The summer officially kicks off this Friday with the first official blockbuster film of the season – X-Men Origins: Wolverine. And, as we both have nothing but love for Wolvie, what better way to prepare for the film’s release than talking a bit about our own experiences with the character?

Ana:

Skini.

That’s the name of the culprit friend who introduced me to Geekdom: he lent me all of his X –Men comics collection, told me about something called Dungeons and Dragons and got me to watch this TV show called Married with Children of which he had every single episode taped.

I was 15 (or *gasp* 18 years ago) when I first noticed this new guy in my classroom back in high-school. I immediately realised we had something in common that distinguished us from the horde: we both sat in the back rows because we both spent the lessons…..reading. First let me tell why this connection is so important: generally speaking, Brazilians do not read. That’s even truer to high school kids. In fact when I was 14 I was called to the school’s psychologist’s office and was interrogated about my life back home: was everything ok? Were my parents getting along fine? Was I being bullied? Why was I called to her office you may ask? Because according to her, I read too much ergo I must be unhappy. Seriously, that is the sort of mentality I grew up with. But I digress.

Back to Skini and I: we both read a lot. But whereas I read books (mostly Egyptology books – I was in my archaeological phase) , Skini read comics. I was surprised as I had never heard of these comics he was reading: X-Men. When I was child I read a lot of comics – especially Brazilian ones like Turma da Monica’s but they were for children and I had stopped reading them when I was about 10.

Skini spoke highly and enthusiastically about the X-Men and one day, curiosity spiked, I asked if I could borrow them. Silence. I could see how precious these comics were to him and these days I understand WHY: he had every single issue of the X-Men since number 1. But he brought them to me, after telling me to take good care of them (or die). And he kept bringing batches of issues over the next months and I read them all. (memory flash: He also taught me to drive in his father’ s car and on my first lesson, I nearly drove the car into a tree. Come to think of it, I think Skini had a crush on me! OMG I was so clueless in high school).

The first issues of X-Men had this formation: Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Iceman and Angel.

I loved it, even though I wasn’t crazy about the heroes themselves. I mean, Angel and Beast were mostly OK but I was thought Cyclops was a bit lame. Then there was a clear break and then new stories with a new, better formation ( I learnt later that the comics had a publishing break for a few years back in the 70s): Cyclops, Colossus, Nightcrawler and Banshee (LOVED these two) plus Storm, some oldies like Jean Grey, Angel, Beast and this new character called Wolverine.

Dear lord, it was freaking love at first sight. The character was as Bolt’s Rhino would say: FULLY AWESOME !! *takes a deep breath*

He had cool powers: strength, healing factor and the adamantium–covered skeleton with retractable CLAWS that made him near indestructible which in turn, made him such a bad-ass who was first to run into danger and sometimes he behaves like a mental berserker even though he hates it because it reminds him of his animalistic tendencies but he has a soft side as well, especially when it came to women, form his paramours to his closest friends like Jubilee and Kitty Pride for example plus he was sort of mysterious, no one, not even him knew details of his past and and and he was sarcastic, was always teasing lame-ass Cyclops and FINALLY he was, even in his comic form HOT.

Like, so hot, that Wolverine , to this date, remains the one and only draw comic book character to have ever featured in an erotic dream of yours truly (does that constitute TMI, Thea?. Oh well, too late).

I devoured these comics – Skini had also Uncanny X-men issues, X-factor and the Wolverine solo comics. There were so many great stories in them: my favourites remain The Inferno Saga and The Dark Phoenix Saga. (And then in later issues, Gambit showed up to rival my love for Wolverine but that is subject for another post, I think).

It took me MONTHS to read all the issues he had and when I was done, I started to buy them myself (lots and lots of money spent here dudes. Like, lots) and only stopped one year later, in 1993 when the horrible, horrible Fatal Attractions Saga happened. That was when Magneto removed the adamantium from Wolverine’s skeleton.

That was one of the most painful things I have ever read in my life, I couldn’t cope with it and that was the very last X-Men issue I read (I later learnt that he regained his adamantium back 7 years later). I went on with life and to university and the X-Men remained part of my teenage years. When the animated series made an appearance in Brazilian TV, I watched a few episodes but was already too old to really enjoy them. And I never played the video-games.

But then, the movie came along and HE with it.

From that first scene in the cage, I thought: OMG this is Wolverine and everything started all over again. The two first movies were awesome (despite Hale Berry and the most stupid incarnation of Rogue ever, talk about Character assassination) (the third was a piece of crap I’d rather forget about ) and now I am of course, looking forward to Wolverine: Origins.

I mean this movie is ALL about Wolverine, plus it has Gambit in it.

My tickets are secured for Saturday and I will be sitting there hoping it will be a Great Movie (whilst rooting for a Gambit spin-off).

Bring it on!

>Thea:

My love affair with the X-Men in general (and Wolverine, Storm, Gambit and Rogue specifically) began when I was in the second grade, and I was introduced to a certain animated show. X-Men: The Animated Series was my first foray into the world of the X-Men, and from the first sweet synthesized notes of the opening credits, I was hooked.

(On a side note, how badass is this intro theme? It’s so badass that no words are needed. Just a sick tune and sweet character introductions)

I loved these cartoons. I had always been a Saturday morning cartoon kind of gal, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were my cornerstone, which is a fine series in its own right. But X-Men was fascinating, different, and frankly infuriating. It was the first show I ever watched that I HAD to tune in to the next week because the show had a definite continuity, and so many “to be continued…” episodes (anyone that has seen the cartoon knows you have to be there when it starts or you might miss the “Previously, on X-Men” rundown essential to the rest of the episode). I collected toys. Trading cards. We used to “play” X-Men on the playground (when we weren’t playing Captain Planet or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I was always Storm, and I would freaking hate it when I had to be Jubilee. Occasionally I would get to be Beast, but I think this has more to do with the fact that I am a badass on the jungle gym. That’s right.).

Two men in particular caught my eye as freaking awesome: Wolverine and Gambit. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with Cyclops, but there was always something about Wolverine that I liked. Maybe because he was a hothead with awesome claws, and I like hotheads and claws. Maybe because he was short and different looking than the tall Scott and Remy; maybe because he said ‘bub’ a lot and had a cool gravelly voice. All I know is that I could not get enough of him.

Three episodes in particular sealed my love for Logan:

Out of the Past – Where Wolverine meets the changed, vindictive Yuriko (aka Lady Deathstrike) in the Morlock tunnels, resulting in heartbreak for poor Logan once again when they discover a Shi’ar ship in the sewers (eventually leading into the whole Dark Phoenix Saga, but that’s another can o worms). Out of the Past showed a different Wolverine, and a past love story that ended incredibly sadly. We’d seen him to this point in love with Jean, but always getting the short end of the stick.

Weapon X, Lies and Videotape – In which Wolverine starts to lose it mentally because of implanted memories, and Beast takes him to the government facility where the fated adamantium was grafted to his skeleton. What’s also cool about this episode was that we finally see Sabretooth in a different light (up to this point he’d been Wolverine’s enemy and they’d had their share of showdowns), as another part of Weapon X.

Lotus and the Steel – Right after Weapon X, when Wolverine completely loses it (over a picture of Scott and Jean too *ahh angsty sigh*). This is when Wolverine quits the X-Men, goes to Japan and works to establish control and inner peace. In an homage to The Seven Samurai (and The Magnificent Seven, one of my all time favorite movies period and probably why I feel so favorable towards other media that emulate the story), Wolverine intervenes to protect the villagers from the Silver Samurai and his bandits who demand tribute in return for their “protection”. And of course, Wolverine finds himself and his inner peace in the process.

So that’s where it all began. I watched all the cartoons, and to this day have every episode on crappy, pixelated recorded DVDs (so imagine my JOY when I discovered that the cartoons have finally officially been released on DVD this Tuesday! And you can watch streamed episodes for free online here). So, what else was a kid to do? As I grew older, I began to dabble in some of the original comics: The Dark Phoenix Saga, Days of Future Past (Bishop is just cool), the Age of Apocalypse crossover. And the cool thing was…I could actually follow the stories without any trouble, because I had seen them in the cartoons. To my even further surprise, I discovered the cartoons were pretty loyal to the source material. Go figure.

After a while though, and due to the fact that getting comics while you’re living in third world countries is impossible (except for some reason Duck Tales comics were everywhere in Indonesia), I kind of lost touch. Lost interest. That is, however, until this guy came along once more:

With the first film, I was head over heels in love all over again with Wolverine. Cyclops never did it for me and his lame showing in the film only reinforced my good sense as a young girl; no Gambit unfortunately; and I was upset with the casting of annoying Halle ‘I-only-got-an-Oscar-because-I-got-naked’ Berry and the underage Anna Paquin as Storm and Rogue (two of my favorite heroines). But no matter. Because I had the ultimate Wolverine (and Xavier & Magneto weren’t to bad either).

With X-2 and X-Men 3: The Last Stand, I could only grow in my appreciation and love for Wolverine. His badass factor off the charts, the comic quippy relief, the (yes I’m shallow) man-candy…who could resist? This, along with my love for the X-Men Legends videogames (which totally, totally rock) got me back into the X-Men once again, and I can’t imagine it any other way.

I started to read the comics again, picking and choosing from the morass of material – Wolverine’s Origin, Weapon X, Ultimate X-Men, eventually leading up to this blog and Ana’s and mine re-kindled love for comics, and the monthly huge dent in my wallet with current issues (most recently I’ve enjoyed Deadpool, Magneto Testament, & X-Force/Cable Messiah War).

When we heard about the spinoff film, Ana and I were ecstatic. We bonded over our ubergeekdom: LOST spoiler whoring, book smuggling, and then one day we started exchanging PMs about – you guessed it – X-Men. In particular, Wolverine and Gambit. So, when we found out that Gambit WOULD be making an appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine we were completely beside ourselves.

In addition to Wolvie, he was my favorite leading man in the cartoon and in the comics. I loved his Cajun accent, his charm, his head-to-head fights with Wolverine, and most of all, I loved his feelings for Rogue. Their love story in the cartoon and then later in the comics is my X-Men flagship. It’s all about Remy.

Needless to say, I’m excited for the film. Even if it sucks, which it very well could, I still get that awe and wonder at seeing the characters I love in realtime, with high budget special effects…and that’s all I could ask for.

How about you folks? Love for Wolverine, or any other X-Men? Are you excited for tomorrow? Who has their tickets?

Title: The Laurentine Spy

Author: Emily Gee

Genre: Officially, Dark Fantasy but it has a LOT of romance.

Publisher: Solaris
Publishing Date: April 28, 2009
Paperback: 416 pages

Stand Alone or series: Stand alone

Summary: The Corhonase citadel is a place of virtue and debauchery. But nothing is as it seems, whether in the ballrooms and salons of the nobles’ Court or the catacombs beneath the citadel. Saliel has many secrets; her spying is one, but her most guarded mystery is her magic. She walks a narrow path between discovery as a spy and being burned as a witch. With a sadistic Spycatcher closing in, Saliel and her fellow spies are tested to the limits of their endurance—they must trust each other, or die. Magic may be their only hope of survival…

Why did I read the book: I saw this review at Fantasy Book Critic and immediately felt I had to read the book . Thanks to the awesome Graeme , I was able to get a review copy from the publisher, Solaris.

Review:

Warning: the review contains some minor spoilers which I feel need to be mentioned but in my opinion these spoilers do not ruin the experience of reading the book.

A cloaked, hooded women walks through the catacombs beneath the citadel of Corhonase. She is not afraid but she is careful. She carries a knife for protection. She reaches an alcove and another hooded figure shows up and she says:

“I saw three rings around the moon tonight”

He replies:

“I saw none”

and she is cleared. The guardian takes her into the chamber where One and Two were already seated. The woman – Three – greets One and Two and they all proceed to talk about what brought them here. They are spies from the Laurentine Protectorate, enemies of the The Corhonese Empire, infiltrated in their society to gather information. One, Two and Three know nothing about one another, for their own protection in case they are caught. But it’s clear that One and Three have a special relationship and feel extremely protective about each other. Each of the spies leaves the chamber via a different route and as they ditch cloak and hood, they join the Corhonase Court and assume their aliases.

One, whose real Laurentine name is Saliel, assumes the alias of Lady Petra, a young lady who is the sole survivor of a tragedy and is in mourning. Three, or Athan, becomes the indolent, slow-witted Lord Ivo.

The story follows the adventures of One and Three as they gather precious information for their country, which is under the threat of an imminent attack, and run against time. And as the clock ticks , the pressure increases as the Prince’s Consort decides that Lady Petra should get married to….Lord Ivo. Saliel, without knowing that Lord Ivo is One, abhors the idea of getting married to that man but she has no choice. Lord Ivo on the other hand, abhors the idea of marrying a Corhonese even though Lady Petra’s disgust for him only makes him ….want her. There is also a catch here: Corhonese women are supposed to be docile and honour their husbands above all and simply endure the quick encounters in the marriage bed as their husbands are not supposed to make it good for them – they all have the courtesans for their pleasures.

Saliel and Athan hope to avoid the wedding by finishing their mission and leaving the citadel but things don’t go as smoothly as they hoped. To complicate matters even further, it becomes clear to the Corhonese that there are spies in their court and they bring the infamous, terrible Spycatcher to investigate and interrogate everybody.

I knew it. I saw this book in the Fantasy Book Critic blog and I.just.knew. I was going to love it. I wasn’t wrong but it wasn’t what I expected from the blurb and the genre’s definition. There is hardly any “Dark” in this Fantasy novel and a lot of “Romance” which I guess would make most of our romantically-inclined readers very happy indeed specially for its most satisfying ending. I know I was! I read it in 5 hours non-stop because I simply could not put it down.

The first 250 pages of The Laurentine Spy are filled with tension and both the spying and the suspense of will they –won’t they (be caught. Get married. Find out who they are BEFORE they get to that freaking bed.) were nearly heart-attack inducing. And the fear that both characters felt exuded from the pages and it was SUFFOCATING. I could not turn the pages fast enough and was wholly immersed in those pages, rooting for the two characters.

The final 150 pages, as they leave the citadel and need to journey together to Laurent running from the spycatcher is still fast-paced and tense but the romance takes centre stage as the characters must deal with the revelation of who they are and with the repercussion of what they had to do for their country. Athan(what a fantastic beta male he is) is in turmoil, crushed under guilt, shame and regret even though it is not his fault that he did not know that Three was Lady Petra. Saliel (what a fantastic quietly strong female lead she is) is disgusted to learn that One is Lord Ivo and has a hard time separating the two. But that is NOT ALL: dear readers, there is a lot more to this story as the two characters fall into their real identities and learn that a whole world separates them. The Laurentine society even though a more joyous and artistic than their enemy’s (Corhonase society is eerily reminiscent of Victorian times with its strict moral beliefs) is also divided into a system of castes in which Saliel and Athan fall in opposite sides and Athan must shun Saliel for her past. Add to the steaming pot the fact that Saliel has the Eye i.e. is a witch, then you have a whole source of organic conflict; specially because the characters do behave like their sets of beliefs are inherent to who they are – and it makes quite the journey to see if they can shed what is elementary to them in order to become something else, something new.

Even though there is romance permeating the first part as there is the suspense permeating the second, in the whole I thought the romance aspect was stronger than the Fantasy. This is even more evidenced by the lack of a more in-depth world-building and/or the presence of fantastic elements. There is very little background information to the war between the Corhonase and the Laurentine and very little use of magic. In fact, the magic is reduced to two characters, one of them being the heroine – and it’s much more related to how it affects this particular character than how it affects the world and society around making this a character-driven novel. And I would go as far as to say that to call this book Dark Fantasy is a complete mis-label of the book and it may lead to reader’s expectations being unfulfilled.

Particularly if you take into consideration the drama that happens when they are on the run – some of it reminded me of old school romance (and it came as no surprise when I read afterwards, that Emily Gee ‘s first book, Thief with no Shadow was nominated for two Rita awards and her next book in a regency for Harlequin Mills and Boon) but with a distinction that makes all the difference.

The reason why I disliked pretty much all of the old school romance I read so far is that the endless drama that seem to be part of the plot don’t read very organically to me. It frustrates me when the drama could have been avoided by a single conversation or how the reasoning behind some of the actions seem contrived or stemmed from TSTL behaviour or clearly there to simply add conflict. So yes, the last 150 pages of The Laurentine Spy would make Judith McNaught proud in the amount of dramatic twists and turns but whereas a Judith McNaught book generally leave me angry, The Laurentine Spy didn’t. The drama (and I am being cryptic on purpose here as to not spoil any more than I already did) , even though at times I thought it was too much, did make sense within the story as did the reaction of the characters. It all felt reasonable, believable, and realistic. The drama occurs because both characters act within the mind-set they have been born and raised into and to act any differently in those circumstances would have been a cop-out. I would go as far as to say that I would probably act the same way had I been in their shoes and yes, that goes for both Saliel and Athan’s actions. Having said that, because it was realistic, the drama was pain-inducing and heart-wrenching but also very fulfilling in the way it served the story and served the characters’ relationship to progress.

I could not ask more from a character piece and putting aside the expectation that I had for a pure fantasy novel and the surprise I felt for getting more romance than I asked for, The Laurentine Spy was a great read indeed.

Notable quotes/ Parts: every time they had an encounter with the spycatcher: I felt like my heart would come out of my chest. Athan’s journey of self-discovery.

Verdict: A great, exhilarating and dramatic read with a lot of romance

Rating: 7 VERY GOOD and leaning towards an 8

Reviewing Next: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Title: The Trouble With Demons

Author: Lisa Shearin

Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Ace Books
Publication Date: April 2009
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages

Stand Alone or Series: Book 3 in the ongoing Raine Benares series.

Why did I read this book: I’ve read and loved the first two Raine Benares books, and have nothing but love for fantastic author Lisa Shearin (see our Interview with Lisa, or Lisa’s Smugglivus post). Needless to say, The Trouble With Demons was one of my most highly anticipated books of 2009, and I was eager as hell to read more about Raine and that dratted Saghred.

Summary:
My name is Raine Benares. I’m a seeker. People hire me when they need something found. I’m not usually the one being sought. But that all changed when I found the Saghred, a soul-stealing stone of unlimited power — and the bane of my existence. Now mages and madmen have me in their sights, not to mention demons…

But with demons pouring through the Hellgate, Raine can’t afford to be distracted. Turns out, the demons want the key to unlock the Saghred. As a seeker, Raine should be able to find it first. As the axis of light and dark powers, she’s a magical cataclysm waiting to happen…

Review:

Raine, mid-powered (but damned good at her job) Seeker, member of the notorious thief Benares family, and most recent bond servant to the most powerful, soul-sucking stone in existence, has a lot on her plate. For weeks she has tried to rid herself of the Saghred, to no avail. After nearly destroying the Isle of Mid with her Saghred-fueled powers, narrowly escaping deranged Goblins and Elven assassins, Raine now has a little breathing room…or so she thinks. Raine, her roguish cousin Phaelan, and her Guardian bodyguard Vegard are catching a brief respite from the constant threat of death/imprisonment/or worse, when they stumble across a group of bright blue demons. Turns out, some one has opened a Hellgate, and demons are spewing forth with one mission: to control and unlock the Saghred. Unfortunately for Raine, this means her imminent destruction, unless she can find the key to the Saghred before the demons and whoever they are working with do. Throw into the mix endangered minors Piaras & Talon, a newly powerful Carnades Silvanus on a mission to get Raine out of the picture permanently, a confusing (to say the least) love life with the seductive former black mage Tam and Elven Paladin Mychael vying for Raine’s affections, and the Saghred trying to trick her at every turn…and Raine, needless to say, is one very busy woman.

Lisa Shearin writes books jam-packed with action, magic and danger, and The Trouble With Demons is no exception. There is not a dull moment in this novel as Raine takes on demons, goblins, high and mighty elves and even romantic developments in stride. Ms. Shearin excels in her tight, fast plotting – I could not put this book down, and found myself holding my breath with each chapter (while this sounds like a recipe for hyperventilation, I can assure you it was indeed an exhilarating read). I love all of the physical action in these books, as Raine uses her daggers, her magic and even a scene involving hair-pulling girl wrestling to escape death time and time again.

In terms of characters, Raine remains a fabulous heroine: smart-talking, street-savvy, and feisty. Her quippy first person narration, in the style of an Urban Fantasy heroine, is a wonderful contrast to the more traditional sword and sorcery fantasy setting. I never get tired of Raine’s wry humor and her very essence as a Benares, who takes pride in her lineage of thieves and pirates. Other familiar faces are aplenty in The Trouble With Demons – another thing I love about this series is that the cast of characters remains focused, with only a few important additions per book. Phaelan, Raine’s pirate cousin, is charmingly devious in this book as in any other, and he and the stoic Vegard make a wonderful team with Raine. Again we see Piaras and Talon, dangerously powerful adolescent spellsingers, who are coming into their own talents. Raine’s family also plays a huge part in this book, with both the introduction of a new character in Raine’s Uncle, notorious pirate and fiercely protective of his niece, and Raine’s unfortunate father, trapped in the Saghred with other souls. Speaking of, Sarad Nukpana is back with a vengeance in this book, and I loved the creepy interactions between Nukpana, Raine and her father.

Then, of course, there are the boys: Tam, goblin royalty and dark mage; and Mychael, Paladin and white to Tam’s dark. There is a very interesting development in this book for the love triangle which complicates their relationships tenfold. I have to again say that I am firmly on Team Tam, even though I do like Mychael. Tam goes through a lot in this book, grappling with his attraction and emotions for Raine and the dark magic stirring within him that longs for the Saghred’s power. Will he succumb to the darkness? I certainly hope not – but I love that Raine and Mychael are there to help him.

Finally, there are the demons in this book and one more familiar, demented foe from the past…all are worthy villains. The demons in particular are well imagined, with a vicious queen, different colored and shaped creatures, and more. On the “good” side, I love that Ms. Shearin is exploring the fears of Carnades Silvanus (the weasle!) and his hate for Raine simply because she is dangerous. It’s very Harry Potter, think Cornelius Fudge & Dolores Umbridge in book 5.

Overall, I highly enjoyed The Trouble With Demons. My only concern with the book, however, is in terms of plot continuity, especially since all three Raine books take place over the course of a few short weeks. While I love an action fueled book or series for that matter, I can’t help but feel that poor Raine – and those close to her – needs a longer break. It’s kind of like taking all the seasons of 24 and putting them on consecutive days. At this rate, I’m not sure how much more Raine can take, or how much more is plausible to fit into the lives of these stressed out characters without someone going down for the count.

Still, The Trouble With Demons is a fantastic read, and I cannot wait for more Raine!

Notable Quotes/Parts: I absolutely love this scene, and am quoting it again:

Knowledge about demons came in three varieties: legend, rumor, and fact.

Demonologists knew the facts; the rest of us floundered with legends and rumors; none of them were pleasant, and each of them was more gruesome than the one before. The rumor that would probably be making the rounds on campus within the hour—if it wasn’t already—would have nothing to do with fact, and everything to do with horny college students looking for an excuse. Whether demons liking virgins was fact or fiction didn’t matter. I’d be willing to bet that the number of virgins among Mid’s student population was suddenly going to skyrocket. And every last one of those kids would be desperate to lose their apparently forgotten virginity as quickly as possible to ensure protection against the demons. I wondered what new pickup lines they’d be using. Help me; I’m a virgin.

With the impending increase in fake virgins, I was really glad I’d already secured the help of the real thing.

I think.

Piaras still wasn’t happy about his role in our little expedition. And I didn’t think his opinion was going to change anytime soon. Especially since Talon had already heard the one about demons and virgins.

Talon’s grin was full of fang. “Well, I’m safe,” he was telling Piaras. “I’m probably one of the safest people on this island. Hell, I’m probably demon repellant.” His grin broadened. “Are you safe?”

It was obvious that Piaras didn’t want to answer that question. “Not exactly,” he finally said.

“Piaras, either you’re safe or you’re not. There’s no gray area here. Which is it?”

I’d listened long enough. “Everyone is safe. Regardless. The island is crawling with armed Guardians. Everyone will be safe.”

Talon’s grin never wavered. “But are you sure of that?”

“Yes.”

“Absolutely positive?”

I glared at him.

“When there’s a danger, shouldn’t you take every precaution?” he asked innocently, his aqua eyes wide.

I added a growl to go with the glare.

“I’ll be helping Raine,” Piaras said between clenched teeth.

“Helping?”

“Because I’m . . .” Piaras really didn’t want to say the word.
“Not safe?” Talon said helpfully, grinning from ear to pointed ear.

“No, I’m not safe!” Piaras snapped. He turned on me. “Now everyone’s going to know!”

Talon snorted. “Everyone already does.”

Piaras actually snarled at me.

Talon clapped him on the back. “Not a problem. I know some ladies who can get you safe real quick. Though if you’re looking for a freebie, you and Katelyn could help each other out. She’s definitely not safe.”

Piaras blushed scarlet. I smacked Talon in the back of the head.

Topic closed.

Additional Thoughts: A map, a map, my kingdom for a map! The Trouble With Demons features a beautiful shiny new map at the beginning, much to my delight! I love maps, cannot get enough of them, especially in my fantasy novels. I’m so very glad that Lisa Shearin was able to update her map and get it in the book!

Verdict: Raine Benares strikes again! Filled with dazzling magic, dangerous demons, and a full dose of white-knuckle action, The Trouble With Demons is a compulsive, wonderful read. I cannot wait for more from Raine, and from the fabulous Lisa Shearin.

Rating: 7 Very Good

Reading Next: Silent In the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn

Title: Dayhunter

Author: Jocelynn Drake

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Eos
Publishing Date: April 28th 2009
Paperback: 368 pages

Stand alone or series: book 2 in the Dark Days series

Why did I read the book: I read and reviewed the first book in the series and I loved it. It was a no-brainer that I would read this one as well, and when the author offered an ARC, I honestly did a happy dance.

Summary: A new day dawns blood red
A master of fire, Mira is the last hope for the world. For centuries she has secretly enforced the history-altering edicts of the Triad. Now she and her unlikely ally—the human vampire hunter, Danaus—have come to Venice, home of the nightwalker rulers. But there is no safety in the ancient city, for the threat of conflict is in the wind . . . with unholy alliances and earth-shattering betrayals taking hideous form in the shadows.
Banished for eons beyond the world’s boundaries, the malevolent naturi prepare to feed once again upon a vulnerable earth—and treachery is opening wide the portal that will enable their dread re-emergence. The great battle that has always been Mira’s destiny is looming, and she must remain powerful in the face of a shocking revelation: that Danaus, the only creature she dares to trust, is something more than the man he claims to be . . .

Previously in the Dark days series: Nightwalkers and humans are in danger of being exterminated by a powerful race known as naturi. The naturi have been sealed away in another dimension and are trying to break free. Human sacrifices are needed in order to break the seal and Mira, a powerful Nightwalker and her (for now) ally Nightwalker hunter Danaus are on the case trying to keep them from achieving their goal by getting together the team that created the first seal in the past, known as the triad. Things escalate to a full-blown conflict between some of nature and Mira-Danaus where they both learn that they combine their unique powers and essentially EXTERMINATE naturi and their souls with it. Book one ends with Mira and her new charge, Tristan, exhausted and hungry.

Dayhunter picks up the story where we left off: Mira and Tristan needing to feed and recover from their numerous wounds before they can go to Venice along with Danuas, to meet the Coven and find out what needs to be done next.

Once in Venice, both get tangled up in Coven politics, power plays between some of the most powerful and Ancient Nightwalkers out there. From finding out that the Coven – now with an empty seat, up for grabs – may or may not be in cahoots with the terrible naturi to trying to decide what to do and HOW to stop the naturi whilst trying to figure out who is friend or foe: from the moment the book opens to the very final page, the action hardly ever falters as we follow Mira and Danaus in their attempt at finding out what the heck is going and how to deal with what they find out.

To expand on the incredibly intricate plot is to spoil way too much so I will say no more on the subject. However, as complex and elaborate as the plotting can get , the brilliance of these books is in its protagonist : Mira and the way she acts and thinks.

Mira NEVER knows what the hell is going to happen next as the action is pretty much, on the go go go with decisions being made on the spot. Hard decisions, with implications that can be deadly for all concerned. Mira can be at the same time, a sophisticated thinker who can deal with the most crafty political plays of the Nightwalkers and a kick-ass warrior willing to kill and to die for what she believes. And what she believes is this: the naturi need to be exterminated at any cost.

Whereas this belief does not wilt one iota, Mira is torn by doubt regarding everything else. Who to trust , for example: who in the Coven has the Nightwalkers’ interests in their hearts? What about Sadira and Jabari, her makers? What exactly do they want from her? Another interesting point is the ongoing discussion that underlines Mira and Danaus’ relationship about the nature of evil. Mira wants to save her race and she is adamant that evil is a moral decision more than an intrinsic quality that comes with being a Nightwalker. In this book, the discussion evolves as we are thrown in the midst of the Nightwalker’s Coven and evil is pretty much everywhere – specially in the way that the most powerful nightwalkers treat the weaker ones. Mira has some revelations and self-realisations in this book that may point to a darker trait in her own character that she may not want to face but which is nonetheless THERE.

Doubt is also the key work for Danaus’ character arc. Danaus has, at first, an understanding of the world in black and white: good x evil. However the more time he spends with Mira, the more these assumptions seems to be wrong and even though we are not privy of his thoughts, which makes Danaus a most fascinating and mysterious character, Jocelynn Drake does an excellent work at unveiling his pain and doubt to the reader via Mira’s connection to him.

Speaking of connection, at the end of Nightwalker we learned that not only Mira is controlled by her two Makers but also and strangely so, by Danaus as well. In Dayhunter , this control is explained and painfully understood by Mira – another reason for doubt and most importantly fear. For a character who thrives in independence , to be potentially controlled by three people she does not know if she can truly trust, is as abominable as it gets. Having said that, the fact that it is Danaus, a hunter of her species who has her back for the most of the book, is certainly confusing but it makes for compelling reading: not only for the unspoken attraction that certainly exists but is denied by both but for the, again I use this word, potential for angst and power. Since both Mira and Danaus are two of the most powerful beings in existent who together can be pretty much invincible but with a cost that neither may be prepared to pay.

Honestly, the more I think about it, the more I realise this series is amazing.

But I do have one criticism that I need to bring up: the info dump. At times, the action was halted so that Mira could go back and explain what was happening. Since Mira is the narrator and well, she pretty much knows what is going on, I can only surmise that the info dump is for the benefit of the reader – a catching up, a “the story so far” that I felt slowed the story and it frustrated me when it happened at the thick of action – sometimes it happened even in the middle of a fight! I think these books, with their incredibly complex world building, would gain from having a summary of what happened previously and a glossary so that readers would not be lost and there will be no need for the info dump.

In the end of Dayhunter, things have escalated to as point of no return but thankfully they now have some time to see things through and come up with a plan for the next step. Then, Danaus and Mira can go back to the business of killing each other. Here is hoping that “killing” is just a code for “let’s get it on”.

Notable Quotes/ Part: The scene in the church between Danaus and Mira when they have an amazing talk about evil and good and the nature of souls and when we finally learn who (what?) Danaus is.

Verdict: Dayhunter is as good as its predecessor, Nightwalker. The Dark Days is a strong series and I can’t wait to read the next instalment.

Rating: 7 VERY GOOD.

Reading next: The Laurentine Spy by Emily Gee.

Another Laker victory, another Sunday, another stash…

(And yay for the Bulls victory! You know how I feel about Boston.)

Around the Blogosphere:

There’s been an interesting discussion floating around Book Review Land over the past week, concerning authors and the effect author comments may have on facilitating or ‘chilling’ discussion of a book. It all started here with Ana’s review of Peter Brett’s The Painted Man, which in turn inspired Peter to write this post. The exchange spurred Jessica over at Racy Romance Reviews to write the much-talked about article on the effect of author comments, and has since spawned a number of comments and opinions across the web. (Check out Peter Brett’s response, and blogger opinions over with Tia at Fantasy Debut, or James at Speculative Horizons)

While we here at the Book Smugglers love it when authors come by to chat with us and readers in our posts and comments, and firmly believe that anyone – including authors – should be able to participate in discussion, we’re interested to see these other opinions. Where do you, as a reader or author, stand?

Reviewing Reviewers:

Harry, the awesome blogger that runs Temple Library Reviews, has begun a massive undertaking into uncharted new territory. Here’s the rundown:

You can review a whole lot of things with intellectual value, starting from books and then moving to all other forms of fiction, comic books, movies, albums and TV shows. But I have yet to encounter an extensive review of a review blog, so as people say I am moving through uncharted waters. The main point here is that these reviews are not to decide the quality of the blog, but more or less to serve an informative purpose to potential readers [if I do get a sizeable traffic for that matter] and other reviewers as well [which hopefully will pay any kind of attention, while “Reviewer Time” is going].

The first guest, Teresa (aka SQT) of Fantasy and Sci-Fi Lovin’ News and reviews is up today! Of course, yours truly will be guests over for Reviewer Time in the near future, so stay tuned!

This Week On The Book Smugglers:

We have another big week ahead for y’all…

April 28th is a HUGE week for book releases. On Monday, Ana reviews Dayhunter, book 2 in Jocelynn Drake’s Dark Days series. Ana loved Nightwalker; will she love book 2?

On Tuesday, Thea reviews the highly anticipated third book in Lisa Shearin’s Raine Benares series, The Trouble With Demons. Thea is a huge fan of the Raine Benares books, and has much love for Lisa Shearin, so her expectations were running high for this newest Raine adventure…

Wednesday, Ana reviews The Laurentine Spy by Emily Gee. Ana fell in love with this book at first sight of synopsis.

On Thursday, in honor of the release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, you KNEW we were gonna do something, right? We’ll share the origins of our love for Wolvie, along with hopes for the movie, fun linkage, and other X-Men ponderings. We’ll also have a poll and hopefully a review for the film on the weekend too…

Friday, we close out the week with another author talking inspirations and influences, as Julie James comes over with her writerly thoughts.

Phew. Well that’s about it for now! See ya tomorrow, bub.

~ Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers

This week: recap of Lost, Season 5 Episode 14 – Some Like it Hoth, a Miles episode, A.K.A. The return of the Daddy Issues.

Flashback time: a woman, in a flat, looking to rent it. I recognise her from the first episode of this season, the wife of Dr Chang and the mother of a baby, which I ALWAYS thought was Miles.

I was right, for here he is. Kid Miles. The mother tells the landlord that it’s her and the kid. The father is not there. The kid asks for a quarter for the vending machine. He runs off but on the way he seems to hear/see something coming from behind a closed door. He opens the door to an apartment and the guy who lives there is dead. He screams
(more…)

Welcome to another Chat with an Author. Our guest this time is Jo Beverley, prolific writer with more than 30 novels published, winner of 5 Rita Awards and a member of the RWA Honor Roll, and the RWA Hall of Fame. The Secret Wedding (reviewed here) is a brand new novel in the world of the Malloren family.

Ana is a huge fan of her novels – specially the Malloren ones – for all the wonderful historically accurate details, humour and warmth. When we started this series of Chats, she vowed that one day she would interview Jo Beverley and did not rest until the time came to fulfil her dream. It is our honour and privilege to welcome Jo Beverley to the blog.

Please take a seat and enjoy yourselves.

The Book Smugglers: First and foremost, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us!

Jo Beverley: You’re welcome. Thanks for inviting me.

The Book Smugglers: You have a new book coming outthis month: The Secret Wedding . Can you tell us a bit more about it and what is the connection with the famous Malloren series?

Jo Beverley: It’s set in the same period for a start — the 1760s — but I’ve also built in direct connections to the Mallorens. In the first book in this trilogy, A Lady’s Secret, the connection was to the Marquess of Rothgar. In The Secret Wedding, it’s to his wife, the Countess of Arradale and Marchioness of Rothgar. She’s from Yorkshire, where her estate of Arradale lies, and so is the heroine, Caro. Yorkshire is also where the “secret wedding” occurs.

The Book Smugglers: You have written more than 30 novels, most of them in either the Malloren series set in Georgian time or the Company of Rogues series, set in the Regency period – do you have a favourite series or a favourite period to write?

Jo Beverley: No, definitely not. They’re so different. The Regency is a magical period, which is why it’s so popular. It’s the beginning of the modern age, still with historical elegance and graces, but also accessible to the modern reader. The Georgian, on the other hand, is way back then. It’s wild and amoral and bawdy and socially and politically complex. I love it, but I usually feel I have to do a bit extra to make it work for most modern readers.

The Book Smugglers: One of the things I love about your books is the special attention you give to the historical background – What’s your research process for creating these vivid time periods and locations? You have a degree in History – does that help?

Jo Beverley: It does because I have a solid base in the sweep of modern English history — say, since 1066, which helps put spot research in contest, and also to spot nonsense. There’s quite a bit of that around. I also know how to do research.

My research process depends on the situation. As I write in only three periods — medieval around 1100, Georgian in the 1760s, and Regency — I’ve had a long time to build my foundation knowledge in these periods, especially about how people lived. With each book I add more, usually on location and any special incidents. For example, in The Secret Wedding, I did research on Doncaster and Sheffield, and the steel industry in Sheffield, as that’s Caro’s background. For Devilish, however (Rothgar and Diana’s book) I researched the Yorkshire Dales. Locations in England are usually very specific.

Where possible I use primary sources such as letters, diaries, and newspapers, and also period maps and illustrations. I love to have the feel of a place as it was, and a resonance with the way the people of the time thought about everyday matters.

The Book Smugglers: Some of your books are also quite humorous and quirky –A Lady’s Secret, for example features a secondary character, the dog Coquette which added some funny moments. Similarly in My Lady Notorious there was the cross dressing and all the amazing innuendos around food – do you consider yourself a funny person? Do you think comedy is an important component of your books?

Jo Beverley: I’m not a laugh a minute person, but I do enjoy word play, which often comes into my books. If I could, I’d write funny books all the time, but it comes or not, depending on the characters and situations. I think there’s a funny scene in The Secret Wedding, a lot of which is word play.

I do think it’s important for characters to have a sense of humor, and especially for them to be able to laugh at themselves, so that tends to come in.

The Book Smugglers: What’s a typical day of writing like for you? Do you get distracted by other activities such as blogging with the Wenches or Twitting?

Jo Beverley:I don’t Twit — or is it Tweet? I just can’t get my mind around that. I enjoy blogging with the Wenches, and I have a couple of other blogs I post to as the whim takes me. Jo Talk is just for anything, but Minepast is specifically to share odd bits of history I come across as I’m researching. I often stumble across something that’s no use to my current book but is just wonderful.

The Book Smugglers: You are a very prolific romance writer and an outspoken champion of the genre , so we ask you: why do you write romance?

Jo Beverley: Because I couldn’t spend so much time and energy on something I didn’t enjoy, and which didn’t interest me. I find what I call the human mating dance completely fascinating. When people come together in that special bond, they do the craziest things. Every sense is heightened and every sensitivity is raw. It’s such a rich part of life. Romance stories are also supremely triumphant, leading to the promise of wonderful lives. There’s enough dismal stuff in the world as it is. I don’t want to add to it.

The Book Smugglers: Who are your major writing influences? Which authors do you love?

Jo Beverley: Georgette Heyer and Dorothy Dunnett were both influences. I enjoy Terry Pratchett’s humor.

The Book Smugglers: What are you working on next?

Jo Beverley: I’m polishing a medieval fantasy novella about the Holy Grail for a collection that will be out next year called A Chalice of Roses. It will also have stories by Mary Jo Putney, Barbara Samuel, and Karen Harbaugh. We’ve previous done Faery Magic and Dragon Lovers.

I’m also working on the third book of the current Georgian trilogy, which is the Duke of Ithorne’s story. Lots more fun with hidden identities!

The Book Smugglers: We Book Smugglers are faced with constant threats and criticisms from our dear significant others concerning the sheer volume of books we purchase and read—hence, we have resorted to ‘smuggling books’ home to escape scrutinizing eyes. Have you ever had to smuggle books?

Jo Beverley: No, I don’t think so, which is my great good fortune. Mind you, my mother disapproved of my early reading tastes with the usual “you should be reading better” but only for contemporary romance. Historicals were approved of. I think there was an assumption that I was learning useful history, which was rarely the case. However, I’ve always used libraries a lot — it’s a British habit. A paperback book is cheap in comparison to so many other things. It would be less than a couple of lattes, or a cinema ticket. Let’s think of other purchases that cost the same or less and don’t give nearly as much pleasure.

Best wishes,

Jo
___
Jo Beverley is one the few authors writing English-set historical romance who is English. She was born and raised in England, and has a degree in English history from Keele University in Staffordshire. She and her husband emigrated to Canada, where they now live. They have two sons.

Though Jo started to write as a young child, it was only in the eighties that she began to think that it was something ordinary people could do, and after a talk at a local library, she settled to seriously writing her first historical romance.

A big thank you to Jo Beverley!

“Humans…the other white meat. Unless you’re black, then it’s dark meat. Or if you’re Asian, then it’s yellow meat. Or if you’re Native American, it’s red meat. (Well…you get the idea.)”

~ Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead

What came first, the chicken or the egg? Who cares…when the world is about to end in a flurry of homicidal hens and reanimated roosters?!

Buck-buck-braaaaaaaaaaaaaains!!!!

It has come to our attention that we have been designated as recipients of the Zombie Chicken award. No, not those zombie chickens (the ones that are euthanized, placed in a compost heap and rise from the dead – no joke, this happens to 1 or 2 in 40,000 chickens). We received this fantastic honor from Marg of Reading Adventures, Christine of The Happily Ever After, and Angie of Angieville. Here’s the rundown:

The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken – excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all…

Rather than incur the wrath of the deadly zombie chicken, we hereby nominate the following bloggers:

1. Graeme of Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review – A fellow zombie aficionado and a blogger we highly admire, we think Graeme would be a pretty strong ally in holding off the zombie chicken hordes.
2. Jeff of Conditional Axe and Sarah of Great Hera! (Both of AlertNerd) – We’ve only recently discovered Jeff and Sarah’s blogs thanks to AlertNerd’s awesome “What’s Your Scott and Jean?” bonanza, and have subsequently added their blogs to our feed readers. We figure they’d come up with some crafty zombo-cluck decapitation techniques.
3. Jessica of Racy Romance Reviews – It’s no secret that we are in awe of Jessica’s consistently thought-provoking, discussion-inducing essays and book reviews. With her smarts, the forsaken fowl stand no chance.
4. Kristen of Fantasy Cafe – Kristen’s succinct yet informative reviews make for wonderful book recommendations. And with her tastes in dark fantasy, repelling pestilential poultry shouldn’t be a problem.
5. Karen Mahoney, Aspiring Author and Book Pimp – What’s the apocalypse without Karen? Honorary Book Smuggler and Book Pimp extraordinaire, Karen’s responsible for the Blob-like TBR piles that are gradually taking over our homes. At least the book piles will help reinforce our barricaded doors…

Well folks, you know the drill. Pass it on to five other bloggers, or suffer a fate most fowl…

Title: The Secret Wedding

Author: Jo Beverley

Genre: Historical Romance (Georgian)

Publisher:Signet
Publishing Date: April 7th 2009
Paperback:432 pages

Stand Alone or Series: Book two in the Secrets trilogy. All the books in the series can be read alone but they all share the same premise: meeting of strangers at an inn and involve false names and identities. All of them have an unusual animal: book one had Coquette the papillon dog – and this one has the cat-rabbit of Hesse, Tabby. Plus, the three heroes are friends who vowed not to marry before they are 30 or else they need to pay 1000 Pounds to the most unworthy charity they can think of. So far two of them lost.

The books also have a connection with the Malloren books.

Book 1 A Lady’s Secret has been reviewed here.

Why did I read the book: I love Jo Beberley’s books. My Lady Notorious remains one of my all time favorites.

Summary:He had never intended to marry, but at the age of seventeen Christian Hill impulsively defended a maid’s honor only to be blamed for defaming it, and was coerced into marrying Dorcas Froggatt. But then he left to pursue his military career, putting the surreal event out of his mind. Until someone begins making inquiries about a man named Jack Hill—the alias he used when he wed Dorcas years before.

Review:

1754 – Yorkshire.

Christian Hill resolutely walks into an Inn in Yorkshire to stop a wrong-doing against a far too young girl. He is young himself, at 16 years old, fearless and romantic. He has just joined His Majesty Army and is about to go to war against the French in Canada. As a Knight Errant he barges into the bedroom where his fellow from the Army, Lieutenant Moore has taken the girl he eloped with, Dorcas Froggatt. Moore plans to marry her and her money and Christian is aware of his intentions. But he is too late. The girl who had agreed to the elopement has lost her virginity against her will and is down to Christian to defend her honour. He fights Moore and the man ends up dead and people from the inn burst through the door and call murder. Christian is to be taken prisoner but then the girl’s aunt – a veritable force of nature – walks in and says all would be fine if he married the girl. Christian is desperate , he doesn’t want to. He pities the scrawny, small girl but he doesn’t want to get married to a stranger. He has no choice though and has to say yes: but he gives a false name, Jack Hill. Before they know, they are married and a settlement in which he forfeits any rights to her money is signed. No-one expects the marriage to be a true one, the girl really only needs a name to save her reputation, so Christian walks away to war without looking back, being certain of only one thing: Knight Errant no more.

10 years later.

Christian is back in London. The war is over. He is a Major of the Army doing office work and has recently become the Viscount of Grandiston after his father earned a Earldom. Christian is a rake , who enjoys life with his good friends. He also needs to marry money – his family is not very wealthy and as the future heir, he needs to consider the future of his TWELVE siblings. You see, Christian is the product of a very rare specimen: the happy family. His parents love each other, love their kids and above all, love making the kids. They expect him to marry this moneyed widower who would be more than happy to marry a handsome viscount herself. However.

News come that someone is making enquiries about one Jack Hill. At first Christian doesn’t even think much of it, but then the penny drops and he remembers that HE is Jack Hill. He is concerned now. A few years after the wedding , when he was still in Canada he received a letter saying that Dorcas had died. He thought himself free. But what if she is still alive? Or what if someone is enquiring after him in her name – maybe a bastard son? – only because he is now a Viscount? He decides to make a trip up North to investigate, using the name of Grandiston as to not arouse suspicion. He needs to be sure he is free and if he is not, he needs to make right by Dorcas – either by divorcing her, protecting her or whatever she wants to make out of this mess. He has no idea what she looks like.

Up North, Dorcas or Caro Hill as she is known around there is alive and well. Her business is going well and she decides that she wants to marry and have children. She too, received a letter ages ago telling her that her husband had died in the war but she needs to be sure of it. Then, this Grandiston person, who has eyes like those of her husband (the only feature she can remember) shows up and she is concerned that he is Jack Hill’s heir and therefore after her money , or worse: after herself. She pretends to be a dim-witted maid and takes off to visit her lawyers. Christian thinks he should follow her. She is not amused by this and decides to take charge: she is to take control and concocts a plan. She can not let him know who she is, but she pretends to be the wife of a solicitor who had a road accident. Her name is Kat Hunter , an appropriate name for what she intends to do: to seduce the truth out of Christian. She joins him at the INN he is staying at and let the games begin.

All of this happens in the first 100 pages of the book and the hero and heroine are hardly in the same page together. As set up, this is one expertly done.

Caro, as Kat, tries to flirt with Christian, as Grandiston. Neither knows that they are married to each other and of course, the seducer becomes the seduced. Christian is a true rake and one that excels at seducing women. He doesn’t care one bit that she is married (or so he thinks), he takes what is offered, have pleasure, give pleasure and is done with it. But things take a turn to complicated when Caro is accused of stealing the rings of another woman staying at the inn and there is a mob and low and behold: Knight Errant is back. Christian saves her from the angry mob and now The Secret Wedding is a road romance AND a farce with Christian and Caro coming to know each other and falling in love, both thinking they are married to someone else.

And this is only the beginning.

I simply adore Jo Beverley’s books: she excels at setting-up and developing incredibly fun stories without ever missing out on the romance. There are fights, mysteries, false names and identities, good secondary characters (Christian’s friends Thorn and Robin and his family for example, not to mention the omnipresent, omniscient Rothgar. Aw, Rothgar . Oh, and Tabby the cat ) , all encapsulated with rich historical details such as how can a couple get divorced in Georgian times, the cat-rabbits from the South of England (don’t ask) and clothing and mannerisms from the era.

As for her characters: Christian is a true rake. The sort that feels young and enjoys it. Who loves women, laughter, freedom and adventure. Who is a good man but who doesn’t balk at shagging a stranger at an inn and one that walks away without looking back. Why not taken what is freely given? It is also the sort of rake that exactly for all his love of women and for the fact that he knows one day he must marry that he is fully prepared to become faithful. Yes, of course he wishes it would come later rather than sooner. Christian believes in happy marriages because he has seen one – that of his parents.

It is easy to believe that the saying is true when it comes to Christian: reformed rakes make the best husbands. Caro doubts it at first of course, as any self-respecting woman would especially since they know each other (REALLY know each other) for so little time. It is down to Christian to say the right words to convince her and they start with: “I’ve made lifelong friends in an hour, and enemies in less”.

Now, Caro. She longs for safety and for a tame life but all crumbles down when she meets Christian and discover passion. She is from the industrial North, a city woman used to manufacture and with a very practical vein. Someone who has a natural distrust of people from the South, especially aristocrats who throw away money in thoughtless manner. Her practical side – or her Froggatt side – tells her the future is not certain, people and circumstances change. As a woman she can be undermined and left without a penny should her husband decides to spend her hard-earned money. It is clear how , in her mind , their main source of conflict would be therefore her money and there is no dodging here: this is indeed something that comes between them , something that is serious and Jo Beverley NEVER, for a moment, let us forget this. There is no contrived away out of it and I love how Caro came up with a way to feel safe even when she lost her heart.

There are a couple of caveats. Their first sex scene happens and it’s only the after that, in a second almost- sex- scene that Caro remembers her first , unhappy, somewhat violent time, from ten years ago and is fearful. This timeline of events didn’t make sense to me: surely, if it was necessary that she had a reaction it should have come in the first sex scene. I also hoped for a conversation between Caro and Christian about that horrible day ten years ago and for more information as to how Caro recovered from that crisis but alas, there was none. I also wished for more on why Christian didn’t have a close relationship with his family even though there was love all around. Lastly, there is a secondary mystery plot that although doesn’t take too many pages , I thought was unnecessary.

There is still so much to be said about this book (and about all Jo Beverley’s books ).She writes wonderful banter for example and incredibly warm and cheerful heroes . And the tension that builds up toward the moment of revelation that they are married to each other was almost too much to bear. Plus, great believable conflict that can keep her protagonists apart, that is organic and in-tune with who her characters are. Till the end, I believed in what kept Christian and Caro apart, but fear not dear reader: it is true that for the Malloren everything possible. But you see, for the Hills everything always turn out for the best.

More to the point: always trust that The Beverley will show you a good time.

Notable Quotes/ Parts:I will not include the scene here because it’s too long but also because I don’t want to spoil but I DARE you not to laugh out loud when you read about The Rare and Vicious Hessian Fanged Rabbit. It is a delightful scene and it shows how well attuned Christian and Caro can be.

Additional Thoughts: Tomorrow, an exclusive interview with Jo Beverley!

Verdict: You can always trust Jo Beverley for fun and warm love stories that are well-written and well-researched.

Rating:7 – VERY GOOD

Reading Next: Dayhunter by Jocelynn Drake

Another month, another dare.

Every month we dare a book blogger to read a book that is outside their comfort zone and invite them to post their reviews or thoughts here. This time, the victim guest is Jessica who writes the excellent Racy Romance Reviews. As soon as we asked her which genre she does not read and she said YA, we thought of Melissa Marr and decided to dare her to read Wicked Lovely.

So, we warmly welcome Jessica and here is what she has to say:
________

Jessica’s review of Wicked Lovely

Ana and Thea challenged me to read a YA, and suggested Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. Like most avid romance readers, I have occasionally ventured outside the genre to try other books with strong romantic elements, such as urban fantasy, sci fi, suspense, and mystery. But I have resisted the call of the YA. I believed either that a romance between teens would not interest me, or that it would interest me, and I would feel like a dirty old woman (I’m in my late thirties.). I’m happy to report that I failed to consider a third alternative: a chaste, age appropriate YA romance that has all the elements of adult romance that I find compelling, with a strong enough characterization of the teen protagonists that I was never in any danger of wanting to be one of them.

This book was published in 2007, and two others in the series have since come out. I’m going to keep my plot summary brief, since this book is now quite well known. Aislinn, a Catholic high school student, lives in Huntsville, PA with her grandmother. She has the Sight, meaning she can see faeries all around her, even under the glamours they use when they want to be viewed as normal by humans. She follows a set of rules handed down by her grandmother designed to keep her ability hidden from the fey, and spends time with Seth, her tattooed and pierced friend who lives in a series of train car (which is handy, since the fey can’t abide steel).

Unfortunately, Aislinn’s ability to stay out of faery business ends when Keenan, King of Summer, identifies her as his Queen and sets about courting her. Keenan has his own troubles, including his evil mother, the Queen of Winter, who knows her chilling reign will end should Aislinn ascend to the throne, and Donia, the girl he once thought was his queen, who is now just a winter girl, a frosty shadow of her former self, under the thumb of the Winter Queen.

It’s a very scary thing to be aware that there are nonhuman beings in our midst, and even scarier to have the burden of keeping your knowledge a secret. As the book opens, we are thrust into Aislinn’s terrifying world. She has to school herself not reveal her awareness of the faeries by looking at them, starting or maneuvering to avoid them. Imagine walking home, knowing they are following you, but not knowing why, not being able to run for fear of alerting them to your knowledge, but being desperate to run. Even worse, imaging that you can see under their glamour, when they are flirting, or talking with your friends, or enrolling in your school. This is a kind of horror – the horror the totally isolating, dangerous unknown — and I thought it was perfectly realized, engaging me right away in this book.

I was also engaged by Aislinn, who is scared but strong, and doesn’t lose her wry sense of humor. Here’s one characteristic observation:

“The Church might caution against the dangers of the occult, but finding a modern priest who believed in anything supernatural—other than God himself—was about as likely as finding one who’d suggest women should be able to be priests too.”

Maybe it’s also a kind of metaphor in some way for teenage relations. My children have no anxiety at all about social relations: if someone doesn’t want to play, they move on. But I know this innocence won’t last, and in a few years they will experience the precariousness of peer groups and all the rest. They’ll learn the hard way that not everyone can be trusted, that not everyone is who they seem. As Aislinn says, “even if she could somehow stop seeing the fey, a person can’t un-know the truth.”

I thought the portrayal of teen life was dead on. There were the little things, like this line,

“Her lips were blue—not lipstick blue, but corpse blue.”

I never would have thought of blue lipstick! But also the savviness about partying and sex that so many older teens have. The teens in the book did all of those adult things (and most of this behavior was merely alluded to), but often not with good judgment. Sound familiar? I have seen other reviewers criticize Marr for putting these “experienced” teens in a Catholic school and I had to laugh: I started high school in a Catholic girls school, and you know what? After one year I switched to a 1500 student coed public h.s. to get away from the aggressive, oversexed party girls at St. Mary’s Academy so I could study! Obviously, not every Catholic high school is populated with this type, but when people criticize Marr on this point they are tacitly assuming the opposite, and they are wrong.

I also thought Marr’s realization of the faery world was terrific. We don’t spend much time in fey dwellings, and most of the faery encounters are on human turf, so it’s all the more impressive to me that Marr was able to convey so much about the history, alliances, customs, and traditions of the fey. Some have criticized her use of simplistic names and relations, and it is true that there is a very heavy use of the “seasonal model” (summer against winter), as personified by their king and queen, and their appearance and abilities. But if you are going to write a faery story, even an urban faery story, you have to stick to nature. The Winter Queen (not to mention Aislinn’s name) evoked the C.S. Lewis’s White Witch, in both her demeanor and her plans – already underway — to winterfy the world. And, like Lewis, or Grimm, or anyone who utilizes this set of themes, they serve as a mutually recognizable backdrop onto which you can put whatever you want.

Once Aislinn’s Sight becomes known, that element of suspense is lost, but a new one takes its place: can she resist the Summer King? As Marr describes him, he is everything that looks, and smells, and feels, and evokes all the good things the average human can imagine. Here’s one description:

“As she watched Keenan walk toward her, Aislinn saw a fleeting image of sunlight rippling over water, bouncing off buildings, strange flickers of warmth and beauty that made her want to run toward him.”

You begin by wondering how anybody at all is enticed to becomes a faery, and by the point in the book when Aislinn attends a carnival with the King, dancing with him until the wee hours of the morning, an amazing scene, a beautiful and pivotal and heartbreaking one, you wonder how she or anybody can possibly resist.

This again, I read as a metaphor for the temptations teenagers face to determine the difference between changing into your adult version and changing into someone else entirely. Once the King identifies Aislinn, she has to choose whether to refuse the test and become a Summer Girl, basically a member of Keenan’s harem, a point to which I shall return, or take the test. (I note here that one annoyance I had with the book was that I was well over halfway through Wicked Lovely before Donia explained these basic facts to Aislinn, and the reader. I appreciated my ignorant suspense for about half that time, but eventually it felt forced to me.) Just as we cannot refuse to grow up, Aislinn cannot refuse this choice. Even a nonchoice is a choice, with its own consequences, a painful fact of adult life that Marr captures very well.

I’ve read some comparisons to Twilight, namely regarding the passivity of the heroine. I think there’s a difference between being out of control and being passive. Being a teen is being out of control, both in our own feelings and emotions, and in the world around you, and that’s what Aislinn was. But, if anything, the message of the book is that young women have to regain that control by thinking for themselves and solve their own problems. As Donia puts it,

“Your modernity is your best weapon. Use it. Show him that you are entitled to some sort of choice. You know what he is now, so demand that he talk to you. Negotiate for what control you can wrest from him.”

Although the Summer King has some powers, they are “bound” by his mother for most of the book, a metaphor I think I don’t need to explain. And although Aislinn relies on her mortal boyfriend Seth, the strong characters, the ones who ultimately have the power and make the decisions in Wicked Lovely are the women. Aislinn and Donia are contrasted sharply with the Summer Girls, those who decided to exist for the pleasure of Aislann and his men, a theme I thought was a bit of a harsh and unexplored actually, who

“believe they’ve won. … The girls were happy: they didn’t see their dependence as a burden.”

I wonder who the Summer Girls are in our world?

Not everything worked for me in this book. Seth, while wonderful, was a bit too perfect himself. Never a wrong move, always just waiting for Aislinn to show up so he could help her. I also felt that the secondary characters like the Winter Queen and Aislinn’s grandmother were quite one dimensional. There was a twist near the end which I did not see coming, that was truly grotesque, the implications of which were not explored. And I thought Aislinn’s transition from being terrified of the faery world to embracing her role as Queen occurred abruptly, without a corresponding change in character. Finally, the ending wraps things up in a bow that seemed a little too neat: there was a tension all along between the really horrific elements of the story and the romantic ones that I felt was not resolved perfectly.

But I really enjoyed this book. More importantly, it’s the first book in a while that I could not put down. I thank the Book Smugglers for inviting me to read and review it!

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You are very welcome Jessica! Glad you liked the book – hopefully you will pick up the others and enjoy them too!

Next Month: We dared Tia from the Fantasy Debut Blog and she will be reading a Horror book which we have yet to pick. We do know this though: she also pulled a Graeme and dared us back to read The Once and Future King by T.H. White!