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Wednesday 29 June 2011

VENGEANCE MOON by Savannah Jordan

Revenge is a bitch, and Sariah is her biggest competition.

The name is Sariah DuShayne. I’m a real-life monster hell-bent on revenge. Five years ago, Xander Waithorn had the balls to move to my city and start spreading his werewolf virus. The bastard made me and I plan to use my hybrid DNA to change at will and get my revenge.

I should’ve known better than to hunt him on a full moon, but some days my vendetta gets the best of me. Hormones and Were senses raging, I accidentally ravaged some mouthy humans in a back alley. Werecat and personal stalker Stephan Colinford witnessed the entire fiasco and developed the crazy idea he could derail my path of vengeance. Talk about the cat calling the wolf a canine—Stephan has less control over his powers than I do. Then we met at his cage fight, and I couldn’t help surrender my soft curves to his hard body.

Somehow, Stephan thought love would change everything, but he’s wrong. I’ll do whatever it takes to punish Xander and his pack of lap dogs. After Xander’s hell of a werewolf-a-palooza concert, blood and fire will reign. If Death and Hell won’t have me, my only prayer is Stephan will…

Warning: This title contains a hero who can sweep you off your feet, cage sex hot enough to make you sweat and a heroine tough enough to rip your throat out.

If you're looking for a gritty, violent, and sensual urban fantasy book to sink your teeth into, look no further. This is what you need right here! :)

Sariah's a hybrid werewolf with revenge on her mind. She wants to make the bastard who made her into this monster pay, and decides to do it strategically. But by killing his pack off one by one, she also gets into some pretty violent situations with humans--which she calls Pinks.

When you first meet her, Sariah comes across as a hard-as-nails predator with nothing but vengeance on her mind, but she's so much more. As the story moves along, we actually see how generous she is. She has a big heart, and has opened her house up to women in need.

What she didn't know was that someone was watching her every move from the shadows, but he isn't doing it because he wants to attack her. No, Stephan's drawn to Sariah. In spite of her murderous ways. He can see past all that.

Stephan--The Saint--is a tough MMA fighter. He's awesome in the cage and has big dreams of getting to the top of his sport, but getting involved with Sariah not only occupies his mind, soul, and heart but also awakens the Werecat inside him. Not to mention makes him a target for a backstabbing, scheming werewolf who's got plans of his own.

I had a blast with this book! Seriously. Not only did it appeal to my love for the urban fantasy, shifter, and supernatural genres, but it also thrust me into the middle of the MMA world. With cage fights that are so awesomely written I felt like I was watching an actual UFC fight. I got a kick out of all the references, too. Randy Couture, anyone? ;)

The story is told in the first-person POV of Sariah, so we get deep into her world and realise that although she comes across as a total, hardcore bitch, she really is a whole lot more. She cares for girls who end up in a situation similar to hers, and cares deeply for Stephan. We also get insight into Stephan via his pasionate third-person POV--which was cool--and that of the villain. It makes for a very well-rounded story.

I loved it, and the last bit of the book left me breathless because it was non-stop action until the very end. What a great story!

H&UFRC books read: 30/24

Monday 27 June 2011

Four more days...

This week is a short school week for my daughter. She finishes up on Thursday and doesn't go back until July 18. Which means she'll be home with me during my birthday next month, lol. (She keeps reminding me.)

And this afternoon, after school, we've got our parent-teacher interview. After reading her report card--which was great--I expect everything to go well. :)

She was a little sick over the weekend. Don't know why, but she had a fever most of Saturday. At least she got a chance to recover from it yesterday. I hate it when she's sick. She's a very cute sick girl. As in, she becomes a total darling who listens to everything I say. She's adorable, and I'm super glad that she's okay now.

So, what am I going to do this week? Well, I've decided to make a few name changes to Alex Wales #2, so I'd like to take care of that this morning. I'm reading this very awesome book on my Kindle, and hope to catch up on a little more reading. I also want to get all my notes for the Recast and Sierra Fox series together. I want to refresh my memory with everything, because I'd like to write the next books in each series--Recast #3, Sierra Fox #2--this year.

Insane? I know, but there's plenty of time... right? ;)

I'm heading into a bits-and-pieces week. Cool!

Saturday 25 June 2011

SMOKIN' SEVENTEEN by Janet Evanovich

Break out a cold drink and slap on some sunscreen, because everyone's favourite bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is going to warm up your winter in her next adventure SMOKIN' SEVENTEEN!

Where there's smoke there's fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum. The bail bonds office has burned to the ground, and bodies are turning up in the empty construction lot. To make matters worse, Stephanie is working out of a motor home she shares with a dancing bear, and Joe Morelli's old world grandmother has declared a vendetta against her. And just when Stephanie decides it might be time to choose between the two men in her life, Morelli and Ranger, a third man from Stephanie's past moves back to Trenton...

The Stephanie Plum series is one of my favourites. It's always a lot of fun, and the latest addition to the series had me laughing as much as the others.

Stephanie's a bond enforcement agent, which is risky business and at the moment--since they don't actually have an office--it's also a little slow. So when someone decides to use the lot where the bail bonds office used to stand as a dumping ground for dead bodies, a new police investigation buzzes around Stephanie. What first appears to be one body, soon turns into more. And before too long, the killer starts to personally address the bodies to Stephanie.

If this isn't bad enough, Stephanie and Lula have to deal with an old man who's convinced he's a vampire, another who can't seem to keep his clothes on, and a dancing bear makes an appearance too. Her love life isn't any better either, she's still caught between Morelli and Ranger. She just can't make up her mind. So when Morelli's crazy grandmother curses her with the vordo she starts to have trouble focusing on anything but 'catching up' with both guys. ;)

Add a motor home serving as their temporary office, Mooner (the owner of the mobile home, who acts as if he's living on another planet), the criminal Nick Alpha who wants to kill Stephanie for what she did to his brother, a woman who's determined to run her over, a man who's very quickly becoming a cooking stalker, and you've got yourself a lot of crazy ingredients thrown into this insane salad of hilarity.

Smokin' Seventeen is another hilarious, awesome Stephanie Plum story. Just when you think her life can't get any more complicated--or bizarre--you get stuck into the latest book and quickly start to realise it can get a lot worse. Which is bad for Steph, but great for the reader.

Poor Stephanie goes through a lot in this book, and one of her biggest problems is the man her mother is trying to fix her up with, lol.

I love this series. Bring on the eighteenth book!

Smokin' Seventeen: Stephanie Plum #17, July 2011, ISBN 9780755384891, Headline Fiction Paperback

M&SRC books read: 16/12

Tuesday 21 June 2011

Bad blogger

Yeah, I've been terrible the last few days. :( Time's been slipping away from me so quickly.

Why is there always so much to do? lol

Anyway. Today started out bright and sunny, but before I realised what was happening, the sky filled with dark clouds and a violent wind kicked up. It got seriously cold too. I nearly got blown away when I walked over to pick my daughter up from school. At least we came home right away and have been warm and indoors ever since. Cool!

So. I didn't add as many words as I was hoping today, but the total word count has now reached 42,770. I'm ahead of my scheduled daily word counts and am nearing the end. Well, not quite there yet, but I can see it. A lot of crazy stuff still has to happen, though.

I'd like to have this first draft done by the end of this month, but if I go nuts on the word count for the rest of the week, I could finish sooner. Fingers crossed. I've had a few (excellent!) distractions lately.

Well. It's still early, but I'm really tired. Think it's time to get some sleep.

Good night!

SHADY LADY by Ann Aguirre

Whenever Corine Solomon touches an object, she immediately knows its history. But her own future concerns her more and more. Now back in Mexico, she's running her pawnshop and trying to get a handle on her strange new powers, for she might need them. And soon.

Then former ally Kel Ferguson walks through her door. Heavily muscled and tattooed, Kel looks like a convict but calls himself a holy warrior. This time, he carries a warning for Corine: the Montoya cartel is coming for her - but they don't just pack automatic weapons. The Montoyas use warlocks, shamans, voodoo priests - anything to terminate trouble. And Corine has become enemy number one...

This is the third book in the Corine Solomon urban fantasy series. After absolutely loving Blue Diablo and Hell Fire, I couldn't wait to get stuck into it.

Months have gone by since what happened in Kilmer, and Corine is back in Mexico. She's back to enjoying her 'normal' life inside her pawnshop, and now has Shannon with her--a teenager from the ordeal in Kilmer. Together, they're getting along just fine. Well, as fine as Corine likes to tell herself she is. After all, she hasn't heard from Chance and is sort of having an online long-distance-no-strings-attached relationship with Jesse.

All of this changes when Kel Ferguson walks into her shop and saves her from being killed by a hexed object which mysteriously ends up on her doorstep. He's come to keep her safe.

Apparently, his boss--he claims to be a holy warrior--has sent him to take care of Corine because she's in danger, and that entails finding out what kind of hex was put on this object and by who. Of course, they know it's Montoya who wants her dead--a cartel boss from the first book. But what she and Kel uncover turns out to be a lot darker than what they expected, because a dark sorcerer is after Corine and won't rest until she's dead.

Corine is forced into a variety of adventures and doesn't particularly like the answers she's getting. She also manages to catch the attention of a rival cartel boss, Escobar. He's willing to offer her protection and payment if she puts herself in the position of bait and helps eliminate Montoya. But before Escobar agrees to save her, she needs to prove her handler power, and so sets off deep into the jungle of Peru with Kel beside her.

I got a real kick out of seeing Kel back in the story, and was very surprised when we found out who/what he really is. He's a character that stood out for me since the very beginning, and finding out so much more about him, as well as experiencing his interaction with Corine, has only piqued my interest even more. I really hope he returns in future books!

Shady Lady is a very exciting, fast-paced intense ride that once again manages to blend real-life crime cartels and their bloodthirsty ambitions with sorcerers, witchcraft, and magic. The blend took my breath away and had me guessing at every step, because Corine is faced with many hardships, impossible decisions, and even heartbreak. I love the growth and change she goes through with every book, making her stronger and wiser, even more powerful. But with this power, she's also weakened and loses people and things she loves.

Awesome book. Awesome series. And very well written.

This has now become one of my favourite urban fantasy series, and I can't wait for the next one!

Shady Lady: Corine Solomon #3, July 2011, ISBN 9780575093997, Gollancz Paperback

H&UFRC books read: 29/24

Saturday 18 June 2011

Happy Weekend!

Okay, today we have Weekend WeeMee.

Let me just mention that I don't wear dresses. Actually, the last time I wore a dress was probably on my wedding day... which was almost 12 years ago. But this is so cute! I think this dress totally suits me, and I'd love to wear it to the beach. :)

BTW, my daughter loves making these cute versions of me. Wish I could use one of them for my passport. Seriously. I had my passport photo taken yesterday and those things are just so unflattering. O_o

I have to admit, I don't really like having my picture taken...

Anyway, because hubby went to work super early this morning I actually added another 2k to my WIP. This now brings the total word count to 37,054. I'm very excited about the progress this week. I managed to add 17,019 new words this week--Tuesday-Saturday. I missed out on Monday because it was a public holiday.

Well. I better get going. I've actually got a small to-do list for this morning that I'd love to get through before hubby gets home. See ya later!

Friday 17 June 2011

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EMILY by Robyn Bachar

Magic, matchmaking and murder...
Lord Willowbrook’s spring ball is supposed to be a magical celebration, but Miss Emily Wright is bored. The only outlet allowed for her magic is matchmaking—for others, not herself. Why bother? The only man she wants, Michael Black, is a man she can never have.
Suddenly the guests are abuzz with news of a young sorceress found drained of blood in the parlor. The mystery calls to her, and since she is the only available seer in all England, she jumps at the chance to prove herself.

Michael has spent his life preparing for his ritual death, when he will join the Order of St. Jerome as an immortal chronicler. Now that dream hangs in the balance, his mentor accused of the murder. Worse, gentle Emily, the woman he silently loves, is walking into a world of horrors beyond her imagination.

Torn between duty to the order and desire to keep her safe, Michael fights his growing need for a love that can never be his. All the while the real killer stalks the shadows of Willowbrook Hall, homing in on the next victim.

Warning: This book contains a tough but tortured seer, a hero with an expiration date, scandalous kisses, scheming vampires and bloody corpses.

Before I say anything else, I just have to comment on this beautiful cover. It's stunning!

Emily's a seer who uses her power for matchmaking. In spite of that, she's still single. On the night when she's attending a party in Willowbrook Hall someone is murdered and it piques her interest instantly. She's a curious woman, and soon becomes embroiled in the mystery of who drained the victim. Almost as much as she becomes involved with the alluring and very mysterious Michael Black.

This paranormal, historical novella is absolutely charming. It's a gem! I really enjoyed the mystery plot, Emily's voice, the magical world she lives in, the awesome worldbuilding... it's just plain fun.

I'm now curious about Robyn Bachar's other stories. :)

Tuesday 14 June 2011

ONE HUNDRED CANDLES by Mara Purnhagen

It's taken a long time for me to feel like a normal teenager. But now that I'm settled in a new school, where people know me as more than Charlotte Silver of the infamous Silver family paranormal investigators, it feels like everything is falling into place. And what better way to be normal than to go on a date with a popular football star like Harris Abbott? After all, it's not as if Noah is anything more than a friend….

But my new life takes a disturbing turn when Harris brings me to a party and we play a game called One Hundred Candles. It seems like harmless, ghostly fun. Until spirits unleashed by the game start showing up at school. Now my friends and family are in very real danger, and the door that I've opened into another realm may yield deadly consequences.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, as well as the novella that fits in-between the first book and this one, so I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next...

When Charlotte Silver spends Christmas in an abandoned insane asylum with her ghost-hunting family and a 'renowned demonologist', she can't believe her bad luck. Except, it gets worse, because not only is it freezing but the demonologist's assistant is suddenly overtaken by a dark entity and attacks her.

Back home and wearing a sling, she tries to get back to her 'normal' life and goes to a party with her best friend, Avery, and her crush, Noah. There, she grabs the attention of Harris, who suddenly starts showing an interest in her and takes her across the street to a private party where the kids are telling ghost stories and then light one candle for every story. Until a hundred candles are lit and the spirits are released within the room. Charlotte takes part, and shortly after, strange and creepy things start happening at school--all related to the stories kids told at the party.

Strange things might be going on around her, but for the first time she's actually got a boyfriend--Harris--and is looking forward to going to her first prom. But her parents are suddenly arguing all the time because they no longer seem to agree on anything, and the dark entity they encountered in the asylum is still after her.

I absolutely loved this book! I couldn't stop reading it. Charlotte's a very engaging narrator and I'm instantly hooked into her stories. I also like her friends, they're all interesting in their own way. Her family life intrigues me, and Noah's not only a good friend but he's also a sweetheart.

In some places, this book is downright creepy. It's also sad, but so awesome! I enjoyed everything about it, and can't wait for the next book.        

H&UFRC books read: 28/24

I've got some awesome news!

That's right!

I'm very excited to announce that I've just signed two new contracts with Samhain Publishing. Yay! Awesome!

OMGosh, I'm still giddy about this. LOL.

These are the books:

CLASH is category length, and happens to be the second book in my Sci-Fi Recast series. It takes place right after the events of WITHER, but it's Ace's story.

A PATCH OF DARKNESS is the first book (novel length) in a new urban fantasy series about ghosts, and other paranormal stuff.

*dancing around the room*

Have a great day!

Monday 13 June 2011

RED GLOVE by Holly Black

A changed world, an America where Magic is prohibited - Holly Black's sensational new fantasy series continues.

The Sopranos meets Six Feet Under - a wonderfully dark, supernatural vision of modern day America.

Cassel has discovered the dark secret of his past, the secret that set him apart from his family. Now he must take his new knowledge and his new powers out into the world.

A dark and twisting contemporary fantasy set in a beautifully rendered, subtly different world this is a wonderfully nuanced and involving fantasy, at once melancholy, ironic and terrifying. It is perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman.

Last year, I had the absolute pleasure of reading and reviewing White Cat, and absolutely loved every minute of Cassel's first story. So I was super excited when I received a copy of the next Curse Workers book. And it didn't disappoint. I can sum it up in one word: brilliant!

Cassel has spent the summer with his mother, which really isn't as great as it sounds. Together, they pull off one con after another, until it's time for him to go back to school. He attends a private school called Wallingford Preparatory. It provides enough of a personal illusion, to help him pretend he's normal for a while. But he's not. Especially now that he knows the truth about what he really is.

He used to think he was the only non-worker in a family full of them, but it turns out that not only is he a worker, but he's also a very rare one. Which really isn't as much of a shock as living with the truth of what he used to be involved in when his brothers were using him.

Now, his oldest brother, Philip, has been killed and because he'd caught the attention of the Feds, they approach Cassel and want him to help them find the killer. He agrees, but on his own terms--which usually includes a good dose of deceit. The more he delves into his brother's death, the more he realises that it's in his best interest to find out who killed him because the Fed's investigation might just lead back to Cassel...

I love this very dangerous and involved world where people have to wear gloves or they risk being 'worked'. Cassel constantly finds himself in the middle of complicated situations--including a girl who's been cursed to love him, and her father, who happens to be a mob boss who desperately wants Cassel to work for him.

Red Glove is an outstanding book that hooked me in from the very beginning and didn't let me go until I got to the end. It was a wonderful, thrilling ride that I can't wait to take again next year, when the next book is released.

I loved this book. Holly Black is an impressive storyteller.        

Red Glove: The Curse Workers #2, June 2011, ISBN 9780575096769, Gollancz Paperback

H&UFRC books read: 27/24

Saturday 11 June 2011

UNCOMMON CRIMINALS by Ally Carter

Kat Bishop: friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. Or simply, the girl who robbed the greatest museum in the world …

Now she’s been asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners.

Trouble is, not only is the gem elusive – it’s cursed.

Kat might be in way over her head but help is to hand. She enlists the gorgeous Hale and the rest of the crew from Heist Society on a heart-stopping round-the-world search. But this time, Kat – who knows every trick and con in the book – is making up her own rules.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, so I was looking forward to getting stuck into this one too.

Katarina Bishop has a tendency to runaway from her family of thieves, but during her latest time away, she doesn't stop doing what dragged her back into the business in the first place. She continues to steal, on her own.

So it's no surprise that when she gets back to New York and meets up with Hale and Gabrielle, they're both pretty upset about her leaving them out of what she's been doing. And then, she gets caught up in the sad story an old woman and her grandson tell her. They want her to get back the Cleopatra Emerald that was stolen from their family years ago. Kat might be hesitant at first, but when the old woman mentions the name Visily Romani, she's instantly drawn into it.

Before she knows it, Kat, Hale, Simon, and Gabrielle find themselves attempting the impossible--because not only is the emerald heavily guarded, but it's rumoured to be cursed. Everyone who's ever held it for any amount of time has been cursed. This doesn't stop Kat, of course.

Yet, she finds herself in a very sticky situation when she hands over the emerald and she's dragged into a web of deceit that started in the past, and will have to be settled in the present.

Uncommon Criminals is an exciting and unpredictable addition to this fast-paced, jet-setting series. These teenagers might find themselves in a whole lot of trouble, but they're all very savvy and clever, and always seem to plan the perfect scheme, guaranteed to get what they want in the end.

It once again has the right hint of romance, too. Enough to keep the reader coming back to find out what's going to happen next...

 
Uncommon Criminals: Heist Society #2, June 2011, ISBN 9780734411938, Lothian Children's Books

Monday 6 June 2011

THE SHADOW OF THE SOUL by Sarah Pinborough

His dead brother has set DI Cass Jones a task from beyond the grave: to find his baby, Cass' nephew, stolen at birth...
DI Cass Jones is still dealing with the fallout of uncovering a major conspiracy within his own police station when a terrorist attack rocks London. At the same time he has his own investigation to worry about: young people are dying, apparently committing suicide - and they're all linked by the phrase Chaos in the Darkness, scrawled or sent as their last message to the world.

Then he's given a note from his dead brother Christian, written before his murder: the three words - 'They took Luke' - opens up a whole new can of worms, because Cass knows immediately who They are: Mr Bright and the shadowy Network. His dead brother has set him a task from beyond the grave - to find the baby, his nephew, stolen at birth. And as Cass tries to divide his time between all three investigations, it's not long before he discovers links where there should not be. The mysterious Mr Bright is once again pulling his strings and there's nothing DI Cass Jones hate more...

After reading the first book in The Dog-Faced Gods Trilogy last year, I was really looking forward to reading this book! And let me start of by saying: Wow!

DI Cass Jones lives in a very dark future London, where most of the world is in financial ruin, crime is pretty much everywhere, diseases are more common and deadly, and most people lead impossibly hard lives. To add to that, London is rocked by a terrorist attack, which is later mirrored in two other cities around the world. Except, these aren't your average terrorists.

This might not be a case Cass is investigating, but he does get dragged into it. Even if he's too busy trying to figure out why so many university students are suddenly killing themselves and leaving behind this message: Chaos in the darkness. He also receives a message that his dead brother left for him, claiming that his child (Cass's nephew) is still alive because 'They' took him.

At first none of these strange and bizarre events seem to be connected, but the more Cass finds out, the further he's dragged into the mess that's going on around him. And he starts to figure out that all of these events are not just connected, but all lead back to the one man: Mr. Bright.

But Mr. Bright isn't alone this time. There are more like him and they have plans for the world, while they play their mysterious and dangerous games of betrayal.

The characters in this book are amazingly real, and wicked. It's once again written in the shared POV of several of them, giving us a peek into what some of the other players are getting up to.

The Shadow of the Soul is an amazing book. I was instantly sucked into this bleak and hardened world, and got so caught up that the tension and danger at every point had me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't wait to see where everything was going to lead. Although there were a few crumbs of explanation, just like everything else about this trilogy so far, nothing is as it seems and I was left with more questions than answers.

I love the shadowy existence of The Bank, and now that we know a little bit more about them, I can't wait for the last book!        

The Shadow of the Soul: The Dog-Faced Gods #2, May 2011, ISBN 9780575089501, Gollancz Paperback

H&UFRC books read: 26/24

Thursday 2 June 2011

AFTERTIME by Sophie Littlefield

Awakening in a bleak landscape as scarred as her body, Cass Dollar vaguely recalls surviving something terrible. Having no idea how many weeks have passed, she slowly realizes the horrifying truth: Ruthie has vanished.
And with her, nearly all of civilization.
Where once-lush hills carried cars and commerce, the roads today see only cannibalistic Beaters - people turned hungry for human flesh by a government experiment gone wrong.

In a broken, barren California, Cass will undergo a harrowing quest to get Ruthie back. Few people trust an outsider, let alone a woman who became a zombie and somehow turned back, but she finds help from an enigmatic outlaw, Smoke. Smoke is her savior, and her safety.
For the Beaters are out there.
And the humans grip at survival with their trigger fingers. Especially when they learn that she and Ruthie have become the most feared, and desired, of weapons in a brave new world...

I absolutely adore the zombie genre, and happen to have a bunch of zombie books that I haven't gotten a chance to read yet... so, I've decided to read a zombie book whenever I can. I've also been going out of my way to check out what else is out there in this wonderful genre.

This happened to be the next book I decided to read.

And, wow. This is one awesome book, starring a seriously scarred heroine. She's so damaged that every action she makes, and every thought she has, fills her with self-doubt and a rush of memories about all the things she did Before. In this dangerous and dead world, there's Before and Aftertime.

Aftertime is where Cass lives now. In a world full of Beaters, disgusting creatures that feed on human flesh and are starting to evolve in their own manic way. There are communities of survivors hidden in schools and libraries, while others choose to hide alone in their homes, but the threat of the infected is always there. And Cass knows all too well, because she was attacked and actually became one... even if she can't remember much about it.

My gosh, this book was amazing. It sucked me in right from the very beginning. I couldn't wait to find out what Cass had gone through to get where she was. Could feel the devastation and desperation she suffered through every moment of her life, because she didn't know where her daughter was. And that's her drive--finding Ruthie. All she wants in this horrible world is to have her daughter back. At the core of everything, that's all she ever wanted: her daughter.

Of course, meeting Smoke changes her life. And leads them both on a harrowing adventure in search of Ruthie. Leading from one action-packed moment to another. But that's not all there is. This book has a rich backstory, people that you'll love, others that you'll hate, a zealous cult, a new (and very human) threat called the Rebuilders, and so much emotion. It's a fascinating, tense book that kept me on the edge of my seat.

I loved it! And can't wait for the next one.

H&UFRC books read: 25/24
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