Sunday, October 31, 2010

Reading Re-Cap: October 2010

Here we are, the end of October - Happy Halloween everyone.  :)  Tomorrow is the first of November - and for me - the beginning of the holiday season.  :)  I can't believe it.

This is a re-cap of the books I read and reviewed for October.

5 Stars

Dust - Joan Frances Turner
Blood Magic - Jennifer Lyon
Ecstasy in Darkness - Gena Showalter

4 Stars

My Wicked Enemy - Carolyn Jewel
Tempting Danger - Eileen Wilks
Happy Hour at Casa Dracula - Marta Acosta
The Dead Boys - Royce Buckingham
The Taming of the Wolf - Lydia Dare

3 Stars

Hungry For Your Love - Anthology
Immortals - J T Ellison
Blood Trinity - S. Kenyon & D. Love

That was my month - how was yours.  :)

M

Review: Hungry For Your Love- An Anthology of Zombie Romance





Hungry For Your Love is an Anthology of Zombie Romance from St. Martin's Griffin.

Book Blurb:
Romance ain't dead...it's undead.

In this thrilling zombie anthology, horror fans will finally get their fill of zombie-on-zombie action, zombie-human love, and zombie smut. Because why should vampires have all the fun?

This collection of never-before-published tales includes:

--"Revanants Anonymous" by Francesca Lia Block: two zombies meet at a Revanants Anonymous meeting and when sparks fly they wonder how "dead" they really are

--"I Heart Brains" by Jaime Saare: a widow and a dead man get a second chance at love

--"Captive Hearts" by Brian Keene: zombie plagues can't stop a woman from caring for the man she loves

--"Everyone I Love is Dead" by Elizabeth Coldwell: what happens when your true love comes back from the dead--after you've already moved on with a new man?

--"Last Times at Ridgemont High" by Kilt Kilpatrick: an electrifying zombie romp

--and many more!



Hungry For Your Love is my first zombie anthology and it was a fun, quirky (occasionally gross and nasty) read.

I enjoyed the short stories, they were just long enough to pique my interest - but also fast paced and to the point.

I have to admit that I like my zombies to be the mindless, flesh eating variety rather than the talking, looking for action variety.  :)

Though this was an enjoyable read - for me, zombies are the bad guys and not one bit romantic.  Sorry zombies.  :)

I give Hungry For Your Love 3 out of 5 stars.

M



Saturday, October 30, 2010

Promo of Upcoiming Release: Thief by Anitra Lynn McLeod


On the edge of freedom lies a dangerous love.

Fringe, Book 1

Nothing has ever come easy for Jace Lawless, captain of the salvage vessel Mutiny. Forced into thievery after a virus unleashed by the InnerWorld Government killed his family, only one ambition burns at the back of his mind. Kill the next IWOG officer he has at his mercy.

Bargaining over goods with a middleman isn’t exactly his strong suit. But who in his right mind spends an entire salvage job’s profits on a woman, even if she has a body built for sin and eyes so fathomless a man could lose himself in them? He must be getting soft.

Once Kraft realizes Jace expects only the “cook” part of their cook-whore contract, she sets out to change his antiquated ideas about women. A challenge she relishes, especially if it earns her the freedom and money to get her own ship. Her big mistake is letting down her guard.

Shameless flirting only intensifies the itch to ride Jace hard and put him away wet—several times. It’s an itch it would be dangerous to scratch. Exposing her heart could reveal her secret, one that the still-grieving Jace must never know…or showing her mercy will be the last thing on his mind.

Warning: Contains a celibate ship captain who can’t abide swearing, a kick-ass woman with a marshmallow heart, a motley crew of misfits, interstellar battles, thwarted groping, sensual seduction, and a total bastard who owns his own planet.

Read An Excerpt:

Kraft willingly cooked, willingly fought, and claimed she would willingly whore. By her own honor, she offered the full of herself up to him, but Jace sensed that she expected him to restrain himself by his own dictates of honor. Asking her to cook and fight was one thing, but asking her to whore? Well, that was an entirely different matter.

When she saw him approach, Kraft stood at full attention with her face demurely lowered. All at once he felt a foot taller than her when he wasn’t.

He’d ordered her to his bunk as a spur-of-the-moment way to get her to stop defying his authority. He never thought Kraft would actually obey. Now that she had, he wasn’t sure what to do with her. Feeling awkward and shy, he thought the first thing he should do was explain and apologize.

Embarrassment at her having saved him and his crew fueled his need to remind her and himself that he was in charge. As he drew close to her, he longed to reach out and touch her face. On a rush of emotion, he wanted to confess that he didn’t always know what to do, or how to proceed, and sometimes acted rashly, fueled more by his heart than his head.

As a captain, Jace wanted to ask for her help and make her his partner in crime. Perversely, he felt he shouldn’t need her help and should make her his partner in bed. As a man, Jace wanted to possess the full of Kraft. He wanted to protect her even though he knew he couldn’t. Worse, he knew he didn’t have to coddle Kraft, which only increased his longing to claim her as his bedwarmer. Beyond that corral of confusion, Jace knew Kraft shouldn’t have to protect him.

Instead of saying anything, he unlocked his bunk with a slap of his hand to the wall com. The metal catch released with a soft snick that vibrated the floor below their feet.

Her braless breasts jiggled against the worn yellow fabric of his secondhand shirt. The enticing movement caught his attention, and he forgot what he intended to say. Instead, he found himself imagining what she would look like topless.

“If you’d like, I could put the harem outfit on.”
His gaze went from her chest to her mouth.
Lifting her lowered face a fraction, Kraft met his gaze, and whispered, “Someone placed the costume in my closet.” She flashed him that slow, lazy and sexy smile.

Jace had no idea who put the outfit in her closet, but he wouldn’t mind seeing her in that getup again. Fluffpink clinging and exposing the full promise of her undeniably strong and sexy body was certainly worth a second look. After seeing her in the revealing outfit, he knew her nipples were large and toffee-dark against her skin. He remembered the snug slit of her innie bellybutton drawing his gaze down to the wide pleasure of her hips. Between her lush thighs, he would find another snug—

“Should I fetch that costume, Captain?”
Her seductive, superior attitude dispelled all his thoughts of apologizing. Kraft didn’t worry one bit about him taking charge, because she assumed she had the upper hand. His blushing and backing off made her think she could say or do anything, and he’d just turn away. Normally he would have, but not this time.

Slipping a finger under her chin, he lifted her face until she met his gaze. Fathomless black eyes held a smirk that he wanted to quash in a sudden rush. For the first time, she didn’t flinch away from his touch. She melted to him as he stroked his finger across her full, sensuous lips. More than anything in the Void, he wanted to kiss her. He wanted to taste every bit of her luscious mouth. Kraft had a body built for sin, but she had a mouth destined for seduction.

Jace lowered his voice as his mouth descended on hers. “Seems like a waste of time for you to put on all those complicated clothes when I’m just going to make you take them off.”

Her eyes widened.

Placing his mouth to her ear, he whispered, “Or did you want to dress up and then strip for me?”
She tensed and swallowed with an audible click.
He pressed closer. “I’ve never had a whore in my bed. If you’re familiar with the concept, maybe you could walk me through it.”

Kraft pulled back and narrowed her gaze. “After ten years of celibacy, I think a walk is all it would take.”
“Is that so?” Refusing to back down, Jace traced his finger along her ear to her neck. “Since it’s been a decade for me, I’m thinking you won’t be able to walk by the time I’m satisfied.”

Her jaw damn near hit the floor.

Jace took a perverse delight in shocking her, and her dismay made him even more determined to make her back down this time. Even if he had to say the most vulgar things in the Void, he would force her retreat.
“I can’t believe you’re surprised.” He stroked her lips with a forceful fingertip. “You can read me so well, right?”

She darted her gaze to the floor. “I told you, I can’t read you like that. I can read—”
Plush lips gave way below the thrust of his silencing finger. When her hungry eyes met his, he said, “Don’t try to distract me. I don’t care what you can read. You don’t have to read me. I’ll tell you what I want.”

Lowering his mouth to her neck, he nipped lightly. “I want you.” After pulling her mocha skin, marking her, he lifted his mouth to her ear. “I want you writhing and panting and sweating below my thrusting body.”
She placed her large hands on his chest, pushed him back and looked him right in the eye. The depths of her black gaze swarmed with heat, smoky and slightly unfocused. “You want me by force?”

He heard the catch in her voice and sensed her desperation. He smiled at her as he answered her question with one of his own. “How can I force you when sex is part of your contract, my lovely cook-whore?”

Kraft withdrew with a startled step back. She pressed against the metal door of his bunk and flattened her palms against the smooth durosteel to steady herself.
Closing in on her, he took a half-step forward and placed his palms on the door, encasing her with his arms. In a tingling rush, a fleeting ripple washed over his body, and he wondered if he could actually feel Kraft trying to read him through the door. He forced himself to contain the rush by focusing his mind and constricting his body to a tense stance.

Kraft stood taller. Confusion and fear darted across her expressive face. He wondered if the darkness in him caused her reaction, or if he’d succeeded in preventing her from reading him. Either way, he sensed his advantage.

Pressing his mouth to her ear, he whispered, “What’s wrong, sugar-britches? I thought you were all for this kind of dance between us, especially after what you said in the cargo bay.”

With her back to his bunk door, she lifted her face and the whole of her body until she met his gaze with level intensity. Since she couldn’t force him to retreat verbally, she now tried to force his retreat with the fierceness of her gaze, and it almost worked.

He fought down the urge to step back by moving closer. She radiated the scents of cooking, but below, he found that enticing hint of her musky perfume. Her scent was rich, intoxicating and alluring. He wanted to find the source of her fragrance and lose himself in it.
“Just give me the order, Captain Lawless, and I’ll ride you until we both collapse.”

One fleeting vision of her proudly riding astride him caused him to blush and turn away. The triumphant look on her face clarified she thought such a command a distinct impossibility.

She seemed pleased that she’d finally forced him to back down. He watched Kraft’s pulse jump below the smooth skin of her neck when he closed in on her and said, “That’s an order I’m not likely to give.”
Her lips parted in surprise. She lowered her face but not her gaze.

“I wouldn’t order you to ride me because I like to be on top.”

He forced her chin up so their lips came close without touching. “Stop giving me that submissive face when you’ve got nothing behind it but arrogance.”
Kraft stood tall. “I thought you preferred submissive women?”

“As a matter of fact I do.” Tracing his finger along the open V of her shirt, he smoothed the fabric against the curve of her breasts and popped open one of the small wooden buttons. “Do you like submissive men?”

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, but it caught in her throat. When he looked down, he discovered her nipples were pressed tight against the soft yellow fabric of his old shirt.

He chuckled and stroked the barest brush of his fingertip over the swell of her nipple. “Obviously not.”

Release Date:  11-02-10

You can find the book here:

http://samhainpublishing.com/authors/anitra-lynn-mcleod

http://www.amazon.com/Thief-Fringe-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00436F01G/

You can find Anitra here:

http://www.anitramcleod.com/

Facebook
 
 M

Friday, October 29, 2010

Review: Dust by Joan Frances Turner


Dust is a Novel by Joan Frances Turner from ACE.

Book Blurb:

What if dead people still have minds of their own, can laugh and fight and form friendships and love each other and grieve?  What if the moans and groans you hear are an actual language?  What if the undead have a 'life' span, slowly aging and decaying, and crumbling into dust just as inert bodies do in the coffin?  What if the creature in your crosshairs still remembers you, loves you, but can't plead for what you once were to each other before you pull the trigger?

It's a terrible beauty that the former Jessica Anne Porter sees in her fellow undead, but she does see it.  They are survivors.  In an increasingly senseless world, instinct pulls them on toward a faintly remembered shore, where centuries ago...something...happened.

Dust is an amazing read if you are a zombie geek - like me.  :)

Ms. Turner has an entirely new take on the zombie lore and I love it!

Jessica and the gang she hangs out with have no idea why some of the dead come back and others don't.  All she knows is that after a horrible car accident she found herself awake once again, with the knowledge that she could climb out of her resting place.

The world that Jessica resides in has adapted to the 'environmental hazards' that are walking around - certain restrictions and curfews are in place, some areas are considered too dangerous to travel without escort and others are closed off completely.   

People are encouraged to burn their dead - and most comply, but the few who are certain that something like that could never happen to someone in their family - continue to bury their dead in designated areas - allowing this phenomenon to continue.

All manor of scientist, biologist, neurologist and the like are working to find a 'cure' to end what is fast becoming a plague.  But when one of their own decide to take matters into his own hands, and alters a 'germ' designed to finally put an end to those walking undead - the outcome is unbelievable - and mankind, as a whole, may not survive his 'cure'.

I loved Dust and give it 5 out of 5 stars.

M   


Book Cover & Promo: The Darkest Secret by Gena Showalter

Book Blurb:

Keeper of the demon of Secrets, Amun can manipulate the darkest thoughts of anyone nearby. But when new demons possess him, the immortal warrior must be chained and isolated to protect those he loves. 

Death is his only hope of release—until he meets Haidee, a fellow prisoner whose beauty and hidden vulnerability draw him into a reckless test of his loyalty….

Haidee is an infamous demon assassin, raised to despise Amun’s kind. Yet how can she hate the man whose touch sets her aflame? 

But to save him, she must give herself body and soul…and face the wrath of a powerful adversary sworn to destroy her.

Release Date 04-01-11

M

Thanks to Wicked Scribes for the discovery.  :) 

Friday Flash Fiction: Week #11

Amy C over at Romance Book Wyrm and Dottie over at Tink's Place
have come up with the idea for a Monday Morning Flash Fiction challenge. Each Monday a new picture prompt wi
ll be posted and if you choose to participate - you post your story on Friday.

And here is the eleventh picture prompt:
 
 
And here is my story:
 
Sux to Be Me
By Michelle Greathouse

It wasn’t fair.  All I wanted was to go to the gathering - but no, I wasn’t old enough.  Parents.  When were they going to let me grow up?  I have boobs for goodness sake - nice boobs if I can rely on what Vlad said last Friday night at the Dragon Ball.

Being a sixteen year old witch blows.  Not the witch part - that rox out loud - the sixteen year old part.  I am still considered a witchling - so I’m not allowed to observe any of the rituals that may or may not be performed during the gathering.  Who are they kidding?  This is a party.  A Halloween party - and I want to go.

My mother has been working on this thing for three weeks.  She is bound and determined to out do last years gathering.  I think it has something to do with the fact that last years gathering was at Raven’s place - and Mama hates Raven.  

Raven tried to flirt with Daddy one time - one time - and Mama went ballistic.  To Dad’s credit, he didn’t blink an eye.  He worships the ground Mama walks on - it is sickening at times.

After Mama got through ripping Raven a new one, Dad swept her up in his arms, planted a big sloppy one on her, smacked her behind and ported.  I was mortified - we were right in the middle of the apothecary - and everyone ooh’d and ahh’d.  I threw up a little in my mouth.

The place is all decked out, food and wine and other beverages are packed behind the bar.  The bartender is Vlad’s older brother - he is a potion master of the first order.  A few years older than Vald’s eighteen - Lucien is hot and he knows it, which is a big turn off.  But he is nice to look at - which brings me back to my first point - I want to go to the party.

I worked so hard on my outfit - even going so far as to get one of those silly ‘witch’ hats that all the humans wear.  That was a feat in itself.  Do you know how hard it is to slip off to the mall?  Give me a break.  I cut advanced divination and snuck out to the herb garden, figuring no one would be there after lunch, I thought for sure that security troll spotted me right before I ported.  Another thing I’m not supposed to do.  Damn

That is what got me caught.  I was running a little behind and ported straight to my room instead of the woods - and who was standing in my room when I popped in?  Mama.

She had a shit fit.

“Devin Aurora Morgana Birchwood, have you lost your blooming mind?”  I knew I was in trouble then - when Mama uses all four names, that’s it.

My friends call me Vinny - but right now, my name is mud -   because Daddy heard Mama’s dulcet tones and beat feet to the rescue.  Why anyone - especially Daddy - would think that Mama needed rescuing is beyond me.

So Daddy came in and things went from bad to worse.  And that is why I am sitting in my room - all dressed up and no where to go - and on restriction for two weeks.  

But I did grab the latest Kresley Cole book while I was out.  If I have to be stuck in my room - at least I can read.

I wonder how that Cole lady knows so much about our world...?

The End
Word Count: 593


So what do you think?  I tried a couple of different things this week.  I wrote in the first person and I went for funny/snarky rather than violent/bloody.  LOL

Happy Halloween everyone - be safe!  :)

M 

18 & Over Tag Along :)

A New Non-YA Tag Along. :)


This new Tag Along is hosted by Laurie @ Bitten by Paranormal Romance and here is a rundown of the rules:

 
In order to qualify for this tag along your blog must have more adult content than YA - meaning that if you read and review adult romance or  erotica - you qualify.  You can have YA on your blog - but the adult content must outweigh the YA.  :)


Stop by and take a look around. :)

M

Book Blogger Hop

Over at Crazy-for-Books they're having a Book Blogger Hop. Here is a description from the website:


It's Friday! Time for another Book Blogger Love Fest HOP!!

ABOUT THE HOP:
 
In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blogger Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on! So, I created this weekly BOOK PARTY where book bloggers and readers can connect to find new blogs to read, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! 
 
It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start PARTYING!!


Sounds like a blast. Go and check it out - leave your link so others can stop by your blog - and don't forget to check out the blogs listed - you may find several you like. I did. :)


http://www.crazy-for-books.com/
 
This weeks question:
 
"What is the one bookish thing you would love to have, no matter the cost?"

I would love to have my own library with floor to ceiling book shelves.  I will one day.  LOL  As soon as the children move out - one of their bedrooms will become my library.  :)
M

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Blog Tour: Ecstasy in Darkness by Gena Showalter

Ecstasy in Darkness is the fifth book in the Alien Huntress series by Gena Showalter and a Paranormal Romance from Pocket Star Books.

Book Blurb:
Growing up poor on New Chicago's meanest streets, Ava Sans had two options: be the predator or be the prey.

No contest.

Now, working for Alien Investigation and Removal, she's been ordered to capture the biggest, baddest warrior of all - a vampire too beautiful to be real, with the ability to manipulate time.

Once the leader of the entire vampire army, McKell has been deemed savage and unstable, spurned even by his own kind.  To McKell, humans should be nothing more than sustenance.

Yet the petite, golden-skinned Ava is a fascinating contradiction - vicious yet witty, strong yet vulnerable, lethal but fiercely loyal. Against his better judgment, McKell craves that loyalty, and much more.

When the chase leads to seduction, McKell and Ava will race to discover the truth about his past. But the answers will come at a price, even for a woman who thought she had nothing left to lose. . . .


Ecstasy in Darkness was submitted for review and I retain my copy.  :)

This is the first book I have read in Ms. Showalter's Alien Huntress series - and it rocked!!  Though Ecstasy in Darkness is the fifth book in the series - I had no trouble reading it as a stand alone novel.

Ava Sans grew up on the wrong side of the tracks - no father and a drunk for a mother.  Ava learned at a very young age to trust no one but herself - and let no one in.  

Now Ava is working for AIR - Alien Investigation and Removal with her best friend Noelle - and the trainees have been given a final mission to determine if they are ready to become 'Agents'.  Their mission - bring in McKell - an uber vampire - for questioning.

Victor McKell is considered a traitor to his kind.  He has left his vampire home to live in the human realm - and he wants to know how other vampires have acclimated so easily to topside - and how they walk in the sun.  Having his own agenda, he is in no hurry to report to AIR for questioning.

When McKell sees Ava he is instantly attracted - and from the beating of Ava's heart, and the rushing of her blood - the attraction is returned.

McKell strikes a deal with Ava.  If she will help him in his quest - he will do as AIR asks - but on his own terms.

I absolutely loved this book.  :) 

Ava is tough and not at all afraid of kicking some a$$ when the need arises.

McKell is alpha all the way - but funny - a combination that is utterly divine.

I love Ava and McKell together - the chemistry is explosive - and the sexual tension thick enough to cut with a knife. 

I give Ecstasy in Darkness 5 out of 5 stars and I have the rest of the series on my Christmas wish list.  :)

M



Awaken Me DarklyEnslave Me SweetlySavor Me SlowlySeduce the Darkness
Ecstasy in Darkness

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

WoW: A Brush of Darkness by Allison Pang





Book Blurb from GoodReads:


Six months ago, twenty-six-year-old Abby Sinclair was struggling to pick up the pieces of her shattered life.

Now, she has an enchanted iPod and a miniature unicorn living in her underwear drawer. 

With her lack of OtherWorldly knowledge, Abby needs all the help she can get. So when her Faery employer and some of her friends go missing, she must team up with the sexy and mysterious incubus who’s been haunting her dreams.

As Abby’s sucked deeper and deeper into this dangerous world she barely knows—filled with daemons, angels, and faeries—she finds herself trapped at the center of it all.

And she might not be able to escape...

Sounds like a fun, quirky read.  :)

Available 01-25-11

M

Box O' Books Winner! :)

Good morning.  :)  It is time to choose the winner of the box o' books.  If you are new to my giveaways - here is a run down of how the winner is chosen.

Using Random dot Org:

1.)  Place all eligible entrants on List Randomizer and shuffle several times to mix the names.

2.)  Use Random Number Generator to choose the winning number.


Here we go:
There were 17 items in your list. Here they are in random order:
  1. Mona
  2. donnaS
  3. Jane
  4. cPullum
  5. dlhaley
  6. Martha Lawson
  7. CarolNWong
  8. sablelexi
  9. Mandy
  10. debbie
  11. I <3 Book Gossip
  12. Kelsey
  13. janetfaye
  14. Autumn
  15. Linda Henderson
  16. skkorman
  17. Crystal H
And the winning number is #12 - Kelsey.  Congrats.  An email has been sent to Kelsey.  :)

Thank you all for participating.

Happy Reading!!

M

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

ARC Review: The Taming f the Wolf by Lydia Dare

The Taming of the Wolf is a Historical Paranormal by Lydia Dare from Sourcebooks Casablanca.

Book Blurb:

Regency England Has Gone To The Wolves

He Could Never Lose Control...

Dashiel Thorpe, Earl of Brimsworth, has spent his life fighting the wolf within him.  But when the full moon rises, Dash is helpless.  A chance encounter with Caitrin MacLeod on a moonlit night inadvertently binds the two together irrevocably, and Dash's impulsiveness plunges them both into a nightmare...

She Never Saw Him Coming...

Caitrin MacLeod is no quiet country lass, but a witch with remarkable abilities.  But when it comes to Dashiel, she's as helpless to fight his true nature as he is.  Her senses overwhelmed, she runs back to the safety and security of her native Scotland...

But Dashiel is determined to follow her - she's the only woman who can free him from a fate worse than death.  And Caitrin will ultimately have to decide whether she's running from danger, or true love...

The Taming of the Wolf was submitted for review and I retain my ARC.

The Taming of the Wolf is the first book I have read by Lydia Dare - and though this book references people from previous books - I had no trouble reading it as a stand alone novel.

For his entire life Dashiel Thorpe has felt out of place.  His father is a cold hearted man who blames Dash for his mother's death.  Dash himself can not accept who and what he is - so he drowns himself in women and irresponsibility.

Caitrin MacLeod knows who she is and what she wants out of life - and it is not Dash Thorpe, the arrogant Englishman.  But when he takes her in his arms she finds peace and quiet - a peace Caitrin has not known - and Cait is perplexed.

Dash is bound and determined to have Cait as his wife - and Cait is just as determined to escape his unwanted attentions. 

Dash has finally met his match - and for all Cait's ability to see the future - she doesn't see a way out of this - and may not really want one...

The Taming of the Wolf is a fun, cute read that I devoured in one day.  The writing is fast paced and the characters are engaging and witty - it left me wanting more.  :)

I give The Taming of the Wolf 4 out of 5 stars. 

M  


Novels
A Certain Wolfish CharmTall, Dark and WolfishThe Wolf Next DoorThe Taming of the Wolf
It Happened One Bite

Monday, October 25, 2010

M.M.F.F. Challenge: Week #11

Amy C over at Romance Book Wyrm and Dottie over at Tink's Place
have come up with the idea for a Monday Morning Flash Fiction challenge. Each Monday a new picture prompt
will be posted and if you choose to participate - you post your story on Friday - 350 words, give or take. 


And here is the eleventh picture prompt.




We thought it would be a good idea to have a spooky picture this week - in honor of Halloween.  :)

Stop back on Friday to see what I can come up with for this one.  


M

Mailbox Monday

Here we are - the last week in October.  All around the blogosphere people are gearing up for Halloween.  I am so excited about the premiere of The Walking Dead on AMC Sunday night at 10.  Will you be watching?

Here is a book I picked up last week - something a little different. 

Book Blurb:

Juno is a dirty cop with a difficult past and an uncertain future. When his family and thousands of others emigrated to the colony world of Lagarto, they were promised a bright future on a planet with a booming economy. But before the colonists arrived, everything changed. An opportunistic Earth-based company developed a way to produce a cheaper version of Lagarto's main export, thus effectively paupering the planet and all its inhabitants. 

Growing up on post-boom Lagarto, Juno is but one of the many who live in despair. Once he was a young cop in the police department of the capital city of Koba. That was before he started taking bribes from Koba's powerful organized crime syndicate. Yet despite his past sins, some small part of him has not given up hope. So he risks his life, his marriage and his job to expose a cabal that would enslave the planet for its own profit. 

But he's got more pressing problems, when he's confronted with a dead man, a short-list of leads, and the obligatory question: who done it? Set up for a fall, partnered with a beautiful young woman whose main job is to betray him, and caught in a squeeze between the police chief and the crooked mayor, Juno is a compelling, sympathetic hero on a world that has no heroes.

That is certainly a huge departure from my usual reads.  :)

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Cover & Promo: Enemy Games by Marcella Burnard

Book Blurb:


Kidnapped while combating a devastating plague, Jayleia Durante fights to resist the attractive Major Damen Sindrivik, an officer from a rival government’s spy corps. 

But with her spymaster father missing, and mercenaries hot on her trail, Jayleia must join forces with the magnetic, charming and manipulative spy. 

She must see past her desire and remember that his single-minded agenda is for the protection of the empire - not her or her people.

Damen knows a shadowy network of traitors has allied with the violent Chekydran, and that Jayleia’s father holds the key to dismantling that web. She becomes his only lead in a circuitous round of hide and seek and despite their opposing sides, he can’t resist her. Too bad his instincts tell him Jayleia is lying to him.

Now Jayleia and Damen must find the love to match their passion and end the war or they’ll become the prey of the traitors they stalk, and one species’ civil war will consume the galaxy.


I love this cover.  :)

Available Spring 2011

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Legal Thriller/Mystery Book Giveaway :)

It's that time again - time for another box 'o books giveaway.  :)



This time I have something a little different for MBB.  Normally my giveaways are of the Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance kind - because lets face it, those are my two favorite genre's.

But I also read Legal Thrillers and Whodunits - and that is what I have to offer today.  The shelf is overflowing with gently used - often only read once - legal thrillers and mysteries.
                                                            

So I have a box of books for one lucky follower.  This box contains authors like:

Iris Johansen
Mitchel Graham
Allison Brennan
Parnell Hall
Sandra Brown
Jeffery Deaver
David Baldacci
John Sanford

And many more.  :)

So if you are interested, leave me a comment with an email addy so I can contact you if your name is chosen.

Giveaway is open to all followers of this blog with a US mailing address.

Giveaway runs through Tuesday 10-26 and winner will be announced Wednesday 10-27.

Good Luck!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Flash Fiction Friday: Week #10

Amy C over at Romance Book Wyrm and Dottie over at Tink's Place
have come up with the idea for a Monday Morning Flash Fiction challenge. Each Monday a new picture prompt wi
ll be posted and if you choose to participate - you post your story on Friday.

And here is the tenth picture prompt:
 
 
 
My story:
 
Avenge, Seven Fold
By Michelle Greathouse

Seth landed on the terrace, changing to his human form seconds before his feet hit the floor; Elizabeth’s parents right behind him.

Gathering her still body to his chest he brushed the hair from her forehead and placed a gentle kiss upon her brow.  Shock and grief ripped through him like lightening, followed closely by rage and a powerful need to kill.

“I am going for Conrad, take care of Elizabeth.” 


Elizabeth’s mother caught Seth’s eye and he saw his own rage looking back at him.  Sarabetta was fierce, firm in her resolve and resolute about her mission.  Elizabeth’s father, Warren, stood at Sarabetta’s back.  A man of few words, he was content to let his actions speak for him and right now, he was barely holding on to the beast within.

With a nod to the people he considered his own family, Seth gathered Elizabeth, stood and made his way into the lavishly appointed room that had been Elizabeth’s prison for several days.

Seth placed Elizabeth upon the bed and tried to access the damage done to her body.  The gown she wore was stained with blood and singed from the bullet that had penetrated at such a close range.  Seth gently eased the material away from Elizabeth’s body and stared at the mess that was once her heart.

“Damn you Conrad.”  Seth savagely ripped his own wrist and placed the bleeding wound over Elizabeth’s mouth.  “Drink, Beth.”  He encouraged her to drink with sweet words and soothing sounds.  But she would not drink.  

Taking his wrist from her mouth, Seth placed it over her heart and let his blood drip into the gaping hole.  “Heal, damn it.”  

Frantic with worry, Seth savaged his other wrist, placing one at Beth’s mouth while the other dripped onto her chest.  It was no use.  She was dead, truly dead, and there was nothing Seth could do.

He gathered her into his arms and left the bedroom making his way down the corridor.  He passed fighting at every turn, but gave the combatants not a second glance, so intent was he in his mission.  He had to get her out of this place, had to find her parents.  Surely they would know what to do, how to save her.

Seth arrived at the courtyard and found Sarabetta engaged in fierce battle with three of Conrads baby vamps, Warren was similarly engaged with Van, Conrad’s lieutenant.  The courtyard was littered with the bones of Conrad’s ancestors.  This was considered a holy place by the King.      

Throwing back his head, Seth let loose with a primal roar that drew everyone’s attention to him - and the body he carried.

Sarabetta beheaded one vamp, threw her sword at the head of another, successfully decapitating him on the run, and made her way to her daughter just as Warren knelt at Beth’s side, Van's head still in his grasp.

“What happened?”  Sarabetta took in Beth’s wound and the blood that surrounded her mouth and ran unchecked down her throat.

“I could not get her drink, nor the wound to heal.”  Seth shook with a combination of grief and rage.  “I don’t understand, I thought she would rise as a vampire.”

Warren looked at Sarabetta, “We need to get her home.”  Nodding her consent Sarabetta moved to allow Warren to pick Beth up.  “Follow me.”

Sarabetta moved quickly through the courtyard, Warren following closely and Seth bringing up the rear until they reached the area where Conrad kept his automobiles.  They loaded Beth into the first available vehicle and began the journey down the steep mountain side road.

 
“I’ve sent a mental command to leave no one alive and destroy the castle - Conrad will no longer find sanctuary here.”  Sarabetta calmly drove down the twisting road.

Seth, sitting in the backseat with Beth’s limp body in his arms, met Sarabetta’s gaze in the mirror.  “What about Conrad?”

“Conrad is mine.”  

Warren turned to look at his wife.  “Conrad is ours.  We will avenge Beth’s death seven fold.  There will be no one left in Conrad’s line.  This I swear.”

The End
Word Count: 677


What do you think?  If you have followed these flash fictions you will note that this story is a continuation of my flash from week # 7 - Win, Lose and Die.

I hope you enjoyed this one.  :)

Book Blogger Hop

Over at Crazy-for-Books they're having a Book Blogger Hop. Here is a description from the website:

It's Friday! Time for another Book Blogger Love Fest HOP!!

ABOUT THE HOP:
 
In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blogger Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on! So, I created this weekly BOOK PARTY where book bloggers and readers can connect to find new blogs to read, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! 
 
It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start PARTYING!!


Sounds like a blast. Go and check it out - leave your link so others can stop by your blog - and don't forget to check out the blogs listed - you may find several you like. I did. :)


http://www.crazy-for-books.com/
 
 
This week's question comes from Becky who blogs at Becky's Barmy Book Blog:
 

"Where is your favorite place to read? Curled up on the sofa, in bed, in the garden?"
 
I have an oversized chair in the living room that I love to sit in and read.  But I also take a book with me to pick my son up at school and sitting in the van, in the quiet with my book - is very nice.  :)