Nocturnal – Spotlight & Review

Nocturnal  by Jacquelyn Frank, Kate Douglas, Jess Haines & Clare Willis

Paperback: 532 pages

Publisher: Zebra – Kensington; 1 edition (Aug 24 2010)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1420109871

ISBN-13: 978-1420109870

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Anthology

Book Description & My Thoughts:

“The Phoenix Project” by Jacquelyn Frank. Held captive, Amara is subjected to bizarre experiments that test the limits of her sanity. But nothing prepares her for being locked away – naked – with a sexy ex-cop…after they’ve been pumped full of drugs that increase their sexual appetites to animalistic intensity…”

Whew, I had to check the spine to see if this book was Erotica or just regular Paranormal Romance after reading this first story. The chemistry between these two is HOT. Nick and Amara are great characters and I absolutely loved the story. Very original and I am hoping that Ms. Frank will write more about Morphates and this world she’s created. Dark, sexy and a roller-coaster ride of danger and suspense.

“Crystal Dreams” by Kate Douglas – When Lemurian Guard Darius chases a demon spirit to Earth, he faces a lethal battle between good and evil. His ally is Mari, a breathtakingly beautiful human who unknowingly holds the key to victory. But before the war is over, Darius’ desire for his mortal companion threatens to erupt – and could cost Mari her life…”

 This tale is told in the same world that Kate Douglas introduced us to in her novel, Demon Fire, her Demon Slayers series. I am in lust with Darius and want a Lemurian of my own, thanks! 😉 Mari is a sweetheart and I really enjoyed the progression of her relationship with Darius. Really cool world building paired up with interesting characters and a great plot & pacing. I know that I will be following forthcoming books in this series.

“Spark of Temptation” by Jess Haines – Blackmailed into taking a treacherous case, P.I. Sara Halloway is thrust into a demon war. Sara seeks guidance from a charismatic mage, but their hunger for one another soon becomes a deadly distraction…and the danger surrounding them only makes their urges more powerful…”

This novella happens between book one, Hunted By The Others, and book two, Taken By The Others, in Jess Haines’ H & W Investigations series. Sara is the partner of Shiarra, who is the main character in both the books. It was awesome to read a story in Sara’s P.O.V. that was filled with characters from the books. Sara takes a job from Royce, a bad-a$$ vamp, and action, danger, conflict and some romance ensues! Sara & Arnold make a great team and I was really happy to read their story!

“My Soul to Take” by Clare Willis – New Orleans native Dr. Maggie Dillon thought she left her past behind her – until she’s enraptured by a handsome patient who has been possessed by a malevolent spirit. To find a cure, Colby revisits her magical roots – and unleashes a primal lust too vital to ignore…”

Maggie Dillon meets her soul mate in a patient who truly is possessed! Derek is handsome, talented & tortured by the malevolent spirit residing in him. Maggie has to call her sister Eve, who is a Voodoo Priestess in New Orleans to come and help with Derek. A fun read with engaging characters.

 

     

Buy NOCTURNAL at:

Chapters

Amazon

The Book Depository

Jess Haines & Ardeur Winners

Aaaand back to our regularly scheduled programming…

First off, I’d like to thank both Jess Haines and Smart Pop Books for providing the books in their respective giveaways. It’s always appreciated, and Jess, it was great to get to know you a bit better and share your ultimate coolness with the rest of the world! 😀 

Second, I really enjoyed reading everyone’s comments, questions and answers for these two posts! It was awesome to see many old followers and a whole bunch of new people. Welcome to my lair newbies, I hope to see you all around in the comments. *Grins & waves*

For the Hunted By The Others giveaway, we had 30 commenters with a grand total of 138 entries! The general consensus was that most people were “for” watching a big budget vampire vs. werewolf movie. Unsurprisingly, the Underworld movies were frequently mentioned as examples. (They are some of my favorite movies).

Now on to the winners:

Random.org supplied me with the #10, so Lisa Richards, congratulations!! I hope you’ll love Hunted By The Others as much as I did.  🙂

For the Ardeur giveaway, we had 24 commenters with 78 entries in total. Let me tell you, it was great to hear from a whole bunch of Anita Blake fans, all the things they love about the series! I too am a long-time fan and am excited to see what other authors have to say about it. I’m looking forward to reading Ardeur too.

Random.org chose #53, so Kate L, congrats and a hip hip hooray! 😀

Ladies: Can you please email me your mailing info at sidhevicious(at)shaw(dot)ca so I can forward it on to get your books out to you. As always, if I haven’t heard back from the winner/s in 7 days, new name/s will be drawn from the eligible entrants.

MyHotComments

 

Jess Haines – Guest Blog & Giveaway

Today I have Jess Haines, author of the debut Urban Fantasy novel Hunted By The Others, here guest blogging along with a giveaway!

Hunted By The Others, which will be hitting the shelves on April 27th, is the first in the H&W Investigations series. The next book, Taken By The Others is due to be released around December 2010.

See my review of Hunted By The Others HERE

I’ll pass my blogging reigns over to Jess, let’s give her a warm welcome! 🙂

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Vampires vs. Werewolves

 Like cats and dogs, vampires and werewolves classically do not mix. This kind of conflict makes for some tasty media treats. For example, let’s take the deliciously action-packed Underworld movies.

 Vampires, the blue-blooded aristocrats of their society, have long ruled over humans and Lycans (werewolves) alike from the shadows. Many werewolves were at one time forced into servitude to the vampires, and when the Lycans revolted, the enmity between the two races was never resolved. The hatred between the vampires and werewolves (and hotties like Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman dressed in tight leather) has led to a franchise that has spawned three released movies, a fourth in the works, as well as comics and a series of novels.

 Now, with the three movies garnering ratings of 7% to 49% between Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, or C+ and D+ respectively from Yahoo Movie Reviews (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underworld_(film_series)), how is it the three movies made a combined box office revenue of $601,858,330? We’re not even talking DVD or other merchandise sales. With reviews like: “…a relentlessly unpleasant fantasy epic…” (David Nusair) and “The film even has the nerve to set itself up for a sequel. Of course, the ending is so sloppy, that this may have just been an oversight.” (Joe Lozito), both from www.rottentomatoes.com, something doesn’t quite add up here.

 Not to put too fine a point on it, but for movies so poorly rated, it looks like they did just fine at the box office. Perhaps the critics are missing something? That or the movies have something to them that isn’t being delivered by the usual summer blockbusters. Perhaps there’s something to them that moviegoers (and comic book readers/collectors and readers of the novels in this genre) are hungry for, and will take in whatever form they can get.

 What is it that’s so fascinating about vampires and werewolves being at odds with each other? Is it the idea of two strong, vicious creatures clashing, each vying for dominance? Is it the Matrix-like sword/fang/claw/gun-play? The abundance of tight leather-and-lace outfits?

 Whatever the case may be, I believe that this is a market that has not been fully tapped. I could have used a different example (the Twilight Saga comes to mind), but I don’t think that would properly illustrate my point. The focus of that series is more upon the romantic aspect of Bella and Edward’s relationship than the hostility between vampires and werewolves. There have been video games and tabletop role-playing games and novels that are based around the Vampire vs. Werewolf mentality. Take the hugely successful Vampire: the Masquerade role-playing game, the same one that spawned its own video game spinoff. Or there’s Michele Hauf’s recently released novel, HER VAMPIRE HUSBAND (HQN Books, April 1, 2010). The basic premise is a need to mend a long-standing rift between the vampire and werewolf communities through marriage of a vampire aristocrat to a werewolf princess. This conflict has reached the romance section, ladies and gentlemen! Even Facebook (link: http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2526220728) has joined the fun and games.

 So, in short, it appears that our fascination with these creatures being at each others’ throats isn’t limited to novels and comic books. The makers of Underworld may not have made the critics happy, but they’ve certainly entertained an awfully big audience. What do you think? Do we need more books and films that cover this quarrel? Could Hollywood stand to do something big and pretty and with a huge budget on the order of Lord of the Rings or Avatar with the Vampire vs. Werewolf plot? Or would it flop spectacularly on the level of something like Catwoman or Gigli?

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Thanks so much Jess for that thought provoking blog! I’ll state my thoughts and response to your question in the comments as it could be a long one, lol. 😀

Giveaway Details:

Jess Haines has generously offered one winner a signed copy of Hunted By The Others! Giveaway is open to Everyone. Jess will also be popping by to respond to questions or comments. 

Question:  What do you think? Do we need more books and films that cover this quarrel? Could Hollywood stand to do something big and pretty and with a huge budget on the order of Lord of the Rings or Avatar with the Vampire vs. Werewolf plot? Or would it flop spectacularly on the level of something like Catwoman or Gigli?

For one entry: Please leave a comment with the answer to the question.  (+1 entry) OR a question for Jess (+1 entry)

 For extra entries:  

• Subscribe to my blog, Sidhe Vicious Reviews, through the links at the top right hand side of the blog, and let me know in your comment. Be sure you verify your subscription through the email you’ll receive or it won’t count. (+1 entry)
• If you’re already subscribed, you’ll receive two extra entries, but be sure to let me know in the comments if you’re an old follower. (+2 entries)
• Post a link to this contest on your Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace, GoodReads, LibraryThing, or on your blog and send me the link either in the comments or by email and you’ll get an extra entry for each place you add a link to. ( add 1 entry each for  however many links you’ve done)
• Follow me on Twitter, Add me as a friend on FaceBook, GoodReads, MySpace, Chapters Community or LibraryThing. (add 1 entry each for however many places you followed/friended me)
•  
• Contest is open to Everyone  and will run through May 4th until 11:59pm. The winners will be posted here on May 5th. Please leave your email addy in your comment for me to contact you if you’ve won. If I haven’t heard back from the winner in 7 days, a new winner will be drawn from the eligible comments. Winners will be chosen by a random number generator. Good Luck everyone!

(I should also mention that if you’re leaving me a bunch of links in your comment, do not panic if it doesn’t show up right away. It just automatically gets held for me to moderate, which I will as soon as I’m online. )

Hunted By The Others – Spotlight & Review

Hunted By The Others by Jess Haines

Paperback: 352 pages

Publisher: Zebra – Kensington (April 27 2010)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1420111876

ISBN-13: 978-1420111873

Book Description:

“They are the Others—the vampires, mages, and werewolves once thought to exist only in our imaginations. Now they’re stepping out of the shadows, and nothing in our world will ever be the same again…

 

In A Town Like This, Being A P.I. Can Be Murder Shiarra Waynest’s detective work was dangerous enough when her client base was strictly mortal. But ailing finances have forced her to accept a lucrative case that could save her firm—if it doesn’t kill her first. Shiarra has signed on to work for a high-level mage to recover an ancient artifact owned by one of New York’s most powerful vampires.

 

As soon as Shiarra meets sexy, mesmerizing vamp Alec Royce, she knows her assignment is even more complicated than she thought. With a clandestine anti-Other group trying to recruit her, and magi being eliminated, Shiarra needs back-up and enlists her ex-boyfriend—a werewolf whose non-furry form is disarmingly appealing—and a nerdy mage with surprising talents. But it may not be enough. In a city where the undead roam, magic rules, and even the Others aren’t always what they seem, Shiarra has just become the secret weapon in a battle between good and evil—whether she likes it or not…”

 

My Thoughts:

An excellent Urban Fantasy debut novel that kept me flipping the pages long into the night. A fun, sexy, action packed romp through the dark side of Jess Haines’ richly detailed world. Shiarra, Sara (her best friend & business partner), Alec Royce (a smokin hot powerful Vampire), Chaz (Shiarra’s werewolf ex-boyfriend) and Arnold (a mage from The Circle) are all great characters and it was a blast reading about their adventures. I could really relate to the main character, Shiarra, she is so wonderfully written, and I was hooked from the get-go. 

 

This book ticked all of my “what I love in a great book” boxes! I would highly recommend this book to any and all Urban Fantasy fans. I can’t wait for the next book in the series, Taken By The Others which will be released January 2011. Jess Haines has a reserved spot on my “must buy” list along with several other great authors.

 

    

To find out more about Jess Haines and her novels, go to her website, or her blog.

Pre-Order Hunted By The Others at:

Chapters

Amazon.ca

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble