Trina Lee Packs a Punch with Once Bitten

Once Bitten
Author: Trina M. Lee
Kindle Edition, 258 pages
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
Available at Amazon

Summary: When her former lover and Alpha pack member Raoul is framed for murder, he comes to her for help and Alexa is forced to face past emotions and betrayals that were never laid to rest. As the murders continue she is torn between past hurts and present loves. Amidst the rush of power and the struggle for control, Alexa must dig deep within herself to discover where her heart truly belongs. As secrets are revealed and lies exposed, she comes to discover that not everyone is who you think they are and the greatest loves are undying.

I won a copy of Once Bitten on the author's blog after getting to know her on Twitter. I started reading it this last weekend and couldn't put it down. Don't let the cover fool you, this isn't just another erotic romance. It's a mix of urban fantasy and paranormal romance with some mystery thrown in for good measure. Yes, there are steamy scenes, but the author works them in with the plot, not as the focus of story. The main character, Alexa, is strong but not bitchy, and she kicks supernatural butt with the best of them. She's drawn to Shaz, a werewolf and a friend who can comfort her own wolf and offer support in her chaotic life. Too bad she can't shake an attraction and the lure of power from Arys, a vampire who reaches out to her vampire nature. Once Bitten gives us the background we need on the characters while moving the story along at a fast, exciting pace. Alexa's friends and co-workers are fascinating, snarky and don't hesitate to be there for her when she needs them.

This exchange between Alexa and Jaz, her friend and co-worker gives a good feel of the book's characters:

“Too bad we couldn’t go in during the day.” Jez stirred more sugar into her already sweetened caramel coffee, and I shuddered. “But, I guess I’d rather have the bastard awake while we gut him.”

“We’re gutting him now?” I asked as I pulled a strand of gold-streaked ash blonde hair from the corner of my mouth.

“Why not? If we’re lucky, he’ll live through most of it.” She smiled then and narrowed her eyes on the hotel door.

I shook my head and laughed. “You can do whatever your little heart desires, Jez. Just let me know when to stake him.”

If you are fans of Keri Arthur, Devon Monk or Cynthia Eden you'll enjoy Trina Lee. She's told me that the second book in the series, The Wicked Kiss, is a bit steamer, so I'm loading up my Kindle to take on vacation!

Learn more about the author's books on her website, including a free read.

~Moonsanity

The Winners Are...

I consulted my oracles today and they randomly chose the winners of Play Dead by Ryan Brown and Immortalis Carpe Noctem by Katie Salidas.

The winner of Play Dead is:

Misusedinnocence who said...
I've never read a Zombie Book before but I really liked the movie Sean of the Dead. :)


The winner of Immortalis Carpe Noctem is:

tetewa, who said...
I can't pick just one but I'm enjoying The Dark-Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon!


Thanks for entering everyone and congrats to the winners!

~Moonsanity

Unholy Ghosts Delivers Action & Suspense

Unholy Ghosts
Downside Ghosts, Book 1
Author: Stacia Kane
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Del Rey

SUMMARY: The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen and constantly attack the living. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Consequently, there are many false claims of hauntings from those hoping to profit. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully-tattooed witch and freewheeling Debunker and ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for nailing the human liars or banishing the wicked dead. But she’s keeping a dark secret from the Church: a little drug problem that’s landed her in hot and dangerous water.

I bought a copy of Unholy Ghosts because I love Stacia Kane's writing. I didn't know what to expect of her new book because there has been much made of the main character having an addiction to drugs. I personally think it's a case of "much ado about nothing". Stacia's new book is a gritty, original urban fantasy with characters that live in a world turned upside down when the spirits of the undead rise with a vengeance, killing and wreaking havoc until the Church of the Real Truth makes it all "right" again for the citizens who have lost friends, family, their government and their way of life.

Chess, the main character, is a witch working for the church debunking those who claim to be harassed by ghosts, which if true, will gain them some righteous bucks since the church has guaranteed a ghost free world. Is it no wonder that Chess is addicted to pills, smoke and powder? The author doesn't glorify drug use. This isn't a case of drugs, sex and rock roll for entertainment. It's Chess trying to cope with her past and her present in the only way she knows how. I've never been addicted to drugs or alcohol, but I want through a period in my life where getting up in the morning was no easy task. I look back at that time and realize it's rather fuzzy to me because I was moving from day to day but not really living. I think the author portrays Chess and her additions with uncanny realism.

The characters in Unholy Ghost are vivid and fascinating. First impressions are at times correct and at other times dead wrong. Terrible is an enforcer for one of the local drug lords. When we first meet him in the book he gives the impression of a typical mafia goon with more muscle than brains. As I got farther in the book he became one of my favorite characters. His outer shell serves a purpose in the world he lives in, but he's so much more. Lex is another local drug lord that wants something from Chess. He's a mystery in some ways, but doesn't pretend to be something other than he is. He's sexy and badass. I found myself fascinated with him, but at the same time wanting to yell at Chess to run fast and far.

Unholy Ghost has mystery, fast paced action, magic gone wrong and it takes a look at all sides of human nature. There is evil and then there is what appears to be good, but may be something else entirely. The book has more than a little horror thrown in the mix, along with suspense. I loved it, and can't wait to read the next two books in the series, which will be coming out July 6 and July 27th, 2010.

You can read the first five chapters of Unholy Ghosts here.

~Moonsanity

Blog Tour & Contest: Captain Bonny Morgan

Captain Bonny Morgan:
The Cassandra Prophesy
by Robert “Doc” Gowdy
ISBN: 978-1-60047-397-5
Paperback (6x9): 480 pgs.

Called to action by a mysterious ancient Order—an ancient Order in cahoots with the Empress Flaccilla of the First Galactic Empire of Emperor Tulla—to help bring about the fulfillment of a long forgotten prophesy, the beautiful galactic pirate, Captain Bonny Morgan, sets out on her mission to successfully bring the prophesy to reality. By kidnapping the Empress’s daughter, Princess Cosette, Captain Morgan sets into motion an adventure awash in political intrigues, hidden agendas, unexpected revelations, and bold, daring gambits by those involved at every level of the conspiracy. Setting out to find her kidnapped sister, Princess Lysette, joined by her beautiful, mischievous, and extraordinary slavegirl, Tink, crisscrosses the galaxy in a bawdy, erotic, and often hilarious attempt to find Cosette. Along the way, Lysette and Tink fall in with a variety of extraordinary allies in their attempt to find Cosette, meeting the Lady Brit, Jon Black, Pirate Queen Colleen O’Malley, Gunns Mannigan, Buster O’Malley, the beautiful pirates Kana and Blaze, and Bully, the roguish owner of the pirate tavern, the Pretty Red.


CAPTAIN BONNY MORGAN CONTEST
I am giving away my copy of The Cassandra Prophesy to one lucky winner:) Leave a comment answering this question:

Do you read Science Fiction on a regular basis? If you do what book really sticks in your head as a "Hey, that could happen?". If you don't read Sci Fi, is there a reason?

The contest will end on June 6, 2010. Leave your email if it's not associated with your profile. The Contest is open to U.S. only.

~Moonsanity

Kate & Curran Release Day

Kate Daniels Novels
Author: Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Ace

Series Order:
1. Magic Bites (2007)
2. Magic Burns (2008)
3. Magic Strikes (2009)
4. Magic Mourns(novella in Must Love Hellhounds)
5. Magic Bleeds. (2010)

Summary: Kate Daniels cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to deal with-especially if they involve Atlanta's shapeshifting community.

I'm sitting at my desk thumbing through the Kate Daniels Novels I have on my shelf. I've read them twice now, and today is the release of the fourth novel Magic Bleeds. When I picked up the first book in the series, Magic Bites, I didn't know anything about the author, the characters or the world. I was new to the Urban Fantasy genre and thought the book sounded interesting. Four books later and I'm a die hard fan of Ilona and Gordon, the couple who writes the Kate Daniels books. They inspire me as a writer and entertain me as a reader with the dark world of magic they've created.

To be truthful I knew I was going to love Kate Daniels after the first page of Magic Bites when she raises her eyebrow and bets a bottle of Boone's Farm Hard Lemonade that another bulletin was about to be announced on the radio, then she sarcastically cussed. I smiled and knew I'd love her. Later, the authors introduce Curran, the Beast Lord:

A single enormous paw moved into the moonlight, disturbing the dust on the filthy floor. Wicked claws shot forth and withdrew. A massive shoulder followed, its gray fur marked by faint smoky stripes.

Wow, as if that wasn't enough, The Beast Lord turns into an alpha male that makes the reader hold their breath. Don't get me wrong though, this is not a romance. Curran and Kate don't fall into each others arms, but the battle of wills between them is so gripping and intense that I couldn't put the book down when they were together.

I ordered the second book in the series, Magic Burns, as soon as I finished reading the first book. I read the third book, Magic Strikes, when it was released. This was all before I began blogging about books, and I'd never been to the authors' blog or website. Getting to know them has been so interesting as I read about the progress on the next book. Today is the release day of Magic Bleeds:

If you enjoy fast paced urban fantasy with a bit of sarcasm, kick ass heroines, action, and some romance thrown in, then you need to read the Kate Daniels books. They keep getting better with each one, and there are a total of seven contracted currently. Don't wait, pick up the series this week and catch up on the action. You won't be sorry.

~Moonsanity

Amazon Queen Blog Tour and Contest

Amazon Queen
Amazon, Book 2
Author: Lori Devoti
Mass Market Paperback: 375 pages
Publisher: Pocket
Available at Indie Bound, Powell's Books, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Summary: Amazon queen Zery Kostovska has never questioned tribe traditions. After all, these rules have kept the tribe strong for millennia and enabled them to live undetected, even in modern-day America. Zery is tough, fair, commanding–the perfect Amazon leader. At least, she was. A new high priestess with a penchant for secrecy and technology is threatening Zery’s rule. Plus, with the discovery of the Amazon sons, males with the same skills as their female counterparts, even Zery can’t deny that the tribe must change. But how?

I was sent a copy of Amazon Queen by the publisher, and hadn't read the first book, Amazon Ink. Both books revolve around the legend of the Amazon tribe, who worshipped Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, forests, and hills. I love the concept, and what the author has done with it. Zery is an interesting main character because she starts out a rigid keeper of Amazon traditions and laws, never questioning her leaders, until it involves the kidnapping of a child. Zery is the focus of the story, but the other characters really make this story a winner. Her interaction with the Amazon sons, women who have left the tribe, her warrior sisters, and the evil priestess make for a fast paced, action filled read.

Amazon Queen has some unexpected twists and turns, plus a bit of sexual tension that adds to the plot. If you enjoy Seressia Glass, Kat Richardson or Patricia Briggs you will enjoy Lori Devoti.

THE CONTEST
The publisher has once again graciously allowed me to give away one copy of Amazon Queen. The contest will end on Sunday, June 6th. Please answer the following question for me:

Do you enjoy when when authors use legends and myths as a basis for their book? Do you enjoy historical fantasy or romance more than an urban setting?

Please leave your email if it's not part of your profile. I will pick a winner randomly on June 7th and post the winner on the blog.

~Moonsanity

Cheat the Grave: Seeing the Big Picture

Cheat the Grave
Sign of the Zodiac, Book 5
Author: Vicki Pettersson
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Eos (May 25, 2010)
Available at Indie Bound, Powell's Books, Barnes & Noble and Amazon

Summary: Las Vegas socialite and otherwordly avenger Joanna Archer gave up everything when she embraced mortality—abandoning her powers and altering her destiny to save a child . . . and a city. Now her former allies are her enemies—and her enemies have nothing to fear.

Yet still she is bound to a prophecy that condemns her to roam a nightmare landscape that ordinary humans cannot see and dare not enter. And a beast is on her trail—an insane killer blinded by bloodlust, who's determined to rip much more from Joanna than merely her now-fragile life.

Cheat the Grave is the fifth book in Vicki Pettersson's Signs of the Zodiac, and I am totally in awe of her talent as a writer. It's obvious to me that Vicki has a plan. She knew what her characters were going to do, and she brought the reader along for the wild ride in the fight against evil in Las Vegas.

Vicki Pettersson has taught me a lesson as a reader: trust the authors we love. The fourth book in her series had a huge cliffhanger, which left me stunned and sad for Joanna, the main character. I thought about it, and realized that Vicki must have a plan, and I was not privy to the big picture she had in her mind for Joanna. I put the book aside, and waited. I ended up winning an ARC of Cheat the Grave, and was BLOWN AWAY by the turns in the plot, the new characters, and that "big picture" I mentioned.

There are times, especially with a dark fantasy series, that a reader has to trust the author and look at the series as a whole, rather than one book at a time. When things look bleak, and we fear the characters will never resolve things, we need to remember that the author has a plan. Cheat the Grave is a prime example of this.

Fans of the series will without a doubt LOVE Cheat the Grave. I'm sure many feel like I do, and have been sucked in by Ms. Pettersson's gripping story, her rich characters and the world of magic and mayhem she has created.

You could read Cheat the Grave as a stand alone, but I think the series as a whole is so thought provoking, creative and emotional that I can't imagine not having read all of the books. If you enjoy Marjorie M. Liu, Lori Handeland or Caitlin Kittredge you'll love Cheat the Grave and the other Sign of the Zodiac books.

The Scent of Shadows, the first book in the Signs of the Zodiac, can now be downloaded FREE for a limited time. Bonus material includes the first three chapters of the newest release. It's available for the Sony Reader, the Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook and iPad.

Signs of the Zodiac:
1. The Scent of Shadows (2007)
2. The Taste of Night (2007)
3. The Touch of Twilight (2008)
4. City of Souls (2009)
5. Cheat the Grave (2010)

~Moonsanity