I usually don't read romance novels. I have a lovely husband and usually he provides all the romance that I require. But sometimes, I am in the mood for a lighthearted tale (I usually read classics and fantasy or vampire novels) that is a quick read that will make me laugh. Undead and Unwed provided all those for me. It was a funny, solidly written, romantic tale that took me only a day to read. This would be a great on the beach, on the plane or on vacation book.

Plot: Betsy is having a bad day. She is fired, her cat is giving her a hard time, and oh yes, she gets hit by a car and dies. She wakes up in the funeral home to find that she has been dressed in a cheap, pink suit (egad!) and even worse in cheap shoes (oh, the humanity). She quickly realizes that she is a vampire. Tells her family that she is alive (sort of). Her mother and her best friend, Jessica, take it well and are just glad to have her back, but her father and his selfish new wife freak out and ask why couldn't she just stay dead like normal people.

Betsy soon finds out that she may be the foretold Queen of the vampires. An interesting, tall dark and handsome vampire named Eric is ready and willing to fill her in on all the details of being the Queen and why the signs point to her being queen (she is not burned by the sun or holy water and she can still say God). He also desires to be her king, and help her get rid of a rather bad vampire named Nostro who has it out for her. It seems that when Betsy showed up and refused to submit to Nostro she started a vampire war. But first, she needs to find a way to get her precious shoe collection back from her stepmother.

What makes this book work is its characters. Betsy is hilarious. She is vain, yet hardworking. Her heart is in the right place. But thinking is not her strong suit. She just wants to be left alone to live her undead life, with her shoes and clothes, but everyone insists she get involved in this vampire business/politics.

Eric is everything you want a sexy vampire to be. Mannered, tall, handsome, smart--did I mention sexy? He seems to be up on all the goings on, but only tells Betsy what he thinks she needs to know, plus he tries to boss her around which leads to tension/conflict between them.

Tina is Eric's friend; they have been traveling the world together for a while (like a brother and sister). She is your typical sidekick character.

Jessica is Betsy's staunch friend--lot of the comedy comes in conversations between Jessica and Betsy.

Nostro is you typical ugly bad guy.

It has little romance as compared to other romance novels, but there is at least one sex scene that I remember. However, you can see the potential relationship between Eric and Betsy. It is more funny than anything because everything is colored by Betsy's unique and entertaining viewpoint. It was one of the funniest books that I have read in a long time. Quite enjoyable fluff.


Recommended: Yes