A Paranormal Women’s Fiction for anyone who feels like age is just a number and midlife still has magic!When 49-year-old Belladonna Barrone’s mobbed up husband does her the favor of dying in a car accident, she thinks she’s finally free of the crime family she unwittingly married into. Then the boss tells her that she has to complete her husband’s last job before that freedom is truly hers.No big … truly hers.
No big deal, she figures. Until things go south in ways she never imagined. Suddenly she’s thrust into a whole new world that makes the mob look like kindergarten. Vampires and werewolves are real? How is that freaking possible?
Her dreams of a new life disappear faster than wine at book club as more problems arise from her husband’s dark dealings and the unbelievable complications caused by her supernatural entanglements. Only her strength and determination (and some wild new friends) will see her through this next chapter, but the odds are against her.
How much more can her life suck? She’s about to find out…
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Loved this!! Did NOT suck to be me = )
This was the first book I purchased by Kristen Painter… Wow, just wow! Great book, great read… I laughed, I cried & I laughed some more… I can’t wait for the next! I loved the characters, the fierceness Belladonna acquires over the novel, showing once again life does NOT stop after 40. This was very well written, unexpected turns, a definite must read & definitely an author I will be reading again! (actually just snapped up a couple more books).
Loved this story. Think: “Married to the Mob” with fangs. Funny, witty, great characters and a fun story line. Looking forward to the next one.
I really enjoyed this book! Donna is funny and quirky, love her attitude! Her friends are amazing and fun to read as well. I can’t tell yet if I’m team Rico or team Pierce, but I’m loving Artemis, Cammie, and Francine!
What a fun, interesting story! I read a lot, but don’t always get so drawn into a character that it seems as if I’m really seeing the story in my head. That was the case with this book. The descriptions were so good that it felt like I was living the story. I liked the main character, the supporting cast and how the story developed. Well done Ms. Painter! I can hardly wait for the next one.
New to me author. Boy I’m so freaking happy to have finally read you. A twist of the mob meets paranormal that had me saying damn right! Donna definitely gets a groove back and it all starts with a knock on her door. Can’t wait to see what’s next for her.
I’ve never loved a vampire so much! Belladonna Barrone, the unhappy, middle-aged trophy wife of a mobster makes a wonderful vampire. She has good intentions, but she’s had to live a narrow, twisted life in the crime world.
Add fangs, and her world shifts. No longer is she under the rule of her husband, his mob, or any bad guy for that matter. The story of Belladonna’s turning and initiation into eternal life is hilarious. I couldn’t stop reading it, and I cheered for her all the way. In a larger sense, Painter gives a middle-aged woman superpowers, and let them take on the world.
Kristen Painter is a masterful writer. Her prose is smooth, her characters unique and her plot tightly spun with just the right amount of twists and turns salted with humor.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes Paranormal Women’s Fiction, Vampire stories, funny tales, or well-written genre fiction.
Sucks To Be Me by Kristen Painter was amazing and hysterical!! Belladonna (Donna) a mafia wife suddenly finds herself a widow and newly made vampire! Such an amazing character and the story was fantastic.
I cant wait for more
I thoroughly enjoyed this first in the new series by Kristen Painter. I have never resd her before so I had no idea what to expect! I did not even read the blurb!
This was well written,with a stellar storyline and an interesting cast of characters that had me hooked from the very beginning. Love me some vampire fiction and throw in the Mafia intrigue and life and death at every turn and I was in heaven! Well done to the author on this five star read! I cannot wait for the next in the series.
I was introduced to Kristen Painter by way of the Paranormal Women’s Fiction Fab13 and their launch of a series surrounding midlife women and the perils of being over forty.
What I loved about this book were the characters. Belladonna was awesome and I loved the strength of her virtue. She seemed to be able to roll with the flow no matter what life threw her way. Her sister Cammie was loving and supportive. Her new friends from the First Fangs Club were great. Francine was a total hoot! I’m curious to see who wins Belladonna’s favor, Rico or Pierce. Both seem equally yummy. I’m totally looking forward to the next book!
I am picking 5 stars for this book but it is really a 10. Everything about it was great. I thought for sure Donna was going to have to work off a long debt with Big Tony. Not was I supposed by what happened . I can’t believe I had no clue what way this book was going. Very happy with how it all played out. This book is apart of the paranormal woman fiction movement. Woman over 40 who show you paranormal is not just for the young ones. It’s a great story for any age. You need to try it.
What’s not to love…
Belladonna is literally married to the mob, then we add in vampires, werewolves, fae and a host of supernatural hilarity and we have an absolutely riotous story I just couldn’t put down…
Belladonna is my new hero I just love how she handled everything life threw at her from Hubby dying to becoming a vampire it was all fabulous to read.
There was a lot to love in a book that makes me smile so much and laugh out loud as I’m reading.
A delightfully enjoyable read.
I absolutely love this book. It is my first book that I have read from Kristen Painter, and I was very impressed. This is a book written for older women in a new Paranormal Women’s Fiction movement (PWF).
While I’m not in the age group range, I love what the authors are trying to do and fully support them. While I’m a bit younger myself reading about a character that is older than I am, it didn’t bother me. I absolutely love everything about this book. Belladonna is such a strong main character. You feel for her and what she has had to endure. There were a few things that happened in the plot that I had NO idea would happen and was mind blown!! I absolutely love this book and I can’t wait to see what happens next in Belladonna’s world. I highly recommend that you pick this book up.
Freaking Awesome! The mob versus a woman in her 40’s and vampires? I started to read this and at first I couldn’t even believe that is was going to be a paranormal book. The mob part was that good. I was enamored from the beginning, loving Bella. She is this vibrant and strong woman that is only now showing the world her spirit. Then she is graced with the finding out about the paranormal world. Now she’s really a force to be reckoned with. Sucks to be Me is a fangtasic read!
A Mobster, a Vampire & a Nun meet at a Trial …. !!
(Read using Kindle Unlimited)
Sucks To Be Me: (First Fangs Club Book #1)
Belladonna, Donna to most, is a Mob Wife. She hates it & has been working to extract herself, without putting her adult children of sister, Cammie, in danger!! Fate steps in when her husband dies in a car accident leaving her a Widow at 49 years old. She looks good for age, she’s pretty physically fit & she can’t wait until enough time passes that she can leave without raising eyebrows or concerns because she still intends to help Rico, the FBI Agent, lock up all of her husband’s associates, she just won’t be testifying now!!
After finding a secret, hidden room in Joe’s home office, Donna is livid & horrified because it contains huge amounts of drugs, guns & things related to his business with the Mob, plus nearly $5,000,000 She decides to go to his graveside to have ‘words’!! Mid rant something barrels into her knocking her to back, there’s a sharp pain in her neck & she blacks out. She notices a couple of strange things over the coming days, weight loss, great skin, her body is more toned & youthful looking – is stress causing it all?? Then things take a turn for the truly strange & weird ….
Donna is so pragmatic in the face of all the changes she has to face. Two Mobs possibly after her, weird happenings etc She’s brilliant. The FFC women seem cool I liked Rico & Pierce too. I look forward to more from these characters in the future!
Debbie, 1970, UK
This book is definitely one of a kind. It had me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what happened next! I can’t wait for a sequel! Belladonna is an amazing women, now with extra abilities I am curious to see where the characters end up and how Belladonna ( I love her name, it’s so glamorous) takes care of Big Tony and Lucinda.
Belladonna is a heroine you root for & want to see succeed. She had enough problems before she got unwilling shoved into the unknown world of vampires, werewolves, & fae. All she really wanted was freedom from the mafia family that she unknowingly married into & safety for her grown kids. Now, she has to worry about even more dangers. She is a tough, mature woman who is done being pushed around & intimidated. Even when afraid & surprised she stays level-headed & deals w/ her challenges. I look forward to seeing how her story continues. Kristen Painter never disappoints!Kristen Painter
This is the first book I’ve read from Kristen.
She has an outstanding talent in making her characters come to life, of making it feel like you are right there in the thick of things with them.
I LOVED it!!
I will definitely be checking out her other works.
#PWF #FAB13
Loved this book. Being middle aged myself helped me relate completely to Donna. When she put someone in their place for disrespecting her for being older, I wanted to applaud. I have done that before and her reaction afterwards was perfect. Loved this book.
the story flowed, well written It was Fantastic and am waiting the next book in this series – A Wonderful, Fantastic read
Overall rating: 4.9
Mob wife, vampires, evil fae, werewolves, and subservient lawyers….all the makings of a one of a kind book! That’s not even taking into account the craziness that midlife brings! This story is just one step from perfection, and that’s only because there was no book two (yet). Ah, one can wish! I am always extremely happy with books that make me want to forego sleep to keep rea