Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between (Rhiannon's Law #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

May 26, 2011 Samina The Story Devourer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

4.5.
Loved it.Can't wait for The Reinfeild Syndrome.I want more Disco.num num num. ...more

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Sep 22, 2010 Chelsea rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: vampires, uf-pnr

This review was originally posted at Vampire Book Club.

Rhiannon can see dead people. It kind of blows. Mostly, she tries to ignore it. Instead she focuses on her gig as a bartender at a gentleman’s club, where she often ends up playing the role of backup bouncer. She’s tough and mouthy, but the local vampires just don’t want to leave her alone. Whatever magic allows her to see the recently departed also lets her identify the half-undead. Rhiannon would rather not deal with the vampire Disco, but This review was originally posted at Vampire Book Club.

Rhiannon can see dead people. It kind of blows. Mostly, she tries to ignore it. Instead she focuses on her gig as a bartender at a gentleman’s club, where she often ends up playing the role of backup bouncer. She’s tough and mouthy, but the local vampires just don’t want to leave her alone. Whatever magic allows her to see the recently departed also lets her identify the half-undead. Rhiannon would rather not deal with the vampire Disco, but as it’s best not to get on the bad side of a vampire she agrees to hear him out when he shows up at her bar.

Local vampires are disappearing, and Disco wants Rhiannon’s help to find out why. With the help of another necromancer, Rhiannon is to find the ghosts of the dead vampires and get answers as to who is killing them. It quickly becomes apparent Rhiannon doesn’t realize just how much power she has, and the tale becomes part self-discovery and part murder mystery. Add that Disco is utterly handsome and willing to do whatever it takes to protect his family and Rhiannon, and you’ll find yourself wondering more about when Rhiannon and Disco will hook up than who’s taking out his fellow vamps.

I loved J.A. Saare’s Crimson Moon. While I know she’s got the second Crimson book in the works, I needed more and decided to give her Rhiannon’s Law series a shot. Several of my favorite bloggers have nudged me on this one saying one can’t help but fall for the leading man Disco. In a quick, two-day read I can tell you: Don’t read it for Disco, read Dead, Undead or Somewhere in Between for Rhiannon.

Don’t get me wrong: Disco is easy to like, if not a little too perfect. But Rhiannon had depth, and Saare made me work to get to know her. She felt real. She’s an ass-kicker who uses her brash, take-no-prisoners front to seal away her past trauma. She’s funny. She’s strong. She’s tortured. Basically, if she were a guy, I’d swoon. As much as I like Disco, I only like him in relation to Rhiannon. Their interactions — especially their banter and his reactions to her foul-mouthed ways — are highlights to be sure.

Those who love a strong heroine and pretty vampire boys in an urban fantasy setting will get a kick out of Dead, Undead or Somewhere in Between. After beginning the series — and enduring the what?! ending — I’m curious to see where Rhiannon’s story goes. I’ll be on the lookout for the second novel The Renfield Syndrome. However, I’m still going to say Crimson Moon has more universal appeal.

Sexual content: Sex, references to sex and allusions to rape. (Though, looking back, it felt much lighter than all that….) ...more

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Aug 31, 2010 Kerstin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: on-my-kindle, read-in-2012, urban-fantasy

Rhiannon is a snarky young woman, who can see the dead. She hasn't delved deep into her ability, but when Disco, a local vampire,comes to her for help in order to solve the gruesome murder of a bunch of fellow vampires, Rhiannon has to learn fast.

This was a fast and exciting read and a good start to a series. The story took a little while to really take off for me, and I thought the first quarter of the book was very slow, but once I got into it, I couldn't put the book down.
I really liked Rhia ...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Karyogini rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-on-2011

OMG! This is my first book by JA Saare. Ok it's not a cliffhanger in the sense the book does end... BUT! WTF she give you a whammy in the end! So that last Chapter is a cliffhanger. :( I sure hope the second book doesn't have a cliffhanger too because I need to read it soon! I don't I will be able to sleep just thinking about how F'ed Riha is.

Ok... I think I got a bit emotional there. DAMN! I like Paine here... I wonder... ...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Arushi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

This book is strange. It starts off, and you like it, then you wonder if you like it, but you cannot put it down, and then when it is finished, the first thing you do is look for the sequel.

Rhiannon's law is not what I expected, it's gritty, brutal, and its good. The plot, the world and the characters are all excellently done. They are all very very real and that makes it totally worth the read.

But yes, I hated the name 'Disco'. I hate that word in general and a vampire with such a name simply ...more

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