Wicked Game

by Jeri Smith-Ready

Book Overview

LATE NIGHT RADIO YOU CAN SINK YOUR TEETH INTO

Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin is trying to live the straight life, even if it means finding a (shudder!) real job. She takes an internship at a local radio station, whose late-night time-warp format features 1940s blues, '60s psychedelia, '80s goth, and more, all with an uncannily authentic flair. Ciara soon discovers just how the DJs maintain their cred: they're vampires,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 141655176X
• ISBN13: 9781416551768
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: Pocket Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.3" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A Fresh Vampire Tale

The protagonist, Ciara Griffin, finds a marketing internship at WMMP, a radio station with an eclectic format. It doesn't sound like the stuff of urban fantasy tales, but after a few stitches, Ciara is in on the station's little secret: the DJs are vampires. There is a problem looming- the station may be sold to a mega-conglomerate, Skywave, if revenue does not increase. Skywave would take away the station's unique format and put the vampires out of work. Saving the station means saving the DJs (the DJs are each locked in the music lifetime they were created; being connected to the music of their time helps keep them sane). Ciara comes up with a marketing plan to have the station changed to WVMP ("The Lifeblood of Rock and Roll") and use the DJs' vampire identities as gimmicks and thereby hiding in plain sight. The story escalates when they have to fight those who do not want vampires to interact with humans. But there's a lot more layers to the story---Ciara is fighting her own demons. Having been raised by con-artist parents, she's trying to go straight. She also develops relationship to the "youngest" DJ at the station, Shane. Interspersed through the book are the backgrounds of how the vampire DJs came to be, as well as the human station manager David's relationship to the vampire world. The book is like a perfect mixtape--- it has the perfect balance of action, wit and romance. Smith-Ready has crafted a fresh vampire tale. It might be a tale of redemption, but there are no stereotypical dark tortured vampires (well, if you don't count OCD) and the heroine is clever without being foolish. (A few notes: The author's references to music in the book was superb. And as a personal aside, any book that sneaks in the word jagoff (and its verb form, jaggin') is alright by this Pittsburgher!)

Rock N Roll & Vampires !!!

Rock Music & Vampires, two of my favorite things! Former con artist Ciara takes a job at a rock radio station WVMP. She's hired as a marketing intern. She's there to help the station, so it doesn't get bought by big corp Skywave. The DJ's are vampires that are stuck in their era. It's the music and radio station, that is the staple to their world. To survive and Not Fade Away. I found Jeri's vampire mythology very intriguing. Not only are they stuck in the era/year they died in but alot of them seem to have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, which I find very interesting. I don't think I have ever read about vampires like these ones. Another thing I found cool about this book is that each chapter is named for a rock song. Such songs as It's Only Rock N' Roll(But I like it), Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Come As You Are. The book was fast, fun and sexy. I highly recommend it. So far it's one of my favorite book of 2008.

Tons of fun.

I had high hopes for this novel. The premise sounded like so much fun, and being a fan of the musical periods the vampires represent made it even more tempting. I will confess that I am frequently disappointed with Urban Fantasy that tips into the romance end of the scale, but the relationship between Ciara and Shane, the youngest of the vampires from the 90s, is not the main plot. Keeping sleepy privately owned WWMP afloat is. A giant radio station eating corporation wants WWMP, and Ciara steps up out of the box and comes up with the gimmick that will save the station. The reactions of the various DJs are hysterical about her plan. Smith-Ready's vampire model is quite original. I'd never heard of anyone using the trapped in time situation for their fanged ones. Having the vampires fighting to stay solid by clinging to their eras and adjusting to the ever changing world is a great take on the mythos. The evil vampire cult leader is as creepy as they come. Smith-Ready paints a vivid and believable picture of the big bad and his followers - both fanged and human. No his logic doesn't always make sense, but he's crazy so that's ok. I'm very much looking forward to more books in this series. It is well written. Although being told in present tense makes it a bit jarring at first, but I think I understand why it's told that way. It's to keep the reader locked in the present, not the past like the vampires are. (But I could be wrong.) The pacing is good, and I never found myself skimming over filler sections. All in all it was a great read. And the website for WVMP - the life blood of rock and roll might be the greatest tie-in site ever created. There are playlists from each of the DJs, station merchandise and soon there will be DJ blogs too. Be sure to check it out. [...]

Excellent!

What would you do for a job? Ciara Griffin has always lived for the con. Now she's trying to get her life straight and get a job in sales and marketing. A local radio station, WVMP, offers her a job, but there's a catch: the DJs are all vampires. These aren't ordinary vampires, however. Each DJ is stuck in the "Life Time" in which they died. Now a huge corporation wants to buy out WVMP. Will Ciara be able to play the con of her life in order to save WVMP? And what about her growing attraction to vampire Shane McAllister? Jeri Smith-Ready is simply a master at creating vibrant characters, full of life! Ciara is a delight, with her old "con" nature tugging at her. Her wicked side constantly wars with her desire to do the right thing, making her all too human and very likable. Shane, too, has his darker side that he struggles against. Jeri Smith-Ready excels at showing growth in her characters as they encounter conflicts, both internal and external, and this is evident in WICKED GAME. Ciara and Shane will have to overcome their own inner struggles, as well as the threat of the corporate takeover, if they hope to succeed. The tone of WICKED GAME is crucial to its success. The story has its darker moments as vampires are not portrayed as simply glamorous and sexy beings. No, Jeri Smith-Ready shows us their allure as well as their darker, blood driven side. However, there are touches of humor interspersed to keep the tone from becoming too intense. And who can resist a book that refers to humans as "sunnysides"? WICKED GAME is a very clever twist on the vampire theme and one that left me hungering for a sequel. Jeri Smith-Ready has created a world populated with characters that I want to see more of. Regina, David, Jim... there are just so many avenues left to explore with all of these characters that I can only hope more books are on the way! If you haven't read a book by Jeri Smith-Ready, WICKED GAME is an excellent place to start as this is an author who consistently delivers quality stories. COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

a refreshingly original take on modern vampires in urban fantasy

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques Ciara Griffin is a con artist paying her way through college with her cons. Now however, she's trying to put that reputation behind her and start working a real job. Marketing intern to the owner of a local radio station, WMMP, sounds like just the ticket she's looking for. However, upon starting work, she learns her employers have a few surprises for her. WMMP is floundering and Skywave, a giant communications company is trying to buy them out. WMMP has an eclectic late night lineup, covering each decade for about the 1940s/50s through the 90s and Ciara is in for the shock of her life when she learns a little secret the DJs are keeping. They are all vampires, permanently stuck in the years in which they were turned. Ciara's has a brilliant marketing concept - revamp the station, changing the name to WVMP "The Lifeblood of Rock and Roll and have the vampires hide in plain sight, telling everyone they are vampires. After all, everyone knows vampires aren't real so no one will believe the truth. Unfortunately a local band of ancient vampires are none too keen on revealing their secret, ready to put an end to the radio station once and for all. Now, along with her new vampire friends, including one very hot DJ she'd love to get to know better, Ciara is neck deep in the Wicked Game to pull off the greatest con of her life. Wow! Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready is a refreshingly original take on modern vampires in urban fantasy. From her unique concept on vampire society to the lively rock and roll radio station, this book is a breath of fresh air. The stakes are high as Ciara, and in turn the readers, learn why the radio station is so crucial to the vampires' survival. Add in not one but two groups of potential enemies in the form of vampire cult leader Gideon and The Control (a black ops military organization protecting good vampires and destroying bad ones) and tensions mount as circumstance grow more dire for Ciara and company. I completely loved the idea of vampires stuck in their former "Life Time," making them unique from many other books out there, and even completely different from each other in the universe Jeri Smith-Ready has created. After all who can't appreciate the novelty of having a hippy, a Goth, and a grunger mixing it up with a classy 40's African American gentleman, a 50s/60s greaser, and a Rastafarian. Talk about lots of opportunity for amusement! As if that wasn't enough, I loved the characterization of the vampires, with more than one of them having developed some type of OCD behavior after their turning. I laughed out loud more than once over the antics. Watching a vampire trying to organize CDs and retrieving a whole container of spilled pencils being two of the more memorable scenes. While all of the vampires and humans at WVMP are crucial to the story, the real star is Ciara. She has distanced herself from her con artist parents and is trying so hard to overcome her past. So it is