Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand

Kitty Norville #5

by Carrie Vaughn

HONEYMOON IN VEGAS? Already the alpha pair of Denver's werewolf pack, Kitty and Ben now plan to tie the knot human-style by eloping to Vegas. Kitty is looking forward to sipping fru-fru drinks by the pool and doing her popular radio show on live TV, but her hotel is stocked with werewolf-hating bounty hunters. Elsewhere on the Strip an old-school magician might be wielding the real thing; the vampire community is harboring a dark secret; and the irresistible star of a suspicious animal act is determined to seduce Kitty. Sin City has never been so wild, and this werewolf has never had to fight harder to save not only her wedding, but her very life.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Werewolves, Fiction, Romance

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2009

About the author

Carrie Vaughn is the author more than twenty novels and over a hundred short stories. She's best known for her New York Times bestselling series of novels about a werewolf named Kitty who hosts a talk radio advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged. In 2018, she won the Philip K. Dick Award for Bannerless, a post-apocalyptic murder mystery. She's published over 20 novels and 100 short stories, two of which have been finalists for the Hugo Award. She's a contributor to the Wild Cards series of shared world superhero books edited by George R. R. Martin and a graduate of the Odyssey Fantasy Writing Workshop.

An Air Force brat, she survived her nomadic childhood and managed to put down roots in Boulder, Colorado, where she collects hobbies.

Visit her at www.carrievaughn.com

For writing advice and essays, check out her Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/carrievaughn

Reviews

[Carmel (Rabid Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

The protagonist’s spinelessness was formerly my primary beef with this series, but in this installment it was the romance—if the relationship between Kitty and her beau can even be labeled as such given how this story unfolded. The couple has decided to elope Vegas-style in KITTY AND THE DEAD MAN’S HAND, however they spend the bulk of this book apart; her preparing for a live show, and him competing in a poker tournament. They have lots of hot sex, yet aside from that, there’s no real connection between these supposed love birds.

The city that never sleeps has a reputation for having something that’ll appeal to everyone, and this installment played that up by adding a supernatural thread to the entertainment industry with magicians practicing real magic and shapeshifters performing in animal spectacles. The Balthazar and Odysseus Grant plot lines both took unanticipated turns, and neither was explained enough to my satisfaction. It seems like Carrie Vaughn keeps piling on the mythology, but she’s left so many lose ends in her wake that I fear will never be ironed out.

I wasn’t sure about how I felt when Kitty wound up with bachelor #2, albeit this character did eventually wiggle his way into my heart. As a match for the heroine though? Hmm… Then things seemed to be moving in the right direction in KITTY AND THE SILVER BULLET until this novel happened, and now I’m not so sure. It was weird, the duo was in the thick of a catastrophe; however then one of them stops to have a mundane convo with the Master of LA for like an hour only to dash off because—oh yeah, we’re in the middle of a crisis here!

Gavin has provided me with hours of enjoyment through her narration of these audiobooks. When I’m listening in the moment, my opinion of whichever title I’m currently consuming is usually much higher than what my final thoughts end up being once I’ve had a moment to reflect on the actual contents of the story. She delivers such an upbeat performance filled with humour and sassiness that it’s easy to overlook all of the holes in the writing. Her portrayal of the various bounty hunters at the gun show was particularly good for a laugh.

The only thing that impressed me about KITTY AND THE DEAD MAN’S HAND was Marguerite Gavin.

[Ruth Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitty and Ben are planning a wedding. They can't agree on much so decide to go to Las Vegas. Once there they booked at a hotel with werewolf hunters convention under guise of gun show. Of course nothing goes as planned. Read and see how it turns out.

[Rita Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

After plowing through 4 books in one week, I didn't think I could be disappointed in any of the Kitty books. Oh, there were little things that annoyed me here and there. Mostly related to character development. Some characters seemed flat, but the plot was thick and fast paced. The problems were easy to overlook.

But in Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand, I thought the characters and the development wasn't just a little flat anymore. For one, Kitty and Ben are supposed to be in love. Kitty keeps saying that she's in love. They have lots of sex and all that. But there doesn't seem to be a real friendship there at all. There's nothing to SHOW me what the author is telling me.

Then they go to Vegas to get married, but she's off getting ready for her show and he's planning to join a poker tournament at the hour of their wedding. Are they in love or not? Do they actually want to get married? It doesn't sound like it to me.

And oh, then she's off fantasizing about some lycanthrope cats while he's playing his tournament.

SPOILER ALERT:

Then he gets kidnapped. And she goes off to look for him. When the Vampire Master of the city can't help her, she decides to take a tour of his hotel and discuss the pros and cons of psychics and telekinetics and other such creatures playing in the casinos. WHAT? She should be looking for Ben!

Then they find each other. And what do they do? They have sex. As if that is all their relationship is about. There should have been a whole lot more going on than that. I mean, there should be more in a relationship--at least one headed for marriage--than a rumpled bed.

I'm debating whether or not I even want to bother with #6.

[Julie (jjmachshev) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Kitty. I want to be Kitty...er, without Kitty's problems anyway. If you don't know who Kitty is, then you haven't been reading Carrie Vaughn's series starring werewolf Kitty Norville; and shame on you! This series is hilarious, scary, exciting, and sexy all at the same time. In the four previous books, Kitty's been turned, exiled, outed, hunted, and mated. Now her life continues in book five, "Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand" where she 'tries' to get married.

When all the brouhaha and decision involved in a big wedding get to be a bit too much, Kitty and Ben decide to get married in Vegas. Once her boss finds out, hey...how cool would it be to do a live show in Vegas? Yeah, that's about how Kitty's life goes. So instead of frou frou drinks by the pool, Kitty's looking at work, delivering a message to the Vegas Master Vampire, and (yes, only Kitty's life could be so screwed up) dodging the gun-show expo supernatural-haters who also happen to be booked in the same hotel! And I shouldn't forget to mention the magician who seems to be more than a showman and the animal act at one Vegas hotel that may actually star shapeshifters! But if you want to know more, you'll have to pick up your own copy...mine's already sitting on my keeper shelf.

This series isn't really romance, and it isn't really urban fantasy, and it isn't really suspense, and it isn't really mystery. It's a bit of all of them rolled up in snarky dialogue and sharp plotting. I just wish Carrie Vaughn could write faster :)

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is more of a 2.5 book. It's not bad, and like all the Kitty Norville books, it is a quick read. It's fun. It's a beach read, and doesn't pretend to be anything else (thank goodness). The darker tone from Kitty and the Silver Bullet isn't here, and its lack relieves fears that Kitty is going to be an Anita clone. For some reason, however, it is not as good as the others in the series.

First, there is the problem of the title. All the Kitty books have titles that refer to something in the book. There's no Dead Man's Hand, unless you count hands on dead people. A better title for the book would've been Kitty Goes to Vegas, though I suppose it would be too close to Kitty Goes to Washington.

Second, Ben seemed to be nothing more than an add on. Considering that this is the wedding book, Ben's role as secondary shadow, husband to be stick figure seemed out of place.

Third, considering that Ben and Kitty are new alphas isn't kinda strange that they run off to Vegas without any other pack members?

Fourth, Wolf, Kitty's werewolf wolf part, really isn't in this book. I missed her. It's werid reading a werwolf novel without the wolf part.

There were some good parts to the book. The radio show parts of the book still shine and haven't gone flat. Kitty does show some growth, though it's more in line with her show, which is fine. The character of Brenda should be recognizable to readers of another series, and yet Vaughn puts her own twist on the character. I didn't like the quasi cliffhanger ending, but since the next book came out soon after, it's not really much to complain about. Though, that is part of the problem with this book as well. It seems like little more than a set-up for the next one. It doesn't have that "would've been better as a short story" feel to it. Vaughn doesn't waste her words. You don't feel like you wasted your money or even your time. It's just not as good as the other books, however.

[Cameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kitty gets to play with some new kitties! Watch for those claws, and are those boys bunny kicking or...!!!

Kitty's Vegas elopement suffers from quite a bit more than the typical cold feet dilemma: vapid vampires, lusty werecats, mysterious magicians, a gun show with itchy-fingered bounty hunters in her hotel, and the worst - a live televised Midnight Hour. It is the later that proves to be the most character building, the rest felt rather superficial. One thing I love about this series is that Kitty started on the bottom, and through her growth as a person, she has ascended the pack hierarchy to become strong enough to challenge and defeat her former abusive pack leader. This novel almost felt like a regression, and I am unsure if this is a bad thing or realistic for her character. For one thing, her elopement is a denial of her responsibilities. Almost nowhere in this novel are the dynamics of the change to Ben and Kitty's leadership explicated. Also, Kitty struggles with several situations where her instinct is to submit, and she has to will herself into a dominant posture. It felt like posturing rather than true confidence, as if her assuming Alpha status was a circumstantial act, rather than a skillful one.

Her familial ties were strongly evident in this novel, as her mother and father follow she and Ben to Vegas to celebrate their wedding. Often missing from most urban fantasy is that element of family, so it is wonderful to have that dialogue open, especially given that her family doesn't truly understand, but still offers support to Kitty.

The action of the novel circulates around Kitty, who, being the radio personality she is, tends toward verbal solutions rather than fisticuffs, and a reassuring continuity emerges where Kitty does not suddenly develop Kung Fu fighting prowess, she in fact is still a bit torn over having to use a gun in the last novel.

While suffering from a glut of storylines and characters vying for the spotlight, and providing a picture of Vegas that seemed just a tad off to me both in its description but also because it distracted from what I imagined the next phase of Kitty's werewolf life would be, this fifth installment of Kitty did establish what will hopefully be a more in depth examination of her pack territory and dynamic in the sixth book.

[Vanessa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not the most exciting installment in the series, the first few chapters were great-then it fell flat. Who knew a trip to Vegas in an urban fantasy book could be so painfully yawn inducing? Seriously-this book was the perfect solution to my insomnia for a solid week. Even a few villains thrown in half way through the book could not keep me awake (did I mention it was based in Las Vegas?).

Also, Kitty and Ben are losing their luster, I'm not as connected in their relationship as I was a few books ago. And no, it's not the impending marriage that's making them lose their spark. It's the writing-and the lack of chemistry between the two. For example, why would Ben postpone his wedding by a few hours just to gamble in a card game? Why would Kitty be completely cool with it? They continually made excuses to keep away from each other-during their marriage weekend. At the end of the book I could have honestly been ok with Ben not being a part of the series anymore, if only to add some juice to the book. I'm going to give the next one another chance, hoping it's a hell of a lot better.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand
3 Stars

Convinced that wedding plans are not for them, Kitty Norville and her fiancé, Ben O'Farrell, decide to elope to Las Vegas. Unfortunately, the City of Sin is inundated with threats including a bounty hunters convention, a stage magician with some intriguing powers, and a Siegfried and Roy style animal show whose members are more than they appear to be. Will Kitty and Ben manage to get out alive?

Carrie Vaughn is a skilled story teller and her plots and character development are very appealing. Nevertheless, there are certain problems with this series that prevent it from being truly excellent.

To begin with, the structure of the books results in unbalanced pacing as the first half is dedicated to establishing setting and building up the plot points while the section half is more action-packed.

In addition, Kitty epitomizes an annoying aspect of several UF heroines, such as Mercy Thompson, Rachel Morgan and Kara Gillian, all of whom possess supernatural abilities yet are unable to defend themselves in dire situations. In Kitty's case, she is a freakin' werewolf alpha for crying out loud, but needs to be rescued by a magician!. To add insult to injury, Kitty has an abundance of TSTL moments in this installment, and the near rape scene toward the end is completely unnecessary. Why do female UF authors resort to this trope? It adds nothing to plot or characterization.

Despite these issues, the series has sufficient potential and the twist at the end of this one is intriguing enough to keep reading.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kitty and Ben get married, but things are never as simple as they should be for her. It's a madcap trip to Vegas with lots of shows and gambling and an interesting supernatural sub-current through-out. She's not as much of a kickass werewolf in charge in this volume, but rather has to react to events that are thrown at her, finding unlikely allies and doing the best she can with the hands she's dealt. ('cause, you know, it's Las Vegas, and... never mind.) Ben doesn't seem to be up to her level, and there's an unfriendly convention with bounty hunters sharing the hotel. It's a well-written and fast-paced read with some good lines and enjoyable situations, but somehow not as pivotal in developing the series arc as I expected.

[Lynn Dubinsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is most definitely my least favorite book out of this series. Wasn't a fan of Ben not really caring about his own wedding and I didn't like the whole cult thing. I love reading about cults, but this was just too weird.

Hopefully this series doesn't go downhill for me. :(

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

My life was split between two worlds. I had a normal family, an ordinary upbringing in a typical suburb. My parents weren’t even divorced. This was all a far cry from the other half of my life, where I sat in bars with bounty hunters of supernatural prey, talking about how to rescue my werewolf boyfriend.

When it comes to storytelling, the worst crime isn’t being bad — its being boring. Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand commits this crime in spades.

The plot of Kitty and Ben hopping off to Vegas to get married without the financial burden or fuss of a full-scale ceremony is a good starting off point, even incorporating Kitty’s show by having her first televised event holds some promise. But that’s all it is: promise.

A promise that won’t be met.

The Vegas escapades have a distinct travel log feel to them. We get long, drawn-out descriptions of landmarks and performances and gaudy interiors that bog the book down when it desperately needs something to hook on to: a mystery, a conflict, anything. There’s setting a scene and then there’s holding the reader like a literal captive audience to someone’s holiday photos and supplementary anecdotes.

And that’s not even getting into Kitty and Ben.

While their trip to Vegas is supposed to be for their wedding, Kitty does mix business with pleasure with her show, but that subplot is done after a hundred pages. What else is there? Ben playing poker apparently.

Thankfully, we don’t have to be present for the poker. What we do get is Kitty referring to herself as a “petty, spoiled girlfriend” if she had the audacity to get angry at Ben postponing their wedding a few hours so he could play a tournament. The entirety of the poker subplot — including the mob kidnapping Ben — is eye-watering in its pointlessness.

Just because Kitty comments on it sounding like a bad mob movie plot doesn’t exempt you from criticism of that very thing.

What’s frustrating is that there’s a perfectly solid plot about Ben’s gung-ho hunting buddies learning about his relationship with Kitty and him being a werewolf — a plot that could have easily accommodated a kidnapping — that could have spared everyone the mob shenanigans.

With all the dead air in Dead Man’s Hand, it made me reevaluate my feelings about Kitty and Ben as a couple. Here, they are woefully underserved. They’re supposed to be getting married in this book and there is not an ounce of romance to speak of. Honestly, Ben tends to suck out any romance that might sneak into the story, and what we’re left with is an uncompelling pairing.

While I like Ben and Kitty as individuals, and love the idea of them as a couple, Vaughn hasn’t sold me on their connection.

I’m not expecting anguished declarations or grand gestures, but I need more than sexual compatibility. I don’t even think Ben’s ever said, “I love you” in this series. Even the proposal itself was half-assed: he asked her, without kneeling, in her parents kitchen. He just took the ring out of his pocket, gave it to her, and let her do the math before actually saying the words.

Then there’s his kidnapping being undercut by Kitty’s own lack of urgency — and everyone’s sneaking suspicion he got cold feet and ran off. Kitty goes to question the vampires about it and stays over an hour, chatting about nonsense and drinking, before going to the lycanthropes and doing the same thing.

Eventually she’s attacked by some hunters, saved by a magician, sexually assaulted by those same lycanthropes before almost being sacrificed to a Mesopotamian goddess. After which Ben sort of stumbles back to their hotel, and the cliffhanger for the next book is the ancient vampire spearheading the sacrifice looking for revenge — the vampire that got no page-time and made no real impact. Fantastic.

Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand feels, reads, and, ultimately, is a waste of time.

[Alice4170 🌙 · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️
Yaaaasss let’s add more vamps, creepy cults, Vegas and other shapeshifters to the mix!

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kitty and the Dead Man's hand is a suspense filled all night read. Once again Carrie Vaughn pulls off another hit. Kitty is in Las Vegas planning to get married when trouble arises.

With bounty hunters on her tail, an old school magician who may be the "real thing", an animal act leader who lusts for Kitty, and a laid back Vampire leader, Kitty once again does not know who to trust.

Kitty is on a mission to find out what the hidden secrets of "sin city" are all about, as she is in a race for time to find Ben, before both of them end up dead by a silver bullet.

Fantastic read. I look forward to the next in the series....Kitty Raises Hell.

[Kazen]

The pacing of these books isn't working for me - I'm halfway through the book and while there's shadowy threats in four directions it's all suggestion, with no real conflict yet. Here's a bit of the jacket copy:

Elsewhere on the Strip an old-school magician might be wielding the real thing; the vampire community is harboring a dark secret; and the irresistible star of a suspicious animal act is determined to seduce Kitty.

Two of those three things were new information to me, halfway through the book. I've been half-skimming waiting for the story to come around, but I think I'll let this one go.

DNF on page 140.

[Terri ♥ (aka Mrs. Christian Grey)]

review to come.

[Jessica Reads It · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hats off to Margeurite Gavin for hitting this one out of the park yet again! Her voice is spectacular and insanely versatile and she weaves an undeniably addictive web to both the story and her storytelling.

For the novel itself, Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand, I believe Carrie Vaughn tries to make Kitty as relatable and realistic as possible and I admire that. Kitty has to navigate all life's hassles without a magical solution but rather dependent on her wits (however dwindling they are) and more so her cadre of "friends/ associates" who usually end up saving her butt.

In this installment, all Kitty wanted was to get hitched and have a cocktail by the pool in Las Vegas. What she got instead were magicians with magic, a circus-type act with real shapeshifters, and a troupe of werewolf-hating bounty hunters who see her as a target more than a threat.

I have to admit I am still not totally sold on the Ben and Kitty relationship and a part of me still lingers on the hope that Cormick will spring out of jail and set this oddity to rights. I know Carrie is trying to sell me the "Kitty found an unconventional good guy" speel but I haven't seen any concrete evidence (dialogue, actions, etc) to support this relationship besides lots of sex.

Kitty as a person I think has grown a lot from the beginning of the series and her spunk, sarcasm and charisma never fail to put a smile on my face or make me laugh out loud.

One of my favorite aspects was the introduction of Odysseus Grant, he is quite a mysterious and intriguing addition to Kitty's band of misfits and I would love to learn more about him. I also enjoyed Kitty's parents, especially her mother, and how she shifted the dynamic from independent Kitty to Kitty who has a family and is quite normal.

Overall, I will continue to listen to this series because Marguerite is that spectacular and I want to see what else Kitty gets herself into!

[Zen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I normally love Kitty's books. This one was decent, but left me wanting and questioning some of her choices. She trusts the weres when she shouldn't and people have warned her about them. She ignores the fact that there are NO werewolves around. She keeps going back because...well, I don't exactly understand why. Because she thought they were sexy? It was just so frustrating.

[Jai · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://janicu.livejournal.com/66284.html

Carrie Vaughn seems to have two main settings for these books: either In Denver (books 1 and 4), or Not In Denver (books 2 and 3). In Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand - it's a bit of both, but mostly it's Not In Denver. This time, Kitty travels to Las Vegas, which I guess is why the title is what it is (according to wikipedia, it's the name of a poker hand rumored to be held by Wild Bill Hickok at the time of his death).

*** Spoilers for earlier books from this point on ***

At the start of this book, things are going pretty well for Kitty. She's working hard at her job with The Midnight Hour, living in Denver, able to see her family and enjoying time with her mate, Ben. The pack is also doing fine - Rick calls it the "honeymoon period" because as the new alpha pair, Ben and Kitty are encountering no major grumblings about their leadership.

At the end of Kitty and the Silver Bullet Kitty and Ben seem to be mated as wolves, and their human sides decide to make it official and get married. Of course, being the people Kitty and Ben are, after stressing over the planning for a traditional wedding (I can relate here), they both agree that a wedding in Vegas would be perfect for them. Of course, Kitty's plans to just elope don't happen, because soon her parents are coming and the radio station wants Kitty to do a 2 hour televised show the same weekend.

This book had a slow first half as all the players in Vegas are introduced. Kitty plans out her television show and so much of the book has her doing footwork to meet possible supernatural guests for her show. The back cover blurb describes them so I'll mention who some of them are: "an old-school magician [who:] might be wielding the real thing", some of the Vegas "vampire community", and "the irresistible star of a suspicious animal act". Then of course there is the gun show going on in the same hotel Kitty and Ben are staying in, which brings in an element who aren't really werewolf lovers.

My thoughts: I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop in this book, but no action really seemed to be happening for the first 150 pages except me feeling paranoid as the reader that "Ok this person is hiding something and wants to do something to Kitty. Or maybe that person. Or that one!" - Kitty gets herself into trouble a lot. Not that she's stupid, but her very nosy nature that comes along with asking questions for a living doesn't help. When the action finally does arrive though, I can't blame her for it - it's more the fault of her being a werewolf than Kitty's curiosity.

The relationship in this book between Kitty and Ben feels more secure to me, finally. Again, I'm paranoid (maybe it was TJ's death in book 1 that makes me so), but I hope they stay together because I really like Ben. They act like a real couple who have been together long enough to know each other enough to be partners - compromising works here. I liked that I could recognize guys I know in real life in Ben. I do still think that in wolf terms though, Kitty is more alpha, but maybe because Ben lets her be, since she's got more experience being a werewolf than him. Hmm.

Overall: This book felt more like a transition book than the previous four. Although there is an ending to what happened in Vegas - it does not stay in Vegas (ha ha, sorry, but look at the next books back cover blurb, I'm not the only one saying it). It looks like things end in a small cliffhanger and we'll have to see what happens next in Kitty Raises Hell. Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand was released February, and Kitty Raises Hell a month later in March, so that works out well. Several interesting new characters are introduced and Kitty and Ben's relationship moves forward, but there was a lot of set up in the first half before the action occurred. Also, we don't really hear everything that happens to Ben in this book because it's written from Kitty's POV, which had me gnashing my teeth (I hope that information shows up in the next book too).

[Berls · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review appeared first at Fantasy is More Fun.

If you'd asked me two books ago, I'd never guess I'd be giving a future book 5 stars or it being in part because I LOVE Kitty WITH Ben. Just showed me! (Note, there are some spoilers from previous books in this review)

I love Kitty. I love Ben. I love Kitty with Ben and I love Ben with Kitty. That's the main thing that came out of Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand for me. I was already on the way to complete acceptance after Kitty and the Silver Bullet, but now I'm 100% there. I guess Carrie Vaughn knew what she was doing after all, eh? ;)

So beyond the Kitty and Ben relationship - I loved the mystery in Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand - I was never quite sure what was going on behind the scenes or who Kitty should be trusting, which is absolute gold in a book for me. I also like the strength that Kitty's found and FINALLY hung on too - it's stuck with her for a consistent two books in a row now, so fingers crossed she won't be retreating again! I do miss McCormick and I hope he finds his way into some future books, despite being in prison.

We also met some interesting new characters in this book and I'm curious to see if any of them will make much of an appearance in future books. I thought the "friends" from Ben's previous world as a paranomral hunter were an interesting bunch and provided a fun tension to the story - Kitty was always nervous around them and I couldn't blame her. I was never sure if she should trust them or not. And then another group I'm pretty positive will appear in future books because of the CLIFF that we got left on! Now, it's more like a steep hill than a cliff, because you could survive without jumping into the next book, but I'm so not going to try that. I'm jumping in right away!

Oh and I still love Marguerite Gavin's narration. She IS Kitty - no way I could read these and not hear her voices. And she's spot on for the voice of a radio DJ - or as Kitty is in this book, a tv personality. Very cool twist and Margurite's voice is just perfect for it!

As a side note - I still have no idea why it's called Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand, which kind of bugs me (I also don't know why the last one was called Kitty and the Silver Bullet). I can find kind of rambling connections but they feel far fetched... I know it's not important or really relevant to the review but it's bugging me. Just saying!

[Malinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 stars

This was a pretty good story and addition to the series. Kitty and Ben are engaged and her ailing mother seems determined to guilt her into having the wedding quickly (while her mother's still around to see it...). Kitty and Ben are frustrated by the thought of all the planning and don't really want a big wedding so they decide on the plan to elope to Las Vegas to get married. When Kitty's boss finds out about the trip, he comes up with the idea for her to do a live show that's also on TV while in Vegas. Kitty's a bit frustrated over being expected to work over her wedding weekend but agrees. To placate her mother, Kitty invites her parents to Vegas for the nuptials but no one else.

Things were going to be busy enough with Kitty and Ben's wedding as well as Kitty doing her show but of course other things have to turn up to cause more issues for them. On the paranormal side; there's a magician that appears to be a decent guy but is too mysterious to tell for sure, the vampire master of the city who doesn't really seem to be master of anything, as well as a group of shifters that perform a shifter animal act in Vegas and seem to gain an unhealthy interest in Kitty. On the more mundane side of things there's still some danger since the hotel they're staying in is hosting a gun show and many of the paranormal hunters that Cormac and Ben know are there. Unfortunately, none of them are especially friendly to Kitty and a couple seem to be very interested in taking her out just for the sake of saying they did. Obviously, there's a lot of stuff going on that causes drama and danger. Kitty and Ben stumble through and manage to come out of things alright in the end and then Kitty and Ben head home married and happy to get out of Vegas.

This was a pretty enjoyable story. I still liked Kitty as a heroine but I will say that there were a few times in this book where she seemed to lack her usual intelligence and ran into trouble without thinking at all. I mean she's made some mistakes in judgement before but in this book it just seemed worse. Thankfully, she makes some friends that help her get through things alright. Overall, the story was still pretty good (even with a bit of frustration on my part) and I still liked the characters so I'd recommend it (and the series). :D

* note - I listened to the audio version of this story and the narrator did a great job.

[Fangs for the Fantasy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kitty is getting married and the plans are consuming her life. Wouldn’t it be relaxing if she and Ben could just elope? And if you’re going to Elope, why not do it properly and head for Vegas?

Of course, what should have been the simple option quickly becomes much much more complex. First there’s her producer who thinks Vegas would be the perfect opportunity for her to have her first real television show, which takes a lot of preparation

Then she finds out there’s a gun show full of werewolf hunters with silver bullets in her hotel.

Then there’s the poker tournament and mob plot that ben gets himself involved in.

Meanwhile , Kitty finds herself investigating the Master of the City, lycanthrope animal acts and a magician who may actually be the real thing.

And then Tiamat, goddess of chaos gets involved and it gets really exciting.


What was the point of that?

I’m sorry, but that’s my main response to this book. At the end of the last book I was on a bhigh, Kitty was the new alpha, she was developing a relationship with Ben and she was dealing with a major family issue of her mother’s cancer. She also has to sort out her new pack which is bound to have teething troubles as well as consider where she stands with Rick as the new Master Vampire of Denver and what that entails. And, of course, Cormac is still in gaol. Sounds like a great story, right?

So instead we went to Vegas so they could elope. Left all of that behind – the pause button has been pressed, it’s time for an intermission, it seems.

And then there follows a huge long series of irrelevancies and things that just don’t make a lot of sense. Kitty decides that it’s a great chance to have her first televised show in front of a live audience while she’s getting married (rather than having it at another time, y’know as would make sense).

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[Chris Haught · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book through the First Reads program here on Goodreads. Thanks to the author, publisher, and Goodreads for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Carrie Vaughn is nothing if not consistent. Book 5 in her series belongs right up there with the first 4. One of my favorite things about this series is that she explores new ground with each one. Consistant then would be the quality of the story. But this isn't just the same adventure with a few name changes and a new cover. This time Kitty goes to Vegas, where chaos ensues.

I have come to the conclusion now that it is Kitty's voice that compells me to reading. As the narrator, we certainly get to know her quite intimately. She's a "normal" girl that just happens to be a werewolf. She's the "girl next door", to borrow a cliche. She has a great sense of humor, and I find myself chuckling at her wit quite often.

One other note on this book specifically: I love the reference to Lovecraft that comes late in the novel (though giving nothing away) and I laughed to myself at the subtle witty reference to Narnia that came right before that......it's little inside jokes like that that really bring these books home to me...

[Samantha wickedshizuku Tolleson · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know I don't know what I was wanting, when I read that the settings were to be in Las Vegas. Maybe I was hoping for a dinner and a show... Maybe something similar to this...


By this point in the series I was quite resentful of Kitty's choice in love interests. As I've said in other reviews for the series I really don't think Kitty and Ben's chemistry doesn't mesh very well. Now I think it would have been more believable if they had only stayed friends. For some reason I feel that there is going to be some wingnut to pop out of the woodwork.

The action was all right, and Kitty's family dynamics were understandable and humorous. Stick with it if you're bored with the series. The next book is really good.

[Yodamom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio- Ben and Kitty head to Vegas to get married. They tried to do it the old fashioned way but it drove them crazy, Vegas sounded so easy. Right ? Nothing is easy for Kitty and Ben. First off they are booked into a hotel that has a gun conventions going on. Killers, hunters and other nasties fill the hotel. Then there is the weird magic act, that may not be a simple magic act. there is the Lion/Tiger and Jaguar show that has all of the supes suspicious. Wait there is more, The creepy decor of the cats lair. The laid back master vampire and the lack of any other werewolves, the missing man, the flying bullets. Phew-There is a lot going on in Vegas.
Poor Kitty, she really gets a hard puzzle to solve in this mystery. I enjoyed the strength given to her character to work the details out. She did what she had to to get the resolution she had to have. She has to deal with some crazy old stuff that is not gone and not forgotten. I can't wait to read the next one.

[Melani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent addition to the series, but I didn't like it as much as I did the last one. Fun basic brain candy. Ben ends up playing the damsel roll again, and that's a fun twist.

2020 update. I liked this one even less on a re-read. Not sure why, but everything about the Vegas plot line annoyed me. It's fine, and it does start to introduce the major plot of the series but on it's own it wasn't my favorite.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun read, but I think she was pushing the story line a bit. Several new magical types added & the book ends on a cliff hanger, which I disliked. I don't have the next book, either.

[Erma Talamante · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review pending...

Part of the sad little stack that was available in the jury waiting room... Don't worry. I returned it. :)

[GEOrocks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kitty, werewolf and well know radio host, heads to Vegas to get married. Vegas lives up to it’s crazy reputation with real magicians, indulged beautiful t to uninvolved vampires and a bizarre lycanthrope cult.

[Brooke Sillaby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Round up to 3.5 stars.

[Kirsty (KayBeth Bookish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel this could have been longer to properly flesh everyone out, but this was one f the best installments so far!