Queen Betsy/Undead Books In Order
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Queen Betsy, also known as Undead, is a paranormal romance series composed of 13 books, 7 volumes and also a collection of short stories, by MaryJanice Davidson. If you’re curious about what a paranormal romance is, paranormal romance is a genre that makes a mix of the romance genre combined with the speculative fiction, a genre that focuses on things beyond scientific explanation. Horror, fantasy and sci-fi may be included under speculative fiction.
Queen Betsy follows our heroine, Elizabeth Anne Taylor, or you can just call her Betsey. On an extremely unlucky day, Betsy loses her job but doesn’t only stop there, but is also killed on the same day in a car accident. If you think this is bad enough, then let me tell you that it also happened to be her thirtieth birthday.
It’s usual for heroines to be killed at the end of most stories, but here, our Betsey Taylor is killed right at the start, marking the beginning of the book and her adventures. Because next, Betsey wakes up to find herself in what looks to be a funeral house, undead. Freaked out (quite justified,) she attempts to kill herself more than once, only failing one time after the other, to find out in the end that she’s now the queen of vampires, chosen by the enthusiastic vampires who are also expecting her to protect her from a power hungry vampire who seeks to take over the undead world.
Queen Betsy or Undead is one of Mary’s most popular works. According to her, it was a reaction in her own way to what she thought of as cliches and unrealistic characters in most paranormal romances in the market. MaryJanice Davidson is one of the best-selling authors not only in USA but also worldwide, author of the most popular Undead series and also the BOFFO trilogy, writes a bi-weekly column in USA Today and most likely writes everything that comes to mind: rants, short stories, novels, novellas, articles and the list goes on.
Among the books featured under this series is “Undead and Unwed,” and it’s the very first book of the series. It’s unnecessary to mention what this book features as we’ve already done that. Released back in 2004, it marked the start of the Queen Betsey/Undead series and immediately gained popularity among the readers due to the lovable characters and well-thought setting and it still sells to this very day.
If we’d mention another book, then “Undead and Unemployed” would be best to mention next as it’s the second book, released also in 2004. “Undead and Unemployed” continues Betsey’s adventures after the end of the first book, this time concentrating on her as she strives to have a normal job while continuing to be the queen of vampires. The book reveals Betsey’s shoe fetish, as the author calls it, and her dream of becoming a shoe designer. Fortunately, she is able to find her dream job at Marcy’s Department store, but also unluckily, her vampires are getting murdered around town and want her to do something about it as their queen. The bad part is that she might require the help of Eric Sinclair, a vampire striving for her attraction so that he could become the king of vampires…
“Undead and Unemployed” is also a high selling book, and it only continues the first book’s success, adding to the series’ humor, well-received characters and interesting plot. Betsey Taylor, the heroine of the series, proves to be an intriguing character indeed, providing a non-cliche example of romance paranormal heroines.
What’s also a great point about this series is that you don’t actually have to start at the beginning, meaning that if you start with book 2, for example, “Undead and Unemployed” in this case, you’ll understand the story completely. Sure, it might help to have read the first book to create a better idea of the setting and characters, but it’s not completely necessary.
The series doesn’t only concentrate on Betsey’s character and her development especially her transformation into a vampire, but also introduces a cast of easily lovable and charming characters, whether major or minor ones. In addition to Betsey, MaryJanice Davidson was able to successfully introduce Eric Sinclair mentioned a couple of paragraphs ago. The handsome, fine vampire who is constantly seeking Betsey’s attention, wanting to be her consort for a thousand years while not understanding her ways. This is probably most prominent in his refusal of her ‘dream job.’ Betsey, on the other hand, finds him quite annoying, but part of her can’t simply ignore his charms. One could also mention Jessica, Betsey’s best friend who’s quite devastated when she hears of her death in the car accident. Jessica is probably an example of the faithful friend, as she is quick to accept her friend as she returns from the dead, albeit in vampire form.
Queen Betsey/Undead series is definitely one of those genius series that aren’t given enough fame despite their very high selling rates. One could easily imagine one of the books being turned into a movie and quickly making success, but unfortunately, there’s no such thing. Although MaryJanice Davidson mentioned a few times on her Yahoo! group that there were plans for a movie adaptation, such a thing was never created, sad as it is.
But however, this doesn’t mean that the series need it. Queen Betsey/Undead is already a very popular series on its own and although readers usually look for character development or interesting stories or even wild settings when looking for new books, Queen Betsey is a complete package, featuring all of this while adding its own touch of humor and laughing in a pleasant, fun way. It’s one of those books which you just can’t put down, keep reading every word in it keenly while wishing it would never come to an end.
To sum it up, Queen Betsey/Undead is a very recommended book series if you are a fan of romance paranormal books and stories, or even if you’re just a fan of vampires and their stories. In fact, even if you are not, it’s encouraged that you give this a try, as you will definitely not regret a moment of it.
Book Series In Order » Characters »
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I’m not a fan of the paranormal, vampires and things that go bump in the night. However, I have really enjoyed the liveliness (pun intended), humor, banter, unlikely yet plausible interactions and situations that these characters experience and create. Absolutely recommend!