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May 20
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With radiant, snow white skin and hair, Percy Parker was a beacon for Fate. True love had found her, in the tempestuous form of Professor Alexi Rychman. But her mythic destiny was not complete. Accompanying the ghosts with which she alone could converse, new and terrifying omens loomed. A war was coming, a desperate ploy of a spectral host. Victorian London would be overrun. Yet, Percy kept faith. Within the mighty bastion of Athens Academy, alongside The Guard whose magic shielded mortals from the agents of the Underworld, she counted herself among friends. Wreathed in hallowed fire, they would stand together, no matter what dreams or nightmares—may come.
Although Ms. Hieber set the bar quite high with her first book, she certainly doesn’t disappoint her readers with its sequel. Slower paced than the first, the reader gets to luxuriously bask in its Gothic romanticism. Ms. Hieber’s eloquent writing style weaves another beautiful, romantic tale along the dark streets of London.
The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker is the immediate continuation of the story from the first book. It begins with the final showdown in Strangely Beautiful seen from the perspective of a new character: the shade Beatrice, the leader of the last generation’s Guard come forth from the Whisper World to assist the current guard in a daunting task. From there, the author takes the reader on a delightful holiday through the horror of the underworld and the wonders of new love. Along the journey, we learn more about the other members of The Guard as well…
Read more of the review at Book Addict!
BUY IT NOW!
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Apr 24
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I first heard about this book when Angela at Pop Syndicate asked me to interview the author. It was one of my very first assignments after I accepted her offer to post a blog about SFF books/authors once a month on Book Addict. That interview was in October 2009.
Yes. This is how far behind I am on my reading list.
This Strangely Beautiful Tale took me awhile to get into, but that is not unusual for me. My schedule, unfortunately, makes reading a luxury. However, once engaged, I was completely enthralled!
The story is about six mortals chosen for a sacred and supernatural duty. When chosen, they are each possessed by a mythical spirit and are told that there will be a seventh that will make The Guard complete. They spend the next two decades looking for this Prophecy and keeping the dark forces at bay. Alexi, their leader who is possessed by the mythical Phoenix, is especially keen in finding her, as he believes she will be his reincarnated lover from the ancient Greek myths.
Enter one Percy Parker, a strange albino girl who is quite aware that her appearance is shocking and acts accordingly in Victorian society. She has no hope for love, for she believes that any who look upon her are frightened or disgusted by her visage. Raised in a convent, she has been protected from the world. That is, until she enters the halls of the Athens academy, where she meets her fate.
Although it took me weeks of reading a page or two here and there, once Percy met her Alexi, I quite literally couldn’t put it down (for 6+ hrs). Everything seemed to come together for me at that moment, and every other task on my to-do list suddenly seemed rather unimportant. I was entirely swept away by this Strangely Beautiful ghost-like woman, Percy Parker. I felt her loneliness and her awkwardness and her pain. I cried through her joy and through her tears, often cursing my own tears as they blurred the words on the page. I knew her longing to be touched and loved by a man as if I were experiencing myself. I felt her forbidden desire for Alexi, who I saw as a sexy, younger Severus Snape in his dark and swirling robes. And I felt him struggle for her, fight inside between what was proper and what was desired. Ms. Hieber’s elegantly written and hauntingly romantic tale captivates its reader until the very last. My heart is still racing.
Buy it & read it now. The sequel comes out on Monday!
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Apr 12
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This came as a lovely surprise.
Excerpt:
“Rowan of the Wood was a great book to read! Some of the chapters were so good, I went back and reread them!”
Read the entire review here.
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Feb 20
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 D. B. Grady is gifted with a unique wit, as his abundant Twitter following is well aware, and a flare for beautifully crafted imagery. His impressive debut novel Red Planet Noir allows readers to enjoy his sense of humor and writing talent in the setting of an interplanetary mystery tale. In the interview, the author talks about his book, inspirations, and dreams for the future.
Red Planet Noir is the story about a second-rate, middle-aged private investigator, Mike Sheppard, who has seen better days, but not many. He often drinks himself into oblivion and still moons over his ex-wife, as in this particularly beautiful passage:
“She left me. A blade of dawn slipped through rolling clouds, and she left me. A gust of wind swept through the open balcony door, and she left me. The disharmony of morning gridlock rose from the streets below, and she left me. I saw her only at night, now, in sleep. Sometimes I saw her in my bed. Sometimes I saw her at the bus stop where I proposed. Sometimes I saw her on the gazebo where we danced. Sometimes at places we always talked about, but never went. I didn’t see her anymore. Not while awake. Not for two years and seven months.”
Grady’s delightfully sardonic wit permeates the matter-of-fact gumshoe voice from the first page to the last. I found myself smiling often and even laughing out loud! His imaginative use of metaphor and simile creates distinctive imagery throughout. This is where I turned a very deep shade of green. I don’t do similes. Certainly not well, but I may have learned a thing or two from Mr. Grady.
To read some of my favorite examples, please go over to BOOK ADDICT.
Get your copy of Red Planet Noir at Amazon or B&N.com today!
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Jan 04
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Brilliant book. I laughed. I cried, but I mostly laughed. Loud, barking laughter.
The book is about Pete Tarslaw, a lazy English graduate who just finds out his ex is getting married. In a twisted plot to show his ex up at her own wedding, Pete starts on a journey to become a famous novelist. Because, that’s easy to do once one knows the formula.
The writing in this book is superb. From the sugary, lyrical examples of Pete’s writing to the author’s narrative voice, it’s a pure pleasure to read from cover to cover.
HOW I BECAME A FAMOUS NOVELIST sucked me in from the first page, and I found myself reading it during every free moment.
Bravo.
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Dec 13
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 **SPOILERS HEREIN**
I snatched up this book the first time I saw it in a bookstore after reading “The Looking Glass Wars,” which I thoroughly enjoyed.
SEEING REDD begins in a relatively peaceful Wonderland. Alyss & Dodge are feeling out their relationship. Dodge is trying to balance his emotion between his intense drive for revenge and his socially improper love for Alyss. Hatter takes a break to mourn his lost love and discovers that Molly is his daughter (something that seemed pretty obvious to me from the time she was introduced). Arch from Boarderland is plotting against Wonderland throughout most of the book, that is until Redd returns. Redd is brought back out of the heart crystal by a painter in Paris … interesting, because he paints with very fuzzy lines, so she and The Cat are blurry throughout.
This one was a lot harder to get into.
There were many, many, many, many fight scenes that seemed superfluous to me, and I found my eyes glazing over them, eventually skipping ahead to more non-fight scenes.
I particularly liked the scenes with Alyss & Dodge and those with Hatter. Really *love* Hatter.
The biggest problem I had with the book was with what ease Redd navigated through her own maze … Alyss had a much more difficult time in her maze.
Overall, this was a very good book, and I still truly love Beddor’s writing style. I’m learning a lot (as a writer) from it.
I will still be reading ArchEnemy (on my new KINDLE!), the third book in the series, but with a little lower expectation.
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Nov 24
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 The Twilight Saga has truly taken over our culture in a big way. I’m not one to complain, because I like vampire fiction, whether they sparkle or not. I also like intense, dark, tragic love stories, and the story of Bella, Edward, and Jacob are all of those things.
First of all, as a obsessive lover of all things vampire, I’m totally TEAM EDWARD; but Taylor Lautner’s performance as Jacob in New Moon touched my heart. His delivery was impeccable for his many humorous lines. The intensity of Jacob’s feelings for Bella came through in all their fiery appeal, and his body — fricken’ SMOKIN‘! I mean, WOW! (and I say that with complete professionalism about a fine actor that was born the year I graduated from college). I can see why his shirt is missing-in-action during most of the film after he first removes it (with an audible, collective gasp in the audience) to tend to Bella’s injury. They boy must never eat and work out six hours a day to get that body. I’d show it off, too.
Robert Pattinson’s performance was nice, but I wanted more from him. More intensity. More passion. More torment. Like I said, I really love vampires, and he makes a good one. Sparkly skin and all. He always looks like he’s in pain, and that works well for the intensity of this character. He was on screen far too little for my taste, as I love to watch delicious, pale vampire hotties, but such is the plot of this book. Pattison’s on-screen performance doesn’t reach the depth of Edward’s on-page character, with few exceptions of true, beautifully achieved moments of anguish.
The CGI overall was much better in this film than in the first. The werewolves were AWESOME! HUGE — OMG, HUGE! Very nicely done, but I would’ve liked more blood. Much, much, much, much more blood. We are dealing with vampires and werewolves after all.
Kristen Stewart’s performance was the weakest link IMHO. She seems to underplay the depth of her love and pain. Although most of her performance as Bella is one-dimensional, there were few heart-breaking moments of agony that were portrayed perfectly in all their exquisite darkness. When Bella screams in her grief at night. I felt it. I really felt it, and tears came to my eyes. I would’ve liked more of that intensity.
She was actually much more interesting in her interactions with Jacob (Lautner) than any scene with Edward (Pattinson). On screen, Bella and Edward’s love seems almost flat, again, with few moments that reveal the true depth of their passionate need for each other; but Bella and Jacob have quite the chemistry. As soon as Edward comes back on screen, all her dimensions melt away and she is once again lifeless, and not in the good, vampiric, undead way.
Highlights:
- The Volturi. Now THOSE are my kind of vampires!
- The fight with the Volturi.
- The fights between the wolves and between the wolves and the vampire.
- Tender moments between Bella & Jacob
- Bella running through the festival in Italy & into Edward’s arms
 Favorite shot:
Bella, drowned, and Edward’s image floating together in the dark water.
That’s Gothic romance at it’s best.
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Oct 31
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 Today is Samhain. This is the day that started it all!
It was the mythology around this sacred pagan new year that inspired our fantasy series.
It’s one of my favorite days of the year, but this year I’m unfortunately spending it in the truck… but we’re finally headed back home.
A year ago today, I started doing a “Celtic Myth” series, writing a blog on every sabbat, so this ends that year of posts. I will still refer back to them on future sabbats.
Here is the one for Samhain last year.
Additionally! NEW REVIEW FOR Witch on the Water! I specifically like the last sentence 
Once again, Christine & Ethan Rose have weaved a thrilling tale of magic and adventure in “Witch on the Water”. Like its predecessor, “Rowan of the Wood”, this is an enchanting page-turner that has it all. It is filled not only with the wizards, vampires and heroes from the first novel, but new enigmatic characters are introduced to take this story by the reins and alter the course of events for our courageous heroes and vicious villains. The numerous plot lines come together so very well and are each in their own right interesting stories that could stand alone as their own novels; especially the journey of the magic wand, which we learn more about in this story. Something very evident in “Witch on the Water” is the tone…it is much darker and dangerous. Sweet, innocent Cullen finally begins to fight all the forces that are against him. Dark, destructive secrets are revealed. The cruel vampire Fiana is more ruthless than ever. From the characters to the intermingling plot lines and transitions, everything is described so descriptively and simplistically that I can’t help but think how well this would render on the big screen. There were times while reading this that I could actually picture in my mind how a director would create the scene. I cannot wait for the veil to the Otherworld to open again next Samhain so I can find out what happens next!
(by Catherine Somerlot copied from Amazon)
Hope you have a happy one & eat lots and lots and lots of chocolate!
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Oct 28
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Miss Alexia Tarabotti lives with her insufferably shallow family in a Victorian London where vampires, werewolves, and ghosts are an accepted part of society. Her remarried mother and step sisters care nothing about anything unless its the latest fashion and London’s High Society. Miss Tarabotti’s mother had given up on Miss Tarabotti finding a husband, with her large nose and tan skin, over a decade ago, leaving Miss Tarabotti a twenty-something, aging spinster.
Little does Miss Tarabotti’s mother know that Miss Tarabotti has no soul, and that makes her very special indeed.
After accidentally killing a vampire that quite rudely attacked her during a posh party, she’s thrown into a mystery surrounding this paranormal London underground where unregistered vampires start popping up and others are disappearing without a trace.
Excellent book. Superb writing.
Carriger brilliantly blends a (quite humorously executed) Victorian style of prose with the increasingly popular Steampunk sub-genre along with just a touch of delicious paranormal romance.
I will most definitely read this book again, this time with a highlighter to mark all the wonderful dialog and quips that made me laugh out loud the first time through.
Reading Ms. Carriger’s work inspires me to be a better writer, myself. I thoroughly look forward to the forthcoming sequel Changeless.
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Oct 25
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Back in January, I set a 25 book reading challenge for myself this year.
Yes. I know. I know.
It’s nearing the end of October. I should have 20 books read, but as you can see, I’m still behind.
As I mentioned yesterday, I’ll be stepping things up and including reviews in the weeks and months to come. Yesterday was the first review: The Monstrous Regiment of Women.
- The Higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron
- Eternal Vigilance, by Gabrielle Faust
- How to Climb the Charts on YouTube (hasn’t worked), by Alan Lastufka and Michael W Dean
- Beware, Princess Elizabeth, by Carolyn Meyer
- Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman
- Tantalize, by Cynthia Leitich Smith
- Manifest Your Destiny, by Wayne W. Dyer
- The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne
- Night Pleasures, by Sherrilyn Kenyon
- Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, by JK Rowling
- The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening, by LJ Smith
- The Vampire Diaries: The Stuggle, by LJ Smith
- A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle
- The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle
- Witch on the Water, by Christine and Ethan Rose**
- The Looking Glass Wars, by Frank Beddor
- A Monstrous Regiment of Women, by Laurie R. King
- Soulless by Gail Carriger
By the end of this month, I’ll also have read:
Seeing Red by Frank Beddor
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
f you’d like to get any of those fine books mentioned, they are all available on Amazon (along with Rowan of the Wood & Witch on the Water!)
Next month, for my 40th Birthday, I plan to get a KINDLE 2
(finally), so I hope to be reading EVEN MORE!
** Yes! I know we wrote this, but it did take up reading time when we read it *again* for the final proof. So I should actually get credit for reading like 10 books for the amount of times I’ve read this one this year.
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