Shop on Saturday! (1)

Since I had to go out of town, I didn’t exactly get this looking the way I wanted.  So, here is my rough idea for my meme for Saturday.  Shop on Saturday will feature whatever neat little things I’ve found around the internet during the week.  This week I’ve only had time to look around a little bit on Etsy though, so sorry if you find this a little lacking.  Let me know if you like this idea though.

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade NRSVampChick.etsy.com

Hehe, I love the dog bat wings!!  Oh, and the Lost Boys Corset, how cool is that!

Friday Finds! (1)

Credit goes to MizB from Should Be Reading

 

The Sin Eater’s Prince by Keta Diablo

Pretty When She Dies:  A Vampire Novel by Rhiannon Frater

Gentlemen Prefer Succubi by Jill Myles

As Lie the Dead by Kelly Meding

Cruel Enchantment by Anya Bast

Going out of town. So sorry!

Due to those family emergencies I’ve been having, I’ll be going out of town…. again.  I have a funeral to attend out of state, and bad weather is supposed to hit there (lucky me).  So, I really have no idea what will happen this weekend.  I’ve tried to schedule a few blogs to post, but since I’ve never done that before, who knows how that will go.  I’m learning.  Also, I won’t have much, if any access to the internet until Sunday, so I’m sorry for any inconvenience. Hopefully (*crosses fingers*) things will settle down for me soon and things can get back to normal around here.  Talk to you all in a few days!!

Amanda Leigh

Win on Wednesday: Some contests from around the book blogosphere! (2)

Win on Wednesday was started by All Things Urban Fantasy.

I started doing this post last week. I'm really not sure how you all liked it. I didn't get much feedback. So, today I ask that you all let me know if this is something that you would like me to keep doing or not.
For those who haven't noticed before, I try to keep an updated list on my sidebar of several contests and giveaways going on that you can enter, but this is a more complete list than what I have over there.
Also, while this is mostly a paranormal and urban fantasy site, I do also read other things, so I figure a lot of you do too. Not all contests listed will fall under the paranormal category, in fact, some might have absolutely nothing to do with it, but I just figure you all might like to know about any contests and giveaways that I come across. So, there ya go!!

Mega Contests I Just Heard About:

Book Bound's YA Mega Giveaway!

Book Bound has reached 400 followers!
1st Prize: Five (5) books of choice
2nd Prize: Four (4) books of choice
3rd Prize: Three (3) books of choice
4th Prize: Two (2) books of choice
5th Prize: One (1) book of choice
6th Prize: One (1) book of choice

Books to be won:
1. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
2. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
3. Fallen by Lauren Kate
4. The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate
5. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
6. Eyes Like Stars: Theatre Illuminata, Act I by Lisa Mantchev
7. The Seven Rays by Jessica Bendinger
8. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
9. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
10. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
11. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
12. Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins
13. The Awakening (Darkest Powers, Book 2) by Kelley Armstrong
14. Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr
15. City of Glass (Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare
16. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
17. Fire by Kristin Cashore
18. My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent
19. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Contest ends February 5, 2010.


Wicked Awesome Books: New Books in the New Year Contest!

Here are the prizes:
1st Grand prize winner gets to choose either:
-a signed copy of Prophecy of the Sisters and some book-related swag, as well as as two books from the list below
-or a signed audiobook of Beautiful Creatures and some BC swag, as well as two books from the list below
2nd Grand prize winner gets:
-whichever prize the grand prize winner didn't choose, as well as the choice of two books from the list below
3rd prize winner gets to choose two books from the list below
4th prize winner gets to choose 1 book from the list
If I get to 200 followers, I'll do the same and so on for every 50 more followers.

List of books:
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (Used with very light pink top from a drink spill, but in great condition)
If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince Charming? by Melissa Kantor
The Christopher Killer (Signed) by Alane Ferguson
Garden of the Purple Dragon by Carole Wilkinson
Walk of the Spirits by Richie Tankersley Cusick
So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld
Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, Book 1) by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, Book 2) by Suzanne Collins
Alphas by Lisi Harrison
Marly's Ghost by David Levithan
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (Movie tie-in edition) by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Wicked 2: Legacy & Spellbound by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié
*Additional books will be added if necessary
Enter by February 26, 2010.


New Contests:
~Book Junkie is offering up a contest with Tierney O'Malley. Enter to win Wicked Proposal by January 29, 2010.
~Tynga's Reviews is giving away either a copy of Ravenous or Scorched by Sharon Ashwood. Contest ends January 29, 2010.
~J. Kaye's Book Blog is giving away Strange Angels & Betrayals by Lili St. Crow. Contest ends January 30, 2010.
~At All Things Urban Fantasy enter to win a copy of Spider’s Bite (Elemental Assassin, book 1) by Jennifer Estep. Enter by January 30, 2010.
~Seductive Musings has several contests going on right now:
---Robin Kaye is giving away all three books in her “Domestic Gods” series. Contest ends January 30, 2010.
---Larissa Ione is giving away 5 copies of Ecstasy Unveiled! Conest ends January 30 2010.
---Stephanie Tyler is giving away a signed book from her backlist! Contest ends January 30, 2010.
~The Bibliophilic Book Blog is having a 410 Follower Giveaway! The winners receive book of their choice or $20 Amazon GC. Contest ends January 30, 2010.
~Books Books and More Books is giving away Born of Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Contest ends January 30, 2010.
~Book Junkie is offering up another contest with Tierney O'Malley. Enter to win Wicked Persuassion by February 1, 2010.
~The Deadline Dames are having a huge Damiversary extraviganza! Enter everyday this week for a chance to win! Contest results announced before midnight January 31, 2010.
~Sidhe Vicious: Amanda Ashley Giveaway! Win a signed copy of Everlasting Kiss or one of Amanda's backlist of published books. Contest ends January 31, 2010.
~Ellz Readz is giving away the Iron King by Julie Kagawa and some signed bookmarks! Enter by February 5, 2010.
~Jennifer Laurens is having a Valentine's Day Contest! She's got a great goodie bad with a copy of Heavenly, Falling for Romeo, Magic Hands, and NAILED, plus a light up pen, the new “layered” Trident gum, suckers, lip gloss and a snuggly teddy bear. Please tell her that Amanda Leigh or NRSVampchick (my Twitter) sent you!!! Contest ends February 6, 2010.
~Seductive Musings keeps adding contests and here is the next one! Melissa Mayhu is giving away 2 copies of A Highlander's Destiny! Contest ends February 6, 2010.
~Wicked Awesome Books is having a 100 Follower giveaway by giving away 11 of the Gossip Girl Books. Enter by February 7, 2010.
~Luxury Reading is having a Rachel Vincent Giveaway! Grand prize winner will receive both books in the Soul Screamers series. Two other winners will win My Soul to Save! Contest ends February 10, 2010.
~The Book Muncher is giving away 3 copies of My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent! Contest ends February 10, 2010.
~Books at Midnight is offering a chance for a copy of Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers. Contest ends February 12, 2010.
~Steph Su Reads is giving away a copy of Wish, the debut YA novel by Alexandra Bullen. Enter to win by February 12, 2010.
~Melissa Marr is giving away around 60 books!!! Some signed, some w/ signed bookplates, some not signed, but all awesome! Enter by February 14, 2010.
~Dark Faerie Tales is giving away a signed copy of Spider Bite by Jennifer Estep and bookmarks. Contest Ends February 15, 2010.
~The Library of a Distracted Muscisian is giving away copies of The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. Contest ends February 16, 2010.
~The Neverending Shelf is having a Uprinting Sticker Giveaway! Enter to win 250 custom stickers/labels. Contest ends February 17, 2010.
~The Library of a Distracted Musician is giving away The 8th Confession by James Patterson! Contest ends February 20th, 2010.
~Steph Su Reads is having a big Blogoversary Giveaway! Several people will win several ARCs and their choice of books as well!!! Contest ends February 28, 2010.
~The Bibliophilic Book Blog is have an awesome giveaway for a Nook, a Kindle, a Sony Touch, or a Sony Pocket (your choice), or a gift card to the bookstore of your choice. Enter by March 1, 2010.
~Teens Read and Write is having a MegaBook Giveaway!!! To celebrate hitting 500 followers, they have a list of books to give away. As more followers are added, more winners and more book choices will be added! So spread the word so that more people have a chance to win! Contest ends March 7, 2010.

Also, at the bottom of my blog, I always have a list of current contests going on at Bitten By Books. They have several weekly interviews w/ contests and tons of book reviews. This week's line-up is spectacular, so check it out!
Monday: Dakota Cassidy (Contest over)
Tuesday: Angie Fox (Contest over)
Wednesday: Larissa Ione (Contest goes 1/27-1/28)
Thursday: Faith Hunter (Contest goes 1/28-1/29)
Friday: Jenna Maclaine (Contest goes 1/29-1/30)
There is also a Daily Book Chat every weekday w/ a chance to win some author swag!

Contests still going on from last week:
~Tattooed Books Giveaway: Win a custom necklace from Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamer's series. Contest ends January 28th.

~Still going on over at Book Lovers Inc., Scavenger hunt and giveaway celebrating their new blog. Your chance to win several books if you leave a comment and the grand prize, the Kate Daniels series, if you do the scavenger hun!Contest ends January 31, 2010.
~Paranormal Haven: Raven Hart Giveaway! Check out their interview with Raven and enter to win! Contest ends January 31th.
~Dark Faerie Tales: Hush, Hush Giveaway! Win a copy of Hush, Hush and a writing journal. Contest ends February 3rd.
~Books at Midnight: LM Preston Giveaway! Win a copy of Explorer X-Alpha and a poster!Contest ends February 5, 2010.
~A Great Book is the Cheapest Vacation: Book Giveaway! Kim Harrison's For a Few Demon's More. Contest ends February 10th.
~LA FEMME READERS: 2010 Book of Choice Giveaway! Contest ends February 15, 2010.

~All Things Urban Fantasy 300+ Follower Giveaway! The winner will receive the Mercedes Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. If the 400 follower mark is passed before the end of this contest, another winner will be chosen to receive the Alpha and Omega series also by Patricia Briggs! So, please enter and spread the word! Contest ends February 28, 2010.

Check out All Thinks Urban Fantasy for a long list of urban fantasy contests going on! There's 79 listed this week!!

If you have any contests you want listed on next week's post and/or images to go with your contest, please email me @ notreallysouthernvampchick(at)gmail(dot)com.

What Are You Reading? (1)

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly post over at J. Kaye's Book Blog. It lets us all share what we have read in the past week, and what we plan to read in the next week.

Books I Completed Last Week:
It has been a rather pitiful reading week for me. I have had too many family members in the hospital, some out of state, to get much reading done. Hopefully things will be calming down. I girl can hope.
Playing with Fire by Gena Showalter
Darkling by Yasmine Galenorn

Books I am Currently Reading:
Storm Front by Jim Butcher
Beyond the Night by Joss Ware

What's Up Next:
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
They Call Me Death by Missy Jane
I need a book for my Typically British Challenge and my M/M Romance Challenge. Any suggestions?

Review: Darkling- by Yasmine Galenorn

We’re the D’Artigo sisters: Half-human, half-Faerie, we’re savvy – and sexy – operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. But our mixed-blood heritage short circuits our talents at all the wrong times. My sister Camille is a wicked-good witch whose magic is as unpredictable as the weather. My sister Delilah transforms into a tabby cat when she’s under stress. And Me? I’m Menolly, acrobat-extraordinaire-turned-vampire. And I’d give my right fang to make my sire pay for killing me. That is, if he doesn’t find me first….

All over Seattle, humans have been going missing, only to turn up as newborn vampires - the sure sign of a rogue vamp on the loose. It looks like Dredge is to blame. The same sadistic Dredge who gave me my scars, and who may well be in cahoots with the demon Shadow Wing. If so, Otherworld and Earth are screwed. The only way we can hope to defeat Dredge is for me to travel home to Otherworld, where I must face my own demons. Because unless I sever the ties that bind me to Dredge, all hell is going to break loose....
(Summary from Yasmine Galenorn's website.)

Darkling is the third book in Yasmine Galenorn's Sisters of the Moon series, otherwise known as The Otherworld series. This series is about the D'Artigo sisters, and each book has been told by a different narrator so far. The first book, Witchling, was from Camille's point of view. Changeling was from Delilah's point of view. Now, with Darkling, we finally get to see into the mind of Menolly, the youngest and most reclusive of the sisters. She has been like this for good reason. Twelve years ago, she was tortured and raped by Dredge, leader of the rogue Elwing Clan, when she was found spying on them. He then turned her and sent her home to feed on her family. Luckily, she managed to not harm any of her family members, but her transition into vampirism was not easy.

Now, the sisters are living Earthside in Seattle where sudden murders are going down, and it looks like vampires are to blame. The only thing is that Menolly knows a lot of the vampires in the area thanks to Vampires Annonymous (yes you read that right) and none of them would do something like that. So is there a new player in the area. Oh, did I mention that there was word that the Elwing clan teamed up with a former enemy of the sisters that had escaped from prison, and that they might be headed Earthside.... coincidence? Probably not.

As it turns out, the murders, aren't even murders. Confused? Someone is making a nice big batch of new vampires in Seattle. Could it be Dredge? Menolly has spent most of the past twelve years trying to forget and repress what happened when she was with him, but to be able to face him, she must first face the past. To do this, she'll need a little help, and maybe also a trip to Aladril (the city of seers) back in Otherworld.

Characters returning in this book are of course the D'Artigo sisters, and some of Delilah and Camille's harem (*snicker*). Then there's their Earthside friends who might just have larger rolls to play in the grand scheme of things. Finally Menolly gets some of her own love'n care in this book. Enter Nerissa, a member of the Rainier Puma Pride. She and Menolly seem to have instant chemistry, though some of the things that she brings out in Menolly could be very bad for Nerissa. Then, there's Roz, an incubus and one man armory, sent to help the sisters. He's also on a personal crusade against Dredge, who killed his whole family 700 years ago. Did I mention he's an incubus, just what the girls need, yeah right.

This book has a much darker edge to it than the previous two did, but what would you expect when it's from a vampire's perspective. Not only do we have to deal with the details of how Menolly was turned, but there is her constant bloodlust that she has to struggle with. Getting to know her is fascinating, and she goes through so much growth. The plot is also fast paced and keeps you wanting more. This is my favorite book in the series so far, too bad I'll have to wait for a few more until I'm back in Menolly's head, but that's ok because I do like all of the sisters. One thing I do know is that whatever that mystery thing that was lacking in the first to books for me was, it was in this book and I couldn't be more thrilled! Can't wait for the next!

The Otherworld Series in order in which it should be read:
Witchling
Changeling
Darkling
Dragon Wytch
Night Huntress
Demon Mistress
The Shadow of Mist in Never After
Bone Magic
Etched in Silver in Inked

Review: Playing with Fire- by Gena Showalter

Twenty-four-year old barista Belle Jamison dreams of a better job and a decent love life. Until a crazy scientist spikes her mocha latte! Suddenly Belle can wield the four elements- earth, wind, fire and water- with only a thought. Coffee too hot? No problem. Hair in need of a blow-dry? Done.

Gorgeous government agent Rome Masters has been sent to neutralize Belle. But he's not the only one after her. Together they must outrun the rogue agents on their trail and find a way to control her powers. There's just one problem: the sparks Belle and Rome generate are even hotter than the ones flying from her eyes- and with her future on the line, now is the worst possible time to fall in love....
(Summary from the back of the book.)

Playing with Fire by Gena Showalter is the first book in her Tales of an Extra Ordinary Girl series. It is about Belle Jamison. She is a "coffee wench" at Utopia Cafe and does any other jobs she can get her hands on, while trying not to get fired. She's not very good at the not getting fired part unfortunately. She supports herself and her father who is in an assisted living center due to heart problems. She finds her life to be very unsatisfying and wants something exciting to happen...be careful what you wish for.

On the same day that she manages to talk her way out or losing her job, yet again, a man in a lab coat comes rushing out from the building across the street. Next thing you know her latte has been spiked with a mystery fluid which proceeds to make Belle ridiculously sick. She ends up passing out on her floor going in and out of conscienceness. When she wakes up there is a man standing there in her apartment.

He tells her that she drank a formula that was made to give someone control over the elements. Also, that his name is Rome, yummy! He is majorly sexy, but very menacing when he wants to be, luckily Belle does indeed have some nice new superpowers. Even though he was sent to neutralize her, he decides he want her help instead, and in return he'll help her. It's not only his boss after her, there are a lot worse people in the world that want to experiment on those with powers, and Belle now has some major power. So, Rome will help her control it so that she doesn't kill herself or anyone else, but as she learns to control her powers more, her and Rome get closer, and he is one sexy man!

Then, there's all the secondary characters. Tanner, who comes into the story in a very entertaining way, is awesome. He had me laughing so many times throughout the book. There are also some people from Rome's life who make things interesting, but I don't want to spoil anything for you.

I really wasn't sure if I would like this book when I first started it. I usually love Gena Showalter. Her The Lords of the Underworld series is wonderful so I figured I'd give something else of hers a try. At the beginning of the book, Belle got on my freaking nerves! I really wasn't sure if I would be able to finish it. Once Rome came into the picture, though, everything changed. Their interaction was awesome. The dialogue was hilarious and then all of the physical chemistry...Rome is just damn yummy ok, I can't think of another word. Gena sure can right some hotness into her books!

So, read this book, and I would read it soon because on February 1st the sequel Twice as Hot will be released and I can't wait to check it out!

Well, I take that back, I just looked on amazon.com and the mass market paperback will be available on January 26!

Tales of an Extra Ordinary Girl series:
1. Playing with Fire
2. Twice as Hot

Win on Wednesday: Some Contests from around the book blogosphere!

For those who haven't noticed before, I try to keep an updated list on my sidebar of several contests and giveaways going on that you can enter. Today I'm going to list some really great larger giveaways, along with a list of the other ones that I know about going on right now.


First off, head on over to Book Lovers Inc., a new blog from several established bloggers from all over the world. To celebrate their new blog, they are having a scavenger hunt and giveaway. You have the chance of winning your choice of several books just from leaving a comment. Also, if you participate in the scavenger hunt, you get entered into the grand prize drawing for the Kate Daniels series of books! Contest ends January 31, 2010.


Next, please check out All Things Urban Fantasy for a 300+ follower giveaway! The winner will receive the Mercedes Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. There are currently four books out now!
If the 400 follower mark is passed before the end of this contest, another winner will be chosen to receive the Alpha and Omega series also by Patricia Briggs! This includes two books and prequel in an anthology.
So, please enter and spread the word!
Contest ends February 28, 2010.

Also, at the bottom of my blog, I always have a list of current contests going on at Bitten By Books. They have several weekly interviews w/ contests and tons of book reviews. Next week's line-up is spectacular, so check it out!
Monday: Dakota Cassidy
Tuesday: Angie Fox
Wednesday: Larissa Ione
Thursday: Faith Hunter
Friday: Jenna Maclaine
There is also a Daily Book Chat every weekday w/ a chance to win some author swag!

~Blog With Bite: Beautiful Creatures Giveaway! Contest ends January 22, 2010.
~Books Books and More Books: Stella and Audra Price Giveaway! Win a mug, a Weresnakes promo pack, and and E copy of Of Crimson and collars. Contest ends January 23rd.
~Naughty Editions: Michelle Bardsley Giveaway! win a free book. Contest ends January 24th.
~Kindle Vixen Contest: Win Skin Game by Ava Gray! Contest ends January 25, 2010.
~Tattooed Books Giveaway: Win a custom necklace from Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamer's series. Contest ends January 28th.
~Paranormal Haven: Raven Hart Giveaway! Check out their interview with Raven and enter to win! Contest ends January 31th.
~Dark Faerie Tales: Hush, Hush Giveaway! Win a copy of Hush, Hush and a writing journal. Contest ends February 3rd.
~Books at Midnight: LM Preston Giveaway! Win a copy of Explorer X-Alpha and a poster!Contest ends February 5, 2010.
~A Great Book is the Cheapest Vacation: Book Giveaway! Kim Harrison's For a Few Demon's More. Contest ends February 10th.
~LA FEMME READERS: 2010 Book of Choice Giveaway! Contest ends February 15, 2010.


Check out All Thinks Urban Fantasy for a long list of many more contests!

Sorry everyone, a short review delay. Family emergencies.

I'm really sorry, but my blog is going to suffer for a few days. I have a few family members in the hospital. The prognosis isn't good for one in particular, so I will be going out of state. I'll still be reading, and I'll still check in, but I'm not sure how much I'll be posting. I tried to write a review tonight, but it wouldn't have come out at all how I wanted it to so I figured I would just wait until I was in a better mind set b/c I liked the book and want my review to reflect that, not what's going on with me. Please bare with me.
Thanks.
Amanda Leigh

Review: Midnight Reign- by Chris Marie Green

"Night Rising" was only the beginning... Dawn Madison reluctantly came to Los Angeles in search of her missing father and found instead a world of murder and the living dead she never imagined existed. When a new vampire slaying lures Dawn deeper into the underground, her alliances in the sunlit world shift. Now she has only herself to trust and her newfound skills as "a spunky vampire slayer" ("Publishers Weekly").
(Summary from Chris Marie Green's Vampire Babylon website.)

Midnight Reign picks up about a month after Night Rising left off. Dawn Madison is still in L.A. looking for her father, who disappeared while on a case for a P.I. firm. This firm is more than meets the eye as Dawn soon found out. She had been thrust into the world of the supernatural. Now that she has learned to cope with the fact that vampires and other supernatural beings are real, she is training hard to best prepare herself to take them all on, especially the vampires.

Dawn isn't alone. She has help in the form of a now injured psychic Kiko Daniels, a latino techno-wiz Breisi Montoya, and the still mysterious Jonah Limpet, aka the Voice, the never seen boss of the P.I. firm. There is also now her friend Jacqueline Ashley, an up-and-coming actress who has an incredibly eerie resemblance to Dawn's deceased mother Eva Claremont. Oh, and don't forget the other mysterious P.I. Matt Lonigan, who still pops up at strange times and tries to get closer to Dawn. The real question for Dawn is, in this new world where anything is possible, who do you trust?

Now, a P.I. firm novel would not be complete without something for them to investigate....enter the Vampire Killer. Is it a vampire? Who knows. But someone in LA is killing people, and no one is sure why, other than it might have something to do with Lee Tomlinsin and the Underground. Any information on the Underground is important and could also lead to Dawn's father, so the team investigates.

Also, throughout this novel are several chapters that go into the back story of the Master of the Underground and Sorin, his second in command. We get to see how their relationship formed, and how the Underground itself came about.

Oh, and don't worry this book is filled with a few surprises too.

This book was a little different than the first book. Dawn is now fully immersed in the supernatural world and honing her skills, but she is starting to lose some of her self control. Then there is the backstory to the Underground that is thrown in every few chapters that changed the pace of this book quite a bit. Now that I am taken with this world though, I care for the characters and found myself much more emotionally involved in the story and actually teared up a time or two. So, this book is different, but it still has the same great characters, plus a few more, the plot over all was good, and the emotional ride was a lot better. I can't wait until the mass market addition comes out for Break of Dawn on January 26, 2010! Then I can finish the first trilogy of the series.

Vampire Babylon series in order it should be read:
1. Night Rising
2. Midnight Reign
3. Break of Dawn
4. A Drop of Red
5. Path of Razors
6. Deep in the Woods(March 2010)
Check out the Vampire Babylon website to learn more.

Review: Night Rising- by Chris Marie Green

Welcome to Hollywood—after dark…

Stuntwoman Dawn Madison is a girl with a lot of attitude—and a lot of issues, mostly about living up to the legacy of her mother, a world famous movie star/sex symbol, whose death left Dawn to be raised by her dad Frank, nobody’s notion of single-father-of-the-year. Now that she’s all grown up, she and Frank aren’t on the best of terms, to say the least.

Still, he is her dad, and when he vanishes while investigating the bizarre sighting—caught on film—of a supposedly long-dead child star, she comes home to Tinseltown to join the search for him. Working with his colleagues—a psychic short in stature but big in dreams of stardom, a beautiful Latina techno-geek, and the P. I. firm’s never-seen boss—she discovers an erotic and bloody underground society made up of creatures she thought existed only on the screen.

They are devious. They are deadly. And some of them are dangerously attractive…
(Summary from Chris Marie Green's Vampire Babylon website.)

This is the first book in the Vampire Babylon series by Chris Marie Green(aka Crystal Green). Dawn Madison is a bad-girl stuntwoman who had gotten herself into some trouble on her last film, so she was taking a break doing construction. That is until she got a call from one of her father's co-workers, Kiko, telling her that he was missing and that they wanted her help finding him. So now Dawn finds herself in L.A. with Kiko(a little person who is not at all sensitive about his height, just his psychic ability), Breisi(ex-Latin soup-star and tech-wiz), and the mysterious Limpet.

Oh, there's also the mysterious Matt Lonigan, another P.I. who says he's also trying to find her dad. He seems to pop up at the strangest times. Now if Dawn could only focus on trying to figure out more about him instead of how to get him out of his clothes, things might go a little bit better.

As she sets out to find her dad, she takes a job with his strange P.I. agency and involves herself in the last case he was working on. A child star was caught on film even though he died years ago. But how could that be? Next thing Dawn knows she's being attacked by vampires. No, there must be a rational explanation. There's also her boss, who can get into her head, and her body....yet Dawn refuses to face the truth of what's going on. How long can a girl live in denial? You'd be surprised.

While investigating both her dad and the child star, they start to find that there might be more going on here than meets the eye. Though, the reader already knows this because the book goes to another point of view every now and then Below ground where the vampires are and get to find out a little bit more about what's going on. There's a whole other world in the Underground, and it has it's own social structure and rules and everything.

I found this book to be a fairly quick read, with the action pretty evenly spaced throughout the book. Dawn is rather sex-crazed which was very entertaining at times, though this was all fueled by her insecurities about her deceased sex-goddess of a film star mother. She doesn't get along with women at all, though her and Breisi are rather funny together, and she gets along with men a little to well most of the time and ends up wanting to jump them for sex. LOL.

I loved the characters, loved the plot, loved the vampires that you get to read about in the Underground and the whole world that's been built there. All in all, from book one I'm hooked on this series and can't wait to read more! Oh, and I wanna know more about their boss! *swoon*

Vampire Babylon series in order it should be read:
1. Night Rising
2. Midnight Reign
3. Break of Dawn
4. A Drop of Red
5. Path of Razors
6. Deep in the Woods(March 2010)
Check out the Vampire Babylon website to learn more.

Review: Soulless- by Gail Carriger

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she is being rudely attacked by a vampire to whom she has not been properly introduced! Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire, and the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?
(Summary from Gail Carriger's website.)

Soulless is the first book in the Parasol Protectorate series and the debut novel by Gail Carriger. It is set in Victorian England, but in an England that the supernatural are known about and live freely. In fact, two of Queen Victoria's most trusted advisers are a vampire and a werewolf. There is also an agency called BUR(Bureau of Unnatural Registry) that keeps tabs on and investigates all of the goings on of the supernatural and reports to the Queen's advisers.

Then, there is Alexia Tarabotti. She is not supernatural, but a preternatural. She has no soul and has the ability to temporarily make supernatural beings immortal while she is in physical contact with them. This is something that was passed down from her deceased father, though we learn very little more about it or him in this book.

All the trouble begins when Miss Tarabotti goes into the library at a ball to have some tea and eat and runs into a vampire who attacks her. It just goes downhill from there. First of all, she can not figure out why he doesn't know about what she is. Oh, and he lisps around his fangs! Oh, goodness me! Well, wouldn't you know it, she killed him with her parasol! Next, thing you know Lord Maccon from BUR is investigating and getting on her last nerves, the vampires want to meet with her, and her family is just kind of ridiculous.

I'll admit that it actually took me a little bit to get into this book. Even though it started out making me laugh with a parasol death scene, I still couldn't quite get into the dialogue or Miss Tarabotti's character at first. Though, that's really only probably because it's been awhile since I've read anything from the Victorian Era. When all I've been reading is urban and contemporary, Victorian is rather a switch.

After several chapters, though, I was hooked! Miss Tarabotti, is very prim and proper for the most part, but she is also a very learned woman, which was looked down on at that time. She also had some great sarcasm that would leak out at the most wonderful times. Not to mention keeping her trusty, silver tipped parasol on hand in case some vampire needed to be smacked in the head. She is a spinster, since her mother did not want to go to the trouble of trying to marry her off. Also, since she doesn't have any kind of classic London beauty, thanks to her father's Italian heritage, her mother just didn't think it likely anyone would want to marry her, and that mentality has been passed on to Alexia. Though that at least could be changing with the arrival of an intelligent American scientist into town.

Now, as for this being a steampunk novel, it does have elements of it, but that is not the main driving force. Actually that seems to be how everything regarding this book is, it's very hard to describe. It's paranormal, Victorian Era, with steampunk elements, comedy, mystery, and romance. I found it to be a very nice mixture of everything. There was only one small thing that I didn't like about this book and that was that every now and then the author got a bit too descriptive, but that is really the only bad thing I can think of to say. So, what do I recommend...this book!! Wonderful!

Oh, and don't forget to check out the blurb for Gail's next book in the Parasol Protectorate series, Changeless.






Blog With Bite Discussion Questions
1. With the rise in popularity of steampunk trends, do you think the dialog and environment created in Soulless fitting within the paranormal genre?
It didn't go really hard core into steampunk, but it did have enough elements of it mixed in with the paranormal that made for its own unique world. I always like it when I run across something that's a little different.
2. For better or worse, Soulless throws together a lot of unconventional story elements. What ones worked for you? What ones didn't? Will you be reading the next book in the series, Changeless?
I did really enjoy this book. It took awhile for me to get used to the dialogue, but once I did I thought it was great. The proper Victorian woman, who made sarcastic comments and killed vamps with a parasol, what's not to love? I also enjoyed her budding romantic experience throughout the book.
3. The comedic tone of the novel was ever present even when the novel was at it's darkest plot-threads. Do you think this added to the depth of the novel and characters or did it trivialize the plot?
I think it added to the depth. I could see where people that like really dark stories might not like it, but that's not what this novel what about. Personally, I tend to be one of those people that make sarcastic comments or jokes or just laugh at very inappropriate times, so I loved the constant comedic undertone!

Review: Changeling- by Yasmine Galenorn

We're the D'Artigo Sisters: Half-human, half-Faerie, we're savvy--and sexy--operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. But our mixed-blood heritage short-circuits our talents at all the wrong times. My sister Camille is a wicked-good witch whose magic is as unpredictable as the weather. My sister Menolly is a vampire trying to get the hang of being undead. And me? I'm Delilah. When I'm under stress, I transform into a tabby cat--and a series of violent murders is really getting me bent out of shape...
"Someone's been slaughtering the Weres of the Rainier Puma Pride, and my sisters and I have been enlisted to investigate by Zachary Lyonnesse, golden boy of the werepumas. Right away we smelled demon trouble, and we tracked it directly into the snare of the Hunters Moon Clan, sworn enemies of Puma Pride. But there's more than Were rivalry at work. It's that old demon Shadow Wing who is setting a deadly snare for the pumas. We have to find out why, which means a visit one to of the Immortals. Unfortunately, for my sisters and me, our half-human blood is just enough to put us in mortal danger."
(Summary from Yasmine Galenorn's website.)

Changeling is the second book in The Otherworld Series, aka The Sisters of the Moon Sereis, by Yasmine Galenorn. Witchling, the first in the series, was narrated by Camille D'Artigo, the oldest sister and witch. Delilah is our narrator this time and she is a shapeshifter, though unlike most feline shifters, instead of shifting into some large predatory cat, she shifts into a long-haired tabby. There's also Menolly, the youngest, who is also a vampire and will have her turn narrating as well.

Even though Delilah is the middle child, she has always been the kind-hearted, optimistic one of the sisters, and this has resulted in her being treated like the baby in the family, which it seems she has finally had enough of. With the Shadow Wing's quest for power and war on the brink in Otherworld, Delilah has been forced to shed some of her optimism and face what is going on around her. Now she is finding more power hidden inside her, though she isn't sure where it's coming from or why.

This is a fast passed story, as was the last. They are trying to solve several murders for the werepumas, but Delilah thinks it has a connection to their larger battle with Shadow Wing. There is plenty of romance in it, but that is not the driving force of the story. A lot of the secondary characters from the last book are in it(woohoo for gorgeous guys!), and there are several new ones as well. It seems the sisters are going to stay true to their fae blood and keep several guys around.

I have enjoyed both books in the series so far. I like the plots, the characters, and the little bits of steaminess thrown in too. However, there is just something that I can't quite put my finger on that holds me back from loving this series. If I figure it out I'll let you know. Maybe I'll figure it out when I read Darkling.

The Otherworld Series in order in which it should be read:
Witchling
Changeling
Darkling
Dragon Wytch
Night Huntress
Demon Mistress
The Shadow of Mist in Never After
Bone Magic
Etched in Silver in Inked

Review: Firespell- by Chloe Neill

As the new girl at the elite St. Sophia’s boarding school, Lily Parker thinks her classmates are the most monstrous things she’ll have to face…

When Lily’s guardians decided to send her away to a fancy boarding school in Chicago, she was shocked. So was St. Sophia’s. Lily’s ultra-rich brat pack classmates think Lily should be the punchline to every joke, and on top of that, she’s hearing strange noises and seeing bizarre things in the shadows of the creepy building.

The only thing keeping her sane is her roommate, Scout, but even Scout’s a little weird—she keeps disappearing late at night and won’t tell Lily where she’s been. But when a prank leaves Lily trapped in the catacombs beneath the school, Lily finds Scout running from a real monster.

Scout’s a member of a splinter group of rebel teens with unique magical talents, who’ve sworn to protect the city against demons, vampires, and Reapers, magic users who’ve been corrupted by their power. And when Lily finds herself in the line of firespell, Scout tells her the truth about her secret life, even though Lily has no powers of her own—at least none that she’s discovered yet…
(Summary from Chloe Neill's website.)

Firespell is the first book in Chloe Neill's Young Adult series' Novels of the Dark Elite. When Lily Parker's parents leave for a two year sabbatical to Germany, Lily is moved from upstate New York to Chicago to attend a fancy boarding school, St. Sophia's. Lily is less than happy about this change, and never having been the rich kid, doesn't think that she'll fit in to this place at all. Luckily, on of her roommates, Scout, turns out to be her BFF from day one. If only Lily could figure out where Scout runs off to every night...

Since this is a rich school, there have to be the rich snobby girls...enter the Brat Pack. Amie is another one of the girls roommates and probably the nicest, but she always follows the others. Mary Katherine is the always rude, but not actually rich, one. Then there's Veronica, the leader of the brat pack with all the snobbiness that entails. The girls take great pleasure putting down Lily and especially Scout. It's actually due to them that Lily is thrust into Scouts magical world, and the hospital. The brat pack is a great addition to the story, and though it doesn't have much to do with the magical story line, it is straight out of most high schools (albeit an extremely expensive one in this case).

Scout is part of a splinter cell of magic users that combat other magic users that try to feed of the energy of people. There are other teenagers in this group, but the two main ones that we get to see are Michael Garcia, who Scout is not dating, and Jason Shepard, Mr. Blue-Eyes himself. The budding chemistry between Lily and Jason is adorable, and I for one can't wait to see how it continues in the next book. Also, Scout and Michael are hilarious!

I loved this book!! It was great trying to figure out how the magic was going to be connected to the school, though there is still more to find out. There is also an entire mystery involving Lily's parents throughout the book, and how they are connected to St. Sophia's and Chicago. I can't wait for the next book! There's so much more to learn! Oh, and there's a certain dark haired boy that I now want to know more about due to his assistance in a certain battle.... I think that this is my favorite young adult novel that I've read in a while!


To Find out more about Chloe's Dark Elite Novels, go HERE.
To Find out more about Chloe's Adult series, the Chicagoland Vampires, go HERE.

Challenge Addiction LOL

E-Book Reading Challenge
Hosted by: Royal Reviews
Dates: January 1, 2010-December 2010
Levels: four
1. Curious – Read 3 E-Books
2. Fascinated – Read 6 E-Books
3. Addicted – Read 12 E-Books
4. Obsessed – Read 20 E-Books
Genre: any
I'm going for Obsessed!
1. Up On the Housetop by Suzanne Rocks (January 5, 2010)
2. Storm Front by Jim Butcher (February 10, 2010)
3. Vintage Soul by David Niall Wilson (February 18, 2010)
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The 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge
Hosted by: J. Kaye's Book Blog
Dates: January 1, 2010-December 2010
Levels: four
1. The Mini YA Reading Challenge – Read 12 Young Adult novels.
2. Just My Size YA Reading Challenge – Read 25 Young Adult novels.
3. Stepping It Up YA Reading Challenge – Read 50 Young Adult novels.
4. Super Size Me YA Reading Challenge – Read 75 Young Adult novels.
Genre: Young Adult. Audio, eBooks, re-reads all count.
I know I can do the Just My Size Reading Challenge, so I'm going to try for the Stepping It Up!
1. Boys That Bite by Mari Mancusi (January 6, 2010)
2. Stake That! by Mari Mancusi (January 8, 2010)
3. Girls That Growl by Mari Mancusi (January 9, 2010)
4. Firespell by Chloe Neill (January 10, 2010)
5. Freaksville by Kitty Keswick(February 14, 2010)
6. Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison (March 5, 2010)
7. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce (March 29, 2010)
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The 451 Challenge
Hosted by: The 451 Challenge
Dates: January 1, 2010- November 20, 2010
Levels: four
1. Spark - read 1-2 books from the master list
2. Ember - read 3-4 books from the master list
3. Flame - read 5-6 books from the master list
4. Blaze - read 7 or more books from the master list
Genre: Any, as long as it is on the 451 master list. Audio, print, and e-books are all acceptable.
I'm going for Blaze.
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Audio Book Reading Challenge
Hosted by: Royal Reviews
Dates: January 1, 2010- December 2010
Levels: four
1. Curious – Listen to 3 Audio Books.
2. Fascinated – Listen to 6 Audio Books.
3. Addicted – Listen to 12 Audio Books.
4. Obsessed – Listen to 20 Audio Books.
Genre: Any. Audiobooks only.
I'm going for Obsessed!
1. The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton (January 5, 2010)
2. Changeling by Yasmine Galenorn (January 13, 2010)
3. Darkling by Yasmine Galenorn (January 23, 2010)
4. Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs (February 13, 2010)
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Erotic Romance Reading Challenge
Hosted by: EROTIC HORIZON
Dates: January 1, 2010-December 31, 2010
Rules: read TEN(10) Erotica Romance in 2010
You must be 18 years or older to join.
1. Up On the Housetop by Suzanne Rocks (January 5, 2010)
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The M/M Romance Challenge
Hosted by: I Heart Paperbacks
Dates: January 1, 2010- December 31, 2010
Levels: five
1. Read 5 M/M Romances
2. Read 10 M/M Romances
3. Read 15 M/M Romances
4. Read 20 M/M Romances
5. Read 20+ M/M Romances
Genre: gay romances (m/m romances)
Age: You must be 18 years old or older to join.
I'm going to try to at least read 10 M/M Romances.
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GLBT Challenge 2010
Hosted by: GLBT Reading
Dates: year round
Levels: three
1. Lambda Level: Read 4 books.
2. Pink Triangle Level: Read 8 books.
3. Rainbow Level: Read 12 or more books.
The basic idea of this challenge is to read books about GLBT topics and/or by GLBT authors.
I'm going to try for the Rainbow level.
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Review: Girls That Growl- by Mari Mancusi

I'm a vampire. I'm also a vampire slayer. (It's a long story-don't ask.) And now I, Rayne MacDonald, Goth Girl, have to try out for THE CHEERLEADING SQUAD?

You'd think after I saved my coven last semester, I'd get a break or something. I've got enough on my plate: my twin keeps whining about whether or not to go all the way; Mom's boyfriend is moving in; and my man, Jareth, who's now allowed out in the sun, has turned from a dark, brooding hottie vamp into a surfer dude...

But I'm still on the clock and have a new assignment. A member of the football team has disappeared-and Slayer, Inc. thinks the cheerleaders had something to do with it-and that they're werewolves. I always knew they were a pack of bitc...

Now they want me to infiltrate the squad and get the dirt. But first, I'll need an extreme prep makeover. If only they'd let me wear fishnets under this revolting uniform...
(Summary from Mari's website.)

Girls That Growl is book three in the Blood Coven series by Mari Mancusi. It takes up where Stake That! left off. Rayne McDonald has just been turned into a vampire, though an extremely weak and powerless vampire. The one benefit of this is that she, unlike most vampires, gets to go out in sunlight. Her blood mate, Jareth, who turned her, contracting the strange virus she had in the process, also can now go out in the sun but is weakened. Oh, another thing about Rayne. She isn't just a vampire, she's a vampire slayer too. She's also a Goth girl through and through. Though some of that has to change when she must go undercover on the cheerleading squad to find a missing football player. A Goth cheerleader? Interesting. She gets a little bit of help from her rather athletic twin Sunny to help with this transformation.

Throughout this book Rayne is having a hard time fitting in everywhere. She's the only Goth in school, now thrust into cheerleading, her mom's boyfriend has moved in and upset her home life, her undead life is not what she was expecting it to be, and her boyfriend is acting so much different now than he was before because he's....happy? Imagine that. Rayne is not happy at all and spends the entire book going in and out of horrible rages and fits and random violence that just got a little old after a while. Yes, I think most teenagers have been through that time where they feel like they're all alone and get mad at the world, but it detracted from the flow of the story several times.

Still, the book is a nice read and overall, I was happy with how it turned out. Though, there were a few times that I was wondering how something happened. Does Rayne have any of her super slayer powers? How does a bat transform into a man and have a gun? What the heck is a "full-moon simulator shack" and how the heck would that work? We don't know. Anyways, it was a good read, but probably my least favorite of the series so far. A bit of a disappointment after Stake That!

Blood Coven series in order they should be read:
1. Boys That Bite
2. Stake That!
3. Girls That Growl
4. Bad Blood (Just out January 5th!)

Review: Stake That!- by Mari Mancusi

All I want is to be a vampire. But nooo-I have to be Rayne MacDonald, Vampire Slayer....

Sisters. They'll swipe your clothes, your boyfriends, your destiny. But it wasn't exactly my twin Sunny's fault. Magnus, vampire hottie and coven leader, mistook her for me last month and bit her instead. Now they're doing the inter-species dating thing.

But back to me. Turns out that for every generation, there's a Vampire Slayer-and this time around, it just happens to be yours truly. My first mission: infiltrate a seedy vamp bar downtown and expose its vampire owner for purposely spreading a blood disease he created himself. A task almost harder than passing trig.

After going it alone once, I realize I need help. So Magnus sends his hot homey Jareth to go undercover with me. And let me just say I wouldn't mind going under the covers with him. Maybe fate doesn't bite after all...
(Summary from Mari's website.)

In the second book of Mari Mancusi's Blood Coven series, we get a look from a different perspective than in the first. This book is told from the point of view of Rayne McDonald. The first book, Boys that Bite, was told by her twin sister Sunny. Rayne is much different than most people at her high school. She's a Goth girl, who keeps a blog, and likes to play World of Warcraft. Not to mention, she's always wanted to be a vampire, but you can read about that in the first book, though there is a good summary of it in this one. In this book, Rayne finds out she is the Vampire Slayer. Talk about going the opposite way with things.

As the Vampire Slayer, Slayer, Inc. wants her to infiltrate the Blood Bar and track down the owner Maverick, who they think wants to overthrow Sunny's boyfriend, Magnus. They would much rather have a good vampire running things than some evil vampire who would do anything to take over. Rayne can't see a problem with helping Magnus, so she agrees. At the Blood Bar she runs into Jareth, who Magnus has put there, and the two begin working together. It is not a happy partnership though. Jareth is gorgeous, but has some major issues with Slayer, Inc. so things do not start of very great between them.

I was really worried when I started reading this book. The whole thing is told from Rayne's blog, or IMs, or diary entries. One thing I've noticed in the past with books that I've read is that I don't really like reading a lot of books like this, but I was pleasantly surprised. Actually, I ended up liking this book more than the first one. It's got all the angsty teenage emotions, goes into the story of Rayne and Sunny's dad, show's a nice character development in Rayne, and my favorite part.... the twins' mom starts dating and the girls think he's a vampire, so there is a total 80s Lost Boys moment! Loved that!

Blood Coven series in order they should be read:
1. Boys That Bite
2. Stake That!
3. Girls That Growl
4. Bad Blood (Just out January 5th!)

Review: Boys That Bite- by Mari Mancusi

My mom is so going to kill me if she finds out I'm turning into a vampire...

Okay, so technically she can't because I'm immortal. Well, not yet. See, due to the worst case of mistaken identity with my dark-side-loving twin sister at a Goth hangout called Club Fang, Magnus, a vampire hottie, went for my innocent neck instead of hers. Now, if I don't reverse it in time, Magnus will be my blood mate forever and I'm doomed to be a blood-gulping, pasty, daylight-hating vampire. Believe me, it seriously bites!

After the unfortunate slaying of the vampire leader, it's up to me, my sister, and Magnus to find the one thing that can solve my problem--the Holy Grail. No joke. I seriously hope I can get out of this on time because, somehow, I scored the hottest prom date in my school, the mouth-watering Jake Wilder. And I do NOT want to be a vampire for the prom--let alone the rest of eternity.
(Summary from Mari's Website.)

This is the first book in Mari Mancusi's young adult Blood Coven series. It is narrated by Sunshine McDonald, Sunny, a sophomore at Oakridge High School. She feels like a slightly overlooked and rather average teenager, other than the fact that she has an identical twin, Rayne, who is her complete opposite.

What I love throughout this book are several mentions of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a hilarious twisting of that world. So watch out for Bertha the Vampire Slayer everyone! LOL. Speaking of LOL's if you are not up on current slang, you might run into some trouble with this book. Mari does a great job of making this book for the teenage market.

Another thing I like about this book is that before I knew it, I was done with it. It's got a fairly straight on plot, which makes for an easy read, but I still enjoyed it. As for the characters, overall, I liked them, Sunny could get a bit whinny at times, but then again, I'm pretty sure I was really whinny whenever I was stressed out when I was sixteen...that might have just been me though. :)

Blood Coven Series, order it should be read:
1. Boys That Bite
2. Stake That!
3. Girls That Growl
4. Bad Blood (Just Released on January 5th, 2010!)

Also, if you enjoy the series, check out the Blood Coven Website. It's pretty cool! And you can join the Blood Coven yourself!

Review: Up On the Housetop- by Suzanne Rock

Desperate to escape her controlling family, Chloe Bradford scrambles up to the housetop of her
Texas home on Christmas Eve. There she discovers a sexy stranger cloaked in shadow. He
convinces her to shed her good-girl image and give into her most secret desires. The man's low,
raspy voice tugs at her memory as much as it awakens her passion. Is he a Christmas miracle, or
some figment of her imagination? When he tries to leave, she follows him, eager to learn his identity.

Zach can't stop thinking about Chloe, or their reunion on the roof. His wolf-half urges him to reveal his
identity and claim her, but he doesn't dare. For both their sakes, he must remain in the shadows until
he can control his inner beast's bursts of rage. After a decade he thought he could handle his curse,
but Chloe's presence causes his control to slip. As the moon-rages become more frequent, he
knows he's slipping toward the insanity that claims many of his kind. Only Chloe can save him, but will she want to after he reveals his identity and the reason he broke her heart over a decade ago?
(Summary from Suzanne's website.)

Up On the Housetop is an erotica novella, and it is book one in the Kyron Pack series. Chloe is an heiress to a hotel fortune, though it is not a position that she wants. Ten years ago she was engaged to a man she loved and was carefree, with her brother set to take on the family business. After his death, and her fiancees disappearace, her life took a drastic change. Now it's time for another change.

After turning down her current boyfriend Kyle's proposal, Chloe escapes to her old refuge on the roof. There she meets up with a man who refuses to show himself to her. Though she feels safe with him and he seems familiar, she's unable to figure out who he is. This doesn't stop her from giving into her body's almost instant response to him, and boy do things get steamy! Then the stranger leaves with promises that he will see her again.

Zach is having trouble controlling is animal side around Chloe. Not only is it the night of the full moon, but she seems to bring out strong reactions in him and his beast. He does not want to hurt her, but he is drawn to her. His being around her will cause problems though. He's not simply human anymore. Things like his pack and the fact that Chloe is human must be taken into consideration. Also, he knows that she feels obligated to help out her family, and that she has already sacreficed years of her own happiness for them.

Problems in Vegas, where Zach's pack is located, call for Zach's need to hurry and return home, and Chloe is wary of this sudden reappearance in her life and what in the world would have kept him away for so long. She is scared to put her trust and her heart into his keeping again. Chloe's family do not want her to leave and are set on making things difficult for her. Things could get very ugly, very quickly.

There are lots of things set up in this novella that I hope to see continued on! I'm very interested in learning more about Chloe and Zach's story, as well as the rest of the pack. It will also be interesting to see how Chloe's family fits into the mix, because I have a feeling that they, and maybe even her boyfriend, have a little bit more going on than what Chloe knows about. I loved the characters, the plot, and the sexy scenes, and I really can not wait for more!

Oh, and I have to thank Roxanne over at Fang-tastic books for having Suzanne Rock do a giveaway on her site last month, otherwise I might not have heard about this lovely novella! Thanks again to you both!

Review: The Lunatic Cafe- by Laurell K. Hamilton

In The Lunatic Cafe, the fourth novel in the Anita Blake series, the story starts out the way it usually does. Anita Blake, zombie animator/vampire executioner, is interviewing a client whose wife is missing, but Anita recommends him to her best friend instead since missing persons isn't really her strong suit. Anita is off to go on a nice date with Richard, the shapeshifter who was introduced in The Circus of the Damned, who she has been seeing since. Jean Claude, the master vampire of the city, is not happy with their relationship and is rather set on finding ways to end it. There are more problems when Gretchen, another vampire, tells Anita that she needs to give up her claim on Jean Claude. Did she have one? Huh. That could cause some problems.

Well, if that love square didn't pose enough problems, guess what else it's time for? Another murder mystery! It takes long enough to even find out what's going on because the local sheriffs department is causing all kinds of trouble for Anita, Dolph, and the rest of the Spook Squad. Turns out something killed a person, and it was probably some kind of shapeshifter.

Did I mention there are troubles in the shapeshifter ranks? Hmmm.... Anita gets taken to meet Richard's pack Alpha at the Lunatic Cafe and madness ensues. Long story short. The shapeshifters are having problems too and want Anita's help. Richard hadn't wanted to drag Anita into it, but that didn't go over to well. Their relationship begins to get a little bit rocky.

Oh, and Edward, aka Death, is in town, that can't be good. He, as usual, is here on a job to hunt a few supernatural people down, for a price, and wants Anita's help. She is not happy with what she finds out and neither is Richard. There is more going on with the pack than either of them realized, and Anita will have to face something she didn't think she would.

Jealousy, lust, envy, fighting, death, that's like any usual Anita Blake novel. Lots of dialogue, inner struggle, werewolf porn, Anita's trigger happy self, that all is a little more new. This novel was a little bit different than the previous ones, but I greatly enjoyed it. Things are taking a bit of a different turn, and that's fine with me. Darker, not a bad thing. There's still the essential Anita Blake wonderfulness from the first novels that got me into this series, but I don't want every one to be exactly the same or else there's no way I could make it through this series. All in all, a very good read and looking forward to the next one!