Virtual Virgin (Delilah Street Bk 5) by Carole Nelson Davis

 

I wasn't sure where Virtual Virgin was going to go, as the last book in this series left so many things up in the air.

To be honest, I'm not sure what keeps drawing me back to Delilah Street. The first two books in the series were a 5 of 10 for me, and the third and fourth were a 7 of 10. And yet, there is something so bizarre about the settings, so intriguing about the idea of the silver in old films being used as a supernatural / metaphysical medium, I just keep reading.

There were a few rewards in Virtual Virgin -- we finally learn a bit about Delilah's mom. However, as these things so often do in books, the answers we get just give us even more questions. Yes, I think it's probably enough that I'll be reading the next book, too.

Here's the blurb:

She’s Like a Virgin . . . Simulated for the Very First Time

For a red-blooded male, Las Vegas offers a virtual smorgasbord of temptation: sexy showgirls, vampy vampires, zombie starlets, you name it. But paranormal investigator Delilah Street isn’t worried about losing her man to these vixens. Especially when the one woman with a soft spot for the guy also has a hard-shelled exterior. . . .

She’s a robot—or a CinSim, to be exact—a near-perfect simulation of the silver-metal robot Maria from the classic science fiction movie Metropolis. Part innocent teenage actress, part depraved sex goddess, the new Maria is hooked on Delilah’s partner, Ric, who raised her from the dead. She also happens to be the perfect secret weapon for a demonic drug lord. Which could be one hell of a problem. Delilah’s not the jealous type, but this tin-can temptress must be stopped—even if it forces Delilah to forge a dangerous alliance with her wicked mirror-twin, Lilith. If robo-girl goes ballistic, every player in Vegas loses. . . .

As for the writing elements:

• The plot was one part predictable and two parts surprise.
• Pacing was better than in previous books, but still not great.
• Prose and dialogue were well done.
• Character development is a bit spotty and I'm not sure stays all that consistent between books. Some of that is because of the whole change and growth thing, but not all of it.
• World-building is imaginative and unique and I love it most of the time -- but occasionally it can be just a tad bit confusing. 

Virtual Virgin gets the highest rating I've given a book in this series,  but the series rating will remain a 7 of 10.

If you are looking for something different, and if you can handle a large cast of characters and some very complex world building, this series is a unique take on Urban Fantasy.

• Book Rating: Virtual Virgin: 8 of 10
• Series Rating: 7 of 10

1. Dancing with Werewolves
2. Brimstone Kiss
3. Vampire Sunrise
4. Silver Zombie
5. Virtual Virgin

 

Silver Zombie (Delilah Street Bk 4) by Carole Nelson Davis

 

Silver Zombie is the fourth Delilah Street book. The first book introduced us to a Delilah who was a reporter at her local TV station, reporting on paranormal news items. She moved to Vegas before the first book really got going, and became a paranormal investigator. As we begin the fourth book we learn that everything that has happened in the first three books happened in about two months' time. It felt like at least a year. A lot has happened since she moved to Vegas.

In Silver Zombie Delilah and Ric are headed back to Kansas to learn a little bit about why Delilah has some of her... hang-ups. We see many of the people from earlier books - Delilah, Ric, and Quicksilver, of course. Also Ric's foster mother Helena Troy Burnside, and of course Snow/Christophe has to make an appearance. Cameo's are made by Hector Nightwine, Shez, Grizelle, and Sansouci at the beginning of the book - but they aren't part of any plot in this book and we really could have done without the filler, in my opinion. If the scenes at the beginning of the book were a set up for the next book then they should have been at the end, and could have been a lot less wordy. Too many things happen in the beginning of the book that aren't necessary to the plot of this book... and that made the first half of the book a task instead of an enjoyable read.

Here's the blurb:

Zombies and Witches and Vamps . . . Oh, My!

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas—at least that’s Delilah Street’s hope. With Sin City’s vampire and werewolf mobs wanting to cash in her chips once and for all, she’s retreating with her partner Ric Montoya and half-wolfhound Quicksilver to her Kansas birthplace. Unfortunately, when it comes to finding trouble, there’s no place like home. . . .

It doesn’t take long before Delilah realizes she’s not in Vegas anymore. Zombie cowboys and spectral cattle drives are kicking up dust, the local weather girls are total witches who forecast perfect storms, and some Hollywood fanatic is recasting zombies as the greatest stars of the silver screen. And speaking of silver, Delilah’s special affinity for the all-purpose monster-repellent leads her posse straight down a silver brick road—and into a notso- fun house of mirrors—putting her face-to-face with her dicey past and a mystery woman named Lilith, who’s a real dead ringer for Delilah. The key word being dead.

My biggest problem with this story? Pacing. And there were very serious pacing issues. The story rambles and starts and stops and reminisces and doesn't do much of anything for more than half of the book. Once the story gets started it gets better, and the final 20% of the book doesn't lack for action at all. But the first half of the book could have used some serious help.

As for the rest of the writing elements -- the action oriented plot was most excellent once the author actually delved into it. It's really too bad we didn't know more about the main plot until the last ten or fifteen percent of the book - it could have added a lot of interest earlier on. We do know more about the personal-to-Delilah part of the plot earlier, and it's rough, but it explains a good bit about her history. Not enough, but still a decent amount.

The prose and dialogue were mostly okay - this author tends to ramble and be a bit too flowery and retrospective and introspective for me. And considering I usually like those things... right. I liked the story once I reached the end, but the telling of the story occasionally hurt my eyes. Character developmeng is well done, and world building is stellar. I'll also say that the author's use of symbolism is a large part of what makes this series as interesting as it is.

• Book Rating: Silver Zombie:7 of 10
• Series Rating:7 of 10

I went back and forth with myself on these ratings. I started out with a six of ten for both book and series, but talked myself up to a seven of ten. The various plots, the characters, the symbolism, the worldbuilding - those things deserve a nine... but the storytelling and the pacing issues scream for a four or five.  Averaged together I came up with a seven.

Delilah Street: Paranormal Investigator series:

1. Dancing with Werewolves
2. Brimstone Kiss
3. Vampire Sunrise
4. Silver Zombie
5. Virtual Virgin (2011)

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Vampire Sunset (Delilah Street Bk 3) by Carole Nelson Davis

Vampire Sunset is the third Delilah Street book by Carole Nelson Davis. The second book, Brimstone Kiss, left us with a huge cliffhanger that really bothered me. It felt like she didn't finish the book, and I don't like it when an author does that. So, I waited a while to read the third book, as I wanted to make sure we weren't going to be left with another cliff hanger like that.

Once I decided to read it, I enjoyed Vampire Sunset. There are still some pacing issues, and some places where the writing is a touch awkward, but all in all, it was an entertaining book.

Here's the blurb:

WHEN THE STAKES ARE DEAD -- OR UNDEAD!

Werewolf mobsters and vampires run Vegas, but that's yesterday's news for Delilah Street, paranormal investigator. What's truly fearsome is her bloody discovery of an undead evil rooted in ancient Egypt. Now, with her lover Ric fighting for life after a grim battle, the chips are down.

But Delilah is a born winner who has never let a little danger throw off her game, and she's been learning fast since she came to Sin City. Her affinity for silver is making mirror-walking a real breeze, and being forced to accept the albino rock star sorcerer Snow's Brimstone Kiss has ramped up her powers to a startling new level. With the help of her trusty uber-wolfhound Quicksilver, not to mention the orange demon parking valet Manny, Delilah is determined to solve even more paranormal secrets, and hopefully save the few innocents left in town. But can Delilah win her high-stakes gamble for life and love against ancient gods and lethal supernatural odds?

I'm not sure the blurb actually tells us much of what happens in the book. I will say that some of it is far out there, even for something in the Urban Fantasy genre - but that's okay. It's a very different perspective on the genre, and I've enjoyed the concepts that the author explores.

Vampire Sunrise doesn't give us a whole lot of answers. We learn more about Ric's childhood, but we don't learn much more about Snow, and the breadcrumbs we pick up about Lilith don't really tell us anything, either. The plot is not a plot just for this book, it's a continuation of the same plot from previous books. In fact, these three books seem to me to be one book in three parts, more than three books. And it's possible that the next book will make it seem like one book in four parts.

I've given this series a 5 of 10 in the past. I'll give Vampire Sunset a 7 of 10, and I'll raise the series rating to a 6 of 10.

Book Rating: Vampire Sunset: 7 of 10
Series Rating: Delilah Street: 6 of 10







1. Dancing with Werewolves
2. Brimstone Kiss
3. Vampire Sunrise (Nov 24, '09)

Brimstone Kiss (Delilah Street, Paranormal Investigator) by Carole Nelson Douglas

The emotion I felt at the end of Brimstone Kiss? Anger. Lots of anger. Seriously, don't put that kind of cliffhanger on a book when another book isn't due out for a year. It's not nice. It doesn't show respect for the reader. Tie up the major loose ends from a book while leaving enough loose ends to make us want the next book right now. But don't give that kind of cliffhanger.

Here is the blurb for the book:

Paranormal Investigator Delilah Street--in her quest to identify the long-buried embracing skeletons she and sexy ex-FBI agent Ricardo Montoya discovered-- has to deal with a lecherous vampire, a ghoulish producer, celebrity zombies from classic films, a mysterious albino rock star who bestows addictive kisses on his groupies, and a dead girl in her mirror--and those are just her clients! Post-Millennium Revelation Las Vegas is teeming with supernaturals and run by a werewolf mob, but even the unhumans can't conceive of what Delilah discovers hidden under its damnable desert sands: unspeakably powerful evil rooted in ancient Egypt...

Brimstone Kiss continues the story from the first book. The pacing is better in Brimstone Kiss than it was in Dancing with Werewolves, and I was mostly enjoying the story. Right up until the end. Have I mentioned the cliff hanger?

I still like Delilah, I still wonder what Snow is and whether he likes Delilah or is using her (he seems to be a good guy where she is concerned, but he could just as easily be a bad guy), I'm still fascinated by the concept of the CinSims. But with the pacing problems from the first book, with the cliffhanger of the second book... there are a lot of problems even though the concept of the books is a good one.

Will I read Vampire Sunrise? I don't know. It's not due out until the end of November, over five months away. By then, I may not care what Ric is when he wakes up. (Select the spoiler text to view it.) And I may not care what Snow is, or whether he's a good guy or a bad guy. I've put it on my Anxiously Awaiting page so I can make that decision when the time draws near, but as of now I'm just not sure. I will probably read some reviews before I make the decision, to make sure we aren't handed another cliffhanger.

I gave Dancing with Werewolves a 5 of 10. If Brimstone Kiss hadn't given us the cliffhanger it could have been a 7 of 10. But with the cliffhanger, it also gets a 5 of 10. The series is going to be a 5 of 10 for me as well.

Book Rating: 5 of 10
Series Rating: 5 of 10




1. Dancing with Werewolves
2. Brimstone Kiss
3. Vampire Sunrise (Nov 24, '09)

Dancing With Werewolves (Delilah Street; Paranormal Investigator) by Carole Nelson Douglas

I wanted to like Dancing with Werewolves. I really did. I did enjoy the first third or so of it, so much that I went ahead and ordered the second book, Brimstone Kiss, before finishing the first book.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the second two thirds of the book as I enjoyed the first third.

The worldbuilding in this book is most definitely different. An interesting premise, to be sure. Or rather, several interesting things. Before I go much further I'll give you the blurb:

It was the revelation of the millennium: witches, werewolves, vampires and other supernaturals are real. Fast-forward 13 years: TV reporter Delilah Street used to cover the small-town bogeyman beat back in Kansas, but now, in high-octane Las Vegas - which is run by a werewolf mob - she finds herself holding back the gates of Hell itself. But at least she has a hot new guy and one big bad wolfhound to help her out...

Delilah is an interesting character, as is the film director and the sexy Latino boyfriend. I'm having a bit of trouble putting a finger on what the problem was, but I think it might be the fact that it just seems to ramble and wonder and meander around all over the place.

I like the characters (mostly), I'm unsure about the plot, and I like the worldbuilding. There were too many things unresolved, though. I know it's the beginning of a series and things are supposed to be unresolved for the next book, but in my opinion there were just too many things left hanging.

I will be reading the second book in the series, Brimstone Kiss, since I've already purchased it.

I give Dancing with Werewolves a 5 of 10.

Book Rating: 5 of 10





1. Dancing with Werewolves
2. Brimstone Kiss
3. Vampire Sunrise