Book Boyfriends, and Where to Find Them: Daemon Sadi

Ok.

So, here's the thing. Out there, in fantasy-land, are a plethora of uber sexy, talented, hunky men. They litter our dreams books, and sometimes raise our expectations to unrealistic levels in our (your, I'm married!) dating life.
But, hey. It's still fun to ogle these imaginary men.
So, I'm starting a blog series here of favorite Literary-Lova's, Book-Boyfriends, and Fantasy-Fella's... I'll tell you a little about the guy, and a little about the book/s they're featured in. Feel free to click the cover pick; it'll take you straight to Amazon, where you enter their world (by buying the book!).

Daemon Sadi, from the Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop. This man has dark hair, golden skin and eyes, and a body worthy of a sex-slave.... which is basically what he's been for over a millennia. So, he has a few issues with women. Being the most powerfully magicked living man will do that to you if you're being enslaved by a sadistic tyrant of a woman. He's broody, powerful, and devastating. Literally. This man has plowed down entire towns with his power when he gets in a mood. He's charming, and loyal to those he loves... and he was destined to love the most important woman of all time. Dreams Made Flesh. Witch. Jaenelle. Of course he first meets her when she's to young to, ahem, appreciate him, but he's already waited over a thousand years, what's a few more when it's a matter of destiny?
Daemon is a man that knows how to sacrifice for a cause. A man that, though he is nicknamed 'the Sadist' by his enemies, is gentle and patient... and willing to annihilate the enemies of those that he loves.

Daughter of the Blood synopsis:
The Dark Kingdom is preparing itself for the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy the arrival of a new Queen, a Witch who will wield more power than even the High Lord of Hell himself. But this new ruler is young, and very susceptible to influence and corruption; whoever controls her controls the Darkness. And now, three sworn enemies begin a ruthless game of politics and intrigue, magic and betrayal...and the destiny of an entire world is at stake....

Heir to the Shadows synopsis:
Enough time has passed for the young girl Jaenelle, heir to the magical Darkness, for her physical wounds to heal, while amnesia keeps her frightening memories at bay. But with Saetan--a Black-Jewelled Warlord Prince and Jaenelle's foster-father--to protect her, she will continue to grow. Her magic will mature. Her memories will return. And Jaenelle will face her destiny when she remembers Daemon, Saetan's son, who made the ultimate sacrifice for her love...

Queen of the Darkness synopsis:
Jaenelle Angelline now reigns as Queen-protector of the Shadow Realm. No longer will the corrupt Blood slaughter her people and defile her lands. But where one chapter ends, a final, unseen battle remains to be written, and Jaenelle must unleash the terrible power that is Witch to destroy her enemies once and for all.

Even so, she cannot stand alone. Somewhere, long lost in madness, is Daemon, her promised Consort. Only his unyielding love can complete her Court and secure her reign. Yet, even together, their strength may not be enough to hold back the most malevolent of forces.

Love&Decay, Epidsode 4

click the pic to go to
amazon.com and buy
the novella for $.99

This weeks episode of our favorite Novella series is Haleylicious. Being in her POV for a change, we really get to know this girl as something more than Reagan's bestie.

The crew found a rare treasure in their travels... electricity. Run by solar panels, the house and surrounding land at first seem a godsend. At least for a temporary retreat.

You'd think the day couldn't get any better right? After all, Haley finally has a chance to charge her iPod and listen to music to calm her overactive brain, she has a hunky man that kisses like a dream and is willing to woo her in a world gone to chaos, and they're relatively safe...

But then Page, the Parker's little sister, and someone Haley and Reagan have fully adopted into their hearts, get sick. Looks like strep throat. But without antibiotics and no way to reduce the fever, this illness could spell disaster, and heartache, for the team.

A stranger, just a boy, shows up and swears he know where some meds are... And Hendrix and Nelson are just the guys to volunteer to go.

But is is worth the risk to sneak into a militia's to get them?

And will they get back in time to save their sister?



We won't find out until the Episode 5.
Yeah, cliffhanger time.

eBook Freebies That I Would Have Happily Paid For... they're THAT good

This should be your face right now.

Discovering Amazon's Top 100 Free Bestselling List is one of the best things that has ever happened to me... or at least one of the best things to ever happen to my entertainment life. About once a week I find myself perusing through this list just buying freebies up. And my eyes are usually bigger than my... eyes? My reading eyes?? Well, I usually get way more books than I have time to read. But here's the thing, they're free so it doesn't matter. I've discovered a number of new fav's by doing this: favorite authors and series, and hell I discovered the YA Dystopian genre this way (I was a little late on the Hunger Games bandwagon...).
So, here is my list of favorite freebies... and go get them, now! Because they might not stay free... there were several other books that I desperately wanted to share with you, but the author's have started charging since I first bought them... So I can't, at least not on this blog.
Just click the cover image. It'll bring you to Amazon.com where you can purchase these wonderful freebies.

The Book of Deacon, by Joseph Lallo. I give it 4 Stars. It did take me a little while to get into this book, but I'm glad I stuck with it. Book 2 is already out, and a little more action packed.
Myranda is a young woman more interested in staying alive than being a hero. Orphaned by a continent-spanning war that has gone on for decades too long and shunned for failing to support it, she has been on the move since she was only a child. One can hardly blame her when she thinks that the chance discovery of a fallen soldier's priceless cargo is the moment that will change her life. No one could predict just how great that change would be. It will lead her through an adventure of rebels and generals, of wizards and warriors, and of beasts both noble and monstrous. Each step of the way will take her closer to the truth of her potential, of the war, and of the fate of her world.

Call of the Herald, by Brian Rathbone. I give it 4.5 Stars. I immediately went and got the second book after reading this.
Echoes of the ancients' power are distant memories, tattered and faded by the passage of eons, but that is about to change. A new dawn has arrived. Latent abilities, harbored in mankind's deepest fibers, wait to be unleashed. Ancient evils awaken, and old fears ignite the fires of war. When a Catrin Volker, a teenage horse trainer, inadvertently fulfills the prophecy of the destroyer, she becomes the most feared and hunted person on all of Godsland. With the help of her friends, she must convince the world that she wants only peace.

Gravity, by Abigail Boyd. I give it 4 stars. Again, I immediately ran out and bought the next in this series... then the next one after that. I had a few issues with the parents, but clearly not enough to hate the series.
One night in the town of Hell, Ariel's best friend goes missing. Those around her believe Jenna ran away, but when Ariel is tormented by nightmares and paranormal activity, she realizes Jenna's disappearance was part of a bigger mystery. Ariel's obsession with haunted houses and horror movies makes her the perfect detective.

But to complicate matters, a handsome newcomer named Henry Rhodes plagues her with unwanted attention. Though he doesn't believe in the supernatural events, she enlists his help and that of quirky nerd Theo. What is making the lights at school flicker? And why did Ariel dream of the old abandoned Dexter orphanage? When Ariel finally discovers the truth, it's much worse than she ever feared. 

Darkness Falls, by Jessica Sorensen. 4.75 stars. I freaking loved this. Has vampire-type creatures but were incredibly different. Plus, it was dystopian... dystopian meets vampire. Yeah.
When the disease spread through the world, people had no choice but to go into hiding. The Colony is hidden deep underground, far away from the vampires—humans that were transformed by the disease. The vampires are hideous, starving, and they will kill any human they come across.
Seventeen-year-old Kayla is a Bellator, a warrior that protects The Colony. In order to survive, there are three rules she must follow:
Rule #1—Never go out after dark.
Rule #2—Always carry a weapon.
Rule #3—No matter what, never EVER get bit.
But what happens when the rules Kayla has always lived by can no longer apply? 
The Highers run The Colony and accept nothing less than perfection. One slip up can mean death. Kayla has always worked hard to follow the rules and strive for perfection. But during a moment of weakness, she lets her imperfections show. Her punishment is worse than death. She is chosen for The Gathering and is thrown out into a world full of starving vampires. 
No one has ever survived The Gathering, at least that’s what Kayla’s been told. But when she runs into a group who insist they were once part of The Gathering, Kayla discovers the Highers have been keeping secrets. Secrets that could lead to a cure.

Interview with Fang, from the Demon Underground Series.

Picture of Fang
"...I'm part-hellhound, part poodle,
part terrier, and all snark."

The Demon Underground series, by the fabulous Parker Blue, is one of the first series that I read and fell in love with on my Kindle. Ms. Blue does such a wonderful job creating characters with depth; characters that are so much more than the prevalent archetypes that litter the YA genres. Characters that are, in fact, so complete I decided to do an interview with one.

Fang, first I'd like to welcome you to my blog. I'm very excited to get to know you a little more. Why don't you tell our readers who, exactly, you are.

Fang:  Thank you!  Well, I fool a lot of people into thinking I’m a cute and cuddly little doggie.  Not!  My friend Val Shapiro says I’m part-hellhound, part poodle, part terrier, and all snark.  I have no clue where she gets that.

I was assigned to show Val the Demon Underground ropes after her parents kicked her out of the house on her eighteenth birthday.  We kind of became besties and hang out together, kicking evil vamp butt and keeping San Antonio safe for human and demonkind.

One of your abilities is the power to telepathically communicate and read the minds of demons and part-demons. Clearly you know your friends very well because of this, and there have been several times that your ability has been used to the benefit of your friends and allies, but are there any drawbacks to being able to read the mind of those around you? Ever heard anything you wish you hadn't?

Fang: Hoo, boy. You bet! Especially since Val is, you know, a succubus. I wish I could tune out when she turns on any guy who gets within her energy field, but it ain’t easy. Humans make such a deal out of the whole lust thing, but I’m no peeping Fang.

When we last left Val her relationship with Shade, her shadow-demon boyfriend, was in turmoil. We have recently gotten a chance to learn more about his past, but that doesn't really help Val's broken heart. How is our kick-butt heroine doing? The girl hasn't had the best of luck in the love department; will that be changing anytime soon?

Fang: Well, in Dare Me, she’s got two studpuppies drooling over her—both Shade and the sexy cowboy vampire, Austin.  She’s having a hard time deciding between them, but this time, she has to actually get off the pot and make a choice. And when she does, he does something kinda cool for her in the end.

Val has semi-hated her 'Lola' powers since she hit puberty. How does she feel about the fact that they are now rapidly diminishing because of her spell-use?

Fang: She’s kinda missing them, you know? Especially since the rogue vamps all know her as the Slayer and she has a lot of enemies.  Kinda hard to control the bad guys when Lola isn’t able to grab ‘em by the chakras and give ‘em what for.

A lot of readers consider you to be Val's trusty sidekick. What do you feel about that? Do you agree?

Fang: Heck, no. She’s my sidekick! Okay, okay, we’re each others’ sidekicks, I’ll give you that. 

What can we expect next in the story of Fang and Val? Trouble with Vampires? Other demons?

Fang: Well, I can’t say too much, but it starts out with human trouble, of all things, humans hunting shadow demons.  But the humans have super strength and speed, so it takes us awhile to figure out what they really are. And it’s a bigger baddie than we’ve ever fought before.

What do you hope readers take from your and Val's story? Any nuggets of wisdom you'd like to share?

Fang: It’s all about being true to yourself, not selling yourself short, and finding a place to belong. Plus you don’t have to share DNA to be family; true family consists of people who care about you.

How's fatherhood been treating you? Has Princess mellowed out a bit now that she has something to distract her from... herself? Will the pups be following their father’s paw prints in vampire/crime fighting?

Fang:  You’ll see a different side of Princess in this book.  Turns out there’s more to her than most people know.  As for the pups…that remains to be seen.  They’re not even weaned yet! But if I have anything to say about it, they’ll all be clones of their proud papa.

I'd like to thank you for taking time to sit and talk with me. I'm sure you have things to do, people to bite. But first I'd like to ask one last question: if the world were ending and you had any choice of a last meal, what would it be, where would you eat it, and what company would you share it with?

Fang:  That’s an easy one—pizza!  On the Riverwalk in San Antonio with Val and Princess and my kids, natch.

Thanks again! Look forward to seeing more of y'all at the next book release, Dare Me, which is set to come out next month.

Fang:  Thank you! It was fun. You’re pretty cool, for a human.

Thanks Fang!

Fun facts
Some of the following links will take you to Amazon.com, where you can buy these tasty treats... or just read the synopsis.

• The next book in the series is called Dare Me, and is set to release in September 2013
• Her previous books in the Demon Underground series are, in order:Bite Me, Try Me, Fang Me, Make Me, 
• Forget You (Demon Underground Series) is a novella about Shade and is based before the events in the first book. It is currently FREE, and you can absolutely read it before everything else since it can act as a stand alone.... and an addictive introduction to the series that will make you HAVE to read more.
• She also has a story in the anthology Magick Rising, it's about a man trying to rid himself of Lycanthropy (he's a werewolf), which is killing him. There might be a Wiccan woman to help... and love.
• To find out more about Parker Blue, check out her website HERE
• or her Facebook HERE 
• there's also her Twitter (HERE) and her Pinterest page (HERE) that you can follow

The Funny Truth... memes for the book lover

Because we also like to laugh, here are a few book-related meme's I found funny... 

Enjoy!

 

Striking Blog Tour, All Aboard!

Have you seen the synopsis, and cover, of Striking yet (check it out HERE, if not!)? The fabulous book, co-written by Rachel Higginson and Lila Felix is set to release on September first. To get y'all good and ready for it (yes, I live in The South), we're doing a blog tour. Actually, there will be two blog tours going on for the next 3 weeks.

Here are all the stops, updated as they come in.

8-22 An Interview with Rachel Higginson, by me of course. It's awesome... we talk about writing, motherhood, and the ever important coffee.

8-24 Author Interview with Lila Felix and Rachel Higginson, by Christy at Christy's Written Word Love. They discuss the sexiness of blacksmithing, and how they initially partnered up to write Striking! Lots of great things I didn't think to ask, haha.

8-26 Reckless Rebels Blog Tour-Charming Interview with Lila Felix and Rachel Higginson, co-authors of Striking (Forged in Fire #1), by Haley and Caylie at H&C Reads. These lovely ladies talk about big life moments, their favorite scenes to write in Striking, and their most emotional book scenes for them to write.

8-28 Character Interview w/ the stars of Striking by Rachel Higginson and Lila Felix, by Christina on Christina's Book Reviews. A great interview with Cami and Stockton, the lead characters in this great book.

More to come, as they come!

• To find out more about Rachel Higginson, check out her website http://www.rachelhigginson.com/
• buy her books at Amazon.com
• To find out more about Lila Felix, check out her website at http://authorlilafelix.blogspot.com/
• buy her books at Amazon.com 

An interview with Rachel Higginson! Striking blog tour.

As most of you have probably guessed by now, I am a huge fan of the works of one Rachel Higginson. Thanks to my Kindle, I read a lot of self-published works... And indie has a lot of variances in quality. Rachel's works, however, are the cream at the top that make the Indie genre worth reading.

To celebrate her upcoming release of Striking, cowritten by Lila Felix, I asked if Rachel would be willing to do an interview with me. 

I am a huge fan of all the female protagonists in your books. If you were sitting down to eat with Eden, Stella, Reagan, Ivy, Ellie, and the star of your newest book Cami, what would you ladies talk about? What would the girls think of each other? Who would you sit next to? And for goodness sake, what would you be eating?

Thank you so much Regan! And thank you for having me on your fabulous blog!

I love my leading ladies, so it’s great to hear that you do too! First of all, this would be the best afternoon of my life! I would love to hang out with all my girls and share a meal. Well, outside of my head…. J

I think the first thing we would have to talk about would of course be the boys!! I mean, some of them are in some pretty difficult places with men, and we’d of course need to work out those issues. And those who are settled into their happily-ever-afters already would be required to dish all the delicious details. That would be priority number one. Obviously.

Then I’d just love to hear a firsthand account of their struggles from their perspective. I’d want to hear Eden tell her plight to save Lilly the first time from her point of view. Or what it was like for Stella to be trapped in that locker room with Seth, surrounded by such palpable evil. And I’d want to hear Cami’s humble account of spending time in Tennessee and when she felt her life was changing. I foresee hours and hours of conversation in our future!

And it would be such a relaxed atmosphere. All my girls are adventurous foodies, so we’d sit down over Indian and share roti and vegetable samosas. We’d eat with our hands, and drink King Fishers and just laugh until we cried. I would need to sit by Eden- my literary BFF. But the other girls all come in at a very close second. And they would love each other. I imagine Cami and Ivy would get really close with their mutual love of fashion and ex-mean girl ways. And Reagan and Ellie have that sarcastic, dry humor thing in common. They would keep us laughing at everything they said! And Stella and Eden would hit it off right away too, since they have that whole saving-everyone-they-love thing going for them. I’d make Eden recreate the Morocco desert tent- only the less sexy version- and we’d just enjoy the most fabulous girls’ night out ever.

I used to work as a barista and you can learn a lot about a person by their regular coffee order. If you had to pick up coffee for the gang, what would their orders be? How about yours?

Striking, What a Beautiful Cover... Reveal.

How pretty is this cover?

So, by now you should know that I'm a huge fan of Indie Author, Rachel Higginson. You should be too. To help convert you, later this week I'll be posting an interview with the lady about her upcoming book with cowriter Lila Felix, Striking.

It has blacksmiths in it. Blacksmithing=awesome. So go on over to Goodreads (by clicking here) and put it on your 'to-read' shelf... along with all her other books. You won't regret it.

To tide you over until then, here's the synopsis:

Can two hearts be forged into one?

Cami Montgomery stole a car and smashed it into the front of a building in upscale Beverly Hills after a lousy date with the epitome of sleaze balls. The worst part, her parents are following through on threats after this latest plea for attention. Banished from her L.A. paradise and plunged into the Appalachian Mountains with her industrious aunt and uncle, Cami is about to find out how precious life really is.

Stockton Wright has been thrust into a hard life. He sacrifices everything to give his family and community what they need. He’s exhausted from life and work—and he’s only twenty four. What he needs is some change, and some sunshine. Even he will agree to that. He just doesn’t expect to find it in a stuck up, pompous, entitled Californian.

Cami bursts into Stockton’s life like wildfire, consuming all his thoughts and tangling him in her web. What starts out as a contentious rivalry evolves into a desire neither of them expected. When hammer meets metal, will they crack under pressure or be forged as one?

Cami and Stockton might just end up being exactly what the other one needs, but first their love will have to be drawn out in fire.

Love & Decay, Episode 3

We catch up with Reagan and company still traveling south, only this time they're on foot. And smelly. Well, Reagan is at least. And considering she shot a zombie in the head from zero feet away, it's understandable; being covered in rotting brain matter certainly doesn't make you smell like roses.

Luckily she has one completely drool-worthy man to wash her hair for her, though she doesn't feel lucky so much as trapped by Hendrix, and her own, feelings that have no place for the whole world-ending situation they were in. And having corpse washed out of your hair should not feel like an intimate moment, but I suppose the zombie apocalypse make's all sorts of weird situations seem normal...

Our group is going south on-foot, they're low on ammo, the only shelter for miles is a dilapidated shed, and some zombie too far to kill is screeching into night.

Or could he be calling for backup?

Reagan and Haley had been hearing rumors of organized zombies to the south. Zombies capable of working together; zombies capable of forming an army. And as our gang of bad-ass zombie killers are surrounded by a mass of rotting undead, Reagan can't help but think that this fight feels different.



Man, oh man. The tension between Reagan and Hendrix is just delicious. Higginson manages to create a lot of sexual tension in a very PG manner, and I'm not entirely sure how. Because nothing inappropriate is done or mentioned... but oh do you want it to be. Another great installment, and of course I can't wait for the next one. Which should be next Friday.

• Love & Decay, episode 3 is $.99 on Amazon
• a new episode in this novella series comes out every two weeks
• There is graphic violence, and a few swear-jar words, but appropriate for younger readers (13+)