Who? What? Where? (85)

Who are you with? Where are you at? What's happening?

Share with us just a little bit of what is happening in the book you are reading, right where you are now.

Just a tiny taste of what's happening, remember try to not give spoilers of the book.

(This is a new meme I'm going to try and will tweak as I go. And please don't laugh at my lame attempt at drawing. ;D )

This Week:

I'm on the filthy planet, Keiluna where Gerard and his crew just assassinated a crew of male Bolkerian who have elevated themselves to be noticed and receiving support of someone working against the Sanctify.  It seems a few of the crew have...issues with each other, or within themselves for some reason.  I'm curious to see what's happening with this group of men.

The High Priestess
By:  Katee Robert


Others have shown interest in joining in this post, and linking up.  So I've created a linky for that.
My only requests; copy the picture to use, and link back to My World...in words and pages.
Please visit any joining in.
Thank you!

Thoughts On: Avalon Revisited Ch 11-12

Avalon Revisited

By:  O.M. Grey

Genre:  Victorian Vampire Steampunk Romance

Chapter:  11

Format:  Podcast, 19:04 minutes

Book Synopsis:
Arthur has made his existence as a vampire bearable for over three hundred years by immersing himself in blood and debauchery.  Aboard an airship gala, he meets Avalon, an aspiring vampire slayer who sparks fire into Arthur's shriveled heart.  Together they try to solve the mystery of several horrendous murders on the dark streets of London.  Cultures clash and pressures rise in this sexy Steampunk Romance.

My Thoughts and Summary:
Avalon, Arthur, and Victor are decked out with apparatuses and vampire 'killing' weapons as the enter the cemetery.  We enter the crept.  It appears one vampire has risen, and the tomb lid rattles on the second.

We see some of Avalon here.  She is scared of cemeteries at night.  Arthur asks her why she hunts vampires then, and she does so to stop them.  Victor has trained Avalon and claims he has seriously trained and hunted.  We learn who the person was that Victor learned under, a Dutchman.

I'm curious!  It seems Arthur's victim, the one and only he killed, has been changed into something as her tomb is empty.  Arthur didn't do it though.  And her husband is the one to rise tonight.  Arthur questions if there are different breeds of vampires when he sees him.  Arthur learns a few things he thought to not, or do not, work on normal vampires has an affect here.  This vampire Arthur runs into is different!  MUCH larger fangs and grows like a snout.

There is some fighting here as our crew works to take down this new kind of vampire.  Seems the high of the fight and the vampire kill, or decapitation by Arthur, has opened Avalon's eyes to Arthur some.

Arthur makes a quick comment here I kinda found good, that he is stuck with the desires of a young man, and for so many years.  I liked this as it describes Arthur and his doings very well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter:  12

Format:  Podcast, 28:54

My Thoughts and Summary:
Victor thinks there will be another murder tonight, with one vampire released before they got there.  He also comes to the conclusion that, that vampire was a hybrid; lycan and vampire.  Victor suspects this is the work of one disturbed man.

Avalon and Victor agree to return after dawn to take care of the wife vampire while she rests, which seems to be a problem for Arthur.  Even though London mostly has dreary days he can go out covered in, he can't do the sun if it's up.

Hmmm, I'm once again wondering about Arthur's dear and oh so loyal butler, Cecil.  Cecil is not answering Arthur's call, again, or the door to his room and no one knows where he is.

Arthur seems to have given himself a way, just a tad.  Victor is whispering with Avalon of Arthur's to quick movement in the crept.  Victor fears Arthur is more than Avalon thinks, and that Arthur has feelings for her as well.  Aaah, this pushes Avalon a little further, she decides that is Victor's motives against Arthur.  Maybe this is swaying Avalon to Arthur?

We learn there is truth to Victor's training in vampire hunting, and learn a touch of the experiments done to see what affected vampires or not.  We learn four ways to kill a vampire.  Avalon seems a bit sympathetic to the vampires for the treatment they underwent in Victor's and associates research.

We are back to discussing the current vampires and the differences they are seeing with them.  We also learn the full moon is on it's way, and werewolf infected have three nights in were-form, the fool moon, one night before, one night after.  Now we need to learn more about werewolves?

I'm curious to see where this goes with the hybrid idea and with Cecil.



If you would like to listen, or read, this story you can find it in many places:
   Free Listening:
On O.M. Grey's blog Caught in the Cogs, she has chapter by chapter coming up on her blog weekly as it's a new listen.
iTunes the story is up weekly for free listening.
   Reading:
You can purchase the Print or Nook book at Barnes & Nobles.
You can purchase a Print or Kindle version at Amazon.
Or if you need in a different ebook format, you can find on Smashwords as well.


I'm listening to this story for my own enjoyment.

Teaser Tuesday (137)

Teaser Tuesday

is a weekly event

Sponsored by MizB of Should be Reading

Here's how it works:

Grab the book you are currently reading (anything at all)

Open the book to any random page.

Share 2 teaser sentences from anywhere on the page

Please Make Sure They Are Not Spoilers!

(Don't Give Too Much Away)

Just enough to pique our interests

This Week:

Casey smiled and bowed.  Monson chuckled as his eyes wandered toward the window.  The image of a cruel smile from underneath the unnatural blackness of a hood jumped out at him so unexpectedly that he flinched.

The House of Grey
Volume 1
By:  Collin Earl
91pg

Book Review: Badlands

Badlands

By:  Seleste deLaney

Published By:  Carina Press

Publish Date:  February 28, 2011

Format:  Enovella, 104pgs

Genre:  Steampunk Romance

Series:  1st book in 4 book series; 0.5 Short Story in Badlands ~ Just a Man

Recommendation:  Oh yes, so quick, but strong yet dangerous world and characters with steampunk romance twisted in.

Synopsis:
After a brutal Civil War, America is a land divided.  As commander of her nation's border guards, Ever is a warrior sworn to protect her country and her queen.  When an airship attacks and kills the monarch, Ever must infiltrate enemy territory to bring home the heir to the throne, and the dirigible Dark Hawk is her fastest way to the Union.

Captain Spencer Pierce just wants to pay off the debt he owes on the Dark Hawk and make a life for himself trading across the border.  When the queen's assassination puts the shipping routes at risk, he finds himself Ever's reluctant ally.

As they fly into danger, Ever and Spencer must battle not only the enemy but also their growing attraction.  She refuses to place her heart before duty, and he has always put the needs of his sip and crew above his own desires.  Once the princess is rescued, perhaps they can find love in the Badlands -- if death doesn't find them first...

First Sentence:
The tent flap swished open and Ever shielded her eyes from the glare.

Purchase At:

Amazon ~ Kindle    /   Barnes & Nobles   /   Carina Press

My Thoughts and Summary:
When the male criminals along with other men dressed as soldiers attack, Ever has to do what she doesn't want and run from battle.  Her focus now as she leaves her female troops fighting, is to bring the Princess home to the Badlands to rule as the Queen was killed.  Ever signals the regular supply airship, Dark Hawk, as it arrives, warning against the United States attacking ship and for her escape.  Captain Spencer Pierce, working to pay off his ship and on his last trip, picks up the bloodied woman he finds, willing to help her.  Ever needs to find Princess Laurette and bring her back safely before the attackers find her, or get to Ever first.

Ever is one hard woman.  In this world, she has to be.  A world where the United States is divided and she patrols the badlands.  The place that the states send their exiled criminals to, and Ever's job is to find them, capture or kill them.  She guards from the prisoners getting out and the ones coming in.  Ever has many views on men, and is tough on them too.  And I like that hardness in her.  She is my kinda character.

Ever doesn't approve of marriage, feels it's a distraction to the woman warriors.  Reading about Ever reminds me of an Amazon Princess Warrior.  She is strong and always ready for a fight, doesn't matter in what degree of dress she is in.  These Amazon warrior women are of the steampunk era; not ones armed with god forged weapons - truth lasso, bulletproof bracelets, boomerang golden tiara and such, but with pistols, crossbow, and knives on her belt and in her boots.  This is one woman out for the fight, and to win at any cost.  Ever is the Wonder Woman of Steampunk in the Badlands.

We start off into action.  Quickly we learn Ever needs to leave, and she battles her way out.  In this quick start it takes a little to catch who's where and what's happening, but it catches your eye and keeps you flipping to quickly learn what all is present in this world.  The quick movement, action, and hardness of Ever kept me enthralled to quickly get to the end to know what happens.  I did have a little bit of a time trying to see the world at the very beginning and what exactly Ever's position was, but it is all detailed as you read along, so it will all come to light soon enough.

I slipped right into this story and harsh world.  A little romance with steampunk and clockwork along with the threat of death and worry.  I kept reading to know what happens, the rest of the world around me falling away bringing me to the harsh rocky quiet of the Badlands.

If you are curious about this character, I highly suggest reading the short story, Just A Man, with Ever on the authors site.  If you like hard characters, Ever is the one for you.  But you get a taste of her determined and clear thinking in the short story.  And hopefully Ever and the Badlands are the story for you.

From what I've read of Meljean Brook Iron Sea series, just the novella's at the moment, I think this novella series would recommend this series to them as well.

Oh I've got my eyes out for the next story in this world, Clockwork Mafia, to come April 2012.



**I read this novella for my own enjoyment.

Short Story Review: Just A Man

Just a Man

By:  Seleste deLaney

Published By:  author on her site

Published Date:  March 2011

Format:  eread on authors site

Genre:  Steampunk

Series:  Short story in Badlands world

Recommendation:  Oh yes, gives you a glimpse at the hard person Ever is and just might make you curious to try the enovella with Ever fighting her way through it.

Synopsis:
In the Badlands, nothing is simple -- not even the death of a parent.  I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into Ever's life before she finds her way aboard the Dark Hawk.

First Sentence:
Ever paced the length of her mother's rooms, a faint cloud of dust from her clothes following in her wake.

My Thoughts and Summary:
Ever returns home at her mothers request to learn the bad news of her fathers death, but Ever might have a different view on it, or is it just the way she deals...

This is a glimpse at Everette while she learns her working father died.  We see the hard woman she is and what her job is.  There is a little history here as well.

I think I could like this woman, Ever.  I need to read Badlands to know more of what it is she does.  I want to see this world: troops of woman, criminals sent across borders, and having to hunt the criminals.

This short story does make me curious about the world, and a strong, hard character I think I could read and like.


If you are curious as well, take a few moments to read this free read found on the author's site.  You too might find yourself diving into the enovella Badlands as I did after reading this.

Seleste deLaney has Just a Man for free to read.  As well as other short stories in another world including vampires, if you are curious to sample A Blood Kissed series short story.


**I read this quick short story for my own enjoyment.

Monday's Beginnings (162)

It's Monday. *grumble, grumble*

There was so much I wanted to get done, and didn't get to.  Time flies by so fast!  I might have over expected myself this weekend with the list.  I've been terrible at commenting on my blog this last week or so.  Sorry, works been busy and I've been running with the kid at night.  Crazy time with school in, and we all thought it'd be easier. Ha!  But I've been trying to keep up on visiting you, so that's a plus.

I've decided that I'm tired of being inactive as well.  I'm going to start doing the Wii Fit again.  If even only two days a week.  I'll feel better.  But don't tell the doctor.  I decided to not do the treadmill, even though I love it and can listen to podcasts.  I think the treadmill will be to straining for my ankle yet.  But I have to do something.

But, on to the bookish stuff from last week now...


Current Read:
Endgame by Ann Aguirre (will start today for chat on Thursday)

Finished Last Week:
Harmonics: Rise of the Magician by Collin Earl & Chris Snelgrove
House of Grey Vol. 1 by Collin Earl

Reviews to Come:
Stitch by Samantha Durante
Badlands by Seleste deLaney
Soul Trade by Caitlin Kittredge
Protector of the Light by S.A. Archer & S. Ravenheart
Harmonics: Rise of the magician by Collin Earl & Chris Snelgrove
House of Grey Vol. 1 by Collin Earl

Book Reviews Posted:
Shadows before the Sun by Kelly Gay
Shades of War by Sarah-Jane Lehoux

Podcast Reviews Posted:
Avalon Revisited by O.M. Grey ~ Chapters 8 - 10

Movie Review Posted:
Clash of the Titans

Books and Covers Shared:
Have you Heard?  A new book in a loved fantasy world.

Special Posts:
UF Book Chat, Stop 1 on Endgame
Freebies and Deals, on Nook too (26)

GIVEAWAY, just posted early this morning. 3 pdf copies of the set: THIEF and SHADES OF WAR by Sarah-Jane Lehoux. Ends 10/08/12 at 12:01 am EST.

I did not do a Flash Fiction Friday.  The week really got away from me with running.

My WANT List...Hmmm, I've only added 7 books.  But once again I've added books to the TBR pile that were never on the Want list.

Received Last Week:
Purchased:
This is another purchase for the kid to read for school and his AR points.  Can I tell ya how much I love this cover?

Department Nineteen by Will Hill
Goodreads Synopsis:
Jamie Carpenter's life will never be the same. His father is dead, his mother is missing, and he was just rescued by an enormous man named Frankenstein. Jamie is brought to Department 19, where he is pulled into a secret organization responsible for policing the supernatural, founded more than a century ago by Abraham Van Helsing and the other survivors of Dracula. Aided by Frankenstein's monster, a beautiful vampire girl with her own agenda, and the members of the agency, Jamie must attempt to save his mother from a terrifyingly powerful vampire.

Department 19 takes us through history, across Europe, and beyond - from the cobbled streets of Victorian London to prohibition-era New York, from the icy wastes of Arctic Russia to the treacherous mountains of Transylvania. Part modern thriller, part classic horror, it's packed with mystery, mayhem, and a level of suspense that makes a Darren Shan novel look like a romantic comedy.

I have to thank Bastard Books for suggesting these next two books of a new series to me.  They sound interesting, and I'll have to get to them soon.

Zero Sight by B. Justin Shier
Goodreads Synopsis:
Meet Dieter Resnick. Dieter is the sole child of an abusive single father, a perennial schoolyard brawler, and Ted Binion High's number one academic prospect. Dieter is terrified of staying poor. He has few friends and is absolutely obsessed with earning a college scholarship. He's also a latent mage--one of the few humans left that can bend the manaflows to their will.

Too bad no one told him. Now a boy is dead.

Meet Rei Acerba Bathory. Rei is a second year student at Elliot College, the premiere magical training academy in North America. She's also on an all-liquid diet. Rei acquired her odd speech and mannerisms living among her centuries-old kin--strange vampiric creatures that have carved out the Midwest as their playground. She can kill a man without blinking, but has a serious weakness for puppies. Thanks to a childhood spent living cloistered from the public, Rei knows little of modern society. She'd do well to make some friends, but her fellow trainees despise her. Rei is the first of her kind to be admitted, and many hope to make her the last.

Dieter was raised in the grimy outskirts of Las Vegas. Rei was homeschooled in a Chicago mansion. Both are on their way to Elliot College. Both believe the other is a creature of idle fantasy. In ten hours, they're going to be at the center of a war fought by shadow actors. In eleven hours, they're going to become a weft-pair, bound together by the most sacred spell in the magic canon. And in twelve hours? Well, in twelve hours, they've got to get to class...

Zero Sum by B. Justin Shier
Goodreads Synopsis:
My name is Dieter Resnick. I was planning to turn eighteen in May, but I don't think I'm gonna make it. I've just been drafted into a war. And this war isn't usual. It's kinda sorta fought with spells.

Six months ago today, I was my high school's valedictorian. Now I'm Elliot College's newest combat-certified mage, and one of the few to survive a Talmax raid. I've got a weft-partner named Rei Acerba, whose hobbies include flaying the skin off her foes and perusing the sunscreen aisle. I've got a tutor named Jules Nelson, who spends her evenings talking to trees. And I've got a friend named Jay Dante, who tends to vanish when I need him most.

We're all part of a team called Lambda, and we've been ordered into the middle of a battle between North America's magical factions. The warriors of Talmax are surging up from the South. The Department of Mana Affair's once omnipotent DEA agents have been left cowering behind their wards. Our job is to reveal the enemy's secret weapon--before they take ownership of the entire West Coast.

Free Finds on Nook:

Death's Hand by SM Reine
Goodreads Synopsis:
Policing relations between Heaven, Hell, and Earth is messy and violent, but Elise Kavanagh and James Faulkner excelled at it-- until coming across a job so brutal that even they couldn't stand to see one more dead body.

Now they've been pretending to be normal for five years, leaving their horrific history a dark secret. Elise works in an office. James owns a business. None of their friends realize they used to be one of the world's best killing teams.

After years of hiding, something stirs. Bodies are vanishing. Demons scurry in the shadows of the night. A child has been possessed.

Some enemies aren't willing to let the secrets of the past stay dead...

Dark Union by SM Reine
Goodreads Synopsis:
Every fifty years, the most powerful ethereal and infernal beings convene on Earth to resolve conflicts with mediation by kopides--humans born to police relations between Heaven and Hell. They're meeting in Elise Kavanagh's territory this year, and she used to be the greatest kopis in the world. But she's not invited.

An old friend, Lucas McIntyre, asks her to attend the summit in his place. But when she arrives, she discovers that a human faction called The Union has taken charge of the summit, and they're not playing nice. Worse yet, someone has killed a prominent Union member, and now they're demanding blood.

Elise has to bring justice to the summit in DARK UNION, a 33,000-word (120 page) urban fantasy novella featuring a decrepit ghost town, angry men with guns, and even angrier angels.

The Darkest Gate by SM Reine
Goodreads Synopsis:
When Elise Kavanagh retired from demon hunting, she swore it would be permanent. But an attack from a powerful necromancer forced her back into the business, and now she's trying to balance her normal boyfriend and normal job with everything supernatural.

Mr. Black is a demon hunter gone rogue. He's enslaving angels and stealing ethereal artifacts in pursuit of forbidden immortality. An old grudge drives him to make his final stand in Elise's territory. Destroying her life and killing her friends isn't the goal, but it's a definite perk.

A demonic overlord offers to join against Mr. Black and protect Elise's loved ones. All she needs to do is ally with the demons she's sworn to kill, at the cost of her morals--and maybe her immortal soul. But once she crosses that line, there's no turning back.

Nothing is sacred when Heaven and Hell collide on Earth...

Full-Blooded Fantasy, by 8 authors
Goodreads Synopsis:
Full-Blooded Fantasy is a one-of-a-kind collection featuring selections from eight of the best fantasy novels published today. Experience the remarkable storytelling of acclaimed fantasy writers such as Nancy Farmer, author of the award-winning The House of the Scorpion; Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, creators of the international phenomenon The Spiderwick Chronicles; and D. J. MacHale, author of the New York Times bestselling series Pendragon.

The Trivia Lovers Guide to the World by Gary Fuller
Goodreads Synopsis:
It seems no synopsis on Goodreads, but it kind of explains itself as the title.








For Review:

Kiss of Death by Seleste deLaney
Goodreads Synopsis:
Too many years of killer vamps have triggered the curse of the Blood Kissed. They’ve awakened the bloodline that can alter their world, because her blood has the power to control them all—even make them destroy each other.

Jocelyn thought her troubles with vampires were over when she drove a stake through her boyfriend Max’s heart two years ago. Even though she’s engaged to Chad, she’s never really forgotten him. Now Max is back, and Chad is taking her into the heart of the vamp community—and they’re the ones trying to keep her alive. The ones who love her and each seek to claim her for their own. Because once the elders know who she is, they’re all going to want her…or want her dead.

How did last week go for you?  Does the new week look to be good too?

Here's wishing you all the best in words and pages.

Fantasy Giveaway!

I have a great giveaway for you this week!  I've enjoyed reading these two books, so I'm thrilled to giveaway copies as well.

Sarah-Jane Lehoux has offered up 3 pdf copies of the first two copes of her Sevy books.  That's 3 sets of THIEF and SHADES OF WAR by Sarah-Jane Lehoux.  Yes!  3 winners will win both books.  Eeep!

I've reviewed both books, in case you are curious on my thoughts:
   Thief
   Shades of War

Here is the book descriptions so you know about them:

Thief:
In the crumbling city of Eloria, there is one indisputable fact: everyone has a price. Protestations of morality and better judgment have little meaning when confronted with the chance to obtain the unobtainable. The only question remaining is just how much a person is willing to sacrifice in order to win their heart’s desire.

Sevy has always been a quick study in the wicked ways of Eloria. She has no qualms about taking what she wants, and when the love of her life is mysteriously murdered, Sevy will stop at nothing to get him back. Elvish black magic, necromancy and demonic pacts are of little consequence if it means she can once again have her beloved at her side. But is she willing to murder her only friend to get the job done?

Shades of War:
Sometimes the past can't be forgotten. Sometimes the truth refuses to be buried. And sometimes the dead won't stay dead.It began as a simple request: Journey to the Northern Jungles and bring a wayward son back to the safety of his farm and family before the racial tension that is building between humans and dark elves erupts into civil war. But life is never simple for Sevy, and she soon finds herself entangled in a bloody battle of good versus evil, love versus hate.Old friends and enemies reunite, familial bonds are broken, and loyalty is tested. And in the midst of the steamy, sultry jungles, the ghosts of a serial killer's victims come out to play. Sevy, as petulant and irascible as ever, must overcome her personal demons in order to expose a madman and bring peace back to the kingdom. But just how much of her sanity must she sacrifice to help her friends? And how can she save anyone when she can't even save her own soul?

This giveaway is International, with being for pdf versions.

Ends October 8, 2012 12:01am EST

3 winners of Thief and Shades of War pdf format

a Rafflecopter giveaway Here's a good thing.  If you don't win a copy here, there will be three more chances in October to win these copies.  Blodeuedd of Book Girl of Mur-u-Castell will give away 3 copies the week of October 8th, Melissa at Books & Things will be giving away 3 copies the week of October 15th, Melissa at Mel's Random Reviews will also be giving away 3 copies the week of October 22nd.  Awesome, right!?  Well, Blodeuedd and I are working on trying to giveaway a few copies else were too; twitter and such, so keep an eye out there as well.