by
MaryJanice Davidson
urban fantasy in a hardcover edition that was published by Berkley Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Faeries Gone Wild, Bite, Swimming Without a Net, Undead and Unstable, Undead and Unsure
Tenth in the Queen Betsy frothy urban-fantasy series set in St. Paul, Minnesota; this one in an alternate timeline!
My Take
I want to give Davidson a “3” for the whininess she subjected me to, but then I also need to give her a “4” for being able to write someone capable of being so whiny. Whatever else, I have to give Davidson credit for imagination and humor. Even as I want to take Betsy out to the woodshed and whack her with a 4×4. I’d use an 8×8 but I’m just not strong enough to wield it.
The start of the story is a lovely synopsis of the entire series bringing us up to speed, but it goes downhill after that and is almost more irritating beyond words. Davidson drops us into the middle of the story and then hops back and forth until you just want to rip the pages out and reorganize the story to go in order.
Part of my frustration is that Davidson doesn’t really advance the story that much with Undead and Undermined. Betsy is so busy being selfish and whining about how awful her life is without anyone getting a word in edgewise, that we run out of pages before we run out of Betsy-Wetsy.
I think I keep reading this because I do enjoy Davidson’s irreverent sense of humor and, hey, Sinclair is a hunk. Okay, okay, and I like hearing about the shoes..! Maybe Betsy needs a hearing test???
The Story
Betsy has just returned, still absolutely frantic, from her trip to the pasts and future with her sister, Laura. The whole idea was to help Laura learn to use her powers and the Devil, Laura’s mother, would make it easier for Betsy to read the Book of the Dead.
Bit of a backfire, as the future totally freaked both of them, with Betsy running hither and yon babbling like a freshly-fed brook totally unable to hear a word anyone else says. Most of Betsy wants to celebrate that she’s home and the tiny bit left wants to fix things. Just as soon as she gets over the fact that the life she’s returned to is not the life she left. Clogs, for god’s sake! There are clogs in her closet!! Where are her Louboutins???
The Characters
Elizabeth “Betsy” Taylor, Queen of the Vampires, is married to Sinclair, which makes him King. Other than the bedroom and a fashion passion, the two are complete opposites. Sinclair was the son of a farmer in the early 1900s and, for some reason, is in love with Betsy. BabyJon is Betsy and Laura’s half-brother and impervious to magical harm — which has caused Sinclair to change his mind about having BabyJon around. Since his parents are dead, Betsy is his guardian.
Jessica is an orphan, she thanks God, and has been best friends with Betsy since childhood. Her parents’ deaths have left her a millionaire and everyone lives with her in her mansion. Detective Nick/D-Nick Berry is in love with Jessica and loves/hates Betsy depending upon which timeline he’s in.
Tina is the vampire who brought Sinclair over and is now his very efficient Girl Friday.
Marc is an ER doctor who lives with the rest of the gang. Antonia is the dead werewolf from Cape Cod who took a bullet to the brain for Betsy, and George is the Fiend who wants her back.
Laura is the Devil’s daughter, Betsy’s half-sister, and the Anti-Christ who helps out at soup kitchens, goes to church, and aids in other charitable endeavors.
Antonia “The Ant” is Betsy’s stepmother and Laura’s surrogate mother (she was possessed by the Devil when she conceived, so Laura is really the Devil’s daughter — Betsy is still not sure if The Ant isn’t really the Devil anyway!).
The Cover and Title
The cover is very Betsy. A cute, self-satisfied blonde in sunglasses and a black evening dress with a heart-shaped, plunging neckline with a bat pendant around her neck. The title could cover so many possibilities: Betsy’s view of the future with Ancient Betsy; Betsy herself; Laura stealing the Book of the Dead; the Devil telling her the truth about the Book; or, in Betsy’s view, her mother snogging some guy!
