QB's February 2010 Quickies

"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.

The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie by Jennifer Ashley

Highland Pleasures, book 1

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

Flame Height: 5.5" out of 9"

In our times, Ian would probably have been diagnosed as autistic as a child. But in the Victorian era, his father had him locked away in a brutal asylum. After inheriting the ducal seat upon their father's death, Ian's oldest brother demanded and received his release from the asylum. With his brothers' help, Ian then had to learn how to mimic "normal" human interaction without understanding or feeling it himself.

Look, I'll make my thoughts short and sweet on the story that unfolds-- loved Ian, loved Beth, loved Ian's family. Marvelously, beautifully unique story and characters.
Piquant Opines: KristieJ, Tracy, Karen Scott, Jill D, Dear Author-Janet, RT

Beyond the Night by Joss Ware

Awakening Heroes, 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"

I normally wouldn't give a second glance to a post-apocalypti​c SF romance- they are usually too bleak, depressing and hopeless- but I read somewhere that Joss Ware is another pen name for Colleen Gleason. Talk about extremes! From the Gardella Vampire Chronicles (aka Buffy Does Regency), to post-apocalypti​c SF? I was intrigued. And you know what? I couldn't put it down! I've already bought the next book in the series.

A group of men go caving near Sedona Arizona in 2011. Something happens, and when they dig their way out, it's fifty years later, the world as they knew it has been destroyed, and they seem to have some special powers.

Besides the romance between one of these men, Dr. Elliott Drake, and one of the descendents of survivors, Jade, this book introduces us to a mysterious race of immortal beings and their zombie-like slaves. Did the Strangers have something to do with the destruction of civilization? Who or what are they? We DO find out in this first book, and I've got to say that I never saw THAT one coming! Can't wait to find out what's up with the blondes.

The hairs on the back of Joss Ware's neck should be permanently raised considering the cataclysmic events happening in spots around the world right now that eerily echo the events that happened in her 2011 reality.
Piquant Opines: Book Binge-Casee, Book Binge-Judith, Katiebabs-Kati, Stacy, RT

Queene of Light by Jennifer Armintrout

Lightworld/Dar​kworld, book 1

Category: Dark Chocolate - loved by some, just "meh" to me (C-,D+)

Flame Height: 2" out of 9"

This dark fantasy story SHOULD have worked, but it just felt too disjointed. I never figured out the difference between those in the Lightworld and those in the Darkworld- they ALL lived underground in dark, nasty subway tunnels. And why did they all hate each other? I never understood what kind of being Malachi (the male lead) was before he transformed into a... something (dunno what)... after touching Ayla. I didn't get how they went from mortal enemies to being, after a couple of brief encounters, twooly in luv and willing to give up everything for each other. I found it odd that poor, down-trodden, depressing Ayla suddenly decided she wanted to be Queen.

I REALLY couldn't understand, and REALLY found it odd that I slogged my way through this entire book hoping it would eventually make sense and get better.
Piquant Opines: RBTB-Amy, Feathered Quill, Night Owl, RT

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Th-th-that's all folks! Three, count 'em, THREE, whole books for the month of February. No, really, you may rise... It's truly not necessary to bow down in the face of my awesome book reading prowess.



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!

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!

Another Secret Revealed!

moar funny pictures

I'm guest blogging over at the DIK Ladies blog today talking about... well... DIKs! Oh, and Secret Coves. And there are hot menz involved.

Intrigued? Click here.

QB's Video Quickies

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

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

These are the DVDs and On-Demand movies I've been watching during my previously mentioned recent anti-social crabby(ier) bitch(ier) weeks.


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)

The Age of Innocence: A love triangle set in New York Society during the Victorian Era. Beautiful to watch, seems to be fairly true to the period, but it's really rather sad, depressing, and kind of pointless. Worth watching once through On-Demand, but I doubt if I'll bother watching it again.


The Duchess: One major flaw marred what should have been a great movie- We’re not shown how Georgiana Cavendish, the Duchess of Devonshire went from a silly, naïve 17 year old to become a politically savvy, sought after trendsetter with Princess Diana like popularity. Otherwise this movie is worth watching for the not quite accurate, but truly STUNNING, period costumes, 18th century British setting, and the vivid portrayal of the inequality between women and men and how little personal freedom women had.


The Other Boleyn Girl: This was lovely to look at, but once I got curious about its authenticity, it lost some of its glitter. All in all it was still watchable because of the lush costumes and scenery. But they can't quite make up for some awkward scenes, particularly the ones that portray Henry as pussy-whipped and gullible rather than a self-centered ruler who presumed his own deification.


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

Across the Universe: Set in the mercurial 60's and early 70's, this musical uses Beatles songs as much as dialogue to tell the story. It could have been hokey, but it was thoroughly enjoyable and engrossing. It’s amazing how universal and timeless those songs are. I watched this one on On-Demand but I might just buy it since it's worth repeated viewings.


Wall-E: Very cute and certainly entertaining, fantastic animation, but I’m a bit mystified why it landed on so many “Best.Movie.Ever.” lists.


The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: I enjoyed this one even more than the first one mainly because the Pevensie kids were older, which made the fight scenes a bit more plausible. Although I feel guilty for pervin’ on the guy who played Prince Caspian, Ben Barnes. He’s a flat out nomnomnom, but the mushy scenes between him and Susan (Anna Popplewell) can, at best, be described as awkward and forced. Glad to hear there’s going to be another Narnia movie after all, especially since Ben Barnes is set to play Prince Caspian in that one too.

North & South: No, not the American mini-series with Patrick Swayze, this is a 2004 BBC production set during the early Victorian era. Thanks to KristieJ and Marta Acosta (who is a fan of his Robin Hood), Richard Armitage became a must-see. N&S offers an absolutely outstanding immersion into the time period- our first look inside the mill was both beautiful and horrifying.

I was a bit disappointed with the development of the relationship between Margaret (Daniela Denby-Ashe) and John (Richard Armitage) though. It seemed they went from curious then longing glances to the proposal with nothing in between. His sudden declaration of love and her angry reaction to it came out of the blue and the entire proposal scene lacked credibility, although the deleted proposal scene adds a bit more explanation. Nonetheless, that’s the only major misstep in this lush BBC mini-series and their relationship from that point on will have you biting your fist.

Of particular note is the relationship between John and his mother (unforgettably played by Sinead Cusack), the unlikely relationship between John and one of his workers, Nicholas Higgins (Brendan Coyle), and the contrast between the lives of those in the tiers of the upper classes versus the lower working class. I highly recommend this one. But, what was up with those butt-ugly hats that Margaret wore, even after she could afford better?


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

The Tudors, Season 1: Oh.My.God. Every episode is like an Oscar-worthy film. I missed the first couple when they first aired on Showtime and gave up. Man, do I regret that! The only trouble is that I don’t know British history well enough to reliably recognize which characters will and will not prove to be significant. So it bugs the hell outta me whenever certain characters are on screen unless I stop and go look them up in Wikipedia.

Oh, and I’ve had to take the series' historical accuracy with a few grains of salt since Henry Fitzroy dies as a child in this story, unlike the real Henry Fitzroy who died at 17 (although, according to Tanya Huff, he was actually turned into a nummy vampire at 17). In addition, one of my favorite storylines involved Henry's sister Princess Margaret and his close friend Charles, Duke of Suffolk. Not only was it short lived (literally), but it turns out that the Margaret portrayed here didn't really exist and some bits and pieces of the REAL Margaret and her sister Mary's lives were incorporated into the fictional Margaret.

Ah well, it's still an absolutely amazing and addictive production. I'm ashamed of myself for ever thinking that shows like Dallas and Dynasty were addictive entertainment, particularly when you take into account that, for the most part, the events of The Tudors really happened. BTW, the cover for season 1 cracks me up- note the headless women.


Still to come: I've slowed down now that American Idol and Lost are back on. Although I've found myself parked in front of the TV on Thursday nights now too. CSI has become must-see again, and I find Rufus Sewell in Eleventh Hour completely captivating, almost mesmerizing. However the show would be seriously "meh" without him.

The Tudors, Season 2: I’ve only watched the first episode so far, but season 2 looks like it will be just as absorbing as season 1.


Elizabeth: I saw this a long time ago, but I think I'll appreciate it more now that I'm older, and watching The Tudors has helped me become more familiar with the events prior to this story. The only thing I remember about it is that The Virgin Queen was misnamed and I remember her funky transformation at the end of the movie. Plus I'm hoping it will help clear up some historical events that I'm curious and/or confused about. Those peeps had some verra complicated relationships!


Elizabeth: The Golden Age: I'm curious to see how this compares to Elizabeth's portrayal as a character in Bertrice Small's Skye O'Malley series. Yes, that's right, I've said it before and I'll say it again... Everything I know about British history I've learned through Romance novels (and now DVDs).


HAH! Looking over that list, it seems that I have a definite preference for period films, doesn't it?

More QB's SUPER Quickies

Since things like work, sleep, family, and reading seem to use up the time I need to write insightful, intelligent, witty, and LENGTHY commentaries (HEY! Did you just roll your eyes?!), Super Quickie posts give me a way to simply group books into my commentary categories and, more importantly, keep track of what I've read.



Click on the links or go to my INDEX for more info.


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)

Jes Battis - Night Child, OSI (Occult Special Investigator), book 1

Kresley Cole - Dark Needs at Night's Edge- Conrad and Néomi - Immortals After Dark, Book 4

Kathrynn Dennis - Dark Rider

Yasmine Galenorn - Darkling, Sisters of the Moon, Book 3

Yasmine Galenorn - Dragon Wytch, Sisters of the Moon, Book 4

Mathilde Madden, Madelynne Ellis, Anne Tourney - Possession, multi-author Black Lace paranormal anthology


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!

QB's Aural Quickies

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

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


I never found either Davidson's Undead series or Harris's Southern Vampire series particularly engrossing in print format. But thanks to brilliant performances by narrators Nancy Wu and Johanna Parker, I realized the problem was that I just wasn't appreciating the authors' voices. Now I eagerly anticipate the release of new audio books in both of these "must-hear" series.

MaryJanice Davidson - Undead and Uneasy, Undead (Queen Betsy) book 6
narrated by Nancy WU

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

See INDEX for more MJD commentaries.

Undead series books 1 through 6 are available as downloadable audio books from Audible.com
1. Undead and Unwed
2. Undead and Unemployed
3. Undead and Unappreciated
4. Undead and Unreturnable
5. Undead and Unpopular
6. Undead and Uneasy
7. Undead and Unworthy (not available yet)

See MJD's website for a list of novellas and short stories set in Betsy's Undead world that appear in several print anthologies.


Undead and Unworthy has some (to quote MJD) “HOLY CRAP ON A CRACKER!” surprise events! Do.Not.Miss.This.One. or you will be lost in the upcoming books. I don’t recommend it to newcomers to the series- you really need to listen to at least the first book, Undead and Unwed, to know who/what everyone is. As usual, Nancy Wu’s narration shines when she’s bringing Betsy’s snarktastic irreverence to life. And Wu’s characterization of Tina ratchets up the story’s enjoyment beyond MJD’s written word. Thanks to Wu, I’m never quite sure if Tina is being sincere or sarcastic.

I am curious about one little mystery that I have no doubt MJD will explore in a future book. When the Wyndham werewolves come a-callin’ (yes, THE Wyndham werewolves!), one of them follows Betsy upstairs into Baby John’s room (downside of audio books—I can’t easily browse back through to see which werewolf it was). Well, as soon as he gets in the nursery door, he completely freaks out and runs away. So what is it about Baby John that could scare a werewolf? I mean more than the poopy diapers, of course.

Now, if only they would hurry the hell up and release the audio book for book 7, Undead and Unworthy. The print book released June 24th, so C’MON PEOPLE! Wutz the holdup, huh?!
Piquant Opines: RT, Kris, Love Vampires, AAR

Charlaine Harris - From Dead to Worse, Southern Vampire (Sookie) series book 8
narrated by Johanna Parker

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: 5.5" out of 9"

See INDEX for previous Charlaine Harris commentaries.

While the later books in this series have all been released as Audible downloads, audio release of the earlier books isn't complete yet, but I'm assuming they will be eventually.
1. Dead Until Dark (available)
2. Living Dead in Dallas (available)
3. Club Dead
4. Dead to the World
5. Dead as a Doornail (available)
6. Definitely Dead (available)
7. All Together Dead (available)
8. From Dead to Worse (available)
See Harris' website for a list of novellas and short stories set in the Southern Vampires' world that appear in several print anthologies.

Like Undead and Uneasy above, From Dead to Worse is another series-altering book that absolutely should not be missed. FDtW opens shortly after the Vampire Summit’s disastrous fallout (All Together Dead). Sookie arrived home safely, but she hasn’t heard from Quinn since she left him at the hospital. Honestly, that’s okay with me. I liked Quinn before that last book, but found him less than likeable in ATD, and REALLY unlikable in this one. Okay, he has reasons for what he does in FDtW, but I agree with Sookie’s eventual assessment. The biggest news in FDtW is that a mysterious visitor brings Sookie info about her Fae bloodline (FINALLY!) and, (be prepared to squeal)--- Eric REMEMBERS! SQUEEEEEEE!!! BTW, if you have to ask “Remembers what?”, then you could not possibly have read the last few books in this series. I’m surprised the heat generated by the ever-present Eric/Sookie sexual tension hasn’t caused them to spontaneously burst into flames.

As usual, Johanna Parker’s narration is amazing. I cannot imagine ever reading a Sookie book in print again because Parker’s characterization of Sookie is picture perfect. In fact, I have no doubt that when the TV series debuts on HBO next month, I am going to have a lot of trouble trying to wrap my head around a completely different voice coming out of Sookie’s mouth (or any of the other characters either).
Piquant Opines: RT, Kris, Dear Author (Jennie), Dear Author (Janet), Love Vampires, Kmont, Bam (Dionne Galace), via Marta Acosta's VampireWire: Kathleen, Reading, Etc., and while I can't see that she ever actually reviewed FDtW, Tumperkin (Carolyn Jean) has definitely got the Sookie fangirl bug.

Cathy Maxwell - The Marriage Contract
narrated by Virginia Leishman

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: 5.5" out of 9"


This was a pleasant, entertaining historical romance (Scotland 1815). Although it’s fairly predictable, Maxwell does include a few little surprises and twists to add a bit of complexity to the story. Leishman makes some odd character voice choices with some of the male characters, but ultimately her narration is as pleasant as the storyline and neither detracts from nor enhances it. I recommend this for traditional romance fans.
Piquant Opines: RT, AAR, Mrs. G

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
PHIL GIGANTE ALERT: All of Karen Marie Moning’s Highlander series, eargasmically performed by Phil Gigante, are now available as downloadable audio through Audible.com at SIGNIFICANT savings (for members) over Amazon and AudioBookStandDL (note: Beyond the Highland Mist and Kiss of the Highlander (my fave) are on a members-only sale this week for $9.95!!). Right now I’m listening to the Audible download of book 7, Spell of the Highlander, which is also on sale this week for $9.95. Too bad Audible only allows reviews for audio books purchased directly through them, but I’ll have to make due trying to review all seven as part of my review of Spell over there.

I can’t believe there will be no more! ::SOB:: Yes, I DO know that Into the Dreaming is also part of this series, but it’s just a novella and I doubt it will be released on audio. So Spell is the last of the Phil G. Highlanders. ::SOB:: No more eargasms?! ::SOB:: Who do I threaten coerce bribe beg to make sure Phil gets signed up for more romance novels? Cuz, really, like Nathan Kamp and his nummy covers, Phil and the aural pleasures he gives belong to US now! So sez I.

Although I've always wondered how he can read some of those over-the-top lusty scenes without sinking to the floor with embarassment or rolling on it with laughter (remember the college students reading Lora Leigh?). Or maybe he doesn't get through them at all. He's just in so much pain from laughing that he's able to finally get a good take without cracking up.



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!