Defenders of the Scroll ~ History, Legend,and Lore ~ by Shiraz

From the Cover:

A teenage boy. A dark wizard. A mystic scroll. And the fate of a world hangs in the balance... When Alex "the Axeman" Logan is pulled from his world to help a young princess, named Dara, save her kingdom from the Shadow Lord, he thinks there has been a mistake. He's a teen guitar player close to failing 11th grade, not some defender of the realm. All he has are some school books, his wits, and his love of fantasy movies. Overnight his life is history. Alex must confront the Shadow Lord and his minions when he is thrust into a land that has changed from a magical paradise to a barren, hopeless, helpless realm invaded by a dark army. But Alex is not alone. He has the help of Dara, a magic scroll, and a band of unlikely companions drawn from his own history books: a hardened Roman Legionnaire, a swift Japanese Samurai, a fearless African Warrior, a fiery Amazon Archer, and a spirited Shaolin Monk. Can Alex become more than he believes and lead his small band of Defenders to the Hall of Shadows, the birthplace of the Shadow Lord? The fate of the realm and everyone in it rests on him.

Alex must choose, a chance in a lifetime or pass the 11th grade. A no brainer, right? Alex chooses the chance of a lifetime, skips his 11th grade exams, and goes to the Axeman Band audition. Just as he's set to perform, he feels strange. He slips away from his life and his reality being slammed into another place and time. There, a young wizard and daughter of the ruler, Princess Dara, begs him to help her, save her and her home.

Mornak, wizard and ruler of the realm of Mythos created the Hall of Shadows where all the evil of the realm was imprisoned. But, the Hall is rebelling, bringing forth it's own life, and it wants it's revenge against Mornak and the good people of the realm. The Shadow Lord has been born within the Hall and released to wreak his vengeance across the realm, taking over nearby Aspiria in the realm of Mythos, imprisoning Mornak, and enchanting the wizard King's knights, the Axeman. He travels through the shadows unseen by most eyes. Mornak's only hope is his young daughter who holds the scroll where he has poured all his magic, his entire being into. She holds the key to saving the realm.

Being only ten years old, Princess Dara is frightened of the immense power that has been thrust upon her. She does the only thing that she can think to do, she calls upon the Axeman to save her, hoping for the King's knights, and instead she gets Alex. Upon his arrival in the realm, he brings his school books containing teen heroes from throughout history. Since calling him, he is granted the gift of calling on the heroes and objects contained within the pages of those books. Maya, Amazon warrior, can shoot the straightest arrow. Tenzien, Shaolin monk who can move quicker than the eye. Genjuro, Japanese samurai with the quickest sword. Bantu, African warrior giant capable of holding off an army. Scorpius, Roman legionnaire who can defeat many enemies with his mighty military prowess. With Alex's imagination and modern know how, and his fierce warriors called from history, can they save the realm from the evilness of the Hall? Can they save the wizard King Mornak? They are the realm's only hope.

Defenders of the Scroll by Shiraz was a fast fun read. It creates a mystical ride for the reader with action, adventure, pirates, warriors, and magical creatures. It's a time and place where magic rules and wizards can be either good or evil. It is a land of enchantment where Alex's wildest dreams and nightmares can come true. A true comparison for me would be C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. I enjoyed this mystical magical adventure wholeheartedly. It is written for a younger audience or those who are young at heart. If you like me, are willing to allow yourself to be transported to a magical realm, then this is the book for you. If you enjoyed C.S. Lewis' many tales of the land of Narnia, try this is the book. I can't wait to see what adventures, wizards, and magical beings we get to meet in Book Two, soon to follow I hope. This book is the imaginative creation of Shiraz, the author, and storytellers Rupinder Malhotra and B. Singh Khanna. I received my review copy from the author, thank you Shiraz for exciting my imagination. If you like to check out this new author's website or DotS, click here. If you like to meet the author and are going to be in the Ontario area throughout the month of October, check out Chapters or the author's website for times and locations.


Here's a peek at the book trailer.


I found this fanmade video for The Call and it fit the story so well, I had to include it.


Here's the last few minutes of The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian, just because I love Narnia!! If you haven't read C.S. Lewis, you're missing out on a real treat! Defenders of the Scroll put me in the mood to watch a few minutes.

Banned Book Week ~~ September 26 to October 3, 2009

Did everyone know that this week is Banned Book Week? For those of you who thought the United States was beyond such perversities as banning books, think again. Many popular books have been banned by various entities in the past, present, and I'm sure in the future. Here's this is a partial list:

1984	George Orwell	Rad
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn	Mark Twain	ALA [11]
The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby	Dav Pilkey	ALA [47]
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer	Mark Twain	ALA
Alice series	Phyllis Reynolds Naylor	ALA [2]
All the King's Men	Robert Penn Warren	Rad
Always Running	Luis J. Rodriguez	ALA [66]
American Psycho	Bret Easton Ellis	ALA
An American Tragedy	Theodore Dreiser	Rad
The Anarchist Cookbook	William Powell	ALA
Anastasia Again!	Lois Lowry	ALA [81]
And Tango Makes Three	Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell	ALA [9]
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging	Louise Rennison	ALA [32]
Annie on my Mind	Nancy Garden	ALA
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret	Judy Blume	ALA [82]
Arming America	Michael Bellasiles	ALA [34]
Arizona Kid	Ron Koertge	ALA
As I Lay Dying	William Faulkner	Rad
Asking About Sex and Growing Up	Joanna Cole	ALA
Athletic Shorts	Chris Crutcher	ALA [38]
Beloved	Toni Morrison	ALA [24] /Rad
Black Boy	Richard Wright	ALA [67]
Bless Me, Ultima	Rudolfo A. Anaya	ALA [39]
Blood and Choclate	Annette Curtis Klause	ALA [54]
Blubber	Judy Blume	ALA [36]
The Bluest Eye	Toni Morrison	ALA [12]
The Boy Who Lost His Face	Louis Sachar	ALA [79]
Boys and Sex	Wardell Pomeroy	ALA
Brave New World	Aldous Huxley	ALA [37] /Rad
Bridge to Terabithia	Katherine Paterson	ALA [20]
Bumps in the Night	Harry Allard	ALA [83]
The Call of the Wild	Jack London	Rad
Captain Underpants	Dav Pilkey	ALA [10]
Carrie	Stephen King	ALA
The Catcher in the Rye	J. D. Salinger	ALA [19] /Rad
Catch-22	Joseph Heller	Rad
Cat's Cradle	Kurt Vonnegut	Rad
The Chocolate War	Robert Cormier	ALA [3]
Christine	Stephen King	ALA
A Clockwork Orange	Anthony Burgess	Rad
The Color Purple	Alice Walker	ALA [14] /Rad
Crazy Lady!	Jane Conly	ALA [42]
Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat	Alvin Schwartz	ALA
Cujo	Stephen King	ALA
Curses, Hexes and Spells	Daniel Cohen	ALA
Cut	Patricia McCormick	ALA [86]
Daddy's Roommate	Michael Willhoite	ALA
A Day No Pigs Would Die	Robert Newton Peck	ALA
The Dead Zone	Stephen King	ALA
Deenie	Judy Blume	ALA
Detour for Emmy	Marilyn Reynolds	ALA
The Drowning of Stephan Jones	Bette Greene	ALA
Earth's Children (series)	Jean M. Auel	ALA
The Exorcist	William Peter Blatty	ALA
The Face on the Milk Carton	Caroline B. Cooney	ALA
Fade	Robert Cormier	ALA
Fallen Angels	Walter Dean Myers	ALA
Family Secrets	Norma Klein	ALA
A Farewell to Arms	Ernest Hemingway	Rad
Final Exit	Derek Humphry	ALA
Flowers for Algernon	Daniel Keyes	ALA
For Whom the Bell Tolls	Ernest Hemingway	Rad
Forever	Judy Blume	ALA
Girls and Sex	Wardell Pomeroy	ALA
The Giver	Lois Lowry	ALA [014]
Go Ask Alice	Anonymous	ALA
Go Tell It on the Mountain	James Baldwin	Rad
The Goats	Brock Cole	ALA
Gone with the Wind	Margaret Mitchell	Rad
Goosebumps (series)	R. L. Stine	ALA
The Grapes of Wrath	John Steinbeck	Rad
The Great Gatsby	F. Scott Fitzgerald	Rad
The Great Gilly Hopkins	Katherine Paterson	ALA
Guess What?	Mem Fox	ALA
Halloween ABC	Eve Merriam	ALA
The Handmaid's Tale	Margaret Atwood	ALA
Harry Potter (series)	J. K. Rowling	ALA
Heart of Darkness	Joseph Conrad	Rad
Heather Has Two Mommies	Lesléa Newman	ALA
The House of the Spirits	Isabel Allende	ALA
How to Eat Fried Worms	Thomas Rockwell	ALA
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings	Maya Angelou	ALA
In Cold Blood	Truman Capote	Rad
In the Night Kitchen	Maurice Sendak	ALA
Invisible Man	Ralph Ellison	Rad
It's Perfectly Normal	Robie Harris	ALA
It's So Amazing	Robie Harris	ALA
Jack	A. M. Homes	ALA
James and the Giant Peach	Roald Dahl	ALA
Jay's Journal	Anonymous	ALA
Julie of the Wolves	Jean Craighead George	ALA
Jump Ship to Freedom	James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier	ALA
Jumper	Steven Gould	ALA
The Jungle	Upton Sinclair	Rad
Kaffir Boy	Mark Mathabane	ALA
Killing Mr. Griffin	Lois Duncan	ALA
Lady Chatterley's Lover	D. H. Lawrence	Rad
A Light in the Attic	Shel Silverstein	ALA
Little Black Sambo	Helen Bannerman	ALA
Lolita	Vladimir Nabokov	Rad
Lord of the Flies	William Golding	ALA/Rad
Mommy Laid An Egg	Babette Cole	ALA
My Brother Sam Is Dead	James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier	ALA
The Naked and the Dead	Norman Mailer	Rad
Naked Lunch	William S. Burroughs	Rad
Native Son	Richard Wright	ALA /Rad
The New Joy of Gay Sex	Charles Silverstein	ALA
Of Mice and Men	John Steinbeck	ALA /Rad
On My Honor	Marion Dane Bauer	ALA
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest	Ken Kesey	Rad
Ordinary People	Judith Guest	ALA
The Outsiders	S. E. Hinton	ALA
The Perks of Being a Wallflower	Stephen Chbosky	ALA
The Pillars of the Earth	Ken Follett	ALA
The Pigman	Paul Zindel	ALA
Private Parts	Howard Stern	ALA
Rabbit, Run	John Updike	Rad
Running Loose	Chris Crutcher	ALA
The Satanic Verses	Salman Rushdie	Rad
Scary Stories (series)	Alvin Schwartz	ALA
A Separate Peace	John Knowles	Rad
Sex	Madonna	ALA
Sex Education	Jenny Davis	ALA
Slaughterhouse-Five	Kurt Vonnegut	ALA [069]/Rad
The Sledding Hill	Chris Crutcher	ALA
Sleeping Beauty Trilogy	A. N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)	ALA
Song of Solomon (novel)	Toni Morrison	ALA /Rad
Sons and Lovers	D. H. Lawrence	Rad
The Stupids (series)	Harry Allard	ALA
Summer of My German Soldier	Bette Greene	ALA
The Sun Also Rises	Ernest Hemingway	Rad
That Was Then, This Is Now	S. E. Hinton	ALA
Their Eyes Were Watching God	Zora Neale Hurston	Rad
Tiger Eyes	Judy Blume	ALA
To Kill a Mockingbird	Harper Lee	ALA [041]/Rad
Tropic of Cancer	Henry Miller	Rad
Ulysses	James Joyce	Rad
View from the Cherry Tree	Willo Davis Roberts	ALA
We All Fall Down	Robert Cormier	ALA
Whale Talk	Chris Crutcher	ALA
What my Mother Doesn't Know	Sonya Sones	ALA
What's Happening to My Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons	Lynda Madaras	ALA
What's Happening to My Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters	Lynda Madaras	ALA
Where Did I Come From?	Peter Mayle	ALA
Where's Waldo?	Martin Handford	ALA
The Wish Giver	Bill Brittain	ALA
The Witches	Roald Dahl	ALA
Women in Love	D. H. Lawrence	Rad
Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women's Fantasies	Nancy Friday	ALA
A Wrinkle in Time	Madeleine L'Engle	ALA

Also, there are some great books coming out today, so happy release day!!

Congrats Jocelynn!! To read my review, click here. Check out Jess' blog for a great guest post and giveaway!



Congrats Gail! Check out Blodeuedd's Blog for a great guest post and review!



Congrats Sarah! Fantasy Book Critic has an excellent review, to check out this great review, click here. You want a free read of Sarah Langan's book, The Keeper? Check out Eos (my favorite publisher) for details, free ebook!!



Congrats Jennifer! This is a three part series, light and dark fae fantasy. Fresh Fiction has an excellent review here.



John Sandford is one of my favorite author and today is the release of his third book in the Virgil Flowers Series. If you haven't check out John Sandford's great reads, you're missing out on a sexy detective who's always rough and ready. Genre Go Round has an excellent review here.



For a more comprehensive list of new release, see Donna at Fantasy Dreamer's Ramblings.

Promo ~ Sherrilyn Kenyon ~ Born of Night

I've discovered a new series and I can't wait to take a peek! Tara at Zeitghost Media sent me a heads up on this one. Sherrilyn Kenyon has a new series hitting the shelves, The League. Book One in the series, Born of Night, will be available 9-29-09. This will be Nykyrian and Kiara story. Book Two, Born of Fire, will be released 11-3-09 and Book Three, Born of Ice, will be released 12-1-09.

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 539
Available in Mass Market Paperback

(release date: Sept. 29, 2009)

From the Cover: Awakened from a drugged sleep in a cold cell, the Princess Kiara finds herself a prisoner of the merciless marauders who threaten her father's planetary kingdom. Miraculously, a rescuer appears, but behind his fearsome mask is the handsome face of a dark avenger whose outlaw touch sets her very soul aflame.

Synopsis (from Sherrily Kenyon site) :

In the Ichidian Universe no one was safe people were dragged from their homes and killed in the streets. Victims of a ruthless tyrant who was bent on being the sole ruler. Those who opposed him formed an alliance called The League, which fell under the leadership of the Quorum.

The Quorum realized that the best way to keep trouble from starting was to cut it off at its knees. So a separate group of soldiers was needed, The League Assassins. Highly trained and highly valued, they are the backbone of the government. But not even the League is immune to corruption...

Command Assassin Nykyrian Quikiades was born and trained to slaughter. Refusing to be a pawn, he turned his back on the League and has been hunted by them ever since. Though many have tried, none can kill him. Now his assignment is to protect Kiara Zamir, a woman whose father's political alliance has made her a target. She wants nothing to do with politics, yet she is forced to submit to protection or die.

And as her world becomes even deadlier, Kiara must entrust her life to the same kind of beast who once killed her mother and left her for dead. Old enemies and new threaten them both and the only way they can survive is to overcome their suspicions and learn to trust in the very ones who threaten them most-- each other.



And here's another tasty treat! The first 9 chapters are available right here online.

If you'd like to take a closer look at this series, click here.

If you'd like to take a look at her Dark Hunter world, click here.

Want information about the author or the books, click here.



Here's a peek at the book trailer, too cool.

On the Bluffs by Steven Schindler

Publisher: The Elevated Press
Pages: 300

Sometimes the biggest lies are the ones we live

From the Cover: While Brian DeLouise was working the graveyard shift at a conspiracy theory-crazed radio station his wife was alley-catting around Washington, DC. But a cheating wife and a dead-end job no longer made him angry or depressed. He was just numb. It took a daring brush with death to awaken his senses and a few clicks on Google to begin a journey to recapture a love he believed was gone forever. Brian finds his lost lover in a rundown mansion on the windswept bluffs of Cape Cod, where he must confront a fast approaching evil while he risks losing everything he now cherishes.

Brian has had enough. Enough of his loveless marriage and DC. Enough of his job listening to crack pots who call into the ARS radio station (known to one and all as Arse). When he married Frances, she had a voracious appetite for sex, and now, they haven't had sex in two long years. He knows that she is having sex with anyone else that strikes her fancy. They only were married because of a pregnancy scare, but now he wonders if that was a lie too. Twenty years of a loveless, lie filled marriage. Good friend George agrees it's time to get out.

Brian's job which he at one time loved, has all but driven him mad. They call at all hours of the day or night, and need him to come to work to fill in for others to busy with their real lives to bother to be there. After a minor temper tantrum at work, related to the stress of his failing marriage and way too much overtime, Brian is put on leave and eventually let go.

Frances finally decides to ask for divorce, knowing she will devastate Brian. But he could care less, he's already made plans to head to Cape Cod, to look up an old girlfriend, from a time when he was truly happy. When he arrives, Smart House looks just like it did from his youth. Portia, his one time love, looks even better. This is just what the doctor ordered to get his life together.
As Portia and Brian try pick up from where they left off twenty years ago, he meets Portia's daughter, Juliette. Could Juliette be a love child conceived before her mother left for Europe?

On the Bluffs by Steven Schindler is great chick-lit. It took me a while to get into the book, about 80 pages worth, but after that the pages flew through my fingers. It's a moving story of a love almost forgotten. After the heart less Frances is done with Brian, he's little more than a shell. But Frances' refusal to accept him finally sends him over the edge. Brian only wants to recapture what is missing in his life today. To do so, he returns to the place and time when his life felt right. We all know we can't go back in time and expect to pick up where we left off, too many things have changed. But who said change was a bad thing? And that's what this story captures. Brian goes back to the place and time where everything was good, but he has to deal with the changes. Portia's mother, Beatrice, isn't as well as he had hoped and neither are the two elderly borders staying in Smart House. Portia has a grown daughter who's not all that friendly toward Brian, and Portia, while more beautiful than ever before, has her own health issues to address. George, ATF agent, helps keep Brian grounded through his divorce and his budding romance with Portia. But everything isn't as it appears to be at Smart House. Portia's brother, Richard, being one as well as the death of their father. And where has Beatrice hidden all of her money?

On the Bluffs was a fast endearing read that once I got into the story, I was hard pressed to put down. There were laugh out loud moments and teary eyed moments. It deals with the mysteries of life and a renewal of love. I highly recommend this book to lovers of chick-lit, I don't believe you'll be disappointed. For more information about Steven Schindler, please visit http://www.stevenschindler.com/

A Little Bit of This and A Little Bit of That

First I wanted to know if anyone else has seen this freaking hot trailer of Gerard Butler's new movie, Law Biding Citizen. I mean, OMG, it's an action/adventure....I'm loving it..... (Cecile thinks it great too!)



New Moon Trailer, just because I can't quit watching it, lol!





Then, Lea and SciFiGuy have this hot new cover art up for Carolyn Crane's new novel (squeeing ***it's her first!***)

(available March 23, 2010)

Paperback, 432 pages

".....Mind Games is the first in an urban fantasy trilogy about a hypochondriac who joins a psychological hit squad. It takes place in a fantastical Milwaukee/Chicago....." from Carolyn Crane's blog.

This is definitely on my wish list, pre-order from Amazon maybe????


And Sophie Renwick's newest novel, a paranormal romance, Velvet Haven is coming soon too!!

(available March 2010)

And, I wanted to remind everyone to run to the nearest bookstore and pick up Dawnbreaker by Jocelynn Drake. YAY, it's finally here!!!

(available Sept. 29, 2009)

The dawn brings new terror for the creatures of the night . . .

Those of her race fear Mira for the lethal fire she bends to her will—a power unique among nightwalkers, both a gift . . . and a curse.

The naturi despise Mira for what she is—as they prepare the final sacrifice that will destroy the barriers between the worlds. And once the naturi are unchained, blood, chaos, and horror will reign supreme on Earth.

Mira can trust only Danaus, the more-than-mortal vampire slayer, though he is sworn to destroy her kind. And now, as the day approaches when titanic forces will duel under cover of darkness, destiny draws them toward an apocalyptic confrontation at Machu Picchu. But all is not lost, for a wild card has been dealt to them: a rogue enemy princess who can change the balance of power and turn the dread tide.

This is one of my favorite series. It's freaking awesome!!! Check out Nightwalker and Dayhunter too!! If you want a chance to try to win this one, check out Jocelynn's contest on her blog! She's giving away TWO copies!! Ends on 9-26-09!!

New contest for Dawnbreaker by Jocelynn Drake!!! SciFiGuy is offering up THREE copies of this awesome book courtesy of Eos/Harper Collins. Check out this contest, ends 9-29-09!!

Third Contest!!! One Book Away From Heaven has a guest post with Jocelynn Drake. Jocelynn is letting everyone in on her writing tips. I sure could use this!! She's also giving away TWO copies of Dawnbreaker and TWO copies of your choice, Nightwalker or Dayhunter!! Four winners in all!! Check this contest out too!

And, one last thing before I go, my beautiful friend Lea at Closetwriter, is getting ready for her one year blogoversary!!! Starting September 28, 2009, she's having a party! So, everyone stop by and give Lea a shout and help her celebrate!!

Skin Trade, Book 17 of the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series by Laurell K. Hamilton

Publisher: Berkley / Penguin Group
Page: 486

From the Cover: When a vampire serial killer sends Anita Blake a grisly souvenir from Las Vegas, she has to warn Sin City's local authorities what they're dealing with. Only it's worse than she thought. Ten officers and one executioner have been slain - paranormal style. Anita heads to Vegas, where's she's joined by three other federal marshals, including the ruthless Edward. It's a good thing he always has her back, because when she gets close to the bodies, Anita senses 'tiger' too strongly to ignore it. The weretigers are very powerful in Las Vegas, which means the odds of her rubbing someone important the wrong way just got a lot higher.

Anita Blake, zombie animator extraordinaire, has received a special gift from a wicked special admirer, Vittorio, the vampire that escaped his execution in St. Louis. He's a serial killer driven mad by his desires, and now he's focused on Anita. He's sent her the head of the executioner of Las Vegas.

When Anita receives his 'invitation' to come and play in Las Vegas, she knows she must go and she'll need to leave before Jean Claude wakes, he'll never let her face Vittorio by herself. He can't go into Max and Bibiana's territory without permission and that will take too long. But Edward can and does, bringing Bernando and Olaf with him. They've all become legal vampire executioners now, and Olaf really enjoys his job.

Anita is put to the test. She has to control the ardeur, learning to feed it emotions instead of sex. Marmee Noir wants to control her body and soul, and if she can't, she going to try to force Anita into pregnancy and let her soul seep into her child. Marmee Noir must die. Belle Morte has her own plans for Anita, Belle wants Anita to become hers with all her special abilities. Vittorio who Anita finds out is the father of all vampires and in control the evil Djinn has his own agenda. The Day Father (Vittorio) is trying to kill Marmee Noir and take Anita instead. Marmee Noir stripped him of his powers, but he's regaining them.

Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton is Anita Blake starting to get back to her roots. No raising of zombies which I always liked about Anita, her ability to call to the dead, but maybe in the next book. I felt this book was better than the last several books. I know everyone was talking about the 'rape' scene, but I didn't see it. Yes, sex was supposed to have occurred with a sixteen year old weretiger, but it wasn't brought forward in the book in detail of any kind nor was it the most important part of that scene. Anita was being controlled by Vittorio who is a sick freak in his own right. It helps her to realize the different between forced acts and free will. I think it brings a forgiveness to Anita's personality that has been missing from the books. She afraid of become a monster, but her body is conductive for the monsters to possess. There was only three sex scenes in this novel and only two with details (one with Wicked Truth and one with weretigers Crispin and Domino), a lot less that the books after Blue Moon. If you liked LKH's early work, I think you'll like this novel. Edward is the main hero in the book, but there are so many secondary characters in the book, saving Anita in one form or another, that he shares this responsibilities. He's torn between being Ed and being Ted, and one day, he's going to have to deal with his growing conscious especially since his marriage to Donna. I also thought the book was a little long and some of the dialogue, especially the inner monologue, could have been shortened; trimming down the pages. If you haven't read Anita Blake Vampire Hunter, this is not the place to start. Laurell K. Hamilton's complete book list can be found below. Warning: After Blue Moon the books are very explicit. Sexual escapades are contained in all of the novels.

Short Stories involving Anita Blake's world.
* Magic Like Heat Across My Skin (2001)
* Bite -- The Girl Who Was Infatuated With Death (2005)
* Strange Candy (2006)
* Micah and Strange Candy (2007)
* Never After (2009)

Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series
* 1 : Guilty Pleasures (1993)
* 2 : Laughing Corpse, the (1994)
* 3 : Circus of the Damned (1995)
* 4 : Lunatic Cafe (1996)
* 5 : Bloody Bones (1996)
* 6 : Killing Dance, the (1997)
* 7 : Burnt Offerings (1998)
* 8 : Blue Moon (1998)
* 9 : Obsidian Butterfly (2000)
* 10 : Narcissus in Chains (2001)
* 11 : Cerulean Sins (2003)
* 12 : Incubus Dreams (2004)
* 13 : Micah (2006)
* 14 : Danse Macabre (2006)
* 15 : Harlequin, the (2007)
* 16 : Blood Noir (2008)
* 17 : Skin Trade (2009)
* 19 : Flirt (February 2010)

Merry Gentry Series
* 1 : A Kiss of Shadows (2000)
* 2 : A Caress of Twilight (2002)
* 3 : Seduced by Moonlight (2004)
* 4 : A Stroke of Midnight (2005)
* 5 : Mistral's Kiss (2006)
* 6 : A Lick of Frost (2007)
* 7 : Swallowing Darkness (2008)
* 8 : Misdemeanors (December 2009)

Laurell K. Hamilton talks about Skin Trade, Book 17

ABC Meme

I wasn't going to post this until tomorrow, but the weather's crappy here today and I don't really feel like cleaning, lol. So, ya'll are going to get it a day early.

I have been tagged by Blanche at There's No Such Thing As Too Many Books and by Lea at Closetwriter.

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.

2. Share your ABC’s.

3. Tag three people at the end by linking to their blogs.

4. Let the three tagged people know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

5. Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people, so there is a big network of bloggers doing this tag.


Available or single? Neither

Best Friend? I'd like to say my hubby, but that would upset my daughter, lol, who truly is my best friend, we share a lot. (except when I'm Mom in front of her friends, and then she tells me we are no longer friends, LOL)

Cake or Pie? I love pumpkin and apple pie, but truly adore German Chocolate Cake

Drink of choice? Sweet Tea or Root Beer (Jones or Barqs)

Essential item for every day use? Laptop and Blow Dryer (eek, hair issues!)

Favorite color? Purple/Blue/Pink

Google? Choking......Couldn't live without it or Yahoo Mail

Hometown? Springfield IL

Indulgences? books, books, books, and movies, I love movies.

January or February? February, one month closer to Spring

Kids and their names? 3, Kristopher, Kirsten, and Patrick

Life is incomplete without? family, friends, good food, laughter and books!

Marriage date? March 21st (first of Spring)

Number of siblings? 5 sisters, 1 brother (I'm the oldest)

Oranges or apples? apples or oranges, all good, love them both

Phobias and fears? anything with more than 4 legs (creepy crawlies have always terrified me, since infancy literally)

Quote for the day? Why don't they make the whole plane out of the stuff that they make the little black boxes out of, it survives everything, even the crash. I want to fly on that plane.

Reason to smile? my kids and pooch, when he's not being evil, he smiles so pretty and looks so happy.

Season? Spring, I love Spring and Summer

Tag 3 people anyone how like to play along, you've been tagged!

Unknown fact about me? Can't think of anything, I'm pretty open

Vegetable you hate? rutabagas, brussell sprouts, asparagus, turnips, beets (gross)

Worst habit? I have trouble keeping up with laundry and house work, lol

X-rays you’ve had? ankles, hips, knees, chest, neck [car accident ] (and teeth of course)

Your favorite food? Lasagna, Spaghetti, Pizza, Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Zodiac sign? Sagittarius, the archer

Sugar Time by Jane Adams

Publisher: Book Surge Publishing
Pages: 208 (214 - Amazon)

(Release Date: July 2, 2009)

From the Cover: Charlotte "Sugar" Kane hasn't brought in a hit TV show for 20 years. She's about to prove she still can, even if she's an old broad in a youth-obsessed business, when she's blind-sided by a medical malady that could cost her the pilot if anyone knew about it as well as ruin her chance to turn it into a winning series. She manages to keep her secret from the conniving young assistant who wants her show, and even from her grown kids and closest friends. And when she falls in love with Alex Carroll, she can't tell him, either: "What man who's still got what it takes wants a woman with a condition?" But Alex has a secret of his own, and by the time Sugar learns it, she'll have to face the hardest decision of all for a woman of a certain age who gets her last chance at both love and success - and knows that getting one means giving up the other.

Sugar sits watching TV at home wanting for her agent to call when she starts to feel odd. Like an octopus grapping a hold of her middle and squeezing. It could be food poisoning, but what it is a heart attack. Not wanting her neighbors to know, she makes her own way to the hospital. Mustn't let everyone know she's getting older. She hasn't had a hit show in twenty years, but maybe her ship is coming into dock. There's an opportunity here if she doesn't let it slip away.

And to top it all off, her daughter is expecting her first child (Sugar's first grandchild) and she wants her mom to be there. Add in Sugar's health concerns, which she decides her son and daughter don't need to know about, along with the budding of a new romance, and Sugar's plate is full.

Sugar needs the new show if she going to revive her dying career and the new romance if she wants to revitalize her life, but at 50 something, can she keep all the balls in the air? She comes to realize that life has to be worth living, but which is more important, her career or her love?

Sugar Time by Jane Adams was a good read for the lovers of chick lit. It brings many of the concerns that women are having to light, how to balance a career, love life, family. Are you one person or ten, can you be everything that everyone wants you to be? Who will you fail? Sugar's life complicates even more with her health concerns that she's trying to keep to herself. She's discovering what it's like to not be the freshest bloom in an industry that only cares how good your latest project was, and it's been twenty years between hits for Sugar. But it comes down to what she values most, career or everything else. Her career is so demanding that it wants to absorb her life. The stress of health issues, a new love with his own problems, and the needs of her own children all have to be addressed.

I'd like to say that Sugar Time was a fast fun read, and it was fun. Fast it was not. It was thought provoking and, well, let face it, we're all getting older, so it really brings issues into focus that I'd like to ignore. You know, like age, kids that will someday have their own kids, and having time for a life. It address some of the struggles we're all going through whether you're a man or a woman. That made it a hard read. I know it sounds silly to some, but the loss of her pouch, Tory, was almost more than I could take. So, if you want to think about life and where your's is going, this book is for you because, believe me, it will make you think and maybe even re-evaluate what you consider important and what's not. If you'd like more information about Jane Adams or her books, please visit her website.

Bite Club

From Michele's VampChix Blog:

We all share a common vein here at VampChix- we love our vampires! So, we're starting a monthly vampire romance book club and our first featured book is: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2




The rules are simple:

First rule of Bite Club, tell everyone about Bite Club.



Second rule of Bite Club, don't bleed on the carpet!



Here's how it works:
Each month we will feature a new vampire romance title, beginning with an author spotlight. Everyone gets a few weeks to read the book and then we meet to discuss our favorite characters, plot lines, settings, hot scenes, world building etc. etc. The blog will be open all month long for those who want to chat books, but spoilers will not be permitted until discussion day unless clearly marked. If you have a scene that jumps out and really grabs you by the neck, let's talk about it, but for those who choose to remain in the dark, spoilers can be skipped. When our club meets we can discuss any aspect of the book that appeals to us, and who knows? Maybe the author will drop in to talk too!



Where to find us: vampchixreadbooks.blogspot.com
First bite: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance
First chat: October 30th

Dark Time: Mortal Path, Book One by Dakota Banks

Publisher: EOS Books / Imprint of Harper Collins Publishing
Pages: 306

From the Cover: Three hundred years ago, she sold her soul to a demon. Now she wants it back.

For centuries, the woman calling herself Maliha Crayne has lived a second life—as an assassin for the malevolent creature who owns her soul. A haunted killer with the blood of countless victims on her hands, she has finally discovered a way to nullify the demonic pact that chains her: If she saves a life for every one she has taken, she will be free.

But if she fails, her punishments will be unspeakable, unendurable . . . and neverending.

As our story opens, Susannah Layhem of Massachusetts (1692) is a healer and works with herbs, but then she's accused of being a witch and sentenced to burn. She has done nothing but bring good health to her community and for it, she is going to gain death and so will the infant she's carrying. The night before her burning, she gives birth in the dirt and squalor of her cell to her stillborn infant daughter; her body too abused and an damaged to continue supporting the life growing within her. She's dragged crying from her cell and placed upon the wooden mound; set aflame. Just as she takes her last breath and utters her final curse, she's snatched from her fiery death, and transported to another place and time. A voice offers her a choice, go back to the flames or becoming his slave. She chooses life and the cursed existence to the demon, Rabishu. She becomes Ageless, continuous life for the rest of eternity.

For centuries, the death that she brings does not burden her consciousness, but when she's told to kill an infant girl, much like her own long dead daughter, Constanta, she has to draw the line. She cannot bring herself to harm the infant who hasn't even had a chance to live. It's the beginnings of her conscious self re-asserting. Over the years, she has come to the conclusion that she can no longer be the demon's killing machine.

After many years of searching for the answer to her release from the Rabishu's service, he reveals that there is an escape clause to her contract. But to escape, she has to set the scales straight, for every life she has taken, one must be saved. She will become mortal again, but with a longer lifespan. She can be wounded, but she'll heal faster. For every life she saves, she'll age faster. And if she is killed, she becomes Rabishu plaything for an eternity of hell. She'll have to re-invent herself over and over again to hide her extended life.

In this incarnation, she becomes Maliha Crayne (alter ego: Marsha Winter, thriller author) and she still trying to balance the scales.

Dark Time: Mortal Path Book One by Dakota Banks was a fast paced thriller/urban fantasy that jumps from the days of early Massachusetts to the present then back again throughout our heroine's existence, showing the trials and tribulations she must endure if she wants to regain her soul from the enslaving demon. When Rabishu released her from his service, he etched the scales of justice into her skin, and with each life earned, the justice scales losses a tiny figure as it marches across her skin with fiery footsteps to create balance. She soon discovers Rabishu doesn't play fair, his assassins will kill her if they're able. But, Rabishu has also trained her well, she is quick and powerful, a force to be reckoned with. She can bring death to even the Ageless. So begins her new life to fight against the wrongs of the world; to the weak, the young, and the powerless, she is their champion. To the cruel, evil, and bloodthirsty, she is their worst nightmare. There are several powerful players in this novel; long time friends, Yanmeng and Amaro, provide a supportive extended family for her as well as back up. New love interest, Jake, may be what he appears to be, DEA agent, or maybe he's something else altogether. If you enjoy a thrilling urban fantasy as much as I do and if you like a kick-ass heroine, pick up this book, an excellent read well worth you time. I loved the qualities that Mahila embraces as she tries to regain her soul. It's a quick read moving through time as Mahila works to right the wrongs. The story leaves me begging for more with one question remaining, who or what is Jake Stackman? To learn more about Dakota Banks or the new series, Mortal Path, please visit http://www.dakota-banks.com/ . Her second book, Sacrifice: Mortal Path, Book Two will released in 2010, I can't wait to read it. For a sneak peek of Book Two, check out SciFiGuy's sneak peek. Thanks TJ Dietderich at Planned TV Arts for my review copy.

Here's a peek at the book trailier. Excellent presentation of the story to follow.

Dark Time: Mortal Path Book One (July 2009)
Sacrifice: Mortal Path Book Two (2010)