you have your book turned into a computer game. LOL! Found this nifty game at pogo.com. Haven’t tried it, but totally got a kick out of it.
When a casual fling turns steamy for a brilliant wedding photographer, life remains less than picture perfect. Relying on girlfriends to cope with the reality of her past, will Mackensie capture the romance, or will her narcissistic mother and fear of commitment be the prophetic snapshot of her future? Take part in
Nora Roberts’ best-selling novel!
Because I never heard back from Deadtown’s winner I’ve chosen a new winner. Stephanie who loves Eric from the Sookie books. (Psst…..I love him too!)
I’ll contact you about sending your book. Thanks for entering.
Favorite Lines: “It took a moment for her brain to comprehend what her eyes saw. Kira had seen death in many forms. She’d seen ritual animal sacrifices and animals disembowel their prey as they tore into still-living flesh. This . . . this was worse, much worse. Evisceration of a human victim was horrifying, even for a Shadowchaser.” (p. 26)
Kira’s day job is as an antiquities expert, but her true calling is as a Shadowchaser. Trained from youth to be one of the most lethal Chasers in existence, Kira serves the Gilead Commission, dispatching the Fallen who sow discord and chaos. Of course, sometimes Gilead bureaucracy is as much a thorn in her side as anything the Fallen can muster against her. Right now, though, she’s got a bigger problem. Someone is turning the city of Atlanta upside down in search of a millennia-old Egyptian dagger that just happens to have fallen into Kira’s hands.
Then there’s Khefar, the dagger’s true owner — a near-immortal 4,000-year-old Nubian warrior who, Kira has to admit, looks pretty fine for his age. Joining forces is the only way to keep the weapon safe from the sinister Shadow forces, but now Kira is in deep with someone who holds more secrets than she does, the one person who knows just how treacherous this fight is. Because every step closer to destroying the enemy is a step closer to losing herself to Shadow forever…
If you’re looking for a kick ass woman who can hold her own, look no further than Seressia Glass‘ Shadow Blade. Its heroine, Kira, has dealt with many of the downs in life and it doesn’t get any better in the opening chapters of the story when Kira’s mentor is killed. This sets her up for a new companion, the story’s hero, Kevin, aka Khefar.
Khefar is introduced as a man in shadows. Though it’s cleared up quickly, at first it’s hard to tell if he’s a good or bad guy. Khefar travels around with his “sidekick” who happens to be one of my favorite characters in the story. The sidekick is multifaceted and I look forward to reading more about him almost as much as I want to watch Kira and Khefar’s relationship unfold.
Kira and Khefar have a slow building romance that surpasses instant attraction. After a lifetime of not being able to touch people or objects, Kira is able to caress Khefar. It creates a longing inside of Kira while unleashing a torrent of emotions that Ms. Glass keeps in check by avoiding a quick (or long) sex scene.
In this world, Ms. Glass has created a place where light, with the Egyptian Gods at the very top, battles dark. The same war rages within Kira. Each encounter with her enemy puts a piece of the dark inside of her. She will have to battle herself to do the right thing and is a lucky woman to have found a man like Khefar who is willing to fight by her side even as he makes amends for his past.
Shadow Blade brings energy to the urban fantasy scene with its engaging, but damaged lead characters and their deceptive, evil enemies. I look forward to the next installment of Ms. Glass’ series, Shadow Chase that will be released in July 2010.
And the winner is Kim H!
I’ll email you to get your contact information. Your package will be sent on Tuesday. Thanks to everyone else for entering. This contest was such a great success that I’ve decided to have several more (and soon). Please watch for upcoming reviews, book releases and you got it, giveaways.
Favorite Lines: “In the middle of the room stood the director, screaming. He had a vampire hanging off his neck; the female zombie chewed on his ankle.” (p. 128)
They call it Deadtown: the city’s quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its borders-but Victory Vaughn, Boston’s only professional demon slayer, isn’t exactly human…
Vicky’s demanding job keeping the city safe from all manner of monsters is one reason her relationship with workaholic lawyer (and werewolf) Alexander Kane is in constant limbo. Throw in a foolhardy zombie apprentice, a mysterious, demon plagued client, and a suspicious research facility that’s taken an unwelcome interest in her family, and Vicky’s love life has as much of a pulse as Deadtown’s citizens.
But now Vicky’s got bigger things to worry about. The Hellion who murdered her father ten years ago has somehow broken through Boston’s magical protections. This ruthless force of destruction has a personal grudge against Vicky, and she’s the only one who can stop it before it destroys the city.
Nancy Holzner‘s Deadtown takes on the rights of all living and formerly living beings after a plague attacks, kills, and transforms all the humans in downtown Boston. At first humanity was ecstatic at the second chance it had with its loved ones, then it discover those who returned were different. They were zombies.
Humans moved quickly to distance themselves from the unknown and revoked their former loved ones rights. Despite the supernatural community’s role in cleaning up the dead zone, they soon found their rights tied to the zombies. Basic rights needed to be created by legislature and common sense disappeared. The ignorance pops up in chapter two and continues through out the story. It was clear that humans feared the unknown and that others wanted to dissect the unknown.
Vicky is the unknown. She is the only active shapeshifter in Massachusetts and just happens to be a trained demon slayer which comes in handy when a demon begins tormenting the city. She accepted herself at an early age, unlike her sister. Their relationship is strained, the one with her boyfriend seems iffy and that with a strange man/policeman is questionable.
I know Vicky is independent, but damn, her boyfriend placed her low on his list of priorities, as is showcased by the end of the story. Ms. Holzner did a great job making me wonder about the next installment of this series and the role Alexander Kane would play.
Overall, I was OK with Deadtown; I didn’t love it, but it was interesting. The variety of evil was clear as Lori at Escape Between the Pages said, ” there are different kinds of evil. From scientist with lab experiments, demons from hell, to politicians with their own agendas.” This all works together to create the urban fantasy, Deadtown.
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!
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.
Scooper Speaks 