Sweet Tea & Book Reviews

Rhythym and Bluegrass

2013-09-29T23:50:00.002-05:00

I adore Molly Harper. I am a big fan of her "Nice Girls..." series. She has a penchant for weaving in humor throughout her stories and making you invest in her characters. I thought I would give her fiction a shot and I was not disappointed. They're bit chick litish, but ya know. those are super fun from time to time.

"Kentucky Tourism Commission employee Bonnie Turkle is up Mud Creek without a paddle. When she gets permission from the state historical society to restore McBride’s Music Hall in Mud Creek, Kentucky, to its former glory, she thinks the community will welcome her with open arms. Instead, her plans interfere with a proposal to sell the property to a factory that would bring much-needed jobs to the town.
Even though Bonnie is trying to preserve mayor Will McBride’s family heritage, he is more concerned with the welfare of his people than memories of the past. Will finds her optimistic sentimentality extremely annoying—but that doesn’t stop him from kissing Bonnie senseless.
With an inspection deadline looming and local saboteurs ruining her restoration, Bonnie must find a way to compromise with Will to save McBride’s and the town…while hopefully winning a few more kisses in the process!"

I give it 3.5 cups of sugar.

Dead Ever After: Review

2013-05-07T11:22:00.002-05:00

I can sum up my review of this very long series in one word/sound.

Meh......

Bitter Disenchantment: Coveted Novella

2013-05-03T22:33:00.002-05:00

I previously read one of Ms. Madison's books and it was OKAY. It didn't light my socks on fire, but it wasn't bad by any means. I picked up this novella, not knowing about the rest of the coveted series. It turned out okay, b/c this is a prequel to the rest of the coveted series.

"Werewolf Natalya Stravinsky's outspoken sidekick, Aggie McClure, is featured in this prequel novella. Before Agatha set foot in South Toms River, New Jersey, she had the fight of her life to face. Destined to be the alpha female over her Manhattan pack, Aggie was fully prepared to take on her role until her father arranges a marriage without her consent. She wants out–but the only way is with money–something her new controlling husband won't give her to escape. But such odds never kept a wolf like Aggie down. To sever the twisted tie, she finds herself pitted against raging wood nymphs and backstabbing brownies in an underground supernatural fighting ring. With every victory, the sweet taste of freedom is closer, but her husband isn't willing to let her go that easily. Until the very end, Aggie must fight for the one thing she's never had: a choice"

Right away, I loved Aggie. We all know I have a thing for an alpha female who can kick some ass. I knew that this character had swagger in spades just a few pages into the story. Seriously, this woman is married off to a raging A-HOLE. Then trapped in her apartment. So she defies everyone and becomes a pit fighter to earn money. She climbs down the side of her building to escape her guards, she is pretty much a bad ass. The story was a little predictable but Ms. Madison told it very well.

I give it a solid 3.5 cups of sugar.

What this story did do was entice me enough to pick up the other coveted novels. I recommend them very much. I think both of those deserve a 4/5 cups of sugar. but that's another review for another day.

ebook provided by netgalley

Starting Now : book review

2013-04-20T21:33:00.003-05:00

"For years Libby Morgan dreamed only of making partner in her competitive, high-pressure law firm. She sacrificed everything for her career—her friends, her marriage, her chance at creating a family. When her boss calls Libby into his office, she assumes it will finally be good news, but nothing can prepare her for the shocking reality: She’s been let go and must rebuild her entire life . . . starting now.
With no job prospects in sight, Libby reaches out to old friends and spends her afternoons at A Good Yarn, the local knitting store. There she forms a close bond with Lydia, the sweet-natured shop owner; Lydia’s spirited teenage daughter, Casey; and Casey’s best friend, Ava, a shy yet troubled girl who will shape Libby’s future in surprising and profound ways.
As A Good Yarn becomes a second home—and the women a new kind of family—Libby relishes the different person she’s become. She even finds time for romance with a charming and handsome doctor who seems to be her perfect match. But just as everything is coming together, Libby must make a choice that could forever change the life she holds so dear."

This is the first Debbie Macomber book I have read. I bought a copy of the Inn at Rose Harbor for my Mother in law and she loved it. So I when I saw this on Net Galley, I thought i'd give it a shot. This is such a nice/sweet story. I could totally relate that feeling of thinking you have everything figured out and life is just as it should be, only to have everything fall apart.

I loved Libby and I enjoyed watching her find herself under her new circumstances. She carves out a nice little life for herself and has to come to terms with wanting what she has now (a life) or what she thought she wanted before (career success). I absolutely reccomend this book to anyone needing a pick me up and something nice/clean.

3.5/5 cups of sugar

Review Copy Supplied by Net Galley

Review: After the Ending

2013-04-01T19:19:00.002-05:00

After the Ending was a somewhat enjoyable read. I was perusing titles on Net Galley and the premise of this book sounded interesting, so I thought I would give it a shot. After the Ending was written by Lindsey Farleigh and Lindsey Pogue and is set mostly in a post-apocalyptic era. Essentially an unknown Virus wipes out the majority of the world and two best friends find themselves on opposite ends of the United States as survivors in a new and unsure world. We follow them as they try to reach each other and a "safe haven".

Of course everything isn't what it seems, and there are lots of bumps in the road. Also there is some pretty snazzy slow to smolder romance build ups. I don't want to give too much away, but there is a good bit of action that will keep your attention.

My pros for this book: I love the friendship between Dani and Zoe. I imagine if the world as I know it were to end tomorrow and my bff was on the other side of the country, I would try my damnedest to make it to her as well. I enjoyed the abilities that emerge and I do like how the girls did learn to open up to others during their journey.

My cons for this book: It was somewhat predictable and there was an amount of naivety in certain characters that made parts of the story unbelievable. At least their actions. I also felt like certain things in the book were "too easy".

My vote: A good read if you want to read something along the lines of post-apocalyptic angst ridden romance.

3/5 cups of sugar

Amazon Link

Review: Wolf With Benefits

2013-03-16T14:25:00.002-05:00

Shelly Laurenston's Pride series is expansive. First, I must say that each one is better than the last. They always have me nearly rolling on the floor in laughter and her latest installment is no different. If you want to read a book that is filled with humor and really dynamic characters, this is the one for you.

Wolf With Benefits is centered around Ricky Lee Reed (one of them Reed boys) and Toni Jean-Louis Parker. He's a wolf and she's a jackal. Ahhh canine heaven. BUT we get to see tons of our favorite pride/pack members. That's one thing I adore about the universe Laurenston created. They are people you know. The wild dogs are your crazy fun cousins/siblings/neighbors. Blayne is that girl you love to death but maybe want to tie to a tree so she'll stand still, of course there's the dangerous Dee who you're glad you're her friend b/c you'd be fearful if she wasn't.

Ricky Lee spends most of this book following Toni around either because it's entertaining and he likes her, or to protect her because ya know, he likes her and she needs protecting. I love those Reed boys. Toni is a great character. She's the one normal siblings amongst ten prodigies. She's spent her life, managing their lives. I felt so bad for her a point when even she knows she deserves to break away and have her own little piece of life, but her siblings inability to take care of anything for themselves keep tugging her back. She has this overwhelming sense of responsibility. Which is admirable to me. We've not really seen the inner working of a jackal family in the series before and I found them rather interesting.

I won't spoil this too much, but when they bring in Novikov to handle the children because they're essentially just like him, had me in a fit of giggles. I guess one narcissistic psychopathic adult knows them all. Plus how could you not laugh when the 11yr old sculter/artist keeps following him around asking to do a nude study of Novikov because his body is perfection. Freaking hilarious, I tell you!

Anyway, I love Shelly Laurenston, her books keep getting better and better. I suggest you read them all because laughter is awesome for the soul and you'll feel ten lbs lighter after all the ab workout you'll get from reading her books.

I definitely give this book an A (or ya know 4 cups of sugar)

Book Review: House Rules

2013-03-13T09:22:00.002-05:00

House Rules is the seventh installment of the Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill. Publication date: Feb 5, 2012.

I adore this series. There is a ton of humor and snark loaded into every book. Each book follows grad student turned vampire, Merit, in her duties as Sentinel for Cadogan House.

There is a lot going on in Chicago in this installment. Cadogan is breaking up with the GNP, rogue and affiliated vampires alike are being taken down, and the human population is becoming more and more weary of the supernatural community. There are several twists and turns in this installment. But my favorite part is Merit's rekindling of her friendship with her former roommate turned sorceress, Mallory Carmichael.

When she and Ethan inevitably have some issues, she has a nice dose of girl talk with Mal. It felt... right. Mallory has a lot of atoning to do, but she's working toward some sort of recovery. I like that Ms. Neill has some sort of redemption for this character. I was so afraid she'd go the way good girls gone bad and we would never hear from her again after she nearly destroyed Chicago a few books ago. I don't know about you, but in my opinion, too many strong female lead characters are left without a strong female relationship/friendship. They may depend on their man, but a true friendship that feels natural/organic is lacking.

If you haven't already, go pick up this book. It's one of my favorite series. You'll need to start at book one or most of the book won't make sense.

Favorite Part:
We find out about the animal Jeff shifts into.

Least Favorite Part:
stupid fairies and Lacey showing up.

I give this a big ol A

MIA....

2013-03-08T01:36:00.000-06:00

So, the sister and I have been completely negligent to this blog for a few months. We lost our father back in August and it seems that we both just kinda lost our mojo. I know the winds were completely taken out of my sails with the sudden and unexpected, heart wrenching loss.

If anyone still checks us out to see what we've read and read our thoughts, I'm sorry for the absenteeism. Not only have I not posted on any of my blogs, I've not even worked on my own stuff that I'm writing.

So, here and now, let it be known, we will return. If anyone is still checking in, I promise there will be an update within the next week. I have read a few things, just haven't posted my thoughts. I know Dy has read a few books herself as well. Also, I'm getting back to work on my own book, and as I promised months ago, I will be sharing some samples here.

So, if you're still out there, we'll once again be clogging up the interwebs with our thoughts and ramblings soon! Be well and blessed everyone...

P.S. ROLL TIDE!

The Island-Michael Stark

2012-10-27T20:50:00.000-05:00

I was perusing the free books available on Nook and Kindle last week and I came across Micael Stark's The Island. It was broken down into 5 parts, with the first 3 being free and the last 2 installments only being 99 cents. The description grabbed my interest enough to read for free and I figured that at less than 2 bucks, it was worth the investment to finish even if it sucked in a most royal fashion.

That being said, I actually liked the story. It got a bit slow and redundant at times, but I kept on reading. I'm just having a bit of problem with my review. I don't know how to review it without being spoilerish. I could just give a synopsis, but that's not reviewing, that's more like screening(and cheating). So, I guess I'll say what I can, without giving too much away, but start with.....

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT....

The island starts off with William telling about how he is leaving the world behind to die in peace. He's not harboring some death wish or anything, he knows all is lost and he'd rather spend his last days, as well as that of humanity, doing something he wants to do. There's a viral outbreak spreading through Mexico and William can read the signs and he knows that all is not as it seems. He doesn't believe the media and the government when they assure everyone that all is ok and there's no need to worry. He sees this as an apocalyptic scourge about to wipe out most of humanity. He also knows that with his own chidhood health issues that he has no hopes of being one of the few that survive. So he pretty much empties his life, cuts ties and heads out to this island off the Caronlina coast, not to run away so he can live, but so he can die as he wants.

Stark does a good job of fooling you into thinking that this is another zombapocalypse story. But as the story goes on, you find out that there is much more going on than some random case of 28 days later. I really like the development of characters and the back story he built, although he does get a bit sluggish and repetitive at times. He also does a good job of tossing in some gore and creepy. He leaves you hanging somewhat at the end, but then, that's what a writer should do when he wants you to read the next installment. Another thing I really liked was the way that I was able to "see" everything. He wrote the story to where it was very easy to visualize the places and characters. Of course it helps that he used some actual places to reinforce the scenic imagery and any southerner could picture the exact people he was writing about. Overall, I was pleased with the time I put into reading this and will defintely read The Rock when it comes out in early 2013.

I give it a B-.

Finally read Awakening

2012-10-16T22:20:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to do a in depth review since the sister did one months ago and also, it's "chick lit" and I have a manly ego to keep inflated. :)

All b.s aside, I enjoyed the second installment in Nicole's MacDonald's Birthright Trilogy. She picks up a couple of months after the explosive ending of The Arrival and continues to move the story and characters forward. There was a couple of twists that I really liked, especially the addition of a new pet/friend(speaking of pets/friends, my massively huge cat, patches, aka fathead, is trying to crawl up on my chest as I write this).

This book was a lot putting pieces together. It was like the first book started us on a journey, and the second one was like the road trip. We didn't see the "big stuff" happen, but we got filled in on a lot, saw some great development and she kept it interesting enough that it reads real smooth. I feel like its a book of revelations, because some pretty important things were revealed and I just can't say too much without being a big ol' story spoiler. But, even though this is the transit story getting us to the real treat, she did toss in some excitement.

One thing I will comment on is the POV. Nicole writes this with changing POV's. A lot of folks don't like it and for those that lay the book down, it's their loss. I mentioned in the first book that it was a tad confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, and get to know the characters, it levels out fine. But, all that being said, she did tackle that issue with this book. She still has the ever-changing POVs, but its better organized and she even explains it up front for us thickheads. At first, I thought it was a crazy style, but she makes it work and she does it well.

All in all, I definitely recommend picking it up. If you haven't read the first book in the series, she has it for free on her website and the second book is definitely worth the 4 bucks I shelled out for the Nook version.
Thanks Nicole for sharing your story with us and I look forward to Feel the Burn.

Two ravens and a very badass crow

2012-09-15T01:39:00.001-05:00

Just finished Kevin Hearne's Two Ravens and One Crow. It was brief, quickly read, and as always entertaining. My calling it brief was not a complaint or form of criticism, it is as intended a novella, about 52 pages(not counting the sneak peek at Trapped) long(Nook pages), and fills in some blanks. You see, between the last installation about everyone's favorite druid and the next, 12 years in the story and several months reader wise will have passed, so Mr. Hearne, being the awesomely cool guy he is, decided to provide us with a wee bit of filler on both accounts.

The story takes place 6 years after Tricked and gives us a little insight to a few things. We learn about the Morrigan's unique perspective of baseball, a peek at the progression of the dynamic between Atticus and Granuille and what I am sure will be some background to explain some of how Atticus will be interacting with the Norse in Trapped.

One nugget of detail that I really appreciated was the dive into how the druid gets his ink repaired. That was definitely interesting.

There wasn't as much banter with Oberon, but there wasn't much opportunity with the length of the story. As always, I was left wanting more, not in a dissatisfied, the story needed more way, but in a, darnit, I love this story and could just keep reading on and on about anything Kevin Hearne writes kind of way.

All in all, I'm happy that he took the time to pen it for us to read. I hope Kevin knows how much we all really love his story and I for one appreciate him for giving us some filler. Now I'm ready Trapped.

I will add one more thing, if you haven't read the other books in this series, you will be lost if you just pick this one up. It's not intended to be a stand alone read, so don't try it, you will be doing yourself a huge injustice. Buy the books, all of them, start at the beginning. They aren't expensive and they are well worth the time.
-Del

http://www.kevinhearne.com
http://www.twitter.com/kevinhearne
https://twitter.com/IrishOberon

Today Sucks

2012-08-05T17:38:00.000-05:00

I got up early and put a yummy sunday meal into the crock pot. Thinking that YAY something good to have later and I didn't really even have to work at it very hard.

Then about an hour later, I get a call from my brother.

BAM

My dad's in the hospital.

Luckily I have a best friend who works in that ER. She's at the beach in florida but that that did not keep her from calling up there and making sure they knew who he was and to take care of him.

I have nothing but respect for nurses. Their job is hard, they work very hard and get little thanks. They see so many patients that it gets to be routine and sometimes people can start to become numbers. I don't ever want someone I love to be just another number on a chart. I wanted them to see him as a person.

So she called up there, made sure he had a good doctor and made sure he got a on a good floor with good nurses.

Have I mentioned that I love my best friend.

Well I do, she's amazing.

Dad's CHF has flared, his kidneys are sucking. He's stable but we don't really know what is going to happen. If it's good, his CHF will straighten out, his numbers will come down and he'll be able to go home.

Let's pray for that outcome.

Gunmetal Magic

2012-08-03T13:14:00.001-05:00

ilona-andrews.com

I love, love, love the Kate Daniels series written by the husband-wife duo known as Ilona Andrews. Gunmetal Magic is set in the Kate Daniel universe. Instead of following Kate we are seeing the world the Andrea Nash's eyes. Andrea has been Kate's bff for most of the series and she is pretty badass. Where Kate wields a sword, Andrea can take out a target either up close and personal or far away all sniper style.

Andrea has issues. She had an abusive past, mistreated by her clan (they set her on fire as a kid, I don't know how much more effed up of a childhood you could manage). She is beastkin and not a regular shifter, so she's often shunned. She was playing at being human and got outed during the last book. She is also on the outs with her mate. There is plenty there to make this book work. To make it interesting.

I read on the author's page that many people felt it was too short. At first I thought the same thing, but she's right it's just as long if not longer than many of her other books. It just goes at such a good pace, that it doesn't feel that long.

I enjoyed this book. I loved the resolution, I loved the continuation of the story line, I loved finding out more about Andrea and I loved seeing a character have actual growth. Many times during a series, it takes forever for a character to just "grow up". Not here. She gets it, she has to make changes, she has to take responsibility for her actions. It was refreshing after reading countless books this summer where the characters seem to never learn from their past, never change their game.

I don't want to forget to mention, but this book is also funny. There's plenty of "heh" moments. It is smartly written and rather enjoyable all around. I would suggest you read the entire series from the beginning or you won't fully appreciate everything that is going on during the course of the story. Seriously, you'll wonder who is this "volhv".

I give this book a solid A.

Side Jobs filled in the time

2012-07-27T01:41:00.000-05:00

So, I'm patiently awaiting...ok semi-patiently awaiting, a few different new releases. I'm waiting on the novella that Kevin Hearne has coming out next month, as well as the next full length IDC book that will be hitting the shelves in November, the third installment of Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller epic trilogy and Jim Butcher's newest Dresden Files release, which I'm hoping will be no later than Halloween.

Hearne's Atticus and Butcher's Dresden are two of my favorite book characters at the moment. I catch myself wondering what is going on with Harry. You're right, it's sad and I know it, but I am still hooked on finding out how Butcher is going to terrorize Harry's life next.

You see, he has built an entire universe surrounding the detective wizard(or wizard detective, not sure), and after a dozen full length novels, there is a lot going on, with a lot that CAN go on. It has become a soap opera for me. I GOTTA find out what is happening next. The beauty of the series is that you not only get literarally(is that a word?) involved, even attached to the main character, you also become engrossed with several other characters and you also want to know more about them. This has given the Butcher the opportunity to be able to spin off some short stories that center around other characters.

Side Jobs, his collection of short stories does just that. The stories all involved Harry and most of them are still from Harry's perspective, but they do a good job of filling in some details between novels and they also give you a more intimate look at some other characters.

There were 2 stories that really stood out to me. I'll not reveal much of anything here because I don't want to be a spoiler leak to anyone who hasn't read it, but you get a story from Thomas' perspective that is really enlightening in a few ways. You find out more about the vampire White Court and you also find out more about what makes Thomas click and how he views his younger half-brother. I really enjoyed that story.

Another story that really stood out to me and I enjoyed a lot was the short novella at the end. It was written from Murphy's view and takes place immediately after the tragic ending of Changes. It sheds light on a lot of what was going on in the next full length book and fills in some blanks for you. Also, getting to see inside Murphy's head was an interesting revelation.

So, if you're a Dresden fan, I definitely recommend picking up or downloading Side Jobs. Its worth the few bucks and the few hours you'll spend reading it, and it's a nice way to feed the appetite if you're starting to get a bit restless waiting for the next Dresden adventure.

Busy busy busy

2012-07-10T00:37:00.000-05:00

So, I've been horrible at posting recently. I've been super busy and haven't read anything new in the past few weeks. I've got to get to the book store or even better, break down and buy an e-reader. In the past, I have read e-books on my laptop, but that's not always conducive to my lifestyle. I'm thinking that if I hook myself up with a kindle fire, nook, or new tablet, I will be able to get more reading in. Plus, there are a couple of things coming up that are in e-format only. Also, I live so far from a decent bookstore, that I don't always make it by one when I'm really busy. All that being said, I'm buying an e-reader this week! Presenttime for Del!

And now for my excuses....I've been working a superlot lately...gotta pay the bills! But, I've also been working on my book a little here and there. It's kinda crazy, I was all inspired and cranked out about 15k words in a couple of weeks, and then, I got in to a non-writey mood. Since then, I've been jotting down little "scenes". Something will come to me and I'll put it on paper(computer monitor actually). I'm feeling like the muse is about to strike again though! My goal is to have it ready for my first re-write by Halloween. I have all the ideas there and I pretty much have it ready to go, just somedays, I can't get the words out, while on other days, I can't stop writing. I've been working on this particular story for about 7 months now. Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, I might feel bold enough to share an excerpt here.

Oh yea, I met the fantastically awesome Kevin Hearne. He was just as cool and friendly in person as he is online. I really enjoyed meeting him and hearing his thoughts and answers to our questions. I also listened to a podcast interview with him that I enjoyed a lot. If he comes back this way, or if I'm ever out his way, I will definitely make sure to get to speak to him again. Thanks for visiting the south Kevin!

Mini-roadtrip tomorrow

2012-06-08T21:03:00.000-05:00

This isn't a book review, but it's book related(and I want to brag!), so I'll go ahead and post about it.
Tomorrow, I, along with the awesome sister and her hubs, are riding up the road a piece to meet the incredible Mr. Kevin Hearne! He is the author of the fun-filled urban fantasy Iron Druid Chronicles.
His series is chock full of great wit and adventure. They involve a lot fun twists and turns on all different kinds of theology and are just plain 'ol fun to read.

I am going to take my copy of Tricked and get him to sign it and hopefully chew the fat with him for a few. I'm super dorkcited!

Tricked; Dianne's Take

2012-05-22T04:37:00.000-05:00

kevinhearne.com

I know you've read Del's take on Tricked earlier. I have been dragging my feet about posting this update. I don't know why exactly. But life has just been getting in the way lately.

Don't take my procrastination as a slight against the series, or this particular book. This installment continued to hammer on home what I've been saying all along about Kevin Hearne. He is a masterful world builder. The amount of lore he weaves into his world, is a key indicator of his exceptional writing style.

He effortlessly went from his last installment which landed Atticus heavy with the Norse, to this story which had him Ass-Deep into trouble with the Dine (Navajo) Gods.

As in the previous three books, Oberon is mega charming and one of the most shining beacons in the story. If this story doesn't make you 1. want to buy an Irish Wolfhound or 2. fall in love with a fictional hound dog, you have no soul.
Coyote is one of my favorite characters in IDC world. He's neither a good or bad character. He's just Coyote. Which If you've read any Native American stories about Coyote, you'll understand that Trickster gods are always to be watched out for and never to be trusted.

The Norse is still a problem and Atticus is coming to realize that for all his 2,000 years in this world, he doesn't always make the best decisions. There is also a resolution of sorts with the local resident vampire.

I was very happy with this book. I felt like he wrapped up a few loose ends and opened the book up for the fifth installment. Again, I always recommend this series. It's smartly written, it's fun and it's worth the read.

I give it an A++

I am super excited y'all. If all goes right we will be heading to Nashville to meet Mr. Kevin Hearne on June 9th at his book signing at Parnassus Books. Let's cross our fingers and hope that nothing happens to throw a wrench in those plans.

Bear meets Girl

2012-05-22T04:16:00.000-05:00

Bear meets Girl is the seventh installment of Pride series. This series is written by Shelly Laurenston. If you ever need a good laugh, this is a serious you should definitely consider picking up and adding to your library. The world is getting pretty intricate, but you still get to see most of your favorite characters from previous books. I must say I loved this side of Novikov (the previous book in the series' main character)

I really do love her world building. Maybe it's her slow talking southern wolves that hooked me long ago. I can't go on enough about the fun factor this series brings. You will find yourself laughing out loud every few pages or so.

From Laurenston's website:
"Lou Crushek is a reasonable, mellow, easygoing kind of guy—especially for a shapeshifting bear. But once someone starts killing the scumbags he works so hard to bust, that really gets under his fur. Especially when that someone is a curvy she -- tiger who's bringing his passion out of hibernation...
Marcella Malone is a member of an elite feline protection unit, and Crush is proving one major pain in her gorgeous tail. The only reason she's joined forces with him is to track down the wealthy human who's got her entire species in his ruthless sights. But there's no denying that beneath that big, burly exterior is a man who knows how to rub her in all the right ways..."

If you want a fun, light summer read; this is the book/series for you. I have turned several of my friends into major Laurenston fans. Maybe you'll pick up her books as well. I love hearing from new converts. This book has lots of laughs, a good dose of smex and even more layering/world building into the Pride universe.

If you'd like to pick it up, or some of the others in the series check out your local books store of Amazon.com.

My long overdue post about Tricked

2012-05-17T08:10:00.002-05:00

I waited and waited for months on the 4th Iron Druid book from Kevin Hearne and I was at the bookstore to pick up my held copy as soon as they opened on release day. Of course I read right through that day, but I have been in such a run around with work and life and all that stuff that I'm just now getting around to sharing my thoughts...Sorry!

I loved the book, no surprise there. I love the entire universe that Hearne has created. His portrayal of all the different theologies is so appealing to me and the research that he must do to create all these stories must be painstaking.
With Tricked, he brings in more Native American mythology and its all interesting and makes a great tale. This book like his others are chock full of great humor, especially in the form of zingers from Oberon.
There's a lot going on in this book, but it only progresses the continuing story a bit. So, I'm really looking forward to seeing what is going to happen next, I'm just glad that I don't have to wait a year.

Overall, I loved the book, the story is fun, full of interesting details, extremely humorous and at time wildly and delightfully violent. I definitely mark it a must read.

One more day!

2012-04-23T06:24:00.001-05:00

So, the book I've been waiting for the most here lately comes out tomorrow. I'll be at bookstore waiting on them to open the doors first thing.
Kevin Hearne's latest installation in his Iron Druid Chronicles will hit the shelfs on April 24th. Tricked is the 4th book of the series about a really old and really cool druid and his dog and his adventures. Hearne does a great job of keeping the story quick and entertaining. His wit is fresh and fun and the way he writes the characters is just damn entertaining. I recommend picking up the entire series if you haven't read them yet.

EEEk I've been bad

2012-04-13T22:10:00.000-05:00

I've read a couple review worthy books and I'll have their reviews up shortly. I've been pacing frantically waiting for Kevin Hearne's latest and greatest to come out.

There are tons of books coming out this month and last. I need a fairy to come give me either a bn, amazon or itunes gift card so i can get my read on!

but for you viewing pleasure is a small excerpt from my book....

enjoy..

“What the eff, James? What the eff?”

“Damn it Callie Anne. Learn to cuss like an adult.” He spit out a mouthful of blood on the old wood floors. He cradled his jaw in his hand. “You sure as hell hit like one.”

“oh you flatterer.” I stormed out of the room and into the kitchen. I yanked open the freezer and grabbed a bag of frozen peas. I threw them at his face as he entered the kitchen.

“Thanks.”

“Blah, blah. Let’s get back to the part where you’ve been lying to me our whole damn lives.”

“Not lying. I can’t tell people outside of the family.”

“Well you just told me.”

“Well you’re family.”

“haven’t I always been family?”

“Yes” He sighed.

“Then why did you wait until now to tell me? Hell I’ve been seeing spooky shit my whole life and it never occurred to you, that I might like to know that you’re like me?”

“I’m not like you. We don’t really know what you’re like. But I didn’t tell you because of Molls. She’s not like either of us.”

“Still shitty of you. See, I can cuss like an adult.” I said, hands on hips.

Kiss Me I'm Irish Read Along: Ch 21-25 + Epilogue

2012-03-30T07:48:00.000-05:00

I have really enjoyed this read along. I will absolutely do more in the future. It's been fun seeing others blogs and reading their opinions on the book. I'm sort of sad that this is the final week. Well here goes the final section.

Questions for Chapters 21-25 + epilogue

1. In a moment of anger, Atticus reveals something about himself that he usually keeps very secret, for his own benefit. Has something similar ever happened to you? Have you ever spilled a closely guarded secret in a moment of excitement or anger or absent-mindedness?

When someone entrusts me with information, my lips are sealed. I'll take it to the grave. I can't think of a single time I've spilled a big secret. These lips are sealed!

2. Atticus tells Mrs. MacDonagh, "the universe is exactly the size that your soul can encompass. Some people live in extremely small worlds, and some live in a world of infinite possibility." Then he asks her what she is going to do with the new information she has discovered. What would you do if you found out that other beings were among us? Would you deny it or embrace it?

I would embrace it whole-heartedly. I think the world is full of wondrous things and why deny a few more ingredients.

3. So far, Atticus has revealed a few of his powers and has even shared some power by putting bindings on Granuaile. What do you think has been his coolest or most helpful power so far?

I know it is probably one of his tamer powers, but I love his ability to talk with Oberon. Oberon is great and has his back. I think his ability to interact with Oberon is one of the most fulfilling powers I've encountered in fiction.

4. Atticus gets pretty pissed when he finds out that Aenghus Óg is drawing power from the Earth and, in turn, killing it. That's when Atticus decides he must fight the old Fae for committing such a heinous offense. What is something you would fight for, even if it meant you might die trying?

The safety of my family and our freedom to live our life the way we want.

5. What did you think of the final showdown between Atticus and Aenghus Óg? Did it go down the way you expected? Was there anything about their battle that surprised you?

I was surprised with the hell spawn. But I was super excited when he got brought down the Hell instead of the Morrigan coming for him.

6. What was your favorite/least favorite part of Hounded? Who was your favorite/least favorite character?

This sounds like such a cop out, but I do not have a least favorite part of Hounded. I loved the whole book and wouldn't change a thing. With that said, I don't really have a least favorite character. I mean you totally have to hate the witches, but they had to be there. Plus I loved how terrible he made them.

7. What do you think is coming up next for Atticus? Will you continue reading this series, and if so, what do you hope to see happen in the next book?

EEEEK! I've already read the next books. For anyone debating whether or not to do so, I say DO IT!! They are wonderful.

Read-alongers: If you have CAPTCHA on your blog, please consider turning it off (even for the day). With the new CAPTCHA system on Blogger, it is even more difficult and annoying to comment, especially if someone is trying to comment from a phone or tablet. Truth is, many commentors now skip over blogs with CAPTCHA. To keep commenting simple and fun for everyone, please turn CAPTCHA off. If you need insturctions on how to turn CAPTCHA off, visit this post: CAPTCHA: How to Eradicate Evil.

Hounded Discussion Schedule:

March 02nd: Chapters 1-5 hosted by Geeky Blogger's Book Blog
March 09th: Chapters 6-10 hosted by On a Book Bender
March 16th: Chapters 11-15 hosted by Smash Attack Reads!
March 23rd: Chapters 16-20 hosted by In the Closet With a Bibliophile
March 30th: Chapters 21-25 + epilogue hosted by The Unread Reader
April 06th: Special interview with Kevin Hearne & announcement of winners!

What you could win:

Everyone who signs up for the read-along and participates each week will be entered for a chance to win one of three prizes. Best part: there will one winner per prize! The first name drawn will get first choice and so on. Wondering what's up for grabs? A Third Eye Tote Bag, a Sausage Fest Pint Glass, and a personalized, signed copy of any book in the Iron Druid Chronicles.

International participants: The giveaway is open to you as well (as long as The Book Depository delivers to your country), though the prize is limited to any book in the Iron Druid Chronicles (not signed).

Grab a button:

Kiss Me I'm Irish Read Along: Ch 16-20

2012-03-23T23:05:00.000-05:00

Over at http://intheclosetbibliophile.blogspot.com/, is the continuation of our Iron Druid Chronicle Read Along. You should really go check this out, Love the series, love the author. Just all around fun!

Here we go....

1. Just after Atticus is shot, Oberon has to "ninja" his way out of the shop and into Hal's Beamer (with the icky air freshener). Have you ever been in a situation where you had to "ninja" your way out and try not to be discovered? If so, what happened?

Yes! One time I was at a music festival with my best friend. She had recently broken up with a guy and we were waxing poetic about his downfalls when BAM we see him across the street. We ducked really low and tried to hide behind a group of people. We were trying "become one" with the group all stealthy ninja like. FAILURE! He saw us. We were forced to eat our words and be nice to him. He was like a little lost puppy and he then continued to follow us from stage to stage, playing tag a long.

2. Atticus's main goal through a large portion of the book is not only protecting Oberon, but also protecting the sword. You are now living in a paranormal world and you need a weapon! What weapon do you choose and what can it do?

I choose a bow and a quiver full of infinity iron and silver tipped arrows. I.E. it's always magically full. I honestly, would rather fight from far away and just take people out that way. Plus the arrows could turn into flaming arrows when needed. So I could set things on fire, for whatever reason necessary.

3. To recharge and heal after being shot, Atticus sleeps naked, tattoos to the earth, in a patch of grass near the Civic Center in downtown Scottsdale. Where is the weirdest place you have ever slept?

TIE: It is either on a parking deck roof or in an elevator.
My mom passed away when I was in high school. I spent ALOT fo time in the hospital. A few times I had friends stay the night with me. Well being typical teenagers we had to keep ourselves entertained. One night we went up on the roof of the parking deck and played cards all night. We had brought blankets to keep warm, so we just decided to stretch out and sleep. On another night, around the same time. We decided to hang out in one of the elevators and ride it up and down all night. Eventually we just fell asleep between 2-5 when no one was using the elevator.

4. We finally find out some very interesting information about Granuaile and I don't know about you, but I certainly wasn't expecting to find that she's sharing her head with someone else. What about you, did you expect anything along those lines? If not, what were you expecting concerning Granuaile?

I sort of thought Granuaile was going to be a Goddess or some other supernatural creature. I was not expecting her to be sharing his skull with a very old witch.

5. Laksha is a witch, a truly evil one at that for many of the things she's done in the past. However, she's supposedly seen the error of her ways. Do you think she really has? Would you be willing to trust her? Do you think Atticus is smart to have decided to trust her to help him with the "other" witches?

I think for Laksha, you can trust her as far as you can throw her. She would be a great ally to have, and I would want to be on her good side. However, I wouldn't trust her more than I absolutely had to. Your actions speak louder than your words. She would have to prove to me that she deserved my trust.

The Hunger Games :Movie Review

2012-03-23T22:47:00.000-05:00

Here are a few highlights:

1. The movie stayed true to the book.

2. It got a bigger emotional response from me, than probably any other movie. I full on boo hoo'd during several parts.

3. the imagery was beautiful.

4. Jennifer Lawrence was fantastic. That is how you play somewhat aloof, but full of emotion/passion at the same time. You could always see a myriad of emotions just brewing underneath.

5. Lenny Kravitz as Cinna was spectacular. He was the embodiment of Cinna. Such a cool combination of understanding and compassion.

6. The soundtrack was spectacular.

Go see it, bring tissues.

Grade: A

Kiss Me I'm Irish Read Along: Week 3

2012-03-16T12:47:00.001-05:00

1. I love Leif Helgarson, Viking Vampire, Esq. I have to say that combo makes a pretty cool attorney. If you could have a paranormal/mythical beastie (or combo) covering your tuckus in court, what would you choose and why?

I would definitely go with a vampire. He could charm the jury if need be, making them find me Not Guilty!

2. The police show up to question Atticus about his Irish Wolfhound, Oberon. If you could own any dog breed, what would it be and why? (P.S. Oberon is going on my list of favorite sidekicks!)

I love oberon and an Irish wolfhound is definitely high up on the list, but I have such a soft spot for Basset Hounds!

3. Malina Sokolowski and the other Sisters of the Three Auroras coven have my antennae up. What is your opinion of them?

I do not trust them at all. In my eyes, they would screw over Atticus if it served them, or even if it didn't, just to prove that they could. They're sort of scary.

4. Brighid, goddess of poetry, fire and the forge, gave Atticus the power of Cold Iron, which can be used to fight off that nasty lilttle hellspawn. If you could wield one magical power, what would it be and why?

I think I would want to be able to teleport. It could be offensive or defensive. If you're stuck in a no win situation, you just leave. If you need to sneak up on someone, well you're never in one place too long.

5. The cops show up at Atticus’ shop to search for poor Oberon, who remains magically hidden throughout the ordeal. What is the one thing you would do if you could remain hidden from sight? I want to hear some good answers for this one!

I would spy on people all the time. I would go to big governmental meetings and see what's really going on. I would go to big sports teams and see who's really going to snag Peyton Manning!