Heather Long

Let's Play a Game - Win a Copy of Fevered Hearts #2

2012-01-21T06:36:00.001-06:00

With edits in full swing on Brave are the Lonely, the second Fevered Hearts novel, I thought I'd host a little contest. This is open to anyone to enter and will remain open through February 14. That's right, a little Valentine's Day for all my Fevered Hearts fans. So what do you have to do? It's simple, answer a few questions about Marshal of Hel Dorado. The more questions you answer, the more opportunities you have to enter the contest.

Every correct answer counts as one entry for that person, you can only enter once and those who answer questions correctly "first" get a bonus entry that makes it a little more fair for those who come along later. But let's have some fun with this, shall we?

Questions

1. Who is the hero of Marshal of Hel Dorado?
2. Who is the heroine?
3. How do they meet?
4. How many brothers does the hero have? (Extra points if you can name them)
5. How many brothers does the heroine have? (Extra points if you can name them)
6. Name one crises the couple must overcome.
7. Go to Chapter Five and tell me the first word of that chapter.
8. Who is book two's hero? (If you follow me or read the sneak peeks, you can find this answer easily)
9. Who is your favorite brother?
10. Tell me your favorite line in the book and who said it.

Extra Credit: Ask a question about Marshal of Hel Dorado for others to answer.
Extra Extra Credit: Answer a question posed by another poster and get additional entries.

Pretty simple, right?

One answer gets you one entry, ten answers is ten entries. I will draw the winner the week after Valentine's Day and that winner will receive an early ecopy of Brave Are the Lonely before it is released in March. Be sure I can find your email address either through your profile or in the post.

Happy trails!

Vampire Diaries Post Mortem: The Ties That Bind

2012-01-20T13:38:00.003-06:00

Okay, I am going to commit a little bit of Post Mortem Faux Paus this week. Typically, I like to recap it, run you through the episode, a sort of play by play of the wild (and yes, snarky) thoughts that go through my head while I am indulging in my absolute favorite show. Yes, that jury is in (in case there was ever any doubt), The Vampire Diaries is one of the best television shows I have ever watched, I am totally addicted, I literally schedule my Thursdays around it and you better have blood or bone showing if you call me when it's on.

Our Vampire Diaries Anonymous meeting is now in session. My name is Heather and I'm a Damonaholic. Thankfully, I love just about everything on this show so I even like the bits that Damon doesn't appear in.

So if you're wondering what's so different about this post mortem from all my others, click the link and come on down. All those of you who don't want to be spoiled, this is where you get off. Everyone else, let's go.

My Elijah Is Back!

Yes, I am going all the way to the end of the episode to kick off this post mortem because I have missed Elijah since he ended up daggered and coffined at the end of last season. Elijah (Daniel Gilles) brings a level of gravitas to playing a vampire that no other character on the show has achieved. For all his temper tantrums and ferocity, Klaus comes across as a narcissistic, overbearing (and spoiled) brat who desperately craves the affection of his 'sired' hybrids because Mummy and Daddy just didn't love him enough.

Seriously. So over that.

Elijah, on the other hand, is poised, smooth and rarely harried. The most overwhelmed we saw of him was during The Dinner Party episode in season two. He came to the Gilbert Lake House, intent on removing Elena from the custody of the Salvatores after the aborted attempt to kill him. Elena wouldn't let him in, but stabbed herself to make him swear his oath, again. As she crumpled to the ground, his scream was so viscerally brutal that it made me think he cared a hell of a lot more about her dying than he did about her being the doppelganger. When he begged Elena to let him save her and promised her anything, she repaid him with the dagger through the heart.

When next we saw Elijah, Elena woke him to give them more options than having someone else die for her. Again, Elijah never lost his cool until face to face with his brother and Klaus telling him that he'd never dumped their family into the ocean. Elijah chose to trust Klaus and that was his mistake.

But baby, he's back and I for one and beyond thrilled. He owes Elena big time because he broke his word and Elijah is the 'moral' one, which means that will have some meaning to him.

Whew. Now that I have that off my chest, let's talk about the ties that bind and chaff and cut off the circulation...

Bonnie Needs Elena

I have said before that one of the tent poles of this show are the friendships, particularly the bond between Bonnie, Elena and Caroline. It's survived the death of family members, the compulsion of boyfriends, the almost being eaten by a soon to be boyfriend and the transformation to vampire. You could say these girls have complicated relationships. Last week, I accused Bonnie of being way too judgmental, so it was nice to see that she was reaching out to Elena -- except she was doing it because she needed Elena's help. Not her 'physical help,' even though she got that too, but her emotional support.

Why?

Because Bonnie was going to look for her mother. A woman she hasn't seen or heard from in fifteen years. So Elena has Liz send her a listing of every Abby Bennett in the country. (Dude, I want to hear that phone call. "Hey, Sheriff Forbes. We need to find a witch by the name of Abby Bennett, can you look them all up in the oober data base and send us all the deets? Email? Nah, print them out, with color, then we can sort them, thanks.") Sorry, I digress...

Bonnie reveals the coffins to Elena, which was good because that secret needed to be busted. Stefan was less than pleased when he found them there (hello, Stefan, you vampire douche bag currently, Elena is sweet, tortured best friend...did you really think Bonnie would keep a secret?) He gets all huffy and more than a little pouty. (Methinks the big, bad Stefan is having a harder time playing his part.)

Meanwhile, Elena disses Stef and she and Bonnie start pouring through all the data on Abby Bennett. Bonnie kind of apologizes to Elena for being a bitch. Elena rolls with it. Their kosher. (And that really is what friendship is all about).

We Kissed. Now it's Weird.

Damon arrives in the Gilbert kitchen full of good cheer and information. A little compulsion speeds up the search process (because really who doesn't want to look at 147 possible rap sheets?) Yep, it's the right Abby. Bonnie is nervous. Damon says, let's go, he gets shotgun. Elena says he can't go. Damon pouts (and O.M.G. that was a hilarious pout and did anyone else notice that he didn't do that 'eye thing he does').

Elena wants Bonnie to have her reunion with her mom sans Damon's snarky commentary. But Bonnie would have to be blind, deaf, dumb and on another continent to not notice the tension, so what's up?

"We kiss. Now it's weird." He turns back to Elena with just a hint of a teasing smile. "Have a great trip."

Three points in Damon's favor:

He listened to Elena's reasons why he couldn't go and he didn't take them personally.
He outted their kiss to Bonnie, because he's done with the hiding dance.
He may not be going on that trip, but he knows they'll be talking about him.

Now, if you are one of those wondering why Damon would let Elena take off into danger like that, I think it's reasonable to assume he knows her well enough that if he tried to stop her or didn't listen and forced himself along it would lead to more trouble. What works for Damon and Elena right now is that 'trust' and 'respect' thing they have going.

Even if it is 'weird'.

This was only complimented by the later tense discussion between Bonnie and Elena in the car when she asked about the kiss and whether it was good. When Elena said she didn't want to talk about it, Bonnie sighed. "That's a yes."

Muhahahaha.

Daddy Dearest, Part Deux

Caroline is less than thrilled to find Tyler in her living room. He tells her he understands, the problem is he told Klaus he wouldn't bite her. He wouldn't hurt her and he did it anyway. He finally gets why the sire bond is an issue. He's called in Big Daddy Forbes to help.

Now I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this except for my post mortem speculation at the end, but for now, I leave Bill with these thoughts:

Get stronger ropes
Don't stay in the room while he changes
And damn, Daddy with an axe is pretty cool

Tyler and Bill both love Caroline and I love their commitment to making this work. Of course, I said from the beginning that part of the pain is associated with fighting the change. Tyler has to embrace who he is and while it may still hurt, the change will become swift and rewarding rather than so brutal and mind numbing. I'd almost hazard a guess he'd have more control in wolf form if his mental processes were deep fried by the shift.

Klaus is Tired of the Games

Stefan arrives home to find Klaus settled in waiting for him. Klaus is tired of the games. He sent away his hybrids, what does Stefan want to give back his family? Of course, Klaus has a plan, he's been way to laid back about this from the beginning. Of course, his Hybrids are still out there so he sends one off to do a job.

Oh, by the way, I haven't forgotten about Bonnie's dream, I'll get to that at the end.

Mommy Issues

Apparently, Abby Bennett Wilson doesn't live that far from Mystic Falls (it really didn't seem like it took Elena and Bonnie long to get there). The house is cute. Bonnie is nervous. But when she knocks on the door, they are greeted by good looking Jamie. Turns out Jamie is a sort of stepson to Abby, she took him in, straightened him out and raised him right.

Cue the barb to the heart for Bonnie.

When Abby comes in, it's tense between the Bennett women. Bonnie says she doesn't really want her mother back, she wants her help because of her dreams. Abby admits to some interesting facts during the tete-a-tete:

She and Miranda Sommers Gilbert were best friends
Fifteen years ago, an ancient vampire came to Mystic Falls to take the doppelganger
Abby lured him away and used all of her magic to bind him in a cemetery (So that clarifies that it was indeed Big Daddy Original, Michael and it was Abby who imprisoned him)
Drained, she felt normal for the first time and instead of returning home, she ran away
Her magic is still gone, because she believes nature punished her for abandoning her daughter

Elena steps out to give mother and daughter some time, but Stefan shows up and he's less than pleased that Bonnie and Elena are seeing Abby and shut him out. Elena tries to explain that Bonnie needed an actual reunion with her mother, not Stefan's agenda.

Jamie rocks out with a shotgun and shoots Stefan in the chest with some wooden splinters and buckshot. Abby drugs Bonnie and drags her off into a car, leaving Elena bound in the barn with a gravely injured Stefan.

He's Compelling

Turns out Klaus' Hybrid was already a step ahead of them. He compelled Jamie to kill himself if Abby didn't get the location of the coffins to Klaus. Elena figures out that Jamie is compelled by his actions (really loved watching her think on her feet). He tells her he was supposed to kill Stefan, even kill himself if necessary, but Elena was not to be harmed.

She plays that her wrists are killing her and when he goes to help, she ambushes him and knocks him out with the gun. Turns out all the boxing and training she's been doing is paying off.

She goes to Stefan and digs the wooden shards out of his chest. But Stefan notices that she's different, harder and stronger.

When he's laying there, weak she says she has to tell him something. She's not feeling guilty about it, but she does feel guilty that he doesn't know.

I Kissed Damon

Three, beautifully simple, provocative words. Not Damon kissed me. Not it was a horrible day and I had to send Jeremy away and after the last several months, Damon's been there for me and he has these feelings. No explanations (she really doesn't owe Stefan any), just I kissed Damon.

Stefan's response was absolute silence. It was probably the best choice on the part of the writers. What could he say? He's supposed to be 'unfeeling.' and 'uncaring' - if he'd snarked at her it would have maintained his cover, but deep down, "I kissed Damon" kicked him square in his heart and his testicles.

He got up and just walked away.

But I am pretty sure Elena saw the pain in his eyes, because her head moved...just a little and her eyes widened. She saw it. She knew. But she didn't do what Elena in the past would have done, instead of chasing him or demanding truth from him, she let him go.

At the car, Stefan apologizes for what he did at the bridge. He said he shouldn't have done it and he was sorry. Elena thanks him, but she still doesn't move to comfort him or say she forgives him. And she shouldn't. He put her through hell and yes, apparently he did do it on purpose, knowingly subjecting her to that pain.

He then tells her she's too good for Damon. She's too good for both of them. Then he leaves her.

Can We Trust Abby?

On the road, Abby meets with the Hybrid and tells him that Bonnie hasn't given her any information, but that Stefan showed up. When Bonnie wakes up, she can't believe her mother drugged her. Abby pushes her to answer the question, so they can save Jamie. Bonnie says it's about more than just the too of them. Abby not so subtly texts her to warn her friends.

So Bonnie warns Damon (off screen) and later, Abby says she will try to get her magic back to help Bonnie. If that's what Bonnie wants. Apparently Bonnie does want that. But I don't trust her.

There's something dicey in witch-ville about this chick.

Coffin Shell Game

Damon arrives at the witch house and sees the coffins are 'not there' and knows something is up. Klaus walks out. Pleased that he has finally located his coffins. When the witches strike him down, Damon suggests that insulting them isn't the best idea. Klaus growls that the thing about witches is their loyalty to their own and a hundred dead witches have a thousand descendents and he doesn't have a problem killing them all.

So the witches cave.

Just like that.

WOW can we say fickle things?

Only oops, there's only three coffins, not four.

When Klaus tries to threaten him, Damon just grins and says nah-uh-uh -- same rules apply. It doesn't matter how much Klaus wanted his family back, Damon bets he wants what is in that locked coffin back more. And apparently he's right. So he waves ta ta to Klaus.

Meredith the Vampire Doctor

Okay, Meredith Fell isn't actually a vampire. But Damon has bad juju vibes about her and earlier in the episode, he heads over to the hospital to check her out. After all it was her coroner ex that got 'staked' last week. Meredith puts the first nail in her own coffin by vervaining Damon and bloodjacking him.

That's a big arse old red flag if I ever saw one.

Later, Damon checks on Rick and notices there's no rabbit in the pot on the stove and applauds that. Then he tells him about what Meredith does.

And the Stupid Award Goes, too...

Okay, Alaric has had a rough life. He's lost both the women he loved to vampire madness, but the man is seriously not hard up. He goes to confront Meredith and she says, oh Damon must have told him. She didn't get it, she used enough vervain to knock him out.

What does Alaric do? He says, "Hey, Damon drinks it every day. He's got a resistance."

Dude? Bros before hos! Gibbs slap yourself.

But it gets better.

Then he demands to know why and she says she'll show him. In rolls a gravely injured Bill Forbes (Tyler managed his transformation and mauled Bill in the process). He's an ACTUAL animal attack.

Insert lame joke here.

Meredith pops out Damon's blood (from her pocket, because we know blood kept in the pocket is safe, right?) and injects Bill with vampire blood to save him.

Meredith is the miracle doctor. She hates seeing people die. So she uses vampire blood when she can.

What does our rocket scientist, history teach do?

He takes her back to the Gilbert house and tells her about his RING.

His freaking RING?

She starts to tug it off his finger and he grips it back. Then she jokes does he think she's psycho?

Well, since he's caught canoodling her, I think RICK is the psych case here.

Meredith excuses herself and Elena comforts Rick that it's okay, Jenna's gone, it's okay if he moves on.

No, Elena. It's not okay if he moves on with a head case that Rick just spills the beans too. He doesn't know who this chick is.

Damn. Alaric, give your brain dibs on the blood supply.

Brothers

At the Salvatore manse, Stefan walks in to find Damon drinking. Damon lets him know he only managed to get one coffin out, but Klaus has the rest. Stefan agrees the locked one was probably a good choice. Damon tells him Abby can't really help them, she doesn't have any powers.

"That doesn't really surprise me." Stefan says. "It's been that kind of night."

He starts to walk away when Damon asks if Elena's okay.

Ut oh.

Stefan cracks his fist across Damon's face.

Damon: "I guess you two had a heart to heart."

But the cat's way out of the bag, no lying about not having feelings after that reaction.

But Damon offers a consolation prize -- he took out one of the daggers.

Elijah

Which brings us back to the beginning, at Casa Isobel, Klaus' hybrid is cut off mid-bootlick by Elijah ripping out his heart and greeting Klaus with a "What did I miss?"

Oh hell yeah, babe. I am so happy to see him.

Post Mortem Questions

So we learned a few things in this episode. We learned that Michael knew about Elena fifteen years ago. Which means the supernatural community in Mystic Falls may or may not have been aware of her. It lends support to the idea that the Grayson/Miranda car accident wasn't an actual car accident, but another attempt on Elena.

Of course, I want to know how they knew she was the doppelganger fifteen years ago. And is it possible that Isobel knew, which is what fueled her quest for knowledge about vampires? Is that why she told Rick she needed it? That she had to do it and that she would always regret it? Is that what she and John worked on for years behind the scenes while Miranda and Grayson shielded Elena.

Could this even be why Miranda encouraged Elena to journal, because someday she would need that outlet?

Finally, Bill Forbes had to learn to not be compelled from somebody or for some reason. He would have been in Mystic Falls fifteen years ago when Michael showed up. Was Michael the reason he had to learn? Or was Michael the one who taught him? More thoughts to ponder.

And based on the dream at the beginning, with Bonnie seeing herself in the coffin, I have to ask is it possible that it is Ayanna, the ancient and wise witch who led Michael and Esther to the new world, the witch who is there?

The three most likely suspects:

Esther, the Original Witch and Mother
Ayianna, another witch and possible Bennett ancestor which is why it needs a Bennett to open it
The Original Katherine/Elena for whom they are the doppelganger

I am actually strongly favoring number three. That original could be a witch or a werewolf. Klaus was TOLD remember, how to make a Hybrid? How to break his curse and then create them? He's been obsessed with making a Hybrid? If that original in the coffin is the original upon whom the doppelgangers are based, it would be poetic if she were a werewolf too. If that was why Klaus kept her sealed in to keep her alive...

Yes, too much speculation. What or who is in that coffin? will be driving this storyline for a while and I doubt we'll learn much before we get to May Sweeps.

But who knows? In Mystic Falls, anything is possible.

Witchcraft 101 Workshop - Registration Closes Soon

2012-01-20T07:45:00.001-06:00

Hey folks, just a quick note because I have my much longer Vampire Diaries Post Mortem to write later today. Lots of stuff going on behind the scenes at the moment, new contracts, new books and new teasers. Be sure to swing by my Facebook author page for a teaser from one of my two soon to be released books. There's still time to vote for which one you'd like to see.

Also, we have just a couple of days left for you to sign up for the Deborah Blake Witchcraft 101 class. Deborah is an amazing teacher and she's got a lot of great information. Whether you're a writer, a seeker who's curious about Wicca or you just want to learn something new, this would be a great class to check out.

Registration will close Sunday evening at 6 p.m. EST. So be sure to sign up before then.

http://witchywritingwithdeborahblake.blogspot.com/

Winner: Melissa Schroeder Giveaway

2012-01-16T11:01:00.001-06:00

This is going to be a quick announcement.

The winner of an ecopy of CALLUM by Melissa Schroeder is......

elaing8

Congratulations Elaine!!

I have your email and as soon as I get ARCs I'll send it your way.

Brandy

Guest Post & Giveaway: Melissa Schroeder

2012-01-14T01:00:00.000-06:00

Hi! Big thanks to Heather for letting me pop in today to talk about my upcoming release, The Cursed Clan: Callum. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Melissa Schroeder and I write in anything from historical to futuristic and from sensual to erotic.

With such a wide variety of genres, I guess you can suspect that I have a lot of setting I place . I am best known for my Harmless Series which is mainly set in Hawaii. So, when I decided to write a contemporary paranormal, I wanted something a little different. Hawaii is such a sexy and sultry place, filled with tropical plants and beautiful beaches. I lived there for three years, and I think that having an erotic series set there is perfect. The islands are exotic and I do have an appreciation for the Hawaiian people.

But for The Cursed Clan, I wanted something different. I have had a love affair from afar with Scotland. I have wanted to go for years. There is something mystical about it and the Scots themselves. I am a lover of dark, dreary and mysterious places and this made a perfect backdrop for the series. I have a feeling it will be as perfect for me as it is for Callum Lennon and his cousins. They have spent most of their lives there trying to solve the curse that has haunted the Clan for years. Thankfully, they have found a diary that holds the key to possibly break their curse, and an expert, Dr. Phoebe Chilton is hired to help. Sparks fly immediately between Phoebe and Callum, but both of them are keeping secrets…some deadly enough to kill.

Meet me around the web:

Here is a little tidbit from the book.

Preorder from Are.

“I protect what is mine. I’ll not allow you to use Angus.”

She moved away from the counter, her body tense with anger. “I have never used another person, especially in that way. You’ve convinced yourself that I decided to somehow use my considerable wiles on your cousin to somehow gain who knows what.”

When she said it like that, he felt juvenile and petty.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Lennon. I’ll avoid your cousins from now on.”

Which is what he wanted, but at the same time he felt like the lowest form of scum even if it was the best choice. The diary could hold their secrets, and the less she connected to them, the better. They just needed it translated, and for her to leave. As soon as that happened, he would be free of this affliction, he was sure.

“I’ll do my work and take my meals in my room.”

He heard the hurt in her voice. His need to banish Phoebe was as unexplainable as the need to ease her pain. She attempted to brush past him, but he stepped in front of her, blocking her one exit.

“I didn’t say you needed to avoid my cousins.” It was what he wanted, needed, but here he was contradicting his own thoughts, again.

When she looked at him, there was no humor in her gaze, no studied interest as he’d seen before. Now, all he saw was loneliness and he ached.

“No. I’ll finish my task and leave. I know you must have a very good reason, although I can’t understand what it could be. I will respect your wishes.”

Again, she tried to move past him, but he refused to budge. That same fresh scent of her reached his senses, seducing him. Even as he was reaching for her, his mind was screaming stop. He ignored it, and every other protective instinct. The only thing roaring through his head was to take, to claim.

“It isna my family that has me worried, lass.” The moment he wrapped his hand around her upper arm, her head shot up, surprise lighting her eyes her mouth falling open in surprise. “It seems being around you is no’ good for my peace of mind.”

He jerked her against him. She gasped, the sound filled with both fear and excitement. Arousal spiked and his body craved—demanded—more intimate contact. Knowing it was wrong, even knowing it was dangerous, he bent his head and took possession of her luscious mouth.

~~~

Melissa is giving away an eCopy of CALLUM to one lucky commenter. Just answer one simple question to be entered to win.

If you could visit Scotland would you travel back in time to the untamed wild or visit the present?

Giveaway will stay open through the weekend. A winner will be chosen and announced Monday.

Vampire Diaries Post Mortem: Our Town

2012-01-13T20:09:00.000-06:00

After last week's thoroughly satisfying kiss it was hard to imagine what the follow up would be, but welcome back to Vampire Diaries Our Town as the war between Klaus and Stefan heats up and everyone in Mystic Falls is caught in the crossfire.

If You Think You're Sexy...

...you better be Damon smiling in the shower. Seriously, Vampire Diaries gods, I can die happy now. He looked so damn relaxed and pleased with the world. In nearly sixty episodes, I don't think I've ever seen Damon look so happy. Contrast his pleasure with Elena's fierce workout and you have the fallout form that epic kiss. Neither one can stop thinking about it: Damon with satisfaction and Elena with frustration. Yes, this absolutely bodes well for my Delena heart and I need this sustenance, particularly as the suspense, the danger and the pain begin to escalate for the next hour.

Breaking It To Bonnie

Last week, Elena asked Damon to help her get Jeremy out of this mess and compel him out of Mystic Falls. This week, she breaks the bad news to Bonnie. Insert judgy little Bonnie moments here. Bonnie is appalled that Elena would take Jeremy's 'choice' away from him. I can see her point, but only in a minor way. Jeremy was on the fast track to death and let's face it, first season Bonnie wanted her 'choice' to remember to be gone too. She almost gave up her friendship with Elena over being tied up in vampire matters. Her anger with Elena continues throughout the episode.

Mark my words, that Jeremy/Bonnie moment at the beginning when she tells him she heard he was leaving and she comments that his words were verbatim of what Elena said will come back to haunt them. Yes, at the end of the episode, Alaric takes Jeremy to the airport and Bonnie bids him farewell, hugging him. But the seed is planted for Jeremy to break that compulsion some day and Bonnie snarks that Elena can't control them all.

She's right, Elena can't, but Bonnie can keep lying to Elena for her own good about the coffins, Stefan and Damon, right?

Damon was right, witches really are judgy little things on this show.

It's Her Party...

...and Caroline doesn't have to celebrate if she doesn't want to. For Caroline, her birthday has brought home the true change from human to vampire. While she says she doesn't get to turn eighteen, that she is forever frozen at seventeen, I would like to remind her that you are only as old as you feel and that her biological clock being frozen doesn't mean her mental and emotional clocks are, but this isn't a therapy session.

In the parking lot at school, Tyler wants to wish Caroline a happy birthday and gives her a beautiful charm bracelet gift. He knows she can't trust him and he wishes that she could, but he also knows he can't fight Klaus and no matter how much he wants to put Caroline first, he won't be able to. He tells her he loves her and goes.

It's heartbreaking.

Elena, Bonnie and Matt surprise Caroline at home with their party favors and decorations since she cut school. When Caroline confesses she doesn't want to celebrate because she is sad, Elena offers up a new idea. Just like Caroline wouldn't let her duck out of her own birthday, Elena won't let Caroline run from hers. The foursome end up in a crypt at the cemetery where they have a funeral for Caroline Forbes and celebrate her life.

Romeo and Juliet

In many ways, Caroline and Tyler have exceeded all expectations from their first season selves. From self-involved to selfless, from selfish to sacrificed, from lovers to lovelorn, they meet a new challenge tonight. Pissed at Stefan, Klaus tells Tyler to bite Caroline. Tyler refuses, his bite could kill her, but Klaus insists and Tyler stands up to him. Klaus says it's a test of the sire bond, but Tyler won't bend and Klaus sends him away.

In the cemetery, Tyler comes to celebrate Caroline's birthday and pulls her away from the others, he can't wait to tell her that he did it, he stood up to Klaus. He was able to put Caroline first. They kiss passionately and as Tyler nuzzles her, he snaps and bites her shoulder. Caroline is stunned and Tyler is horrified. He flees when she screams at him to go away and the fledgling vampire (she is only a few months dead) begins to collapse from the poison racing through her system.

Founder's Council

Damon and Alaric head off to a Founder's Council meeting disguised as a fundraiser for old Wickery Bridge. Damon wants to write a check and get out of there, unfortunately, Klaus is charming the locals from Mayor Lockwood on. Damon points out to Carol that Klaus is the one who turned her son into a hybrid, but Carol's all Team Klaus since he's promised Tyler his protection. Sheriff Forbes isn't too keen on any of them, but she sure as hell doesn't want a pissing contest in her town. She tells Damon he has to get Stefan to back off (more on Stefan's antics below).

Klaus is campaigning hard, winning over the Founder's. Could it be that Klaus simply wants to turn the whole town against Stefan or is he seriously wanting to set up shop permanently in Mystic Falls? Hmmm...

Meanwhile, Alaric hooks up with Doctor Meredith Fell again. They flirt, awkwardly, chat about the bridge, about vampires and Alaric even has to chase off Meredith's prom night date, the coroner Brian Walters. The two are arguing and Walters warns Alaric that Meredith is a psycho.

Sadly, cute Mr. Coroner is dead by the end of the episode. Sadder still was the heavy handed interaction and the emphasis that Meredith put on the fact that Walters was the one who signed all the death certificates and the causes of death for the council (read: he covers up all those nasty animal maulings).

Stefan to Klaus: Get Your Hybrids the Pack Out of Here

This is going to be a fast recap and commentary here, because this is one aspect of the episode I actually struggled with. The amusing interaction between chipper Damon smiling knowingly at cold Stefan was funny. Stefan and Damon take out a hybrid who happens on the old witch house as the witch spirits hide the coffins. Stefan decides they need the hybrids gone because they are harshing his buzz in the war with Klaus.

So how to get rid of them? He's gonna be the bigger villain. Damon warns him to be careful, because you can't call Klaus' bluff unless you are prepared to lose everything. Stefan has no problem with that, because he doesn't have anything left to lose and his emotional switch is stuck in some weird whackadoodle mode. He heads over to Casa Isobel (yes, that's what I'm calling it) faces off against Klaus, knocks off the cute Hybrid chickie's head and basically struts out that Klaus can't hurt him because he's got nothing to lose.

He tells Klaus to get rid of his Hybrid's or Stefan will do it for him. Klaus threatens Damon, Stefan counters with the idea of dumping Elijah somewhere into the arctic. Back and forth they threaten and Stefan walks away leaving Klaus to ponder his dilemma because Stefan is on vervain and therefore uncompellable (yes, I know that's not a word).

Okay, hold the phone.

Klaus lets Stefan walk out? Really?

Klaus is like 1,000+ years old. He can bench press Stefan with a pinky and he just lets him walk away? Why not toss his psychotic ass in a cell until the vervain is out of his system (say by draining him bloodless and refilling him with vervain free blood) then compel him and have control back?

That would make sense, right?

I mean, if you are bigger, badder and stronger than everyone else?

But no. Not only does Stefan strut out of there, he shows up at the Founder's party and tries to butcher a hybrid. Damon stops him and points out that if Stefan starts killing all of them, Klaus will be after Elena's blood to make another round. So off Stefan goes to remove the "blood bag" from the equation.

Again with the, huh? Klaus is right there, they can hear and see everything and Stefan's still calling the shots?

Stealing Elena

Matt and Elena are looking for Caroline after she fails to come back from her Tyler assignation (Bonnie took off earlier after a few bitchy comments at Elena). Stefan shows up, tosses Matt at a crypt wall and takes off with Elena.

In his car, they race at high speed down the road and Stefan informs Elena she is his weapon in this war. The best thing he can do to take her blood out of the equation is make her a vampire. He tells Damon the same thing on Elena's phone before tossing her phone out the window. Then calls Klaus and bites himself to force feed his blood to Elena.

He tells Klaus to get rid of his hybrids or Elena becomes Katherine the Second.

"I Have No Idea What My Brother Will Do..."

Damon pulls Klaus aside just before that call and warns him, that he knows Stefan better than anyone else, but between the Ripper's brutal blood lust and Klaus turning off his switch, Stefan's emotional chip is short circuited, fried or stuck somewhere unknown. Stefan doesn't care about anyone or anything and if Klaus doesn't blink, they are all going to lose.

Stefan, You Bastard

As Stefan's car screams towards the bridge railing, Klaus concedes and we the viewers, see him blink. Stefan is tickled with himself. Klaus blinked first and Elena loses it on Stefan. He knows her parents died there. He knows she nearly died there. Yet he did this to her anyway. He used her as a weapon. Stefan shrugs and says that he had to make Klaus blink and her fear sold it.

Stefan: "If I know his weakness, I can destroy him!"
Elena: "That's what matters? After everything? Destroying Klaus?"
Stefan: "Destroying Klaus is all I have left."
Elena: "You had me!"
Stefan: "I lost you the minute I left town with him. You just haven't let yourself admit that yet."
Elena: "Is that what you're doing? Trying to make me hate you?"
Stefan: "I don't really care what you think about me, Elena."

And he walks away, leaving her devastated on that bridge.

Insert pause here. So what's really going on with Stefan? Has he truly turned his emotions back on and he's cutting Elena off at the knees to take her out of the equation. Katherine told him that you couldn't keep it turned off forever, it always snuck in. Rose told Damon all those episodes ago that sometimes you just have to pretend. Every once in a while, ragged emotion stole into Stefan's voice. Is he really cuckoo? Or is he playing them all, because just like when he and Elena tried to "break up" for Katherine, the only way to sell the lie is if everyone believed it.

For Klaus to not kill everyone he loves, Stefan has to truly behave as if he cares about none of them, but he slips with Damon. It would explain those brief flickers in his eyes and the thready note in his voice.

That or Stefan really has just gone batshit crazy.

Either way, he really kicked Elena in the guts and no matter what his reasons (and especially if his switch is on), coming back from this may never be possible.

Saving Caroline

Matt brings a deadly wounded Caroline home to the Sheriff. Klaus shows up and Liz gets it, he'll save Caroline for a price. The price is Liz stops blocking him. She agrees and invites him in. What follows is a most unexpected, yet decidedly interesting twist.

Klaus sits at Caroline's bed side and comforts her after she asks him in that baby doll voice has he come to kill her. He tells her that life as a vampire is filled with wonder, music and beauty. That she will see the world come and go, changing and that human concerns like birthdays weren't important anymore. He is so absolutely tender that you have to wonder, just how lonely is Klaus ... after all the narcissist has been all about building his army and family and he hates being alone.

Yet he comforted her and then offered her his wrist. She bit down and he looked almost relieved. Up until this moment, the interaction between Caroline and Klaus has been nearly nonexistent. Has our Vampire Barbie found another weakness in Klaus or is it just another gambit in Klaus war with Stefan?

All I know is those three minutes were the first time the character didn't just aggravate the hell out of me, so maybe there's hope for him. That jewelry box with it's blow your mind beautiful diamond bracelet waiting on her nightstand promised that.

Oh, It's Right

Damon brings Elena home after her ordeal. She's exhausted, emotionally wrought out and not ready to hear Damon's mild pride in Stefan in making Klaus blink. She thinks Stefan's method sucked. Damon asks her if she really is all right and she tells him he can't kiss her again.

Damon: I know.
Elena: I can't. It's not right.
Damon: It's right. Just not right now.

Elena doesn't disagree and he sees her inside before leaving. Yes, Stefan was the better villain and I think Damon's putting his best face on there for Elena. I kind of hope he buries another branch in Stefan's gut before the next episode is over.

Maybe two.

Here Lies Elena Gilbert...

The end of the episode featured Elena standing on Wickery Bridge and Matt talking to her. Elena is reflecting on the statement Matt made the night before, that she was trapped in this life. She's spent over a year holding onto that girl, the girl she was before her parents died in the car accident, before she met Stefan and Damon. When she wasn't the girl in love with vampires (please note the she said vampires as in plural, I'm just saying).

Matt tells her that she isn't that girl anymore and maybe she should let her go. Elena has pushed herself from one crisis to the next with hope that she would one day return to "normal." She has struggled with her survivor's guilt and this season in particular, she hasn't gotten stronger and stronger. Saying goodbye to Jeremy hurt, but it also empowered her. She saved that last member of her family, maybe not forever, but for now.

She and Matt toss flowers into Wickery Pond and bid the human Elena Gilbert farewell.

This is a positive move for Elena, her existential crisis mirroring Damon's in season two. Elena said it during the homecoming episode, that she was worried her own humanity would get in the way and now she knows that she will never be that innocent human girl again. She's the doppelganger, in love with vampires and she has a part to play and it was time she stopped trying to 'escape' that and embrace this life.

CSI: Mystic Falls

And for a final twist (because the drama here wasn't enough?) Sheriff Forbes summons Damon out to the woods where she shows him the staked body of Brian Waters, the Coroner. Bryan's got an ornate wooden stake driven through his heart, but he wasn't a vampire and there's a lot of blood. Damon and Liz both puzzle over it, because it's definitely a murder.

By the way, remember that heavy handed scene I mentioned earlier. I guess we're supposed to think Meredith is a murderer, but if the coroner signed all the death certificates and covered up all the animal killings, they might have some trouble.

And that's a wrap. Unfortunately, the only thing that didn't work for me was Klaus letting Stefan walk on him...unless he's playing his own game or he's really that bored, it just didn't make sense. If Klaus wanted his family back, getting control of Stefan back would work. But everything else was so well done, from Caroline's poignant birthday to Tyler's desperate desire to stand up for her to Elena facing her mortality and changes with her chin up and her heart focused.

Next week...Daddy Forbes opens a can of whoopass on Tyler, Stefan struts some more, Bonnie has to see her mom and if we're lucky, more Delena love.

What did you think of "Our Town"?

The Voices in My Head Talk to Me

2012-01-11T19:32:00.001-06:00

I know what you're thinking. The voices in my head are talking to me and that's probably not a good thing, but I've had voices chattering away at me for years and they've all been dying to tell me their stories. Some are loud, some whisper, some butt into others stories and give advice and still others just sit there, waiting patiently for me to notice them -- my little mental wallflowers. These little gems are often the source of the best material, but you have to let your mind get quiet for them to even attempt a conversation...

Yes, this is exactly how my brain works and people wonder why I write.

So, what do your voices say to you?

I Am a Research Junkie

2012-01-10T15:11:00.003-06:00

I am a research junkie. I freely admit that I can pull up a browser, type in a key phrase about something I want to know, let's say -- recipes for low fat chili cheese dogs - and Google will return something like one million results. One million. Most of the first page will include recipes, videos and suggestions that are all related to chili cheese dogs (some low fat, some not) and this is precisely what I'm searching for, I can get the info I need and get back to work.

Now let's say the topic of wine comes up and I am recalling a wine I've enjoyed before, but can quite remember how to spell so I look up "Chauteanif-du-Pape" - fortunately,Google is really smart and figures out that I actually meant "Chateauneuf-du-Pape"and immediately presents me with over three million results.

The first page offers up enough information that I can confirm the spelling and the type of wine it is and then it mentions the Avignon Papacy and the split from Rome and the power of the French kings and the cultivation of wine...

Three hours later, I remember that I need to get that spelling correct and drop it into my story, but now I have information for future stories which I must jot down.

Yes, Google is one my favorite tools and my biggest time sinks. I'm a research junkie! How about you?

Oh -- and if you want to see something funny...go type the word 'askew' into your Google search.

Seriously.

Wolf Moon: Fevered Hearts Sneak Peek

2012-01-09T08:02:00.002-06:00

The Wolf Moon was the name given by Native Americans to a full moon that occurs in January. They chose the name because they heard hungry wolf packs howl outside the villages. Tonight is the first full moon of the year and it's January, so to honor our wolf moon, I thought I'd share a little excerpt from Brave Are the Lonely, the upcoming second book in the Fevered Hearts series featuring one of my favorite wolves.

Brave Are the Lonely

Fevered Hearts #2

When the spirit fever struck a town, a village or an outpost, it left few if any survivors. The white man blamed the Indian saying they used their mojo on them. The Indians blamed the white man for angering the spirits. The survivors knew it didn't matter. The Fevered were forever changed

Kid.

Padding over to the still, slumped form of the boy. He pressed a nose to his cheek. The wolf hurt. The boy waved a hand up to shove the wolf's cold face away from his. But the wolf remained undeterred, Cody shoved his nose harder against Kid.

"Dammit, Cody," Kid slurred. "Knock it off."

But the boy's eyes opened and then closed at the harsh light flooding the area. The sun was halfway up the sky. Kid groaned and dragged an arm across his face. "What the hell?"

Cody growled and gave Kid another shove until the boy finally sat up. Content he wasn't a prone target anymore, Cody spun in a slow circle, studying the area. The caravan was gone. All the wagons.

Save one.

Head cocked, Cody's teeth bared.

Mariska stared at him, her mouth open in silent horror.

He stalked forward, tongue lolling against his teeth. He smelled no one else, just her.

She was alone.

Alone and lashed by sturdy ropes to the back wheel of her wagon.

Face to face, he glared at her.

The stink of her fear clogged his nose. The wolf arched his head, enjoying the tart scent of it.

"What the hell?" Kid stumbled to a halt next to him, a hand pressed to his head as though staving off the ache. Like the wolf, he stared at Mariska.

"Let me go." Cody's spitting kitten recovered from the shock stippling her features.

"I didn't tie you up, ma'am." Kid groaned. "And until I know who did and why the hell I feel like this, I think you can stay right there."

Cody growled.

Agreed.

Mariska's gaze darted back to him. His lips peeled back from his teeth.

She'd better start explaining.

Changes, Books and Other Plans

2012-01-07T04:53:00.003-06:00

Well, not precisely off the grid. I am off to a board meeting for my local RWA chapter. I have really enjoyed the last two years of activity in my local chapters, having made the leap to get involved again in 2009 and met some truly terrific writers and friends. Now it's my turn to give back. Please excuse our dust as we retool and redesign the blog for a bigger and brighter 2012.

Many of my favorite features will remain, chatty guest blogs, excerpts, Vampire Diaries, upcoming releases, crazy interviews and did I mention Vampire Diaries? Absolutely.

Last night, I dropped in at Jaye Wells' signing for her recently released Silver-Tongued Devil. I can't wait to read this novel, it's sitting on my precariously high TBR pile, but very close to the top.

What are you reading? And what's calling to you like a siren from your TBR pile?

Vampire Diaries Post Mortem: The New Deal

2012-01-06T10:15:00.001-06:00

"I can...but then someone's getting naked..."

First let me welcome back The Vampire Diaries, all the previews promised an epic return and my hat is off to cast, crew and writers...boy howdy did you deliver and then some!

Previously on The Vampire Diaries

Check out our post mortem on Homecoming if you need a catch up, because we're diving into this episode full tilt.

The beginning opens with Bonnie venturing into the house of the dead 100 witches. They haven't spoken to her since she resurrected Jeremy, so the whispers beckoned her on and she took the long, creepy walk down the stairs until she came across the coffins. Opening one, she found Klaus sleeping (or dead), his mother's necklace wrapped around his fingers.

A sound behind her startles her and Bonnie jerks awake. Remember Klaus in the coffin and the necklace, I have a feeling this plays a huge part later this season.

Coffin Chat

We see a lot more of the coffins through the episode, so let's just get the chat about the coffins out of the way right now. There are four coffins in the witch house. Four coffins that Stefan stole. But there were five coffins back when Klaus woke up Rebecca. So we can presume he didn't take Rebecca's empty coffin. That leaves coffins for:

Elijah - Daggered at the end of season 2
Kol - Cast and will be seen soon
Finn - Also cast and will be seen soon
And behind coffin number 4?

My money is on Mama or the original that Elena and Katherine are a doppelganger of, I would bet more money on Mama. Klaus 'killed' his mother. But we all know Klaus is a narcisstic psychopath with delusions of affection for his family. Who else carts around their corpses for the day he deems to wake them? What if he tried to turn his mother ... it would explain the Original Witch's powerful hold from the other side. It would also mean that necklace Rebecca is wearing is the key to opening the magically locked casket.

Just saying!

Paranoia, Parenting and Personal Sacrifice

At the Grill, Bonnie confesses her dreams to Elena and Elena expresses her paranoia over waiting for the other shoe to drop with Klaus. When she was out for a run earlier, she thought someone was chasing her...and of course she was right. Just because you're paranoid Elena doesn't mean they aren't all out to get you. At least you stopped running around painted with the big red "Bite Me" sign. Damon and Alaric are at the bar and Damon has a whole counter top full of drinks and he's trying to get curmudgeonly Rick to join the party because he can't drink it all.

Well I can drink it all, but then someone's getting naked...

Oh Damon, if only that were true. We would all watch you drink yourself right out of your clothes. Rick's worried about Jeremy, turns out that he's back sliding. He copied his term paper from the Internet, been fired from his job and is a no show at home. Is Jeremy back on drugs? Well, considering how cold Bonnie has been to him and the fact that everyone he's ever loved is dead except for Bonnie and Elena...well, yeah, the slip is understandable.

Older Siblings

Since the series began, one of the strongest parallels the writers have drawn is the power and responsibility of the older sibling. We've seen it with Klaus and his brethren, with Mayor Lockwood and Mason, with Aunt Jenna and her adulation of Elena's adopted mother and more pointedly between Damon and Elena and their respective siblings.

They are the eldest and with that comes the responsibility to look after their younger brothers. Stefan and Jeremy both have 'addictive' personality types and real problems coping when life goes off the rails. Damon and Elena both try to shield their siblings, making hard choices and ambushing them (or driving a branch through their gut, you know, whatever works).

At the Grill, Elena is now worried about Jeremy as well as Klaus and what the hell will happen next. Damon is trying to make it light for her, and points out that Jeremy hasn't lost everyone he loves. He still has her. When Elena points out that it's pretty bad, because Damon is day drunk and that it's not his most attractive look. He playfully flirts and asks what is his most attractive look. Elena's smiling when she verbally back pedals that she wasn't saying he had one, but if he did, then this was the least attractive of them.

Duly noted.

Of course, this is the moment the other Klaus shoe drops. Elena jumps, but Damon is right there, already moving between her and Klaus. The physical body language in this scene just gave me chills. Damon is no physical match for Klaus, but he never hesitates to body block, even if it only buys Elena seconds, he'll get them for her.

Klaus drops the bomb. Stefan stole from him. Elena and Damon need to get it back or there will be problems. Color Delena confused because isn't that a Stefan/Klaus problem? Gotta love Elena's snark there.

Bad, Bad Brothers

Stefan follows Bonnie to the witchy house and loops her into his plan to keep Klaus from the coffins. Tyler and Jeremy are shooting beers and the shit over being dumped by their respective girlfriends. When Jeremy drops by the Gilbert house, Alaric and Elena confront him about his behavior and he retaliates by inviting hybrid Tyler in. The conversation twists to the danger of Tyler's being sired, with Tyler blandly confessing that if Klaus told him to rip his heart out, he would, what's the problem?

Hey look, Jeremy actually seems shocked. At least Tyler told him how to kill a Hybrid earlier – very USEFUL information.

Meanwhile at the Salvatore house, Klaus shows up to shake his rocks at Damon. They have an awkward testosterone and vervain laden drink together where Klaus tells Damon he can't compel him, but since he responds to violence anyway, his little phone call should do the trick. Apparently Tyler's only been hanging out with Jeremy to get off of vervain so Klaus can compel him. He tells Jeremy to take care of the little issue they discussed.

That little issue is Jeremy taking off his ring and walking outside to stand in the street. Alaric and Elena race outside as a black SUV guns toward Jeremy. Alaric barely knocks him out of the way in time only to be smashed into the grill, the windshield and then the ground.

Brutal.

One Ring To Resurrect Them All

Fortunately, Alaric is wearing his Gilbert ring. Unfortunately, his death was only 'supernatural' sorta. He was hit by a car, driven by a supernatural. I think this glitch is why the ring brings Alaric back to life, but still leaves him badly injured. Elena and Jeremy take Alaric into the house where Damon finds them. Damon demands to know why Jeremy isn't wearing his vervain and they put the pieces together.

Jeremy wants to runaway, leave Mystic Falls and all the craziness behind and then takes off to confront Tyler. The scene between the two uneasy friends is painful. They had a real chance at friendship once upon a time, but too many supernatural secrets and twists have come between them. Tyler warns Jeremy that Klaus is far from done with them and he needs to stay safe.

Confronting Stefan

Damon and Elena track down Stefan at the witch house (thanks to Bonnie). Allow me to pause and mention here that the friendship between Caroline, Bonnie and Elena remains one of the strongest and most strategic foundations in this show. Their adaption to the supernatural aside, they are real friends. From telling each other hard truths to slumber parties to confessing conspiracies, they have each other's backs and these are the kinds of friends we always wanted to have.

At the witch house, the spirits won't let Damon in without futzing with his ring and burning the hell out of him. Elena tells him to stay outside, she'll confront Stefan. He's a real bastard to her, cold and edgy. He tells her Jeremy is her problem, not his. His war is with Klaus and she needs to go away. There's something to Stefan's manner that suggests he is aware that he will hate himself later, but his emotions are still shut down and I don't buy that this is his plan – it has Katherine written all over it.

Heartbroken, Elena retreats to the outside where Damon has listened to the whole conversation and boy is he pissed. He gives Elena the keys to his car and tells her to go take care of her brother, he is going to take care of his. There is a pulse of trust that flashes between them and understanding on the most visceral level that has been building for weeks now. She doesn't like it, but he let her try, so she has to let him.

Damon charges through the house, whipping from shadow to shadow and taking the vicious burns from the rays of sunlight until he gets to the basement. He tells Stefan he doesn't give a crap about the coffins, he wants to talk to him. So, Stefan says, talk.

Damon drags him outside, kicks the hell out of him, rips off a tree branch and drives it through Stefan's gut. It's a thing of pure, violent beauty.

He demands to know why Stefan turned on them, baby bro confesses after a few more painful thrusts of the branch that he did it to save Damon. Damon, true to form is pissed. He stabs him again and tells him "When are you going to learn baby brother, stop trying to save me."

It really never goes well.

Elena Plays Her Cards

When Elena arrives at home, Alaric is waking, but seizes up and coughs blood. She calls for an ambulance, but Klaus' hybrid sends them away and tells Elena to let him in. He'll save Alaric with his blood, but Elena for once, fights the urge to invite someone in (go girl) and Jeremy shoots the hybrid with a crossbow bolt from behind. Then he stalks into the house, grabs the cleaver and cuts off the hybrid's head.

I'm sorry, Elena's horror was hysterical, because with everything she's ever seen – that one really got her. It's gruesome though, just how dead Jeremy's expression is as he says "Now he's really dead."

With Alaric off to the hospital, Elena makes a choice. It's a dangerous gamble, but she has to protect her brother. She calls Klaus, invites him to the Salvatore boarding house and gives him Rebekah back. But, she confesses that she was the one who daggered her and that Rebekah will want Elena dead when she wakes. Klaus is sure he can take care of it. Not so fast, big bad. Elena points out that Rebekah knows the truth about their mother and that Klaus killed her. She hates him too. The poleaxed look was beautiful…because Klaus' narcissism and impulse control knows no bounds. Rebekah won't love their mother's murderer. He tries to threaten Elena into helping him with Stefan again, including threatening Damon.

But it won't do any good. Klaus destroyed Stefan's feelings for her, he made Stefan into a monster. Stefan is Klaus' problem, not hers.

Yes, I was cheering that. Go girl.

Meredith, Hmmm

Welcome Paul Wesley's real life wife in the role of Meredith Fell. Is this our Meredith from the books? It could be, but with so many changes in the series, anything is possible. The doctor can't figure out how Alaric healed so fast, but now she's curious and she's founding family…you do the math.

Meanwhile, Damon and Stefan strike an armistice and Stefan reveals the coffins. They agree to keep Elena out of it.

One Door Swinging Closed…

At the Gilbert house, Elena's washing bloodied rags in the sink, her expression tortured. Damon arrives. He's disposed of the body and visited the hospital, his blood will heal Alaric (lol a fact that Alaric would rather have head trauma than owe Damon a drink, but that's for later). Elena is clearly upset, she's cleaned off the blood from the porch, but her hands are red-rimmed and stained. Damon tells her it will be all right and she confesses her deal.

Damon's worried, he knows Rebekah wants her dead and she says Klaus won't let that happen. Does she trust Klaus? No. She doesn't trust Stefan either. But she had to protect Jeremy. Damon understands and he tells her that his brother is playing his own game and she says that her brother just cut off someone's head.

She whispers that he's sixteen and he shouldn't be going through all of this. (Point of Order sweetheart, you're eighteen, you shouldn't be either, but you're not running away).

I knew what she was going to do in that single instant and sure enough, Alaric, Elena and Damon arrive in Jeremy's bedroom and I think Jeremy understood it too and he didn't argue. Damon tells him they are going to have one of their chats and his eyes dilate and he tells Jeremy he is moving to Denver to live with friends, he's going to go to school, take some art classes, meet some girls .. living girls…and he's going to have a great life.

Alaric adds that he should leave Mystic Falls and never give it a second thought. Damon glances at Elena to confirm and she nods tearfully. Damon impresses the message on him and it's over. Elena is giving away her last family member to keep him safe. Like Katherine before her, she is willing to trade that love and connection for that person's safety (never forget, Katherine kept her baby a secret).

One Door Swinging Open…

Outside, Elena wrestles with emotional exhaustion. She is terrified she is making the wrong choice. Damon tells her it will be fine. Jeremy survived and living is better than dead. If the compulsion ever breaks, he will forgive his sister….he's very lucky to have a sister like her.

Elena thanks Damon, not just for the day, but for everything. He's been there for her, constantly and she doesn't know how she would have survived without him. It's a poignant moment and Damon tells her why Stefan betrayed them. This is a true mark of the depth of trust between these two, they aren't keeping the hard truths from each other. He says Stefan did it to save Damon's life, but Elena has no idea what that means – is he feeling? If he is why is he being a douche? And if he isn't? Then why did he do it?

Damon shrugs, he just knows that it makes him an idiot because just when he didn't think he needed to feel guilty anymore.

Elena: "Guilty about what?"

Damon: "For wanting what I want."

Elena: "Damon…"

Damon: "…I know. My brother's girl and all that."

Small note here, that's not the look Elena had on her face. She's not Stefan's girl anymore.

Damon starts to leave and then stops himself, turning around and saying, "No. If I'm going to feel guilty, then I am going to feel guilty for this."

And Delena fans everywhere went up in flames as he caught her face in the cradle of his hands and kissed her. The kiss held for seconds, her hand came up to catch his, holding it, as she kissed him back. When he pulled away, she was leaning into him and when he whispered goodnight, the shock and awe on her face could only have been better if she'd grabbed him and kissed him again.

But hell yeah and it's about damn time….the Vampire Diaries is back baby.

And yes, it's that epic…

Three notes worth mentioning:

Klaus is setting up house in the place Isabel claimed in first and second season.

Caroline's absence was sorely missed, but maybe Tyler is getting a clue about Klaus' control over him.

Klaus daggered Rebekah again rather than face her anger and hatred.

Is next Thursday here yet? What did you think of our 'new deal'?

All images copyright of the CW.

Vampire Diaries Post Mortem: Homecoming

2012-01-04T12:03:00.001-06:00

Previously on the Vampire Diaries, Damon cooked up a plan, Elena put her faith in Damon and a dagger in Rebkah, Big Bad Daddy Mikael made baby boy Klaus cry and Katherine had the last laugh, but that’s just the icing on the cake to a winter finale that left fans (especially me) dying for what will happen next in Mystic Falls.

Luring Klaus Out of Hiding

With Stefan on board with the plan to get Klaus back, he calls Klaus and tells him his father is dead. The interesting thing about that entire conversation, Mikael was laying there daggered at their feet courtesy of Elena (who is getting damn good at this daggering thing) so that Stefan could honestly say he was telling Klaus the truth and completely circumvent the compulsion (gotta love loopholes!).

During the planning session, Mikael gives Elena, Damon and Stefan a most telling piece of advice “Klaus will leave nothing to chance, especially when it comes to trust.”

The plan, of course, works and Klaus wants to see the body and he wants to talk to Rebekah. Will she or won’t she back their play? After all, her love for Niklaus may be twisted, but he is her brother…fortunately, Rebekah’s still angry about Nik abandoning her and killing her mother, so she plays along.

But for how long?

Daddy Dearest

Mikael rouses from the dagger to find Rebekah waiting for him, she’s passed the time painting her tootsies. I have to say, this was a really intriguing way to bring father and daughter face to face after so many centuries. Rebekah may be pissed at Klaus, but it doesn’t change the fact that it was Mikael who turned all of them in the first place. Mikael who cooked up this plan for immortality that damned all of his children (and who knows how many others) to a life of blood lust, loneliness and perfect vampire pouts…

What Does One Wear To Kill a Vampire?

It’s almost absurd that Elena is fishing through her closet for something to wear to homecoming. I get that she’s trying for normalcy and she knows a lot is going on…but really? A dress for homecoming?

Bonnie’s all maudlin because Jeremy fell in love with his ghost girlfriend and while I get her on one level, on another, I think it’s unrealistic to expect Jeremy not to have to cope with these feelings particularly when he cared about Anna when she was taken away the first time.

Oh and just a teensy, weensy point of order Bonnie -- you could try to be more witch and a little less bitch about the situation. Anna is gone for good and Jeremy is grieving AGAIN.

Homecoming

“…your track record with school dances is pretty tragic…” Love him or hate him, Ripper Stefan’s snark is almost as much fun as Damon’s. I loved the idea that while everyone else is getting ready for the dance, Elena and Damon are in his bathroom building wolfsbane grenades and Damon keeps taking them away from her because he’ll heal faster if one blows up in his face.

In the meanwhile, Stefan pops by for some snark and sneer after he wanders off, Damon lets Elena know he has a secret contingency plan, but he won’t talk about it there. I also like that Elena is finally wising up to the idea that trusting people just because they say one thing isn’t a good plan. Rebekah, Klaus and Mikael are all playing out their own family drama with Mystic Falls, Elena and the Salvatores caught in the cross fire.

“If I look back at our history of epic plan failures, it’s usually because one of us let our humanity get in the way.” - Point two to Ripper Stefan which is rather ironic considering how it does all go down at the end of the day.

We pause Operation Kill Klaus for a quick aside with the adorable duo of Caroline and Tyler painting a VW bus with glitter, flowers and school logos -- it’s almost paralyzing with the cuteness. Right up until Tyler wants to go feed and mentions that Rebekah knows people who like it…which prompts a round of evil blood slut comments from Caroline. Gawd, I love Vampire Barbie, I really do.

Elena’s Got Back

Elena and Rebekah are talking as Rebekah gets ready for the party. She’s wearing the gorgeous little red dress from the last episode. The women are bonding as Rebekah admits she’s never been to a high school dance (not really surprising since Nik daggered her in the 1920s and she spent about 90 years as a corpse and I don’t think they had ‘high school’ dances before then).

As maudlin and touching as the scene is, Rebekah’s struggle to fit into the modern day Mystic Falls is given true poignancy as Elena returns her mother’s necklace (another sign that Elena really is letting go of Stefan) and fixes it around her neck…just before she literly stabs her in the back with a dagger.

Go Elena! This is the feisty young woman I admired so much from earlier seasons before she took the TSTL pill early on in season three. This is a woman who will fight for her family and folks, we should never remember that Elena and Katherine are doppelgangers. They have a hell of a lot more in common than we’ve seen to date.

Damon admires her work and compliments her “Katherine-esque” style. But Elena’s already worried that her own humanity will get in the way of the plan. Damon tries to comfort her, but as they talk, he tells her he doesn’t trust Mikael and he doesn’t trust Stefan, not as long as Stefan is under Klaus’ control.

“Then we need a better plan.” - Elena

“Oh, I know what to do. You’re just not going to like it.” - Damon

“Why not?” - Elena.

“Because when this all goes down, I don’t want you having any part of it.” - Damon

“What does that mean?” -Elena

“Do you trust me?” - Damon

“Yes.” - Elena

“Then you have nothing to worry about.” - Damon

And that -- in a nutshell, is just how far the Damon and Elena relationship has come. She didn’t hesitate, she didn’t blink, she didn’t demand.

Tyler Throws a Better Party

The Homecoming Dance is flooded out of the high school (can’t tell me someone didn’t rip out a few pipes), so the Lockwoods throw together an impromptu bash courtesy of Klaus and a few dozen hybrids he brought along. Caroline is highly offended that Tyler could put together a better party than her (see, I seriously love her) and is so completely in the dark about the plan to go after Klaus (which is probably for the best), but Bonnie wasn’t and Bonnie didn’t clue her in either.

Stefan hooks up with Klaus and they are enjoying the party. Then Klaus sends Stefan to fetch daddy dearest’s body so the wake can be in full turn. Back at the Salvatore Boarding House, Michael feeds on Stefan and drops him into unconciousness, which was definitely disturbing for Damon.

Okay, now it gets crazy, but here are the highlights:

The two head out to confront Klaus while “Elena” arrives at the party with Matt.
Klaus taunts “Elena” but we don’t see the whole scene, just parts of it.
Later Damon makes his way up the back, ripping out a hybrid heart on his way in.
Klaus warns Tyler that if their friends do anything stupid, his hybrids will kill them all so Tyler vervains Caroline and has Matt sneak her out (aahhh, nothing says love like a hypodermic in the neck).
Damon and Tyler get into a fight and Tyler tries to bite him, Damon pitches him into a wall, then Bonnie witchy migraines both of them.
Bonnie reminds Damon he’s not supposed to kill Tyler.
Michael arrives at the front door (he can’t enter) and faces off against Klaus
Klaus actually cries because Mikael is so mean to him (wow, that boy has some SERIOUS daddy issues)
Mikael’s compelled all of Klaus’ hybrids, so they don’t listen to him anymore
Mikael also has Elena and tells Klaus to come out or he’ll kill the blood fount from which Klaus can make his hybrids
When Klaus refuses, Mikael kills her
Damon chooses that moment to attack as Klaus is screaming

Now it gets a little trickier, why didn’t the white oak stake go into Klaus properly? I speculate it’s because of the angle, Damon was coming in under the ribs, just the way he showed Elena. Theoretically the rib cage could have broken the white oak stake, so he was going for the best angle, but Klaus is a hell of a strong guy, so the stake didn’t quite make his heart.

At that moment, “Elena” pops up and reveals herself to be Katherine and drops a bunch of wolfsbane grenades on the Hybrids before getting the hell away from Mikael (who was darn shocked that she was even there, guess she really did want to kill Elena too bad, so sad).

Inside the Lockwood house, Stefan tackles Damon away before he can finish the job and Klaus seizes the stake and kills Mikael.

Another epic plan down the tubes because this time, Katherine and Stefan gave into their humanity.

Where Do We Go From Here?

At the end of the long night, Damon and Elena are have no idea why Stefan turned on them at the last moment when everything had gone so perfectly. Damon truly had thought of everything, including keeping Elena far away from the fight (and for once, she did as he wished, she stayed out of it) and it still went wrong. Elena tried to comfort Damon who was furious with his brother, frustrated with the situation and genuinely terrified that he would not be able to keep her safe from Klaus now -- when he’d been so damn close to pulling it off.

As it turns out, Klaus had warned “Elena” during the party that all of his hybrids had orders to kill Damon if anything happened to him so Katherine rushed back to the Salvatores, revived Stefan and sent him to save his brother, then she went back to Damon’s plan.

Even Katherine is a victim of her own humanity. She encourages Stefan to get angry, though and to get even with Klaus. In the final moments of the episode, he calls to taunt Klaus, because he’s stolen the coffins in which Klaus keeps all his siblings (sans Rebekah), leaving the Original pretty flaming mad.

And that’s it…we had a seven week hiatus that ends tomorrow night with Klaus on the warpath, Damon and Elena growing closer together and Mystic Falls a warzone for vampire politics at its bloodiest.

And yes, I couldn’t be happier.

Damon Salvatore – 2011 Best Television Hero

2011-12-30T08:19:00.001-06:00

It should come as no surprise to my regular readers, I adore Damon Salvatore, but I tried to be fair when choosing the best hero for 2011. Played beautifully by Ian Somerhalder, Damon came in at the head of the pack time and time again.

Damon's certainly had an uneven path to roam, but his checkered past is not as deadly as viewers may have believed when we met bad boy Salvatore. His arrival in Mystic Falls in 2009 heralded a number of deaths including Vicki Donovan and Coach Tanner. While Damon didn't kill Vicki once and for all, he did attack her twice and turned her (because he was bored). Later he disposed of the body after brother Stefan staked her to keep her from ripping Elena's throat out.

But it turns out, that Damon has a reason to be pissed at his baby brother. We found out during the first season that Stefan forced Damon to turn. As time trickled on, we found out that after turning, Stefan was a ripper—an out of control monster when he killed and he liked keeping the bodies around. Damon couldn't help him, so he left him to Lexi.

Flash forward to 2011, Damon took a lot of knocks including the discovery that love of his life Katherine was a lying, manipulative bitch. When she came after Elena, Damon and Stefan worked together at the end of 2010 to toss her happy ass into the tomb, imprisoning her as Damon had mourned for over a century. Now the brothers must struggle with the fact that they are in love with the same woman...again.

But 2011 brought little relief from the danger in their lives as werewolves made an appearance in Mystic Falls including Jules and Damon kicked off an affair with the vampire Rose. Unfortunately, Rose found herself the victim of Jules' poisonous bite and Damon hunted for a cure for his girlfriend, but in the end, he held her in his arms, controlled her dreams so she could see the place she'd grown up and let her die happy when he had to stake her.

Original Elijah also made an appearance and created havoc for the Salvatore. He wanted Elena to help him lure out Klaus, his deadly older brother who it turns out was actually a werewolf and a vampire. The so-called Sun and Moon curse was a story they concocted to help find the doppelganger they would need to sacrifice to free Klaus' werewolf side.

Damon and Elena are growing closer in season 3

Elijah was no longer interested in helping his brother, instead, he wanted to kill him. Damon didn't trust Elijah, because he understood the power of brotherhood. Turns out Damon was right not too, because Klaus tricked Elijah at the end and Elijah ended up daggered and locked in a coffin.

When Damon realized Tyler and Caroline were two of Klaus' proposed sacrifices, he rescued them only to get bitten by Tyler. Fighting the poison in his system, he retrieved the slain Elena from the sacrifice spot and held her until the sun rose and Bonnie's spell sacrificing father John for Elena brought her back to life.

As Damon grew sicker, Elena tried to reach out to him and Stefan searched for a cure, finally surrending himself to Klaus for the antidote. In the meanwhile, at the Salvatore home, Damon whispered that he wished Elena had known him in 1864. She would have liked him then.

Elena stole his breath away when she admitted she liked him now and kissed him tenderly. When Katherine arrived with Klaus' blood, Damon was restored, but Stefan was gone.

At the beginning of the third season, Damon worked diligently to hunt for his brother and keep Elena out of the line of fire, but Elena kept insisting on putting herself out there. He endured Stefan murdering Andie in front of his eyes and the lashing of Elena's resentment when she discovered he had been looking for Stefan.

But the sparks began to fly when the two worked together whether it was driving to Chicago where Damon revealed Stefan's ugly secrets or when he followed her foolish trip into the werewolf infested mountains. Best scene of the year was when Damontossed her into the river. Fortunately, Elena also chose to leave to save Damon – choosing him rather than Stefan for the first time.

More conflicts awaited Damon as he continued to hunt for a way to kill Klaus, helping Katherine locate the original original Michael and waking him only to return and find Elena in the hospital, battered, bruised andbitten. Her blood taken by Klaus to turn his hybrids.

What followed was a powerful moment, Elena waking to say she'd been waiting for him and Damon's later declaration that he would never leave her again. The roller coaster didn't end there, a mind-controlled Stefan, his humanity turned off, was back and shadowed their steps to 'take care' of Klaus' prize.

As the third season wound down to its mid-season finale, Damon and Elena were working in perfect sync. Damon did his best to out think and out maneuver all of his opponents, only to have his plan sabotaged by Katherine – not to harm him, but to save him.

Furious and frustrated, Damon now must figure out what else he can do to save Elena and the town of Mystic Falls that he has grown to love once more. His heroic journey has been a beautiful thing to watch and I for one cannot wait to see what 2012 brings for the tragic hero. Can one hope that Elena's growing feelings will finally manifest for the Salvatore who would give everything up for her? Kill anyone? Never leave her? And always choose her?

Sigh.

I hope so.

Best Lines

Come back as a vampire, and I'll stake you myself. I can't stand the thought of losing you. - As I Lay Dying
Klaus thinks you died Elena, that's safe. This...this is not safe. - The Hybrid.
You don't want her chasing you, I'd stop with the late night phone calls. - The Hybrid
Let me be clear about something. If it comes down to you and the witch again, I will gladly let Bonnie die. I will always choose you. - The Last Dance
You see, that's why I didn't tell you. Cause you would have never been able to do it. Don't get me wrong, Stefan. I don't mind being a bad guy. I'll make all the life and death decisions, while you're busy worrying about collateral damage. I'll even let her hate me for it. But at the end of the day, I'll be the one to keep her alive. - The Last Dance
What the hell’s wrong with you? You’re not supposed to witchy migraine me. - Homecoming
I'd offer you a drink, but Katherine tells me you're more of a vampire-on-the-rocks kind of guy. - Homecoming
All that effort wasted trying to tell you how boring you were and you finally agree with me? - Ordinary People
I knew your old family. They made sucky chili. - Disturbing Behavior
He threatened to out me. Don't get me started on the irony of that. - Disturbing Behavior
Don't mistake the fact that we haven't set you on fire in your sleep for trust. - Know Thy Enemy
Yes, I've become you. How tragic for both of us. Gotta run. Have a murder to plan. Busy day. - The Dinner Party
I'm not human. And I miss it. I miss it more than anything in the world. That is my secret. - The Descent

Texas Gothic: Rosemary Clement Moore

2011-12-29T05:00:00.000-06:00

I've never read a Rosemary Clement-Moore book that I didn't love. A couple of years ago, The Splendor Falls was my favorite novel of the year and Texas Gothic is damn near as good as that book, though I admit to a personal bias for the tale in Splendor Falls, Amy Goodnight and Texas Gothic offer a rich, fascinating tale that I couldn't put down. My only quibble...I have to wait for another book from this fabulous author.

Texas Gothic

Amy Goodnight's family is far from normal. She comes from a line of witches, but tries her best to stay far outside the family business. Her summer gig? Ranch-sitting for her aunt with her wacky but beautiful sister. Only the Goodnight Ranch is even less normal than it normally is. Bodies are being discovered, a ghost is on the prowl, and everywhere she turns, the hot neighbor cowboy is in her face.

Keep up with Rosemary Clement-Moore via her website!

Bargains and Betrayals: Shannon Delany

2011-12-28T05:00:00.000-06:00

We're counting down my top ten reads for 2011 and with the year fast on the wane, we've got just two books left to go. The last two slots were filled by two terrific young adult books. Today's entry: Bargains and Betrayals is the third novel in the series that kicked off with 13 to Life. Written by Shannon Delany, the series offers a fresh twist on werewolves, love, angst and the power of true compassion and affection.

Bargains and Betrayals

Locked away at Pecan Place, Jessie finds her situation to be even more dangerous than she feared. While she struggles to maintain her sanity and discover answers about the group that seems less and less like any legitimate government agency, Pietr fights to keep their relationship alive. But very aware that his mother’s time is running out, Pietr makes a deal he doesn’t dare tell Jessie about. Because the deal Pietr’s made could mean the death of far more than his tenuous relationship with the girl he loves.

Debut Series

Delany's debut series has never failed to entertain nor make you want to turn that last page for the next book. Book Four: Destiny and Deception and Book Five: Rivals and Retribution will be released in 2012. I would imagine one or both will make next year's top ten.

Keep up with Shannon Delany via her website.

Never Again: Michele Bardsley

2011-12-27T05:00:00.000-06:00

Michele Bardsley steps out of Broken Heart, Oklahoma and into Nevermore, Texas and I for one hope she comes back to Nevermore, again and again. I adored Gray and Lucy and the entire town of Nevermore. It begins as this blurry chalk painting, dark and diminishing and grows increasingly
vibrant with every page. The darkness that slides along the underbelly of Nevermore is balanced by the darkness swirling within the town's guardian Gray.

Gray and Lucy are tortured souls desperately in need of each other and in Nevermore, Bardsley shows us just how possible that can be.

Don't miss out on this dark, vibrant and sexy new world which reserved it's top spot on my top ten last January when I was lucky enough to read an ARC. I can't wait to read her upcoming release Now or Never!

Never Again

Never Again

Lucinda Rackmore is a witch cursed... Desperation sends her to the last place anyone would think to find her ... the small Dragon-protected town of Nevermore, Texas. To escape the wrath of her ex-lover, she must plead her case with the town's Guardian---the man her family betrayed a decade ago.

Gray Calhoun is a wizard scorned... Gray wants nothing to do with the Rackmores, especially not the spoiled younger sister of the woman who sacrificed him to a demon lord. But when Lucy shows up at his door begging for sanctuary, he can't turn her away.

Magic is love reborn... An infamous Rackmore witch isn't the only trouble in town, either. Someone's creating demonic mayhem---and murdering citizens. Only with Gray and Lucinda working together, can they hope to defeat the dark forces that threaten Nevermore. And maybe along the way, they'll find that love is the strongest magic of all.

Model Marine: Candace Havens

2011-12-26T05:00:00.000-06:00

It's hard for me to say no to anything written by Candace Havens, in addition to being an entertaining host, a talented master of ceremonies and a gifted teacher, she's a wonderful writer. Model Marine is the perfect mixture of sexy hero and rakish escapism set against the fashion industry in New York. From the first page to the last, I had a silly little grin on my face.

Now I know this is a Harlequin Blaze and you're thinking damn, I missed out on that because they are only released in paperback for about a month, but Harlequin's a part of the digital age folks and you can still pick up Candy's wonderful tale of an honorable Marine and the passionate, personal mission that turns him upside down.

Just take a look at the cover...don't you want to help Captain Hughes out?

Model Marine

Model Marine

Subject: Captain Will Hughes, U.S. Marine Corps

Current Status: On assignment in NYC—suddenly recruited to shed the uniform!

Mission: Serve as model, muse and man-toy without running afoul of the general.

Obstacle: Hannah Harrington, fashion world It girl.

Hannah narrowly escapes Fashion Week disaster by hijacking gorgeous Will for her runway show—after all, rock-hard abs are the ultimate accessory. His good deed nearly lands him in the brig, but he'll risk anything to get back into her bed….

Hannah can't figure out how this model marine got under her skin—they're complete opposites! But sexy Will not only ignites her senses, he fuels her creativity: an irresistible combination, even if it can't last. Can two steamy weeks together satisfy their lust…or will they have to extend this mission?

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All

2011-12-25T05:00:00.000-06:00

May your best moment this year, be your worst moment of the year to come. May your family be warm and safe and may all those loved ones who are far from home be remembered.

Green-Eyed Demon: Jaye Wells

2011-12-24T05:00:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas Eve! I hope you and yours are having a fabulous time. I'm still ticking down my top ten reads for 2011 and no list would be complete without the snarkalicious delight that is Jaye Wells. The third book in her Sabina Kane series (Silver-Tongued Devil comes out next week so don't miss it!), Green-Eyed Demon features the showdown Sabina fans have been waiting for since we first met her royally bitchy grandmother in book one. As always, Sabina has a colorful cast of supporting characters (of note is Giguhl who just rocks in his own right) and a tender, loving love interest in Adam (yes, I say that with a sigh).

Now, without giving anything away, there was one moment in this book where I damn near threw it across the room yelling "Noooooo!" But I had faith in the lovely author and held on (by my fingernails in some places) and this book definitely scored a top ten slot. I've since read it twice and enjoyed it just as much with each subsequent read.

Green-Eyed Demon

Green-Eyed Demon

The clock is ticking for Sabina Kane. Her sister has been kidnapped by her grandmother, the Dark Races are on the brink of war, and a mysterious order is manipulating everyone behind the scenes.

Working on information provided by an unlikely ally, Sabina and her trusty sidekicks–a sexy mage named Adam Lazarus and Giguhl, a Mischief demon–head to New Orleans to begin the hunt for her sister. Once there, they must contend with belligerent werewolves, magic-wielding vampires and–perhaps most frightening of all–humans.

But as much as Sabina is focused on surviving the present, the past won’t be ignored. Before she can save those she cares about most, she must save herself from the ghosts of her past.

This is the third book in the series that began with Red-Headed Stepchild.

Nights in Bliss, Colorado: Sophie Oak

2011-12-23T05:00:00.000-06:00

My top ten reads for 2011 have a few confessions in them and this member of the top ten is no exception. I met Sophie Oak in person last year and I'd even spent time brainstorming an earlier release, but what hooked me was one line she tossed out there for one of her characters where he declared, "I want to be defective." That line meandered through my brain, always producing a chuckle whenever I thought of it, for months before I picked them up and started reading them.

I wasn't sure how a town like Bliss, Colorado would work, but I think I'd rather like to spend some time there, especially if the duck ever makes it on the ballot. Funny, sexy, sweet and suspenseful, the Bliss books are worth a read (or three).

Three To Ride

Three To Ride

[Ménage Amour: Erotic Cowboy Ménage a Trois Romance, M/F/M, bondage]

Rachel Swift is a woman on the run. Max and Rye Harper are just the men to catch her.

A stalker sent Rachel’s world reeling. Now she’s running for her life, and Bliss, CO, seems like the perfect place to hide. Bliss is a strange little town, filled with artists, nudists, and the occasional conspiracy nut. It’s a good place to start over.

Horse trainer Max and Sheriff Rye gave up on their dream of finding one perfect woman to share long ago. Rachel walks in, and they’re both in love and fighting their true natures. When Rachel’s past catches up with her, all of Bliss is in danger. Can Rachel stand up to the man who took everything? Rachel is done running. It’s time for her to get back in the saddle and ride.

A Siren Erotic Romance

Quick confession, my favorite scene in this book involves Rachel chasing big, bad Max out of the town's diner and beating him up with his own roses. Too damn funny for words. Her latest Nights in Bliss releases today from Siren Bookstrand so don't miss out on Found in Bliss.

Stray: Rachel K. Vincent

2011-12-22T05:00:00.000-06:00

Now, I have a confession to make, I know this series didn't come out this year, in fact the sixth and final book came out in 2010, but I hadn't had a chance to read any of these books previously. So on the recommendations of two very dear friends and the highly amusing recommendation of a third (he recommended high frustration tolerance for it), I picked up all six Rachel K. Vincent novels and dove in to read them. While all six deserve to be in my top ten for 2011, I'm listing the first one because every series begins somewhere.

Stray

Stray

I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds.

Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a Stray attacked.

I'd been warned about Strays—werecats without a Pride—constantly on the lookout for someone like me: attractive, female and fertile. I fought him off, but then learned two of my fellow tabbies had disappeared.

This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back…for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I'm no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever—and whoever—I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays—'cause I got claws, and I'm not afraid to use them….

High Frustration Tolerance and a Confession

I have a little confession to make, I read the first one and enjoyed the hell out of it. It's suspenseful, populated by great characters and a heroine that you want to root for, but you also have the urge to scream and pound things. Subsequent books increase this tension until you are literally waiting for it all to snap.

When I read this series, my dog of 15 years had just passed away. I immersed myself in Faythe's world because crying for her losses, her aggravations and cheering her triumphs helped me through a tough time. I know that my own emotions colored my viewpoint, but this series of six is a truly gripping and somewhat modern epic take on family, loyalty, passion, inheritance and living up to the legacy of generations.

Don't miss out.

Kiss of Snow: Nalini Singh

2011-12-21T05:00:00.000-06:00

Since I already brought up Archangel's Blade, it should be no surprise that Nalini Singh's 10th Psy Changeling novel would also make my top ten reads for 2011 list. In addition to expanding her ever evolving psy-changeling world, Kiss of Snow is the story of Hawke and Sienna. Hawke's been a personal favorite since his first appearance way back when in Slave to Sensation, Lucas and Sacha's book.

Kiss of Snow

Kiss of Snow

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s exhilarating world of shapeshifters and psychics is “paranormal romance at its best” (Publishers Weekly). Now comes the story of an alpha wolf named Hawke used to getting exactly what he wants--and of the only woman who dares tangle with him.

Since the moment of her defection from the PsyNet and into the SnowDancer wolf pack, Sienna Lauren has had one weakness. Hawke. Alpha and dangerous, he compels her to madness.

Hawke is used to walking alone, having lost the woman who would’ve been his mate long ago. But Sienna fascinates the primal heart of him, even as he tells himself she is far too young to handle the wild fury of the wolf.

Then Sienna changes the rules and suddenly, there is no more distance, only the most intimate of battles between two people who were never meant to meet. Yet as they strip away each other’s secrets in a storm of raw emotion, they must also ready themselves for a far more vicious fight…

A deadly enemy is out to destroy SnowDancer, striking at everything they hold dear, but it is Sienna’s darkest secret that may yet savage the pack that is her home…and the alpha who is its heartbeat…

Whether we're dealing with the Dark River leopards or the Snow Dancer wolves or even the icy, cold Psy themselves, Nalini Singh never fails to deliver. If you haven't had a chance to enjoy this delightful series, pick up Slave to Sensation and get ready for a long and delicious ride!

Happy Release Day Nikki Duncan!

2011-12-20T05:00:00.000-06:00

Lori Mullins yearns to shake off her past and live free of shadows and fear. Yet her only shot at obtaining the capital to launch her business rests in a man she met during a lie. A man whose voice alone turned her from jaded escort to giddy schoolgirl. A man who almost died because of her.

Trevor Masters can call off his search for the woman he loves. The woman he dreamt of while comatose. The quest for her heart, however, is only beginning. The trick will be convincing her he doesn’t blame her—and that she deserves to accept herself as the woman who holds his heart.

Business negotiations land Lori in a heavenly hell. Heaven that Trevor is close enough to touch. Hell that she’s planning her first designer wedding. His. And something’s not quite right. The kind, compassionate man she fell for all those months ago, the man who’s engaged to another, seems intent on wooing her…

Get your copy today!

Visit the Tulle and Tulips series website today for more great information on this sexy new series from Nikki Duncan.

Archangel's Blade: Nalini Singh

2011-12-19T05:00:00.000-06:00

Nalini Singh's Archangel's Blade has it all: an intelligent hero, brilliant heroine, raw power and an epic love story. What more do you need? I have to be honest, Dmitri wasn't always my favorite of the Seven in the Elena and Raphael books particularly with how much he would taunt Elena, but Archangel's Blade is a must-read, beyond the return to this glorious and lush realm where Archangels rule, Angels fly and vampires serve in multiple capacities, it was the inherent love story and the revelations told against a thousand year tapestry that just should not be missed by anyone. Dmitri and Honor are definitely in my top-ranked couples of all time and Dmitri, wow.

Archangel's Blade

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh is back in the shadows of a deadly, beautiful world where angels rule, vampires serve, and one female hunter must crawl out of the darkness to survive…

The severed head marked by a distinctive tattoo on its cheek should have been a Guild case, but dark instincts honed over hundreds of years of life compel the vampire Dmitri to take control. There is something twisted about this death, something that whispers of centuries long past…but Dmitri’s need to discover the truth is nothing to the vicious strength of his response to the hunter assigned to decipher the tattoo.

Savaged in a brutal attack that almost killed her, Honor is nowhere near ready to come face to face with the seductive vampire who is an archangel’s right hand, and who wears his cruelty as boldly as his lethal sensuality…the same vampire who has been her secret obsession since the day she was old enough to understand the inexplicable, violent emotions he aroused in her.

As desire turns into a dangerous compulsion that might destroy them both, it becomes clear the past will not stay buried. Something is hunting…and it will not stop until it brings a blood-soaked nightmare to life once more…

River Marked: Patricia Briggs

2011-12-18T05:00:00.000-06:00

At the head of my top ten books and heroes for 2011 must be Patricia Brigg's delightful River Marked, the latest installment in the Mercedes Thompson urban fantasy series.

River Marked

Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She's never known any others of her kind. Until now.

An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River-one that her father's people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help...

This is what I said on Goodreads:

Patricia Briggs never fails to amaze and entertain me. From the first page to the last, River Marked is filled with everything Mercy and more. We've watched out little Coyote grow, fall in love and still retain that aura of Mercy that makes her Mercy. I have to say, without spoilers at all, that this book is a treasured gift to fans who have loved Mercy from the beginning and for that, I say thank you Patricia Briggs for giving me endless hours of entertainment as I read, re-read and read again.

If you haven't read the Mercedes Thompson series, you really must!

Up next for Briggs?

Fair Game