Bad to the Bone

Bad to the Bone by Jeri Smith-Ready
Summary from Goodreads:

Turn On. Tune In. Drop Dead.
If you’re just joining us, welcome to radio station WVMP, “The Lifeblood of Rock ’n’ Roll.” Con-artist-turned-station-owner Ciara Griffin manages an on-air staff of off-the-wall DJs—including her new boyfriend Shane McAllister—who really sink their teeth into the music of their ‘Life Time” (the era in which they became vampires). It’s Ciara’s job to keep the undead rocking, the ratings rolling, and the fan base alive—without missing a beat.

For Halloween, WVMP is throwing a bash sure to raise the dead. They’ve got cool tunes, hot costumes, killer cocktails—what could go wrong? Well, for starters, a religious firebrand ranting against the evils of the occult preempts the station’s midnight broadcast. Then, when Ciara tracks down the illegal transmission, the broadcast tower is guarded by what appears to be…a canine vampire? And behind it all is a group of self-righteous radicals who think vampires suck (and are willing to stake their lives on it).

Now Ciara must protect the station while struggling with her own murky relationship issues, her best friend’s unlikely romance with a fledgling vampire, and the nature of her mysterious anti-holy powers. To make it to New Year’s in one piece, she’ll need to learn a few new tricks.…

My Take: Bad to the Bone was just as much fun as Wicked Game, only this time we get some new bad guys and get to learn more about our vampire DJs.  There is more exploration of the relationship between  our ex-con artist human Ciara and cool DJ vampire Shane. As their relationship develops, we are introduced to a weird semi religious cult group that is set on wiping out vampires and the DJs at WVMP in particular.

Ciara meets a new friend - a vampire dog she names Dexter. Dexter is a fun addition to the team. He is this big goofy mixed breed that looks more like a hell hound than a pet, but he turns out to be a loyal protector and really huge lap dog.

I enjoyed this book just as much as the first book in the series, Wicked Game. The bad guys were just plain creepy and I ended up actually feeling some empathy for  Shane's maker Regina by the end of the book! I hate to give away too many plot points - especially in a fast-paced book like this one.  There are so many questions throughout the book about who is conning who, is anyone really who they say they are, who can really be trusted? This is just a fun read plain and simple with surprises both pleasant and not-so-pleasant.
Rating: 4 of 5