MR. MAILMAN: IMMORTAL CITY

A huge THANK YOU to Lesley of My Keeper Shelf for hosting Hoppy Easter Giveaway Hop which made it possible for me to win Immmortal City by Scott Speer!

Couldn't wait to find it in my mail!! *big smile* This wait is worth another Mr. Mailman feature! A kind of "blog meme" started by Juju over at Tales Of Whimsy.

About Mr. Mailman:

Mr. Mailman is a feature Juju decided to try. Periodically when there is a book in route which she is anxiously hoping to find when she gets home to her mailbox - Juju would feature Mr. Mailman.

Mr. Mailman is a hybrid of Waiting on Wednesday by Breaking the Spine and In My Mailbox by the Story Siren. Please feel free to grab the logo and feature your Mr. Mailman request on your site. Please leave a link to your Mr. Mailman request in the comments at Tales Of Whimsy.

Source: Info in the About Mr. Mailman was pinched from Juju's blog, the Tales Of Whimsy, on 04/12/09.

Immmortal City by Scott Speer
Book 1 of the Immortal City series

About Immmortal City:

Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them.

He's days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone's obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect - everyone except for Madison Montgomery.

Maddy's the one girl in Angel City who doesn't breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn't recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love.

Maddy is swiftly caught up in Jackson's scene, a world of glamour, paparazzi - and murder. A serial killer is on the loose, leaving dead Angels' wings for the police to find on the Walk of Fame. Even the Guardians are powerless to protect themselves in the face of this threat & and this time it's up to Maddy to save Jackson.

Source: Info in the About Immmortal City was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11443325-immortal-city on 28/04/2012.

Review: DEMONS AT DEADNIGHT

Demons At Deadnight by A & E Kirk
Book 1 of the Divinicus Nex Chronicles
Genre: urban fantasy YA
Format: ebook

About Demons At Deadnight:

DEMONIC DESTINY
Aurora has the crappiest superpower on the planet. And it’s just unleashed a hit squad from hell. Demons are on the hunt, salivating to carve her carcass into confetti.

CHARISMATIC KILLERS
The Hex Boys—mysterious, hunky, and notorious for their trails of destruction—have the answers Aurora needs to survive. But their overload of deadly secrets and suspicious motives makes trusting them a potentially fatal move.

LETHAL ALLIES
The battle to save her family, herself, and stop demonic domination may cost Aurora everything worth living for, and force her to reveal her own dark secrets. But no worries. She needs the Hex Boys to pull this off, and, chances are, teaming up with these guys will get her killed anyway.

Source: Info in the About Demons At Deadnight was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13244372-demons-at-deadnight on 31/03/2012.

Review:

I have to admit that I bought this book only because I like Alyssa. She's a wonderful blogger! Always polite and has a wicked sense of humour that tends to shine through in the way she relates to people in the blogging world. And when I started reading this book, that impression about her humour was pleasantly reaffirmed! Humour is always pleasant to read! Which, I think, also contributed to the book being fast paced.

There are two main things I like most about this book which stands out to me. One, is the snarky remarks. Like I said I like humour in a book. And this snarkiness peppered the story all through out from cover to cover. That earned the book a lot of kudos. Second, is the team dynamic between our protagonists. The camaraderie is wonderful! Plus not everybody agrees with everybody which makes the human relationship between the Hex Boys real. Another kudos to the book for that!

The ending though was sorta hanging... but I guess this is an age-old marketing ploy to make readers buy the next book in the series. The plot also did not have that much of a structure. This gave the book a feeling of being merely an introduction to the world of Divinicus Nex and not really a whole story. But just the first chapter of a bigger book. That did not win a lot of points with me. I like my books to have a coherent structure with a central dilemma and an ending with a good resolution even if the book is part of a series. I guess this is one of the reasons why I like Jim Butcher and Ilona Andrews' books so much because they give me that. Even their short stories manages to do that. Overall though, I had a lot of fun reading this book and am looking forward to reading the next book in the Divinicus Nex series!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 3.5
Story itself = 4
Ending = 2.5
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4
Pace = 4.5
Plot = 3

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries

Review: A WHITE COUGAR CHRISTMAS

A White Cougar Christmas by Eliza Gayle
A short story of the Paranormal Shifter series
Genre: urban fantasy / short story erotica
Format: ebook

About A White Cougar Christmas:

Restless and alone on Christmas Eve, Niki decides it’s time to scratch the itch and heads into a nearby town for some action. Once there, it isn’t sex she finds, but a fight instead, that is until tall, dark and handsome intervenes…

Dean recognizes the stunning but surly Cougar for what she is the minute she gets close. Now it’s up to him to show her just how far a night of passion can go.

Source: Info in the About A White Cougar Christmas was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6592298-a-white-cougar-christmas on 02/04/2012.

This Book In A Nutshell:

They met, they fucked, the end.

Review:

For followers of the Paranormal Shifter series this book might mean something. But I am not a follower of that series. In fact, this is the first book I've read of this author. I was sampling this author's work, so to speak. Her "author's voice" is not so bad. But the story hasn't got much of a content to it. They met, they fucked, the end. Even for a short story, that is pretty insubstantial.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 2.5
Character development = 2
Story itself = 0.5
Ending = 0.5
World building = 1
Cover art = 3
Pace = 2
Plot = 0.5

Overall Rating: 1 out of 5 cherries

In The Mail: KINDLING MOON

This is what Mr. Mailman brought me this week:

A huge THANK YOU to Van of Short & Sweet Reviews for hosting Showers of Books Giveaway Hop which made it possible for me to win Kindling The Moon by Jenn Bennett!

Kindling The Moon by Jenn Bennett
Book 1 of the Arcadia Bell series

About Kindling The Moon:

Meet Arcadia Bell: bartender, renegade magician, fugitive from the law. . . .

Being the spawn of two infamous occultists (and alleged murderers) isn’t easy, but freewheeling magician Arcadia “Cady” Bell knows how to make the best of a crummy situation. After hiding out for seven years, she’s carved an incognito niche for herself slinging drinks at the demon-friendly Tambuku Tiki Lounge.

But she receives an ultimatum when unexpected surveillance footage of her notorious parents surfaces: either prove their innocence or surrender herself. Unfortunately, the only witness to the crimes was an elusive Æthyric demon, and Cady has no idea how to find it. She teams up with Lon Butler, an enigmatic demonologist with a special talent for sexual spells and an arcane library of priceless stolen grimoires. Their research soon escalates into a storm of conflict involving missing police evidence, the decadent Hellfire Club, a ruthless bounty hunter, and a powerful occult society that operates way outside the law. If Cady can’t clear her family name soon, she’ll be forced to sacrifice her own life . . . and no amount of running will save her this time.

Source: Info in the About Kindling The Moon was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9795263-kindling-the-moon on 28/04/2012.

FREE BLOGGER OPP + $100 Amazon GC Giveaway

22 July 2012
Just found out that this event is a hoax and that the host, Bella Faith, has conned us!

For Bloggers: Sign Up For A Great Free Giveaway Event from Beautifully BellaFaith

Open to: Worldwide

Sign Ups: Will be accepted until May 29th.

Event Dates: May 30th - June 7th

DETAILS:

• This is a completely free blogger opportunity. The gift card will be sent to the winner straight from Beautifully BellaFaith.
• You can include your Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Email, RSS and GFC. You can include as many links as you like.
• Requirement is that you post about this blogger opportunity on your blog so we can make the most out of this. You don't have to write much. Just the picture and link would do, along with a sentence or two about the blogger opp.
• All participants will receive an e-mail with HTML code and Rafflecopter code the day before the giveaway starts.

Sign-up link HERE.

Guest Post: Justin Gustainis

Law and Order: Occult Crimes Unit

My novels Hard Spell and Evil Dark (as well as the forthcoming Known Devil) are set in an alternate universe where the supernatural exists and is out in the open. But like every other human activity, the actions of supernatural creatures are subject to the rule of law. That’s true everywhere in this imagined world, including my fictional version of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Stan Markowski, the protagonist and narrator, is a Detective Sergeant on the Scranton P.D.’s Occult Crimes Unit. He describes his job this way: “When a vamp puts the bite on an unwilling victim, or some witch casts the wrong kind of spell, that’s when they call me. My name’s Markowski. I carry a badge.”

Although most human laws apply to supernatural creatures (speeding is speeding, after all – whether you do it with a Ford Mustang or a broom), some parts of the penal code are specifically designed with “supes” in mind. Here’s a sample:

Vampires. As you might gather from Stan’s words above, it’s legal for a vampire to take blood from a human, as long as consent is freely given (no use of vampiric influence to weaken the will). There are no documents to sign, but if someone files a complaint charging unlawful blood harvesting, then the vampire so accused will have to answer the accusation in court. On the other hand, making someone into a vampire does require signing of official documents in advance. “Turning” someone without filing the paperwork can get a vampire into serious trouble. In some jurisdictions (though not in Scranton), it’s even considered murder, because the victim has to die for the transformation to work.

Werewolves. Everybody knows that during the time of the full moon, werewolves lack the self-control that they usually exhibit the rest of the time. However, that doesn’t mean a werewolf can just commit mayhem and get away with it. Werewolves are expected to take reasonable precautions to be confined, or at least closely supervised, while in their more primal state. And although a werewolf who commits a crime while under lunar influence can plead “diminished capacity,” he or she has to show that due diligence was exercised prior to the unfortunate accident, in an attempt to avoid bloodshed.

Magic. There are two kinds of magic recognized by law: white and black. The former derives its power from the Earth and nature; the latter gets its mojo from the infernal side. The practice of black magic is against the law under all circumstances. Lay a curse on someone, and it’s considered felony assault. If the victim dies, the witch or wizard is facing a murder rap. White magic is legal, however, because it is self-limiting. This form of magic cannot be used to do harm to innocent parties, nor can the practitioner employ it for his or her own direct benefit (otherwise, witches would be winning the lottery every day). However, you still need a license to practice white magic, and getting one requires completion of a rigorous training program.

Demons. The conjuring of demons is a serious matter, and is never permitted under the law. This is partly because of the danger posed to public safety if the damn thing (so to speak) gets free of the protective pentagram confining it. The other reason it’s illegal is that demons are invariably summoned to commit some kind of mayhem. Nobody calls up a creature from the depths of Hell and orders it to mow his lawn – although he might tell it to mow down his neighbors.

Those are some of the issues that occult crime cops like Stan Markowski have to deal with every day – and especially every night. For Stan and the other cops of the Occult Crime Unit, some nights are worse than others.

Want more? The books are Hard Spell and Evil Dark, available online and in fine bookstores (even some mediocre ones) everywhere.

See you in Scranton – “haunted Scranton,” that is.

More info about Justin Gustainis.

Evil Dark by Justin Gustainis
Book 2 of the Occult Crimes Unit Investigation series

About Evil Dark:

My name's Markowski. I carry a badge. Also, a crucifix, some wooden stakes, a big vial of holy water, and a 9mm Beretta loaded with silver bullets.

A series of seemingly motiveless murders of supernatural creatures points to a vigilante targeting the supe community. Markowski wouldn't normally have much of a problem with that, but his daughter may be next on the killer's list...

Source: Info in the About Evil Dark was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11500077-evil-dark on 19/04/2012.
Buy Links:

Review: THREE BEDROOMS, ONE CORPSE

Three Bedrooms, One Corpse by Charlaine Harris
Book 3 of the Aurora Teagarden mysteries
Read by Therese Plummer
Format: audiobook
Genre: murder mystery
About Three Bedrooms, One Corpse:

Deciding if she wants to go into real estate becomes a life-or-death choice for Aurora "Roe" Teagarden. A naked corpse is discovered at her first house showing. And when a second body is found in another house for sale, it becomes obvious that there is a very cool killer at large in Lawrenceton, one who knows a great deal about real estate - and maybe too much about Roe.

Source: Info in the About Three Bedrooms, One Corpse was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/140090.Three_Bedrooms_One_Corpse on 17/02/2012.

NOTE: This book/series includes adult themes but no graphic contents. Parental discretion advised.

Review:

This one, like Book 2, is also a bit thin on the plot side. The plot is not layered like I expect a murder mystery is suppose to be. Plus I find the logical connection of the dots of plot A to plot B to be a bit tenuous. And then here in this book, I can see the beginnings of the "stupid protagonist" that Charlaine Harris seems to be so fond of in her Sookie Stackhouse series. However, it is not yet quite as blatant as it came to be in the Sookie Stackhouse series. Roe has been quite level headed in Books 1 & 2 thus far. Here, it is just a "hint of" which I have a niggly feeling might turn into full blown TSTL soon. However it is also undeniable that Charlaine Harris has a way of telling a story, even with stupid protagonists, in a captivating way. Her author's voice is simply compelling! Added to that, I also like listening to Therese Plummer's voice. It's the kind of voice which is very easy to listen to. Not jarring. So this book has been an enjoyable listening time for me even though it did felt like it wasn't as good as it could have been... somehow... or I've been listening to too many books by this author by now...

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 3
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 1
Pace = N/A (6.75-hour listening time)
Plot = 3
Narrator = 4.5

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 cherries

Thank you to the RCT Library for letting me borrow this audiobook!!

FTC Disclosure:
This audiobook was borrowed from the library. No money received for this review.