Monday, March 23, 2009

REVIEW: "Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand"

Thanks again to LibraryThing Early Reviewer's Program. And thanks to Hachette Group for giving this book to LT to begin with. :)

Title: Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand

Author: Carrie Vaughn

Series: The Kitty Norville Series, Book 5

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (Hachette Book Group)

Pages: 320

Summary (B&N):

Already the alpha pair of Denver's werewolf pack, Kitty and Ben now plan to tie the knot human-style by eloping to Vegas. Kitty is looking forward to sipping fru-fru drinks by the pool and doing her popular radio show on live TV, but her hotel is stocked with werewolf-hating bounty hunters. Elsewhere on the Strip an old-school magician might be wielding the real thing; the vampire community is harboring a dark secret; and the irresistible star of a suspicious animal act is determined to seduce Kitty. Sin City has never been so wild, and this werewolf has never had to fight harder to save not only her wedding, but her very life.

My Thoughts: Although I haven't yet read the first four books in this series, I'm pretty sure that Carrie Vaughn's work has managed to catch my attention-- in a good way, of course. A light, quick read, Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand is a great option for anyone who likes a bit of adventure and humor in their romance novels. And even though it's technically a paranormal, the para-theme isn't too strong, and I'm sure that even those readers who are not usually drawn to the genre would enjoy the series.

Vaughn has a way of writing what should be a very complex story line in a simple way-- that is, not to say that her work is simple, as in 'boring/slow', but it's not extremely difficult to follow. Like I said, I jumped into the series more than half way through, and I wasn't lost, although after finishing the book, I knew I wanted to go back and read the first books simply for the enjoyment, not necessarily because I needed to in order to move on to the newest book.

It was a fun read, and I finished it in one sitting. The characters were interesting, and I'd like to read more about Kitty's life-- it seems to be full of all kinds of adventures and troubles. Plus, I'd like to read the next book to see what happens with the mysterious Master Vampire that came into play at the end of this book. The only problem I had was with Ben, her mate. For some reason, I didn't really like him in this book... I don't know if my opinion would be different if I had read the series from book 1 on, and been introduced to him, got to know him, and saw how the two of them connected. Maybe. But it seemed like he was kind of distant in the book, and for being Kitty's mate, he almost seemed to take a backseat in the story, more like a sidekick or minor character instead of being the heroine's mate and therefore more like the story's second hero. Or was this just my imagination?

I almost didn't believe their love, but again, I think this could be because I skipped the first few books, where most of their major connecting would have first occurred. Maybe it's because I'm use to books where the romances is more explicit and, well, there? There wasn't one sex scene between Kitty and Ben in the whole book, and that's not what I usually look for in my romance novels. I'm not saying it had to be a full blown erotic novel, but I do wish it would have had something more to it, both for entertainment and to show their love.

Don't get me wrong-- just because I had a problem with the romance in the book, that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand -- I did. But after finishing it, I saw it more as a really light chic lit type of novel, a charming and quick read on a long day. But nothing really deep or romantic, I'm sorry to say. Again, maybe I would have been happier with the romance element in it if I'd read the series in order, I'm not sure, we'll have to see. I do plan on going back to read the first ones, as soon as I get some spare time.

4/5 STARS! A nice read for anyone, whether you are big on paranormal books or not. Charming, entertaining, and unique, I'd love to read more of Vaughn's work. Especially Kitty's novels. After all, life isn't easy for Kitty, and the troubles she experiences along the way will give you a few chuckles and make you realize that no matter how bad you may think your days has been going, it could be much, much worse!

Until Next Time, The Book Queen

2 comments :

Lea said...

Hi TBQ:

Great Review!

I'm not sure if this series is my cuppa or not, but I may give the first one a try once I've weedled down the TBR alp a bit.

Thanks for sharing!

Best Regards
L

The_Book_Queen said...

Hi Lea,
Thanks for stopping by again! Glad you enjoyed the review.

It might not have been my absolute favorite book, but I think that others may enjoy it. If you get the chance to pick one of the books up, I don't think you'd find it to be a complete waste of time. Who knows.

I know what you mean about the TBR pile though... I swear, mine keeps multiplying. Can books reproduce? Because I think mine are! LOL.

Until Next Time,
TBQ