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Tuesday, 30 October 2012

SUMMONING THE NIGHT by Jenn Bennett

MAGICAL TRICKS. DEMONIC TREATS.
After narrowly escaping her fate as a sacrificial scapegoat, Arcadia Bell is back to normal. Or at least as ordinary as life can be for a renegade magician and owner of a tiki bar that caters to Earthbound demons. She’s gearing up for the busiest day of the year—Halloween—when a vengeful kidnapper paralyzes the community. The influential head of the local Hellfire Club taps Cady to track down the fiendish bogeyman, and now that she’s dating red-hot Lon Butler, the Club’s wayward son, she can hardly say no.

Cady and Lon untangle a gruesome thirty-year trail of clues that points to danger for the club members’ children. But locating the person behind the terror will require some metaphysical help from Cady’s loyal bar patrons as well as her potent new Moonchild powers—and she’d better figure it out before the final victim disappears and her own darkest secret becomes her biggest enemy.
 
 
This is the second book in the Arcadia Bell series, and it's awesome! It was so good to catch up with Cady, Lon, and Jupe.

When the man running the Hellfire Club asks Cady and Lon to help him find some missing kids, they both get sucked into a 30-year-old mystery featuring the Snatcher. Finding the kids and the person responsible isn't going to be easy, especially when Lon's son could become one of the targets.

Of course, there's a lot more going on... but following them on this dangerous adventure was great. And just in time for Halloween too! ;)

I loved everything about this book--Jupe's antics, the demonic storyline, Cady's newfound gift, and their relationship. This is becoming one of my fave UF series.
 

Thursday, 25 October 2012

FULL BLOODED by Amanda Carlson

The start of an exceptionally fast-paced and irresistibly sexy new urban fantasy trilogy.
 
Born the only female in an all-male werewolf race, Jessica McClain isn't just different - she's feared.
 
After living under the radar for the last twenty-six years, Jessica is thrust unexpectedly into her first change, a full ten years late. She wakes up and finds she's in the middle of a storm. Now that she's become the only female full-blooded werewolf in town, the supernatural world is already clamouring to take a bite out of her. Now her new Pack must rise up and protect her.
 
But not everyone is on board. There are certain superstitious werewolves who think Jessica means an end to their race - and they're not about to go down without a fight.

 
Firstly, I just want to say that I love this cover, and the one for the second book. Secondly: Wow! That's what I thought while reading this book.

Jessica McClain is living under the alias of Molly Hannon so no one knows where/what she is. She happens to be the daughter of one of the toughest werewolf Alphas in the world, and also the only female in an all-male race. But no amount of hiding is going to keep the truth from getting out now.

She never showed any signs of changing, but it didn't stop the male wolves from despising her, which is why she left the 'safety' of the Compound in the first place. However, one night the impossible happens and Jessica actually changes into a wolf, and she trashes her apartment.

As her father and his most trusted wolves go to her aid and work out the best way to tell the rest of the Pack what's happened, the tension grows. But her fellow Pack wolves aren't the only ones she has to worry about, because it seems that being the only female werewolf in the world has attracted the attention of some other supernaturals. Not to mention the human cop who keeps breathing down her neck...

All hell breaks loose when she's ambushed inside a bar, but finds an ally in the most unlikely shifter.

Full Blooded is an awesome addition to the urban fantasy genre. The world building is fantastic, the heroine a tough woman with a lot of vulnerabilities she won't let stand in her way, and the supporting cast is outstanding. There are so many characters to love, some to hate, and some intriguing ones.

I loved everything about this book! I was instantly hooked and couldn't wait to get to the end... Of course, now, I can't wait to read the next book. Oh, and I can't wait to find out more about Rourke. ;)

Full Blooded, September 2012, ISBN 9780356501260, Orbit

Monday, 22 October 2012

Why yes, I will be doing NaNoWriMo this year!

As you can see, I've officially signed up to take part in NaNoWriMo. Yay! I've actually taken part--and won--several years, but I couldn't last year because I was busy with edits.
 
This year, I'm ready to go. ;)
 
BTW, if you're taking part this is ME!
 
I'm actually going to be writing the first draft of Sierra Fox #4. Since I just finished the third book, I think this is a great time to get stuck into the penultimate installment of Sierra's series. And I'm really excited about it. Scenes from the book keep popping up inside my head and I've been writing everything down so I don't forget. I mean, I know most of what's going to happen in this one but the nitty-gritty is really starting to take shape, which is an incredible (magical) thing. Love it!
 
So, I won't be working on anything too involved this week and half of next week. I've got a little research I want to get done, some decluttering, spring cleaning, reading, and other miscellaneous things I want to tackle before getting stuck into NaNo on November 1st. There are still things for me to do, but nothing as crazy as trying to write a book in a month. LOL.
 
How was your weekend? We had a great one. Went out on Saturday because we had a few places to go and things to buy, then Sunday was mostly a relaxed kinda day. It was awesome! The weekends always are. I just hate it when they're over... :( Oh well. There's another one to look forward to now.
 
Have a great day!

Sunday, 21 October 2012

THE AFFAIR OF THE WOODEN BOY by Ian Doyle

The Affair of the Wooden Boy
In Drummond, James Stark and his pretty wife Mina run a discreet inquiry agency. The city is rife with dark creatures, great monsters and men who are beasts. When a puppet knocks on their door in the dead of night claiming to be a real boy who has had his body stolen through black magic, James cannot resist his curiosity. Mina accompanies her husband and soon finds their lives are in peril as they chase a mastermind from the grand mansions into the Gutbucket district.


This is a freebie I picked up for my Kindle, and I really enjoyed it!

Mina and James Stark live in Drummond and run an inquiry agency. The city is filled with dark creatures, and James loves to investigate strange occurrences. So when a wooden puppet knocks on their door and needs their help, the couple set out into the dead of night to help him.

I found this story really charming. It hooked me in, was very interesting, featured a lot of dark creatures, a stange mystery involving dark magic, and an unexpected twist at the end.

Yeah, I really liked this one. And would love to read more stories featuring this married couple.

My only problem was with the actual formatting of the eBook. I'm not sure why it was all in bold, except in some places where it wasn't. Strange, but not enough to take away from the story. :)

Thursday, 18 October 2012

Spring is in the air

Do you like my new laptop? I absolutely LOVE it. I actually bought it almost a month ago, after hubby found an awesome deal. He's the best!
 
Yesterday was my daughter's 12th birthday. (Happy Birthday Cass!) Yep. She's getting older.

Sometimes, I can't believe she's only got one term left in primary school. Next year, she starts Year 7. My gosh, that's high school!
 
Yeah, the years are sure moving along...
 
Anyway. I've been tackling a few things this week. I've had a to-do list ready to tackle every single day. And at the top of that list was writing/proofreading the synopsis for Sierra Fox #3. And guess what? It's now d-o-n-e! That's right, both the book and synopsis are finished and ready for submission. As soon as I have someone to send it to, lol.
 
I'm so done with the third book that the other day I took a bunch of notes about the next book. And since I'm actually planning to write the 4th book during this year's NaNoWriMo, that comes in pretty handy. Which reminds me, I really should get over to the NaNoWriMo website so I can register as participating this year... Yeah, I'll do that today or tomorrow.
 
So, what's new?
 
I love writing and revising a book, and finishing is one of the most rewarding things as a writer, but it takes a lot of time. And because I've been so caught up in my own characters, the world they live in, the problems they face and all that jazz, my reading habit has suffered. O_o I haven't read a full-length book in a few weeks now--not including short stories, novellas, and re-reads, lol--and have so many that I want to tackle that I kinda want to read them all at once.

Falling behind hasn't stopped me from buying. Last week I received a bunch of new books, and pre-ordered some more a few days ago.
 
Think it's time I get back on track and get stuck into one book at a time. Think I'll start with this one. ;) I've already read the first chapter and it's really good. Plus, I've heard great things about it!
 
Okay, that's it for now. Have a great day! 

Wednesday, 17 October 2012

CORALINE (The 10th Anniversary Edition) by Neil Gaiman

There is something strange about Coraline's new home. It's not the mist, or the cat that always seems to be watching her, nor the signs of danger that Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, her new neighbours, read in the tea leaves. It's the other house - the one behind the old door in the drawing room. Another mother and father with black-button eyes and papery skin are waiting for Coraline to join them there. And they want her to stay with them. For ever. She knows that if she ventures through that door, she may never come back.
 

This is the 10th Anniversary Edition of one of my favourite books. I've read this story several times--one time I even read it to my daughter--and it's just as awesome every single time. It's one of those stories that you can read over and over again and never get sick of it.
 
Coraline and her parents have just moved into a new and very strange place. Her parents don't seem to have any time for her, because they're busy doing their own thing, but at least she can go exploring. Exploring so much that she finds a locked door in the drawing room. One that opens up to a brick wall. When it somehow opens up she gets caught up in a world opposite to her own, where everything is familiar but a little different. And her other parents have button eyes.
 
However, this place isn't as good as it first appears and Coraline soon finds herself in a lot of danger. Danger that can lead to her losing her real parents forever...
 
Coraline is a beautiful story for audiences of all ages. It's got a little bit of everything, and Coraline is such an intriguing character. I absolutely LOVE this book! Another thing I loved about this edition was the new illustrations, and Neil Gaiman's introduction just rounds off a lovely reading experience.
 
This book is so pretty, I actually gave it to my daughter after reading. I know she's going to treasure it. :)
 
Coraline (The 10th Anniversary Edition), September 2012, 9781408832400, Bloomsbury

Saturday, 13 October 2012

Checking in...

I can't believe I haven't had a chance to post here for a whole week! Yikes.
 
My daughter went back to school last Monday, so I got stuck into my final reading of Sierra Fox #3 at the beginning of the week. This time I sat down on the couch with my Samsung Galaxy Note and read the story from start to finish, to make sure everything made sense. I used Kingsoft Office for Android to make any changes, and then looked them over before accepting them on my laptop.
 
It was quite a painless process. I love how different it is to read your own story on the computer/laptop screen, as opposed to on a reading device. It makes anything obvious really stand out. I didn't actually find anything too drastic--a few typos, replaced a few words, rewrote some sentences, and made sure everything was consistent with the first two books in the series. Most of it was. (Thank goodness!)

Now, I've just got a few things to double check on Monday, and a synopsis to write. Then, I can submit it. Hoping to get everything finalised sometime next week, but I'd also like to take it easy for a bit. I want to catch up on some reading, and just relax for a while. Well, until the beginning of November, because I want to take part in NaNoWriMo this year.
 
OMG, before I forget... do you know what happened to me last Sunday? I'd picked out and bought a different hair dye a few months back--different brand and shade--and hubby started the process. Okay, everything was fine at the beginning. I was super excited to try out the new plum shade, curious to see how it would turn out. After five minutes, I started to feel a little strange. Not sure how to explain it, but I felt woozy and my heart was racing. Not to mention that my face was burning up. I told hubby, and we rinsed the dye right off. I was still feeling a little wonky afterwards, so I washed my hair twice--hoping to wash the damn thing away. In the end, I slowly started to feel much better and calmed down.
 
It was pretty scary, though. I obviously suffered an allergic reaction to the dye. Not sure why, since I'd been using a different one for about two years and never had a problem. It's all very confusing, but I guess I need to go back to the dye I was used to. Though I'd like to try a different colour.
 
I'm still a little freaked out about the incident, and even a little scared to dye my hair again. :(
 
Oh, and the weirdest thing is that the dye actually stuck. I was supposed to leave it in for about twenty minutes, but leaving it in for five changed the colour anyway. Freaky!
 
Well. That's about it. We also celebrated hubby's birthday on Tuesday, went to the dentist today, and my daughter's birthday is coming up this Wednesday. Always something to keep me busy, lol.
 
Have a good one!

Saturday, 6 October 2012

It's Evernight's Birthday!


And one of my books is on sale for 99c!

When someone is killed too suddenly or tragically, there's a creature ready to bargain for their soul...

Fate's cruel hand took Alana from Matt before he had a chance to tell her how he felt.

A year later, he's still mourning her loss but Matt doesn't realize that he hasn't completely lost her. Yet, he'll never know how close she really is if he continues to ignore his ability.

Alana has struck a deal that'll save Matt before the end of All Hallows Eve, but time is running out. And if it does, both of their souls will be lost.
 
 
::: THE SOUL DEALER, Book 1: Deception is part of a Duology. Here's the second book. ::: 
  
 
Click to see the full list of Evernight Publishing specials:

Friday, 5 October 2012

MOMMY ISSUES OF THE DEAD by T.A. Pratt

Mommy issues of the dead (Marla Mason, Prequel #4)
This short story chronicles an early adventure of Marla Mason, when she was a young mercenary sorcerer doing dirty jobs in exchange for secret knowledge. The subterranean sorcerer Viscarro hires Marla to steal a certain item from one of his rivals... who just happens to be his brother. Soon Marla finds herself entangled in a dysfunctional family feud of epic proportions, and in danger of dying herself.
 
 
This is another Marla Mason prequel short story. It's set during her mercenary days, when she took jobs in exchange for knowledge and secrets.

The sorcerer Viscarro has a job for her, and although she can't take her trusty cloak with her, she still agrees to go to the mountains... and gets caught up in a messy family situation.

This is also the first time her thoughts really sway towards the mother she left behind, and in the process meets Regina--hope she makes an appearance in future books.

Well, as you can probably guess I loved this story. Every single Marla story I've read so far totally rocks!!

Thursday, 4 October 2012

What? It's October already?


Um, yeah. It is. And it kinda snuck up on me. O_o
 
Oh well, what can you do? Can't slow the days down. *shrugs*
 
Anyway.
 
Do you like the toucan drawing? My daughter made it on her iPad. I think it's really cool, and cute. Love adding pictures she made to my blog posts.
 
So, what have I been doing this week? A lot of non-writing stuff.
 
This is my daughter's last week of school holidays so I didn't want to get stuck into anything too involved. Instead, I've been tackling smaller jobs--which mainly involves tweaking (and more tweaking) bits from Sierra Fox #3. :/ I know. I can't help myself. LOL.
 
I've also been reading a bunch of short stories/novellas, hanging out with my daughter (and hubby because we had a long weekend), going for walks, catching up on some domestic stuff, and trying to reorganise my bookshelves. The last one happens to be a never-ending job, but I love going through them.
 
Next week, I will be reading SF#3 one last time--on my phone. I think this will help me spot any last-minute typos, and anything that stands out. I also have Kingsoft Office for Android on my Note, so that means I can make any changes I need to on my phone. How cool is that? Oh, and I have to write that pesky synopsis, which I was supposed to do this week...
 
One of my publishers--Evernight Publishing--is having a huge birthday celebration sale at the moment. You can buy a bunch of books for 99c, and my Halloween themed PNR is one of them. That's right, you can pick up a copy of The Soul Dealer, Book 1: DECEPTION for a buck. Not bad, huh? You can check out the whole list here!
 
I seriously can't believe how quickly these school holidays have gone. My gosh. And I'm really enjoying having my daughter home. The older she gets, the more fun we have together. She's becoming quite the joker, and constantly cracks me up.
 
Well, I've got a load of clothes I need to put out on the balcony--I know, the glamorous life, right?--so I better get going. Hope everyone's having a great week.
 
Catch'a later!

Wednesday, 3 October 2012

PALE DOG by T.A. Pratt

"Pale Dog" is the first published story about sorcerer Marla Mason, the notorious witch queen of Felport, and star of the urban fantasy series by T.A. Pratt. Marla and her right-hand man Rondeau track down a treacherous sorcerer who refuses to stay dead, with help from an adorable white dog... who may, possibly, be a hound from hell. Oh: and there's also a haunted zoot suit.
 
 
I have to admit that this is fast becoming one of my favourite series. Marla Mason is just so much fun to read!

This happens to be another prequel story, and it's a fun one. What do you get when you mix a sorcerer who refuses to die, a haunted zoot suit, a very compelling white dog, and one of the best sorcerers in Felport? An excellent adventure!

This short story was well written, has super cool supernatural elements, and totally cracked me up in some places. I had a lot of fun reading this little Marla and Rondeau saga. Awesome!

Tuesday, 2 October 2012

THE LOST BOY by Karen Mahoney

‘The Lost Boy’ started life as a story written for an anthology of urban faery tales. The anthology was eventually cancelled (although I’d withdrawn my story long before that happened) leaving me with a homeless story.
It’s about half-fey Xan from The Iron Witch, and is set several months before that novel – before Donna even meets him – so there are no major spoilers for the trilogy. But the story does of course give some insight into Xan himself, as it’s written from his POV and we’re in his head for the duration.
 
 
This is a prequel short story set before The Iron Witch and in the POV of Xan. He's an intriguing character, so it was cool to get a closer look at him.

Xan is half-fey and has become obsessed with finding the changeling who 'stole' his life. However, finding him doesn't exactly help Xan find the answers he was hoping for...

This is a lovely and very well-written story. Xan is an interesting character with physical and emotional scars, trying to find his way in the world. Oh, and I just loved how the title means so much to how the story turned out.
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