I’ve just posted the review of Deadtown at Scooper Speaks. Read it at http://scooperspeaks.com/review294.htm.

Now I’ll be ghetto. Want the book I just finished? It’s been read once, by me. I dog-ear pages, so it’s not perfect. But if you want it, it’s yours. All you have to do is tell me your favorite urban fantasy book. I’ll randomly select a winner on Valentine’s Day.

Please, 1 entry per person.

In the tiny village of Rockabill, Maine, Jane True-26-year-old bookstore clerk and secret night swimmer-has no idea that her absent mother’s legacy is entry into a world populated by the origins of human myths and legends. It is a world where nothing can be taken for granted: vampires are not quite what we think; dogs sometimes surprise us; and whatever you do, never-ever-rub the genie’s lamp.

For Jane, everything kicks off when she comes across a murder victim during her nightly clandestine swim in the freezing winter ocean. This grisly discovery leads to the revelation of why she has such freakish abilities in the water: her mother was a Selkie and Jane is only half human.

With this knowledge, Jane soon finds herself mingling with supernatural creatures alternately terrifying, beautiful, and deadly-all adjectives that quite handily describe her new friend Ryu.

When Ryu is sent to Rockabill to investigate the murder, he and Jane fall hard for each other even as they plummet into a world of intrigue threatening to engulf both supernatural and human societies. For someone is killing half-humans like Jane.

The question is, are the murders the work of one rogue individual or part of a greater plot to purge the world of Halflings?–Orbit Books
Read the review at Scooper Speaks! Don’t forget to come back and post a comment. Happy reading!

From Nicole Peeler’s website:

Tracking the Tempest begins four months–and one eyebrow sacrificed to magical  training–after the close of Tempest Rising.  During that time, Jane’s been busy  honing her supernatural powers and enjoying her newfound sense of confidence.    Rockabill may  not yet be heaven, but she’s realized it’s home.  Valentine’s Day is  fast approaching,  however, and Ryu–Jane’s bloodsucker boyfriend–can’t let a  major holiday go by without  getting all gratuitous.  This time his shenanigans  involve a last-minute ticket to Boston  and a hefty dose of direct interference in her  life. But Ryu’s best laid plans inevitably create  more upheaval than even he can  anticipate, and Jane winds up embroiled in  an investigation involving a spree of  gruesome killings committed by a being of  tremendous power . . .

. . . who, much to Jane’s surprise, happens to be another halfling.

Look for it  July 1.

Pocket Books (February 23, 2010)
ISBN-10: 1439167613
ISBN-13: 9781439167618

A ROMANTIC INTERLUDE…OR A DATE WITH HELL?

Psychologist and psychic Megan Chase has grown remarkably comfortable hanging out with demons. The demon “family” she leads is happy, her slo practice is stabilizing, and she and her steamy demon lover Greyson Dante are closer than ever. But when the couple books a week at a luxury hotel to attend a meeting of demon leaders, some unanticipated problems appear.

An FBI agent with an unhealthy interest in less-than-legitimate demon business shows up; the demon community is urging Megan to undergo the rite that will make her a real demon; and a slightly shady minister is holding one of his wildly popular “weekend exorcisms” just down the road. And oh yes, someone with scary magical abilities is attempting to kill her.

Then, just when it seems as if things couldn’t possibly get any worse, a secret comes to light that could jeopardize Megan and Greyson’s future—if Megan manages to live that long. With things heating up, it’s becoming difficult to keep a cool head…

Kane’s got an excerpt up on her website.

The author of Ghostland continues her tale of a postapocalyptic world where supernatural beings have emerged from hiding.

Held prisoner by humans, his angelic memory and power lost because of the sigil-inscribed collar around his neck, Tir dreams of freedom and hungers for vengeance. He’s sworn he’ll never lie with a mortal, but when Araña removes his shackles and helps him escape his captivity, she melts his icy control and leaves him burning with desire. She’s a temptation he can’t resist—an unknowing enemy who might well enslave him more thoroughly than the chains he’s worn for centuries.

Powerful forces have brought them together to serve a greater purpose, but learning the truth of what they are will destroy them—unless their love is strong enough to overcome the dark legacy of a battle that began with the birth of mankind.

I wasn’t too hungry as I read this dark tale, but if I were to eat it would have been fish and chips. Like the place where Tir and Arana ate that sold only three things: beer, fish and chips.

Check out my review of Spider-Touched at Scooper Speaks.com.

US-release: Del Rey (June 2010)
ISBN-10: 0345515579
ISBN-13: 978-0345515575

THE AFTERLIFE IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.

The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen and constantly attack the living. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Consequently, there are many false claims of hauntings from those hoping to profit. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully-tattooed witch and freewheeling Debunker and ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for nailing the human liars or banishing the wicked dead. But she’s keeping a dark secret from the Church: a little drug problem that’s landed her in hot and dangerous water.

Chess owes a murderous drug lord named Bump a lot of money. And Bump wants immediate payback. All Chess has to do is dispatch a very nasty species of undead from an old airport. But the job involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and crossing swords with enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust with a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah. –Stacia Kane’s website

Kane has posted an excerpt of the book on her site, too!

The contest has ended and the winner picked by a random number generator is: Darcie K. Darcie, I’ll email you for your addey so I can drop your book in the mail. Congrats!

Blood. Rivers of it.
The visions are overwhelming. They come every time Beth visits the scene of a murder. She lives the victim’s last moments, feels the pain, sees the perp. And it’s driving her mad.

A flat tire. A deserted country road. A man too hot to be true.
Trading life as a Chicago homicide detective for a job as a nomadic insurance inspector was supposed to keep her safe. Ty Malone is anything but. What isn’t he revealing about the missing person’s claim on his ‘runaway’ wife? What really happened to beautiful Lorilee Brubaker-Malone? And just how far will Ty take his seduction of the one woman whose gift can uncover the terrifying truth?

Want to win a copy of The Gift? Pick one review posted at Scooper Speaks (blog or website) and let me know what you think. Do you agree/disagree with my review? Then come back to this post and comment.

See simple.

One entry per person. All entries must be left here  before Dec. 14th when I randomly select a winner.

 

Favorite Lines: “But what stunned me into stillness was the god-like being lying on the hospital bed secured in a series of straps. He was male, a red-haired throwback to the time of Viking warriors. A being so perfect he could be no other than Adonai, an Elysian divinity.” (p. 124)  

Charlie Madigan is a divorced mother of one, and a kick-ass cop trained to take down the toughest human and off-world criminals. She’s recently returned from the dead after a brutal attack, an unexplained revival that has left her plagued by ruthless nightmares and random outbursts of strength that make doing her job for Atlanta P.D.’s Integration Task Force even harder.

Since the Revelation, the criminal element in Underground Atlanta has grown, leaving Charlie and her partner Hank to keep the chaos to a dull roar. But now an insidious new danger is descending on her city with terrifying speed, threatening innocent lives: a deadly, off-world narcotic known as ash. Charlie is determined to uncover the source of ash before it targets another victim — but can she protect those she loves from a force more powerful than heaven and hell combined? 

Read my review of The Better Part of Darkness by Kelly Gay at Scooper Speaks!

I’m spending bill money tomorrow. Stupid, yeah. But when can you go to a publisher’s website and purchase anything for 70 percent off? Apparently now. Dorchester Publishing sent me an email about an hour ago that said:

(The site is a little funky to navigate, but if you click on the categories button and select something a list of books will pop up.) 

I’m helpless to resist. What about you?

I spoke to soon. The girls are going back to live with their mother on Friday. I’m sad and bitter. My two girls are unhappy, one of the other girls is undecided (she wants her mom, but she loves me, the girls and her school) and the other child is excited. I’ve got to pack their stuff, put on a happy face and drop them off in two days.

I don’t feel like reading or writing, or for that matter anything. I want to lay on my bed and cry, but we all know there is no time for self-pity. Laundry still has to be washed. Dishes still need to be cleaned. Hair still has to be combed…Ok, I’m done wallowing. What’s up with you?