Monday, January 31, 2011

Mmm...Monday




Good Monday morning lovelies!
I'm trying to get posts and giveaways ready for next weeks Countdown to This Side of the Grave which will be a two week event to celebrate the upcoming release of the fifth Night Huntress series novel by Jeaniene Frost. So posts may be short and reviews may be few & far between this month. I apologize for this but don't worry, we have a lot of great stuff planned for you. I am still looking for some Vlad (I know, right?!?), Spade and Tate love so if you are interested please contact me at readingbetweenthewines10@gmail.com
Here's a short list of some of what is going to be happening in February:
Oh, and today is the last day to enter the monthly giveaway as well. 
Okay, enough of that and on to the fun stuff....Monday's Man Candy!

***IMAGES REMOVED***


nom..nom...nom....


Quote of the Week:
"There is no faster or firmer friendships than those between people who love the same books." - Irving Stone


Tomorrow's New Releases (02/01/2011)


It looks like our favorite type of hero is the paranormal bad boy! Thank you to everyone to participated in the poll. I will have a new one up soon. 
And that's it folks for today. I hope that everyone has a fabulous week full of fantastic reads! 

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Title for Cat & Bones #6 Revealed


Jeaniene Frost announced in a podcast today that the title for Cat & Bones #6 is............
.............wait for it............
 One Grave at a Time! 
Now, this title may change but hopefully it will stick. The release date is yet to be revealed but it will be in the fall of 2011. 

You can listen to the podcast at FrostFans.com where Jeaniene also answers reader's questions. 

Jeaniene answered reader's questions Saturday as well on GoodReads, you can view that HERE

So what do you think about the title? Love it? I do, I think with the way Cat & Bones life is going so far that this title is perfect. 


Review: Bonded by Blood by Laurie London

Sweetblood Series
By Laurie London

Some cravings are too powerful to resist...
Movie location scout Mackenzie Foster-Shaw has always known that she’s cursed to die young. No one can protect her from the evil that has stalked her family for generations—vampires who crave her rare blood type. Until one afternoon in a wooded cemetery, she encounters an impossibly sexy stranger, a man she must trust with her life.

For Dominic, a man haunted by loss, Mackenzie satisfies a primal hunger that torments him—and the bond they share goes beyond heat, beyond love. She alone can supply the strength he needs to claim his revenge. But in doing so, he could destroy her…

Available for order here:
Amazon |Barnes & Noble | Book Depository Books-A-Million | Borders |Chapters.Indigo        Powell’s | IndieBound  

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My Synopsis:
Bonded by Blood is a sweet addition to the paranormal romance world!

Mackenzie is out scouting locations for a movie shoot; when she starts photographing in an ancient cemetery she hears a moan of pain. Tentively she approaches some bush to find a gorgeous man buried under leaves and injured. When she approaches the stranger to help he shrinks back and begs her to leave but Mackenzie advances determined to help him.  The next thing she knows she is waking in her bed a day later with no recollection of what happened.

Dominic works as a Guardian for the Agency to take down Darkbloods, bad vampires who kill humans and deal in sweetblood, a rare and highly addictive blood type in humans. And they are up to something new it seems. But besides just dealing with the Darkbloods he is out for revenge also. Dominic is hunting Pavlos, The Overlord of the Darkbloods, and the vampire who terrorized then murdered his parents as well as getting his brother Alfonso hooked on sweet and turning him into one of his lackies. Revenge is what he lives for until the beautiful Mackenzie stumbles upon him and an unintentional blood bond is formed.

Now, unable to stay away from the tempting artist Dom appears in her life and Kenzie struggles with the realization the she wants more then Dom is willing to give. But when she is attacked by Darkbloods Dom’s true identify is revealed. Can Kenzie accept him for who he truly is? Does Dom hold the secrets to her families past, a past of unexplained disappearances spanning for centuries of generations? And can Dom conquer his uncontrollable urge to taste Kenzie again; and if he doesn't, will she survive?

My Thoughts:
Laurie London’s debut novel is a beautiful romance that comes to a powerful climax with nail-biting action.

I loved the characters and plot, which moved at a steady pace and was easy to follow. This novel is well written with good world building and realistic characters that were easy to connect with and likable side characters as well. There is a boatload of sexual tension that builds up until it reached its peak in the middle of the book. And the MC's have an amazing chemistry between them; you can feel the sizzle in the air when these two get together, which leads to a good amount of hot love scenes. The action didn’t escalate until more towards the end of the book but the wait’s well worth it with plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes.

A great and highly entertaining read by new author Laurie London!
Embraced by Blood, set to be released June 21st, is the next novel in the Sweetblood series and features Dominic’s brother Alfonso and I cannot wait to get my hands on it!

4 Wine Glasses Filled to the Brim - A GREAT READ!

H.O.T. !!!

Make sure to come back on February 18th when Laurie stops by for an interview! 

Friday, January 28, 2011

Attention Night Huntress Fans!



Are you a Night Huntress fanatic?
Do you drool over Bones?
Want to smack Cat every now and then?
Burn for Vlad?
Dream of Ian?
Hate Annette?
Root for Tate?
WHY Rodney!?!?!
Want to be Mencheres’ bath toy?
Are you right now as you read this jumping around? Are you getting antsy for the release of This Side of the Grave?
Well guess what?!?! So are we!!!
So to help stave off some of those Cat & Bones withdrawal jitters you might be experiencing and in preparation for the release of This Side of the Grave on February 22nd we are throwing together a Night Huntress Event; Countdown to This Side of the Grave!
The event will run from February 8th to 22nd and will feature posts about the series, novels, author and characters, guest posts from our amazing fellow bloggers and Night Huntress addicts and even a few giveaways!

But that’s not all; I want you readers to participate too. If you’re a Night Huntress fan then I want to know!
If you have an ode you want to share, fan art, fan fiction, song or anything you have put together in homage to the series I would like to post it during this two week event. Email to readingbetweenthewines10@gmail.com and let me know what you would like to share and the details!
Also, I have room for a few more guest posts and reviews as well! I would love for more bloggers that love the Night Huntress series as much as I do to join the event. And don’t worry if you haven’t read the entire series yet, if you’ve just read Halfway to the Grave but are in thrall of the world and characters that Jeaniene Frost has created I would love to hear from you! Just send a request to me at readingbetweenthewines10@gmail.com And make sure to check out this special treat; Harper Collins has posted the first 5 chapters of This Side of the Grave with a special surprise at the end! EDIT: I TOOK DOWN THE CHAPTERS BECAUSE JEANIENE MENTIONED AN ERROR AND A SPOILER REVEALED. I WILL RE-POST WHEN THE PUBLISHER FIXES THIS ERROR. (Thanks Kristin!)

I hope to see you all on February 8th!
Only 25 days to go until the release!!!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Friday Book Blogger Hop, Follow & Tag Along! (01/28)


Photobucket18 & Over Book Blogger Tag Along Friday is hosted by Laurie at Bitten by Paranormal Romance.


18 and over book blogger tag along is for a specific group of book bloggers. 18 and over book bloggers primarily have on their blog book reviews and post of adult content. 
It doesn't matter what you read if it’s paranormal, suspense, historical, contemporary or mystery, along with erotic with any genre. As long as it is adult then you’re in.

You don't have to have blog to join in on the fun. If you like adult content books, please click on a link and if you like the blog then follow that blog. You can comment on their post that you found them from the tag along.
Rules
1.Make a post for your blog to direct people to this post, you will find a code for the pic on my left sidebar. That way we get more bloggers involved.
2. Place your blogs name in the first box of the Linky
3. Then add your post that you made place that ULR in the second box.
4. When you find a blog that you like to follow please leave comment on the post the blogger made, so they can tag along to your blog.



Just Laurie's tag along for RBtWBC this week. 
So what is everyone up to this weekend? I plan on spending tomorrow reading and getting some things together for a blog event next month, Saturday night we are doing a scary movie night at a friends which I am a bit worried about because I am a HUGE chicken and we have a 40min drive home afterwards on a dark scary backwoods road where any minute you imagine hill people jumping out to eat you! Ahhhh! Hehe. And then Sunday it's a little cousin's birthday party. 
Fun stuff I tell ya' ;) 
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend; stay warm and happy reading!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

"Waiting On" Wednesday (1/26): Feast: Harvest of Dreams by Merrie Destefano

Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


by Merrie Destefano
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Eos (June 28, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061990825
ISBN-13: 978-0061990823


Halloween is a bad time to return to the woods…



Madeline MacFadden (“Mad Mac” to fans of her bestselling magical stories) spent blissful childhood summers in Ticonderoga Falls. And this is where she wants to be now that her adult life is falling apart. The dense surrounding forest holds many memories, some joyous, some tantalizingly only half-remembered. And she’s always believed there was something living in these wooded hills.

But Maddie doesn’t remember the dark parts—and knows nothing of the mountain legend that holds the area’s terrified residents captive. She has no recollection of Ash, the strange and magnificent creature who once saved her life as a child, even though it is the destiny of his kind to prey upon humanity. And soon it will be the Harvest…the time to feast.

Once again Maddie’s dreams—and her soul—are in grave danger. But magic runs deep during Harvest. Even a spinner of enchanted tales has wondrous powers of her own…



Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Review: Venice Vampyr: Final Affair by Tina Folsom

Kindle Edition
Published January 1st 2011
ASIN B004HO63FG

Venice, Italy - early 1800s

Viola has been given three months to live but she refuses to die a virgin. She travels to Venice where she wants to experience physical pleasure with a man without causing a scandal for her family. Afterwards, she plans to take her own life to ensure she exits the world painlessly and with dignity. Unfortunately, the man she meets in a disreputable club couldn’t be a worse choice for her plans.

Dante, a hedonistic vampire, saves Viola from a violent rake. To stop her from seeking out even more dangerous men to find carnal pleasures, he offers her a night of passion in his arms, only to discover she’s a virgin.

Viola flees, disdainful of the sex act and determined to end her life. Horrified, Dante stops Viola from harming herself and proceeds to deliver the pleasure he promised – one kiss and one touch at a time until she’s ready to take all of him, over and over again. 

Until events force Dante’s hand ...

www.tinawritesromance.com
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Another amazing read from author Tina Folsom!

Viola is diagnosed with a tumor and given only a short amount of time left to live, so instead of spending her last few weeks in her family’s lavish care and in intense pain she has decided to have one last adventure and then take her own life so that she can go out with some dignity. And her grand adventure? To travel to Venice, a place where her and her family are unknown, to loose her virginity. When her first attempt fails she decides to try again and finds a man that can make all her bedrooms dreams come true and may even be able to save her, but will they realize it too late?

Venice Vampyr: Final Affair is a beautiful story with a dynamic plot and flaming hot love scenes. In Venice Vampyr, the first novel with Raphael and Isabella’s story, Dante was seen as a kind of cold and indifferent rake. I was so pleased at how his character developed in this story and how his heart and emotions were discovered and came to light. I also thought Viola was a great match for Dante, I might not agree with her decisions but I can understand them. They are both strong characters that you can easily get wrapped up in.
Raphael, Isabella and friend Lorenzo show up, with a definitely interesting and steaming scene involving the couple. And I am certainly looking forward to Lorenzo’s story in the future. We also come into contact with some more players of the mysterious vampire slaying organization that is a continuing plot point for the series.
Love, sex, mystery, action and suspense – Tina Folsom gives it all to you in this second installment of her Venice Vampyr series!

 Rating: Four Wines Glasses and a Snack Tray / Five

Flaming hearts: 4/4

Teaser Tuesday (Jan. 25): Earl of Darkness by Alix Rickloff

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  1. Grab your current read
  2. Open to a random page
  3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  4. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 
I just finished this but haven't started anything new yet so here's a teaser....

Sighing, he looked for the answer in the ceiling’s tangle of shadows. His duty remained with Miss Osborne. But his heart lay nestled beside him. Squeezing his eyes shut against an ache tearing at his insides, he brushed a kiss against her damp brow. 
pg. 205
by Alix Rickloff


Monday, January 24, 2011

Review: Earl of darkness by Alix Rickloff

by Alix Rickloff
Heirs of Kilronan Trilogy, Book 1
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Pocket; Original edition (December 28, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1439170363
ISBN-13: 978-1439170366

The magic she tries to hide . . .
Born a lady, but reduced to surviving in the slums of Dublin, Catriona O’Connell has been hired to steal a mysterious book from Aidan Douglas, Earl of Kilronan. But Cat is secretly Other, an age-old mixture of Fey and human—something Aidan recognizes immediately when he surprises the lovely young burglar in his library, about to steal a magical diary.
. . . is the magic he desperately wants.
From the moment Aidan sees her, Cat’s spirited beauty enchants him, but her uncanny abilities are what he truly needs, for Cat can understand the mystical language in the diary he inherited from his murdered father. So Aidan makes an offer: translate the book or be thrown in prison as a thief. And as Cat slowly deciphers each page, she and Aidan are drawn together by passion . . . and into the violence of the Other world that is the Kilronan legacy. Can they defeat those who seek the book, or are their lives in even greater danger than their hearts?
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Mystery and magic, romance and suspense found in the rigorous confines of the 1800’s complete with the legends of the fae and King Arthur himself!

Cat, who had a privileged upbringing until she fell for the wrong man and had a fall from grace, enters the Earl of Kilronan’s residence in Dublin to steal the Kilronan Diary but is caught in the act by the Earl himself. Instead of calling the watch on her though he offers her room & board in exchange for translating the diary for him. Cat has learned to take what she can get and basically go with the flow of life and accepts his offer. It’s better then prison anyway. But that is before a terrifying undead warrior arrives, determined to have it at all costs.
Impoverished Aidan, Earl of Kilronan, needs to marry a non-titled misses with a large dowry thanks to the late Earl’s mysterious dealings and loss of funds. First though Aidan must unravel the mystery of why his father was murdered and his brother suddenly missing. Finding Cat in his library was a stroke of luck and her translating will expedite his plans, but in the process he never imagined falling for the girl from the streets. Which will rule out, his responsibility or his heart?

I do have mixed feelings on this novel. I had a hard time getting into it at first but by page 50 the story started to sweep me away.
I really liked the main characters of Cat & Aidan and enjoyed the side characters of Jack and Lazarus, they were all rich & well developed, as well as Aidan’s family history. Aidan is a dark, sexy, brooding & tortured hero whose family has heaped a bunch of crap on him and he is put through the ringer throughout the novel, but both him and Cat have an emotional baggage laden past and dealt with loss and betrayal. Their growing relationship of first friends, then lovers is a bumpy road filled with twists and turns, emotional anguish, passion and desire.
The mysterious villain Maelodor is decidedly evil but never comes face-to-face with our main characters. Maelodor’s right-hand, an unwilling slave really, is Lazarus. He provides most of the action in the plot and some of the mystery. He is also one of those characters that starts off bad but half way through you start to wonder if that really is the case.

Despite the fact that the Earl or Darkness has a great story line and though the story has a fast pace and the plot complex it started to loose me again in the second half going towards the end.  Sometimes there can be just too much detail, character development and new aspects thrown into one novel. The dialogue also includes several new terms that look similar to each other and would take me away from the story to sort them out. Together it was just a bit overwhelming and I couldn’t keep my attention on it much of the time. The purpose and future of most, well everything except the main characters relationship, is left open in the end to continue the series. Which is good for the series but not necessarily good for this novel itself.

Earl of Darkness basically was a good but difficult read.  
Though the excerpt into the next novel in the series, Lord of Shadows out July 2011, sounded interesting and I will be reading it when it is released. 

 Rating: 3 Wine Glasses & a Snack Tray


3/4 Flaming Hearts 

Mmm...Monday (1/24)


Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend.
Quick Mmm…Monday today as it’s another school holiday.
But I’ve found some extra yummy man candy to share that will hopefully make up for it.



***IMAGES REMOVED***

Tomorrow’s New Releases (01/25)

Quote of the Week:
"Books may be the only true magic." -Alice Hoffman

RBtWBC Reminders:

  • Monthly Giveaway ends on the 31st, enter to win a fallen angel prize pack here.
  • Author Tina Folsom visited last week with a guest post and giveaway that ends 2/3, enter here.
  • Oh, and if you notice- there are some quotes from This Side of the Grave on the right sidebar thanks to frostfans.com. Less then 30 days to go! I think I might have to come up with something to celebrate!



Have a great week everyone! 

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Series Review: The Children of the Sea – The Hunter Family Trilogy by Virginia Kantra

*Originally posted on our sister site, Paranormal Romance Addict


Virginia Kantra

In the time before time, when the domains of earth, sea, and sky were formed and fire was called into being, the elementals took shape, each with their element: the children of earth, the children of the sea, the children of air, and the children of fire.
After earth had flowered and life crawled from the sea, humankind was born.
The children of fire rebelled against this new creation, declaring war on the children of the air and humankind. Forced to cohabit with the mortals, the other elementals withdrew--the fair folk to the hills and wild places of earth and the merfolk, selkie and finfolk, to the depths of the sea.
Yet the elementals cannot exist in complete isolation from their mortal neighbors. From such encounters, souls are redeemed and lost, wars are waged, great art is created, empires are raised.
Of such meetings, legends - and children - are born.
For centuries, the children of the sea have co-existed in uneasy peace with the children of fire and with mortal kind. 
Now all that is about to change...

One incredible family. Three loves that will change their lives...and whose destiny could change the world.
Follow their stories:
Caleb, the soldier, who returns from the desert to fall in love with a woman from the sea. SEA WITCH, Book 1 
Dylan, the loner, who must choose between the freedom of his mother's kind and the bonds of mortal love. SEA FEVER, Book 2
and Lucy, the dreamer, whose heart and fate are tangled with the sea king's son .SEA LORD, Book 3

My Thoughts:
This trilogy in the Children of the Sea world follows the three Hunter siblings; Caleb, Dylan and Lucy.
The Children of the Sea are highly sexual creatures that form no attachments, not even to each other. They lead a long life and get everything they need from the sea. That is, until they meet these special humans that will change their life and the world forever.

Kantra has created captivating characters in a fantastical new world above and below the sea. The mythological aspects are smoothly explained and events unfold at a natural pace with the romance and mystery plentiful, not to mention incredibly steamy & passionate love scenes. Each novel is a quick read with well-developed characters and distinctive side characters that will draw you in and keep you on the hook throughout each novel.

I think Caleb and Margred were my favorite but I loved each character and their stories. If you loved the Little Mermaid as a child you will love this adult version about the creatures under the sea. 

Rating: 4 Wine Glasses!

Review: Arctic Winds by Sondrae Bennett

Alpine Woods Shifters
Sondrae Bennett

ebook, 72 pages
Published January 17th 2011 by Lyrical Press, Inc.
ISBN 1616502274 (ISBN13: 9781616502270)

After her skulk abandoned her four years ago, Samantha knew she would never truly be wanted. When she accidentally stumbles into a wolf town and is asked by their premier to stay, she believes it’s the novelty of an arctic fox motivating him. She knows she’ll be on her own again once he tires of her. 
Jason finds himself pulled to Samantha from the moment she faints in his arms. His wolf is calling to him, telling him he’s found their mate and the heat he feels for Samantha is impossible to resist. But his little fox is loaded down with emotional baggage and doesn’t believe she’s worthy of love. Can he overcome her fears? Or will pack jealousies and the local foxes convince her she doesn't belong with him before he has a chance?

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I am amazed at how much of a story Sondrae Bennett has managed to pack into such a small package! (72 pages!)

Samantha is an unsure and timid arctic fox that was orphaned at a young age then kicked out of her skulk four years ago. Since then she has been traveling the country, never staying in one place too long or forming any attachments and steering clear of shifter communities. When she falls ill and accidentally enters into a wolf packs territory she is frightened for her life; she knows how vicious shifter packs are in Alaska and doesn’t think this one could be any different.
When premier Jason enters the dinner an alluring scent catches his nose and he immediately focuses on its owner- a petite, gorgeous blond who is definitely not human and Jason’s wolf comes to full attention. But when he goes to question the new comer she faints dead away.
Samantha comes to with the sexy hulking wolf holding her hand and is shocked when he insists on her staying in the town, even giving her a job & accommodations.  Why not, she thinks, but doesn’t expect to hang around for long; she never does. But Jason plans on keeping her around for good; he knows he has found his mate in the little fox. Now all he has to do is convince Samantha of it.

Arctic Winds is a beautiful romance with characters that will capture your heart and love scenes that will make your blood boil.  Jason is a sexy alpha wolf that can take care of me any day of the week! And his little heart, Samantha, is sweet and loving but comes with some heavy emotional baggage; you can’t help but feel for her. As they struggle with their relationship they grow into a admirable couple, you will be rooting for a HEA for this pair. A marvelous debut and start to the Alpine Woods Shifters series and I am looking forward to more!

4 Wine Glasses!

3 Flaming Hearts!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Friday Book Blogger Hop, Follow & Tag Along! (1/21)

Hosted by Laurie at Bitten by Paranormal Romance & Rachel at Parajunkee's View

Photobucket
The 18 & Over Book Blogger Tag Along is hosted by Laurie @ Bitten by Paranormal Romance

Hi everyone! Hope you all have a great weekend!




Follow My Book Blog Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View. This weeks feature blogger is Logan E. Turner. Logan's QOTW is: 
Who do you cheer for?
Team Barrons! LoL
 Well I am a Tampa Bay Bucs girl even though they are not-that-great but that's my home team. But I like several other teams too, I'm not hard-core one team or another. For play-offs I'm rooting for the Packers and the Jets. 




As always; If you want to leave a comment please leave a link to your own blog so I can comment back. And if you like what you see and decide to follow let me know and I'll be sure to return the love. XOXO

While you're here make sure to check out paranormal romance/erotica author Tina Folsom's guest post & giveaway and our monthly giveaway, this month featuring a fallen angel prize pack!