Winner of Bound to Shadows

Through the use of random.org we have our Bound to Shadow Winner. Congrats!

Stacie

Please expect an email shortly.  Reply within 48 hours to claim your book. 

Bound to Shadows Contest Ends today!

Win a Copy of this Book Here - CONTEST ENDS TODAY! 

Review by Parajunkee

I got my first taste of the Riley Jensen series by downloading the first book Full Moon Rising on amazon for free. I love those Kindle Freebies! After reading Full Moon Rising I was undecided whether I should move on.  On reading Book 8, Bound to Shadows - well now I have to go back and start over and read the series!  I actually enjoyed this book more than the first. Maybe it is because Riley has matured - making a go out of monogamy - and finally embraced her career - but I actually liked her a little better than in the beginning.

In Bound to Shadows Riley is on a Who-Done-It mission to find out who is beheading the local vamps.  And while this might be the plot pusher - the real meat and potatos is Riley's love life and the triangle that is forming between her LOVE and her FATE.  I don't want to spoil - but I'm pushing for LOVE, even though FATE is damn smoldery (is that a word?)

Because this is so late in the series, I'm afraid of spoilers, which is why the quickie review.  Also I feel like I would do it an injustice, by giving it an in-depth review while not having read the books in between.  I am now going to do just that though.  So - if you haven't read the series, I do recommend it for vamp lovers and wolfy addicts alike.  There are some problems, which is why I'm rating as a 3.5 - but the book is entertaining.

Bound to Shadows supplied by Tricia at Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc.

HBIC Seeker Review on Bound to Shadows

                                  Bound to Shadows by Keri Arthur: A Blog with Bite Review posted by Tina at Tinasbookreviews

Riley Jenson is a detective, a fierce guardian who is half vampire, half werewolf, fights for the justice of innocents and has a really bad lust problem!!! In this murder mystery “who-done-it” rollercoaster Riley is trying to uncover who is beheading local vampires and killing women. Riley is now caught in the middle of solving these multiple cases and fighting off the lure of a suspicious club owner.

Where do I start????..................

The detective crime story is fast paced and well throughout although this more enjoyable part of the book basically takes a backseat to the Riley, Kye and Quinn drama. Usually I'm all for this kind of dilemma, loving the interaction and drama between the characters as much as an exciting plot. In this case, however, being my first Riley Jenson book I wasn’t impressed. Riley loves Quinn yet she feels the desires of her wolf self and is lured to her soul mate Kye. She doesn’t want to hurt Quinn but the beasty gal is just screaming to come out and get all wolfy with Kye. Let me tell you about Kye….eww…he was just a big villainous creep. He had no redeeming qualities and the relationship angle with these two was very nauseating. I didn’t connect to this book or the characters. Riley has some major issues, her smarts in detective work was always overshadowed by her lust issues. In the first few chapters alone she’s pinning over four different men. She just cant help but to look and notice everything gloriously male. I mean I love a great love story with passion and turmoil but this just seemed cheap and sleazy. Quinn the oh so commited boyfriend does nothing to fight for his true love and pretty much lets Kye run shotgun through the whole book. Kade, Riley's somewhat partner seems like a nice well rounded guy but we also have to throw in the Im a sleeze-ball as well factor. Ick- has anyone heard of AIDS in this book?

The end was appalling to me and (warning spoiler)…..I cannot read about a rape in the form of a positive experience, as Riley is being overcome and slowly killed with sex….she calls out to Kye who rescues her only to have his way with her in the same sentence…….WHAT….any parts of the book that I was liking to this point got blasted out the window. None of what happened to Riley was acceptable and for her character to be to the point of death but able to carry on with a new douche bag just soured my stomach.

So now that Im done ranting.....I can pull one positive out of the story and that was the love that Riley’s brother has for her and the sense of a true family they are trying to build.Looking past the sleeze you can see the connections of real family.......Although this is not my cup of tea and Id never recommend it and I won’t do any back reading, the writing style flowed well. Those of you who like the steamy paranormal or fans of Riley Jenson will enjoy.

2/5........Thanks to Bantam Dell for the Review Copy

HBIC Review and Contest Reminder: Bound to Shadows!

Don't forget to enter our contest here to win a copy of Bound to Shadows! It ends tomorrow, enter now!

Title: Bound to Shadows
Author: Keri Arthur
Page Count: 400 pages
Publisher: Dell
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Copy for review compliments of Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc.

50 words or less: It's drama-rama as Riley balances her job as a guardian with her life- her soul mate, Kye, is back in town; her brother and his mate make her an offer she doesn't want to refuse, and Quinn, her real love, shows sides that are new. What's a girl to do?

I freely admit, this is the first book in this series that I've read, although there are indeed seven previous books. I had no idea what to expect, I didn't know whether no background knowledge would be a help or a hindrance; hell, I didn't know whether I would even like the book. I'm pleased to say that everything came up roses by the end of the series and I am now definitely a fan.

Riley is a half-vampire, half-werewolf, which means she's not bound by the "rules" of either group and instead kind of meanders between them. She works as a guardian, which means her job is protecting people from the things that go bump in the night, even when people would rather not have that protection. That's the story going on here- patrons of clubs where they can feed their addictions to vampire bites are getting drained; vampires are ending up dead
(beheaded, no less) and now the big question is, who's behind the killings? It's a tense situation and one Riley would like to clear up sooner rather than later.

In the midst of all that, her wolf soul mate, Kye, reappears on the scene. Normally I'm a huge fan of shifters and find myself in that camp; that was decidedly not the case here. Kye is a douche, and a murdering one at that; Riley can't stand him, and one of the most unique parts of the book is her trying to resist him, not because she's afraid of their relationship or any of the tropes that are so common in PNR and urban fantasy books, but because she does not like him and wants nothing to do with him, and as a matter of fact, she loves someone else. Even though things don't always go as planned, Riley remains true to herself and genuinely tries to do the right thing, both for herself and for the people she cares about.

To make matters more complicated, Quinn, her lover and the one who truly holds her heart, has a much more complex role in the crime wave sweeping through the vampire community than Riley had thought. This ends up working in Riley's favor but it does call her attention to elements of her world that she was not aware of before.

There is one scene, near the end of the book, that made me cringe; as a rule, nonconsensual sex is not my thing and doesn't work for me as a plot device. I understand why it was included in the book and I definitely see what it does to move the story to its conclusiong, and hey, Kye is a bitch and bitches, as they say, get stitches, but as a rule that kind of stuff doesn't work for me.

Bound to Shadows is a good introduction to the series and will make you want to go read the previous seven installments if you haven't already. Word is that the next book will be the last one for the series so it'll be interesting to see how everything wraps up.

Overall Grade: A-

Queene of Light Top Reviewer - Poisoned Rationality

By Lexie @ Poisoned Rationality

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Here is her review:

Queene of Light is the first book in Jennifer Armintrout’s new series Lightworld/Darkworld. This time she focuses more on Fae creatures and the Faery Court than vampires, however (which suits me fine).
The book begins with Ayla in the middle of an assignment tracking a werewolf through a disgusting, stinky sewer. Armintrout does a very good job of setting atmosphere throughout the entire book—from the dank, dreary, and stench-ridden Darkworld to the only slightly better-off Lightworld—visually. Actually, I thought I could smell the sewers that are Ayla’s home at one point.

The world Armintrout builds is just this side of desperately bleak. Between the denizens of the Lightworld (who seek to re-take the above from humans by any means necessary) and the inhabitants of the Darkworld (who at least don’t want to eradicate humanity, but are nasty critters in a multitude of other ways), hope seems to be as foreign as sunlight. Selfishness, greed, violence, hatred...these emotions drive most of the characters’ actions.

Ayla and Malachi's relationship begins rocky, continues to be pretty rocky and manages to smooth out just enough so that they're not at each other's throats, at least. They don't go from enemies to "'Oh, my God, I love you!" quickly (thank goodness). In fact, Malachi spends a good deal of his time away from Ayla devising ways to kill her with his bare hands, and Ayla alternately hates him and feels guilty over his condition.

My favorite character, hands down, is Keller. He is a Bio-Mech (a human that believes that a body's everything can be easily interchangeable with mechanical parts...pretty much a cyborg, but seems to be more a way of life/belief) and helps Malachi out. He’s just plain fun—takes the world as it is and makes something from it. I wouldn’t say he’s an optimist, but he’s a good deal happier than almost every other character we meet.

A good start to the series, I’m eager to find out the consequences of the final chapter and see where the future shall bring Ayla (nowhere comfortable and happy, I’m willing to bet).

Discussion Questions

#1 Did you have an understanding of the world created by this novel, or did you find the complexity too much?

I wouldn't say that I found it to complex to understand, but I did certainly have some nagging questions in regards to motivations and societal justifications. As a rule Armintrout didn't stray too far from the well known ideas of the various creatures and the inhabitants lived a pretty easy code of 'me first, all you guys come in distant places behind me' ways of life.

#2 In a book that it appears many have trouble liking, what is one thing that you like about this book?

Keller. I'll be flat out honest, I would have smacked Ayla or Malachi pretty quickly otherwise. He amused me to the point where I went along with the rest of the book and ignored the nagging doubts I had about decisions made.

#3 Did you agree with the author’s decision to make Ayla a fierce assassin in battle and a weakling in her emotions? For example her obvious contempt for Garret but yet her willingness to be his mate and subject herself to his demeaning manor?

I think that its a classic archetype for female roles. The strong, stoic fighter who can't handle being thanked or complimented without getting anxious. She wasn't raised in a very warm and loving environment to begin with and the Court minions lived to prey upon weaknesses and emotions. In the Garret case, Ayla began the book with very certain ideas about how things go. Through the course of the novel she didn't see evidence that those certain ideas weren't the best way to survive so she stuck to them.

#4 What do you think the significance of the the baby Ayla carries is/will be?

Ahahahaha...I actually can't answer this one because I *know* what the significance is (having read half of book 2) so I can't remember what I thought was the significance and what I learned was the significance. It doesn't mean rainbows?

#5 What do you think of Ayla's ascension to the throne? Do you believe she accepted her own destiny too easily?

I want to say that her ascending the throne was well-earned and in no way a cop out for her...but I didn't see it coming at the end. Heir or otherwise, the book didn't seem to point to the conclusion that the novel drew. It was one of the more confusing aspects honestly.

Vote for Book 2 for December!

Same deal, here are the options for book 2, the young adult book. Check out the descriptions and vote in the poll in the sidebar. All descriptions are from Goodreads.com.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia amd Margaret Stohl- There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.



Fallen by Lauren Kate- There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

Ice by Sarah Beth Durst- When Cassie was a little girl, her grandmother told her a fairy tale about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth. Now that Cassie is older, she knows the story was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, is determined to become a scientist, and has no time for make-believe.

Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face-to-face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned at the ends of the earth. And he can bring her back -- if Cassie will agree to be his bride.

That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairy tale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal forest, and on the back of the North Wind to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Before it is over, the world she knows will be swept away, and everything she holds dear will be taken from her -- until she discovers the true meaning of love and family in the magical realm of Ice.

Immortal by Gillian Shielfs- Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies, housed in a Gothic mansion on the bleak northern moors, is elite, expensive, and unwelcoming. When Evie Johnson is torn away from her home by the sea to become the newest scholarship student, she is more isolated than she could have dreamed. Strict teachers, snobbish students, and the oppressive atmosphere of Wyldcliffe leave Evie drowning in loneliness.

Evie's only lifeline is Sebastian, a rebellious, mocking, dangerously attractive young man she meets by chance. As Evie's feelings for Sebastian grow with each secret meeting, she starts to fear that he is hiding something about his past. And she is haunted by glimpses of a strange, ghostly girl—a girl who is so eerily like Evie, she could be a sister. Evie is slowly drawn into a tangled web of past and present that she cannot control. And as the extraordinary, elemental forces of Wyldcliffe rise up like the mighty sea, Evie is faced with an astounding truth about Sebastian, and her own incredible fate.

Gillian Shields's electrifying tale will dazzle readers with suspense, mysticism, and romance.

The Monstrumologist by Richard Yancey- These are the secrets I have kept. This is the trust I never betrayed. But he is dead now and has been for more than forty years, the one who gave me his trust, the one for whom I kept these secrets. The one who saved me...and the one who cursed me.

So begins the journal of Will Henry, orphaned assistant to Dr. Pellinore War throp, a man with a most unusual specialty: monstrumology, the study of monsters. In his time with the doctor, Will has met many a mysterious late-night visitor, and seen things he never imagined were real. But when a grave robber comes calling in the middle of the night with a gruesome find, he brings with him their most deadly case yet.

Critically acclaimed author Rick Yancey has written a gothic tour de force that explores the darkest heart of man and monster and asks the question: When does a man become the very thing he hunts?

Vote for Book 1 for December!

It's that time again! Here are the choices for book one for December. Please vote in the polls on the sidebar- just like last time we'll be voting for one adult book and one young adult book. All book descriptions are from Goodreads.com.

Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs- Anna never knew werewolves existed until the night she survived a violent attack…and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she’d learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But Anna is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega. And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country will recognize her value as a pack member—and as his mate.


Shadowfae by Erica Haines- Imagine a secret world veiled in fairy glamour and brimming with unearthly delights. A city swarming with half-mad fairies, where thieving spriggans rob you blind, beautiful banshees mesmerize you with their song, and big green trolls bust heads at nightclubs. And once you’re in, there’s no escape…

Enslaved by a demon lord, Jade is forced to spend her nights seducing vampire gangsters and shapeshifting thugs. After two hundred years as a succubus, she burns for freedom and longs to escape her brutal life as a trophy girl for hell’s minions. Then she meets Rajah, an incubus who touches her heart and intoxicates her senses. Rajah shares the same bleak fate as she, and yearns just as desperately for freedom. But the only way for Jade to break her bonds is to betray Rajah—and doom the only man she’s ever loved to a lifetime in hell.

Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neil- Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn’t exactly glamorous, but it was Merit’s. She was doing fine until a rogue vampire attacked her. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker—and this one decided the best way to save her life was to make her the walking undead.

Turns out her savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now she’s traded sweating over her thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan “Lord o’ the Manor” Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred- year-old vampire, he has centuries’ worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects her gratitude— and servitude. But an inconvenient sunlight allergy and Ethan’s attitude are the least of her concerns. Someone’s still out to get her. Her initiation into Chicago’s nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war—and there will be blood.

The Better Part of Darkness by Kelly Gay- Divorced mother of one, Charlie Madigan, lives in a world where the beings of heaven and hell exist among us, and they aren't the things of Sunday school lessons and Hallmark figurines. In the years since the Revelation, they've become our co-workers, neighbors, and fellow citizens.

Charlie works for ITF (Integration Task Force). It's her job to see that the continued integration of our new "friends" goes smoothly and everyone obeys the law, but when a new off-world drug is released in Underground Atlanta, her daughter is targeted, and her ex-husband makes a fateful bargain to win her back, there's nothing in heaven or earth (or hell for that matter) that Charlie won't do to set things right.

Thirsty by Tracey Bateman- There's no place like home, they say.
"Hello, I'm Nina Parker…and I'm an alcoholic."
For Nina, it's not the weighty admission but the first steps toward recovery that prove most difficult. She must face her ex-husband, Hunt, with little hope of making amends, and try to rebuild a relationship with her angry teenage daughter, Meagan. Hardest of all, she is forced to return to Abbey Hills, Missouri, the hometown she abruptly abandoned nearly two decades earlier–and her unexpected arrival in the sleepy Ozark town catches the attention of someone–or something–igniting a two-hundred-fifty-year-old desire that rages like a wildfire.

Unaware of the darkness stalking her, Nina is confronted with a series of events that threaten to unhinge her sobriety. Her daughter wants to spend time with the parents Nina left behind. A terrifying event that has haunted Nina for almost twenty years begins to surface. And an alluring neighbor initiates an unusual friendship with Nina, but is Markus truly a kindred spirit or a man guarding dangerous secrets?

As everything she loves hangs in the balance, will Nina's feeble grasp on her demons be broken, leaving her powerless against the thirst? The battle between redemption and obsession unfold to its startling, unforgettable end.

Bound to Shadows by Keri Arthur Contest!

Contest is now closed. 


Thanks to Tricia at Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc. Blog with Bite will be featuring Bound to Shadows (Riley Jensen, Guardian, Book 8) by Keri Arthur this week.  Stay tuned for author features, HBIC reviews and of course this giveaway!

Synopsis from KeriArthur.com

In the darkness, demons come out to play . . .
and someone must bring their sins to light.

Part vampire, part werewolf, Riley Jenson knows what can happen when vamps don’t play well with others. But she’s never seen anything like this: a series of brutal murders surrounding the latest hot spot for vampire-human hookups—and the victims aren’t just killed, they’re beheaded. Now Riley is launching into action, toying with a seductive—and highly suspicious—club owner, and finding herself in the middle of another mystery: women being killed one by one, without a trace of violence.

For Riley, solving multiple cases—in a world going mad with human and vampire passions—would have been tough enough. Instead she has two jealous lovers on her hands: Kye Murphy, the amber-eyed werewolf who makes Riley’s wolf blood howl—and Quinn, the cool, elegant vamp who has over a thousand years’ experience at fulfilling women’s desires. While she’s busy juggling these two sexy beasts, Riley’s detective work takes a stunningly violent turn. Finding a murderer is now a matter of life and death. Especially since the killer has long since found her . . .

to read the excerpt, click here

Rules & Regulations:

• Must be 18 or older
• Must be US or Canadian resident (Mailing address)
• Please no PO Boxes
• You must be a follower of Blog with Bite
• Contest Ends November 29th 

Extra Entries:
+1 Tweet this - Max one a day (leave link)
+1 You participated in the Queene of Light review (leave link)
+1 You are signed up for the Ballad review
+1 Question: Have you read any Riley Jenson books before???? If so, who's your fav hottie you would like to see her with???

HBIC Review of Queene of Light: Emily @ What Book is That?

Title: Queene of Light
Author: Jennifer Armintrout
Page Count: 375 pages
Publisher: Mira
Genre: paranormal romance
Copy for review was purchased by this writer

50 words or less: Ayla is half human, half faery, all assassin. Malachi is a death angel and proud of it. When Ayla accidentally mates a douchebag, steals Malachi's immortality, is falsely accused of murder, and becomes Queene, she has to somehow stay alive, rule her people, and fall in love. Easy, right?

I should have learned by now that whenever I start a new series, I have to have at least the first two books on hand, because the first book in the series suffers from having to birth the entire world and cast of characters and the second book is where I decide if I like the series or not. This in a nutshell is pretty much what happened to me while reading Queene of Light.

Queene of Light has all the right ingredients to be a really fun book. The setting is fantastic- just enough detail is provided of the various environments to make them vivid and easily imagined without bogging down the story or being too much of a distraction. There are characters who are extremely well-drawn- Keller and Cedric come to mind immediately. The history behind the current situation the characters find themselves in is interesting, although it doesn't get fully explored or explained- I found myself asking "okay, who cares" several times during first third or so of the book.

I guess the issue for me is that at the end of the book, I just didn't care or buy into Ayla and Malachi as individuals or as a couple. True, Ayla is a halfling in a world where that's heavily frowned upon and Malachi gets his immortality grappled out of him so they both find themselves in undesirable situations pretty quickly, but their relationship just didn't...flow...for me. I felt like the book was gearing up to be about something else and their relationship was thrown in as an afterthought.

I really think, though, that this is because this is the first book in a series. There was a ton of information to digest here. The cover blurb says "But even magic folk cannot dwell in harmony, and soon two Worlds emerge: the Lightworld, home to faeries, dragons and dwarves; and the Darkworld, where vampires, werewolves, angels and demons lurk," and all those groups definitely get mentioned throughout the course of the book with every indication present that they continue to play roles in the next two books. That's a lot of intrigue to explain in a relatively short amount of time.

I guess what I'm trying to say is this. Did this book knock my socks off? No. Is it possible that the next books in the series will accomplish that? Yes. The potential is definitely there. That it wasn't actualized in my opinion plays a role in my review of this book, but it won't necessarily keep me from reading the other books in the series. I will, however, probably get those books from the library.

Overall Grade: C
Blog With Bite rating: 2

For my discussion questions, click here. Because who doesn't want to visit with the O rly owl?

HBIC Review - Queen of Light by Froggy

 The book started off a bit slow for my taste but that is expected in a first book of a series. Ayla is suppose to be an assassin for the queen but I really just didn't buy it. She seemed to be more a fluffy character than a hard strong woman that you would expect to be as an assassin. Her mentor really just pushes her to do what he wants and then asks her to be his mate. She actually agrees even though she has no feelings for him and goes through with the ceremony!! Then she doesn't even stand up for herself when he beats her!! Seriously? An assassin just lets a man beat her? She should of kicked his bum or at least protected herself! What kind of message does that send to woman? I didn't like that part of the story at all.

The writing was good but I just couldn't get into the story/world that was created. Usually I fall into books and lose track of time lost in what was written but I really had to make myself keep picking the book up to read it.

I give this book a 2/4                 

oops forgot my Discussion questions!!
#1 Did you have an understanding of the world created by this novel, or did you find the complexity too much?

I did understand it but wasn't drawn in to it.

#2 In a book that it appears many have trouble liking, what is one thing that you like about this book?

It wasn't long...LOL! Nothing really comes to mind.

#3 Did you agree with the author’s decision to make Ayla a fierce assassin in battle and a weakling in her emotions? For example her obvious contempt for Garret but yet her willingness to be his mate and subject herself to his demeaning manor?

No, I hated it! see my review above. LOL

#4 What do you think the significance of the the baby Ayla carries is/will be?

I really can't even guess....but you can bet someone will want to kill the baby or kidnap it.

#5 What do you think of Ayla's ascension to the throne? Do you believe she accepted her own destiny too easily?
 
yes, she didn't really even question it. Didn't even debate what this would mean for her or her future.

HBIC Review - Parajunkee Queene of Light

H B I C R E V I E W  - by Parajunkee

Regarding the book Queene of Light, I’m not going to bore you with intricate details on this book. Too many times I find myself rambling with long explanations – that boils down to one thing. Yeah I liked the book. Well, for Queene of Light, yes I did like it. But, I also had some major problems with it. First off, let me tell you why I liked it. For one, the concept was interesting and original. Secondly, it was well written and the plotlines were tight. Thirdly, the tone of the book was consistent.

Now, for the reason my stomach was a bit queasy while reading this book. The author employed a very over-used romantic ploy that I am going to call the Edward Cullen Technique in honor of the New Moon release. The I Love You So Much I Need to Break Your Heart Send You Away And Pretend I Don’t Like You Technique. In this book the author turns it around – the chick does this to the male, instead of vice versa, but it’s the same as a lot of other books out there.

Why would this technique be employed over and over in romantic settings? I understand it builds dramatic tones, and the hopes that the couple will be reunited. Yet, in Queene of Light it was used to basically eradicate the male supporting character. With one fell swoop he is gone and the story progresses without even a backwards thought of him. In New Moon I think this technique really worked, in fact it held together the entire book. But, the filler of the “push away” was loaded with another romance blooming between Bella and Jacob. Within the pages of Queene of Light there is no secondary romantic filler – there is only the original conflict that was established before the “push away” occurred. So, for this book I don’t think the technique worked, which was why it didn’t sit well with me.

Besides that, I enjoyed reading about this interesting world. I recommend it to fantasy fans that like a little modern grit in their genre. Yet, because of the “push away” problem, I really don’t want to give it a high rating. Queene of light gets a 2/4 BWB rating.

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HBIC Seeker Review on Queene of Light

HBIC Review on Queene of Light by Jennifer Armintrout posted by Tina at Tinasbookreviews

The Down- low: Ayla is a half human half faerie assassin. She deals death to the Darklings aka werewolves, vampires, trolls, goblins and so on. Now don’t go getting your hopes up at the mention of Wolf-boys and Vamps because they play no role in this book except for a few bad lines and a stinky death. Ayla shows no mercy and has sworn her allegiance to the Guild. The Guild being a group of deadly assasins dedicated to doing the Queen’s will. Ayla is out one night hunting one of the nasty beasties when she realizes she is being stalked by a death angel. Their encounter will change them both forever.


Lightworld where Ayla resides is home to the Fae. Also living there is Garret the big horses butt of our story who is brother to the Queen of Lightworld. Garret aka horse butt has his eye on Ayla for his eternal mate. The scam: he knows once they mate and he does away with his sister Ayla will become queen. Through her he will rule Lightworld and no one will be able to stop him. He sounds like a real catch!

Warning Spoilers ahead:....(skip down to next paragraph if you need to)

Although Ayla has mixed feelings for Garret she completely folds to him and winds up consummating the relationship. Although this was a really weird consummation the two become mates and Garret announces it to the court. Unfortunately Garret didn’t take Malachi into consideration, he never knew the night Ayla went into the tunnels and sewers to deal death to a darkly she would herself crash with Malachi, sucking out his immortality thus sealing an irreversible bond between the two. Drawn to one another, needing the other in ways they can’t understand. Although there was really no relationship between these two it was just a very intense physical attraction. So later that night after the big consummation Malachi finds Ayla, no words are spoken for they have this communication thing going on within the depths of their eyes…(barf) wouldn’t you know it just when we get to the good part Garret walks in and catches them making out, Malachi takes off and Garret beats Ayla to nice bloody pulp. Wow…way to go assassin Ayla, let the horses butt beat you up, don’t even protect yourself or give him the elbow….come on at least a kick in the you know what’s!! I think guys who hit women are weak, mindless fools!!

Needless to say I find myself a bit torn on this one, I thought the writing was good, but feel I need to invest in a Jennifer Armintrout dictionary to understand all the stuff going on in her world. I liked the fantasy world she created, yet didn’t like that I was unable to connect with any of the characters. Ayla seemed like two people to me, one side of her was this brave, bold killer assassin, the other was this weak undecided goes with everything girl. Malachi is raging death one minute and consumed with passion the next. The only character who seemed solid was Keller and he was the human caught between the worlds under the sewers. I’m wondering if the next books will be good, seeing how this book had major plot and character set up, so we will see..........................BWB Score: 2.5

BWB Discussion Questions

#1 Did you have an understanding of the world created by this novel, or did you find the complexity too much? I liked the fantasy world but at times yes it was confusing, it seemed to jump, skip info leave you wondering.

#2 In a book that it appears many have trouble liking, what is one thing that you like about this book? I liked the fact that out of all the crap Ayla went through, she wound up being the Queen and that the prophecy was about her or her baby all along.

#3 Did you agree with the author’s decision to make Ayla a fierce assassin in battle and a weakling in her emotions? For example her obvious contempt for Garret but yet her willingness to be his mate and subject herself to his demeaning manor? NO- it didn’t make sense to me. She at least should have had more reasoning skills; she just seemed to be so flaky and had no backbone, no guts to speak for herself. The part when Garret beats her up, she just lays there and takes it- If I was a kick a** assassin I would of beat the crap out of him!! If Ayla had only been wishy-washy on her feelings for Malachi I could have bought this side of her, but when anything important came up Ayla just wimped out!

#4 What do you think the significance of the baby Ayla carries is/will be? Hmmm…well she did bag the both of them (Garret & Malachi) so who knows, I know the book stated that the Faeries only mated for children when need be but maybe I missed the part where it was a solid for sure….I’m hoping its Malachi’s baby and it will usher in a new race, new King to rule all the beasties………

#5 What do you think of Ayla's ascension to the throne? Do you believe she accepted her own destiny too easily? Yes- one minute she’s running from Lightworld then she’s going back, then she’s a prisoner then she prego and a queen…….like I said before no reasoning skills with this one.

Queen of Light Discussion Questions

#1 Did you have an understanding of the world created by this novel, or did you find the complexity too much?

#2 In a book that it appears many have trouble liking, what is one thing that you like about this book?

#3 Did you agree with the author’s decision to make Ayla a fierce assassin in battle and a weakling in her emotions? For example her obvious contempt for Garret but yet her willingness to be his mate and subject herself to his demeaning manor?

#4 What do you think the significance of the the baby Ayla carries is/will be?

#5 What do you think of Ayla's ascension to the throne? Do you believe she accepted her own destiny too easily?

Contest Winner Update

Hi everyone, because of a lack of response from one of our contest winners. We now have a new winner for Cheating, Death:

Wanda!

I'm emailing you now.  Please get back to me quickly so I can send over your info to the author. 

Blog with Bite on Ning

Blog with Bite now has a Ning social network site. If anyone is interested:

http://blogwithbite.ning.com/

Queen of Light Sign Up Deadline

Hey everyone today is also the sign up deadline for the Queen of Light.  So if you want your Queen of Light review counted as a Blog with Bite, sign up with Mr. Linky by the end of today.  And then fill out the submit review form to let the HBIC know where to find the review. - Oh and don't forget to put a Blog with Bite banner on the review!

Winners for Cheating, Death

Winners have been notified for the Cheating, Death giveaway.  Please check your emails!

Winners chosen through random.org

Kristina

Miranda

Hailey/Shadowofwonder47

Sharon Aquilino

Cheating, Death HBIC Reviews

The first 30 pages were a bit choppy in writing brief character set-up and dialog, but smoothed out nicely as the action picked up and the brains started flying. This is a very short book and a fast easy read for a few hours of bloody entertainment…Read More TinasBookReviews
 
It is Zombie Time! Cheating, Death by Teel McClanahan III is a horrifying roller coaster ride through the zombie filled streets of Denver. The book is a short, thrilling ride... Read More Parajunkee's View


This was a quick, engaging read. I wish it had been a little more filled out with more character development. I recognize that there are other books that tell more of the story, but this was the one I was reading, and I felt a little...adrift...like I was supposed to have done a reading assignment before I started. Otherwise, it's a good place to start, and it's off the beaten path of other horror novels that are out there. Read More What Book is That?

Don't forget to enter the contest to win your very own Cheating, Death! Contest Ends Today! Click here to enter.

BWB is now 3 columns!

Alrighty, Blog with Bite is now in possession of 3 columns and a new fancy look. If you see any problems please comment about them, I've looked throughout the site but this took longer than expected. The first template was thrown together hastily as things were thought of...so it wasn't an easy transfer. Especially when navigation bars were labeled footer...*sigh*

Blog with Bite Welcomes Teel McClanahan - Author Q&A

This week Blog with Bite is featuring Teel McClanahan. We would like to offer a big thanks to Teel for stopping by and answering all of our questions - and for also offering his new book Cheating, Death for a giveaway. For Contest Click Here.

Welcome Teel!

BWB: So, Zombies? How did you choose this particular subject?

TM: This novel was actually inspired out of some readers' responses to my last novel, Forget What You Can't Remember. In that book I was exploring how different characters reacted to surviving traumatic, life-altering events in unique ways - the most obvious of the traumatic events being a zombie outbreak. I got a lot of feedback from readers who wanted more zombies, more action, and more death. So I decided to tell the story of the zombie outbreak that set the events of that book in motion through a more traditional zombie narrative.


BWB: What do you find is the most challenging part of writing a novel?


TM: It seems to be different with every novel. (This is my 7th.) With Cheating, Death the most difficult was a struggle between writing the story the length it wanted to be and trying to pad it to reach a more traditional book length. I decided to serve the story, and its natural structure and length. It worked out well; there seem to be a lot of people happy to get hold of a shorter book.


BWB: Would you consider your novel classified as urban fantasy, horror or something else entirely? Do you think that it is important to distinguish the genre?

TM: I'm not a fan of strict genre classifications. I tend to include elements from multiple genres within a single story, without regard for specific genre traditions. Cheating, Death is my first attempt to target a single thing; I really wanted to nail 'zombie book' - which is a sub-genre of horror.


BWB: What is the most crazy idea for a book that you have had? Any plans on running with it?

TM: I have an idea for a book without any characters, in which literally no action takes place - I think that qualifies as the most ridiculous. It's a challenge I'm not going to attempt right away, but part of the reason I started my own publishing company is so that when I have a ridiculous idea, I'm free to run with it and see where it takes me. If I ever do write that one, I'll be sure to send you a copy!


BWB: Zombies seem to be really hot right now, even Smallville (WB superman drama) had Lois Lane turn into a zombie, why do you think people are so infatuated with the living dead?

TM: Zombies can represent so many different things, they're one of the most versatile and personal monsters we have available. Our relationship with the dead, our fear of our own mortality and of disease; these are easy. Zombies also represent the 'other' who lives among us, which is giving paranormal romance authors a lot of room to explore social taboos, not to mention a love that lives on in a new form after one party dies. There is so much to explore with zombies, it's fertile ground for telling new stories and retelling old stories in a new way.


BWB: There is a note on Modern Evil (re-quoted on BWB) that the cover for Cheating, Death is deliberately misleading – was the cover designed to represent an iconic view of zombies for recognition purposes, instead of representing the basis of the book or were you just being funny?

TM: As author/artist on one hand and a publisher/marketer on the other, I have a love/hate relationship with book covers. I want a cover that represents what I believe the book is about and which expresses my unique voice, but the book-buying public wants to be able to identify genre at a glance and without ambiguity. For me, this cover was a compromise. The reaching hand and the cemetery are iconic of zombies, so I'm able to catch a browsing reader's eye and communicate zombie instantly - and if that gets them to read the back cover, and if that leads them to Appendix Z, then the stage is set and they're already reading the book. I see marketers misleading people every day, but as an honest person I'd at least like to do it more like a magician than a crook; to entertain with misdirection, rather than to frustrate.


BWB: Anything else in the works right now? If so, when can we expect your next book?

TM: I'm always working on something. It's November, so I'm struggling with NaNoWriMo (more on that below), same as every year. I had a lot of zombie ideas while working on Cheating, Death, so I'm also researching for a trilogy of books set in a world where instead of the Spanish Flu, there was a massive, worldwide zombie outbreak in 1918 - an alternate history that leads to a much different modern world and where a mutation of the zombie infection leads to a powerful new religion. I'll follow the stories wherever they take me, but right now I expect to have an alternate history about the period of the outbreak & the rebuilding of society, a procedural thriller following the investigation of a series of small outbreaks after 50 years without a single zombie problem, and a teen drama about a questing young man learning about a dangerous STD and the intricacies of the zombie-centered religion - all by this time next year, if the research, writing, and re-writing go as expected.


BWB: Complex, yet fascinating. I'll be waiting to read that one. Back to the Cheating, Death. A forgive and forget attitude on adultery, or anyone know a good divorce attorney?

TM: I personally believe in forgiveness, and in people's ability to learn from their mistakes. Melvin and Frances, the main characters in Cheating, Death, find themselves in the midst of a zombie outbreak that forces them to face Melvin's adultery without the aid of attorneys or enough time to forgive & forget. I hope I never face a day half as difficult as they go through in the book.


BWB: Do you find that your characters drive you, or are you in the driver seat with your characters?

TM: I see myself as more of a navigator. My characters typically drive the story (and drive me crazy, sometimes), but I know where we're all supposed to be headed and I'm there to give them directions when they get lost. A good story is one that takes you for a ride, and I truly believe the journey is at least as important as the destination - if my characters didn't have enough life in them to take the lead, sometimes, I think my stories would fall pretty flat.


BWB: Dawn of the Dead 1978 or 2004?

TM: May I say Shaun of the Dead? No? Okay, okay, if you insist, I'll admit that I had a lot more fun watching the remake. In a question of fast vs. slow zombies, I'll say slow zombies every time - I believe that once zombies get fast, you could substitute rabid animals and get the same story, and once zombies get intelligent (talking, using tools, falling in love) you're leaning pretty hard on vampires. Fast, smart, and immortal? That's not zombies. It may be fun to watch, but it's a whole other thing. Speaking of which: If you get a chance, I recommend The Revenant - a zombie buddy flick... that acknowledges they aren't strictly zombies.


BWB: The writing and publishing of Cheating, Death was a very past faced process. With everyone involved in NaNoWriMo (nanowrimo.org/) what advice can you give to struggling authors gunning for a 30 day deadline?

TM: I've been doing NaNoWriMo for eight years, now, and I've "won" four times. I've also written an entire book (well, the first draft) over a Labor Day Weekend (google the 3-Day Novel Contest), which is a different sort of a challenge. The best advice I can give is to stick with it; don't give up, even if it seems hopeless. The first year I participated, after setting aside my first two attempts, I ended up writing an entire novel in 8 long, inspiring days. After a year of rewrites, those 8 days had become the basis of my first full novel, Lost and Not Found.


They don't roll it out much any more, but one of the old slogans was "Don't get it right, get it written." For first drafts and for first-time writers, I think that's excellent advice. If your draft takes a ridiculous turn, just follow it, see where it takes you - at the least, you'll learn something new about your characters so that when you go back and take the ridiculous bit out (some other month!), you'll have a better idea about what to replace it with. The goal of NaNoWriMo isn't to write the Great American Novel, or even something publishable on your first attempt, it's to stop making excuses and write!

I've had so many other things going on (with Cheating, Death coming out being a big one), I'm actually about 10k words behind right now. I've been doing something I recommend that you never do, which is to jump from story to story thinking the next one will be better. That's a sure road to failure - I'm the only one I know it ever worked for, and it only worked the once. It's time to really dig in and get writing, though. And if I have a good first draft by November 30th, you can expect to see it in print early next year.


BWB: If you happened to see a zombie, grab the video camera or run for your life?

TM: How close is it? Just the one, or a horde of zombies? Am I alone? If they're fast zombies, all bets are off, and I'm in the car headed to the hills before the rest of the world knows what's going on. I've had to spend a fair amount of time thinking about this, you see... But: I have an iPhone 3GS in my pocket, so if I have time, I'll shoot a quick video and it'll be posting to YouTube from my pocket while I'm bludgeoning the thing to death with whatever's handy. If there's another person nearby, I can probably get them to shoot video while I kill it. Then we head for the hills.

Thanks for the interview Teel you definitely had me laughing the whole time!  If you enjoyed our chat and would like to find out more about Teel McClanahan, here are a few links to help you on your way:

Teel on Goodreads
Purchase Cheating, Death @ modernevil.com
Purchase eBooks @ Smashwords

Cheating, Death Giveaway!

This contest is closed.  Please check back later for the winners!


The HBIC of Blog with Bite would like to introduce you to Teel McClanahan, author, MicroPublishing guru and poet. For the time in-between our Queen of Light feature we will be reviewing Cheating, Death, hosting a giveaway, and having a Q&A session with the author. Stop by often to learn more about Mr. McClanahan - that is if your not afraid of the living dead!

Author Bio (Goodreads.com):

Teel McClanahan is an Arizona native and a firm believer that in the changing future of the publishing industry, there will be room in "the long tail" for MicroPublishers and authors of revolutionary and sometimes unusual fiction. Along with experimental poetry, can't-put-it-down serial fiction, and engaging short fiction, Teel writes novels that test the limits of reality.

Looking toward the future, Teel decided that rather than teaming with the aging giants of Publishing he would start his own niche Publishing Company, Modern Evil Press. In the end, he cares more about sharing his stories with readers everywhere than about financial gain, and in the Content Economy of the future, he'll be one step ahead of the pack.

Cheating, Death Synopsis (taken from Modern Evil Press):

When the walking dead fill the streets, who can cheat death?
Who can survive?

Featuring a zombie outbreak that devastates Denver, an indecisive adulterer, and a series of violent, disturbing, and perhaps even heart-rending events of the sort you’d expect when the dead rise up to eat the living, Cheating, Death is a roller-coaster ride through a horror show both of death and of the heart.

Cheating, Death Excerpt:

The following is excerpted from Cheating, Death:

Appendix Z: About the Zombies
Some helpful information about the zombies in this book:
Zombies are slow.
Zombies are stupid.
Zombies do not use tools.
Zombies do not use language.
Zombies do not experience romance.
Zombies are not just old, hungry vampires.
Zombies do not want to exact revenge on the living.
Zombies do not have any magical abilities or super-powers.
Zombies can only be killed by damaging or destroying their brain.
Zombies eat the living, and are attracted to the motion and commotion they make.
Zombies like eating brains, but are not possessed of superhuman strength, so how are they supposed to bite through your skull?
Zombies who did manage to eat the brains of their victims wouldn’t be much of a threat, since they’d prevent the spread of zombie-ism by doing so.
Zombies are created when a human has had fluid contact with a zombie; primarily via saliva transmitted into a bite wound.
Note: Hell is not full, zombies are not a sudden and global phenomenon bringing all unburied dead to life, the dead are not clawing their way out of graves, and this book’s cover is intentionally misleading.
Zombies spread quickly because the living are stupid, too.

CONTEST:

Mr. McClanahan was generous enough to offer Blog with Bite 4 copies of his novel, Cheating, Death for giveaway! Spread the word and enter the contest.  For each bonus entry you get, fill the form out again. The more you spread the more, the more entries you can get!

Fine print: Contest is open to US & Canadian residents only. Sorry no international entries.  Please no PO Boxes.  Winners will be notified by email, if a response is not given within 48 hours, another winner will be chose.  Winners will be chosen randomly using a number generating software.  You must be a follower of Blog with Bite to enter. If you are not on our Google list, please state in Extra Entries how you follow.


Contest ends Friday the 13th! (November 2009)


Extra Entries
+1 Comment on this post and let us know what you think about zombies
+1 Blog about this Contest - leave link
+1 Tweet - leave the url, you can tweet once a day, please resubmit for each tweet
+1 Fan Teel McCalahan on Goodreads.com - Click here.
+1 Sidebar post - leave link

BWB Intertwined Top Reviewer!

By Falling off the Shelf

Support her blog by becoming a follower!

Here is her review:

All through out Aden Stone's life, he has been labeled as cracy, schizophrenic, and violent. It's taken him 16 years to finally be released into a more 'normal' environment. It's almost unreal that he has the freedom to walk around a town on his own, and interact with people. Aden isn't crazy though, he's just forced to live with the souls of four others inside of his head. They constantly battle for his attention, and what makes things worse, they have abilities that Aden can't control.

Each soul has a gift for the supernatural. One can time travel, while another can raise the dead. This can get quite annoying for Aden when he is trying to live a peaceful life. It gets worse though, as the remaining two souls each have an ability as well, one being able to tell the future, more namely what will cause the death of those Aden passes in life. The last, can possess the body of another human, taking Aden and the other souls along for the ride.

Aden has made it his goal to release the souls in side of his head, so for once in his life he can have some peace. When he meets a girl that can quite the souls just by being in his presence, he is certain she will be able to help him figure out the mystery. Aden and Mary Ann have a bond that can't be broken. While they are drawn together, they are both repelled as well, knowing that something is weird about the way they feel about each other. They feel as though they are two magnets, both drawn to each other, but repelled in another.

Things only get more weird for Aden and Mary Anne as their friendship progresses. They meet a werewolf that is hell bent on having Mary Anne for his own, and a vampire princess that Aden can't help but be drawn to. While their love for one another is forbidden, they work together to enter a world full of creatures that both Aden and Mary Anne never knew existed. It will be a bumpy ride, full of surprises and danger, but they are determined to come out on the other side.

I was extremely excited to read this story, and waited eagerly for it to arrive in my mailbox after having ordered it online. It had to sit for a little bit, unfortunetly, due to catching up on a few other reviews that I had promised to have finished beforehand. When I finally was able to dig in, I couldn't stop. Within the first two hours, I was already half way through the story, and itching to find out what would happen next.

This is the first novel I have ever read by Gena Showalter, and I can honestly say I'm more excited to read more of her work than ever. While there was so much going on in this story, it all meshed together very nicely. I thought that by focusing on four characters in this book, plus the souls of four others, it was going to be a jumbled mess. Interwined, was in fact, an action packed rollar coaster with lots of dips and turns.

The story was addicting, and when I finally hit that last page I was eager to know what would happen next with Aden and his friends. Luckily, Showalter has a sequel in the works called, Unraveled, and all I can say is that I absolutly can't wait to get my hands on it, it scheduled for release in September of 2010. In this first installment, Showalter's characters are so well-rounded, and intriguing. I can only imagine how they will progress over time, and itch for the chance at another adventure.

Drumroll Please....winner time.

Through the use of random.org we have our Vampires & Werewolves winners. Congrats peeps:

Jenn Books at Midnight

Sweet Vernal Zephyr

Elnice

Brizmus

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