Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

(Sookie Stackhouse series, book 11)
With her knack for being in trouble’s way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte’s, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. But Sookie suspects other, and she and Sam work together to uncover the culprit – and the twisted motive for the attack.

But her attention is divided. Though she can’t “read” vampires, Sookie knows her lover, Eric Northman, and his “child” Pam well – and she realizes that they are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, she is drawn into the plot – which is much more complicated than she knows.

Caught up once again in the politics of the vampire world, Sookie will learn that she is as much of a pawn as any ordinary human – and that there is a new queen on the board…

Well, here we are eleven books into the series, and Sookie still can’t manage to just settle into a normal life. No matter where she goes, trouble seems to find her. She’s working a shift at Merlotte’s when the bar gets firebombed…and from what Sookie can tell, the bomber wasn’t fully human. It turns out an old enemy just might be out to seek revenge on Sookie.

Sookie also has her faerie cousin Claude and faerie uncle Dermot living with her, and call me crazy, but it seems to me that Claude is up to something. I have said before that I didn’t care for the faerie aspect of this series, but I like this new Claude. There’s just something about him…

Ohhh, and will Eric and Sookie ever just be happy together?? I’m starting to think that might be impossible…even if they are married. Well, the marriage is only legal in the vampire world; if you didn’t already know that, you probably should read the previous books before jumping to this review. Just sayin’! It seems as though Sookie is starting to consider the real costs of having a long-term relationship with him. How would he feel about her when she starts aging and he doesn’t? How much more violence can she really take in her life? I think all these feelings point to the conclusion that Sookie really has no desire to be changed into a vampire to make her life with Eric “easier.” I never really thought she would turn, because she had never said she wanted to, never asked questions about it; she only thought about it once. She’s too independent to change her life like that for a guy…she’s no Bella Swan (THANK. GOD.) As if all that wasn’t enough to complicate their relationship, we find out Eric has been keeping a pretty big secret.

Bill has more of a role in this book than the previous one, and true to form, I found myself rooting for him just a little bit. I’m a bigger flip-flopper than presidential candidates, I tell ya! I am still on Team Eric, but this is the first time in a while that I actually liked Bill and wasn’t just feeling sorry for him. There are also a lot of other characters that make a very welcome appearance in this book: Amelia, Bob, Alcide, Hunter, Bubba, and Mr. Cataliades, just to name my favorites. I don’t know that I’ve ever mentioned Bubba in my previous reviews, but anytime he’s involved I always find myself with a smile on my face. I get all shook up ;)

The end creates more questions than answers. Is Sookie really done with supes? What is Sookie going to do with her grandfather’s gift? What IS Claude really up to? What lies in store for Sookie’s relationship with Eric…and Pam for that matter? SWEET SASSY MOLASSY, I NEED SOME ANSWERS!! I can’t wait to see how Harris wraps up this series with the final two books. 

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Dead In The Family by Charlaine Harris

(Sookie Stackhouse series, book 10)
After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Fae War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she’s mad. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he’s under scrutiny by the new vampire king because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the shifters’ coming out are beginning to be felt, Sookie’s connection to one particular Were draws her in to the dangerous debate. Also, unknown to her, though the doors to Faery have been closed, there are still some fae on the human side – and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry.

Well, this book wasn’t all I expected it to be but I suppose it was slightly better than the previous two books in the series. I still find myself less than impressed with the majority of the plotlines in the most recent books, unfortunately. We come into this story with Sookie recovering from the torture she received from Lochlan and Neave, the demented fairies from the previous book. She seems okay physically, but it’s very apparent that emotionally she’s still a mess.

Eric has cemented himself in her life and is now officially her boyfriend. YAY! I have loved Sookie and Eric together ever since Dead To The World, and I am so happy that they are finally together when they are both in their right mind, and one isn’t in a state of amnesia. Oh! Oh! Oh! For the first time in the series, Sookie FINALLY imagines what it would be like if she were turned into a vampire. I have been waiting for her to at least consider the idea since she got serious with Bill; it only took ten books to get there. I still don’t think she will go through the change, mainly because her relationships with vampires have never been horribly solid.

We get to meet Eric’s maker, Appius Livius Ocella, who comes to Eric for help in returning his brother to sanity. I’m not really sure what to think of Appius; I think it’s just the fact that he’s having sex with Eric’s “brother” Alexei, who is an adolescent. I just could never really get past that whole relationship enough to make an opinion of him.

Sookie contacts Bill’s “sister” (she was created by the same maker as Bill) in an attempt to save Bill’s life. He is still recovering from the silver poisoning he got from one of the demented fairies’ teeth in the Fae War. His “sister” Judith agrees to come stay with Bill, and uses her blood to nurse him back to health. I’m anxious to see where their relationship goes since Judith resembles Bill’s late wife so much. I think this put a nice end to the drama between Bill and Sookie, I really liked it.

Oh, and Sookie also has to deal with her angry half-fae uncle Dermot who managed to stay in the human world since the Fae world was sealed up at the end of the last book. There’s a twist that will make it more difficult to catch this little sneakster though because he just might look exactly like someone else; someone Sookie would never be afraid of. Once again, I’m not horribly interested in any of the faeries (except Sookie) that have been in these books.

There’s a lot of buildup around Sookie’s plan to kill Victor because she sees him as a threat not only to her, but also Eric, Bill, and Pam. As I expected, she doesn’t want to kill him in cold blood; they try to devise a plan that will invoke a battle of some sort so she can use self-defense as her excuse for killing him. Understandable, I guess…but the dude has made it clear he wants to kill you. Just stake him, homegirl!

Overall, there wasn’t a whole lot of action in this book which was quite the change of pace from the previous two books. I still didn’t love this book, but it was a pretty good read. Even so, I’m eager to read the next book just to see if they carry out their plan on Victor and to see if Sookie and Eric are in it for the long haul… (please say yes, please say yes, pleeeease say yes!)

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Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

(Sookie Stackhouse series, book 9)
Except for Sookie Stackhouse, folks in Bon Temps, Louisiana, knew little about vamps – and nothing about Weres. Until now. The Weres and shifters have finally revealed their existence to the ordinary world, and the backlash may have claimed the life of someone Sookie knew. But her determination to find out who is responsible for the murder is put aside in the face of a far greater danger. A race of unhuman beings – older, more powerful and more secretive than vampires or werewolves – is preparing for war. And Sookie will find herself an all-too-human pawn in their battle…

After the clusterfuck that was From Dead To Worse, I was really hoping for something good from this book. Sadly, I wasn’t that impressed. I really hope things turn around with the next book because I’m starting to almost lose interest. There are just too many plotlines jammed into each book that it’s a mess to keep up. I could barely wrap my head around one “HOLY CRAP!” moment, and then I’m smacked in the face with another “WHAT THE HELL?!” twist. It’s almost exhausting.

The one major storyline that I did like was the Weres and shifters finally revealed their existence to the public. The reaction over the vampire reveal was mixed, so I knew there would be some people wigging out after the big reveal of another mythological creature. Of course, I was right. Someone close to Sookie is brutally murdered and left in the Merlotte’s bar parking lot, but were they killed simply because they were a shifter? I’m always honest in my reviews, so I don’t see any reason to start holding back now. I wasn’t upset about who got killed. There! I said it! That being said, I was very surprised when it was revealed who actually committed the murder and I did enjoy the mystery of that storyline.

I honestly don’t even know what to say about the Fae War. I have found myself often disinterested in the whole Faery world and all that comes along with it. Sookie’s great-grandfather bothers me, and her Fae cousins are boring to me. I can’t really say too much without giving away spoilers, but several people are killed during the war, and after it’s finally over, the Faery world will never quite be the same…and neither will Sookie’s.

I was hoping the blood bond created between Eric and Sookie would be explained in more detail: how long does it last, can it be broken, can either one of them end it, etc. No dice. Not only that, but I got so tired of Sookie constantly questioning whether her feelings for Eric were real or a result of the blood bond. It just made their whole relationship feel contrived, and I loved them together! Oh, and Eric’s sneaky little trick to make sure Felipe de Castro can’t acquire Sookie to use her telepathic talents for his use is super scandalous. I loved it!

This book was alright but after two somewhat sketchy books in a row, I’m getting a little frustrated. I was so enthralled with this series for the first six or seven books, and now I feel like I’ve read the past two books just to get through them; I didn’t really enjoy them all that much. I know I’m going to finish the series regardless, but I really with the next book Harris returns to the stories and structure that made me fall in love with this series to begin with. 

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From Dead To Worse by Charlaine Harris

(Sookie Stackhouse series, book 8)
After the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina and the man-made horror of the explosion at the vampire summit, Sookie Stackhouse is safe but dazed, yearning for things to get back to normal. But her boyfriend, Quinn, is among the missing. And things are changing, whether the Weres and the vamps in her corner of Louisiana like it or not. In the ensuing battles, Sookie faces danger, death…and, once more, betrayal by someone she loves. And when the fur has finished flying and the cold blood has ceased flowing, her world will be forever altered…

Holy biscuits. This book is jammed packed full of storylines, which I can only assume are all leading up to the following books. I understand the need for a transition book in a series, but this one was almost a little too much. There is a war between the vamps for control of Louisiana, the Weres of Shreveport go to war against rogue Weres seeking to overtake their pack, Sookie learns where her telepathic powers come from and discovers a long lost relative, Quinn reveals information about his family that could jeopardize his relationship with Sookie, Sookie stops all communication with her brother, Jason…whew. I need a breather. None of the storylines flowed together, and I actually found myself annoyed for the first time during this book.

Alright, grab some popcorn and take seat. In a nutshell, Felipe de Castro, the vampire King of Nevada, begins a campaign to gain control of Louisiana and Arkansas. In the aftermath of the explosion at the summit, Sophie-Anne, vamp Queen of Louisiana, is unable to protect her land due to injuries.

Sookie witnesses the war between Were packs, where Alcide is named pack leader. Um…the ritual after someone is promoted to pack leader is so strange, and after seeing it I can understand why Sookie feels differently about Alcide. She also finds herself drawn to Eric, mostly due to the blood exchange that took place in the previous book. Nevertheless, she has to decide if she wants to stay with Quinn after learning about his family problems, or tell the weretiger to kick rocks and act on her feelings for Eric.

Some messy stuff goes down in the werepanther community between Jason and his wife, Crystal, that puts Sookie in a terrible situation which forces her to stop all communication to her brother. I never understood her rage towards Jason in this situation; he wasn’t the problem, Crystal was.

I can’t go into too much detail regarding the information on why Sookie has telepathic powers, but I’ll just say I wasn’t really surprised. It seemed to make sense considering some of the other characters we have been introduced to in the past books.

 This was my least favorite book so far. There were just too many storylines packed into this one book that it felt like the second I was getting into one plotline, Harris killed it and started another plotline. Sookie also seemed irritated throughout this whole book, which is very unlike her character. I get that she has a lot on her plate, but that has been the case since the beginning of the series and she has never reacted like this; she usually takes it with a grain of salt and maintains her sweet self. I don’t care for the new Sookie attitude. Here’s to hoping the next book gets my excitement about this series back on track. 

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All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

(Sookie Stackhouse series, book 7)
Betrayed by her longtime vampire love, Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse must now not only deal with a possible new man in her life – the oh-so-handsome shapeshifter Quinn – but also contend with a long-planned vampire summit. With her power base weakened by hurricane damage to New Orleans, the local vampire queen in vulnerable to those hungry for a take-over. Sookie must decide what side she’ll stand with. And her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe…

I stated in a review of one of the previous Sookie Stackhouse books that there would be a bit of an avalanche of characters in the upcoming books. This was the first book of the series where I caught myself saying, “wait…who is that again?” That being said, let’s get the wheels turning on this review.

Sophie-Anne, vampire Queen of Louisiana, has been accused of murdering her husband, the King of Arkansas, and is set to stand trial at the annual vampire summit. She has summoned Sookie to accompany her and use her abilities as a telepath to read the minds of any humans wandering throughout the summit, as well as employees of the hotel. Without delving too deep into vampire politics, Sophie-Anne needs to know if there is any talk of allegiances, or alliances to overtake Louisiana since her powerbase has been weakened by Hurricane Katrina.

Bill and Eric are of course on hand at the summit, as well as Sookie’s boyfriend, weretiger Quinn. (She’s still with him. Ugh.) It’s a no brainer that this will undoubtedly cause rifts between them, as they all want Sookie to themselves. Sookie and Quinn’s relationship heats up until she finds out a shocking revelation about him involving his teen years. I don’t want to spoil it, but I will say this; as much as I dislike Sookie and Quinn together, I can’t understand why she gets so upset with him after finding out this information. Personally, I think it gave him a likable quality…loyalty. So I guess I’ll give him a point for that. Her relationship with Eric could be forever changed after in an attempt to save her, Eric forces her into a third and major blood exchange. I dug this plot twist and I’m anxious to see how it affects her feelings for Eric, if at all.

Relationship storyline aside, Sookie and Barry (the hotel bellboy and fellow telepath) find clues that lead them to believe the Fellowship of the Sun may be up to something big and start to realize there may be something odd going on in the pyramid-like hotel where not only is the summit being held, but is also where all the vampires are shacking up.

I wasn’t as impressed with this book as I was with some of the others, but it was a good read overall. It was a little hard to keep track of all the new character additions, and I did find myself going back to re-read certain parts just to remember why or how certain characters were relevant. Other than that, I’m ready for the next book and hoping for a reconciliation between Sookie and Eric. *Fingers Crossed* 

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Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris

(Sookie Stackhouse series, book 6)
Since Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has so few living relatives, she hates to lose one – even her cousin Hadley, undead consort of the vampire Queen of Louisiana. Hadley’s left everything she has to Sookie, but claiming that inheritance has a high risk factor. Some people don’t want her looking too deeply into Hadley’s past, or Hadley’s possessions. And they’re prepared to do anything in their power to stop her. Whoever it is, they’re definitely dangerous – and Sookie’s life is definitely on the line…

It’s no mystery that I love magic considering my obsession with Harry Potter, and this book has plenty of it! Alright, let’s take it from the top. First of all, Sookie has officially kicked her vamps to the curb and started dating weretiger and over-user of the word “babe”, Quinn. Ugh. Don’t get me started on this relationship. I’ll just say you won’t see me jumping on the Team Quinn bandwagon anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Sookie loses one of the few relatives she has left: her vamp cousin, Hadley…who also happens to be the Queen of Louisiana’s lover. When Sookie finds out Hadley has left all of her possessions to her, she takes a trip down to New Orleans (or Nawlins, as I like to call it) to settle her affairs. It’s here she meets Hadley’s landlord, a young witch named Amelia who has put Hadley’s apartment under a stasis spell. I absolutely adore Amelia! She is such a breath of fresh air to this series, and adds some welcomed comedic relief. After Amelia lifts the spell, she and Sookie find that Hadley had bitten a werewolf in order to turn him vamp, and hid him the closet. You can probably guess what happens next: new vampire craves blood, Sookie and Amelia have said blood, attack ensues, and Sookie winds up in the hospital. It’s here that we find out a shocking detail about why Bill moved to Bon Temps in the first place. I don’t want to say it was a welcome twist, but to be honest I’ve kind of cooled on my love of Bill. I really didn’t see this coming, and I have to wonder if it’s maybe Harris’s attempt to put a stake in the Bill/Sookie relationship.  See what I did there? Just a little vampire humor for you; you’re welcome.

My favorite part of the book is when Amelia and her witch buddies cast an ectoplasmic reconstruction spell; it’s a spell that reconstructs the events of a specified event. They cast the spell in order to see what events led to Hadley biting Jake Purifoy, the werewolf turned vampire hidden in her closet. It’s pretty damn awesome. After being introduced to Amelia, I was praying that Harris would find a way to keep her character around for the remainder of the series. We don’t really get to see Sookie in a female friendship, aside from Tara and her character is rarely a factor in the books.

I really enjoyed this book, with the exception of the Quinn and Sookie romance. Oh! I forgot to mention one little nugget of information that made me roll my eyes and literally say “oh my god…” out loud. Quinn and Sookie dry hump in the kitchen and he enjoys it a little too much if you get my drift. I mean, really? That is something that would happen to a 14 year old boy who got dry humped by a girl for the first time. I was over Quinn before he and Sookie even became an actual couple, so the only thing I’m hoping is that in the next book she decides she wants a man/vampire/were-something that doesn’t get off just from dry humping with clothes on. With that being said…bring on book 7!

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Dead As A Doornail by Charlaine Harris

(Sookie Stackhouse series, book 5)
Small-town cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has had more than her share of experience with the supernatural – but now it’s really hitting close to home. When Sookie sees her brother Jason’s eyes start to change, she knows he’s about to turn into a werepanther for the first time – a transformation he embraces more readily than most shapeshifters she knows. But her concern becomes cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local changeling populations, and Jason’s new panther brethren suspect he may be the shooter. Now Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who’s behind the attacks – unless the killer decides to find her first…

The first line of the book sets the whole storyline for Jason: “I knew my brother turn into a panther before he did.” As we learned in the last book, Jason was kidnapped and bitten repeatedly by werepanther, Felton Norris. As a result, Jason will now shift into half man/half panther on each full moon. Meanwhile, Sam and Calvin Norris are both shot and Sookie finds out that there have been several Were shootings throughout Louisiana. Unfortunately, Calvin immediately suspects Jason is the shooter taking out his anger for being kidnapped and turned into a werepanther. Poor Jason; he’s consistently getting blamed for stuff he didn’t do. His saving grace is unfortunately when Sookie gets shot while leaving the library. Seeing as she is Jason’s only family left, it seems implausible that he would try to gun down his own sister. When Sookie is released from the hospital and she and Sam continue their investigation, they find themselves face to face with one of the “bad guys” in an alley while Sam is in dog form. I was actually incredibly surprised when this shooter was revealed, because I absolutely did not see it coming! As far as the other antagonist in this book, I actually did have an idea who it was from the beginning. I just had a strange feeling about this character and their mannerisms. Something just wasn’t right with this yahoo. Even though one of the villains didn’t come as a surprise to me, I did love being blindsided when the identity of the shooter Sookie and Sam ran into was revealed.

The big news in the Long Tooth pack is that their pack leader is hit and killed by a car, so they need a replacement and Alcide’s father decides to throw his name in the hat. In an attempt to help out his father, Alcide convinces Sookie to read the minds of the other pack leaders and while at the competition for pack leader Sookie meets another potential love interest; a weretiger named Quinn. I actually really liked that we learned more about the werewolf community and their politics. The past four books have pretty well provided us with how vampire politics work, so it was nice to see how werewolf politics differ. I’ll also just come right out and say it; I didn’t like the Sookie and Quinn relationship from the very beginning! I have been swayed between her love interests in the past, but he was one that I never wanted her to end up with. It may sound trivial, but it drove me crazy that he ALWAYS called her Babe. It was never Sookie…always Babe. I’m all for cute pet names, but at least change it up every once in a while, homeboy!

Now, onto the vampires; Eric got his memory back at the end of the last book and has been grilling Sookie for information on what exactly happened between them while he was in his amnesia state. Sookie finally agrees to tell him…everything…from their sexual escapades to him hiding Debbie Pelt’s body. I feel for Sookie during this moment, because she really fell for him while he had amnesia, and you can tell that she knows they will never have that same relationship. I was actually really disappointed about this too, because I loved Sookie and Eric’s relationship…while he had amnesia. He was so sweet and wonderful to her, and it made me firmly plant myself on Team Eric. I want them together! But now that Sookie’s list of possible love interests has grown by a couple more (Calvin Norris and Quinn) maybe she’ll decide to stray away from the vamps for a while and take a walk on the wild side.

This maintained the same level of writing as the previous books, although this was probably my least favorite book so far. Harris maintains to add more mystery and keep me wanting to read more about Sookie Stackhouse’s crazy world full of mythological creatures.

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Dead To The World by Charlaine Harris

(Sookie Stackhouse series, book 4)
It’s not every day that you come across a naked man on the side of the road. That’s why cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse doesn’t just drive on by. Turns out the poor thing hasn’t a clue who he is, but Sookie does. It’s Eric the vampire – but now he’s a kinder, gentler Eric. And a scared Eric, because whoever took his memory now wants his life. Sookie’s investigation into who and why leads straight into a dangerous battle among witches, vampires, and werewolves. But a greater danger could be to Sookie’s heart – because this version of Eric is very difficult to resist…

WOW! There is so much going on in the fourth book of the series that I’m not even sure where to start! Okay, here it goes. At the very beginning of the book Bill informs Sookie that he will be going to Peru to collect information for the vampire Queen of Louisiana. I have to admit, I was kind of glad that he would be out of the picture for a while. I know, I know…I was such an advocate for Team Bill during the first two books, but I have to say I’m almost positive I’ve been swayed to a different team. You’ll find out what team I’ve parked myself on for now very soon.

I knew there would be a new or reignited love interest for Sookie since Bill wasn’t going to be around at all, and I couldn’t have been happier with the storyline. As Sookie is driving home from work one night, she sees a naked man running alongside the road. She can’t just drive by, so she stops and attempts to help the man. He has no idea who he is, where he is, nothing. Luckily, Sookie knows exactly who he is. It’s Eric, the vampire Sheriff of Area 5. A coven of witches have completely erased his memory; he doesn’t remember anything about himself and his domineering, controlling personality has been washed away as well. He is a scared, helpless, dependent Eric. He reveals his feelings for Sookie and I have to admit…Eric with amnesia is HOT! I liked his old personality, but there’s just something about him being so vulnerable and raw that makes him so damn delicious. With Eric staying at her house and Bill out of the country, Sookie begins to think about exploring her feelings for Eric, mentally and physically. Y-E-S! It’s about damn time! Sookie finds herself falling hard for Eric, but in the back of her mind she keeps wondering just how long it will be before he starts to piece back together his memories and turn back into the old Eric. Can you guess what team I’m on now? :)

The witches who erased Eric’s memory and now want him dead are no ordinary witches. This is a coven of witches who also happen to be shapeshifters and vampire blood addicts. Needless to say, they’re crazy powerful and extremely scary for the vampires, werewolves, and humans in the Louisiana area. As Sookie delves deeper into finding out why the witches want Eric’s life, a fatal battle occurs between Sookie, the witches, vampires, and werewolves that results in lives lost from all sides of the war. After the battle, Sookie is confronted by Alcide’s ex, Debbie, who is also a Were and they have a blood-filled, faceoff in Sookie’s kitchen. I have hated Debbie from the very beginning, and I just can’t imagine sweet Alcide ever being with such an awful person like her. Yuck.

In one final twist, Sookie’s brother Jason has come up missing. Oh boy…whatever is going to come of Jason?? As I stated in my review of Dead Until Dark, I watched the first season of True Blood before reading this series and I fell in love with Jason. He is just gorgeous and I think that’s why I’ve rooted so hard for Jason throughout the series, even though his role is minimized in the books as opposed to the show. As I was reading the book for the first time, I had an idea of what would happen to him and it’s not exactly what I had in mind. FYI: If you watch True Blood, this particular storyline with Jason in the show DOES NOT follow the storyline exactly as in the books. I don’t want to give away the spoiler for his situation, because it’s a big one! I just felt so bad for him, and the mental picture I got in my mind of what he looked like during this time period just made me so sad. Poor Jason.

Whew. I told you there was a lot going on in this book, and not only that, but you’ll be introduced to a whole slew of new characters. (I told you in my review of the third book to brace yourself for a crazy amount of new characters.) Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining but at times it can get slightly confusing with this many characters and storylines to keep up with. That being said, I loved this book! The relationship between Eric and Sookie was so adorable and yet so sexy. Is Bill out of the picture now? Will Sookie still want Eric if he regains his memory…or better yet, will he still want Sookie? What happened to Jason? There are a ton of questions to be answered, so go out and sink your teeth into the fifth book, Dead As A Doornail!  

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Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

(Sookie Stackhouse series, book 3)
There’s only one vampire Sookie Stackhouse is involved with (at least voluntarily) and that’s Bill. But recently he’s been a little distant – in another state distant. His sinister and sexy boss, Eric, has an idea where to find him. Next thing Sookie knows, she is off to Jackson, Mississippi, to mingle with the under-underworld at Club Dead. It’s a dangerous little haunt where the elitist vampire society can go to chill out and suck down some type O. But when Sookie finally finds Bill – caught in an act of serious betrayal – she’s not sure whether to save him…or sharpen some stakes.

Well...this is the first book of the series (granted it’s only 3 books in) that made me question how much I really still like Bill and Sookie’s relationship. I had a feeling that new love interests would be introduced as the series progressed, but I really thought I was going to be Team Bill until the end. Now, I’m questioning my loyalty! In the second book, Living Dead In Dallas, they delve into the sexual tension between Sookie and Eric which I’m not completely sold on yet. He can be charming and seductive, but his mannerisms still bother the crap out of me. He is becoming increasingly more interested in Sookie, and she doesn’t exactly love all of the attention she’s getting from him. Now, let’s move on to the newest love interest we meet in this book; Alcide Herveaux. He’s a buff, brawny, rugged werewolf who has recently had his heartbroken and accompanies Sookie to Jackson, Mississippi. Why is she going to Jackson, you ask? Well, let me tell you…but first, I might take a minute to swoon over Alcide. ;)

Now that I’ve collected myself, I’ll continue. Sookie finds out from Eric that Bill has been kidnapped by his maker and ex-lover, Lorena, who intends to seduce then torture Bill for top-secret information he may have in his possession. Eric then realizes that the powerful king of Mississippi, Russell Edgington, may be allowing Lorena to keep Bill somewhere locked away in his mansion. Of course Sookie rushes to save her love, Bill with Alcide in tow for protection. As expected, things don’t go smoothly when Sookie eventually finds Bill…in a compromising position with Lorena. Whaaat?!? There was also an incident involving Bill and Sookie in the trunk of a Lincoln town car…well…that’s all I can really say without giving away a spoiler , but I am so glad she didn’t immediately forgive him even if he wasn’t in the right state of mind necessarily when it happened.

I love the addition of Alcide if you hadn’t guessed from my swooning earlier. I just think he and Sookie would make an adorable couple and they developed a very quick, trusting bond with each other (dumping a body with someone can have that effect on you, I guess!) I liked getting deeper into the werewolf community and learning about Josephine’s (AKA Club Dead) which kind of added an additional storyline for all upcoming books in the series. I did enjoy this book, although slightly less than the previous two. All in all…I’m still hooked on this series and Sookie continues to be one kickass heroine. 

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Living Dead In Dallas by Charlaine Harris

(Sookie Stackhouse series, book 2)
When a vampire asks cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse for a favor, she complies. And soon she’s in Dallas, using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire. She agrees to interview the humans involved as long as the bloodsuckers promise to let them go unharmed. Easier said than done. All it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly.

Living Dead In Dallas is the second book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, and while it isn’t quite as good as the first book, it doesn’t disappoint. The book doesn’t waste anytime jumping into action and by page 8 we have a brand new mystery to solve when Sookie finds her flamboyantly gay co-worker Lafayette dead in the back of cop Andy Bellefleur’s car. I was seriously sad about this…I adored Lafayette. In the midst of a new murder investigation in Bon Temp, Sookie is propositioned to do some investigation work for Area 5 Sheriff, Eric Northman. A vampire has gone missing in Dallas, and he wants Sookie to interview the humans and use her gift of telepathy to see if they know anything about the missing vamp. She obliges and heads off to Dallas with vampire Bill, Sookie’s boyfriend. It’s in Dallas that we first learn of “Vampire Safe” hotels that come equipped with windowless rooms and synthetic blood on the room service menu. Wild stuff.

The vampire safe hotels aren’t the only thing we are introduced to in Dallas. More importantly, we learn about a fanatical Christian cult called the Fellowship of the Sun, who despise vampires and want to destroy them all…or get them to destroy themselves.  An additional antagonist looms in the woods back home in Bon Temp threatening the small town, and soon Sookie realizes there may be more to the mythological world than just vampires and shapeshifters.

The introduction of more mythical creatures expands the storyline a little more, but it’s a welcome development in my opinion. As much as I love the interaction between the vamps and humans, I like the idea of them exploring the lives of other creatures that are still in hiding to the general public. The relationship between Bill and Sookie still seems rather strong, however we do get to see the growing sexual tension between Eric and Sookie continue to rise. As much as I do love Bill, there is just something about Eric that makes me wish Sookie would explore  the the option of her and Eric together. He’s kind of an asshole, but oh my gosh, he’s just so seductive. Sookie has some major willpower to keep him at a distance, but just how long can she keep that up?

I read this book in one day, and although it wasn’t as good as the first book I really enjoyed it. If you read Dead Until Dark and enjoyed it, I would definitely recommend reading this book. As I stated in my review of Dead Until Dark, I am currently getting ready to start book 12 of the series, so I’ll just give you a heads up in case you are interested in reading this book and then continuing on in the series. Brace yourself. You’re about to get bombarded with a ridiculous amount of new characters from the third or fourth book on.

If you want to read a book that has mystery, vampires, and some pretty hot makeup sex…go grab yourself a copy of Living Dead In Dallas.  

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Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

(Sookie Stackhouse series, book 1)
Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She’s quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn’t get out much. Not because she’s not pretty. She is. It’s just that, well, Sookie has this sort of “disability.” She can read minds. And that doesn’t make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill. He’s tall, dark, handsome – and Sookie can’t hear a word he’s thinking. He’s exactly the type of guy she’s been waiting for all her life…

But Bill has a disability of his own: He’s a vampire with a bad reputation. He hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, all suspected of – big surprise – murder. And when one of Sookie’s coworkers is killed, she fears she’s next…

I have a confession to make…I started reading this series after I was hooked on the first season of True Blood. Now, reading a book after I’ve seen the movie/TV show adaptation is one of my bugaboos, but I just had to know what happened next and I didn’t want to wait until the second season. Some people don’t understand why I don’t like to read a book after I’ve seen the movie/TV adaptation, and I always give the same answer; I can’t use my imagination as much. I visualize the characters, places, etc. that I already saw on the screen; I don’t get to create the images in my head first and then compare them once they’ve been brought to life. Anyway, back to the book review!

Vampires have come out of the coffin, and are now part of mainstream society. Well, most of them anyway. One night when Sookie, a telepathic waitress, is working her shift at Merlotte’s, a handsome vampire named Bill wanders in and sits in her section. After rescuing him from drainers in the bar parking lot, Sookie realizes that Bill’s mind is quiet; she can’t hear vampires’ thoughts. This heightens her attraction to him considering her dating life up until Bill has been a disaster. Honestly, if I was telepathic, I wouldn’t want to go on dates either! It would be kind of crushing to hear a guy’s thoughts if they were thinking negative things about you while you’re sitting across the table from them on a date. Or even worse...to know if they were thinking awful things about you while you're sleeping together! Talk about a blow to your ego!

Sookie and Bill continue to further their relationship, and he introduces her to some fellow vampires in Bon Temps, the main two being Eric and Pam who both work at Fangtasia, a hot vampire nightclub and tourist hot spot in Shreveport. Well, it was time to throw a wrench in their plans of a perfect vampire/human relationship. Not only does Eric have his eye on Sookie and the idea of using her “disability” to his advantage, but now a serial killer is on the loose in Louisiana and is targeting young women who we find out are all “fangbangers.” I’m sure you can guess what that means, but in case not, a fangbanger is a human who has sex with vampires. As if this wasn’t bad enough, the police seem to think the killer is Sookie's womanizing brother, Jason. In an attempt to free her brother and clear his name, Sookie is determined to find out just who is killing these women and keep her relationship with Bill intact at the same time.

This was my favorite book in the Sookie Stackhouse series so far, and I’m up to book 11 as of right now. Dead Until Dark is wonderfully written, and flows between the different storylines flawlessly; I couldn’t put this book down! The serial killer twist had me constantly on my toes, and I was SO shocked when I finally found out who was killing these girls! I also love Sookie’s personality. She’s stubborn, feisty, outspoken, and her telepathy adds to the intrigue of her character. And where do I begin with Bill?! He just seems like the perfect Southern gentleman…you know, besides the whole being-a-vampire-and-drinking-people’s-blood thing. After I finished this book, I was so thirsty to see where Bill and Sookie took their relationship in the second book of the series. (See what I did there? I was thirsty…get it? The book is about vampi…oh, forget it.)

I’ve kind of fallen into the vampire craze, and I can say that I 100 percent prefer the Sookie Stackhouse series over Twilight…although I didn’t think very highly of Twilight in general. The vampires in Charlaine Harris’s are more traditional; they sleep in coffins underground, they will burn if they go outside in the sun, you can kill them using a stake, etc. It’s not like Twilight where they sparkle in sunlight. I mean…really?? Sparkling vampires? Yeah, okay.  ANYWAY, the Sookie Stackhouse series is an adult book series and does involve sex scenes but it’s nothing too graphic. For anyone interested in vampire fiction, I would highly recommend Dead Until Dark. 

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