Our guest today is author Laura Kaye.  The first book in her Vampire Warrior Kings series, In the Service of the King,  was recently released on February 1, 2012. Please join me in welcoming Laura here today to Dark Faerie Tales.  Laura has written a wonderful guest post about the history used in her series.

Thanks to Laura, you will have a chance to win some pretty cool prizes.  As always, giveaway details are listed at the end of the post.

Welcome Laura!

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USING REAL PLACES & HISTORY IN FICTION

by Laura Kaye

I’m very excited to be at Dark Faerie Tales today celebrating the release of my dark paranormal romance, In the Service of the King, the first in the Vampire Warrior Kings series. The story is about a vampire king and his human offering at the feeding ceremony the king loathes but requires to maintain his immortality and humaneness.

One of the things that excites me about this series is that each will be located in a new, different, exotic location and set in a real historic house or castle. I’m an historian by training, and I love to travel, so add in vampires and you have a trifecta of my favorites! *grins* This story is set at Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland, on the coast of County Antrim overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Today, Dunluce is a national historic site in Northern Ireland and open to the public to tour the ruins [see this cool interactive map]. In my story, I’ve woven the true history of Dunluce into hero Kael McQuillan’s backstory.

In the true history of the site, the first Dunluce Castle was built in the 1200s. By 1513, documents place the castle in the hands of the McQuillans, who lost possession of the estate in a 1565 battle. In 1639, the cliffs under the castle’s kitchen collapsed, sending a section of Dunluce smashing onto the rocks below (and, yes, seven cooks went down with it). Irish armies laid siege to the castle in the Catholic uprisings of 1641-42, destroying the surrounding village and further damaging the building. In 1690, the descendants of the clan that had ousted the McQuillans back in 1565 found themselves in dire straits and forced to abandon the hulking manse.

I wanted to incorporate some of the real history of Dunluce into my story, though I made some alterations to it. In In the Service of the King, the McQuillans are the earliest documented owners and presumably builders of Dunluce—it is Kael’s ancestral estate. And they are attacked repeatedly, but not by competing clans and Catholic rebels. Instead, they’re attacked by Soul Eaters, evil vampires addicted to blood who steal human souls by draining their victims and eating their hearts. [Nice, huh? *grins*] In the 1642 battle, Kael’s first wife Meara is killed, opening up a major scar he still hasn’t recovered from when he meets the heroine, Shayla McKinnon. After the 17^th century battles, the vampires moved underground in a series of bunkers built into the basalt cliffs beneath the castle, and that’s the specific setting in which In the Service of the King takes place.

Have you ever been to Ireland? It’s on my bucket list! Oh, and next stop on the Vampire Warrior Kings journey?: Moscow, Russia.

Thanks for reading,

Laura Kaye

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About Laura:

Voted Breakout Author of the Year in the 2011 GraveTells Readers’ Choice Awards, Laura is the bestselling and award-winning author of a half-dozen books. Hearts in Darkness is a finalist for the EPIC eBook Award for Best Novella, Forever Freed won the NJRW Golden Leaf Award for Best Paranormal of 2011, and North of Need, the first book in the Hearts of the Anemoi series, was named GraveTells’ Best Book of 2011 and won their 5-STAR Gold Heart Award, and won Sizzling Hot Read of the Year at Sizzling Hot Books. Laura lives inMaryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of theChesapeake Bay every day.

Buy Laura’s Books

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp

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This giveaway is provided by Laura Kaye

To celebrate her new release, Laura is giving away one e-copy of In the Service of the King at each stop on her New Release Tour, 1/30 – 2/15! In addition, all commenters from across the tour will be entered to win a prize bag filled with swag and various vampire items, perfect for the vampire lover! Ebook prizes open to international; prize bag to U.S. only (please indicate in comment which you are!).

Available on February 1, 2012 from Harlequin/Nocturne Cravings

About the Book:

Kael, Warrior King of the Vampires, loathes the Night of the Proffering. He needs the blood of either his mate or a human virgin to maintain his strength, but hasn’t enjoyed the ritual since he lost his mate centuries ago. Kael doesn’t want a new companion, yet his resolve is tested when he lays eyes on his new offering, Shayla McKinnon. He is drawn to Shayla’s beauty and poise…and the submission she offers. She is eager to give him anything he wishes, including her innocence, to please him. Will Kael give in to their overwhelming desire—even if it means risking Shayla’s life?

Click HERE to read an excerpt

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We are so pleased to have Julianna Baggott here today to talk about her highly anticipated just released, Pure.  We are also featuring this title in our Dystopian Reading Challenge 2012.  Thanks to Hachette/Grand Central Publishing, you also have a chance to win a copy of the book. Comment below for a chance to win!

About Julianna:

Critically acclaimed, bestselling author Julianna Baggott also writes under the pen names Bridget Asher and N.E. Bode. She has published seventeen books over the last ten years. Film rights for her forthcoming novel PURE have been acquired by Fox 2000. The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted, written under pen name Asher, was published in spring 2011. There are approximately 50 foreign editions of her novels to date.

Julianna began publishing when she was twenty-two and sold her first novel while still in her twenties. After receiving her M.F.A. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, she published her first novel, Girl Talk, which was a national bestseller and was quickly followed by Boston Globe bestseller The Miss America Family, and then Boston Herald Book Club selection, The Madam, an historical novel based on the life of her grandmother. She co-wrote Which Brings Me to You with Steve Almond, A Best Book of 2006 (Kirkus Reveiws) optioned by producer Richard Brown and adapted by Keith Bunin with Matthew Warchus set to direct.

Her Bridget Asher novels include The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted, The Pretend Wife, My Husband’s Sweethearts. More info can be found at her Bridget Asher blog.

She also writes bestselling novels for younger readers under the pen name N.E. Bode as well as under Julianna Baggott. The Anybodies trilogy was a People Magazine pick alongside David Sedaris and Bill Clinton, a Washington Post Book of the Week, a Girl’s Life Top Ten, a Booksense selection, and was in development at Nickelodeon/Paramount; The Slippery Map (fall 2007), and the prequel to Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (2007), a movie starring Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, and Jason Bateman. For two years, Bode was a recurring personality on XM Sirius Radio.

Julianna’s Boston Red Sox novel The Prince of Fenway Park (HarperCollins), was published in spring 2009. It is on the Sunshine State Young Readers Awards List for 2011-2012.
The Ever Breath (Random House) was published in December, 2009.

Baggott also has a highly acclaimed career as a poet, having published three collections of poetry and having been published in the best literary publications in the country, including Poetry, The American Poetry Review, and Best American Poetry in 2001 and 2011.

Baggott’s work has appeared in over a hundred publications, including the The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Glamour, Ms., Real Simple, and read on NPR’s Here and Now, All Things Considered andTalk of the Nation. Her essays, stories, and poems are highly anthologized.

She is an associate professor at Florida State University’s Creative Writing Program.

In 2006, Baggott and her husband co-founded the nonprofit organization Kids in Need – Books in Deed, that focuses on literacy and getting free books to underprivileged children in the state of Florida.

You can visit Julianna around the web here: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

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Welcome Julianna!

What initially sparked the main idea/concept for your world?

Julianna: It’s a convergence of many strands — some things I’d been working on for years (characters) and a restlessness to write something big (world-building), mixed with history and scientific research — a threading of so many different things all woven together.

Tell us something about your research process and the choices you make when creating the story. 

Julianna: The layers of research in science came along as I was writing. I’d want to know about some idea and invariable some version had been invented or some use for the invention was already underway. Fascinating to do the research. This isn’t a sci-fi novel, to my mind. But it’s heavily science-inspired in different parts. I’d say the same for the historical elements. I created a revisionist history to create a new world, a speculative future. These things do have a way of manhandling the plot in ways that I love. To be taken out of authority while writing is a good thing.

What influences and inspirations (both literary and non-literary) did you draw from while writing Pure? 

Julianna: I drew on some Marquez and Cortazar, as well as Aimee Bender and George Saunders. I also love the dark poems of Atwood, as well as her fiction. I love reading poetry — poems that are ecstatic and angry and imagistic. I like Terrance Hayes, Rachel Zucker, Olena Kalytiak Davis, Seamus Heaney, Marie Howe, Andrew Hudgins, Adelia Prado… many many more…

What is the biggest challenge you faced while writing Pure?

Julianna: Eventually it’s not writing our doom and destruction. It’s trying to understand what endures. Love, kindness, beauty, faith, hope?

If you could meet any character from Pure, who would you want to hang out with for a day? What would you do for fun?

I’d want to throw Pressia an old fashioned birthday party — pointy hats, balloons, games, a donkey, streamers … I’d want it to be at home with everyone she loves.

If the apocalypse were coming tomorrow and you could only choose four books to keep safe and bring into the “New World”, which ones would you pick?

Julianna: Sorry fiction and poetry, I’d pick all nonfiction. Medicine, construction, farming, hunting, tools, how to make and build things — the basics. I’d be completely practical.

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This giveaway is provided by Hachette/Grand Central Publishing

One winner will receive a copy of Pure by Julianna Baggott

Available on February 8, 2012 from Hachette/Grand Central Publishing

About the Book:

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . .

Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . .

There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it’s his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

Click HERE to read an excerpt

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Title: It’s All Greek to Me

Author: Katie MacAlister

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: N/A

Publication Date: December 6, 2011

Format: Paperback, 352 Pages

ISBN-10: 0451235363 (Penguin/Signet)

ISBN-13:  78-0451235367 (Penguin/Signet)

Synopsis:

This Greek god is about to meet his goddess…

When Eglantine “Harry” Knight sets off to Greece at the last minute to step in as manager of a friend’s touring band, the last thing she expects is to meet a billionaire Greek playboy. Iakovos Papaioannou is perfection on every level, except for his unpronounceable name. And Harry can’t stop herself from falling hard and fast for him.

Iakovos knew his sister hired her favorite band to perform at her birthday party, he’s just not sure where this six-foot-tall, wild-haired, tempestuous woman fits in, or how she’s already ended up in his bed—and in his heart. Harry is so not his type. She’s as infuriating as she is intriguing, and she can’t keep her hands off his butt. But she just may be the woman who knocks him off the world’s most eligible bachelor list for good…

Quick & Dirty: Steamy goodness and hilarious fun.

Opening Sentence: The man in front of her was crazy.

Excerpt: Yes

The Review:

Fate does indeed smile upon those who are willing to be kind to their fellow man. When Harry agrees to fill in as manager of a teen-pop band headed for a gig in Greece as a favor for a sick friend, the planets align and serve up her destiny on a rather large silver platter. A gorgeous, loveable, and rather hot silver platter.

Iakovos is a gorgeous, playboy gazillionaire extraordinaire.  I mean the man even owns his own private island. When he agrees to hire his baby sister’s favorite band to play for her birthday, he thinks he is just being a good older brother. What he doesn’t realize is that the one who is to be the love of his life will also be traveling with them, and his life will never be the same.

When the pair meet amidst a scandalous incident involving a member of the band and Iakovos’s almost as handsome brother, the two instantly butt heads. However, just as quickly, the sparks begin to fly, and we find them locking lips in a hospital hallway, and a short time later, the rest of their body parts get to join in on the fun.

As their whirlwind of a courtship ensues, the two must overcome a few obstacles, a lewd drunk of a younger brother, a temperamental lead singer, a jealous ex-girlfriend,  and tabloid rumors… not to mention a rather surprise pregnancy when one of the parents wasn’t even supposed to be able to have kids. But in the end, the two do find their way, make more beautiful babies and live their HEA.

I, for one, am jealous. These two are living out their days inhabiting a private island off the coast of Greece. It’s a beautiful place, next to a beautiful country, with beautiful people.  But that’s now all.  They have an apartment in Athens, home of gods and goddesses, myths, legends and awesome sites. With just enough time spent in the States so you wouldn’t get homesick, a girl would be insane not to sign up for this deal.

Also, I have to ask, who names their poor, innocent little baby something like “Eglantine”? Where exactly did her parents come up with that one? If that were my name, I’d have people call me something like Harry as well.

I love an irreverent, smart-alecky main character. Harry is one sassy lady, overflowing with sarcasm and rather adept at the witty comeback.  Some of the lines given to her are things I could only come up with an hour after having a conversation. You know, when you’re in your car on the way home and you’re like, “Dang, I wish I had said such and such.”

I also love a delectable foreign leading man. One who can love with his whole soul, and isn’t easily intimidated. Who can be surrounded by beauty, and still only have eyes for his wife. The kind of guy that opens his home to a gang of teen musicians just to make his baby sister happy. If he weren’t fictional, I’d take him myself, even though I already am a married woman.

Put those two together, watch for the fireworks, and be careful you don’t get burned. These pages are so chock full of hot steamy goodness, I found my blanket and slippers unnecessary, even in this weather. As a warning ladies, this book requires reading when you have some serious alone time, because by page 35 it’s already not-safe-for-work, children or great Aunt Sally, but will definitely benefit the man in your life! *wink, wink*

Notable Scene:

“Why, if it isn’t Harry,” came a cool voice from behind her. “We haven’t seen you in weeks.”

Harry turned, her smile growing when she realized that her day really was going to be the best ever. “Hello, Tess.”

Tess Hayerson, it was whispered around the gym, was a woman who chewed men up and spat them out, usually after marrying them. Rumor had it that her third ex-husband had agreed to a divorce settlement that paid her in enhancement surgery, rather than money. In her early thirties, with long auburn hair, and an eye for the male of the species, she was the sexpot of their little group.

“Been putting on a bit of weight, sweetie?” Tess asked, giving her a scathing once-over. “I think a little extra time at the gym and a little less sitting around eating bonbons is in order, don’t you?”

“I can honestly say that I have never had a bonbon in my life,” Harry said. “Nice to see you, too.”

Tess opened her mouth to make a response, but at that moment she caught sight of Iakovos and his swarm of ladies. “What do we have here?” Tess asked, her voice a purr. “My god, he’s gorgeous. Just look at those legs! And that chest.”

“He’s something, isn’t he?” Harry asked, fighting to keep her lips from betraying her. She leaned closer and said softly, “Rumor has it that he’s packing, too.”

“A man that big? I wouldn’t doubt it at all. I bet he’s a handful in bed. Or should I say, two handfuls.”

“Two, definitely,” Harry said, pretending her nose itched so she could cover her mouth.

“He looks familiar. What is he doing here?” Tess asked, her gaze all but eating Iakovos up. “Is he a vendor or something? No matter, I don’t care if he’s here to fix the toilets, it’s clearly time to separate the girls from the women!”

She oiled her way forward, all sinuous hips and out-thrust breasts. Iakovos had evidently reached the saturation point of female adulation, for he managed to extricate himself from the gaggle of ladies and headed straight for Harry. Tess stopped in front of him, cooing, “Hello there.”

“Hello,” he said politely, not pausing until he reached Harry.

“I love you,” she told him before she leaped on him, wrapping her legs around his hips. He chuckled as he hoisted her up, kissing her with the passion that never failed to flare between them.

She heard more gasps behind him, followed by a smattering of applause.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked as she lowered her legs to the ground.

“In just one sec.” She turned back to the ladies, her hand on his arm. “Tess, I don’t think you got to meet my fiancé, Iakovos. If he looks familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen him in magazines. I’ll miss you all, but you know you’re welcome to visit if any of you ever come to Greece.” She hugged each one of her friends, Tess included, accepting their best wishes and promises to stay in touch.

As they left the building and headed for Harry’s car, Iakovos slid her a glance and asked in a misleadingly bland tone, “Was it everything you hoped it would be?”

“Oh, that and so much more.”

FTC Advisory: Penguin Group provided me with a copy of It’s All Greek to Me.  No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

Title: Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: YA Dystopian

Series: The Lunar Chronicles (Book 1)

Publication Date: January 3, 2012

Format: Hardcover, 390 Pages

ISBN-10: 0312641893 (Feiwel & Friends)

ISBN-13:  978-0312641894 (Feiwel & Friends)

Reviewed by: Kiwi

Synopsis:

Even in the future, the story begins with once upon a time

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl….

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Quick & Dirty: Not your average fairytale. Quick and easy read. You’ll enjoy it, I promise.

Opening Sentence: The screw through Cinder’s ankle had rusted, the engraved cross marks worn to a mangled circle.

Excerpt: Yes

Audio Excerpt: Yes

The Review: 

Welcome to the world of the future, and things are a bit different. After two more world wars, the countries have been conglomerated into fewer but larger empires, and are again ruled by a monarchy. In this time frame, the world’s people are also again fighting against a viral pandemic. It seems that a new form of the plague is touring the globe, taking everyone it infects. Interesting twists are put on what the symptoms are and where the contagions originated.

We have also learned how to construct true to life cyborgs, and we didn’t even need the help of the Borg. Yes, I do know that statement dates me a bit, and pretty much makes me seem geekier. Live long and prosper.

Oh, and I forgot one more major thing. There is a whole separate race of people living on the moon. A people who come complete with “magical” powers and a ruler who puts Hitler to shame. And now she wants to rule the Earth.

In the city of New Beijing resides, Cinder, a some-teen-year-old female cyborg.  I know it says her age in the book, but I can’t seem to find it again. Anyway, Cinder is the local fixit girl, so good even the Prince has heard of her. And the rest of this story gets really hard to tell without a ton of spoilers. So I will only say that Cinder meets the prince, and after a few minutes spent together, they fall madly in “like”. There is also another major story arc involving the plague and Cinder’s being forced to be a subject in cyborg testing of vaccines, in search of a cure. And finally, the Lunar Queen shows up and there are conflicts surrounding her presence and her terms regarding a peace agreement between the Earth and the Moon. For the rest of the gory details, read the book. It’ll do you good.

Following along with the traditional fairytale line, Cinder has the usual name(ish), the evil stepmother, two stepsisters (one not so evil) and similar duties, and let’s not forget Prince Kai. Not so traditionally are the plague, the deaths and the whole biological family storyline, which mixes in a bit of the tale of Anastasia.

It’s nice to take in the occasional YA novel. Keeps my speed-reading muscles limber. I literally went from beginning to end in one session of preschool…2.5 hours. That is also a testament to how good the storyline was and how well it was written.

By no means am I a YA connoisseur, but I did indeed enjoy this book. And I call dibs if we get the privilege to review the coming titles.

Notable Scene:

The guard pulled away, releasing Cinder’s wrists.

Planting her feet, Cinder barely caught herself from toppling forward—at the same time that her hand reached back as if with a mind of its own, and snatched the gun from the guard’s holster.

She stiffened, feeling the heavy gun so abruptly, unexpectedly in her steel hand.

Her finger slipped over the trigger as if it were an extension of her. The gun felt comfortable in her gloved hand. But it shouldn’t have. She’d never held one before.

Her heart thudded.

Cinder lifted the gun, pressing the barrel against her own temple. A shuddering cry escaped her. A strand of hair clung to her parched lips. Her eyes darted to the left, unable to see the gun or the traitorous hand holding it. She looked at the queen, the crowd, Kai.

Her whole body was shaking, but for the confident arm holding the gun poised to kill her.

“No! Leave her alone!” Kai rushed for her, grasping her elbow. He tried to yank it away, but she was immobilized, solid as a statue. “Let her go!”

“K-Kai,” she stammered, terror seizing her. She urged her hand to drop the gun, urged her finger to pull away from the trigger, but it was useless.

The Lunar Chronicles Series:

1. Cinder

2. Scarlet

3. Cress

4. Winter

FTC Advisory: Macmillan provided me with a copy of Cinder.  No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

Title: Must Love Vampires 

Author: Heidi Betts

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publication Date: October 1, 2011

Format: Paperback, 320 Pages

ISBN-10: 075824763X (Kensington)

ISBN-13: 978-0758247636 (Kensington)

Reviewed by: Kiwi

Synopsis:

Love at First Bite

Nightclub dancer Chloe Lamoureaux just met the man of her dreams: Aidan Raines is charming, considerate, rich, and hot. Of course, he’s a little mysterious about his age. And his favorite drink. And he’s not much for sunlight. But he’s asked her to marry him, and she’s ready to do it. Sure, she has a few secrets too—but they’ll have plenty of time to work things out while they’re living happily ever after. Right?

Her identical twin sister, Chuck, isn’t so sure. Maybe reporting for the local Bigfoot-sighting tabloid doesn’t make her an expert, but to Chuck, Aidan and his brother Sebastian look like honest-to-Dracula vampires. Especially Sebastian: beguiling, seductive, and just a hint of dangerous. Maybe she wouldn’t mind him taking a little taste. But with Chloe’s life in the balance, she has to know—do they want hot love or hot blood? Or maybe…a little of both?

Quick & Dirty: A satisfying blend of adventure and romance.  This sexy tale delivers clever dialogue, passion and sexy vampire brothers.

Excerpt: Yes

The Review:

Viva Las Vegas! Today for your reading pleasure we have two quirky novellas featuring two sets of siblings.  Our tasty brothers, Sebastian and Aidan, are centuries old vampires, of the mostly traditional variety.  Our boys are night dwelling, blood sucking, filthy rich characters, but with no aversion to garlic, take a good photo and have hardly a kill in recent years. Our lovely sisters are a pair of gorgeous identical twins, one a nightclub showgirl and the other an intrepid tabloid writer.  All of them carry a secret, and all are in for a surprise.

“Vampnapped”

This first story features a love match between Sebastian Raines and Charlotte “Chuck” Lamoreaux.  Chuck is a writer for the Tattler, a sensation tabloid featuring the likes of Big Foot and Bat Boy, when she spies her chance for the big time.  What better way to make a star of yourself than a breaking story of a real life vampire running one of Vegas’ top casinos.  But her investigating turns up zilch and she must go undercover in an attempt to gain inside access.  So she plans to switch places with her twin, one of the showgirls for the casino, and use her identity to gain entrance to the owner’s private domain.  But, as she exits the stage, she is met by a handsome stranger and taken off to his place.

Sebastian has noticed a person bearing a remarkable resemblance to his younger brother’s girlfriend following him around as of late.  So in an effort to find out what exactly she is up to, he meets her after a performance and takes her to his private quarters for a little heart to heart. When it is finally revealed that Chuck is not her twin Chloe, and that she is on to his big secret, Sebastian finds he is already half in lust/love with this woman.  It’s the perfect opportunity for a bit of companionship, and a lot of fun between the sheets.  Besides, he can just erase her memories after he’s through, right?

As time goes on, the span of a whole day mind you, the couple realizes that maybe their mutual feelings could form a relationship that will last, and that maybe a change should be made to their original plans.

Rating: 5/5

“Married With Fangs”

While those two lovebirds were finding each other, their siblings were off getting married…in true Vegas style, fake Elvis and all.

Chloe has been a showgirl for the past decade and has decided the time has come to move on to bigger and better things.  What better way to do that than marry a filthy rich business man like Aidan Raines. That he’s also unbelievably HOT is an added bonus.

Aidan hasn’t met a girl like Chloe in many, many years.  When you’ve lived as long as he has, you know when something like that feels so right it has to be right.  But will Chloe accept him as he is?

Only a few hours into their honeymoon, you find these two in some rather uncomfortable circumstances.  Aidan has admitted to Chloe his true nature, but she doesn’t believe in the supernatural.  So he is left with the burden of proof as it were.  But what he doesn’t know, and soon finds out, is that Chloe is a single mother of a three year old named Jake.  Oh, and she originally only wanted him for his money.

But all is forgiven as they realize that outside of all their secrets, they really do have honest love for each other.

Rating: 5/5

FTC Advisory: Kensington Books provided me with a copy of Must Love Vampires.  No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

Title:  So I Married a Demon Slayer

Author: Kathy Love, Angie Fox, Lexi George

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publication Date: August 30, 2011

Format: Paperback, 304 Pages

ISBN-10: 0758263155 (Kensington)

ISBN-13: 978-0758263155 (Kensington)

Reviewed by: Kiwi

Synopsis:

In the lusty humidity of the Deep South, among the neon lights of Vegas, and the glitz of high-fashion, demon slayers are the new sexy. . .

Hot! By Kathy Love

At Hot! Magazine, the devil really does wear Prada. When the CEO is an actual demon and the mail room guys are undercover demon slayers, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility for an up-and-coming photographer and a model possessed by much more than a sweet tooth to fall in love.

What Slays In Vegas by Angie Fox

When a sexy succubus comes up against a fearless demon slayer intent on killing her boss, a truly wild Vegas night turns into a quickie wedding. But in a city where anything goes, a demon slayer wedding a succubus is strictly forbidden. Which doesn’t mean either is rushing to jump out of the marriage bed.

The Bride Wore Demon Dust by Lexi George

He’s perfection in a tuxedo—more so out of it—and on a mission to protect his Alabama gal from the mysterious mayhem intent on her destruction. But the bride is a spunky steel magnolia with special powers of her own, determined to drop-kick evil forces across the state line and give her slayer a run for his money.

Quick & Dirty: Three light-hearted reads that are good for any day of the week.

Excerpt: Yes

The Review:

“HOT!” by Kathy Love

This story takes place in the brutal world of high fashion publishing in the otherwise beautiful present day New York City.  A one-time small town girl from Kansas, Addy Wellmeyer, now known as Ava Wells, has sold her soul to a demon in exchange for a promise of fame and fortune.  Now she just wishes for the simple things in life.  Charlie Bowen is still that same small town boy from Ohio, willing to risk it all for a chance at his own fame and fortune as a high profile fashion photographer. But little does he know that he may very well be risking everything to work for these particular “people”.  He is a little more talented than he thought, and the world is quite a bit stranger than even he dreamed. Cute premise, cuter story… wondering if there are more.

Rating: 4/5

“What Slays in Vegas” by Angie Fox

This story takes place in current day Las Vegas and has a rather human like premise; basically What Happens in Vegas meets CSI. You see, succubus Shiloh and undercover demon slayer Damien meet each other in a casino and end up married after a night of sex, drinks and rock and roll. When reality sets in the next morning, neither can remember what happened that night, but both are quite obviously wearing rings on their fingers. For entirely different reasons, neither of them are supposed to take on a spouse, or have any deeper feelings for anyone, much less each other. After the truth is revealed, Damien feels he must find a way to satisfy both his job and his soul, by taking down the demons he was after while saving his half-breed wife.

There is, I am assuming, some conceptual tie-ins with the rest of Angie Fox’s Accidental Demon Slayer series, but it is not necessary to have any back story to enjoy this novella.  And I certainly enjoyed this story.

Rating: 4/5

“The Bride Wore Demon Dust” by Lexi George

Welcome to Hannah, Alabama.  Your average sleepy little town…..or is it?  Bunny Nicole Raines is a small town librarian with a name that belongs in the lineup of your closest gentlemen’s club who suddenly lands a man straight out of every woman’s personal wet dreams. When a whirlwind courtship leads to a perfect wedding, Bunny thinks she has it all…until something happens during her reception.

Rafe Dalvahni is a groom with a rather large secret, one he’s even been keeping from his bride. You see, he’s an immortal demon slayer from another planet.  And, when he has to fight a demon to protect his bride, well, you could say the cat gets let out of the bag.  Needless to say, the bride isn’t all that happy, and Rafe must spend the rest of the story convincing her that he is best bet.  That is, if he can convince himself first.

I definitely felt completely out of the loop while reading this novella.  I am left with more than a few questions about her species, concepts, settings, and the all around plotlines.  Maybe, reading the previous story, Demon Hunting in Dixie, would shed a bit of light upon the subject.  I think I’d like to revisit this story after reading the first one.  Maybe I would like it more.

Rating: Not Sure

FTC Advisory: Kensington Books provided me with a copy of So I Married a Demon Slayer.  No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

Our guest today is paranormal romance author Anne Marsh.  The second book in her Fallen series, His Dark Bond,  was recently released on January 31, 2012.  Haven’t started the series yet?  What to know what’s it all about? You can read Emmy’s review of the book here.  Please join me in welcoming Anne here today to Dark Faerie Tales. She was lucky enough to land an interview with Zer, our hero from His Dark Bond. You can also read the first chapter of the book here.

Thanks to Anne, one lucky commenter will have a chance to win Bond With Me and His Dark Bond.  As always, details are listed at the end of the post.

Welcome Anne!

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My interview with Zer, the leader of the Fallen, took place at G2’s, the club he owns and runs with his fellow Fallen. G2’s isn’t a nice place. It’s a hardcore, music pumping, no holds barred sensual onslaught. Any sin can be purchased for a price here. Zer is kicking it in a leather banquette in the back of the club, keeping an eye on both humans and Fallen. He’s large and dark and there’s no missing the predatory gleam in his eyes as he surveys his world. He rules here. A quick flick of his fingers brings the waitress over with a chilled Moet & Chandon and then I get down to business.

Describe yourself in 3 words

Solitary. Alpha. Brutal. You want poetry, ask someone else.

When you said fight, your fellow Dominion warriors fought. Do you ever regret giving the order that led to the Fall?

Regrets? Every damn day. I had my reasons—our females, already far too few in number, were being slaughtered and we’d been set up to take the fall for those deaths. It was one hell of a shit storm and it sure looked like bigger, badder plans were brewing in the Heavens, so I took action. Gave the word to fight. When we lost, the Archangel Michael ripped our wings off and kicked us out of the Heavens. Three thousand years of exile later and I still haven’t led the charge back to glory. You bet I have regrets. I need to get this job done and done right.

What’s the hardest part of your exile?

When we fell, we lost more than our wings. We lost the ability to feel the finer emotions in life. Sex, fighting—our heart’s not in it. The only way we get to feel is if we experience them vicariously. This place—G2’s—it stinks of sin and sex. The dancers grinding it up out on my dance floor? There’s no vice off limits to them and you have no idea what kind of temptation all that emotion pouring off them is. We’re addicts. Every last one of us jonesing for our nightly fix of human emotions. What you feel is a delicious cocktail because we don’t get to feel a goddamned thing for ourselves. Of course, we don’t just take. We offer you a deal. You bond with one of us, let him feel what you’re feeling and drink in all those sensual emotions of yours, and you get one favor. Any favor. That’s what the bond is all about.

What’s your fighting style like?

Whatever it takes. Guns are good. Blades are better. I’ll go hand-to-hand if that’s what the job calls for. We fight rogue Fallen everyday—former angels who’ve given into the soul thirst and who certainly aren’t offering any deals in exchange for a few emotions. They’ll drink you dry and then kill you. I may not be able to fight my way back into the Heavens—yet—but I don’t have to let these killers run around my world unchecked.

What’s the one thing that turns you on most about a woman?

Good girls. Buttoned-up tight girls. What would it take to make you come apart in my arms? You should have been there the first time I laid eyes on the professor…

I blew through the door of the building because the rogues riding my ass weren’t going to knock first, and mine was only a party of three. Get in. Secure the female. Get out. Quick action would minimize human casualties, as well, and that couldn’t hurt my chances with Nessa St. James.

She was probably just as tenderhearted as most of them were.

I motioned for Nael and Vkhin to peel off. “Secure the lobby.” Nael looked like he was jonesing for a good fight, but Vkhin would guard my back. That left me free and clear to fetch the good professor.

My booted foot hit the inner door, then paused, because my hands were busy palming weapons. Conveniently, one rogue stopped to mow down the campus security guard. The guard had been a squat, out-of-shape human male, his nose buried in a day-old paper. Most likely a rent-a-cop and from a piss-poor outfit, because the male hadn’t even gone for his weapons. No, he’d ducked and covered like a good boy, so I hadn’t bothered with him. The rogue nearest me, however, had apparently disliked leaving loose ends behind to call for backup and had vaulted over the desk, blades flashing. Nael and Vkhin were moving in, but my blades cut deep, and, sure enough, there was a high-pitched scream from the murderous rogue, a little quick splatter, and the hallway got a whole lot quieter.

Damn it. I needed to pick up the pace.

A voice was speaking inside the room. Smooth. Cool. Modulated. Bingo.

I burst through the shattered door and ignored the scream-and-run of the panicked students inside. None of them was dumb enough to run in my direction. A quick eyeball told me where the other exits were. Two more sets of doors. Good. I was going to need all the outs I could find.

My first sight of the professor stopped me in my tracks.

She was…

She was two kinds of sexy, and no way in hell was she a biblical scholar and world-renowned geneticist. The clothes were right: a buttoned-up, no-nonsense white blouse in some sort of synthetic fabric that wouldn’t wrinkle if I drove my SUV over it. God, I was a dirty bastard, though, because I couldn’t stop staring at her breasts. She turned away from the whiteboard, and the smooth movement pulled the supple material of her blouse against those breasts. Full, generous handfuls that made me want to suck each of those nipples into my mouth and tongue her until she came undone.

Hell, yeah.

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About Anne:

After ten years of graduate school and too many degrees, Anne Marsh escaped to become a technical writer. When not planted firmly in front of the laptop translating Engineer into English, Anne enjoys gardening, running (even if it’s just to the 7-11 for slurpees), and reading books curled up with her kids. The best part of writing romance, however, is finally being able to answer the question: “So… what do you do with a PhD in Slavic Languages and Literatures?”

She lives in Northern California with her husband, two kids, and four cats.

You can visit Anne around the web here: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Want to read more from Anne?

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This giveaway is provided by Anne Marsh

One winner will receive a copy of Bond With Me and His Dark Bond by Anne Marsh

Available on January 31, 2012 from Kensington Books

About the Book:

Zer is no angel – well, not anymore. He’s explored every flavour of sin imaginable, drinking in the pleasures of humanity. But now he must find the woman who carries his salvation in her very blood…a woman like Nessa St. James. Nessa has considered the bargain the Fallen offer. Anything she wants in exchange for accepting Zer’s bond? No way. Not her. Not when she finds out about the mind-blowing ritual involved and the marks of surrender that will ink her skin. But with a serial killer to stop and centuries of experience on his side, Zer will do whatever it takes to change her.

Click HERE to read an excerpt

Order from

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Dystopian Reading Challenge 2012

Are you living in terror and fear for your survival?  Welcome to the dark and depraved world of DYSTOPIA.

Are you confused about Dystopia? Do you want to know – what exactly is a Dystopian society?  Click here to read all about it.

Participants should choose any 24 dystopian novels. I’ve already started a list below and will make updates every few weeks. I hope you guys will participate! There will be book giveaways throughout the event, so check the homepage to sign up. Here are the general rules:

Timeline: January 1, 2012 until December 31, 2012

Goal: GET LIBERATED — to read at least 24 dystopian novels in 2012

Reading Levels:

1. Propaganda – Choose 6 books to read

2. Contagion – Choose 12 books to read

3. Oppressed – Choose 18 books to read

4. Liberated – Choose 24 books to read

5. Totalitarian – Choose 30+ books to read

General Rules:

• The reading challenge is open to everyone.
• You don’t need a blog to participate.
• If you don’t have a blog – you can leave a comment with your book selection in this post.
• If you don’t have a blog and would like to write a review – you are welcome to do a guest review on this blog.
• You can join at anytime to participate in this challenge.
• If you are going to participate in this challenge, please post about it on your blog and add a link back to this post.
• You can grab the challenge button on the sidebar to use on your blog.
• eBooks, audio, and already read all count.
• The  Selection List will be continuously updated
• Please sign-up using Mr. Linky – be sure to use the direct link to your post so that people will be able to find this challenge.

2012 Selection List:

1. Delirium by Lauren Oliver

2. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

3. Breathe by Sarah Crossan

4. Skylark by Meagan Spooner

5. Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

6. Enclave by Ann Aguirre

7. Outpost by Ann Aguirre

8. 1984 by George Orwell

9. The Giver by Lois Lowry

10. Brave new World by Aldous Huxley

11. Fahrenheit 451by Ray Bradbury

12. Ashes by Ilsa Bick

13. Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

14. For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

15. The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

16. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

17. Divergent by Veronica Roth

18. Insurgent by Veronica Roth

19. Eve by Anna Carey

20. Once by Anna Carey

21. Cybernetic by Laura Riken

22. Pure by Julianna Baggott

23. Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

24. Partials by Dan Wells

25. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

26. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

27. Mocking Jay by Suzanne Collins

28. Wither by Lauren DeStefano

29. Fever by Lauren DeStefano

30. The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

31. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

32. Helper 12 by Jack Blaine

33. Twitch by Jack Blaine

34. Animal Farm by George Orwell

35. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

36. Gone by Michael Grant

37. Hunger by Michael Grant

38. Lies by Michael Grant

39. Plague by Michael Grant

40. Fear by Michael Grant

41.  The Maze Runner by James Dashner

42. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

43. The Death Cure by James Dashner

44. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

45. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

46. The Stand by Stephen King

47. I am Legend by Richard Matheson

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• To sign-up for this challenge go here.
• You can link your reviews by using the Mr. Linky Widget below.
• Please grab the challenge button on my sidebar for use on your blog.
• If you don’t have a blog and would like to write a review – you are welcome to do a guest review on my blog.
• You can also leave a message with your thoughts in the comments if you don’t have a blog.

• You can go here to sign-up for this challenge.
• You can post your reviews for this challenge here.
• Use the Mr. Linky Widget below to link your completed list of books once you make a post on your blog.
• You can leave a comment with your completed list if you don’t have a blog.