Club Dead

ALCIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And the clouds parted and the angels blessed us with Alcide, the gloriously gorgeous werewolf that makes Team Jacob drool. Ah yes, as you can tell, I'm thrilled with the introduction of this character. I honestly loved this book because it revealed the nature of Lorena and made Bill look bad. It also showed Sookie can have a backbone, but that because she loves him, she'll forgive Bill for anything that happens. As a girl who has loved, I can relate completely to the justification of love in the face of otherwise debatable actions.

Overall, I loved that Tara has more of a part in the books, but I cannot appreciate how shallow she seems compared to her character on True Blood. While I was thrilled to see her show more resurface instead of being written off, I get the feeling she's a fairweather friend. I got the same sense from Arlene in the first books, but we'll see. The lack of insight from other characters is making that thought harder to understand. Still love the characters, couldn't put the book down.

Oh, and Debbie........argh that woman is a BITCH! show less

Notes: This is, for now, my favourite book in the series and it's not a coincidence that Bill goes missing for the most of it.
I'm quite torn about this series since, while I like the stories a lot and I'm curious about what'll happen next, I can't stand very much 2 of the major characters: Sookie & Bill. I find both of them quite annoying & their relationship just doesn't trasmit me anything...however for 2 I don't like there are some I love! First of all Eric that I liked from the start and that I find a very interesting character with his complex personality (moreover he's HOT!!!), then his two sidekicks Pam & Chow who at least have some sort of self control in front of Sookie's "charm"...cause I don't understand why all the guys show more fall in love/lust with her (and maybe i'm a little jelous too)! In the end i know I'll continue to read this series because I'd like to know where the story will go (hoping in some changes along the way) but it probably would never been one of my fav series in the genre even if there were the premises for being just that. show less

Imagine this: your biggest problem for the day is not whether to clean the bathrooms or how to get your errands done but this: what do I wear to go to a nightclub for supernaturals frequented by vampires so I can find out (by reading minds while I’m there) who kidnapped my vampire boyfriend?

I know that sounds ridiculous, but books about the waitress/barmaid Sookie Stackhouse are delightfully addictive: Sookie is endearing (just ask the two vampires and two shape-changers who are vying for her affections!), the author has a fantastic feel for humor in absurdity, and the romantic moments have just the right mix of tenderness, lust, and realism.

This is book 3 of the mystery-vampire-romance series featuring sassy Sookie, now 26, who works show more by day and hangs out with vampires by night. In Club Dead, Sookie’s boyfriend Bill has gotten so involved in playing on the computer he seems to have lost interest in her, and then he disappears. His vampire boss Eric arranges for the werewolf Alcide Herveaux to help Sookie find Bill. Alcide turns out to be a “big rough man” who eats real food (as opposed to drinking blood)! Sookie is somewhat smitten. (Okay, when there's a full moon he eats raw animals on the hoof, but that's just a once-a-month thing.)

Alcide has a vicious ex-girlfriend Debbie who resents Sookie and who still has an emotional hold on Alcide. She throws a lot of obstacles in Sookie’s path. And “sinister and sexy” Eric is getting more attached to Sookie, although, as he tells her, “I don’t like having feelings.” Will Sookie rescue Bill? Will Alcide dump Debbie for Sookie? Who will Sookie choose? All these flying hormones will keep you glued to your reading chair!

Evaluation: These books are like the candy you can’t stop eating. When I’m not stopping to laugh out loud, I’m whipping through the pages and having a rip-roaring good time. show less

As expected, the book follows Sookie Stackhouse, the telepathic waitress from Bon Temps through another set of adventures filled with tension, mystery and a healthy dose of supernatural. After the mishaps from the previous books, the romance gets pushed on the back burner. Vampire Bill seems less interested in Sookie and spends most of his time in secrecy, writing something on his computer, then disappears.

“The sweetest part of being a couple is sharing your life with someone else.

But my life, evidently, had not been good enough to share.”

To make matter worse, a man shows up at the bar she works and tries to kill Sookie. The plot thickens when she finds out that Bill was kidnapped by the Mississippi vampires and it’s all related show more to his mysterious computer files.

Another of my favorite quotes happens when Eric stops by to inform Sookie that Bill was kidnapped and sneaks into her bed while she sleeps:

“My eyes flew open, and I pushed back against rock-hard shoulders. I let out a little squeak of horror.

“It’s me,” said a familiar voice.

“Eric, what are you doing here?”

“Snuggling.”

Read more here: https://www.summonfantasy.com/book-reviews/book-review-club-dead-by-charlaine-ha.... show less

Probably my favorite Sookie book so far. The clothes the author puts Sookie in continue to horrify and delight (she's 26 and un-ironically excited to wear a Christmas sweater with reindeer on it? Her dress has sleeves, but no shoulders? Is it possible this was written in 1992?), but it only makes the whole series more fun at this point. I'm especially glad she's on the outs with Bill in this one because he is BORING.

Finishing this book meant another late night for me because even though I was tired, I just couldn't put it down. I found the tone of this book to be a bit different from the first two in the series. In the first two, Sookie is desperate to find love and acceptance and eventually finds that in Bill. While she may get injured or face tremendous danger, she knows (and the readers know) that Bill is there to look after and ultimately take care of her. This time around, though, while she's still in life-threatening danger, Bill may or may not be there after all. It's disconcerting for both Sookie and the reader.

Added to that, we're introduced to a world with other shape shifters, werewolves, kings and queens of the vampire world and so much show more more. Ms. Harris has created an amazing world that feels every bit as real as anything else you will find on TV or in other books. Even though there is much that is quite fascinating in the world Ms. Harris created, what makes this a truly compelling read is the fact that Sookie must face what millions of other women face in their lives - the possibility of a cheating lover/spouse/significant other - as well as what to do about the situation. Suddenly, her supernatural life has taken quite a normal turn of events.

Her pain and confusion about this turn of events is all the more real to the reader because of the time and effort spent during the first two books building up their relationship and love for each other. Ms. Harris could have had Sookie wallow in her pain, misery and doubt, but it is a testament to how much Sookie has grown as a character that she not only stands up for herself but takes things into her own hands and resolves the issue in a way that is best for her.

This book took me even less time to finish than the first two. I've already resigned myself that I will be finishing the series before starting anything else. I'm having fun, though, reading through them. They are a perfect summertime read. I'm anxious to see what else life has in store for Sookie, to see if she ever gets her happily ever after, whoever it may be, and if she can find the acceptance and love she so desires and deserves. show less

"They say there's no harm in daydreaming, but there is."

There's trouble in paradise when Bill Compton is ordered to take on a top secret and super time consuming project given by the vampire Queen of Louisiana, Lorena. Giving him the time and space he needs to work, Sookie Stackhouse doesn't realize her boyfriend is missing until Eric Northmen and his two most trusted co-workers, Pam and Chow, pay her a visit. They also clue her in on some other interesting information: Bill hinted to Eric about leaving and Bill and Lorena have a romantic history together (they're blood bonded, which is a rare and ill advised thing to do between vamps).

Having an idea of where to find him, Eric sends Sookie to Jackson, Mississippi with a werewolf who show more owes him a favor, Alcide Herveaux. There, she'll stay in his apartment and visit Club Dead (club Josephine's) to scope out the club goers using her telepathic abilities. Luckily for her, Sookie has Alcide, Eric, and Bubba (vampire Elvis Presley) watching her back, because she gets into all sorts of trouble on this trip. Between being physically assaulted by a werewolf in the club, finding said werewolf mysteriously dead in Alcide's closet, and being staked by Steve Newlin in the process of saving the king of Mississippi's second in command, Betty Jo Pickard, things are not going as planned.

Fortunately, Russell Edginton (vampire king of Mississippi) feels obligated to help Sookie for saving his second in command, and for being attacked by a werewolf in his jurisdiction. He takes Eric (who pretends to be someone else) and Sookie to his mansion to rest and heal. Bubba, still obediently carrying out his orders, follows Sookie there and learns that Bill is being held prisoner in one of Edginton's buildings. The three come up with a rescue plan to save Bill and it works... But they're not out of hot water just yet.

They still need to survive the ruthless werewolves who want to avenge their missing pack member and figure out who killed him. There's also the matter of Alcide's jealous on-and-off shapeshifter girlfriend, Debbie Pelt, who, despite being engaged to another shifter, wants to take Sookie out of Alcide's life for good. Then of course there's the fact that Bill cheated on Sookie with Lorena, and was even planning on leaving her with out a word.

Emotionally and physically drained, Sookie recinds both Bill's and Eric's invitations as an attempt to separate herself from all the chaos. Realizing just then that she still has Bill's secret project hidden in her house and now no vampire can access it.

This book does start off slow, but the second half is packed with action! There's a lot of good character development in Club Dead, which allowed me to feel more connected to them, as well as introductions to new characters. There are some humorous parts in this book, but all the romantic drama gave it more of a "serious" feel.

I'm not a big fan of Bill's, so I was glad that he was pretty much MIA for most of this installment. I was also happy that in betraying Sookie for his ex lover, Lorena also betrays him (serves him right! lol). His absence and betrayal allowed Sookie to become closer to Alcide and Eric. There was a lot of fun "will they - won't they?" tension between the three. While I'm rooting for Eric (for now, anyway.) I think anyone would pretty much be better for Sookie than Bill. I can't say that I hate him, but he's just so bland, and boring and... Ugh!

Bubba (vampire Elvis Presley) was introduced in [b:Dead Until Dark|301082|Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, #1)|Charlaine Harris|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1468560853s/301082.jpg|479517], but in this installment of the Sookie Stack house Mysteries he's become one of my favorite characters.

I like Alcide's character and look forward to seeing him in the other books of Charlaine Harris' series, but all that "real women" and "real man" talk got annoying. It was easy enough to look past I suppose, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth. There was also a comment made by Sookie, concerning being an American and torture that also didn't sit well with me. show less