Wild Ride

Wild Ride by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (2011)

Reader's Annotation

Restoring the Dreamland Amusement Park is a dream come true for Mab, but FunFun the Clown is NOT what she expected.

Summary

The Dreamland Amusement Park is not like any park Mary Alice Brannigan (Mab for short) has restored before. Turns out it's actually the prison of five ancient demons known as The Untouchables. Mab doesn't know this yet and, while putting the finishing touches on the statue of FunFun the Clown, she accidentally releases the first of the demons, the trickster Fufluns. Mab soon discovers that Fufluns isn't so bad as demon gods go and actually makes a pretty good boyfriend. Unfortunately not all the ancient demons are as easy-going as Fufluns and soon more have escaped confinement. As Halloween fast approaches, Mab and her friends must return the demons to their confinement before the evil demon boss god Kharos gains his freedom, initiating the apocalypse.

Evaluation

This novel was good frothy fun if a bit slight. The amusement park was a fun backdrop for an urban fantasy novel. The Romance aspect of the novel kept me guessing a bit. Would Mab wind up with the hunky Army Ranger? Nope, turns out he's her half-brother by the demon god Kharos. What about the trickster Fufluns? Nope, he has to go back into confinement, though he does get her pregnant. Turns out that the Homeland Security agent who's been in the background for most of the novel is crazy about her, even if she is carrying a demon spawn. I thought it was interesting that Jennifer Crusie wrote the chapters that are from Mab's point of view and Bob Mayer wrote those from the Army Ranger's point of view. (I guess you can tell which point of view I enjoyed more.)

If you really liked this novel, you should try the other collaborations between Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer; Agnes and the Hitman sounds pretty fun. But if you particularly enjoyed the humorous urban fantasy aspect, you must try Christopher Moore. In my opinion, his urban fantasies are funnier and better written, and many even include a bit of romance.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Subgenres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance