What is most interesting to you in Anita Blake novels? Blood Noir: Anita Gets Tanked with A Tiger

Image by arellis49 via Flickr

Really, Legit question.

What is most interesting, or what do you like most, about the Anita Blake series?

1.The personal growth: Vampire hater to vampire hugger, Chaste to Ardeur-ous, hating monsters to being one?

2. The love making/sex scenes?

3. All the paranormal elements mixed up together?

4. The action?

5. Anita's penchant for weaponry?

6. Her necromancy as it pertains to raising Zombies?

7.  Her relationships, the men, their hair?

These are some of the many elements of Laurell K. Hamilton's book series.  I like the quality of sex writing, Anita's personal growth and her relationships as well as the Paranormal stuff all mixed together. I find her knowledge of an fascination with weaponry very interesting.

BLOOD NOIR

Laurell K. Hamilton
2008 Berkley/Jove/Penguin

Disclosure: Purchased

Last night I finished Blood Noir, (book sixteen of twenty so far).  It was the fastest read of the books so far, and another "road trip" for Anita. This time, Anita accompanies Jason, for whom her sentiment is growing beyond mere friendship or "fuck-buddy."  Although he slept with every girl at school, his father thinks he is gay. He does admit to being a little bit bisexual but prefers girls.

Jason is a very good natured werewolf who is extremely fair skinned with short yellow-blond hair. Anita never took him too seriously, probably because he make a joke of everything and is superficially sexual. He was on the ardeur feeding list until he had a live in relationship with a mermaid, Perdy.  As this story opens, Anita comes home to Nathanial and Jason in the kitchen.  They all end up in bed together, and it comes out that Jason's father is sick and they are estranged because his father thinks he is gay.

Monsters love them or hate them?

Image via Wikipedia

Like most things, it turns out more complicated than that. There's more going on in Jason's old home town than just his father being sick. Anita and Jason get caught up in it, she begins to call Tigers to her as a dominant tiger female. And, there just happen to be two at the hotel.

Richard is at his stupidest in this book.  He is still obsessed with Anita, the 2.5 kids, white picket fence.  At one time Anita believed herself conventional enough for that to be her goal. She got over it though.

He hasn't. That is an issue.

Anita is always pulled between the monster who is not the monster of stereotype, and who loves her for what and who she is, and the monster who wants nothing more than for the supernatural world to go away and to be a "real" boy and for Anita to be just human.  Unfortunately they are metaphysically linked and that just escalates all the emotions to a pitch, especially for Richard who both hates and loves everything.   He admits he loves his dark side and that it turns him on, but hates that he loves it. If there were ever a candidate for therapy it would be Richard.

More than anything, this book moves the emotional growth of all parties along, and it brings the "Council" a little closer to deciding to do something about Marmee Noir. It's about, as all Anita Blake novels are, testing one's limits, pushing boundaries, and growth. Anita knows she rubs people the wrong way and isn't willing to compromise herself not to.  I identify with that in her because, aside from the sex, vampires and pan-were-ism, I feel that I am like that.  Anita Blake is the one who refuses not to see the elephant in the living room. 

A difference between Anita and Richard is that instead of feeding the ardeur, he would let people die because of his morals but has a hard time killing otherwise.  Anita is the opposite.  She is able to kill as needed but doesn't consider her morality more important than keeping people alive. They both have moral conflicts but she measures hers against whether others will come to harm. Richard measures his actions in a conflicted situation against whether he will feel more or less like a monster.

What snake covered head? I don't see it.

Image via Wikipedia

Anita is willing to look at the ugly truth and come to terms with it. Richard wants to pretend there is no ugly truth.

 I say this is a highly-recommended read ranging up to a must-read for series readers. 

Reading level is definitely adult only and even then, not for those offended by sex or violence.

Not much in the way of back story. We need an Anita Blake companion book.

Official LKH synopsis:

Now the old bastard’s dying and I won’t have time to forgive him before he goes…

Jason Schuyler is a werewolf. He’s also one of Anita Blake’s best friends, and sometimes her lover. And right now he needs her –not to be a vampire hunter, or a federal marshal, or a necromancer, or even for her rank in the werewolf pack, but because his father’s dying. He needs Anita because she’s a pretty woman who loves him, who can make him look like an everyday guy, who agrees to go home with him and help him say good-bye to the abusive father he never loved. The fact that Jason is about as much an everyday guy as Anita is a pretty woman is something they figure they can keep under the wraps for a couple of days in a small town. How hard can that be?
Really, by now, Anita Blake should know better.

Marmee Noir, ancient mother of all vampires, picks this weekend to make a move. Somehow, she has cut the connection that binds Anita and Jean-Claude, leaving Jean-Claude unable to sense what is happening. Dangerous even as she sleeps, buried in darkness for a thousand years somewhere beneath the old country of Europe, Marmee Noir reaches out toward power. She has attacked Anita before, but never like this. In Anita she senses what she needs to make her enemies tremble…

Amazon Availaility
	Bargain Price—Hardcover: 352 pages  Publisher: Berkley Hardcover; 1 edition (May 27, 2008) Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages  Publisher: Jove; Reprint edition (May 26, 2009) Kindle Edition: 329 KB  Print Length: 364 pages  Publisher: Jove; 1 edition (May 26, 2009)  Sold by: Penguin Publishing

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The Harlequin Anita Blake Vampire Hunter No Joke

• Cover via Amazon

The Harlequin
is #15 in the  Anita Blake Vampire Series book by Laurell K. Hamilton

Kindle Edition : 363 KB
Print Length: 444 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0425217248
Publisher: Jove (April 29, 2008)
Sold by: Penguin Publishing
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Berkley Hardcover (June 5, 2007)
Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Jove (April 29, 2008)
Disclosure: Purchased

As many of of you will know I working like crazy to catch up to Laurell K. Hamilton in this series. It's a tough job to read about Anita's exploits, sexual or otherwise. So this week we have The Harlequin and Blood Noir.

Synopsis:

Anita Blake is about to face the challenge of her life. Into her world-a world already overflowing with power-have come creatures so feared that powerful, centuries-old vampires refuse to mention their names. It is forbidden to speak of The Harlequin unless you’ve been contacted. And to be contacted by The Harlequin may mean you are under sentence of death depending on the color of the contacting device. Long-time rivals for Anita’s affections, Jean-Claude, Master Vampire of the City, and Richard, alpha-werewolf, will need to become allies. Shapeshifters Nathaniel and Micah will have to step up their support. And then there’s Edward. In this situation, Anita knows that she needs to call the one man who has always been there for her.  http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/works/the-harlequin/
Unitalicized text edited.

The Harlequin seems to finally get Anita back on track with a tighter plot. There is a lot of violence, and a lot of sex. There's even several near deaths. I couldn't put it down. This was some of Laurell's most well written sex—although the books are beginning to blend.


In this book Nathanial and Anita's relationship is changing; he's changing. Here's a big surprise: Richard is an asshole. I would have said asshat but that doesn't accurately or deeply enough relate what a jerk he is. Anita has to have sex to save his life and he is pissed about it. Some animals disappoint Anita and some come to have more strength than you would think.
There are bad vampires visiting, uninvited. Anita gets help from a quartier inattendu, meaning someone who is usually a huge pain is a help (why French? you may ask, hmmm). Someone who is a scary bitch becomes even scarier, but then helps out. We do see serial killer Olaf again, and he is even creepier. We also have a visit from Edward/Ted and Peter his nearly stepson. Anita comes to truly appreciate Nathanial in this book, realizing that he is as important to her as she is for him.
The vampires are big on rules and big on what happens if you screw up. At the end someone appears who I think may be in security at the club. He turns out to be a bit of a Deus Ex Machina but every author needs devices. I would love to know LKH if only to glimpse what goes on inside her head.
I enjoyed this a great deal. She's not just phoning it in.
Series readers, Must Read. Others, what are you waiting for!?!?
And, I would love to know if you think this is pulling the series in the right direction?

Please, click image to buy the book at Amazon.com






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Winner!!!!!!

LisaRenee from Seduced by a Book won my Gratitude Giveaway! It's all confirmed and her prize is magically on its way to her!

I have one in December and one in January (see sidebar) I have a tone of books to give out so they are likely to be domestic due to mailing costs.

Many thanks to all who entered!

LisaRenee blogs at Seduced by a Book

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EXPLOSIVE EIGHTEEN! Stephanie Plum's Escapades Make another Winner for Janet Evanovich

Explosive Eighteen
Janet Evanovich

Kindle Edition: 1993 KB
Print Length: 305 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0345527712
Publisher: Bantam (November 22, 2011)
Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Bantam (November 22, 2011)

LARGE Print Paperback: 352 pages

Publisher: Random House Large Print; Lrg edition (November 22, 2011)

Blogger Purchase

Read Time 3 hours

If I had had  people downgrading the ratings on these books the way banks have been downgrading the country's credit rating, I would have been careful not to name it Explosive Eighteen—it offers too much temptation to say it was a bomb. I know I was ready to. Unfortunately I thoroughly enjoyed the book and had to come up with a work around to use my bon mot.

Janet gets Stephanie Plum back on track with this one. The past few books, especially Fifteen and Sixteen had been a bit flat for me. My hardcover version came with this tear-out calendar that gives it a little extra oomph as a holiday gift.  And, you get a photo on the back of a newly revamped author as well; seriously she looks great. Like she just got back from a "Spa."

Here's the Synopsis:

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum’s life is set to blow sky high when international murder hits dangerously close to home, in this dynamite novel by Janet Evanovich. Before Stephanie can even step foot off Flight 127 from Hawaii to Newark, she’s knee deep in trouble.

In the last book Stephanie had come under the influence of the Vordo Spell from Joe Morelli's Strega Nonna (Witchy Gandmother) from the old country. She became a bit out-of-control slutty even by romance book standards. But, she was under an evil eye. Right? 

At the end of Smokin' Seventeen, Steph decides to take a vacation in Hawaii. It doesn't turn out as planned. The guy in the seat next to her never gets back on the plane after they land in LA. That becomes a pain in the butt for Stephanie.  And, Joyce Barnhardt, Stephanie's high school nemesis comes up missing for a while.

As Stephanie tries to come to grips with Joe and Ranger having some issues with her, she is trying to catch skips, avoid explosions, convince her family she is not married or pregnant. She comes to some conclusions about the differences between Joe and Ranger. But, even though she says she hadn't "technically" done anything wrong,  it could be too late.  Lula turns over a new leaf. Unfortunately that leaf has a bucket of half-price potato salad with it.

The kooky is back, somehow the formula is back to the one I prefer.  This is a fun, and funny read.  It is a hefty price tag for three hours but I recommend it anyway.

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Jessica Rules the Dark Side Beth Fantaskey And Her Characters Answer Some Questions

LAST DAY TO ENTER THE GRATITUDE GIVEAWAY!

JESSICA RULES THE DARK SIDE
by Beth Fantaskey

Reading level: Ages 14 and up
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; First Edition (January 10, 2012)
Kindle Edition: 5 KB
Print Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
(1/10/2012)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
ARC obtained at BEA with expectation that any review would be fair. No remuneration was exchanged.  All opinions are my own unless otherwise stated.  




 
With the second book in this series, Beth Fantasky gives us a glimpse into the life of someone who gets that childhood wish many girls have of becoming a princess with a fairytale prince as a husband.

My issue with Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side was Jessica's age, I married at 22 after six-years of college and after eight years on the dating scene.  Jessica is marrying at eighteen here, just out of high school. As I wrote to Beth, after reading Jessica Rules the Dark Side:

"Rules the Dark Side” helped me see that it was through the trials of youth, marriage, and political strife that Jessica  comes into her own as an adult, and leader.  And, I decided that YA romances are fantasy and not the source of one’s life goals.

I have read romance in all its many forms since I was about ten and have never once run off to marry a duke or a Gypsy, never grabbed a gun to save my lover, etc.  But, I think I was influenced by more than romance novels, and in more subtle ways.

Jessica Rules the Dark Side gave me new insight into what Beth was doing here. Jessica is on her own for much of this book and has to grow up to solve her problems or die trying. I read Jessica Rules the Dark Side during Book Expo, in May, 2011. The book is scheduled for release on January 12, 2012!

Synopsis:

Jessica Rules the Dark Side
Inside Cover

When Jessica Packwood found out she was a Romanian vampire princess, she had the shock of her teenage life. Turns out that was the easy part. Now, married to Prince Lucius Vladescu, she has to claim her throne and convince a vampire nation she’s fit to be their queen. But Jess can’t even order a decent meal from her castle’s Romanian staff, let alone deal with devious undead subjects who would love to see her fail.

And when Lucius is accused of murdering a vampire Elder and imprisoned without the blood he needs, Jessica finds herself alone, fighting for both their survivals. Desperate to clear her husband’s name and win his release, Jess enlists the help of her best friend Mindy Stankowicz and Lucius’s mysterious Italian cousin, Raniero Lovatu. But both of them are keeping some dark secrets. Can Jess figure out who to trust – and how to rise to power – before she loses everything, including the vampire she loves?

Full of romance, mystery, and danger, the highly anticipated sequel to Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side shows that sometimes a princess has to earn her “happily ever after” – with a sharpened stake in hand.http://www.bethfantaskey.com/jessica-rules.html

Beth, thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. I got a lot out of your responses and out of your new book, Jessica Rules the Dark Side. And thanks to Jessica and Lucius for answering a couple of questions as well.

Why vampires?

My book started as a story about adoption. I wanted to tell the tale of a young, adopted girl who learns that her birth parents were completely different from anything she could have imagined. I chose to make Jessica’s biological parents vampires because they are WAY beyond the norm – but also close to believable. I wanted the truth about Jess’s background to shock her, but still ultimately seem possible. And I made her parents vampire royalty just to make the story more exciting.

Often, supernatural creatures or events are a foil for a theme; if there were no vampire prince, no castle in Romania, no hostile relatives, what would the story be? Obviously I don’t expect you to rewrite the book in a different genre but did you consider writing the story in a different milieu? Ex. A hospital where Jessica and Lucius are co-chiefs of staff but he is indicted for something….

No, I never considered writing the story in a different setting, and I can’t imagine it as anything but what it is... It all came to me in a rush on a long car ride, and by the time I got home, everything was in place. I couldn’t conceive of it differently now – maybe in part because the characters are so real to me.

Did you travel to Romania to do research?

No, I’ve never been to Romania, but I’ve traveled around other areas of Eastern Europe, and I drew from those memories to create the overall atmosphere.

What kind of research did you do?

I had to track down everything from Romanian recipes to information on how horses are measured, so I could describe Hell’s Belle. It’s funny how many little things come up that send you to the Internet or experts for help.

How much do you flesh out your characters? Chloe Neill, for example, makes personality boards with things the character would like, books, whatever. How do you bring your characters to life?

My characters just seem to come to life on their own. I don’t really know how it happens. I swear, I sort of hear them speaking in my head – which sounds weird, but is true! Lucius, in particular, just seemed to walk into my office and start dictating his letters.

Why such a young age for the main characters?

I needed Jess to be young so she would get “stuck” with Lucius. If she was an adult and some guy told her that he was a vampire prince about to steal her away, she’d call the cops and get a restraining order. But because she’s a teenager, she pretty much has to accept that Lucius is going to be living in her house, at her parents’ behest. Plus that transition into adulthood – from seventeen to eighteen – is such a meaningful time. It’s when you realize that you have to start taking responsibility for your life and face the challenges of adulthood. I wanted readers to see Jess grow up – and grow more in the second book.

Why not have the contract make them older for the marriage?

Like I mentioned above, eighteen carries significance in American society, at least. I really wanted Jess to confront adulthood, head on, at that age.

Do you worry about kids role modeling off the young characters in this series and in other novels or series in Paranormal YA. Spellbound, The Twilight Series, Shiver, Linger and Forever, etc.?

I hope that I’ve created characters who are good role models, overall. They don’t have premarital sex, do drugs, or drink alcohol, and for the most part, they try to take care of their friends and families and live honorable lives. Even Lucius, who has a violent background, has a strong sense of duty and honor. I hope that readers take good things away from my books. As for other series – I honestly don’t read any other YA lit, for fear of being influenced, so I can’t even say!

Women my age spent a long time moving towards education and careers and away from early marriage. I actually remember being discriminated against at work in 1979 as a tech for a phone company. I have seen this destined love at a young age as a trend in YA, and I wonder why? Any ideas?

If it is a trend, I’m not sure why. I did try to make a point of showing Jessica’s decision to forego college as a sacrifice. There’s a scene in the book in which she’s jealous of Mindy’s college life.

Jessica’s adoptive parents are not as clueless as some parents in YA books. The cluelessness, or self-involvement or whatever demonstrated in books like Twilight and Shiver has been a theme on blogs and in Twitter. Did you make a choice to have Jessica’s parents (in Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side) be more involved in her life even if they live a bit with their heads in the clouds (instead of the sand) or was it just the way the characters unfolded?

Again, this might be one result of not reading other YA lit. I grew up in a household where my parents were involved in my life, but fostered my independence. Most of my friends and I are raising our kids the same way. I just wrote about a family that seemed realistic to me. Like you noted, Jess’s parents have their own lives, but they certainly care about her, and put her welfare first, even as they struggle to let her go. To me, that’s what most parents do.

Any future books for the Vladescus? Any of the other characters?

Right now, I don’t have any more plans for books about Jess and Lucius or the other characters. I’m working on a new novel right now, and it has an entirely new cast of characters. I hope readers like it!

Quick Q’s for the Princess & the Prince

Jessica

Coke or Blood –
Blood, now – although I still like a Coke now and then.

Long Gown or Jeans –
Jeans!

Romania or PA –
Pennsylvania will always have a place in my heart, but I’m trying hard to love Romania, because that’s where my future lies.

Tea or Coffee –  
Tea, because it reminds me of spending time in my parents’ kitchen with my dad

Powerful relatives or Mom & Dad – 
Mom and Dad, always! Those old vampires drive me crazy. They always have an agenda.

Lucius

Lead or Rule –
At one time, I would have said “rule,” without hesitation. However, my time in America – and my wife – have helped me to see the merits of leading. Although I still have a fondness for “rule.”

Spending lazy Sundays in bed or Ruling Vampires –
Ruling vampires is one of the most satisfying activities one can engage in. I highly recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity.

Basketball or polo –  
Basketball, while diverting, can never take the place of polo. Especially since one is not required to wear “shorts” while playing polo. 

Suits or Jeans – It depends upon the occasion. One should always look appropriate; it’s not really a matter of preference.

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Kersten Hamilton Celtic Mythology GUEST POST FROM KERSTEN HAMILTON, author of Tyger,Tyger and In The Forests of the Night

Fin MacCumhail comes to aid the Fianna  Image via Wikipedia

Kersten Hamilton's novels, Tyger, Tyger and In The Forests of The Night stir the imagination and fire up mental imagery. Her characters struggle with wrong, right, the power of intentions, and consequences.

Many of her characters are from Celtic Mythology.  I love the Celts, in my fantasy life I am Welsh or Irish or Scottish, but my first problem is that, in my experience if something is spelled Smllygh it may be pronounced Smith, or not, and my second issue is that the Celtic mythos doesn't seem similar to Greco/Roman myth in which I was educated. 

So, I asked Kersten for some help with these so I could get even more from her wonderful books.  This was no small question or feat, so I owe Kersten one!

Hi, Stephanie! Thank you for inviting me to your blog today to talk about the myth and mayhem in my books!

The Goblin Wars falls into a subset of fantasy called mythopoeia. The writings of George MacDonald, my favorite author, inspired Tolkien to name and describe the genre in the 1930s. Mythopoeia incorporates mythological themes and archetypes into newly created worlds. Tolkien had been thinking about the value of myth for a long time. He wrote a poem about it for C.S. Lewis (http://home.ccil.org/~cowan/mythopoeia.html) who had argued that, “myths were lies and therefore worthless, even though 'breathed through silver'.” Lewis was eventually converted to Tolkien’s way of thinking. I never had to be converted—True Myth has always been my home country.

Authors such as Tolkien or C.S. Lewis create whole new mythologies—others use a mash–up of existing mythologies. My Goblin Wars series uses Celtic and Nordic myth as well as the concept of devolution—creatures becoming less than they were created to be— which was described by George MacDonald.

Marla, at Starting the Next Chapter did a wonderful post about the Irish Mythology behind the Goblin Wars series. With Marla's permission, I am using some of descriptions and the images she collected, then explaining how they are relevant to the Goblin Wars.

(Marla) Fear Doirich - "dark man;" the druid known for having turned Finn MacCumhaill's future wife, Sabdh, into a deer; though Finn spared her (having been alerted to her human status by his once-human hounds) and returned her to her human state, Fear Doirich turned her once again into a deer, after which she vanished; she gave birth to their son, Oisin, during this time, who Finn was later reunited with after seven years

(Kersten) In The Goblin Wars, Fear Doirich has become the goblins’ god—and he is devolving himself, become more evil. The goblins refer to themselves The Sídhe, as if they were one people and one flesh, but they are not. They are a chimera of peoples, cobbled together by the Dark Man’s will. Pronounced "Fer" but "Fear" has so much meaning.

The Highborn are the family of Mab, unearthly beautiful, but wicked to their very core. They have lowborn cousins that creep and crawl, afraid of the light because they are too hideous to look at. Fear’s own servants are the shadows, and there are also lesser creatures such as the cat–sídhe.

The Ireland Newsletter

(Marla) Finn MacCumhaill - pronounced Finn MacCool; hero of the Fenian cycle of Irish lore; legendary chieftain in charge of the Fianna Éireann, a band of warriors renowned for their hunting and battle prowess and whose purpose was to protect the Ard Rí na Éireann (high king of Ireland); said to possess gifts such as poetry, second sight, and healing; often portrayed as a giant and is associated with the creation of the Giants' Causeway in Northern Ireland, which he is said to have created in order to aid other giants in making the crossing between Ireland and Scotland.

(Kersten) The Mac Cumhaills’ step into the backstory story before the first Finn was born. Cumhaill, the leader of the fierce Fianna of Eireann—as Ireland was called in those days—fell in love with Muirne, the beautiful daughter of Tadg Mac Nudat. Tadg’s veins were blue with royal blood and his heart black with royal pride.

When he found out that Cumhaill came from the Travelers Clan, a people who owned nothing but what they could carry on their backs and went about the country practicing the tinker’s trade, Tadg forbade the marriage. Cumhaill and Muirne went to the Druids of the deep wood, and were married there. Tadg made a blood covenant with Fear Doirich who cursed the lovers, sending goblins after them and their children through all eternity.

A Phooka  Mike's Blog via Kersten

(Marla) Phooka - Irish goblins known for their shape-shifting capabilities that are often believed to take on the form of a goat, dog, or bull; also known for being vicious tricksters with destructive ways; it was believed that to leave a crop unharvested after Samhain (pronounced "sow-wen" and the basis for what is now known as Halloween) was to lose the crop altogether, as it was then believed to belong to the phookas; to attempt to cut a phooka's crop was to invite the death of one's cattle

(Kersten) Phookas in The Goblin Wars are fixed in their forms, as part of their process of devolution. And they are very frightening.

photo from Sluagh.com

(Marla) Sluagh - a flock of evil spirits said to have been barred entrance into the afterlife; often described as dark birds that fly from the west in an attempt to capture the souls of the newly dead; thought to be the Irish version of the Wild Hunt.

(Kersten) As slaugh have continued to devolve, they are no longer creatures of the air. The live in the sewer systems of Chicago, coming up to feed on the souls of street people who die alone.  If you’d like to find more of Marla’s Irish mythology post, you can find it here: http://www.startingthenextchapter.com

Kersten Hamilton

Thanks Kersten! 

One thing I really like about the teens in Kersten's books is that while they may be in love, they place a premium on her wish to attend college and become a veterinarian.

Tyger Tyger is available in paperback, hardcover and with special pricing right now for  Kindle.In the Frorests of the Night is available in Hardcover and For Kindle.You can purchase it right here through my Amazon Affiliation.

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The Real Werewives of Vampire County An Anthology Worth Your Time And Money

Drama. Scandal. Secrets. And a whole lot of supernatural goings-on.

I’m Pureblood Were, And Proud Of It…
"Where Darkness Lives" by Alexandra IvyNo one’s more surprised than Sophia when she’s struck by an unfamiliar maternal urge to move near her daughters. But instead of being greeted by a welcome committee, she’s targeted by kidnappers…and saddled with a gorgeous bodyguard on a mission to protect—and seduce…

I’m A Tomboy At Heart, But I Want A Man Who Makes Me Feel Like A Real Woman…
“Murder on Mysteria Lane” by Angie Fox
When a werewolf trophy wife is found dead in Vampire County, Heather McPhee goes undercover to investigate. Heather’s never been a mascara-and-manicures sort of girl, but she’s willing to learn. Especially with sexy vampire detective Lucien Mead posing as her husband…

Who’s Afraid Of The Big, Bad Werewolves? Not Me, That’s For Sure…
“What’s Yours is Mine” by Jess Haines
Still Waters is like many other exclusive gated communities—except that it’s home to one of the largest werewolf packs in the state. But Tiffany Winters isn’t frightened of her big, bad new neighbors. In fact, she intends to take her place among the pack…

This Is A Town Full Of Secrets. And I Intend To Uncover All Of Them...
“Werewolves in Chic Clothing” by Tami Dane
Ever since Christine Price moved in with her fiancé, Jonathan, and his twelve year-old son, she’s worked hard to fit in with a cadre of local women whose lives seem picture-perfect. Except no one in Jon’s upscale neighborhood is quite who they appear to be. Least of all Jon…http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/finditem.cfm?itemid=19830

I don't usually go for anthologies, just as I am getting into it a story ends, or it is rushed or too glossy.  But because of the novellas' lengths in The Real Werewives of Vampire County I found I really enjoyed it. I also think the editor did a great job making thestories cohesive with each other.  Not so they were one voice but so they were consistent.  There were no glaring differences between the created worlds: vamps slept in the daytime and were shifted at the full moon.  With each new story I worried I wouldn't enjoy it, but the each held their own charm.

Jess Haines' story had the most "Real Housewives" vibe. And Angie Fox's story was the most "Desperate Housewives-like," and I found her  characters well developed.  I think it was also the hottest story.  Alexandra Ivy's female protagonist had the "Dynasty", Joan Collins thing down, with a little shift into Linda Blair's character when in love.  Tami Dane refers to Stepford in her story and it has a mash-up feel for the original "Thriller."


I recommend this to anyone who enjoys were creatures and vampires in their PNR or PN-Mystery. Sometimes the shorter length is great—especially if you're distracted or stressed. We wouldn't be right in the middle of a stressful time of year, would we?  


I was lucky enough to win this copy of the book in an online giveaway. But, the book is handy to buy right here! 

Kindle Edition: 630 KB Print Length: 369 pages Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0758261586 Publisher: Kensington Books; 1 edition (October 25, 2011) Sold by: Amazon Digital Services Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Kensington; 1 Original edition (November 1, 2011)

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Hurricane IS The Final Entry In Jewel Parker Rhodes Contemporary VooDoo Series

Paperback: 288 pages

Publisher: Washington Square Press; Original edition (April 12, 2011)

Language: English

Kindle Edition: 2793 KB

Print Length: 293 pages

Publisher: Atria Books; Original edition (April 12, 2011)

Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc.

Click To Buy Hurricane at Amazon

HURRICANE

by JEWEL PARKER RHODES

Synopsis from Jewel Parker Rhodes Website:
I normally wouldn't excerpt so much and pulled some out, but Rhodes is much more eloquent in describing the book's story and meaning to her.

Image via Wikipedia

For centuries, environmental damage and environmental racism have afflicted Louisiana and the Gulf marshes and waters.  Science, spirituality, and historical perspective are all needed by my protagonist, Marie to understand why New Orleans was so vulnerable in 2005 to Hurricane Katrina and why the levees failed.

In 2009, the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution mounted a brilliant exhibit, honoring the African water goddess, Mami Wata, and the permutations of how her spirit transformed as slaves carried their faith into the New World,...  Mami Wata, for me, became a symbol for the Mississippi River itself, damned [sic] to serve human needs.

Clearly, responsible environmental stewardship means balancing resources with certain and potential damage, and having a care for how for the vitality of the environment for future generations.
Hurricane’s metaphorical world, Mami Wata came to symbolize the devastation of the Gulf coast region, in general, and the dead zone in the Gulf, in particular,...

The 2010 BP oil spill compounded problems in the Gulf of Mexico and reinforced my theme of human hubris versus humility in resource extraction.

My protagonist, Marie, doesn’t have the answer to solve environmental problems.  But she does have faith—a spiritual belief that Nature, itself, is a good to be honored.  She also has courage and optimism to lend her talents to heal a community undone by natural and man-made disaster. Hurricane ends my contemporary voodoo trilogy. Marie Laveau neé Levant has become a quintessential Louisianan. 

She’s become strong enough to keep fighting for the city and state she calls home.  She’s comfortable with her spiritual power, unafraid of battling injustice, and honored to proclaim her name to the world:

“I am Marie Laveau.”

She is one, in a long line of women, handing sight, strength, and love, down through the generations.
http://jewellparkerrhodes.com/books/hurricane/

The final entry in a series Hurricane, is a mix of mystery, voodoo and environmental concerns written like edgy, loose poetry or a dream.  The warning is real but it was a bit hard to take it in with the mix of voodoo.  Contemporary with Hurricane Katrina, predicting the BP oil spill, the book is written as a mix of one woman's narrative and her spiritual journey and visions as a voodoo queen; the descendant of Marie Laveau (historic voodoo queen).

Unfortunately, as the last in the series, with the lack of the complex backstory I was at sea for much of the novel.  The pieces never really came together for me: murder, cancer, vampires alluded to in the next book, oil companies, toxic waste, water goddesses and others I failed to understand. 

On the other hand, I did finish the book.  If I had not liked some part or found the story uninteresting I would not have continued. It was challenging for me to read  a style that I do not usually read.  I think I felt compelled to see how Marie put the threads together. And, it was also about a culture I think is fascinating.  Having spent a wonderful week in New Orleans I was saddened by the devastation wrought by the Hurricane and Oil Spills.  But, I was not sure the story worked well with the voo doo queen's premise.  Not having read the other books in the series, left me without the tools I needed to understand the story.

Highly recommended for the series fans and for those who like looser and lyrical writing.  Reading the series in order is recommended.

Mami Wata  Image via Wikipedia

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REVENGE OF THE WERE-TURKEY!

Mary had heard legends about a giant Were-Turkey but never imagined she would come across it in the woods so near the settlement.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
 

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JULIE KAGAWA GUEST POST!

THE IRON KNIGHT

by Julie Kagawa

Kindle Edition: 551 KB

Print Length: 388 pages

Publisher: Harlequin Teen; Original edition (October 25, 2011)

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

Paperback: 400 pages

Publisher: Harlequin; Original edition (October 25, 2011)

Taking the YA world by storm, Julie Kagawa has been on real and virtual tour (see the virtual tour VIP badges for bloggers, above).  But she kindly took time to answer a couple of questions and guest post here.

Synopsis:
 

To cold faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.
Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl—smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.
With the unwelcome company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end—a quest to find a way to honor his vow to stand by Meghan's side.
To survive in the Iron Realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. And along the way Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice. (Amazon.com)

What five books are most important or influential to you?

In no particular order:

• Harry Potter by the great J.K. Rowling: For obvious reasons, not the least being the whole new world she introduced.

• Helm by Stephen Gould: Little known sci-fi about a seventeen year old boy who takes on enormous responsibility.
  
• The Druid of Shanarra by Terry Brooks: My first literary crush came from the Shannara series, and this book had one of the most beautiful (and tragic) love stories.
  
• 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher: This book had me thinking about it for days. Extremely powerful and emotional, probably my favorite contemporary YA.
  
• Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery: Another book that needs no introduction, Anne taught me that it was okay, even admirable, to be different.  Though that stubbornness also made me want to smack her when it came to Gilbert Blythe.

The popularity of your series seems to have exploded since the first book. Now, The Iron Knight won the RITA Award, you're a New York Times Bestseller, and you have fans all across the globe. How has the road to reach this point been?

Oh, goodness.  Thrilling, exhausting, exciting, terrifying, you name it.

It’s been a wild, crazy journey, and I'm just extremely grateful for everyone who allowed me to get this far.  To all those people, readers, fans, editors, agents, everyone-thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I bet you get asked this a lot - Puck or Ash? Why or why not?
I have to go with Ash, because I love my dark, brooding bad boys.  But I adore Puck as well, and the books wouldn't be the same without him.

My thoughts:

That this book is from Ash's perspective and it is his story shows Julie Kagawa's depth as a writer. Ash's voice is definitely a different voice from Meghan.

I love that he is willing to give up everything he knows and is so he can be with Meghan. He has a hard path to follow to get to that point if he is going to get to be with her.

Lots of surprises, happy moments, gains, losses, and tears (on your side and the story too). A quest is always going to have sacrifice and gain, happiness and sadness—that's the nature of the beast. And nothing worth having comes without sacrifice.

In this book, Kagawa writes high fantasy; think Gandalf and the Big Dragon falling through time and space. But she doesn't fall into the trap of building a world that is not accessible to someone alive today; it is hard to get contemporary High Fantasy right. She does. The imagination is stretched but in the end the story is very human. Lots of icky bugs and nasty creatures abound though.

With new characters we also have our pals Grimalkin the Cait Sith, and Puck aka Robin Goodfellow.  It would give too much away to talk about the new characters.Grimalkin is maybe a bit softer and Puck is a bit less Puckish.  This is serious business and even he sees the gravity of the situation. The Cait sees the gravity but seems to have a capricious sense of whether or not he cares.

For lovers of the series and just about everyone else this is a Must Read.

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Marta Acosta's Milagros De Los Santos is Everywoman

Cover via Amazon

MIDNIGHT BRUNCH
by Marta Acosta

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Pocket (April 24, 2007)
Language: English

Hip, funny Milagro de los Santos thinks she's finally found love and a home at the California ranch of fabulous Oswald Grant and his urbane relatives, who have a rare genetic disorder that some call vampirism. But Milagro is bewildered when she's excluded from an ancient and mysterious midnight ceremony whose participants include Oswald's unfriendly parents, a creepy family elder, and Milagro's ex-lover, the powerful and decadent Ian Ducharme. What skeletons are the vampires keeping in their designer closets? 

When Milagro's life is threatened by a rogue family member, she flees to the desert to hide. Instead of solitude, she encounters an egomaniacal actor, a partying heiress, a sly tabloid reporter, and a lavish spa full of dark secrets -- all of which might help her find a way home.
(martaacosta.com)

With the second volume in Milagro's story I find I enjoy Marta's writing even more than I did.  Milagro is an engaging and intelligent heroine overcoming a disastrous childhood with very little love. In the first book, Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, she is thrust into a ranch of WASPY non-WASP sorta-kinda vampires and falls in love with the grandson of one of them who is a plastic surgeon.  The second book picks up with her and her beau Oswald and a secretive family event. She is not allowed to attend the "family" only ceremony which makes her relationship with Oswald difficult.  Not all the family members are happy to have her there.  They're stuck-up and she is a Latina; they're svelte and she is curvaceous.

But Milagro is a heroine for our time: edgy, thoughtful, kind, smart and sensual.  Milagro is really all of us; even the aristocrats have foibles and self-esteem issues.  Milagro presents a path towards approaching life with vigor and introspection that leads somewhere.  Marta doesn't write endless internal monologue for Milagro.  You know that she is going to prevail, somehow.

I enjoyed the first in the series, Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, but here Marta hits the nail on the head and I couldn't put it down.  Marta's writing is witty and she is clever.  The plot is fun, with twists I didn't see coming. I highly recommend that you give Milagro a whirl and read this book and series. 

On sale now with, special pricing at Amazon.



Disclosure: Book provided by author in expectation of a fair review.


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Game of Thrones Season Two:

HBO's Game of Thrones isn't my thing but I know many of my friends l-o-v-e it. I couldn't deal with the violence in the very first episode; I am a coward for that kind of thing.

Here is the official "Terror" Teaser

Production Video: Season 2

(http://youtu.be/pE12H1HorUU)

This is an interesting fan-made video from loosecontrol

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