Thank you all for entering this giveaway and to J.K. Beck for providing a copy of her new book WHEN PLEASURE RULES.  The winner answered J. K.’s questions:

…share what you think about the bite? Sexy? Dangerous? A little of both? Is the bite the key to a vampire’s allure, or is it something else that draws you in?

The winner (chosen by Random.org) is…

Tiah

No bitting! That crap hurts. I think its the allure of the vampire and how they handle themselves that make them sexy.

Congratulations! I’ll be emailing you soon.  Please respond with your address within 48 hours or a new winner will be drawn.

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Didn’t win?  Buy your own copy of WHEN PLEASURE RULES with free shipping from The Book Depository:

*This title will be released on September 7, 2010*

Description:

Nine years ago, Jessie had a family.
Now, she has a gang.
Nine years ago, Jessie was a vegetarian.
Now, she eats very fresh meat.
Nine years ago,
Jessie was in a car crash and died.
Nine years ago, Jessie was human.
Now, she’s not.

After she was buried, Jessie awoke and tore through the earth to arise, reborn, as a zombie. Jessie’s gang is the Fly-by-Nights. She loves the ancient, skeletal Florian and his memories of time gone by. She’s in love with Joe, a maggot-infested corpse. They fight, hunt, dance together as one—something humans can never understand. There are dark places humans have learned to avoid, lest they run into the zombie gangs.

But now, Jessie and the Fly-by-Nights have seen new creatures in the woods—things not human and not zombie. A strange new illness has flamed up out of nowhere, causing the undeads to become more alive and the living to exist on the brink of death. As bits and pieces of the truth fall around Jessie, like the flesh off her bones, she’ll have to choose between looking away or staring down the madness—and hanging onto everything she has come to know as life…

 Review

Book 1 in The Dust Series

I don’t know that I’ve ever had a book make me feel as physically nauseous as I did while reading DUST.  It is grotesque, gruesome, and gory from start to finish.

I’m kind of marveling at the 180 that I’ve gone through with DUST.  I liked the concept of a zombie novel written from the perspective of the undead, I loved the book trailers that spoofed the old Public Service Announcements, and I still think the first line is one of the best ever: “My right arm fell off today. Lucky for me, I’m left-handed.” But I discovered before even finishing the first chapter is that there maybe a very good reason why zombies don’t always get the starring role.

DUST is intelligently written, the character of Jessie (pardon the pun) fully fleshed out, and the zombie sub culture unsettling in its realism.  But, and this is a big but, the actually storyline staggers along like a rotting corpse ultimately decaying into a bizarre and confusing ending that was trying to be poignant but instead was corny and possibly ridiculous (depending on how you interpret it).

And I can’t downplay how vivid and detailed the descriptions of putrefying flesh are.  There are pages and pages of sensory overload on the various stages of zombie decay from the fresh rotters, bloaters, bugs, and finally mummy-like dusters.  And I’m not even going to start on the cannibalistic feasts.  I’m just glad I read this book on an empty stomach:

Mags giggled from deep in what was left of her throat and Joe threw an arm around me, sprays of maggots shooting from the rips in his leather jacket like little grubworm confetti.

A lot of reviewers and authors I admire are raving about this book, praising it for how daring and real it is.  No argument here on how real it is, but the daring part fell flat for me, especially the ending.  More than anything else, however, is the gross factor that was so disgusting and incessant that I had to put DUST down several times while I fought to control my gag reflex.  If I could give this a 1 1/2 bat rating I would, but since the writing itself is good and the world building very creative, it gets a 2 out of 5.  Consider yourself warned.

Sexual Content: None

My Rating (out of 5):
Okay – Somewhat disappointing with significant flaws.  Library/swap/borrow if you want.

Click HERE to read an excerpt from DUST

Previous books in the series:

1. N/A

Also reviewed by:

• Alternative Worlds
• The Book Smugglers
• The Fiction Enthusiast

 

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Ace Hardcover; 1 edition (September 7, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441019285
• ISBN-13: 978-0441019281
• Cover Art: N/A  

*Disclosure: I received this book courtesy of Penguin books

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• Giveaway: Dust by Joan Frances Turner (allthingsurbanfantasy.blogspot.com)

*Covers may not be final*

Iron Crowned (Dark Swan #3) by Richelle Mead

Publication Date/Publisher: March 2011 from Kensington Books

Cover Artist: N/A

Cover Source: Even Redheads Get the Blues

Author Comments:	My Thoughts:
The dark color palette and foil lettering didn't scan in so well, but you'll have to take my word for it that the cover of Eugenie's next adventure looks awesome…The representation of the crown is spot-on, but each time I glance at this cover, my brain thinks she's holding a tambourine. Love it. Also: Eugenie is going to cut someone. - Richelle	This is probably my least favorite of the series so far.  The red is over saturated and it does look like she’s carrying a tambourine.

Previous Book in the Series:

Book Description:

Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham is the best at banishing entities trespassing in the mortal realm. But as the Thorn Land’s queen, she’s fast running out of ways to end the brutal war devastating her kingdom. Her only hope: the Iron Crown, a legendary object even the most powerful gentry fear…

Who Eugenie can trust is the hardest part. Fairy king Dorian has his own agenda for aiding her search. And Kiyo, her shape-shifter ex-boyfriend, has every reason to betray her along the way. To control the Crown’s ever-consuming powers, Eugenie will have to confront an unimaginable temptation--one that will put her soul and the fate of two worlds in mortal peril…

Vampire Uprising (Skinners #4) by Marcus Pelegrimas

Publication Date/Publisher: November 1st 2010 by Eos

Cover Artist: N/A

Cover Source: Digital Dreamers, Inc

Author Comments:	My Thoughts:
Hey everyone! The cover for Book 4 is here!!! Actually, I've had these for a while, but wanted to focus more on Book 3 since it was just coming out at the time. Then, well I've gotta be honest, I spaced it until I saw it on Amazon. Anyway...here's the cover for Skinners #4. - Marcus	Awesome!  Almost like a screenshot from Resident Evil 4.

Previous Book in the Series:

Book Description:

A legendary Skinner has passed. Among the articles he left behind are runes, potions, and powerful weapons to aid in the ongoing war against the unspeakable creatures that prowl the shadows outside normal human consciousness. But there is something else: the remains of a terrifying beast no other Skinner has ever encountered. And it isn't dead.
Skinners, partners, lovers, Cole Warnecki and Paige Strobel are well armed with the tools the late Jonah Lancroft provided. But even his best weapons may not be enough to defeat the monstrosity they now face. A new terror has risen up to infect them both with its virulent malevolence, even as Paige confronts the secrets of her astonishing past. The purest evil walks the world again—the First Deceiver, humankind's darkest nightmare, the self-proclaimed King of the Full Bloods.

Starfire (Demon Slayers #3) by Kate Douglas

Publication Date/Publisher: April 1, 2011

Cover Artist: N/A

Cover Source: Wicked Scribes

Author Comments:	My Thoughts:
N/A	See you later to the fellows as the chick is solo for the first time in this series. I like the cool blue wash and I’m curious about the weapon in her hand.

Previous Book in the Series:

Book Description:

With the fate of all worlds resting on their crystal swords, Selyn of the Forgotten Ones and veterinarian Dawson Buck join their fellow warriors in a battle for survival against demonkind.

Book Description

SHE HATES USING MAGIC . . .

Ever since the death of her parents, Sara Temple has rejected her magical gifts. Then, in a moment of extreme danger, she unknowingly sends out a telepathic cry for help—to the one man she is convinced she never wants to see again.

HE’S A POWERFUL WIZARD . . .

Jackson Slater thought he was done forever with his ex-fiancée, but when he hears her desperate plea, he teleports halfway around the world to aid her in a situation where magic has gone suddenly, brutally wrong.

THEY’VE BEEN CHOSEN TO SAVE THE WORLD . . .

But while Sara and Jack remain convinced they are completely mismatched, the Wizard Council feels otherwise. A dark force is killing some of the world’s most influential wizards, and the ex-lovers have just proved their abilities are mysteriously amplified when they work together. But with the fate of the world at stake, will the violent emotions still simmering between them drive them farther apart . . . or bring them back into each other’s arms?

 Review

~Reviewed by Julia~

BLACK MAGIC takes a little bit of “Romancing the Stone”, adds some grown up Harry Potter, and finishes off with a whole lot of “The Temple of Doom.” Despite the flavors of adventure, magic, and romance, I never felt particularly engaged by either the plot or the characters. Unfortunately, the bulk of my thoughts after finishing BLACK MAGIC revolved around trying to create some order out of this welter of mythology and sex.

Admittedly, my failure to connect with this book could be just that, my failure. The opening leaps straight into a contrived exposition about the magic and mythology surrounding the Aequitas race. This explanation came before I was invested in the characters, or the book, and put me off from the start. Furthermore, despite the exhaustive detail provided about the Aequitas and their enemies, I was frustrated to find no detail about the parts of magic I did find interesting. Prophetic, floating book? Cool! Tell me more! ... Um... hello? Anyone out there? The mystical book was so under-explained I stopped reading to make sure I was starting at the beginning of the series (According to Wikipedia, BLACK MAGIC is first in this particular series, but it’s set in the established world of a prior series). Given how much I like to piece together magical “physics” in a book, I think I would have been better off starting with one of Adair’s earlier T-FLAC psi unit books.

Given my frustration with the magical portions of the book, I have difficulty objectively deciding if I had valid issues with the romance. I felt like too much of the book revolved around one of my least favorite romance tropes, with a break up based on lack of communication (made famous in Rebecca, and a thousand romances that followed). Despite later revelations to explain Sara and Jack’s behavior, it couldn’t make me go back and enjoy the beginning of the book. Outside what is fundamentally my own negative reaction to a common romance plot line, I enjoyed Sara and Jack. They had their moments, and I enjoyed the scent details and staging Adair includes. She made me want to hunt down ginger body soaps and an ice hotel in Greenland.

As for the villains of the book, the dastardly, snake-people, they were as obvious and unbelievable as the magic. I found several attack and attempted rape scenes both confusing and egregious. The best thing to come out of reading BLACK MAGIC was, when I solicited my husband’s help in figuring out the mythology of the book, he was derailed into a 30 minute hunt to find out if “snakes get erections” (Google yielded some obscene results, but his college herpetology text book says “Yes.”).

When it comes down to it, my dislike of BLACK MAGIC could be the result of several of my own pet peeves combining to create a gestalt dislike. In a better mood, these shortcomings might have struck me as an enjoyable comedy of romance and fantasy themes, but as circumstances had it, I could barely make myself finish it.

Sexual Content: Several explicit sex scenes, explicit attempted rape, descriptions of rape.

My Rating (out of 5):
Okay – Somewhat disappointing with significant flaws.  Library/swap/borrow if you want.

Click HERE to read an excerpt from BLACK MAGIC

Previous books in the series:

1. N/A

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Star; 1 edition (July 20, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439153817
• ISBN-13: 978-1439153819
• Cover Art: N/A  

*Disclosure: I received this book courtesy of Simon & Schuster

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Also reviewed by:
The Good, The Bad and The Unread
Michelle's Book Blog
A Journey of Books

*This title will be released on September 7, 2010*

Book Description

Even the most powerful hands need a delicate touch…

Emmaline Gallagher is a master of wielding personal glamour. As a free fae who lives among humans, she must hide her true self at all times as she works undercover within the powerful Phaendir—for if certain factions within the Phaendir gain control, the fae will be wiped from existence. Now, an object of fae power lies within a locked ancient box. And there is only one fae who can forge the key.

Known as “the Blacksmith” Aeric O’Malley can create or destroy almost anything with his forging skills. Emmaline has come to him in need, but he and Emmaline have a past—and he has spent centuries wanting to take revenge on her for her transgressions. But now that he has her within his grasp, something about her keeps him from exacting his vengeance—or is it merely her glamour blinding him?

Trapped by fate, Emmaline must hope that she can reach Aeric’s furious heart before it’s too late…

 Review

Book 2 in The Dark Magick Series

The kind of urban fantasy and paranormal romances I tend to gravitate towards are usually full of sexual tension as opposed to just sex.  Still, when I saw the gorgeous cover (thank you Tony Mauro) and read the description for Anya Bast’s steamy new PNR, I decided to broaden my horizons a little.  The verdict? CRUEL ENCHANTMENT is full of revenge, betrayal, magic, and plenty of sex.  And I loved every single page.

CRUEL ENCHANTMENT gives us a richly detailed world that is steeped in traditional fae mythology with just the right amount of new lore (e.g. Piefferburg, a prison for fae), lush characters, heady romance, and a story that blurs the line between hero and villain.  Many of the characters from the previous book pop up, but the main story and romance are brand new and completely self contained, which is good news for both old fans and those new to this series.

More good news is the romance. There is just something so appealing about a romance between two people who are damaged, almost irrevocably so.  That’s what we get with Emmaline, the former assassin, and Aeric, the blacksmith who lost his one true love at Emmaline’s hand.  Every early scene between them brought new meaning to the word cruel (hence the title), and their budding relationship was emotionally excruciatingly as she could not forget her past and he would not forget his.  Their love is a triumph of the heart and mind, and all the more satisfying for it.

CRUEL ENCHANTMENT is everything I hoped and feared it world be: dark, brutal, and scorchingly hot. The third book in the Dark Magic series, Dark Enchantment, will be released on April 5, 2011.  In the mean time I’m going to break in my new kindle with the first book, Wicked Enchantment.

Sexual Content: Several long, graphic sex scenes.  Several graphic scenes of sensuality.

My Rating (out of 5):
Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now & pre-order the sequel.

Click HERE to read an excerpt from CRUEL ENCHANTMENT

Previous books in the series:

1.  Wicked Enchantment

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (September 7, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425236374
• ISBN-13: 978-0425236376
• Cover Art: Tony Mauro

*Disclosure: I received this book courtesy of Anya Bast

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