Succubus Blues
Richelle Mead
Reviewed by Samantha Hunter
I like books that surprise me – good surprises, of course – and the new series of paranormal mystery/romance from Richelle Mead succeeded in not just surprising me with her book, SUCCUBUS BLUES, but she hooked me in good and proper and has me completely addicted.
Surprise #1: SUCCUBUS BLUES protagonist Georgina Kincaid is not another cookie-cutter paranormal, hard-ass heroine who sucks out souls and likes it.
Actually, she’s a succubus who once was a young Egyptian woman who betrayed her husband, and was punished by being relegated to living as a succubus. It’s not all bad – she can shift form to look or dress however she likes, and she’s immortal (though one of the “lesser” immortals, in the world of the books). But she feels guilt and conflict about her existence, likes her work at the bookstore, and tries to live a normal life as best she can. She’s also a hoot – the humor in the book is smooth and clever, and laugh out loud funny at points. We also have poignant, emotional moments, and Mead handles the relationships in the book with a deft hand, including the romance, the sex, and the friendships, which are all layered and interesting. Georgina is a heroine we can like, sympathize and laugh with.
Surprise #2: SUCCUBUS BLUES has some hot sex scenes, but not as many as you’d think – however, it does have plenty of sexual tension.
Georgina works at a bookstore, and tries to get through her succubus lifestyle doing the least damage possible to the human soul. She falls in love with best-selling author Seth Mortensen, the laid-back, absent-minded hottie that she can’t resist and that she can’t have. When Georgina so much as kisses a mortal man, he loses life energy, and years off his existence, so Seth is strictly off limits.
Surprise #3: SUCCUBUS BLUES has an honest to goodness mystery plot, with a satisfying whodunit ending that makes sense.
Writing a decent mystery plot is not an easy task, and Mead does it with flash and fun – I have to admit, I did figure it out, at least in part, by mid-book, but I wasn’t 100% sure, and I didn’t have the whole picture, which is what makes mysteries fun.
Not a surprise: I immediately bought the next book in the series, SUCCUBUS ON TOP, and enjoyed it just as much (read review).
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About the Reviewer:
Samantha Hunter lives in Syracuse, New York with her handsome devil of a husband and their numerous pets. She's been writing for Harlequin Blaze since 2004, when she sold her first book, VIRTUALLY PERFECT, and in 2008 will see her tenth book arrive on the shelf. Her 2007 novel, UNTOUCHED, is a finalist for the prestigious 2008 RITA awards.
Sam participates in and manages the blog Love Is An Exploding Cigar (www.loveisanexplodingcigar.com) and is an avid reader, quilter, animal lover, and television addict.
She invites you to visit her online at www.samanthahunter.com
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