Release Day Review: Hexed

Kevin Hearne
294 pages
Urban Fantasy
Iron Druid Chronicles #2
Del Rey/Spectra


Synopsis:
Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, doesn’t care much for witches. Still, he’s about to make nice with the local coven by signing a mutually beneficial nonaggression treaty—when suddenly the witch population in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they’re badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II.

With a fallen angel feasting on local high school students, a horde of Bacchants blowing in from Vegas with their special brand of deadly decadence, and a dangerously sexy Celtic goddess of fire vying for his attention, Atticus is having trouble scheduling the witch hunt. But aided by his magical sword, his neighbor’s rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and his vampire attorney, Atticus is ready to sweep the town and show the witchy women they picked the wrong Druid to hex.

Behind The Pen: with "Ellen Connor" + Giveaway

I love interviews.  But I find the artists behind the stories equally 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, or the characters, I ask authors the same 11 questions about themselves and hopefully get a glimpse behind the pen...

What happens when two authors get together? Why, they join forces and create an apocalyptic world that's a little "28 Days Later"... and a little "9 1/2 weeks" ,of course. Ellen Connor = Ann Aguirre & Carrie Lofty. The pseudonym is a combination of each of their ideas of a bad ass heroine; Ellen Ripley & Sarah Connor. 


The authors are launching their new Dark Age Dawning series tomorrow with the series' first book, Nightfall. The series will fishing up with Midnight, releasing Sept 6th and Daybreak Dec 6th.  If you're a sci-fi/suspense/romance fan, this series might be exactly what you've been waiting for. 

Ode from a Superfan

Vicki Petterrson, how do I love thee. No?  Coming on too strong? Oh, but it's true. Vicki Pettersson's series was the first series that I found by myself, that wasn't recommended to me from someone else, and from the very first book I was hooked.  

Review: Magic Slays

Ilona Andrews
Urban Fantasy
304 pages
Kate Daniels #5
Excerpt
ACE


Synopsis:
Plagued by a war between magic and technology, Atlanta has never been so deadly. Good thing Kate Daniels is on the job.

Kate Daniels may have quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but she’s still knee-deep in paranormal problems. Or she would be if she could get someone to hire her. Starting her own business has been more challenging than she thought it would be—now that the Order is disparaging her good name, and many potential clients are afraid of getting on the bad side of the Beast Lord, who just happens to be Kate’s mate.

So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead calls to ask for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. Turns out this is not an isolated incident, and Kate needs to get to the bottom of it—fast, or the city and everyone dear to her might pay the ultimate price . . .

Winner Winner

I should have announced the winner of Spellcast last week, but I was on hiatus.  I apologize for the delay.  I wish I could personally give each and every one of you a copy of this book to read, because I loved it that much.  But alas, I can not.  The winner is:

Sara

Congratulations Sara!!  Please email me thespinecracker(at)gmail(dot)com with your mailing address.  

The Sound

I love music.  Always have. I like scouring the web looking for and listening to all the new sounds that artists put out.  I'm constantly amazed by it. Here's what this month sounded like...

***I never ever EVER steal from artists (bands or authors). Everything posted here is either a free download provided by the artist or from my personal music library***

DARE Review: Angels Fall

Nora Roberts
Suspense
444 pages
Putnam Books
Downloadable Excerpt

Synopsis:
Reece Gilmore has come a long way to see the stunning view below her. As the sole survivor of a brutal crime back East, she has been on the run, desperately fighting the nightmares and panic attacks that haunt her. Reece settles in Angel's Fist, Wyoming-temporarily, at least-and takes a job at a local diner. And now she's hiked this mountain all by herself. It was glorious, she thought, as she peered through her binoculars at the Snake River churning below.

Then Reece saw the man and woman on the opposite bank. Arguing. Fighting. And suddenly, the man was on top of the woman, his hands around her throat . . .

Enjoying a moment of solitude a bit farther down the trail is a gruff loner named Brody. But by the time Reece reaches him and brings him to the scene, the pair has vanished. When authorities comb the area where she saw the attack, they find nothing. No signs of struggle. No freshly turned earth. Not even a tire track.

And no one in Angel's Fist seems to believe her. After all, she's a newcomer in town, with a reputation for being jumpy and jittery-maybe even a little fragile. Maybe it's time to run again, to move on . . .

Reece Gilmore knows there's a killer in Angel's Fist, even if Brody, despite his seeming impatience and desire to keep her at arm's length, is the only one willing to believe her. When a series of menacing events makes it clear that someone wants her out of the way, Reece must put her trust in Brody-and herself-to find out if there is a killer in Angel's Fist before it's too late.