more difficult because of a series of vampire stakings which she is surprised to discover she’s responsible for stopping.
Betsy becomes a little bit more human in this book. We get glimpses of someone who cares about more than shoes and make up though those aspects of her personality are still present to humorous effect. And of course her best friends, Mark and Jessica, are still around to press her into doing things she probably should but definitely doesn’t want to. This is still an amusing read, definitely not too serious.
I’ve seen this series described as a romance and if you counted as that it is definitely an emotional slow burn. The sex scenes are relatively sparse and for my money by far not the most interesting part of the book. Because of the marketing as a romance I’ll assume that Eric and Betsy end up together at the series end but frankly there isn’t much chemistry between these two for my money. If a strong romantic element, or an overwhelmingly attractive hero are a big part of what you were looking for this may not be the book for you. But it’s a good fluffy afternoon read if you’re up for a bit of over the top silliness and action.
Though it still has some flaws I think that the second book in this series is an improvement over the first. Betsy Taylor after discovering at the end of the previous book that she is destined to spend the next thousand years of her afterlife with Eric Sinclair is determined not only to avoid him but to get on with her existence as best she can despite her vampiric condition and her new royal responsibilities. That’s both made easier by the acquisition of a dream job selling designer shoes at Macy’s in the mall of America and more difficult because of a series of vampire stakings which she is surprised to discover she’s responsible for stopping.
Betsy becomes a little bit more human in this book. We get glimpses of someone who cares about more than shoes and make up though those aspects of her personality are still present to humorous effect. And of course her best friends, Mark and Jessica, are still around to press her into doing things she probably should but definitely doesn’t want to. This is still an amusing read, definitely not too serious.
I’ve seen this series described as a romance and if you counted as that it is definitely an emotional slow burn. The sex scenes are relatively sparse and for my money by far not the most interesting part of the book. Because of the marketing as a romance I’ll assume that Eric and Betsy end up together at the series end but frankly there isn’t much chemistry between these two for my money. If a strong romantic element, or an overwhelmingly attractive hero are a big part of what you were looking for this may not be the book for you. But it’s a good fluffy afternoon read if you’re up for a bit of over the top silliness and action.
July 5, 2016
5 Stars:
I enjoyed this book as much as the first, good reading if you like vampire romance. It was just as funny as the first. I found myself laughing aloud a lot and could not put it down. It was a quick and mindless read for those times you want a light read.
My absolute favorite and will read again and again. I strongly recommend! It has outstanding qualities. The characters are wonderful and surprising and multi-dimensional. The writing is luring, engaging, and well-crafted enough to keep me interested from cover to cover and beyond. The plot is astonishing with twists and turns weaved into a well thought and planned story. There’s no pretense and romance was well balanced and done entirely correctly with properly distributed amounts of hints, behaviors and incredible, undeniable chemistry. Predictability is at an all-time low. With the exception of series based books that follow the same path but are just as good. Overall, Favorite, must read again, recommend!!!
I enjoyed this book as much as the first, good reading if you like vampire romance. It was just as funny as the first. I found myself laughing aloud a lot and could not put it down. It was a quick and mindless read for those times you want a light read.
My absolute favorite and will read again and again. I strongly recommend! It has outstanding qualities. The characters are wonderful and surprising and multi-dimensional. The writing is luring, engaging, and well-crafted enough to keep me interested from cover to cover and beyond. The plot is astonishing with twists and turns weaved into a well thought and planned story. There’s no pretense and romance was well balanced and done entirely correctly with properly distributed amounts of hints, behaviors and incredible, undeniable chemistry. Predictability is at an all-time low. With the exception of series based books that follow the same path but are just as good. Overall, Favorite, must read again, recommend!!!
October 2, 2015
I like this series even more after listening to this book! It's truly very funny, well developed & likable characters tossed together with some intriguing mystery and occasional steaminess! Formula is fun indeed! :-)
April 24, 2017
Betsy has not only become a vampire by accident she is also the Queen of the vampires. She is trying to live a normal life by getting a job at Macy's selling shoes. She is content to stay in her termite infested apartment and ignore the crazy vampire world. Only it is not that easy, since someone is hunting vampires and everyone is looking to her for answers.
This story has two endearing but annoying sidekicks. Jessica is her best friend forever who is quite rich and moves them into a manison. She really wants Betsy to embrace her vampire life and comes up with many schemes to bring both of her worlds together. Her other roommate is Marc who is an ER doctor who has the the hots for Sinclair who is the King of the vampires.
Since SInclair tricked Betsy into being Queen, she spends all her energy in dismissing him and ignoring the atraction between them. There are everyday humans who are huting vampires. We also have various vampires who serve differnt positions in the hierarchy of the vampire world.
Combine all that and you have a crazy fast read with many LOL moments.
This story has two endearing but annoying sidekicks. Jessica is her best friend forever who is quite rich and moves them into a manison. She really wants Betsy to embrace her vampire life and comes up with many schemes to bring both of her worlds together. Her other roommate is Marc who is an ER doctor who has the the hots for Sinclair who is the King of the vampires.
Since SInclair tricked Betsy into being Queen, she spends all her energy in dismissing him and ignoring the atraction between them. There are everyday humans who are huting vampires. We also have various vampires who serve differnt positions in the hierarchy of the vampire world.
Combine all that and you have a crazy fast read with many LOL moments.
July 9, 2016
Mary Janice Davidson's Queen Betsy (a.k.a the Undead) series is a delightfully subversive and hilarious bunch of stories starring the most fashionable supernatural since Buffy; The Vampire Slayer. The 30 something year old former Miss Congeniality, Elizabeth "Betsy" Taylor, is the ruler of the undead after a car accident and a prophecy result in her overthrowing the tyrannical ruler of the undead. Who, for whatever reason, rules the vampire race from Minnesota.
Undead and Unemployed picks up a few week after the events of the original novel with our heroine actively denying she's now monarch of all undead. Even as she's doing her best to keep Minnesota's vampires from murdering the innocent, she refuses to actually rule them. Betsy is also doing her best to try to live a "normal" life, which includes getting a job at Macy's show department.
Unfortunately, for Betsy, her duties as Queen of the Undead aren't so easily cast aside. Minnesota's vampires are being eliminated one by one and it falls to her to find out who is assassinating them, even though Betsy thinks the state could use a few (hundred) less undead. Throwing in the fact her new dirt-cheap mansion is haunted, Sinclair still wants to make her his consort, and there are a couple of extraordinarily beautiful vampire women hoping to lure the Vampire King to their side--Betsy has a full plate.
I like Mary Janice Davidson is not afraid to take chances with her storytelling as we begin with a police report of a cab driver about Betsy stopping a would-be murderous vampire. While I prefer things in Betsy's voice, there's never really a dull moment in these books and even if you (somehow) didn't like 90% of the humor then you'd still laugh more than in most comedy books because there's just that many jokes.
Individuals looking for a tight plot or coherent narrative are going to be disappointed because the book's best joke is Betsy's refusal to become involved in a typical urban fantasy/paranormal romance mystery. There's vampire hunters in town? Not my problem! Ancient powerful vampires don't want to recognize you as their Queen? Okay, fine by me. You're running out of shoe money (even though you live with a billionaire as your roommate). Oh my god, I have to get on that stat!
There's absurd, dramatic, ridiculous, silly, and occasionally touching moments spread throughout this book. Queen Betsy is a force of nature, not so much by the fact she's tough or wise (lord, is she not wise) but simply because no one can really stop her Gordian Knot solution to problems. If there's vampires hunting them down, why not go find out what their issue is. If there's evil vampires plotting against you, confront them. It doesn't always work out for Betsy but it often throws the more self-assured supernaturals for a loop.
I absolutely loved the supporting cast this time around with Monique, Sarah, The Blade Warriors, and others. I have to say I'm a trifle disappointed we never got to see Betsy interact with more vampires but I suppose the upcoming adventures with Lena Olin Satan (yes, you heard that right) make up for it.
In conclusion, I think you'll enjoy this book tremendously if you're a fan of irreverent funny slice-of-lice comedy and vampires. There's also a nice twist at the end which I absolutely loved and shows Betsy is closer to the traditional sort of vampire than most modern interpretations of the creature. The book could use a stronger narrative but, really, the point is Betsy deliberately avoids plot progression like the plague.
9/10
Undead and Unemployed picks up a few week after the events of the original novel with our heroine actively denying she's now monarch of all undead. Even as she's doing her best to keep Minnesota's vampires from murdering the innocent, she refuses to actually rule them. Betsy is also doing her best to try to live a "normal" life, which includes getting a job at Macy's show department.
Unfortunately, for Betsy, her duties as Queen of the Undead aren't so easily cast aside. Minnesota's vampires are being eliminated one by one and it falls to her to find out who is assassinating them, even though Betsy thinks the state could use a few (hundred) less undead. Throwing in the fact her new dirt-cheap mansion is haunted, Sinclair still wants to make her his consort, and there are a couple of extraordinarily beautiful vampire women hoping to lure the Vampire King to their side--Betsy has a full plate.
I like Mary Janice Davidson is not afraid to take chances with her storytelling as we begin with a police report of a cab driver about Betsy stopping a would-be murderous vampire. While I prefer things in Betsy's voice, there's never really a dull moment in these books and even if you (somehow) didn't like 90% of the humor then you'd still laugh more than in most comedy books because there's just that many jokes.
Individuals looking for a tight plot or coherent narrative are going to be disappointed because the book's best joke is Betsy's refusal to become involved in a typical urban fantasy/paranormal romance mystery. There's vampire hunters in town? Not my problem! Ancient powerful vampires don't want to recognize you as their Queen? Okay, fine by me. You're running out of shoe money (even though you live with a billionaire as your roommate). Oh my god, I have to get on that stat!
There's absurd, dramatic, ridiculous, silly, and occasionally touching moments spread throughout this book. Queen Betsy is a force of nature, not so much by the fact she's tough or wise (lord, is she not wise) but simply because no one can really stop her Gordian Knot solution to problems. If there's vampires hunting them down, why not go find out what their issue is. If there's evil vampires plotting against you, confront them. It doesn't always work out for Betsy but it often throws the more self-assured supernaturals for a loop.
I absolutely loved the supporting cast this time around with Monique, Sarah, The Blade Warriors, and others. I have to say I'm a trifle disappointed we never got to see Betsy interact with more vampires but I suppose the upcoming adventures with Lena Olin Satan (yes, you heard that right) make up for it.
In conclusion, I think you'll enjoy this book tremendously if you're a fan of irreverent funny slice-of-lice comedy and vampires. There's also a nice twist at the end which I absolutely loved and shows Betsy is closer to the traditional sort of vampire than most modern interpretations of the creature. The book could use a stronger narrative but, really, the point is Betsy deliberately avoids plot progression like the plague.
9/10
September 19, 2015
3.5 Stars
I really loved the first book in this series, and although Undead and Unemployed didn't have quite the same impact as Undead and Unwed, I still really enjoyed it.
Undead and Unemployed starts roughly where the first book finished, albeit a couple of months have passed. Betsy is still trying to come to terms with her new status as Vampire Queen and the complete change of lifestyle. She is getting a little frustrated with her new life and wants to put back some sense of normality. So, she decides the only way to do this is to get a job.
Betsy heads out and finds employment at Macy's as a shoe salesperson, which of course she thinks is the best job ever! You see, Betsy loves shoes, so to be surrounded by them is utterly divine - this is her dream job. Luckily her employer is just looking for night time staff which fits in perfectly with the whole vampire thing.
Unfortunately, nothing ever runs smoothly and Betsy learns there's a gang who have taken it upon themselves to rid the world of vampires. Of course Betsy doesn't really want to get involved but is dragged into helping by the delicious Eric Sinclair, who she loves hates to positive distraction!
Betsy is as witty as ever and I enjoy her snarkasm so much. She's such a sassy character and I love her interactions with those around her, her witty retorts just have me smiling the whole time I'm reading! The supporting characters of her friends, Jess and Marc, are very likeable, especially Jess.
The story itself is a good one but not very complicated. There are a few twists and turns but mostly it is easy reading and completely hilarious. I especially enjoyed the scene where Betsy invited the vampire hunters to afternoon tea!
Verdict:
Undead and Unemployed is a quick but entertaining read. It's light and funny with a great heroine. I will definitely be continuing this series and would recommend it in a heart beat.
I really loved the first book in this series, and although Undead and Unemployed didn't have quite the same impact as Undead and Unwed, I still really enjoyed it.
Undead and Unemployed starts roughly where the first book finished, albeit a couple of months have passed. Betsy is still trying to come to terms with her new status as Vampire Queen and the complete change of lifestyle. She is getting a little frustrated with her new life and wants to put back some sense of normality. So, she decides the only way to do this is to get a job.
Betsy heads out and finds employment at Macy's as a shoe salesperson, which of course she thinks is the best job ever! You see, Betsy loves shoes, so to be surrounded by them is utterly divine - this is her dream job. Luckily her employer is just looking for night time staff which fits in perfectly with the whole vampire thing.
Unfortunately, nothing ever runs smoothly and Betsy learns there's a gang who have taken it upon themselves to rid the world of vampires. Of course Betsy doesn't really want to get involved but is dragged into helping by the delicious Eric Sinclair, who she loves hates to positive distraction!
Betsy is as witty as ever and I enjoy her snarkasm so much. She's such a sassy character and I love her interactions with those around her, her witty retorts just have me smiling the whole time I'm reading! The supporting characters of her friends, Jess and Marc, are very likeable, especially Jess.
The story itself is a good one but not very complicated. There are a few twists and turns but mostly it is easy reading and completely hilarious. I especially enjoyed the scene where Betsy invited the vampire hunters to afternoon tea!
Verdict:
Undead and Unemployed is a quick but entertaining read. It's light and funny with a great heroine. I will definitely be continuing this series and would recommend it in a heart beat.
January 28, 2012
After reading Undead and Unwed, I thought Sinclair was a hero with jerk tendencies. Now after finishing the second book of the series I'm feeling like Sinclair is filtered through Betsy and he's not as much of a jerk as I first thought.
I realize that the reader only sees Sinclair from Betsy's point of view since the whole book is from her perspective, but throughout the whole book I kept feeling like I wasn't getting to know Sinclair at all. The author does a really good job broadcasting Jessica's personality along with Betsy's, but Sinclair just seems to get lost along the way.
I'm still enjoying the series so far, and don't plan to drop it, but I'm not as enthralled by it as I was the first book.
Completely unrelated side note…having a vampire named Eric in a series that’s not the Sookie Stackhose series is a little distracting. Every time someone calls him Eric and not Sinclair, I keep expecting Eric Northman. Is it horrible of me that I’m picturing Alexander Skarsgård as Eric Sinclair? He doesn’t fit the description but that's still who pops into my head while I’m reading.
I realize that the reader only sees Sinclair from Betsy's point of view since the whole book is from her perspective, but throughout the whole book I kept feeling like I wasn't getting to know Sinclair at all. The author does a really good job broadcasting Jessica's personality along with Betsy's, but Sinclair just seems to get lost along the way.
I'm still enjoying the series so far, and don't plan to drop it, but I'm not as enthralled by it as I was the first book.
Completely unrelated side note…having a vampire named Eric in a series that’s not the Sookie Stackhose series is a little distracting. Every time someone calls him Eric and not Sinclair, I keep expecting Eric Northman. Is it horrible of me that I’m picturing Alexander Skarsgård as Eric Sinclair? He doesn’t fit the description but that's still who pops into my head while I’m reading.
June 28, 2007
Quick & Easy read, bad language in it, one way too descriptive and unnecessary scene. I don't think I can recommend it to anyone I know.
It was cute, and I wanted to know what happened after reading just a few pages. But now I want to read Twilight by Stephanie Meyer now, and hopefully that will be much better.
The main character is flawed but in an interesting, I can kind of relate to her way. At the same time, she really irritated me with her pathetic relationships and how her friends/boyfriend run her whole life because she is so "dumb" though she loves shoes. Best friends seemed kind of cliche in the "Let's add diversity" kind of way - a rich black girl and a gay Doctor guy.
The book is pretty forgettable, on the scale of I would never ever call it a classic. And yet, I think I am going to go read #1, since it is apparently a series and this was #2, and I am interested in the back story, since the character development was enough to intrigue me, or something like that.
It was cute, and I wanted to know what happened after reading just a few pages. But now I want to read Twilight by Stephanie Meyer now, and hopefully that will be much better.
The main character is flawed but in an interesting, I can kind of relate to her way. At the same time, she really irritated me with her pathetic relationships and how her friends/boyfriend run her whole life because she is so "dumb" though she loves shoes. Best friends seemed kind of cliche in the "Let's add diversity" kind of way - a rich black girl and a gay Doctor guy.
The book is pretty forgettable, on the scale of I would never ever call it a classic. And yet, I think I am going to go read #1, since it is apparently a series and this was #2, and I am interested in the back story, since the character development was enough to intrigue me, or something like that.
February 19, 2009
Hmm, hab ich bisher auf deutsch oder auf englisch geschrieben?
Egal, heute gibts deutsch.
Böööööööööööses Buch!
Gelesen hab ichs während ner Prüfugnsvorbereitungsphase.
Eigentlich gar keine Zeit, aber, ein Kapitel wird doch gehen, das darf man sich doch erlauben...
Oh, jetzt muss ich das nächste aber auch noch lesen...
Und das danach...
Und das danach...
usw...
Verdammt. Halbes Buch weg...
Dann kann ichs jetzt auch zuende lesen.
Soviel zum Thema lernen an dem Tag, aber ich hatte Spass!!!
Weglegen war für mich bei dem Buch keine Option.
Wieder wunderbar leicht und flüssig zu lesen, so viel toller als Fachliteratur fürs studium...
Ich freu mich aufs nächste.
Egal, heute gibts deutsch.
Böööööööööööses Buch!
Gelesen hab ichs während ner Prüfugnsvorbereitungsphase.
Eigentlich gar keine Zeit, aber, ein Kapitel wird doch gehen, das darf man sich doch erlauben...
Oh, jetzt muss ich das nächste aber auch noch lesen...
Und das danach...
Und das danach...
usw...
Verdammt. Halbes Buch weg...
Dann kann ichs jetzt auch zuende lesen.
Soviel zum Thema lernen an dem Tag, aber ich hatte Spass!!!
Weglegen war für mich bei dem Buch keine Option.
Wieder wunderbar leicht und flüssig zu lesen, so viel toller als Fachliteratur fürs studium...
Ich freu mich aufs nächste.
October 20, 2018
I find Besty a lot of fun. Betsy just wants to be a normal girl but things aren't since she is nocturnal and drinks blood. She is clueless on how she is supposed to act as the vampire queen but when other vampires are being killed she needs to find out who is doing it but she also needs the help of Sinclair who drives her crazy but she totally has the hots for but denies it to others. She even tries to keep a job at Macy's which doesn't go well either. She's just a lot of laughs but she will have to do something about the death of the vampires.
October 23, 2014
More like 2.5 stars, but again the reading by Wu was excellent. The story was fun, but not even as filling as a Sookie Stackhouse story. Queen Betsy & all the rest of the characters are more caricatures than 'real' people. The world isn't very complex nor all that imaginative. So it was OK & I'm really only giving it 3 stars because Wu does such a great job. Still, I'm on to listen to the next one.
June 24, 2009
This book wore out my patience. The majority of what the main character (the queen vampire)said could be summed up as follows 1) I love shoes, I want new shoes, I scuffed my shoes 2) I don't want to be a vampire, I don't want to be queen 3) I hate the king vampire etc etc etc.
July 31, 2017
3.5
Better than the first in some ways. I knew who done it at first meeting and my choice never wavered. I'm a little disappointed it was so obvious. I could see where the author tried to gloss over details to hide the killer, which only put a spotlight on the individual. The suspicion thrown to other people was just an obvious a red herring. It's probably just me. I read a lot of straight mystery/suspense. I was also just as annoyed with Betsy as her poor detective skills as I was about her ability to read John but not Eric's feelings. Though to be honest, I think if Eric truly feels the way suggested, there isn't much basis for it. All that said, I will read more of the series for now. It's a light read that doesn't require many brain cells.
Better than the first in some ways. I knew who done it at first meeting and my choice never wavered. I'm a little disappointed it was so obvious. I could see where the author tried to gloss over details to hide the killer, which only put a spotlight on the individual. The suspicion thrown to other people was just an obvious a red herring. It's probably just me. I read a lot of straight mystery/suspense. I was also just as annoyed with Betsy as her poor detective skills as I was about her ability to read John but not Eric's feelings. Though to be honest, I think if Eric truly feels the way suggested, there isn't much basis for it. All that said, I will read more of the series for now. It's a light read that doesn't require many brain cells.
May 26, 2021
i was gifted this from an old friend and i read it really quickly, not knowing it was part of a series. i remember loving it, but i don’t remember anything about it, and that’s the only reason i’m giving this the amount stars i’m giving it. 😅
3.5/5 stars 🌟
3.5/5 stars 🌟
August 17, 2024
Kurzmeinung/ Leseerlebnis
Band 2 der Betsy Taylor Reihe um eine untote, königliche Schuhfanatikerin. Hat wieder genauso Spaß gemacht wie der erste Band.
Band 2,5 liegt schon auf dem e-reader und Band 3 und 5 im Medimops-Warenkorb (Band 4 aktuell nicht gebraucht erhältlich). Zur Not muss ich es dann auf den e-reader laden oder neu kaufen.
Aber diese Reihe lässt mich locker leicht schmunzelnd lesen. Genau richtig für den Feierabend. Zum Glück gibt 13 Bände
Band 2 der Betsy Taylor Reihe um eine untote, königliche Schuhfanatikerin. Hat wieder genauso Spaß gemacht wie der erste Band.
Band 2,5 liegt schon auf dem e-reader und Band 3 und 5 im Medimops-Warenkorb (Band 4 aktuell nicht gebraucht erhältlich). Zur Not muss ich es dann auf den e-reader laden oder neu kaufen.
Aber diese Reihe lässt mich locker leicht schmunzelnd lesen. Genau richtig für den Feierabend. Zum Glück gibt 13 Bände
August 23, 2017
3.5 star
August 17, 2015
It's been a couple months since Undead and Unwed. Betsy has still not adjusted to the fact that she is queen of the vampires and that with that title comes responsibilities. Betsy is determined that she will regain some semblance of a life and for her, this means getting a job and paying her own way through life. It should be simple right? Well, it might have been were it not for the fact that someone is killing vampires in St. Paul and as Queen of the Vampires, it's Betsy's responsibility to keep her people safe.
In case you are wondering, Betsy doesn't get anymore likeable in Undead and Unemployed. Betsy remains extremely vapid, whiny and just plain sarcastic. I don't think I have disliked a character this much since Charlene Harris's Aurora Teagarden and believe me, that's saying something. At this point, I am just going to go ahead and give up on any kind of character development in this series. Yes, I know it's early but Betsy is simply beyond hope at this point, even if she claims to be a feminist.
Betsy's relationship with king and consort Eric, continues to be stormy at best. On the one hand, I can understand Eric's frustration with Betsy's intentionally obtuse attitude towards everything vampire. Betsy has access to the Book of the Dead which will inform her about her role in the life of vampires and what she can expect as their queen. It would make sense for Betsy to read it from cover to cover but of course, Betsy cannot be bothered but whines when she gains new information from Eric and Tina, which she could have learned on her own, had she bothered to read the damn book.
Eric is controlling and possessive in many ways. Normally that kind of behaviour in a male love interest is beyond irritating to me but I cannot see any other way for Eric to make Betsy see the real danger she is in. I do however think that Eric took it a bit too far when he showed up at Betsy's job, demanded that she quit and when that didn't work, attempted to use his powers to force Betsy's boss to fire her. This scene is the only shining moment in the book for Betsy.
"My queen," he said, glaring down at me, "does not work."
"This one does," I said shortly. "And do you hear yourself? Jeez, I knew you were an ancient motherfucker, but even you must know women can have jobs now. And dammit! You made me say 'motherfucker' at work."
It's the only time where Betsy stands her ground and it actually makes sense. Yes, vampires are dying but Betsy should have the right to earn her own income as she sees fit and not be dependent upon Eric or Jessica for money.
Speaking of Jessica, it's clear that her main job is to support Betsy's lifestyle. When it turns out that Betsy's home is infested with termites, it's Jessica to the rescue with the purchase of a mansion. When Jessica is not pulling out her wallet, she is acting on Eric's behalf to bring Eric and Betsy together because she has determined despite Betsy's denials that Betsy has it bad for Eric. Jessica is so lucky that she even gets an invitation to Ant's party because of her wealth, which apparently overrules the colour of her skin. Jessica snarks about being offered chicken and watermelon to eat. Yes, it's racist but I still believe that Davidson adds these knock you over the head racist events because she really doesn't know how to write characters of colour. Racism is something that Davidson portrays casually. A good example of that is the exchange between Mr. Harris the cab driver and Detective Berry
Read More
In case you are wondering, Betsy doesn't get anymore likeable in Undead and Unemployed. Betsy remains extremely vapid, whiny and just plain sarcastic. I don't think I have disliked a character this much since Charlene Harris's Aurora Teagarden and believe me, that's saying something. At this point, I am just going to go ahead and give up on any kind of character development in this series. Yes, I know it's early but Betsy is simply beyond hope at this point, even if she claims to be a feminist.
Betsy's relationship with king and consort Eric, continues to be stormy at best. On the one hand, I can understand Eric's frustration with Betsy's intentionally obtuse attitude towards everything vampire. Betsy has access to the Book of the Dead which will inform her about her role in the life of vampires and what she can expect as their queen. It would make sense for Betsy to read it from cover to cover but of course, Betsy cannot be bothered but whines when she gains new information from Eric and Tina, which she could have learned on her own, had she bothered to read the damn book.
Eric is controlling and possessive in many ways. Normally that kind of behaviour in a male love interest is beyond irritating to me but I cannot see any other way for Eric to make Betsy see the real danger she is in. I do however think that Eric took it a bit too far when he showed up at Betsy's job, demanded that she quit and when that didn't work, attempted to use his powers to force Betsy's boss to fire her. This scene is the only shining moment in the book for Betsy.
"My queen," he said, glaring down at me, "does not work."
"This one does," I said shortly. "And do you hear yourself? Jeez, I knew you were an ancient motherfucker, but even you must know women can have jobs now. And dammit! You made me say 'motherfucker' at work."
It's the only time where Betsy stands her ground and it actually makes sense. Yes, vampires are dying but Betsy should have the right to earn her own income as she sees fit and not be dependent upon Eric or Jessica for money.
Speaking of Jessica, it's clear that her main job is to support Betsy's lifestyle. When it turns out that Betsy's home is infested with termites, it's Jessica to the rescue with the purchase of a mansion. When Jessica is not pulling out her wallet, she is acting on Eric's behalf to bring Eric and Betsy together because she has determined despite Betsy's denials that Betsy has it bad for Eric. Jessica is so lucky that she even gets an invitation to Ant's party because of her wealth, which apparently overrules the colour of her skin. Jessica snarks about being offered chicken and watermelon to eat. Yes, it's racist but I still believe that Davidson adds these knock you over the head racist events because she really doesn't know how to write characters of colour. Racism is something that Davidson portrays casually. A good example of that is the exchange between Mr. Harris the cab driver and Detective Berry
Read More
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,041 reviews