New TV Show: Defiance

Defiance will be shown on the Sci-Fi channel in April 2013; I can’t wait to watch.

Erotic “Alien” Romance Books I’ve Read

Yes, this seems to be my year for reading romances about aliens wanting human women. I don’t know if there are more erotic “alien” romance books than normal ones, but that’s what I’ve been reading. I’ve read most of the books below, unfortunately there were a few that even I couldn’t get through.

The Spawning by Kaitlyn O’Connor

Miranda had been snatched and packed for shipping so fast, she was still reeling with shock when the trader marched her and the other women hed kidnapped from Earth into the compound on the strange, alien world.

She discovered that was only the beginning, however.

The Hirachi were nearing their spawning season. When the massive, golden skinned, dark haired warriors marched from the sea, she learned that the trader had brought her and the others to sell them to the Hirachi as breeders.

Daughters of Terra by Theolyn Boese

Theadora Conner lived a quiet, solitary life until she met two strange men one night at a club. Several days later, after a surgically neat kidnapping, she awoke to find that her world has been turned upside down. Told that she was mated to both men and altered to carry their children, she finds herself thrown into a world and culture she knows nothing about, one where science, myth, and religion seem to blend seamlessly.

As she tries to accept her new life with Kyrin and Daeshen, her new husbands, a hidden danger stalks the human women. For not all of the Ta’e’sha are happy to accept these women, and one expresses his contempt with rape.

Sheala by Judy Mays

When a Gattan warrior loves a woman, nothing will stop him from claiming her – not breaking his society’s long-standing traditions on a world not his own nor the fact that this woman’s brother was once an enemy.

From the first moment Marljas caught sight of Sheala’s curvaceous body and mischievous eyes, he wanted her. When she accidentally cut him, she sealed her fate. She’d blooded his neck, claiming him in true Gattan tradition. By all rights, she was his.

Raised on the hedonistic planet Drakan, Sheala learned a myriad of ways to please a lover. However, she decides to practice the sensual arts she had learned on the handsome Gattan visiting her family. The virile lion man with golden hair, tufted ears, and an Alalakan dragon tattoo his shoulder fascinated her. But it was the huge bulge between his legs that came alive every time she was near him that captured her attention. Oh, yes, Marljas would be her first true lover.

After Sheala is kidnapped and tortured by a family enemy, the indulged, protected young woman she’d been disappeared. Hoping Marljas will heal her physically and mentally, Sheala initiates the blood ritual that would bind her to him forever.

The fire he ignites in her soul does much, much more.

The Hunter’s Surrender by Kaenar Langford

Maddie Graham is a bounty hunter who likes to keep a low profile. But her stellar reputation has brought her under the keen eye of the Tentalians who feel she’ll be a fitting brood mare for their king. Little do they realize that kidnapping Maddie will be the easy part. She’s far more dangerous than they thought, and it has nothing to do with her hunting skills.

King Rochar and his consort, Santara, aren’t sure what to expect with Maddie. Living on an all male planet, they’ve been taught to view women as mere vessels for future children. But they soon discover Maddie is as feisty as she is compassionate, and her presence threatens to unravel the very fabric of their civilization when they realize she means much more than they’d ever thought possible. As the moment approaches to choose their destiny, will they fall victim to their sense of duty, or will a new order rise with the ringing of the Soprac bells?

Demon’s Captive by Stephanie Snow

Charity is almost through with college when war breaks out and the planet is decimated. Charity is alone, without family or friends and she has eluded capture by the warriors in the sky.

Commander Melmanon is furious that the Earth woman has been able to elude capture. Melmanon is known for his terrible bloodlust and ability to torture his captives. His pride has taken a beating and he visualizes his revenge on his enemy.

When Charity is finally captured by Melmanon, she is terrified when she sees he looks like a demon. Fearing pain and a slow death, Charity submits to Melmanon and he is surprised that her submission brings him great pleasure. He makes Charity his torture slave so he can keep her with him longer. Nobody is more surprised than Charity when she finds herself liking Melmanon’s attention. But Charity’s loyalties and feelings are put to the test and she will soon have to make difficult decisions. But not as difficult as those Melmanon will have to make…

Ral’s Woman by Laurann Dohner

Ariel never knew aliens existed until she finds herself kidnapped and taken from Earth. When the Anzon declare humans useless, she learns her fate-prize for the winner of a brutal fight between large, muscled alien men.

Ral is a Zorn warrior. He has also been kidnapped by the Anzon, along with his crew. Forced into slavery, he’s got one thing on his mind-freeing his people. That is, until he sees the small human woman he’s willing to fight to win. He doesn’t just want her body, he wants her heart forever.

In the hands of a hot alien, Ariel is about to discover how pleasurable captivity can be.

Belle Starr by Belinda McBride

Marshal Annabelle “Cowgirl” Oakley is the best law enforcement officer in Interstellar Coalition Enforcement. With her wolf Tucker at her side, Belle is clearly the best man for the job. Unfortunately, the job comes with hazards, and one of those hazards comes in the shape of tall, mysterious Armand.

Armand de le Croix is a werewolf with amnesia. He has no idea how he came to be living in Coalition space, he doesn’t know where his people are, or why his inky black hair is now snowy white. He just knows that the tall, dangerous redhead is all that he wants, and he means to have her regardless of what he must do to win.

Advertisement

I’m Reading Gini Koch’s Kitty Kat Series

I’ve seen the series posted sporadically and finally decided to try it. Luckily my local library had all five books and I was able to borrow them. I probably won’t post reviews of the books, but here’s what I’m reading.

Touched by an Alien

Marketing manager Katherine “Kitty” Katt steps into the middle of what appears to be a domestic dispute turned ugly. And it only gets uglier when the man turns into a winged monster, straight out of a grade-Z horror movie, and goes on a killing spree. Though Kitty should probably run away, she springs into action to take the monster down.

In the middle of the chaos a handsome hunk named Jeff Martini appears, sent by the “agency” to perform crowd control. He’s Kitty’s kind of guy, no matter what planet he’s from. And from now on, for Kitty, things are going to be sexy, dangerous, wild, and out of this world.

Alien Tango

It’s been five months since marketing manager Katherine “Kitty” Katt started working with the aliens from Alpha Centauri, and she and Jeff Martini are getting closer. But when an experimental spacecraft is mysteriously returned to the Kennedy Space Center, Kitty and the rest of her team are called in to investigate. Now the team must survive murderous attacks, remove a space entity from a group of astronauts, and avoid an unhinged woman with a serious crush on Kitty’s high school boyfriend. And that’s all before evil masterminds decide Kitty’s extermination is vital.

Alien in the Family

Super-Being Exterminator Kitty Katt and the Alpha Centaurian she loves, Jeff Martini, should be finalizing their wedding plans. But that was before she discovers Jeff is in line to become Emperor back on his home world. Kitty knows she is everything a royal family wouldn’t approve of, and is bracing herself for the worst. As it turns out, the royal family is just the beginning. Especially when extraterrestrial Amazonian terrorists are determined to start and end Kitty and Jeff’s nuptial festivities with a bang.

Alien Proliferation

Alien Super-Being Exterminator Kitty Katt is expecting her first baby. But the alien attacks are getting more dangerous, and now Kitty and her Alpha Centaurion husband, Jeff, have to find out who’s behind the conspiracy to kill Kitty’s secret agent mom and what caused Kitty’s transformation into a superhuman-and they’ve got to do it all before the baby shower…

Alien Diplomacy

Being newlyweds and new parents is challenging enough. But Jeff and Kitty Martini are also giving up their roles as super-being exterminators and Commanders in Centaurion Division while mastering the political landscape as the new heads of Centaurion’s Diplomatic Corps. Enter a shadowy assassination plot and a new set of anti-alien conspirators, and nothing will ever be the same…

Alien Vs. Alien (coming December 2012)

Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini and the rest of the American Centaurion Diplomatic Corps are still recovering from their introduction to Washington D.C. politics, parties, and conspiracies. So when compromising pictures arrive, no one’s too surprised. They’re also the least of anyone’s worries.

Evil androids running amok, birds of all kinds and from all places creating havoc, a Senator trapped in an ever-tightening web of intrigue, and escalating international tensions all seem tough but manageable. But the disappearance of Jeff Martini and Charles Reynolds during the International One World Festival signals more than the usual nastiness — and it looks like even ACE can’t help them.

Then new trouble arrives in old packages and even with the best hackers in the world, beings from near and far, the full might of Earth’s military, and the Wonder Twins on their side, Centaurion Division’s outmanned and outgunned.

Now Kitty’s racing against the clock to find not only Jeff and Chuckie, but to keep the peace between Middle Eastern countries, all while searching for the bases of super-soldier operations — to stop them or die trying.

There are supposed to be at least 3 more books in the series released according to GoodReads. What are you reading?

Quickie Review: Brides of the Kindred

The Brides of the Kindred series is written by Evangeline Anderson and is about alien men and women finding their mates. Some of those mates come from Earth, others from different planets, all are in for some kinky sex. Now right off the bat you need to know that overall I didn’t like very many of the heroines. They were silly and TSTL. Most of them whined way too much. The men, well they all wanted mates in the worst way. There are different types of Kindred men: beast, blood, twin and touch. It’s exactly how it sounds. Some men have animalistic traits, some drink blood, some have twins and share a mate and others can touch their women with their minds.

I read five of the six books which are available–purposely choosing to skip book four which has a heavy bondage theme. Some people may love one of the things that irritated me; once characters are introduced they are included in the next story. So by the time you read book six (Pursued) you’ll be reading about the characters from books one through five. The women have a girl’s club where they discuss their problems and the hot sex they’re having. I could have done without it, but to each their own.

The villains are capable of great atrocities and for the most part the books keep a good pace. Outlandish sexual practices made me laugh, but I’m pretty much done with the Kindred. It was fun and the books only cost $2.99, so I’m not angry or disappointed with the series. But the lack of depth in the heroines is a huge turn off and I’m okay saying goodbye to Anderson’s series.

Review: Night Forbidden by Joss Ware

Night Forbidden by Joss Ware
HarperCollins/AVON (July 31, 2012)
Mass Market: $7.99; ebook: $4.99
ISBN: 9780062018649

Favorite Lines: “The sight was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. The emptiness billowing inside her mingled with affection and love for Yvonne, and the quiet knowledge that she’d always be an observer rather than a member of a close-knit family. She’d always be a surrogate mother instead of one herself. She’d always have to be on her guard about letting anyone too close to her.” (p. 32, egalley)

The world is ash, destroyed, and now controlled by Strangers. Survivors live in constant peril. But in the heart of Envy, resistance grows . . .

Somehow Bruno “Fence” Washington survived the apocalypse—emerging from a Sedona cave into a strange and terrible new world . . . fifty years later. Now, scouring the ruined earth for answers about the malevolent Strangers, the former extreme sportsman encounters an Amazonian beauty who calls to his every desire, but whose secret could mean his end.

Ana grew up in the ocean, diving far beneath the waves to the remnants of a world she never knew. Try as she might she can’t resist the man who tempts her in ways she never knew possible . . . whose touch elicits truths she swore never to reveal. But the passion between them won’t be denied even though it means facing a new evil rising up from the roiling waters to blanket the world in unending night.

I love Ware’s dark post-apocalyptic world where her Envy Chronicles world is set. It’s violent, deadly and full of passion. Passion for survival and for the unexpected appearance of love. No one is undamaged. No one is who they seem to be. All you can be certain of is the appearance of the zombie like former humans wondering the earth and some form of a happy ending. Warning: Don’t try to jump into the series with this book or you will be lost.

Night Forbidden introduces a new aspect to the world: mer-like people, aka Atlanteans. They aren’t Disney merpeople either. They are the reader’s key to learning about the sunken city of Atlanta. Through the water-loving people the reader learns about the crystals which have been sought after throughout the series. We also get to revisit some of the main characters from previous books. One of them, Zoe, about drove me nuts. I wanted to smack that chick.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the book once I realized the heroine could breathe underwater. I’m not a fan of mermaid books. I should have known Ware wouldn’t let me down. I was fascinated with all aspects of the story. Now there is danger coming on earth and water. It added to the tension which was being built. I want more. Mostly I just want to read Remy’s story, but I’ve a feeling that will be the last book.

If you’re looking for a romance book that involves mutated people, zombies and world building which will suck you in, you’ve got to pick up Ware’s Envy Chronicles. Each book is better than the last and I can’t wait for the next installment to come out.

Review: Chase Me by Tamara Hogan

Chase Me by Tamara Hogan
Sourcebooks (June 1, 2012)
Mass Market: $6.99; ebook: $6.99
ISBN: 9781402246043
Excerpt

Favorite Lines: “This was lust–sheet rolling, wall-banging, bone-incinerating lust.” (p.41, e-galley)

THE SECRETS SHE’S UNCOVERING WILL BE HIS TO KEEP…

Centuries ago, when their ship crashed to Earth, paranormals of all types settled secretly into our world, quietly going about their business with humans none the wiser. Self–ruling and careful to stay below the radar, all is threatened when Valkyrie archaeologist Lorin Schlessinger and her werewolf geologist partner Gabe Lupinsky inadvertently draw evil attention to Earth and its treasured natural resources.

As the threat intensifies, Lorin and Gabe struggle to contain the chaos they’ve unleashed, and to resist their explosive mutual attraction …

Book two in Tamara Hogan’s Underbelly Chronicles is a paranormal romance with traces of science fiction. I didn’t read book one, Taste Me, but managed to read Chase Me with minimal confusion. I garnered there was more to the story than I was reading, but it felt like a few cameo appearances to me.

Most often I’ve found that if an urban fantasy or romance book is going to place a disabled person in a lead role that character is female. Hogan did not do that and it was nice to see physically impaired character was the hero. No he wasn’t missing a limb nor was he deaf, but he did need thick glasses to see. Most importantly his was the genetically damaged blood line. To the heroine, those things meant little. She was attracted to him and she went for it.

But guess what? I had a problem with this book. I don’t feel like anything was resolved other than the hero and heroine hooked up for a happy ever after. The threat to paranormals living on Earth was not removed. There is plenty of teasing for future books, but I was slightly irritated with the lack of closure.

Chase Me made me want to know plenty of things about the secondary characters and satisfied me as the lead couple found love. It did not make me want to curl around the book or put it on my keeper shelf. I’m wondering about a  few characters and expect to have answers in the next book. I looked on GoodReads and Hogan’s website, but couldn’t find any mention of a title or release date for the next book in the series.

Review: The Danger That Is Damion by Lisa Renee Jones

The Danger That Is Damion by Lisa Renee Jones
Sourcebooks (May 1, 2012)
Mass Market: $7.99; ebook: $7.99
ISBN: 9781402251627
Excerpt

Favorite Lines: “Wild didn’t begin to describe what kissing Lara unleashed inside Damion. He had never felt anything like he felt in this moment, never felt so out of control, so out of his own body. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, there was a warning, a voice telling him this wasn’t normal.” (p. 77, egalley)

The diabolical General Powell created Kayla Martin, a beautiful super-soldier, to help him destroy his valiant enemies. But when Kayla is pitted against the renegade Damion Browne, she discovers that not only is her life in danger, but her heart as well. Enemies soon swarm around Kayla and she must trust the dangerous Damion to embrace her as his ally. As they struggle to defeat a madman, their trust in each other becomes the only chance they have to find peace…and love.

Book three in Lisa Renee Jones’ Zodius series can be read as a stand alone, but you’ll miss out on the back story and characters introduced in the first two books: The Legend of Michael and The Storm that is Sterling. The Danger that is Damion is the only book I’ve read in the series and I never felt like I was missing information.

I read an egalley supplied by Netgalley. In it the heroine is named Lara. The blurbs I’ve found online name the heroine Kayla. I’m going to use the name used in the galley, but want you to keep in mind that the heroine in the finished book may go by Kayla or Lara.

What you need to know: Set in a futuristic world, there are humans and people who’ve had their DNA spliced with alien DNA. The alien-like people are soldiers with super powers like super strength, speed and telepathy. They heal fast and can travel on the wind. They look human and have always been male. Or so they thought. Some of the super soldiers are good guys who want to protect humanity. They are called Renegades. Other super soldiers are led by a man named Adam. They want to enslave humanity and rule the world.

Characters: Lara is a woman without a past. She remembers little of her life before joining a program that spliced her DNA with aliens. However, she does recall her family being murdered by the Renegades and is possessed by a need to seek revenge. Damion is a Renegade. He is a warrior who looks out for his men and knows upon meeting Lara that something is off. He becomes determined to prove to her that the Renegades would never kill for pleasure. He also has to battle his lust for Lara to prevent it from affecting the well-being of his fellow soldiers and their families.

Romance: It was interesting to see these two soldiers battle one another, physically and emotionally. Both want answers and mistrust their feelings for the other. While it was instant lust, the romance seemed to build at the same pace as the trust between the two. At the end of the book I felt like the couple was on its way to creating a love that would last. Don’t get me wrong. The story progresses quickly, but the “I love yous” don’t immediately force themselves out the characters’ mouths.

Overall: I enjoyed the story. It’s not an average paranormal romance. It’s a science fiction romance which incorporates science experimentation, aliens (that are never seen) and advanced technology. References to previous books are made and quick explanations are given to prevent the reader from feeling as if she missed an important detail. I won’t be running out to buy the next book in the series, but I do see myself reading it.

Star Wars Giveaway Winner…

selected by random.org is:

Pauline M.

Congrats, Pauline. Watch for my email.

Another Giveaway, Scooper Have You Lost It?

Giveaway has ended! Thanks for entering.

Yep, I’ve gone mad. After five years of blogging, my mind often shuts down. During those moments I can read, but writing what I think–not happening. I started Scooper Speaks as a requirement for a class during my last semester at Indiana University. It took me about 10 years of going to university off and on to graduate. (Hey, I had two kids during those years.) One of the things I took with me, as that period in my life ended, was a love of blogging.

It’s kind of funny, I take more pride in my blog than I do in my Bachelor’s degree. Why? Because I actually use it. I’ve picked up so many skills since I began the blog. I’m a better writer. I’ve more confidence in myself. And I’ve met some pretty awesome people. What? Get to the good stuff? Fine.

Here it is another giveaway. This time it’s for an ARC of Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Conviction by Aaron Allston AND Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Allies by Christie Golden. The giveaway is open to people with mailing addresses in the U.S. or Canada. I’ll use a random number generator to select a winner at noon on Sept. 18, 2011. To enter, tell me why you like Star Wars Or if you plan to give the books to a Star Wars fan, who you plan to give the books to.

New TV Show: Terra Nova