Yes, I'm jumping on the wagon late, but it IS before Midnight and it's still February 1st! I've been following The League of Reluctant Adults blog for quite awhile now and have been reading their books as fast as I possibly can since they are full of paranormal goodness. Today they added one of my favorite authors, Rob Thurman, to The League. I could no longer resist joining the NAC Mini-Challenge: League of Reluctant Adults from Literary Escapism. The challenge called out to me, and dared me to join in a snarky, yet somehow mesmerizing voice(within my mind, of course). "Join you freaking idiot, join! Or I shall rant and rave at you for an eternity or until you lose what little sanity you have left." Here is the shortened scoop on the challenge, but you can get the details by clicking the above link at the challenge site:
The Challenge will run from February 1st through the 28th. All reviews must have a February 2010 date. The goal is to read up to 5 different authors from the list. (View Here) The idea is to try a new author (it is a New Author mini-challenge), however, if you’ve already read all 20 of them, you can still participant, but don’t re-read a novel. Try something new.
I will update the challenge on this post as I read the books. I wonder if that voice will stop nagging me now?
BOOKS READ (Reviews linked from the titles) 1. Madhouse by Rob Thurman 2. Immortality Bites Books by Michelle Rowen 3. Night Life (Nocturne City, Book 1) by Caitlin Kittredge 4. Dead to Me by Anton Strout
I determined the winners of the contests for a copy of Veracity and a copy of The Devil in Merrivale by using the random number generator at http://www.random.org/. Below are the two winners, whom I have already emailed. Congratulations, and thanks to everyone for leaving your comments and suggestions!
Veracity Winner:
Melissa (My World) said... I have to say I thought I would have to read all three of these books in High school when I got there. And to my surprise I didn't have to read even one of them. I was really surprised. I think they were starting to be part of the contraversy everyone talks about so the school stopped before a big deal was made of them.Although part of me wishes I did. This book does sound good!
E.J. Stevens said... Great giveaway! My favorite mysteries as a kid were the Agatha Christie 'Miss Marple' books. I devoured them. (Everyone should visit E.J.'s wonderful blog From the Shadows!)
Summary: Eidolon cannot resist this fiery, dangerous woman who fills him with both rage and passion. Not only is she his avowed enemy, but she could very well be the hunter who has been preying upon his people. Torn between his need for the truth and his quest to find his perfect mate before a horrific transformation claims him forever, Eidolon will dare the unthinkable-and let Tayla possess him, body and soul...
I've been following Larissa Ione on Twitter for awhile now, and her Demonica books were recommended to me over and over. They sounded intriguing; the teasers say the first book involves demon doctors in disguise, and my husband is an RN in an inner city Emergency Department. I'm thinking a couple of the ER people I've met could indeed be demons in disguise. *snicker* Last weekend my copy of Pleasure Unbound arrived from Amazon. I was almost afraid I'd be disappointed because I had heard SO MUCH about this book.
Pleasure Unbound starts out with a scene in the Emergency Department of Underworld General Hospital. (Yes, that's UGH.) The demons aren't in disguise in this hospital because it's run by demons to treat demons, not humans. Right from the start we learn a few things:
All demons are not evil.
Demons tend to have sarcastic wits and quick tempers.
Demons love sex, some WAY more than others.
The book is fun and dark at the same time, but it's not until we meet all the main characters and start to figure out that all is not black and white in the Demonica world that we start to care about what happens to them. Larissa Ione's characters are complex and all is not as it appears to be. At first we see humans vs. demons; hatred on both sides with no room for compromise. The book is not a fast, fun read, but instead a sexy, dark, witty read that takes the reader through many emotions including anger, sadness, relief, frustration and titillation. (Webster defines as "to excite pleasurably" which fits perfectly.) Who IS the bad guy here? Will the plot be about finding a Happily Ever After too, or is this world too dark for that?
I really liked Pleasure Unbound, and it lived up to all the recommendations. Fans of J.R. Ward, Gena Showalter, Lara Adrian and Kresley Cole will love Larissa Ione's books. They each focus on the story of a particular male in the rich cast of characters, but there is also mystery, kick-butt fight scenes, and witty interaction. For me, when a series or book has a dark element , I need humor to offset the fight against evil. I love this exchange between Eilodon and Tayla:
"You eat fast food?"
"Only when there's a shortage of live sheep and small children."
Smartass. At least she hoped he was being a smartass. "I'm fresh out of those things, but I have stale marshmallows and oranges."
Pleasure Unbound has sarcastic, sometimes crude humor, erotic romance, studly demons and humans, but also cringe worthy evil demons, and humans who are just as bad. This book is not for the faint of heart; it's a gritty paranormal romance and dark urban fantasy rolled into one. I know I'll be reading it again, and all the books in the series.
Visit Larissa's website for excerpts, deleted scenes, writing tips and much more! She's here.
Jill Myles, the witty author of Gentlemen Prefer Succubi is over on Ilona Andrews blog with a very cool quiz! I took it and lo and behold I am a:
Vampire
You're a VAMPIRE! Jaded and kind of tired of the stupidity of both your goody-two-shoes Serim brothers and the human race in general, you'd smoke, drink, and squander your Afterlife with hedonistic pleasures. That is, until the Queen gives you something to do.
I really tried to wait longer before buying more books, I really did. I waited through three blog tours, where I read the books and reviewed them. I was a good book blogger, so I rewarded myself. To justify my spending I used Bookcloseout for the biggest order. It's kind of like shopping at Sam's Club or Cosco; they don't always have the same thing, but you can find surprises if you look hard enough. The best deals are on trade paperbacks and hardcovers, and I found some cool books this time. I bought:
Birth of the Pack By Petru Popescu A YA novel about Weregirls battling evil.
The Visitant by Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear Romantic Times said it was "a wonderful journey of learning and adventure".
Evernight by Claudia Gray Paranormal YA Novel that I've heard good things about.
Love is Hell, YA Anthology Melissa Marrr, Scott westerfeld and more
Vampirates, Demons of the Ocean by Justin Somper How could I resist the title? It's a YA title.
Daughter of the Sea by Berlie Doherty "She was a gift from the sea, but now the ocean wants her back..."
The DarkAngel, Book One by Meredith Ann Pierce tag line: Can Aeriel Save the Vampyre's Soul?
Woo-hooo on these next two!
Another One Bites the Dust Biting the Bullet by Jennifer Rardin
I read book one, Once Bitten, Twice Shy and couldn't wait to read the next books in the series!
Last, but not least, for my almost ten year old I bought Clues for Real Life, The Classic Wit & Wisdom of Nancy Drew in hardcover. She is going to love it!
I also received a small Amazon book order this weekend. I now have:
Pleasure Unbound, Demonica Book 1, by Larissa Ione City of Souls, Sign of the Zodiac, Book 4, by Vicki Pettersson Madhouse, Cal Leandros series, by Rob Thurman
All three of these are series I've been reading, or as with Pleasure Unbound, heard so much about it I HAD to start reading it!
For my daughter I bought My Sister the Vampire #2, Fangtastic. We read the first one out loud (she's almost ten and reads to me.) and we are reading this one out loud as well. We started the same day it came in the mail. She LOVES these books.
I joined the 100+ Book Challenge as my primary challenge. The basic rules are :
1. The goal is to read 100 or more books. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.
2. Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, YA, Manga, Graphic Novels, Library books, Novellas, Young Reader, Nonfiction – as long as the book has an ISBN or equivalent or can be purchased as such, the book counts. What doesn't count: Individual short stories or individual books in the Bible.
For the rest of the details visit J.Kaye's Book Blog. I will update on this post as I read books, and link to my review of them if I have it written. I need to do better at adding books as soon as I finish them! I'm also reading two books on Kindle right now, but I haven't finished. The books below were all books, not ebooks, except for The Devil in Merrivale, which was a PDF file due to the publisher sending them out late for a book tour.
26.The Devil Inside by Jenna Black 27.Steamed by Katie MacAlister 28.Demon Possessed by Stacia Kane 29.Succubi Like It Hot by Jill Myles 30.My Love Eternal by Liz Strange 31. Crimson City by Liz Maverick 32. Kissing Sin by Keri Arthur 33. Bite Me by Melissa Francis 34. Evernight by Claudia Gray
The books with the links have been reviewed, ones without will be future reviews. Sometimes if it's a series I wait until I read them all before reviewing.
Gentlemen Prefer Succubi Author: Jill Myles Publisher: Pocket Star Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Summary: Jackie Brighton woke up in a Dumpster this morning, and her day has only gotten weirder. Her familiar B-cups have somehow become double Ds, her sex drive is insatiable, and apparently she had her first one-night stand ever...with a fallen angel.
The UPS man brought me Gentlemen Prefer Succubi from the publisher, and I have to confess I went around the house repeating the title over and over because it was just so much fun to say. Try saying "Succubi Succubus" ten times really fast. It's not possible to keep a straight face. I'm so glad I signed up for this blog tour because I've been giggling since I started the book. Author Jill Myles has the best sense of humor, and uses it to it's fullest in her writing. When I start a book I always read the acknowledgements. I know many people either skip them or read them afterwards, but I love getting a little glimpse into the author's personality by reading their thank you notes. Jill, and I think she's so cool she wouldn't mind me calling her by her first name, is a hoot. Her enthusiasm in the acknowledgements had me smiling, especially her comment to the cover art team:
The bellybutton sweat on the model nearly did me in.
I flipped to the cover, looked at the guy's belly, sighed, and quickly read through the rest of the acknowledgement so I could start the dang book. I was not disappointed. Jackie, the main character, is a normal gal looking for normal things in life like a good job, a boyfriend and a happy life. So far she hasn't scored too high on the happiness meter, then she takes one night to drown her sorrows in booze and wakes up a succubus. Go figure. The reader goes along for the ride as Jackie's body does it's own thing, and "The Itch" does it's best to control her actions as she tries to figure out what happened to her, who did it, and what it means. Her new friends may or may not be on her side, and a world she didn't know existed is revealed detail by detail.
Gentlemen Prefer Succubi is a fast paced, action filled, witty read. The sex scenes are steamy, but the "almost sex scenes" are just as hot. Forget Team Edward and Team Jacob. Choose between Team Noah and Team Zane! (Note to self: have a Team Zane t-shirt made soon.) This book is a riot of paranormal fun. The author makes us cheer for the unlikely heroine from the first paragraph. The book has mystery, historical intrigue, plot twists and romance.
Fans of paranormal romance such as Chloe Neill, Yasmine Galehorn, Karen Chance and Gena Showalter will love Gentlemen Prefer Succubi.
Jill Myles graciously answered a few deep and compelling questions I had for her:
Any tips on how you learned to write those scorching love scenes? I'm wondering if you had trial love scenes that you wrote and they just didn't do it for you?
I wish I was that organized! It's more like the twelve-year-old girl inside me is shouting out ideas. "MAKE THEM DO IT IN THE CONFESSIONAL! TEE HEE!" Of course, I have no choice but to comply. :) As for writing tips, I think it's important to show how things make the characters feel. It might be as simple as touching a ticklish spot, but if it gets her engine revving, the reader will enjoy it if we realize that the heroine is, if that makes sense.
I have to say that I'm on Team Zane, do you have a preference?
I'm on Team Zane until I write a Noah scene, and then I plot ways to kill him off so Noah and Jackie can be together forever! And then I write a Zane scene and plot ways to kill off Noah so Zane and Jackie can be together forever! And then...well, you get the picture. I lean whichever way the hero drags me. :)
I love your take on vampires, succubi and Serim. Did you know right away that this is how you wanted to portray them or did you make changes along the way?
I knew that I wanted angels and vampires to be flip sides of the same coin, but I wasn't sure how to go about it, so I just started writing. More details came about as I wrote, and when I got to the end, I sat back, regarded it, and thought...people are going to think I'm nuts. No one is going to want to read about angels and VAMPIRES. Come on. But I'm happy to be proven wrong!
Succubi Like It Hot, the second book in The Succubus Diaries came out last week! I love the trailer Jill has for Gentlemen Prefer Succubi:
THE GIVE-AWAY
I'm going with simple again for this blog tour contest. The publisher has graciously allowed me to give away one copy of Gentlemen Prefer Succubi. Leave a comment for me answering this question:
Do you like paranormal romance? Do you like humor mixed in with the romance?
If don't have a blog make sure you leave me an email so I can contact you. The contest will end February 7th, and I'll announce the winner on Monday, February 8th, 2010.
Yes, I'm jumping on the wagon late, but it IS before Midnight and it's still February 1st! I've been following The League of Reluctant Adults blog for quite awhile now and have been reading their books as fast as I possibly can since they are full of paranormal goodness. Today they added one of my favorite authors, Rob Thurman, to The League. I could no longer resist joining the NAC Mini-Challenge: League of Reluctant Adults from Literary Escapism. The challenge called out to me, and dared me to join in a snarky, yet somehow mesmerizing voice(within my mind, of course). "Join you freaking idiot, join! Or I shall rant and rave at you for an eternity or until you lose what little sanity you have left."
, the second book in The Succubus Diaries came out last week! I love the trailer Jill has for Gentlemen Prefer Succubi:
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