Review: The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens

Title: The Kingdom (Graveyard Queen #2)
Author: Amanda Stevens
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Heat Index: 2 out of 5
Release Date: March 27th, 2012
Word/Page Count: 400 pages
Format: NetGalley

Deep in the shadowy foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains lies a dying town...

My name is Amelia Gray. They call me The Graveyard Queen. I’ve been commissioned to restore an old cemetery in Asher Falls, South Carolina, but I’m coming to think I have another purpose here.

Why is there a cemetery at the bottom of Bell Lake? Why am I drawn time and again to a hidden grave I’ve discovered in the woods? Something is eating away at the soul of this town—this withering kingdom—and it will only be restored if I can uncover the truth.

50 Shades vs MOTU (fanfic version)

Terrific discussion over at Dear Author. Jane compared 50 Shades vs the 'original' fanfic version called Masters of the Universe. Now there is a lively (and so far wank free) discussion about the ethics of 'filing off the numbers' of fanfic and repacking it for profit. Go check it out.

Kerfuffle @ Smart Bitches...Grab the popcorn

Now, I know this may come as a shock to readers, but Sarah over at SmartBitches TrashyBooks on occasion posts cover snark. *Oh noes! The horror! Why, we would never do such a thing!*

Of course, the attack poodle signal was lit.

Grab some popcorn. This is going to be fun.

LMAO Hilarious

 This is hilarious! Way to go Liquid-Plumr!

Indecency? Please!

linked from SB

Review: Firethorn by Ronie Kendig

Title: Firethorn (Discarded Heroes #4)
Author: Ronie Kendig
Genre: Contemporary Christian
Heat Index: 1 out of 5
Release Date: 1/2012
Word/Page Count: 350 pp
Format: Netgalley

Former Marine Griffin Riddell had found purpose working with Nightshade—until he’s falsely convicted of a murder that plants him in a federal penitentiary. Is there anyone he can trust? Amid explosive confusion, covert operative Kazi Faron breaks Griffin out of a maximum-security prison. Then she delivers the death-blow—-the Nightshade team has been dismantled. Together Kazi and Griffin must rescue the others and figure out who’s behind the sabotage. Can two people overcome their mistrust of each other in time to save Nightshade?

Review: Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

Title: Shades of Milk and Honey (Shades of Milk and Honey #1)
Author: Mary Robinette Kowal
Genre: Historical Romance, Paranormal Romance
Heat Index: 1 out of 5
Release Date: July 26th, 2010
Word/Page Count: 304 pages
Format: Purchased

The fantasy novel you've always wished Jane Austen had written

Shades of Milk and Honey is exactly what we could expect from Jane Austen if she had been a fantasy writer: Pride and Prejudice meets Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It is an intimate portrait of a woman, Jane, and her quest for love in a world where the manipulation of glamour is considered an essential skill for a lady of quality.

Jane and her sister Melody vie for the attentions of eligible men, and while Jane's skill with glamour is remarkable, it is her sister who is fair of face. When Jane realizes that one of Melody's suitors is set on taking advantage of her sister for the sake of her dowry, she pushes her skills to the limit of what her body can withstand in order to set things right--and, in the process, accidentally wanders into a love story of her own.

Cersorship, Hypocrisy, Paypal & Hitler

So Dear Author does a regular post about industry news and a kerfuffle about porn, censorship, and hypocrisy breaks out. (Hitler is just a kerfuffle bingo. It never fails that when a kerfuffle breaks out someone always pulls out the 'my [insert family member here] is a lawyer and says you can sue for libel' or Hitler.)

Now, the Erinyes have definite views on the whole shebang, but we are going to let it play out a bit before we step on our soapbox. Still, the post is great and the comments are (for the most part) incredibly interesting.

Flavor of the Week - Feb. 20

 

Martin Henderson

gahhgeous kiwi actor 

Review: Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan

Title: Fractured Light
Author: Rachel McClellan
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Heat Index: 1 out of 5
Release Date: February 8th, 2012
Word/Page Count: 312
Format: NetGalley

I’m dying, I thought. This was unexpected and not at all how I envisioned my death. I was supposed to die gardening in a flowerbed as a hundred-year-old woman, not as a seventeen-year-old trapped in a lake beneath inches of ice.

Llona Reese is used to living on the run. After the Vykens killed her parents, she knew they would eventually come for her too. She can’t take any chances. But when she starts to make friends for the first time in her life, she gets careless and lets her guard down. Big mistake.

As an Aura, Llona can manipulate light and harness its energy. But if she wants to survive, Llona will have to defy the Auran Council and learn to use her power as a weapon against the Vyken whose sole desire is to take her light. Now she’s caught in something even bigger than she can understand, with a power she can’t wield, and no one she can trust, except, just maybe, a mysterious stranger.

In this breathtaking and romantic adventure, Rachel McClellan delivers a truly mesmerizing story that will keep you guessing to the very end.

Review: To Summon a Demon by Lisa Alder

Title: To Summon a Demon
Author: Lisa Alder
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Erotica
Heat Index: 4 out of 5
Release Date: August 25th, 2011
Word/Page Count: 81 pages
Format: Copy from The Romance Reviews for review

To gain revenge, she summons a Demon...and loses her heart.

After Lili is viciously attacked by the Fae, she wants revenge. Who better to help her than the sworn enemies of the Fae, Demons. So she uses an ancient sex ritual to summon a Demon lover and offers her body in exchange for his aid.

Prince Gaap, commander of the Water Elemental Demons, is curiously drawn to the mysterious Lili. Though her summons is clearly a trap, an attempt by the Fae to infiltrate and harm the Demons, he cannot resist the seductive lure of her battered soul.

Even forewarned, Lili is helpless against Gaap's sensual attraction and loses her heart to her Demon lover.

Review: Firelight by Kristin Callihan

Title: Firelight (The Darkest London #1)
Author: Kristin Callihan
Genre: Paranormal/Historical
Heat Index: 3 out of 5
Release Date: Jan. 31 2012
Word/Page Count: 384 pgs
Format: Netgalley

London, 1881
Once the flames are ignited . . .
Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Yet one innocent but irreversible mistake has left her family's fortune decimated and forced her to wed London's most nefarious nobleman.

They will burn for eternity . . .
Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it's selfish to take Miranda as his bride. Yet he can't help being drawn to the flame-haired beauty whose touch sparks a passion he hasn't felt in a lifetime. When Archer is accused of a series of gruesome murders, he gives in to the beastly nature he has fought so hard to hide from the world. But the curse that haunts him cannot be denied. Now, to save his soul, Miranda will enter a world of dark magic and darker intrigue. For only she can see the man hiding behind the mask

Review: The Night is Mine by M.L. Buchman

Title: The Night is Mine
Author: M.L. Buchman
Genre: Military, Suspense
Heat Index: 3 out of 5
Release Date: Feb. 1, 2012
Word/Page Count: 384 pgs
Format: Netgalley

First in a thrilling military romantic suspense series based on the real-life elite helicopter pilots who transport Navy SEALs and Delta Force teams in and out of combat and covert missions. (SOAR are the heroes of Black Hawk Down.)

Buchman’s heroine flys the most dangerous military ops and tries to find the one man who can be a hero in her own life. Ace-pilot Captain Emily Beale goes undercover as bodyguard to the First Lady, with her rugged commander, Major Mark Henderson, who is determined to cover her back. Can she learn to keep her desire at bay before her covert mission implodes?

February Book Releases

Title: Kiss of the Vampire Series: Warriors of the Rift #1 Author: Garner, Cynthia Release Date: February 1st Once a generation, the rift between the paranormal world and the human world opens, allowing supernatural entities to cross. Vampire, demon, or shapeshifter, they can save the world-or send it spiraling into chaos.< Half-demon, half-human, Nix de la Fuente is accepted by neither and mistrusted by both. Determined to prove she's more human than not, she devotes herself to solving crimes between the world's mortals and its most unsavory undead. But her latest case brings her face to face with the one vampire she could never resist . . . Called in to investigate a string of violent murders, special agent Tobias Caine isn't interested in rekindling his relationship with Nix. Yet one look and the vampire knows his need for her is as strong as ever. Once, their all-consuming passion nearly cost Nix her fragile hold on her humanity. Now, as their hunger for one another intensifies, exposing them to an unimaginable danger, it could cost them both their lives.

Title: Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel Series: Author: Grace, Samantha Release Date: February 1st An exciting debut in a series that introduces the first of four debonair Regency bachelors who have it all: wealth, influence, and women swooning at their feet. Love 'em and leave 'em Lord Andrew Forest receives a dose of his own medicine when jaded heiress Lana Hillary beds him then disappears without so much as a by-your-leave. Tossed aside like an old hat by the only woman to capture his heart, Drew is determined to intercept Lana before she reaches London and convince her to marry him. He'll teach the little vixen a thing or two about how to love a man.

Title: The Lord of Illusion Series: The Elven Lords #3 Author: Kennedy, Kathryne Release Date: February 1st Acclaimed for her world-building, Kathryne Kennedy's third book in her haunting new historical paranormal romance series features transcendent writing. Rebel Drystan Hawkes dreams of freeing England and discovers the key to opening the door to Elfhame lies with Camille, a young slave woman. Drystan sets off to rescue her and find the key that will send the dreaded elf lords away forever. But who is rescuing whom?

Review: How to Dance with a Duke by Manda Collins

Title: How to Dance with a Duke
Author: Manda Collins
Genre: Historical Romance
Heat Index: 3 out of 5
Release Date: January 31st
Word/Page Count: 400 pages
Format: NetGalley

What’s a wallflower to do when she’s suddenly in need of a husband? Use all the pluck and moxie she can muster to get what she wants…

Miss Cecily Hurston would much rather explore the antiquities of Egypt than the uncharted territory of marriage. But the rules of her father’s exclusive academic society forbid her entrance unless she weds one of its members. To clear her ailing father’s name of a scandalous rumor, Cecily needs to gain admission into the Egyptian Club—and is willing to marry any old dullard to do it.

Lucas Dalton, Duke of Winterson, is anything but dull. He’s a dashing and decorated war hero determined to help Cecily—even if that means looking the other way when she claims the dance card of Amelia Snow, this season’s most sought-after beauty. But Lucas has a reason for wanting Cecily to join the Egyptian Club: His brother went missing during one of Lord Hurston’s expeditions to Egypt. An alliance with the explorer’s bluestocking daughter could bring Lucas closer to the truth about what happened…or it could lead him to a more dangerous love than either he or Cecily could have imagined….

Book Trailers: New Releases January 22nd-28th

Since it's a rather gloomy Monday where I'm located, I thought we could all use a pick-me-up. In that line of thought, we've decided to start doing a weekly post featuring the trailers of books being released that week. If you ever get a chance to look around, it's amazing to see how much book trailers have progressed, offering such gems like A Monster Calls or Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Actually, the trailer for the latter was what inspired me to go out and buy the book the day it was released.

Behind the cut are the trailers for the books coming out the week of January 22nd - 28th. Hopefully they'll add some inspiration to your reading list. For more January book releases, see our January Coming Soon post.

Flavor of the Week - January 23rd

For this FOTW, I'm going to do something a little different. Instead of posting a picture of a lust-worthy man, I'm going to offer up one of my favorite characters from a book.

Ethan Sullivan (known as Darth Sullivan behind his back) from the Chicagoland Series by Chloe Neill.

Now, since we all have different ideas of what a character looks like in our head, I can't exactly post a picture of him. What I can do, though, is leave you with some lovely quotes that, if you've read the series, will hopefully bring back fond memories. And, if you haven't read the series, maybe the quotes will inspire you to bump it up on your to-be-read list.

“You undo me, Merit. Wholly and completely. You don’t take me at my word. You challenge me at every opportunity. And that means when I’m with you, I am less than the head of this House… and I am more than the head of this House. I am a man.” He stroked my cheeks with his thumbs. “In my very, very long life, I need you more than I have ever needed anything.”
— Ethan Sullivan, Twice Bitten by Chloe Neill

“You can run. You can keep running to the ends of the earth. But I won’t be far behind you. No. I will never be far behind you. Do the things you need to do. Learn to be a vampire, to be a warrior, to be the soldier you are capable of being. But consider the possibility that I made a mistake I regret—and that I’ll continue to regret that mistake and try to convince you to give me another chance until the earth stops turning.”
- Ethan Sullivan, Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill

“I’ll have you in my bed again, Sentinel. And at my side. That is a promise.”
-Ethan Sullivan, Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill

Review: Banshee Charmer by Tiffany Allee

Title: Banshee Charmer (From the Files of the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency #1)
Author: Tiffany Allee
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Heat Index: 3 out of 5
Release Date: January 24th, 2012
Word/Page Count: 159 pages
Format: NetGalley

When she’s sent to a crime scene and finds her second dead woman in as many weeks, half-banshee detective Kiera “Mac” McLoughlin is convinced a serial killer is on the loose. Incubi are extinct, her boss insists. But what else can kill a woman in the throes of pleasure? When her partner is murdered after using witchcraft to locate the killer and Mac is thrown off the case, her frustration turns to desperation.

Certain the killer is an incubus, Mac works behind her department’s back to chase down slim, sometimes perilous leads. While the killer eludes her, she does discover handsome Aidan Byrne, an investigative counterpart from the enigmatic Otherworlder Enforcement Agency. Mac typically runs her investigations fast and hard, but with Aidan at her side, she’s running this one “hot” as well. But Aidan knows more than he’s letting on—something that could shatter their blazing romance and add Mac to the killer’s growing body count…

Review: Stray by Rachel Vincent

Title: Stray (Shifters #1)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Heat Index: 3 out of 5
Release Date: June 1st, 2007
Word/Page Count: 618
Format: Purchased

There are only eight breeding female werecats left . . .
And I'm one of them.

I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds.

Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a Stray attacked.

I'd been warned about Strays -- werecats without a Pride, constantly on the lookout for someone like me: attractive, female, and fertile. I fought him off, but then learned two of my fellow tabbies had disappeared.

This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back . . . for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I'm no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever -- and whoever -- I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays -- 'cause I got claws, and I'm not afraid to use them . . .

Review: The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

Title: The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (Highland Pleasures #1)
Author: Jennifer Ashely
Genre: Historical Romance
Heat Index: 4 out of 5
Release Date: April 28th, 2009
Word/Page Count: 320 pages
Format: Purchased

The year is 1881. Meet the Mackenzie family--rich, powerful, dangerous, eccentric. A lady couldn't be seen with them without ruin. Rumors surround them--of tragic violence, of their mistresses, of their dark appetites, of scandals that set England and Scotland abuzz.

The youngest brother, Ian, known as the Mad Mackenzie, spent most of his young life in an asylum, and everyone agrees he is decidedly odd. He's also hard and handsome and has a penchant for Ming pottery and beautiful women.

Beth Ackerley, widow, has recently come into a fortune. She has decided that she wants no more drama in her life. She was raised in drama--an alcoholic father who drove them into the workhouse, a frail mother she had to nurse until her death, a fussy old lady she became constant companion to. No, she wants to take her money and find peace, to travel, to learn art, to sit back and fondly remember her brief but happy marriage to her late husband.

And then Ian Mackenzie decides he wants her.

The first of a new historical series.

Review: Under the Moon by Natalie J. Damschroder

Title: Under the Moon (Goddess Rising, Book 1)
Author: Natalie J. Damschroder
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Heat Index: 2 out of 5
Release Date: December 6th, 2011
Word/Page Count: 300 pages
Format: NetGalley

Their power gives them strength...and makes them targets.

Quinn Caldwell is the epitome of a modern goddess. Her power source is the moon, her abilities restricted only by physical resources and lunar phase. She runs a consulting business and her father's bar, serves on the board of the ancient Society for Goddess Education and Defense, and yearns for Nick Jarrett, professional goddess protector and the soul mate she can never have.

But someone has developed the rare and difficult ability to drain a goddess of her powers, and Quinn is a target. With the world thinking Nick has gone rogue (whatever that means) and that Quinn is influenced by "family ties" she didn't know she had, keeping themselves safe while working to find the enemy proves harder each day.

But not as hard as denying their hearts...