Review- Happy Hour at Casa Dracula

Goodreads Synopsis: Latina Ivy League grad Milagro de Los Santos can't find her place in the world or a man to go with it. Then one night, at a book party for her pretentious ex-boyfriend, she meets an oddly attractive man. After she is bitten while kissing him, she falls ill and is squirreled away to his family's estate to recover. Vampires don't exist in this day and age -- or do they? As Milagro falls for a fabulously inappropriate man, she finds herself caught between a family who has accepted her as one of their own and a shady organization that refuses to let the undead live and love in peace.

I don't use the word "snark" or it's colorful cousin "snarky" often, but I'm breaking that fast right now.  Milagro is the definition of "snark".  Open up your Webster and you'll find a curvy latino woman staring back at you by its description. Snark is not about being a smart alick, it's about always being on, about always having an answer. And that can only come from someone with a multi-faceted background and education...hense why I am not snarky.  Milagro is so much more than dry humor and a couple well placed one-liners.  She's someone to be envied. She makes Shakespeare references in the same breath with Latino vulgarity.  And is snappy and educated and sharp as a knife.  Acosta writes her so well, I'd swear that Milagro must be real somewhere living a full life.  And by the end of the book I felt like I knew her as well as I know any of my friends; how pathetic is that.


Acosta has taken a pretty worn-out genre and breathed fresh life into it.  I admire how she's really turned everything on a different angle.  Vampires don't have fangs, have to lather up with sunscreen like a baby on the 4th of July, and will admit "there's no such thing as vampires".  Acosta's vampires merely have a "condition"...and I laugh and I laugh.  


Actually, I laughed a lot in this book.  Acosta keeps everything light, and sets a breezy pace. Our story reads mainly like chick-lit, but the skill of the writing really sets it apart.  There's a conflict, a slightly sorted past, and the hopes of "happily ever after".  I was amazed at how quickly I read through the pages... I know you will too.


Bottom Line: I will follow Milagro anywhere, especially her next book. 


4 stars


*Book was given to me by the author for review

Behind the Pen: with J.A. Saare (+giveaway)

I love interviews.  But I find the artists behind the stories equaling intriguing, and I think they deserve as much limelight as their characters. So here instead of a list of questions about the story, the plot, and the characters I ask authors the same 11 questions about themselves and hopefully get a glimpse behind the pen...

I recently read/devoured Dead, Undead, or Somewhere In Between and I instantly wanted to know more about the artist behind the story.  So, I was thrilled when Jaime agreed to answer my silly questionnaire.  If you're unfamiliar with the book you can read my review here. And because I enjoyed it so much, I'll be giving away a copy to one lucky commenter.  




Giveaway Details:

• US and CA only
• Your comment is your entry
• If you're a follower of the site you get an extra entry
• Book can be ebook or print...your pick
• Contest will end Sunday Nov 14th
• Winner will be announced here Monday Nov 15th so be sure to check back!

Q1: What is the last book you read?

Fallen by Lauren Kate. How can you possibly deny that beautiful cover?  Not to mention, fallen angels are the “in” thing and the book was a captivating read.  I have Torment here, waiting for time in my reading chair.  I’m interested to learn where things go.

Q2: If you were stuck on a desert island, what book would you like to have with you?

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.  It has become my favorite book.  The author writes in such a simplistic fashion, but the characters are written in such a way that you can’t let them go.  Though the title, Never Let Me Go, isn’t intended for a reader to take literally, that’s how the book is for me. I just can’t seem to let the damned thing go.

Q3: What is your favorite swear word?

Any variation of the versatile word fuck.  Fuck me.  Fucking hell.  Fucking shit. I’m fucked. If I can apply it into a sentence, I often do.  If my brood picks up on my poor language skills, they are going to make the Osbournes look like the Cleavers.

Q4: What is your biggest pet-peeve?

Mean people.  We live in a world where there is already so much hate being spread around. Why add to that?  I’m a tad snarky here and there, but I’d never intentionally do something to hurt someone else.  I don’t understand why some people feel the need to tear others down.

Q5: What quality do you most like in a man?

A quirky sense of humor.  My poor husband has to have that or he couldn’t deal with me. *grin*  I think that’s why we have what we do with each other.  I can say something totally off the wall, and he’ll come back with something I don’t expect.  It keeps things interesting.

Q6: What quality do you most like in a woman?

Compassion.  By design, many women are nurturers.  The world needs more of that.

Q7: What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt?

That’s a toughie!  Originally I wanted to become a teacher.  Now I think I’d like to do something to entertain.  Perhaps theater.  Oddly enough, I’m embarrassingly uncomfortable at being the center of attention, so maybe I should consider doing something else -- like being a door greeter at Wal-Mart or something.  I worked in an adult video store in college and enjoyed it very much, so maybe I could work in a video store.  I love talking movies with people (or just talking to people in general).

Boy, don’t I sound ambitious?

Q8: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I’d love to travel and visit other places, especially Italy as my husband is Italian and has family there, but as far as living somewhere, I think I’ll stick with Alabama.  I was born here, love it here, and can’t envision myself anywhere else.  Boring, I know, but this is my home, and I don’t have any inclination to leave.

Q9: What inspires you?

My children, cornball as that sounds.  I never knew what it meant to truly love, fear, or care for something more than myself until they were born.  They serve as a constant reminder that there can be good in the face of bad, and even when I’m gone, a part of me will remain. 

Q10: If you could be one person (dead or alive) for a day who would you be?

Edgar Allen Poe.  I would love to delve into his mind for a day, although I’m fairly certain I might be disturbed at what I found.  He seemed to be such a complex man, and I would have loved to know more about his method.

Q11: Mac or PC?

As much as I wish I was a cool “Mac” person, I own and love my PC.  I’m not very good with technology and the way Mac is designed and works frightens me. ;-)

Thanks so much for having me on the blog! It was great to visit and chat with you!

Guest Review: Patient Zero

I'm so happy that Kristin's first guest review is on a zombie thriller...means I've still got time to work up the balls (and my fears) to read one. 


Kristin's review:

Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry follows smart-mouthed Baltimore cop Joe Ledger who, after joining a secret government agency, the Department of Military Science, or DMS, races to stop a plague from destroying the country; except this plague makes Ebola look like child’s play. This plague kills you then re-animates you, zombie-style. Except the "zombies" in this book are not your traditional zombies. The “plague” is ,in fact, a bio-warfare virus unleashed by some of the most terrifying villains in recent thrillers.

Our hero, Ledger, is recruited into the DMS in strong-arm fashion, and is almost quite literally thrown into the fight with a team made up of men with various backgrounds. Unlike a lot of your heroes featured in modern thrillers, Ledger does not have a super secret military background, or even a long military career. In fact, his military career was quite short. However, what talents he does have, he has in spades. I’ll let you read the book to find out just how good he is at what he does.

If you've read any of Nelson DeMille's books featuring John Corey (Plum Island, Lion's Game, etc) Joe Ledger will remind you of him very strongly. He's kind of a guy's guy and is very sarcastic (so you'll laugh a bit), and he gets the job done very effectively. He kicks some pretty serious ass too, while remaining firmly in the White Hat category. Maberry has done extremely well in fleshing out his characters while simultaneously keeping the action going which, to me, is not an easy thing to do. Ledger really struggles with the horror of what he's been thrust into, and I would hope anyone (even a kick-ass, tough guy) would.

What makes this book rise above the usual espionage/thriller novel, aside from the zombie aspect so wildly popular right now, is its superb writing and nearly flawless pacing. Add to that villains that include a greedy billionaire, a modern-day psychotic Mata Hari, and her equally psychotic religious zealot husband, a mole sent to infiltrate the good guys, plus a dash of romance, and you’ve got a book that knocks the genre on its ear and keeps you guessing (and up late) until the last pages.

I give “Patient Zero” an enthusiastic 5 out of 5 zombies, er, stars!

Virtual Book Club- Boneshaker

Up until recently, there was nowhere that I could go geek-out with other literati, and I definitely didn't have a book club in the sleepy beach town where I live.  So, I thought that once a month I would host a virtual book club here at The Spinecracker, somewhere we can share thoughts and argue about plots.  So grab a cocktail and join in at your leisure. 




There is also a giveaway happening here.  The amazing Cherie Priest has been so kind to offer up a signed copy of Dreadnought, the latest release from her Clockwork Century series, to one lucky commenter.  Here's how that'll work:

• Each comment is an entry
• If you follow this site that's an extra entry
• Contest ends on Sunday Nov 7th at midnight (so feel free to contribute late)
• US & Canada only
• Winner will be announced here Monday, Nov 8th

I'm so excited to be discussing Boneshaker this month, what a visual feast that was! I have a couple thoughts to start the ball rolling on the discussion, but please jump in with anything that you're curious about.


*All that I ask is that the comments remain respectful to the author's work and to each other


Q: There were so many mysteries to solve. Minnericht, the blight, the dreadnought, Mynard. I'm curious, what in your opinion was the true mystery of the story.


Q: I found it really hard to classify the surviving people in the walled city.   Were they cowards, hiding away from their fears or are they actually a stronger lot for fighting tooth and nail to survive in the city they once loved.


Q: Again, I found pinpointing the intended climax of the story challenging...in a great way.  There is the obvious one of Briar and Zeke's reuniting, but the coup against Dr. Minnericht's was another, and yet Briar and Zeke actually getting out of the city was another.   What did you think was the climax?

Review- Grimspace

Goodreads synopsis: As the carrier of a rare gene, Sirantha Jax has the ability to jump ships through grimspace—a talent which makes her a highly prized navigator for the Corp. Then a crash landing kills everyone on board, leaving Jax in a jail cell with no memory of the crash. But her fun's not over. A group of rogue fighters frees her…for a price: her help in overthrowing the established order.


Is "high-flying-adventure" a total cliche? Because I'm dying to say that over and over again when I think about this book.  From page 1 you are strapped in and at the mercy of Ann Aguirre and you quickly decide you wouldn't want it any other way.


Sirantha Jax is an incredible narrator.  Her inner-monologues are meaningful to the story, which is always a plus for me.  So many times, authors let their narrator get carried away on tangents that have nothing to do with anything.  Such is not the case here.  I found it very easy to relate to Jax and her plight...even though she's a grimspace jumper in the not-so-near future.  


And lets talk about this not-so-near future for a sec.  The world that Ann Aguirre has created is so easy to imagine you'd swear you'd thought of it yourself.  And I don't believe it's because I'm a self-proclaimed sci-fi geek.  The way in which she describes a scene or location really lets your own imagination come out to play.  She doesn't bog down the story by over-describing every last detail. She gives you just enough information to wet your whistle and then lets you run.  For me, it made every part of the book work.  And it really helped me become part of the story. 


For all you fans of strong men that challenge your heroine, you're in luck.  And luck's name is March. March remains a bit of a mystery since the story is told through Jax's POV, but everything we do learn, builds for a strong equal for Jax.  The bond they form is tender and natural.  I found myself rooting for those two kids to really have a chance.


Bottom Line: A non-stop story full of adventure, romance, and action.  I can't imagine anyone not liking this book. 


5 stars

Teasers

I don't normally do this, but a couple of teasers came out recently, that seemed too good to pass up, so here they are for you.

Nalini Singh, will be releasing her much anticipated 3rd book in the Guild Hunter series, Archangel's Consort, on January 25th 2011 and has baited us with a glimpse at the first chapter on her website here.  If you're not familiar with The Guild Hunter series, check out my the reviews on Angels' Blood and Archangel's Kiss. 

J.A. Saare completely teased us yesterday on Twitter with some future quotes from The Renfield Syndrome, her follow up to Dead, Undead or Somewhere in Between. In case you missed it, my review is here. And if you haven't yet, visit J.A. Saare's website. There's loads of things to see and read there including 2 Disco & Rhiannon vignettes.




"What I'd like to do is take the chair I'm sitting on and bash it over your head, you sick bitch," I snarled.


I couldn't save my sister, but I could save the girl who shared her name. Perhaps there was some hope in that, some sense of justice.


Even though I felt as if something inside of me had been torn apart, shredded to pieces, and irrevocably broken.


"It's always been you. The only person I could ever truly touch was the only person I could never have."






And because I know you just haven't heard me talk about it enough lately, Karen Marie Moning sent out pictures yesterday of the final, official Shadowfever....purty

Review- Blood Song

Goodreads synopsis: Bodyguard Celia Graves plies her trade in a world where vampires roam the alleys of Tinseltown and movie stars openly practice witchcraft., where streetcorner psychics have real powers and cops use memory enhancement spells on witnesses. Though she’s an ordinary human, Celia uses street smarts and charmed weapons to protect the rich and famous from mortal and supernatural threats. 

She’s landed a plum job, protecting the Prince of a small but politically vital nation while he tours Los Angeles’s least savory hot spots. What should be a routine assignment goes badly wrong. Attacked by a master vampire, Celia knows she is about to die.

She’s startled to awaken on a cold metal table in a university lab. Celia Graves has become an Abomination, neither fully mortal nor fully vampire. Her “master” is hunting her, to destroy her or finish what his bite began. She’s accused of murder and the cops aren’t sure whether she should be locked up or staked. And then there’s the demon she glimpsed during the vampire attack . . . .
Struggling to cope with her new powers and trying not to terrify everyone she meets with a flash of fang, Celia reaches out for help from her once (and future?) lover, who is a powerful mage; his warrior-priest brother; a handsome werewolf who keeps his lupine nature concealed from the world; an elderly clairvoyant, and one trustworthy cop.

Celia Graves has three days to save the world, her sanity, and her soul.      

Blood Song is one of the most original character-based pieces of fiction I've read since maybe Kim Harrison's Dead Witch Walking. There's a story to be fair, but it's all about Celia and the secrets she discovers about herself and the ones around her.  The writing duo of Cathy Clamp and C.T. Adams, or better known to you and me as Cat Adams, knows how to utilize 1st person POV.  Every action, conversation, inner monologue is all with the purpose of making you the reader, feel as though all the experiences on the pages are yours as well.  So, if you're one of those people that can't get into 1st person I implore you to not let that stop you from reading.

Celia Graves' character is complex. She's tough while still being vulnerable. Celia's a bit broken. But she survives the best she can and makes no excuses for her actions. There are many things about Celia's past that we don't learn, and they become rather frustrating, but it only draws the moth closer to the flame. The subtly in which you start to become attached to her is first rate.

I also become very attached to the secondary characters in this books, and it's a bit strange how it all happened. To be honest, the character relationships were a bit baffling at first.  You're introduced to all these people in Celia's life, but we're not really given that much to go on; very little history, scant descriptions etc.  But as information slowly trickles out you've already decided on your attachment based on their actions.  I didn't merely like a character because Celia has fond memories and a long history, my bond was created based on their current interactions and emotions.  Cunning...very cunning.

Bottom Line: Such a smart story.  I've been forever affected by the book and the characters within.

4.5 star