Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris (2012)

“Sookie,” Sam said. I turned and smiled at him, though he wasn’t looking at me. His eyes were shut and his voice was already slow and think with sleep. “You have to tell me what the cluviel dor is all about. How you made it work.”
That was going to be a delicate conversation. “Sure, Sam.” I said, very quietly. “Another day” (p 327).

Felipe de Casto, King of Louisiana (and Arkansas and Nevada), is in town investigating the disappearance of his man Victor. This creates problems for Eric and Sookie, who were part of the group that killed Victor and his men. Add to this someone targeting Sookie again and you have a lot of opportunities to ponder how Sookie might use the cluviel dor, the magical fae item in Sookie’s possession. It will grant one wish.

A lot happens, and a lot doesn’t happen in this latest installment of the Sookie Stackhouse series. Sookie ’s sweet girl persona is gone as contemplating murder becomes routine rather than shocking. And yet she has the audacity to hope for happy days in the midst of crisis.  

Sam remains the one constant and I admit to liking his book character a lot more than the True Blood character. I’m hopful for Sookie on this front. Eric fails Sookie’s test of love as she fails his. Their relationship seems clearly unhealthy and at an impass.

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris (2011)

Jannalynn had killed people, but I had, too. Maybe I judged her as violent because she sometimes seemed to enjoy the killing. THe idea that I might be like Jannalynn at heart–how many people did I want dead?–was another downer. Surely the day had to get better (p 142)?

In resolving one crisis, Sookie lands in another, greater crisis. This time, she and Eric are suffering under Victor’s thumb. Pam is caught in the middle (conveniently in love with a dying woman she would like to turn). Victor, as regent of Louisiana, denies Pam the right to turn Miriam. Hence, Victor must die.

Meanwhile, someone is attacking Merlot’s. Sookie has too many enemies to pin it on one person, but she is certain she is the target. I guessed correctly that Sandra Pelt (synonomous with Debbie Pelt) was to blame.

All is not well in Sookie and Eric’s paradise as the curtain closes. Their bond is broken, Eric is betrothed to the Queen of Arkansas, and Bill is sneaking in to Sookie’s heart. What will this mean for the forthcoming Deadlocked (May 1, 2012)?

This book is my first entry in the Magical March reading challenge hosted by Roof Beam Reader.

Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris (2010)

I didn’t know what to think about first: me seeing Claude naked, Claude seeing me naked, or the whole fact we were related and naked in the same room (p 165).

Amelia, the witch, moves out and Claude, the fairy, moves in. Eric’s maker shows up unexpectedly with another son in tow. Eric’s sibling is vastly different from the blong bomb. Alexei is dead Russian aristocracy and bat sh*t crazy. A lot of folks die at the end, but Eric is finally freed.

Sookie getes a little harder every book. Now she wants someone dead. Bill is less annoying now his sibling has arrived. Jason is shaping up to be a wonderful character. I’m almost through the series in time for the new HBO season!

Library copy | Large print ed. | ISBN 978-1-4104-2650-5 | Wheeler Publishing | Adult

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

Not only was I afraid they’d kill each other, I realized that I was really tired of people popping on and off my property like it was a train station on the supernatural railroad (p 208).

Once again, the fight comes to Sookie’s door. Bill continues his affections toward Sookie, Quinn tries to mend bridges but fails, and Eric swoops in to claim the prize.

This time, it is the fae war that leaves Sookie battered and mental less stable than ever before. Tricked into ‘marrying’ Eric, she unknowingly escapes the King of Louisiana’s clutches. She uses her telepathic ability to avoid being recruited into the FBI’s service. Now the fae war is over, the realms sealed off from each other, and Crystal dead, what is next for the Sook? Blissful domesticity with Eric? Somehow I doubt it.

All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris (2007)

I knew Eric was beside me before he spoke, because I felt less terrified. He knelt down to my level. Quinn was concentrating on not yelling, so his eyes were shut as though he was unconscious and there was still lots of action going on all around me. But Eric was next to me, and I felt… not exactly calm, but not upset. Because he was there (p 221).

Eric and Sookie share blood once again as the two are in attendance at a vampire conference. In this episode, readers learn more about the Queen and her entourage, we see Bill’s hokey computer program selling like hot cakes and the Fellowship strike a huge blow against the vamps. Sookie once again saves the day but not before a lot of damage is done. Eric is injured, the Queen loses her legs (though they might grow back – weird), and Quinn kills Andre in the chaos. Very exciting stuff.

Sookie swears off vamps once again in an attempt to stay out of trouble but I doubt it will hold. Eric is increasingly interested in Sookie and Quinn looks like he’s ready to back off.

Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris (2005)

“When I stayed at your house, Sookie…”
I groaned. “Oh, Eric, give it a rest” (p 59).

In which supernatural beings continue their attempts to kill Sookie Stackhouse, Eric remains hot hot hot, Bill remains a bore and Jason becomes a half-Were. Oh, and Alcide turns out to be a lot less attractive. What a jerk! He was so completely selfish in this book, I don’t know if I will ever be attracted to him again. Arg! We are also introduced to Quinn, a Were tiger, who will undoubtably make a reappearance in the next book.

One of my favorite scenes in the novel is an exchange between Sookie and Eric. Frustrated with his memory blank from the days he spent with Sookie – a victim of a witch’s curse – Eric trades a favor for this information.

“Did we have sex?” he asks directly.
For about two minutes, this might actually be fun. “Eric,” I said, “we had sex in every position I could imagine, and some I couldn’t. We had sex in every room in my house, we had sex outdoors. You told me it was the best you’d ever had.” (At the time, he couldn’t recall all the sex he’d ever had. But he’d paid me a compliment.) “Too bad you can’t remember it,” I concluded with a modest smile (p 323).

And then I forgive the book its ridiculousness and embrace the hilarious, the playfulness.

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris (2005)

I met Eric’s eyes as I felt Ray Don’s mouth sucking at the wound. Eric was holding my hands, and I was digging my nails into him like we were doing something else. He won’t mind, I thought, as I realized I’d drawn blood.

And sure enough, he didn’t. “Let go,” he advised me, and I loosened my grip on his hands. “No, not of me,” he said smiling.” “You can hold on to me as long as you want. Let go of the pain, Sookie. Let go. You need to drift away” (p 247).

Sookie travels to Jackson, Mississippi to find her missing boyfriend, Bill only to discover Bill hadn’t planned on returning to Sookie. Instead, he shacked up with his former vampire lover, Lorena. But when Sookie learns Bill is being tortured by Lorena and the vampire King of Mississippi, she feels she must rescue him.

With help from the ruggishly handsome Alcide and the ever-present and understated Eric, Sookie is successful. She doesn’t escape without a few bruises and a stake in her side. With Eric’s vampire blood helping to heal her, she returns to Bon Temps worse for the wear only to find a pack of Weres in wait. Sookie is feisty though, leaving Bill and Eric time to rescue her once again. In the final act, Sookie rescinds both Eric and Bill’s invitation into her house.

While I love the growing romance/attraction between Sookie and Eric, the computer program Bill was working on was a rather thin plot device. I simply love the more subtle roles Jason and Sam play but I missed the edgier Russel Edginton and the apparently nonexistant connection between Godric and Eric. Of course, I’m already sinking my teeth into Dead to the World.

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris (2002)

Back in Bon Temps, Lafayette has been killed by a maenad and left in the back seat of Andy Bellefleur’s car. Sookie is later attacked and sent as message to Eric. Once Eric cares for Sookie, she is given a job.

When Sookie was brought before Eric in Dead Until Dark to help catch a thief at Fangtasia, she struck a deal; her mind reading ability at his disposal for his guarantee that any culpable humans would be turned over to the law and not killed. In Living Dead in Dallas, Sookie must make good on her end. She is lent out to a coven in Dallas where a vampire has gone missing.

All clues lead to the an organization called The Fellowship of the Sun. When Sookie investigates with another human associated with the Dallas coven, she is betrayed, captured and almost raped. She is saved by Godric, a very old vampire who has decided to meet the sun. Once Sookie is freed, the Fellowship is raided by vampires. Sookie returns later to watch Godric die the final death.

When they return to Bon Temps, Sookie helps Andy Bellfleur clear his name by tracking down those who organize secret sex parties. When she does, she finds Lafayette’s murderers. The maenad kills the guilty parties and decides to leave. Somewhere in there, Eric gets a good smooch with Sookie.

Fun, light, highly-readable but pure fluff, I’ll burning through this series. I love putting the HBO characters into their book roles.

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (2001)

“Bill, are you very much attached to your friend?” Eric asked.
It took a second for the meaning to sink in. Eric the Hunk was asking if I could be borrowed (p 107).

I’ve picked up the Southern Vampire Mystery series by Harris for one reason. Eric. I am a True Blood fan but I’m not always happy with the HBO TV series: Tara. Long breaks between seasons. Tara. Episodes where nothing happens. Not enough Alcide. Tara. You get the picture.

So I was delighted with the straightfoward novel adapted for the show. Sookie is a charming southern girl with a special ability – she can hear thoughts. Bill is infinitely more likable in this novel and I was completely captivated by Eric, though his scenes are few.

A delightful piece of fluff. I’m eagerly awaiting my hold on the next three in the series.

Library copy | Penguin Group | ISBN 978-0441008537 | Adult | $7.99

Tempted: A House of Night Novel by P.C. Cast

He gave me his cocky grin. “Hey, I like it. Makes me think I’m in bed with a bad little Catholic schoolgirl from one of those twisted all-girl prep schools. Want to tell me about naked pillow fights you and your roommates used to have?” (p 110)

At the conclusion of Hunted, Zoey and her circle drove the fallen immortal Kalona and High Priestess Neferet from their ice-covered town. Tempted picks up right there and spans the next few days. The title refers, I believe, to the numerous times Zoey is tempted (usually in her dreams) by Kalona to join with him. There is also an overarching theme of free will and the temptation evil presents.

Stevie Rae’s story arc was my favorite. She stumbles across an injured Raven Mocker and her decision to save his life rather than finish him off will have consequences sure to play a major role in the future.

The series’ most irksome quality is that so little truly happens. While the books are slim as it is, so much text is wasted on inane musings and unnecessary description that I feel cheated when finished. Arg! Another year before we reach (I hope) the conclusion.