Chaos Bites... Everyone But the Reader

Chaos Bites
Phoenix Chronicles Novel
Author: Lori Handeland
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Mass Market 352 pages
Available at Indie Bound, Powell's Books, Barnes & Noble

Summary: Though Liz Phoenix won the last battle, she's losing the supernatural war and chaos is the result. On the road again, this time with a teenager and a baby that was dropped on her doorstep, Liz is in desperate need of help. She goes to former lover Jimmy Sanducci and together they work to make things right. Of course, with chaos reigning and the loss of too many allies, nothing may ever be right again.

I picked up Chaos Bites the day it was released because I'm addicted to The Phoenix Chronicles. The characters are gritty, imperfect, and often sarcastic, but they work towards the same goal of trying to save the world. For me, the entire series has a theme of sacrifice. What will you do for love? What will you sacrifice to save the world? How much is too much? Liz Phoenix may be the leader of the light with powers beyond imagination but she still has the needs we all do: to be loved and to love in return.

My review of the series is here. Chaos Bites is the fourth book in the series. We meet a few new characters, some good, some evil. The series, and this book is dark fantasy and is not for everyone. The author takes us to places that are uncomfortable, including one scene involving sex that mimics rape. I personally thought she handled it very well within the context of the plot and what needed to be done. I'm sure others would disagree. Heroes are not perfect. They make decisions based on many things, and sometimes they make mistakes, then they pay the consequences. I love dark fantasy, especially when it's as thought provoking as Lori Handelan's books.

Chaos Bites isn't all doom and gloom, however. We meet new characters that reveal much about our heroine and her sidekicks. I'm not going to give spoilers, but I laughed out loud during the first few chapters more times than I can count. Luther, a young shapeshifter is such a cool character. I love his wit and the fact that he's a big ole shapeshifter hidden in a teenager's body with all the angst that goes along with being young. Megan, Liz's human friend, is her usual tough self, calling them as she sees them like no one else can. I love her character too, as well as her gargoyle/bartender guardian Quinn. Sawyer and Jimmy are once again making Liz miserable and aroused at the same time. Even in death Sawyer reaches out to her.

Yes, the author left us with quite a cliff hanger. Somehow though I find myself having faith that it will all work out in the end. Liz and her friends will find a way to save the day. Again.

~Moonsanity

Winner of Jane Slayre

The winner of a copy of Jane Slayre by Sherri Browning Erwin and
Charlotte Bronte is:

susan, who said...
I've never read a mash up book but would like to try one.

Congratulations Susan!

~Moonsanity

Elemental Assassin Goodness

I reviewed Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep back in February (read here), and loved the book, and the main character Gin Blanco. I'm excited that the second and third books in the series will BOTH be released in 2010, and the author has written TWO more short stories that she is sharing for free on her website.

Web of Lies, the sec­ond book in the Ele­men­tal Assas­sin series, will be released on May 25. Below is the summary for Web of Lies:

You might know me as the Spider, the most feared assassin in the South. I’m retired now, but trouble still has a way of finding me. Like the other day when two punks tried to rob my popular barbecue joint, the Pork Pit. Then there was the barrage of gunfire on the restaurant. Only, for once, those kill shots weren’t aimed at me. They were meant for Violet Fox. Ever since I agreed to help Violet and her grandfather protect their property from an evil coalmining tycoon, I’m beginning to wonder if I’m really retired. So is Detective Donovan Caine. The only honest cop in Ashland is having a real hard time reconciling his attraction to me with his Boy Scout mentality. And I can barely keep my hands off his sexy body. What can I say? I’m a Stone elemental with a little Ice magic thrown in, but my heart isn’t made of solid rock. Luckily, Gin Blanco always gets her man . . . dead or alive.

Venom, the third book in the series, will be out on Sept. 28, 2010.

Here is the summary (From the Amazon site):

It's hard to be a badass assassin when a giant is beating the crap out of you. Luckily, I never let pride get in the way of my work. My current mission is personal: annihilate Mab Monroe, the Fire elemental who murdered my family. Which means protecting my identity, even if I have to conceal my powerful Stone and Ice magic when I need it most. To the public, I'm Gin Blanco, owner of Ashland's best barbecue joint. To my friends, I'm the Spider, retired assassin. I still do favors on the side. Like ridding a vampire friend of her oversized stalker—Mab's right-hand goon who almost got me dead with his massive fists. At least irresistible Owen Grayson is on my side. The man knows too much about me, but I'll take my chances. Then there's Detective Bria Coolidge, one of Ashland's finest. Until recently, I thought my baby sister was dead. She probably thinks the same about me. Little does she know, I'm a cold-blooded killer . . . who is about to save her life.

THE FREE SHORT STORIES
The descriptions below for the short stories are from the author's newsletter:

The first story is Web of Death and takes place in between the events of Spider’s Bite and Web of Lies. Read Here.

The sec­ond story, Web of Deceit, takes place when Gin is in her teens and focuses on her first solo mis­sion as the Spi­der. It’s told from Fletcher Lane’s point of view.
Read here.

I love when authors give us these fun shorts for free. By the way, aren't the covers kick-ass?

~Moonsanity

Zombies: Know Your Escape Routes

Have you seen the zombie book to end all books? FEED by Mira Grant. AWESOME!

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beat the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.

NOW, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives-the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.

Orbit has the coolest website EVER for FEED:
http://www.thefeedbook.com

On author Mira Grant's website she has cool wallpaper and icons:
http://miragrant.com/wallpapers.php

(Shhhh...Mira is actually the Maine Coon cat loving writer Seanan McGuire)

Review: Magic on the Storm

Magic on the Storm:
An Allie Beckstrom Novel
Author: Devon Monk
ARC Releases on May 4, 2010
Preorder on Amazon

Summary: Allison Beckstrom is committed to her work tracing illegal spells. Now, there's an apocalyptic storm bearing down on Portland, and when it hits, all the magic in the area will turn unstable and destructive. To stop it from taking out the entire city, Allie and her lover, the mysterious Zayvion Jones, must work with the Authority-the enigmatic arbiters of all things magic-and take a stand against a magical wildstorm that will obliterate all in its path...

I won a Magic on the Storm ARC, and it's my first Devon Monk read. Once again, I'm smacking myself in the head for waiting this long to read her books. I loved her writing, the characters and the plot. There were action scenes that completely floored me. I couldn't have stopped reading for any reason, short of the kids stabbing each other or the house exploding during these scenes.

Magic on the Storm is urban fantasy mixed with paranormal romance. It's on the dark side, but has humor to offset the darkness. I loved the main characters, and will be picking up the first three books to learn more about them and what has come before the current book. Shame (Shamus Flynn) is an awesome side character. He first shows up in this book, throwing ice cubes at the two main characters:

"Thank God I got here in time." He tossed another volley our way. "You might have gone up in flames. Burst into sex at any minute."

He's the comic relief, but he is also tortured, loyal and can kick ass to protect his friends. The man could have his own book for Pete's sake.

Allie, the main character, is strong, loyal, passionate and she can kick butt physically and magically, though she's still learning how to use her powers. Her father's spirit lives within her, attempting to possess her every chance he gets, but actually becomes useful along the way later in the book, or at least appears to be. Zayvion Jones is Allie's magical Soul Complement, her boyfriend and her sparring partner. The man sizzles while just standing in a room, but put him with Allie and he's hot and explosive. Seriously.

"Zay was Zay. Silent. Brooding. When he carried himself like that, he was a force, a darkness, a power.

I was glad he was on our side."

If you enjoy Ilona Andrews, Stacia Kane, Jeaniene Frost or Lilith Saintcrow you will love Devon Monk. Magic on the Storm is the fourth in the series:

Allie Beckstrom Novels
1. Magic to the Bone (2008)
2. Magic In the Blood (2009)
3. Magic in the Shadows (2009)
4. Magic on the Storm (2010)
5. Magic at the Gate (November 2010)

You can learn more about Devon and her books on her website here.

~Moonsanity

Series Review: The Final Prophecy

The Final Prophecy Series
Author: Jessica Andersen
Publisher: Signet
Books Available on Amazon

Books in the Series:
1. Nightkeepers(2008)
2. Dawnkeepers(2009)
3. Skykeepers(2009)
4. Demonkeepers(2010)
5. Blood Spells(November 2010)

Summary: The final four-year countdown to the end of days has begun. According to ancient Maya prophecy, demons from the underworld will arise on December 21, 2012. Only the Nightkeepers, mortal descendants of an ancient race of magic-wielding warrior-priests, can prevent the apocalypse by stopping the demons from bringing the old legends to life.

Jessica Anderson is a very smart woman. She has a PhD in molecular genetics, and a love of research. So when I say that The Final Prophecy series is a action-packed, sexy and SMART read, I mean it in the fullest sense. Her characters are complex, moody, sexy and driven. Her writing is detailed, but not so much that it bogs the reader down. She gives us bits and pieces of the Mayan culture, history and magic as the books move along, but she mixes it with fast paced action, steamy sex and characters that keep you guessing.

I will say that The Final Prophecy books needed a little more of my attention. I tend to pick up my books and read them throughout the day, as well as before sleeping. I may be sitting in the living room with my kids, chatting, watching television and pick up a book, reading in the midst of it all. Demonkeepers,the fourth book in the series, took more of my attention than usual to follow along with all that had happened in past books. The other three I had read fairly close together, so they had all flowed together as I finished one, and jumped into the next one. Since it had been awhile this time, I had to let the book jog my memory as I read of something that was coming to a conclusion. So, what am I saying? The books CAN be fast reads, but to really appreciate the plot revolving around Mayan prophecy, the reader should pay attention and digest the information as they move through the books. It's tempting to just get to the sexy parts as quickly as possible, but that is really doing an injustice to Doc Jessica's research and plot.

I recommend reading the books in order to really appreciate the characters and the ongoing plot. Each book revolves around a couple BUT has details on all the Nightkeepers and their fight against evil. I appreciated the struggles of each couple more by knowing their background and how they came into the group.

The books in the series are:

1. Nightkeepers: the first book that introduces the characters and revolves around Strike and Leah.

2. Dawnkeepers: Nate and Alexis are ex-lovers and are forced to work together while recovering seven artifacts before the demons discover them first.

3. Skykeepers: Sasha and Michael's story is riveting. A Nightkeeper with a dark past, and a woman who thought the tales of the Final Prophecy were ravings of an obsessed father.

4. Demonkeepers: The fourth and most recently released of the books. There is SO much going on in this book. Lucius has been in all the books as he gets sucked into the Nightkeeper's world. At first he seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but was it more than that? Jade is a therapist, and a researcher within the Nightkeepers. She wants to be more and is tired of sitting back while everyone else has an active role. For me, Demonkeepers had a theme of understanding sacrifice and duty, which I loved. Do you ignore love for duty?

You can learn more about The Final Prophecy series on the authors website here: http://www.jessicaandersen.com/

~Moonsanity

Werewolf Weekend: My Favorites

I love werewolves. When I came across Werewolf Weekend over at vvB32 Reads how could I NOT participate? Tonight I'm sharing my favorite werewolf movies, television and books. I can't imagine what urban fantasy would be without our sexy, furry friends. They rock.

Let's get started with two of my favorite werewolf movies, Underworld and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. I know, there are also vampires in the Underworld movies, but I personally think Lucian steals the show from the vamps. Here is a picture from Rise of the Lycans with Sonja, the woman he loves, who is, alas, a blood sucking vampire with an evil father who hates werewolves.

Without a doubt my favorite television werewolf is Oz from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Who didn't love Oz?

Oz had a subtle, odd kind of sexiness. At first he seemed witty and droll, kind of geeky, and certainly didn't look like he could kick anyone's ass. Then he fell in love with Willow and we found out he was a werewolf. Gradually, he shows us that he will protect her, and love her until...well, until things start to go wrong. Here is a typical Oz line from the show:

Oz : "Sometimes, when I’m sitting in class—you know, I’m not thinking about class, ’cause that would never happen—I think about kissing you. And, it’s like everything stops. It’s like, it’s like...freeze frame. Willow kissage. (pauses) Oh, I’m not gonna kiss you."

As far as my favorite picks for werewolf books, there are a lot of cool books that have weres, but not necessarily werewolves. If I'm going to stick with werewolves, I have to go with Patricia Briggs and her Mercedes Thompson series. Adam, is hands down my favorite alpha werewolf. In Iron Kissed he comes to Mercy's rescue after she's attacked and helps her recover. I could read this part of the book hundreds of times and never tire of it. It's love, safety, and nurturing at it's best wrapped in a sexy, alpha package. It just does not get any better.

These are the Mercy books with their publishing years and titles. I think they are best read in order.

Mercedes Thompson
1. Moon Called (2006)
2. Blood Bound (2007)
3. Iron Kissed (2008)
4. Bone Crossed (2009)
5. Silver Borne (2010)

If you haven't experienced any of the werewolf goodness I've mentioned be sure to check them out. Plus, if you go here and look in the comments, you'll find links to more werewolf blog posts.