TAGGED!

Devon tagged me with this meme...

1. Total number of books I own:
Coincidentally, I just bought a dozen large underbed storage containers, stackable and with wheels, to try and get my books organized. Right now, books are stashed all over the house. I might even weed a few out for the first time EVER. More than likely it will be some of the tamer historicals from before I discovered spice. But I HAVE just GOT to get organized. I think I'm up to a THIRD set (fourth for some) of LKH books because it's easier to buy more from ebay than try to track them down when I'm craving a re-read.

But right now I'll have to guesstimate that print books are well over four digits, plus a few hundred ebooks, and about three dozen audio books.

2. Last Book I bought:
Well, I just hit Walden's then Border's then K-Mart to pick up the 08/28 releases. But the absolute last one for that trip was Immortals: The Gathering by Jennifer Ashley

3. Last Book I read:
(Gwen's gonna laugh her ass off at this) Lucinda, Darkly by Sunny

4. Five books that mean a lot to me: (in no significant order)

1. Stories for Late at Night - anthology edited by Alfred Hitchcock. I'd always loved scary movies. This book showed me that I loved dark and macabre BOOKS even more. I "accidently" forgot to return this to my junior high library. Years later, I loaned it to my oldest niece, LissaNY, who "accidently" never gave it back to me and lost track of it. And, yes, oddly enough, I do still acknowledge her.

2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - the first book that was truly emotional for me. I remember crying inconsolably at Beth's death scene. Walter Farley's Black Stallion books are a close second because of the sense of power and movement they invoked.

3. Black Lace Publishing and Red Sage Publishing. Okay, technically, not a book, but they are responsible for my first experiences with Erotic Romance and the beginning of my spice addiction. Black Lace gave me Menage by Emma Holly (and, IIRC, my 1st M/M), A Gentleman's Wager by Madelynne Ellis, Continuum by Portia Da Costa, and so very many more. The Secrets anthologies from Red Sage introduced me to Erotic Paranormals through authors like Angela Knight and MaryJanice Davidson.

4. Romantic Times Magazine and Ellora's Cave Publishing. Again, not technically books, but reading RT's reviews for EC's Romantica compelled me to buy my first PDA just so I could read the ebooks RT recommended. I think my first purchases were by Jaid Black and Lora Leigh. To this day, if someone says they are new to ebooks and asks where to start, I ALWAYS recommend Lora's Breeds series and I've yet to find ANYONE that didn't end up devouring each and every story.

5. Laurell K. Hamilton's Merry Gentry and Anita Blake series. If you've been reading this blog, then you already know I'm a vamp victim in The Harlequin, so that's a "gimme". However, Narcissus in Chains and Blue Moon remain my all time favorites in the AB series. The characters are so real that, when I turn the last page of a book, I shout (in my head, of course), "NO! WAIT! I'm not ready to leave them yet!" It takes me awhile to wrap my head around the fact that I can't just go to St. Louis and catch up with these "people".

With the exception of Mistral's Kiss, which was the weakest book of the series, I believe LKH's Merry Gentry series is a modern American masterpiece. The complexity of the fantasy world building that started with Kiss of Shadows is far beyond anything else I've ever read. So far, my favorite is Seduced by Moonlight.

5. Tag 5 people:
This is the toughest part because I should probably check and make sure who has or has not already been tagged for this meme. I know I've been seeing it around for awhile. I THINK the people I've listed are tag free.

1. Sybil/Gwen/Lawson - see, I'm being nice and letting YOU choose how many to do, however, I'd REALLY like each of you to do it. You can even put your own TGTBTU spin on it

2. Mandy - because I think she's a meme virgin and it's her birthday

3. Chantal - because, except for a few, we have VERY different tastes in books

4. Ann Aguirre/Annie Dean - consider it a belated birthday present chica

5. Anyone else that thinks this is a fun and/or interesting meme. Either copy the questions to your blog and post the link here or post your answers in the comments for this post if you don't have a blog

Tuesday Trio

Since I spend so much time talking about the books that have given me such mental enjoyment, I thought I should further expand my mind through the Art of Photography. So every Tuesday I will present a trio of studies of the human anatomy.

What? Why, yes! You're absolutely right. How astutely observant you are! They DO all happen to be the study of the MALE human anatomy. And your point would be...?

The subject of this week's study will be Heterogeneity...

Damn You, Jennifer Ashley!

Or maybe I should say, "Damn you, Joy Nash!" After all, the Immortals series (see previous commentary) was Jennifer's brainchild, but it is book 3, Immortals: The Awakening by Joy Nash that rocked my world and whipped me into a frenzy to go on a quest to find book 4, Immortals: The Gathering by Jennifer Ashley. It was released today and I HAD to read it ASAP, so off to Walden's I went. Couldn't find it. They looked it up and they didn't get any in. They also didn't get Susan Sizemore's Primal Desires which released today. Weird. Of course I went ahead and bought the other books that came out today, cause I obviously wouldn't have anything to read if I didn't. *rolls eyes and looks at Soon To Be Savored list* So I stopped at Border's. Not there either. They looked them up and their computer shows "in-transit". They even checked the back room.

By now, I'm irritated and disappointed. The only reason I made a point to book shop today was so I could get that Immortals book, dammit! So, as a last ditch, what-do-I-have-to-lose effort, I ran into K-Mart. And there, in the disorganized jumble that is the K-Mart book department, was my Holy Grail--- Immortals: The Gathering.

BTW, if you are heading to Walden's or Border's, be sure to google "Border's coupons" before you go. I found FIVE DIFFERENT 25% off coupons (check the codes to make sure they are different if you are using them all at the same time/same place), a 20% off, and a 15% off. It is VERY unusual to find that many different ones valid at the same time, so take advantage of them!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I'm enjoying the silence in the house with all the kids away at school. Only problem is, I took a three hour nap yesterday afternoon. Then by 9 AM today, I was on the couch taking a 2-1/2 hour nap. I have NO clue why I'm so damn tired lately. Usually, I can barely sleep 6 hours. Maybe it's catching up with me. The big problem is that I need to be doing EOM work so this sleeping shit is cutting into my online playtime and reading time.

And, I just realized it's Tuesday. Which means I should have posted a Tuesday Trio. Geesh, I must be more tired than I thought. BRB.

Shouldn't I Be Jumping for Joy?

Well, we just got back from dropping my oldest baby girl off at the airport. Four months in Rome. I feel like the umbilical cord just got hacked with an axe. Yes, I'm excited for her. Yes, I'm proud of her. Now, if I can just stop bawling every time I think about how far away my JuJu Beeno will be.

And to make matters worse, on the way home from our trek to the airport, our 11 year old son's voice decided to start changing. Oh, all the signs were there. He's changed so much, so fast this summer. I barely recognize him when I LOOK at him, now I can't recognize him when I HEAR him. Where'd our baby Al-Monster go?

*sigh*

This day has been way too emotional for this Mom.

Hunting the Demon by Jaci Burton

Jaci Burton - Demon Hunter series

.....

1. Surviving Demon Island - Derek and Gina - see previous commentary
2. Hunting the Demon - Nic and Shay - release date 08/28/07

Category: Peanut M&Ms - mmmm...devour... sigh... then reach for the next one. My daily dose of Insanity-B-Gone. Most books I read fall in this category. (A-,B+,B)
Flame Height: 6.5” out of 9”

WARNING: THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE… I MEAN IT. I really want you to read Surviving Demon Island because I enjoyed the hell out of it. So, if you even THINK you still MIGHT want to read it, STOP NOW. DO NOT READ THIS COMMENTARY OR ANY REVIEWS FOR HUNTING THE DEMON. Seriously, Hunting the Demon’s story is built around the surprise twist at the end of Surviving Demon Island so any commentaries or reviews WILL contain SDI spoilers.

Now, having bellowed all those warnings, I’m going to sound completely schizo when I tell you that Hunting the Demon CAN be read as a stand alone. I would suggest you at least read the back cover blurb for Surviving Demon Island first so you get the gist of what that story was about (hee-hee, and when you do, you WILL want to read it). Jaci does an OUTSTANDING job of weaving prior events into HtD, so I really don’t think there would be any problems reading it first (other than spoiling the twist at the end of SDI, of course). In fact, I wish other authors were as adept at including back story as Jaci was in this book.

In Surviving Demon Island. we learned of the Realm of Light, a worldwide group that is protecting our world from demon kind- the Sons of Darkness. Most of the Demon Hunters have one thing in common- they've lost a loved one, usually a mother or sister, to the demons. These human women are used as breeders for the demons because female demons are sterile. They are forced to repeatedly give birth to demon-human hybrids who are the foot soldiers for the demon war with mankind. The most powerful members of the Sons of Darkness (Lords of the Sons of Darkness) produce half demons who appear fully human, but possess a darker side that is demon.

The Realm of Light cell we met in SDI relocated to Australia right after the events of that book. For the past couple of months, they’ve had two objectives-- locate and observe Derek’s brother, Nic, (a half demon like Derek) to determine whether his human or demon side is more dominant; and stay one step ahead of the Sons of Darkness, who are trying to locate a mysterious black diamond that will greatly increase their dark powers. Since the Australian Diavolo Diamond Mine is owned by Derek and Nic’s father, Ben, and their uncle, Bart (both powerful Lords of the Sons of Darkness), and Nic is employed by the diamond company, the Realm of Light assumes there is a connection between their two objectives.

On the surface, Nic is an easy going, laid back Player- he travels the world searching for a good time surfing and club hopping. But he’s plagued by nightmares that contain swarms of hideous creatures surrounding him.

Shay, whom we met as a Realm of Light “contestant” in SDI, has been having visions about Nic. Not only has she NOT told anyone about those visions, but she has kept her psychic abilities a secret from everyone in her life.

When it’s decided to kidnap Nic to determine once and for all which side of his nature is dominant and find out what he knows, Shay plays “bait” to lure Nic to the Realm of Light’s base of operations. Complications arise when the two experience a powerful psychic and physical connection. Will Nic learn to trust Shay and the Realm of Light enough to believe the incredible story that his father and uncle are Lords of the Sons of Darkness, that he is half demon, and that Derek is his brother? Or will Nic betray Shay and the others because he assumes they are some kind of fanatical religious group? Or, even worse, will Nic’s demon half prove strong enough to destroy them all?

Jaci Burton has written an action packed, heat filled, kick-butt Paranormal Romantic Suspense story. This is one of those rare Romances where the reader’s sympathy and empathy lie mostly with the hero. It’s Nic’s story from page one, where we find out about his recurring nightmares, through his disbelief and confusion, to the end, where we discover whether his dreams, that Shay now experiences with him, show his unavoidable destiny with the Sons of Darkness or just a possible outcome that can be changed.

That's not to say Shay isn't sympathetic, though. She may be brave enough to fight demons, but she’s afraid to live and love fully. Jaci gives us heroines who fight side by side with the men while still being 100% female. And I have to tell you, it’s refreshing to read about women who go into battle without an argument from the men in their lives; without their significant other relenting and reluctantly giving his PERMISSION for them to fight. They fight as EQUALS. As I’ve said before, Jaci does not insult her reader’s intelligence.

Ah, but Jaci DOES give me a reason to grumble at her. She starts a secondary story between Ryder (also an SDI “contestant”) and an archeologist, Angelique, who has been hired to find the black diamond for a museum. At least that’s the story as Angie tells it. At first, I thought Jaci was giving us a “bonus” story, but n-o-o-o-o, instead the ebil tease decided to build a cliff hanging mystery around Ryder and Angie and won’t be finishing THAT story until the NEXT Demon Hunter book- The Demon's Touch! She's trying to write that one now, but Ryder just won't let her alone long enough to write it! I always suspected Ryder wasn’t going to be content taking a back seat to Derek for very long, and it looks like, with the next book, he no longer considers himself a Demon Hunter In Training (or even a FICTIONAL character). Hell, he won't even let Jaci tell him what to do anymore! Seriously, just look here and here!

Listen, the whole demon trend has already oversaturated the market as far as I’m concerned. I read glowing reviews nearly every day for yet another demon story but I’ve pretty much arrived at the point where I stop reading as soon as I read the word “demon“. However, there are a few authors who wrote about demons well ahead of the trend and, in my opinion, are doing it RIGHT (which might explain why it became a trend in the first place). The idea of demons as heroes just doesn’t work well for me. I think a lot of us have a "root for the underdog" mentality which works well when the story is about heroic humans saving mankind from the evil demons and their dark powers. The reverse however, heroic demons with powers saving demon-kind from evil humans, just doesn’t elicit the same reaction.

Jaci Burton was one of the trend SETTERS with Surviving Demon Island. I hadn’t read a story like it before, not even close, and I sang it’s praises to anyone who would listen. And now, with Hunting the Demon, the adventure continues like a Saturday afternoon movie serial… only with lots more nummy men… who find their partners in strong women… and freakin’ STEAMY erotic scenes.
Piquant Opines: RJ, LR, RT, and on her blog, Jaci has linked to the ARC winners who have blogged about Hunting the Demon

My Secret Revealed...

You know how I've mentioned my super secret ARC for a super secret project with my super secret new BFF?

Okay, here it is... the big unveiling...

Are you ready?







My new BFF, Sybil, sent me the ARC for Cheyenne McCray's Wicked Magic and asked me to be a guest reviewer over on The Good, The Bad, and the Unread!!!




Yeah, I know... that was my reaction, too! But here's the way I see it... I'm over there dropping my two cents into the comments so much, I figure Syb-- I call her Syb 'cause BFFs can do that, you know-- decided that she was either going to have to start charging me for the bandwidth or else put me to work.


And talk about performance anxiety! Holy Shit! You know, most of what I do on this blog is to amuse myself. If anyone else likes it too, well that's just icing on the cake and makes it even more fun. But, for TGTBTU, I had to behave myself (for the most part) and write a real, honest to gawd REVIEW!! With a grade and everything! EEK! Evidently, my review did NOT suck big hairy donkey balls because Sybil's got it posted over there RIGHT FREAKIN' NOW! SQUEEEEEE! I feel like I've gone legit! I've even got my very own TGTBTU identifying icon -->

Click here and give me some comment luv, okay? pleasePLEASEPLEASE! And while you're there, give Gwen some luvin' too--- she's not having a good time right now.

Oh, and just for the record, I may have given Wicked Magic a real grade over there, but over here it would have landed solidly in my M&Ms category! And I swear, Chey included a secret joke in that book for her faithful fans-- at Rt Con 2006 in Daytona, Chey was on the Erotica Panels. So, this woman who wrote the deliciously pervy Wonderland series for Ellora's Cave said that she can NOT say any of the "C" words out loud. Well, in Wicked Magic, every time someone says the demon goddess' name, Ceithlann, out loud, Rhiannan gets an excruciating headache. Since they could no longer say her name, everyone just referred to Ceithlenn as the "C" word!! Coincidence? I don't think so. At least I HOPE Chey meant to do that because I chuckled every time I read it!

Huh?

From Miss Frou Frou via Rhian...

You're The Poisonwood Bible!

by Barbara Kingsolver

Deeply rooted in a religious background, you have since become both isolated and schizophrenic. You were naively sure that your actions would help people, but of course they were resistant to your message and ultimately disaster ensued. Since you can see so many sides of the same issue, you are both wise beyond your years and tied to worthless perspectives. If you were a type of waffle, it would be Belgian.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Hmmmph! I think I've just been insulted... or maybe not... but then again...

Too Pooped to Post

Saturday, August 18, 2007

9:30 AM: soccer pictures followed by the first soccer game of the year.

12:30 PM: Off to the evil Wally World and then the mall.
Passengers: 11 year old son, 15 year old daughter, 20 year old daughter
Mission: procure all needed school supplies; renew supply of mysterious disappearing kids' socks and underwear; purchase school and gym shoes

5:30 PM: Mission accomplished

6:30 PM: plop down in recliner

6:35 PM:


11:35 PM: husband gives up trying to wake me up


Sunday, August 19th, 2007

02:13 AM: woke up long enough to drag my tired ass to bed

08:36 AM: FINALLY woke up after 14 hours! What's up with that? Normally, 6 or so hours and I'm wide awake.

1:00 PM: I took my Mom and all 4 demon spawn out to lunch so she could see the kids before they left for school.

04:00 PM: Oh shit! I just remembered I had some work that I need to finish by tomorrow morning!

6:30 PM: Oldest son leaves to go back to college. 1 down, 3 to go.

06:31 PM: Back to work. Upside? I'm now listening to part II of Raintree: Sanctuary.

11:40 PM: Oh shit! AGAIN! I just remembered that I need to write some checks for yet more miscellaneous cheerleading expenses so my 15 year old can take them to practice with her tomorrow.


Monday, August 20th, 2007

9:30 AM: Finish up work to drop off at CPA office.

11:30 AM: Swing by CPA office on way to pick up cheerleaders. As usual, I'm stuck with pick-up/drop-off car pool duty.

12:50 PM: Start sorting copious amounts of laundry which includes snipping off all those PITA price tags from the new school clothes. Realized that I'm going to have to go back out and brave the evil Wally World again- my son's gym shirts are all too small for him so I'm going to have to find him a couple of plain grey t-shirts till I can order more gym shirts from the school (they go to parochial school).

4:00 PM: FINALLY sat down to write my review of one of the super secret ARCs from my super secret BFF for my super secret project. I even took time to play a bit online.

05:30 PM: 11 year old's soccer coach calls to say his game is cancelled because of the rain and thunderstorms. Uh... that's probably a good thing since it never occurred to me to look at the schedule and notice THAT THERE WAS EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE A GAME TONIGHT! DOH!!


Tuesday, August 21, 2007

08:36 AM: Roll my ass off the couch (hubby was sucking the paint off the walls with his snoring last night); continue to tackle the Great Smokey Mountain of laundry.

10:00 AM: drop everything- it's Tuesday. That means I need to post a new Tuesday Trio. This is a PRIORITY, dammit! And I already know what this week's theme will be.

01:00 PM: GODDAMMIT! *headslap* I've got to quit googling for NEW pictures and start browsing my already ginormous Eye Candy Folders! Yep, there's the top three for this week.


Still to come:

Tuesday and Wednesday: finish all that damn laundry! Complete the first wave of the beginning-of-the-year school forms. Try to get some work done. Go to grocery store to lay in supplies for school lunches.

Wednesday night: Meet the Team Night. Since the 15 year old is a cheerleader, that means we get to go too. Support the football team and all that other Rah! Rah! Rah! bullshit. Somehow, I've become the unofficial photographer at these things. Did I mention that I am SOOOOO NOT a sports person? Really, all this stuff is EXCRUCIATING. It's MIND NUMBING. *sigh* The sacrifices we make for our kids, huh?

Thursday: The two youngest kids start school. 3 down, 1 to go.

Friday night: The first varsity football game of the season. I'm kinda hoping the monsoons continue here in Ohio.

Saturday morning: soccer game; ditto on the monsoon wishes

All weekend: get my oldest daughter packed up then take her to the airport for her semester in Rome. Join my husband in lecturing her about travel safety and calling/emailing home daily. Repeat advice at least 5 times a day.
Possible danger: my husband may decide he's not letting her get on the plane. Seriously, he's totally freaking out as the time for her to leave gets closer.


Monday August 27 2007

MY FIRST FREAKIN' DAY ALONE IN THE HOUSE SINCE EARLY MAY! WOO-TO-THE-FREAKIN-HOO! There will be no sounds. No TV, no video games, no screeching, no arguing. The cooling fan on my PC may even be too loud. No, Monday will be a day for the civilized activity of quietly reading a book.

Tuesday Trio

Since I spend so much time talking about the books that have given me such mental enjoyment, I thought I should further expand my mind through the Art of Photography. So every Tuesday I will present a trio of studies of the human anatomy.

What? Why, yes! You're absolutely right. How astutely observant you are! They DO all happen to be the study of the MALE human anatomy. And your point would be...?

The subject of this week's study will be my current number one fantasy- GENIAL HOUSE SERVANTS who live to serve my greatest needs...

I iz not ded...

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Tuesday Trio

Since I spend so much time talking about the books that have given me such mental enjoyment, I thought I should further expand my mind through the Art of Photography. So every Tuesday I will present a trio of studies of the human anatomy.

What? Why, yes! You're absolutely right. How astutely observant you are! They DO all happen to be the study of the MALE human anatomy. And your point would be...?

The subject of this week's study will be The Body as an Object of Worship...

See, Sybil? ANGELS! Even YOUR delicate sensibilities can't be offended by ANGELS can they?

Vampires? What Vampires?

Marta Acosta - Milagro de Los Santos/ Casa Dracula series
Be sure to check out Marta's great additional blog, VampireWire.


1. Happy Hour at Casa Dracula







2. Midnight Brunch





Series Category: Peanut M&Ms - mmmm...devour... sigh... then reach for the next one. My daily dose of Insanity-B-Gone. Most books fall in this category. (A-,B+,B)
Flame Height: 3" out of 9"

I mentioned before that I was having a very hard time writing a commentary for these books because I could not put them down, yet I also couldn't find an EASY explanation of WHY they were so damn good. Seriously, I was up till after 3 AM reading the first book. Then I made the mistake of bringing the second book with me on a getaway with my husband and the pages kept calling to me. When trying to figure out what I wanted to say here about these books, I'd pick them up and immediately was completely absorbed in them again.

Let's start with the basic premise of book 1, Happy Hour at Casa Dracula. From Booklist via Amazon:

"...Milagro de Los Santos is minding her own business at a book party for Sebastian, the ex-boyfriend she's not quite over, when Oswald, a mysterious, handsome stranger approaches her. The chemistry between them is potent, but after they accidentally exchange blood during a powerful kiss, Milagro finds herself feeling strange. Suddenly Sebastian becomes interested in her again, though when he tries to abduct her it's clear he's more interested in her encounter with Oswald than in rekindling their romance. She's rescued by Oswald's cousin, Gabriel, who spirits her off to the family home, where Oswald, his prickly grandmother, Edna, and his other cousin, Sam, take her in for her protection. Although they are vampires, they insist on referring to their state as a "condition," and now they're worried Milagro might also be infected. Sebastian is part of a sinister group determined to investigate the vampires, and Milagro is realizing that her passion for the seductive Oswald is conquering her feelings for Sebastian. A fun, snappy read for romantic fantasy fans. "

Now book 2, Midnight Brunch, is just as engrossing as book 1. From Fresh Fiction:

" What's a girl to do when she discovers she's the main course on the menu?
Hip, funny Milagro de los Santos thinks she's finally found love and a home at the California ranch of fabulous Oswald Grant and his urbane relatives, who have a rare genetic disorder that some call vampirism. But Milagro is bewildered when she's excluded from an ancient and mysterious midnight ceremony whose participants include Oswald's unfriendly parents, a creepy family elder, and Milagro's ex-lover, the powerful and decadent Ian Ducharme. What skeletons are the vampires keeping in their designer closets?
When Milagro's life is threatened by a rogue family member, she flees to the desert to hide. Instead of solitude, she encounters an egomaniacal actor, a partying heiress, a sly tabloid reporter, and a lavish spa full of dark secrets -- all of which might help her find a way home."

Those are the basic FACTS. But these books are so multi-faceted that a perusal of the multi-star Amazon reviews and commentaries for both books will have you wondering if each person read a completely different version. It's very interesting to see the different aspects that each Reader focused on.

The comparisons. "A cross between Bridget Jones's Diary and Interview with the Vampire." I haven't read either one, so I'll take their word for it. "Stephanie Plum meets Sex and the City in this sassy, stylish, hilarious novel." Mmmm, no, not seeing that comparison. If you put a gun to my head and told me I HAD to make a comparison or die, I guess I would say that, if you like MaryJanice Davidson's Queen Betsy series, you'll LOVE the Milagro stories.

And I know this is going to sound completely random, but bear with me here, okay? Do you remember the first seasons of the TV shows E.R. and Lost? Remember how they were so fast paced and so engrossing that, when they were showing the previews at the end, you couldn't believe an entire hour could possibly have flown by that fast? That's what reading these books is like! They're not gasping-for-breath, heart pounding type of stories, but rather you get so caught up in these fast paced books that you just HAVE to find out what happens next. Where will Milagro's adventures take her now?

The genres. chick lit, paranormal chick lit, chica lit, romantic fantasy, romantic comedy, romantic suspense. Yeah, those are all in there. Sort of. See, when I see the terms chick lit or romantic comedy, I think fluff, flippant, slapstick, and one-liners. And these books DO have all that on the surface. But they have so many more layers. Whether as dialogue with another character or sharing her thoughts with us, most of Milagro's humor and WIT is born from heartache (and avoiding more of it) or affection. She wants so much to be loved and accepted for who she is, yet she hides that need and hurt behind her clever words. Even with those that do care about her, her first response is always humor. You know, I just realized that I TRULY think of that wit as Milagro's, not Marta Acosta's! Says a lot about BOTH of them, doesn't it?

The vampires. They're not. Vampires, that is. Well, they ARE, but this gentrified, upper class, seemingly snobby family (Oswald and Winnie are successful physicians, Sam is an accomplished attorney) thinks of it simply as a genetic condition that makes them sensitive to the sun and crave blood. They savor the various animal blood types in much the same way wine aficionados savor the bouquets of their favorite vintages. What about HUMAN blood? Well, other than during "intimate" encounters (there are a few in these books but they are sensual, not graphic), this particular branch of the family considers itself far too civilized to indulge in that base hunger. However, members of the extended family revel in their superiority over mere humans and proudly embrace their vampirism. (I hope we get another visit from cousin Ian in book 3-- hint, hint Marta).

Milagro. You know the saying "Life is what happens when you are making other plans."? Well, Milagro, in additional to possessing a keen wit and intelligence, is also determined to be a successful writer. Since graduating from a WASPy Fancy University (F.U.), she's been quite EARNEST in writing books that MEAN something. Like zombies as a metaphor for the plight of migrant workers in South America. No, seriously, that's the type of oh-so-serious stories she writes. The problem is that she just doesn't see all the other things that she's already successful at like landscape design, teaching, and PEOPLE. After feeling rejected by her own parents, she doesn't realize that she has built her own family made up of friends (although Nancy pisses me off) and, eventually, this new family that comes to love her.

Milagro is a study in contrasts. On the one hand, she embraces her ethnicity. When she walks into a crowded space like a party, the first thing she does is count and try to connect with the people she can relate to- Latinos and other minorities, the serving staff, etc. Yet, on the other hand, she wants to be accepted and feel at home with the "Country Club" set that she attended college with. Although, what is particularly appealing is that Milagro doesn't even TRY to fit in with that homogeneous group. Nope, this earthy, colorful woman, whose idea of subtle means letting one coat of mascara dry before she glomps on the next coat, wants them to accept her for herself, just the way she is.

Another interesting contrast is that she seems to have quite a high self esteem about her looks, but let's her outward bravado hide her inner lack of confidence. When things go wrong for her, she jokes about it, yet inside she just accepts it as her lot in life. And when GOOD things happen, when people care, she never believes it will last because she never quite believes she deserves it.

Bottom Line. Maybe Marta Acosta summed up these books herself through Milagro when the family is discussing the works of a writer named Dena Franklin, who is also an ongoing "character" in the book...

"Franklin's style is light, but that's what she's trying to achieve, like a great flan, you know." They all looked at me as if I was an idiot, so I elaborated. "I mean, flan tastes delicate and silky, but it's got tons of eggs and cream -- it's substantial. "

"Yum, flan"

Piquant Opines: RT, RT, SBs, SBs, Vampire Genre, PB Reader,

What Were They Thinking?

From dlisted:

"The Polish cycling team unveils their new compasses. Cycler #4 is clearly travelling NNE and he won't get lost." - Illuminata

Bridezilla Flattens U.K.

From dlisted:

"This is my dream wedding. This clip below comes from Britian's ITV1 and their show "Britian's Youngest Brides." 18-year-old Catrina Nolan's wedding dress alone cost $12,000. It was 40-feet wide, weighed almost 250 pounds and made with satin, feathers, lace, 20 layers of underskirts and a bodice covered in Swarvoski crystals in a heart and star design. Catrina said she wanted a dress that nobody would forget.

It took nearly 4 people to cram Catrina into the limo. The look on her face during the limo ride to the church is amazing. She can't breathe! She looks like she's going to die!

The wedding party wore hot pink and the little girls wore outfits that shouldn't be seen in public unless you are a hooker working the corner. "

Now I know where the term "Bridezilla" came from. Crazy drag queen walks like Godzilla in that monstrosity of a dress. And she inflicted her penchant for pouf on her bridesmaids AND her guests! Wish they would have YouTubed the reception, though. Think about it... Bridezilla... Hokey Pokey... "Turn Yourself Around"... she probably took out all her guests in one fell swoop.

Blogger's Block

I got nuttin' today. Nada. Zilch.

If, like me, you threw up a little in your mouth over at Elle Fredrix's yesterday (that was just WRONG), you may need to wash the taste out of your mouth (and scrub it out of your brain). So I perscribe a strong dose of sweet beekcake nut clusters. Just go over to the far right and click on Menu: Eye Candy or, even easier, just click here to start the treatment.

Or maybe you could just amuse yourself with party games...

Another Fountain of Chocolate Fondue

♥ Head over to Rhian's Blog. She sooo nailed the "joys" of aging! If you are too young to be experiencing these "joys", go see what you can anticipate. If you are over 45, go share a belly laugh because you WILL see yourself over there! Don't forget to read the comments cause there is a whole lot of commiserating happening in there!

♥ More pimpage for Michele Hauf's Familiar Stranger-- Devon just posted her review. Interesting that both Michele and Devon think Jason Stratham would be a perfect Jack. Now that I've seen pics of him, I agree. Who picked the Jack for the cover pic anyhow? They could NOT have read the book.

♥ Did you happen to read Jaci Burton's blog yesterday? This is why I'm so fascinated by the writing process. Really, having mental conversations with myself isn't anywhere near as interesting. Laurell Hamilton's blog from yesterday is equally as fascinating (note that I linked to a board copy instead of the actual blog- that green on black blog will make you BLIND!). ADDED: Oh, and here's LKH's blog from today.

♥ Over on The Good, The Bad and the Unread, Gwen has her review for Lora Leigh's Tanner's Scheme up. *swoon* In release order, it's the third Breed book released through Berkley. Chronologically, it would be the 9th Breed book out of 17. Yeah, I know it's confusing. Check out the comments to Gwen's post for an explanation for the convoluted Breeds timeline. Lora's Breed series has a permanent place on my Crème Brûlée list!

♥ Speaking of Lora Leigh, I'm sending good thoughts her way. She fell soon after her recent Michigan book signing and seriously sprained her upper leg, the muscles between knee and ankle, and twisted the ankle pretty bad. And now it turns out, they've discovered she actually fractured her leg, too! OUCH! Pain killers are your friend, Lora!

♥ Remember the commentary I did about Shiloh "I don't need no stinkin' rules" Walker's Hunters series right after Hunter's Salvation was released? Well, she's now claiming plausible deniability. Seems she thinks if she claims she doesn't know anything about the Paranormal Romance Rulebook, then she can't be blamed for breaking any of the rules therein! Hmmmph! The Brat might be far more clever than I thought.

♥ Check out the new look at Marta Acosta's Vampirewire. Cool Beans, baby! She's gonna have a book give away and interview with author Sunny on Monday. What? Why yes, of COURSE I'll behave myself!

♥ By the way, if you noticed that Marta's two books, Happy Hour at Casa Dracula and Midnight Brunch, have been sitting over on my Recent Savorings list for a while waiting for commentary, there IS a reason. I could not put these books down, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to explain WHY they were so damn good! They just defy easy explanation and none of the other reviews I've seen so far have completely nailed them either! So, THAT commentary is going to take some time to write. And it hasn't helped that, every time I pick up one of the books to get some ideas, I find myself completely lost to the world reading them again!

♥ And since I'm 'splainin' stuff, I want to mention something about audio books. I make a point to only listen to them when I'm doing certain work tasks that allow me to set my brain on automatic pilot. So, it is not unusual for me to take a month or two to listen to an entire audio book! Right now, I'm about to start the third Raintree audio book, then I'll move on to some of the others I've bought (Audible.com had a big sale recently). Since I ended up buying Karen Marie Moning's re-release on CD from Borders (with a 30% coupon), I think I might save it to listen to in the Mom-Mobile if I go to that board get together next month. (and no, I'm still not completely sure whether I'm going, but I have stuck my toe in the water and posted on the board a few times).

♥ On the way home from cheerleader carpool today, I heard a song on the radio that started me crying-- Tim McGraw's I'm Already Home. Doesn't matter if you are a big fan of his or not (and actually I'm not), that is an unbelievably moving song.

♥ And while I'm thinking about music, I've got some bitchin' to do about His Garthness! I came across this the other day: "Garth Brooks just may be coming out of retirement ... again. The country megastar is said to be working on a two-disc compilation to be released on Big Machine Records, the independent label that recently signed his wife Trisha Yearwood.

The effort will reportedly include four new songs plus 30 of his biggest hits. The CDs will also come with a DVD featuring 33 of Brooks' music videos."

Here's my posted reaction: " Let me first establish that I ADORE Garth (what an understatement). And not just for HIS music. Like a lot of people in the late 80's/early 90's, I found myself mostly listening to oldies rock stations because there just wasn't much worth listening to on Top 40 stations at the time. Then Garth exploded on the scene and my ears perked right up. Well, Garth ended up bringing a whole lot of us over to Country music and we're still there.

But having said all that, this announcement doesn't excite me AT ALL. Why? Because, once again, we're getting recycled Garth with a couple of unheard songs thrown in. Once or twice was one thing, but this kind of stuff has just been going on too long. To me, he is exploiting his fans by taking advantage of our hunger for new Garth songs. Need more cash? Hungering for some adoration? Throw another retread out there and watch those fans snatch it up.

Sorry, Garth. I luvs ya, but you've jumped the shark. "

Second Time Around by Bobby Michaels

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Tuesday Trio

Since I spend so much time talking about the books that have given me such mental enjoyment, I thought I should further expand my mind through the Art of Photography. So every Tuesday I will present a trio of studies of the human anatomy.

What? Why, yes! You're absolutely right. How astutely observant you are. They DO all happen to be the study of the MALE human anatomy. And your point would be...?

The subject of this week's study will be another shameless excuse to drool over Josh Wald (aka MY Josh) yet again The Skin as Canvas...

Bonus Study: Why? Because I wish to show you the playful Josh that he only shows me in our private moments...


Feel free to express your great and grievous envy of me now.

Your Alibi by Annie Dean

Annie Dean - Your Alibi (Liquid Silver Books)

Category: M&Ms - a bit lighter and/or not quite as satisfying as Peanut M&Ms, but still Oh-So-Enjoyable! (B,B-,C+,C)
Flame Height: 6" out of 9"

Addie has always been a party girl, she was even in an all girl rock band with her best friend Lorene, whom she once tried some girl-on-girl action with. Hell, she even married her now ex-husband, Fast Eddie (the name tells you all you need to know about HIM) because she figured he'd never become boring (careful what you wish for). She left the responsibility of running her family's southwestern inn, The Grail, up to first her mother until her death, and then her sister until she committed suicide (apparently because of all the responsibilities, but that's not made clear).

The story opens four years after the death of Addie's sister, Mel. Mel's husband, Manu, a huge Samoan who dresses only in assorted lavalava (wraparound skirts), is still numb with grief. Addie's father lives only to tinker with his less than stellar inventions and is oblivious to the world around him. Addie is left trying to keep the run down B&B afloat while also trying to recover from the financial devastation inflicted on her by Fast Eddie. I have to admit that this first section was pretty depressing and bleak but, as we find out later, Addie doesn't see it that way. It's her home and her family and she will do whatever it takes for them.

Addie comes up with the idea for a new on-line business called "Your Alibi" that begins to turn her financial situation around. She offers up proof for cheating spouses that they are attending a business seminar at The Grail. She even offers a deluxe package that includes fake itineraries, keynote speakers, and seminars geared toward the client's business interest. So, while "Your Alibi" doesn't bring a single guest actually walking through the door, it brings in guest rates without much overhead. Because she is aware that it wouldn't be looked on positively by her family and friends, Addie keeps the details of her successful business to herself.

Until the day a husband shows up to verify that his wife has been attending business retreats at The Grail.

Sean and his wife, Cami, have been together since they were little kids. But over the past couple of years, they've been growing further and further apart. He has a growing suspicion that Cami's frequent business retreats are a load of horseshit, but NEEDS to know for sure before he confronts her. Because of several travel delays, Cami's "retreat" is over by the time he shows up at The Grail and he realizes he'll have to snoop around to find out what Cami was doing there-- or if she was EVER there.

Addie realizes that Sean is the husband of one of her clients and sets out to distract him from asking too many questions. So Sean soon finds himself right smack in the middle of Addie's crazy life that is inhabited by some very colorful and endearing characters. Oh, and there are penguins. In the desert. And they are catalysts for a later important event.

It's not long before easy-going Sean and one-of-a-kind Addie become friends and eventually lovers. Annie Dean has turned the tables a bit with this couple, though. It's the female lead, Addie, who never thought she needed or wanted the whole hearts and flowers, happily-ever-after love. And Sean is nowhere near a typical alpha male, he's always been content letting Cami direct their lives. Now think back to most of the Romances where the female lead isn't a virgin. Almost always, she never knows sex can be good until she meets the hero. Well, in this book, Addie already enjoys sex (or would if there was anyone around the teeny town to indulge with), but after all the years of being with the cool Cami, it's Sean who never realized sex could be so out of control and FUN!

For me, the strength of this story is that I haven't met these characters before, and I CERTAINLY have never read this story before, not even close. There are a few things that are skimmed over in passing that I was hoping would be explained in more detail (Mel's suicide, Addie's infertility). But Annie has peppered this story with slice of life humor, some moments of genuine familial affection, a dash of zaniness, and at one point (Sean's freaking brilliant Jell-O comment) she even made me laugh and cry at the same time.
Piquant Opines: Mrs. G, Lauren, Rhian,

QB's Quickies

"So, read any good books lately?"
"What did you think of...?"

Here's the Quickie answers to those questions. Click on the Links for more info.



Jaci Burton and C.J. Burton - Out of the Darkness (Ellora's Cave)

Category: Peanut M&Ms - mmmm...devour... sigh... then reach for the next one. My daily dose of Insanity-B-Gone. Most books fall in this category. (A-,B+,B)
Flame Height: 7" out of 9"

Werewolf and Vampire clans versus the human government. A government shrink that helps interrogate captured paranormal beings. She doesn't know she's the first werewolf/vampire hybrid. And last but not least, a werewolf/vampire (m/f/m) menage!

This book was written a couple of years ago and the world building and timeline could use a little tightening up, but that doesn't stop the flow of the story. The basic premise is intriguing with the added strength of interesting characters (even the secondary ones were well developed), and sizzling erotic scenes.

I sure hope that one day soon Charlie (Jaci's husband) and Jaci's muses nudge one another and say "So, ya wanna canoodle again?" because I would really like to read more stories set in this world.
Piquant Opines: RT, JERR, RJ,


Pepper Espinoza - Surrender's Edge (also Amber Quill Press and Amazon)

Category: M&Ms - a bit lighter and/or not quite as satisfying as Peanut M&Ms, but still Oh-So-Enjoyable! (B,B-,C+,C)
Flame Height: 8" out of 9"

This stands out because it gives us a little something different from most M/M/F menages. Geoff is devastated when he discovers that the two people he loves most in this world, his friend and business partner, Nash and their receptionist, Sunny, are secretly in a relationship. Turns out they each had their reasons for keeping it a secret- Sunny knew Geoff was in love with Nash and Nash knew Geoff was in love with Sunny and neither wanted to hurt him. What Geoff doesn't realize is that they are both in love with him in addition to each other. What ensues is Nash and Sunny seducing Geoff and convincing him they CAN have a triad relationship.
Piquant Opines:




Sabrina Jeffries - Beware a Scott's Revenge - School for Heiresses 3


Category: Peanut M&Ms - mmmm...devour... sigh... then reach for the next one. My daily dose of Insanity-B-Gone. Most books fall in this category. (A-,B+,B)
Flame Height: 6" out of 9"

A Regency AND a Highland Romance combined! *swoon* Has a twist I never saw coming. I never read the rest of the series, yet had NO problems reading this as a standalone. And the inside cover pic? YUM!
Piquant Opines: RT, RJ,