Bad to the Bone [Paperback]

Jeri Smith-Ready (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 16, 2009

TURN ON. TUNE IN. DROP DEAD.

Welcome to WVMP, “The Lifeblood of Rock ’n’ Roll,” where conartist-turned-station-owner Ciara Griffin manages an on-air staffof off-the-wall DJs—including new boyfriend Shane McAllister—who really sink their teeth into the music of their “Life Time” (theera in which they became vampires). Ciara keeps the undeadrocking, the ratings rolling, and the fan base alive—withoutmissing a beat.

For Halloween, WVMP is throwing a bash. With cool tunes, hotcostumes, killer cocktails—what could go wrong? To start, areligious firebrand ranting against the evils of the occultpreempts the station’s midnight broadcast. Then, when Ciaratracks down the transmission, the broadcast tower is guarded bywhat appears to be . . . a canine vampire? Behind it all is a groupof self-righteous radicals who think vampires suck (and arewilling to stake their lives on it). Ciara must protect the stationwhile struggling with her own complicated relationship, her bestfriend’s romance with a fledgling vampire, and the nature of hermysterious anti-holy powers. To make it to New Year’s in one piece,she’ll need to learn a few new tricks. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In Smith-Ready's espionage farce sequel to 2008's Wicked Game, Ciara Griffin and her vampire DJs face another threat to their Maryland radio station 94.3 WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll. When the Family Action Network (FAN) disrupts WVMP's Halloween broadcast by pirating their signal and jamming it with antivampire rhetoric, Ciara swears revenge. Under the aegis of the International Agency for the Control and Management of Undead Corporeal Entities, Ciara turns spy and infiltrates the cult's fortress, armed with her wits and her vampire-healing antiholy blood. Aiding her are a crew of hip vamp buddies and vampire dog Dexter, whom she rescues after finding him chained to a cross outside a FAN enclave. Smith-Ready pours plenty of fun into her charming, fang-in-cheek urban fantasy, which frequently skirts the edge of parody. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Once a con artist on the run, Ciara Griffin now operates as owner as well as overworked, underpaid marketing manager for a small radio station with DJs of the undead variety. On Halloween, the station's "live" nighttime broadcast from a local pub, The Smoking Pig, encounters problems almost immediately when the midnight broadcast of DJ goth queen Regina is preempted by the broadcast of a religious screed warning about the wages of sins. WVMP has been targeted by a group called Family Action Network (FAN). Mortal Ciara and her undead friends must also contend with a government agency offering to help, though its sincerity may not be genuine. Matters of the heart afflict Ciara and her immortal boyfriend, Shane. Several believable, captivating characters abound, including a sweet-natured vampire dog named Dexter. This terrific sequel to Wicked Game is by turns funny, sexy, and gripping. For urban fantasy fans.—Patricia Altner, BiblioInfo.com, Columbia, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books; Original edition (May 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416551786
• ISBN-13: 978-1416551782
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,097,249 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jeri Smith-Ready has been writing fiction since the night she had her first double espresso. She holds a master's degree in environmental policy and lives in Maryland with her husband, two cats, and the world's goofiest greyhound.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Angieville: BAD TO THE BONE, May 12, 2009

By 

Angela Thompson "Angiegirl" (Rocky Mountains) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bad to the Bone (Paperback)

Reading Wicked Game was definitely a highlight of my summer reading last year. It easily made my Best of 2008 list and I've been looking forward to the sequel ever since. And let me tell you--you want to get a hold of this book. And if you haven't read Wicked Game yet, now's the perfect time to do so as the mass market edition was recently released! That way you'll be primed and ready for this rockin' sequel.

Ciara's life has changed just a little bit since she first came to WVMP as a part-time marketing intern. She is now, for all intents and purposes, the station owner. What that means is she is on the clock 24/7 taking care of her little flock of vampire DJs, spinning PR as the vamps spin the tunes that are their lifeblood. She's working towards her degree, taking night classes at the local community college. She is also in an increasingly serious relationship with Shane McCallister--the station's resident 90's grunge rock expert. When a group of anti-undead religious fanatics comes to town determined to stop the signal, dismantle the station, and destroy the vamps for good, Ciara and the gang refuse to go gently into that good night.

This series is just so entertaining. I can honestly say I went in not knowing what to expect plotwise, and I finished it feeling like Ms. Smith-Ready took everything and everyone in exactly the direction they needed to go. I felt thoroughly satisfied and, more importantly, I cared about each of them more than before. Even Regina. Though Jim still scares the crap out of me and Shane should not let him anywhere near Ciara ever again no matter what kind of lousy shape he's in. I continue to be extremely fond of Ciara and so it was both heartbreaking and extremely gratifying to watch her deal with her manipulative, ne'er do well father, her growing feelings for Shane, a new undead pet, and finding herself suddenly homeless. And I do have to say that, within the larger UF world, it's nice to find one without a love triangle. I love reading about Ciara and Shane. They're flawed, messed up, in danger of going off the deep end in more ways than one. And despite all of this, they treat each other carefully. How often do you read about a human/vampire couple in which the vampire is the more vulnerable of the two? She takes care of him. She keeps him tethered to the here and now. It's freaking awesome. The good news? Pocket Books bought two more books in this series. The third one will be out sometime next year.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Solidly written, realistic vamps, but kind of depressing., September 14, 2010

By 

All Things Urban Fantasy (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Bad to the Bone (Mass Market Paperback)

Review courtesy of [...]

Jeri Smith-Ready's greatest strength in her WVMP series is the often ugly truth she brings to her writing and characters. Jeri's vampires are just as damaged and screwed-up as the humans. But that strength is also her greatest weakness.

I think I've figured out what it is about this series that keeps it firmly in the good-but-not-great camp: It's kind of depressing. Urban fantasy in rarely full of happy skippy sunshine, but there is usually some tiny sliver of hope, some small moment of genuine happiness, something that keeps the protagonist--and the reader--from taking a bath with her hairdryer. In the WVMP series, not so much.

In BAD TO THE BONE, all of the vampires are slowly Fading. They are unable to acclimate to the changing times and grow increasingly neurotic, agitated, and compulsive until they can no longer survive in society. Even Shane starts showing his decline through his increasing OCD and the cold, hard fact that he and Ciara are just going to grow further apart. He's trying, but it's not going to be enough.

Then there's Ciara herself, the recovering con-artist with all the emotional maturity of a toaster. She panics at the first sign of intimacy then tries to hide her fear with her dry bravado, but she can't hide from herself. Ciara knows the inevitable screw-up is coming, and so do we. Again, depressing.

BAD TO THE BONE is solidly written, and I have to once again give Jeri Smith-Ready credit for creating vampires who are utterly believable. If vampires truly existed, they would probably be a lot like the WVMP vamps. But even the little happy moments are tempered by the knowledge of that it's fleeting. Ciara makes a comment in BAD TO THE BONE where she wishes she could go back in time to when she first met Shane and stop herself from ever caring about him because its too late now. I know exactly how she feels since I already have the 3rd WVMP book, Bring on the Night, just waiting to be read

Sexual Content: References to sex. References to homosexuality. A couple semi graphic sex scenes. A m/m/f sex fantasy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rockin' Urban Fantasy, May 15, 2009

By 

brookereviews "B" (tampa, florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bad to the Bone (Paperback)

Wicked Game, the first book in the WVMP Vampires series, was one of my absolute favorite Urban Fantasy books of 2008. Waiting for Bad to the Bone to come out was torture! I needed more of these vampires (especially Shane) ASAP! The best part is that I didn't end up disappointed after all the waiting and hype I had built up for it. Each character, that Smith-Ready has created, has their own distinct personality with quirks, issues, and history. Making her vamps a taste of fresh blood in this genre where so many vampires are cookie cut outs from others.

One of the best parts of this series is the use of music to tie the whole story together. I love music because it's always been a huge part of my life, and it's great to see someone so knowledgeable in the subject use it to make each scene better. Shane still continues to be my favorite vamp with his grungy Kurt Cobain feel, although in BTTB we get to learn more about Regina, which is great since in Wicked Game she seemed so...uptight? mean? scary? Yeah, all those things. Plus, there is the way cool addition of a vampire dog. Ciara is still trying to figure out her relationship with Shane, and they definitely take some steps in a direction, I guess we'll see if that direction ends up being bad or good in the future! All I know is that it's great to have a heroine that's NOT a vampire slayer, monster hunter, idiot, or all of the above!

Bad to the Bone is a fantastic second book, and now sadly I must wait until 2010 for book three (no title yet). If you have not read Wicked Game and are a fan of the genre I don't know what you're waiting for! You are in luck as WG was just released in mass market paperback!

You can also visit Jeri on her website for short stories about the characters, play lists, quizzes, ways to get signed book plates for your books, and her always entertaining blog! She even has an a website for WVMP Radio with merchandise!