Wicked Game (WVMP Radio, #1)

May 25, 2012 Andrea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, re-read

I don't know if it's fair to call this a review. Mainly it's me gushing about this book, the author and how happy and nostalgic they made me feel. But first, let me make a shocking announcement.

Guys and Girls, I am about to utter words that I thought would never cross my lips. I can't even believe I'm going to say it. Are you ready? Really ready? Here goes...

I have found a vampire that I love even more than Bones.

So who is this intriguing vamp who has stolen my heart? Shane McAllister from th...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jun 23, 2011 Smash added it · review of another edition

Recommended to Smash by: Brooke

Shelves: urban-fantasy, wishlist, read-2011, book-reviews, read-own-hardcopy

Read this review at Smash Attack Reads! http://www.smashattackreads.com/2011/...

The thing that sold me on this book was the vampires. Yes, we’ve got a bazillion vampire books out there with all sorts of lore and history, but what other books can you name where the vampires remain mentally stuck in their era? (if there are other books, I’d like to know about them) These are some of the most original vampires I’ve come across, a far cry from Dracula and his kin. No, they can’t do daylight, but the...more

4 likes · like · see review

Aug 06, 2010 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-paranormal, vampires, dark-paranormal, romance-series, strong-heroine

Ciara Griffin is a former con artist turned radio station intern. Trying to mend her ways she takes a job at WVMP and dives into the secret world of vampires and Control, the agency who keeps the world safe.

These vampires really need to drink daily but can survive longer and they can use banked blood but prefer fresh donors. The big difference is that these vampires are locked in the specific time when they became the undead and their mind is stagnant. Supposedly they have an impossible time le...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 10, 2008 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: good-uns, urban-fantasy

I first discovered Jeri Smith-Ready through her highly unique urban fantasy Requiem for the Devil. A sort of sequel to Paradise Lost told from Lucifer's point of view, I thought it was beautiful, disturbing and, in the end, unexpectedly hopeful. When I heard she was writing an urban fantasy about vampire DJs and a female lead who is a con artist, I was eager to get my hands on it. It took forever for my local store to get it in, but when if finally did I snatched it up immediately. And it did...more I first discovered Jeri Smith-Ready through her highly unique urban fantasy Requiem for the Devil. A sort of sequel to Paradise Lost told from Lucifer's point of view, I thought it was beautiful, disturbing and, in the end, unexpectedly hopeful. When I heard she was writing an urban fantasy about vampire DJs and a female lead who is a con artist, I was eager to get my hands on it. It took forever for my local store to get it in, but when if finally did I snatched it up immediately. And it didn't disappoint in the least. In fact, it had me laughing out loud several times.

In this delightfully original world, vampires are surprisingly vulnerable creatures. Psychologically stuck in the decade they "died" in, they dress and talk the same as they did when they were alive, unable to make sense of the cold, hard fact that the world has moved on without them. As a form of dealing, they develop extremely specific obsessive compulsive coping mechanisms such as meticulously organizing CDs alphabetically, by genre, decade, etc. When confronted with the task of saving WVMP, the failing radio station this group of vampires work at, former con artist turned part-time marketing intern Ciara Griffin finds herself unexpectedly protective of this group of oddball vampires who will begin to mentally deteriorate and slowly fade away completely without their jobs to link them to the contemporary world outside.

Fortunately, Ciara is more than up to the task and her daring marketing campaign triggers a series of hilarious and life threatening events. Ciara is a complicated girl. In many ways, she is tough as nails. Her rough past gives her the tools to step up and protect the few people she cares about. At the same time, her unsavory upbringing haunts her every step. Each time she tries to make the right decision or accept the hand of someone reaching out to her, the temptation to take the easy way out and avoid entanglement or responsibility threatens to overwhelm her desire to do good. These qualities make her a very sympathetic, very unpredictable character who I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with. Fortunately, I'll get to spend more time with Ciara, Shane, and the whole crew, as Ms. Smith-Ready is at work on the sequel, Bad to the Bone, due out next May.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 17, 2008 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of urban fantasy and rock 'n roll!

Please note: I received an ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy) of this book, which is actually coming out May 13th!
Ciara Griffin grew up in a family of grifters, but is looking to go straight when she finds an internship at a radio station. To her surprise, WMMP's eclectic play list ranging from 1940s blues to 1990s grunge stems from the fact that the disc jockeys are all vampires, each stuck (sartorially as well as musically) in the decade they became undead. Since the station is at risk of being bou...more

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 14, 2009 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: paranormal fans

Recommended to Julie by: Cyber Book Club book of the month

Shelves: paranormal, fiction, 2009, from-library, cyber-botm

Man, these are hard to classify sometimes.

This is one of the better paranormal books I've read. It focuses solely on vampires - no werewolves, no witches, no gremlins etc. - and does a really great job of it. There is significantly less angst than in a lot of vampire-related stuff, and yet there is still romance (and sex), lots of humor, and an interesting, entertaining story. There were some REALLY amusing scenes, which I won't describe because I wouldn't want to ruin it for anyone.

I liked Jeri...more

4 likes · like · see review

Feb 25, 2009 Gail rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

These are a VERY different sort of vampire. They almost need protecting more than they need to be protected from...and that's a bad sentence, but hopefully you know what I mean. Vampires get stuck in the era in which they died, and the more the world changes, the harder it is for them. The heroine goes to work for a radio station with "era" shows that are DJed by vampires from that era. There's some action from some bad vampires, but overall, this isn't a terribly action heavy book. It's a nice...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 27, 2009 Colleen rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: vampire novel fans

Recommended to Colleen by: no one

If you haven't burned out on the many, many, many vampire novels out there right now, Wicked Game is a good one to pick up when you want some mental chewing gum. The main character has sufficient talents and flaws (and the requisite fun-but-mundane best friend) for the book to roll right along.

Don't let the cover fool you, though. There is barely enough blood and assorted vampiric attractions to qualify as a vampire novel, and enough girly-spite/hate-at-first-sight inspired hijinks to make you...more If you haven't burned out on the many, many, many vampire novels out there right now, Wicked Game is a good one to pick up when you want some mental chewing gum. The main character has sufficient talents and flaws (and the requisite fun-but-mundane best friend) for the book to roll right along.

Don't let the cover fool you, though. There is barely enough blood and assorted vampiric attractions to qualify as a vampire novel, and enough girly-spite/hate-at-first-sight inspired hijinks to make you check the binding again to make sure you didn't pick up the latest beach bag novel. It is currently a stand-alone book, so you are not committing to a series, either.

What I really enjoyed about Wicked Game, besides the situational comedy, was Smith-Ready's version of the vampire kind. In her urban fantasy (set in Maryland!), vampires are psychologically stuck in the era in which they "died" and suffer progressive dislocation (and eventually disintegration) as time moves along. The way in which the subject vampires in this book avoid dislocation is to work at a radio station as DJs for specific genres/eras of music. The second interesting thing about Smith-Ready's vampires is that, as they age, they develop obsessive-compulsive tendencies. For example, our hero - amusingly named "Shane"* - has a psychological requirement that things be in alphabetical order. One of the other vampires is stopped from rushing off to do something by our heroine throwing 57 pencils on the floor, which the vampire has to stop and pick up while counting them aloud.

The largest fallacy in the book is Smith-Ready's insistence at introducing a pivotal character at the start of the climactic set of scenes. Wait... who now? Why? There was no reason to include this character except that it allowed for convenient plot reversal at just the most convenient time. Oh, well, at least the main characters did not change overly much for that introduction.

The plot is not the strongest. The writing is not very constant in depth or style. And really, that's not the point of my purchase of the book. This was a fun read when I wanted one, and most of the punchlines were delivered straight up.

* So sorry, but there is only ONE character named Shane. Subject of the book by the same title, Shane will always win the gun battle when it matters most, and fight for the little guy until it is time to ride off into the sunset again.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 06, 2008 Jo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-and-science-fiction, vampire-wereanimal

WVMP Radio - The Lifeblood of Rock 'n Roll!

WVMP is the only radio station with real vampires, who know their musical era inside and out because they were born and raised in it.
Because they live it today.

Ciara Griffin is a con artist paying her way through college with her cons. Now however, she's trying to put that reputation behind her and start working a real job, and lands a job at a local radio station as a marketing intern. WMMP is floundering and Skywave, a giant communications company is...more

like · see review

Dec 02, 2012 Brad Middleton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampire-fiction

Ciara Griffin comes from a family of con artists, at the top of her game up until she decided to live straight and get a real job. Desperate for a summer internship so she can complete College, Ciara manages to land a position at local radio station WMMP. Broadcasting syndicated talk shows and paid programs during the day, it's only at night when the station truly "comes alive," when a group of eccentric DJs play music from the forties through to the nineties. Not only do they know their genres...more Ciara Griffin comes from a family of con artists, at the top of her game up until she decided to live straight and get a real job. Desperate for a summer internship so she can complete College, Ciara manages to land a position at local radio station WMMP. Broadcasting syndicated talk shows and paid programs during the day, it's only at night when the station truly "comes alive," when a group of eccentric DJs play music from the forties through to the nineties. Not only do they know their genres inside out, they seem to fully embrace the time in which the music was released, using lingo and dressing accordingly, as if they were scooped out of that time period into the present day.

Which is essentially the case. You see, every DJ is in fact a vampire, stuck forever within the cultural time period in which they were turned. Aside from following standard vampire conventions regarding sunlight, crosses, etc, these bloodsuckers also have great difficulty in dealing with the modern world. So WMMP is a perfect fit; they can be anchored in the present, while essentially remaining in the time period in which they are most comfortable. They keep to themselves and no one is the wiser. But that all changes with the arrival of Ciara. Discovering their secret and thinking it all a joke (and that they're perhaps a little crazy), she considers leaving, but soon questions her decision after becoming involved with grunge-era vampire DJ Shane McAllister.

After WMMP is threatened by a corporate takeover, Ciara rallies behind the vampires, and heads up a campaign to keep the station as-is. Deciding to bring them out into the open and fully into the present, she re-brands the station as "WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll," using the very real vampires as part of a marketing gimmick promoting fake "vampire" DJs -- her biggest con to date. But not everyone is impressed with the idea, including a local sect of ancient vampires, as well as The Control, an international organization responsible for managing the vampire population.

"Wicked Game" is overall a good read, with a solid mix of blood, violence, sex and Rock 'n' Roll. Vampires aren't the most evil beasts in this story; that role is played by the giant communications company looking to buy out the small, independent station. Certainly an odd scenario on which to base a vampire novel, but it is indeed timely, with hundreds of radio stations across the country being swallowed up and revamped to play the same generic corporate music with the same generic DJs.

But author Jeri Smith-Ready manages to make it all work. It's a "similar but different" take on vampires, and has a cast of interesting characters. Although it suffered from a few occasional lulls in the story, those interested in urban fantasy will most likely find this one to be a page-turner.

A sequel, "Bad to the Bone," was published in May 2009. (less)

like · see review

May 15, 2012 Petit-lips rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

- Ciara Griffin est une arnaqueuse depuis son plus jeune âge. Elle se sert de ce "don" pour financer ses études à la fac. Elle est embauchée pour l'été dans la station WMMP Radio. Rapidement elle découvre que les DJ nocturnes sont des vampires, coincés musicalement et mentalement dans leur époque. Lorsqu'une grosse chaîne de radio décide de racheter la boîte, Ciara a l'idée du siècle : rebaptiser la radio WVMP : le sang du rock, et révéler au monde que les DJ sont des vampires. Elle espère ainsi...more - Ciara Griffin est une arnaqueuse depuis son plus jeune âge. Elle se sert de ce "don" pour financer ses études à la fac. Elle est embauchée pour l'été dans la station WMMP Radio. Rapidement elle découvre que les DJ nocturnes sont des vampires, coincés musicalement et mentalement dans leur époque. Lorsqu'une grosse chaîne de radio décide de racheter la boîte, Ciara a l'idée du siècle : rebaptiser la radio WVMP : le sang du rock, et révéler au monde que les DJ sont des vampires. Elle espère ainsi faire le buzz et apporter de l'audimat. Cependant, ce coup de pub ne sera pas au goût de tout le monde, et toute l'équipe va se retrouver en danger...

- L'auteure a su ne pas tomber dans tous les clichés de base concernant les vampires et nous offre une toute nouvelle vision de nos amis à crocs. Les vampires sont liés à l'époque où ils ont été transformés. Ils ont besoin de vivre dans le passé, tout en restant connecté au présent, afin de ne pas devenir fous et risquer de se faire embarquer par le Contrôle (agence internationale qui les suit de près).

- J'ai adoré tous les personnages ! Ciara est une héroïne pas comme les autres. Son passé n'est pas ce que l'on a l'habitude de retrouver dans les livres de ce genre (ni dans d'autres genres d'ailleurs). Elle est drôle (hé oui, il y a aussi pas mal d'humour dans ce livre), intelligente et elle fera tout pour aider ses nouveaux amis.
J'ai complètement craqué pour Shane ! C'est un vampire bien plus humain qu'il ne le croit et tellement mimi ! Tous les autres vampires de la bande apportent quelque chose à l'histoire et à l'ambiance du roman. L'histoire de Monroe m'a fait pensé à un épisode de la série Supernatural :)
Les TOC de certains vampires m'ont bien fait rire (la pauvre Regina ^^).

- Pour conclure, ce livre est une vraie pépite ! J'ai adoré l'histoire, le style, les personnages, l'humour, les références au rock... tout quoi ! Le tome 2 est prévu pour le 22 juin, inutile de vous dire qu'il va rapidement rejoindre ma PAL, et qu'en plus je vais me faire un plaisir de le savourer pendant l'été !(less)

like · see review

Feb 26, 2012 Melisande rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bon, une fois de plus, Nyx Shadow est mise en cause, de la même manière que pour Queen Betsy 6, elle m’a quasi mis ce livre dans les mains pour que je le lise !!! Du coup je l’ai pris et dévoré dès le soir où je l’ai acquis, pour le terminer hier soir, donc en gros il m’a fait une journée (ceux qui me suivent sur Facebook savent déjà – du moins s’en doutent fortement – que j’ai énormément apprécié ce livre… Il faut dire que mes nombreux statuts qui parlaient de ce livre pour dire qu’il était gén...more Bon, une fois de plus, Nyx Shadow est mise en cause, de la même manière que pour Queen Betsy 6, elle m’a quasi mis ce livre dans les mains pour que je le lise !!! Du coup je l’ai pris et dévoré dès le soir où je l’ai acquis, pour le terminer hier soir, donc en gros il m’a fait une journée (ceux qui me suivent sur Facebook savent déjà – du moins s’en doutent fortement – que j’ai énormément apprécié ce livre… Il faut dire que mes nombreux statuts qui parlaient de ce livre pour dire qu’il était génial, ne passaient pas forcément inaperçus). Donc voilà, c’est dit, j’ai vraiment adoré ce livre et je remercie Nyx de me l’avoir conseillé parce qu’il en vaut vraiment la peine.

Ciara (à prononcer Kih-Rah) est une jeune femme, étudiante qui recherche un stage pour pouvoir valider son année (étrange, ça me rappelle des choses…) et elle va donc dans une maison de radio, car c’est vraiment sa passion (la musique). Elle sait que son CV est bien maigre et qu’elle a peu de chance d’être prise, mais elle espère que sa personnalité, etc. vont jouer en sa faveur. Lors de son entretien, tout se passe plutôt bien jusqu’à ce que David (le gars qui lui fait passer son entretien) lui donne une certaine documentation pour qu’elle comprenne où elle met les pieds. Elle va comprendre rapidement que les gens, les DJ qui travaillent à la station de radio sont en fait des vampires. Afin d’éviter qu’ils perdent leur santé mental : qu’ils fanent, ils s’ancrent dans leur passé grâce à la musique, c’est leur moyen de survie. Sauf que la station de radio est menacée par une grosse compagnie : Skywave qui veut la racheter et qui forcera les DJ à passer la musique qu’ils veulent et non ce que les DJ aiment et ce qu’ils connaissent (chaque DJ représentant une musique à une époque donnée). Ciara, chargée désormais du marketing va devoir trouver une solution pour sauvegarder la station de radio et ainsi protéger les vampires… et son idée est d’avouer à tout le monde que ce sont des vampires… mais quel sera le prix de cette révélation ?

L’histoire m’avait semblé intéressante et franchement, je ne m’attendais pas à aimer autant. J’ai vraiment été embarquée dedans avec une facilité déconcertante et je n’ai pas réussi à en décrocher. L’ayant commencé tard le soir, j’avais déjà lu presque 150 pages ! (bien que le livre en fasse plus de 460), et le lendemain, j’ai eu beaucoup de mal à le lâcher et les pages ont défilé sans que je ne m’en rende compte. Le verdict final étant que ce livre est une pure merveille et je le recommande chaudement.

L’intrigue, comme dans tous les livres, peut paraître simple, sans intérêt, ou facile. Sauf que petit à petit, l’auteur met des embuches sur le chemin de Ciara, rendant cette histoire vraiment captivante. Ciara qui ne les connait pas, veut les aider et tout faire pour sauvegarder cette station de radio telle qu’elle est pour qu’ils puissent continuer de vivre tranquillement. Malheureusement, si le chiffre d’auditeurs n’augmentent pas, la patronne va la vendre et Ciara trouve la solution : révéler à tout le monde que ce sont des vampires, tout en le faisant passer pour un mensonge. Mais évidemment, cette révélation ne va pas plaire à tout le monde et en dehors de souci d’audimat et de revente, d’autres problèmes vont s’ajouter compliquant la tâche de tout le monde. J’ai vraiment été étonnée de la tournure des évènements un moment, je ne m’y attendais absolument pas. Et c’est en ça que c’est super parce que l’auteur arrive à nous surprendre et à relancer son intrigue. Même les moments plus lents, sont d’une importance capitale pour l’histoire et ce sont souvent les détails qui font toute la différence… La fin n’en est que plus délectable.

L’univers de l’auteur est vraiment super et j’ai été tout de suite conquise. D’abord le principe des vampires qui se fanent parce qu’ils perdent la réalité des choses est vraiment novateur (j’ai rarement lu ça dans les livres de vampires / dans l’urban fantasy), donc j’ai trouvé ça vraiment pas mal. Et le fait que ça se passe dans une station de radio est très sympa, du coup on découvre plein de musiques rock de différentes années (en plus chaque titre de chapitre est un titre de chanson, de différents groupes… en lisant le 2e chapitre j’ai bien rigolé, tout le monde connait cette chanson ! si vous regardez les experts Las Vegas évidement sinon ça tombe à l’eau…). Bon, apparemment cette histoire de radio n’est pas novateur, Kitty Norville c’est le même principe, mais n’ayant pas lu ce livre, j’ai trouvé ça vraiment intéressant et nouveau. ça change des chasseurs de vampires habituels etc. Alors oui, on a encore une nouvelle histoire de vampires et beaucoup s’en lassent mais celle-là… elle est vraiment très bonne et change vraiment des livres qu’on peut avoir l’habitude de lire, ça en vaut vraiment la peine.

Quant aux personnages, c’est un vrai bonheur. On en a très peu finalement, du moins on voit toujours les mêmes et ça va, on s’y retrouve bien. Tout tourne autour de la station de radio donc ceux qu’on voit le plus ce sont les deux dirigeants de la radio Franck et David, et les DJ, qui sont composés de 4 gars et 1 fille. Et les DJ vampires sont tous différents les uns des autres et on s’y attache énormément, même s’il y en a un qui ressort du lot : Shane. Quand la présentation a été faite, j’ai tout de suite su que ce serait LE gars. Et franchement, je l’adore. Il est mystérieux, très intéressant… Mais je n’en dirais pas plus sur son compte, je vous laisse le découvrir… (*rires sadiques*).

Quant à Ciara (c’est quand même notre héroïne) c’est une escroc depuis sa plus tendre enfance, donc elle sait berner les gens, elle sait ce qu’il faut dire ou faire pour que les gens aient confiance en elle. C’est un personnage un peu double, on la voit sincère, qu’elle se démène pour eux, mais de l’autre, une part d’elle ne peut s’empêcher de trouver un moyen d’escroquer les gens et ne pas être « quelqu’un de bien ». elle est assez mystérieuse parce que même si on sait quelques petites choses sur son compte, elle ne nous dit pas tout. Généralement, on le sait par d’autres intermédiaires qui remarquent des choses ou qui ont appris son passé et du coup nous le révèle en même temps qu’à elle. Elle est très secrète mais ça permet de se protéger d’une certaine manière. Je me suis vraiment attachée à elle et n’ait eu aucun mal à me mettre dans sa peau (comme beaucoup de livres du genre c’est écrit à la 1ere personne). L’écriture fait que l’on rentre avec facilité dans son histoire. La narration avec Ciara est vraiment excellente et je me suis beaucoup attachée à elle (j’espère que ce sera également le cas pour vous).

Voilà, en bref, c’était une excellente découverte, je ne me suis pas du tout ennuyée. L’univers est intéressant, les personnages également, ils sont très attachants et on a toujours envie d’en savoir plus sur leur compte et ce qui va leur arriver par la suite. L’intrigue est vraiment bonne et l’auteur sait donner envie à son lecteur donc… et puis la musique… Vive le rock !
(less)

like · see review

Dec 27, 2011 Madame X rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-urban-fantasy, vampires, romance-spans-multiple-books

It’s been a while since I read a straight vampire UF, and it was a nice palate cleanser – no bizarre ecosystem of wacky creatures, just a bunch of hungry bloodsuckers running a radio station.

The usual supernatural perks, like otherworldly allure and superstrength, are balanced out with a matching set of vulnerabilities. Sunlight, of course, but also a fundamental resistance to growth and change. These vampires are “stuck” in their Life Time – or death time, more like it, the world before they w...more It’s been a while since I read a straight vampire UF, and it was a nice palate cleanser – no bizarre ecosystem of wacky creatures, just a bunch of hungry bloodsuckers running a radio station.

The usual supernatural perks, like otherworldly allure and superstrength, are balanced out with a matching set of vulnerabilities. Sunlight, of course, but also a fundamental resistance to growth and change. These vampires are “stuck” in their Life Time – or death time, more like it, the world before they were turned – and have a hard time adapting to the ever-evolving present. Most vampires develop OCD compensatory techniques to slow their inevitable Fade towards death.

They’re also nicely vampirey vampires. They drink blood from living donors. The bites have a sexual charge but they’re more painful than sexy. Blood and prey-like behavior makes even the cuddliest vampires in this book behave unpredictably. I think part of the reason why vampires have lost their cachet is because so many authors neuter them, reducing their bite to an element of foreplay. Not Jeri Smith-Ready; I would not take a job working in the same building as these bloodsuckers, they’re scary despite their vulnerability.

The story is about our heroine, con-girl Ciara, getting a job as a marketing intern at WVMP and coming up with a campaign to save the station. Unfortunately the owner, who promises not to sell out if revenue increases, isn’t acting in good faith while local ancient Gideon objects to the marketing scheme that Ciara comes up with.

Ciara and the WVMP DJs often find themselves helpless, at a loss, forced to take unacceptable risks…all signs of good plotting, I know, but I often wanted to put the book down and stop reading so as not to find out what depressing thing would happen next. There was a looming inevitability about certain (unfortunate) events that made the book feel like a downer.

WICKED GAME is much better than the average UF. Better writing, excellent characterizations, a neat alternate reality, and I liked the heroine a lot. It’s a little short on escapism, but well worth a try.
(less)

like · see review

Sep 13, 2011 Brie rated it 4 of 5 stars

There is a lot of competition in the Urban Fantasy market, and in order to stand out from the crowd, a book has to have a fresh perspective - this is something that Wicked Game brings to the table. The vampires in this story have many of the normal rules, like death by sunlight, fire and stake through the heart, but they also have their quirks, like the OCD that they all suffer some form of. Which is displayed the best in a scene where Ciara slows down vampire DJ, Regina's attack by throwing a b...more There is a lot of competition in the Urban Fantasy market, and in order to stand out from the crowd, a book has to have a fresh perspective - this is something that Wicked Game brings to the table. The vampires in this story have many of the normal rules, like death by sunlight, fire and stake through the heart, but they also have their quirks, like the OCD that they all suffer some form of. Which is displayed the best in a scene where Ciara slows down vampire DJ, Regina's attack by throwing a box of pencils on the floor, thwarting Regina by causing her to stop, count, and pick up each and every pencil before she can return to her regularly scheduled attack.

The idea of Life Time, that all vampires must remain rooted to their era or they fade, makes for an interesting twist on common vampire lore. It also gives more story to work with, shown in Ciara's attempts to help hottie vampire, Shane, see that he can move past his era and learn about the new generation he is living in. Speaking of Shane, there is a budding romance in the book between Ciara and Shane. I did like the slow build of their relationship, though there were times when I wished that Ciara would get it together and stop being so jittery about Shane. He had shown her that he was worthy of her trust, but there were times where she threw all his effort back in his face. If I had a major gripe, that would be it.

Told in Cira's first person present perspective, Wicked Game is a witty, humorous, and and fast paced story. Getting to know the characters through Ciara's eyes and her interactions with them was easy as they are all well rounded and have unique personalities. This book is definitely a different take on vampire paranormal, but a refreshing one. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a well written Urban Fantasy with a strong, street wise, female protagonist who has just the right amount of self-deprecating humor to endear her to the reader. Wicked Game is a really good start to what I hope will be a great series.(less)

like · see review

Apr 06, 2011 Tracy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Not Convinced of the Wicked...but the Game is Fun
Ciara Griffin is a con artist trying to go straight. Toting around baggage from a childhood that was anything but "traditional", she stumbles upon a job that may just be made for her - advertising for WMMP radio. Only problem is, the radio personalities are all vampires, and when Ciara finally wraps her mind around that - courtesy of the sexy yet obsessive compulsive Shane McAllister and his wicked fangs, Ciara embraces the night. WMMP becomes WVM...more Not Convinced of the Wicked...but the Game is Fun
Ciara Griffin is a con artist trying to go straight. Toting around baggage from a childhood that was anything but "traditional", she stumbles upon a job that may just be made for her - advertising for WMMP radio. Only problem is, the radio personalities are all vampires, and when Ciara finally wraps her mind around that - courtesy of the sexy yet obsessive compulsive Shane McAllister and his wicked fangs, Ciara embraces the night. WMMP becomes WVMP, The Lifeblood of Rock & Roll, and Ciara becomes an advertising phenomena. Who knew going "straight"...more or less...could be so much fun?

Wicked Game is the first urban fantasy I've read in a while featuring a perfectly ordinary...more or less...human female protagonist who doesn't have any interest in special powers or becoming something she's not. And that's refreshing. Unfortunately, the concept was refreshing, but Ciara herself didn't do much for me as a lead character. I don't even know why, really, as there wasn't anything particularly objectionable about her character, but I couldn't seem to warm up to her and I didn't find her very sympathetic as a heroine.

The secondary and ancillary characters were varied and interesting, the vamps in particular were unique and full of personality, and the plot was unique and felt fresh. It's just not quite to my reading preference, though, as my tastes for urban fantasy trend towards either high level of external conflict, strife, and a fair amount of butt-kicking, or a comedic romp with fae, fur, fangs, and/or claws. This book wasn't either of those for me.

I also wasn't totally enamored with the vampire mythology presented here. Vampires are stuck in the era that they were turned, and as a result, the lose touch with the modern world quickly, fading mentally and losing themselves rather quickly. That isn't exactly any sort of motivation to want to become vampire, nor change anyone once you're a vampire yourself, yet there seems to be a number of humans who want to become one. That didn't really work for me, nor did it make sense. In fact, it makes "eternal life" seem rather like hell - and remarkably short lived.

The irony is that while I wasn't a huge fan of that aspect of the world building, I can't argue that it was also one of the more original vampire mythologies I've seen created for a series, so I ended up appreciating it from that standpoint. And that's sort of where my feelings fell for almost all aspects of the book. It wasn't exactly to my taste, I wasn't fond of it for my own reading pleasure, but I appreciated it for the well written, original, unique series debut it is.

Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be continuing with WVMP. There's lots of promise there, and I can thoroughly understand it's appeal to a wide audience, but for me, there are just too many elemental issues that weren't to my liking.

~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another. (less)

like · see review

Jan 11, 2011 Ithlilian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I was hesitant to read this because I didn't think I would enjoy the radio station aspect, but that turned out to be one of the best parts of the book. I liked the author's twist on vampires, but it made be a bit sad because I wouldn't want to be a vampire in the world of Wicked Game. Vampires have some sort of mental disorder where they can only function in their time period. For example, a vampire created in the 60s would not know what a cell phone or a computer is, and would freak out if they...more

like · see review

Sep 21, 2010 Kt from A Book Obsession.. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Meet Ciara Griffin, pronounced Keer-ah, a smart, witty, interesting con-artist. Yep, that's right, con-artist. She chose the last name Griffin as a play on the title, grifter, someone who swindles people out of money. The book starts with her in an interview for a summer intern position at a radio station. She gets the job, but quickly realizes things are not as they seem. The DJs are vampires and are at risk at losing the station, which is the only thing holding them onto sanity. As the Marketi...more Meet Ciara Griffin, pronounced Keer-ah, a smart, witty, interesting con-artist. Yep, that's right, con-artist. She chose the last name Griffin as a play on the title, grifter, someone who swindles people out of money. The book starts with her in an interview for a summer intern position at a radio station. She gets the job, but quickly realizes things are not as they seem. The DJs are vampires and are at risk at losing the station, which is the only thing holding them onto sanity. As the Marketing Intern, she devises a plan to bring the studio lots of money to convince the owner not to sell, all the while struggling to keep her con-artist instinct in check.

This books take on vampires is really unique. A vampire in this world is completely stuck in the time that they died, unable to move forward. The Djs each represent a different decade in music and make for a crazy motley crew. Another uniqueness these vampires have from other books is that each one develops a form of OCD. These compulsions made for some very funny moments in the books. I find it really interesting that while these vampires are technically immortal, most only last 30-40 years before losing their mind or just going "vacant." They rarely live past 80 years "undead." So, while they do not age, they really aren't immortal at all.

I loved Ciara's character. She is very flawed, but this book seems to be her turn around point. For the first time in her life she seems to want to play it straight and earn her way. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Ciara and Shane. The progression was very realistic. There was just the right amount of tension and hesitation to keep it from feeling rushed, but it also didn't drag out either.

I really liked this book. It definitely wasn't a typical vampire book and I loved the unique take. This definitely seems like a very promising series that will not disappoint. I cannot wait to see if Ciara's continued influence can keep "her" vampires from going vacant. Maybe, just maybe she will be able to help them adapt as the world changes, only time will tell.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Sep 06, 2010 Lori Whitwam rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, romance, vampire

A happy surprise. So many paranormal/urban fantasy are so similar that it's hard to tell one series from another. But... Ciara's new vampire buds are unique. In this world, vampires are "locked" into the time in which they died. Handy here, since they are all DJs, specializing in the music of their decade. They can't really assimilate new information into their worldview, such as the 60s character can see and theoretically understand the use of computers, but can't incorporate it into his life....more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 14, 2010 All Things Urban Fantasy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-by-abigail

Review courtesy of AllThingsUrbanFantasy.blogspot.com

I let WICKED GAME sit on my shelf for ages because I thought the whole paranormal radio station market had been thoroughly corned by Carrie Vaughn's werewolf DJ Kitty Norville series. I couldn't see vampire DJs as opposed to werewolf DJs making that much of a difference, but after reading (and loving) Jeri’s YA debut Shade, I was willing to see what her adult series could do. The reality is that these two paranormal radio series couldn't be mo...more Review courtesy of AllThingsUrbanFantasy.blogspot.com

I let WICKED GAME sit on my shelf for ages because I thought the whole paranormal radio station market had been thoroughly corned by Carrie Vaughn's werewolf DJ Kitty Norville series. I couldn't see vampire DJs as opposed to werewolf DJs making that much of a difference, but after reading (and loving) Jeri’s YA debut Shade, I was willing to see what her adult series could do. The reality is that these two paranormal radio series couldn't be more dissimilar...except for the whole being good thing.

Smith-Ready's conception of vampires is bloody fantastic. And it suits her plot premise perfectly. Vampires, at the time of their turning, get stuck in that time period forever. Anything that happens after their turning (new slang, technology, and of course music) confuses and disorients them. They also develop obsessive compulsive disorders as coping mechanisms. Most vampires begin to go insane and fade the older they get as the world advances around them, but working at WVMP provides the vampires in WICKED GAME a vital connection to their time.

As you can imagine, romance with vampires like this has its challenges. When Ciara meets Shane for the first time, it’s not instant magic. Shane, like all of the vamps in this book, is slightly off. Made in the 90’s, he’s stuck in the grunge era. He has a soulful boyish quality to him that I found extremely endearing, but he is bound by his nature and can’t always control himself.

The character Ciara, though human, isn’t exactly a picnic herself. She is an interesting mix of regret and recklessness. She had a troubled childhood that left her seriously flighty and provided her with a unique skill set that she both fears and revels in. I liked her ingenuity and at times poor judgment. I also appreciated her gleeful revenge mentality.

WICKED GAME promises right on its cover to deliver sex, blood, and rock ‘n' roll. And it pretty much delivers on all three points. I’m not completely blown away by this book, but I see a lot of promise in the series overall. If your looking for a less glamorous, but still provocative portrayal of vampires, WICKED GAME is the book for you. The sequel, Bad to the Bone, is supposed to be a significant step up, and I can only hope the third book, Bring on the Night, is even better. Stay tuned for my reviews.

Sexual Content: References to sex. A few scenes of semi graphic sensuality. A semi graphic sex scene. An oral sex scene.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jul 25, 2009 marlene rated it 5 of 5 stars

My first love in life is music. I went to more concerts before i knew how to talk than most people do in a life time. now there are some artists i can say i saw over 150 times and there is not even a 3 as the first number in my age yet. i also happen to be terminally stuck in the 90's.

basically that made this book perfect for me. vampire DJ's who are stuck in their time era who know everything about their music? who live for their music. bloody brilliant! add a hot 90's vamp who plays guitar an...more

like · see review

May 07, 2009 Brooke rated it 5 of 5 stars

I started reading Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready around 9:30pm. I then proceeded to read it non-stop till 5:45am. I can only say thank you, thank you, thank you to Jeri herself for picking my name for the ARC contest on her website. Not only does she know her music inside and out, but she took everyday vampires and made them into something more interesting and original than a lot of others out there. Vampires always stay the same physical age, and are usually beautiful beings. Which is the cas...more

like · see review

May 08, 2013 Yna Fempia Paez rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: booksale

Reading this book was a bad idea.... Because how am I supposed to go on with my life now if I can't read the 3 succeeding books? My copy was a bargain book, with the author's autograph inside. Yes! But now I'm expecting the difficulty I will have in trying to find the other books unless I buy them online, which I don't do.

What attracted me the most about this book is mainly because the story is unheard of. Vampires as DJs in a radio station? Now that's a pretty cool idea. It got me curious, whic...more

like · see review

Mar 07, 2012 Christine Manzari rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was one of those cases of "Don't judge a book by it's cover." I bought this series because I loved Jeri's Shade and Shine books and wanted to read more of what she had written. I bought this back in October 2011 and finally read it....and liked it. The reason I waited so long? I hated the cover. The girl on the front didn't look like the 24 year old she was supposed to be, she looked 40 (yes, I'm nearing that, but I don't want to read about a 40 year old). And, her hand looked big and manly...more

like · see review

Dec 21, 2009 Blodeuedd Finland rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I am feeling very uninspired to write a review right now, so I doubt I will have much to say but I will give it a go.

Ok so Ciara is pretty tough and can take care of herself, she con people and take their money to pay for tuition and she didn't exactly have a normal childhood. She is studying at college and she needs a job for it, an internship at this radio station could be something. Oh yes a radio station where the djs are vampires, I do like that idea and how that have stayed in their own ti...more I am feeling very uninspired to write a review right now, so I doubt I will have much to say but I will give it a go.

Ok so Ciara is pretty tough and can take care of herself, she con people and take their money to pay for tuition and she didn't exactly have a normal childhood. She is studying at college and she needs a job for it, an internship at this radio station could be something. Oh yes a radio station where the djs are vampires, I do like that idea and how that have stayed in their own time period and that they do not live forever. They just loose touch with reality. I also like that they have OCD in order to keep focus on things. This is an interesting takes on vampires and I appreciate the freshness of it.

Then there is Shane, the grunge vampire who falls for her. Sad thing here is that I see no future what so ever for them. He will be stuck in his time and perhaps make it a bit longer thanks to her, but still. Though there is hope so perhaps she will get that HEA. Or perhaps she will date a nice normal human, there is one. But I like Shane, he has no excuses.

There is a bit of romance, there is a bit of danger since there are those big bad vampires out there that do not appreciate this gimmick.

It is an easy flowing book, it feels nice to read it. Strange really since I would place it at ok, but I still read it really fast. So it is good (even if just ok for me) but I know that others would enjoy this book, and yes I would like to read the next book too. It is one of those strange ok books that I still wanna read more off. And I love a book that I can just read easily without thinking, a book that reads itself. It keeps me focused, something always happens.

I also like that each chapter is the name of a song.

Yup that was my not so inspiring review, but nice book, that is all I say.

Blodeuedd's Cover Corner. Not liking it, mostly cos I can't see her eyes.
Reason for Reading: My own book
Final thoughts: Never anything wrong with some UF, and if book 2 would come my way I would happily read it.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 16, 2009 Katy Rustemeyer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great book. I am a HUGE music fan when I say music I mean classic rock. I like current music but I LOVE classic rock. The idea of an Urban Fantasy book with rock n roll is just amazing. I instantly fell in love with Ciara, she is so clever and funny. I love the idea of her being powerful and a con, but yet vulnerable. Shane is just the ideal grunge boy in my eyes, and I am a sucker for 90's grunge boys..uh Jared Leto. The story is cute, but still adult. I just found this book to be smart, and th...more

like · see review

Jul 12, 2011 Freja rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book. It stands out from the crowd of urban fantasy novels and shakes off many of the cliches of the vampire genre. Here's what it doesn't do (unlike MANY other books of it's kind):

1. It DOES NOT have a heroine who's only abilities seem to be her smart-ass attitude, her attractiveness to every man in the universe and her ability to sacrifice herself in some stupid move meant to save others at her own expense. Instead, Ciara is actually intelligent. She figures things out at the exac...more I loved this book. It stands out from the crowd of urban fantasy novels and shakes off many of the cliches of the vampire genre. Here's what it doesn't do (unlike MANY other books of it's kind):

1. It DOES NOT have a heroine who's only abilities seem to be her smart-ass attitude, her attractiveness to every man in the universe and her ability to sacrifice herself in some stupid move meant to save others at her own expense. Instead, Ciara is actually intelligent. She figures things out at the exact moment that the reader does, not before (when it is unbelievable that the character would figure it out given the clues) or after (when I'm yelling at the character for not seeing the obvious). She is a multi-layered character, not too good, not too bad, and has a history that informs the decisions that she makes. In short, I liked her.

2. The main love interest in the book, Shane, is NOT your typical alpha male vampire character. He is not a distant, arrogant prick until the main character just gets to know his 'true' self at which time he can be nicer, but only to her. He is not all big an muscly and without vulnerabilities. He reads like a real person, complete with flaws (even though he is still a hot, guitar playing vampire). To me, this makes him much more likeable than your average heartthrob character.

3. The vampires are NOT your cookie cutter vamps. They are cursed by their undead state, and not just because they can't go in the sun and must drink blood. Without giving away spoilers, I'll say that these vampires are not only made strong when turned, they are also made vulnerable.

Perhaps my favourite thing about this book is that the main character is a skeptic. She doesn't take anything on faith (seeing it as I do, as a reason you give to believe something when you have no other good reason). She requires a great deal of evidence before she believes any of the supernatural claims in the book. Now of course in the urban fantasy universe the skeptic almost always turns out to be wrong (unlike our universe), but even so she still takes the proper stance in that she will believe a thing the moment the evidence is presented, and not a second before. Her friend, by contrast, has been searching for ghosts for years, without any signs that they exist. I was thrilled that the author never paid off the friend's blind belief in ghosts by making them exist in her world. The friend has faith, Ciara does not. She is such a good skeptic, and atheist (due to being raised by con-artist faith healers) that she gains powers over holy-items - her blood can heal vampire's holy water burns. I have to admit that being a skeptic in a world full of believers (in God, aliens, ghosts, psychics, afterlifes, souls, the lock ness monster, bigfoot etc), I was thrilled to find someone like me in a fantasy book. I like to imagine that this stuff exists, I don't actually believe that it does. Ciara is my kind of girl!(less)

like · see review

Jun 10, 2011 Ami rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy-paranormal-futuristic

3.5 stars
I do enjoy the world that Ms. Smith-Ready creates. Vampires as music DJs?? Come on, that is just brilliant *lol*. I wholeheartedly enjoy the music trivia, the songs played ... and the praise over Green Day's "American Idiot" *lol*. I also love the idea of vampires being pyschologically "stuck" in their time of death AND developing OCDs. Seriously, it's funny when a vampire has an itch to catalogue CDs alphabetically OR (in a midst of confrontration) is forced to count pencils that are b...more

like · see review

Apr 29, 2009 Lunasea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampires, parnormal-romance

This is a solid 5 stars. Not quite 6 stars, but those are for the extra amazing books. I do recommend this book.

I heard about it via various blogs and finally decided I needed to read it. I can't get Hubby to read any UF/PR (from now on, I'm just going to call it paranormal fantasy. Soon it will be its own genre, rather than a sub-genre) and he's into music, so I figured the radio/music angle of the book would interest him. He still hasn't read it.

One thing I liked was Ciara has no supernatural...more

like · see review

May 11, 2013 D.B. rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read a LOT in this genre - urban fantasy/romance is like crack for me. This one was an accidental find that blew me away with its originality, powerful themes, and middle finger to all of those over-used conventions that riddle the vampire fiction-verse (e.g. uber-alpha/high-handed heroes and damsel-in-distress heroines).

The vamps of WVMP are scary creatures of the night, as vamps should be, but with some unusual quirks. They become trapped in their era at the time of turning and have trouble...more

like · see review

Apr 06, 2009 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, vamps-wolves, fantasy, urban-fantasy

Ciara is an artist. A con artist that is. It's in her blood even - she started 'helping' her not-so-honest parents run cons while practically in diapers. Little Ciara is all grown up now and is trying to put herself through school and is trying to stay straight. That is until she's offered an internship as a marketing intern at a struggling radio station who's DJs are vampires. Not your average vampires even -- these guys 'live' in the time period they 'died' and each specialize in the music fro...more

like · see review

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Ultimate ABC ...: Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready	1	2	Mar 14, 2012 05:25am
Jeri Smith-Ready ...: WVMP Vampire Series Discussion	3	6	Oct 04, 2011 08:53am

title link	preview: Wicked Game
avg rating	preview: Wicked Game Goodreads rating: 3.74 (2095 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2669405-wicked-game?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347613921l/2669405.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2669405-wicked-game?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready[/url]

Wicked Game (WVMP Radio #1)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (8)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Jeri Smith-Ready

Books by Jeri Smith-Ready

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Wicked Games

Quotes from Wicked Game