Re-Read Challenge: Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead

This month, I chose Richelle Mead's Succubus Blues for Nath's Re-Read Challenge. I wasn't sure I was going to make it this month as I just picked this book up two days ago, but just like the first time I read it super fast. You can read my original review here.

Succubus (n) - An alluring, shape-shifting demon who seduces and pleasures mortal men.

Pathetic (adj.) - A succubus with great shoes and no social life. See: Georgina Kincaid.

When it comes to jobs in hell, being a succubus seems pretty glamorous. A girl can be anything she wants. The wardrobe is killer, and mortal men will do anything just for a touch. Granted, they often pay with their souls, but why get technical?

But Seattle succubus Georgina Kincaid’s life is far less exotic. Her boss is a middle-management demon with a thing for John Cusack movies. Her immortal best friends haven’t stopped teasing her about the time she shape-shifted into the Demon Goddess get-up complete with whip and wings. And she can’t have a decent date without sucking away part of the guy’s life. At least there’s her day job at a local bookstore—free books, all the white chocolate mochas she can drink, and easy access to bestselling, sexy writer, Seth Mortensen, aka He Whom She Would Give Anything to Touch but Can’t.

But dreaming about Seth will have to wait. Something wicked is at work in Seattle’s demon underground. And for once, all of her hot charms and drop-dead one-liners won’t help because Georgina’s about to discover there are some creatures out there that both heaven and hell want to deny...

I picked Succubus Blues this month because the fourth book in the Georgina Kincaid series came out recently and I inhaled that book in one day. I absolutely loved it (so much so I didn't review it, which happens to books I adore LOL I get greedy and don't want to share, which is bass ackwards if you ask me). I digress. Succubus Blues is book one in the GK series and I wanted to go back to the beginning to see the characters when they were fresh. In my original review, I state how giddy I am. And although I wasn't giddy the second time around, I definitely enjoyed myself!

Looking back at that first review, I realize I didn't really summarize what happened. First of all, Georgina Kincaid is a succubus. She a couple thousand years old and she's somewhat jaded and tired of the good vs. evil system. She rarely sucks up a good moral man's life force anymore and she only goes after low lifes. She's currently an assistant manager at a Seattle bookstore and although she isn't happy, she's content with where she is right now. She's got her circle of friends, made up of imps, vampires and angels and she's also got a nice circle of human friends. LOL Things start to get bizarre when immortal beings around Seattle start getting killed. Georgina is told to stay out of it, but she's not one to just sit back and do as she's told. While she's out trying to find what can possibly kill her and her friends, she becomes entangled with two vastly different human men. And that's something Georgina has not done in a while. In her past experience, love causes pain - and these two guys are definitely ones she can fall for.

So that's Succubus Blues in a nutshell. It's an excellent introduction to Georgina Kincaid & Co. and I highly recommend you read it! LOL It's all from Georgina's POV and usually I'm not a fan of first person POV but in this case, Richelle really makes it work. We're more sympathetic to Georgina and we get to see the story unfold right along with her. And it truly is an interesting story. Richelle Mead's world-building and mythology explaining is truly a delight. The characters are all well rounded out and there are all there throughout the series.

And the two guys? *sigh* What can I say, they're sexy as hell! LOL I still give Succubus Blues an A.

recent buys

Ok, Chapters is having a Buy 3 Get the 4th Free Sale and I've soooo taken advantage of this. Check it out.

Fortunately, this recent binge has satisfied the tbr monster to such a degree it told me it won't need any sacrifices for a while. So I'll be saving my money for the foreseeable future. LOL

awww!!

Thank You

I'm sitting here, wondering what book to review and bemoaning my lack of reviewing mojo and I got to thinking about blogland and the people we meet and how we love reading and I was overcome with gratitude.

I'm so glad I started blogging and that this amazing community was out there and so welcoming. And I'm amazed at how inclusive this community is and it's always fun to get to know new people and I just have to say THANK YOU.

THANK YOU to all the people who were there for me recently and for those who took a moment to think about my aunt over the past weekend. Thank you for your emails that make me laugh, for sharing my interests and chatting for hours on end. Thank you for being you. :P

And I'm ever so glad I started blogging and that such a place exists that makes me and others feel so welcome.

Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton

Warning: There are spoilers re: who Anita sleeps with. Big surprise there.

Now the old bastard's dying and I won't have time to forgive him before he goes....

Jason Schuyler is a werewolf. He's also one of Anita Blake's best friends, and sometimes her lover. And right now he needs her -- not to be a vampire hunter, or a federal marshal, or a necromancer, or even for her rank in the werewolf pack, but because his father is dying. He needs Anita because she's a pretty woman who loves him, who can make him look like an everyday guy, who agrees to go home with him and help him say good-bye to the abusive father he never loved. The fact that Jason is about as much an everyday guy as Anita is a pretty woman is something they figure they can keep under wraps for a couple of days in a small town. How hard can that be?
Really, by now, Anita Blake should know better.

Marmee Noir, ancient mother of all vampires, picks this weekend to make a move. Somehow she has cut the connection that binds Anita and Jean-Claude, leaving Jean-Claude unable to sense what is happening. Dangerous even as she sleeps, buried in darkness for a thousand years somewhere beneath the old country of Europe, Marmee Noir reaches out toward power. She has attacked Anita before, but never like this. In Anita she senses what she needs to make her enemies tremble. . .

Reason for Reading: LKH is my literary crack. I cannot say no after all this time. But ever since the series picked up slightly with the Harlequin, I had to give Blood Noir a shot.

Summary: So Jason is one of those characters that has been around since the beginning. He is Jean-Claude's pomme de sang (blood donor basically) and Anita's friend. After breaking up with Perdita, a merwoman from the East Coast (whom I didn't even remember he was seeing), Jason comes knocking on Anita's door for some company. He finds her home alone with Nathaniel since Micah is out of town. Anita and Nathaniel console him and when Anita questions Jason's real reason for coming over, it turns out Jason's father is dying and he's always thought Jason was gay. So he needs a woman to come along to his hometown and pretend to be his sweetheart. Anita really isn't Jason's sweetheart, but she is his buddy so she agrees. Shocking I know.

So Anita and Jason head out for Jason's hometown and things hit the fan pretty quick. First of all, Jason bears an uncanny resemblance to the governor's son who is getting married that weekend and everyone thinks this famous guy is cheating on his fiancee. Then Marmee Noir shows up and more metaphysical crap goes down with the ardeur, and I gotta say, I was not cool with Marmee Noir raping Anita and two strangers. Not cool at all. Which leads us to...

My Thoughts: All right, let's get what I did not like out of the way. Marmee Noir, who is the mother of all vampires and maybe even the first ever vampire, has taken a liking to Anita in the last couple of books. Anita now wears an amulet to protect her against Marmee's evil ways but Marmee totally screws Anita over with the ardeur by making her screw two weretigers - two strange weretigers. This happens towards the end of the book and raises a whole bunch of crap. Richard shows up, Richard gets jealous, why is this guy still in the freaking series? Anyway, did not like that Anita is still gaining even more men to her bed. Also, Jason is going to be more available to Anita now too, she's fallen in love with him you see. After all this time, Jason finally gets a piece of her, he's not just an extra with a main guy.

Actually, now that I think about it, this book really wasn't about anything. LOL It's just raised some more questions about Marmee Noir and Anita is gaining yet more power and guess what? She re-inherits her rage from Richard, so at least he's going to calm down.

C-

throughts from last night's reading

I read almost 200 pages of Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton. It's book 16 in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series.

The interesting thing is there have only been 2 sex scenes. I know, I'm shocked too. But one of those scenes? It takes 60 pages - they start, they stop to talk, they start again...they stop to talk again. Finally they get to it.

And Anita is so obtuse about everything! ARgh!!

Also, part of the conflict derives from the fact that Jason, Jean-Claude's pomme de sang, has an uncanny resemblance to the town's most important family's twin sons. And yet...and yet...Jason is accused of something as a teenager by his family and they're not putting two and two together. Despite the fact that everyone talks about how Jason and one of the twins were always getting mixed up.

So last night? Frustrating. But this is my crack, y'all! I can't stop!!

On the personal front - my mouth was sore last night, but the pills took care of that. One side is more tender than the other though. All in all - big chicken for nothing! And they didn't make a video of me, I wasn't that crazy. Although when the nurse saw me poking my chin (it felt massive and like it was a sponge) she showed me my face in the mirror and I pretended to scream. LOL

stuff

Ok, I'm scared today. I'm getting my wisdom teeth pulled out this afternoon. All 4 of them so I'll be knocked out. I've been putting this procedure off for 5 years. That's how big a chicken I am.

Also, I don't want kind family members to take advantage of my woozy state like this poor kid's dad did. LOL

But my biggest worry - my aunt is having surgery this morning to remove a tumor from her breast. I hope everything goes well for both of us today. It also provides some perspective for me - I think I have problems? I have a quick surgery but my aunt will stay in the hospital for a bit and then do 5 weeks of intensive radiation. Yeah, that gives me some perspective.

TBR Day: Desperate Duchesses by Eloisa James

Today's review is courtesy of Keishon's TBR Challenge. (It has nothing to do with me - LOL - I have no blogging mojo!) This month's challenge was to pick a novel featuring a tortured hero or heroine. I made a nice little list of the books in my tbr pile (Anne Stuart was on it, so was Linda Howard) but I didn't make it to those books. I got caught up by an author I have never read before - Eloisa James.

Title: Desperate Duchesses
Author: Eloisa James
Publisher: Avon
Published: May 2007
Series: Desperate Duchesses book #1

A marquess's sheltered only daughter, Lady Roberta St. Giles falls in love with a man she glimpses across a crowded ballroom: a duke, a chess player of consummate skill, a notorious rake who shows no interest in marriage -- until he lays eyes on Roberta.

Yet the Earl of Gryffyn knows too well that the price required to gain a coronet is often too high. Damon Reeve, the earl, is determined to protect the exquisite Roberta from chasing after the wrong destiny.

Can Damon entice her into a high-stakes game of his own, even if his heart is likely to be lost in the venture?

Reason for Reading: I have read quite a number of favourable reviews of Ms. James' work over the last couple of years. So I buy her books and put them in the jaws of the monster TBR Pile where they collect dust. Her latest release, This Duchess of Mine, just came out and I really wanted to buy it. I read a review somewhere and it planted a seed. That seed finally took root and I dusted off Desperate Duchesses so I could read this series in its entirety. The only book I didn't have was When the Duke Returns. Nath kindly sent it to me (thanks sweetie!) and today I finally bought This Duchess of Mine. Yay - there's my HEA. LOL

My Thoughts: Hot damn can Eloisa James write! Desperate Duchesses was this wonderful mix of all these characters and it really appealed to me. Central to this whole series (since they're in every book) are Jemma and Elijah. They are not the central couple of this book, but they are the central characters. That and chess. Chess plays a big part of this book - which was interesting. But back to the Beaumonts - they are central.

The central couple starts with Roberta - the sheltered daughter of the Mad Marquess, so-called due to the fact that he loves poetry and weeping in public. He raised Roberta very unconventionally so in a bid to escape his household (she loves him, but she needs to spread her wings, which is something I can understand) she falls for the perfect man - a Duke, a proper dignified gentleman.

To capture her duke (Villiers), Roberta crashes at her cousin Jemma's in London. Which is another unconventional household so Roberta fits right in. Also living in Jemma's mansion is Roberta's brother, the Earl of Gryffyn - as unconventional as you can get.

Needless to say, Roberta may want Villiers, but someone else captures her attention.

Honestly, I thought Roberta was going to be silly. But she wasn't. When those kisses with the non-Villiers started taking place, she didn't really try to stop them. She figured she'd learn from them and take her pleasure where she could. - especially when Villiers let her know that he was not interested in her virginity. And Roberta wasn't terribly fond of children, which I thought an interesting attitude for a historical character to have.

All of these quirky characters and unconventional attitudes made Desperate Duchesses a refreshing read. A solid B from me.

Books I Want - in June

I've got nothing. I'm beginning week 2 of a two week vacation and I've barely blogged. I am reading however. That's why I've been so quiet. And as always, I've got a yen for more books. Here's what books I'm looking forward to these days:

Once there were great magicians born to the Maghuin Dhonn; the folk of the Brown Bear, the oldest tribe in Alba. But generations ago, the greatest of them all broke a sacred oath sworn in the name of all his people. Now, only small gifts remain to them. Through her lineage, Moirin possesses such gifts - the ability to summon the twilight and conceal herself, and the skill to coax plants to grow.

Moirin has a secret, too. From childhood onward, she senses the presence of unfamiliar gods in her life; the bright lady, and the man with a seedling cupped in his palm. Raised in the wilderness by her reclusive mother, it isn''t until she comes of age that Moirin learns how illustrious, if mixed, her heritage is. The great granddaughter of Alais the Wise, child of the Maghuin Donn, and a cousin of the Cruarch of Alba, Moirin learns her father was a D''Angeline priest dedicated to serving Naamah, goddess of desire.

After Moirin undergoes the rites of adulthood, she finds divine acceptance...on the condition that she fulfill an unknown destiny that lies somewhere beyond the ocean. Or perhaps oceans. Beyond Terre d''Ange where she finds her father, in the far reaches of distant Ch''in, Moirin''s skills are a true gift when facing the vengeful plans of an ambitious mage, a noble warrior princess desperate to save her father''s throne, and the spirit of a celestial dragon.

Naamah's Kiss is available June 24.

Spunky English girl overcomes impossible odds and outsmarts heathen villains.
That's the headline when Zoe Lexham returns to England. After twelve years in the exotic east, she's shockingly adept in the sensual arts. She knows everything a young lady shouldn't and nothing she ought to know. She's a walking scandal, with no hope of a future . . . unless someone can civilize her.
Lucien de Grey, the Duke of Marchmont, is no knight in shining armor. He's cynical, easily bored, and dangerous to women. He charms, seduces, and leaves them--with parting gifts of expensive jewelry to dry their tears. But good looks, combined with money and rank, makes him welcome everywhere. The most popular bachelor in the Beau Monde can easily save Zoe's risqu reputation . . . if the wayward beauty doesn't lead him into temptation, and a passion that could ruin them both.

Don't Tempt Me is available June 19.

They are called Feral Warriors—an elite band of immortals who can change shape at will. Sworn to rid the world of evil, consumed by sorcery and seduction, their wild natures are primed for release . . .
Kara MacAllister's quiet small-town life is transformed forever the night a powerful stranger rips her from her home, claiming she is the chosen one—the key to his survival.
Spiriting her away into the rain-soaked night, Lyon reveals a truth Kara can barely credit. She's immortal, and the only one who can save his race. And deep within her, he arouses a fierce, primal hunger beyond anything she's ever imagined.
But only when their lives are threatened by an ancient evil will Kara and Lyon realize they have found a love they would risk their immortal souls to claim . . . and a powerful desire that could never, ever be tamed.

Rowena featured this book at Book Binge a while ago and I've been on the lookout. Desire Untamed is available June 19 as well.

The Doctor Is In Deep
Wishful, California, is 3000 miles from Dr. Emma Sinclair's last job in a New York City ER. It may as well be another galaxy. Here, running her father's clinic for a summer, Emma treats bee stings, stomach flu, and the occasional pet cat. Plus, she has to contend with patients like Stone Wilder: gorgeous, laid-back, and irritating beyond belief. The man laughs at her. A lot. And Emma loathes him. All except that tiny part of her that wants to throw him on her examining table and break every doctor-patient rule in the book...
When Stone tries to help Emma learn to loosen up a bit, he pictures white-water rafting or scenic mountain hikes. Not a mind-blowing affair that shakes them both to the core. Emma's sure she has no place in a town like Wishful, but Stone knows different. Emma belongs here—in this town, in his life. And convincing this strong-minded, stubborn, sexy woman of that fact will be a challenge no Wilder man could resist...

Instant Gratification is available June 23.

Silver-tongued Viscount Sanburne is London''s favorite scapegrace. Alas, Lydia Boyce has no interest in being charmed. When his latest escapade exposes a plot to ruin her family, she vows to handle it herself, as she always has done. Certainly she requires no help from a too-handsome dilettante whose main achievement is being scandalous. But Sanburne''s golden charisma masks a sharper mind and darker history than she realizes. He shocks Lydia by breaking past her prim facade to the woman beneath...and the hidden fire no man has ever recognized. But as she follows him into a world of intrigue, she will learn that the greatest danger lies within -- in the shadowy, secret motives of his heart.

Bound by Your Touch is available June 30.

What books are you looking forward to?

Tuesday Tease

Spunky English girl overcomes impossible odds and outsmarts heathen villains.

That's the headline when Zoe Lexham returns to England. After twelve years in the exotic east, she's shockingly adept in the sensual arts. She knows everything a young lady shouldn't and nothing she ought to know. She's a walking scandal, with no hope of a future . . . unless someone can civilize her.

Lucien de Grey, the Duke of Marchmont, is no knight in shining armor. He's cynical, easily bored, and dangerous to women. He charms, seduces, and leaves them--with parting gifts of expensive jewelry to dry their tears. But good looks, combined with money and rank, makes him welcome everywhere. The most popular bachelor in the Beau Monde can easily save Zoe's risqué reputation . . . if the wayward beauty doesn't lead him into temptation, and a passion that could ruin them both.

Loretta Chase is an autobuy author for me and I always anxiously await her next release. Don't Tempt Me is going to be out later this month. Squee!

review @ Book Binge

I have a review of Cheryl Brooks Outcast up at a Book Binge. Outcast is the 4th book in the Cat Star Chronicles and in my opinion, the best from that series.

See my review HERE.

Bonnie Neurath, a homesteader on the newly colonized planet of Terra Minor, is in desperate need of help. Her boyfriend abandoned her with a farm, some really nasty livestock, and a baby on the way. Lynx is a Zetithian who spent ten years as a slave to a harem full of women. Now a free man, he's already forgotten more about pleasing women than most men ever learn, but his experiences have also turned him into an impotent woman-hater. Neither is looking for love, but when circumstances bring them together, danger and hot romance ensue.

um...

So I felt like some change, and somehow deleted all my link lists and what not.

Oh well, I guess? LOL

I'm not sure what I'm going to stick with, I need something...I like trees, but not sure I like this one. What do you think? Now that all my widgets are things of the past (I really hate those damn widgets) I can pretty much do anything. *sigh*

ETA: And just like that, the tree is gone. I can't make up my mind.

Vicious Max...

...is all bluster. LOL

So this is Mr. Whiskers - he's deaf. And so he's not really brave, he just can't tell that Max is getting ready to bite his head off. Of course in all the years that these two have cohabitated, Max has never bit him over food.

Turn up the volume for this one. LOL

some blog lovin'

Isabel from All About Me and Monroe from Monroe with a Twist have awarded me with the One Lovely Blog Award.  Thanks you guys!

By accepting the 'One Lovely Blog' Award, I must also post the Rules of Blog Award Acceptance:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Ok - I'm not organized enough to figure out who the last 15 blogs were that were new to me. I just plunk new addresses into my google reader and lurk. LOL Isn't that awful? So here's one award that I cannot nominate others. I feel bad, but know that I lurk, and I think your blog is lovely too.

Nath has awarded me the Little CJ Blog Award. Thanks Nath. :P

I have to hand this off to two people or get voodoo dolls stuck into me. So I'm awarding this to Izzy and Rowena!!

And finally, Stacy from Stacy's Place on Earth has awarded me a Literary Blogger Award.  Thank you Stacy.  :P

1) Put the logo on your blog/post.

2) Nominate up to 9 blogs.

3) Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4) Let them know that they have been nominated by commenting on their blog.

5) Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.

I'm nominating -
Monroe from Monroe with a Twist
Nath from Books, Books and More Books (although she got this award already)
Kristie from Ramblings on Romance, etc, etc..
Seneca because Reading is Sexy LOL
Zeek from the Way I See It
Kelly/Kailana from The Written World

Re-Read Challenge: The Rules of Gentility by Janet Mullany

Life being what it is and knowing a winner has already been posted for May, I still have to post my re-read review. It's my personality ok? I can't help it.

You can read my original review of the Rules of Gentility here. Also, you can see by those old comments how terribly intimidated I was by an author stopping by my blog. I never even responded! *sigh*

Regency heiress Philomena Wellesley-Clegg has rather strong opinions about men and clothing. As to the former, so far two lords, a viscount, and a mad poet have fallen far short of her expectations. But she is about to meet Inigo Linsley, an unshaven, wickedly handsome man with a scandalous secret. He's nothing she ever dreamed she'd want—why then can she not stop thinking about how he looks in his breeches?

A delightful marriage of Pride and Prejudice with Bridget Jones's Diary, Janet Mullany's The Rules of Gentility transports us to the days before designer shoes, apple martinis, and speed dating—when great bonnets, punch at Almack's, and the marriage mart were in fashion—and captivates us with a winsome heroine who learns that some rules in society are made to be broken.

So, I've read the Rules a few times since that first time and I still love it. I've also read Pride and Prejudice since then and I have to admit, the Rules was the perfect blend of old and new. This time around, I also appreciated Inigo's perspective more than before. He's truly not blind to Philomena's faults and he still loves her madly anyway.

Here's a passage that always always gets me:

Miss Wellesley-Clegg looks in our direction at that moment, recognizes the Dowager Countess, curtsies, and smiles. I could swear the sun comes out from behind the clouds and transforms the dingy environs of London into something clean and sparkling.

This moment takes place not too long after Philomena and Inigo first meet.

And Philomena likewise cannot get the rascal Inigo out of her mind. She's also not blind to his faults, but she's drawn to him again and again.

Seriously, if you haven't picked this up yet, you're missing out. The Rules of Gentility is a fresh take on some tired cliches but Janet Mullany makes them work time and again. A