UNCONVENTIONAL is Just That

UNCONVENTIONAL
Twenty-Two Tales of Paranormal Gatherings Under the Guise of Conventions
Editors: Kate Kaynak and Trisha Wooldridge
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press (January 15, 2012)
Disclosure: Obtained anonymously at BEA. No remuneration exchanged and all opinions herein are my own unless stated otherwise.

spencerhillpress.com

BLURB:
It's about to get weird... okay, weirder in here.

Alien ascensions in hotel ballrooms.

Mermaids on cruise ships.

Werewolves in dog shows.

Steampunk fairy time travelers.

A teenage superhero hitching a ride with a supervillain.

Comic books that absorb their readers.

Magical filk... and much more.

With stories by: LJ Berger, Vikki Ciaffone, Daniel Cohen, Gordon Dupuis, Anthony G. Francis, Jr., Justine Graykin, Randy O. Green, Melina Gunnett, Kate Kaynak, Danielle M. LeFevre, Kimberley Long-Ewing, Lauren Marrero, Will Morton, LS Murphy, Ira Nayman, KT Pinto, Jennifer Allis Provost, Patricia Puckett, Keshia Swaim, Sherry Thompson, Pamela van Hylckama Vlieg, and Trisha Wooldridge
spencerhillpress.com

When I picked this up at BEA, I thought it was the perfect paranormal companion to this year's convention and election season.  There are a lot of stories in the collection.  I enjoyed several:  Keshia Swan's Family Ties, Shadow Harper by Sherry Thompson, Myrtle by Melina Gunnett, Belief by Vikki Ciaffone, Escalation is Academic by Ira Nayman, and The Waltz by Lauren Marrero.  I found a few stories tolerable and the rest did not appeal to me. Of the stories I liked, I think the best were Family Ties, Shadow Harper, which was the perfect blend of etheral and real for its length, and Myrtle.

The stories are proofed; I was not distracted by typos or grammatical errors.  However, there is a difference between superficial editing and story editing. Many of the stories needed editing to be good short stories.

In an anthology, it seems to me there are two tasks for the editors: editing and curating. The most profound issue is the oblique entry into a story world. While common as a device in longer format fiction. In an anthology of  short stories it wastes pages. In a few stories I was just unable to determine what was happening. In one a female character is given a name usually reserved for males.  Since she is interacting with three boys I was unsure whether she was the named character.  By the time I figured it out I was too dismayed to finish the story.


Another curating issue, or book design issue, are the subtitles that appear under each author's name with the author and the author's place of residence between the two. At first, I thought they were descriptions of the author: the first was Debut Author, another was Guest. Reading on though, I realized that was not the case. They were just unnecessary and confused me.

The biggest issue I had with the anthology was that it was too many stories with the same theme.  In most instances it was about fan or fantasy conventions, like comic con, Twi-con or Dragon-con. There were a few different gatherings, like a cruise or academic conference. Most stories featured fan cons where someone wasn't just dressed-up like an alien or fantasy creature, they were one.  If this were an anthology of slightly longer stories with this theme it wouldn't have become tedious, but I felt I was reading the same story over and over.

Anthologies are a tough call.  After all, I liked six of the twenty two, found three or four simply unreadable and the rest were meh to bleh! If I had a star rating system I guess that would place it smack-dab in the center at two-and-a-half.

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IN A FIX A Heroine in Spite of Herself

LindaGrimes.com

In a Fix

by Linda Grimes

September 4, 2012

Tor Books
Trade Paperback, 336 pages and e-book formats

The start of an original new urban fantasy series starring human chameleon Ciel Halligan.

Snagging a marriage proposal for her client while on an all-expenses-paid vacation should be a simple job for Ciel Halligan, aura adaptor extraordinaire. A kind of human chameleon, she's able to take on her clients' appearances and slip seamlessly into their lives, solving any sticky problems they don't want to deal with themselves. No fuss, no muss. Big paycheck.

This particular assignment is pretty enjoyable... that is, until Ciel's island resort bungalow is blown to smithereens and her client's about-to-be-fiancé is snatched by modern-day Vikings. For some reason, Ciel begins to suspect that getting the ring is going to be a tad more difficult than originally anticipated.

Going from romance to rescue requires some serious gear-shifting, as well as a little backup. Her best friend, Billy, and Mark, the CIA agent she's been crushing on for years — both skilled adaptors — step in to help, but their priority is, annoyingly, keeping her safe. Before long, Ciel is dedicating more energy to escaping their watchful eyes than she is to saving her client's intended.

Suddenly, facing down a horde of Vikings feels like the least of her problems.
http://www.lindagrimes.com (includes excerpt)

PURCHASE LINKS:
IN A FIX at Amazon
BARNES AND NOBLE: In a Fix

Ciel is the woman who rarely if ever does what she's told. She can look like anyone she touches due to a genetic anomaly that makes her an adaptor. From the sounds of it she's no slouch in the looks department, but doesn't think she is very pretty. Ciel's business is life fixing. She'll become your double and do the stuff you cannot or do not want to.

When a client gets cross connected to her via other friends in the CIA, and a group of angry Swedish guys who want to take over the world so they can pee standing up, Ciel is IN A FIX.

I really enjoyed this book.  Not knowing who is who when is a source of confusion, even for the adaptors themselves.  While the situations are dangerous, Grimes makes them pretty funny. Ciel is a character it would be nearly impossible not to love.  She is the girl next door, and the other girl next door as well.  Ciel is surrounded by friends and brothers who want to protect her from the dangerous situations.  Before they believe in her abilities, however, she needs to believe in herself. It's a good thing she doesn't take orders very well or a lot of situations would end badly for several of the characters. She doesn't mean to be a heroine, she simply is.

Of course, all these guys who want to protect her are really hot; she's had a crush on one since he was her brother's best friend. But they are distinct characters who all see her differently. One mostly sees her as his best friend's kid sister, another was always mean to her and has ways of getting things done that involve too many shortcuts.  And you know how we were told that the boy who was mean to us was that way because he really liked us....

Grimes writes Ciel as a character who won't give up and who won't give in either. She is more concerned for others than herself, she's down to earth, and quick thinking. She is disobedient just because she doesn't want to be left out or told what to do. I guess we call that stubborn. Been there. 

There are a lot of tricky twisty parts that telling you about would be spoilers.  The action is madcap, I thought that perhaps some of the situations were extraneous. You don't know how the romance is going to go, even at the end of the book and it's something that will make you want to know what happens between Ciel and,...

I highly recommend this debut novel, it's a fun-filled delight.

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Like LOST GIRL? Here's a HAPPIER Succubus Story STARVED FOR LOVE

carina press

Summary:
After almost dying of starvation to remain faithful to a mortal lover, succubus Pia Blyton now shields her heart by feeding solely on men she won't fall for. The only trick is, to create energy to survive, she must achieve orgasm. At least that rules out bad sex with her three lovers. Too bad she's a sucker for falling in love.

When her demon lover doesn't arrive for their arranged rendezvous, Pia is forced to ask her vampire lover to step in before her energy becomes dangerously low. In return he demands a favor and Pia finds herself in the hotel suite of the mysterious Valerio Hunan, who seduces her with a devastating kiss. Too late Pia learns he's an incubus who wants to lure her into marriage--a marriage without love.
As an incubus used to bedding a variety of succubi, Val doesn't understand Pia's yearning for love. He needs a succubus wife to provide him with a steady source of energy. But he wants Pia for the passion and renewed interest in life she makes him feel. Can Pia convince Val that sex isn't just for survival and love is for more than the weak.  ebooks.carinapress.com

STARVED FOR LOVE
by Annie Nicholas
Carina Press
September 17, 2012
E-galley loaned from publisher via NetGalley.  No remuneration was exchanged and all opinions herein are my own unless otherwise noted.


This was a cute story that I really enjoyed.  Lots of hot hook-ups but with a sweet story and a few laughs.  If LOST GIRL, Paranormal Romance, or other Urban Fantasy is your thing, but you'd like a story where Supernatural People aren't killing, being captured or in a state of suicidal angst, then Annie Nicholas' story may be just the ticket for your own escape.


I had the thought about LOST GIRL because the cover reminds me so much of the actress in it and the way that "power" is transferred.  And, I like it better than the one other story by Annie Nicholas I have read, CATCH, from the Angler Series.

I like the world Nicholas builds here. It shows both the challenges and pleasures of being a Succubus or Incubus. It's also got a Big Love vibe without the fanatical religious element when Pia is discussing having "sister wives." In this world it is interesting that these beings describe fidelity in a different, very different way. It's a fascinating way to think about love, sex and marriage. It also made me think of the period when romantic love became more of the focus for marriage in European based cultures.The concepts of "suitors" and "courtship" and "marriage contracts" are quaint and don't normally sit anywhere near "orgasm," "succubus" or "Incubus."

I liked the characters too. They're a bit on the chick-lit side of romance and that goes with the fun outlook of the story.  Highly enjoyable with good continuity, world building and nookie. This gets a great big RECOMMEND.

AVAILABLE THROUGH MY AFFILIATE LINK AT:

 AMAZON  and  POWELL'S

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Pat Briggs' ALPHA AND OMEGA from Penguin's INKLIT

http://us.penguingroup.com

ALPHA AND OMEGA
CRY WOLF Volume 1

by Patricia BriggsIllustrator: Todd Herman
Writer: David Lawrence
Covers: Jenny Frison

Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Hardcover: 128 pages
InkLit (October 2, 2012)

Summary of Alpha and Omega: Cry Wolf: Volume One

Includes bonus material and a never-before-published version of issue #1!
Patricia Briggs, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson novels, “always enchants her readers" (Lynn Viehl). Now her Alpha and Omega series—set in a world of shifting shapes, loyalties, and passions—comes vividly to life in this collection of four comic books based on Cry Wolf, the first book in the series.

Anna never knew werewolves existed, until the night she survived a violent attack…and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she’s learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. Then Charles Cornick, the enforcer—and son—of the leader of the North American werewolves, came into her life.

Charles insists that not only is Anna his mate, but she is also a rare and valued Omega wolf. And it is Anna’s inner strength and calming presence that will prove invaluable as she and Charles go on the hunt in search of a rogue werewolf—a creature bound in magic so dark that it could threaten all the pack…

A couple of weeks ago I got a press release about Penguin's new imprint INKLIT  off its Berkley/NAL imprint. It will feature Graphic Novels.  According to the Press release, quoting Kara Welsh, Vice President and Publisher of NAL.

Continuing Penguin's ongoing commitment to bring writers to readers in a variety of formats, this new imprint will include both original novels and series as well as adaptations of previously published works.

"We are excited to expand our publishing program to include books in graphic novel format, both from established house authors as well as newcomers to our list." said Welsh.
InkLit will launch on October 2nd with the release of Alpha and Omega: Volume 1 by #1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Briggs with artwork by Todd Herman.  This graphic novel is an adaptation of Cry Wolf (Ace 2008), the first book in the Alpha and Omega series, a spin-off from Briggs's signature Mercy Thompson series.  Alpha and Omega was originally released as an eight-issue comic book series from Dynamite Entertainment.  The new InkLit hardcover will contain the first four comic books, with the remaining four published in Volume 2 in 2013.   

Some of the Mercy Thompson series has also released as Graphic Novels.

I have really enjoyed Pat's Mercy Thompson series and the pieces from the Alpha and Omega series I have read.  Both series inhabit the same world, but this series is a bit earlier in the timeline.  It involves the American Werewolf leader the Marrock, Bran, his sons, Sam and Charles and Charles wife Anna and is centered around their pack in Montana where Mercy went when her mother couldn't handle her "specialness."

Pat is an excellent story teller and an excellent writer. Her stories and her prose are well constructed.  Her characters are engaging.  I find the Alpha and Omega series darker because of Charles' and Anna's positions in the pack. Charles is an Alpha but he is also the bringer of justice for the wolves under the Marrock. Anna, it turns out, is a very special wolf.  She's an Omega, giving her some sort of empathic powers and is responsible for the emotional well-being of the pack. I always think of her as the "Counselor Troi" for the wolves (A Star Trek TNG reference).

I am not an aficionado of Graphic Novels.  I like to read the occasional comic, but I prefer my novels written. This was originally four comic books and now it has been released in a bound omnibus.  I have no idea why the cover illustrator and the panel illustrators are different.  I had a hard time figuring out whether the characters on the cover were Charles and Anna or other characters.

I didn't find the majority of the characters handsomely drawn. And, the veterinarian who asks to go wolf but who can't mesh his personalities is supposed to be beloved but the drawing makes him appear leering and sinister.  Kisses seem weird too. Maybe there is some Graphic Novel convention regarding motion, or kisses? What I am saying is that I didn't like the story board drawing and trying to provide reasoning without giving spoilers. One aspect of the storyboard drawing that does work is the depiction of the wolves. Also Jenny Frisson's covers are quite nice.  The drawings do mitigate the depiction of women as almost normally built. But the body structure is inconsistent from panel to panel, and page to page.

I feel the story loses something without the words; without Pat Briggs' words. I felt the story lacked cohesion as drawn and worded. I felt more like I had read the synopsis of the novel, not the novel. The Marrock's wife showing up screaming at Anna's and Charles' house is simply bizarre. The behaviors and language don't come across well with the drawing lacking the verbal backstory.

It's very possible my lack of enthusiasm stems from not knowing the shorthand or conventions of the graphic novel.  I question whether the goal of the recent introduction of Urban Fantasy to this medium is aimed at attracting more readers, young readers in particular, to the traditional novels, or if it is aimed at bringing more traditional novel readers to the graphic Novel. If it's the latter then many of us will lack the experience allowing us to recognize the GN shorthand. But, I am willing to accept it just may be my lack of understanding. 

I am putting this slim and expensive ($24.95 128 pages) hard cover volume in my next giveaway.  I urge you to check it out yourself. Like any graphic art form, appreciation is highly subjective and while I can tell you about a painting, it is not the same as you looking at it.

If you want to check this one out for yourself I urge you to please avail yourself of my affiliate links:

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SEDUCED BY A PIRATE ARRRGH Never Seemed So Sexy

SEDUCED BY A PIRATE

by Eloisa James

Publisher: Avon Impulse (October 30, 2012)

Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
Loaned by publisher. No remuneration exchanged and all opinions herein are my own except as noted.

Griffin—James's cousin and fellow pirate from The Ugly Duchess—has proved so popular that we're moving publication of his story forward!
Sir Griffin Barry leapt out of the bedchamber window at age seventeen after a very disappointing wedding night, drank a bit too much at the pub...and woke to find that he'd joined the crew of a pirate ship! Years later, he's become one of the most feared pirates on the high seas, piloting the Flying Poppy, a ship he named after the wife whom he fondly (if vaguely) remembers.
What happens when a pirate decides to come home to his wife...if she is his wife, given that the marriage was never consummated? And what happens when that pirate strolls through his front door and is met by...
Well, that's a surprise!
Don't miss this enchanting, sexy tale of a pirate and the wife he never knew—but is determined to seduce.
Eloisa James Website

I was sent this from the publisher on International Talk Like a Pirate Day(9/19).  Since I love everything Eloisa James, and had written several reviews of her fairy-tale based series, I sat down and swashbuckled my way through the e-novella in record time. 

 (Photo: Wikipedia)

This story is an aside to Eloisa's fairy tale themed novel THE UGLY DUCHESS (Review).  In THE UGLY DUCHESS we have two cousins who have fabulous adventures together. James Ryburn, the Duchess's Duke has been hanging out for quite some time with his cousin Sir Griffin Barry. When they are older and wiser they return to England and therein lies the story. It stands on its own very well.

Like everything I've read by Eloisa this is steamy romance but tastefully written.  The characters are mostly likeable or likeable with rough edges. There's always a few surprises that change minds, and there are absolutely charming children.  What can I say, Eloisa always brightens my day! While not speculative fiction SEDUCED BY A PIRATE engenders fantasies all on its own. Trust me, you'll be thinking of pirates in an entirely different way. 

Here's an idea, download this on October 30 and read it immediately.  Then, be a pirate for Halloween and see what happens.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this short piece of steamy e-fiction to anyone who wants a little regency in her romance. 

DOWNLOAD THIS PUPPY BEFORE YOU FORGET:

Get SEDUCED BY A PIRATE for .99 at Amazon

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Edgy and Hot: MATE CLAIMED from Jennifer Ashley

MATE CLAIMED

Shifters Unbound

Jennifer Ashley

Berkley, a Penguin Imprint

October 2, 2012

Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages and E-book

E-Galley lent by publisher via Edelweiss-Above the Treeline. No remuneration was exchanged and all opinions expressed herein are my own unless otherwise noted, cited or attributed.

Mate Claimed at Amazon

BARNES and NOBLE: Mate Claimed

 

Collared and controlled, Shifters are outcast from humanity, forced to live in Shiftertowns. But waiting within are passions that no Collar can contain…
As a wildcat Shifter and leader of his Shiftertown, Eric Warden knows his own kind. When he sees Iona Duncan, he realizes that although she appears human she is a half-Shifter wildcat living without a Collar—and that if she doesn’t acknowledge her true nature and her mating hunger, it may kill her…
Iona finds the mysterious and powerful Eric alluring, even though she has vowed never to reveal her Shifter side, lest her mother pay the price for hiding her all these years. But her mating hunger is rising, and with Eric so close, she may not be able to resist…and her desire may lead to the very doom they are fighting to deny… Penguin Group (USA)

How narrowly would the mind of humanity bend toward the magical combination of DNA and Fae magic that creates the shifters in Ashley's series?  This isn't a new theme in Paranormal fiction but one Ashley explores in edgy, sparse prose, PUNCTUATED BY HOT SEX AND A UNIQUE CULTURE. While it is the fourth book in the series, Ashley is good at placing back story, so I didn't feel I was missing a pile of information. I didn't feel lost like I often do jumping, midway, into a series.

I didn't think I would like it much starting off, but I kept reading and about 50 pages in couldn't put it down. Iona, the female character at the center of the plot was a bit annoying in her refusal to recognize that what the more experienced shifters around her were saying about her needs: " No, no that's not what's going on, because I don't want it to be." As she gets over her denial, she comes to terms with her shifter nature. The hook-up happens gradually, with Iona falling more and more under Eric's spell. And, then, there's a huge explosion of passion that was quite riveting.

But, there's more than sex.  This is also a government versus shifters political thriller with an internal power struggle. At the center of the series, at least this book in the series, is the danger of bigotry and discrimination  Since bigotry, stupidity and discrimination aren't going away, it's always valuable to have books that bring it up outside of a purely human context. The paranormal aspect removes it to the point where the anti-discriminatory message is just subtle enough to help change minds without having to hit us over the head with our flaws.

That political conflict and bias factor gives us a good story; persistent alphas and hot action is a big plus for this series!

Of course, Iona is eventually convinced that she is going to have to come to terms with being a shifter. Since the reward the shifter gets is a wicked hot alpha, a feeling of belonging, and all that other good stuff, we'll probably consider that diversity is a good thing and  ask where we can sign up. (Of course, since we are already unique, diversity has already caught up to us.)

As part of the series a must read and recommended to others as well.

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A Guest Post from Co-Alum Agnes Jayne on An Old House!

THE PROBLEM WITH POWER

Agnes Jayne

Genre: Paranormal

Publisher: Crescent Moon Press

ISBN: 978-1-937254-63-6

978-1-937254-63-64-3

ASIN: B008BKAUQA

Number of pages:306 Word Count: 96,000

Please scroll to bottom to purchase

As many of you know, I am a host for Bewitching Book Tours.  This is a great way for me to get access to authors and their new releases. And, I am pretty picky about what pieces I pick up.  When I read the excerpt from Agnes' book I thought it was of good quality and therefore one I would pick up.  But then I read that Agnes had gone to the same graduate school as I did and I knew she had to visit Fangs, Wands and Fairy Dust.

SUNY Albany, or, The University at Albany, is a pretty large state university. I haven't been to visit for (cough, mumble, cough) years, but I also did my undergraduate work there and grew up in the area. The funny thing is that I RARELY encounter people outside of New York who attended it. In about 29 years in Maine, I have met three people who also went to school there. SO while I am not a booster, have never attended homecoming or anything else having to do with it, having Agnes Jayne visit is a matter of pride and pleasure.  How many other writers do I know who suffered through an Albany winter!

 Book Description:

Emily VonPeer hopes that she never meets the man of her dreams. For years, she's been haunted by visions of an unknown lover destined to die in her arms. When her aunt's death brings her home to her family's estate in Upstate New York, she meets Nicholas Flynn, an agent of Paladin, an enterprise dedicated to the study and eradication of demons, and the hero of her nighttime fantasies. He arrives on her doorstep seeking answers for a slew of magically-related murders tied to the VonPeer family.

Although his intentions are suspect, Emily follows Nicholas into the investigation, hoping to spare him the fate promised by her premonitions - at least, that's what she tells herself. When their exchange with a demon goes awry, Emily sustains an injury that threatens to turn her into a monster. Her transformation places her in the crosshairs of sorcerers, senators, and a seductive stranger who promises eternity.

English: The first seal of the city of Albany, New York, dating to 1686. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The House in

THE PROBLEM WITH POWER

by Agnes Jayne

Hello and thank you so much for having me on your blog today. My name is Agnes Jayne and I’m the author of The Problem with Power, a paranormal novel recently released by Crescent Moon Press. My novel features a lot of different types of characters. There are witches and wizards, angels, demons, and worst of all, a couple of politicians. The one character that I’d like to talk about today is not a person at all. It’s a house.

The inspiration for the character of the House came from a place that I visited when I lived near Albany, NY. For those of you who don’t know about Albany, it’s one of the oldest towns in the country, having been settled in the late 1600s. The House in my book is modeled after a home near Albany that was among these early settlements. The original few rooms of the original house were intact, and the people who owned the House built rooms around these original rooms over the years, tacking on bedrooms and bathrooms and family rooms as they went. What resulted was this truly magnificent home by the river, the likes of which I’d never seen before or since. The whole place seemed alive with its own personality, and if I’ve ever seen a magical place in the real world, this was it.

This was the inspiration for the House in my novel. In my novel, the House has the ability to talk to the members of the family who dwell within it. She (the House is a she) is imbued with her own magic, and this makes her a real asset to the members of the VonPeer family. Without giving too much away, she’s also an integral part in the resolution of the novel, and I hope that you’ll love reading about her as much as I loved writing her.

Thanks for your time today, and if you choose to pick up a copy of The Problem with Power, I hope that you enjoy it. May you never run out of great books to read!

About the Author :

Agnes Jayne (left) began her writing career as a reporter for her high school newspaper in a small town in Northern New York. She completed her undergraduate degree in English and Political Science from Binghamton University. Upon her graduation from Binghamton University, she won a prestigious journalism fellowship at the New York State Senate, and went on to complete a Master of Arts Degree in English at the University of Albany. Following this, she worked as a political writer, producing speeches and other government documents for state and local politicians.

These days, she splits her time between writing and teaching classes in composition and literature at a small college in Maryland. She lives high in the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia with her husband, son, and a plethora of adopted pets.

Website: www.agnesjayne.com

Twitter: @AgnesJayne

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Agnes-Jayne/129185533835792

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13188328-the-problem-with-power

SHORT EXCERPT

Emily watched from the kitchen window as the lights from the far shore played on the waves of the river. She heard the ghost of a voice whisper to her, but she ignored it. The voice would wait until morning. Maybe the sunlight would settle her, stop the spinning in her soul from the flight, the funeral, and the horrible ache that came from the realization that for the first time in her life, she was truly alone. Even the moon had abandoned her, its thin light concealed by the clouds overhead. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, willing the loop of events to stop flashing through her mind, yet the pictures remained sharp as blades, begging her to remember, to fight, to avenge. But she didn’t know how or where to start. She only knew why. A single word popped into her mind.

Even now, the idea pulsed like blood in her head, but there was nothing that she could do. Someone had stolen the only thing that mattered from her, and at twenty-six years old she was, once again, an orphan.

It’ll be better in the morning, she thought.

She pulled the edges of Aunt Maeve’s bathrobe closer; it was a shade too tight across the shoulders. She went to bed searching her mind for a shred of meaning or a moment of significance to light her path. All she found was a memory.

TO PURCHASE:

BARNES AND NOBLE The Problem With Power

AMAZON

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SEDUCTION AND SNACKS: The Funniest Book I've Read in a Long Time and Steamy to Boot

SEDUCTION AND SNACKS

Chocolate Lovers #1

by Tara Sivec

Paperback: 284 pages, E-book formats are also available

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (June 22, 2012)

Purchased by blogger.

Available in Paperback or for Kindle at AMAZON

Claire is a twenty-something, single mom that grudgingly helps her best friend sell sex toys while she attempts to make enough money to start her own business to give her foul-mouthed, but extremely loveable (when he's asleep) toddler a better life.

When Carter, the one-night-stand from her past that changed her life forever, shows up in her hometown bar without any recollection of her besides her unique chocolate scent, Claire will make it a point that he remembers her this time.

With Carter's undisguised shock at suddenly finding out he has a four-year-old son and Claire's panic that her stretch marks and slim to none bedroom experience will send the man of her dreams heading for the hills, the pair will do whatever they can to get their happily ever after.

Warning: contains explicit sex, profanity and enough sarcasm to choke a horse.
Tara Sivec on www.goodreads.com

I had several possible ways to open this review:

• Well I should have taken notes but I was too busy laughing my ass off!
• A reader (Cayce) in my recent giveaway said this was the steamiest book she had read this year.  Look, I have been on a diet for almost a year and frankly the word "snacks" in the title got my attention.
• Usually I bear absolutely zero degrees of fondness for the Createspace publishing platform.  But in this case I will make an exception.
• This is a stirring, steamy and emotional tale about the least likely thing in the world happening and the joy of parenthood bringing two.... 
• I immediately liked the female protagonist in SEDUCTION AND SNACKS.  Like me, she never wanted to have children. She even says something about preferring cats, which is something I say. Then she goes and has one. I didn't and still prefer cats.

All are indeed true.  I did laugh my ass off. I haven't read anything this funny since David Sedaris' ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY. Between the characters, the situations, the language used -- everything really I laughed so hard the I hiccoughed all the way to the bathroom to which I had to run so I wouldn't pee in my pants from laughter and hiccoughs.  Seriously, Sivec rushes right past snark to outright sarcasm. My husband is used to the books I read making my face red from the steaminess, in this case it was both.

So, I don't know if it's the steamiest thing I have read all year, but then I pretty much read erotica everyday so steamy is a high bar. But it sure is the funniest and making steamy funny, now that takes some doing. They say if you can laugh together in bed you're relationship is good.  That's laugh together, not at.
It takes some time to get to non-disastrous sex but once we do it's pretty good and well-written. Sivec manages to avoid the awkward use of words that are icky.

The characters themselves are hilarious and Sivec keeps the characters consistent throughout. Claire and Liz have a friend who uses the wrong word all the time. For example where I say "Preferring cats," Jenny would say "Proferring cats." Sometimes she just slipped up and sometimes she is just a bit blond. Carter has a friend with a total gutter mind, and who revels in his gutter mind like the proverbial pig in poo.

Oh, Createspace issues: there are more typos than I like in a book. While traditional publishing isn't perfect in this regard there are fewer typos and better edits in most cases. Spellcheck strikes again!  Claire mentions her mom at the beginning but then she simply disappears. I felt she could have been left out except her father as a source of deadpan sarcasm, his down-to-earthiness and old-fashioned loyalty explains a lot about Claire's personality as well as her having a bit of a potty mouth. But, a good editor may have come up with a better solution for the absent mom noticing her distinct absence for no apparent reason in the second half of the book. However that doesn't take away from this being a gem of a book.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As far as the love story goes, the sarcasm, steam and humor as well as the inventiveness of the entire storyline (seriously sex toys and a bakery — that is original!) prevent it from becoming a Hallmark card for Lifetime Movie Sappiness Day. 

And yeah, Claire has a child and of course she loves him, but I think she may still have preferred cats.

SEDUCTION AND SNACKS is sexy, dirty and downright fun! For contemporary steamy romance/erotica readers this is a MUST READ. I am amazed a traditional publisher hasn't yet snapped it up.

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