I Haz a Giddee

see more dog and puppy pictures

I'm finally going to go see Garth in concert! You've got no idea how much this means to me. Seriously, I'm pretty sure I'm going to start bawling happy tears when he walks out on that stage!

And my husband will be a total grump because A) He doesn't like Country music and B) I've always been straight-up with him about the fact that Garth is the only man I would ever leave him for (ignoring the fact that he's now married to Trisha, whose name I say in my head with the same inflections that Seinfield used to say "Hello Newman"). But we'll be kid-free and in Vegas, so Ima thinkin' I can find SOME creative way to exorcize da grumpeez outta him. *winkwink-nudgenudge*

Back in the early 90's I was mostly listening to Oldies and Classic Rock radio stations because there wasn't really much of anything new and exciting happening in Rock music and pretty much nothing worth listening to in Pop. I don't remember what year it was exactly, but around that same time, NBC aired that first Garth concert special. So I figured I'd tune in a see what this Garth guy was all about and... HOLY SHIT! What IS that?! I want more, More, MORE!

Naturally I went out and bought all the tapes I could get my hands on (yes I said TAPES- as in CASSETTES. Shut up. I had to work with what that MomMobile had.) and I loved every minute of them.

Later, his greatest hits CD, The Hits, ended up saving my sanity, and that's not hyperbole. My mother was staying with us for about 6 weeks after having back surgery. At the time, my two oldest kids were in 1st grade, demon spawn #3 was a demanding toddler, and #4 wasn't born yet. Because #3 was so demanding I was only working part time and had to do much of my work at home whenever she would let me or when my husband was home to watch her. So, add my demanding mother into the mix, and a husband who resented the way she treated me so that the tension between them made things worse, and really, there were days I was sure I was going to go bug-fucking nuts postal.

Only Garth's The Hits CD saved them all from Armageddon by Bevzilla. See my only escape was to go to the grocery store. So I'd go at night when it was dark and no one could see me. Then, after hurrying to get the groceries, I'd drive aimlessly around back roads singing to The Hits at the top of my lungs. Yeah, my singing would make your ears bleed, but at least singing along with Garth is easy enough that I didn't hurt myself trying. Anyway, after about an hour of that, I was always renewed and recharged and could go home and face the tension and pressure again for a few days until it built up enough that I needed to "get groceries" again.

And Garth also brought me, a rock fan, over to Country radio. I always liked Country Rock groups like Buffalo Springfield, Poco, The Eagles, but Country WESTERN? Nuh-uh, no way. Too twangy. Or it WAS, before the appearance of Garth, the rest of the "Class of '89", and many others they later influenced. And I've continued to be a Country fan, although lately I've found myself listening to Classic Rock a lot again (too many sound-alike girl singers, I think).

I always wanted to go see a Garth concert, but back when he was touring with that wild, kick-ass stage show, I just wasn't staying current with what was going on outside of home and work. So it never failed that, when he was playing in Cleveland or Pittsburgh, I wouldn't hear about it until weeks after the concerts were sold out.

So when it was announced that he would be playing at The Wynn Las Vegas in a small, intimate venue a few weekends a year, I knew I HAD to go. But I didn't bother to try the first quarter because I knew there would be little chance I'd get through. So I've been waiting for the next quarter sale dates to be announced.

Well Good News-Bad News. Good News- the tickets were going on sale this morning. Bad News- I'd be slogging around the slushy cold streets of Pittsburgh on a college visit with Demon Spawn #3 starting at 8 AM. NONONONONONO!

So I emailed Demon Angel Spawn #1 and asked her if she would try for me. I gave her the dates we could go, my Visa card number, and told her she had to pretend to be me because of the strict ticketing rules. I even told her she was my favorite.

Well, God Bless her, she was on the phone and online for over three hours, but she finally got through and got us two tickets! Did I mention that she's my favorite?

I still can't believe it. And I probably won't completely believe it until I'm sitting in the Encore theater and see him walk out. Thus the aforementioned happy tears will commence.

Nommin' Da Plumes

I once again have the honor of being a first round judge for the Passionate Plumes, awarded by Passionate Ink, the erotic romance chapter of the Romance Writers of America (RWA). Winners will be announced at the Passionate Ink gathering at RWA's 30th Annual National Conference July 28-31, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee.

As you know, my tired, old, baggy eyes aren't up to reading ebooks anymore. However, there are very few PP entries available in print. Last year I indicated a preference for print and well, let's just say I decided it was worth risking eyestrain in order to get a chance at a better selection this year.

So I've received 5 ebooks. ALL are paranormal this time (YEAH!)- one about the Sidhe, one vampire, one werewolf, one based on Greek mythology in a contemporary setting, and one based on psychic powers.

One's from Samhain so I have high hopes for it.

Two are from Loose Id who've placed something in their PDFs that blocks me from converting to LIT (a pox on them for that) which means I'll have to read them in PDF instead of MSReader; which means no saving my place, no bookmarks, no sticky notes, etc. Which means they better be good because I WILL be irritated!

Another book is from an epub I'm not familiar with. And the fifth is a cheesy sounding story from an epub that is known for its cheesiness. I'm trying to read that last one first to get it out of the way, but its constant scene jumping is irritating me to no end. Yowzer, is that Limburger I smell?

I do have to give kudos to Loose Id and Samhain for including the blurbs and series sequence right at the beginning of the ebooks. That is SUCH an appreciated convenience!

And since this year I will also be a judge for RomCon's The Readers' Crown™, AND since those books are due to be shipped next week, AND since it's my crunch time for work, don't expect to see me around much. I consider judging to be, not only an honor, but a responsibility I take seriously.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

And now because I'm still fantasizing about it and still hoping that once Microsoft releases its Windows Phone 7 Series (not that I'll give up my leetle pink Razr anytime soon) and HP releases its Slate, then maybe, just maybe, Microsoft will then turn to the release of what I consider to be Tech Pr0n, The Microsoft Courier.

You have no idea how much I'm lusting after this thing. I watch the supposedly "leaked" videos with as much intensity as some people watch internet porn. Seriously, who needs that oversized, underpowered, censored-to-all-hell-by-Big-Brother Apple iPad when you can have this. Man, this better not turn out to be vaporware. I'm still disappointed that Microsoft didn't announce this baby at CES last month.

Just look at it- the perfect size to fit in my purse; its got a clamshell book-like design so I can throw it in my purse without a cover; it uses finger touch or stylus (which I prefer); I can probably use MSReader for all my LIT ebooks, and I'm assuming that any ebook reading software for other formats that's available for Windows 7 will work on it; and... and... aw, hell, just watch the video pr0n:



*le sigh* Was it as good for you as it was for me?

2010 Audie Nominees Announced

From The Audio Publishers Association (APA):

February 15, 2010

15th ANNUAL AUDIES® COMPETITION SHOWS STRENGTH OF AUDIO INDUSTRY
Winners to be Announced May 25 at The Museum of the City of New York

Princeton Junction, NJ – The Audio Publishers Association (APA) has announced nominations for its 2010 Audies competition, the only awards program in the United States devoted entirely to honoring spoken word entertainment. Winners will be announced at the Audies Gala on May 25, 2010, at The Museum of the City of New York in New York City.

Another record-breaking year with 1,056 titles entered, 2010 was a year of innovation for the competition. APA took the Audies into the 21st century and partnered with APA member, Audible, Inc., to distribute almost all titles for consideration digitally to judges. In years past, judges primarily received shipments of audiobooks on CDs and cassettes.

Finalists for the most prestigious awards, Distinguished Achievement in Production and Audiobook of the Year, will be announced in the spring. The Distinguished Achievement in Production award honors an audiobook that demonstrates excellence in all areas of production. The Audiobook of the Year award recognizes an audiobook that, through quality, innovation, marketing and sales, has had a significant impact on the industry. Other categories for the judges' consideration included Audio Drama, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Humor, Multi-Voiced Performance, Mystery, Romance, Spanish Language, Thriller/Suspense and many more.

“Each year the entries continue to grow in number and improve in quality and production,” said Janet Benson, APA President. “This is an encouraging indicator of the health of the audiobook industry. Also, such strong participation in the competition has allowed the association to plan for more widespread initiatives to ultimately help our member companies increase sales despite the challenging economic climate.”

Here's a few noteworthy (sez I) categories. Read the complete Nominee List PDF here.

AUDIO DRAMA
Focus on the Family Radio Theatre: The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis, adapted by PaulMcCusker, Narrated by Andy Serkis and a full cast, Tyndale House
Little Dorrit, by Charles Dickens, Narrated by Sir Ian McKellan and a full cast, BBC Audiobooks America
The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett, Narrated by Michael Madsen, Sandra Oh, Edward Herrmann and a full cast, Blackstone Audio
The Rivalry, by Norman Corwin, Narrated by Paul Giamatti, James Gleason, Lily Rabe, David Strathairn and Shannon Cochran, L.A. Theatre Works
The Word of Promise® Audio Bible, Narrated by a full cast including Michael York, Richard Dreyfuss, Gary Sinise and others, Thomas Nelson Inc.
Holy celebrities, Batgirls! The list of narrators in that category reads like a Who's Who of Hollywood.

MYSTERY
Black Money, by Ross Macdonald, Narrated by Grover Gardner, Blackstone Audio
Devil in a Blue Dress, by Walter Mosley, Narrated by Michael Boatman, Audible, Inc.
The Dying Breed, by Declan Hughes, Narrated by Stanley Townsend, Isis Publishing
Revelation, by C.J. Sansom, Narrated by Steven Crossley, Recorded Books
The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 1, by Arthur Conan Doyle, Narrated by Charlton Griffin, Audio Connoisseur
Hmmm. That Sherlock Holmes anthology sounds pretty good. Adding to wish list.

NARRATION BY THE AUTHOR or AUTHORS
Michael Chabon, Manhood for Amateurs, HarperAudio
Kristin Chenoweth, A Little Bit Wicked, Oasis Audio
Neil Gaiman, Odd and the Frost Giants, HarperChildrensAudio
Tim Green, Baseball Great, HarperChildrensAudio
Jeannette Walls, Half Broke Horses, Simon & Schuster Audio

ROMANCE
Dark Slayer, by Christine Feehan, Narrated by Phil Gigante and Jane Brown, Brilliance Audio
The House on Tradd Street, by Karen White, Narrated by Aimée Bruneau, Listen & Live Audio
A Rogue of My Own, by Johanna Lindsey, Narrated by Rosalyn Landor, Brilliance Audio
The Untamed Bride, by Stephanie Laurens, Narrated by Simon Prebble, HarperAudio
What I Did for Love, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Narrated by Julia Gibson, HarperAudio
Yep, Phil G. was nominated again. BOO-YAH! The dual-reader format that he's been doing with Jane Brown for the Carpathian series has become my favorite narration style. He does all the men, she does all the women and they switch off on narration.
I've got The Untamed Bride here waiting until I finish my current Dresden. I'm looking forward to it. Simon Prebble's narration was excellent in Lauren's Devil's Bride.
A SEP audio book won a couple of years ago. I think she's a bit more "mainstream" and therefore garners more votes. Though I've never read/listened to one of hers, so I can't fairly judge.

SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY
Bellwether, by Connie Willis, narrated by Kate Reading, Blackstone Audio
The Gathering Storm, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, Narrated by Kate Reading and Michael Kramer, Macmillan Audio
Kushiel's Dart, by Jacqueline Carey, Narrated by Anne Flosnik, Tantor Audio
Kushiel's Scion, by Jacqueline Carey, Narrated by Simon Vance, Tantor Audio
Podkayne of Mars, by Robert A. Heinlein, Narrated by Emily Janice Card, Blackstone Audio
Note to LissaNY: That's the Kushiel series I rec'd to you. Since they are so complex, I wasn't sure how easy they'd be to follow in audio, but the fact that they are nominated tells me they must work well.

SHORT STORIES/COLLECTIONS
Black Mask Audio Magazine Vol 1, by various authors, Narrated by a full cast, Blackstone Audio
The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 1, by Arthur Conan Doyle, Narrated by Charlton Griffin, Audio Connoisseur
Just After Sunset, by Stephen King, Narrated by Stephen King, Jill Eikenberry, Holter Graham, George Guidall, Ron McLarty, Denis O’Hare and a full cast, Simon & Schuster Audio
Love Letters of Great Men, by Ursula Doyle, Narrated by Anton Lesser, Macmillan Audio
Nothing with Strings: NPR's Beloved Holiday Stories, by Bailey White, Narrated by Lorna Raver, Tantor Audio
Wow, the Holmes anthology is nominated in two categories; must buy/borrow.

About Audio Publishers Association (APA)
The Audio Publishers Association (APA) is a not-for-profit trade organization whose primary goals are to promote awareness of the audiobook industry, gather and disseminate industry statistics, encourage high production standards and represent the interests of audiobook publishers. Since 1986, the APA has worked to bring audio publishers together to increase interest in audiobooks. Please visit www.audiopub.org for more information.

We Dressed Up Our Barbies and Kens...

...but apparently teh menz like to dress up their playthings too.




DapperDicks.com (via QueerClick) has an entire line of "designer wear for down there". WARNING: NSFW


I can't decide if my favorite is Pirate Hardwood (Yaaargh... Thar she blows!) or Stroker the Cowboy (YEE-HAH! Round 'em up and whip 'em out!) Coming soon (har) are Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Bone Yard.


So you say you need a last minute Valentine's present for your Mister and his Mr. Happy?

Happy 3rd Blogiversary to Me!

PARTY

Yep, as of yesterday, this blog has existed for THREE YEARS!

Okay, yeah, I recently went on walkabout for a few months, but that wasn't my fault. No really. In addition to just not having TIME to blog (hence this day-late post), the fact is that I really didn't have much to say. I KNOW... ME with nothing to say! What's up with THAT?!

But I think what started it was a string of favorite authors/series with less than stellar, or disappointing, or in some cases flat-out AWFUL books. That snowballed into a reading slump where most books I picked up just seemed like too much of a commitment. You wouldn't believe all the books scattered all around here where I read the first few pages, sighed, and sat it down because I just didn't feel like committing to the time required to read it. And when I DID decide a book was worth reading, it took me DAYS of start/stop reading to finish it! Really, I think I read more books in January than I I have in TOTAL over the past few months.

I'm debating whether to do a blog post/series of blog posts about the let downs. Try to exorcize the bad-read mojo by purging all my negative thoughts at once. I dunno, is it bad sportsmanship to only post negative reviews?

One of the scary things is that, even though I've eagerly devoured books by these authors in the past, once I hit these disappointing books, in many cases I haven't been able to read any other books in these series. Kind of like when you eat a favorite meal over and over again- can't get enough of it- but then that one time, the flu hit soon after eating your favorite. The next time you start to eat that favorite meal again, you can't help but think of all the swirling chunky bits you ralphed into the toilet bowl the last time you ate it.

QB's January 2010 Quickies, Part II

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

Here's my Quickie Reviews to answer to those questions. Click on the Links for more info.

Kitty's House of Horrors by Carrie Vaughn

Kitty Norville Book 7

See INDEX for previous books.

Category: Lava Cake - reads like warm Chocolate Lava Cake... à la Mode... sprinkled with nuts (A,A-)

Flame Height: 2" out of 9"

Talk radio host and werewolf Kitty agrees to participate in a reality show along with other shapeshifters, vampires, and psychics. Filming in an isolated location starts off pretty much as Kitty anticipated, but then things suddenly start to go alarmingly wrong. The participants are being hunted. Some die.

The best Kitty 2.0 story yet (Kitty Takes a Holiday is still my favorite Kitty 1.0, or pre-alpha, story). If you read this without reading the previous Kitty books, you probably won't quite understand why I enjoyed this so much more than many other Urban Fantasies.
Piquant Opines: Fresh Fiction, Nights and Weekends, RT

The Magic Knot by Helen Scott Taylor

Magic Knot series Book 1

The Phoenix Charm

Magic Knot series Book 2

Category: Peanut M&Ms - mmmm...devour... sigh... then reach for the next one. My daily dose of Insanity-B-Gone. (A-,B+,B)
Flame Height: 5.8" out of 9"

This fantasy romance series caught my attention with the recent release of book 2. So being the OCD Reader that I am, I bought book 1, which won the American Title IV contest.

I'm SO glad I did! Set in present day Cornwall with side trips to Ireland and Wales, some of the fae live secretly among humans, while others still live within the faery realms. You know, I'm pretty sure Taylor has even found a way to enchant the ink in these magical stories. There has to be some geis at work because, once the covers are opened, it's impossible to close them until the final page is read. And before I closed the cover on book 1, I was ordering book 2 from Amazon (Yeah for 2-day Prime!).

Just when I was sure I knew what happened next-- because I could see THOSE romance tropes coming from a mile away-- damned if Taylor didn't make a sharp turn nearly every time and gleefully skip away from the expected. (Spoiler hint: not all heroes have magic peens, and troo lurve doesn't always save the day- nor does it keep heroines from admiring other bits of sweet beefcake mancandy!)

This series may end up in my Lava Cake category eventually. There's still a few unanswered questions that kind of puzzled me. Some may be answered when/if Nightshade gets his own book (pretty please?). But I'm afraid that the mystery of how Rose's mother managed to escape with all the things she escaped with (can't say more) will remain unsolved for the reader. And why didn't Michael and Niall's father bother telling either of them the truths about themselves? Of course we may find out more about him someday in HIS own book, too. Oh, and I was disappointed that we never heard from Niall and Rose (from book 1) throughout the entire 2nd book. Considering what they left behind under Michael and Cordelia's care, I just didn't find it plausible that they wouldn't be checking in or rushing back.

But you know what? Set those questions aside for right now. Just sit back and enjoy taking the fun, magical ride that is The Magic Knot series.
Piquant Opines: The Book Smugglers, RT, RT, TRS

Call of the Highland Moon by Kendra Leigh Castle

The MacInnes Werewolves Trilogy, book 1

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: 5" out of 9"

Contemporary Highland werewolf Gideon MacInnes goes for a walkabout in America before he settles down to become his pack's Alpha. When injured, his wolfie senses lead him to his mate, Carly Silver, an American who owns a Romance bookstore. A light, entertaining read. Kind of fell apart a bit at the end. I'm disappointed that the next books in the series don't pair up Gideon's hound-dawg (har) brother and Carly's spunky best friend. They were both almost more interesting than the lead characters.

Piquant Opines: KristieJ, Ruthie (warning: auto-music), Bitten By Books

Shadowfae by Erica Hayes

The Chronicles, book 1

Category: Coconut Truffles - SO not for me! (D,D-,F)

Flame Height: 1" out of 9"

Most of my DNFs (Did Not Finish) books are the result of setting books down and intending to pick them back up, but losing interest and never getting around to finishing them (unfortunately, there's been a LOT of those lately). Not so with Shadowfae. I literally FORCED myself to give this book a chance since I had been eagerly looking forward to it and had even placed it on my Insatiable Lusts Wish List! The blurb sounded soo good. But by the end of Chapter 8, I honestly said out loud, "Enough of THIS! I've wasted enough of my time on it."

I knew this was going to be a difficult read fairly early in the book. The lead character, Jade, is written in 1st person past tense. Then, for no apparent reason, Hayes writes all the other characters in 3rd person PRESENT tense. Now I'm not a big fan of present tense anyway, but it can be used quite effectively to convey a sense of menace- think of a Linda Howard villian's POV. But all Shadowfae's tense shifting accomplished was jolting me right out of the book.

Add in a whole lot of drooling blood, poison spit swapping, and other gross-outs; then consider the fact that none of the characters or their lives were particularly likeable, and this story was just flat-out not my cuppa. It might work for someone else, but just pushed too many of my "Do Not Want" buttons.
Piquant Opines: KatieBabs, SciFiGuy, NOR, RT,


Have you read any of these books? Feel free to review or link to a review in the comments. Even if you don't agree!

Grrr, what is wrong with Google Reader? My first searches for Piquant Opines always start there. But for some reason searching ALL subscriptions doesn't always work. For instance, when I searched on "The Magic Knot", there were no review hits (just mentions and contests) within my subscriptions. Yet Helen Scott Taylor's website mentions a review by The Book Smugglers. Sure enough, when I searched ONLY their feed, the review came up, but it SHOULD have hit when I searched ALL FEEDS. So, if I missed linking to someone, please let me know.

QB's January 2010 Quickies, Part I

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

Here's my Quickie Reviews to answer to those questions. Click on the Links for more info.

A Love For All Time by Bertrice Small
Sky O'Malley series, book 3

Category: Lava Cake - reads like warm Chocolate Lava Cake... à la Mode... sprinkled with nuts (A,A-)
Flame Height: 6" out of 9"

For years, this 3rd book in The O'Malley Saga (copyright 1986, but I've seen references to a 1981 release date) was unavailable except for expensive used copies. So you might imagine how thrilled I was to FINALLY complete my set with this reprint.

This one is about Skye's youngest brother, Conn, a charming Irishman considered to be "the handsomest man at court" and a particular favorite of Queen Elizabeth I. After he causes one too many scandals, Queen Bess marries him off to one of her wards, the relatively plain-faced heiress Aiden St. Michael.

The story that unfolds is vintage Small (yes, kidnapping and harems are involved). The only reason this one isn't Crème Brûlée like the rest of the series, is because, since the male lead is Skye's brother, we know going into it that he won't meet an unexpected early death. LOL, yeah, sounds bloodthirsty, but one of the myriad reasons I love Ms. Small so much is that I never know which man will be the ultimate survivor who wins the HEA with the heroine.
Piquant Opines: shira.net, AAR, allreaders

Wicked Enchantment by Anya Bast

Dark Magick series, book 1

Category: Peanut M&Ms - mmmm...devour... sigh... then reach for the next one. My daily dose of Insanity-B-Gone. (A-,B+,B)

Flame Height: 5" out of 9"

Wicked Enchantment definitely lands solidly in the ROMANCE genre, but its DARK FANTASY elements are what attracted me to it. Back in the 1600's, the fae were decimated by Watt Syndrome, an illness that may or may not have been magically created by a race of druids known as the Phaendir. Taking advantage of the fae's weakened state, the Phaendir teamed up with humans to hunt down and imprison the remaining fae within a magical warding. This warded zone, Piefferburg, is still in existence today; its warding maintained by a sort of collective hive of magic within the Phaendir. Through Phaendir-guarded trade with humans, the high ranking fae are now fairly wealthy, but nonetheless remain prisoners within this area around the North Carolina Outer Banks. On a humorous note, how hilariously appropriate is it that the humans would have a camera crew inside the Seelie court filming a 24 hour a day reality show called FAEMOUS?

That's the basic background of the world building. Apparently the series will delve into a quest to find the elements needed to break the Phaendir's warding of Piefferburg and be a free race again. In this book, one of the pieces had already been found which, as I recently found out, is Bella and Ronan's story, a novella-length prequel in the Hot for the Holidays anthology (I've since bought it but haven't read it yet). During the course of Wicked Enchantment we find out another crucial element has been in the possession of Aislinn, who had no idea what it was.

In addition to a fresh take on fae myths and unique world building, this book centers on Aislinn, who is a high ranking member of the Seelie court, and Gabriel, an important member of the Unseelie court, and his attempts to persuade her over to "the dark side". Lots of twists, turns and surprises made this a very engrossing, fast-paced read.

Having said all that, I personally would have preferred a bit more of an in-depth/extended look into the fae politics, but that's just my personal preference. However, I have to give Bast extra credit for just how much detail and imagination she was able to include within the framework of a romance (as opposed to an urban/dark fantasy).

I would say that if you enjoy Richele Mead's DARK SWAN series, Laurell Hamilton's MERRY GENTRY series, or the later books in Karen Marie Moning's HIGHLANDERS series, then Anya Bast's DARK MAGICK series might just be the new series you've been waiting for.
Piquant Opines: Book Chick City, Literary Escapism, The Book Lush

Unfallen Dead by Mark Del Franco

Conner Grey Book 3

Unperfect Souls

Conner Grey Book 4

See INDEX for previous books.

Category: Peanut M&Ms - mmmm...devour... sigh... then reach for the next one. My daily dose of Insanity-B-Gone. (A-,B+,B)

Flame Height: 2" out of 9"

Del Franco has really hit his stride with this urban fantasy/dark fantasy series as he delves deeper into Fae politics, mysteries, and intrigue.

Now that I've been listening to the audio books of Jim Butcher's Dresden series, I can say that fans of that series will enjoy the Conner Grey series. They have a similar feel and voice, however Del Franco's stories and world building are unique to Conner Grey's world.

Note that book 4 was a January read, but I read book 3 a while back.

P.S to the author: Mark... Dude, ya need to fix your website. Your Conner Grey links are not only not useful (where's the blurbs?), but some of them are fucked up.
Piquant Opines: Green Man Review, RT, Book Fetish, RT, BotM, Jennifer/Goodreads, Goodreads (all)

Fireflies by Ally Blue

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"

It was the beautiful, ethereal cover by Anne Cain that first drew my attention. For that alone, Fireflies was worth the price of a print copy. But Joey and Braeden's story, while not quite as substantial as I would have liked, was a lovely time spent within a charming faery tale.

Piquant Opines: Jessewave, Uniquely Pleasurable, Mrs. Giggles

Have you read any of these books? Feel free to review or link to a review in the comments. Even if you don't agree!

I Look FA-A-Bulous...

...thanks to RuPaul's Drag Race Dragulator (via EW.com). Miss Tipsie Belmont is absolutely Fierce on Stilettos, don't ya think?

And my blog has now had a bit of a makeover too. Nothing major, just less work because I decided to let my Amazon Wish Lists do most of my sidebar work for me. I also added a couple of new pics of chocolatey goodness.

Yep, I'm reviving this poor old lifeless blog. Oh, I may not post as often as I used to, but I WILL post. In fact, thanks again to my Amazon Wish Lists, I am actually working up a post on my January reads. I'll probably never review my whole backlog, maybe a few here and there, but I can start up fresh with January and proceed from there.

Now, if only I can remember what little HTML I used to know.