Succubus Blues - Richelle Mead

Never, I repeat, Never, promise anything that relies on Blogger to fulfill. For some reason, it has taken an extreme disliking to me today and I've just now managed to successfully log in. Sorry. But, I'm back today to dish (what loosely passes as review for me) on my FAB pick - SUCCUBUS BLUES by Richelle Mead. No one has guessed my two favorite Cusack movies - Serendipity has been guess but not the second. I hate to give a clue, because it will be so obvious, but since tomorrow the week and contests ends when I post my interview with Richelle, I'm giving this one hint - "Everybody wants some. I want some, too." Now you know 'em, post 'em, and I'll draw a winner. And now without further ado...


SUCCUBUS BLUES by Richelle Mead
(BCC)

Succubus (n) - An alluring, shape-shifting demon who seduces and pleasures mortal men.

Pathetic (adj.) - A succubus with great shoes and no social life. See: Georgina Kincaid.


When it comes to jobs in hell, being a succubus seems pretty glamorous. A girl can be anything she wants. The wardrobe is killer, and mortal men will do anything just for a touch. Granted, they often pay with their souls, but why get technical?

But Seattle succubus Georgina Kincaid’s life is far less exotic. Her boss is a middle-management demon with a thing for John Cusack movies. Her immortal best friends haven’t stopped teasing her about the time she shape-shifted into the Demon Goddess get-up complete with whip and wings. And she can’t have a decent date without sucking away part of the guy’s life. At least there’s her day job at a local bookstore—free books, all the white chocolate mochas she can drink, and easy access to bestselling, sexy writer, Seth Mortensen, aka He Whom She Would Give Anything to Touch but Can’t.


But dreaming about Seth will have to wait. Something wicked is at work in Seattle’s demon underground. And for once, all of her hot charms and drop-dead one-liners won’t help because Georgina’s about to discover there are some creatures out there that both heaven and hell want to deny….


"Sometimes you wake up from a dream. Sometimes you wake up in a dream. And sometimes, you wake up in someone else's dream."

That quote captures for me, the essence of reading a good book. When you read the story that is contained between the covers, you are transported to a different place. A world that is not your own, and a life that could never be yours, but miraculously is for the few hours you've spent reading. SB was one such book for me. Although clearly a fantasy world of succubus, vampires, demons, angels and other unknowns, Mead gave them all such human qualities, that it was impossible not to get sucked into the world.

Georgina Kincaid, succubus living in Seattle, works a day job as assistant manager in a local bookstore. In her real job, she answers to Jerome, "...the archdemon of the greater Seattle hierarchy of evil..." who just happens to walk the earth looking like John Cusack and is best friends with an angel, Carter, that Georgina simply doesn't trust. As a succubus it is her job to steal the lifeforce of men through sex and corrupt their souls. She has the ability to shapeshift into any physical form, and outfit she may desire. But Georgina is a succubus that doesn't really enjoy her job. She refuses to seduce any "good guys", instead choosing to stick with men of less than stellar moral fiber. Surrounded by a small, but family like group of other lesser immortals, that include an imp, an "older" vampire who has OCD, and a younger vampire just learning the ropes, and her friends from the bookstore, Georgina's life is predictably boring.

That is until a vampire she has a confrontation with turns up dead, and people are looking at her as the culprit. Even after clearing her name, as more and more immortals start to suffer beatings or death after disagreeing with Georgina, it becomes clear she has some unknown link to the bad guy.

Seth Mortensen, Georgina's favorite author, moves to Seattle, and soon Georgina finds herself attracted to both him and a new man Roman whom she uses to get out of spending time with her boss. But Georgina doesn't date good men, and Roman and Seth, are both most definitely good men. But Roman has a way of pursuing Georgina she enjoys, and Seth has a way of endearing himself to her, despite her attempts to distance herself from both of them.

But dealing with the men will have to wait, because someone or something has it in for the immortals of Seattle, and Georgina isn't so sure her boss, Jerome and the angel Carter are telling her the whole story.

Not one to stand back and let the higher-ups keep her in ignorance, Georgina sets out to figure out who or what, is hunting them. And just like the BCC states, there are some things that neither side wants to claim, but both want to see destroyed.

I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed Mead's take on Heaven and Hell, on the divine battle of Good vs. Evil. Mead has written a book that is as thought provoking as it is funny. Is as sexy as it is dark. Such a mixed bag of genres with as large a cast of characters as SB is generally hard to pull off well without much confusion, Mead had no problem.

SUCCUBUS BLUES has wit and charm, and moments that just made me nod my head in understanding:
"...We all have moments of weakness. It's how we recover from them that really counts."

All of the above reasons, coupled with a great who-done-it mystery, is why Richelle Mead and SUCCUBUS BLUES made my FAB pick for February. The book hits the shelves on March 6th, but for your chance to win a signed copy and other great prizes, today is your last chance to enter this months contest. Tomorrow, I'll post the winners of both contests, and my interview with Richelle, and show you just how FAB the author is as well.

Take Care