Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand (Kitty Norville)

I really loved "Kitty & the Dead Man's Hand," & I'm a little puzzled at all the negative reviews. Granted, I also have no idea how the title plays into the book unless I've missed something, but I loved this book just as much as I have the previous 4 in the series. Kitty & Ben head to Las Vegas to get married, & Kitty's producer decides this is the perfect time for her to try a live show. Add some Cormac-like bounty hunters into the mix, & things start to get interesting. We actually don't see Cormac in person in this book, & I did miss his presence; but I'm sure he'll be back soon. It looks like Kitty & Ben are in it for the long haul, so my hopes of Cormac coming back to sweep Kitty off her feet look grim at this point. The action is set in Las Vegas, so we don't hear much from the Denver pack or the Denver vamps, but this book leaves enough loose ends for Kitty to take back to Denver for the next book, "Kitty Raises Hell." In Las Vegas, Kitty meets a group of feline lycanthropes that are harboring an unusual secret. Vampires are also involved, & , though it first seems that Kitty makes it back to Denver unscathed, the last line in the book makes it clear that the Las Vegas pack has followed her home. I can't wait to see what happens in "Kitty Raises Hell."

Since this novel and "Raises Hell" were published so close together (within 2 months of each other, I believe), you really shouldn't judge this as a single installment. It was meant to very closely tie in with the next book, and it did. Now that the Cormac/Ben thing is completely decided, new characters and plot lines are introduced. Kitty is still Kitty, of course, so you can expect the same attitude as before. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as I have all of the others. Just remember to buy "Kitty Raises Hell" along with it. You'll understand everything a lot better.

KITTY AND THE DEAD MAN'S HAND CARRIE VAUGHN Contemporary Urban Fantasy Paranormal Romance Grand Central Publishing Sensuality Rating: Sexy Rating: 5 Enchantments Kitty Norville isn't your average radio personality. She hosts the talk radio show "The Midnight Hour" and she's currently the most well-known werewolf in the States, if not the world. Having someone film and televise her `change' will do that--but that's an earlier story. KITTY AND THE DEAD MAN'S HAND is author Carrie Vaughn's fifth book about Kitty's world and the special characters that populate it. Kitty's life has become very complicated over the last few years. She's been bitten by and turned into a werewolf. She's been an escapee lone wolf from a crazy Alpha. She's been captured and filmed through her `change' to prove the existence of werewolves. She's been chased, cornered, and then saved by a bounty hunter who's now her friend. Her lawyer has been bitten and changed and is now her boyfriend. Her best friend died trying to save her. And her mother is dying of cancer. But life's not all bad news--her radio show is one of the most popular late night shows around and Kitty likes to think that she's helped both humans and `others' open a strange type of communication via her show. Now for the biggest news of all...Kitty's getting married! Of course, Kitty's not exactly your normal blushing bride. So when the opportunity arises to escape the insanity and marry in Vegas? Well, Kitty's sure a vacation by the pool with Ben will be just the thing. But it doesn't take long for the vacation to become an opportunity for a little free advertising. It seems her boss has gotten wind of the Vegas trip and tosses Kitty the chance to do her show live in Vegas! How cool is that? Okay, it would be cool--if it weren't for: her hotel's convention of bounty hunters looking to score a werewolf, vampire politics, a magician who just might be the real thing, a suspicious shifter animal act, and a kidnapped groom. Maybe going to Vegas for the wedding wasn't such a good idea after all. I love Kitty Norville. No, wait. I want to be Kitty Norville. Well, without the danger...and the bad stuff...and the...OK, how about I want to be buddies with Kitty? I can see the two of us kicking back with a drink or two discussing...ummm, life? Men? In any event, Kitty's the kind of heroine it's hard not to like. She's kind yet not afraid to `throw down' to protect herself and her friends. She's fully aware of how strange her life has become but still manages to keep a sense of humor about it. She's taken some very hard knocks and can still believe in love and struggles to do what's right. Carrie Vaughn is a genius. No, really. When I think back to the first book in this series, KITTY AND THE MIDNIGHT HOUR, I'm amazed at how smoothly Vaughn has rolled out the events (so far) in Kitty's life. Her writing is crisp, her plots are tight, and her ever-growing cast of characters enchan

What I really liked about this book is that Kitty is a professional at her job and she takes it seriously, because she loves it. Kitty and her soon to be husband first plan the wedding then get married and then immediately face tensions that could break their relationship. I love how Carrie Vaughn shows their relationship slowly getting stronger. I loved getting to know a little more about Ben's Past, and the bounty hunters were mostly a hoot. I was moderately afraid for Kitty's well-being for a while there. I enjoyed how the Vampire dynamic was different in Vegas, how the master vampire of the city was really just a party socialite with only nominal control over what happens in the city. Kitty so far in the series has never tried to work with a figurehead in nominal power, which is what the master vampire was revealed to be when Kitty most needed serious help. She's delt with ultra-competent, compassionate, ruthless, conniving and corrupt, but never powerless-and-glad-to-be-so rulers. Though, in the end, this master vampire did show her another type of power dynamic, another way to rule without brute force, even though it was a method with which she disagrees. Because of that and more, Kitty had to make some rather quick and brave decisions in order to save the day, her life, her show and her husband. I think that Carrie Vaughn is laying a lot of nifty groundwork for when Cormack is released from jail.

Two little wolfies sitttin' in a tree....K I S S I N G! First comes biting then comes shifting, then comes marriage... Okay, my lame attempt at werewolf wedding humor probably falls short. LOL Needless to say that Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand is the installment where Kitty and Ben are supposed to tie the proverbial knot. But hey, it just wouldn't be a real day in the life of Kitty Norville if there wasn't some type of paranormal shake up and chaos right? Even though Kitty and Ben are mated, they are going to make it legal. Kitty's mom wants the big fluffy Billy Idol white wedding (okay maybe not Billy Idol, but you get my drift), and Kitty wants it small and simple. What better way to escape wedding planner Hell than to elope. To Vegas no less! Should be easy enough, but when vampire Rick asks her to do him a favor and hook up with the head vamp in Vegas coupled with a hotel full of bounty hunters, things start to get a bit dicey. We are five books into the Kitty Norville series, and it is amazing at how much Kitty's character has grown both personally and professionally. Carrie Vaughn keeps molding all of these characters and shaping them like an artist would with clay. Stretching them to their limits yet keeping them strong enough not to break and remaining believable. The secondary characters in this book are engaging and quite entertaining and lend a solid layer to the plotline. I would say I am really looking forward to reading book six Kitty Raises Hell next month, but I would be lying. Since I have already read it and it too knocked my socks off! I love it when publishers and authors team up and do back to back releases like this. It is like a double shot of paranormal goodness that keeps you craving more. Reviewed at Bitten by Books Paranormal Fiction Review Site by Rachel