Bad to the Bone (Paperback)

~ (Author)

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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (May 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416551786
• ISBN-13: 978-1416551782
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #91,061 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 2 in The WVMP Radio Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 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 (REAL NAME)

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:

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

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

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!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Found it a bit boring, July 20, 2009

By	Neker (Duson, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews

I liked the first book in the series, but I thought this one dragged, alot. I put down the book three times to read others before I ended up scanning the last half. I stopped to read the important bits, but overall I thought the story very slow and dull. The characters do not keep my interest because there is nothing truly interesting about them.