Indie Summer Tour - Snowed Under by Jen Greyson!

Hey guys! Welcome to my spot in the Indie Summer Tour! (Made possible by the folks 'round at Parajunkee.) I'm going to tell you a bit about Jen Greyson and her recently released novel called Snowed Under, before we get to the really great part: giveaways!!!

About the book:

Cassidy has life all figured out. She’s one semester away from finishing her degree and then she’s off to save Mother Earth. But first, she has to stop the planet-murdering Whetman Logging.

Teague Whetman brought MIT home to the family logging business in Alaska. They’re high-tech artesian. But even his advanced technology can’t handle Cassidy’s handcuffs when she chains herself to the main saw.

When a late-Spring storm hammers the little town of Bear Ridge with eighty inches of snow, Teague and Cassidy must put aside their animosity to battle a power outage, grizzly bear, and their own attraction.

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This book is just out and I'll be the first to say that it looks amazing! I love books that deal with the theme of the environment, because it's such a relevant topic nowadays. (Also, a little romance can't hurt.) I'm going to grab this book as soon as I can!

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About the Author:

From the moment she decided on a degree in Equestrian Studies, Jen Greyson’s life has been one unscripted adventure after another. Leaving the cowboy state of Wyoming to train show horses in France, Switzerland, and Germany, she’s lived life without much of a plan, but always a book in her suitcase. Now a wife and mom to two young boys, she relies on her adventurous, passionate characters to be the risk-takers.

You can find her at:

http://jengreyson.com

https://www.facebook.com/thesurvivalmama
@jengreyson

The fabulous Jen Greyson also took the time to answer the question that's been on my mind from the start: 

Me: What city inspired your writing? 

Jen:

The most random things inspire a new story. For SNOWED UNDER (formerly WOOD) I caught a news article about a tiny Alaskan town (Point Hope, I think) that got hit by a late Spring storm and hammered with ridiculous snow totals–like 108″ in a day–and their shipment of heating oil got delayed. I started thinking about what kind of characters would meet under those circumstances . . . and then the least likely combination of characters that would meet under the same circumstances. Talk about obstacles 

After a bit of drifty daydreaming I came up with the unlikely pair that you meet in the book, a logger and a hippie–two people at extreme opposite ends of the spectrum. Aaannnnd Teague’s already made the shift from college to the business world, where Cassidy’s still starry-eyed and taking on the world…so their views on a lot of things are shaded from their perspectives and knowledge pools.

My writing mentor once told me that if you start with setting your characters organically grow from that and the two weave together better than if you start with characters and try to stuff them into a certain place. Now that I’ve been able to try that a few times, I’ve found it’s much easier to see the conflicts from the very beginning.

Plus, it makes my bucket list a pretty interesting mix 

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GIVEAWAY!!!!!

Jen Grayson has been very good to us - there's a copy of Snowed Under up for grabs! Also, there's a KindleFire for some lucky person, so be sure to check that out as well!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

It's A Sad, Sad Day

So, anyone who reads this blog understands that I am a Night Huntress fan - seriously, those books are great. Well, the author of the series, Jeaniene Frost, put up a post the other day that the series will be ending...with the next book.

The series was originally contracted for nine books, which was great for us readers, but we were told in 2011 that it would be cut down to eight. Now, in her latest post, Frost explains that there will be no more Cat and Bones books after Up From The Grave, which is due out next January. You can check that post out here, but the main reason seems to be that she had the series' storyline nicely finished up, and didn't want to write a filler book. 
Which, after my last review, I can understand.

So, while I am sad to see the series go, (I wasn't emotionally prepared for this!) I hope that this means that Up From The Grave will be more action-packed and, well, generally awesome than it would have been otherwise. Plus, there is always the chance that Ian will get a book! ;)

Biting "Really" Bad by Chloe Neill

Merit has been a vampire for only a short while, but she’s already seen a lifetime’s worth of trouble. She and her Master, centuries-old Ethan Sullivan, have risked their lives time and again to save the city they love. But not all of Chicago is loving them back.

Anti-vampire riots are erupting all over town, striking vampires where it hurts the most. A splinter group armed with Molotov cocktails and deep-seated hate is intent on clearing the fanged from the Windy City come hell or high water.

Merit and her allies rush to figure out who’s behind the attacks, who will be targeted next, and whether there’s any way to stop the wanton destruction. The battle for Chicago is just beginning, and Merit is running out of time...

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Guys, I'm really sorry. This book didn't really make me angry, it just made me sad (okay, it made me a little angry). I love Merit, you know I do. This is one of my all-time favourite series and I guess up until now I had this misguided notion that Chloe Neill could do no wrong. 

Well, I was wrong.

It started off okay, with all the usual snark and humour.  However, it took me forever to get into. There was just no action! Even when something was supposedly happening, no one did anything! There were these riots going on, and they were meant to be the main drama source for the book, but here's the thing: nobody cared. Everyone just sat around making jokes that weren't that funny and having endless meetings that yielded no results.

The lack of action was something that lasted throughout the entire thing. I don't even think there was a climax to this book. And while, yeah, there was a sex scene thrown in there for the hell of things, there was no overall breaking point where I went "Whoa, what's going to happen?". It was like a whole book made out of filler chapters. It was a filler book in the series.

Surprisingly though, that wasn't even the worst thing. Merit seriously let me down in this book. Despite being the heroine of the story, she wasn't very heroic. Remember guys, that she was named Sentinel in the very first book, because even though she was only a two-day old baby vamp, she nearly managed to catch Ethan, Master of the House. Well, in this book she manages to get taken down by a human (one lone human!) at least three times!!! I swear, every time I flip a page, Ethan is saving her from something. And you know, I wouldn't be so put out if this was consistent with her character, but up until now she's been taking down vampires, werewolves and - wait for it - freaking angels! 

Wait, there's more. I think Neill was trying to show everyone how bad-ass Ethan has gotten, ever since he came back to life. However, she's showing it by making him do stupid things. Now, Ethan prides himself on not being stupid, but he is constantly rushing off into battle when they have not one, but two teams of guards there (Grey House joined the fun), and his House is on two separate hit lists! Both the GP and the city want to annihilate the House, and he's leaving it practically every second page to go put himself in danger and save Merit's ass. Not cool, Ethan.

I could go on for a while, listing all the things that made this book "Bad", (OH, the puns, the puns) but I think that what I have here is enough to make my point: filler book. To be fair, there were some good things: the banter was great; Ethan and Merit were all lovey-dovey; and we got a great scene with Scott (Master of Grey House) and his human girlfriend Ava. (She had kids and they were adorable!) 

Having said all I needed to say, I know this: I still love the overall series, I still think Chloe Neill is a talented author, and though I wouldn't recommend Biting Bad, I will read the next book in this series (and hope that it's better than this.) For me, Biting Bad was:

 Two hats. It just didn't cut it for me.

Rave - Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews

Atlanta is a city plagued by magical problems. Kate Daniels will fight to solve them—no matter the cost.

Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.

Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap…

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If I had to describe Magic Rises in just one word, this would be it: action. From start to finish this book was a rollercoaster ride of action and adventure!

 It starts off when Kate and Curran get an invite to Europe (yep, road trip time!) where they have to play bodyguard duty to a shapeshifter princess called Desandra, whose big, bad daddy controls a highly sought after mountain pass. Upside: they get paid in panacea  - the medicine they desperately need to stop the Pack children from going loup and dying. Downside: it's an obvious trap and they'll be very far from home when it hits. 

So, from the very start we're on edge with planning, politics and emotional angst (sorry guys, no spoilers!). But when they land on the island, whoa do things get interesting! There are three other packs on the island, all of whom want to incite Kate, Curran & Co. into fighting and distrust so they can pick them off, one by one.

 This makes for a very tense book. Kate, Curran and the rest of the gang are facing an onslaught of insults and challenges, but they can't get angry of retaliate. Throw in some shocking twists and turns, mysterious murderers, romance, bodyguard duties, politics and angst and you have one hell of a book. 

I get the feeling that we also moved along (in the overall story arc) quite a bit with this book. Serious stuff comes up about Roland, Hugh and the rest of Evil Inc. It feels like we're getting closer and closer to that inevitable showdown, and based on this book, I'm not entirely sure that Kate is ready for it yet.

I have to say, this is probably the best book I've read all summer. A definite five out of five.

 Five hats! This book made my day. XD

Biting Bad Release Day!!!!

Okay, you guys are probably all aware by now that Chicagoland Vampires is one of my all-time favourite series. That's why I am so excited about this release! Chloe Neill is a machine - a book every six months! I am such a lucky reader, and I'm going to start reading right now! Here's the synopsis:

Merit has been a vampire for only a short while, but she’s already seen a lifetime’s worth of trouble. She and her Master, centuries-old Ethan Sullivan, have risked their lives time and again to save the city they love. But not all of Chicago is loving them back.

Anti-vampire riots are erupting all over town, striking vampires where it hurts the most. A splinter group armed with Molotov cocktails and deep-seated hate is intent on clearing the fanged from the Windy City come hell or high water.

Merit and her allies rush to figure out who’s behind the attacks, who will be targeted next, and whether there’s any way to stop the wanton destruction. The battle for Chicago is just beginning, and Merit is running out of time.

This actually looks amazing, so I'm going to go now and, well, read. 

Magic Rises - It's Out!

Woo! Magic Rises has hit the shelves! Are you ready for more Kate and Curran mayham? I know I am! Here's the blurb:

Atlanta is a city plagued by magical problems. Kate Daniels will fight to solve them—no matter the cost.
 
Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.
 
Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap…

 Oooh, sounds promising. Well, I've got a plane to catch and a book to read! Yep - I'm coming home guys! XD

Rave - Fifth Grave Past The Light by Darynda Jones.

Charley Davidson may not look like your everyday, run-of-the-mill grim reaper, but she has vowed to reap grimness wherever she goes despite this unfortunate fact. Sadly, she gets sidetracked when the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, moves in next door. Since he is her main suspect in an arson case, she has vowed to stay away from him until she can find out the truth. But when dead women start appearing in her apartment, one after another, each lost, confused, and terrified beyond reason, Charley has no choice but to ask for his help, especially when it becomes apparent that her own sister Gemma is the serial killer’s next target. With Reyes’s ability to observe incorporeally, surely he can find out who’s responsible. Even if he can’t, arsonist or not, he is the one man alive who could protect Gemma no matter who or what came at her. But he wants something in return. Charley. All of her, body and soul. And to keep her sister safe, it is a price she is willing to pay.

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Wow. I'm going to tell you guys straight up that this book was brilliant. It was a delicate balance of action, romance, and supernatural intrigue, doused in a healthy dose of Charley's special brand of comedy! 

The book starts off great and only gets better from there. Charley has an infestation of crazy dead ladies in her apartment, all featuring the same MO. Naturally, she wants them gone, so, using her usual crazy, hilarious methods she sets out to find the killer. Of course, things are never that simple: she also has a Super Sexy Son of Satan  (and various other calamities) to deal with along the way. 

It all makes for a very easy and entertaining read, and I think that these books get better and better as they go along. The plot in this book is a lot simpler than it was in Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet, but because of...certain things Charley finds out about herself, it feels like this book is building up to something BIG. And I seriously can't wait to find out more.

Reyes is a H-A-W-T as ever in this book, but he's also strangely sweet. I know, I was freaked out too. It seems he's super committed to Charley now, which is great, because he's slightly less mysterious and more willing to answer all her questions - which I was really excited about. Trouble is, she doesn't ask them, they usually end up having sex instead or something comes up. I get that Darynda wants to keep his secrets, well, secret for as long as possible, but I am thirsting for information here! XD

All in all, I love Charley's antics and this story gets:
 Four hats! Absolutely magical!