Review--Vicious Circle by Linda Robertson (Book 1 in Reading Challenge)

A GIRL'S GOT T0 DO WHAT A GIRL'S GOT TO DO...

Being a witch doesn't pay the bills, but Persephone Alcmedi gets by between reading Tarot cards, writing her syndicated newspaper column, and kenneling werewolves in the basement when the moon is full--even if witches aren't supposed to mingle with wolves. She really reaches the end of her leash, though, when her grandmother gets kicked out of the nursing home and Seph finds herself in the doghouse about some things she's written. Then he werewolf friend Lorrie is murdered...and the high priestess of an important coven offers Seph big money to destroy the killer, a powerful vampire named Goliath Kline. Seph is a tough girl, but this time she bites off more than she can chew. She needs a little help from her friends--werewolf friends. One of these friends, Johnny, the motorcycle-riding lead singer for the techno-metal Goth band Lycanthropia, has a crush on her. And while Seph has always been on edge around this 6'2" leather-clad hunk, she's starting to realize that although their attraction may be dangerous, nothing could be as lethal as the showdown that awaits them.

Whoa! Vicious Circle was just amazing! I bought this book for my own pleasure when I won the second and third book in a contest. I had to get book one so I knew what had already passed and I am so glad that I did! It was just incredible!

First off, gotta mention the little itty bits of Greek mythology that are added to the mix of the story and I LOVE that! As I already mentioned awhile ago. Seph's name alone brings more to merit to that fact, but there are a few other things that happen, such as a Tarot reading with cards depicting Greek heroes and Gods. Love it!

Moving on...the characters! OMG I seriously loved every single character in this book! Seph was a great protagonist and hero. She was tough and yet still vulnerable in some aspects. She still wants to do what's right even when it could be dangerous. Such as taking on the job the coven asks of her to track down and kill a very powerful vampire. It's a suicide mission. But she takes the case on, eventually because it was her best friend who was murdered and she does it to protect Beverley, the nine-year-old daughter her friend unwillingly left behind.

Beverley, while being one of the lesser characters was still a sweetie. She's only 9, but she's a pretty perceptive kid.

I LOVED Seph's grandmother, Demeter! Another Greek mythology name! I was giddy with the relation to the names of Demeter and Persephone being that they were mother and daughter in Greek myths! Of course, Demeter is grandma here and she is a riot! She smokes, she's loud, she brings a dog into Seph's house without telling Seph she bought one--it was free technically--but the dog is a Great Dane! And they definitely don't stay cute little puppies. But Demeter has attitude and you gotta love that. She even tells Seph that she (basically) needs to go have sex. She doesn't say it explicitly but the message is implied. She is a very blunt woman, but she is also very intelligent and I just loved that about her.

Now, Johnny. Oh boy. Gotta love that man! He has such a simple name. Thinking of those older movies or shows with the high school boyfriend being named Johnny. Simpleton, you think, but still handsome. Johnny is none of that! He is a tattooed cover man with several piercings and basically is just described to be ever so hot! And he is just fulled of innuendos that he only shares with Seph.

I really loved the building of Seph's and Johnny's relationship. Seph thinks at first, he's just flirting because that's what guys do. But then she realizes there's more to it than that. And she starts to wonder if his feelings for her are deeper than mere flirting. There was a building to their relationship despite seeing it coming. It was a gradual process and I loved that. I loved seeing the start of their romance build from friendship to more. It felt realistic!

Seph has a mix of friends, some humans ones that pop up for only a short time, which makes me wonder if there is something to read into their sudden appearance and disappearance. Or if it is truly nothing. Her other friends include several weres--spelled differently but I don't know the lettering for it it was a mix of an "a" and "e"--who were a riot as well. You can tell that Seph related closer to her Were friends than her human ones and she herself is a witch, so she falls in between on the human and supernatural lines.

Supernaturals are known to the public at large here. And the supes are treated like second class citizens and this becomes an issue at times for the characters. It was disturbing but it made for good dialogue and plot threads.

The main story plot was great, I thought it started off too simple, too easy at first when Seph agreed to take this case on. Then everything spirals out of control. And even when you think the end is coming, there's still several pages left to go. There were just so many surprising twists and turns that I just couldn't put the book down! It was nicely paced and makes for an excellent read.

There were some laugh out loud moments too. I LOLed quite a bit. Mostly with Demeter and some of Johnny's innuendos and Seph's wit.

There was also quite a bit of loose-ends at the end to keep you wanting more, yet still wrapping up the matter at hand. There is definitely going to be more development between Seph and the others and the MATTERS that took place. Things definitely changed for Seph at the end. Surprising changes too.

Overall it was a fantastic read and I really could go on talking about it longer, but I think I discussed enough! I give the book 5/5 stars, definitely!

This was my first book I completed for my September Spectacular Reading Challenge. Next up, since I've been reading all day and not ventured to the outside world to buy any books, is Hallowed Circle by Linda Robertson.