Shannon C.’s review of The Accidental Human (Accidental Friends, Book 3) by Dakota Cassidy
Paranormal romance released by Berkley 3 Mar 09

There’s something intrinsically satisfying about reading the final volume to a series. I always close the book with a smile, a bit wistful that I’ll never get to spend time with these characters again, but pleased that I can move on to see what else the author is capable of writing. And, in the case of the third book in Dakota Cassidy’s Accidental Friends series, I was even more satisfied that not only did the series wrap up completely, but it did so with one of the strongest books she’s written. 

Wanda, cosmetics consultant and reader of romance novels, has always been the peacemaker in her small circle of friends. The mouthy Nina and the ditzy Marty are always at each other’s throats, and it’s Wanda that manages to calm them down. But now Nina and Marty have met their mates–a vampire and a werewolf respectively–and Wanda has received some shocking news, namely that she doesn’t have much longer to live. (This isn’t really a spoiler, since it’s clearly hinted at in the previous book.) Anyway, to complicate Wanda’s life, Heath, the sexiest man she’s ever seen, answers her add for Bobbie Sue consultants. Wanda needs some convincing that a man can sell cosmetics, but soon she discovers he has a knack for it, and she finds herself curious about why a (very) straight guy would be all up on the selling of makeup. She fights her attraction to Heath, and must also figure out how to tell her friends about her cancer.

Needless to say, I really liked Wanda. My problems with the other heroines in this series have been that they tended to sound the same, and that same was a level of shrill that got irritating to read about. But, well, having cancer kind of tilts my sympathy, and I didn’t find Wanda shrill at all. I was really touched and moved by her struggles, and this was one of those books where the paranormal turn the plot took was very much welcome because I thought Wanda deserved some happiness.

Heath was great, too. He wasn’t overpoweringly alpha, and he kind of subverted a few paranormal tropes himself. I mean, a guy’s got to be pretty comfortable with his masculinity to not feel any qualms about selling Bobbie Sue and later using his car as a mobile advertisement for sanitary napkins so he can get money. I also adored the genuine love and friendship he had for his manservant, Archibald, who stole each scene he was in. While the predicament Heath and Archibald are in strains credibility, it was nice to read about a man in a paranormal romance who wasn’t loaded with cash and who had to find some way to earn a living.

I absolutely bought the romance between Wanda and Heath, and I loved that yet again Ms. Cassidy brings the funny,. This time out, I thought the sexual tension struck the right balance, and the plot moves at a good clip.

There are bits of the story that strain credibility. Like I said, Heath’s predicament made me go, “…huh.” and not necessarily in a good way. I also thought the climax was a tad over the top. But as I said, the end result couldn’t have happened to a more deserving couple of characters and I totally bought their HEA.

Ms. Cassidy’s sense of humor falls in line with my own, for the most part, and it’s been fun following the lives of Marty, Nina and Wanda. I absolutely can’t wait to read whatever she’s got coming next.

Grade: B

Summary:
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Immortality bites— new from the author of Accidentally Dead and The Accidental Werewolf.
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Wanda Schwartz is raking in the dough selling Bobbie-Sue Cosmetics—and she’s a pro at recruiting new saleswomen. So, she’s shocked when a man comes to one of her in-home parties—a very hot man. Heath Jefferson is sure to put some extra spin into a lot of women’s color wheels.
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When Wanda is diagnosed with a terminal illness, it doesn’t have to be a death sentence. With a werewolf and a vampire for best friends, she has options that most ordinary people wouldn’t. As Wanda ponders what to do about her mortality, Heath reveals he has secrets, and one of them is that his former bloodlust has turned into an old-fashioned lust—for Wanda. And he’s already given up too much to lose the love of his lifetimes.
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Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

Shannon C.’s review of Accidentally Undead (Accidental Friends, Book 2) by Dakota Cassidy
Paranormal romance released by Berkley Trade 1 Jul 08

I have sentimental warm fuzzies toward Dakota Cassidy. When she was writing ebooks, she was the first author I found and the one that sold me on the idea of ebooks in the first place. So I’m glad she’s finally doing stuff with Berkley. While romantic comedies aren’t generally my thing, Ms. Cassidy’s characters act like normal people and even talk like normal people, which I really liked. While this second book in her Accidental series is flawed, I still recommend it, especially to those of you who like funnier fare. (I’m looking at you, Laura J.)

Nina Blackman, former Bobbie-Sue cosmetics consultant, now dental hygienist, was working on a patient one day when he reacted badly to the anesthesia she administered. He bit her hand, drawing blood, and now Nina’s a vampire. The man responsible is Gregori Statleon, and Nina is determined that she’s going to make him fix her.

I liked Nina as a character even if she grated on my nerves. She’s mouthy and funny, and she reacts to her status as newbie vampire with the kind of outraged horror I think most of us would be feeling if it were us. It takes her a long time to trust Gregori, and we get a glimpse into her childhood that justifies this. However, after a while, I felt her turnaround was dragged out a bit, and it takes a bit of an over-the-top scenario to truly throw Greg and Nina together.

Greg is less developed as a character. He was a nice guy, though he didn’t put up with Nina’s crap. I thought he went above and beyond the call of duty for her a time or two, but otherwise I’m not sure he’s the sort of hero I would remember. That said, I did enjoy his encounters with Nina, and I thought they did have enough chemistry to convince me of an HEA.

I loved Nina’s conversations with her friends, Marty and Wanda, and I think that Wanda’s book will be fun to read. I especially liked the fact that Wanda was a romance novel reader who threw around words like HEA in everyday conversation, much to Nina’s disgust.

The actual plot is mostly about Nina’s coming to terms with being a vampire and growing to realize how much she needs the people in her life. I thought the parts where that didn’t happen dragged out a bit sometimes. That being said, the writing in this second book was tighter than in the first book.

While this book isn’t perfect, I did enjoy it, and there have been enough teasing glimpses of Wanda that I really want her story.

Grade: B-

Summary:
Nina always loved the nightlife.

It’s a lousy first day on the job for dental assistant Nina Blackman when a patient, loopy from the anesthesia, bites her. At least he was cute. But for real drama she can’t beat the next morning. Nina wakes up with a set of razor sharp fangs, bionic vision, super sonic hearing, and a taste for blood. There must be a good explanation. There is. It’s her patient, Greg Statleon.

She just never expected to be the nightlife.

A visit to his Long Island castle hardly results in a cure. Greg claims there isn’t one. Unfortunately, Nina isn’t wild about her lifestyle change ­or the danger that goes along with it. She’s determined to prove this infuriating vampire wrong. It’s a shame he’s so irresistible. It’s a bigger shame that he’s dead. On the other hand, they’re perfect for each other ­if Nina’s willing to commit to one man for eternity.

Read an excerpt here