Daelith's Book Shelf

Winter Is Coming - Game of Thrones series

2011-03-11T05:34:00.000-08:00

I'm a huge fan of George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series and this spring HBO is starting a series based on these books. Here's the official poster for this new show starting April 17th. Sean Bean will be playing the part of Eddard Stark.

Unfortunately, I don't have HBO so I will have to wait until they are released in DVD which is what I do with True Blood. At least this way, I can watch the entire season as I want and not have to wait each week for a new episode. The downside...I have a year's wait until the next season.

HBO Game of Thrones

George R. R. Martin

The IMDB trailer is a better.

The books and the order they should be read:

I highly recommend this fantasy series if you've never tried them. Just a word of warning - Martin is not afraid to put his character's through hell. If you're looking for Happy Ever Afters or are squeamish, then you will probably not like these books. They are action packed, violent, and emotional roller coaster reads with twisted characters and numerous adult situations. Don't be discouraged by the size of the books either.

Beautiful Creatures

2011-03-08T08:39:00.001-08:00

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Book cover blurb:

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

My thoughts:

This book had a great deal of chatter on the book blogs when it came out last year, so I decided to give it a try when the opportunity arose. It was an entertaining, fast read. Definitely could see the Stephen King influence with the winter dance scene. A little too Carrie-ish on that for my taste…just without the blood. I found a few other things equally as predictable as that scene, but I won’t list since they would be considered spoilers.

I was surprised I went through 563 pages in four days. (That’s pretty quick for me.) This probably could have been cut down without some of what I consider the filler stuff that really didn’t have much bearing to the story. This seems to be par for the course for me with young adult books. (Probably because I’m not a teenager.) Anyway, it held my attention despite having some predicable parts and characters. I’d read the next book in the series.

3 stars

Dog Days by John Levitt

2011-02-24T12:01:00.000-08:00

Back cover blurb:

Mason used to be an enforcer, ensuring that suspect magic practitioners stayed in line. But now he scrapes out a living playing guitar. Good thing he has Louie, his magical...well, let's call him a dog. But there are some kinds of evil that even Louie can't sniff out. And when Mason is attacked by a supernatural assailant, he'll have to fall back on the one skill he's mastered in music and magic-improvisation.

My thoughts:
Took me a few days to get in to this book. It just seemed to drag for the first 130 pages or so. The author was taking too long to explain certain things and setting up the story. To be almost halfway through the book before you really get interested is too long for me. I felt compelled to continue though since I had purchased this book.

The main character, Mason, had a tendency to annoy me. He’s lazy and really has no incentive to do anything with his life. Maybe this is just the author setting the readers up for his “growth and coming into his true potential and power” type thing. Ho-hum! Been done before. I was hoping for something a little different. If not for Lou, Mason’s Ifrit in the dog body, I doubt I would have continued on with this book after the first 100 pages.

Once the action finally picked up, this was fairly enjoyable. Predictable, but okay. This is not a series I would continue to pay full price for, but might pick them up if I caught the next couple of the series at library sale or used book store.

Two and half stars

Zombie fans - here's a to win a copy of Aftertime

2011-02-15T06:38:00.001-08:00

All Things Urban Fantasy is giving away a copy of Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield

Contest ends February 22, 2011

Win a copy of Crossed

2011-02-03T05:19:00.000-08:00

Amberkatze has an interview with author J. F. Lewis on her blog with a chance to win a copy of his latest book in the Void City series, Crossed

I've been looking forward to this book!

Shiny!!

2011-01-28T12:07:00.001-08:00

How many of you have purchased books based solely on the cover? *raises hand*
Even purchased the book knowing you probably weren’t going to like it because the cover was so eye catching you just couldn’t resist?

I know I’m not alone out there.

Thankfully, I have a little more self control now than I did when I was younger, but that temptation is there. Constantly lurking in the back of mind as I walk through a book store looking at the new releases. Then there is always that one that just jumps off the self at you and you do the mental “Ooooooo Shiny!!” as you start to drool. Okay, maybe I’ve even done the Shiny squee out loud a time or two. And if you’re a dire hard bibliophile and denying you’ve ever done such a thing... Liar, liar, pants on fire!

The first book I can recall purchasing because of the cover was George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones. Thankfully, I loved the book itself and anxiously the next book in the Song of Ice and Fire Saga. Please Mr. Martin...hurry.

There’s just something to be said about great cover art. At least I can get my cover art fix online with all the great book blogs I frequent. I’ve been seeing quite a few lately that has had my wish list growing even longer. (Admittedly, it was already out of hand as is my TBR pile.)

Some of my favorite blogs that help feed this addiction:
All Things Urban Fantasy - I love how she gives them a thumbs up or down.
SciFiGuy
Dark Faerie Tales

That’s just to name a few.

And a few of the covers that have recently caught my eye are:

So what’s caught you’re eye lately? New, old, reissue?

Chronicles of the Warlands upcoming book

2011-01-26T08:21:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Vaughan's latest to the Chronicles of the Warlands series will be released this May. For those of who have come to love Xylara and Keir, we've been anxiously awaiting this -

Warprize, the first book of the series, is also going to be reissued with a new cover.

For those of you who have not read this fantasy romance series, I highly recommend it.

If you would like a chance to win either the reissue of Warprize or a copy of Warcry, click your way over to LovLivLife Reviews to enter her contest for a chance at one.

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

2011-01-20T11:46:00.000-08:00

Synopsis from Goodreads.
Passion. Fate. Loyalty.
Would you risk it all to change your destiny?
The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she'd be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world.
But that's exactly what happened.
Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.
Tiger's Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

My thoughts:

I won this books from a Goodreads giveaway.

Overall, I enjoyed this YA book – the first of the Tiger series. The story was intriguing and held my interest. I will say that Ren and Kelsey’s relationship dilemmas were on the edge of trying my patience at times. Never have carried for the "must hide my feelings and push him away" premise in books. Too much mental hashing of feelings and emotions for my taste.

The use of Indian mythology really help develop the story for me. I’ve not read or seen much on this country, so it was something new for me. It was a bit of a refreshing break from the usual Egyptian and Greek twists.

I was a bit disappointed in the ending, but only because it left the reader hanging until the next book on several issues. I look forward to it’s release though.

Love the cover art on the trade paperback edition. Very eye catching.

3.5 stars

Deadtown by Nancy Holzner

2010-09-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

Book summary:

They call it Deadtown: the city’s quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its borders — but Victory Vaughn, Boston’s only professional demon slayer, isn’t exactly human…

Vicky’s demanding job keeping the city safe from all manner of monsters is one reason her relationship with workaholic lawyer (and werewolf) Alexander Kane is in constant limbo. Throw in a foolhardy zombie apprentice, a mysterious demon-plagued client, and a suspicious research facility that’s taken an unwelcome interest in her family, and Vicky’s love life has as much of a pulse as Deadtown’s citizens.

But now Vicky’s got bigger things to worry about. The Hellion who murdered her father ten years ago has somehow broken through Boston’s magical protections. The Hellion is a ruthless force of destruction with a personal grudge against Vicky, and she’s the only one who can stop the demon before it destroys the city and everyone in it.

My thoughts:
This has been getting so much praise on blogs, I decided to give it a try. Plus I really liked the cover art.

I was under the impression this would have more of a zombie angle to it than demons. I'm not normally interested in books about demons. I enjoyed it overall, though it was little predictable. It caught my attention enough that I'm interested in the next book in this series.

3 stars

What else I have read lately?

The Undead Next Door by Kerrelyn Sparks – 2.5 stars - had a little more emotional dilemma than I care for
Apollyon – Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins – 4 stars
Ghost Walk by Heather Graham – 3 stars
Murder For Revenge – edited by Otto Penzler – 2 stars

Num8ers by Rachel Ward

2010-08-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

I won this book from GoodReads First Reads. Thank you very much GoodReads!

Synopsis from GoodReads:

Whenever Jem meets someone new, no matter who, as soon as she looks into their eyes, a number pops into her head. That number is a date: the date they will die.

Burdened with such an awful awareness, Jem avoids relationships. Until she meets Spider, another outsider, and takes a chance. But while they’re waiting to ride the Eye Ferris
wheel, Jem notices that all the other tourists in line flash the same number. Today’s number. Today’s date. Terrorists are going to attack London. Jem’s world is about to explode!

My thoughts:

I actually read this a couple of months ago, but I wanted to post this since it was released this year.

I found this book to be tedious at times. I finished because I was curious enough to want to see how it ended. Then I was disappointed in the ending because it was predictable. I couldn’t help but thinking during one part – Hey!! Nothing like promoting a little unprotected teenage sex.
I gave it 2 out of 5 stars.

Funny thing is I ended up with 2 copies of this book from the publisher. I’ve already Book Crossed one and I’ve registered the second one at BC so it will be looking for a home soon. At least Abby (my Bagle Hound) didn’t get hold of the second copy to chew on the cover.

Being Human Season One

2010-07-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

Season One of Being Human, a BBC series, will be released on DVD and Blue Ray on Tuesday, July 20th.

A vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost share an apartment in Bristol, England!

A paranormal lovers must see.

Beautiful Creatures Giveaway

2010-05-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

Chance to win Beautiful Creatures from Katie's Book Blog

Contest ends May 30th.

A Book Eulogy

2010-01-28T10:55:00.000-08:00

I am very sad to announce the untimely demise of this book.

This was a BookCrossing book sent to me by Bkind2books.

It would seem that a very irritated Beagle decided to take her frustrations out at our leaving to go out to dinner on this poor unsuspecting piece of literature. It did nothing to deserve this cruel fate other than it happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I thought it was safe within the depths of my tote bag sitting atop the back of an overstuffed chair. Little did I realize the sinister plot brewing in this sly canine mind as to how to acquire this item and exact her revenge. I was lulled into a false sense of security by the big brown eyes and the ever wagging tail. Not to mention the halo posed above her head whenever in our presence. But it was all a front...an act. Who would have thought such malevolence lurked behind such an innocent facade.

It was not a pretty sight. Certainly not something for the fainthearted. Though I rushed to its side where it lay on the floor among its tattered pages, I knew before even checking for any signs of salvage, it had passed on to the great library heaven. No amount of glue or tape would ever resurrect it to any semblance of its previous self, much less a readable form.

I have failed in my duty to protect this book, to keep it safe from the shredding jaws of death. I hang my head in shame...not to mention disgust that I didn’t even get to read it first.

Alas, the tote bag didn’t fair any better than the book. They were laid to rest together in a Hefty bag last evening. Rest in peace!

The Culprit
She has yet to show any signs of remorse.

Patricia Briggs' Series Giveaway

2010-01-20T11:36:00.000-08:00

To celebrate 300 followers, All Things Urban Fantasy is have a big Patricia Briggs giveaway. For 300 followers, she will be giving away the first 4 books of the Mercy Thompson series - Moon Called, Blood Bound, Iron Kissed, Bone Called.

If she hits 400 followers, another winner will be drawn to win the Alpha and Omega series - Cry Wolf, Hunting Ground, and On The Prowl.

This is an international contest and ends on February 28.

Kitty giveaway at Drey's Library

2010-01-15T12:20:00.000-08:00

Drey's Library is giving away one complete set (seven books total) of the Kitty Norvell series by Carrie Vaughn. In addition to this, three more people will have a chance to win a copy of Kitty's House of Horrors. Fill out the form by January 18, 6 CST for your chance to win one of these prizes.

Gena Showalter Contest

2010-01-07T11:47:00.000-08:00

Gena Showalter is having a random drawing to give away a signed ARC of Into the Dark.
Good luck!

Also check out Heart of Darkness

Night Child by Jes Battis

2009-12-30T11:22:00.000-08:00

When the author could stay on track, I enjoyed this book. My interest was peaked whenever we actually got to an action scene. Unfortunately, the rest of the book did not fair as well for me. The writer had a tendency to wander off the beaten path with past memories and dreamscapes which would lose me. Page 222 (starting with the last paragraph) through page 225 is a perfect example of this. He’d just go off an this meandering tangent that made no sense, had no real bearing to the plot and I could not for the life of me follow along. Plus he got a little too detailed with some of the technical explanations for my liking. I found the heroine annoying to boot so I’ll probably not continue on with this series.

2 stars

Box of Books Giveaway

2009-12-30T07:58:00.000-08:00

Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm is giving away a box of books. Go check out her site. Hurry though. Dead line is December 30th....today.

Parajunkee's Follower Giveaway

2009-12-22T08:36:00.001-08:00

Parajunkee is have a great giveaway. The more follower, the more to give away. Plus it's international. Join in the fun!
Contest ends December 30, 2009.

Deadtown Giveaway

2009-12-12T06:14:00.000-08:00

In celebration of her upcoming debut release of Deadtown, author Nancy Holzner is have a month long giveaway. I'm a little late for one part, but there are still lots of great stuff.
I'm looking forward to this release. Even had I not known anything about it, I would pick it up just because of it's cover art.

Dark Faerie Tales Holiday Blowout

2009-12-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

Dark Faerie Tales is having a fantastic giveaway. Go check out her blog for details and a list of the 38 book choices.

Contest ends January 15, 2010.

Dragon Fire Giveaway

2009-11-20T11:59:00.000-08:00

Author Claire Delacroix/Deborah Cooke has an interview at SciFiGuy Blog
She will be giving away a complete set of her Dragon Fire series. She will have signed copy of the first book along with signed bookplates and the other three books will be sent via The Book Depository.

Her last release in the series is

Contest open until midnight November 30 EST.

Bitter Night Giveaways

2009-11-12T06:43:00.000-08:00

SciFiGuy is giving away 2 copies of Bitter Night by Diana Pharaoh Francis. Just go post what release your most looking forward to before the end of the year. You can find other ways to gain extra chances at his blog.

For even more chances to win a copy of this book, go to Patricia's Vampire Notes.
Bitter Night Contest

Good luck!

The Dark Divine Give-away

2009-11-09T08:03:00.000-08:00

Dark Faerie Tales has an interview with author Bree Despain about her debut YA novel, The Dark Divine, this week.

Enter the contest to win a copy of The Dark Divine and SWAG by answering a simple question at the end of the interview. Contest ends December 14, 2009.

Vampire Taxonomy Give Away

2009-11-06T09:22:00.000-08:00

Fang-Tastic Books is giving away two copies of Vampire Taxonomy by Meredith Woerner. Go sign up for chance at one.

A Triple Give Away

2009-11-01T06:29:00.000-08:00

All Things Urban Fantasy is having a triple give away to celebrate having 50+ followers.

* Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs
* Dark Time by Dakota Banks
* Red-headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells

Go check it out and sign up for your chance to win these three books.

Review of A Simple Plan

2009-10-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

Cover blurb:
It All Seemed So Simple...

Two brothers and their friend stumble upon the wreckage of a plane—the pilot is dead and his duffel bag contains four million dollars in cash. The men agree to hide, keep and share the fortune. But what started off as a simple plan slowly devolves into a gruesome nightmare none of them can control.

This book was sitting in my TBR pile for awhile. I had been hesitant to start after a neighbor I had loaned it to told me she couldn’t finish it. In an effort to get rid of some hardbacks taking up too much room, I pulled it out and decided to give it a try.

It caught my attention and held it though I did find myself getting frustrated with the characters at times. This is definitely one of those books that makes you think of what you would do if you were in similar circumstances. The author had me re-examining some of the scenes and how I would have handled them. That is definitely takes some talent to get a reader to speculate on situations. Though some of the scenes were predictable, I still couldn’t help thinking…”Oh you are so not handling this correctly, Hank.” or “That’s a really bad move.” I was even cringing a bit in some parts.

I did not care for pages 279 and 280. No dog/animal lover will like it.

By chapter 12 (page 305), I was really getting aggravated with Hank, the main character, and the author. I felt he was taking the whole scenario too far.

Overall, this was an okay read for me. It kept my attention and challenged me a bit mentally, maybe even morally because it seriously gets you to wondering what kind of person you would become and what lengths you would go to if faced with this position. I think Smith did a good job of getting across the roller coaster ride of emotions his characters experienced – elation, caution, paranoia, anxiety, self-doubt, guilt and justification. (Not necessarily in that order.) A definite struggle of right vs. wrong.

I was sitting at a good solid 3 stars for this book until chapter 12 and then it went to about 2.5 stars for me. Since I can’t do half stars on Goodreads, I’ll go ahead and give it the 3.

A Touch of Dead and Covet Give-aways

2009-10-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

Celtic Lady has a contest at her blog, Celticlady's Ramblings, for Charlaine Harris' latest release, A Touch of Dead.

Contest ends October 31st.

The Fiction Vixen has revamp her blog site and in celebration is giving away a cope of Covet by J. R. Ward.

Contest ends November 3rd.

Good luck!

Vampires Galore

2009-10-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

Lots of October fun and give-aways.

Also, The Book Smugglers have a great Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant contest going on at their site.

Book Club for the Vampire Fans

2009-09-23T09:32:00.001-07:00

While visiting some of my favorite blogs, I discovered Vamp Chix has started a new book club. One for those who truly love their vampires.

The first book they are going to be discussing is The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 by various authors.

I personally don't have a copy of this book, but I'm betting I'll find more books to add to my ever growing wish list by following along.

What I've read lately

2009-08-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

Blood Book Vol 3: Blood Debt and Blood Bank By Tanya Huff -- 3 stars

The Ghost and the Dead Deb by Alice Kimberly -- 3.5 stars

Dark Cities Underground by Lisa Goldstein -- 2.5 stars
Interesting twist on Egyptian mythology.

Cesar's Way by Cesar Milan -- 3.5 stars
Took me a while to get through this because it's non-fiction. Lots of good advice, but I did not always agree with his methods.

Better Read Than Dead by Victoria Laurie -- 4 stars
I'm really enjoying this series. Need to find the 3rd one soon.

Primal Desire by Susan Sizemore -- 2.5 stars
I've read 2 other books, I Burn For You and Primal Heat, in this series and thoroughly enjoyed them. This one I found somewhat lacking. I'm not sure if it's because I've skip around in the series or waited too long in between books or what. I was having trouble at first keeping characters straight. Even the sex scenes seemed to be missing something that the previous books had.

Also, Target has the COMPLETE first (only) season of Moonlight on sale for $18.99 this week. Still have a couple of days to get it. I'm going during lunch to get my copy.

Blood Ties DVD

2009-08-05T11:41:00.000-07:00

For those of you with a Sam's Club in your area, you might want to check their DVD section. I found Blood Ties Season One there for only $16.88. You can bet I grabbed myself a copy. I'm going to have to keep an eye out to see if the get Moonlight in at some point.

8/21/09 - Added note
I discovered after watching these that this is not the complete season one. Only 13 episodes on this set. Aghhhh! I did see on a Blood Ties related web site that they are supposed to release another set to complete the 22 episode series at the end of this year. That is just so...wrong!!! Teach me to check better if it doesn't say COMPLETE first season on the package.

Finger Lickin' Fifteen

2009-08-04T11:56:00.000-07:00

Fires, explosions, and bullets flying as mayhem ensues in the Burgs. Stephanie and the crew are up to ears in another mystery...and barbeque sauce.

Hilarious, hilarious, hilarious!! I was still snickering and giggling when I finally forced myself to put down the book and call it a night. I finished this off in less than 24 hours.

There is always that thought running through my head as I try to put actor faces to the characters and I think I have finally got my actor pick narrowed down for Morelli.

Stephanie – Sandra Bullock (when she was younger) or Anne Hathaway
Lula – Queen Latifah or Monique
Morelli – Dylan McDermott or Marc Wahlburg or Dominic Purcell
Ranger – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Vinnie – Danny DeVito or Joe Pesci or Jon Lovitz
Grandma Mazur - Betty White or Ellen Albertini Dow
Tank – Michael Clark Duncan

The other characters I’m still undecided on.

Revamped by J. F. Lewis

2009-06-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

Lewis once again had me going back and forth with my like/dislike for his main characters. More Tabitha this time than Eric. Eric is still very flawed, but we see a softer, more caring side to him this time along with his no nonsense, get down to the nitty-gritty of the situation attitude. Toward the end, I was understanding Tabitha more, but I still want to smack her up side the head at times. And Rachel is a Brat (and I’m being nice here) regardless.

I have to admit I was a little concerned when we were introduced to Fang. My first thought was – On no, Lewis is going to go the macho-comic book or Stephen King routine with this. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised that this addition to the story really did work. ( I’m just glad I don’t have to clean out his trunk.) Some female readers might find this addition cheesy, but I was okay with it. I think Greta really helped with this when she named him. Leave it to her to crack me up at the start of a plot concern. Greta still rocks, as far as I’m concerned, and I would love to see more of her in upcoming books. Or even her own book.

Speaking of their own book, Talbot really came more into his own for me in this second book. I’m hoping to see a spin off series for him or his kind.

Lewis again came through with an action packed book with a good balance of insight into the characters, a variety of paranormal and comic relief to make this a really enjoyable read for me. Plus, this dysfunctional family (of sorts) makes mine seem like the Cleavers.
I had several laugh out loud moments. The power strip comment on page 46 for one and animal crackers on page 196. The reference to the Little Rascal and other TV shows were also fun. I can tell the author and I grew up in or around the same time from a number of his references.
Another thing I like is his vampires’ food infatuations. Those scenes started making me hungry. When Phil and Eric sat down for steaks, I was just about ready to go fire up the grill...even if it was after 10 pm when I was reading that part.

I always like/want some sort of closure at the conclusion of a book so I appreciate the no “cliff-hanging, Porky the Pig pop out moment” at the end this time. Yes, it keeps us fans coming back for more, but it also makes us want to hang authors up by their toenails and feed you to the Oni.

Thank you, Jeremy! Looking forward to the next book.

The Vampire's Seduction Giveaway

2008-12-19T05:20:00.000-08:00

Random Minutiae has a great interview with one of my favorite authors, Raven Hart, on her Savannah vampire series. Better yet, she's giving away a signed copy of the first book of the series, The Vampire's Seduction.

I did a review of the first four books in May. Trust me when I say, this is a must read series for any paranormal/horror fan.

Head over to Random Minutiae and leave a comment for your chance to win.

Claire Morgan Mysteries by Linda Ladd

2008-09-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I last added anything. Sorry about that but I’m really bad when it comes to this sort of thing. That and I always have trouble putting into words how I feel about a book.

This entry is about Linda Ladd’s Claire Morgan series. There are now three books out – Head To Head, Dark Places and the latest, Die Smiling. I read Head To Head a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. Then I happened to stumble upon Linda Ladd’s MySpace site last year about this time to find the second book had just been released. Off I went to my local bookstore and started reading it immediately.

Dark Places

I was asked how I liked Dark Places in comparison to Head to Head. I was really wishing I had a copy of Head to Head to reread at the time. (I originally borrowed it from a friend, but have since gotten my own copy.) Thankfully, as I was reading along in Dark Places there were enough references to jar my memory. I thought DP was much creeper than HTH. Then again, Ladd hit on something which just really creeps me out. (I’m not going to say what though so I won’t spoil it for future readers.)

As I first started the book, I got tickled at my reaction at one part (the doughnut) at the first crime scene. I enjoy how Claire and her partner, Bud, interact. Then we moved on the ER scene. Yikes! Now I’ll pretty much read most anything as to what we Book Obsessors classify as sick s*** mysteries and I didn’t think much would phase me. Boy was I wrong. The ER scene had a shudder start at the top of my head and work all the way down. I can’t recall an author ever causing that kind of reaction for me. Ladd had me checking my bed before crawling in and shaking out clothes and shoes. One evening, when I got up in the middle of the night for something, I even turned the light back on to check the bed again. One of my Rotties gave me a look that distinctly said…you’ve lost your mind. She even managed the shudder reaction several times before getting to the end of the book.

And the ending was even more creepy. I had to set the book down several times before I could complete the ending. Just to kind of walk off the creepies.

I must warn animal lovers though that there are a couple of disturbing parts in this book. I was able to steel myself for what was coming, but it still bothered me. I get more upset with books and movies when the animals get hurt or killed.

This was definitely a 5 star read for me.

Die Smiling

Some how or another, I keep picking up mysteries that take place during a beauty pageant. This is probably my third or fourth one in the last few months. Even so, I still enjoyed Die Smiling. There was a lower body count in this book as we get started and we seemed to spend more time digging up information, but Ladd still managed a shudder at the climax of the book when our heroine was confronting the killer. You know how a guy will grimace and hold himself in sympathy when seeing another guy just get racked. She managed a similar reaction from me. My hand automatically went to a certain area (don’t want to give anything away) just to make sure everything was still in place.

Between the main story and the secondary, Ladd had me trying to sort out the puzzle until close to the end and then delivered another of her 'have you on the edge of your seat' endings. Though I wasn’t overly thrilled with Bud’s choice of actions, I’m glad the author worked things out for us. This one gets 4 stars from me.

For anyone who enjoys sick s*** mysteries, Linda Ladd's Claire Morgan mysteries are perfect for you.

And let us not forget all those we lost seven years ago!

What scares you?

2008-07-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

Literary Escapism has a great interview with Lynda Hilburn
Plus there is a contest in which they're giving away two books from her Kismet Knight series. But...you have to confess your fears for a chance to win. Good luck everyone.

More Christmas in July

2008-07-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

Bitten By Books is having a Christmas in July contest/giveaway too. A $30 Amazon gift card. Don't miss out! Plus there are some great reviews there that I'm sure will have your book wish list growing even longer...as is mine.

More Contests

2008-07-02T08:19:00.000-07:00

Fellow Book Obsessor, Terra, is having a Christmas in July contest. She giving away several signed books so go visit her blog. Check our her reviews on each of the books she offering too.

Terra's Christmas in July Contest

Oh and ladies, try not to drool all over your key board when you see the covers of these books. *fans self*

Amberkatze is having another contest for Wicked Games by Jeri Smith-Ready. Check out the great interview before entering.

Wicked Games Give-Away

Good luck everyone!

Staked by J. F. Lewis

2008-07-01T06:54:00.000-07:00

Since I’m lazy at typing and love to take short cuts when I can, I’m coping the synopsis for this book from Amazon.

UNREPENTANT. UNIMPRESSED.AND TOTALLY UNDEAD.
Eric's got issues. He has short-term and long-term memory problems; he can't remember who he ate for dinner yesterday, much less how he became a vampire in the first place. His best friend, Roger, is souring on the strip club he and Eric own together. And his girlfriend, Tabitha, keeps pressuring him to turn her so she can join him in undeath. It's almost enough to put a Vlad off his appetite. Almost.
Eric tries to solve one problem, only to create another: he turns Tabitha into a vampire, but finds that once he does, his desire for her fades -- and her younger sister, Rachel, sure is cute. And when he kills a werewolf in self-defense, things really get out of hand. Now a pack of born-again lycanthropes is out for holy retribution, while Tabitha and Rachel have their own agendas -- which may or may not include helping Eric stay in one piece.
All Eric wants to do is run his strip club, drink a little blood, and be left alone. Instead, he must survive car crashes, enchanted bullets, sunlight, sex magic, and werewolves on ice -- not to mention his own nasty temper and forgetfulness.
Because being undead isn't easy, but it sure beats the alternative.

Okay, now for my review/opinion/thoughts.

First, I must start out by saying that most women, myself included, are going to think Eric is a complete pig. Be interesting to have himself turn into one then have Tabitha shot him with those special bullets so he’s stuck in that form for awhile. But then, he’d be a roast piggy so that wouldn’t work. Darn! Regardless of his “women problems” I still managed to like Eric. Then again, I’m a sucker for flawed heroes. You weren’t kidding when you say Eric has issues. *L*

Tabitha, I felt, needed a good swat up the side of her head in several instances, but again I still liked her. It was fun watching her fumble and experiment with her new found powers.

The funny thing as I was reading and thinking in what ways I like and dislike these characters, I had to give a mental chuckle at Lewis catching me off guard like this. I’ve always said I really like a writer who can elicit an emotion from me whether it be laughter, tears or anger. They’ve done their job, and very well, when they’ve achieved that. (Still only one has managed to tick me off enough to throw the book across the room though.) Here Lewis had me going back and forth with both of these characters as to how I felt about them. One chapter, I’m ready to stake Eric myself then the next I’m rooting for him to kick some werewolf ass. Kudos Jeremy!

Extra kudos for several laugh out loud moments. The little addition of the Three Stooges move in a fight and Eric’s learning of his bat wings had me rolling. And in bringing these two scenes up in topic, let me just add...Greta Rocks!! Seriously, as warped as it may be, I adored Greta. So help me if you kill her off in future books, I may have to go find the little old voodoo priestess who runs around downtown Memphis mumbling and shaking her fistful of feathers at everyone and have her come up with an extra special curse for you.

Also, I’m thoroughly intrigued by Talbot and looking forward to learning more about him in future books. Rachel had me pondering as to just what she was up too quite a bit. I have a feeling she’ll prove to be more of an upcoming quandary. The Japanese ogres were a great touch too. I had this mental image of some Sumo looking creatures squatting in the street stuffing their faces. And the holy roller lycans! I’m still snickering over them.

Now as for the ending. Holy cliffhangers, Batman!! I turn the page expecting there to be more and there’s “Hope you liked the book” and I’m thinking -- What the heck?! There’s got to be more. Frantically flipping through the last few filler pages, I realize that was it. Porky Pig might has well have popped out of the back cover and said “Th-th-the-th-the-th-that's all, folks!” I quickly looked up the release date of the next book. March 2009. Sheesh, I’ve got nine months to wait. I can just hear the “Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!” Curly impression Lewis is doing now from his office.

All kidding aside though, this was a great read. If I hadn’t had things that had to be done this past weekend, I probably would have read this in one sitting. Lewis has all the ingredients I love in a book...action, paranormal, mystery and humor with a different twist.

Thank you for the opportunity to read your book, Jeremy. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to the next installment.

G. A. McKevett – Savannah Reid Mystery series

2008-06-04T06:43:00.000-07:00

I discovered G. A. McKevett’s mystery series in 2006 when I read the fifth book of the series, Sugar and Spite. I’ve been hooked on them ever since. I’m such a stickler about reading a series in order though, so I had to go back and find the rest of the books. I love our sassy Southern heroine in this series.

Savannah Reid is originally from Georgia and is the oldest of nine kids, all named after cities in Georgia, and often quotes her Granny Reid. She became a police officer and in book 1, Just Dessert, was working in San Carmelita, CA as a detective when she was dismissed for her weight. (Savannah is a voluptuous size 14 and very proud of it.) Of course, that was just an excuse they used to kick her off the force. So, she opened her own private investigation business, Moonlight Magnolia Detective Agency.

We get reoccurring characters such as Dirk Coulter, her gruff, always hungry ex-partner, Tammy Hart, her perky, health-conscious assistant, Ryan Stone, former FBI hunk turned body guard and John Gibson, Ryan’s British significant other. And we can’t forget Cleopatra and Diamante, her cats.

I’ve just finished reading

Quote from Cooked Goose. “Do you ever have...like...a weight problem?”
“Nope. I decided a long time ago, there’s a lot more to me--and to being a woman--than some numbers on a scale.” Savannah replaced the fudge in the microwave and walked across the kitchen to the refrigerator. “More whipped cream?”

Reminds me of Paula Deen.

These are the reading order of the series.

1. Just Desserts
2. Bitter Sweets
3. Killer Calories
4. Cooked Goose
5. Sugar and Spite
6. Sour Grapes
7. Peaches and Screams
8. Death by Chocolate
9. Cereal Killer
10. Murder a la Mode
11. Corpse Suzette
12. Fat Free and Fatal
13. Poisoned Tarts

McKevett also writes under the name Sonja Massie. If you like Janet Evanovich, I think you will really enjoy this series. These are fun, quick reads but they do have some strong language, crime descriptions and situations so I don’t know that they can really be classified as a cozy.

Also beware! I often get the munchies when reading one of these since she’s always referring to food—as the titles show--especially chocolate. A woman after my own heart. Even though it’s almost 90 degrees out right now, I have a hankering for a hot chocolate with a splash (or two) of Bailey’s. Or a piece of chocolate cake with raspberry sauce. Maybe some Chunky Monkey ice cream would be more in order.
Enjoy the books. I’m going to go find some chocolate.

Contests to check out

2008-06-02T08:47:00.000-07:00

Shaunsay is giving away a $10.00 gift certificate to the Animal Rescue site Store at her site - Shaunsay's Blog
This is a great cause. Of course, animal rescue is a cause I support wholeheartedly.
Enter by June 14th for the drawing.

Also be sure to check out some of the other contests my blog friend have going on.

Amberkatze's book give aways - Amberkatze's Blog

And Terra is also giving away a book - Terra's Blog

Also I discovered Fantasy Book Critic has lots of book giveaways...some just for Europe. Be sure to check the requirements of each giveaway to see. I just noticed one set of books there I would like a chance at but it's for European residents only. :( *sniffle, sniffle*

One of my favorite vampire series

2008-05-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

Raven Hart's Savannah Vampires

I love, love this series! Especially Jack McShane, an ex-Confederate soldier who loves fast cars and fast women. His antics just crack me up and how can you not get tickled at a vampire who has his coffin painted with Dale Earnhardt's NASCAR colors and number.

In book one, The Vampire's Seduction, we're introduced to William Cuyler Thorne, a 500 something year old vampire living in Savannah, and Jack, who was turned by William when he found him dying on a Civil War battle field. We also meet Reedrek - William's evil sire, Melaphia – a voodoo priestess, Connie – a cop who definitely has Jack's attention, Werm and other minor characters. I like the way Hart kind of leaves you wondering about certain characters. As to who or what they are. Even Jack is a little puzzled by some of them.

In the second book, The Vampire's Secret, Hart brings even more paranormal into the story. Our Southern vampires are finding they have some new powers after what took place in book one. Plus we have not only the vampires and voodoo. We get ghosts, a Mayan goddess and a zombie along with a nasty plague taking out vampires. William also gets a bit of a shock. Book two leaves you hanging, so you really, really want to have the third book ready and waiting.

In the third, The Vampire's Kiss, paranormal lovers get their werewolves thrown into the unhuman mix. Hart introduces us to Seth Walker, a police officer from elsewhere in Georgia. I'm hoping we'll see more of him in future books. Or better yet, his own series. We also learn more about Connie and the ancient vampires in the Old World. Again we're left dangling at the end for book four, *whine, whine, whine* I think the author has been taking lessons from TV shows with the 'to be continued' ploy. You know the ones with the season finales that leave you screaming 'Nooooooooo!!!' at the television.

Book four, The Vampire’s Betrayal, was just released last month. I don’t normally read books right away after buying them because I already have so many sitting on my shelf awaiting their turn. But I couldn’t resist this one. I did manage to make myself finish the book I was already reading before starting it though. All of our favorites are back and up to their fangs in trouble. Hart produced another page turner and not only another ‘Noooooooo’ screech, but a ‘HOW could you?’ as well at the end. And congratulations Ms. Hart. You managed to get me to read the excerpt for book five at the end. I NEVER read excerpts. I’m anxiously awaiting book five. Hopefully we’ll have some word soon as to its publication date.

I don't know that I would call this so much a review as a recommendation. And I do highly recommend these. Hart has done a wonderful job of bringing action, romance and humor into the paranormal genre. I couldn't put them down. All four of these have gone into my permanent collection as I'm sure future books will as well. These are a must read for any paranormal/urban fantasy fan.