I Double-Dog Dare You...

One day on Twitter I noticed one of my favorite new authors, Jenn Benett author of Kindling the Moon, talking about how fantastic a historical romance novel was.  I struck up a conversation that started "I don't get it. What's so great about historical romances?" By the end of the conversation we'd decided that she would pick my DARE book this month, and she would make it goooood.  

Jenn Bennett:

Okay, so I've been thinking about my dare for you, the historical romance, and I've decided on a pick: The Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne. It's an engrossing story about two rival spies during the Napoleonic wars, full of twists and turns, and action. The writing is spectacular; at times it blew my mind. The author has created two extremely strong leads, and their story isn't sweet and light, but rather rough and unapologetic. I thought it was pretty freaking brilliant. The lovely and very witty Carolyn Crane (MIND GAMES, DOUBLE CROSS) recommended it to me recently, and she was spot-on about this book breaking the mold. I hope you like it!

Thank you Jenn, I accept! 

Joanna Bourne

400 pages

Synopsis:

She's braved battlefields. She's stolen dispatches from under the noses of heads of state. She's played the worldly courtesan, the naïve virgin, the refined British lady, even a Gypsy boy. But Annique Villiers, the elusive spy known as the Fox Cub, has finally met the one man she can't outwit...

British spymaster Robert Grey must enter France and bring back the brilliant, beautiful-and dangerous-Fox Cub. His duty is to capture her and her secrets for England. When the two natural enemies are thrown into prison, they forge an uneasy alliance to break free. But their pact is temporary and betrayal seems inevitable as the fates of nations hang in the balance.

DARE Review: Happy Hour of the Damned

Mark Henry
Urban Fantasy
294 pages
Amanda Feral #1
Kensington Books

Synopsis:
Donuts are deadly. One minute you’re getting your binge on, the next, you’re slipping on the box, cracking your skull, and in the weirdest turn of events, rising as a zombie. That’s just for starters. Now, the recently deceased Amanda Feral is trying to make her way through Seattle’s undead scene with style (mortuary-grade makeup, six inch stilettos, bangin’ Balenciaga handbag) while satisfying a craving for decent vodkatinis and the occasional human flesh—Don’t judge. And no, not like chicken. Navigating a dangerous world of cloud-doped bloodsuckers, reapers, horny and horned devils, celebrity blood donors, and PR-obsessed shapeshifters—not to mention an extremely hot bartender named Ricardo—isn’t easy. And the minute one of Amanda’s undead friends disappears after texting for “help” (the undead—so dramatic!) she knows the afterlife is about to get really ugly. Something sinister is at hand. Someone or something is hellbent on turning Seattle’s supernatural underworld into a place of true terror. And this time, Amanda may meet a fate a lot worse than donuts…

I Double-Dog Dare You...

This month's DARE is courtesy of my friend, and H&H partner in crime,  Natasha from Wicked Lil Pixie.

Nat says:
Zombies are under-rated, but so is the awesomeness that is Mark Henry. There is no other male author as snarktastic as Mark and the heroine, Amanda Feral kicks serious ass.

I dare you to read the first book in the Amanda Feral series!


Gleefully, I accept!  I don't read near enough male authors.

Mark Henry
291 pages
Amanda Feral #1

Synopsis:
Before she became a zombie, Amanda Feral had everything under control. This sassy Seattle advertising exec and full-time party diva knew how to cope with club leeches and overbearing clients, but fending off the undead is clearly something else. As Amanda gradually adjusts to her new, exceedingly weird identity, she learns important lessons about shapeshifters, reapers, bloodsuckers, dressing to truly kill. A hysterical paranormal debut romp.

Dare Review: The Iron King

Julie Kagawa
YA lit
363 pages
Iron Fey #1
Chapter 1
Harlequin Teen


Synopsis:
Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

I Double-Dog Dare You...

This month's dare comes from Chelsea over at Vampire Book Club, and I think I'm actually excited about this one. Me like-y the Fae.


Chelsea says:
How often do we get epic fantasy books where the one who saves all is the heroine? Not often enough. Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series gives us a teenage girl discovering her fae linage. A war is brewing in Faery and she may be the key. Expect trickery, battles and lots of familiar names. Add two hot faerie boys -- one who comes from the dark court -- to up the romantic tension.

Jess, I dare you to take on the epic journey started in THE IRON KING, because a little YA fantasy will be good for you. 


Chelsea, I accept!

Julie Kagawa
YA Fantasy
363 pages
Iron Fey #1
Chapter 1


Synopsis:
Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined. 

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change. 

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

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.

DARE Review: Glass Houses

Rachel Caine
YA Lit
239 pages
Morganville Vampires #1
Chapters 1 & 2
NAL 


Synopsis:
College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life, but they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood

DARE Review: Every Dead Thing

John Connolly
Suspense/Horror
480 pages
Charlie Parker #1
Chapter 1
Simon & Schuster


Synopsis:
Haunted by the unsolved slayings of his wife and young daughter, and tormented by his sense of guilt, former NYPD detective Charlie Parker is a man consumed by violence, regret and the desire for revenge. But when his ex-partner asks him to track down a missing girl, Parker embarks on an odyssey that is to lead him to the heart of organized crime; to an old black woman who dwells by a Louisiana swamp and hears the voices of the dead; to cellars of torture and murder; and to a serial killer unlike any other, an artist who uses the human body as his canvas and takes faces as his prize, the killer known only as the Traveling Man.

DARE Review: Backstage Pass

Olivia Cunning
Contemperary Romance/Erotic Fiction
384 pages
Sinners on Tour #1
Chapter 1


Synopsis:
It's been months since Brian Sinclair, lead guitarist for the famous rock band, Sinners, composed anything. Unable to write the music that once flowed so naturally, Brian is lost without his musical mojo. But when sexy psychology professor Myrna Evans comes on tour to study groupie mentality, Brian may have found the spark he needs to reignite his musical genius. When lust turns to love, will Brian be able to convince Myrna that what they have is more than just a fling, and that now that he's found his heart's muse, he doesn't want to live without her?

I Double-Dog Dare You...

This month's dare is courtesy of my friend Julie over at Yummy Men and Kick Ass Chicks and she's not concerned about easing me into this whole read outside your comfort zone thing ;)

The books that you read have too many fangs, guns and gore.  You need more smut.  And I mean curl your toes and make you squirm smut.  And, you need to read more characters that aren’t out to rule the world or eat someone.  Okay well…not the way they usually do in your books.  ;)  So I DARE you to read Backstage Pass by Olivia Cunning.  It’s a hot book with endearing characters.  I mean with lines like “Did you come in my hair?” how can you go wrong?  -Julie

Olivia Cunning

Romance/Erotica

384 pages

Sinners on Tour #1

Chapter 1

Sourcebooks Casablanca

Synopsis:

It's been months since Brian Sinclair, lead guitarist for the famous rock band, Sinners, composed anything. Unable to write the music that once flowed so naturally, Brian is lost without his musical mojo. But when sexy psychology professor Myrna Evans comes on tour to study groupie mentality, Brian may have found the spark he needs to reignite his musical genius. When lust turns to love, will Brian be able to convince Myrna that what they have is more than just a fling, and that now that he's found his heart's muse, he doesn't want to live without her?

Bad-boy rock gods, I think I'm in trouble.  But I didn't take it easy on Julie either.  She'll be reading one of my favorite SF/F books, Grimspace by Ann Aguirre.  Come back on February 25th to see what we both have to say about the books we were dared to read.