Sweet Vernal Zephyr

Library Run

2012-01-10T08:29:00.000-05:00

I hit the library yesterday with my coworker at lunch.
Came out with two reads I'm rather excited about!

Bite Me by Christopher Moore

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

REVIEW Blood Run Cold • Para M/M

2012-01-05T08:00:00.001-05:00

One sentence description

Blood Run Cold
by Aleksandr Voinov and Raev Gray

624 Page PDF, May 2010

Lucian Dalca, an ancient vampire, takes an interest in Frederik Berg, a financial advisor with a shady past. Lucian's son, Emil, joins forces with Frederik's enemies and finds love with both of them. Family tensions come to a head, and soon it becomes clear that not everyone will survive the conflicts. Blood Run Cold is a m/m vampire novel with strong BDSM themes and an m/m/m triad.

My review guidelines can be found HERE.

COVER ART
• Reminds me of Bourne Identity or a Gritty James Bond

PARANORMALITY
• Vampire

SEXUALITY
• M/M
• Rough Sex

REVIEW

• The head hopping drove me crazy in the beginning making the characters fill out in a very fuzzy way.

• These men are bad, very bad. I don't think I have come across protagonist quite this bad ever without some sort of redeeming character trait. The darkness is just plain wonderful. An indulgence of our inner predator.

• Didn't manage to hold my attention... I intend to pick it back up, but as of yet I have not finished it.

PERSONAL LURES
• Amara raves about these authors, had to try them.

God's War • BiFi / Bugpunk REVIEW

2012-01-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

Bugs, dirt and blood fuel this religious war where women become warriors and lesbians just to stay alive.

God's War
by Kameron Hurley

Ebook, Publication January 2011

Nyx had already been to hell. One prayer more or less wouldn t make any difference...

On a ravaged, contaminated world, a centuries-old holy war rages, fought by a bloody mix of mercenaries, magicians, and conscripted soldiers. Though the origins of the war are shady and complex, there's one thing everybody agrees on--

There's not a chance in hell of ending it.

Nyx is a former government assassin who makes a living cutting off heads for cash. But when a dubious deal between her government and an alien gene pirate goes bad, Nyx's ugly past makes her the top pick for a covert recovery. The head they want her to bring home could end the war--but at what price?

The world is about to find out.

My review guidelines can be found HERE.

PARANORMALITY
• Bugpunk (or BiFi / Biological Fiction)
• Magicians
• Bugs, bugs, everywhere, in your body and in the air, eating your corpses and cleaning your spit, repairing your organs and fueling your ship, playing walkie talkie and traded as cash.

SEXUALITY
• Lesbians
• Boy Toys

REVIEW

• The world building is intense. Expect to be confused and off balance while you get the various warring countries and religions straight in your head along with the bugpunk aspects of magicians and partially organic car engines.

• Fight, fight, fight!

• Bel Dame (Government bounty hunter) turned rouge. Retrieving heads for cash. And selling body parts on the side, her own.

• "Reconstituted from the front" All the men are sent to the front lines of the war and the women are left behind and have morphed into their own social structure because the men just aren't coming back. Our protagonist "died" at the front with her brothers but was brought back and reconstituted (perhaps because of her Bel Dame status?) - a super magician and lots of bugs put her back together again with new organs etc.

• This a DNF for me, not because I don't want to finish but because I put it down for too long and have yet to get back into the complexities of the story.

PERSONAL LURES
• The cover!

Here is the awesome website for this book!

Promises • M/M Mini Review

2011-12-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

Promises
by Marie Sexton

Jared Thomas has lived his whole life in the small mountain town of Coda, Colorado. He can't imagine living anywhere else. Unfortunately, the only other gay man in town is twice his age and used to be his teacher, so Jared is resigned to spending his life alone.

Until Matt Richards walks into his life, that is. Matt has just been hired by the Coda Police Department, and he and Jared immediately become friends. Matt claims he is straight, but for Jared, having a sexy friend like Matt is way too tempting. Facing Matt’s affair with a local woman, his disapproving family, and harassment from Matt’s co-workers, Jared fears they'll never find a way to be together—if he can even convince Matt to try.

REVIEW-ETTE

• Not just about the initial formulation of the m/m relationship, but delving deeper into the happily every after and all the complications that go with life.

Running In Fear • Shifter REVIEW

2011-12-27T09:12:00.000-05:00

Escape & Abandoned
Running In Fear Series 1 & 2
by Trinity Blacio

Jaycee Manz has been on the run since her sixteenth birthday. Growing up fast, depending on no one, how is she supposed to handle three men who claim to be her mates? Can she learn to trust them or will she continue to run?

Jaycee Manz has finally found her mates. Among others of her kind, you would think she would be happy. But like everything else, achieving a dream often comes with a price. How can a person feel totally abandoned when surrounded twenty-four hours a day by her mates? Can she trust them not to rip out her heart?

REVIEW

• Feels like an outline with very limited development of events & relationships.

• Intense read - wish it was more in depth, would have really enamored me to the characters.

• As is, Dane's constant quickies drive me crazy.

• The fisting seems so out of place with no build up.

• The caveman attitudes are what ultimately had me setting down this series without moving on to the third book. I just couldn't stand watching Jaycee start to be strong and then turn into a weak wilted turnip once again. And the cavemen never learn.

• Its a good thing the character development wasn't intense or I would have been way more pissed than I was. You can label me "irritated/agitated". I skimmed the last few pages of book 2 to see if the plot developed in a direction I would like to follow. But ultimately I gave up.

Adding to my TBR

2011-12-12T13:39:00.003-05:00

A Canadian friend of my INSISTS
that I must read the following authors.

Below are his suggested titles:
A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews
Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Body Rush • Erotic Mini Review

2011-12-04T10:34:00.000-05:00

Body Rush
by Anne Rainey

Legal Briefs Taking orders from egotistical hot shots in suits is no turn-on for legal secretary Lydia Burke, but she knows where to find what she’s looking for–at a local BDSM club. Three sexy, commanding men want to show Lydia their version of the law, and she’s just the woman to yield to their demands…

Doctor’s Orders Psychologist Roni Smart is willing to play doctor in her spare time, but she’s looking for a man who lusts after more than her money. Enter Jake, a computer whiz whose able fingers, red-hot body, and brash take-charge attitude are the perfect antidote for her fever…

Midnight Snack Coffee shop owner Jeanette Williams just can’t read the menu when it comes to men. But she’s more than happy to serve the knee-weakening biker guy who shows up each morning, stirring a shameless desire within. So when she catches his hungry eyes on her, she offers him an after-hours culinary lesson he’ll never forget…

REVIEW

• Thought this was an anthology, but just tells the story of three women and three men - interlinked.

• Very hot! Starts with BDSM elements.

• I totally think the forgiveness came way too fast BUT I wasn't completely sold on the betrayal in the first place.

• Into the second story/section and loved this tiny little taste of a Dominatrix.

• But the characters are looking cookie cutter-ish with the same bedroom endearments and actions/reactions.

• Overly anal, for a moment I though I was reading M/M.

Fists or cuffs

2011-11-08T14:51:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Saturday Someday Serials

Miss Sweet is the owner of a cozy saloon and a broken heart. Below is her story.

Miss Sweet's Saloon Part XVIII - Fist or Cuffs

Briefly, time stood still as she watched her past collide with her chosen path in a bloody brawl: her traveling companion Jake and the obtuse cowboy both at odds in her heart as well as her bar.

With Jake's wide back blocking her view, Miss Sweet couldn't tell if the ghost from her past was quaking in his boots or thirsty for blood. She also couldn't decide which she would prefer. Thoughts flew through her head like a band of wild horses, trampling both her lust and tears.

As the stalemate ripened in front of her, a snort drew her attention to the bar and one sorry looking cowboy lounging in the dark corner observing the drama. Was that a smirk on his battered and bruised mug? Ire pushed out her shock. She was surrounded by arrogant cockstrutting cowboys!

Just as the boot shuffling and predatory circling started, she whipped out her trusty pistol and silently thanked ol' Mister Valance for losing his belt buckle for the good of her pantaloon holster!

Steppin' between the two red faced men, she brandished the gun in the air.

The obtuse cowboy sputtered something of the likes, "What in the darn 'ell you think your doing?!" which was just enough distraction for Jake to come in from the side and lay him out flat with one solid punch to the jaw.

In fact, the hit spun him on his high heel boots and landed him face down next to the bar.

But even though the stranger didn't know what hit him, he was back up in less than a minute glaring through squinty eyes and trembling with rage.

Miss Sweet took the time to spread her feet and settle into a nice solid stance before leveling her shiny metal barrel directly at his chest.

"I'll thank you kindly to leave my virtue to my own discretion, sir." Her smile was at odds with the threat between her palms as she recalled the very first time she said those words to this man.

Would his memory spark too?

Did you miss the beginning of this wandering wild west story?
Part I • Part II • Part III • Part IV • Part V • Part VI.1 • Part VI.2 • Part VII • Part VIII • Part IX • Part X • Part XI • Part XII • Part XIII • Part XIV • Part XV • Part XVI

Pandora's Box • Paranormal Mini Review

2011-10-19T07:39:00.000-04:00

Pandora's Box
by Natale Stenzel

All Pandemina Dorothy Avery ever wanted was to be beautifully, blessedly normal, with a stable career and a love life leading to a white picket fence and a happily-ever-after.

That seems impossible now. Penniless and parted from her unfaithful boyfriend, unfairly shunned by her coworkers, not even Mina's recent inheritance can help -- especially not when it amounts to a ten-pound rock box and guardianship of the horny, devious puca she released from inside. His name's Riordan, and he ain't no Harvey.

REVIEW

• Sweet, twisted, paranormal romance that blindsided me at the end.

• The cover has no correlation whatsoever to the story and kept me from reading it for a good couple years, rotting on my TBR pile.

• I'm glad I finally cracked this spine!

The Obtuse Stranger

2011-10-15T09:30:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Saturday Serials

Miss Sweet is the owner of a cozy saloon and a broken heart. Below is her story.

Miss Sweet's Saloon Part XVII - The Obtuse Stranger

At the sound of Miss Sweet's sputtering, the cowboy raised his head from the dog at his feet and focused a pair of piercing baby blues right on her... heaving bosom. She felt for sure those eyes would burn right through her once he recognized the past in front of him, but as his gaze finally slid up to her her face the cold indifference shattered her heart in an instant.

He didn't know.

How could he not know, his darling Sweet Pea standing right in front of him?

Sure, she didn't look quite the same as that naive tomboy of her youth. Her chest had finally grown to match her wide shoulders, her hair had gone wild and long, and there were more shadows in her eyes. But that's what grownin' up will do to a person.

But for all her mental justification, she couldn't stop the splintering in her chest as one more sliver of her heart died.

Frost iced over her eyes, 'cause she damn sure weren't crying, as the obtuse cowboy settled into the bar and ordered a drink.

With a sharp nod of her head, she left him to his oblivious musings and returned to her bubbling still. And to think about that choice she made so long ago...

Just then, Jake appeared at the backdoor muttering something about a local head case over at the porch. But her rock of a cowboy stopped short at the ice in her desolate gaze.

Wary of her infamously sharp defensive tongue, he approached silently. She tracked him with quickly melting eyes. By the time he had his arms around her, she was stiff as a board and dripping tears.

Her uncharacteristic display of womanly emotion was so alarming that Cowboy Jake resorted to the only way he knew to guarantee a smile from his pretty miss.

Claiming that silent trembling mouth, he devoured her lips and the salty tears coating them. Forcing her to come back to the good in her life and forget whatever pain had glazed her eyes.

His grip was tight all around, 'cause he knew she would fight initially. She just wasn't the type of woman to appreciate man handling. But she quickly quieted and returned his rough affections as her tears trickled to nothing.

A cough in the door way interrupted them and Jake turned his head to see the man of his nightmares... her first love.

"Excuse me, Sir." The obtuse cowboy in the door way began, "But I don't think the lady appreciates your attentions."

Jake released Miss Sweet and shoved her behind his back, entirely certain she would NOT stay there for long.

His drawled reply was heavy with long unrequited anger. "Well, Cowboy, I do believe those sound like fightin' words..."

Did you miss the beginning of this wandering wild west story?
Part I • Part II • Part III • Part IV • Part V • Part VI.1 • Part VI.2 • Part VII • Part VIII • Part IX • Part X • Part XI • Part XII • Part XIII • Part XIV • Part XV • Part XVI

Bound By Fate • BDSM Mini REVIEW

2011-10-13T08:04:00.000-04:00

Bound By Fate
by Lee Rush

Sometimes love by itself is not enough?

James and Annie are mature adults who meet on line and discover a powerful attraction that grows stronger as they explore their mutual interest in BDSM. When they meet in person the attraction they felt online grows into full fledged love and their online exploration of the master and slave lifestyle spills into reality.

But even the bond of love they have built isn't enough to sustain their relationship in the face of obstacles which neither can alter. After their relationship is torn apart, their love nearly destroyed, fate steps in and allows them another chance.

REVIEW

• Features mature adults and starts with a not-so-innocent cyber relationship/exploration of BDSM.

• This story is for someone with a stronger stomach for BDSM than me. I really don't like the fear tactics and the breaking down of a person into a "thing".

• Skimmed and didn't finish.

The Familiar Stranger

2011-10-09T18:42:00.002-04:00

Welcome to Saturday Serials

Miss Sweet is the owner of a cozy saloon and a broken heart. Below is her story.

Miss Sweet's Saloon Part XVI - The Familiar Stranger

With business at the Saloon a bit slow, Miss Sweet reckoned it was the perfect time to be restocking the homemade stuff.

Keepin' one ear on the front door, she made merry in the back kitchen mixing and boiling and testing it all for just the right about of kick in her shine. Seems she got so caught up in her concocting, she never did hear the cowboy sit down at the empty bar til she noticed her pet mongrel was no where to be found.

Curiosity dragged Miss Sweet right straight out to that lonely slab of polished wood and the sight of the finest piece of... cowboy bent over and pettin' her darling bitch.

Who in the devil could that be?! Weren't no man that... tight in this hear town that weren't already in her stable *cough cough*

Did you miss the beginning of this wandering wild west story?
Part I • Part II • Part III • Part IV • Part V • Part VI.1 • Part VI.2 • Part VII • Part VIII • Part IX • Part X • Part XI • Part XII • Part XIII • Part XIV • Part XV

Dark Harvest • Vampire Mini Review

2011-10-06T08:37:00.000-04:00

Dark Harvest
Vampire Psychologist #3
by Lynda Hilburn

Denver psychologist Kismet Knight counsels vampires. Her life changed forever when she discovered a dark preternatural underworld and became involved with gorgeous, eight-centuries-old Devereux, the powerful leader of a vampire coven.

Still adjusting to her new role as an expert on all things paranormal—as well as her unexpected notoriety and new clientele—she schedules what she believes is simply another radio interview. She couldn’t be more mistaken. Not only does the radio host behave very strangely, but an ominous, on-air call turns Kismet’s world upside-down—again.

Meanwhile, Luna, Devereux’s hostile, femme fatale personal assistant recognizes a perfect opportunity to throw a wrench into her boss’s blossoming relationship with the human psychologist and, to complicate matters further, Kismet’s old boyfriend, self-absorbed psychologist Tom Radcliffe, shows up with his own outlandish request.

REVIEW

• Obtuse heroine (not my favorite kind).

• Extension of first 2 books in series (which I DIDN'T read) & doesn't hold its own. I was lost at times.

• Smexy with a dash of crazy. Fun to read :)

Gus's Ghost Hunt

2011-10-01T08:09:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Saturday Serials

Miss Sweet is the owner of a cozy saloon and a broken heart. Below is her story.

Miss Sweet's Saloon Part XV - Gus' Ghosts

Turns out Miss Sweet weren't quite so easy to track as Gus the Naive Cowboy had hoped. Who woulda thought an innocent young woman could get into so much trouble and still be alive?! (Present company excepted, of course.)

After his suspiciously easy escape from a live skinnin', Gus set out to the nearest town inquiring 'bout his missing Sweet Pea. Mostly all he could rustle up were ghost stories; a gypsy seductress taming wild horses and wild men, always leaving before anyone noticed the safes were cracked. Made him wonder if the distant sound of horses following him in the trail weren't just his own ghost story.

Speakin' to the womanfolk you'd be sure she was an evil witch casting a spell on all the men around, striking them dumb with satan's lust. Hear the menfolk tell it and she was a wild queen among women, easy with the horses, mesmerizing with her swaying hips, and as sure a shot as any quickdraw around.

Gus wandered for what felt like months listenin' for any stray word to lead him to his long lost Sweet Pea. But with each saloon story and church gossip he could feel his heart hardening, slowly erasing the young and feisty Sweet Pea he loved all those years ago and replacing her with a stranger. Gets a man to thinkin', did he ever really know that girl at all?

Now if'un he had been utilizing all the smarts the dear Lord gave him, he woulda realized no body stays the same that long. Gosh darn, even his own damn self weren't the same naive young cowboy from those memories. Life makes a person tougher or makes 'um dead. And he weren't dead yet. So you can bet young love ain't in the cards anymore. But, of course, that obtrusive male pride were making a mess of things and had his dander all up in a fuss about his Sweet Pea not being quite so sweet anymore.

Just you wait until he finds her, 'cause I reckon eventually he's gonna stumble across her lonely saloon. See that's what happens when you stay in one place for any extended length of time. That's right, the past comes to find you. And then, wel, you just gotta make do with the future, if you can see that far ahead.

Did you miss the beginning of this wandering wild west story?
Part I • Part II • Part III • Part IV • Part V • Part VI.1 • Part VI.2 • Part VII • Part VIII • Part IX • Part X • Part XI • Part XII • Part XIII • Part XIV

Christmas Boys Boys Boys!

2011-09-28T12:40:00.000-04:00

I grew up with crafts and still enjoy them today at the ripe old age of 30. I also sew... sometimes. So imagine my delight when I catch a glimpse of this NEW Christmas Print at my local JoAnn Fabrics:

Can it be true?
Is your mind in the gutter too?
Only a close up will tell!

YUP!
Yummy boys for Christmas!

You can bet I'm buying a yard or two of this!

Now I've just got to figure out what to do with it...

EREADER COVERS!!!!!

Hajiri's Pet • M/M Mini REVIEW

2011-09-26T12:46:00.000-04:00

Hajiri's Pet
Midnight Rain #1
by Auburnimp & Michael Barnette

Hajiri is a zonewarrior. A former gunwhore who once sold his body for money, he’s looking for the job that will let him move up in the live and die world of the Shinjuku Containment Area.

A chance meeting outside a popular Shinjuku club leaves Hajiri in the possession of a corporate high roller’s battlepet. A young human/snow leopard cross genetically engineered to be the perfect sexual partner and bodyguard.

The last thing Hajiri needs is a complication in his life. But how can he turn away a person who had been tossed out like so much trash, especially when that man just saved his life?

Hajiri doesn’t want responsibility. What Hajiri gets is a lot more than he bargained for when the young man shows him what it means to be a battlepet’s Master.

REVIEW

• Scifi M/M romance with battlepets and zonewarriors.

• Takes a little bit to get into the world with all the new vocab thrown at you (including shortened versions of words you aren't familiar with yet) but it is worth the small initial struggle.

• Will be a re-read for me and the series is on my radar.

• Thanks to Chris for putting this on my radar eons ago!

Holding your breath for Hamilton!

2011-09-20T11:17:00.000-04:00

From her lips to my ears...

Laurell K. Hamilton announced today release dates for her next two books:

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Series • June 2012, Book 21
Merry Gentry Series • December 2012, Book 9

Food Review at Undercover Cupcake

2011-09-12T13:49:00.000-04:00

What tastes like a muffin twinkie love-child slathered in vanilla icing lip gloss?

Find out at Undercover Cupcake!

REVIEW Water for Elephants • Fiction

2011-09-09T10:23:00.000-04:00

DNF for no good reason, just lost interest. Might come back to it.

Water for Elephants
by Sara Gruen

As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie.

It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

My review guidelines can be found HERE.

MINI REVIEW

• In the beginning, flashes back and forth between past and present... almost like a summary of events to set the scene and then fill in the details with the bulk of the novel.

• Sara's description of age struck a cord with me. I have heard before that your mental age doesn't necessarily keep pace with your physical, and this is a very good representation of this concept.

• On the above note, I dread the day that I will cry over the unexpected gift of solid fruit.

• Also, this scares the bejesus out of me to get old! Forced to take drugs to be more complacent for the nursing home staff?! OMG!

PERSONAL LURES

• Suggested by a friend so we can watch the movie together.

Sexy Author Promo!

2011-08-25T07:55:00.000-04:00

Let's all give D. R. Hildebrand a friendly SVZ Book Reviews welcome!

Hildebrand. That sounds German... are you Germanic? I'm second generation... OOPS!
*Giggles as he dodges groping hands and puckered lips*
Psst - You gotta be fast if you wanna retain your dignity around here. ;)

You may recognize this handsomely talented man as a former SVZ Bartender. But he's here today to tell us a little bit about his debut novel, Walking Marina.

Walking Marina is novel about the rarely mentioned male modeling industry—written by a male model. The book is an expose of an enigmatic world in which women trump men and glamor is a heartless facade. The author, D. R. Hildebrand (who models as Raphael), takes the reader on a raw, unpredictable journey that's as salacious as it is sophisticated and entirely unapologetic. Be prepared to rethink the things you've believed about beauty, about models, and about an industry built on illusion.

To read more, the author's site is www.drhildebrand.com, and the book is available at all major online retailers, both in paperback and e-reader.

Check out the trailer:

Sexy Author Alert!

2011-08-22T13:04:00.005-04:00

Hotness that writes!

Bartender's got skills!

He's going to be coming back FOR REALZ!

Photo circa SVZ Blog Post in November 2010:

Promoting his new book,

Male model Raphael will be visiting SVZ Book Reviews soon....

Lurking

2011-08-07T16:03:00.002-04:00

Yup. I'm still around. Just lurking...

Someday This Pain... • Fiction REVIEW

2011-07-22T09:30:00.000-04:00

18: The summer of confusion at the crossroads of college and life.

Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You
by Peter Cameron

229 Page Hardcover, 2007

It's time for eighteen-year-old James Sveck to begin his freshman year at Brown. Instead, he's surfing the real estate listings, searching for a sanctuary—a nice farmhouse in Kansas, perhaps.

Although James lives in twenty-first-century Manhattan, he's more at home in the faraway worlds of Eric Rohmer or Anthony Trollope—or his favorite writer, the obscure and tragic Denton Welch. James's sense of dislocation is exacerbated by his willfully self-absorbed parents, a disdainful sister, his Teutonically cryptic shrink, and an increasingly vague, D-list celebrity grandmother.

Compounding matters is James's growing infatuation with a handsome male colleague at the art gallery his mother owns, where James supposedly works at his summer job but where he actually plots his escape to the prairie.

My review guidelines can be found HERE.

COVER ART
• Simple and straightforward, we are in the head of an unsure teenager.
• The obscured face helps the reader put themselves in the narrator's place
• The long title is presented within a red block and almost as a poem with strategic tabbing

NORMALITY
• Pre-College Summer
• Manhattan
• Divorce

SEXUALITY
• Homosexuality

PERSONAL LURES
• Self-absorption to the point of Anti-social behavior/awkwardness
• The byplay between brother and sister is so reminiscent of my interactions that it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
• Over-thinking conversations with your dog

REVIEW

A coming of age story filled with Laugh Out Loud lines but a meandering plot bringing you to the end of the book wondering if you were supposed to learn something that you missed. Not painful in the least, and in taking only a lazy Sunday to read, not a waste of time either. And yet still I wonder, what is the purpose? The entertainment is there, but it is almost as if the author set us up to expect something more with this character development (for James certainly does) and yet lets us down in the end, becoming ordinary.

The allusions to 9/11 are frequent and deeply rooted in the development of James' personality. The event affected him but he has absorbed it to become part of him. Therefore, the references are not glaring, but simply a passing statement. The way things are, or were.

Struggling with being a homosexual 18 year old is usually portrayed as an arduous task, and yet James endures with little to no effort, other than his youthful impulsiveness with online dating sites. I totally relate to his exploration of something new within himself without thought to the outside world. So absorbed in this new corner of himself that he has never opened, that he doesn't realize the possible repercussions of his actions on those around him.

This domino effect follows through with his interactions in his family. A nice interweaving of elements that makes me think this could be a memoir, and not fiction. I like those kinds of stories and therefore don't really hold it against Mr. Cameron when the story just simply ends with a predictable anti-climax.

After pursuing Ms. Cameron's website, I see that James appears in a few more stories and perhaps there is more to learn.

If you want to laugh out loud and then not be able to explain yourself adequately afterward, then pick this up and take it to the beach with your smart phone so you can look up any odd cultural references you don't already know.

Morgan Kinsley • Paranormal MINI REVIEWS

2011-07-07T08:00:00.036-04:00

Funky Fresh Paranormal Urban Fantasy with a dash of Romance.

My review guidelines can be found HERE.

The Devil's Playground
Morgan Kinsley Book #5
by Jenna Black

Morgan Kingsley, a kick-ass exorcist, can deal with Lugh, the super-sexy demon living inside her, but does he have to moan softly during her intimate moments with her mortal lover? Understandably, Brian is reluctant to share the pleasures of Morgan's flesh with a gorgeous rogue from the Demon Realm.

But personal matters will have to wait when the opportunistic owner of The Seven Deadlies demon club in Philadelphia enlists Morgan's help in heading off a crisis: It seems that demons have started showing up at the hot spot in alarming numbers and in the unwilling bodies of rough trade club-goers. Morgan is sure that Dougal, Lugh's sworn enemy, is behind this, but why? To find out Morgan must summon every ounce of power at her command—or risk becoming just another casualty in an all-out demon war.

REVIEW

• Exorcists & Demons abound!

• Exorcist Morgan Kinsley has been living with a demon inside her for months and now he is putting the moves on both her and her boyfriend.

• Political heat manages the plot but the voyeur triad sexing keeps it steamy.

• The gay supporting characters add that little bit of spice I like. Oh, yeah... and suggestions of BDSM.

• Read Chapter 1

____________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _

Speak of the Devil
Morgan Kinsley Book #4
by Jenna Black

For a kick-ass exorcist, it’s all about staying alive . . .

Morgan Kingsley, America’s most successful exorcist, is paying the price for an exorcism gone wrong. The victim’s family is suing the daylights out of her, the Exorcism Board has suspended her, and now she’s living on a diet of ramen noodles and bad coffee. But Morgan has a few good men at her side. One is her current boyfriend, nice-guy legal-eagle Brian, who’s starting to reveal his inner bad boy. The other is Philly cop Adam White, who’s trying to help Morgan find out who sent her a little present—a severed human hand—and why someone seems determined to destroy her.

As her stalker turns more violent, leaving dead bodies in his wake, Morgan turns to the dark side of her life: a group of demons seeped in secrets, sinful eroticism, and otherworldly family feuds, including one sexy beast who shares Morgan’s body—and some X-rated fantasies. Soon Morgan must choose between her friends, her enemies, and her libido: to escape a mad demon determined to destroy her completely.

REVIEW

• I went backwards on this and read The Devil's Playground first. It took a little of the suspense out but there is still a good amount of angst and action.

• The sex scenes are few and far between BUT they are hot! M/M Fantasy action and some heavy D/s.

• Read Chapter 1

I'm back!

2011-07-05T10:14:00.000-04:00

Freshly tanned and back from vacation!
>^..^

Vacation Reading CONTEST - CANCELED

2011-06-22T08:49:00.002-04:00

CANCELED - will attempt a reincarnation later! :D

Greetings from the beach!

Sweet Vernal Zephyr is on vacation
and what is the perfect companion to rolling waves and warn sun?
Klaus the sexy beachbartender pictured below? LOL! Well, ok.
Second best.... A good book!

Take a pic of yourself
reading a good book "on vacation" and enter to win!

Contest starts June 22 and ends with summer on September 23rd.
That means you've got 3 months to get your pictures in! A slideshow will be created and linked in the sidebar and the fame and fortune will just roll in *wink*.

Also, the prize will be massive:

A box of books for the US winner
AND
A selection of my favorite ebooks for the INTERNATIONAL winner

YUP! 2 Winners!

Happy Vacation and I'll see you soon ~ Miranda

The Small Print

• Comment on this post to enter. Include a link to your picture or email it to mdwartistry at yahoo dot com.
• Following not required.
• Enter from June 22nd through the September 23rd
• The winner has 7 days to respond to my email or they forfeit the prize

Hit List • Paranormal REVIEW

2011-06-16T11:13:00.000-04:00

The Anita world is changing, for the better or worse?

Hit List
Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel 20
by Laurell K. Hamilton

320 Page Hardcover, Published June 2011

A serial killer is hunting the Pacific Northwest, murdering victims in a gruesome and spectacular way. The local police suspect "monsters" are involved, and have called in Anita Blake and Edward, U.S. Marshals who really know their monsters, to catch the killer.

But some monsters are very real. The Harlequin have been the bogeymen of the vampire world for more than a thousand years; they are a secret so dark that even to speak their name can earn you a death sentence. Now they are here in America, hunting weretigers…and human police.

The Harlequin serve the Mother of All Darkness, the first vampire. She was supposed to be dead, but only her body was destroyed. Now she needs a new one, and she’s decided that Anita Blake’s is the body she wants. Edward thinks the serial killings are a trap to lure Anita closer to the most dangerous vampire they’ve ever hunted. The vampires call Edward “Death,” and Anita the “Executioner,” but Mommy Darkest is coming to kill one and possess the other, and she doesn’t care how many others have to die along the way.

My review guidelines can be found HERE.

COVER ART
• "Tiger" color scheme, violent movement
• Questionable font usage and hierarchy
• Suggestive model matches current series tone
• Is that Edward or a bad vampire?

PARANORMALITY
• Weretigers
• Werewolves
• Werelions
• Vampires
• Necromancer

SEXUALITY
• M/F, Were/Necoromancer

PERSONAL LURES
• Anita Blake is my drug.

REVIEW

• Once again I can't put it down. Totally want to sneak chapters at work.

• Was there a rush to get this novel out? Because I have caught a few editing mistakes already.
Confused pronouns
Consistency with numbers (3 vs. 4 tigers)
Repetition of introductory facts
Just plain mistakes: "She laid out her clothes in a neat line on the bedspread" and then a few bit of dialogue later "she dumped her clothes in a pile on the bed and began to sort them"

• Anita is still forgetting to eat solid food as a preventative method to raising the beasts inside her.

• She always seems to find at least one male that she just has to have, not mentally of course, its all metaphysical.

• I thought that we might not get any sex! Didn't happen 'til midway. Makes me feel like Ms. Hamilton is listening to what her readers are saying. (Though I happen to enjoy all the smexing.)

• Anita is very self-aware (as much as her integral character can be) and realizes she is being prude. She also vocalizes that she missed her men (and I do too).

• Olaf just got even sexier for me when Anita snuggled up to him. I have a weakness for men that make me feel small (at 5' 9" that is a rarity for me) but Olaf... my, oh my. Yeah, I know. Playing with fire and all that. He's a dangerous SOB.

"I ended up pressed to the front of his body with my entire head below his chest, so sort of his upper stomach/chest area.

God, he was big.

I had enough guy friends that I’d automatically put my arm around him for the hug, like body memory.

His much bigger arm was around me, and what was supposed to be a quick, manly, I’m-not-gay hug turned into more.

His arm tightened around me, keeping me against his body.

My right hand was in his, his arm behind my back, my left arm around his surprisingly slender waist."

• Edward is totally morphing, it feels wrong but I am willing to accept it because it is acknowledged.

"Once I’d believed that if he had to he’d kill me—he might miss me, but he’d do it.

Now, I realized maybe he wouldn’t.

Maybe he was finally emotionally attached to me in a very un-Edward-like way."

• RANT:
This book made me feel dirty. It's my own fault I went out and bought the new release hardcover at full price BUT I feel like I am being strung along for my money.

Rationally, it is true. An author wants to make money. But half way through this relatively short novel (300 hardcover pages in large type is NOT that long at all) the story was still being set up. Once again we get lead to the FAST climax (I want more details!) at the end and left without anyone to cuddle with. Take out the backstory (which is ridiculously redundant to a loyal Anita fan) and you're looking at a novella.

It is obvious the series is laid out in stickynotes on the wall, but flesh out these steps into generous rubenesques. Jean-Claude prefers curves and so do I. What happened to Incubus Dreams length stories that left me gasping and shuddering at the end with enough plot to ruminate on until the next release?

• Foreshadowing the series (what I think might happen next):
An evil werelion king for Anita
Hunting with Edward and his "son"
Voluntary Lycanthropy for Edward

WANT MORE?
• Read my Tuesday Teaser partially undressed.
• Read an excerpt from Ms. Hamilton's website.
• I've also reviewed the other 19 books in the series - HERE!

Summer of Gomez • Promo

2011-06-15T08:30:00.000-04:00

A word from Graham Parke:

It's the Summer of Gomez!

Get free books and win a Kindle or iPod.

As reviewers have been calling "No Hope for Gomez!" the perfect summer read - light, fast, fun - I decided to give this summer's Gomez readers some exclusive content and the chance to win prizes.

About No Hope for Gomez!

It's the age-old tale:

-   Boy meets girl.
-   Boy stalks girl.
-   Girl already has a stalker.
-   Boy becomes her stalker-stalker.

We've seen it all before, many times, but this time it's different. If only slightly.

    When Gomez Porter becomes a test subject in an experimental drug trial, he is asked to keep track of any strange experiences through a blog.

What Gomez isn't ready for, is so many of his experiences suddenly seeming strange; the antiques dealer trying to buy his old tax papers, the phone-sex salesman who hounds him day and night, the super sexy lab assistant who falls for him but is unable to express herself in terms outside the realm of science.

   But when one of the trial participants turns up dead and another goes missing, Gomez begins to fear for his life. No longer sure who he can trust and which of his experiences are real and which merely drug induced delusions, he decides it's time to go underground and work out a devious plan.
Read a chapter.

Nominated for Humor Novel of the Year by ForeWord Reviews, USA Book News, and the IBA Awards, here's what reviewers have to say about "No Hope for Gomez!":

"Extremely witty and clever writing." -- California Chronicle

"An unputdownable read. a Coens Brothers' film in book form." -- BookReview.com

"A veritable page turner of nonstop laughs!" -- Reader Views

"A Party for your Brain!" -- Warren Baxter

Warning: clinical studies have shown that reading this novel is likely to make you more attractive to the opposite sex and elevate your random luck by about 9.5%**

(** These statements have not been evaluated by any person of consequence!)

With every cool summer party comes a GIFT BAG,
So here's just some of the stuff all summer readers will get:

• Exclusive new story collection
• No Hope for Gomez: The Lost Chapters
• Making of Gomez: behind the scenes eBook
• Signed hi-res poster + bookplate

Additionally, several lucky readers will win a prize.

I'm raffling off...
• a Kindle
• an iPod Nano 8GB
• and five exclusive spin-off paperback novels that are not available elsewhere!

All you have to do to have a "Summer of Gomez" is...

Get the book from any store before July 12th, 2011
and forward your receipt to nohopeforgomez@gmail.com.
(Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Amazon CA, Amazon UK, Amazon DE)

• Every purchase counts as an entry so increase your chances by stocking up on some extremely cool birthday presents ;)

• Points towards additional entries are gained by getting your friends to join in, and tweeting/blogging/face-booking (is that a verb?) about the summer of Gomez.

Bio:
Graham Parke is responsible for a number of technical publications and has recently patented a self-folding map. He has been described as both a humanitarian and a pathological liar. Convincing evidence to support either allegation has yet to be produced.

www.grahamparke.com
www.grahamparke.blogspot.com
GoodReads
Facebook

Tuesday Teaser with Anita Blake

2011-06-14T08:37:00.000-04:00

• A weekly bookish meme Hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading
• Open your current read to a random page
• Share two “teaser” sentences sans spoilers

TUESDAY TEASER

And then I felt something in the hallway, something hot and powerful, and angry...

I turned back and went for my gun in its holster, but like Ethan's gun is was under my [discarded] shirt.

I was on one knee, my shirt still in the air as I raised my gun up to aim at the door.

Ethan was going for his gun, but he wouldn't reach it in time.

~ page 94 Hit List by Laurell K. Hamilton

Visit Thursday for My Review!

Coming this week at SVZ

2011-06-13T08:14:00.000-04:00

Good Morning!

Coming this week at Sweet Vernal Zephyr Book Reviews:

Tuesday Teaser
Hit List: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel

Promotional Post
Summer of Gomez

New Release Review
Hit List by Laurell K. Hamilton

See ya 'round!

Tag, You're it! • 18+ Blog Hop

2011-06-10T08:42:00.000-04:00

Babtiste the Feisty
welcomes you to
SVZ Book Reviews

Fiction, Fantasy & GLBT
Reviews • Writings
Contests • Studs

This week's feature...

Eternal Seduction by Jennifer Turner

Paranormal Vampire Romance

REVIEW

• Tuesday Teaser Excerpt • Sequel Excerpt •

Thanks for hopping along to my blog! ~Miranda

A Darkness Within Novels by Jennifer Turner

2011-06-09T08:05:00.004-04:00

Welcome to the Eternal Hearts Virtual Book Tour

Start off with my review of book one...

Eternal Seduction

Staring the ancient vampire Kerestyan & street waif Logan.

READ MY REVIEW

Become helplessly sucked into the next book...

Eternal Hearts

Toni Tutoro just wants to go home. Banned from Chicago’s vampiric society after cutting a swath of violence through the city, she must now successfully complete an investigation for the Lord of Chicago to regain the right to live in her hometown again.

To ensure Toni’s safety during her probationary period, Drake Black, a feared assassin, is secretly contracted to protect her. Even with direct orders to keep his relationship professional, and his own personal vow to never get involved with a female vampire again, Drake finds himself drawn to Toni in ways he can’t explain. But unbeknownst to him, he’s tied to one of the people who drove Toni to her night of destruction.

Drake’s legendary heritage holds the key to Toni’s survival and success, but will she be able to forgive his connection to the brutal night that robbed her of those she loved most? Will Drake be able to forget the betrayals in his past and risk taking one more chance? But most of all, can they find a way to reach each other in the darkness?

Read Chapter 1 HERE or scroll down for an extended excerpt!

Every muscle Toni owned tensed as she stared up into the angry eyes of Lord Christian Locke, Mr. Fancy Pants himself, right there…in the flesh. She silently cursed her horrible luck as he deftly stepped around Drake and moved to stand directly in front of her.

For the second time that night, she shifted between her feet as a pair of veiled blue eyes bored into her. But unlike Drake’s, Christian’s eyes weren’t filled with sadness and pain – his were as cold and calculating as she remembered. And if anything else lurked somewhere deep behind them, anything at all, she either couldn’t see it or didn’t know how to recognize the emotions.

What she hoped was inside him somewhere was compassion and warmth. She wanted to believe that behind those frigid blue eyes and kingly demeanor was a good man, who just did everything he could to hide his true feelings from the world.

That’s what she wanted to believe – but that didn’t mean it was true.

She’d been burned enough times to know that what you wanted to believe was inside someone, and what was truly there…were sometimes two very different things.

Silence stung the air for what felt like an hour before he finally opened his mouth. “Miss Tutoro, I’m so happy to see you’ve made it back to our fair city unharmed. Please, enlighten me as to why you’ve come home. I’m absolutely dying to know.” His smooth English accent made him sound every bit as snotty as he looked.

Feeling forced to defend herself in a way she wasn’t prepared for; Toni returned his sarcasm with a dash of her own. “As always, Christian, you’re looking lovely this evening. Did Armani make that suit especially for you? It’s simply ravishing,” she quipped, trying to mimic his accent.

It didn’t mix well with the Spanish hint she already had.

She tried not to smile when she heard Drake snort, but she couldn’t help it. She knew she should be nice, knew Christian Locke held everything she wanted in his fancy little manicured hands, but something about the smug, holier-than-thou look on his face just screamed for her to do everything in her power to annoy him.

“Do you find my suit unacceptable?” His sharp tone practically dared her to respond.
“Well, since you asked,” she said as she took a step back and gave him an obvious once over, “you might wanna tell him to keep his eye on the scissors. Your right sleeve looks a tad longer than your left.”

He didn’t react. Instead, he continued to stare at her with glaring disinterest. She thought she remembered how unsettling that stare was, but she was wrong. It made her feel icky all the way down to her toes this time. Last time it was only to her knees.

But she just…couldn’t…stop. “Oh wait, that’s right.” She waved a hand at him. “It’s all coming back to me now. It’s you that’s off. Your right arm’s just a little longer than your left, isn’t it?” She blew out a sigh then offered him her most sympathetic smile. “We can’t all be perfect, can we?”

“Miss Tutoro, it would seem to me if one was seeking solace in a city they’d already been thrown out of once, one would adopt a little more humble attitude. Wouldn’t you agree?” The new, much darker edge to his voice sent fear tap dancing down her spine.
Toni sucked in a deep breath and slowly nodded. He was right. He was the only one who could give her permission to stay in Chicago, and here she was, treating him like crap.

She looked back up at him, hoping he could hear the truth in every word she was about to say. “I just wanted to come home, Christian. I’ve been driving around the country, trying to find a place that feels right. I’ve been in more cities than I can count, and I still haven’t found one that feels like home.” She struggled to keep her voice steady. “I’m not here to cause trouble, I swear. I just wanna see faces that actually smile at me again. I wanna sleep a full day without nightmares.” She turned away when she lost the battle against her tears.

How could she explain what Chicago meant to her? How much she needed to be home?
After a few moments passed, Toni wiped her cheeks and cleared her throat. She had to make him understand. But as she turned to face him again, a feeling of doom settled deep into the pit of her stomach.

He seemed to be watching her with an odd, detached curiosity.

Wanting desperately to believe she could reach him, she forced herself to continue. “This city stays with me wherever I go. I was born here, and for every awful memory I have here, there are still fifty good ones.” She lowered her eyes when his face didn’t change. “I don’t know what I was thinking…you wouldn’t understand.”

“Have you secured yourself a place to stay? I know you haven’t purchased any homes or leased an apartment. There are also no reservations for you or any of your aliases at any hotel in the city.”

Toni surrendered with a spiteful laugh. He hadn’t changed at all. “No, Christian, I haven’t broken your rules by making any permanent arrangements. I have my car. That’s it.” She narrowed her eyes when a look of pure amusement swept across his face, instantly churning her doomed feeling into seething anger. “Look, if you’re gonna throw me out or kill me, could you get on with it already? It’s getting late and I don’t have much time to run before the sun comes up. You’re at least gonna be a good sport about this, right?”

His sharp features took on the texture of concrete. “I will arrange for you to stay in a suite at my hotel. When you arrive in the lobby, give the desk clerk your name and he’ll take care of your needs.” One of his brows rose slightly as his eyes moved over her. “I’ll also have him make a few calls in order to procure you an article of clothing more befitting a woman. I expect you dressed appropriately when you arrive at my office tomorrow evening, where we’ll finish discussing your official request to stay in my city. Be there at Midnight, not a second later.”

It took everything Toni had not to look down at the sidewalk to see if her jaw had landed on one of his expensive Italian shoes. What did he say? Was she still sleeping?

Was she really in Chicago?

She barely registered the weight lift from her body as Christian’s gaze shifted up to Drake, who at some point during the conversation had moved to stand behind her.
“Mr. Black, it’s a pleasure as always,” he said as he extended a hand, which Drake easily accepted. “Since it would appear my Head of Enforcement felt so comfortable leaving Miss Tutoro in your capable hands, you’ll understand if I ask that you remain with her for now. Unfortunately, I have it on good authority that once Brick and 8-Ball finish sanitizing the scene on Rush Street, they’re going to find themselves otherwise occupied for a time.”

Toni stiffened at his words. “Christian, please don’t hurt them. I’m the one who called 8-Ball. He warned me not to come, but I didn’t listen. If you’re gonna punish someone, punish me. It’s my fault. They don’t deserve to get…” Her words faded into mumbles as Drake’s big hand clamped tight over her mouth.

“I’ll stay with her, Lord Locke. It’s not a problem.”

When the monster inside her thrashed and growled, Toni committed to the only action that blind instinct would allow – she sank her teeth into one of Drake’s meaty fingers.

“Ouch!” He ripped is hand away from her mouth. “I can’t believe you just fucking bit me! I should’ve known better.”

She whipped around to face him and jammed a finger into his chest. “Don’t you ever try to silence me again! Brick and 8-Ball are my friends, and I don’t wanna see anything happen to them. And I’d rather be put in the sun for five seconds because I said too much, than stand here knowing they might end up with some punishment they don’t deserve. I don’t even know you that well, but if Christian tried to pin you as an accessory to this whole, awful situation just because you’re standing here with me, I’d do the same for you!”

He couldn’t have looked any more shocked if she’d hoisted her leg up and kicked him in the junk. “You’d endure a Trial By Sun, for me? Lady, you don’t even know me.”
“I may not know you, but so far all you’ve tried to do is help.” She withdrew her hand. “You didn’t have to offer to stay with me so 8-Ball could go with Brick, but you did, and I appreciate that. It means a lot more to me than you’ll ever know.” She turned away from him as the stupid tears she’d been fighting all night welled up yet again. “I’d do anything for my friends. So just keep your big hands away from my mouth and we should be fine.”

Toni drew a deep breath in an attempt to pull her scrambled emotions together, then eyed Christian, who had a smile she could only describe as evil stretched all the way across his face. “What the hell are you smiling at now?”

He actually laughed at her. “Nothing, Miss Tutoro. Nothing at all.”

She fisted her hands. “Please, just promise me you won’t hurt them.”

“I have absolutely no intention of hurting them. After all, it does me no good if my Enforcement Team is out of commission.” If it was possible, his smile turned even more malicious at the edges. “However, I’m sure they’ll wish I had offered a physical punishment by the time I finish speaking with them about the disrespectful practice of keeping secrets from their Lord. If I remember correctly, don’t those of the Warrior lineage just love a good, long lecture?”

When Drake’s loud laughter boomed behind her, Toni had to smile. If there was one punishment she knew 8-Ball hated, it was some Trump giving him the verbal what-for. He’d always complained that Trumps had a bad habit of using words bigger than their egos, which as far as he could tell, no board room could hold without serious structural damage.

Not that 8-Ball was really one to talk when it came to huge egos, but she’d gladly take him and Brick being on the business end of a lecture over the possible alternatives any day.

“Now, Miss Tutoro, if you would kindly excuse me, I have other pressing business this evening. And please, do find yourself a coat. It’s far too cold to be out in the city without one. Actions as such make the humans look twice.” He gave a curt nod before he turned and walked back to his car. “Oh, and Mr. Black,” he called as he slid into the backseat, “please see to it that your charge arrives at my hotel within the hour.” He’d no more than finished his request before the door closed and his car was gone.

Toni watched as the glowing red taillights of the Lord of Chicago’s white Mercedes quickly faded in the distance. What the hell had just happened?

You’ve entered the Twilight Zone, that’s what just happened. She nodded in response to the voice in her mind. The last courtesy she’d expected when Locke had stepped out of his car was the offer of a meeting and a suite at his hotel. A swift kick in the behind and a warning to be out before sunrise, most definitely, especially since that was the response she’d gotten from the Lords of other cities as soon as she told them her name. But a warm place to stay without the threat of being hunted by the Enforcement Team…not even close.

Now, if she could only keep her mouth under control at the meeting…

She turned and looked up at Drake at the thought. Apparently, the meeting wasn’t the only place she needed to keep her mouth to herself.

She rested a hand on his forearm. “I’m sorry I bit you.”

He wrinkled his nose like a five year old and made a production of rubbing his booboo. “Me, too.”

“Oh, please.” She grabbed the offended hand and pressed a kiss to the wounded finger that had probably healed the second he’d removed it from her mouth. “There. All better.”

He jerked his arm back as though she’d touched him with an open flame. “Don’t do that.” The pain in his eyes deepened right before that invisible curtain slammed back into place. He flashed a smile that wasn’t true. “The last place my fingers need to be is anywhere near your mouth. You’ve already proven you’re a biter.”
Toni mirrored his false smile, even though what she wanted to do was ask why he kept trying to be someone else. But then, she knew all too well what it felt like not to be happy with who you were. She’d felt that way for the last three years, and to this day, she’d give anything to go back to who she was before. Back to a time when her life consisted of more than running to stay alive, back to before one night and a few bad decisions changed everything.

She stared down at his hand. “If I hurt you, Drake, I really am sorry.”

A long moment of silence stretched between them before he asked, “Can I ask you a question?”

She nodded, but couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “Sure.”

“Why do you apologize so much?”

“Because…” She bit at the inside of her bottom lip then cleared her throat. “Because I promised myself a long time ago that I’d never waste a chance to tell someone how I really feel. That I’d never walk away from someone I knew I’d hurt without telling them I was sorry…even if they couldn’t hear me.”

“Well,” he sighed, his voice seemingly filled with the same regret she felt. He rested a warm hand on her shoulder, sending a shiver down her spine. “Even though my finger will probably get all infected now and swell up like a bloated corpse, I want you to know that I’ll probably forgive you someday.” He slid his hand down her arm and squeezed her fingers tight. “But today’s not your day…and tomorrow ain’t lookin’ too good either.”

She ripped her hand away from him when he burst into a loud fit of laughter. “Oh my God!” She grabbed a fistful of his long hair then yanked his face down to her level. “What’s wrong with you? Why would you say something like that to me? What did I ever do to you?”

“Ow, ow, ow. You’re hurting me. Say you’re sorry! Say you’re sorry!”

She tugged hard on his hair again, but this time all she could do was laugh at the exaggerated way he bent at the waist and contorted sideways as his face scrunched up. “You’re just not right.”

He flashed the most beautiful, most genuine smile she’d ever seen. “Yeah, but now you’re laughing.”

She slowly released her hold on his hair, noticing for the first time how soft the dark strands felt as they slipped between her fingers. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had tried to make her laugh. Couldn’t recall, aside from 8-Ball and Brick, the last time she’d been touched by a vampire who wasn’t trying to kill her.

She looked up at Drake, watching the way his eyes seemed to lighten a little more every second he stared back at her, until not even a trace of the sadness remained. Where the darkness had gone or why, she didn’t know, but she’d been alone and unwanted for so long that she wasn’t sure whether to smile because he made her feel so good, or cry because she knew she didn’t deserve it.

You don’t deserve it. Toni swallowed the jagged knot tightening her throat and backed away from the man who had no idea what kind of monster he stood so close to. “We should probably head for Locke’s hotel.” She tucked her hair behind her ears as the frigid wind picked up around them. “When we get there, I’ll see if I can find someone who knows him. Maybe I can get his number and talk him into letting you go. I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than be stuck with someone like me. Someone you don’t even know.”

“Oh. Hell. No.” He folded his arms over his chest while that adorable, lopsided grin from earlier reformed on his lips. “I’m not going to the hotel yet. I’m not moving an inch until you say it.”

She blinked at him. “Say what?”

“Say what?” His mouth gaped open like a suffocating fish. “I want you to say you’re sorry for pulling my hair. I want you to say you’re sorry for almost snapping my spine in two.” He scuffed one of his big black boots against the sidewalk. “There’s ice down there, ya know. I almost fell, and I don’t have health insurance yet.”
“Are you serious?”

“Yes. I want an apology.”

She moved to stand in front of him again. “I’m sorry that I bit you. I’m sorry that I pulled your hair. And I’m sorry if I hurt you, because that’s not what I wanted.” She tipped her head back and stared into his eyes. “And I’m sorry that the longer you’re around me, the more I’ll have to say I’m sorry…because I will hurt you again. I’m sorry Brick and 8-Ball had to leave. I’m sorry you got stuck with me. And I’m sorry that I couldn’t be in this city for more than an hour without fucking everything up again. You have no idea just how sorry I am. But I promise I’ll do everything I can to get Christian to let you go. Now, can we go to the hotel?”

“Wow.” His blue eyes widened as he inhaled a deep breath. “When you Warriors swing…you really go for the fences don’t you? And then that fence, and that one, then the one over there, then you run back to where you started and do it all over again.” He shook his head. “Truthfully, I don’t know how you do it, because I’m getting tired just watching you.”

Toni gave in to the light tugging sensation at the corners of her mouth when Drake started laughing again. Deep and damningly contagious, the rich sound rolled over her in a soothing wave, making the air feel just a little bit warmer, a little less empty.

“I have an idea.” He rubbed his hands together then blew a breath between them. “How ‘bout you pick a mood and stick with it for five minutes, I’ll worry about what I’m getting myself into, and we’ll head to the hotel where they have this great invention called heat.”

She studied him for a minute, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, the way each breath that slipped past his lips became a burst of steam as it mingled with the cold air, and how his tongue darted out every so often to moisten those lips.

Everything about him was human…

And from what she could tell, he didn’t even try. He didn’t stop to concentrate every few minutes. Didn’t appear to give as much as a second thought to the human functions he maintained. He imitated life with perfection, down to the very last detail, as though he’d never lost it.

She bit down hard on the inside of her cheek as jealousy tingled through her again. He was right. She seriously needed to get her emotions under control. She’d already bitten the poor guy once because she’d let the beast get the better of her, the least she could do was pick one fence to swing at. Besides, how much damage could she do to him in less than 24 hours?

A little about the author, Jennifer Turner...
She lives in Bowling Green, Ohio, with her husband, twelve year old daughter and two cats. She regularly claims one of the aforementioned takes far more work than the others to maintain – but she won’t share which one. She’s the middle child between two brothers, and the favorite child of her parents. Of course, that’s always subject to opinion. Jennifer began her writing career as a self-published romance author, but is now represented by Robert Gottlieb, Chairman of Trident Media Group.

Eternal Seduction • Paranormal REVIEW

2011-06-09T08:00:00.006-04:00

Jaded human unintentionally snags heart of ancient vamp, attention of more.

Eternal Seduction
by Jennifer Turner

215 Page PDF, Published 2008

A Darkness Within Novel After living on the streets of New York City for over a decade, Logan Ellis admits her perceptions might be a little skewed. But twisted or not, there’s a satisfying irony in watching a well dressed vampire stand in the middle of a ghetto alley, windblown trash scraping small circles near his feet. What she finds even more intriguing, is waiting for him to decide whether or not he’s going to kill her.

Kerestyan Nelek hasn’t quite made up his mind. As the Lord of New York, he can’t allow a homeless drug addict, whose memories are packed with knowledge of vampiric existence, to run free in his city. It’s not the first time he’s been in this situation with a human, it’s just the first time in thousands of years he’s come face to face with one who doesn’t seem to care. And that’s what makes the decision so damn difficult.

What horrors would you have to witness before you went numb? How many years would it take for you to feel that way? What would it take to make you care again?

Logan’s answers are simple: the worst humanity has to offer, almost thirty… and something she never expected.

My review guidelines can be found HERE.

COVER ART
photo by Anna Davidenko
• Striking photograph but limited suggestion of internal plot

PARANORMALITY
• Vampires
• Werewolves
• Angels
• Immortals
• Magic

SEXUALITY
• M/F
• Bisexuality
• Rough
• Uninvited orgasm
• Orgasm by bite
• Groping

PERSONAL LURES
• Dragons
• NY

REVIEW

• Couldn't put it down, steady plot flow.

• Enjoyed the reversal of roles: jaded human and loving vampire

• A little bit jarring with the vampire mood swings, but they are acknowledged by the protagonist.

• Interesting mix of characters from dragons to giants, and with a variation of personalities too.

• Vampire siblings fight dirty!

• Starts out very dark with an edge of sarcastic humor that threads through the entire story. A very nice contrast to the depths of emotion being plundered.
“Well, if nothing else, at least the gaps between your ribs make for good handholds.” He turned and sauntered through a gate attached to a white picket fence. “Gives a whole new meaning to ‘ribbed for her pleasure’!” pg 93

• K's sentient wolf servant has me totally confused. I thought werewolves and vampires were enemies?

• Not your typical romance as the mushy stuff is very off limits in the detached Logan's mind.

• We get a Cliff Notes version of the history of creation according to vampires and that puts Drake in a very interesting place. I'm curious about him AND he shows up in the next book, Eternal Hearts.... which just happens to be on book blog tour with us today! Jump to the tour post here.

FAVORITE SCENE QUOTE
Logan the street waif has just run across a trio of fighting vampires.

The sound of clicking teeth pulled her attention back to the pissed off puppy and his question.

“Puppet? I’m not exactly sure what that means. I suppose the only frayed strings I dance on are God’s.”

pg. 8

WANT MORE?
Read a Tuesday Teaser - Xlarge

Read an excerpt from the streets, featuring a homeless addict and a horny grandma.

Check out the Eternal Hearts Blog Tour - Visiting SVZ Book Reviews TODAY!

Winner!

2011-06-08T08:25:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to
June M.
the 18 and over, Couples Blog Hop Winner!

The Truth About Vampires will be in your hands very soon!

Tuesday Teaser - XL Edition

2011-06-07T08:23:00.001-04:00

• A weekly bookish meme Hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading
• Open your current read to a random page
• Share two “teaser” sentences sans spoilers

PROMOTIONAL EXCERPT

“Oh. Hell. No.” He folded his arms over his chest while that adorable, lopsided grin from earlier reformed on his lips. “I’m not going to the hotel yet. I’m not moving an inch until you say it.”

She blinked at him. “Say what?”

“Say what?” His mouth gaped open like a suffocating fish. “I want you to say you’re sorry for pulling my hair. I want you to say you’re sorry for almost snapping my spine in two.”

He scuffed one of his big black boots against the sidewalk. “There’s ice down there, ya know. I almost fell, and I don’t have health insurance yet.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. I want an apology.”

She moved to stand in front of him again. “I’m sorry that I bit you. I’m sorry that I pulled your hair. And I’m sorry if I hurt you, because that’s not what I wanted.”

She tipped her head back and stared into his eyes. “And I’m sorry that the longer you’re around me, the more I’ll have to say I’m sorry…because I will hurt you again. I’m sorry Brick and 8-Ball had to leave. I’m sorry you got stuck with me. And I’m sorry that I couldn’t be in this city for more than an hour without fucking everything up again. You have no idea just how sorry I am. But I promise I’ll do everything I can to get Christian to let you go. Now, can we go to the hotel?”

~ Eternal Hearts by Jennifer Turner

Visit Thursday for...
my review of the 1st book in this series, Eternal Seduction!

Mischevious Monday Man-Candy

2011-06-06T08:40:00.000-04:00

Babtiste is one of my Tumblr dungeon men...

Morning all! Time for another week of blogging fun. I've got Babtiste here to help us take back control from the Blog Hop! He's a feisty one :) Thanks to all the new visitors.

SVZ Book Reviews is participating in the Eternal Hearts Virtual Book Tour!

Tuesday is a teaser excerpt from Eternal Hearts
&
Thursday is my review of Eternal Seduction,
the first book in the series.

18 and Over Blog Hop • Couples Book Giveaway

2011-06-02T00:00:00.062-04:00

Welcome to the 18 & Over Blog Hop!

This time around we are featuring books with smokin' hot couples!

Win an autographed copy of...

The Truth About Vampires
by Theresa Meyers

Her blood pulsed hot and furious when he touched her, and with his kiss, all logic fled. But each night she spent with her vampire lover brought her closer to death and destruction. A death not even an immortal could triumph over.

Read my review

Comment below and don't forget your email address...

Then head on over to the next stop before June 5th...

Having fun?
SAVE THE DATE for the next hop, September 15th - 18th with hosts Bitten By Paranormal Romance and Reading Between The Wines!

The Truth About Vampires • Para Romance REVIEW

2011-05-31T08:07:00.001-04:00

The Truth About Vampires
by Theresa Meyers

288 page Mass Market Paperback, Published March 2011

Sons of Midnight, Book 1 All her life Seattle reporter Kristin Reed sought her breakout story. She never thought she'd find it in the crimson lair of a real life creature of the night. Kristin never believed vampires existed—until with dark brooding eyes and a decadent chocolate scent, Dmitri Dionotte called out to her...

Dmitri and his clan's true nature was cloaked in secrecy until a warring vampire order threatened their existence. Kristin was just the woman he needed. She couldn't resist their story...or Dmitri. Her blood pulsed hot and furious when he touched her, and with his kiss, all logic fled. But each night she spent with her vampire lover brought her closer to death and destruction. A death not even an immortal could triumph over.

My review guidelines can be found HERE.

COVER ART
• Classic feel for the Harlequin Nocturne line
• Would have liked the man to be a little darker to match the story
• The pose is very accurate, even the passion hazed look on her face
• Good placement of multiple logos without creating a confusing mess

PARANORMALITY
• Vampires

SEXUALITY
• M/F
• Chocolate, sex, cinnamon, and sticky buns all wrapped into one!
• Stroke my fangs, baby!

PERSONAL LURES
• Reporter Protagonist (You know, like Superman)

REVIEW
Vampires used to live unseen among us, now they are being revealed to the world and you really think there isn't going to be pandemonium?! This is intense people. Vampire blood has healing abilities and there is a wicked black market a-brewing. Remind you of True Blood a little? <-- Not a jab, just a common plot thread in this sort of vampire world revelation.

Alpha males abound! This reporter doesn't know when to stop and gets herself in over her head. Classic themes and hardheaded actions/ reactions. Ends with a lot of story left to tell. Obvious opening for the next book in the series but I won't go looking for it.

WANT TO WIN IT?
Join me on the 18+ Blog Hop June 2-5 for your chance to win a signed copy!

Winners • New Contest Coming

2011-05-27T08:53:00.000-04:00

Anthony is one of my Tumblr dungeon men...

...here to help me announce the winners of
The Tradesman's Entrance.

Congratulations
Jase & Irene!

Didn't win?

Come back on Thursday for your chance to win!
18 & Over Couples Book Giveaway Hop • June 2nd - 5th

The Tradesman's Entrance • REVIEW & GIVEAWAY

2011-05-26T08:00:00.082-04:00

THE TRADESMAN’S ENTRANCE

From Vagabondage Press, A sweet and hilarious gay romantic comedy novelette by London author Cameron Vale.

Virginal Stephen Patterson is suffering from writer’s block on his latest money-spinning bodice-ripper, and his mood can only get worse when Dave the plumber shows up two hours late, mocks him, and plunders his pantry.

But first impressions can be deceptive; Dave is a highly unusual tradesman with an odd line in biscuit-based philosophy, an open-minded approach to sex, and a cast-iron certificate in unblocking all sorts of pipes.

When Dave decides that it’s long past time for Stephen to unclog years of fear and insecurity, Stephen may finally discover who he really is.

REVIEW

• I had never heard it used before, but being fairly new to reading m/m romance I wondered if the title had a dual meaning... YUP!

• Heavy on the London accents (for this New Yorker). Took me a while to decipher the slang though I will admit it pulled me into the story 'cause I had to THINK about what I was reading and comprehend the humor. What does, "ASBO-d reject" mean?

• Example of the slang - Quote from page 19:
"Clock ’em giving yer the old sideways glance when they think yer not looking. Sidle over. Sound them out. Bit of safe footie or music chat to kick things off. Keep it neutral and blokey to start with, then drop in the odd innuendo, see if they take the bait. If they don’t and start to get angsty, pull the innocent card, call them a queer first and walk off in high dudgeon."

• Ms. Vale has a definite style to her writing; full of detail and the oddly distracting adjective suggesting sentient presence to inanimate objects. (Ok, so maybe a quote would better help you understand, since my mimicry will most likely confuse rather than inform.)

• Example of style - Quote from page 2:
"Having witnessed this particular breakdown on a plenitude of occasions, the front door waves goodbye to patience and lets rip a series of short, staccato bangs, jumping the needle from the stuck record of Stephen’s soliloquy."

• Protagonist Stephens' bodice-ripper characters breaking into the story remind me of Ripping the Bodice by Inara Lavey.

• Stephen mouthing off to the characters in his head is totally on par with the way my amateur scribblings evolve. (My husband just watches me with an odd smile on his face when he catches those one sided conversations - indulgent hunk.)

• Unique and creative phrasing: "pneumatically heaving breasts" and "Yer such a panic-merchant"

• Awesome powerplay, trippy philosophy, hot messy sex. It's all good.

• Fun and quirky, I couldn't stop grinning the whole time I read this story.

• Oh! And why is it that this m/m romance understands that anal sex doesn't happen on the first time when erotic menages just plunder that virgin ass? /rant

WIN IT! Flash Contest! Giveaway Now CLOSED

Comment here for your chance to win it!

BONUS ENTRY: Leave a comment telling us your favorite "accent" to read!

I'm partial to old wild west cowboy accents meself, "I reckon you ain't got no 'shine round these parts, eh?"

• Don't forget your email address.
• International, ebook prize.
• Ends TODAY 5/26.
• Winner announced Friday 5/27.

CLOSED GIVEAWAY • The Tradesman's Entrance

2011-05-25T09:44:00.003-04:00

THE TRADESMAN’S ENTRANCE

WIN IT! Flash Contest! NOW CLOSED

Just leave a comment with your email to be entered to win!

Come back on Thursday and comment on my review for a SECOND chance to win!

• International, ebook prize.
• Ends Thursday 5/26.
• Winner announced Friday 5/27.

Tuesday Teaser with a FLASH CONTEST

2011-05-24T07:07:00.001-04:00

**Happy Release Day FLASH Contest!** NOW CLOSED

Tuesday Teaser meme is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

THE TRADESMAN'S ENTRANCE

Waiting for the kettle to boil, Stephen struggles to avert his gaze from Dave’s elevated rear poking out from under his sink, low-slung jeans slipping steadily southward.

Every move reveals a curved expanse of tightly packed Calvin Klein’s.

~ page 5, The Tradesman's Entrance by Cameron Vale

Happy Release Day!

THE TRADESMAN’S ENTRANCE
From Vagabondage Press, A sweet and hilarious gay romantic comedy novelette by London author Cameron Vale.

Virginal Stephen Patterson is suffering from writer’s block on his latest money-spinning bodice-ripper, and his mood can only get worse when Dave the plumber shows up two hours late, mocks him, and plunders his pantry. But first impressions can be deceptive; Dave is a highly unusual tradesman with an odd line in biscuit-based philosophy, an open-minded approach to sex, and a cast-iron certificate in unblocking all sorts of pipes. When Dave decides that it’s long past time for Stephen to unclog years of fear and insecurity, Stephen may finally discover who he really is.

~~Feeling teased? WIN IT! Flash Contest!~~ NOW CLOSED

Just leave a comment with your email to be entered to win!

Come back on Thursday and comment on my review for a SECOND chance to win!

• International, ebook prize.
• Ends Thursday 5/26.
• Winner announced Friday 5/27.

Monday Man-candy

2011-05-23T07:00:00.000-04:00

Anthony is one of my Tumblr dungeon men...

Morning all! Time for another week of blogging fun.
I've got Anthony here to help us get a kick start to the week. He's ready to work and I know I sure do have a lot of it to do!

And I have a lovely little teaser announcement!

*drumroll please...........*

TUESDAY
will begin a
FLASH CONTEST
to win
The Tradesman's Entrance
by Cameron Vale

Winner will be announced this Friday! Good Luck!

Bliss & Six • Erotic Romance MINI REVIEWS

2011-05-19T07:31:00.000-04:00

Midrange Menage Erotica; steamy, sweet, and light.

My review guidelines can be found HERE.

Six
by Opal Carew

270 Page Trade Paperback, Published 2008

Harmony leads a secret life. On the surface, she's a respectable, straight-laced professional. But once a year, she reunites with her old college friends--the infamous Group of Six--for a decadent sexual free-for-all. Here, there are no limits. Nothing is forbidden as they push every boundary to reach dizzying new heights of pleasure. But this year, Harmony has a serious boyfriend in her life…and he has no idea about her naughty annual retreats. Now Aiden is about to enter an intoxicating world of explosive sensuality and mind-blowing group sex. But can their relationship withstand Harmony's wild side? And when an old friend reveals his true feelings for Harmony, how far is Aiden willing to go to win her heart?

COVER ART
by Olga Crlic
• A bright magenta and black duotone full bleed photograph contrasts nicely with the large solid Gold title, drawing you in and alluding to the erotic nature of the pages underneath.

NORMALITY
• Fiance with secrets
• College friends
• Caribbean Resort

SEXUALITY
• M/F
• M/M (suggested)
• Menage any way you can think of it
• Sex with Strangers

REVIEW

• The scenario drew me in but the story was missing something, deeper development of the characters and the situations.

• The sex is hot and almost continuous.

• It's a happy ever after story but I was seriously rooting for the underdog, didn't like the pat way everything wrapped up.

• A sexy feel good story about accepting yourself and grabbing happiness.

• Oh, and it is NOT cool to tease us with a open m/m couple and not give us any smexing between the two of them!

____________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _

Bliss
by Opal Carew

243 Page Trade Paperback, Published June 2010

Kara is a sex columnist who thinks desire is purely physical and steers clear of any romantic notions about love. J.M. is a Tantra master who believes sex is a spiritual union that brings lovers together body and soul. They can’t deny their irresistible physical attraction—but Kara knows they can never have a future outside the bedroom. After all, Kara thinks Tantra is silly and the whole elitist idea of sacred sex really bugs her. But after a few heated nights of hands-on practice with her own personal Tantra instructor, she experiences a soul-shattering bliss more intense than anything she’s ever felt. And she starts to wonder if there might be something to Tantra after all…or could it be that J.M. has simply stolen her heart?

COVER ART
by Ervin Serrano
• Suitibly porn-ish in red with an obvious intimate scene taking place but manages not so show any "private" parts but I'm pretty sure there should be one more man on there.

NORMALITY
• Present day / contemporary setting
• Sex conference in Indianapolis

SEXUALITY
• M/F
• Tantra
• Kama Sutra
• Menage: M/F/M & M/M/M/M/M/F
• Role Playing
• Female masturbation

REVIEW

• More of the same (In comparison to SIX - which I read first), sex all over the place with a little bit of plot to drive the scenarios.

• Hot for a beside-the-bed-in-the-toy-drawer kinda thing, but I need more meat than this to hold my attention.

• Oh - and trust! He said he wasn't going to introduce the "stranger" and he did. Not cool. End of playtime.

Winner Post • New Contest Soon

2011-05-18T09:26:00.000-04:00

Miguel is one of my Tumblr dungeon men...

...here to help me announce the winner of Riptide.

Congratulations Lenikaye!

Didn't win?

Come back on Tuesday for your chance to win!

May 24th, Vagabondage Press is proud to announce the release of THE TRADESMAN’S ENTRANCE, a sweet and hilarious gay romantic comedy novelette by London author Cameron Vale.

Tuesday Teaser on an Adventure

2011-05-17T08:26:00.000-04:00

• A weekly bookish meme Hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading
• Open your current read to a random page
• Share two “teaser” sentences sans spoilers

MY BOOK TEASE

Aiden drew his hand away, but he sent a reassuring smile Harmony's way.

It was odd feeling another man touching his girlfriend, but he'd signed on for this adventure and he would follow through.

~ page 68, Six by Opal Carew

Visit Thursday for
my mini reviews of Six & Bliss!

Happy Monday Eye-Candy

2011-05-16T06:11:00.000-04:00

Miguel is one of my Tumblr dungeon men...

Morning all! How was your Friday the 13th? Yeah, I took a chill pill this weekend after that blogger mess. But today is the start of a new week...

*smiles evilly*

And I've brought you all a little treat.

*whispers to Miguel* Stay right there, darlkink, while I get the silk rope.

Isn't he lovely? And such a well behaved boy too.

Have a great week everyone!

The Assignment • Cop M/M Romance REVIEW

2011-05-12T08:00:00.039-04:00

GFY Cops get into hot water and leather together.

The Assignment
by Evangeline Anderson

190 Page Trade Paperback, Original Publication 2006

The first in a series of adventures of Detectives Valenti and O'Brian
Detective Nicholas Valenti, tall, dark and stoic, has been best friends with his partner, Sean O’Brian for six years. The two men have seen each other through divorce, disaster and danger and saved each other’s asses more times than Valenti can count. Exactly when he started seeing his blond, intense partner in another light, Valenti isn’t really sure. He only knows that he wants O’Brian in a way that had nothing to do with friendship and everything to do with possession. It is a desire he will have to hide forever because O’Brian is undeniably straight.

Just as Valenti is coming to grips with his new, unacceptable feelings for his partner their police Captain puts them on a new case that could blow Valenti’s cover once and for all. He and O’Brian are going undercover at the country’s largest and most infamous gay resort to bust a notorious drug lord and stop the shipments of poison cocaine that are flooding the gay bars all over the city.

Now Valenti will have to make a choice between friendship and desire. He and O’Brian will play the roles of gay men that will push the limits of their relationship to the breaking point. Will their time at the RamJack forge a new bond between them or destroy their partnership forever?

My review guidelines can be found HERE.

COVER ART
by April Martinez
• Generic. Where is the crisp mat of red blond chest hair? Cute and fuzzy! The cross necklace is the only hint as to who is who.

NORMALITY
• Detectives
• Drug Dealers
• Goons
• Daddies & Boys

SEXUALITY
• M/M
• Gay Resort
• Exhibitionism

REVIEW

• This one went so fast! I didn't want to put it down, not to shower, not to work, not to eat.

• This Gay-For-You story goes both ways. A nice twist that strings out the mental hurtles of the protagonist's thoughts we inhabit, Nicky.

• Nicky has a hell of a time coming to terms with his love for his partner. We missed the near death experience that triggered this epiphany, but we are waist deep in the fall out. And just when I'm sure Sean reciprocates, Nicky flips it all around in his head and jumps into a downward spiral that I'm willing to agree with (for the moment.)

• Quite angsty (if you couldn't figure that out from the above bullet) and probably a good thing the story isn't longer. I might have felt the need to kick Nicky in the head a few times.

• One spot totally didn't make sense to me at all - Nicky falling asleep in the glass bedroom. It doesn't matter how tired I am, that shit ain't happening in those circumstances.

• My copy has the next short story in the series, I'll Be Hot For Christmas. A pseudo-kidnap fantasy that digs deep into some relationship problems. Overall, a lovely addition to the story but not anything that stands alone.

PERSONAL LURES
• Cops!

WANT MORE?

Read a Tuesday Teaser with a butterfly.

Read an excerpt as they check out their cushy rooms at the RamJack

Lazy Agent

2011-05-11T08:00:00.010-04:00

I admit to not knowing a darn thing about literary agents.

BUT, multiple times now I have been approached by a newish author with the following request:

I've been recently published, and these are my books.

Would you please please please go on Amazon and give me positive feedback.

I am attempting to seduce an agent.

Umm, who wants an agent that is so lazy they won't pick you up unless you are already popular? Kind seems like that would be THEIR job.

Bring me down a notch and give me some insight on this, would ya?

Tuesday Teaser with a butterfly

2011-05-10T07:26:00.000-04:00

• A weekly bookish meme Hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading
• Open your current read to a random page
• Share two “teaser” sentences sans spoilers

MY BOOK TEASE

Conrad's long arm shot out, and he grabbed his boy by the wrist in a grip that looked like it could crush bone.

"Not so fast, mi mariposa," he growled and pulled the hapless Julio in for a kiss that looked more like oral rape.

~ page 49 The Assignment by Evangeline Anderson

Come back on THURSDAY for my review!

Monday Man-candy

2011-05-09T09:04:00.000-04:00

Leebo is one of my Tumblr dungeon men...

Morning all! Enjoy this bright start to the work week and don't forget to enter my contest to win Riptide.

*smiles*

Have a great week everyone!

Miss Sweet's Mother

2011-05-07T08:30:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Saturday Serials

Miss Sweet is the owner of a cozy saloon and a broken heart. Below is her story.

Miss Sweet's Saloon Part XIV - Mommy Dearest

Now that Miss Sweet has moved away from home and is finally settling down to a place of her own...

And her old flame, Gus, has managed to slip out from under some trouble...

It's a bout time we checked in on Miss Sweet's mother. You remember her, right?

"Her Ma hadn't been happy with just one man.
Evidence enough were right there in the photograph and jewelry
Pa had given Miss Sweet on her 18th birthday...
three wedding rings just didn't make right sense."

The crux of the whole misunderstanding between Miss Sweet and her Pa stemmed around that old photograph of Ma. Gets ya to wondering just what it was showing.

Well, rumor has it she's a couple towns over...
Let's take a peek.

Did you see that whip?
Don't got to wonder where Miss Sweet gets her frisky side anymore! Whoo Whee!

No I wouldn't be wanting to bother her none. She's obviously not dressed for company so you all just move along now and appreciate your own mothers this fine day.

Did you miss the beginning of this wandering wild west story?
Part I • Part II • Part III • Part IV • Part V • Part VI.1 • Part VI.2 • Part VII • Part VIII • Part IX • Part X • Part XI • Part XII • Part XIII

Riptide GIVEAWAY

2011-05-06T08:00:00.038-04:00

SVZ's Tumblr Candy, Marlon, announces a contest to win...

RIPTIDE
by Margaret Carroll

Christina's husband has been found dead in their swimming pool, propelling her into dangerous arms and possibly costing Christina her son, her fortune, and her life.

>^..^<

For your chance to win
Riptide

Leave a comment with your email.

1 Extra entry for Newsletter Subscribers.

Come back on Monday the 16th to see who won!

The Small Print

• Comment on this post to enter (with your email).
• Following not required.
• Enter from May 6th through the 15th
• US Shipping Only
• International participants entered for a super secret ebook prize
• The winner has 7 days to respond to my email or they forfeit the prize
• Winner(s) will be announced May 16th

REVIEW Double Cross • Para Fantasy

2011-05-05T08:54:00.000-04:00

Multiple betrayals of unknowing victims.

Double Cross
by Carolyn Crane

326 Page Mass Market Paperback, 2010

Disillusionist Trilogy Book 2
Some secrets come back to haunt.
Others come back to kill.
Serial killers with unheard-of skills are terrorizing the most powerful beings in Midcity. As the body count grows, Justine faces a crisis of conscience…and an impossible choice between two flawed but brilliant men—one on a journey of redemption, the other descending into a pit of moral depravity.

My review guidelines can be found HERE.

COVER ART
by Gene Mollica
Same artist and style as the first book in the trilogy.
I enjoy this style but once again missed the knife in the story.

PARANORMALITY
• Highcaps - Mutated mental abilities (See Tuesday Teaser Excerpt)
• Disillusionists - Extreme personalities
• Sleepwalkers

SEXUALITY
• M/F
• Misery loves company

REVIEW
Wow - The title says it all. I am so glad I know this is a trilogy because the story just plain CAN'T end like that! I was pretty sure Ms. Crane was going to silently torture me and Packard until the release of the last book, but the last scene gave me hope that she still has some kindness in her heart. *wink*

Love the use of a simple juvenile clue as a turning point, and am I sensing a deep personal dislike of script typography? As a graphic designer I can relate but not condone the deep emotional response.

PERSONAL LURES
Read the first book, Mind Games, and I am a sucker for series. The world has already been built in my head, might as well explore it further.

WANT MORE?

Read an excerpt from chapter one

I've also reviewed Mind Games!

Tueaday Teaser with Mutations

2011-05-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

• A weekly bookish meme Hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading
• Open your current read to a random page
• Share two “teaser” sentences sans spoilers

MY BOOK TEASE

Helmut told me that when a highcap is a small child, the highcap mutation is blank possibility; like a stem cell, it can evolve into almost anything.

At some point, a highcap child's nature and personality determine what his or her highcap power will be.

The child who wants things from outside his crib becomes a telekinetic...

~ page 88 Double Cross by Carolyn Crane

Come back on THURSDAY for my review!

Happy May!

2011-05-02T09:07:00.000-04:00

Marlon is one of my Tumblr dungeon men...

He's conveniently modeling the cologne my own personal Mr. Handsome wears.

*Sigh*

Have a great week everyone!

PS - I'm working on the April Newsletter today, should be up soon!

Anita & Hit List • More of the same?

2011-04-29T09:02:00.001-04:00

It's a given that once you get 20 books into a series, they are going to be "more of the same"...

But does it really have to be so blatant in the teaser excerpt released months before the book is available?

Perhaps it will lure in NEW readers, but it certainly didn't whet my appetite. I like the flavor of Anita but I am not drooling over Hit list, yet.

Hit List by Laurell K. Hamilton

Chapter One Excerpt • Publication Date, June 2011

Just read the first chapter in Hit List and already Anita is complaining about the same old things.

I'm sick of looking at dead bodies She's complaining of traumatic stress job fatigue (yeah, I made that phrase up) just like she has been for the last few books. Do something about it already!

And then I get to hear back story all over again.... Jean-Claude is the Master of St. Louis, I have a gaggle of werelovers waiting at home for me, Edward is cold as ice (See video below).

Is it just me, or is it not even as well written as previous intros?

I love the Anita series, but if we could filter out the back story for those of us that are loyal fans and have been following along... well, that would just be a stroke of awesome.

And here's a heartbreaking little secret:

I was holding myself back from reading this teaser excerpt because the book will not be released until June and I hate that anticipation. I'm an instant gratification kinda girl.

My worries were for naught, 'cause its just more of the same.

It will be gory and sexy and probably twisted, but nothing to get my panties in a knot over the next two months. Maybe I'll even wait until paperback! Nah, I'll just grab the hardcover from the library.

REVIEW Bent • M/M Romance BDSM

2011-04-28T08:00:00.011-04:00

Dom creates the perfect sub morphing from moody professor to pierced and inked.

Bent
by Sean Michael

634 Page PDF, Published July 2008

Hammer Series Book 1
Marcus knows Jim is his minutes after meeting the snarly, jumpy ex-professor at the local bookstore. He thinks Jim is a natural submissive, someone who needs order and discipline in his life to help with Jim's anxiety and bad health habits. So Marcus decides to pursue Jim relentlessly, because even if Jim's mouth is saying no, his body is saying yes.

There's a lot more to Jim than meets the eye, and Marcus will have to be careful. Jim knows what it means to lose everything, knows what it's like to be without friends or family. Jim feels broken, and knowing that he likes the kinds of weird things Marcus wants to do to him only makes him scared that he's losing his mind.

Their chemistry is so real, so genuine, that Jim lets Marcus wear him down, lets Marcus take control. Eventually, his trust grows, allowing them to enter into the BDSM lifestyle together, learning about each other every day, with every scene. Jim is still uncertain sometimes, though, and he thinks Marcus might just want him because he's cracked. Can this top and bottom pair find a way to understand their wants and needs, and make a life that works for them alone?

My review guidelines can be found HERE.

COVER ART
• Totally love how there are no naked torsos and the cover art is consistent throughout the series. This is a print book I wouldn't mind reading in public.

NORMALITY
• College Professor / Author
• Leather Crafter

SEXUALITY
• BDSM
• Rape Accusation
• Spanking
• Fisting
• Sounding

REVIEW

• Moves very fast in the beginning, skipping through the initial courtship to get right to the meat of relationship development.

• The smexing is always hot and integral to the plot. Some new boundary is pushed or an emotional hurtle jumped. Oh, and there is like a mega ton of it. Lots of kinky gay sex.

• I was totally freaked out by the torn vocal cords. I did NOT know that could even happen! Oh, and is it just me or would orange juice on torn vocal cords suck?

• Marcus treats Jim like his very own toy doll. Before he even knows Jim, he is envisioning what he wants in his ideal sub... and I see very little consideration to what would be good for Jim. Tattoos, piercings, chores. Very odd to see it all predetermined and Jim just falling into the mold.

• I forced myself to flash finish this book. These stories grab right a hold of me and I get sucked into the character's minds. I could see it influencing my daily moods! I'm pretty sure that is a complement to the author and an insult to my mental capacity.

PERSONAL LURES
• Newbie BDSM
• Author I've read before

WANT MORE?
Read a Tuesday Teaser with a spanking.

Read an inexcusably rude excerpt set in a bookstore.

I've also reviewed Push, another Hammer Series Novel!

April Mini Reviews

2011-04-27T08:00:00.022-04:00

Trey - Red Hot & Blue by Cat Johnson
• Steamy undercover short with a classic love triangle and almost insta-love.

Enemy Lover by Karin Harlow
• Paranormal patriotic special ops novel leading into a promising series. Hot sex, intelligent characters, and clashing politics with plenty of nasty repercussions to spicy up the plot.

The Master's Bed by Blythe Gifford
• Classic period romance with a young girl passing for a boy and illiciting sodomite feelings in her school master.

Brier's Bargin by Carol Lynne
• A first person m/m romantic narrative from a mentally handicapped protag has the potential for massive pitfalls. The language was a bit tedious but the message was good - Integrity and a big heart are not exclusive to a specific IQ range.

BAD Attitude by Sherrilyn Kenyon
• Is it possible I have outgrown this author? I initially was attracted to her Lords of Avalon series (which kinda stalled out) and then devoured her Dark-Hunter series. Then why does the interaction between the male and female protags feel so classic/predictable/unrealistic? It a fast fun read but not extremely stimulating.

Mind Games by Carolyn Crane
• One gray rainy Saturday I was sick with a cold and cuddled up on the couch all day to read this. The hypochondriac protagonist was a perfect complement to my illness and the twist and turns keep the snot from overtaking my brain.

Bent by Sean Michael
• Got sucked into this series in the middle. Now I'm at the beginning and seeing a classic skeleton to these stories... but I'm cool with it. The smexing is so hot and the depth of the characters can be surprising at times.

Dragonkin by Crymsyn Hart
• Classic fantasy wizards and dragons and princess fairytale that I had to stop reading because it was too predictable and not in depth enough to engage me fully.

Last Minion Standing by Eve Langlais
• Super hot unashamed smexing!

GPS by Leigh Ellwood
• Perfect length to read on my lunch break. A sweet birthday intervention!

Dark Angel by GA Hauser
• Super short, feels like a setup or skeleton to a much larger and more intense story.

Eternity by Christina J Loren
• Fast, hot, M/M/M menage with vampires too!

Double Cross by Carolyn Crane
• Twisted baby. With a minor cliffhanger ending 'cause it just CAN'T end like that!

The Assignment Evangeline Anderson
• Hot m/m undercover cop action, Gay For You theme that is very hard to put down between chapters.

Tuesday Teaser with BENT

2011-04-26T09:01:00.000-04:00

• A weekly bookish meme Hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading
• Open your current read to a random page
• Share two “teaser” sentences sans spoilers

MY BOOK TEASE

"But you need it."

He tugged Jim down, the man falling into his lap. Jim gasped, jerking, trying to fight.

"You can fight and scream and cry as much as you need."

It would be good for the man.

Then he started to spank Jim, his hand coming down hard and fast over the pretty ass.

~ page 23 Bent by Sean Michael

Come back on THURSDAY for my review!

Get me through Monday!

2011-04-25T09:56:00.000-04:00

Blondie is one of my Tumblr dungeon men...

He's here to ease us into Monday.

*Sigh*

With every glance I can feel my stress releasing already.

Have a great week everyone!

Humm, What book boyfriend
does he look like...

Gus's Escape

2011-04-23T09:04:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Saturday Serials

You may remember Mistress Sweet from past Saturday Serials as the protective Dominatrix.
But at Mister Valance's Porch she's Miss Sweet, owner of a cozy saloon and a broken heart. Below is her story.

Miss Sweet's Saloon Part XIII - Gus's Escape

So the strange night progressed, and Gus found himself seated around a fire with a band of ruffians ordered to shoot him at the first sight of cowardly fleeing. Apparently it is much easier to threaten your victim into submission than to actually have to bind them with precious rope.

The initial fear of a live skinning had settled down into his gut as a hot mean knot. His brain as finally functioning again without a bling haze of anger.

He was clearly outnumbered, so that meant he wouldn't be fighting his way out of this particular predicament. Nope, this cowboy was going to have to be wily.

So he set about acting yellow bellied and ball-less, hunched over himself at the fire keepin' his eyes down. But his ears, no, they were perked. He was intently listening to all the conversations around him as dinner was cooked. Mighty poor last meal too, canned beans and stale bread.

He could feel the scoundrel's eyes hard on his nape more often than not. As the leader of the thieves, he seemed to be the most conniving and the most likely to see through Gus' little act.

After eatin' the scoundrel started telling tales. Tales of a woman wild as the horses she tames and the men she entertains.

Gus refused to believe these ribald memories were of his long lost love. Sweet Pea just… just wasn't that kind a girl. Was she?

He lost himself for a time in his thoughts of the young cowgirl and her mysterious rejection of him and her whole life. And the seed of doubt was planted, right next to that hot hard knot of fear in his gut.

Night lengthened into cold darkness as the fire shrunk to embers and the band of thieves bedded down.

He curled into a ball next to the residual heat and continued the charade of a beaten and broken cowboy with nothing left to live for. But he had a new burning purpose now. That seed had grown, fueled by his angry fear, and he was determined to find Sweet Pea and demand answers.

Who knows which of these outrageous stories are true, for the telling around the campfire this night was wicked and hot and passionate and raw. But one thing was certain, his Sweet Pea has been here with these men. And now he had a few good clues as to where she might have gone and he was determined to track her down as soon as he got out from under the scoundrel's thumb.

And then there he was, bending over Gus, and giving him a sharp kick to the ribs.

"Best be gitin your rest. Dawn will be bringin a very important day for you, your last."

He seemed to get an inordinate amount of humor out of that comment and walked a few paces away to settle down as sentry to his prisoner.

Gus struggled to keep up the weakling act but anger was boiling inside him again. Concentrating on breathing he focused on the beat of his heart… the rhythm of his breath… the scrape of boots and blankets.

Camp was settling down and he began to realize, not all the cowboys were sleeping alone. But for the life of him he couldn't remember any women in this group.

He was cold sleeping alone, body heat would have been a wonderful thing that cold night... but then he heard the heavy breaths and grunts to accompany the obscene images forming in his brain. Shock overcame him as he realized what he lay in the midst of and he barely registered a body slipping in tight to the scoundrel.

Dully he realized this would be his chance to escape, while the randy thieves were distracted.

And so he waited, listening intently to the sounds of pleasure given and received, and slunk off into the night on a chorus of slaps and moans ignoring the niggling feeling that this escape came a might too easy from a conniving scoundrel.

Did you miss the beginning of this wandering wild west story?
Part I • Part II • Part III • Part IV • Part V • Part VI.1 • Part VI.2 • Part VII • Part VIII • Part IX • Part X • Part XI • Part XII

Master of Desire Winner

2011-04-22T13:29:00.000-04:00

Shiny, this week's sexy tumblr man, proudly announces the winner of...

Master of Desire by Kinley MacGregor

Chelsea B!

REVIEW Mind Games • Para Fantasy

2011-04-21T10:05:00.000-04:00

Disfunctional superheros create a sexy mindworm whispering conspiracy theories and paranoia around every corner.

Mind Games
by Carolyn Crane

371 Page Mass Market Paperback, March 2010

Disillusionist Trilogy: Book 1
Justine Jones is a hopeless hypochondriac whose life is crippled by fear… until one day when a handsome, tortured mastermind named Packard peers into her soul and invites her to join his psychological hit squad.

Justine resists until she gets a taste of the peace Packard can promise. At first, Justine enjoys being part of the thrilling world of neurotic vigilantes who battle Midcity’s paranormal criminals. Things get complicated when she uncovers certain secrets… and falls for one of her most dangerous targets.

My review guidelines can be found HERE.

COVER ART
by Gene Mollica
• I love original cover illustrations, good job Ms. Mollica.
• Aura matches perfectly with the content; murky, sexy, waiting.
• Did I miss the knife in the story? I must have missed the knife. *blush of shame*

PARANORMALITY
• Highcaps - DNA mutation creating increase brain function and subsequent powers
• Disillusionists - Extreme manics addicted to zinging

SEXUALITY
• M/F
• F/F & F/F/M & Incest suggestions
• Tauntingly electric hidden kisses
• Sinister Sex *dum dum dummmmmm*

REVIEW
• Totally read this in ONE day. It was rainy, I was sick and this was the perfect complement to my mood. (This is my lame excuse for the brevity of this review. Fast reading = fast reviewing!)

• This book is sexy but sex is not the focus, instead it is integrated throughout the story and actually has a legitimate context!

• DO NOT read this if you are a hypochondriac or prone to worrying. Totally crazy intense detail on life threatening diseases.

• Um, WTF is up with the ants? EW! That is also as damaging to my psyche as the scene from Hannibal where the guy cuts his own face off to feed to his dogs.

• You have a very twisted mind Ms. Crane *See above bullet* but I find myself enjoying the ride.

• Oh, yeah. And there is a MORAL to the story. Wicked, right? I would liken it to old 80s sitcoms/children's shows or Jerry Springer. Somewhere in there.

PERSONAL LURES
• Carolyn Crane's blog is intermittent AND funny. (I'm not kidding, her sense of humor is off the hook!)

WANT MORE?

Read a Tuesday Teaser with a zing.

Read an excerpt from chapter 1 with an old enemy.

Stripped!

2011-04-20T08:38:00.000-04:00

We're stripping down here at
SVZ Book Reviews.

That's right. Just look on over at the side bar and you will see smooth skin. *wink*

Cleaning out the clutter around here.

Organizing myself and my outlets.

Throughout the day I'll be rearranging stuff, trying new things out, prioritizing...

Comment with any suggestions or complaints!

Tuesday Teaser with a Zing

2011-04-19T09:25:00.000-04:00

• A weekly bookish meme Hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading
• Open your current read to a random page
• Share two “teaser” sentences sans spoilers

MY BOOK TEASE

This is not the time for a hypochondriac freak-out.

I focus, instead, on the one silver lining here: I have more than enough of the right kind of fear stoked to zing him into oblivion.

~ page 207 Mind Games by Carolyn Crane

Come back on the 21st for my review!

Monday Eye Candy

2011-04-18T09:01:00.000-04:00

Please welcome Shiny, this week's Side Bar Tender!

He's here to brighten up the place a bit:

I'm currently feeling a bit under the weather and Shiny here just plain makes me smile.

*And, I used to own pants like that.*

So enjoy his lusciousness and have a great week for me!

Every day this week Shiny will be tending to the Side Bar and tweeting daily with new contest links. Good luck and happy reading!

Miss Sweet's Saloon Serial

2011-04-16T10:26:00.000-04:00

Flash fiction posted in serial almost every Saturday

It all began with Miss Sweet and her Western Saloon, which lead to...

Memories of the past:
• Miss Sweet's Childhood
• Her Pa's Recollections
• The Hearts She Broke

Wandering looses its glory:
• Sow her wild oats
• Settlin' Down with a Bitch and a Cowboy
• An Introduction to Town

Meanwhile, the heart she broke:
• Sulks in his beer
• Has a run in with her wild oats
• And ends up kidnapped by scoundrels
• And taunted with death.

Which brings us to the latest installment,

Gus prepares for his Last Meal.

Dust to Dust Winner (Second try)

2011-04-15T08:23:00.000-04:00

Announcing the new...
Dust to Dust Winner!
Mike Draper

DIDN'T WIN?

Enter NOW for your chance to win...

Master of Desire by Kinley MacGregor!

REVIEW Merry Gentry Series • Para Romance

2011-04-14T09:44:00.000-04:00

Faery Land Kink, Bloody and Sexy.

Meredith Gentry Series
A Kiss of Shadows
A Caress of Twilight
Seduced by Moonlight
A Stroke of Midnight
Mistral's Kiss
A Lick of Frost
Swallowing Darkness
Divine Misdemeanors

by Laurell K. Hamilton

Mass Market Paperbacks, Released 2000-2009

My review guidelines can be found HERE.

Ok, so I flew through this series.
Hence the longer reviews at the first and last books.
Really, they read as one large book with barely a few hours between them.
There is plenty of story left to tell and it looks like a new story is on the way.

A KISS OF SHADOWS
Meredith Gentry, Princess of the high court of Faerie, is posing as a human in Los Angeles, living as a P.I. specializing in supernatural crime. But now the Queen’s assassin has been dispatched to fetch her back–whether she likes it or not. Excerpt

• Coming from the Anita Blake series to this one, I see Anita in Merry. It is as if they began as one character and then split into two worlds. There are so many echoes that I keep expecting to see Anita Blake characters pop up in cameos here and there.

• Tentacle sex, doesn't sound like that much fun.. but man oh man did I want to see that culminate. The descriptions of some of the fine tentacles as sexual organs, very enticing and sent my mind spinning ahead to all the possibilities.

A CARESS OF TWILIGHT
While she enjoys the greatest pleasures of her life attempting to conceive a baby with the warriors of her royal guard, she must fend off an ancient evil that could destroy the very fabric of reality. Excerpt

• In a race for the throne, no risk is too great and Merry discovers more value than she expected in those around her.

SEDUCED BY MOONLIGHT
Even though I spend each night with the Queen’s Ravens, my immortal guards, no child has come of our decadent pleasures. But something else is happening. My magic courses through me uncontrollably. Excerpt

• Merry is very (merry) in a bed full of magical hunks giving birth to more power if not a child.

A STROKE OF MIDNIGHT
Enemies unforeseen move against us–enemies who would murder the least among us. The threat will drive us to allow human police into faerie for the first time in our history. Excerpt

• A stormy lover, a potential king, hardened emotions break open as nothing becomes sacred.

MINSTRAL'S KISS
Now Mistral, Queen Andais’s new captain of the guard, has come to my bed–defying her and risking her terrible wrath in doing so. But even she will hesitate to punish him in jealous rage, because our joining has reawakened old magic, mystical power so ancient that no one stands against it and survives. Excerpt

• Merry is stuck in faery with wild magic constantly at her shoulder, surrounding her and giving her power but seeming to take so much away.

A LICK OF FROST
For despite all Merry's carnal efforts, she remains childless, while the machinations of the sinister, sadistic Queen and her confederates remain tireless. And King Taranis just might have intentions towards Merry more terrifying than death. Excerpt

• The miracle of creation and destruction ride on the lies of a king and the blessing of more.

SWALLOWING DARKNESS
Merry is pregnant with twins and to protect what is hers, she will sacrifice anything–even if it means waging a battle against her darkest enemies and making the most momentous decision ever made as princess of faerie. Excerpt

• Crowns come and go and love conquers all in this "happy for now" psuedo-ending.

DIVINE MISDEMEANORS

Attempting to leave the blood and politics behind in her own turbulent realm, Merry dreamed of an idyllic life in sunny L.A. But evil knows no borders, and nobody lives forever—even if they’re magical. Excerpt

• Does not follow directly after the ending of Swallowing Darkness as the rest of the series. More like a day in the life kind of thing where Merry is struggling with being in exile and still acting like a queen to her people, even if she is no longer crowned.

• The personalities of the characters feels stilted at the beginning. Not quite ringing true. Specifically Darkness (Doyle) and Barinthus.

• The sex is amazingly redundant. Always painting her passion with her nails and feeling a building warmth push her over the edge.

WANT MORE?

Read a Tuesday Teaser from A Kiss of Shadows.

If you liked this review, I also reviewed Ms. Hamilton's...
Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Series & Nightseer.

I Love Book Gossip... where r u?

2011-04-13T09:00:00.000-04:00

WANTED:

Missing Dust to Dust Winner!

I ♥ Book Gossip

I have not yet heard back from the Dust to Dust winner! (Email me, please.)
If the silence reigns, a new winner will be picked on Friday.

Guesting with a Bonus Contest Entry

2011-04-13T08:10:00.000-04:00

Visit me over at Desert Island Keepers.

I've been guesting since Monday...
and today I'm offering a bonus entry in the Master of Desire contest!

See you there >^..^<Click here to be magically transported to DIK!!!

Tuesday Teaser with a series and a hop

2011-04-12T10:00:00.000-04:00

• A weekly bookish meme Hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading
• Open your current read to a random page
• Share two “teaser” sentences sans spoilers

MY BOOK TEASE

Doyle was on his knees, a tentacle wrapped around his neck.

Sholto was covered in blood, and it took my eyes a second to realize that one of his stomach tentacles had been severed and lay twitching next to Doyle's knee.

~ page 166 HC A Kiss of Shadows: Meredith Gentry Series Book 1 by Laurell K. Hamilton

Come back on the 14th for my review of the entire series!

MY BLOG TEASE

Coming Soon(ish)! SVZ Book Reviews will be part of the...

18 and Over Blog Hop • June 2 - 5

Adult and Erotic Book Couples Theme

Giveaways All Weekend!

Hosted by Bitten by Paranormal Romance
& Awesome Sauce Book Club

Guesting with Pets

2011-04-12T08:59:00.000-04:00

Visit me over at Desert Island Keepers.

I'm guesting today through Wednesday..
and I brought Miguel along today with a couple of furry friends.

Tuesday Teaser will be up around noon along with a blog hop announcement!

Guesting with Chocolate

2011-04-11T11:10:00.000-04:00

Visit me over at Desert Island Keepers.

I'm guesting today through Wednesday
and I brought Matthias along today with his sinful chocolate.

Master of Desire Giveaway

2011-04-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

SVZ's Side Bar Tender, Miguel, announces a contest to win...

MASTER OF DESIRE
by Kinley MacGregor

The King himself ordered Draven de Montague, Earl of Ravenswood to take in his foe's daughter, Lady Emily for a year to forge bonds of peace between their two feuding houses.

>^..^<

For your chance to win
Master of Desire

Leave a comment with your email.

1 Extra entry for Newsletter Subscribers.

Come back on Friday the 22nd to see who won!

The Small Print

• Comment on this post to enter (with your email).
• Following not required.
• Enter from April 11th through April 21st
• US Shipping Only
• International participants entered for a super secret ebook prize
• The winner has 7 days to respond to my email or they forfeit the prize
• Winner(s) will be announced April 22nd

Saturday Serial - Gus's Last Meal

2011-04-09T09:19:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Saturday Serials

You may remember Mistress Sweet from past Saturday Serials as the protective Dominatrix.
But at Mister Valance's Porch she's Miss Sweet, owner of a cozy saloon and a broken heart. Below is her story.

Miss Sweet's Saloon Part XII - Gus's Last Meal

Bewildered at this mysterious tale of love and loss, Gus struggled to keep up with the mood of the crowd and the three men who currently held his life in their hands.

Rock and Hard Place seemed to have loosened their hold on his arms just a bit and distraction showed clear on their faces as they stared at his bared chest scar. The "u" shaped mark had never brought him luck in the past, and was in fact a painful memory of all he had lost. The day he knew his Sweet Pea had his heart.

He had bartered with the blacksmith, cowboys don't beg, to act farrier to her stables on his own. If'un he was going to be a master blacksmith one day, he needed to know how to ply his wares. And whilst shoeing one of her feisty mares he found himself paying more attention to her rear bent over the feed bucket than the balancing horse in his hands.

Next thing he knew he was on his back in the barn relearnin' how to breathe. His eyes opened to her bent over him with a strange mixture of laughter and concern in her eyes. The type of look a woman gives a cowboy when she cares about him and his idiotic antics.

Sittin' up into her arms took the edge off his lovestruck haze to the reality of warm blood soaking through his shirt. With shaking fingers he unbuttoned the sticky cotton to reveal the mark of a horse-shoe on his chest, a permanent testament to his distracted heart.

He couldn't breathe right for a good three weeks after that particular incident and had to wrap his chest every morning just to think about earning his keep. Sure as rain at a funeral he couldn't strike an anvil any better than a wet-behind-the-ears youngen and was delegated to bellowing the fires and fetching and carrying. But despite the demotion and the daily grinding pain, Doc said something about a cracked sternum, his step was easy with the memory of the care in her eyes.

She was everything a man could want, sweet and pretty, gifted with the horses and smart enough to keep a man's mind sharp. He thought he had found the meaning to life--wild land and a good woman. But it turned out it was the woman who was wild and he ended up watching as she ran out on him and his heart.

The blade across his neck brought him back to the present. But with his heart lost, he didn't see much reason to fight for his life.

The scoundrel loudly cleared his throat from his position behind Gus and the restless crowd of thieves quieted.

"That's right, men. This here is The Naive Young Cowboy of our darling Sweet's stories."

Shouts rose again as Gus tried not to struggle and draw his own blood. Had this cowpie just said Sweet Pea's name? HIS Sweet?!

The two bulls on his arms held him tighter as the scoundrel moved back in front of him to look him straight in the eye and laugh, a creepy slightly cracking laugh that did more to raise the hair on your arms than illicit any sort of joy.

"There! I see it, that glint in your eye. You know that girl that broke your heart? Well, we here got the mighty fine privilege of turning her into a woman." A sneer twisted his face bringing his waxed mustache into a diagonal slash across his face. Hoots and hollers resounded around them, cat calls echoing in the night air.

Stunned, Gus's brain refused to register the brash statement. Denial pervaded his thoughts as the scoundrel drawled on.

"And we grew mighty fond of her too. Miss Sweet, why she is everything wild about the west. And the way I see it, you hurt that woman. She came to us with shadows in her eyes that had a strange resemblance to you, Mister Cowboy." This statement brought ominous low boos and hisses from the surrounding throng.

"And when she left us, it weren't completely gone. No, you still stain her heart. And I don't reckon I like that none at all." The knife slid from his neck to trace down his chest and the scar.

"Mayhaps if'un she knows you ain't ever gonna accept her wildness then she'll come back to us…" The pondering tone to his speech sent a chill down Gus's spine. At least the knife was no longer at his neck but this weren't going no where he wanted it to go. Truth or not, this conniving scoundrel believed what he preached to this crowd of thieves.

Taking this slim chance to speak for his life, Gus asked, "And what would convince her?" Though he already feared he knew the gist of the answer.

A nasty glint brightened his eyes as he answered, "I reckon that scar on a nice soft piece of leather would do the trick. A much easier gift to deliver than a dead body tied up with ribbon."

Gus fought not to let the fear show on his face but he could feel the blood rushing from his head to his rapidly beating heart.

The scoundrel's grin grew wider at the sight of his pale face. "But I'm feeling like you should get yourself a last meal before the ultimate sacrifice for your lady love. So join us. Eat drink and be merry and we will tell you stories of our Miss Sweet before we cut you out of her heart like a rotten eye from a potato."

Did you miss the beginning of this wandering wild west story?
Part I • Part II • Part III • Part IV • Part V • Part VI.1 • Part VI.2 • Part VII • Part VIII • Part IX • Part X • Part XI

Dust to Dust WINNER

2011-04-08T08:18:00.000-04:00

Rob, our hunky sidebar tender,
presents the...
Dust to Dust Winner!

I ♥ Book Gossip

DIDN'T WIN?

Come back on Monday for your chance to win a new paperback of...

Master of Desire by Kinley MacGregor!

Broken • Contemporary Romance

2011-04-07T10:39:00.000-04:00

Physical trauma begets emotional trauma withing the confines of a pseudo-faithful marriage bed.

Broken
by Megan Hart

9 hours & 39 minutes Audiobook
Released May 2007

This month, my name is Mary.

My name is different every month — Brandy, Honey, Amy…sometimes Joe doesn’t even bother to ask — but he never fails to arouse me with his body, his mouth, his touch, no matter what I’m called or where he picks me up.
The sex is always amazing, always leaves me itching for more in those long weeks until I see him again.

My real name is Sadie, and once a month over lunch, Joe tells me about his latest conquest. But what Joe doesn’t know is that, in my mind, I’m the star of every X-Rated one-night stand he has revealed to me, or that I’m practically obsessed with our imaginary sex life.

I know it’s wrong. I know my husband wouldn’t understand. But I can’t stop.

Not yet.

My review guidelines can be found HERE.

COVER ART
• Ties in well with her other erotic novels
• Suggestive without being obscene
• Accurately anonymous models
• Clean & eye catching with the large cover image and simple bold type

NORMALITY
• Marriage

SEXUALITY
• M/F
• Emotional Affair
• Quadriplegic Sex

REVIEW

• It builds upon itself, like good foreplay or a horror movie.

• Joe's lovers evolve as his attitude shifts from playboy to something more.

• Repetition is a whisper of premonition in the ear. "We stay were were are because it is easier than changing." Joe about the women. Ell about being a daughter. Sadie about her life.

• Once I got over the idea of quadriplegic sex, I was fully expecting oral. Huh. Initially, it is presented as simple voyeuristic masturbation on command. Eventually the oral does come, for both.

• Ms. Hart weaves emotions so tight and intricate that you can't help but want to touch them, be a part of the story. And that is when she smacks you in the back of the head. I can't read these books back to back, they are too emotionally roiling. In a good way, but intense for me. I can see real people in her characters and usually end up seeing pieces of me as well.

• Cameos of characters from other books. Gavin and Ell from Dirty stood out to me.

• I loved the punk goth IT chick/lover the best. Perhaps because I resemble her or because as Joe's lovers progress, so does my emotional attachment to him and his well being.

• The descriptions of a woman's first time in a strip club invoked discomfort along with uncertain arousal to culminate in an intensity of passion almost animal in its purpose.

• The orator's accents for each of Joe's one night stands are very well done and do a good job of setting the internal stories apart.

• Once again, Ms. Hart breaks my heart with her promise of redemption so quickly taken away. The guilt eats at the black and white leaving a lace of gray in this real life romance.

• Happily ever after is left up in the air in a classic Ms. Hart ending.

PERSONAL LURES
• Favorite Author
• Rain-soaked passion
• Taboos

WANT MORE?

Read a Tuesday Teaser with out love.

Read an excerpt about a virgin.

I've also reviewed Switch & Naked & This Is What I Want!

Undercover Cupcake

2011-04-06T07:10:00.000-04:00

I have an alter ego. *gasp*

She's awful sweet...
And stealthy like a ninja!

Come visit me over at
Undercover Cupcake

Where I vent about work,
Gush about my husband,
And flaunt my mad culinary skills. *wink*

See you there! ~Miranda

Tuesday Teaser without Love

2011-04-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme
Hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

• Open your current read to a random page
• Share two “teaser” sentences sans spoilers

MY TEASE

I found sanctuary in the dark and quiet, in the one place where I didn’t have to be strong, optimistic, happy, or anything else anyone thought I should be.

Where I couldn’t and didn’t have to pretend I didn’t know the truth.

My husband didn’t love me anymore, and I didn’t know how to make him.

~ audioquote Broken by Megan Hart

Are you feeling teased?

Come back on the 7th for my Review!

Eye Candy • Win Vampires and Cowboys!

2011-04-04T09:19:00.000-04:00

Please welcome Rob, this week's Side Bar Tender!

He's here to tell us about a couple lovely book contests in the blog-o-spear:

Dust to Dust by Megan Graham • Enter by April 7th

Eternal Rider by Larrisa Ione • Enter by April 11th

Entamable by Becca Dale • Enter by 14th

Every day this week Rob will be tending to the Side Bar and tweeting daily with new contest links. Good luck and happy reading!

Kidnapped Cowboy

2011-04-02T21:06:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Saturday Serials

You may remember Mistress Sweet from past Saturday Serials as the protective Dominatrix.
But at Mister Valance's Porch she's Miss Sweet, owner of a cozy saloon and a broken heart. Below is her story.

Saturday Serial - Miss Sweet's Saloon Part XI

Gus was caught between a rock and a hard place, at least that is what he nicknamed the two beefy bulls holding him up by his arms. Add a thieving scounrdel eye balling him front and center and that about summed up his day. Bull shit.

What's a cowboy to do when it doesn't look like he's gonna see another sunrise? He shoots off his mouth in place of his gun, of course.

"So, if'un you ain't the devil, then wh- omph." The rock on his right jabbed him in the stomach, cutting him off and folding him in half. When Gus regained his breath and righted himself the scoundrel was showing off those crooked white teeth again in a nasty grin.

"Best not speak before you're spoken too, boy." He tilted his hat toward the group of thieves surrounding them. "Those two bulls holding ya aren't exactly the friendly type." The hands encircling Gus's arms tightened.

"In fact, they been in a mighty bad mood for neigh on 3 months now." This statement incited a variety of grumbles and sighs from the crowd. "Guess we all been feelin' pretty mean just about that long."

"But you're about to change all that, Cowboy. With a little entertainment." The scoundrel paced a tight circle around the trio, stealing Gus's hat and spinning it in his hands as he spoke. Just another insult to add to the disgrace of being unmanned in public when this group of ruffians kidnapped him from the local saloon.

"Now my little group of wandering souls here doesn't know what I know. And since I'm a betting man, I reckon' about half will be in the mood to be givin' you thanks. But the other half, those two boys holding you included, well… guess its a good thing you're gonna have lots o' friends to watch your back."

He flipped the cowboy hat back on Gus's head and stood back, boots wide and hands braced on his hips. "Now as for my feelings. Well, I find myself torn right down the middle. You might say right through my heart." The scoundrel's eyes narrowed and the pause in his tirade seemed to fill up with the weight of suspense as the crowd scrambled to understand what bush he was beating around.

Gus was sure it wasn't going to be pretty for him no matter what. He was at the mercy of a roving band of thieves, and those types of men were not known for an abundance of that particular quality.

Being outgunned meant he was little help to himself, and it was not like the townspeople were going to come lookin' for him. He hadn't made it a point to be friendly the last few years, in fact he had tried his best to be ornery. It had worked, too well. And now he was gonna die alone.

Restless muttering rippled through the throng as the scoundrel’s hostile glare sweep the crowd. "Most of you have been riding with us long enough to share our grief of the last 3 months. Death didn't steal her away from us on his raging black stallion, but her absence aches just as much." This open wound spread silence throughout the camp, mutual breaths held in tight chests as the scoundrel approached the culmination of his speech - and Gus's fate.

"She was the bosom of our family. She sang our songs, kicked our asses and told us many stories." Rock and Hard Place tightened their grip even more as the scoundrel approached Gus, stopping just an arm’s reach away with a threat in his eyes.

"Stories of horses and men and wild blood." The threat turned into a knife as he raised his hand allowing the campfire light to glint off the metal and catch the eyes off all surrounding them.

"Stories of family and love and heartbreak." The knife lowered to point over Gus's heart and he struggled against the inevitable. Death was expected but torture, that was not his cup of chicory.

His struggling only brought the knife closer to graze against his skin as the scoundrel purposefully pulled it away, catching the cloth of his shirt and ripping it wide over his chest.

A old scar glinted shiny and tight in the bright light of flames. The scoundrel circled around Gus to reveal the marred skin to all who could see, eliciting a chorus of discordant cheers and boos, only to come up behind him and place the warm blade across his neck....

Did you miss the beginning of this wandering wild west story?
Part I • Part II • Part III • Part IV • Part V • Part VI.1 • Part VI.2 • Part VII • Part VIII • Part IX • Part X

SVZ Monthly Newsletter

2011-04-01T08:00:00.012-04:00

Noah, our hunky sidebar tender, presents the...
SVZ March Newsletter

Subscribe by email to the newsletter in the sidebar, or by clicking here.

Blackout • Dark Urban Fantasy

2011-03-31T08:00:00.056-04:00

Fast, dirty, and twisted: the perfect serving of Dark Urban Fantasy.

Blackout
by Rob Thurman

317 page Mass Market Paperback
Released March 2011

A Cal Leandros Novel, Book 6 • Half-human Cal Leandros has always walked a bloody line between keeping his mortal soul free and clear (sort of) and unleashing the horror of his otherworldly heritage. The one thing that’s always saved him is the memory of his brother, Niko, his friends, and those he loves.

Until now.

Cal wakes up on a beach littered with the recently slaughtered remains of a variety of hideous creatures that were obviously looking for trouble. The fact that he was the one doing the slaughtering doesn’t bother him. The fact that he feels like a natural-born killer doesn’t either. What bothers him is that Cal doesn’t remember Cal anymore…

And he’s not sure he cares.

My review guidelines can be found HERE.

COVER ART
by Chris McGrath
• Gritty, dark... good imitation of internal content
• The haircut is right on
• Red metallic title is a bit hard to read and blends into the black background
• Obvious original artwork, sweet

PARANORMALITY
• Monsters
• Spiders
• Mummies
• Vampires
• Puck
• And more...

SEXUALITY
• Historic dangerous werewolf sex
• Paranormal titty bar
• Secondary paranormal gay couple, with extensive suggestive phrasing

REVIEW
• I began here, in the midst of the Cal Leandros series, and I don't feel lost. Well, any more lost than you would feel if you woke up with instincts to kill but no memory. I'm very glad I picked up with book. I will most likely be going back for the rest of them, though I'm certain I've reading spoilers in this one. The amnesia is an easy way to introduce me (the new reader) to Cal (the veteran series character).

• Cal's attitude is so nastily snarky I just want to squeeze him and duck the coming punch. Integration of modern slang and youth culture, even into the internal dialogue, brings a smile out in the darkest moments - and that is the essence of Cal.

• References to Peter Pan enthrall me.. pirates, waterfalls & flying children mixed in with monkey faced gigantic spiders.

• The amnesia is very well done, and once the self-discovery is finished - I feel the urge to reread the story to pick up all the hints I missed along the way.

• The gore is extraordinarily disgusting.

The spider flipped onto its back, leaking blood by the gallons and squirting web silk by whatever you used to measure web silk.

Bundles? Haystacks? A whole shitload of it.

If you took every one of Spiderman's wet dreams, added them together, then multiplied them by ten, that was what you'd get.

Not that I wanted anything to do with Spiderman's wet dreams, but for measurement purposes, that was about right.

pg. 177

PERSONAL LURES
• I was astonishingly bookless on my way to the gym (and the only way for me to get through my workout is to tempt the fates of embarrassment and balance by reading a paperback while using the elliptical) and after 10 minutes of debate, this one was in my hand. Certainly a note for blog promotion... for that is how I even knew I might be interested in Rob Thurman's book. (She was pretty damn snarky online and I like that!)

HUNGRY FOR MORE?

Read a Tuesday Teaser with a Fork.

Read an excerpt with Peter Pan and dead spiders.

Mini Reviews • Including PNR, BDSM...

2011-03-30T08:00:00.114-04:00

Beauty and the Feast
Food and romance come together in a classic love across the tracks story.
Nightseer
Harry Potter-esque though I guess I can't really say that since I've never read that particular series. LOL
Dirty
Ms. Hart is at it again and stirs ups a cacophony of emotions that I'm not quite sure what to do with. She ends the story just short of leaving you hanging.
Wild Hearts
A quick bloody sexy ride with two werewolf hunks and a crazy bitch.
Shadowlands
DNF, Didn't realize it was a collection of shorts until into the 4th one and trying to figure out how all the characters were going to interrelate!
By the Moonlight
DNF, Audiobook - The oration was unrehearsed and bland and totally ruined it for me.
Sins of the Soul
Picked this up after reading Sins of the heart but lost interest half way through.
How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf
Fun and light and set somewhere colder than me!
Meredith Gentry Series
Zipping through this series, only have one book left to read.
Broken
Real life fantasies with the classic Ms. Hart ending, not quite happily ever after.
Blackout
My first introduction to the Cal Leandros series, and my oh my was it kick-a$$.
Thirty Days to Forever
Human sex trafficking combined with the m/m BDSM scene makes for a heavy love story.

What did you read this month that you liked?

Tuesday Teaser with a Fork

2011-03-29T12:03:00.000-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme
Hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

• Open your current read to a random page
• Share two “teaser” sentences sans spoilers

MY TEASE

I jammed the waffle fork that I still had in my hand right in the middle of all six of those eyes. "Hello, Sunshine."

Here was the fact I'd let myself forget across the street minutes ago - what I was.

~ pg. 60 Blackout by Rob Thurman

Are you feeling teased?

Come back on the 31st for my Review!

Dust to Dust • Giveaway ends 4/7

2011-03-28T08:32:00.002-04:00

SVZ's Side Bar Tender, Noah, announces a contest to win...

DUST TO DUST
by Heather Graham

Not long ago, Scott Bryant would have described himself as an ordinary guy. But one act of heroism has changed his life forever—or at least until the apocalypse occurs. Because the end of the world is on its way.

Suddenly and inexplicably possessed of superhuman strength, Scott finds himself allied with the enigmatic and alluring Melanie Regan in a quest to find the mysterious Oracle in hopes of averting the absolute destruction that threatens.

Melanie herself has been falling into trances, sketching terrifying visions of future events—and she wants answers. She knows better than Scott where to look for help, but even she cannot fathom the powers that have thrust them together in an epic battle of good against evil.

The earth itself will soon turn against its inhabitants, and now mortal and immortal must join forces if any are to survive.

>^..^<

For your chance to win
Dust to Dust by Heather Graham,

Leave a comment.

1 Extra entry for tweeting.

Don't forget your email.

Come back on Friday the 8th to see who won!

The Small Print

• Comment on this post to enter (with your email).
• Following not required.
• Enter from March 28th through April 7th
• US Shipping Only
• International participants entered for a super secret ebook prize
• The winner has 7 days to respond to my email or they forfeit the prize
• Winner(s) will be announced April 8th

Dust to Dust • Giveaway Ends 4/7

2011-03-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

The Conniving Scoundrel

2011-03-26T09:41:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Saturday Serials

You may remember Mistress Sweet from past Saturday Serials as the protective Dominatrix.
But at Mister Valance's Porch she's Miss Sweet, owner of a cozy saloon and a broken heart. Below is her story.

Saturday Serial - Miss Sweet's Saloon Part X

His head weren't the only thing pounding when Gus woke up surrounded by yards of cloth. The saloon had turned into a brawl with half-drunk patrons dusting off their fighting arms in just about every corner. Except, of course, his. He was, apparently, ensconced in the midst of his buxom barmaid's embrace, both of them wedged up against the wall and out of range of stray bottles or fists.

Now you would think a man would appreciate the pleasant awakening when so many more unpleasant outcomes could have easily come to pass, but Gus wasn't called grumpy for nothing. His mood was tepid on an average day, throw in having his manhood crushed in damn near public and he was more ornery than a skunk in a bees' nest.

With a growl he shook the remnants of unconscious fuzz from his head and struggled upright, despite the protests of the barmaid beneath him.

"Mister Gus, you mustn't get up." She wrapped her arms around his waist in an attempt to keep him on the floor between her legs.

She rested her head on his shoulder and whispered in a scared voice, "Don't give the scoundrel a reason to touch you again. He surely meant to take advantage of you." Her words broke off as she gasped and tightened her arms around his waist.

As if her words had conjured him, the scoundrel stood not two feet before them reveling jagged white teeth and bloody knuckles.

"You gonna finish what you started?" the scoundrel taunted. "Or do you prefer the safety of a woman's skirts?"

He cocked his head to one side and twirled his greasy mustache as he added, "You sure do look pretty surrounded in all that pink lace." The sentence trailed off in a slithering of sound that crawled under Gus's skin and had him struggling to stand.

The scoundrel laughed and muttered insults to the group beginning to gather around them. "Yearling! So weak. Can't even stand on his own two feet. Least when I knock him down, he's got a soft place to land!"

After considerable effort, Gus stood shakily with his head still spinning from lack of air. The scoundrel was still posturing a few feet in front of him, goading the crowd of bar patrons and distracting them from the mounting danger.

Playing to his disoriented state, Gus feigned additional weakness allowing his head to drop so that his hat covered his wandering eyes. The scoundrel's men were circling the brawl-exhausted townspeople, strategically standing behind them or blocking the exit.

He raised his head and straightened his spine. Ignoring the increasingly vile and creative insults spewing from the scoundrel's mouth, he stared him dead in the eyes and waited.

Acknowledgement slid through those black eyes and with one nod of his head, the scoundrel's men drew their weapons and fired into the ceiling effectively holding up the entire saloon.

"This here's a stick up," the scoundrel bellowed. "And if'un you be getting any ideas about being a hero, I'll ask ya to think on what is more important to you… your gold or your life." And the gun came down to aim directly into the center of Gus's chest.

The two cowboys remained motionless as the scoundrel's men fleeced the townspeople of weapons and valuables. Once stripped of anything of worth, the crowd was herded tight into a corner and surrounded. Whimpering could be heard along with the rustling of clothing and an occasional angry murmur.

The unease was tangible. Robbery was very common out in the wild west, but the size of this particular theft took balls of a gigantic size. And it was lookin' like Gus was going to be getting up close and personal with those balls.

There was a strange glint in the scoundrel's eyes as he held Gus at gunpoint, a calculation perhaps. The evidence of his thoughts soon became apparent with the next set of words to drawl out of his mouth, "This young man right here is going to make sure none of you kind townsfolk forget that your lives are more valuable than gold. He'll be the first one I shoot." Suddenly there were two more men at his shoulders, grabbing hold of his arms with both hands above and below his elbows.

"Just remember, the devil don't take coins," his lips spit to reveal those jagged white teeth again, "I do!" And on that last taunt the scoundrel's men grabbed their loot and filed out of the back of the saloon dragging Gus along behind them.

Did you miss the beginning of this wandering wild west story?
Part I • Part II • Part III • Part IV • Part V • Part VI.1 • Part VI.2 • Part VII • Part VIII • Part IX

Beauty and the Feast • Contemporary Romance

2011-03-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

Taste the romance!

Beauty and the Feast
by Julia Barrett

220 Page PDF, Released March 2010

Eva Raines is an uncomplicated country girl who's all about food. Eva moves to the Napa Valley where her culinary skills come to the attention of the owners of a start-up, All Things to All People, and Eva finds her niche as a personal chef. Now all she needs is a man as perfect as her cooking, but she has serious doubts that such a creature exists.

When wealthy entrepreneur, winery owner, and noted lothario, Gabriel Abbott, makes plans to seduce his flavor of the month, his assistant hires All Things to All People to cater a gourmet dinner. Eva expects to use her way with food to showcase the startup. What she unexpectedly discovers is that her culinary skills showcase far more.

Once Gabriel finds himself seduced by Eva's voice, and the sensual flavors and textures of her food, his previous plans are quickly forgotten. He begins to obsess about meeting his little chef in person. But when Eva and Gabe finally come face to face, the question is, how hot will their fire burn?

My review guidelines can be found HERE.

COVER ART
by Les Byerley
• Anonymous figures allow the reader to add some personal imagination
• Red text tends to blend into the flesh tones behind
• Generic, where's the wine or food?

NORMALITY
• Wineries
• Charities
• Caterer
• Biking
• California

SEXUALITY
• Teenage crush
• Happily established M/M couple
• Steamy M/F romance
• Woman scorned
• Sensuality through food
• Scintillating phone voice fantasies (sight unseen)
• M&M candy foreplay

REVIEW

• Lots of intense emotions. Hot lust cools suddenly to icy hesitation, Jealous anger is pushed into self deprecating laughter. The fast mood shifts are a nice exciting twist to this contemporary romance.

• I'm pretty sure I would not be brave enough to dance around in my underwear alone in a strangers house. But it does bring back memories of Tom Cruise in Risky Business.

• The meat of this story is sweet with just a hint of danger. A joy to read at a leisurely pace.

• Sex scenes are very frisky and fun and worthy of an attempt at real life reenactment.

• Girl Fight! I love reading about new moves.

• The first time I noticed food in a book was reading Spider's Bite and envisioning the Rye, Pumpkin, PB & Honey sandwiches. The cuisine is not quite as exotic but Ms. Barret has included recipes in the back!

PERSONAL LURES
• Culinary Arts
• Wine
• M&M's

FAVORITE SCENE QUOTE
Gabe has not yet met Eva, but is already seduced by her voice and the meal she has prepared.

He picked up the small fork and took a taste of the salmon. The mouth feel was smooth, soft. Gabe savored it. The salmon tartar felt exactly like a woman, like he was tonguing a woman.

The same sweet salt, the same tenderness. It seemed to him as if he was tasting Eva. He found himself growing erect and his swollen cock pressed uncomfortably against his zipper.

Gabe stood up and stretched. He grabbed his glass of wine and stepped out onto the patio. The sun had set an hour before. The night was cool, as nights tended to be in the hills above the valley.

He wanted to finish everything she’d prepared for him, but he didn’t know if he could stand it. One more bite and he might come in his pants.

Gabe laughed out loud. He wanted to meet this mysterious Eva, but there were so many ‘ifs’, the biggest ‘if’ being, what if she was nothing at all like he imagined.
page 41

WANT MORE?

Read a Tuesday Teaser here with more sex and food.

Read this excerpt and get to know a little bit about Gabe's childhood and love interests.

If you liked this review, I also reviewed Ms. Barret's erotic sci fi romance... Captured

Reading to distration - the dangers of literature

2011-03-23T09:05:00.000-04:00

Ok, so literature is a bit of an eloquent word for the smut I usually read
(but that is another discussion).

Based on pure personal experience, I beg the question:
"Is reading to obsession dangerous?"

For your reference, the following personal anecdotes:

(Please note, I am still alive therefore suggesting the desired response despite this lovely kangaroo court of a blog post.)

• I habitually walk/jog/run with an audiobook. If the story is engaging enough, I have been known to stumble but not yet fall.

• Afore mentioned audiobook also maintains my short attention span during my drive to work, and at times has caused me to zone out while listening to the story and not paying attention to the monotonous daily commute.

• At times of extreme series obsession, I have been known to read a paperback while driving. These times are limited but noteworthy for the adrenaline rush.

• The audiobook obsession originated with my desire to look "girly" but my extreme boredom with the 45 minutes it takes to blowdry and straighten my naturally curly hair. The solution was a little bit of storytelling in my earbuds in the morning but numerous flat iron burns have been obtained from division of concentration on hair and ears.

• I have just recently discovered that I can read a paperback while on the elliptical machine at the gym. Of course, that means I can't use my hands to hold on and my balance betrays me occasionally BUT the time flies and I am much much much more likely to actually DO my workout.

Overview:

Pro Book Obsession
Salvation from boredom during mundane tasks & Increased physical activity.

Con Book Obsession
Increased minor wounds and potential for lethal misjudgment of environment.

What's the verdict?
Give up the books as a less dangerous member of society
or let the masses fend for themselves and take my chances?

Tuesday Teaser with sex and food

2011-03-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme
Hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

• Open your current read to a random page
• Share two “teaser” sentences sans spoilers

MY TEASE

Great food should be like great sex.

Nuanced. Seductive. Smooth. Satisfying.

The more care used in preparation, the deeper the flavor, the more lingering the outcome.

~ pg. 15 Beauty and the Feast by Julia Barrett

Are you feeling teased?

Come back on the 24th for my Review!

Tobias the Side Bar Tender

2011-03-21T09:14:00.000-04:00

Please welcome Tobias, this week's Side Bar Tender!

He's here to tell us about a couple lovely book contests in the blog-o-spear:

Night and Chaos by Naomi Clark • Enter by March 31st

A Favor for a Friend by Stevie Woods • Enter by Today

Dragonkin by Crymsyn Hart • Enter by March 25th

Master & Apprentice by Sonya Bateman • Enter by April 4th

Masquerade by Melissa de la Cruz • Enter by March 24th

Every day this week Tobias will be tending to the Side Bar and tweeting daily with new contest links. Good luck and happy reading!

Grumpy Gus and the Scoundrel

2011-03-19T08:00:00.034-04:00

Welcome to Saturday Serials

You may remember Mistress Sweet from past Saturday Serials as the protective Dominatrix.
But at Mister Valance's Porch she's Miss Sweet, owner of a cozy saloon and a broken heart. Below is her story.

Saturday Serial - Miss Sweet's Saloon Part IX

Blue eyes glared into black as the cowboy and the scoundrel stood nose to nose.

The saloon grew quiet with anticipation, only a stray giggle or grunt coming from the table of strangers' laps.

It seemed the two men were looking to wait each other out. A good ol' fashion staring contest the likes of which no one had seen since the age of ten. But the scoundrel, holding true to his name, didn't fight fair.

Nope, that conniving bastard used his mind as a trusty second in this duel of wits (and perhaps his pants were whispering in his ear as well). For, as time slowed to a crawl and grit watered unblinking eyes, a giggle burst forth from the cowboys' lap and the bountiful piece of flesh perched there.

The cowboy held the scoundrel's mocking stare as anger began to heat his face and neck. He watched as a nasty smile curved the mustache and scared lips in front of him. From the corner of his eye he could see the scoundrel's arms moving and judging from the increasing amount of giggles coming out of his lap, he could guess where those thieving hands were-all over his current choice of prime womanflesh!

He fought against breaking the steely eyed gaze to look down at this blatant insult. With gritted teeth he wrapped one arm tight around the barmaid's waist, bringing her sideways across his lap, and swept the other down her side from neck to knee in search of the stranger's wandering hands.

The giggling turned to sighs as she succumbed to the pleasure to two pairs of strong hands tracing along her body. The cowboy's grip tightened as his free hand finally found the roving scoundrel's, high above her knee and entwined in her garter.

Their hands were camouflaged beneath layers of skirts and the press of the men's bodies, one threatening step from touching.

And still, the staring contest continued. It was as if to speak would be to incite greater violence than this childish masculine display of dominance and submission. To break the silence was to forego children's games and embrace men's games of blood and war.

The change came quickly. The cowboy attempted to break the hand beneath his barmaid's skirt. The hand feigned retreat only to surge forward with a step that brought the scoundrel's body in between the cowboy's knees. His oily black eyes twinkled and his teeth flashed quick and bright before he pushed through the bairmaid's skirts to clamp and his hand obscenely around the cowboy's manhood and squeeze.

The cowboy's eyes grew wide, glistening with outrage as his free hand came up in a nasty right hook. With that incendiary punch, the silence in the saloon broke with barmaid's screams, cracking jaws and wood. And the scoundrel's reciprocal head lock put Grumpy Gus down and out for what seemed like two weeks of unconscious bliss.

Did you miss the beginning of this wandering wild west story?
Part I • Part II • Part III • Part IV • Part V • Part VI.1 • Part VI.2 • Part VII • Part VIII

Masquerade by Melissa de la Cruz • Giveaway

2011-03-18T09:51:00.000-04:00

Masquerade
a Blue Bloods novel by Melissa de la Cruz

Schuyler Van Alen wants an explanation for the mysterious deaths of young Blue Bloods. Her search brings her to Venice, Italy, in the hopes of finding the one person who can help. Meanwhile, back in New York, preparations are feverishly underway for the famous Four Hundred Ball, an exclusive gala hosted by the city’s wealthy, powerful, and unhuman—a true Blue Blood affair. But it’s at the after-party masquerade that the true danger lurks. Hidden behind the masks is a revelation that will change the course of a young vampire’s destiny.

Rich with glamour, attitude, and vampire lore, this second installment in the Blue Bloods saga will leave readers thirsty for more.

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Nightseer • Paranormal Review

2011-03-17T08:00:00.019-04:00

Magic schools both the mind and the heart.

Nightseer
by Laurell K. Hamilton

304 Page Mass Market Paperback, Initial Publication (HC) 1992

The mark of a demon can open the door to undreamed-of powers and possibilities—or expose a soul to the darkest and most forbidden forces of sorcery. Now Keleios wears the mark—and the time of avenging her mother’s death is at hand.

My review guidelines can be found HERE.

COVER ART
• This is one of three covers I have seen, and the one I own. It feels much more current than it actually is and I initially thought it was part of one of her other series (though I wasn't sure which one.)
• Once again the author's name is larger than the title. BUT since I bought this because of the author, it works in this instance for me.

PARANORMALITY
• Witches
• Gods & Goddesses
• Familiars
• Elves
• Demons

SEXUALITY
• Spurred Suitor
• Magically/Sexually Charged temper-tantrum

REVIEW

• Harry Potter-esque, though this may be completely unfair as it was published in 1992 before that particular craziness.

• This was Ms. Hamilton's debut novel. As an Anita Blake junkie, I can see foreshadowing in these characters. Lothor feels like the beginnings of Jean-Claude to me. Keleios despises him and yet over time he grows on her. As a reader we initially see him as evil until bits of his character unfold along with dangerous events.

• Lots of back-story hinted at but never fully explained, at least until needed. A good way to pull you through the narrative, piecing the world together in your head instead of being given all the elements together. This method of discovery learning (when you figure something out for yourself instead of simply being told what is the answer) cements the story in your brain and has you thinking about it after the pages are closed.

• A whirlwind style of storytelling in which you will never quite be able to catch your breath until the end. And then only for a second because you will want to continue on with the saga. Unfortunately, Ms. Hamilton has never written more than this initially, BUT there are first hand rumors on her Facebook that these characters are whispering in her ear again. (LINK)

PERSONAL LURES
• Hamilton is a favorite author of mine.

Read my Tuesday Teaser, when Keleios is manacled with chains to bind her magic.

Did you review this book too?
Comment with your link!

Waiting with Bated Breath

2011-03-16T08:00:00.060-04:00

Two series I am serious about.

As a lovesick princess awaits her errant knight,
so do I hold court in patience and beauty *cough*
for these gifted scribes to grace my bookstore
with the forthcoming fruit of their labors.

(I promise not to turn blue in anticipation of these coming releases. Well, maybe. I do need to dye my hair again and I DID like blue last time...)

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Book #20

Hit List by Laurell K. Hamilton

Thanks to Literary Escapism for the heads up on
the latest Anita Blake Vampire Hunter novel to come out on...

June 7th

Georgina Kincaid, Series Finale :(

Succubus Revealed by Richelle Mead

Thanks to Book Addict for the cover alert on
the final book in the Georgina Kincaid series coming out...

August 30th

Blind Tuesday Teaser

2011-03-15T08:31:00.000-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme
Hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

• Open your current read to a random page
• Share two “teaser” sentences sans spoilers

MY TEASE

It was as if the world had shifted, leaving Keleios behind. She stood were she had been and yet was far away. The air was close, heavy, and hard to breathe.

Tobin was bound. He stared around at the trees as if seeing them for the first time. He whispered, "It's like being blind."

Keleios' voice was the faintest of sounds, "Worse."

~ pg. 204 Nightseer by Laurell K. Hamilton

Are you feeling teased?

Come back on the 17th for my Review!

Irish Eye Candy and Linkity

2011-03-14T08:29:00.000-04:00

Please welcome Irish Tom, this week's Side Bar Tender!

He's here to tell us about a couple lovely book contests in the blog-o-spear:

Spirit Storm by EJ Stevens • Winner Chosen April 6th

Insight by Jamie Magee • Enter by March 24th

Beneath Dark Skies by K.C. Kendricks • Enter by Today

From Scotland With Love by Kira Morgan and Amanda Scott • Enter by March 15th

Every day this week Tom will be tending to the Side Bar and updating daily with *NEW contest links. Good luck and happy reading!

	Beauty and the Feast Food and romance come together in a classic love across the tracks story.
	Nightseer Harry Potter-esque though I guess I can't really say that since I've never read that particular series. LOL
	Dirty Ms. Hart is at it again and stirs ups a cacophony of emotions that I'm not quite sure what to do with. She ends the story just short of leaving you hanging.
	Wild Hearts A quick bloody sexy ride with two werewolf hunks and a crazy bitch.
	Shadowlands DNF, Didn't realize it was a collection of shorts until into the 4th one and trying to figure out how all the characters were going to interrelate!
	By the Moonlight DNF, Audiobook - The oration was unrehearsed and bland and totally ruined it for me.
	Sins of the Soul Picked this up after reading Sins of the heart but lost interest half way through.
	How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf Fun and light and set somewhere colder than me!
	Meredith Gentry Series Zipping through this series, only have one book left to read.
	Broken Real life fantasies with the classic Ms. Hart ending, not quite happily ever after.
	Blackout My first introduction to the Cal Leandros series, and my oh my was it kick-a$$.
	Thirty Days to Forever Human sex trafficking combined with the m/m BDSM scene makes for a heavy love story.

Sweet Vernal Zephyr

Library Run

REVIEW Blood Run Cold • Para M/M

Blood Run Cold

God's War • BiFi / Bugpunk REVIEW

God's War

Promises • M/M Mini Review

Promises

Running In Fear • Shifter REVIEW

Escape & Abandoned

Running In Fear Series 1 & 2

Adding to my TBR

Body Rush • Erotic Mini Review

Body Rush

Fists or cuffs

Welcome to Saturday Someday Serials

Miss Sweet's Saloon Part XVIII - Fist or Cuffs

Pandora's Box • Paranormal Mini Review

Pandora's Box

The Obtuse Stranger

Welcome to Saturday Serials

Miss Sweet's Saloon Part XVII - The Obtuse Stranger

Bound By Fate • BDSM Mini REVIEW

Bound By Fate

The Familiar Stranger

Welcome to Saturday Serials

Miss Sweet's Saloon Part XVI - The Familiar Stranger

Dark Harvest • Vampire Mini Review

Dark Harvest

Vampire Psychologist #3

Gus's Ghost Hunt

Welcome to Saturday Serials

Miss Sweet's Saloon Part XV - Gus' Ghosts

Christmas Boys Boys Boys!

Hajiri's Pet • M/M Mini REVIEW

Hajiri's Pet

Midnight Rain #1

Holding your breath for Hamilton!

Food Review at Undercover Cupcake

REVIEW Water for Elephants • Fiction

Water for Elephants

Sexy Author Promo!

Let's all give D. R. Hildebrand a friendly SVZ Book Reviews welcome!

Sexy Author Alert!

Lurking

Someday This Pain... • Fiction REVIEW

Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You

Morgan Kinsley • Paranormal MINI REVIEWS

The Devil's Playground

Morgan Kinsley Book #5

Speak of the Devil

Morgan Kinsley Book #4

I'm back!

Freshly tanned and back from vacation!>^..^

Vacation Reading CONTEST - CANCELED

Greetings from the beach!

Take a pic of yourself reading a good book "on vacation" and enter to win!

Also, the prize will be massive:

A box of books for the US winnerANDA selection of my favorite ebooks for the INTERNATIONAL winner

YUP! 2 Winners!

Hit List • Paranormal REVIEW

Hit List

Summer of Gomez • Promo

It's the Summer of Gomez!

Get free books and win a Kindle or iPod.

About No Hope for Gomez!

With every cool summer party comes a GIFT BAG, So here's just some of the stuff all summer readers will get:

Additionally, several lucky readers will win a prize.

All you have to do to have a "Summer of Gomez" is...

Tuesday Teaser with Anita Blake

Coming this week at SVZ

Good Morning!

Tag, You're it! • 18+ Blog Hop

Babtiste the Feisty welcomes you to SVZ Book Reviews

Eternal Seduction by Jennifer Turner

REVIEW

Thanks for hopping along to my blog! ~Miranda

A Darkness Within Novels by Jennifer Turner

Welcome to the Eternal Hearts Virtual Book Tour

Start off with my review of book one...

Freshly tanned and back from vacation!
>^..^

Take a pic of yourself
reading a good book "on vacation" and enter to win!

A box of books for the US winner
AND
A selection of my favorite ebooks for the INTERNATIONAL winner

With every cool summer party comes a GIFT BAG,
So here's just some of the stuff all summer readers will get:

Babtiste the Feisty
welcomes you to
SVZ Book Reviews

Congratulations
Jase & Irene!

**Happy Release Day FLASH Contest!** NOW CLOSED

RIPTIDE
by Margaret Carroll