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 her 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 those 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.
Persephone Alcmedi is quite content being a solitary witch. Aside from her kenneling of the local werewolf pack during their full moon change, she seems to enjoy her life as a newspaper columnist. In the world of Vicious Circle, as in most of the novels about supernatural creatures I have read, all of the former “things that went bump in the night” are walking out free. So, why does it seem that when all of the supernatural creatures come “out of the closet”, they all get involved in politics?
Persephone’s friend, Lorrie, a werewolf, is murdered. She leaves her daughter, Beverley, behind in the care of a local priestess, Vivian Diamond. Vivian offers Persephone quite a paycheck to find the murderer. This leads to Menessos, a powerful vampire, and his honcho, Goliath (also a vampire). When one of Persephone’s friends is injured and nearly killed in the hunt for the killer, Persephone makes it her business to get justice, not only for Beverley, but also for her friend.
While Vicious Circle should be clearly filed under urban fantasy, Persephone has a love interest in the form of Johnny, a werewolf musician. I wanted to like him—I really did. But every time he opened his mouth, he offered a one-liner that I envision coming from a randy 17 year old. He did this every time he opened his mouth, and I wanted to punch him in the face. I cannot imagine how any woman would find that attractive.
Persephone’s witchy activities were confusing at best. Spirit guides, ley lines, local covens, etc. While I have read many, many paranormals, I was entirely confused through much of this book. Vicious Circle felt like a manual for Wicca, rather than an entertaining adventure with paranormal elements.
I did like the addition of Nana, Persephone’s grandmother, who comes to live with her. She provided some much needed comic relief.
While I cannot put my finger on what made me feel this way, the book felt dated. It felt as though I was reading a book with 80s sentiments. So, overall, Vicious Circle was not for me. Maybe the next one will be better.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Regina
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The old grey donkey, Eeyore stood by himself in a thistly corner of the Forest, his front feet well apart, his head on one side, and thought about things. Sometimes he thought sadly to himself, "Why?" and sometimes he thought, "Wherefore?" and sometimes he thought, "Inasmuch as which?" and sometimes he didn't quite know what he was thinking about.
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