Book Lovers Celebration!!!

This is just a reminder to let everyone know that the Book Lovers Inc 1,000 followers celebration is ending today!

All prizes are international! But the contests all end today here are the links!

• Book Lovers United Celebration + Huge Giveaway  
• My favorite Strong heroines by Suzanne McLeod + Giveaway  
• Melissa from My World...in words and pages shows off her bookshelves! + Giveaway  
• How I Got Where I Am by Gini Koch +Giveaway  
• Five Books That Rocked My World by Alisha from My Need To Read + Giveaway  
• It's a sailor's life for me! A guestpost by Kieran Kramer  
• A Glimpse Into a Pig's Secret Bookshelves by Sullivan McPig + Giveaway  
• Top Five All Time Favorite Reads by Dakota Cassidy + Giveaway  
• My Top 5 Books of All Time by Blodeuedd + Giveaway  
• Bermuda Triangle Love and Libraries by Keith Melton + Giveaway  
• Why I Read Romances or The “Man” in Romance by Sheree + Giveaway  
• And Even More Giveaways! We Are Far From Done!  
• My Love of Writing by Zoe Archer + Giveaway  
• Seven Days of Blogging by Sharon from I Smell Sheep + Giveaway! 
• The International Giveaways Café (16) + Giveaway!!! 
• Bookshelf Porn á la Carolyn Crane + Giveaway 
• My Lifetime Love of Reading by LSUReader + Giveaway

Book Review: Bloody Jack by L. A. Meyer

Review: Bloody Jack
Series: Bloody Jack – Book 1
Author: L. A. Meyer
No of Pages: 290
Release Date: 1 June 2004

ADVENTURE AND DECEPTION ON THE HIGH SEAS!

Life as a ship’s boy aboard HMS Dolphin is a dream come true for Jacky Faber. Gone are the days of scavenging for food and fighting for survival on the streets of eighteenth-century London. Instead, Jacky is becoming a skilled and daring sailor as the crew hunts murderous pirates on the high seas.

There’s just one problem: Jacky is a girl...

My Thoughts:

Bloody Jack has potential to rival Captain Jack Sparrow, she is that good.

Jacky wasn’t always called Jacky; she was once called Mary, living on the streets of London after That Dark Day when her parents and sister were claimed by the plague. The first part of our story details some of Mary’s adventures on the streets of London, begging, stealing and reading for pennies but when the boy who has been her gangs leader for four years dies she decides it’s time to move on with her life, and pursue her dream of sailing on the water. Because as Jacky says doesn’t matter if you die by hanging or die by drowning, you’re still dead, so she may as well give sailing a go.

I absolutely loved Jacky in every way, her scallywag nature, her adventurous mind and her caring heart. In many situations that most people would have stood back and saved their own necks, Jacky stepped forward and did what was right. Sure Jacky also causes quite a bit of trouble as she gets older, but all of it is good natured and well meaning.

What I loved most about Bloody Jack though – apart from Jacky of course – was the writing. It’s the sort that isn’t overly detailed but one still has the perfect picture of what is going on. The writing flows and reads fairly quickly. I also loved the style of Jacky’s language as she recounted her days in London and on the Dolphin. She literally wrote how she spoke with all of the:

“Methinks meself to bes a proper lady what gets married to some handsome man some day, or so methinks in me dreams and such, I knows I’m not a proper lady, but hopefully someone will takes me good-natured heart and all.”

One would think that may get a little annoying but it was so well done that it only added to the picture being painted. Jacky was no lady, and she never pretended to be, but she did have dreams and those dreams were quite big.

Bloody Jack was also split into five parts which I absolutely loved as well. We weren’t overloaded with plotlines, because Jacky can only do one thing at a time and have one thing on her mind at one time. Five different plotlines weren’t played out through the story but as each part came to a close so that part of the story was over and the next part began. It was marvellous to read because it let me keep track of everything that was going on and fit perfectly with the story.

Add into the masterful writing the plot and you have a perfect piece. Nothing about Jacky’s adventure was ever dull, but you still got time to breathe. Jacky got all the important information across without dumping it on us and still made room for witty remarks and engaging monologue.

I cannot fault Bloody Jack in anyway, the storyline was brilliant, the characters were flawless and Jacky is so loveable that I absolutely cannot wait to revisit her world as soon as possible.

Others in this series:
Curse of the Blue Tattoo
Under the Jolly Roger
In the Belly of the Bloodhound
Mississippi Jack
My Bonny Light Horseman
Rapture of the Deep
The Wake of the Lorei

Book Review: Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper

Review: Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs
Series: Jane Jameson – Book 1
Author: Molly Harper
No of Pages: 355
Release Date: 31 March 2009

UNEMPLOYMENT SUCKS

Maybe it was the Shenanigans gift certificate that put her over the edge. When children’s librarian and self-professed nice girl Jane Jameson is fired by her beastly boss and handed twenty-five dollars in potato skins instead of a severance check, she goes on a bender that’s sure to become Half Moon Hollow legend. On her way home, she’s mistaken for a deer, shot and left for dead. And thanks to the mysterious stranger she met while chugging neon-coloured cocktails, she wakes up with a decidedly unladylike thirst for blood.

Jane is now the latest recipient of a gift basket from the Newly Undead Welcoming Committee, and her life-after-lifestyle is taking some getting used to. Her recently deceased favourite aunt is now her ghostly roommate. She has to fake breathing and endure daytime hours to avoid coming out of the coffin to her family. She’s forced to forgo her favourite down-home Southern cooking for bags of O negative. Her relationship with her sexy mercurial vampire sire keeps running hot and cold. And if all that wasn’t enough, it looks like someone in Half Moon Hollow is trying to frame her for a series of vampire murders. What’s a nice undead girl to do?

My Thoughts:

Jane Jameson is probably one of the funniest protagonists I have ever read.

Jane has just been fired from her beloved library, so she does what any despairing bookworm would do – she goes out, gets completely hammered and strikes up a conversation with the guy next to her.

If becoming a vampire isn’t enough within her first few weeks Jane is accused of murdering another vampire by setting him on fire which lands her in deep trouble with the vampire council.

Jane is one of the funniest heroines I have ever read I think, her mannerisms are so relatable (well to me anyway) and she is an all-round genuinely good person. Her biggest issues in her life are trying to keep her mum off her back for living alone and not being married, and of course, overdue library books.

Her antics as a newly turned vampire are hilarious. It’s not often that I find a book that has that new vampire smell, they are always old and powerful and rich. Jane is young, poor and has a tendency to cling to ceilings.

Harpers’ writing is absolutely incredible; everything is completely seamless from Jane’s transition to vampire and keeping a consistent running dialogue in her head full of funny quips and witty observations. Harper wasn’t at all jerky or awkward and amazingly she pulled off being absolutely hilarious and putting Jane in completely ridiculous situations and just carrying on as if the reader isn’t rolling around laughing.

The plethora of secondary characters only complemented the hilarity of the situation. Gabriel the vampire sire whom Jane had a simple – non eternally committing – relationship with, her mother who is the perfect incarnation of many over-bearing, controlling mothers, Zeb the cute best-friend who helps Jane test out her abilities by convincing her to jump off her two storey roof and Dick Cheney (not the real one) put in for purely comedic relief and occasional information was the perfect complement to Jane.

Jane’s story was simple, at first I didn’t know where it was going, how can you make a story out of a new vampire? (I hadn’t read the back of the book at the time) And even with the vampire investigation going on as well as Jane trying to adjust to her best friend occasionally trying to kill her to test out her new abilities nothing was too over the top. You don’t have an incessant need to get to the end to find out whodunit but rather you just enjoy the story each time you delve into its pages. Jane’s story is a journey, not an ending, and even the ending is simple and short lived.

I absolutely loved Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs, it was funny, simple and well written and I can’t wait to get my hands on Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men.

Also in this series:
Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men
Nice Girls Don't Live Forever

Book Review: Fatal Embrace by Aris Whittier

Review: Fatal Embrace
Author: Aris Whittier
No of Pages: 251
Release Date: 2 October 2005

Several years ago, Michael Craven gave up his career as a detective when his fiancé was killed and her killer never caught. Living with the guilt, he throws himself into his Montana ranch and his solitary existence. But, when a serial killer starts making his way through a nearby town, Michael is asked to come back and help a good friend and fellow detective, solve the crime. In doing so, he must hire someone to take his place on the ranch.
When horse trainer, Jess Stanson shows up, it takes Michael by surprise. Jess turns out to be Jessica. Jessica convinces him to let her stay. Over time they established a fragile friendship. Although, on the inside both feel more but, Michael's past prevents him from being anything but distant and serious.

As Michael works diligently to track down the killer he finds that Jessica is the only witness to the case. Vowing to protect her with his life and keep his growing feelings separate is no easy task. When Jessica becomes a target it becomes personal for Michael and he can no longer deny his love for this spirited woman. He will do anything to protect her, including giving his own life.

My Thoughts:

Fatal Embrace was nothing if not predictable.

Jessica Stanson is a horse trainer, a female one, and when she shows up at Michael Carven’s farm for her first day of work, he flips. He doesn’t want a girl running his stables let alone a woman living in his house.

But they grow closer as Jessica helps Michael finally get past his traumatic loss and simultaneously fight the common enemy in the form of a serial killer that is after her.

Jessica was a nice enough character, feisty and intelligent, but iin many ways she was also extremely stupid. If there was a serial killer after me I would barely want to leave the house let alone go flouncing around by myself for drives out to other farms or going into a not very busy town by myself.

Michael was a complete contradiction of himself. One minute he is angry at Jess, the next he can’t stand to be without her, but before even finishing that breath he is pushing her away again. He just couldn’t make up his mind and his emotions were all over the place, but not in a good way. Michael was not an asset to this story, no matter how major his part was.

The writing in Fatal Embrace, for me, was very frustrating to read. Facts didn’t add up, leads weren’t followed up and obvious clues were completely looked over. Basically I had the killer worked out as soon as all of the main and secondary characters were laid out on the table, which wasn’t that far in.

Then we have the writing itself, which was jerky and badly formatted. Most formatting errors I can overlook but words were in the wrong place and the wrong “there” was used a couple of times. But what killed Fatal Embrace for me completely was Whittier never seemed to know whose head she was in. The POV would jump from Jessica to Michael in a sentence, no breaks or obvious change overs, it took a lot of re-reading on my part to keep up with whose head we were in at any one time and even after you thought you had it figured out, you still weren’t right.

I also had a lot of trouble with some of the major details in Fatal Embrace, Michael might be working on the investigation, but he isn’t a cop, he’s just a ranch owner, he used to be a cop, but he quit the force, and yet he is questioning people, knocking on peoples doors and acting like he is the chief without so much as a flash of a badge? Women are scared of what’s out there and yet here they are letting a strange man who claims to be a cop, but has no idea, into their house while they are alone? It doesn’t make sense.

My other pet peeve for Fatal Embrace was the sex break we took right towards the end, instead of finding the serial killer Jess and Michael decided to bed down for the last ten to fifteen pages so we could cram the climax into two pages of broken action.

Fatal Embrace had a pull over me, because I wanted to confirm that I was right. Other than that it was a very frustrating and predicatable read.

Book Review: Cleopatra's Men by Eve Langlais

Review: Cleopatra’s Men
Author: Eve Langlais
No of Pages: 97
Release Date: 14 January 2011

One former Egyptian queen plus two vampires equals a threesome with lots of bite.

I’ve paid my dues in Hell for my mistakes, but Satan thinks I’m too dangerous to keep around so he’s kicked me out into the modern world for a second chance.

Ambushed by a pest from my past, I’m rescued by a seriously hot vamp. I vowed to not allow men to use me anymore, a pledge forgotten with Michael’s first kiss. And when Julius, my first love, shows up bitter and angry, I can’t help but want him too.

Maybe I do deserve the nickname Whore Queen, for I’ve decided I shall keep them both—naked in bed.


My Thoughts:

Cleopatra’s Men was yet another hot exhibit of Langlais’s writing ability.

Cleopatra is alive and well in modern times, having been kicked out of hell for nearly forcing Lucifer to marry her, Cleopatra is now fending for herself in the real world once again. She is immortal, powerful and currently blonde.

But Cleo has made many enemies in her time, one of those being Antony, her ex, who has an annoying habit of continuously trying to kill her by sending demons her way. On her first night out, these demons attack her and things are looking bleak if not for Michael, the mysterious dark stranger who jumps from a building to save her.

Cleo is definitely my kind of chick, I would have preferred more actions behind her words though as she seemed to be playing damsel in distress too much, but for a quick, hot story like this, I didn’t really mind. Cleo was not only tough and sexy but she also had an added element of wit that kept the story light.

Michael was everything and more, sexy, powerful and a gentleman. Michael was everything Cleo wasn’t used to after being used for most of her life and although it made for some questioning on her part as to his intentions, it also made for some really hot sex and quite a few swoon moments.

Cleopatra’s Men was a quick hot dive into the world of a paranormal Ménage a trois with the addition of Julius Caesar, Cleo’s first love into the mix it made for some comical but very hot reading. I loved Cleo’s dissection of her feelings for each man and how she didn’t try to hide behind an equal love excuse for her actions.

The massive deux ex machina at the end did put a slight dampener on the rest of the story. It was expected, but I was hoping it wouldn’t happen.

Cleopatra’s Men was another excellent example of Langlais’s incredible writing and has left me wanting even more of her yet again.

Book Review: The Lottery by Alexandra O'Hurley

Review: The Lottery
Author: Alexandra O’Hurley
No of Pages: 177
Release Date: 21 December 2010

Living in a world where men were treated like a rare commodity, Ethan Spears did what he could in order to survive. But when the proverbial rug was pulled out from under him, desperate measures called for desperate actions. To save his sister, he entered The Lottery, offering himself to one woman for a year.

Karlyn Bowman was a rebel in her family, choosing not to climb the corporate ladder in order to pursue her love of art. Lonely, ostracized by the family who should have loved her, she pushed forward trying to become a success. When her friend gives her a lottery ticket to cheer her up, she puts it aside and forgets it. Imagine her surprise when the knock came to her door and her life—and his—were changed forever.

Be Warned: anal sex, masturbation, orgies, bondage

My Thoughts:

The Lottery was a sexy, emotional rollercoaster ride that left me in tears of joy.

Karlyn is a virgin, she is waiting for true love before she decides to have sex, but in a world where men are rare and only the richest are allowed to enjoy their presence, that dream is far from ever coming true.

Karlyn’s best friend Sam decides to buy her a birthday present in the form of a Lottery ticket. The ticket gives the holder a chance to win a young sexy man for a whole year to do with whatever she desires, the ticket holder also has to be financially stable, of which Karlyn - being a struggling artist – is not.

Lo and behold Karlyn wins the lottery, and on her doorstep she finds Ethan, a young, struggling, super sexy male prostitute.

Karlyn didn’t expect to win, and Karlyn also didn’t really want to win. When around Ethan she acts like a frightened kitten because she is painfully shy and has never even kissed a man let alone had sex with one. All Karlyn wants to do is paint and fantasise about her dream man who will sweep her off her feet and love her until the day she dies.

Ethan is a man with a chip on his shoulder, his parents are dead, his sister is dying and his grandmother has disowned him. To survive and to pay for his sisters medical bills Ethan has been a male prostitute since his early teens. After some of the traumatic mistresses he has been with he thinks that Karlyn’s shy nature must be some sort of trick to catch him off guard.

The Lottery was a sweet and very sexually charged novel, but it also had a good background story surrounding Karlyn’s painting career, Her friendship with Sam the proud and very loud lesbian and the friendship that forms between Karlyn and Ethan.

The Lottery was a lot more than what I was expecting; it is way more than a quick hot read. The intense connection between Karlyn and Ethan jumps off the page and is superbly put into words, it had my heart twisting when they fought and leaping when they made up. It even brought a tear to my eye when they parted.

The addition of her best friend Sam kept everything light and entertaining because of Sam’s loud demeanour and ability to point out the obvious.

The Lottery had a predictable storyline but O’Hurley took a basic concept and turned it into something beautiful. The writing flowed seamlessly and the characters were both strong and multi-dimensional.

The Lottery was a quick read but a very memorable one and it has left me complete, but still wanting more.

Book Review: Paramour by Margaret Ethridge

Review: Paramour
Author: Margaret Ethridge
No of Pages: 215
Release Date: 31 December 2010

Camellia Stafford has never been alone in her room. For twenty years she’s been engaged in a fierce power struggle with her bedrooms previous tenant, Frank DeLuca, the ghost trapped in the light fixture above her bed.

Caustic and cranky, Frank has one soft spot – Cam. Over the years, their feelings for one another have evolved from grudging friendship to an enduring love that burns white-hot until Frank puts his feelings for Cam on ice.

When she suffers the loss of her beloved father, Cam returns home to say good-bye, and confront her feelings for Frank. She finds and unexpected shoulder to lean on in neighbour, Bradley Mitchum. Cam falls hard and fast for the handsome ad man’s charming smile and passionate nature, but Brad’s easy-going exterior masks a steely backbone tempered by adversity.

Now Cam must choose – Is her heart strong enough to determine which dream could lead to a love that will last a lifetime?

My Thoughts:

Paramour was interesting, if a little odd.

Camellia Stafford’s dad has just passed away so she has come back to her childhood home to clean up and say her last goodbyes. But Cam has been keeping a secret for all these years, there is a ghost in her room, and she’s been in love with him ever since she was a teenager.

Cam is a strong, funny woman who is easily likeable. What’s not likeable about her is the fact that she has a hot, strong, successful live man, begging her to be hers and yet she is still hung up on a cranky ghost who can’t let go.

Frank has been with Cam since she was a child; he has been her friend, her supporter and her secret crush. The only problem with Frank is that he’s dead. He is a ghost who has haunted her wall sconce ever since he was shot in 1987.

Brad is the guy next door, he’s hot, spunky and completely in love with Cam. They have been neighbours for most of their lives and he was the typical geek turned god as he grew older. Brad is there for Cam when her dad passes, he is her friend but he wants something more, and so does she.

So we have the perfect basis for a human romance, yet Cam can’t seem to let go of Frank. This is what frustrated me throughout the whole novel. Frank didn’t want her, Frank never wanted her, and here she has a perfect man package scratching at her front door, and she still wants Frank.

Paramour was interesting, and made me want to read to the end, but the premise of the story was frustrating and un-relatable. Hot man or irritable ghost. There isn’t really a choice there. I was expecting more from Paramour maybe more humour or more light-heartedness.

Paramour was well-written and flowed nicely, but Cam’s hang-up with Frank was a let-down, I couldn’t see the attachment, I couldn’t understand how there was a choice. It was silly. I enjoyed Paramour immensely for the human romance and seeing if it would work between them is what made me read to the end, the addition of a frustrating ghost didn’t do much for me. The relationship between Cam and Brad is deeply emotional but kept light through their playful banter.

Paramour was a quick, hot read which was beautifully written, the only thing that really took away from it was the romanticisation of the relationship between Cam and Frank.

Book Review: The Shadow Seer by Fran Jacobs

Review: The Shadow Seer
Series: Ellenessia’s Curse – Book 1
Author: Fran Jacobs
No of Pages: 337
Release Date: 2 April 2009

For generations prophets have foreseen the birth of the Shadow Seer, the oracle of dark visions and fallen kingdoms. But by the time of Sorron, King of Carnia, their warnings have mostly been forgotten and his name is known only to a handful of scholars. When Sorron's grandson, Prince Candale, falls deathly ill, the Seer's legends are brought to light once again by his saviour, a witch named Mayrila. She believes that Candale is the fulfilment of those long forgotten prophecies. She believes that he is the Shadow Seer...

My Thoughts:

The Shadow Seer was an extremely interesting read, but it was a little slow in its movement.

Candale is a prince with a secret; he is having prophecies, hearing voices, and seeing people that aren’t there. The Shadow Seer starts with Candale being gravely ill and close to death. All we hear are snippets of conversation between his relatives, arguments between his father and grandfather about how to best help him.

His grandfather sends for a woman named Mayrila, a conniving, gold-digging witch, who seems to be the only person who can help him. Mayrila saves Candale, but she also changes his life forever, revealing herself as his birth mother and him as the Shadow Seer, a dark prophet whose visions will only ever be of death and destruction.

Candale is an interesting character, if a little naive. He is intelligent and easily relatable being a quiet, odd child who fits in well enough at court, but is always dreaming and looking for something more. Candale did get a little infuriating at times when he went off by himself without thinking things through only to nearly get killed by his enemies. At times I wanted to shake him, but mostly I felt empathetic and a little sad about his situation.

The Shadow Seer was well written and completely engaging because it didn’t seem like you were racing to the finish line. Each new event in the timeline was well paced and flowed seamlessly into the plot.

The only problem with The Shadow Seer was that we never really get answers to our questions, the world of Carnia that Jacobs created was superb, but there was so much groundwork to lay that we only got to see snippets about the myths behind the shadow seer and those myths were relentlessly repeated.

The Shadow Seer was an excellently written story with an engaging main character who kept me entertained and continuously coming back for more. The mystery behind who Ellenessia is and how she is going to affect Candale in the long run has me itching to get my hands on the second book in this promising fantasy series.

Book Review: This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Review: This Side of the Grave
Series: Night Huntress – Book 5
Author: Jeaniene Frost
No of Pages: 357
Release Date: 22 February 2011

DANGER WAITS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE GRAVE.

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they’ve triumphed over the latest battle, Cat’s new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance...

With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumours abound that a species war is brewing. A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage.

Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous “ally” – the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war...to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined.

My Thoughts:

Oh, how it’s been too long since I have had a good dose of Cat and Bones.

After turning full vampire Cat thought her only troubles would be to do with her new eating habits, but before long she is thrown headlong in to the thick of another war which she just so happens to be the centre of. Starting with an investigation into the disappearance of some masterless vampires Cat and Bones soon realise that these seemingly random attacks a part of a much bigger plot.

Cat is absolutely awesome as always, with her new vampire eating habits the hilarity is only heightened and her abilities getting better and better. Cat couldn’t just be a normal vampire, she feeds on vampire blood and absorbs any powers that vampire also possesses, hence her pyrokinesis from Destined for and Early Grave. But now she realises that she needs to feed on younger vampires, because the blood she’s drinking – usually Bones’ – is too strong and she can’t cope with the powers she’s absorbing.

Bones is as funny as ever with his trademark English accent and absolutely fabulous humour. His most memorable line for me being when he was being interviewed by a human about being a vampire: “Ask me if I sparkle and I’ll kill you where you stand” – That made my day when I read that and it reminded me exactly why I loved Bones from book one.

Vlad made an appearance as well in all of his fearsomeness assisting Cat in controlling the powers she absorbed from drinking Ghouls blood and putting himself on the line once again and of course providing witty commentary to Cats new dilemma of repelling ghost using garlic and weed (yep, you read that right). I love that Frost doesn’t just stick to the dynamic of Cat and Bones but can also give us the added dimension of the friendship of Cat and Vlad without it seeming biased or awkward; it is just another testament to her brilliant writing.

Frost’s writing in this series and her ideas are continuing to amaze me. Her premise of the ghoul/vampire war and Cat’s powers coupled with the hilarity of the characters and just the sheer individuality of the things she comes up with are just astounding.

Oh and for the record, the “South Wales” reference I mentioned in Halfway to the Grave has now been corrected! The reference to “New South Wales” came up in This Side of the Grave and I was so proud to hear my beautiful state being referred to.

The only thing I don’t like about the Night Huntress series in general is that I read them way too fast and then I have to wait until the next instalment.

If you haven’t started this series yet I implore you to drop everything you are doing right now and run to the nearest store to get yourself a copy, I promise you, life is not complete without this series sitting on your shelf.

Other books in this series:
Halfway to the Grave
One Foot in the Grave
At Grave's End
Destined for an Early Grave
One Grave at a Time

Book Review: Running Blind by Nicki J. Markus

Review: Running Blind
Series: Time Keepers – Part 1
Author: Nicki J. Markus
No of Pages: 10
Release Date: 4 March 2011

It seems like any ordinary day as Nick waits for the train, but then a chance encounter with a young woman turns his world upside down. What is it that she is running from and will helping her jeopardise his own secret, making him a target too?

My Thoughts:

Running Blind is one of the best short stories I have read in a long time.

Nick is minding his business on the train when he sees a girl running for the ready-to-close doors. His gut instinct is to help her get on the train, so he helps her, and then he sees the policemen running after her.

Running Blind is a fantastic quick read, and one of the most well-written short stories I have read in far too long a time. As with all short stories Running Blind gathered its steam from action and a bit of suspense, there was no time for back ground, no time for character or relationship development, just the in the moment spontaneity that comes with the territory.

And boy did Markus pull that off. She didn’t waste time with needless descriptions but still added enough detail to the story to create a fantastic fast-paced picture. The only thing that left me wanting was for a little bit more suspense, but with the cliff-hanger ending she left us with my mind is reeling from the possibilities of what could come next.

I am more astounded than anything that Running Blind was just so incredibly well-written. Writing an interesting, engaging short story seems to be so hard for some people to achieve but Markus’ writing was absolutely superb and I can't wait for Part Two.

Others in this Series:
The Beast Within

Book Review: Strange Familiar by Hunter Cassidy

Review: Strange Familiar
Author: Cassidy Hunter
No of Pages: 146
Release Date: 14 December 2010

Fate finally brings Olivia her Familiar… too bad fate is a bored bitch with a dark sense of humor.

At last, Olivia Brew's Familiar has found her. Now that the search is over, her weakened powers and strength will be restored, and she can get on with her witchy life. But there's a problem. Her familiar's not exactly what she expected. And she just might be falling in love with him.

Kane Oliver's got problems of his own. He's not interested in being anyone's pet, and he's got secrets so deeply buried even he isn't aware of them. Though he can't deny the powerful connection between himself and Olivia, he's not exactly Familiar material. And there are beings more powerful than either of them who want to keep it that way…

My Thoughts:

Strange Familiar was hot, but extremely shallow.

Olivia is a witch in need of a familiar. Kane is a man who has a sickness he can’t cure. Both are weak from what they lack and are drawn to each other when they meet. Olivia senses it immediately, as strange as it seems, Kane is destined to be her familiar.

Olivia is an easy, shallow, mildly stupid character. Although at times she was good for a laugh, as soon as anyone touched her, all she could think of was sex. That could have been a good thing, but she used sex in ways that just annoyed me, instead of telling Kane when something was wrong she would throw herself at him and forget with the use of pleasure. At times she shone through as a tough, intelligent witch, but all of it was overshadowed by her easiness with not just Kane but anyone else who touched her.

Kane was a stubborn egotistical male, but he was also a fairly well rounded character. He had an element of realness to him in that he would walk away to think and not just use sex to forget like Olivia. Kane didn’t really seem to care for Olivia though, he thought he was under a love spell so wouldn’t reveal himself to her, it was just shallow sex. Even when Olivia told him she loved him, he would never say it back, he could imply it, but would never say the words.

Strange Familiar just seemed to keep going. More than one plot seemed to be playing out even though it was extremely frustrating that we never got any answers to the big questions. There was no real background into the dynamic of witches and their familiars or why it was so strange that Olivia bonded with a part human, there was no back ground into Kane’s story or answers to questions like who Aunt Herman really was or if Olivia’s father ever told the truth to his wife about his heritage.

Strange Familiar had the potential to be a whirlwind of a story, but the sex overshadowed every element of it. The characters were two dimensional and were only ever detailed enough for their small part in the plot to move forward, nothing but the sex was explored and although it was very hot even that became mildly repetitive toward the end.

The thought actually crossed my mind of “ugh, not again” when the characters took another sex break as it felt forced and completely unnecessary. There was no real bond between Kane and Olivia, and it was painfully obvious. All they had was the physical side to their relationship, nothing more was developed.

Strange Familiar kept me interested because of the shred of a plot we got to witness, but other than some hot sex and a few flash in the pan characters it won’t be a memorable experience.

Book Review: Demonic Persuasion by Mahalia Levey

Review: Demonic Persuasion
Series: Prophecies Implied – Book 1
Author: Mahalia Levey
No of Pages: 75
Release Date: 15 November 2010

Born of a Navajo healer and a high-level prince of Hell, The Dine Gods demanded Fatal be turned over to her mother's tribe to learn their healing arts and kept away from demon hands. But with her tutelage came cruel segregation and disrespect because of her father's heritage. Not knowing why her life has suddenly come under demon attack, Fatal sets out, armed with her knowledge and her fighting skills, to take out any evil that getsin her way.

As prince of a lower level of Hell, Orobus signed a contract in blood that he be betrothed to Fatal, the high prince of Hell’s half-breed daughter. Oracle by birth, he isn’t privy to complete visions with regard to himself. Having forgotten the fateful night he signed the agreement, he’s thrust into the fight of his life—the fight to claim his woman! Come Hell or high water, he will take care of what is rightfully his, even if it means making her face both sides of her heritage and teaching her there is no shame.

My Thoughts:

I was expecting great things from Demonic Persuasion but I was left confused and mildly irritated.

Fatal has been shunned by the community she was raised in because of her half demon heritage. She leaves to strike out on her own and winds up fighting in demonic bars to earn her keep. When Orobus spots her in his bar he is drawn to her presence before he enforces their contract made at her birth and whisks her off to Hell.

Fatal really wasn’t a strong character, she was one contradiction after another. She acted tough was tough but then seemed to fall apart about halfway through. She has the training of the Navajo healers, her birth mothers people, and hates her demonic side. She also hates her parents hates Orobus and hates the life she has been forced to lead. But then all of a sudden, she can’t be without Orobus, loves her brother and runs to her mother’s open arms a day after telling them all she hated them.

That was the entire tone of Demonic Persuasion, that and trying to confuse the reader to the point of violent frustration. Every third page I was re-reading entire paragraphs just to figure out if Fatal was still in Hell or on Earth.

Orobus who apparently has this highly valued contract with Fatal’s father giving him possession of her and the right to mate her against her will didn’t even know who she was even after she stated her true name. Then six chapters later he is telling her how he had been waiting so long for her to come to him.

Not to mention the complete character change when Fatal is forced to go to Hell after being knocked unconscious, and waking up in a strange room, does she try to run? Does she put up any sort of a fight against the being she hates most in this world? Of course not, the next course of action is to so clearly jump into bed with a demon prince of Hell and wake up the next day like this is the life you have been living for the last ten years even though you still hate the person you just woke up next to.

The real killer for me was when Orobus was beaten to within an inch of his life for covering for Fatal, he told her it would take him two weeks or so to recover from the poison infested wounds and yet he’s up the next morning for another exciting round of I-don’t-like-you-and-there-is-no-logical-reason-for-me-to-be-doing-this sex.

Demonic Persuasion was a buffet of absurdity. Levey took a good idea and hacked it to pieces with incoherent writing, jumpy timelines and a very shaky main character that didn’t seem to know who or what she was.

I have been known to have masochistic tendencies, but even I will not be sitting down the next instalment of this trainwreck.

Book Review: Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

Review: Guilty Pleasures
Series: Anita Blake – Book 1
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
No of Pages: 266
Release Date: 1 October 1993

In the novel that introduces Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, the monster she’s sworn to kill becomes the man she can’t live without...

My Thoughts:

I can’t believe I waited this long to start this series. It is awesome!

Anita Blake is a necromancer, which basically means that she can raise the dead, making zombies. With vampires out in public, Anita doesn’t have to hide her powers because seriously what’s more scary, a vampire or a chick that can make zombies? Anyway Anita makes her living by raising the dead for legal reasons, sometimes poor Auntie Mabel dies without leaving her fortune to anyone, so Anita is there to raise them long enough to make out their final will.

Anita is approached by Jean-Claude, a vampire that she has a somewhat awkward relationship with. Anita seems to have an unusual attraction for Jean-Claude, and he tries everything within his power to get her to let down her guard against him. Anita kills vampires, she doesn’t hook-up with them, even if they make her forget what she was doing, and always manage to illicit a reaction from her.

Anita is one of the best Urban Fantasy heroines I have read about. Not only doe she talk tough but she can actually back up her claim. She is known throughout the vampire community as the executioner because she isn’t afraid to get hurt if means she will get her kill. Anita has a platoon of weapons including – but not limited to – holy water, guns, stakes and knives. She gets jealous of Edward, an ally and fellow vampire hunter, because he apparently has a bazooka and a flame thrower.

Anita refuses to cower behind others and that is what made me instantly fall in love with her. People cower behind her, even men. Anita is smart, brave and extremely cool in her mannerisms and techniques and she stays true to what she makes out to be and lives up to that hype.

Although Anita tries to convince herself that she hates him, I loved Jean-Claude. He is so suave and confident, even when Anita humiliates and mocks him he never seems to lose his edge over others. Feared and respected Jean-Claude is the third most powerful vampire in the city and he makes sure people know it without being too over-confident and annoying. It is a trait that can only be respected because he doesn’t really have to do anything for others to cower at the mention of his name, yet Anita is the only person he sees regularly that isn’t scared of him. It keeps him grounded and likable.

Guilty Pleasures is definitely one of the stronger books in this genre and I urge anyone and everyone who has ever had a fascination with vampires to read this book.

Also in this series:

The Laughing Corpse

Circus of the Damned

The Lunatic Cafe

Bloody Bones

The Killing Dance

Burnt Offerings

Blue Moon

Obsidian Butterfly

Narcissus in Chains

Cerulean Sins

Incubus Dreams

Micah

Danse Macabre

The Harlequin

Blood Noir

Skin Trade

Flirt

Bullet

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Book Review: A Ghostly Menage by Eve Langlais

Review: A Ghostly Ménage
Author: Eve Langlais
No of Pages: 59
Release Date: 15 October 2010

Forget ghosts who rattle chains, try living with ones that like to grope.

Jenna, desperate for change, buys a repossessed home on a whim. The townsfolk claim it's haunted, but Jenna's pretty sure all it needs is some filler to stop the drafts. But before long, even she has to admit, there's more going on here than the vagaries of an old house. And whatever it is keeps making her panties damp and her dreams hot.

Derrick and Mark, werewolf twins, are stuck in their house as disembodied spirits all because of an evil witch. When their fated mate suddenly becomes the new owner, they end up taking haunting to a whole new erotic level.

Can Jenna save the alpha brothers and if she does, can she handle a forever after with not one, but two men?

My Thoughts:

A Ghostly Ménage was just another exhibit of Eve Langlais’ fantastic writing.

Jenna wants to get away. From the city, from her cheating boyfriend, and from her two “best friends” who slept with him. On a whim she buys a house in a town with a population of nine thousand and moves. Perhaps she should have checked the house out first...Bumps in the night, doors opening for her and if her pyjamas aren’t thick enough to keep spectral hands from exploring she wakes up with a need only a man should be able to fulfil.

Jenna convinces herself that she is imagining things; her beautiful old house has some creaks and drafts. She reads too much and her wishful thinking is starting to get the better of her. But when she puts the physical occurrences out of her mind, the dreams start. Hot men ravishing her, taking her to heights she had never felt before. After waking up extremely hot and bothered more than a few times, Jenna starts to wish that she hadn’t sworn herself off men forever.

A Ghostly Ménage wasn’t just about the extremely hot sex though – and boy was it hot – it was also quite a fun detective story. The suspense Langlais created as Jenna was on the verge of finding out who her ghostly lovers are was very well done as well as the feeling of dread one feels as Jenna invites the proverbial wolf to dinner in the form of evil witch Clarissa.

With the element of an awesome story on top of really hot sex Langlais still managed to fit in some superb characters. Jenna was an intelligent female lead, reacting realistically to each odd situation she was put into by her “housemates”, and yet still keeping a sense of calm and enough common sense to realise that although it was farfetched, something was happening right in front of her that she had to acknowledge.

Derrick and Mark are two hot alpha males and two very cheeky ones as well. They also have personalities that are at times so different and at other times so similar. Both caring, both fierce and both at times kind of quiet. Being twins you can’t really tell them apart but I am going to play favourites and say that I liked Derrick’s fierce pushy nature a little more than Mark’s shier one.


A Ghostly Ménage was yet another reinforcement to me that Eve Langlais has a gift for both words and hot stories. A Ghostly Ménage was a mixture of hot sex, multi-dimensional characters an extremely interesting plot.

Book Review: A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler

Review: A Blue So Dark
Author: Holly Schindler
No of Pages: 266
Release Date: 1 May 2010

All I see are murky depths that could swallow me whole.

Mom knew that the mermaids – hand carved from driftwood by the owner of a souvenir shop – were all I wanted to take home from Florida. As she bought them, she looked down at me, her eyes not just glittering but snapping with fire like two Fourth of July sparklers. She ran her finger down the length of my nose, almost like you’d stroke a favourite pet, and said to the salesman, “We’re just alike, me and Aura.”

And you know, back then, the idea of that didn’t scare the absolute hell out of me.

My Thoughts:

A Blue So Dark is a perfect example of how stupid some teenagers can be.

Aura is caring for her mother who has schizophrenia, whilst also trying to juggle school a job and trying to get her mother to work on time. Aura’s mum begged her to not make her take any pills and Aura kept that promise to her at the cost of her mother’s sanity.

Aura killed the entire story for me. She refused to get help for her mother even though she watched her spiral out of control. Aura seemed to start to lose her own sanity for a while too as she convinced herself that she could handle it. But when Aura tried to convince herself that her art was the thing sending her family crazy that’s when I completely rolled my eyes.

Aura is the embodiment of why teenagers should not be left to deal with things on their own, because they are too immature. Her mother would have been well if only Aura had said something, if she had done her research on schizophrenia instead of the many artists who suffer from mental illness. She almost had me convinced that my writing was sending me crazy (until I realised I would be crazy anyway).

A Blue So Dark contained beautiful writing especially when it came to the poems she wrote through Aura. They truly portrayed some of the feelings Aura was going through and helped you get more into her head. They for me were extremely inspiring and helped me with some of my own writing.

Schindler’s writing alone that kept me going and the question of would Aura let her mother die or get her help? Because that is what it was coming down to.

I can understand that anyone in that situation would have a hard time. Aura’s father walked out because he couldn’t deal with the stress of living with a schizophrenic. But the way Aura handled everything was just so wrong and so childish.

A Blue So Dark would have been interesting if it didn’t have Aura in it. A Blue So Dark for me set a bad example as to how to handle mental illness in a family. Aura’s mother, Grace, was shunned by her husband and abandoned, left in the care of her sixteen year old daughter who just couldn’t handle the responsibility and thrown out by her own mother when she was young and she had realised what she would become.

A Blue So Dark just wasn’t for me. It was a good premise but the characters, especially Aura, completely killed it for me.

Book Review: Snowballs In Hell by Eve Langlais

Review: Snowballs In Hell
Series: Lucifer’s Daughter – Book 2
Author: Eve Langlais
No of Pages: 67
Release Date: 14 January 2011

Hi, I’m Muriel, misbegotten daughter of Satan, and once again my life is in turmoil. The cowled one who tortured me left a curse on my mind, one that makes me afraid. Completely unacceptable, but in order to remove it, I have to do something even worse—betray my beloved by bringing another man into our bed.

As if having to participate in a threesome isn’t traumatizing enough, Hell has frozen over, and as much as I think Hades looks pretty in a blanket of white, the repercussions are severe. It’s a good thing this princess of Hell has two lovers determined to charge my magic in pleasurable ways.

I'll admit, it's not easy having nympho magic, but I’m prepared to suck it up—and swallow—for the sake of saving the world.

My Thoughts:

This series is only getting better, and while I still like Lucifer’s Daughter a little better, Snowballs In Hell makes for a very strong sequel.

After her encounter with “The Master” in the finale of Lucifer’s Daughter a curse has been placed on Muriel to feel fear, not something that this princess of hell is used to. Terrifying nightmares have her screaming herself awake every night and whenever she is confronted with a figure in a hood she passes out.

After speaking with the Mages of Hell Muriel discovers that she must bring a third into her bed to help give her enough power to break the crippling spell on her mind. But Muriel can’t stand to break her conceptions of a proper relationship which should only consist of a man and a woman. She loves Auric and can’t bear to give herself to another man, let alone his best friend.

Auric however wants David – the shape shifter – to join them if it will help his soul mate and he does everything in his power to ensure that he sees that, including going on a sudden mission and leaving David as her bodyguard.

Muriel is only so strong, and it seems that her Nympho-magic is stronger.

Once again I loved Muriel; she is everything I want in a female lead. She is strong, and can back up her tough words with some serious action. She is also a little bit selfish which is true of every woman. She wants her man all to herself and doesn’t want to share. She also has her values – absolutely hated by her father of course – that to have a proper loving relationship shouldn’t include another man. But when it comes down to the crunch Muriel can also, eventually, see what is best. Even if that includes her making the sacrifice of having two men pleasure instead of one...poor her.

Auric once again was not my favourite of characters, a little too overprotective and hard headed. One just can’t connect with him because he refuses to share his feelings. Only once do we get an insight to him throughout the whole story that he may actually be normal and not want to share Muriel but after that he goes back to being just a man who is there for Muriel to bed.

David I could actually connect with, but he seemed to have a character change halfway through. Going from cute and shy to domineering and stubborn, it didn’t ruin his character, but I just liked him before the change.

The only real disappointment that came with Snowballs In Hell was the complete lack of sexual adventure. For being the Devil’s daughter Muriel is actually quite vanilla when it comes to the bedroom. Although hot the sex is quite repetitive and mundane.


Snowballs In Hell was a fantastic follow up to Lucifer’s Daughter and while not quite as witty is proving to be a superb set-up for a third instalment in this fantastic series.

Also in this Series:
Lucifer's Daughter

Book Review: Sasha's Calling by TC Archer

Review: Sasha’s Calling
Author: TC Archer
No of Pages: 122
Release Date: 26 October 2010

Nothing can stop freelance thief Sasha Smirnov from saving her planet -- except, Dirk, the gorgeous ambassador with polychrome eyes. Is it lust or designer pheromones? He is hot, too hot to resist -- or forget. A single, sizzling kiss burns him into her memory, and her body, but she can't afford to stop for passion, let alone love.

Sasha needs to get as far away from Dirk as possible and take the classified data she stole with her. So she stows away on a ship outward bound, only to discover Dirk's the pilot. Now she can't get away from him, or the system, but he will let her into his bed...

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Public sex.

My Thoughts:

Sasha’s Calling was my first voluntary dive into the Sci-Fi scene, and I liked it.

Sasha is currently on the run for stealing some important information from one planet to give to her home planet. Whilst escaping she stows away on a space ship hoping to later commandeer it and fly home.

Sasha for me was a funny character, but also mildly unlikeable at the start. Although I could understand her desperation she seemed a little too naive to be a fugitive of the galaxy. She trusted to easily and I think that it was her down fall. If she had been a little more cautious then there almost wouldn’t have been a need for the story going the way it did. I felt like she almost had a character change a third in, going from “ooh this is a pretty stateroom, I’ll just hide in here and hope I don’t get caught” to the heroine that was not only cunning but was a lot tougher and likeable.

Although Sasha’s Calling is a primarily erotic romance the Sci-Fi elements were also scattered in and they were quite interesting to me as a person who usually steers clear. With the added element of different alien species all living together being the norm and frequent inter-planetary travel happening every second day I almost would have like to see more action happening.

Sasha’s Calling was quite shallow overall with no one element being truly explored. You had a bit of Sci-Fi and a bit of sex. The sex was quite hot, I’ll admit, but – and I don’t want this to sound wrong – it didn’t pull you in, they were just words that were on a page to me and they were more sex breaks rather than plot inducing sex: “We’re on the run from an evil mob boss who is stronger than both of us combined he should have nearly recovered from the beating we just gave him! Quick let’s have 10 minutes worth of sex just to fill in the time...”

In saying that it was shallow though I am not saying that it was a bad story. It moved along quite nicely and kept me engaged for the entire time that I was reading it. Sasha’s Calling was good while you are reading it, just not overly memorable a couple of days later.

Sasha’s Calling is good for a quick sexy read that has an added element of action and spacey weirdness.