Children need books too

I haven’t posted about charities in awhile and now seems like the perfect time. I’ve found a charity called Bring Me a Book. It is all about giving literacy to children; it’s pricey (ranging from $200 to $800), but you also have the option of donating a dollar amount of your choice.

If you’d like to help by just clicking your mouse, go to Click to Give. Sponsors give money to literacy projects because you took the time to click. Just follow the link to learn more about it.

Finally, help the children who were victims of Hurricane Katrina. Tulane University is trying to sponsor children. It wants all children K through 2nd grade to have a happy holiday in 2008. Its way of doing this is giving them books. To donate or sponsor a child visit its site Book Giving Tree.

Can’t wait …

I can’t wait for Lynn Viehl’s new book to come out. It’s countdown for me. July 1 is the day when I’ll be at the store buying Twilight Falls. You don’t have to wait until then for a Viehl story. She’s posted a free Darkyn ebook, Wanted, for readers.

What are you in countdown for?

Touch of Darkness by C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp

Favorite Line: “Is this a wabbithole?” ( p. 85 e-ARC)

It’s been a year since Kate Reilly was brought to trial on murder charges. Life has taken a drastic turn and all has been quiet and calm in Kate’s life.

She hasn’t heard the Hive and they haven’t attacked her, both of which brings her joy. Her peace ends the night her home is destroyed in a freak winter storm. A storm that came a few days before she was to marry her werewolf fiance, Tom Bishop, in Las Vegas.

Unfortunately, Tom gets stuck in Denver by another freak storm, leaving Kate in their honeymoon suite in Vegas. Kate’s disappointed when the wedding is delayed, but soon has bigger concerns on her mind…like getting a werewolf surrogate proper medical attention after she goes into labor with only a Hive physician to tend her.

The Hive is back with a vengeance and a plan. They are showing the world the good they do, while scheming against Kate and the werewolves. It’ll take some quick thinking and luck to bring Kate out on top because the Hive is taking no prisoners or hosts this time.

Touch of Darkness is a great conclusion to the Thrall trilogy. It cleanly wraps up the world the Adams and Clamp team introduced without making me raise my eyebrows. A few things took me by surprise (no, I’m not going to tell what they were) but in a good way.

I wondered if the authors would take the easy way out by making the ending to clean. They didn’t make every issue perfect and as if it never existed, but they did resolve everything in a believable manner. There were no miraculous cures or admissions, just great plotting.

Adams and Clamp kept the characters true, there were no abrupt changes in behavior. The Hive is still a deadly entity not to be trifled with and the werewolves are still led by strong females. Issues that have dogged Kate and Tom are still there waiting to be resolved.

Touch of Darkness is an action packed paranormal romance that goes on sale July 29. It’s not a light or comedic, but it is easy to read and enjoyable. It is a culmination of the previous two books and should not be read as a stand alone.

Scooper with a website?

Yep. I just bought scooperspeaks.com, I think….I hope…Well I did something. We’ll see if it works in the next week or so. Cross your fingers for me.

My dream for it is to expand my blog. I’d like to make old book reviews easy to find and this is my attempt at that. I’d like to break the books up into a million categories: shapeshifter, vampire, suspense, childrens, whatever. I guess we’ll see if I do it or become overwhelmed and expire. You know like bad milk with chunks?

Readers Ask: Question #1

I was talking to Ikhnaie about Michelle Sagara. We are both squeeing fangirls, so when she asked me the following question and I had no answer I thought to give it to you.

“Have you got any suggestions for similar writers I might enjoy?”

Any suggestions are welcome.

Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox

Favorite Line: “You should have seen me today. I wasted the Phantom Menace. Been after him my whole life. And today– whammo! So don’t tell me I can’t bust a demon. Oh yeah, I can bust a demon.” (p. 21 ARC)

Everything was going according to plan for Lizzie Brown. She’s turning 30, is dressed and ready to go until she opens the door and meets her grandmother for the first time. Her biker grandmother who happens to be a witch armed with spells in Smucker jars, who locks  her in the bathroom and tells her she’s the new demon slayer.

Poor Lizzie. Her terrier, Pirate, is speaking to her. Demons are popping out of her toilet trying to kill her. And she can’t cuss worth a damn, because her job at Happy Hands Preschool has ruined her.

Within minutes, Lizzie finds herself on the run. She’s hanging out in a biker bar and in a dumpster, all while falling in lust with her griffin protector, Dimitri Kallinikos.

A protector with secrets, Dimitri will turn Lizzie into a powerful, demon slayer, before he confides in her. But will the secret destroy the couple before they form a relationship?

If you’re looking for a fun, light hearted and crazy romp  through the paranormal, this is the book for you. Ms. Fox has created a world of psycho, Red Hat witches, power hungry werewolves, a demon underworld (totally unique to me) and a talking overactive dog.

Yes, I said, “dog.” At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about the dog talking. I put the book down, took a deep breath, and started it again. Once in the right mindset-comedy-I found the dog great. He spoke just as I’d imagine a  little, bouncy dog would. The things on a poor dog’s mind. *giggling*

Nothing in life has prepared Lizzie for her new life as a demon slayer. With geriatric women chanting and throwing roadkill, she’ll need patience learned in preschool. But that patience will go out the window as she gets to know her inner slayer and spends time with her sexy griffin companion.

Lizzie’s life is in chaos and jeopardy. She has a short time to learn the most important aspect of demon slaying. To be a great demon slayer-or a live one-she must let go and accept an important fact. She can’t control everything.

Accidental Demon Slayer is a nice break for those looking to read a paranormal romance, while poking fun at it. There is no reverence and nothing is safe from Ms. Fox world altering humor. She takes a much loved genre of romance, blasts it apart with jelly jars and pieces it back together with doggy humor. This is perfect beach reading material. (Well, if you want to get burned because you forgot to turn over.)

Those looking for a deep, dark paranormal won’t find it here.

Accidental Demon Slayer goes on sale July 29.

How do I???

Okay I’m going crazy. I’ve been playing with my keyboard trying to figure out how to an em dash and I can’t do it. On the MAC sure I can do it, no prob., but on my personal computers…nope, nada, nothing. I’m going loca…losing all my bananas…the pigeons have flown their tiny coop. Help me..

Scooper

Devil you Know by Jenna Black

Favorite Line: “From the moment I’d found out I was possessed, my life had shot straight to hell and stayed there.” (p. 3 ARC)

Morgan Kingsley is an exorcist who is possessed by the king of demons, Lugh. In her head lies (and lays) the only hope for humanity.

She knew demons weren’t to be trusted and learning they want to create human vegetables to live in solidifies her hatred. She abhors them and wants them gone. Unfortunately, that can’t happen until Lugh’s brother is stopped.

Morgan is being stalked for her demon knowledge and doesn’t stand a chance against the psycho demon stalking her without Lugh’s help. For the demon hunting her is gleefully determined to torture the location of the exiled king out of her.

With family issues tearing her apart and lust filled thoughts are haunting her dreams, Morgan does what she does best. Tazer anyone stupid enough to get in her way.

Morgan is stubborn, mean and a hot mess. She suffered physically in The Devil Inside, now she must face the emotional battle: a battle against her ex-boyfriend, brother and parents. Each will have dire repercussions and the backlash alone might kill her, if the lust doesn’t burn her up first.

One of the hardest parts of this book is remembering that Lugh is not corporeal. He is in her mind with no real body. I kept finding myself wanting them to hook up and then I’d realize that it would only happen in her subconscious. It wouldn’t be life altering. It would be a simple sexual release and nothing more. Because how do you have a relationship with a demon?

As in the previous book, there is a sexual scene involving MM. It’s interesting to see it play out in the book, but it also made me uncomfortable. Not uncomfortable enough to put down the book though.

One of the great things about this series is how easy it is to read. It’s a one day, entertaining book that allows the reader to flip pages, but doesn’t leave the reader hollow. It’s sizzling and snarky. It’ll make you mad at the heroine before making you feel bad for her. I guess that’s all you can really ask from a book.

A break from reality. A vacation in a world you would never live in, but would like a peak at. Something that can interest you and make you care enough to react emotionally, either in anger or joy.

Ms. Black does a great job filling in the back-story without irritating the reader; this is imperative for the reader to understand The Devil you Know. For the best understanding and appreciation, read book one The Devil Inside.

Read chapter one. The Devil You Know goes on sale July 29.

Bite the Bullet cover art

How about some art? Here’s L.A. Banks’ fall release in the Crimson Moon series.

House Infernal by Edward Lee

Favorite Lines: “Hot winds carried smoke and a thousand screams as the sky turned blood-red behind a black sickle moon. Beyond, the city extended into its wondrous, demented infinity. Griffins and Caco-Bats swept down out of bruise-colored clouds to tear the limbs off unsuspecting inhabitants, including children and infants.” (p. 2)

Venetia Barlow is excited. She is going to spend her summer renovating a priory house to earn credits for college. While she’s working she plans to consider her future plans of becoming a nun. She doesn’t expect the crazy voice she begins to hear. A voice that tells her it’s coming to her straight from Hell.

As the days pass Venetia learns about murders committed in the priory. Lust begins to stir inside her. And Satanic clues begin to surface. Venetia is exhausted and doesn’t quite know what to believe. Is she crazy or is hell much closer than she ever thought?