Another Urban Fantasy, I needed a break from heartfelt, touchy-feely stuff. I originally wasn’t going to pick this title up, my mom went “That must be right up your alley!” to which I was forced to explain what a succubus was and how they got their power. I’m not into gratuitous sex. But the book is based in Seattle! So maybe the gratuitous sex will be worth it? Keep reading to find out!

Title: Succubus Blues

Author: Richelle Mead

Published: 2007/03/01

Version: Paperback

Started: 2017/04/04

Finished: 2017/04/07

Rating: 

Goodreads Synopsis: When it comes to jobs in hell, being a succubus seems pretty glamorous. A girl can be anything she wants, the wardrobe is killer, and mortal men will do anything just for a touch. Granted, they often pay with their souls, but why get technical?

But Seattle succubus Georgina Kincaid’s life is far less exotic. At least there’s her day job at a local bookstore–free books; all the white chocolate mochas she can drink; and easy access to bestselling, sexy writer, Seth Mortensen, aka He Whom She Would Give Anything to Touch but Can’t.

But dreaming about Seth will have to wait. Something wicked is at work in Seattle’s demon underground. And for once, all of her hot charms and drop-dead one-liners won’t help because Georgina’s about to discover there are some creatures out there that both heaven and hell want to deny. . .

My Thoughts: Like I said above, I was not going to read this book but I went to Goodreads to see if it was trashy romance or something more. That second paragraph cinched it! I am such a sucker for books from my hometown, especially since I have been gone for almost three years. Plus I am still on my Urban Fantasy kick so… Down the rabbit hole we go!

It wasn’t until I actually picked up the book to read, it has been on my shelf for a bit, that I noticed it was by Richelle Mead… Oh heck no. But… I’ll give it a go, I won’t enjoy it or expect much but I will give it a go. I’m glad I did! Mead does a much better job as an adult author than a Y.A. author in my opinion. I’m more forgiving of our millennia old succubus getting wasted at a bar than I am of a high school kid. And the characters are a lot better, because they aren’t trying to be cool in a high school way. Georgina wants to be noticed, she is a succubus after all, but she does get tired of that role too. And while she may be a minion of the demon realm, she doesn’t like hurting nice guys. She is an all jerks all the time kind of gal, an interesting quirk that added personality layers and tied in nicely with her origin story. The shape shifting aspect was just icing on the cake, and I did love how she refused to use her powers preferring to dress and do makeup the old fashion way.
The two vampires were pithy. That part the reviews were spot on with. They just didn’t really add much to the world other than to teach Seth how to dance.
By far my favorite characters were Jerome, the head demon, and Carter, head angel. They were cute always playing off each other, and it was cool to see them as best friends despite being on opposite sides and leaders to boot. Did I mention Jerome is typical suave guy while Carter looks like a hobo? Mead did a great job with these two.
The coolest thing about this book though is how spot on Mead is with her religion and mythology. According to the back cover she has a Master’s in Comparative Religion and it shows that she knows what she is talking about. So often when the Christian Bible is involved it is taken completely out of context, you can’t read a few words of a section and say “aha! This is the meaning!”, the different translations and types of Bible also play a big role in understanding a passage. I liked that Georgina grabbed the King James, which has beautiful poetry yes, but was then directed towards an actual study Bible for a better understanding. The Nephillum were awesome, and so well done! Their characterization made sense from a mythos view, but their millennia old grudge did too. I liked that they were linked to Jerome too ^_^ it  showed that even the darkest of demons still have some goodness left. But in the battle of good and evil Cater is still more powerful, I’m curious to see how this will play out in future books.

Overall, so glad I read this book! I was torn because of Vampire Academy but Succubus Blues is definitely worth the read! Demons, Romance, Good, Evil, and Bookstores! What more could you ask for in a book?

So have any of you guys read Succubus Blues? What did you think? Wasn’t Seth cute? Isn’t the Emerald City everything you ever asked for and more? Tell me in the comments!