Category Archives: Reviewettes

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Abs-olutely

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For your chance to win an assortment of 25 books and 25 cds, leave a comment at Largehearted Boy letting him know what cd or book you’d hope to find in the assortment. Contest closes midnight CDT, June 12.

Leave a comment about why booksellers rock and you could win a signed copy of Black and White by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge. Contest closes by June 14. (Ok, this is a superhero book, but I don’t consider that paranormal.)

For a chance to win a copy of Annie Solomon’s One Deadly Sin, leave a comment at A Journey of Books about whether you’ve ever thought of or committed an act of revenge. Contest closes midnight EDT, June 26. You will need to check back to see who won!

A Journey of Books is also giving away The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos – leave a comment before midnight EDT, June 30, about something that triggers a strong memory for you. Remember to check back to see who wins!

For a chance to win an audiobook of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s The Cabinet of Curiosities or 7th Avenue by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, leave a comment on the respective posts at J. Kaye’s before June 27. Remember that winners will not be notified, so make sure to check back to see who won.

Nice look at some of the new ebook devices at The Good, the Bad and the Unread.

Google’s entering the ebook market. I haven’t decided whether this is good or bad.

SciFiGuy has an overview of the May issue of Locus Magazine, which was focused on urban fantasy. (My copy is still sitting on the kitchen table, waiting for me to read it.) But I do know that the top story was the revelation that author Kim Harrison does not exist! This was quite shocking to me, since I had seen her at Uncle Hugo’s and have some books signed by her. 🙂

Hee hee – Smart Bitches have an amusing list of the top medieval history facts that you won’t see in any romances.

Thanks to Mary Lou for this list of amusing things that would sound wrong if you were saying them to a human instead of to a cat. I can think of some that aren’t on the list, such as “Quit eating the toilet paper!” and “Hey! Stop running across the kitchen table!”

Wait, how did they sneak in to my condo to get this picture?! Did you get your seat before they ran out of space?

Apparently I haven’t been reading enough books with scantily clad, abs-baring males on the cover and there’s been some agitating in the comments. This update’s for you, MamaT! 😉

Reading Update
Sentinels: Jaguar Night (Silhouette Nocturne) by Doranna Durgin. This was a surprisingly good low-steam paranormal romance. My biggest complaint is that, although it appears to be the first Sentinels book, it seemed to assume a certain level of familiarity with the Sentinels that I certainly don’t have.
Men at Work by Janelle Denison, Nina Bangs, and MaryJanice Davidson. A light’n’fluffy romance collection about hunky guys wearing toolbelts…
Surf’s Up by Nina Bangs, MaryJanice Davidson, and Janelle Denison. Another light’n’fluffy romance collection from Denison, Bangs, and Davidson. Please note that if you plan to read this and Men at Work, you should read that book first, as the stories by Davidson and Bangs are related to the stories in that collection. Eerie that I picked these books up at the same time, not knowing that or noticing that the same authors were in both. I just went for the covers. 🙂
And Able by Lucy Monroe. Yup, this is the conclusion to the trilogy that began with Ready and Willing.
Deal With This and The Spy Who Wants Me by Lucy Monroe. These tie into her Ready, Willing, and Able series and her secret agents series and her other non-series books. I love that.
The Chosen Sin by Anya Bast. I love this cover, and it isn’t even NK! 😉 This is a well-done futuristic vampire romance, very steamy. Very, very steamy.
Simply Irresistible by Rachel Gibson. Enjoyable contemporary romance set in Seattle.
Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James. This was another near-perfect contemporary romance from Julie James. Highly recommended.
Night’s Kiss by Amanda Ashley. Vampires and good witches and bad warlocks, oh my! An ok start to a series that I’ll probably keep reading.
Between a Rock and a Heart Place by Natalie Stenzel. This is the sequel to The Druid Made Me Do It and is pretty fun (druids and pucas and nature spirits, oh my!), if a bit drawn out at times.
Dark Protector and Dark Defender (Paladins of Darkness, Books 1-2) by Alexis Morgan. They’re warriors who come back from the dead when they’re killed protecting our world from the evil Others. An ok paranormal series that’s completely vampire and werewolf free. And hey, that’s NK in leather pants on the cover of Dark Defender.

Think carefully before switching to Holy Water in the cat’s water bowl…

“That poor kitty! If I chew on these vampire fangs, do I have to worry about you putting Holy Water in my water bowl?” -Chaos

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

In which Mayhem attempts to select a book (and the contest thing gets insanely out of hand)

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Paula’s participating in the 2009 North Central Alabama Race for the Cure and is looking for donations. Every $5.00 you donate will get you an entry in a raffle for some sock yarn after she reaches her $250 goal.

Author Barbara Bretton is giving away two skeins of Elann Peruvian Baby Lace Merino in Irish Moss if you send her an email before the the evening of June 3 (aka today, so hurry up).

Author Jeaniene Frost is giving away four copies of the The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance, which is a great collection! Send her an email (info’s in the post) before 11:59 pm EDT, June 4, for your chance to win. (If I didn’t already own this book, I’d be all over this contest myself.)

Jen’s friend is about to go through her fifth birth, but first cesarean – leave some cheering comments for Jen’s friend (and vote in the baby name poll) for your chance to win a gorgeous skein of Yarn Pirate sock yarn.

For your chance to win a copy of the superhero novel Black and White by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge (reviewed below), stop by and comment at Deadline Dames.

Leave a comment at Fantasy & Sci-Fi Lovin’ Giveaways by June 12 for your chance to win one of several short story collections. These aren’t paranormals, for those who worry about such things. 😉

If you’d like to win a copy of the Blood Ties dvds (based on Tanya Huff’s Books of Blood series), you’ll need to do a tiny bit of research and send an email by June 15.

For your chance to win an advance reading copy of the young adult book Ghost Huntress (Book 1: The Awakening), leave a comment at J. Kaye’s Book Blog before June 27. Remember, winners will not be notified – you’ll have to keep an eye on that blog to see if you’ve won. Another contest of interest over at J. Kaye’s includes one for the audio cds of The Bourne Deception. (And thanks to J. Kaye for including me in the new book blog discovery post last week!)

Largehearted Boy’s giving away an eight-volume Buddha graphic novel series – leave a comment before midnight CDT, June 5, for your chance to win.

If you’d like the chance to win a signed copy of the new collection Tails of Love, which is a charity anthology to benefit needy animals and which features stories where animals play a key role in romance, leave a comment at Anna’s Book Blog before June 11.

The Suvudu free reads (all scifi or fantasy) for June have been posted. Smart Bitches have some links to romance ebook deals/promotions.

Head over to SciFiGuy.ca to see what urban fantasy, fantasy, paranormal, and scifi books are coming out the month.

Sydney found a new to me book holder.

Looks like BeBook’s going to have a wireless ebook reader available for sale by the end of this month (for $199).

Apparently Google’s planning to sell ebooks by the end of this year.

Woot! I won a copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies over at Historic Fibers for my zombie haiku (#2 in this post). Thanks, Julia!

Reading Update
True Confessions (set in Idaho), See Jane Score (not set in Idaho!), Truly Madly Yours (set in Idaho), Daisy’s Back in Town (not set in Idaho), and It Must Be Love (set in Idaho) by Rachel Gibson. One more to go and I will have read all of Gibson’s books in a shockingly short time. Important Note: If you find yourself in a Rachel Gibson romance, please be aware that condoms always seem to break and prepare yourself accordingly.
Night and Day (Jesse Stone) by Robert B. Parker. Finally! I swear, if a critical bit of series progression hadn’t happened in this one, I wouldn’t ever pick up another book in this series. I barely nerved myself up to read this one.
Traveling Light by Diana Rubino. ebook. This was a time travel romance that takes place briefly in the present, but primarily in fifteenth-century England. Review posted at Fang-tastic Books.
Satisfaction Guaranteed by Lucy Monroe. Scorching hot and very good contemporary romance about people working for a super secret antiterrorism agency. Very scorching. Very hot.
Ready and Willing by Lucy Monroe. More scorchers from Monroe. Can you guess what the name is of the next book in the series? 😉
Come Up and See Me Sometime by Lucy Monroe. This was written a few years earlier than the other books of hers I’ve read. Let’s just say her writing has improved a great deal in the past several years. In fact, I spent so much time rolling my eyes while I read this one, I think I strained something.
Demon Can’t Help It by Kathy Love. Favorite line: “Oddly, I find it reassuring you haven’t put anyone’s soul in a house pet before.” (The guy on the cover of this totally creeps me out for some reason.)
Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang: A Dark Ones Novel by Katie MacAlister. Noticed a doozie of a typo on the “Also By” page – MacAlister’s book Zen and the Art of Vampires got turned into Zen and the Art of Dragons. Whoops. This book continues the story of Pia and Kristoff that began in Zen and the… and ended on a cliffhanger in that book. This book is still a bit all over the place, plus I spent way too much time wanting to slap Pia, Kristoff, and plenty of other characters. However, at least this one didn’t end on a cliffhanger – just with an open question or two. (Oh, and I have no idea what the cover art has to do with the book!)
Black and White by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge. Please note that I received this as a review copy/prize, so you’ll get a slightly longer reviewette than usual.

We have lots of metaphors related to white and black, good and evil. The line between good and evil is supposedly black and white. Good guys wear white hats and bad guys wear black hats. Good is light, bad is darkness. Black and White plays with those crisp delineations, showing us that things are never that clear, even when superheroes (or “extrahumans” as they’re called in 2112) are involved.

Black and White is told alternately from the perspective of two extrahumans, Jet and Iridium. The narrative weaves back and forth between the story’s present and five to ten years in the past, when Jet and Iridium were roommates at the Academy. Jet’s a Shadow power, yet completely focused on following the rules and being a model hero. Iridium, a Light power, is much more independent and much less interested in rules. Both had fathers who were considered insane or “rabid”, leading many to expect similar behavior from Jet and Iridium.

What starts out as a seemingly simple comic bookesque tale of good versus evil slowly develops into an involving tale about shades of grey, friendship, and betrayal. (In fact, in some respects, it reminded me of Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman, which I also thoroughly enjoyed.)

Hmm. Mayhem seems to be having trouble selecting a book, as she stands on what are apparently her discards and contemplates The S3x Lives of Cannibals.

“What to read, what to read… Mom, what are cannibals? What is s3x? Are there any black kitties in this book? I’m sure it’s not worth reading if there aren’t black kitties in it.” -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Reading our lives away

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For your chance to win a set of six classic short story collections from authors such as Willa Cather, Leo Tolstoy, and Herman Melville), leave a comment at Largehearted Boy by midnight CDT, May 29.

If you’d like a chance to win an audiobook copy of James Patterson’s The 8th Confession, leave a comment at J. Kaye’s Book Blog before June 27. Please remember that J. Kaye doesn’t notify winners – you need to keep an eye on the blog to see if you’ve won.

Free download of The Guide to Pirate Parenting!

Smart Bitches had some great links recently, including to free audiobooks.

I definitely don’t write as much as I used to (since I seem to type most things now), but when I do handwrite something, it doesn’t take long for my hand to hurt. Maybe my grip is part of the problem.

Use six books (that you don’t like) to make invisible speakers.

How to make your very own book pillow to help you read in comfort.

Dear Author’s weekly tech roundup has some good stuff this week, including info on colorful new ebook readers and an ebook price comparison website (I’m definitely bookmarking that one!).

I thought these seven organization tips to help you reduce your TBR (to be read) pile were great in theory, but… I know I won’t do any of them. 🙂

If you’re trying to read more, maybe these 16 ideas will help – I know that not watching tv and speed reading probably help me the most. Missing from that list was making sure you always have something to read with you so you can take advantage of unexpected free time (such as when waiting in lines).

A look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Kindle 2.0 from an avid user after 100 days of use. Also, Kindle owners can now view their notes and highlights in a web browser and not just on their Kindles.

Reading Update
Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James. This was a great contemporary romance about a Chicago lawyer who’s in LA to work on a big case when she gets stuck providing legal insight to a handsome movie star who’s researching his role in a legal thriller.
Undone (Outcast Season, Book 1) by Rachel Caine. This is a spin-off from Caine’s Weather Warden series. It features Cassiel, a fallen Djinn. Lots and lots and lots of open questions at the end of this one. *sigh*
The Immortal Hunter: A Rogue Hunter Novel (Argeneau Vampires) by Lynsay Sands. Ack. More of the lots and lots of open questions thing here. Hmph.
Dead Girls Are Easy, A Match Made in Hell, and You’re the One that I Haunt (Nicki Styx, Books 1-3) by Terri Garey. Nicki was dead for a few minutes in the ER and when she came back, she could see ghosts. Ghosts who want her to do things for them, ranging from the innocuous to the deadly. Overall, I enjoyed these, although there was a story arc that I found annoying and which I really hope was completed in the third book.
Witch Fire (Elemental Witches, Book 1) by Anya Bast. This book starts in Minneapolis! I’m always a sucker for that. I thought this was a good completely vampire and werewolf free read (also very steamy) – the next two books are already on my TBR shelf and I’m planning to pick up the latest book on June 6 at Uncle Hugo’s, when Ms. Bast will be there signing it.

“Wait, why did I think I missed you again? Obviously I forgot about the infernal flashing.” -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Go forth and write zombie haiku

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You may or may not ever have noticed, but I’m not much for the zombie books. However, that didn’t stop me from writing a zombie haiku when Margene pointed me to this contest. Head on over to Historic Fibers if you’d like to win a copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies or if you simply like a good haiku challenge. Contest closes midnight PDT, May 15.

Speaking of Margene, stop by and welcome her to the world of gluten-free knitters. She has good friends and family like I have good friends and family, so I know she’ll be fine and do well!

Limedragon pointed out that Handknit Heroes is having a mask design contest, which closes July 15. You could win $150 and have your patten published in the Fall 2009 issue of Handknit Heroes.

And speaking of Handknit Heroes and Limedragon, our very own dragon had a pattern published in the latest issue of Handknit Heroes! To celebrate, she’s giving away some copies of the comic to a few lucky commenters who leave comments before midnight CDT, May 14.

For you fans of young adult books, Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist is giving away three copies of Tad Williams and Deborah Beale’s The Dragons of Ordinary Farm.

It can be painful, but many of us have had to do it – break up with a formerly beloved series of books. (The bit about why post author Sarah broke up with the Anita Blake series? Too funny – and too true. I also enjoyed reading the comments on this post.)

Have you heard about the controversy surrounding Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s new book, The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide? Do read a bit about the concerns before you buy the book!

I love the idea of invisible floating bookshelves, but I’ll never do it.

Sony might be releasing a larger ebook reader to compete with the Kindle DX by the end of this year.

FiledBy is a new site that allows authors and readers to connect. I haven’t had a chance to look at it, so I can’t say anything else about it!

Reading Update
Burning Alive: The Sentinel Wars by Shannon K. Butcher. This was a strong start to a new paranormal romance series about the Sentinels, who are guarding humans from demons. (If that name “Butcher” seems familiar, it should.)
Forbidden Nights with a Vampire (Love at Stake, Book 7) by Kerrelyn Sparks. Yup, I just read book 6 a week or so ago! Again, this continues to be a well done, not too heavy paranormal series.
Over My Dead Body (Broken Heart, Oklahoma) by Michele Bardsley. The latest book in this paranormal series about the unusual residents of Broken Heart, Oklahoma, is a decent read. This is another not too heavy paranormal series.
Edge of Danger (Primal Instinct #2) by Rhyannon Byrd. This was as intense a paranormal as the first book in the series, Edge of Hunger. Although these characters were pretty angsty, too, I didn’t get overwhelmed with annoyance by their intermittent TSTL behavior.
One Foot in the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 2) by Jeaniene Frost. The second book in the Night Huntress series is as well-written and involving as the first. Crispin (aka “Bones”) may be my new vampire crush.
Smart Mouth by Erin McCarthy. Contemporary romance about an FBI agent and a reporter. Very, very steamy. *fans self*
Crap. No abs. Um… Here’s a link to a book I know nothing about, included simply because it has abs on the cover and I suspect (but can’t verify) that said abs belong to NK.
Getting What You Want and Wanting What You Get (The Stepp Sisters, Books 1-2) by Kathy Love. Extremely involving and well-done contemporary romance about the Stepp sisters of Milbrook, Maine. Um, I may have cried a bit near the end of the second book.
Promises in Death by J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts). Another solid Eve Dallas and Roarke mystery.
Cat Sitter on a Hot Tin Roof (Dixie Hemingway) by Blaize Clement. Hmph. I’m cranky about being left hanging by the ending. You know how that annoys me.

“I will vaporize you if you don’t stop looking at those books and feed me right now.” -Chaos

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

In which I manage to include abs and will hopefully escape with my life

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Trek’s having a contest to guess how many quarters are in the tea tin. Contest ends when the tin is full; I think the prize will be cool bag and some other goodies.

Here’s hoping the comments work today. Having the comments shut off randomly seems to be about as predictible as the WYSIWYG editor not working. Thank you, WordPress/Firefox 3.0. Only not so much.

The big ebook news of the week is Amazon’s Kindle DX, which has a larger screen and native pdf support. However, it also has a nearly $500 price tag and looks to be as fragile as the Kindle 2. According to Smart Bitches, it’s already picked up the Twitter tag of #dud. Gizmodo has had some good information on the Kindle DX that’s worth checking out, too. (And did you know that 20% of Kindle owners are over 40?)

BookArmy is another book recommendation/social site. I’m sticking with LibraryThing. 🙂

Did Twilight create the new YA genre of abstinence p0rn?

Thanks to Naomi for this link about art made from old book covers.

SciFiGuy has a list of all the May releases for urban fantasy, paranormal romance, fantasy, and scifi.

Check out the Suvudu free ebooks for May, which include a paranormal title (Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian), scifi (Weapons of Choice by John Birmingham), and fantasy (Elric: Stealer of Souls by Michael Moorcock).

You can pick up the first book in the Jaz Parker vampire series by Jennifer Rardin (Once Bitten, Twice Shy) as an ebook for $1.00 (or so, depending on the format) this month.

This is so perfectly Chaos!

Crap. No abs in this post, either. I might have a rebellion on my hands. (Don’t believe me?! Go read the comments from my last reading update and get back to me.) *sounds of rummaging through shelves* Whew! NK to the rescue with a book I won recently. (Strangely, I’ve won all four books of this series, although I haven’t read any of them yet.)

Reading Update
Secret Life of a Vampire (Love at Stake, Book 6) by Kerrelyn Sparks. This continues to be a nice, not too heavy paranormal series.
Midnight Cravings (Silhouette Bites) by Michele Hauf, Karen Whiddon, Lori Devoti, Anna Leonard, Vivi Anna, and Bonnie Vanak. Six stories about creatures of the night (mostly, but not entirely, werewolves). I enjoyed all the stories, but wasn’t that excited about finishing the one by Vanak.
Tempting Adam (Seattle Steam #2) by Shelli Stevens. ebook. I won this non-paranormal romance in a contest and discovered it was an engaging and, well, steamy read. 😉 I’ll definitely read more by Shelli Stevens.
Arousing Suspicions by Marianne Stillings. A fun contemporary romance about a San Francisco dream interpreter and an SFPD detective. This is the first of Stillings’ Darling Detectives trilogy (next is Satisfaction and then Killer Charms). I read these totally out of order. Whoops.
Animal Instincts by Gena Showalter. Another fun contemporary romance about a woman with a few trust issues who’s been reading a self-help book on freeing her inner tigress. (Nope, it’s not a paranormal, either.)
Seduced by the Night, Tempted in the Night, and Lord of the Night (Night Slayer, Books 2-4) by Robin T. Popp. Waaaaah! I got totally sucked into this series, but I see that the most recent book, Lord of the Night, was published in 2007. It doesn’t look good for more books, does it?
Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 by Paige Taylor. ebook. Nicely done (and steamy) paranormal romance – you can read a longer review at Fang-tastic Books, where I’ll periodically be reviewing paranormal ebooks.
Seducing the Darkness (Darkness Series, Book 1) by Shiela Stewart. ebook. This should show up on Fang-tastic Books sometime in the near future, too. Another vampirey ebook, this is the first in Stewart’s Darkness series. I hope the choppiness and other editing issues are smoothed out as the series progresses, because I thought the premise was intriguing.
Wishful Thinking: The Swann Sisters Chronicles, Book 1 by Evangeline Anderson. ebook. What a fun book about having a fairy godmother! (Hint: it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.) Recommended. You can read a more lengthy review on LibraryThing.
Men of Alaska: Animal Attraction by Paige Tyler. Very steamy and well-done paranormal about a reporter who travels to Alaska and meets a very special guy…

“What if the hokey pokey really is what it’s all about?” -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Keep on bookin’

23 Comments

How did I not know about the Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge?! You can join any time before December 31, 2009. There are three levels: read 12, read 25, or read 50 books from your local library in 2009. Um, looks like I hit the third in March and April alone… *blink blink* I’ve read over 100 library books so far this year.

There’s another Hachette audio book giveaway over at J. Kaye’s Book Blog (and there will be one each day this week *hint hint*) – leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of the nonfiction audio book The Age of the Unthinkable by Joshua Cooper Ramo. Make sure you read the rules, or you could win and not even know about it!

Here’s an updated list of many current book blog contests – and they aren’t just for paranormals. 😉

Are ebooks ruining cultural snobbishness? (Woot if they are!)

Interesting – a machine to print books on demand while you wait in the bookstore.

Brace yourselves – after several weeks of abdomen extraordinaire, there are no abs whatsoever in this week’s reading update! Unless you click on that Lauren Dane Cascadia Wolves link. But you might get more than you bargained for at that point. You have been warned. (I swear, warning y’all is akin to daring you…)

Reading Update
Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich. The Stephanie Plum Between-the-Numbers books are never my favorites in this series, but this one wasn’t too bad – probably because Ranger and Joe played a more active role than they usually do in these.
Tri Mates, Wolf Unbound, Standoff, and Fated (Cascadia Wolves, Books 3-6) by Lauren Dane. ebooks. I’m totally sucked into this series about werewolves in the Pacific NW. S3x and political intrigue – what more could you ask? Hmm – maybe more books, now that I’ve read them all? If I was rating steaminess on a five jalapeno scale, this series would probably merit an off-the-scale habanero meltdown.
Eternal Moon (Moon Series, Book 10) by Rebecca York. This continues to be a well-written werewolf series, but I think the time has come for the Moon Series and I to part ways. I’ve been enjoying the series less and less since the whole parallel universe aspect was introduced – I keep hoping that particular thread will die out, but it seems unlikely to happen.
Out of the Night (Night Slayer, Book 1) by Robin T. Popp. I know, I’m shallow – I picked this up because of the Nathan Kamp cover, but it was a surprisingly good read about chupacabras and vampires.
Some Girls Bite (Chicagoland Vampires, Book 1) by Chloe Neill. This was a really, really good book about a grad student turned into a vampire without her consent. Unlike many paranormals, it’s not filled with graphic s3x or anything, either. Definitely recommended and I am already looking forward to the next book.
Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 1) by Jeaniene Frost. Cat Crawfield is half-human, half-vampire and looking to rid the world of vampires when she discovers that things aren’t as black and white as she’d believed.
Edge of Hunger (Primal Instinct, Book 1) by Rhyannon Byrd. Conceptually intriguing and I sort of enjoyed it, but I spent so much time being pissed at the “hero” and thinking he had a whole lot of TSTL (too stupid to live) going on that I really couldn’t get into the book. Apparently there’s a limit to the amount of hero angst I can take. But hey, I did finish the book, which counts for something.
The Monster of Minnesota (News from the Edge, Book 1) by Mark Sumner. I couldn’t resist this title when I saw it in the used section at Uncle Hugo’s over the weekend. Think tabloid journalism and the Loch Ness Monster on a Minnesota lake. Sort of. 🙂
Mouth To Mouth by Erin McCarthy. Another sweet and steamy romance from McCarthy, this time about a Cleveland cop and the woman he meets under unusual circumstances. Somewhat unexpectedly, this book has some nice insights into deaf culture and the challenge of living between two worlds.

“Mmmm… is there anything tastier than furry mouse tails?! I don’t think so!” -Mayhem

Contests, Reading, Reviewettes

Hopefully the technical difficulties are past…

28 Comments

…but I’m not holding my breath. Blue’s not a good look for me. 😉

Want to win a copy of The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance? Leave a comment letting author Meljean Brook know what your favorite short story is.

Leave a comment at Largehearted Boy by midnight CDT, April 24, for your chance to win a copy of the Wilco dvds Ashes of American Flags and I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, plus “an assortment of surprise books and cds.”

Nicole’s giving away books 3-6 of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood to someone who doesn’t mind covering media mail postage. I recommend this series to any vampire romance aficionados.

Leave a comment at Darque Reviews by the morning of April 28 for your chance to win copies of Jocelynn Drake’s books Nightwalker and Dayhunter.

A Braille ebook reader – very cool!

Arrrr – I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for The Guide to Pirate Parenting, right? Especially Deb. Deb lurves pirates. Probably you should all go and leave your very best piratey comments for her right now. I’ll wait. (No need to thank me, Deb. Really.)

The Top 10 Lies of the Romance Novel Hero/Heroine. *snort*

Listen to Alan Rickman reading Sonnet 130.

Listen to Neil Gaiman read his lovely book The Blueberry Girl, which I think is a wonderful book to give to the parents of daughters.

Reading Update
The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld, Book 3) by Gena Showalter. And now I wait until the fourth book comes out in a few months… Is it out yet? No? How about now?
Soul Song, The Last Twilight, and The Wild Road (Dirk & Steele, Books 6-8) by Marjorie M. Liu. The Wild Road was a reread and I have to say I got a lot more out of it after reading the preceding books! I’m really enjoying this well-done series about the paranormal detective agency of Dirk & Steele and again, I wait for the next book. *taps foot*
Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson, Book 4) by Patricia Briggs. This continues to be an excellent urban fantasy/paranormal romance series about coyote shifter Mercy and the other paranormal denizens of the Tri-Cities area (most of whom seem to have grudges against Mercy).
Everlasting Bad Boys by Shelly Laurentson, Cynthia Eden, and Noelle Mack. I couldn’t get into the dragon story by Shelly Laurentson, so I didn’t read it. The witch’n’demon story by Cynthia Eden was ok. The story by Noelle Mack about a man made of electricity was so punny, it was a bit painful.
You’re So Vein (The Others, Book 7) by Christine Warren. Speaking of punny… fortunately, the punniness here doesn’t extend beyond the title. If you’ve been keeping up with Christine Warren’s Others, this is a solid addition to the series. And you’d be right that this one focuses on vampires. 🙂
Caught (Gemini Men) by Jami Alden. This is the first in what will be three scorching hot romantic suspense novels about the three Taggert brothers who run Gemini, a security and private investigation agency.
Succubus Dreams (Georgina Kincaid, Book 3) by Richelle Mead. This continues to be a good series about Seattle succubus and bookstore manager, Georgina Kincaid. I got very sniffly at the end.
Don of the Dead (Pepper Martin Mysteries, Book 1) by Casey Daniels. Fashionista Pepper Martin sees dead people. Dead people who can’t rest easily because they have unfinished business they need resolved. A good start to an intriguing series, with the requisite two elusive love interests – one a cop, one not.
You Don’t Know Jack by Erin McCarthy. This is one of McCarthy’s fun contemporary romances, with absolutely no paranormality in sight.
Private Lies by Amy Eastlake. This romantic suspense ebook was a freebie download. Choppy, some plot holes, and definitely could’ve used some editing and formatting… but I did get sucked into the story about a CIA operative, hackers, and terrorists.
Black Cat by Cat Johnson. Freebie download paranormal romance ebook short story that was kinda cute in a steamy sort of way.
Enforcer and Reluctant (Cascadia Wolves, Books 1-2) by Lauren Dane. Very steamy ebook series about a pack of werewolves in Washington State.

*mouse mouse mouse mouse mouse mouse mouse* -Mayhem

Contests, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

“Are you going to read just paranormals until your brain falls out?”

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The title of today’s post was an actual quote from someone working at Uncle Hugo’s yesterday. And the scary thing? I only buy a fraction of the paranormals I read at Uncle Hugo’s. I check out most from the library, buy some at the library “withdrawn” store, and win quite a few, too. (Um, I might’ve won a couple more books yesterday. Whoops.)

Jen’s having a contest – look at the picture, try not to shriek, answer the poll, then leave a comment to be entered for a chance to win some pretty stitchmarkers. Contest closes 8 pm EDT, April 16.

You probably know I’m a big fan of bookstands. Here’s some info on how to make one yourself – the inspiration in this case was for an ebook reader, but I think you could adapt this to more traditional books. For ebook readers, I would suggest that you add something so that the reader doesn’t slip from side to side. For my beloved ReadUpon, I’m going to use a bit of rubbery shelf liner.

Looking for book information? ISDNdb.com looks very handy indeed.

Now that Barnes & Noble has acquired Fictionwise, there are rumors about a B&N ebook reader. Whatever happens with that, I’ll remain a proponent of ebook readers (like the EZ Reader) that focus on reading a wide variety of formats.

Sure, it’s a darn attractive bookcase, but it really doesn’t look like an efficient use of space to me. Now, these Tetris bookcases are another story…

Have a bike trainer or exercise bike without a book holder? Add one yourself.

Beware the dreaded vampire kitteh!

Hee hee – go Powell’s! Take advantage of the #powellswin special, which is 20% of any order over $20 if you use the #powellswin code before 11:59 pm PDT, April 16.

You’ll notice that my reading update looks a bit different today. Instead of using Amazon for my book links, I’ve started using IndieBound. By doing this, I’m able to support indie bookstores and to reduce, in my own tiny way, dependence on a megalithic bookseller. I got this idea from Dear Author and the Smart Bitches, whose explanations are far more eloquent than my own (yup, more fallout from #amazonfail). (Please note that if there isn’t cover art, the book was not available via IndieBound. Ebooks will be linked from BooksOnBoard if possible.)

Reading Update
Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches Guide To Romance Novels by Sarah Wendell & Candy Tan. Written with humor, irreverence, and an obvious love for the wide wild world of romance novels, this book is hellagood snarky delight. Ranging from serious to silly and back again, the Smart Bitches reveal (pun intended) and revel in the genre’s excesses. It was a damn fun read, with enough insightful critical bits to keep things interesting. Plus there are coloring pages! A Choose-Your-Own-Ending Romance with paranormal, Regency, pirate, and contemporary paths! Mad-Libs! Controversy! And even a board game!
The Druid Made Me Do It by Natale Stenzel. Doesn’t it just figure – that hot one-night stand (who vanished in the middle of the night without a word) from vacation eight years ago turns out to be a puca and the local Druid leader puts you in charge of his reformation… (Hello! You aren’t even a Druid.)
Real Vamps Don’t Drink O-Neg by Tawny Taylor. So-so paranormal romance featuring vampires and lamiae. Very, very steamy stuff. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
The Darkest Fire (Lords of the Underworld) by Gena Showalter. ebook short. Prequel to the Lords of the Underworld series. Interesting background information, but definitely not as smooth as the actual series.
The Darkest Night and The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld, Books 1-2) by Gena Showalter. These are really absorbing and well-written books about immortal warriors who were forced to house all the evils that escaped Pandora’s box (such as Death, Pain, Violence, etc).
Shadow Touch (Dirk & Steele, Book 2) by Marjorie M. Liu. Skipped this one earlier because I had trouble finding it. Continues to be a recommended series about the paranormal detective agency of Dirk & Steele.

“So you think he’s really cute, Mom?” -Mayhem

“Let’s see if he passes my snuggle test.” -Mayhem

“I’m sorry to break it to you, Mom, but he’s just not furry enough.” -Mayhem

Contests, Reading, Reviewettes

Contested books

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If you donate to Heifer International from April 8 through 15 and let Teabird know, you will have a chance to win an audiobook of Dewey, the Small Town Library Cat Who Changed the World and a “companion yarny surprise.”

Not all sales are going down in the current economic climate – sales of romances are going up. And paranormals continue to be a hot sell, whether they’re romances or young adult.

Reading Update
At the Edge by Cait London. So-so romantic suspense about a set of psychic triplets. It felt like the author was maybe trying to be Nora Roberts, but her choppy writing style just can’t compare to the Nora. This was obviously the first in a series, but I have no interest in reading the other books – and you know how I can suffer mediocre writing to follow a series! 🙂
The Rocky Road to Romance by Janet Evanovich. This is one of her rereleased oldies, probably most interesting for the things that were lifted directly for the Stephanie Plum series. Grandma Mazur and her gun, the big old powder blue Cadillac that Stephanie gets stuck driving periodically, Bob the dog – they’re all here.
Crash Into Me by Jill Sorenson. Very intense and definitely recommended romantic suspense about an FBI agent and a SoCal surfer.
Casual Hex by Vicki Lewis Thompson. This was the third book in this series about the magical town of Big Knob (ahem), Indiana, complete with a witch, wizard, lake monster, dragon, fairy prince, and poker-playing raccoons.
Drop Dead Gorgeous (Harlequin Blaze) by Kimberly Raye. Yes, another in this series about cowboy biker vampires who run a custom chopper shop in a small Texas town. At this point, I’m just curious to see whether they’ll ever find the Ancient One and be freed of their vampirism.
Hotter After Midnight by Cynthia Eden. Very steamy and well-done paranormal romance about a psychologist to supernatural beings.
When He Was Bad by Cynthia Eden and Shelly Laurenston. A pair of decent paranormal romance novellas about shifters and the women who get used to having them around.
Here Kitty, Kitty by Shelly Laurenston. ebook. So-so paranormal romance about lions and tigers and wolves,  oh my! Laurenston’s newer stuff seems better.
Coyote’s Mate (Coyote Breeds, Book 2) by Lora Leigh. You shouldn’t have to sniffle and weep during an er0tic paranormal romance. It just seems wrong. Well-written and extremely involving – as evidenced by the aforementioned sniffling.
Hell’s Belles by Jackie Kessler. Runaway succubus Jezebel manages to get turned into a human and is hiding out in NYC. I’m definitely reading more of this series.
My Immortal (The Immortals, Book 1) by J. K. Coi. ebook. I like the premise of Immortal demon hunters, but I gotta hope that the writing and editing of this series improves. Silly things like someone’s t-shirt changing from white to black between pages are sloppy and disruptive.
Immortal Kiss and Dark Immortal (The Immortals, Books 2-3) by J. K. Coi. ebooks. Much better than the first book! Definitely some Dark-Hunter inspiration going on in this series.

Some have observed that I have special book contest winning luck. Hmm. Pictured below are most of the books I’ve won since February. (I loaned Angel’s Blood to Jeanne and I think there are at least three books still on their way to me.) So, what do you think?

Hmm. Maybe so.

“I don’t know what the big deal is about books. Most of them bore me.” -Mayhem

“I mean, ok, some of them are tasty, but then Mom starts yelling at me. Really, it’d be better if she didn’t have them around. How’s a panther girl supposed to resist that sort of temptation?” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Books with kitty tummy

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Excellent – a book blogs search engine. You can also check to see if your favorite book blogs are included and request that they be added.

Curious about what paranormal, urban fantasy, scifi, or fantasy releases are scheduled for April? SciFiGuy.ca has a great list.

Well, I just capitulated and ordered an ebook reader – I went with the EZ Reader (aka the Hanlin V3 and the BeBook), which is $229 after $20 mail-in rebate from Fry’s through April 3. It supports a pretty amazing list of formats. Yeah, yeah, I know, I was just saying that I was going to make my Palm Tungsten E2 last forever… but I finally got frustrated with 25 words/screen.

Like your book browsing to be atmospheric? Check out Obsidian Kitten’s post about some of the most beautiful libraries in the world and then look at pictures of some lovely bookstores. The Barnes & Noble  in the Historic Chateau Theater (Rochester, Minnesota) isn’t on that list, but it should be. (Bless flickr for having some photo sets of it.) I have fond memories of going to movies in that theater when I was very young and hoping a princess would come out onto one of the balconies.

Reading Update
A Taste of Magic by Tracy Madison. This was a completely delightful read! It’s classified as a paranormal romance, but only because there’s a bit of magic (along the lines of Like Water for Chocolate). I think I’d even recommend this to the dedicated contemporary romance reader.
The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance. This is an excellent collection containing 24short stories from authors including Kelley Armstrong, Carrie Vaughn, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Meljean Brook, and Rachel Caine.
Unusual Suspects: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy, edited by Dana Stabenow. This is a follow-up collection to Powers of Detection: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy, which I really, really enjoyed. I enjoyed some of the stories in this collection (such as the stories by Simon R. Green, Laura Anne Gilman, Dana Stabenow, and Donna Andrews), but I also skipped several stories I couldn’t get into. Sadly, the blurb on the front cover (“Includes a new Sookie Stackhouse story”) was the best part of said Sookie Stackhouse story.
Body Movers by Stephanie Bond. Romantic suspense. Probably a bad sign that I wanted to smack the two main characters for being stupid… throughout the entire book. I passed this one on to CursingMama – we’ll see if she has the character smackdown urge or not.
Master of Darkness (Primes Series, Book 4) by Susan Sizemore. Haven’t read the first three books in this series – I picked this one up solely because of the very nice Nathan Kamp cover. It was an ok paranormal romance. I might read some of the other books in the series. (Although I was amused that Nathan Kamp, with shaggy dark hair, was used as the model for the book’s hero, who had very long platinum blond hair. Heh.)
Passion Unleashed (The Demonica Series, Book 3) by Larissa Ione. Really, really good paranormal romance. I was utterly unable to put this book down and am glad I started reading it early enough so I didn’t have to stay up all night reading it, because I would’ve. I highly recommend this series! The only problem I have with this particular book, which is Wraith’s story, is that the dysfunctional Wraith feels a bit too akin to a mixture of Wrath and Zsadist from the Black Dagger Brotherhood. (However, Wrath’s and Zsadist’s stories were my favorite of the BDB, so…)
The Bride of Casa Dracula (Casa Dracula, Book 3) by Marta Acosta. Ah, Milagro De Los Santos, how complicated is your life! I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in this series to see what Milagro manages to get up to next. I think Acosta does a nice job of getting me thinking on issues of ethnicity and individuality, too, without beating me about the head with them.
One Hot Mess by Lois Greiman. Cocktail waitress turned psychologist Chrissy McMullen has a gift for finding trouble that’s second only to Milagro’s (see previous reviewette). And of course, brooding LAPD Detective Jack Rivera and his lecherous father, former California Senator Miguel Rivera, continue to spice things up. If you’re a fan of Lori Avocato or Janet Evanovich, you should give this series a try.

Mayhem was the long skinny upside down kitty in yesterday’s post. (While Chaos does love to sprawl upside down, he’s, um, not quite as svelte.) Here’s a tummy closeup for your tummy scritching pleasure. And her tummy fur is far softer than it looks. *scritch scritch scritch*

*sprawl* -Mayhem