Bloody GoodAuthor: Georgia Evans
Although I have known Rosemary Laurey (the author behind "Georgia Evans") for several years, Bloody Good is the first book by her that I have read. It won't be the last, though, as I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It also bodes well for the remaining two volumes in the Brytewood trilogy - and I appreciate the fact that it is a trilogy. As in, a beginning, a middle, and an end. Thank you.
Evans uses World War II as the backdrop for this particular story. Nazi spies have invaded England - and not all of them are human. Luckily, some of Britain's "concerned citizens" aren't quite human, either. When they become alert to the traitors in their midst, the good guys race to ferret out the vampire spy and uncover his motivations. Bloody Good is fresh, fun, and charming, but the wartime setting gives it enough weight to keep it from being fluff. And the vampires herein have teeth - pun fully intended.
The book's set-up is simple - vampire spies land in England (during a spectacular opening sequence), and the rest of the book revolves around the heroes discovering and reacting to the menace. Evans wisely focuses on the characters rather than shoving them through a pre-ordained "plot." The village of Brytewood contains a number of interesting and colorful inhabitants, and it's entertaining just to follow them about as they uncover the mystery. The two main protagonists are so likable, in fact, that I even enjoyed the romance that develops between them. Romanceophobes take note, though - while there is romance, it enhances rather than drives the primary story.
Most of the vampires in this novel are despicable - they are Nazi spies, so what else do you expect? The vampires have their own agenda apart from serving the Axis, and how much of it they accomplish will be one of the trilogy's more interesting storylines. There are supernatural beings among the good guys as well, but it would be a shame to reveal too much about them. That being said, the battle between good and evil has the potential to be really fun as tensions escalate.
I hope that this isn't a lazy comparison, due to the similar cover art, but Bloody Good strongly reminded me of Charlaine Harris' "Sookie Stackhouse" series. Not so much because of the content (even if both series revolve around supernatural creatures), but because of the overall vibe. I can easily see fans of the Sookie novels enjoying this one as well.
This will sound trite, but Bloody Good lives up to its title. Let's hope that the second installment, Bloody Awful, doesn't live up to its title!
2 comments:
The first thing I thought looking at the cover was the Sookie books. Same artist maybe? don't know, but love those books and I will definately be reading this one. I love the whole premise, and the fact that it is a trilogy. I don't mind series books, just have enough of them going right now.
Those are my thoughts on series. It's nice that this is going to be contained in three books - though if they prove popular, I am sure more stories could be told.
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