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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
This was the first book I have read by Kristen Painter. I have been following the new genre of Paranormal Women's Fiction and I am making my way through all 13 books.
Now, normally I steer clear of mafia/mob type themed books and in the first few chapters, that is where I thought this story would remain rooted. But...PWF...so I kept reading.
I was so very pleasantly surprised by the events that transpired. I don't write spoiler reviews, at least not anything that gives away major plot or story components, but there are some things that happen that I was so incredibly excited about that I may spoil a little. But, if you love vampires with a unique twist and a kick ass main character who gets her perfect moments to shine, you can stop reading my review now. You will love this book. I highly recommend!
Read no further if you don't want spoilers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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There are two shopping sprees in this book that were fantastically written. I felt like I was there and I got to have the posh clothes in a size 4 with a personal shopper!
The scene where Donna puts Claudette in her place is pure Gold. Best quote ever: "“Admirable?” Heat built in Donna’s body. The kind of heat that had to be let out. “I’m not talking about saving the whales or remembering to use my cloth bags when I get groceries.” She leaned in, the reflection of her glowing eyes visible in Claudette’s own wide gaze.“It makes me a warrior, do you understand?” Claudette nodded rapidly. “There is no fiercer, tougher, stronger creature on this earth than a mother. And for you to act as if I’m less-than because of some preconceived notion you have about middle-aged women is insulting. Especially while you’re under my roof. Even more so because if you’re the governor who represents me, you’d better learn to treat me with respect.”
Last, but certainly not least Kristen gives us just a taste of two beautiful middle-aged men and Donna is tasked with making a terrible/wonderful choice; the lawyer or the FBI agent. How does one choose? I guess I will find out in April because this girl has a pre-order to her name.
Now, normally I steer clear of mafia/mob type themed books and in the first few chapters, that is where I thought this story would remain rooted. But...PWF...so I kept reading.
I was so very pleasantly surprised by the events that transpired. I don't write spoiler reviews, at least not anything that gives away major plot or story components, but there are some things that happen that I was so incredibly excited about that I may spoil a little. But, if you love vampires with a unique twist and a kick ass main character who gets her perfect moments to shine, you can stop reading my review now. You will love this book. I highly recommend!
Read no further if you don't want spoilers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
******************************
******************************
******************************
There are two shopping sprees in this book that were fantastically written. I felt like I was there and I got to have the posh clothes in a size 4 with a personal shopper!
The scene where Donna puts Claudette in her place is pure Gold. Best quote ever: "“Admirable?” Heat built in Donna’s body. The kind of heat that had to be let out. “I’m not talking about saving the whales or remembering to use my cloth bags when I get groceries.” She leaned in, the reflection of her glowing eyes visible in Claudette’s own wide gaze.“It makes me a warrior, do you understand?” Claudette nodded rapidly. “There is no fiercer, tougher, stronger creature on this earth than a mother. And for you to act as if I’m less-than because of some preconceived notion you have about middle-aged women is insulting. Especially while you’re under my roof. Even more so because if you’re the governor who represents me, you’d better learn to treat me with respect.”
Last, but certainly not least Kristen gives us just a taste of two beautiful middle-aged men and Donna is tasked with making a terrible/wonderful choice; the lawyer or the FBI agent. How does one choose? I guess I will find out in April because this girl has a pre-order to her name.
Interesting start to a new series. I will definitely have to listen to more.
The short of it is: not for me, will not be reading any additional books in the series.
The long of it:
This story could have been a lot of fun, if it were half to one-third as long. This one is full of filler that does nothing but bog the story down, and make Donna a really hard to connect with character.
The only thing more difficult than finding a well-written more typical FMC is finding a well-written older FMC. Donna is...ugh. Shallow, obsessed with her kids until it's inconvenient to be, super sensitive about other women's choices, fatphobic, really an all 'round unpleasant to read female main—because she's a flat, rather misogynist stereotype.
Huge TW/CW for fatphobia and diet obsession on this one.
If you need an idea of what most of this book is, I'll save you the trouble. I will be Donna for a minute: Man, look at all of these CARBS. I love CARBS, but can not eat the CARBS. I need to think about how long to run to burn off calories. I've done minor botox, I should look at doing more. Icky wrinkles. Look at all of those wives over there; I'm going to grade all of their faces and speculate about how much plastic surgery they've had and how much I think they work out and judge their bodies. Oop, this might trigger a hot flash. [a lot of pointless detail about clothes and shoes and obsessing about being a size 8]. Shit, there are more CARBS over there. This funeral food is the worst, so many CARBS. I really hate that other woman over there, the one meant to be a villain; we know, because she's the only mafia wife not obsessed with being thin with her triple chin, ugly face, and being described as practically a gorilla. She thinks I want her equally fat, and therefore, gross and villainous husband. She eats CARBS. All of the CARBS. I should indulge in some CARBS right now. I'm going to engage in a lot of wishful thinking that has no basis in reality and literally everyone else can see what a terrible idea it is and get myself into a bad situation. OMG, another woman said she's glad she never had children AND NOW I'M MAD, because her choices totally invalidate my choices by having to hear them. Oh. I'm a vampire now? I can eat the CARBS when I want to! And now I'm a size 4. CARBS CARBS CARBS.
OH. And I'm being set up to be The Most Special and Rare Chosen One.
I really wish I were exaggerating on this. This is the content of at least half the book and does nothing for the story.
2 stars for the potential of this story, a couple nods to other works that I picked up on like Sister Act and Married To The Mob, and interesting side characters who do not get enough "screen" time. The final 3 chapters are where most of the actual story happens, but it took way too long to get to them. At a shorter length with all of the fatphobic bs edited out, this would have easily been a 3-3.5 star read.
The long of it:
This story could have been a lot of fun, if it were half to one-third as long. This one is full of filler that does nothing but bog the story down, and make Donna a really hard to connect with character.
The only thing more difficult than finding a well-written more typical FMC is finding a well-written older FMC. Donna is...ugh. Shallow, obsessed with her kids until it's inconvenient to be, super sensitive about other women's choices, fatphobic, really an all 'round unpleasant to read female main—because she's a flat, rather misogynist stereotype.
Huge TW/CW for fatphobia and diet obsession on this one.
If you need an idea of what most of this book is, I'll save you the trouble. I will be Donna for a minute: Man, look at all of these CARBS. I love CARBS, but can not eat the CARBS. I need to think about how long to run to burn off calories. I've done minor botox, I should look at doing more. Icky wrinkles. Look at all of those wives over there; I'm going to grade all of their faces and speculate about how much plastic surgery they've had and how much I think they work out and judge their bodies. Oop, this might trigger a hot flash. [a lot of pointless detail about clothes and shoes and obsessing about being a size 8]. Shit, there are more CARBS over there. This funeral food is the worst, so many CARBS. I really hate that other woman over there, the one meant to be a villain; we know, because she's the only mafia wife not obsessed with being thin with her triple chin, ugly face, and being described as practically a gorilla. She thinks I want her equally fat, and therefore, gross and villainous husband. She eats CARBS. All of the CARBS. I should indulge in some CARBS right now. I'm going to engage in a lot of wishful thinking that has no basis in reality and literally everyone else can see what a terrible idea it is and get myself into a bad situation. OMG, another woman said she's glad she never had children AND NOW I'M MAD, because her choices totally invalidate my choices by having to hear them. Oh. I'm a vampire now? I can eat the CARBS when I want to! And now I'm a size 4. CARBS CARBS CARBS.
OH. And I'm being set up to be The Most Special and Rare Chosen One.
I really wish I were exaggerating on this. This is the content of at least half the book and does nothing for the story.
2 stars for the potential of this story, a couple nods to other works that I picked up on like Sister Act and Married To The Mob, and interesting side characters who do not get enough "screen" time. The final 3 chapters are where most of the actual story happens, but it took way too long to get to them. At a shorter length with all of the fatphobic bs edited out, this would have easily been a 3-3.5 star read.
Absolutely brilliant
I love reading sassy characters with a bit of an attitude, but having a FMC in her 40’s makes me an ecstatic eager reader. Throw in mayhem, mischief and men and I’m in reading heaven. Thank you so much for getting this on audible so fast
I love reading sassy characters with a bit of an attitude, but having a FMC in her 40’s makes me an ecstatic eager reader. Throw in mayhem, mischief and men and I’m in reading heaven. Thank you so much for getting this on audible so fast
I like Painter's paranormal books. Thought this might be another Nocturne Falls, but it wasn't. A completely separate book.
Belladonna Barrone is the wife of a mobster and wants out. She entered the marriage not knowing what her husband did, but has since found out and found it increasingly hard to bear through the years. She has made up her mind to work with the FBI and testify against the mob even though she will have to go into witness protection, but her children are grown - one in the Air Force and one about to graduate from college. The police come to her door and tell her that her husband has been killed in a car accident and his body burned, but he is identified by dental records. She is greatly relieved and decides she'll tell the FBI agent she won't testify. Then while sorting through his study after the funeral, she finds a hidden, secret room off the study with an arsenal of weapons, cocaine, decks of cards and cash. She is furious about the cocaine and the weapons. How dare he have that stuff in the house! The mob boss has asked her to run a last errand that her husband didn't get around to and she will be free of them if she wants. She accepts. All she has to do is drop off a bag and leave. But on the way she stops at the cemetery because she wants to tell her husband what she found and tell him off because of it. But while she is yelling at his grave, she is knocked over and out. When she comes to, a woman is giving her blood and tells her that she has been bitten by a rogue vampire and will become one herself. Donna goes around denying this to herself, but the transformation happens and she makes a few mistakes. So, life really gets complicated.
Belladonna Barrone is the wife of a mobster and wants out. She entered the marriage not knowing what her husband did, but has since found out and found it increasingly hard to bear through the years. She has made up her mind to work with the FBI and testify against the mob even though she will have to go into witness protection, but her children are grown - one in the Air Force and one about to graduate from college. The police come to her door and tell her that her husband has been killed in a car accident and his body burned, but he is identified by dental records. She is greatly relieved and decides she'll tell the FBI agent she won't testify. Then while sorting through his study after the funeral, she finds a hidden, secret room off the study with an arsenal of weapons, cocaine, decks of cards and cash. She is furious about the cocaine and the weapons. How dare he have that stuff in the house! The mob boss has asked her to run a last errand that her husband didn't get around to and she will be free of them if she wants. She accepts. All she has to do is drop off a bag and leave. But on the way she stops at the cemetery because she wants to tell her husband what she found and tell him off because of it. But while she is yelling at his grave, she is knocked over and out. When she comes to, a woman is giving her blood and tells her that she has been bitten by a rogue vampire and will become one herself. Donna goes around denying this to herself, but the transformation happens and she makes a few mistakes. So, life really gets complicated.
Not your usual vampire and werewolf book, for once a clean supernatural romance. Everything tied up in the story and you weren't left hanging, although I think there were some things that could be explored a bit more, but this is me being picky.
I've added the second book to my 'to-be-read' pile.
I've added the second book to my 'to-be-read' pile.
Belladonna is an widow of a man in the mob. The mob boss sends her to do one more thing and then she thinks she will final be free of the mafia that has controlled much of her life. She goes to the grave of her husband to berate him in death but is attacked, and then seemly “saved?” by a strange woman. Now she is late to her drop off for the mob boss. She runs to the meeting and survives an attack at the drop off. How lucky she is, or is it luck. She has been working for the FBI trying to turn state’s evidence. Now she needs to find out what is happening and if she should be working with the guy at the FBI anymore now that she is widowed. All this happens while she is being transformed into a vampire, the only reason she is alive. She has a little hard time believing at first and tells her sire to go away. She finds, and hides the fact, that she seems to have special abilities, and joins a vampire support group. All while the MOB is trying to off her.
This was pretty good. It is the 4th midlife book that I’ve read, not the worse, not the best, but I’ll probably read on in this one.
Read
[bc:Magical Midlife Madness|51385818|Magical Midlife Madness (Leveling Up #1)|K.F. Breene|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581966246l/51385818._SY75_.jpg|75461078], [b:Magical Midlife Madness|51385818|Magical Midlife Madness (Leveling Up #1)|K.F. Breene|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581966246l/51385818._SY75_.jpg|75461078], read through the whole series, so far the best IMO of the midlife group. 5 stars
[bc:Betwixt|51447603|Betwixt (Betwixt & Between, #1)|Darynda Jones|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581983623l/51447603._SY75_.jpg|75986760], [b:Betwixt|51447603|Betwixt (Betwixt & Between, #1)|Darynda Jones|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581983623l/51447603._SY75_.jpg|75986760], this was pretty good, read the next and plan to read on. About the same as this one for me. 4 stars
[bc:Wrong Side of Forty|51391594|Wrong Side of Forty (Marina at Midlife, #1)|Jana Deleon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581957240l/51391594._SY75_.jpg|76062322], [b:Wrong Side of Forty|51391594|Wrong Side of Forty (Marina at Midlife, #1)|Jana Deleon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581957240l/51391594._SY75_.jpg|76062322], I liked this least of all. The paranormal element seemed to be thrown in as an afterthought and only took away from the story and dragged it out. 3 stars just good.
This was pretty good. It is the 4th midlife book that I’ve read, not the worse, not the best, but I’ll probably read on in this one.
Read
[bc:Magical Midlife Madness|51385818|Magical Midlife Madness (Leveling Up #1)|K.F. Breene|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581966246l/51385818._SY75_.jpg|75461078], [b:Magical Midlife Madness|51385818|Magical Midlife Madness (Leveling Up #1)|K.F. Breene|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581966246l/51385818._SY75_.jpg|75461078], read through the whole series, so far the best IMO of the midlife group. 5 stars
[bc:Betwixt|51447603|Betwixt (Betwixt & Between, #1)|Darynda Jones|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581983623l/51447603._SY75_.jpg|75986760], [b:Betwixt|51447603|Betwixt (Betwixt & Between, #1)|Darynda Jones|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581983623l/51447603._SY75_.jpg|75986760], this was pretty good, read the next and plan to read on. About the same as this one for me. 4 stars
[bc:Wrong Side of Forty|51391594|Wrong Side of Forty (Marina at Midlife, #1)|Jana Deleon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581957240l/51391594._SY75_.jpg|76062322], [b:Wrong Side of Forty|51391594|Wrong Side of Forty (Marina at Midlife, #1)|Jana Deleon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581957240l/51391594._SY75_.jpg|76062322], I liked this least of all. The paranormal element seemed to be thrown in as an afterthought and only took away from the story and dragged it out. 3 stars just good.
I have been really excited to read more of the Paranormal Women’s Fiction books released by Kristen Painter and twelve other authors; I love the idea of reading about paranormal fiction heroines who are older than the usual 20s-early-30s-range!
Sucks to be Me had a lots of elements that seemed right up my alley (crime family! Vampires! Fierce ladies!) but ultimately I think I like my paranormal books to push a little darker; I didn’t really ever feel the fear that the mob connections and vampire world were, I think, supposed to inspire.
But to be honest - any issues I had with this book fall firmly under the personal preference category. The writing style is fun, there’s a solid cast of characters, and I liked the inclusion of Donna’s faith and how it affects her story. If you like your paranormal stories a little on the lighter side, this could be a good fit. In the best possible way, it felt a bit like Hallmark took on a paranormal story: lots of warm fuzzies and empowerment to counteract the angst.
Sucks to be Me had a lots of elements that seemed right up my alley (crime family! Vampires! Fierce ladies!) but ultimately I think I like my paranormal books to push a little darker; I didn’t really ever feel the fear that the mob connections and vampire world were, I think, supposed to inspire.
But to be honest - any issues I had with this book fall firmly under the personal preference category. The writing style is fun, there’s a solid cast of characters, and I liked the inclusion of Donna’s faith and how it affects her story. If you like your paranormal stories a little on the lighter side, this could be a good fit. In the best possible way, it felt a bit like Hallmark took on a paranormal story: lots of warm fuzzies and empowerment to counteract the angst.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Minor: Sexism
Series: First Fangs Club #1
Rating: 2 stars - It was ok
When Belladonna Barrone’s husband finally does her a favor by dying in a car accident, she thinks she is finally free from the mob family she unwittingly married into. Unfortunately, when doing one last job for the boss she finds herself attacked and turned into a vampire.
So this book didn’t really work for me, which is very sad because I have loved every book from Painter I have read. I didn’t really like Donna. From the very first chapter she is constantly obsessing over her body and other women's bodies. Yes, I get she is a 50 year old woman and isn’t happy about aging but when she started shaming the other mob women’s bodies for having crows feet or wrinkles, I quickly disliked her. And her obsession with her body’s image is a constant throughout this book.
For the overall story, I think the vampire council and community was interesting. I liked the First Fangs Club and how friendly and helpful everyone was. The whole giving up info on the mob angle felt like it was important at first but quickly got pushed aside for all the vampire stuff. It doesn't get resolved in this book though. Also, I feel like this book hints at a possible love triangle in the future between Donna, Pierce, and Rico, which I am not a fan of.
Overall, this was ok. I don’t think I will read any more of the series.
Content warnings: Discussions of dieting, food intake, Botox, and body modification for beauty. Body shaming other women for their aging.
You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads.
Rating: 2 stars - It was ok
When Belladonna Barrone’s husband finally does her a favor by dying in a car accident, she thinks she is finally free from the mob family she unwittingly married into. Unfortunately, when doing one last job for the boss she finds herself attacked and turned into a vampire.
So this book didn’t really work for me, which is very sad because I have loved every book from Painter I have read. I didn’t really like Donna. From the very first chapter she is constantly obsessing over her body and other women's bodies. Yes, I get she is a 50 year old woman and isn’t happy about aging but when she started shaming the other mob women’s bodies for having crows feet or wrinkles, I quickly disliked her. And her obsession with her body’s image is a constant throughout this book.
For the overall story, I think the vampire council and community was interesting. I liked the First Fangs Club and how friendly and helpful everyone was. The whole giving up info on the mob angle felt like it was important at first but quickly got pushed aside for all the vampire stuff. It doesn't get resolved in this book though. Also, I feel like this book hints at a possible love triangle in the future between Donna, Pierce, and Rico, which I am not a fan of.
Overall, this was ok. I don’t think I will read any more of the series.
Content warnings: Discussions of dieting, food intake, Botox, and body modification for beauty. Body shaming other women for their aging.
You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads.