As always, Ciara’s first instinct is to cut her losses and quit. However when Ciara learns that the communications giant Skywave wants to buy WMMP, she is hell bent on finding a way to keep the station from being just another hit-playing clone. It seems that without the station—and the link it provides to their original Life Times—the vampire DJs would “fade” and become little more than mindless ghosts of the past. All of a sudden, the routine corporate takeover becomes a matter of life and un-death.
Ciara re-names the station “WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock ’n’ Roll” in order to boost ratings and save the lives of her new friends. She calls on her con artist background and, in the ultimate con, hides the DJs’ vampire nature in plain sight. She disguises the bloody truth as a marketing gimmick. Next to Ciara’s complicated affair with grunge vamp Shane McAllister, WVMP becomes the hottest thing around. Unfortunately, Ciara’s “gimmick” enrages a group of powerful vampires who are not so eager to be brought into the public spotlight. Will Ciara survive when the stakes are higher, and the dangers are graver, than any con game she has ever played? Can one woman convince a group of vampires to start living in the here and now in order to save not only their jobs but also their very lives?
WICKED GAME is a wickedly entertaining paranormal romance that you can really sink your teeth into. Jeri Smith-Ready has taken two of my favorite things, rock & roll and vampires, and combined them into a refreshing and engaging tale. Ciara is an unusual type of heroine. She is strong and resilient because of the manner in which she was raised. Her parents are con artists who taught her their games from a very young age. Yet, Ciara is a good person at heart. She is trying her best to redeem herself and live a straight life by not conning anyone. However, when her new friends need her assistance, she does not hesitate to come up with an efficient way to accomplish the goal. The hero of this story is Shane and he is a reluctant hero at the beginning. He became a vampire during the grunge period of rock in the 1990's. He is trapped in the 1990's mindset until Ciara enters his life and shows him that there are great things in the here and now.
Jeri Smith-Ready shows herself to be an author with tremendous talent. This is her first foray into the realm of vampires. I hope she plans to revisit this exciting world because I want to know more about these fascinating characters. Grab a copy of WICKED GAME today. It will rock your world!
