Today we bring you another very special author spotlight on The Book Smugglers – this time with the delightful paranormal/sexy/urban fantasy author Stacia Kane!

Stacia is the author of the Megan Chase books, which follows radio call show host and psychologist Megan Crew as she promises to slay callers’ personal demons. This series encompasses three titles, Personal Demons, Demon Inside, and the newest novel, Demon Possessed. Check out her books:

Megan promises listeners to her new radio call-in show that she’ll “slay their personal demons,” and they believe her. So do the personal demons… although she doesn’t know it, Megan is the only human without a demon on her shoulder! Megan and her allies – a demon lover who both protects and seduces her with devilish intensity, a witch with poor social skills, and three cockney guard demons – have to deal not only with the personal demons, but a soul-sucker, ghosts of Megan’s past, and a reporter who threatens to destroy Megan’s career!

Hanging out with demons can be hell….

It’s been three months since psychologist Megan Chase made the stunning discovery that the world is filled with demons, and once more the situation is too hot to handle. Ironically, Megan — the only person in the world without a little personal demon sitting on her shoulder — has become the leader of a demon “family,” but now some unknown arcane power is offing her demons in a particularly unpleasant fashion. And while her demon lover Greyson Dante is still driving her wild with desire, he’s also acting strangely evasive. Then there’s the truth about Megan’s past — the truth she’s never known. Caught between personal problems and personal demons, Megan is having one hell of a hard time. Will the help of her Cockney guard demons and her witch friend Tera be enough so that Megan can finally resolve the past, survive the present, and face the future?

Excerpt online HERE.

Psychologist and psychic Megan Chase has grown remarkably comfortable hanging out with demons. The demon “family” she leads is happy, her solo practice is stabilizing, and she and her steamy demon lover, Greyson Dante, are closer than ever. But when the couple books a week at a luxury hotel to attend a meeting of demon leaders, some unanticipated problems appear. An FBI agent with an unhealthy interest in less-than-legitimate demon business practices shows up; the demon community is urging Megan to undergo the rite that will make her a real demon; and a slightly shady minister is holding one of his wildly popular “weekend exorcisms” just down the road. And oh, yes, someone with scary magical abilities is attempting to kill her. Then, just when it seems as if things couldn’t possibly get any worse, a secret comes to light that could jeopardize Megan and Greyson’s future — if Megan manages to live that long. With things heating up, it’s becoming difficult for her to keep a cool head…

Excerpt online HERE.

To celebrate the release of Demon Possessed, we are having the lovely Stacia Kane over for an interactive Q&A and a chance to win her books! We have TWO sets of Megan Chase books (Personal Demons, Demon Inside, and Demon Possessed) up for grabs. Entry is easy and simple, per usual – just leave a comment here asking Stacia a question (about her series, her writing process, her favorite demons, etc). The contest is open to all, and will run until Saturday, March 6th at 11:59PM (PST). Good luck, and let the questions begin.

Please and give it up for Stacia Kane!

Thanks so much for having me as a guest here at The Book Smugglers! Hanging out with readers is one of the best things about writing. I write the Megan Chase “Demons” series for Juno/Pocket books, and the upcoming Downside series as well. I’m happy to talk about both of them, or about anything else you can possibly imagine, so please ask as many questions as you like! (Just give me a little extra time if you want to talk about math, because that’s not my best subject.) Fire away!

Stacia Kane has been a phone psychic, a customer service representative, a bartender, and a movie theatre usher. Writing is more fun than all of them combined. She wears a lot of black, still makes great cocktails, likes to play music loud in the car, and thinks Die Hard is one of the greatest movies ever made. She believes in dragons and the divine right of kings, and is a fervent Ricardian. She lives outside Atlanta with her husband and their two little girls.

You can read more about Stacia online at her website HERE, her blog HERE, and on occasion over at The League of Reluctant Adults.

Hey, hey, hey folks! It’s time for another, really spiffy Flash Giveaway! This time, it’s the luuuuuuuuurve edition.

Today, we have a few prize packages up for grabs – three basic prize packages, and then ONE truly awesome Grand Prize!

In Batch 1: Historical Romance

This batch includes:
- Revenge Wears Rubies by Renee Bernard
- In Bed With the Duke by Christina Dodd
- Ladies Prefer Rogues anthology
- Promise Me Tonight by Sara Lindsey
- Most Eagerly Yours by Allison Chase
- The Irish Duke by Virginia Henley

In Batch 2: Contemporary Romance

This batch includes:
- Knock Me for a Loop by Heidi Betts
- Some Like it Kilted by Allie Mackay
- Mad, Bad and Blonde by Cathie Linz
- Divorced, Desperate and Decieved by Christie Craig
- Blonde with a Wand by Vicki Lewis Thompson
- Chick with a Charm by Vicki Lewis Thompson
- Johnny Be Good by Paige Toon

In Batch 3: Paranormal Romance

This batch includes:
- Warrior Ascended by Addison Fox
- Succubi Like it Hot by Jill Myles
- Naked Dragon by Annette Blair
- Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole
- Atlantis Redeemed by Alyssa Day
- Time for Eternity by Susan Squires

AND THE GRAND PRIZE:

As part of the marketing push behind the thirtieth book in J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts)’s “In Death” series, the good folks at Penguin have put together a truly AWESOME promotional package for the release of Fantasy In Death.

Bart Minnock, founder of the computer-gaming giant U-Play, enters his private playroom, and eagerly can’t wait to lose himself in an imaginary world, to play the role of a sword-wielding warrior king, in his company’s latest top-secret project, Fantastical.

The next morning, he is found in the same locked room, in a pool of blood, his head separated from his body. It is the most puzzling case Eve Dallas has ever faced, and it is not a game. . . .

NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas is having as much trouble figuring out how Bart Minnock was murdered as who did the murdering. The victim’s girlfriend seems sincerely grief-stricken, and his quirky-but-brilliant partners at U-Play appear equally shocked. No one seemed to have a prob lem with the enthusiastic, high-spirited millionaire. Of course, success can attract jealousy, and gaming, like any business, has its fierce rivalries and dirty tricks-as Eve’s husband, Roarke, one of U- Play’s competitors, knows well. But Minnock was not naive, and quite capable of fighting back in the real world as well as the virtual one.

Eve and her team are about to enter the next level of police work, in a world where fantasy is the ultimate seduction-and the price of defeat is death. . . .

You may or may not have seen others (such as KB of Babbling About Books, and More! and the folks over at Dear Author) that have been posting about these wicked cool packages – and, with full permission from the publicity group at Penguin, we’ve decided to give put our own package up for grabs.

As the Grand Prize in our Valentine’s Day Giveaway, we are offering up a copy of Fantasy In Death and the wicked cool Evidence Bag that contains Vengeance in Death, a departmental memo from Eve, and a little token of evidence from the Vengeance in Death case.

You can find more about Fantasy In Death and all of the great evidence bags put together by the publisher at the official In Death website, HERE.

THE RULES:

In order to enter the contest, we have a few simple rules.

To enter the competition, you must leave a comment after this post, letting us know in order of preference which of the three prize packages you want (for example: 1. Historical Romance; 2. Paranormal Romance; 3. Contemporary Romance).

If you want to enter yourself in the GRAND PRIZE drawing (for Fantasy in Death and the Evidence Bag containing goodies and Vengeance in Death), in your comment make sure to tell us which In Death book is your favorite! (If you do not wish to be considered in the giveaway for the other prize packages, make sure to state that in your comment too) If you do not say which In Death book is your favorite, you will NOT be eligible to win the Grand Prize.

And this is an important one! ONLY ONE COMMENT PER PERSON. Any duplicate comments, clarification comments, multiple comments will be automatically disqualified.

The competition is open to residents of the United States and Canada ONLY.

Those are the rules! Make sure you adhere to them, or you might lose your chance at a truly awesome giveaway. The contest will run until Saturday February 13th at 11:59PM. Good luck!

And Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Title: Archangel’s Kiss

Author: Nalini Singh

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Berkeley (US) / Gollancz (UK)
Publication Date: February 2010 (US) / March 2010 (UK)
Paperback: 352 pages

Stand Alone or Series: Book 2 in the ongoing Guild Hunter series

How Did We Get This Book: Review copies from author & publisher

Why Did We Read This Book: Both of us loved Angels’ Blood, the first book in the series. Ana is a confessed Nalini Singh-aholic, and Thea is on her way to becoming one too. The question should be, rather, what took us so long to read this book?

Summary: (from NaliniSingh.com)
Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux wakes from a year-long coma to find herself changed—an angel with wings the colors of midnight and dawn—but her fragile body needs time to heal before she can take flight. Her lover, the stunningly dangerous archangel Raphael, is used to being in control—even when it comes to the woman he considers his own. But Elena has never done well with authority…

They’ve barely begun to understand each other when Raphael receives an invitation to a ball from the archangel Lijuan. To refuse would be a sign of fatal weakness, so Raphael must ready Elena for the flight to Beijing—and to the nightmare that awaits them there. Ancient and without conscience, Lijuan holds a power that lies with the dead. And she has organized the most perfect and most vicious of welcomes for Elena…

REVIEW:

First Impressions:

Thea: Anyone that reads our reviews knows that I have an aversion to romance novels, especially of the mushy, sexually explicit variety. I’ve read some pretty bad Paranormal Romance in particular that makes my eyes roll up to the back of my head, where they can see my brain, which is pissed off at having to read the offending material in the first place. I can deal with mush and sex, but not when it is at the expense of a cohesive and believable story. Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter books are the clear exception to my PNR-dislike, because, quite frankly, her writing rules. The thing that drew me in with Angels’ Blood was how textured and real her characters felt – how Raphael is actually a terrifying, cruel immortal and has no mortal feelings. How Elena is fragile and insignificant in the grand scope of the supernatural world – and she not only knows this but respects it. The biggest problem I have with a lot of PNR (and a lot of UF to be honest) is how there are these supposed millennia-old immortal/super-sexy/supposedly dangerous dudes – but they act like they are in their twenties or thirties, and they are all big softies with hearts of gold, and even if they committed atrocities that was all in the distant past and they are atoning for it, and they are saved from an eternity of brooding by this fiesty hot little human thang (who of course turns out to be some super powerful fey princess/most powerful/magical creature in the universe) who has a scent and a way of sassing that is IRRESISTIBLE to said leading male. In Angels’ Blood and Archangel’s Kiss, Ms. Sing creates a world where deadly creatures are actually deadly, and her heroine Elena is valued because of her human heart and her frailty – even as an immortal, she is a young one and easy to kill. I LOVED that about this book. I love that the relationship between Raphael and Elena is far from “happily ever after” and that their story is continued here. I loved it all enough that I didn’t even mind all the renegade nipples, running rampant throughout the book. Well, I didn’t mind much.

Ana: I read Archangel’s Kiss a few weeks ago which makes it my first official 2010 book. I came to it in the middle of a serious reading slump after I tried and couldn’t finish about 6 books. Nalini Singh once more saves me from the brink of despair. Her writing is kick-ass as usual, the particular world-building of the Guild Hunter book as interesting as ever and the relationship between Raphael and Elena is not only smoking hot (unlike Thea, I tend to like the sexually explicit content when it is well done and part of the story. And oh boy. Can Nalini Singh deliver on that area) but also fascinating.

On the Plot:

Thea: While Angels’ Blood had more of a death-defying, high stakes plot, Archangel’s Kiss is more subdued. There’s an overarching problem of some cruel angel that siccing his/her vampires on Raphael’s vampires, maiming and sending a taunting message meant to threaten Elena’s safety. There’s also the distant, looming test for Elena on the horizon as Lijuan, the most ancient and powerful of the archangels, has broken her disinterested seclusion in China and has extended an invitation to Raphael and his new “pet” hunter. Lijuan’s age and power, however, have changed her into something beyond immortal. She has evolved and has power over death itself, creating her own amusements in the form of an army of the dead reborn – an army that feeds on the flesh of the living to sustain itself. And Lijuan likes to feed her pets – with Elena in mind. While there are these two conflicts going on, the bulk of the novel involves Elena trying to get back her strength and become accustomed to her strange new body, especially after a year of lying in a coma. The focus in this second book is not so much on another rip-roaring adventure (though there is a fair amount of action and a dramatic conclusion) than it is a character-centric book. The highest points of Archangel’s Kiss are in the growing understanding and relationship between Elena and Raphael, as Elena learns what it means to be “immortal” and yet so incredibly weak.

Again, I found myself in awe of Nalini Singh’s worldbuilding skills. Her hierarchy of humans, vampires, angels and archangels is staggering in its complexity and in how utterly believable it all is. As I said before, these immortals are dangerous, cruel creatures and they act as such. I LOVED that Raphael’s Seven would try to kill Elena if she slipped in her vigilance – not because they hate Elena, but because her very presence weakens their leader. She is a liability, plain and simple, and I liked this aspect of the story (but more on that with characters later!). From a writing perspective, I only had a few minor complaints – there was a high level of repetition (especially regarding Elena’s suppressed memories, resurfacing) that needn’t have been there, and a whole bunch of not-sex/almost-sex scenes that I’m admittedly not a fan of (but, of course, this is personal taste! As Ana would say, it’s “hawt” but I’m an emotionally immature reader). Overall though, Ms. Singh’s writing level is awesome, and I found myself swept away in this wonderful novel.

Ana: As Thea says, plot-wise, there are several threads that run parallel in Archangel’s Kiss. The angels and archangels are scheming as ever and with a seat open in the Cadre of Ten, one is stepping up step up to fill up that place. This is expected and almost all Archangels are ok with it. Thea mentioned that the creatures created by Nalini Singh are cruel and terrifying immortals. This is even clearer in Archangel’s Kiss: as the mystery of who wants to be part of the Cadre builds up what seems to be the problem is not necessarily that people are being killed in a cruel manner. And that is fascinating even if albeit a bit uncomfortable.

The problem stems from the manner which this is being done, the overstepping of the boundaries and the fact that children are being targeted. Similarly when it comes to Lijuan’s age and power – a plotline that one day might be applicable to Raphael – the importance comes from the connection (or lack of) with what is like to an archangel versus being human – hence the relationship between Raphael and Elena being the central theme of the series.

I mentioned that Archangel’s Kiss saved me from a reading slump and it was so. But I did have a couple of problems with it. I actually agree with Thea that there was a high level of repetition -one more “mine” from Raphael and I would explode. Having said that, I absolutely adored the book.

On the Characters:

Thea: Here’s where things really get going. Archangel’s Kiss is very much a character-centric novel, exploring Elena and Raphael even more as characters, and building on their relationship together. Following the dramatic ending of Angels’ Blood, Elena has been Made an Angel and now is immortal. Except…immortality isn’t everything you think it is. She heals more quickly and will never grow old or fall to illness, but Elena is still at the very bottom of the power totem pole. She barely has the strength to walk (as she has been in a coma for a year), and she must learn how to carry and use her new wings. I absolutely loved that Elena isn’t automatically All Better (nor is she SUPER!POWERFUL!) because she’s an Angel – in fact, in many ways she’s even weaker and in a worse position as an immortal than she was as a hunter. As a mortal, Elena knew exactly who she was. She wasn’t a mark for an angelic power play, and she never had to worry about becoming overpowered or a slave to Raphael’s possessive will. But, as an Angel and as Raphael’s mate, she is essentially a walking bullseye for those who want to hurt or take Raphael down – which means even Raphael’s loyal servants want her killed, because she weakens him; she makes him vulnerable. But isn’t that the coolest thing? That’s what love does – it makes one vulnerable to be hurt, but that trust and vulnerability make it all the more special. And THAT is why I love this couple. Elena is strong willed and refuses to be Raphael’s slave, and Raphael – utterly inhuman Raphael – learns and respects this. It’s a beautiful dynamic.

Beyond the leading pair, all of the other characters are textured, diverse, and brilliant in their own ways. In particular, Ilium (one of Raphael’s Seven, the only one to love Elena) and Michaela (another powerful archangel in the Cadre of Ten) are standouts. Michaela’s character is one that you cannot help but despise, especially in her cruel, cold venom towards Elena, but the brilliance of Ms. Singh’s writing is that she shows another, more relatable side to this villain too. And I can dig that.

Ana: I have to agree with Thea again. I think that this is where Archangel’s Kiss truly shines. As Elena awakens from a year- long coma that changed her forever and is faced with a whole new set of challenges. She basically has to learn a new life. Heck she even starts to attend school for Angels. I love how different both Raphael and Elena are from who they used to be and how they both have evolved as characters. And it couldn’t be any different. Not only one year has passed but their love for each other and their personalities have influenced each other. They are BOTH softer people they once were and I think that is a good thing. Not only does Elena make Raphael vulnerable (and how amazing are the last lines of the book- Raphael gets the bests last liners!) but he makes her too. But at the same time, they haven’t completely changed their personalities: Raphael is still cold and ruthless and finds it hard to HAVE to respect Elena’s wishes for independence. It is a working, developing and yes, beautiful dynamics.

I really hope that this hasn’t be the last we see of them. Now that she has become an immortal angel, I want to see what happens with her role as a Hunter and how this dynamics will play when they return to New York.

As for the secondary characters, I am completely fascinated by Michaela who both terrifies and befuddles me. When I think she is completely evil and potty she does something that makes me feel sorry for her. This is the mark of a good villain. And then there is Illium (or Bluebell) and his blue eyelashes and the hint of a sad past AND NALINI SINGH YOU MUST TELL US MORE ABOUT ILLIUM.

I can’t stand Dimitri though – is it just me, dear readers?

Final Thoughts, Observations and Rating:

Thea: I truly enjoyed Archangel’s Kiss – heck, I loved it. It’s not as powerful as Angels’ Blood, but it is a solid, captivating second installment in the ongoing Guild Hunter series. I loved the deeper look at angels, their laws, their powers and their politics, just as I devoured the ongoing romance between two very moving protagonists. I cannot wait for the next book in the series – and the return to the world of mere mortals!

Ana: Although not as refreshingly powerful and original (have I lost that first spark?) as Angels’ Blood, Archangel’s Kiss delivers in every possible ways to make this a great Paranormal Romance series that even the naysayers can safely pick up: a solid world-building, good writing, a great character-driven central arc and an amazing romance.

Notable Quotes/Parts: From the official excerpt:

Elena gripped the balcony railing and stared down at the gorge that fell away with jagged promise beneath. From here, the rocks looked like sharp teeth, ready to bite and tear and rip. She tightened her hold as the icy wind threatened to tumble her into their unforgiving jaws. “A year ago,” she murmured, “I didn’t know the Refuge existed, and today, here I stand.”

A sprawling city of marble and glass spread out in every direction, its elegant lines exquisite under the razor-sharp burn of the sun. Dark-leafed trees provided soothing patches of green on both sides of the gorge that cut a massive divide through the city, while snow-capped mountains ruled the sky line. There were no roads, no high-rises, nothing to disturb the otherworldly grace of it.

Yet, for all its beauty, there was something alien about this place, a vague sense that darkness lurked beneath the gilded surface. Drawing in a breath laced with the biting freshness of the mountain winds, she looked up . . . at the angels. So many angels. Their wings filled the skies above this city that seemed to have grown out of the rock itself.

The angelstruck, those mortals who were literally en thralled by the sight of angelic wings, would weep to be in this place filled with the beings they worshipped. But Elena had seen an archangel laugh as he plucked the eyes out of a vampire’s skull, as he pretended to eat, then crush the pulpy mass. This, she thought with a shiver, was not her idea of heaven.

A rustle of wings from behind her, a squeeze from the pow erful hands on her hips. “You’re tiring, Elena. Come inside.”

You can read the full excerpt online HERE.

Additional Thoughts: Angels are everywhere these days – in books, in films, in video games… For example, last week Legion came out in theaters (which we haven’t seen yet, but Thea is feeling the urge even if it does look silly).

Do you have any favorite portrayals of angels in film or literature?

Rating:

Thea: 7 – Very Good. (But leaning toward an 8 )

Ana:8 Excellent

Reading Next: Blackbringer by Laini Taylor

Title: Captivate

Author: Carrie Jones

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

Publisher: Bloomsbury (USA & UK)
Publication Date: January 2010 (USA) / April 2010 (UK)
Hardcover: 336 pages

Zara and her friends knew they hadn’t solved the pixie problem for good. Far from it. The king’s needs grow deeper every day he’s stuck in captivity, while his control over his people gets weaker. It’s made him vulnerable. And now there’s a new king in town.

A turf war is imminent, since the new pixie king, Astley, is moving in quickly. Nick nearly killed him in the woods on day one, but Zara came to his rescue. Astley swears that he and Zara are destined to be together, that he’s one of the good guys. Nick isn’t buying it, though Zara isn’t as sure — despite herself, she wants to trust the new king. But it’s a lot more than her relationship with Nick that is at stake. It’s her life — and his.

Stand alone or series: Book 2 in the ongoing “Need” series

How did I get this book: ARC from the publisher

Why did I read this book: I truly, honestly enjoyed Need, book 1 in the series, despite some questionable character motivations and plot inconsistencies. In spite of these problems, I found myself eagerly reaching for Captivate, hungry for more from Ms. Jones.

Review:

**PLEASE NOTE: This review contains spoilers for Book 1, Need. If you have not read Need or do not wish to be spoiled, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!**

Well, I can safely say that Captivate outdoes Need – in a very good way. After successfully entrapping all the pixies, including her biological father, deep in the surrounding woods, Zara and her friends have a brief respite from constant danger. But every day, Zara knows they are living peacefully on borrowed time – as her father, the Pixie King, weakens further, the Pixies grow more violent and desperate. And then more pixies begin to show up, including another Pixie King, named Astley. Zara’s boyfriend, the werewolf Nick manages to injure the newcomer pixie, leaving him for dead and bound in iron – but Zara, pacifist and humanitarian to the core, stumbles across him in the woods and decides to free him before he is taken away by a mysterious, fierce woman-creature that calls herself a Valkyrie. Zara feels an inexplicable connection to Astley, and though she might not trust him, she starts to listen when he says that not all pixies are twisted and evil, and that he comes to preserve balance before another, darker, sadistic Pixie King attempts to take over. Torn in indecision, soon Zara finds herself in the middle of a war; and she must make a choice if she is to save all those she holds dear.

While Need had some sizable holes, Captivate goes a long way in resolving a lot of these general plot and nonsensical issues. Some of the criticisms and questions I was left with finishing book 1 (i.e. why didn’t weres Nick and Devyn smell out the pixies at school?) were addressed here, rounding out and adding a level of cohesion to the overarching story and world. Even cooler, however, is that Captivate takes a dramatic turn and develops a clear direction for the series. A whole lot happens in this second novel, and it feels much more planned and fleshed out than its predecessor. I loved that a war is brewing (actually, there are two wars brewing, with the Valkyries dragging slain warriors off to Valhalla to fight with Odin in Ragnarök – to be examined in book 3, hopefully), and that the simple solution of imprisonment presented in Need has dire consequences in Captivate. There’s also one very shocking turn of events in this book that I did not see coming – frankly, few authors in any genre have the gall to go where Ms. Jones does, especially not so early in a series – and all I can say is: ME LIKEY.

As the plotting has improved in Captivate, so too have the characters. If you read the review Ana and I wrote for Need, you might have picked up on my annoyance with Zara and her TSTL tendencies. In this second book, I finally felt like I was able to connect with Zara as a character – she manages to stand up for herself in a way that resonated with me – I loved this pivotal scene with her friends:

[Gram] whirls on me and Issie. “I can’t believe you two did that. You cannot trust pixies.”

“So you can’t trust me?” I ask.

“You’re not a pixie. You’re human.” She snaps her medical kit shut.

“Right. So that’s why my skin is blue.” My stomach threatens to knock a hole through my skin and leave my body in protest.

“Zara…” Nick’s voice is a warning.

“She’s just sad,” Is says. “That’s why she’s being all snippy. Or else it’s the pain meds.”

“They are mood altering,” Devyn agrees.

“I am not snippy. I’m mad because nobody is listening to me.” My hands ball into fists. “What? Just because you don’t want to believe it, Nick, doesn’t mean it isn’t true. I remember how you acted when you found out who my father is. I remember you running away, okay? I know how you totally hate pixies and if I’m a pixie that obviously means that you -”

His arms reach out to me, but his hands are fists. “Zara -”

“Just. Don’t. Say. Anything.” I stare at all of them, take a step back. “Nobody say anything. This is not your problem. This is my problem. Mine. I’m the freak here. Me.”

I loved that all of the characters in this book are challenged and grow – for better or for worse. Nick and Zara’s relationship is disgustingly sappy (they are THAT couple – you know the ones, you remember them, the PDA-aholics from high school), but it’s believable sap. Even when they call each other “baby” and “sweetheart,” it rings as genuine as they are two characters in the throes of young, first love. I loved that Nick is bossy and domineering and an alpha-jerk at times, because it’s in his nature as a lone were and as a dude with an enormous ego and hero complex. Even better, I love that Zara recognizes this, calls him out on it, and yet loves him for it anyway. There’s a lot of the ridiculous in this book, but the characters are self-aware of this ridiculousness (which makes it if not completely ok, at least more permissible).

To be completely honest, more than Zara, Nick, Isi or Devyn, I found myself absolutely loving the two new additions to the cast – a classmate named Cassidy, and the new Pixie King Astley. Astley especially. Yeah, he marks the beginning of another dreaded Love Triangle (gaah!), but I really liked him. Heck, stupid name aside (and Astley is a shockingly bad name) I prefer him to Nick! I loved the dimension of doubt and moral ambiguity that Astley brought to this book – it’s so easy to assume that ALL pixies are evil, but he humanizes them, which is disturbing for Zara (and especially for Nick). Rather than a blanket statement that pixies = evil, Ms. Jones uses this new King to question their most basic assumption. Like humans, or any other creature, Pixies have the capability to be good, bad, or occupy that murky gray area in between. And that’s really cool.

While there’s a lot to love about Captivate, I should mention that it still suffers from some not-overlookable problems. This second book departs from the phobias that characterized Need so beautifully, instead relying on a schloky “How to Survive A Pixie Attack” gimmick to introduce chapters (ex: “10. Think pixies are like Tinkerbell? You think wrong,” or “9. Pixies do not hang out with Peter Pan”). These Pixie hints felt cheesy and silly to me, and incongruous with the overall tone of the book. There’s also a lot of storming out angry emo huffiness (annoying), and the books first act plods along a tad slowly (though it heats up brilliantly by the second half). The only other big niggle for me was how much of a challenge it was to suspend disbelief in some instances – in particular, in any scene involving Zara fighting pixies. Zara as a human girl is a fast runner but not exactly coordinated, nor is she a “fighter” (her pacifist mindset pretty much prevents this). Thus, seeing her take down a few superhumanly strong, extremely vicious pixies with her physical prowess was a little hard to swallow. Also, pixies (apparently only when confronting Zara) have a tendency to monologue like bad b-movie villains. It is again, silly. If Zara is such a threat, why wouldn’t ANY pixie simply kiss her? Or kill her? Especially given her tendency to go outdoors alone and get herself into life-threatening situations?

Despite having its share of annoying scenes, however, Captivate is in fact captivating. Better than Need, and with a dramatic cliffhanger of an ending, I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

Notable Quotes/Parts: From the official excerpt:

I have the emotional maturity of a two-year-old. I know this! I know, but it doesn’t make me stop trying to escape my grandmother and friends and their pity eyes and Nick’s eyes… the eyes I suddenly can’t read.
So, I run as best I can through the sloshy snow and mud. My feet take me far enough into the woods so that I don’t hear cars any more. I don’t hear anything. No wind blows through the high up branches of the spruce and pine trees. Their thin, pale brown trunks don’t creak with the weight of snow and ice. No birds sing. No squirrels chitter and squeak and make all those noises that squirrels make.

Nothing.

No noise.

Nothing.

That is not normal. I sniff in through my nose and smell. It’s just wet wood and old pine needles. Olfactophobia is the fear of odors. Odor fears get more specific, though. Bromidrosiphobia is the fear of personal odor. You know, body odor. Luckily, I don’t have that. There is no name that I know of for the fear of a lack of odor. There is no name that I know of for the fear of lack of sound. The fear of sound itself is Acousticophobia.

Why are there no names for the fear of the absence of things? Why is there no name for the absence of humanity? Because that is my fear, right here, right now. I am worried that I am losing my humanity.

I’ve seen what happens then. Jay Dahlberg was tortured and bled and bitten when I found him in an upstairs bedroom at my father’s pixie mansion home. Jay doesn’t remember any of it. I do. I remember his body shaking as I tried to help him down the long flight of marble stairs. I remember the smell of his fear permeating everything.

Pixies did that.

I can’t be one of them.

I can’t.

You can read the full excerpt online HERE.

Additional Thoughts: There’s a pretty sweet giveaway opportunity going on at author Carrie Jones’ website! Up for grabs are:

A Dell Mini computer
A Netflix gift card
5 hot teen books from Bloomsbury/Walker

Make sure to enter by May 31, 2010 by filling out the online form. Five winners will be picked, so get over there for a chance at the goodies! Also, if you’re in California, Washington or Tennessee, Carrie Jones will be in town on her book tour! We’ll keep you posted with details as they are available. Finally, check out the book trailer for Captivate:

Not a huge fan of the John Mayer-pixie-dust-disney-special combo, but that’s just me! I do, however, love the covers for both books. Pretty gold eyeshadow…

Verdict: Highly enjoyable sequel, I really enjoyed Captivate. I hope Ms. Jones can keep it up and deliver a knockout with the next book in the series!

Rating: 7 – Very Good

Reading Next: Archangel’s Kiss by Nalini Singh

“Inspirations and Influences” is a new series of articles in which we invite authors to write guest posts talking about their…well, Inspirations and Influences. The cool thing is that the writers are given free reign so they can go wild and write about anything they want. It can be about their new book, series or about their career as a whole.

Today’s guest is Molly Harper, author of the awesomely hilarious, compulsively readable Jane Jameson (“Nice Girls Don’t…”) series. Part chick lit, part urban fantasy, part paranormal romance, with a healthy dose of snark and comedy throughout, Molly Harper’s got the writing thing down pat. When we were offered a chance to read and review her books, we were ecstatic – and we loved them. Then, when we were given the opportunity to have Molly over here to chat about her sources of inspiration and various influences, and to participate in an interactive Q&A with YOU, dear readers, we were even more stoked.

Ladies and gents, please give it up for the lovely Molly Harper!

I know there’s a post-Millennium backlash against holding your parents responsible for how you turn out, but really, my parents have no one to blame but themselves.

My parents are voracious readers. They can sit down with a good book and finish it in an afternoon. So it wasn’t a huge surprise to my mom when four-year-old me started sounding out words on the Lucky Charms box. My parents indulged my love of reading with trips to the library and a membership in the Especially for Girls book club. Sunday afternoons were usually marked with a sojourn to Waldenbooks and a new Babysitters Club paperback.

There were early warning signs. People asked what I wanted to be when I grew up- I said, “Mad Scientist.” I checked out those non-fiction “Mysteries of the Paranormal” books from the school library so many times that the librarian sent a concerned note home. I was repeatedly caught reading Stephen King tucked inside my seventh-grade English textbook while everybody else was working on diagramming sentences.

(I ended up marrying that seventh-grade English teacher’s nephew, David. If I had known that the Stephen King incidents would be brought up at every major family event for the rest of my life, I probably would have just done the assignments. Learn from my example, kids.)

My family is “blessed” with a dry, sarcastic wit. If you want to survive Thanksgiving, you learn to quip. Writing was a chance to get all the words in my head out on paper, because no voice could keep up with my runaway brain. I liked the puzzle that writing presented, fitting the different words together in a way that sounded pleasing, but still got my point across. And it turned out that while my humor was probably inappropriate in say, a Sunday School setting, it was pretty darn funny on paper. The self-deprecating thoughts I didn’t dare express to friends, the comebacks I couldn’t come up with on the fly, they all came out on paper. And eventually, I could voice those thoughts and sling the comebacks… and survive Thanksgiving.

Still, I never considered a career in writing until a teacher compared my voice to a young Erma Bombeck. After I looked it up and realized that was a good thing, I developed an interest in journalism and humor columns. My parents were baffled. I said I wanted to be a newspaper reporter and my mom asked, “What happened to Mad Scientist?” We’d never had a writer in the family before. We were a staunch clan of nurses, teachers, construction foremen. And it wasn’t exactly the sort of talent you could “show” people. Their friends’ kids were musicians and dancers and athletes. What was my dad going to do, pull one of my essays out of his back-pocket and show his buddies my thoughts on being flat-chested?

Still, they supported me. I said I wanted to study at a college we knew nothing about. They took me on a campus tour. I spent my summers doing newspaper internships that paid very little. They helped me survive the rest of the year. I got a job writing for our hometown paper. They didn’t gripe when I wrote columns poking fun at them.

For six years, I covered education for The Paducah Sun, writing about school board meetings, quilt shows, a man “losing” the fully grown bear he kept as a pet in his basement, and a guy who faked his death by shark attack in Florida and ended up tossing pies at a local pizzeria. There was also an incident involving potentially explosive feminine products. But I think a statute of limitations has to run out before I’m allowed to discuss it publicly.

When people wonder where I developed my sense for the odd and quirky, I tell them I was steeped in it like overbrewed sun tea. Weird things happen in Paducah. My hometown has been featured on Unsolved Mysteries twice, which is twice more than any town deserves. Combine that with the bizarre tales David brought home from his police shifts and you have a recipe for dark, hyberbolic comedy.

I loved my job at the paper. I loved meeting new people every day and never knowing where I would end up. But somehow, the ever-shifting schedules of a police officer and a reporter did not equal “family friendly.” One of us needed to take a normal job for the sake of our young daughter. I took a secretarial position at a local church office, which left me with dependably free evenings for the first time in my adult life. We were living in “The Apartment of Lost Souls” while building our new home. This was the place where appliances and small electronics went to die. Every night I would tuck our snoozing child into bed and wait for the washing machine to start smoking or the dishwasher to vomit soap on the floor. It was either write a book or go nuts. I think I made the right choice.

I wanted to write something I would enjoy reading; something funny, outlandish, Southern. I wondered what would be the most humiliating way possible to be turned into a vampire- a story that a vampire would be embarrassed to share with their vampire buddies over a nice glass of Type O. Well, first, this poor woman just got canned so her boss could replace her with someone who occasionally starts workplace fires. She drowns her sorrows at the local faux nostalgia-themed sports bar and during the commute home she is mistaken for a deer and then shot by a drunk hunter. And then she wakes up as a vampire. And thus, Jane Jameson and the wacky denizens of Half-Moon Hollow were born.

It took me almost a year to complete and edit a draft of the book. My mom, a lifelong romance reader, was a great barometer for what worked in the story and what didn’t. David figured this was a weird way to spend my time, but if it kept me out of a padded room, he was happy. Dad promised to never, ever read a love scene I’d written. Ever.

I spent three months using agentquery.com to ruthlessly stalk potential literary agents. I was gently rejected by at least half of them. I corresponded with some very nice, very patient people, but ultimately signed with the fabulous Stephany Evans of Fine Print Literary Management. The book sold quickly, which was great. Then came the hard part, telling family members, my employers at the church, heck our own church family, that I was about to be launched as a vampire romance author. Some were shocked, confused. One sweet little old lady, pursed her lips and said, “But you’re such a nice girl.”

For my parents’ part, and David’s, they just shrug and tell me they figured this was how I would turn out. Decidedly odd, but theirs all the same.

Molly Harper is a former newspaper reporter and humor columnist. She studied print journalism at Western Kentucky Unversity. She lives in western Kentucky with her husband and children.

Check out Molly’s web site at mollyharper.com. For a daily dose of snark, friend her on Facebook or follow her blog at singleundeadfemale.blogspot.com.

A huge THANK YOU again to Molly!

And now, for the Giveaway:

As with our Adrian Phoenix interactive Q&A last month, Molly will be here to answer your questions. And it gets even better – courtesy of Simon & Schuster and Molly, we’ve got TWO sets of the Jane Jameson (“Nice Girls Don’t…”) books up for grabs. Entry is easy and simple – just leave a comment here asking Molly a question (about her I&I post, her books, her writing process, her favorite authors or films, etc). The contest is open to residents of the US only, and will run until January 30th at 11:59PM (PST). Good luck, and let the questions begin!

Title: Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs

Author: Molly Harper

Genre: The spine says “Paranormal Romance” but really, it is Chick Lit and Comedy, with a dash of Romance thrown in.

Publisher: Pocket
Publishing Date: March 2009
Paperback: 384 pages

Stand Alone or series: Book 1 in the Jane Jameson trilogy

Why did we read the book: We’ve seen nothing but great reviews online for these books and many Smugglivus guest mentioned them in their posts. They sounded like fun and we wanted in.

How did we get the book: Review copies from the publisher

Summary: (from amazon.com)
Maybe it was the Shenanigans gift certificate that put her over the edge. When children’s librarian and self-professed nice girl Jane Jameson is fired by her beastly boss and handed twenty-five dollars in potato skins instead of a severance check, she goes on a bender that’s sure to become Half Moon Hollow legend. On her way home, she’s mistaken for a deer, shot, and left for dead. And thanks to the mysterious stranger she met while chugging neon-colored cocktails, she wakes up with a decidedly unladylike thirst for blood.

Jane is now the latest recipient of a gift basket from the Newly Undead Welcoming Committee, and her life-after-lifestyle is taking some getting used to. Her recently deceased favorite aunt is now her ghostly roommate. She has to fake breathing and endure daytime hours to avoid coming out of the coffin to her family. She’s forced to forgo her favorite down-home Southern cooking for bags of O negative. Her relationship with her sexy, mercurial vampire sire keeps running hot and cold. And if all that wasn’t enough, it looks like someone in Half Moon Hollow is trying to frame her for a series of vampire murders. What’s a nice undead girl to do?

REVIEW:

First Impressions:

Thea: Wow. When I first saw the cover (and title) for this book, I wasn’t exactly jumping with joy – my first impression of Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs was one of disinterest. But then I started hearing all these wonderful things about Molly Harper’s Jane Jameson books, and then there’s the unstoppable force of nature that is Ana, and then we got an offer to review the books. I took it as a sign from the universe and jumped in…

And wouldn’t you know it? I really, really liked this book. Heck, I loved it. It’s smart, it’s funny, it’s sexy (without being embarrassing), and… well, it’s just so much fun. Sometimes the best reads are the ones that take you completely by surprise, that force you to get off your silly ‘taking-yourself-waaaaay-too-seriously’ high horse, and just fall in with an entertaining, totally engrossing read. Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs did just that.

Ana: Ha. I told you so, Thea! I had been dying to read these books for a while now and the fact that so many people mentioned them in their top reads of 2009 only increased my interest. I couldn’t believe my luck when we were offered the Jane Jameson books and basically jumped up and down with joy when we got that email.

And Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs was everything I was hoping for, meeting all of my expectations, and even surpassing it in some points. I loved the narrative voice of the main protagonist, how downright hilarious it is (comedy can be so difficult to get it right) and the bit of romance was just the cherry on top.

On the Plot:

Thea: As I was telling Ana in an email, Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs reminds me of Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse books – except, in my opinion, better. The world that Molly Harper has created has a lot of similarities to Sookie’s Bon Temps – including vampires coming out of the coffin (and local anti-vamp/fang-banger human reactions), and the abundance of were-creatures, witches, etc. in a small town. Vampires themselves are portrayed as sexy (well, some are), superhumanly strong, and deathly allergic to sunlight. So, the world building is familiar, right down to the southern hospitality and synthetic blood. BUT, Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs is what you’d get if Sookie, Bill, Eric and company didn’t take themselves so damn seriously. (No broody-pants/oversexed vampires here, thank goodness.) And that makes ALL the difference in the world.

The tone of the book, the writing, the breezy style and pacing feels so natural and effortless, it’s easy to get caught up in the story and cast aside all cynicism. Yeah, the story itself isn’t really original or a nailbiter, with only a marginal mystery to propel the plot forward (someone, apparently, has it out for heroine Jane, framing her for a murder and pulling increasingly nasty and violent pranks on her). But the joy of Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs lies with the strength of Jane’s awesome, smart narrative as she tries to adjust on multiple levels. First, she’s fired from her job at the library – a job that she loved. Then, she’s gotta adjust to the fact that she’s been shot by a drunk (who mistook her for a deer) and subsequently been turned into a vampire. She’s gotta adjust to her new life as one of the undead, being unable to eat her favorite foods, drinking from humans, being able to read other people’s thoughts, and all the other drama that comes with being a minion of darkness. She’s gotta adjust to how her overbearing family will take to her new lifestyle (it forecasts an awkward coming-out conversation). She’s also gotta adjust to her best friend falling in love and feeling like she’s been left her behind. Finally, she’s gotta adjust to her vampire sire (the omnipresent, sexy 100+ year old Gabriel Nightingale – that’s his real name), being accused of the murder of another of her kind, and the more-than-friendly attentions of yet another vamp (hilariously named Dick Cheney).

Seriously, this is fun stuff. I was never bored with this book, reading it all in basically a single sitting. Molly Harper accomplishes a rare feat here as she manages to take familiar tropes across numerous genres – Gabriel is very much the historical romance alpha hero, there’s the comedic chick lit feel with the many real-life issues Jane has to deal with (unemployment, a family that won’t believe she’s independent and grown up, the nonexistence of a love life), there’s an abundance of humor, and some contemporary urban fantasy what with the supernatural creatures living alongside humans and all – and it all just works.

Ana: Thea is right. I too, was reminded of the Sookie Stackhouse books when I started reading Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs and as much as I love Sookie and her world (perhaps not fair to compare, but impossible not to, the worlds are too similar), I think I ended up enjoying this one even more.

The story is very funny (the scene where Jane wakes up after being turned made me laugh till my sides hurt) and entertaining without being brainless; through all the – seemly – breezy narrative there is a clear character arc. This is Jane’s coming of age – or coming of vampire – story. There is one important moment where she says that she was a human her life was stagnant, she had reached a point where she was satisfied with her career and even sort of ok with her lack of love life. But now as a vampire, she has to adjust a whole new life, new conditions find a new job, deal with her family (which is horrible, by the way), deal with her sire-possible boyfriend Gabriel and a myriad of other threads.

If I had one minor problem with the book was how the ending felt a little bit rushed, both the conclusion to major point and the revelation of something that Gabriel did. I could have done with a little more of meat there. All in all, I really enjoyed the read and I picked up the second straight away.

On the Characters:

Ana: I love Jane and her voice. Smart, funny and with a tendency to burst into trivia-listing when mid conversation, she is a completely interesting character. Although not without her flaws (and which really good character doesn’t have them?) with her penchant for sometimes burying her head in the sand, she is a terribly good protagonist and a sympathetic one too. Her modesty does not mean that she doesn’t know what she is good at and what how deserves to be treated and she absolutely stands up for herself in all circumstances. Well, maybe expect when talking to her mother.

Other than Jane, there is a whole plethora of secondary characters that add so much flavour to the story because they are not only interesting but they are indeed intrinsic part of Jane’s life errr, death. I really like her best friend Zeb and his relationship with werewolf Jolene; the ghost of dear Aunt Jettie, adorable Mr Wainwright, new friend Andrea. And I really, really love Dick Cheney (yeah, seriously) the sleazy sexy vampire. When Jane makes fun of his name, it’s awesome.

One last word. On the subject of Hot Male Vampires (because I can’t seem to control myself), I am not too sure where I stand about Gabriel. He seems to be too shady to me, to be honest. Sometimes, he is too cute for words and seems to be a southern gentleman, sometimes he comes across as a creepy alpha jerk. I sit firmly on Team Dick Cheney. (Although it seems Gabriel is the hero of this trilogy).

Thea: Oh the characters! How fun they are! This is where Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs really shines – and it’s all because of awesome, smart, self-deprecating, funny, trivia-master Jane Jameson. Jane’s voice as she narrates this book in the first person is genuine, unassuming, and, well, fun. She’s the kind of quirky, intelligent heroine that’s easy to fall in love with. She unleashes enough pop-culture quips and is so knowledgeable of useless factoids, she’d make Quentin Tarantino proud (well, minus the f-bombs). Furthermore, despite lacking courage when it comes to her family and job, she’s not exactly a pushover when it comes to her love life, which is SO freaking refreshing. When Gabriel tries to pull his possessive “MINE!” nonsense, she calls him out on it. When he’s done other…questionable vampire acts, she calls him out on it. She doesn’t immediately melt into a pile of sexually aroused hormones. And that’s a good thing.

Besides Jane, I gotta agree with Ana – there is no shortage of awesome characters here. Gabriel, Jane’s sire, is probably my least favorite of the bunch (as her creator, he blurs the line between “daddy” and “lover” and it’s just a little possessive and creepy), but he’s definitely much more tolerable than another small-town, Civil War-era emo vampire *cough*Bill Compton*cough*. I loved Jane’s friend Zeb, Zeb’s new girlfriend Jolene, vampire pet human Andrea, and especially Jane’s spectral Aunt Jettie. Everyone felt varied, real, and alive (even the undead ones)! Jane’s family – her passive-aggressive, manipulative mother, her understanding father, her heinous bitch of a sister – adds a dimension of awesomeness to the book too. Jane’s experiences are something familiar for many twenty-somethings, and the blend of tension overlying genuine love is a potent thing.

And, I gotta side with Ana. My favorite secondary character had to be:

“I like you,” Rich grinned and bowed over my hand in a courtly manner. “Richard Cheney.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said, shaking his hand under his nose, making it much more difficult to him to kiss. “Wait, Richard Cheney, as in Dick Cheney? You’re a vampire named Dick Cheney? Somehow, that makes you seem more evil. “

I loved Dick Cheney (now THAT’S a sentence I never thought I’d write). He’s such a Sawyer – down to the nicknames he calls Jane (“Stretch”) and his charming, roguish demeanor. Dick’s just so much fun. I’m gunning for him and Jane at some point.

Final Thoughts, Observations and Ratings:

Thea: Really, really liked it. Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs completely took me by surprise, swept me off my feet, and kept me solidly entertained. I definitely think this is a book worth checking out for any reader looking for a comedic, fun getaway. I cannot wait to jump into the next two books!

Ana: I always say that Comedy is one of the most difficult genres to write. It is difficult to get it right, in tone, in style and it must be in the right measure. I think the Jane Jameson books are Comedy gold, they are just right: for me. I also like that the comedy is not at the expense of character development so it makes it all the better.

Notable Quotes/Parts:

Chapter 1

1

Vampirism: (n) 1. The condition of being a vampire, marked by the need to ingest blood and extreme vulnerability to sunlight. 2. The act of preying upon others for financial or emotional gain. 3. A gigantic pain in the butt.

I’ve always been a glass-half-full kind of girl.

The irritated look from Gary, the barrel-chested bartender at Shenanigans, told me that, one, I’d said that out loud, and, two, he just didn’t care. But at that point, I was the only person sitting at the pseudo-sports bar on a Wednesday afternoon, and I didn’t have the cognitive control required to stop talking. So he had no choice but to listen.

I picked up the remnants of my fourth (fifth? sixth?) electric lemonade. It glowed blue against the neon lights of Shenanigans’ insistently cheerful decor, casting a green shadow on Gary’s yellow-and-white-striped polo shirt. “See this glass? This morning, I would have said this glass isn’t half empty. It’s half full. And I was used to that. My whole life has been half full. Half-full family, half-full personal life, half-full career. But I settled for it. I was used to it. Did I already say that I was used to it?”

Gary, a gone-to-seed high-school football player with a gut like a deflated balloon, gave me a stern look over the pilsner he was polishing. “Are you done with that?”

I drained the watered-down vodka and blue liqueur from my glass, wincing as the alcohol hit the potato skins in my belly. Both threatened to make an encore appearance.

I steadied myself on the ring-stained maple bar and squinted through the icy remains of the glass. “And now, my career is gone. Gone, gone, gone. Completely empty. Like this glass.”

Gary replaced said glass with another drink, pretended to wave at someone in the main dining room, and left me to fend for myself. I pressed my forehead to the cool wood of the bar, cringing as I remembered the smug, cat-that-devoured-the-canary tone Mrs. Stubblefield used to say, “Jane, I need to speak to you privately.”

For the rest of my life, those words would echo through my head like something out of Carrie.

With a loud “ahem,” Mrs. Stubblefield motioned for me to leave my display of Amelia Bedelia books and come into her office. Actually, all she did was quirk her eyebrows. But the woman had a phobia about tweezers. When she was surprised/angry/curious, it looked as if a big gray moth was taking flight. Quirking her brows was practically sign language.

My joyless Hun of a supervisor only spoke to people privately when they were in serious trouble. Generally, she enjoyed chastising in public in order to (a) show the staff just how badly she could embarrass us if she wanted to and (b) show the public how put-upon she was by her rotten, incompetent employees.

Mrs. Stubblefield had never been a fan of mine. We got off on the wrong foot when I made fun of the Mother Goose hat she wore for Toddler Story Hour. I was four.

She was the type of librarian who has “Reading is supposed to be educational, not fun” tattooed somewhere. She refused to order DVDs or video games that might attract “the wrong crowd.” (Translation: teenagers.) She allowed the library to stock “questionable” books such as The Catcher in the Rye and the Harry Potter series but tracked who read them. She kept those names in a file marked “Potential Troublemakers.”

“Close the door, Jane,” she said, squeezing into her desk chair. Mrs. Stubblefield was about one cheek too large for it but refused to order another one. A petty part of me enjoyed her discomfort while I prepared for a lecture on appropriate displays for Banned Books Week or why we really don’t need to stock audiobooks on CD.

“As you know, Jane, the county commission cut our operating budget by twenty percent for the next fiscal year,” Mrs. Stubblefield said. “That leaves us with less money for new selections and new programs.”

“I’d be willing to give up Puppet Time Theater on Thursdays,” I offered. I secretly hated Cowboy Bob and his puppets.

I have puppet issues.

You can read more here.

Rating:

Thea: 7 – Very Good

Ana: 7 – Very Good

Reading next: Archangel’s Kiss by Nalini Singh

Today, we give you an urban fantasy double-shot of goodness, in the spirit of Smugglivus! Now, we take a look at the first two books in UF author Adrian Phoenix’s The Maker’s Song series, A Rush of Wings and In the Blood. And later today, Ms. Phoenix will be stopping in to answer YOUR burning questions – plus you’ll have a chance to win one of TWO autographed sets of the books.

A Rush of Wings (Book 1 of The Maker’s Song)

Publisher: Pocket (Simon & Shuster)
Publication Date: January 2008
Paperback: 416 pages

Summary: (from Simon&Schuster.com)
HIS NAME IS DANTE.

What Heather does know about Dante is that something links him to the killer — and she’s pretty sure that link makes him the CCK’s next target. Heather must unravel the truth behind this sensual, complicated, vulnerable young man — who, she begins to believe, may indeed be a vampire — in order to bring a killer to
justice. But what Heather doesn’t know is that Dante’s past holds a shocking secret, and once it is revealed not even Heather will be able to protect him from his destiny…

Review:

Heather Wallace is a Federal Agent on a mission – to stop and capture the “Cross Country Killer” from striking again and ending another innocent life. Her investigation has taken her to New Orleans, to the scene of the CCK’s latest murder outside of a nightspot called Club Hell. The CCK’s modus operandi has changed ever so slightly, but Heather cannot shake the gut feeling that this latest murder is his – and she’s determined to figure out the cryptic message he has left behind. When she attempts to question the owner of Club Hell, band front man Dante Prejean, however, she’s met with a stubborn refusal to cooperate. Turns out, Club Hell is not only a happening nightspot for goths and vampire wannabes, but an actual haven for supernatural creatures – at least, that is what they tell Heather. Dante insists that he is nightkind, that is, a born vampire. His entourage and circle of friends also are creatures that aren’t exactly mortal, both vampire and fallen (as in fallen angels) alike. It soon becomes clear to Heather that Dante is the focus of her suspect’s murders, and she attempts to protect him only to meet strange resistance at the FBI – someone doesn’t want her poking around Dante Prejean, or the CCK. But Heather won’t rest until she gets to the bottom of the mystery, even though it takes her down a dark and dangerous road.

At first glance, A Rush of Wings sounds like countless other entries in the Urban Fantasy genre – one unbelievably sexy (and promiscuous, and french-speaking, and leather wearing) vampire meets one attractive yet totally competent badass officer of the law (with a heart of gold) and try to overcome sizable obstacles together. But, despite the familiarity of the character tropes and subject matter, A Rush of Wings manages to distinguish itself enough from the myriad sexy-vampire/cop books to make it a worthwhile read. From a plotting and writing standpoint, this debut novel from Adrian Phoenix has a distinct style and complicated, well-conceived world. The idea of nightkind, of True Bloods and Fallen may be a tad familiar, but are enhanced by the new terms and concepts Ms. Phoenix creates (and there’s a handy glossary in the back of the book to help readers sort out exactly what certain things mean). The plot, unfortunately, is somewhat uneven as the novel starts strong but crumbles under the complicated side-plots and shadow conspiracies (for example, the involvement of the government in a super secret project to create sociopaths seems a tad over the top – in any case, it’s hard to suspend disbelief as the novel progresses). Ms. Phoenix does manage to make ends meet by the conclusion of the novel, but the road there is rocky.

Though the plotting isn’t the most sure-footed, Ms. Phoenix’s characters are the true standouts that make A Rush of Wings worthwhile. The archetypes for Heather and Dante are standard fare, but Ms. Phoenix manages to give these protagonists complicated and unique backstories that add layers of realism to the characters. Dante Prejean is much more than just a promiscuous, leather-clad vampire; he’s also an orphan with a dark past, and, in a wonderful twist, is only 23 years old (and acts like it). He’s beautiful and self-assured, but he also struggles with some truly horrible inner demons – if there’s any vampire that deserves to wallow in self-disgust, it’s the sociopathic Dante. Ms. Phoenix also gives him a distinct voice with his creole french interspersed in his speech (in a kind of Gambit-esque way), that feels very real, if a little cheesy at first. Even more impressive, however, was heroine Heather Wallace. Though her FBI-procedurals are a bit shaky and unconvincing, as a character, Heather is a firmly grounded and mature woman. I loved that she is the older, more experienced one in the relationship (31 to Dante’s 23), and her determination to do her job at all costs is an admirable trait. The secondary characters too – particularly Dante’s more-than-friend Lucien DeNoir, one of the fallen and strangely protective of young Dante.

Overall, I enjoyed A Rush of Wings – enough so to continue with the series. There’s a lot of potential in this first novel, and as it was Ms. Phoenix’s first, I had high hopes for her subsequent work.

Notable Quotes/Parts: You can read chapter one online HERE.

Verdict: Despite an uneven plot, the characters were enough to salvage the novel and keep me engaged. Definitely recommended for those looking for a sexy, paranormal read with complexity.

Rating: 6 – Good

In the Blood (Book 2 of The Maker’s Song)

Publisher: Pocket (Simon & Schuster)
Publication Date: January 2009
Paperback: 480 pages

**PLEASE NOTE: The review of In the Blood (including the synopsis below) necessarily and unavoidably contain spoilers for the first book, A Rush of Wings. If you have not read book 1 and wish to remain unspoiled, stop reading now!

Summary: (from Simon&Schuster.com)
DANTE LIVES.

Shadowy government forces have pledged to eliminate all loose ends from Project Bad Seed — and Heather and Dante are at the top of the list. Elsewhere, the Fallen gather in Gehenna, intent on finding their long-awaited savior, the True Blood nightkind whom Lucien DeNoir would die to protect. And a damaged and desperate adversary, with powers as strange and perilous as Dante’s own, plots to use Dante as a pawn in a violent scheme for revenge. But only one of these lethal forces holds the key to Dante’s past — a key that could finally unlock the secret of his birth and the truth of his existence…or destroy him completely.

Review:

What a difference a book makes! While A Rush of Wings was a strong character novel with a shaky plot, In the Blood shows more of what Ms. Phoenix is really capable in terms of writing. The plotting has grown stronger and more assured, the mythology of her Maker’s Song universe more intense and layered – and add to that her already solid characterizations, and you’ve got a strong sophomore effort on your hands.

The Bad Seed project has been terminated, E destroyed, and Dante and Heather have gone their separate ways. Dante still struggles with his migranes and the darkness that bubbles beneath the surface, a legacy of his Bad Seed days and his not quite restrained alter-ego, S. But though the primary doctor of the experiments is now dead, Bad Seed has even deeper roots in the FBI and government, and those in charge are not so easy for Heather and Dante to avoid. A nefarious plan ensues to “trigger” Dante and to control Heather is set in action, and once again the two must team up to get to the bottom of the powers threatening them both. Meanwhile, Lucien finds himself embroiled in a power struggle between his fallen brethren in the alternate plain of Gehenna – he must protect the identity and very existence of his son Dante, lest Dante’s unique powers as a creawdwr (an extremely rare and powerful creator) are discovered and claimed by the other Elohim.

Once again, Ms. Phoenix has an ambitious undertaking with In the Blood – the plot involves two parallel locations (the more earthly Seattle and otherworldly Gehenna), and multiple side characters hungry for a piece of Dante’s power, each fueled by different motivations. The storytelling is less confusing and more believable this time around, though the police procedurals and government conspiracies still feel somewhat forced. The additions to the Maker’s Song universe, are more than enough to make up for any shortcomings in terms of plotting – Dante’s uniqueness, the role of Lucien and the other Elohim are fascinating as well. And, as with the first book, the true strength of In the Blood lies with Ms. Phoenix’s characterizations – which are expanded and built upon in this second book. Dante – vampire, crazed sociopath, uncontrollable, and incredibly powerful creature – is a risky choice of hero. He’s both familiar (as the French speaking sexy vamp) but unique (he’s got issues, brainwashed and conditioned from his bad seed days). Heather, as in the first book, is an irresistible heroine with her levelheadedness and her devotion to her job and those she loves. In In the Blood, we learn a lot more about Heather’s colored past – the shaky and mistrustful relationship she has with her father, the truth of her mother’s murder, her manic depressive and manipulative younger sister Annie. Lucien too gets much more attention in this novel, which is a welcome addition as he is one of the more fascinating characters from the first book, and the history of the fallen and his brethren add an extra dimension to this novel. Too, the new additions to the cast are complex and layered – from the “cleanup” crew vampire Caterina, to the twins Alexander and Athena, to Heather’s sister and father, to the nefarious Wells himself.

Overall, I was much more impressed with In the Blood than I was with its predecessor, and I eagerly await the release of book 3 in the series, Beneath the Skin.

Notable Quotes/Parts: You can read chapter one online HERE.

Verdict: A much stronger novel than its predecessor, In the Blood has enough action, mystery and character to satiate any fan hungry for a dark and sexy Urban Fantasy read. Recommended.

Rating: 7 – Very Good

Make sure to stick around for a chance to ask Adrian Phoenix your own questions, and for a chance to win an autographed set of all the books in The Maker’s Song series!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! In celebration of the holidays, we’ve got a cornucopia of books on the table – TWO giveaway batches for two lucky readers.

This weekend’s offerings are Paranormal Romance!

Batch 1:

And in Batch 2:

The contest is open to everyone in the US or Canada. In order to enter for either batch, leave a comment here (one comment per person please – your comment will automatically enter you for BOTH batches! Multiple and/or duplicate comments will be disqualified). The contest will be open until 11:59 PM (PST) tonight, November 28th. GOOD LUCK!

Title: On the Edge

Author: Ilona Andrews

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: September 2009
Paperback: 336 pages

Stand alone or series: Book 1 in Ilona Andrews’s new The Edge series.

How did I get this book: Review Copy (from the Publisher)

Why did I read this book: I am a big fan Ilona Andrews fan. Her Kate Daniels series keeps getting better with each volume – in fact, this year’s Magic Strikes is shortlisted as one of my top 10 favorite reads of 2009.

Summary: (from amazon.com)
The Broken is a place where people shop at Wal-Mart and magic is nothing more than a fairy tale.

Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, the place between both worlds. A perilous existence indeed, made even more so by a flood of magic-hungry creatures bent on absolute destruction.

Review:

Rose Drayton lives in a strange realm called the Edge – a sliver of land between the familiar world of the Broken (a mundane world where electricity, McDonald’s and WalMarts are the norm) and the Weird (where magic and castles reign). Able to withstand both the loss of magic that the Broken inflicts on anyone that crosses its border, but also able to use magic in the realm of the Weird, “Edgers” like Rose and her family have freedom of mobility, but live a cutthroat existence. Ever since their parents gave up on the family, Rose has protected and looked after her two younger half-brothers, working in the Broken for minimum wage as a cleaning lady, and warding the house in the Edge against magical threats. Things are made more complicated by Rose’s magical ability, for she is able to “flash” white, powerfully and precisely – a degree of magic that only bluebloods from the Weird should be able to produce. While Rose’s magic means she can protect her brothers and grandmother, it also makes her a target for bluebloods looking for a broodmare to produce powerful children, and corrupt neighbors who plan on selling her to the highest bidder. When a strange, powerful, undeniably blueblooded man named Declan shows up at Rose’s home, Rose is forced to submit to his proposition: she will give him three challenges, and if he can emerge victorious all three times, she will be his. Knowing that Declan is more powerful and dangerous than even Rose can hold off, she must agree to give herself and her family a chance to beat him. But even as Rose’s life is slipping into chaos, more trouble is brewing in the Edge – some ominous new form of magic is appearing, and devouring Rose’s neighbors whole, and it seems to be attracted to her.

On the Edge marks Illona Andrews’s departure from the Magic/Tech world of Kate Daniels, and embarks into new territory. It’s surprisingly difficult to classify On the Edge – on the one hand, the book has undeniably strong contemporary/urban fantasy elements, but on the the other the relationship between Rose and Declan really drives this novel in the manner of a paranormal romance (much more so than the relationship between Kate and Curran is featured in her other series). Regardless of label, On the Edge is simply a damn good story. Ms. Andrews made her way onto my autobuy list of authors with Magic Strikes, and On the Edge certainly did not disappoint.

The fantasy elements, with the creation of the worlds of the Weird, the Edge and the Broken are fabulous concepts that are richly detailed and well realized. For example, at one point in the novel, we learn that these worlds coexist on parallel dimensions, with corresponding geographies but alternate histories. Little details like that make me happy as a reader – Ms. Andrews has a knack for creating worlds that make sense, with power hierarchies firmly in place, histories and politics that ring true. It’s one of the things that makes her as successful and effective as she is as an author. I loved the idea of “flashing” magic, curses and wards, as well as the different strange magics of changelings. There’s a lot of variation in Rose’s world of the Edge, and it feels completely fresh and interesting (no rehash of werewolves, vampires, or mystical super mages here, thank goodness!). Even more impressive, however, is Ms. Andrews’s appreciation of the laws of the universe: for every action, there is a reaction; for every use of power, there is a consequence. This is demonstrated adroitly throughout the novel, most effectively with Georgie, Rose’s younger brother with his big heart and his ability to resurrect dead creatures.

In terms of characters, again Ms. Andrews shines. Rose is a heroine worth rooting for, and her need to protect her younger brothers, her concern for her family, and even her compassion for those neighbors who would have left her for dead are impressive and make her a very sympathetic, genuinely likable character. Declan is an alpha-type hero character that I’m certain will have some female fans swooning – he’s (of course) gorgeous and powerful and undeniably arrogant, but he’s also a guy with an agenda. He’s a manipulator, but not in a cold or cruel way. Rather, he does what he needs to in order to get the job done, even if that means misleading Rose. Though Declan’s motives may seem hazy initially, things gradually make sense as the novel progresses, as do his motivations for his attachment to Rose and her family. And, of course, the relationship between Rose and Declan is the stuff of paranormal romance gold. They’re both characters that aren’t looking for love, but find it anyways (despite many hurdles and mistrust in the way). Even little ol’ jaded me found myself smiling by the end of the novel, as these two characters fall in love with each other, despite themselves.

I should also mention that the secondary characters, particularly Rose’s younger brothers Jack and Georgie, are wonderful additions. Jack, a changeling who was born as a kitten who then shifted into a human, is a strange character with a different view of the world, and Ms. Andrews captures this alien-ness very well. Georgie, Jack’s older half-brother, has the gifts of necromancy, but also the curse of a large and generous heart. His inability to let things die causes a whole other realm of problems, as some of his own life force must be sacrificed each time he resurrects something. Both characters, and their relationships with each other and with Rose and Declan, are touching, and add an extra dimension of goodness to On the Edge.

Though I did love the characters and the world building elements of the book, there were some minor detractors from the novel. In particular, the central thesis for the book for the romance between Rose and Declan is based on a premise that really makes no sense (at least initially it makes no sense, for about the first half of the book). The question that kept ringing in my head was: WHY is Declan so interested in Rose, especially if he’s some super hot super magic noble blueblood? The whole concept of the three challenges before Declan can claim Rose also seems a little cheesy. As the novel progresses and motivations are revealed, I do understand, logically, what Ms. Andrews tries to accomplish, but it doesn’t change the fact that the romantic premise seems more than a little silly and forced. Also, as a fan of the Kate Daniels books, I was a little disappointed that Rose was another SuperPowered character. Rose is written very well, that much is undeniable, but I would like to see how Ms. Andrews deals with a character that isn’t supremely, advantageously powered over her peers. Also, the antagonist element, with the villain being truly EEEEVIL was similarly cheesy. There were some cringe-worthy, repetitive lines about ‘i will enjoy slurping the flesh from your bones! [insert evil cackle]‘ that didn’t quite cut it for me. Finally, everything in On the Edge seemed to wrap up a little too nice and tidy for me – but that’s just a matter of personal taste.

Overall, these weaknesses were minor compared to the strengths of the novel, and I found myself highly enjoying On the Edge. I’ll definitely be back to the world of the Edge, very soon.

Notable Quotes/Parts: From Chapter 1:

“Rosie!” Grandpa’s bellow shook the foundation of the house.

“Why me?” Rose wiped the dish soap suds from her hands with a kitchen towel, swiped the crossbow from the hook, and stomped onto the porch.

“Roooosie!”

She kicked the screen door open. He towered in the yard, a huge shaggy bear of a man, deranged eyes opened wide, tangled beard caked with blood and quivering greyish shreds. She leveled the crossbow at him. Drunk as hell again.

“What is it?”

“I want to go to the pub. I want a pint.” His voice slipped into a whine. “Gimme some money!”

“No.”

He hissed at her, swaying unsteadily on his feet. “Rosie! This is your last chance to give me a dollar!”

She sighed and shot him. The bolt bit between the eyes and Grandpa toppled onto his back like a log. His legs drummed the ground.

Rosie rested the butt of her crossbow on her hip. “All right, come out.”

The two boys slipped from behind the huge oak spreading its branches over the yard. Both were filthy with reddish mud, sap, and some other unidentifiable substances an eight and a ten year old could find in the Wood. A jagged scratch decorated Georgie’s neck and brown pine straw stuck out of his blond hair. Red welts marked the skin between Jack’s knuckles. He saw her looking at his hands. His eyes got big, amber irises flashing yellow, and he hid his fists behind his back.

“How many times do I have to say it: don’t touch the ward stones. Look at Grandpa Cletus! He’s been eating dog brains again, and now he’s drunk. It will take me half an hour to hose him off.”

You can read the full excerpt online HERE.

Additional Thoughts: I’m really not crazy about this cover. At all. BUT I think it’s a good move to reach out to a more romance-centric crowd, since On the Edge does manage to straddle the fantasy/paranormal romance category nicely. What about you? Any thoughts?

Make sure to check out Ilona Andrews’s website for On the Edge, which has a few great essays, including this one about the her world building. Awesome stuff.

Verdict: On the Edge is an intoxicating blend of contemporary fantasy and paranormal romance, sure to please Ms. Andrews’s existing fans, and new fans alike. Rose and Declan are not to be missed – definitely recommended.

Rating: 7 Very Good

Reading Next: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

Title: Soulless

Author: Gail Carriger

Genre: Romance, Horror/Fantasy

Publisher: Orbit
Publishing Date: September 29, 2009
Paperback: 384 pages

Stand Alone or series: Book one in a planned series, titled The Parasol Protectorate.

Summary: (from amazon.com)
Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she’s a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire — and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London’s high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

REVIEW:

We are doing something different with this here review: instead of our usual joint template, we are going with a more laid-back layout, due to our mixed feelings concerning Soulless. Warning: There may be some very MINOR spoilers ahead!

Ana’s Take:

Soulless was one of my most anticipated reads of 2009 ever since I heard about it towards the end of the last year. The setting is Victorian times with steampunk elements, with werewolves and vampires, a quirky spinster soulless heroine who can cancel the aforementioned creatures’ supernaturality (yay, new made-up word) and whose “power” would lead her to be a major player in the supernatural world. For all intents and purposes, I was supposed to absolutely adore this book. Even the very manner in which I came by to own an arc of it was, to me, an indication that this book and I were meant to be: I was on Twitter one day, back when folks were at the BEA and Sarah from the Smart Bitches, Trashy Books tweeted that she was in line to talk to the author, I tweeted saying “OMG I SO want her book” and Sarah, whom I have never met, nor exchanged emails with or anything, offered to get me a signed copy and mail it to me. (seriously, how awesome is that?) . I got the book and kept it until last week when it was the time to read it.

I opened the book and started to read. It begins with our intrepid heroine, Miss Alexia Tarabotti who is a half-Italian, dark haired, somewhat ugly, spinster (I could feel something stirring at the back of my mind) sitting alone in a room trying to eat treacle tarts when she is attacked by a vampire. Her first reaction is to think how inappropriate it was to be attacked so and how the tarts were going to be wasted like that (a warning signal started to sound in my ears), then a fight ensues and she kills him with her trusted parasol. Before I could recover from the shock of that revelation, a man walks into the room, one Lord Maccon who was described as a huge, gruff man who could not abide Alexia’s logic and their dialogue is replete with half bickering half attraction.

At that very moment, I felt like I was struck by lightning.

Because, if you remove the “vampire” from the equation and replace the character names with “Amelia” and “Emerson,” you have Elizabeth Peter’s Amelia Peabody set up right there! From the characters’ physical description, to Alexia’s quirkiness, to the H/H dynamics, DOWN TO THE TRUSTED PARASOL.

I had a moment of utter befuddlement then. I sent Thea a flurry of emails in which I went through a Grief Cycle. First it was Denial: “This can’t be happening.” Then, it was Anger: “I can’t believe this. Down to the trusted parasol??????” Then it was Depression: “I so wanted to love this book, Thea,” and finally, Acceptance: in which I decided to resume reading. Because of the premise of the soulless character, because of my expectations, I decided to carry on. I hoped that the characters would grow on their own, that the story itself would be sufficient to nullify this first impression.

I read another 200 pages of it. I really tried to get involved in the story but two things prevented me from doing so. One, every time Alexia thought or spoke I had Amelia Peabody’s voice at the back of my mind. I am aware of being completely unfair here – she is not EXACTLY like Amelia, but her quirkiness is close enough, familiar enough for me not to be comfortable with it. Plus at some parts it felt SO forced. The success of this book relies heavily in the reader’s ability to fall in love with Alexia’s originality – but she is not an Original to me. I don’t know. Maybe other people who read Amelia Peabody would like Soulless because it reminds them of Peabody.

The other point that made me step back and not enjoy this as much: there is a lot of romance here. Like, a LOT. I have no problem with romance, heck it is my favourite genre and even in other genres, whenever there is romance , I am happy. But the spine of the book says: Horror/Fantasy. And there is no HORROR in this book at all. Yes, there are Fantasy elements but in my not so modest opinion, Soulless was completely mislabeled. This should be Paranormal Romance. The mislabeling makes me angry: what is wrong with labeling a book for what it is? If you are publishing something that is clearly Paranormal Romance, OWN IT. The worst thing is this: I can see that people who like Paranormal Romance and would completely enjoy Soulless will give this a pass and not pick it up because of the Horror/Fantasy label!

Having said that, if I like romance why did it prevent me from liking this? Because there was one scene where Alexia and Maccon have been captured, are locked in a cell, were given one hour to live and they decide that it was the best time for making out. COME ON.

That was when I realised that I was predisposed NOT to like this book from the get go and decided to put it away. It made me sad, but I was aware that perhaps I was not being fair. I needed a second opinion, preferably from someone who also loves Amelia Peabody. I needed Thea. And so I sent the book to her.

Thea’s Take:

As Ana’s said before me, Soulless was a book we were BOTH very excited about (in fact, I’m the one that alerted Ana’s attention to said book). I was more than a little jealous when she told me she received an ARC, but I waited patiently for my turn with the book. And then, when Ana finally started to read it, the emails started to pour in. Ana was completely dejected and let down – and she desperately needed a second opinion. And, thus, she immediately sent the book to me after she could not finish it. At this point, I was very nervous, and had brought my reader expectations down a whole bunch. But, I was willing to give Soulless a fair shot.

And…the result? I’m left with mixed feelings.

On the dominant side of these mixed emotions is a firm agreement with Ana. Alexia Tarabotti is indeed very much Amelia Peabody, right down to the physical descriptions: long, unruly dark locks, a lack of self-esteem in the appearance department, darker tanned skin, the generous curves so out of vogue with the current fashions, and of course, the Parasol. If you’ve read Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody books, you will recognize this immediately. Heck, even the names are similar, phonetically: Alexia Tarabotti vs. Amelia Peabody. Perhaps Ms. Carriger is a huge fan of Amelia’s – I know that both Ana and I certainly are! – and this was an homage of sorts. But there’s a difference between homage and that uncomfortable too-close sensation, and unfortunately, Alexia inspired the latter in me. Keep in mind, there’s also Lord Maccon who is every bit Emerson Radcliffe to Alexia’s Amelia. He’s growly and loud and brawny and attractive, and of course, completely taken with Alexia’s pigheaded, logical nature.

In itself, this isn’t too bad – I found that I could keep reading despite some disappointment in the originality department. But then…other things started to pop up. Other Amelia-isms, for example:

‘Alexia!’ Lord Maccon groaned his frustration. Miss Tarabotti realized that the earl’s use of her given name indicated a certain degree of irritation on his part.
~ from Soulless

versus

‘Forget Ramses,’ Emerson said. ‘I insist, Amelia, that you tell me what is worrying you.’ Despite his smile he was not in good temper with me; his use of my proper name indicated as much. ‘Peabody,’ my maiden name, is the one he uses in moments of marital or professional approbation. With a sigh, I yielded.
~ from Lion in the Valley

It’s more than a little bit distracting, and I could immediately understand Ana’s frustration with the book. I have to concur with Ana’s claim that the lynchpin of Soulless is in the quirkiness and originality of its heroine, Alexia, and the awkward affections of Lord Maccon. And I’m cool with trying to emulate Amelia Peabody’s quirky narrative. BUT, unfortunately, the sparkle of the dynamic between Alexia and Maccon is not nearly so vibrant when you’ve seen it before – and done much better, even – with Amelia and her dear Emerson.

There were also a number of stylistic and plotting things that bothered me. Alexia’s heritage as a half-italian with tanned skin and a prominent nose and ample bosoms were on a constant loop throughout the book; the hideousness of Miss Ivy’s hats were also emphasized at every appearance of the character; the vampire Lord Akaldama’s flamboyance was flared at every possible occasion. In fact, this is what bothered me the most – more so than the Amelia similarities, Soulless suffered from EXCESS. The repetitiveness of the same descriptions, the excessive discussion of the clothes so and so was wearing, or anytime Lord Akaldama opened his mouth to speak (every other word was italicized, and punctuated with some silly endearment like “sugarplumb!“).

Too much.

Also, thematically, Soulless suffers from this excess. As Ana mentioned above, the fantasy/horror label is something of a misnomer – this is much more of a paranormal romance, with fantasy elements (not so much any horror, at least, not in my opinion). And it is a damn shame because doubtless, the eager fantasy and horror fans who have been waiting for this book or who decide to give it a shot will be scratching their heads, and the romance readers who are more likely to love this book will bypass it entirely!

Also, there are the steampunk fans to take into consideration. You may have seen that Soulless is also marketed as a Steampunk novel, and this is, in my opinion, one of the most egregious flaws.

There is really nothing steampunk about it. Yes, there is an appearance of ONE dirigible, but it’s in the periphery, as two characters are walking in Hyde Park. There’s an automaton, and some dramatic steam powered machines and theories at the end of the novel, but it none of it seems necessary or integral to the plot in the slightest. There’s no reason why this could not have simply been a Victorian Era novel. Not to mention, Soulless tries to blend Vampires, Werewolves, a Victorian B.P.R.D., AND Steampunk all in a single book! It’s a little too much (again, the excess), and though not impossible to pull off (see Mike Mignola’s Hellboy), it’s a tall order and just doesn’t work here.

Instead, the sparse and shakily integrated steampunk elements come across as trying to take advantage of a burgeoning new market, as opposed to having artistic integrity to the novel. And it’s a shame, because the paranormal element was actually quite intriguing. Which brings me to my final point…

Now, it appears like Ana and I have been ragging on this book for an entire review. Well, we have. BUT while it is important to note these weaknesses, I have to say that Soulless is not without its strengths. Even though I found myself less than impressed with the writing, the mislabeled genre, and the eerily familiar characters, I cannot deny that there was something in this novel that kept me reading. I think that the paranormal aspect of the book was fascinating – I loved the idea of a “soulless” protagonist who has the ability to nullify supernatural powers with a single touch, and the history behind the vampires and werewolves and their full integration into English society (even if Ms. Carriger didn’t quite pull this off believably). I wish that Ms. Carriger focused less on trying to integrate the unnecessary steampunk elements into the book, less on the repetition of descriptions and character quirks that felt forced, and instead focused on this brilliant premise. I loved the idea of an octopus being the moniker of a zealous anti-supernatural faction. While I thought that certain passages were awkward and clunky, and that neither Alexia nor Maccon come off as entirely genuine (Alexia’s use of certain anachronisms, such as:

“Huh, she thought. I do not buy it. I definitely do not feel protected.“

…were jarringly out of place with the time period, and Lord Maccon’s “Scottish” heritage never really felt genuine either), I still felt drawn to these characters against all odds. I love the Amelia Peabody and Emerson-type dynamic, so even this paler imitation was admittedly fun.

And, most importantly, I finished the book.

Now keep in mind, I also felt a compulsion to finish the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, and those certainly were not good books. But the point is, there’s something there. Ms. Carriger, like Ms. Meyer, has the ability to keep a reader wanting to read the book. And, given the good ideas that were buried underneath the disappointments and less-than-impressive writing, I think there’s something worthwhile here, and Ms. Carriger can only improve as an author. So, I will be picking up the next novel – I can’t help myself.

Rating:

Ana: DNF

Thea: 4 – Bad, but not without merit / 6 – Good, with reservations It’s a schizophrenic rating for me because on the whole, the novel had serious problems. BUT there’s promise in there, and I’ll be reading the next book just to see where it goes.

Reading Next: Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson