Shakespeare Undead

I love these type of books. So when I came across this one on sale I had to grab it. Even though I really enjoy these books, I didn’t really have any expectations going into this one. They can be very hit or miss. So because of that, part of me was surprised at just how much I liked it and another part of me was wondering why I was so surprised.

Shakespeare Undead is so well written that you are pulled in from the first page. I loved Kate. She is so brave and strong. We need more characters like her. I wish I was like her. I also loved Will. He actually had me laughing out loud and that doesn’t happen too often while reading.

If you haven’t read this book, you need to go get it right now. You wont regret it. I will be getting the show more next book,Zombie Island as soon as I can. show less

Now that a number of classic novels are being invaded by forces of the supernatural, why not target historical figures!

So, William Shakespeare is a vampire. He can pass for human, control people with his minds, and kill zombies with his bare hands. He also possesses a wild imagination that does not seem to stop. Oh, and he can see dead people and raise zombies to do his bidding. So, when zombies are running amok all over London, citizens hide from what they believe is the plague and Shakespeare kills off as many as he can. However, he is not alone. Here enters Kate (yes, the same name as one of the characters from Taming of the Shrew), a trained zombie hunter who joins Shakespeare for some zombie killing action, along with other show more activities that take place behind closed doors (if you know what I mean). But who is responsible for this undead force that terrorizes the city? Can Shakespeare control his darker half? And who will make a cameo, Queen Elizabeth or Christopher Marlowe?

Lori Handeland has written a number of paranormal romances in the past. She has experience in the genre and it shows very well. The author is able to turn Shakespeare from the writer that everybody knows of to an immortal, strong, and passionate individual. However, his sexy persona does not get in the way with his struggles of hiding his true nature and power. The same goes with Kate, who needs to hide her natural killing and acting abilities in a society where women were not permitted on the stage and must remain faithful to their husband, even if they did not find any form of love between them. Among the romantic moments, there are a number of comedic moments involving Shakespeare, his actors, and even Queen Elizabeth herself. The two forms blend nicely together, neither one smothering the other.

For Shakespeare enthusiasts, there are various references to the bard’s work, such as The Taming of the Shrew, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Romeo and Juliet, just to name a few. Readers will have fun pointing out references and how well they contribute to the novel’s storyline.

This romantic and comedic piece of paranormal fun will entertain fans of the bard, as well as those who cannot get enough of these "mash-up" novels. It appears as though a mixture of zombies, vampires, and William Shakespeare creates an entertaining read from beginning to end. show less

This was like being at a Renaissance fair. A very quick and entertaining read and written really well.

The only fault I found in the book is that during the first occurrence of a conflict between Kate and a zombie, Kate kicks him in his private parts which causes the zombie to fall to the ground clutching his same parts. It is later mentioned in the book that zombies do not feel pain. I'm not sure if it was later decided that zombies do not feel pain in the development of the story and this was just a possible over sight that was missed during proofing.

Other than that I really loved the book.

Liked the originality of this story. The explanation of how Shakespeare got his play ideas and the incorporation of his plays into the story was fun for a fan of his work. Will probably read the next one.

Well written, but at times super cheesy.

In the zombies/vampires/werewolves/misc monsters-added-to-literature-or-historical-stories genre this is a pretty good story. There is some racy romancing going on but it's not total smut. The only thing that really bothered me was the constant use of obvious/famous quotes from Shakespeare and other authors we're supposed to believe are also his work later in his vampire life.

William Shakespeare, vampire meets Kate, a chasseur....Zombies are stalking Will, but why? They work together to get answers. Browsing the library shelves this popped out at me and i'm glad it did, such a fun quick read. I'll soon be picking it up at the book store as it's on my re-read list. Will and Kate pulled me into the story leaving me not wanting to put the book down!

This was a really fun read. Being a "fan" of Shakespeare it was a fresh way to see how some of the themes of his plays were inspired by his vampirism and hunt for zombies. In someways it reminded me of the film, "Shakespeare in Love," but done with a unique twist.