VAMPIRES GONE WILD — So Much Better Than Spring Break!

VAMPIRES GONE WILD

Anthology
Kerrelyn Sparks, Pamela Palmer, Amanda Arista, Kim Falconer
February 12, 2013
Print Length: 100 pages
Avon Impulse /HarperCollins Publishers

Vampires Gone Wild brings together four paranormal romance novellas by Kerrelyn Sparks, Pamela Palmer, Amanda Arista, and Kim Falconer, authors and bloggers at Supernatural Underground.

Kerrelyn Sparks’s demure Pamela and sexy vampire sidekick battle the Malcontents in “V is for Vampwoman.” Kim Falconer’s aqueous San Francisco vampires in “Blood and Water” want nothing from “landers” — unless it’s dinner, but that’s until Stellan meets Angelina. Pamela Palmer carries readers to Vamp City in “A Forever Love” where trapped Lukas pines for his lost love. When she appears, Lukas will fight to keep her alive. It’s been a hundred years since Valiance has dated; all is great until they’re attacked, but quiet Esme will shock Valiance in Amanda Arista’s “First Dates Are from Hell.”

The vampires have gone wild in this collection of never-before-published stories by bestselling authors Kerrelyn Sparks and Pamela Palmer, and two rising stars of paranormal romance!


V is for VampWoman by Kerrelyn Sparks

Pamela decides to shed her prim and proper ways for spandex and a mask to help fight the Malcontents. Now if only she weren't so distracted by the sexy vampire fighting by her side . . .

A Forever Love by Pamela Palmer

Trapped in Vamp City, Lukas has been unable to return to the beauty who stole his heart. But now that she's stumbled into his world, it will take every ounce of cunning he possesses to keep her alive.

First Dates Are Hell by Amanda Arista

Valiance's first date in a hundred years is going great . . . until they're attacked in the parking lot and quiet, unassuming Esme turns out to be way more than she appears.

Blood and Water by Kim Falconer

Beneath the waves of San Francisco Bay lives a vampire race that wants nothing to do with the "landers" except to feed on them. But when Stellan sets eyes on Angelina, everything changes.
HarperCollins

MY TAKE

Sometimes anthologies are rather uneven, but I can say I enjoyed each of the stories in this anthology. It has a good blend of silly and serious.  Sparks' offering, V is for Vampwoman, reminded me of the wprld of the Dragonesti style vampires. It was somewhat silly but very fun.  The female vampires released from the Sparksian Vampire harem are so vapid, so Saturday-Morning-Cartoon-like they provide an amusing respite from the often serious paranormal world.  It made me want to go catch up on Sparks series.

A Forever Love by Pamela Palmer is one of those more serious Vampire tales.  Set in her fairly new Vamp City Series, the story took me back to that space. I am amused by the idea that Washington VC underlies our own Washington DC. Maybe that's where all that scary stuff comes from, the bad juju seeping in!

It takes true love to allow a woman to look past a lover's terrible secrets and that's what Elizabeth has to do. But she also has to make a really tough choice.  It is such a spooky setting, and Palmer writes complex characters who are not typical or easy to figure out. Her world of vampires isn't cut and dried either. This is a good reminder of that world.

I loved Amanda Arista's First Dates are Hell, even though it started off a little obtusely.  I really didn't get at first that Val was a vampire and what kind of world the supernaturals were living in.  There may be a bit of Sookie Stackhouse legacy in the story when we learn about how strong fairy blood is. But, it's also fun to watch a girl, Esme, who thinks herself invisible come into her own.  An Val really is a Prince Charming. But is may be Esme who saves the day!

Blood and Water started off a bit over the top. There's an odd mix of Vampire and Mer-People here.  They are rather vicious. The young woman Stellan falls for, Angelina, is ahead of her time. And, while she is a bit artsy-head in the clouds, her family predicament is frustrating in its unfairness.  What she and Stellan have is very passionate. I ended up enjoying it although Mer-people are not my favorite supernatural creatures.


At $2.99 this is a great value with a lot of bang for the buck. If you wonder whether you would like these authors' styles this is a great opportunity and if you already like them, the stories are previously unpublished so you will get something new!

Highly Recommended.


Pre-Order it today for yourself or as a Valentine's Day Gift!




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Beware Blud Kittens! The Peculiar Pets of Miss Pleasance

THE PECULIAR PETS OF MISS PLEASANCE

Delilah S. Dawson
Simon and Schuster/Pocket Star
April 2013
E-Book - Novella
Provided by NetGalley loan of an E-ARC.  No remuneration exchanged. Except as noted all opinions herein are my own.

This is a really early review but, I really love Deliliah's books and I was in the mood for something short.

This e-novella follows Casper to London as he begins to rise to stardom. When lonely pet shop owner Frannie Pleasance takes in a new lodger, odd things begin to happen. Fire fighter Thom Maccallan might be the only one who can keep her safe. DelilahSDawson.com

Delilah has created this parallel world, Sang, where our world is sort of known, in whispers and secrets.  In it there are human and other regular creatures, and there are bludmen, blud bunnies, blud badgers, blud rats and every other kind of bluddie beast.  It's a little steampunk and circus and Dickensian. There are also the daimons of Franchia a sentient non-human of many varieties.  Once in a  while one of us slips through.  Sometimes it's a person n a coma, others it's someone asleep.

In this book, Miss Frannie Pleasance owns a pet shop of non-blud creatures; inherited. She finds a man, Casper, who resembles her late brother, unconcious in a puddle.  He reeks of wine,  she helps him and gives him a room.  He's a bit of a drunken cad, while he helps in the shop, he often helps not at all. He is not unemployed and becomes a paying lodger.  She's a pretty young woman, so he starts to hit on her.

Strange things start to happen.  It comes to pass that she has some secrets.  Casper also has secrets, but is a famous musician. Suddenly people are trying to kill Frannie. When her pet shop catches fire, she meets a very nice fireman, Thom. He comes courting and well what happens next is the rest of the story, filled with mystery, magic, danger and other nasties.

I really enjoyed the book.  Delilah has a way of developing unique characters with enough familiarity that you will feel comfortable with them —  important in a short format.  Frannie is remarkbly unique with her brisk London air, her sadness, her work ethic, her loneliness.  Thom is more or less "the noble hero with a past." He's that handsome, steadfast guy who's still wicked sexy -- you know a cross between the guy on the cover of the romance novel and the guy a woman's father wouldn't mind giving her away to. Casper wasn't a really standup guy in WICKED AS THEY COME, he seems nice on first meeting but he is a jerk, very self-centered. He grows a little here.

The paradox of two men interested in her when none have been for some time is a catalyst for Frannie that results in one of those sudden shifts in character path. Often in short format fiction the shift that results in a big life change isn't justified. Here it is really well-done.

I also enjoy Delilah's prose. It is lovely, has good rhythm, and uses time and world appropriate language. Sometimes her sentences are insightful, noticing and naming things I would never think without her having shown me:

The spotlight burst onto Casper, who had removed his jacket. The intimacy of his open shirt made it seem as if he were all alone in the world instead of displayed onstage before thousands of London's richest and poorest spectators. 
Delilah S. Dawson, The Peculiar Pets of Miss Pleasance

See, I would never have thought of an open shirt creating an illusion of intimacy and solitude in the midst of a crowd.  It's this type of writing I crave. he next time I see a performer dressed in this way I will think of this and see that person differently.

This is a sweet mystery; it's easy to connect the dots between Casper's arrival and the danger which suddenly seems to seek out Frannie, but the why of it is elusive. And the love story, well, that is also sweet. Frannie's secret is as much of a miracle in Sang's London as it would be if it were more magical than it turns out to be.  But the tension of the reveal is rather exciting.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Delilah's novella THE PECULIAR PETS OF MISS PLEASANCE.


This is not out until April, but I recommend pre-ordering it today so you don't lose track of it!









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GOING UNDER by Lauren Dane Says More About Human Nature than "Other" Nature

This is book three in the BOUND BY MAGICK series and it’s Gage’s book.

“Lauren Dane always delivers a steamy, exciting ride,”* and she does it again in her new novel of two lovers fighting for their lives against a rising threat, and a passion that’s just as dangerous…

In the wake of the Magister’s rampage, chaos rules. Left reeling, the Others and the humans scramble to create a some sort of unity in the face of growing unrest and violence from anti-Other hate groups federation—and ruthless PR guru Molly Ryan is the witch who can do it. She grew up in the human world but there’s nothing left for her there. She’s lost her PR firm, her friends and she’s decided to put all her fight toward aiding the Others in this dark, new reality. If there’s anything left for her there, she’s going to fight for it. But Gage Garrity, one of the few Others who survived the massacre, fears that the crusade will expose Molly to greater dangers than ever before.

Now, together, with magick on their side, they’re on the road in a desperate struggle to unite a torn world. From state houses to television news to legislative conference rooms across the country, they’re fighting the good fight. And it’s bringing out a passion in both of them they never expected—one as volatile, intense, and all-consuming as their relentless battle for world unity. A battle that could be their undoing…
http://www.laurendane.com/books/bound-by-magick/going-under/

MY TAKE

GOING UNDER  was very different from anything I had ever read by Lauren Dane.  It occurs in the same world of "Others" that The de LaVega Cats and the Cascadia Wolves Series occupy but it felt very different. It felt more like Dane was in a literary fiction mode, reminiscent of Piccoult but with a lot more sex. Or, maybe it's because the story is told from the Witches' perspective and that their voice is different. Or, perhaps it is that their world has dramatically changed since this event of The Magister. that seems to have outed all the Supes, killed a lot of them and somehow scared the heck out of regular humans.  

I missed those books so I was a bit lost over what went down, but it sounds like a paradigmatic apocalypse. These beings, the supernaturals, had lived amongst humans in secret forever, but knowing about them made them a threat. This demonstrates a human failing and a form of completely irrational mass hysteria. I think this best read as a series in sequence; having missed the earlier books, I often felt lost.

The characters are also more complex. Or, rather there is an attempt to make them deeper than I usually experience in steamy books. And Dane is known for steamy books.  I am not sure if Dane is aiming for a confused, strong, forceful woman or if she just didn't quite nail the character.  But Molly, the heroine here is really blocked, hurt and frustrated by feelings she's afraid to express for fear of "losing it" and events she cannot control.  Okay, well maybe Dane does hit  the nail on the head.  The guy, Gage is not as interesting as Molly even though it is defined on Dane's website as his story.   He's reeling too, but feels a bit like he was pulled out of central casting.

Where Dane does shine is in the plot and it's socio-political theme.  It seemed scary, thrilling and complex, and its development made me angry at the "bad guys," humans! In this, the humans, in the form of Human Interest Groups - Human ONLY groups, gruesomely murdering and trying to legislate against "Others" or Supernatural people.  Humanity at its worst. There's a real sense of how unfairly the Others are being treated, and how very patient and tolerant the Others are towards humans.  Molly is a PR expert who crafts messages to defuse the situations and save people.  This is a good example of how paranormally themed books are foils for the human situation.  By removing it to a fantasy situation it gives the author the leeway to explore without having to endure ideologically misguided anger.  I felt the characters' fear; their anger and frustration.  Humanity's very worst is demonstrated through their terrible acts of violence against innocents.

Since GOING UNDER was a meatier book than I expected from Lauren Dane it also took longer to read.  It's interesting that what I found most compelling was the plot and not the character's feeling on hanging on for fear one would "go under;"  yet the book title is more reflective of the character's situation, I think, than the political societal one. I did feel throughout that I was not sure what would happen.  Would one of the main characters be sacrificed to the plot.

All in all, this was a story that engaged me in some ways and not in others.  Since it wasn't what I expected I was unjustifiably disappointed at first, but I warmed up to it; the "human" story was really good. I highly recommend this story, but would advise it in order for the backstory.

Going Under

by Lauren Dane
Berkley/Penguin
Feb 5, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and E-Book Formats
320 pages
E-Galley loaned by Publisher via NetGalley.com.  No remuneration was exchanged.  All opinions herein are my own unless noted otherwise.




Also Available at Barnes and Noble



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HOUSE RULES TOUR KICKOFF! ARE YOU READY??

                                 KICKOFF!

Below, you'll find one of my favorite quotes from the series. An exciting Urban Fantasy with lots of action.  For the woman I am,  it is more about the love story. We've been thrilled and shocked, we've grieved and been overjoyed.  What will Chloe tell us about Merit and Ethan in HOUSE RULES?

This quote? To me it's about how much Ethan wants Merit. How much he really feels for her even if she isn't ready to accept it.

These images are the theme for the tour.  See what new graphics are available each day.

Description

At the tender age of 27, Merit became a sword-wielding vampire. Since then, she’s become the protector of her House, watched Chicago nearly burn to the ground, and seen her Master fall and rise. Now she’ll see her mettle—and her metal—tested like never before.
It started with two . . . Two rogues vanishing without a trace. Someone is targeting Chicago’s vampires, and anyone could be next. With their house in peril, Merit and her Master, the centuries old Ethan Sullivan, must race to stop the disappearances. But as they untangle a web of secret alliances and ancient evils, they realize their foe is more familiar, and more powerful, than they could have ever imagined.

Giveaways: Here and Tourwide

HERE:

I have swag to give away.  . More will be available through my giveaway in the Fools for Luv Hop Later this week.

Does not include mat on which the prizes are displayed.

Book Damage

A“Chicagoland Vampires” tote bag designed just for this tour, Chicagoland Vampires pen designed just for this tour, A signed copy of Biting Cold (the copy I received was slightly damaged in shipping (see picture), An “I survived Hard Bitten” button, Chicagoland Vampires bookmarks and a Dark Elite St. Sophia's Magnet. 

Rules are on the form and the contest ends 12 AM East Coast on Sunday Feb. 3.  18 and older/USA only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I will be in the Fools For Luv Blog Hop  2/1 through 2/14 with a copy of HOUSE RULES to give away - Thanks Penguin - Please come back to enter.


TOURWIDE:

The fun doesn’t stop here. Want more chances to win? You can also enter Chloe’s House Rules Grand Prize Giveaways, which will run January 30 through February 7 on Chloe’s web site.
What are the Grand Prize Giveaway prizes?
Prize One: The Paper Prize

• A complete set of autographed Chicagoland Vampires novels
• A $50 gift card from Amazon or Barnes & Noble (winner’s choice)
• A set of personalized bookplates, courtesy of Felix Doolittle
• A Chicagoland Vampires tote bag

Prize Two: The Tech Prize

• A set of Chicagoland Vampires audiobook CDs (Books 1-6), courtesy of Tantor Audio
• A $50 gift card from Amazon or Barnes & Noble (winner’s choice)
• A Chicagoland Vampires tote bag

Both prize packages will include plenty of Chicagoland Vampires and Dark Elite swag, including bookmarks, stickers, pencils, or other goodies (as supplies last)

On the tour today and tomorrow:

TODAY
A Book Obsession
January 29, 2013
Reading and Writing Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance
Oh Paper Pages

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HOUSE RULES by Chloe Neill REVIEW & Tour Information

HOUSE RULES

A Chicagoland Vampires Novel
by Chloe Neill
New American Library/Penguin
February 5, 2013
Trade Paperback & Ebook

AMAZON


BARNES AND NOBLE


Indiebound

In a city full of vampires, trouble never sleeps.At the tender age of 27, Merit became a sword-wielding vampire. Since then, she’s become the protector of her House, watched Chicago nearly burn to the ground, and seen her Master fall and rise. Now she’ll see her mettle—and her metal—tested like never before.
It started with two . . . Two rogues vanishing without a trace. Someone is targeting Chicago’s vampires, and anyone could be next. With their house in peril, Merit and her Master, the centuries old Ethan Sullivan, must race to stop the disappearances. But as they untangle a web of secret alliances and ancient evils, they realize their foe is more familiar, and more powerful, than they could have ever imagined. ChloeNeill.com

THE OFFICIAL TOUR KICKS OFF HERE TOMORROW WITH SPECIAL CONTENT, GIVEAWAYS AND FUN!!

In this volume in the series, finally Ethan and Merit are beginning to really trust each other. And more importantly, Merit, never a shrinking violet, is beginning to trust her own decisions as sentinel. THe couple is under a lot of stress as this nasty, nasty something is going around and beheading vampires in a serial killer fashion.  Then the worst mayor in the history of Chicago hires the militant McKetrick to essentially have Merit's Grandfather's old job, but without the helpful way her grandfather did it.

As Merit points out, she and Ethan haven't been together very long, and part of that time he was really dead.  We know a relationship is only as good as how it weathers a crisis. And that relationship crisis is coming down the pike at a clip.  Chloe handles this well.  Merit's decision to stand her ground is vital to her character, but her feeling of upset is palpable.   We don't see Ethan's feelings as much here.  But it is a big part of Merit's character to NOT give in when she feels she has made the right decision.

Of course the whole series is told through Merit's point of view, but while I find many authors use this position as an excuse for exposition I applaud Chloe's ability to write a descriptive account instead of an expository tale. 

There is so much going on in this series entry. The hosue is under fire on several fronts. The governing bodies that organizes the "house" system is trying to get back at Cadogan, there's a serial killer on the loose and there is this relationship crisis at the same time. And, it all happens in the space of about 72 hours.

I began reading this book on the way to Miami and then in the car on the drive down the Keys. Never has a trip flown by so fast. By the time we checked into out hut, I was almost finished. This was definitely hard to put down.

I really love this whole series, some parts of it are like the battle scene in Breaking Dawn 2 -- down right shocking.  But in this book I found a feeling that Merit and Ethan are moving into a really committed relationship, Cadogan is moving in a new direction and the mayor has some explaining to do.

MUST READ!

The tour kicks off tomorrow right here; We'll have special content from Chloe, and some great giveaways!

Then I will be giving away a copy of HOUSE RULES  in my giveaway for the FOOLS FOR LUV Giveaway Hop, Feb 1 through the 14. 


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Pirates, Gypsies, Spies and Virgins A PASSION FOR HIM by Sylvia Day

Stranger
He wears a mask…and he is following her. Staring at her like no other man since Colin. But Colin is dead and Amelia believes she will never again shiver with pleasure, never again sigh his name.
Lover
Until her masked pursuer lures her into a moonlit garden and a single, reckless kiss. Now she is obsessed with discovering his identity. Perfectly attuned to his every desire, his every thought, she will not stop until she knows his every secret.
NetGalley

A PASSION FOR HIM

by Sylvia Day
Kensington/Brava
January 29, 2012
275 Pages, Paperback, E-Book, Audio

Sylvia Day's forthcoming A PASSION FOR HIM reissue, out from Kensington Brava at the end of this month, is dressed up in a cover that reminds me of the covers Kensington is using for all of Sylvia's books following the resounding success of her Crossfire Novels.  But, this is not a Crossfire Novel. It's a sort of Georgian Romance filled with Pirates, Earls, Gypsies and the virginal daughter of a hanged pirate.  That would be Amelia. Amelia's sister, Maria is also a piratish person and suspected of killing her first two husbands. 

Amelia is attracted to a striking figure of a man at an event,  at which event she is accompanied by and arranging a marriage to an Earl.  An Earl who seems to be a friend to all these Pirates (perhaps they were the crown-sanctioned type of pirates known as Privateers). At one of the endless round of parties, balls, and masquerades (so exhausting) she sees a guy looking at her. He's well built and mysterious, but his face is mostly hidden from view. She is really drawn to him and eventually pursues him until,...

Turns out she had guarded childhood because her father was this evil man who kept her guarded all the time.  Not so guarded she couldn't sneak around to tryst with this gypsy-stableboy-footman who dies. She thought.  This is all mixed up in the kind of espionage-paid assassination that England and France were supposed to have been caught up in.  Lot's of daggers and swirling capes. There's a lot going on in this novel.

Now the Earl, he wants to marry her. Even knowing she was in love with this other guy and hasn't forgotten him.  Never mind that as the daughter-sister-sister in law to pirates, this Earl wants to marry her! They do not have a passionate love for each other but he assures her she will like sex with him.  Then he runs off for a tryst with his current mistress. Oh well, the Georgians -- I guess those were wild times of drinking, loosened stays and rouged nipples.

In that way, the book breaks new ground. After all Goergian women were the currency of the nobility.  So, if you want to ignore the whole "WTF"  of the book it is, in general, okay.  It is descriptive and non-expository. It is NOT, thank heavens,  told from the first person POV.  Sometimes Sylvia's writing is lovely, stunning even. And then, at others the prose is so over the top that at the height of passion for the couple engaged in, as Amelia calls it at one point, sexual congress, it made me laugh and read the passage to my husband who said, "That's terrible."

Sadly, I failed to mark the passage. But, I would be remiss if I didn't say how the book is uneven in this way.  Having said that I must also say the book is completely unlike other books by Sylvia.  It certainly demonstrates her versatility. If you enjoy steamy, unlikely Georgian romance then this may be something for you.

AMAZON



BARNES AND NOBLE

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For the Love of Hades has Much to Love

For the Love of Hades

Loves of Olympus, Book 2
Sasha Summers

Genre: Romantic Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Crescent Moon Press

ISBN: 978-1-937254-83-4
ASIN: 978-1-937254-84-1

Number of pages: 309
Word Count: 78,500

Cover Artist: Jeannie Ruesch

Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/LXx52Vve8hY
Book loaned via Net Galley
All opinions herein are my own except as noted and no remuneration was exchanged.

Book Description:

 Hermes helping Persephone
return to her mother
Demeter 
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, has no patience for living things or his Olympian brethren. His purpose is order, administering justice to those who enter his realm, and keeping the balance decreed by the Fates. Meeting Persephone sways his focus, her gentle sweetness threatening his control. But he will not be tempted.

Poseidon’s scheming wreaks havoc upon Persephone. Hades has no choice - he must rescue her.

Hades awakens something within the Goddess Persephone. She feels no fear from his brooding presence. In truth, she’s never felt so alive. Every stolen moment together only confirms her instinct: he is meant to be hers. Such a powerful union suit will face opposition – from Olympus, her troubled betrothed, the Fates, even Hades himself – but she is determined to win his heart.

Tagline: Hades, God of Death, has no heart. Persephone is determined to prove otherwise…

AMAZON for Print and Kindle

Barnes and Noble for Paperback and Nook

MY TAKE

Normally, if a book were written in the disinterested, omniscient observer mood like this is, I wouldn't like it.  But the language is so poetic that it reads like an accessible epic poem mixed with the work of Leanna Renee Hieber.  You know I was taught that Persephone was stolen away, against her will by an evil, satanic lord of the underworld.  But here, in this poesy of prose, Persephone and Hades come upon each other quite by accident.  She falls in love with and pursues the hell out of him (pun intended).

Persephone and Hades. 
ca. 440-430 BC. (Wikipedia)

I enjoyed this fresh take on Persephone, the Goddess of growth and renewal,is not some frail victim.   Honorable Hades tries to push her away, and then to hold himself back.  But, she is like a plant in her ability to come back against the odds.  She is most certainly the aggressor in the relationship.  It hink this was an exciting and interesting move by Sasha Summers.  No longer should these goddesses and demi-goddesses be portrayed as weak and without their own power.  Persephone made things grow for goodness sake.  Women in agricultural societies were not weak. 

In the traditional tale, Demeter is so overwrought about her daughter moving to Hell with Hades that she makes winter and droughts half the year.  When Momma ain't happy, nobody's happy!  In the story as Summers tells it is more about the practices of war, and Persephone's own absence, I believe, that causes the blight.   Persephone chooses Hades. 

I really enjoyed the book, because the characters of quite a few gods from the Hellenic Pantheon were  brought to life as real people with real, sometimes less than noble personalities. Poseidon is, in particualr, a huge jerk (I would use stronger language but it wouldn't be polite). They often act more like humans than gods. It is very dreamlike and allegorical in its plotting with spatial unreality we would imagine of travel between the human realms and that of the underworld and Olympus.

There is a little tying-up of loose ends from the first book in the series, MEDUSA: A Love Story.  I didn't understand it's placement until I noted there had been another book in the series.

I recommend it as a good read, with a unique feeling and a intriguing take on a story so often told that I thought it could not really be made interesting again.  Enjoy!

Tour Wide Giveaway

This giveaway is offered, Managed and fulfilled by Bewitching Book Tours.  Please contact them with any questions.

one white lily pendant (US only) (see pic, above)

one signed paperback set of Medusa and Hades (USA/Canada only)

one $15 Amazon or BN Gift Card (winner’s choice)

a Rafflecopter giveaway





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About the Author :

Sasha Summers is part gypsy. Her passions have always been storytelling, history, and travel. It's no surprise that her books visit times past, set in places rich with legends and myth. Her first play, 'Greek Gods and Goddesses' (original title, right?), was written for her Girl Scout troupe.

She's been writing ever since. She loves getting lost in the worlds and characters she creates; even if she frequently forgets to run the dishwasher or wash socks when she's doing so. Luckily, her four brilliant children and hero-inspiring hubby are super understanding and supportive.

Sasha is an active member of RWA and several Texas Chapters. A self-proclaimed movie-addict, she is full of all sorts of useless movie tidbits and trivia.

Website   Twitter   Goodreads  Facebook  Blog   Pinterest

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IMMORTAL EVER AFTER by Lynsay Sands How Strong is A Woman??

IMMORTAL EVER AFTER

An Argeneau Novel
by Lynsay Sands
Avon/Harper Collins
February 26, 2013
Paperback& E-Book Formats
384 pages

A kiss doesn’t mean eternity . . .
Valerie Moyer doesn’t believe in vampires—until she is kidnapped by a fanged psychopath! After escaping her bloodthirsty captor, she’s through with creatures of the night. Until she finds herself under the protection of the darkly handsome Anders. Not only is she expected to accept that Anders is immortal, but also that she is the woman destined to be his life mate!
www.lynsaysands.net

Amazon for Kindle and Print


At Barnes and Noble for Print and Nook

MY TAKE

How strong are you under pressure? When your actions have resulted in preventing harm, or saved someone, with danger to yourself, have you felt heroic? My understanding is that most people, women and men, don't act heroically with the feeling that they are doing so.

This entry in the Argeneau series was seriously riveting from page one. Settling for the normal route doesn't seem to have left our heroine, Valerie, feeling great about herself outside of her professional abilities.  Even when she acts heroically she doesn't seem to recognize it in herself. But, Valerie continues to think well  under pressure and is a really strong person physically and emotionally.

But, Sands Argeneau books aren't about damsels in distress being saved, or even about superior vampires saving pitiable humans.  Often the guys need saving or the women get them selves out of jams with no help from men at all. And, in this book sometimes physical strength is not a match for the power of clear thinking. 

Like Lara Adrian, Lynsay manages to keep the series fresh by changing the focus and not using a formula to achieve a similar end.  There's a lot of comedic relief in the scarier parts of the book.  There's a little Keystone Cop action at the end. 

One thing I really liked is the depth of Anders history, and also the discussion of his given name. It's a riot, but I've known people with names that meant one thing a long time ago or in another language but which had an entirely different meaning in contemporary speech. It was super interesting to read of his past. He is the first Immortal associated with the Argeneaus who I recall as being a person of color.  How he grew up and became part of the Immortal Security Force was fascinating. It really made the character more accessible.The details Lynsay excels at revealing are those little things couples learn about each other at the beginning of their relationship.

I also liked how Lynsay handled the ordeal the kidnapped women went through. Valerie is a veterinarian and obviously has a penchant for helping people too. Her caring nature is developed more throughout the book. And, saving peoples' pets must be pretty good training for thinking under stress.

Neither Valerie or Anders is an Argeneau, but it is nice how the Argeneaus treat others as family. Maybe it's that in Canada politeness seems more the norm than in the USA these days, but the feeling of welcome Lynsay creates in her characters makes the reader feel like part of the big extended family that is the world of the Argeneau series.

These books are all on the shortish side of novel length, and while the action isn't always light (people do occasionally get killed) the books are not gruesome or horrific.  There's a  light feeling to them. I enjoyed this one a lot, and I hope you enjoy it as well. I highly recommend the Argeneau series and this book is a must read in the series. Because there's years of back story here, I don't recommend this on it's own not because the world structure is not explained, but because there character relationships are entwined in the back story.  And there are a lot of characters.

Lynsay is Guest Posting at FOOLS FOR LUV on TUESDAY FEBRUARY 12th, She will be giving away a signed copy of UNDER A VAMPIRE MOON so be sure to visit for the guest posts, daily giveaways and the giveaway hop.  




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Edge of Dawn: Do You Think Destiny Can Be Averted?

EDGE OF DAWN

A Midnight Breed Novel
by Lara Adrian
Random House/Bantam Dell/Delacourt Press
February 26, 2013
Hard Cover & E-Book: 288 ppages
E-Galley loaned by publisher via NetGalley.com for review purposes.
No remuneration was exchanged and all opinions herein are my own except as otherwise noted.

In this pulse-pounding and thrillingly sensual novel, New York Times bestselling author Lara Adrian returns to the mesmerizing world of the Midnight Breed, following new characters into a dark future where an uneasy peace can unravel into war—and a great betrayal can mask an all-consuming love.

Twenty years after the terror of First Dawn—when mankind learned that vampires lived secretly among them—the threat of violence reigns as the two species struggle to coexist. The only group preserving the fragile harmony is the Order, an elite cadre of Breed warriors dedicated to protecting humans and vampires alike. And in this precarious world of torn loyalties and shattered trust, Mira, a fiery squad captain, finds that every fight bears an intensely personal cost.

Raised among the Order, Mira has always believed in the warrior’s code of swift—and even lethal—justice. But the one thing she desires more than the Order’s hard-won acceptance is Kellan Archer, a sexy but troubled Breed fighter. In love with him since childhood, Mira once broke through his tough exterior during an unexpected night of rapture, but the next day he mysteriously disappeared, never to return.

Kellan didn’t think he would ever see Mira again—or have to confront the truth of why he left. After abandoning the Order years ago, he now leads a band of human rebels intent on carrying out their own vigilante rule of law. Yet a high-profile kidnapping assignment brings him face-to-face with the past he sought to avoid, and the striking woman he has tried desperately to forget. And as tensions mount and the risk of bloodshed grows, Kellan and Mira must take sides—between the competing missions that dominate their lives, and the electrifying passion that claims their hearts.

Lara Adrian is the New York Times bestselling author of the Midnight Breed series, including Kiss of Midnight, Kiss of Crimson, Midnight Awakening, Midnight Rising, Veil of Midnight, and Ashes of Midnight.
www.netgalley.com

At Barnes and Noble Signed Copies are available as well as unsigned!

Edge of Dawn at Amazon

My Take

Whenever I think that Lara couldn't possibly figure out a way to keep this series fresh and exciting she goes right ahead and proves I am wrong.  This breed novel pushes us twenty years into the future; after the Breed revealed themselves to humanity.  Naturally, this was a huge period of upheaval.  Afterall, humanity's world view is based on a belief that we are the only rulers of the planet, the highest form of life.  In recent years that we are soooo much smarter and different from other animals has been challenged by science and sadly, by humanity's behavior.

So, if it were actually revealed that we were not the only life form on the planet and that this other life form had come from another planet, Wow!  If "the church," that is, the source of political power at the time felt threatened by Galileo and Copernicus imagine how this revelation would shake the power bases and world beliefs.

We come into the book learning about Mira, a young breedmate, one of the females able to bear children by and share a blood bond with, the males of the breed.  Against all odds she has become a member of the Order, the Breed's warrior/power class, not the first human to fight with the Breed.   Especially with humans learning of the existence of "Vampires" the otherworldly species needs those who can go out during the day without being "ashed" by the UV radiation.  Each breedmate has a gift; Mira's is that people read their destiny in her unpigmented eyes. To keep people from freaking out about this she wears a pair of lavender colored contacts.  It also protects her because each time someone sees their future in her eyes, she loses more of her sight.

Mira is alone because her lover, Kellan was killed (revealed in book description). She thought.  Well, everyone thought he was dead.  But, in reality he is a leader in the rebellion.  While it looks like he has been fighting against the Breed he has been trying to disarm conflict between humanity and th eBreed.  Of course there's a group of  bad asses who would like nothing better than to get rid of all the Breed and take over. 

The action in the book is non-stop and it's the kind of book I walk around reading as I move between pesky tasks in my life.  The revelations are startling, often unpredictable and keep coming.  An important theme in the book is the role of destiny in life. None of the visions she has shown have ever been wrong.  So, when shown a terrible future for herself and her rebel leader mate, she is devastated.  I found myself not wanting to read the ending for the book bacause it just doesn't feel like Lara is going to pull out of the dive this juggernaut has fallen into.  Not only is the fate of Mira and Kellan in the balance, it seems likely the entire Breed will be suffering a horrible end. Before the probable horror story ending there's lots of time for some truly hot action. Hot, hot, hot!

Yikes!

What I like is that Lara always takes the group into new territory.  Here we have a whole cast of new characters in the children of the generation of vampire warriors from the previous books in the series.  Human and Breed have formed a tenuous peace. There are even breed females now.  Freaky. The plot isn't about a warrior meeting his mate, saving her from a fate worse than death, and then convincing her to be his bonded mate. In fact, it is just as likely that Mira will save Kellan. The story arc for Mira and Kellan is strong and important, but it is entwined in the equally important threat to the Breed, the emergence of a new power, and the new political reality and worldview.

We also meet other young members of the Breed and a few new Breedmates.  Plus there are now diplomat breed members, and sort of lower caste members of that species.  Will they be the love interests in the next books?  And, there's an enormous surprise that's been hinted of in the last few books!

What's the verdict?  This is a new and thrilling ride in the Midnight Breed amusement park, a newly inked chapter for the entire series.  I loved it, although I confess that at first I was worried that seeing all the "older" characters like Lucan, Renata and more in less important roles would be too jarring and not enough like the series to satisfy my Breed-lust.  But, they are still enough there that it works.  They provide the continuity and the youngsters give us new excitement. I highly recommend THE EDGE OF DAWN!

Like I say, a lot of the story has to do with "destiny." Do you think our destinies are immutable and/or predetermined? Can they be changed?

Cover via Amazon

Cover via Amazon

Cover via Amazon

Cover via Amazon

Cover via Amazon

Cover via Amazon

Amazon

Amazon

   



FREE at Amazon for Kindle NIGHTDRAKE (post-apocalyptic short story)








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