Cover Reveal and Synopsis: "Up From the Grave" by Jeaniene Frost

There’s always one more grave to dig.

Lately, life has been unnaturally calm for vampires Cat Crawfield and her husband Bones.  They should have known better than to relax their guard, because a shocking revelation sends them back into action to stop an all-out war…

A rogue CIA agent is involved in horrifying secret activities that threaten to raise tensions between humans and the undead to dangerous heights.  Now Cat and Bones are in a race against time to save their friends from a fate worse than death…because the more secrets they unravel, the deadlier the consequences.  And if they fail, their lives—and those of everyone they hold dear— will be hovering on the edge of the grave.


The 7th book in the Night Huntress series, Up From the Grave, is expected to be released January 28th, 2014.  It's a long way off and I'm so anxious for more Cat and Bones... especially after this tease.

Review: "Iced" by Karen Moning

The year is 1 AWC - After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules - and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.

Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux. 

When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks - and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.

Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin before everything and everyone in it gets iced.
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     "Iced," originally said to be a spin-off of The Fever Series, is actually book 6 in the series.  It takes place right before the ending of Shadow Fever, book 5 in the series.  While the original 5 books were from Mac's point of view, this one is from Dani O'Malley's.  We also get a few small parts from Christian and Kat's point of view as well.  

     There has been some controversy about so much sexual tension and potential love interests fawning over Dani, since she is only 14 at this point, from people that feel that this is a Young Adult book due to her age.  Those of us that have read the first 5 books know that this is definitely an adult series and I believe most of us have no problem with this falling into the same class.  Yes, it would be nice if  Dani could have grown up a little before this book, but nothing happens with her that is inappropriate.  We also have to remember that she's not your typical 14 year old.  She's been basically living on her own for a long time now and has lived through so many life changing experiences that she feels much older than that... even her dialect has changed in this book.  She's definitely growing up.  Karen Moning said that by the end of Dani's storyline she will be 17 so that should open her, hopefully, for a love interest by then.  In the meantime, she's got 3 very protective men looking out for her.  Not a bad thing to have when the world is falling down around you and seems to get worse by the day.

     I was very anxious to see where things were headed with Christian.  When we left off last he had some big changes happening to him and I'm so glad we got lots more of him in this book.  He was an interesting side character in the Fever Series and it's great that he's a main character in this one.  Aside from Dani and him, we also have Dancer and Ryodan playing the other main roles.  Ryodan, one of Barron's nine mysterious men, is just as badass as he was.  The only differences are summed up with these quotes:

“Barrons breaks heads. Ryodan turns them inside out. Barrons f*cks you up. Ryodan makes you f*ck yourself up. He pushes buttons to his own private, coolly sociopathic plan.”

"I know your taste now, kid. I know your scent like I know my own. You will never pass me again without me knowing it's you."

“I’m stronger than you, faster than you, and lack the human emotions that drive you. That makes me your worst nightmare.”

     Dani feels safe and protected despite how utterly scary Ryodan can be.  She knows that he's one of the few people that could actually harm her but knows he never would.  Then there's Dancer, her 17 year old lifetime friend and confidant.  They always have each others back and he's the only one that she feels truly comfortable with.  It's completely platonic for her but I get the feeling Dancer may see things a little differently.   One of the big questions is why Dani seems to be drawing all these men to her.  Is it just her uniqueness or did the Grey Woman give her a little something extra?  

     As much as I love my Mac and Barrons, it was nice to get inside the heads of some of the side characters.  It added a lot more depth, if that's possible, to the series.  I'm really intrigued with Dancer, since there definitely seems like there's more than meets the eye with him.  Of course Ryodan is the Barrons of this book so I can't help but love him as well.  He's like Barrons in so many ways but a little less animal than him.   One of the other nine, Lor, adds a little relief throughout the story.  He definitely does not take life as seriously as Barrons and Ryodan do.  He's able to crack a few jokes, stir up a little trouble just for the heck of it and was just lighter overall.  I suspect that we'll see Dani end up with Dancer when all is said and done due to the close bond they share.  In the meantime, I think we'll probably get the Mac-V'lane-Barrons triangle bumped up a notch.  Dani has 3 guys interested in her and I think she has feelings for all 3 in one way or another.  It should be interesting.

I was worried that I wouldn't like this book nearly as much as the others because I was never a fan of Dani and of course it's not about Barrons.  I had faith in Karen Moning that she wouldn't disappoint and she certainly did not.  This lived up to all the other books in the series, which is a huge statement.  If you haven't read The Fever Series, I highly recommend you do.  This is by far my favorite urban fantasy series out there.  The only way to describe this series, is Epic!  Karen Moning has created such an amazing world full of well developed characters and I can't wait for the next in the series.  She plans to do books 6-8 from Dani's point of view and then go back to Mac and Barrons for books 9 and 10.  The only thing I was hoping to get out of this book that I didn't was more Mac and Barrons.  I thought maybe we would get a little about what is currently going on with them.  Hopefully we will in the next book.

     I know a book was amazing when it ruins me for all other books.  You can't come off of a book like this and not be disappointed by the next read.  Very rarely do I take time off from reading but I may need a day or two to cleanse my pallet after this one.  Karen Moning proves time and time again that she is, without a doubt, the Queen of Urban Fantasy!

October Releases

Here are some of the most popular fantasy/paranormal romance books due 

to be released in October.  Click on the titles for more information.

Week #1:

"Phantom Shadows" by Dianne Dovall  (Immortal Guardians #3) 

"Savage Hunger" by Terry Spear  

"Shadowborn" by Jocelyn Adams  (Lila Gray #2)

"Dark Currents" by Jacqueline Carey  (Agent of Hel #1)

"Dark Storm" by by Christine Feehan  (Carpathian #23)

"Daughter of the Sword" by Steve Bein  (Fated Blades #1)

"Death's Rival" by Faith Hunter  (Jane Yellowrock #5)

"Edge of Oblivion" by J.T. Geissinger  (Night Prowler #2)

"Ember's Kiss" by Deborah Cook  (Dragonfire #8)

"Fury's Kiss" by Karen Chance  (Midnight Daughter #3)

"Ghosts of Memories" by Barb Hendee  (Vampire Memories #5)

"Mate Claimed" by Jennifer Ashley  (Shifters Unbound #4)

"Revelation" by Erica Hayes  (Seven Signs #1)

"The Mysterious Madam Morpho" by Delilah Dawson  (Blud #1.5)

"Three Parts Dead" by Max Gladstone

"Werewolf in Denver" by Vicki Lewis Thompson  (Wild About You #4)

"Wicked Whispers" by Nina Bangs  (Castle of Dark Dreams #6)

"Poison Princess" by Kresley Cole  (The Arcana Chronicles #1)

"Death and The Girl Next Door" by Darynda Jones  (Darklight #1)

Also, a contemporary romance that I must mention... 

"Reflected In You" by Sylvia Day  (Crossfire Novel #2)

Week #2:

"Into the Woods: Tales from the Hallows and Beyond" by Kim Harrison

"Absolution" by Susannah Sandlin  (Penton Legacy #2)

"Ghost Town" by Jason Hawes

"Romeo Redeemed" by Stacey Jay  (Juliet Immortal #2)

"Velveteen" by Daniel Marks  (Velveteen #1)

Week #3:

"Angel's Ink" by Jocelyn Drake  (The Asylum Tales #1)

"Kissed by a Vampire" by Caridad Pineiro

"Tangled Web" by Christa McHugh  (Diezian Empire)

Week #4:

"Blood by Moonlight" by Jocelynn Drake, Terri Garey, Caris Roane

"After Moonrise (Possessed/Haunted)" by P.C. Cast/Gena Showalter

"Destiny Rising" by L.J. Smith  (The Vampire Diaries: The Hunters #3)

"The Lost Prince" by Julie Kagawa  (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten)

Week #5:

"A Trace of Moonlight" by Allison Pang  (Abby Sinclair #3)

"Black Lament" by Christina Henry  (Black Wings #4)

"Dark Nights" by Christine Feehan  (Dark #7)

"Desperately Seeking Shapeshifter" by Jessica Sims  (Midnight Liaisons #2)

"Dream Unchained" by Kate Douglas

"Forbidden" by Jacquelyn Frank  (World of Nightwalkers #1)

"Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet" by Darynda Jones  (Charley Davidson #4)

"Iced: A Dani O'Malley Novel" by Karen Marie Moning  (Fever World #1/ Fever Series #6)

"Midnight's Seduction" by Donna Grant  (Dark Warriors #3)

"Out for Blood" by Kristen Painter  (House of Comarre #4)

"Shadow Rising" by Yasmine Galenorn  (Otherworld Novel)

"The Shattered Dark" by Sandy Williams  (Shadow Reader /McKenzie Lewis #2)

"To Hell and Back" by Juliana Stone"  (League of Guardians #1.5)

Giveaway and Review: "Alice in Zombieland" by Gena Showalter

Synopsis:

She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave.  Forever. Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone. 

Her father was right. The monsters are real…. 

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….
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     Let me start off by saying that I am not normally a fan of zombie books.  I have had no interest in any zombie related books, movies or TV shows.  However, for Gena Showalter, I was willing to try anything.  She always blows me away with her amazing stories and characters and I new I would just have to give this one a try.  As usual Gena, you have blown me away!

     Alice is a strong protagonist through the whole book but certainly gains confidence throughout the story.  She's thrown into a life of zombies that she never believed existed.  Like most of my favorite heroines, she's got that snarky attitude that I love.  With the help of Cole, the leader of the zombie slayers, Alice must navigate her way through this new world.  What can say about Cole?  Yum!  I am used to reading Gena Showalter's adult series, Lords of the Underworld, and wondered how she would do in this new YA series.  Of course Gena managed to make Cole hot, without anything too steamy going on.  Everyone at school is afraid of Cole.  He's all tough muscle with a take no prisoners attitude (and yes, there's more than one meaning to that statement as you'll soon see).  I loved learning Cole's background and finding out why he is the way he is.  There's always a softer side to these tough guys.  He's also so loyal and devoted to his crew and Alice that you just have to overlook his bad side.  There's definitely something brewing between these two and it's not just romance.  I'm anxious to get some more answers about this, hopefully in the second book.  The zombies are not your typical zombies.  Oh they're dead, but that's about all that's the same. Unfortunately I can't really say anything more than that without giving anything away but Gena has definitely created a unique take on the zombies and how they behave.  This story has me thoroughly hooked!  I can't wait for the next book.  

     Gena Showalter has created a unique, captivating world of zombies, slayers and more that will have you flying through this book.  It's full of action, mystery, romance, a little humor as well as some real life drama that everyone can related to.  Gena is a master at making me stay up way too late reading.  This was certainly one I didn't want to put down.   "Alice in Zombieland" is definitely a must read!  

"Alice in Zombieland" will be released September 25th, 2012.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

"Fever Moon" by Karen Marie Moning

An all-new Mac & Barrons story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning, adapted into a full-color graphic novel by writer David Lawrence and illustrator Al Rio.

Amazon synopsis:
In Fever Moon, we meet the most ancient and deadly Unseelie ever created, the Fear Dorcha. For eons, he’s traveled worlds with the Unseelie king, leaving behind him a path of mutilation and destruction. Now he’s hunting Dublin, and no one Mac loves is safe.

Dublin is a war zone. The walls between humans and Fae are down. A third of the world’s population is dead and chaos reigns. Imprisoned over half a million years ago, the Unseelie are free and each one Mac meets is worse than the last. Human weapons don’t stand a chance against them.

With a blood moon hanging low over the city, something dark and sinister begins to hunt the streets of Temple Bar, choosing its victims by targeting those closest to Mac. Armed only with the Spear of Destiny and Jericho Barrons, she must face her most terrifying enemy yet.
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Unfortunately even Jericho Barrons could not turn me into a graphic novel fan.  While I enjoyed getting a few more glimpses at Barron and Mac's world, it is mostly a recap of what happened in the Fever Series to this point.  Probably one of the reasons I don't enjoy this is that, while the illustrations are good, they are not what's in my head already of the characters and their world.  So that being said, I'm not going to write a full review but just wanted to give my two cents.

Excerpt from "Iced" by Karen Moning

This is my favorite excerpt so far from "Iced." Anyone who knows me will know exactly why... it mentions one of my favorite book guys, Barrons! 






Ryodan doesn’t like Mac. He never has. She got between him and his best boy-bud. I give him a look. “I’ll tell you a secret, Ryodan. You mess with her, Barrons’ll kill you.” I drag a finger across my neck. “Just like that. You aren’t all that. Barrons’ll stomp your ass, hand’s down.”


He smiles faintly. “I’ll be damned. You have a crush on Barrons.”


“I do not have a crush—“


“You do, too. It’s all over your face. Anybody could see it.”


“Sometimes, boss, you’re just wrong.”


“I’m never wrong. You might as well take out a billboard. ‘Dani O’Malley thinks Jericho Barrons is hot.’ My offer to teach you is still open. Save you from future embarrassment. If I can see it on your face, he can, too. ”


“He never figured it out before,” I grumble then realize I just admitted it. Ryodan has a tricky way of wording things that makes you say things you didn’t mean to say. “Maybe I’ll ask Barrons to teach me,” I mutter and turn away from the stairs, heading for his office. I run smack into his chest. “Dude, move. Trying to get somewhere here.”


“No one but me is ever going to teach you, Dani.” 


He touches me before I see it coming, has his hand under my chin, turning my face up. My shiver is instant and uncontrollable.


“That’s non-negotiable. You signed a contract with me that grants exclusivity. You won’t like it if you try to break it.

"Iced" synopsis and pre-order info

Iced by Karen Moning is now available on Amazon for pre-order!  This is the first book in the The Fever Series spin-off, The Dani O'Malley Novels (trilogy).  It's due to be released October 30th, 2012.  It is one of my most anticipated novels of the year.  I'm a huge fan of Karen Moning's Fever Series and can't wait to see where she takes things with Mac's side-kick Dani and more importantly find out more about Ryodan and his "men".
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The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.

Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux. 

When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks—and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.

Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin—before everything and everyone in it gets iced.

Review: "Chasing Magic" by Stacia Kane

***Minor spoilers if you have not read the series up to this point***


Magic-wielding Churchwitch and secret addict Chess Putnam knows better than anyone just how high a price people are willing to pay for a chemical rush. But when someone with money to burn and a penchant for black magic starts tampering with Downside’s drug supply, Chess realizes that the unlucky customers are paying with their souls—and taking the innocent with them, as the magic-infused speed compels them to kill in the most gruesome ways possible.


As if the streets weren’t scary enough, the looming war between the two men in her life explodes, taking even more casualties and putting Chess squarely in the middle. Downside could become a literal ghost town if Chess doesn’t find a way to stop both the war and the dark wave of death-magic, and the only way to do that is to use both her addiction and her power to enter the spell and chase the magic all the way back to its malevolent source. Too bad that doing so will probably kill Chess—if the war doesn’t first destroy the man who’s become her reason for living.

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     I love each book in this series more than the last one.  Stacia Kane has outdone herself as usual with Chasing Magic.  Chess and Terrible have certainly not had an easy road and this book is no exception.  They both have such a troubled past and that coupled with all of their current job and relationship woes are making it hard to get that happily ever after that we're all hoping for.  At least they start out in a much better place at the beginning of the book than they have been in through-out the series.  Lex is his usual self and is trying to cause more issues between Chess and Terrible.  In previous books I at least thought Lex's heart was in the right place but I seriously dislike him now!  As is typical with most of the books in this series, Stacia Kane has proceeded to attempt to rip my heart out, especially in one particular scene.  You do see a big change in Chess and how far she has grown however.  Terrible's love and understanding has really come along leaps and bounds over the past couple of books.

" Warmth spread through her chest and up to her face, warmth that had nothing to do with pills or booze or anything else.  It was trust heating her up from the inside, making her feel like a real live person."

     I felt like this one was a little different as Chess is not working on a church case but instead on the all important drug supply in the area.  She's also, finally, trying to balance her drug addiction a little.  Knowing that she wants to live for Terrible is helping her to be a little less self-destructive.  Chess seems to be really trying to keep the drug use to just what is "necessary."  Terrible has not, so far, asked her to stop so hopefully she will come to the conclusion on her own that she needs to.  One of my favorite things in Chasing Magic is that it focuses a lot more on Chess and Terrible's relationship.

     Terrible shows his vulnerable side more than once.  This is huge for someone who is used to showing no emotion in his job as an enforcer.  Since he has done little else with his life, I wondered if he would ever be able to get there with Chess.  After Chess's horrible betrayal I almost could have forgiven Terrible for giving up on her.  Although, then we might not have gotten one particularly steamy scene in this book.

      If you haven't started this series yet, get on it!  If you like dark, edgy, urban fantasy with a side of tortured romance this is the series for you.  Stacia Kane has an incredible ability to convey fantasy in such a way that I have a vivid mental image of everything in Downside including the characters in a way that many authors strive to accomplish I'm sure.  I know it's makes the series that much more intense for me.

The latest installment in the Downside Ghosts (Chess Putnam) series, Chasing Magic, will be released June 26th, 2012.  Need a little Downside fix while waiting?  The prequel, Finding Magic, just came out June 4th and is available on Amazon right now for only $.99!  If you haven't started this series yet you can check out my review of the first book Unholy Ghosts.

Pre-order "Finding Magic"

Finding Magic is available to pre-order on Amazon now!  It will be released June 4th, 2012.  As a huge fan of Stacia Kane's Downside Ghost series, I can't wait to get a look at how Chess's early days with the Church were.  It also includes a special preview of the upcoming book, Chasing Magic... which by the way was amazing!  I will post a review of Chasing Magic closer to the release date but I will say that it was right on par with the last 2 books, which were my favorite ones of the series so far.

When eighteen-year-old Chess Putnam is offered the chance to train with a special team of investigators known as the Black Squad, she feels torn. She’s never been a team player and hates how one male Inquisitor condescends to “the new kid.” But at her first bloody crime scene, she gets a taste for investigation—and is hooked on the high. Though the seasoned Inquisitors consider the series of ghost murders random events, Chess starts to detect a pattern. Is a psycho killer summoning ghosts from the City of Eternity and using them as murder weapons? As Chess gets closer to the dark truth, she puts herself in grave danger and risks losing everything she’s fought so hard for.  Pre-order Now!