****

HOT & HEAVY by Sandra Hill (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013422 | $6.99 | Lieutenant Ian MacLean leads a team of highly trained Navy SEALs, the toughest, buffest fighting men in the world. But nothing prepares him for Madrene Olgadottir, a woman from a thousand years in the past…   (this book I could not find at Amazon but it does appear to be on sale at Diesel books).

TRULY, MADLY VIKING by Sandra Hill (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013729 | $6.99 | Maggie McBride is the lucky psychologist who gets to ʺtreatʺ Jorund Ericsson, a man who claims to be a tenth century Viking warrior.

VERY VIRILE VIKING by Sandra Hill (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013736 | $6.99 | Magnus is a 10th century Viking farmer who, with eleven bothersome children, has taken a vow of celibacy. Angela is a modern-day vineyard owner who yearns for just one child.

WET & WILD by Sandra Hill (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013750 | $6.99 | What happens when a Viking suddenly finds himself in the middle of a Navy SEAL training camp? Trying to woo his superior office the old fashioned way…

DARK CHALLENGE by Christine Feehan (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013309 | $6.99| Julian Savage is always alone, far from his Carpathian kind, alien to even his twin. Until he meets the woman he has sworn to protect….

DARK FIRE by Christine Feehan (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013323 | $6.99| Tempest has always been different, but from the moment Darius’ arms closed around her, enveloping her in a sorcerer’s spell, everything changed.

DARK GUARDIAN by Christine Feehan (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013330 | $6.99| Jaxon Montgomery is a woman hunted. Trained by the Special Forces, honed by a traumatic childhood, she meets her match in a mysterious stranger who seems more dangerous than any other she has ever known.

DARK LEGEND by Christine Feehan (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013347 | $6.99| He woke with an overwhelming hunger for blood that demanded satisfaction. Francesca Del Ponce was a healer, and though he knew she would be like hot silk in his arms, he feared for her life…andhis soul.

DARK MAGIC by Christine Feehan (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013354 | $6.99| Savannah Dubrinsky was a mistress of illusion, but it is Gregori who held her in terrifying thrall. With a dark magic all his own, Gregori-the implacable hunter, the legendary healer, the most powerful of Carpathian males, was her destiny.

TASTE OF CRIMSON by Marjorie M. Liu (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013286 | $6.99| Los Angeles is no longer the City of Angels; dark things haunt its streets, and the tentative peace between humans, vampires and werewolves teeters on the brink of collapse. If Keeli Maddox is to survive, she must trust a slayer, a betrayer, an enemy.

EYE OF HEAVEN by Marjorie M. Liu (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013378 | $6.99| When Blue, an electrokinetic and a member of the Dirk & Steele detective agency, is sent to Las Vegas to track down his half- brother, he finds himself embroiled in a smuggling plot – and protecting a young beauty who is more than she appears.

THE FIRE KING by Marjorie M. Liu (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013392 | $6.99| Like all members of Dirk & Steele, Soria has a gift, and she has been chosen to communicate with Karr, a shape-shifter resurrected after thousands of years.

THE LAST TWILIGHT by Marjorie M. Liu (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013484 | $6.99| Doctor Rikki Kinn is a virus hunter working in the Congo for the CDC. But when mercenaries attempt to kidnap her, her boss calls in a favor from the men at Dirk & Steele…

THE RED HEART OF JADE by Marjorie M. Liu (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013576 | $6.99| The grisly murders are just the beginning. Dean Campbell of the Dirk & Steele Detective Agency never suspected that his investigation would lead him to Mirabelle Lee, the childhood sweetheart he'd thought dead.

SHADOW TOUCH by Marjorie M. Liu (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013620 | $6.99| Elena Baxter, a psychic with a healing touch, has been kidnapped. So has Artur Loginov, an agent for Dirk & Steele who can see into a person’s soul. With help from a pair of shape-shifters, they escape…only to discover a far more sinister plot.

SOUL SONG by Marjorie M. Liu (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013651 | $6.99| From the ocean's depths rises a creature whose voice is seduction incarnate. He is a prince of the sea, and his survival will depend Kitala, a woman blessed with the gift of music, as well as the ability to forsee the violent deaths of others…

TIGER EYE by Majorie M. Liu (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013712 | $6.99| He looks completely out of place in Dela Reese's Beijing hotel room-’like the tragic hero of some epic tale. Yet Dela has danced through the echo of his soul, and she knows this warrior will fullfill her every fantasy.

THE WILD ROAD by Marjorie M. Liu (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013781 | $6.99|Lannes is one of a dying race born to protect mankind. And while most see a beautiful man, this illusion is nothing but a prison. But when he finds a woman covered in blood, he will be drawn into a mystery that makes him question all he knows.

A GIRL’S GUIDE TO VAMPIRES by Katie MacAlister (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013408 | $6.99| When Joy is suddenly thrown into a dangerous world where vampires stalk the night, she must untangle the threads involving a serial killer, vampires (both real and pretend), and the handsome, mysterious man who may or may not be what he appears.

SEX AND THE SINGLE VAMPIRE by Katie MacAlister (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013606 | $6.99| Dating is hard when you’re nine hundred years old and you’ve used every pick-up line in the book. Forming a lasting relationship is even more difficult when the woman who makes your heart sing sees dead people and likes to play with demons.

SEX, LIES AND VAMPIRES by Katie MacAlister (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013613 | $6.99| Take a charmer named Nell, add a cursed Dark One, and throw them together while unentangling themselves from a knocker who runs a house of ill repute for poltergeists, avoiding death by a vampire, and trying to convince mummies that dead really does mean forever.

LOVE BITES by Lynsay Sands (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013491 | $6.99| Etienne Argeneau’s three hundred years of bachelorhood were at an end. Rachel Garrett, the beautiful coroner had saved his life. To save hers he would make her immortal.

LOVE IS BLIND by Lynsay Sands (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013507 | $6.99| He'd been warned that Lady Clarissa Crambray was dangerous. Stomping on toes and burning piffles, the beauty was clearly a force with which to be reckoned. But for Adrian Montfort, Earl of Mowbray, this was just the challenge he needed.

THE PERFECT WIFE by Lynsay Sands (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013545 | $6.99| Paen Gerville longed for a lively, well-rounded woman, one whose plump breast would cushion his head after the lonely life of a fighting knight. At first his wife-to-be promised no such delights, but one split bridal gown later, her assets were eye- poppingly apparent and Paen could only anticipated the surprises yet to come on his wedding night

THE RELUCTANT REFORMER by Lynsay Sands (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013583 | $6.99| Everyone knew Lady X. The masked courtesan was reputedly a noblewoman fallen on hard times. What Lord James had not known was that she was Lady Margaret Wentworth – the feisty sister of his best friend, a woman with whom he dare not fall in love.

SINGLE WHITE VAMPIRE by Lynsay Sands (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013644 | $6.99| Lucern: Successful biographer of family, books recently categorized as ʺparanormal romance.ʺ Doesn’t like sunbathing, garlicky dinners or religious symbols. Likes old-fashioned values; warm, nice-smelling neck; and plump red lips. Currently unaware he’s seeking a woman to share eternity.

TALL, DARK & HUNGRY by Lynsay Sands (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013705 | $6.99| Terri had flown from England to help plan her cousin’s wedding. The new in-laws offered lodging, but they were a weird bunch. Especially Bastien. Just looking into his eyes, Terri had to admit she was falling for him.

WHAT SHE WANTS by Lynsay Sands (Avon e-book) | On Sale: 6/8/2010 | ISBN 13: 9780062013767 | $6.99| Earl Hugh Dulonget of Hillcrest must marry. But he just insulted his would – be – bride by calling her a peasant! How could he win back her esteem – and her hand?

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I was excited to read Steamed, mostly because I haven’t found a lot of romance authors making a foray into the subgenre of steampunk and I’m always curious to see how worlds develop. It’s also nice to take a break from vampires, weres and futuristic worlds that have a general tendency to be dystopian. Of course, I’d already made a generalization that the book wouldn’t be as dark as many of the other sci/fi paranormals out there simply because it was a steampunk subgenre . I apologize for that in advance.

Jack Fletcher is some sort of computer technician who’s into steampunk goth bands and has a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time but somehow ending up looking like a hero. He’s working in his company’s lab when his sister, Hallie, shows up. Hallie is attempting to set Jack up on a blind date with a woman who has similar interestes as he does. While she’s talking to him, she’s shaking a can of liquid helium (why this wasn’t removed from her immediate vicinity is beyond me). Hallie ends up misaligning the lid of the can, causing an explosion and blowing them to Steampunk Land. Kinda like when Dora and Boots end up in Fairytale Land. Now that I think about it, just like that. I wanted to kill Boots for being an idiot and falling for the witch’s bullshit. Just like I wanted to kill Hallie for being such an unforgivable idiot in a lab. The book nearly met the wall at that moment, but since Hallie wasn’t our heroine, I continued to read.

Octavia Pye is an Aerocorps captain on her maiden voyage, and knows she’s being tested by her crew and has been given a small shipping route until she proves herself to the Corps. The last thing she needs are two stowaways, which could ruin her standing in the Corps, and if she doesn’t handle them correctly, lose the trust and respect she’s trying to earn from her crew. On top of everything, Octavia is a woman with quite a few secrets that she wants to keep from her crew, the stowaways and the Aerocorps.

One of the biggest issues I had with this book is that it’s written in alternating first person, from either Jack or Olivia’s perspective. Chapter breaks  are when  the viewpoint switches, which provides clarity, but first person alternating is probably one of my least favorite ways to read romance.   I feel that this kept me from really getting the chemistry between Jack and Octavia, and there was a serious lack of total physical description other than a few body parts here and there (i.e., Octavia’s red hair and Jack’s eyes are two different colors). I also had issues with both the hero and heroine. Jack is a supposed Quaker who swears, drinks and draws the line at shooting a weapon, but will engage in a fight. I went to a Quaker school, and I know it means more than being a CO, so I found this a bit strange. He’s also a guy who happens to have received a lot of accolades for not a heck of a lot of heroism. He seemed a bit beta, but not capable, adorable beta. Just oblivious beta.

My problems with Octavia are a lot deeper, mostly because the majority of the book is written from her perspective, or at least it felt that way. Octavia doesn’t have a handle on her crew; they swear, make come-ons, question her authority, and blatantly go against orders. Rather than whipping them into shape with a firm but fair hand, she huffs, shrugs, and kinda lets it roll off her back. She has a respectable captaincy in the Aerocorps after 16 years of service, but the feeling I got is that if she couldn’t handle this small shipping run, she’d lose her position. She also has what seem to be an FBI building full of secrets, she’s had liasons with nearly all of the most powerful men in her world, yet she has no standing at all and can’t get anything done on her own. I found that it just didn’t seem to make sense. Then there was this:

“Your mind says no, but your body says yes,” he said, gently, persistently tugging me closer to him.

While this isn’t as bad as “your mouth says no…” it comes pretty damn close. Jack is a borderline letch, and his version of a compliment is not what I find complementary.

Lastly, the steampunk world seems to be an afterthought. Not the steam functionality, or mechanical machines, but rather the actual world. The different (and warring) factions seemed almost cartoonish, making the entire thing feel unstable and very unrealistic. Every time Etienne Briel is mentioned I had an image of Bomb Voyage in my head, rather than Olivier Martinez. Trust me, I kept trying to switch that mental image, but it wasn’t happening. This world wasn’t a punk dystopia, but it didn’t achieve a level of plausiblity at which I could suspend my disbelief and comfortably enter it. C

~ Shuzluva

This book can be purchased at Amazon
(affiliate link), Kindle (non affiliate link), or in at other etailers.

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While many readers dislike anthologies because the good stories are often outnumbered by the bad, I’m not one of them. I love anthologies. They let me sample many different authors at once — old favorites and new-to-mes. And sometimes all it takes is one perfect story to make an anthology worthwhile.

The follow-up to My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding, My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon presents nine authors covering the spectrum from paranormal romance to straight urban fantasy. The variety is the anthology’s strength. I think there’s something for everyone who likes these genres. On the other hand, some of these stories aren’t as accessible to new readers as they could be and the quality varies widely.

“Stalked” by Kelley Armstrong
I’m a huge fan of yours and the werewolves are my favorite characters from the Otherworld series, so I was greatly pleased to read this story. Set two years after the birth of their twins, Elena and Clay are enjoying their honeymoon, which amused me because they’re technically not married. (It’s more of a symbolic gesture than anything else.) It’s meant to be relaxing and enjoyable but as usual, they have the bad luck to pick up a stalker who’s interested in challenging Clay and claiming Elena for himself.

The writing here is top notch and I thought it did an excellent job combining the romance of an established relationship, action, and the werewolf politics we’ve come to expect from the Otherworld series. What didn’t work for me as well was that a large portion of the emotional tension depends on lack of communication. While it fits both Clay and Elena and the circumstances presented in the story, I can’t help but wonder why they aren’t past this hurdle yet. I also question whether this story works for someone not familiar with the Otherworld series, because certain plot aspects depend upon events that took place in Broken. It’s a good introduction to the world, but I’m not convinced it’s the best. B+

“Heorot” by Jim Butcher
Your long-running Harry Dresden series has been around for several years, but I think a lot of people were introduced to Chicago’s only wizard through the recent Sci-Fi channel television series, myself included. In this story, Harry agrees to help find a missing bride, who vanished soon after the wedding but before the honeymoon. No one believes the poor groom when he says she was kidnapped; most just assume that she got cold feet and ran off, but Harry’s investigation proves otherwise.

Any story in which Harry is with his dog, Mouse, is a good one, and the presence of Gard and a grendelkin provide some worthwhile entertainment. But while this was a solid, straight urban fantasy effort, I also believe the length hampers how good I know a Harry Dresden story can be. I kept turning pages, but nothing left much of a lasting impression. B-

“Roman Holiday, or SPQ ARRRRRRR!” by Rachel Caine
I haven’t read the Weather Warden series or the Morganville Vampire young adult novels, so this is my first introduction to your work. This is unfortunate, because this read more like a piece of Pirates of the Caribbean fanfiction than an original story.

My initial impression isn’t helped by the fact that this is a follow-up to your contribution to My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon. Since I haven’t read that anthology, I have no frame of reference for newlyweds Cecilia and Liam. I’m not invested in these characters, so I don’t much care when Liam’s crew mutinies because they don’t like the modern world, and I don’t care when another pirate shows up and kidnaps Cecilia because he thinks she’s a witch who lifted Liam’s curse. It read like one ridiculous event after another. I felt like I’d walked in midway through a movie and never caught up. I love the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, but I’ve already seen them and I have no desire to read a watered-down version in literary form. D

“Her Mother’s Daughter” by P.N. Elrod
This is my first introduction to your vampire detective, Jack Fleming. I thought he provided an interesting contrast to Harry Dresden: a vampire detective from Depression Era Chicago versus a wizard from present-day Chicago. Even the plot presents a nice contrast: here, it’s the groom who goes missing and the bride who hires Fleming to find him.

I really enjoyed the setting of this story, and I loved the gangster feel provided by the bride’s family, as well as her refusal to become another hapless damsel in distress. That’s why I regret to say I didn’t enjoy this enjoy as much as I’d hoped I would or think I should have. However, it might work better for readers more familiar with your Vampire Files series. C

“Newlydeads: A Tale of Black London” by Caitlin Kittredge
Since your debut novel, Night Life, doesn’t come out for a few months, I believe this will be most readers’ first introduction to your writing. So I admit I was a little disappointed when I realized this story takes place in a different setting with a different cast of characters from your forthcoming werewolf urban fantasy.

To cheer up his partner-of-sorts, Jack Winter takes Pete Caldecott on a holiday and tricks the hotel management into giving them the honeymoon suite. Unfortunately, it’s a holiday that proves anything but restful when hotel guests start disappearing into the lurking fog.

What frustrated me most was that this story relies so much on previous events that took place elsewhere (I believe there is a book in the works about these two?), I again felt like I was missing half the plot when it came to Pete’s issues. I think it’s possible for a story to be connected to other pieces of work, whether they are previous stories or novels, but they also need to stand on their own so new readers can jump in at anytime. Since much of Pete’s lack of emotional well-being depended on events not covered by this story, I was a bit let down by the climax. That said, I did catch some glimpses of brilliance in the writing, so I think this might be one of those cases where future works from you will be astounding. It just might take a few novels and short stories to get there. C

“Where the Heart Lives” by Marjorie M. Liu
I really enjoy your Dirk & Steele series, so I looked forward to this story about the foundation of our favorite paranormal-powered detective agency. Lucy comes from a family of stone cutters who have no use for her, or women in general, as shown by her mother who ran off with a gypsy the year before. So when the opportunity arises, Lucy’s father sends her to take care of a house belonging to a woman named Miss Lindsay. There, Lucy meets Miss Lindsay, a woman with unusual powers, her brother Henry, and Barnabas, the young man who lives with them.

This story reads almost like a fairy tale: a bride stolen by a forest-dwelling faerie witch, a man who pines for the woman he lost, and the very normal woman caught in the middle of it. Of all the stories in this anthology based on existing continuities, I think this is the one that stands alone the best and serves as the best introduction to the world of Dirk & Steele. B

“Cat Got Your Tongue” by Katie MacAlister
This is another first introduction for me and much like the other stories, I think it’s one that’s best enjoyed by existing fans. Fiona and Raphael St. John are on their honeymoon at Fyfe Castle, where they are beseeched by the ghost of Lily Summerton, the wife of one of its former owners, Sir Alec Summerton. She seeks revenge on her husband who betrayed her and supposedly caused her death.

I greatly enjoyed the humorous tone, which provides a great change of pace from an otherwise serious anthology. What made the story less enjoyable was that I predicted what would happen the instant Fiona and Raphael agree to help Lily’s ghost. It’s a good story, and one that I believe loyal fans will enjoy, but when there’s no surprise for me waiting at the end, I find it hard to be excited. C+

“Half of Being Married” by Lilith Saintcrow
I adoreyour Dante Valentine series, so I was happy to find a story of yours included here. And after reading several stories based on pre-existing worlds, I was even happier to learn this doesn’t take place in that setting either. Katrina and Mitchell Black are on their honeymoon but they both failed to reveal an important secret about themselves to the other: Kat is a vampire hunter and Mitch is a werewolf. And when they discover there’s a nest of vampires in the town where they’re staying, things get even more complicated.

I loved the relationship between Kat and Mitch. She very much believes in the mission of her holy order of vampire hunters, while Mitch is very much a product of his werewolf upbringing. I liked that they were both upset when they realized they didn’t know this crucial fact about the other, but that they were able to work through it and then work together, although reluctantly on Mitch’s part, to flush out the vampire nest. And anyone who enjoys the action of your Dante Valentine series will not be disappointed by the action presented here. This was simply a lot of fun, in a bite-sized package. B+

“A Wulf in Groom’s Clothing” by Ronda Thompson
It’s with a sense of bittersweet sadness that I write this. Many readers were saddened by your loss, and reading this final story set in the world of your Wild Wulfs of London series drove that point home. Laura is a city girl, through and through, but her new husband, Sam Wulf, loves the outdoors and she’ll do anything to make him happy, even if it means lying about her true feelings towards the outdoors. As for Sam, he comes from a family that bears a certain curse and hopes that Laura’s love will release him from it.

This is another story about a couple who’ve kept important secrets from one another, but here the bulk of the story focuses on them working through the issues that arise from not sharing those secrets. I liked how Laura wouldn’t accept Sam’s nightly jaunts without explanation and how she tried her best to overcome her dislike of the outdoors because she loved Sam. Normally I hate it when people keep secrets from one another in stories, because it often seems like the author does it to maintain an otherwise superficial conflict but it worked for me here. It’s the motivations of both Sam and Laura that made it believable — Sam doesn’t want to tell Laura he turns into a wolf because he’s afraid she’ll think he’s a monster, and Laura doesn’t want to tell Sam she hates the outdoors because she knows he loves it so much. I do think the ending is a little contrived and perhaps too convenient, but all in all I think it’s a great final send off for the Wulf family. B-

My regards,
Jia

This book can be purchased in mass market. No ebook format.

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