Random

I have recently become addicted to Resistance by Muse because I've decided it's the theme song for Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I type this as I listen to....guess....Muse. Ha! I think I'm even gonna cry a bit....course that could be the wine talking...

Quickie Review: Magic to the Bone by Devon Monk

# Pub. Date: November 2008
# Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
# Format: Mass Market Paperback, 368pp

Using magic means it uses you back, and every spell exacts a price from its user. But some people get out of it by Offloading the cost of magic onto an innocent. Then it's Allison Beckstrom's job to identify the spell-caster. Allie would rather live a hand-to-mouth existence than accept the family fortune—and the strings that come with it. But when she finds a boy dying from a magical Offload that has her father's signature all over it, Allie is thrown back into his world of black magic. And the forces she calls on in her quest for the truth will make her capable of things that some will do anything to control...

I have a confession to make....I don't seem to like stories where the author tells us what's going on from the get go, even subtly, so that the only people who don't know what's happening are the main characters. It's frustrating for me as a reader to watch the protag fumble around in the dark while I'm trying not to yell, "Behind you, stupid! THE MONSTER IS BEHIND YOU!!!" I mean, not like I would ever yell at a book or anything. ::nervous chuckle:: Anyhoo, it tends to make me start thinking less of the MC when in actuality, maybe he/she/they aren't really stupid, they just haven't had it laid out like a Sesame Street lesson as the reader maybe has, but it still frustrates me....can you tell?
This was an issue that I had with this story. It's basically a good story filled with action, sex and a bit of mystery, but I felt like Allie, our protag, was made to be a bit dense for the story to work and that made it frustrating in some parts. I did like the fact that there's a price for using magic and Allie pays pretty dearly at certain points. I also liked her best friend Nola, but I was on the fence about her love interest, Zayvion. Oh, he was hot and calm and possibly even her soul mate, but the constant dancing around each other and uncertainty of their relationship got old in some parts. I kinda wanted to yell, pick a lane sister! Or at least have an honest conversation between the two of you BEFORE you jump into bed.....again. But that's just me.
Overall, I liked the story enough to want to read the next in the series, and hope that the series gets stronger as it evolves.

My final grade: B-

For all the Rachel Caine fans out there

Rachel Caine is going on tour to promote the new release of Ghost Town, the next in the Morganville Vampires series. Here are the dates and locations of her signings:

October 26th: Murder By the Book at 6:30 PM
2342 Bissonnet St.
Houston, TX 77005

October 27th: Mystery Bookstore at 7:30 PM
1036-C Broxton Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90024

October 28th: Books, Inc. at 7:00 PM
Not Your Mother's Book Club
Town & Country Village
855 El Camino Real #74
Palo Alto, CA 94301

October 29th: Powell's (Cedar Hills Crossing) at 7:00 PM
3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd.
Beaverton, OR 97005

October 30th: Third Place Books at 6:30 PM
17171 Bothell Way NE
Lake Forest Park, WA 98155

October 31st: Uncle Hugo’s at 4:00 PM
2864 Chicago Ave South
Minneapolis, MN 55407

November 1st: Anderson’s Book Shop at 7:00 PM
5112 Main Street
Downer’s Grove, IL 60515-4601

November 2nd: Borders at 6:00 PM
Exton Square Mall
298 Exton Square
Exton, PA 19341

November 4th: Barnes & Noble at 6:00 PM
*With Heather Brewer, author of the Vladimir Tod series!
1442 Turner-McCall Blvd
Rome, GA 30161

November 6th: Barnes & Noble at 2:00 PM
1430 Plaza Place
Southlake, TX 76092

November 20th: Borders at 2:00 PM
2190 N. Rainbow Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89108

Awesome Covers Alert

My girl, Gini, shared the covers for the next two books in her series that stars Kitty, Reader, Martini and Co, and I loved them so much that I had to share with you all.

Doesn't Daniel Dos Santos do the best covers? I love 'em. I especially love the one for Alien In The Family. Total awesomeness. What do you all think?

I can't wait to get these books in my grabby lil hands.

You can get the latest news about upcoming books, interviews and giveaways on the author's blog, here.

A Little Friday Hotness

So, I recently stumbled across pictures of Odette Yustman and I instantly fell in love. She is just so pretty. So, naturally I had to share.

I can see her as Kate Daniels (even though I always picture Kate as Angelina Jolie) or maybe Sascha from Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh.

Which character(s) can you picture Odette as?

Yum

So, I recently discovered the most delicious flavored balsamic vinegars and oils. Naturally, I wanted to share with you all. You can check out the website here. We have the pomegranate and raspberry vinegars. I use those with the blood orange oil for dipping french bread or on salads. So delish. My son really likes the sun dried tomato oil, too. Ok, now I have to go eat cuz I just made myself ridiculously hungry...

ARC Review: Grave Witch by Kalayna Price

Not even death can save her now.

As a grave witch, Alex Craft can speak to the dead-she's even on good terms with Death himself. As a consultant for the police, she's seen a lot of dark magic, but nothing has prepared her for her latest case. When she's raising a "shade" involved in a high profile murder, it attacks her, and then someone makes an attempt on her life. Someone really doesn't want her to know what the dead have to say, and she'll have to work with mysterious homicide detective Falin Andrews to figure out why...

Note: I received this ARC from the publisher.

The first word that comes to mind to describe this book is "refreshing." That's because the main character, Alex, is a rarity in books now days in that she possesses common sense and uses it. She is able to be logical and reasonable and that was so refreshing for me to read. Alex is just a great character all around. She's very relatable, she has bad days at work, she has bills, friends and a dog and yet she's a total commitment phobe and has definite family issues. Alex is a grave witch, which means she can commune with ghosts, shades and even Death himself. Her abilities though come at a price and that was refreshing, too. She's noble but practical. She doesn't have a burning need to save the world all by her lonesome, with nothing but her pluckiness and a fab hairdo to save the day. No, she asks for help and even calls in the cops when it's necessary and when she knows she can help or needs to put herself at risk because it makes sense to do so, then she does. She also calls herself on her shit. She knows when she's unreasonable or being ridiculous and she admits it. I loved Alex a lot.

The cast of supporting characters were also very cool from her two girlfriends, Holly and Tamara, to her housemate Caleb to Detective Andrews to Death, they were all interesting in their own right and possessed their own personalities, abilities and secrets.

Yes, there is a smokin hot love scene (let me just say, yum) and yes there is sexual tension and a possible triangle, but it worked because this story always felt like it was about Alex. I never lost sight of that fact as I read. It's about her experiences, hang ups and interactions and so the romance was a great part of it but it never over shadowed the mystery, action and characters. Again I say, refreshing.

I absolutely recommend this book to any fan of UF or Paranormal. It's a great book filled with great characters and some dark and scary and fascinating happenings.

Final grade: A.

ARC Review: The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

After the Iron Duke freed England from Horde control, he instantly became a national hero. Now Rhys Trahaearn has built a merchant empire on the power — and fear — of his name. And when a dead body is dropped from an airship onto his doorstep, bringing Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth into his dangerous world, he intends to make her his next possession.

Mina can’t afford his interest, however. Horde blood runs through her veins, and despite the nanotech enhancing her body, she barely scratches out a living in London society. Becoming Rhys’s lover would destroy both her career and her family, yet the investigation prevents her from avoiding him…and the Iron Duke’s ruthless pursuit makes him difficult to resist.

But when Mina uncovers the victim’s identity, she stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens the lives of everyone in England. To save them, Mina and Rhys must race across zombie-infested wastelands and treacherous oceans — and Mina discovers the danger is not only to her countrymen as she finds herself tempted to give up everything to the Iron Duke.

Note: I received this ARC from the author.

The Iron Duke is a page turning read populated with fascinating characters and a world that comes alive on the pages as much as any character in the story. There is action and mystery and romance. The Iron Duke has air ships, sea monsters, nanoagents and a fascinating alternate history that kept me glued to each page.

Our heroine, Mina, a Detective Inspector, is all about her family and her job. As she says, she goes where the bodies are and that leads her to the front step of the Iron Duke. She's straightforward and brave and has had to fight all her life, first agains the Horde that controlled all of England and then the racial intolerance of her own countrymen because she has Horde blood. Her mother was raped when the Horde put her in a mating frenzy. Because she was under Horde control for so long, and they controlled all her emotions, forcing her to feel lust, fear or apathy, she distrusts the strong feelings that Rhys, The Iron Duke, instills in her. Mina was a good leading lady. She was strong and fearless when she needed to be and accepted help when she needed it. She was never too stupid to live or annoying to read.

Our hero, Rhys, is a hottie. He's powerful, ruthless and has his own code he lives by. If you're an enemy he will be your worst nightmare, but if you're his, he will do whatever it takes to take care of you. Rhys was a great character in that he was very alpha, but he knew how to let someone else be good at something. He also recognized the strength in Mina and how good she was at her job and he respected that and never tried to change it. The love scenes between them were hot and also tender and filled with honest emotion that left me very satisfied.

The world itself is it's own character. There are zombies, kraken, air ships, nanoagents, all sorts of fascinating steam technology and so much more. This story really did keep me glued to the pages to see what else was going to happen.

My final grade is A-.