Review: Hunting Julian by Jacquelyn Frank

Ok, I have to warn that this review may sound a bit snarky at times. I just finished this book and there are a few things that are bugging me a bit.

First off, here's the blurb:

Jacquelyn Frank, New York Times bestselling author of the Shadowdwellers series, invites readers into a dazzling new world of unstoppable desire and danger..

As an Advocate for his colony, Julian Sawyer travels to Earth to bring back the Chosen—women who possess energy potent enough to help revitalize his people. The stunning, silver-clad beauty who strides into his club one night radiates a sensual magnetism unlike any he's encountered, and Julian realizes that Asia Callahan is not just Chosen, she is his kindra: his one true mate.

For months, Asia has tracked the beautiful and mysterious Julian across the country, convinced that he's behind the disappearance of her sister and a dozen other women. She's prepared to believe he's a ruthless killer, but when she presents herself as bait, she discovers that the truth is far more shocking. Taken to a strange, hazardous realm she never knew existed, Asia will face the ultimate choice—between abandoning the life she's always known, and forsaking a passion as dangerous as it is powerful.

Ok, so basically, Julian's race has the shittiest luck, like ever. They've encountered plague after plague that has decimated their female population, naturally. They are a people that feed on energy, although they do eat regular food, but that's not really touched on much in the book. So apparently, don't laugh, a woman's big O is like the bestest energy eveh. So, they send Julian to harvest it and send it back to feed their starving people and occasionally he finds a speshul girl that can really crank out the wattage so he brings her home to fornicate and frollick, thus feeding the starving children. Shit. You. Not.

So, women and their joy juice are in short supply on this plane and highly prized so even if a woman is say, a murdering bitch, she gets sent to a colony where she is sold off as basically a sex slave so she's punished but the people don't lose a precious resource. Now, that sounds bad. That sounds really bad, but in a way, I could understand it. The peeps be starving and you're a bad person so one way or another you're going to be a productive member of their society. Like it or not. Now, I'm a bitch, so I'm kinda ok with that, except that their society is kinda messed up and innocent and mentally disturbed people get sent there too and you know what? Tough shit. I kinda wasn't down with that. Plus, it didn't make sense. Julian hasn't had sex in years because it takes too much energy for him to get his jollies and he's a big ol' noble one so he won't steal from the mouths of babes to get his rocks off. So then, why the sex slave thing? It's not like the guy planning a night of fun with the woman was only gonna get her off. Didn't make sense. The thing is, a lot of it didn't make sense. I think Ms. Frank had a bit too much going on and she didn't always stay true to the rules of the world. Which confused and at times irritated me.

Also, if you're familiar with her Nightwalker series, you'll recognize a favored trope she has of the powerful female figure going all mad jealous and evol and doing horrible things that ultimately hurt her own people just cuz she can't stand the heroine or some shit. I was kinda over that in the last series, but that's just me.

Anyway, Julian was hot and sweet and mad in lurve with Asia and Asia was well....not so much. To be honest, I understood Asia's beef with the situation. Hell, I woulda fought it, too, but she bordered on pissy bitch just a bit too much for me. The romance felt a bit one sided and at times Julian expected too much too fast.

I know we were supposed to feel invested with these people and their plight and want to read more of the sexy dudes that go out and gather energy (some in baaaaad ways) and want to revisit the world, but to be honest, I don't really want to go back. There wasn't much there that gave me the warm tinglies and I'm kinda done with it now.

In the end, it's not a bad book, but it was awkward with the idea of "quick, let's have sex to feed the starving children!" I was kinda like, should I feel turned on in this scene? I don't know if that's right or wrong anymore.

I give this book a C. It was readable and entertaining and maybe one of the other in this sure to be a series will get me involved but I'm not holding my breath.

Interview and Giveaway with Author Jill Myles

So, Yay, the lovely Jill Myles is visiting my humble blog today *quick hide the smut* and she's graciously offered to giveaway a signed copy of Gentlemen Prefer Succubi to one lucky winner, details after the interview.

So, let's get this party started. Now last week I asked for questions from readers to ask Ms. Myles so I'll be asking those along with some of my own hard hitting ones.

Jill writes sexy paranormal romance starring a succubi named Jackie and her adventures. There are also a couple really hot guys in these books, one is a fallen angel and one a dark and broody vampire. Yeah, the possibilities are endless.

So, I had a question from a reader *coughKBcough* and she wants to know, who would be better in bed, a fallen angel or a smokin hot dark vampire?

It depends on what you are looking for in bed, of course! Do you want a tender, thorough lover that would satisfy you for hours, or would you rather have someone that likes it short, hot and violent?

(I'm talking pillow-fights, of course.)

Uh huh, suuure you are. ::fans self:: Moving on.

Mandi wants to know the following:

1) What 3 things do you have to have beside you when you write?

Coffee or tea, a bright light (I like to pretend that I'm outside even though I'm not), and lately...my SNUGGIE. A writer's feet get cold, after all.

2) How is Jackie going to explain her change in appearance to friends and family?

This is something that's come up a few times in reviews, so it's good that I can tackle it a bit here. We don't see Jackie interacting with a lot of friends/family in the first couple of books because she's kind of a loner. Which is lame, but I kind of saw her as one of those people that thinks they know better than everyone else, which makes it hard to cultivate a lot of friends. She was obsessed with moving up in her job and she's not a native Wyoman (Wyomingan? Man, I should know this, right?) so I imagine if she went back to where she grew up, she'd have a lot of 'splainin to do. It hasn't come up yet because I've really wanted to focus on how out of her element she is in the current books, but I am definitely toying with the idea for a later book or a short story.


3) How can she (Mandi) go about meeting a sexy man, preferably named Zane? (I'd like to know that one, too)

It involves lots of alcohol, some biting, and finding a willing fallen angel. Or so I hear.

Hmm....I may have to move to NYC for that kind of action.

Now, we're going to embarrass my sis a bit here *waves* Hey Jen!

O.k., Jen wanted to know the following:

1) How do your stories come to you and what inspires you?

At this point, I'm going to embarrass myself and say that I'm a lot like a squirrel hoarding nuts. Each nut is a bit of a story. And if it's shiny and neat, I grab it and take it back home with me. And then I see another shiny, and grab it and take it back home with me too! And another! And another! And all of these little 'nuts' fill up my brain (okay, so that part isn't like a squirrel) and they keep turning back and forth as I try to figure out what to do with them. Then, one day, it hits me, and all the individual nuts suddenly glom into one giant nut - the story. Which isn't squirrel-like either, come to think of it.

Clearly, I need to work on my analogies. But you get the idea. It's not from any one place, it's the mental hoarding of tiny tidbits and trying to figure out what to do with them until they all glue together and make a real story.

2) Do you have a favorite character?

I love Remy! She's just fun to write. The gloves are off with her, and she says and does what she wants. Partially because she knows she can get away with it, and partially because she's been around the block and no longer cares what people think of her choices. Oh, and there's a new character introduced in book 3 that I'm having a lot of fun with too.

3) If you could dine with one of your characters, who would it be and why?

Good question. Remy would be entertaining, Jackie would gripe the entire time, Zane would sit around looking sexy, and Noah would pay. I'd probably go with Noah, then. I'm a cheap date.


4) Have you ever had a story turn out differently than you planned?

All of them! I try to plot it out (even if it's just in my mind) in advance, but my brain is constantly thinking up right-turns for the plot to take, and it ends up changing the story. But I'm totally game for the changes, so I like to think that the story turned out exactly the way it should. :)


Now, these are all good questions, but I feel I have to ask the truly hard hitting stuff now.

So, we read that Jackie ends up with a lot of Victoria Secret undies and that's cool and all, but what I really want to know is, what kind of underwear do Noah and Zane wear?

Oh boy. I think Noah would be a briefs kind of guy. Not in the boring, tighty-whitey sort of way, but in the David Beckham pictures sort of way. I've included a picture so you can see what I'm talking about.




Zane, I have always pictured as a more trendy, boxer-briefs sort of guy. And again, I've added a picture because I think visuals always help. ;)



Oh, yeah, visuals always help. ::drools::


How many adventures do you have planned for the lovely Jackie and her sidekicks?

Good question - one I don't have an answer for. It depends on my publisher! Without spoiling things, I'll say Book 3 offers some sort of closure to multiple plot lines, but if there's enough demand, I have enough ideas for at least 3 more books that would be more of a 'second series' involving the same characters, if that makes sense.

Are we going to meet anyone new and possibly sexy in the next story, Succubi Like It Hot?

There is someone new in book 2, yes! And he is sexy. But is he a good guy? This is the part where I raise my pinky finger to my lips like Dr. Evil.

So, these books are considered Paranormal Romance, but we have two smokin hot male leads. Is there going to be a point where Jackie will be forced to choose between her lovers or is there the possibility of a HEA for all of them?

Everything is not wrapped up all pretty and neat at the start of book 2. Rather, the relationship is going through some growing pains. You have two guys that don't seem to like each other very much that are forced to share someone they care about. Of course there are going to be conflicts. And I can say that as of right now, none of the three is exactly sure what they want out of the relationship -- just that no one is willing to step aside just yet.

I can't say more or I'll spoil things! :)

What was the best advice you received while you were trying to be published?

I forget who told me, but I was really busy trying to make my stuff sound like everyone else's. Someone told me not to bother with it, and that I had a funny voice (or at least they thought I was funny!) and that I should try and cultivate that. I spent a long time trying to write serious, serious, angst-riddled storylines and it wasn't clicking for me. Once I embraced that my stuff was going to be funny and light and told from a first-person POV, it all sort of came together.

Do you have a word of advice for aspiring writers out there?

That's my advice for everyone else, too. We're not all emo angst-muffins that have to write dramatic, unhappy stories. If what calls you is kind of funny and quirky, go ahead and write it. It'll sound far more natural than trying to force your writing into something it's not.

Was any particular character hard to write for you and why?

Does it sound weird if I say Jackie? So much stuff happens to her that I'm constantly juggling her reactions, and trying to make her pro-active when her natural instinct is to try and run away from bad things. And sometimes the first reaction I come up with for her is not...appropriate. So she feels like a constant juggling act to me. To make her sympathetic but still interesting enough to follow, and not a doormat.

But if she was a breeze to write, it wouldn't be a challenge and she wouldn't be interesting, right?

Well, I'd like to thank the lovely Jill Myles for stopping by to play with us today. And I have to say that whoever told you to write funny was right on the money. Your great sense of humor really comes through in Gentlemen Prefer Succubi, and it was fun to read.

So, now on to the contest. Here are the rules:
You have to leave a comment on this interview in the comments section to enter and you have to live in the continental USA to be eligible.
Now what's up for grabs is a signed copy of Gentlemen Prefer Succubi and some pretty bookmarks, which makes me totally jealous cuz I didn't get any pretty bookmarks ::sniff sniff::
Contest is open til next Tuesday Jan 19th which is coincidentally when the next book by Jill, Succubi Like It Hot comes out ;)
Contest closes at 11:59 PM PST 1/19.

OK, kids, have fun and thanks for joining us.

What I got at the bookstore

This book looks really cool. My sweetie Wendy has been all excited because her familiar is a ferret and for some reason that really floats her boat. So, I'm going to read it, just for my honey, and the fact that it sounds like lots of fun :P

The blurb:
In the heart of Ohio, Jessie Shimmer is caught up in hot, magic-drenched passion with her roguish lover, Cooper Marron, who is teaching her how to tap her supernatural powers. When they try to break a drought by calling down a rainstorm, a hellish portal opens and Cooper is ripped from this world, leaving Jessie fighting for her life against a vicious demon that's been unleashed.

In the aftermath, Jessie, who knows so little about her own true nature, is branded an outlaw. She must survive by her wits and with the help of her familiar, a ferret named Palimpsest. Stalked by malevolent enemies, Jessie is determined to find out what happened to Cooper. But when she moves heaven and earth to find her man, she'll be shocked by what she discovers—and by what she must ultimately do to save them all.



I had loved Jacquelyn Frank's Nightwalker series til I felt she pussed out on Noah so I stopped reading her, but then I discovered this in the bookstore today and I couldn't help but give her another chance. It looks like a new series and I'm hoping this one is a good hot read.

Blurb:
Jacquelyn Frank, New York Times bestselling author of the Shadowdwellers series, invites readers into a dazzling new world of unstoppable desire and danger..

As an Advocate for his colony, Julian Sawyer travels to Earth to bring back the Chosen—women who possess energy potent enough to help revitalize his people. The stunning, silver-clad beauty who strides into his club one night radiates a sensual magnetism unlike any he's encountered, and Julian realizes that Asia Callahan is not just Chosen, she is his kindra: his one true mate.

For months, Asia has tracked the beautiful and mysterious Julian across the country, convinced that he's behind the disappearance of her sister and a dozen other women. She's prepared to believe he's a ruthless killer, but when she presents herself as bait, she discovers that the truth is far more shocking. Taken to a strange, hazardous realm she never knew existed, Asia will face the ultimate choice—between abandoning the life she's always known, and forsaking a passion as dangerous as it is powerful.


I've been reading Carrie Vaughn's Kitty the Werewolf series since book one and I've enjoyed the ride for the most part. It's a fun series that has taken some at times dark and unforseen twists and turns, but it has a hopeful tone that keeps me coming back. Kitty is a likeable character as are most of the side characters in the stories. Vaughn doesn't shy away from violence and death either, but I don't usually feel that it's unnecessary or done just for cheap thrills. I'm looking forward to getting back into a familiar world and see what adventures await these familiar characters.
The BlurTalk radio host and werewolf Kitty Norville has agreed to appear on TV's first all-supernatural reality show. She's expecting cheesy competitions and manufactured drama starring shapeshifters, vampires, and psychics. But what begins as a publicity stunt will turn into a fight for her life.

The cast members, including Kitty, arrive at the remote mountain lodge where the show is set. As soon as filming starts, violence erupts and Kitty suspects that the show is a cover for a nefarious plot. Then the cameras stop rolling, cast members start dying, and Kitty realizes she and her monster housemates are ironically the ultimate prize in a very different game. Stranded with no power, no phones, and no way to know who can be trusted, she must find a way to defeat the evil closing in ... before it kills them all. b:


I love Jayne Ann Krentz. I loved her when she wrote as Stephanie James! and had a tendency to go apeshit with exclamation points. I love her as Amanda Quick and when she writes just as Jayne Ann Krentz so when I saw this book that I'd never read before out on the shelves, I just had to pick it up. I've been under a lot of stress lately and JAK almost never fails to make me feel good.
Here's the blurb:
Beautiful Cidra, raised amid a serene, spiritual race, is unprepared for Teague, the rugged adventurer from another race, the Wolves. Side by side on a dangerous quest, they battle both human and alien dangers—and find that their passion holds more danger than they know.

Well, that's my loot for today. I hope this week will be a productive one for reading and a satisfying one with all these great books just waiting for me to dive in.

Smooches ;)

Avatar Review with Spoilers *warning*

Ok, so I went to see Avatar last night with the hubs. It is definitely an experience that I recommend. We went to the see it in 3D in the IMAX theater just to be sure we got the full effect. What did I think? Well, let me tell you.

First off, it is a long ass movie. I mean, I went in one day and came out the next. The effects were AMAZING, the story had flaws, the romance was lovely, the villains were so very predictable and done before, the action was neat, but by the 6th freaking hour, I was ready to just not care about any of the story if James Cameron would just wrap it up already. It's like he said, "You know what I always regretted? That I didn't make Titanic longer." So he went ape shit on this one.

The first three hours are pretty much Jake, the male lead, flitting through the forest with his new buds the Na'Vi, the native people, while reporting back to his white buddies that want to destroy them *cue evol laugh*. Seriously, the movie could just have been that. I loved the CGI and the Na'Vi people were beautiful and their world was so vivid and deep and Jake was almost likeable with them, almost. It's a big joke in the movie how everyone, from the white military peeps, to the scientists to the Na'Vi call him a moron. Hehehe. Yeah, well, after watching him flit through the wilderness for three fucking hours, go through the rite of passage to become a one of them and never say a damn thing about how the bad guys are gonna come and blow up your home soon, I was ready to jump up and scream "PICK A LANE!" Moron. I mean, what did he think was going to happen? His peeps would come in and destroy their way of life, but he could still spend weekends frolicking with his good blue buddies after that? Or that the bad guys would even let him? Dumbass. And then the lovely, Neytiri, spends all this freaking time showing him how he can literally physically and mentally bond with the local flora and fauna, he's still all, "Whoa, I don't know about all this tree hugger crap." Swear to God, I was like, dumbest hero ever.

I could have easily just watched Jake and the Na'Vi frolick through the beautiful and lush and often dangerous world of Pandora, but oh yeah, we still have the humans to deal with.

It upset me that the humans were almost all bad. They were either evil corporate types or evil military types, or Jake who was too stupid to be truly evil ::snort:: or the lovely scientists which are apparently the only good people around. And seriously, we've gotten to the point of cryogenic sleep so we can travel to far off planets and we still have the corporate pin head that puts in his 3D office? Really?
Ok, I guess I lean towards Gene Roddenberry's vision of a future where we've evolved a bit before we tumble out into space and we're not completely irredeemable as a species, but I digress.

James Cameron is not subtle. I knew the humans didn't belong on the damn planet when they couldn't even survive in the atmosphere without oxygen masks and yet the indigenous people thrived under the same conditions. There was a lot of non-subtle foreshadowing. My husbands theory was that he didn't have to be subtle because the movie was so long that we all forgot what was alluded to five hours ago anyway.

These are some complaints that I had, but overall the movie was very beautiful and seriously, Neytiri is a fabulous character. So beautiful and fierce and all female and all warrior. I thought she and her people were done wonderfully. I thought the planet and it's flora and fauna were fascinating, it could almost have been a Scifi documentary of an alien planet. The romance was sweet and sincere and Jake did finally screw his head on straight, better late than never, right? It was a story we've seen many times before, but it is worth seeing again. It could have been shorter and not lost the spirit of the story and I felt like there were a few too many tidy fixes to everything, but again it is a beautiful story that is worth experiencing, because it really is an experience more than a movie.

Help Me Harass Jill Myles!!

So, coming up on Jan 12 on this here blog I am doing an interview with author Jill Myles. I'm looking for suggestions from you lovelies out there about what kind of questions you would ask her if you could. If you've read her debut book Gentlemen Prefer Succubi is there a burning question you'd like to ask about the characters or world? If you haven't read the book yet.....you need to. Right now. Go ahead, I'll wait....*cue elevator music*.....................................................
Do you have any questions about writing or the glamorous life of the published author? Hehehe
Leave any suggestions you have in the comments and I may use them in the interview.
Oh, and, By the by, Ms. Myles will also be giving you all a chance to win a signed copy of Gentlemen Prefer Succubi when we do the interview, so stay tuned and drop on by on the 12th.



And check out the next installment in the adventures of Jackie Brighton, Succubi Like it Hot coming out on Jan 19!

Muah ;)

Review: Enemy Mine by Barbara J. Hancock

Enemy Mine is a short story e-book that is published by Samhain.
The blurb:
Risking everything for the one woman bold enough to betray him.

Julia Rierdon attacks life with everything she’s got, taking the missions no one else will touch. Refusing to slow down long enough to embrace anything or anyone else. When her plane goes down in the Smoky Mountains, being injured and alone with a dangerous shifter chained at her side is bad enough. Fighting her bone-deep desire is a challenge she could fail.

Ross Walker knew Julie was dangerous the minute she walked into his casino. She exactly matches the image of his destined mate imprinted on his dreams. One moment of distraction and he’s on his way to prison—putting at risk the future of the Cherokee Ani’Kutani, an ancient clan of shape shifters.

He ought to make a break for freedom. Instead he stays to heal her wounds. Giving in to their wild, undeniable passion, Ross prays their mystical connection will help Julia see beyond what she’s always believed about shifters and see the
forever in his dreams.

Let me just say that I loved Ross. He was so hot. Yes he is an alpha shapeshifter, but damn, he can be so tender and sexy. So determined without being pushy. He is simply confident and believes in their connection, believes in Julia and so he has the confidence to give her room to breathe. He gives her the chance to make a decision and choice with the deep hope that she'll choose to stand beside him as his partner. Oh, yeah, that shit's hot.

Julia is not a bad character. She's damaged so I can forgive her her kinda bad attitude at times and she really has gone through a lot of loss in life so it's fitting that she doesn't trust or love easily. But Ross' patient exceptance of her gives her the peace to look in herself and decide what truths she is willing to except. And she's tough enough that you believe she can stand beside him and his people in the tubulant times this story takes place in.

I enjoyed this story, I felt there were a couple holes and honestly, there was such an interesting world set up and the characters were so fascinating that I hated that it was a short story. According to my e-reader it was about 41 pages. That just wasn't enough to tell me everything I wanted to know. However, for a short story there was definitely a set up, conflict and resolution so it was pretty complete within itself.

I enjoyed this quick read and definitely recommend it for anyone who would like a rather tender romance starring two damaged but strong individuals that find hope in each other.

My grade for Enemy Mine is a solid B.

Review: Gentlemen Prefer Succubi by Jill Myles

Blurb:

Who Knew An Angel Could Get A Girl In So Much Devilish Trouble?

Jackie Brighton woke up in a Dumpster this morning, and her day has only gotten weirder. Her familiar B-cups have somehow become double Ds, her sex drive is insatiable, and apparently she had her fi rst one-night stand ever...with a fallen angel. All she remembers is gorgeous Noah's oddly hypnotic blue eyes...and then a dark stranger whose bite transformed her into an immortal siren with a sexy Itch. With help from Noah, Jackie begins to adapt to her new lifestyle — until she accidentally sends Noah into the deadly clutches of the vampire queen and lands herself in a fi erce battle for an ancient halo with the queen's wickedly hot righthand man. Who just happens to be the vampire who originally bit her. How's a girl supposed to save the world when the enemy's so hard to resist?

So, I had the pleasure of reading this debut book by Jill Myles this weekend and let me say, I really enjoyed it.

The few times I've had contact with Ms. Myles I could tell she has a great sense of humor and it came shining through in this story. To illustrate, let me give you one of my fave lines. To set the scene, Jackie is undergoing some bizarre and rather scary changes in her body and behavior. Her sex drive is skyrocketing and she has just almost screwed the bewildered (and very willing) doorman at her apartment and she's been up all night watching porn, when she finally gets a hold of Noah he wants to meet at a church and this is her response:
I sighed. "Okay, I'll meet you there. I'll be the one with the clothes that don't fit." Dry humping the pews.

I read that line and her little thought to herself and laughed so hard I choked, it was unattractive, but that didn't stop me from pressing on in my reading adventure.

I loved Noah and Zane. They are both mega hotties and they can both be tough or tender and I loved the different facets to their personalities.

I especially love Remy, the only other Succubus in town and Jackie's new BFF, kinda by default. She is awesome and the interplay between the two was often hilarious. I would love to be girlfriends with Remy.

Jackie herself is a very funny character. She has some of the best internal dialogue and some pretty good lines in this book. My big beef with her though was that she's supposed to be a nerd and really smart and it seemed sometimes like she grew a pair of tits and her brain just short circuited. She could do some pretty stupid things that had me shaking my head, but she made up for all of that by being loyal and feisty and trying her damndest to cope with the new life and all it's pluses and minuses that she never asked to have. At times I wanted to slap her and at other times she had me laughing my ass off and cheering for her.

Overall, I think this is a pretty solid debut and am definitely going to read the next one that happens to be coming out this month titled: Succubi Like It Hot.

I give this a solid B+ and definitely recommend it to any fan of funny, sexy and adventure.

Kisses ;)