I had a sick brat this weekend, so she and I ended up huddled in bed together for the entire weekend.  Not good on the move preparations, but worked quite well for my book reading time.  

I LOVED this series.  The author really found the perfect mix of snarky humor, ridiculous hijinks, and romance.  Then she topped it off with good writing and a satisfying ending.  And anyone who has read the Sookie Stackhouse series (which is a grossly inaccurate comparison to this series, not all vamp books are created equal people) knows how important a satisfying ending actually is.  

Anyway.  

As with any series, there are books that are better than the others.  I think with this one, the first one, Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs, is the weakest.  It just drug on way too much.  However, if you continue on with the series, the latter books most definitely made up for it.  After getting a firm footing into the world, everything seemed to flow and you kept reading just to see what other insane crap can happen to one person.  Jane is a trouble magnet and has managed to surround herself with a group of people almost as crazy as she is.  It makes for ridiculous, yet amusing read with all of the books.  And I can't reiterate enough how happy I was to actually have a series that ended well.  

Overall, this is just what I needed in a series this weekend.  It doesn't take itself too seriously and is incredibly enjoyable to read. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of this author's books.  

My Initial Reaction...

These books always bring me to tears with laughter and Nice Girls Don't Bite their Neighbors was no exception!

The Narration...

I know you've got to be tired of hearing me say it, but for anyone who hasn't heard me yet I'll say it again. Amanda Ronconi is an incredible narrator. I would (and have) pick up a book just because she's narrating it. She brings the wit and snarkiness of her characters to life perfectly and I always the variety of voices for all the different characters. You can't go wrong with Amanda!

The Characters...

I just adore these characters. I connect with Jane so easily - she's a book worm living the dream, running her own bookstore. *sigh* Oh and did I mention that she's finally marrying her sire - Gabriel? It took me a while to fall for Gabriel but his proposal finally brought me over to his side. He's always been a bit removed from the rest of the group in my opinion, but in this book he finally seems to be part of the drama.

Of course, right in the thick of the drama are Dick Cheney and his wife Andrea. Gah, I love these two! They're like the poster children for opposites attract and every minute with them is hilarious. There are no words for how ridiculous Dick is and Andrea is as witty and smart as Jane, so what's not to love?

I have to admit to being a bit disappointed with how little we see of Jane's best pre-turn friend, Zeb, his wife Jolene, Jane's Aunt Jetti and Mr. Wainwright. These are four of my favorite characters and, while they were still there, they've definitely started moving on and living their own lives. When it mattered most, though, they were all right there in the middle of things and supporting Jane - who seems to have the worst luck of any vampire, ever.

And then there's the two newest additions to the gang - Jane's sister, who I not only love but am so glad to see not fighting with Jane anymore, and Jaime - Jane's "son." Throwing in Jaime was a lot of fun for the story - even if a bit predictable. Dealing with a teenage vampire is about as fun as dealing with a teenage boy - full of hilarious embarrassing moments and food/blood shortages.

The Story...

Jane's life is just so complicated, nothing ever is simple for her. It would help if someone wasn't always trying to kill her. This time, she's trying to plan her wedding (with a period theme! Loved it!) and all the while she and Gabriel keep having near death experiences. The first one earned her the hatred of the entire town and a new son, further complicating (and enriching) the story. The level of mystery is pretty much non-existent, since from pretty early on you know what's up. But that's not the point of these books, in my opinion. The point is watching Jane and the gang trip all over themselves as they try to figure out who's out to get them. Let dumb plans, witty banter, and disastrous fall out ensue. For me, the most epically hilarious moment of Nice Girls Don't Bite their neightbors was when they finally found who was behind it all. It was so ridiculous that I couldn't help but laugh, hysterically - despite being on the bus.

Concluding Sentiments...

This was a very satisfying conclusion to the Jane Jameson series. I laughed so hard I cried, and a couple times, I cried for reals (which was totally unexpected for this series). I'll miss this crazy gang, but I'm really happy with where Molly Harper left us.

Jane and Gabriel have just moved in with each other and are in the process of planning their wedding. Since it's Jane's upcoming wedding, you know things are going to go wrong before she can walk down the aisle. The trouble starts when Jane turns a teenager she used to babysit into a vampire to save his life. Suddenly, Jane finds herself saddled with a vampire childe she never wanted. Things only get worse when Jane's dead grandmother starts haunting her and someone starts trying to kill Gabriel.

I'll admit I went into Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors reluctantly since I thought Jane's story had been wrapped-up nicely at the end of the third book. My main concern was that Jane and Gabriel wouldn't be able to hold my attention without their usual relationship drama and, sadly, I was right. I spent the majority of the story bored and had a hard time finishing the book. The writing was still great and there were quite a few funny moments, but the story just didn't hold my attention.

Jane and Gabriel's interactions fell really flat, which was due to Gabriel never having been really fleshed out in the other novels. So having so much of him in the story caused it to drag because he was very one dimensional. In contrast to just how much Gabriel we get, we get very little Dick and Andrea. I have to say that I really missed their presence since they were always great in the other books.

Despite my issues with this addition to the series, I'll still continue to read the spin off books starring other characters. However, I won't be reading any other Jane books if they come out. I think her story is done.