On McPig's Radar - Noble Ark

This sounds like it might be a really cool SciFi read. You can bet I'll be reading it once I have the time.


Noble Ark
by Colette Black

Mwalgi pirates, parasitic aliens who consume human spinal fluid, are boarding the Noble Ark.

When Larkin Trovgar, a half-human member of the attacking alien ship, turns on his own people, saving Aline Taylor’s life, she feels duty-bound to watch over the impossible monstrosity. Despite his easy-going charms and virile physique, she’s determined to see him as she would any Mwalgi—nothing better than an animal.

As Larkin’s presence brings out the best and worst in the human crew, and the Noble Ark is harassed by more Mwalgi ships, will Aline look past Larkin's alien heritage to find love, or will mistrust cost her everything?

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Buy Noble Ark here

Stolen Songbird - Book Review

Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy #1)
by Danielle L. Jensen

What is it about:
For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to fade from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined.

Cécile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus: escape. Only the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity.

But something unexpected happens while she’s waiting – she begins to fall for the enigmatic troll prince to whom she has been bonded and married. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods – part troll, part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader.

As Cécile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch with magic powerful enough to change Trollus forever.

What did I think of it:
I will confess: this is yet another book where the beautiful cover lured me in. The mention of trolls sealed the deal.

I should have known of course that it wouldn't be the kind of trolls I was hoping for. But when I came at that point of the story I was intrigued enough by what was going on to let it slide. At least the trolls in this story are actually different from humans in important ways, and are not just humans with a bad hair day, like in another troll book I once read.

The troll issue out of the way:

This is a beautiful read.

Jensen created a wonderful underground world, full of mystery, darkness and danger. I will confess it took me a while to warm up to both Cécile and Tristan, but this story is so captivating that even if they hadn't grown on me, I would still have loved it. Luckily both undergo some changes during the story that made me like them. I liked how they start out not liking each other at all. The character development, the interaction between the two were very well done.

I loved several of the other trolls as well. One of them, Marc, is especially interesting, and I hope there will be more about him in the next two books.

The story is full of intrigue. Cécile has to be careful who to trust. She longs for freedom, but with everything going on around her she soon finds herself fighting to just stay alive. She has some important choices to make, that will not only have an influence on her own life, but on others as well.

Although I had a feeling where the story might lead to, it kept surprising me, and then left me with an ending that made me anxious to get my trotters on the next book, but I'll have to wait a year! I will have to reread Stolen Songbird for sure to tide me over.

Why should you read it:
It's a beautiful and captivating YA Fantasy read.

Dark and Deadly - Promo Post

Dark and Deadly: Eight Bad Boys of Paranormal Romance Boxed Set is now available worldwide for a special introductory price of only $0.99!

This ebook boxed set of eight hot paranormal romances by eight New York Times and USA Today best-selling romance authors features powerful alpha male bad boys who will satisfy your darkest, most deadliest desires.

Here’s more about this fantastic eight book boxed set, including an excerpt from one of the stories.

Dark and Deadly: Eight Bad Boys of Paranormal Romance is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Find the links to your preferred retailer at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/dark-and-deadly/


Dark and Deadly: Eight Bad Boys of Paranormal Romance
By Jennifer Ashley, Alyssa Day, Felicity Heaton, Erin Kellison, Laurie London, Erin Quinn, Bonnie Vanak and Caris Roane
Eight hot paranormal romances by New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors. Alpha-male bad boys will fulfill your darkest, most deadliest desires in these stories about shifters, werewolves, vampires, magic, special powers and other realms. But only if you dare…

BODYGUARD by Jennifer Ashley
Elizabeth Chapman is saved from an armed attacker by a Kodiak bear who shifts into a tight-bodied, naked human male. Ronan takes Elizabeth to Shiftertown, becoming her 24/7 bodyguard. The mateless Ronan has adopted a houseful of orphaned Shifters--having grown up in foster care, Elizabeth is touched by his protectiveness. Ronan only wants to keep Elizabeth safe, but the sassy woman is triggering his long-buried need to mate.
 
ALEJANDRO’S SORCERESS by Alyssa Day
He’s a warrior, hardened by years of protecting his town from vampire attack. She’s a garden witch who sees the world in shades of sunshine and delight. Opposites don’t only attract, they go supernova in this sizzling tale of magic and mayhem.
 
BEWITCH by Felicity Heaton
A vampire with a bloodstained past and a soul tainted with darkness, Payne is perfect in his self-control, never surrendering to his darkest desires. Now a beautiful witch in the shadowy fae underworld reawakens long denied hungers and tempts him with pleasure. When one incredible night of fulfilling their fantasies leads to more than just keeping a promise and saving a friend, will they be able to overcome the barriers that stand between them and forever?
 
DARKNESS FALLS by Erin Kellison
Agent Malcolm Rook is hunting for people with the rarest of talents—the ability to master dreams. He finds the undeniably gifted Jordan Lane, but she’s wary of mysterious Rook and resists his pursuit as long as she can. Yet the dreamwaters they enter are too exhilarating to resist, and attraction soon ignites electric passions. Delving too deep stirs a nightmare, one they must defeat, or be forever lost to darkness. 
 
ROGUE’S PASSION by Laurie London
Blaming himself for the death of a friend, Iron Guild warrior Asher Kane vows to bring those responsible to justice. After he’s hurt on a mission and nursed back to health by a beautiful yet mysterious woman, this dangerously sexy bad-boy finds himself falling for Olivia…even as he struggles to stay away. But stalking them on the streets of New Seattle is a cruel and vengeful evil—one that threatens to destroy them both…
 
THE FORBIDDEN LIFE OF ALEX MOORE by Erin Quinn
Alex’s mission: Kill the hellhounds that have invaded earth and return to his home in the Beyond. But from the start, things go horribly wrong. The hounds are cunning and a human female witnesses their attack—she intervenes and saves Alex’s life. Now he must keep the alluring Lilly alive while fighting his desire for her. When passion flares, Alex risks all to protect her and defend the forbidden life he craves.
 
THE MATING HEAT by Bonnie Vanak
Werewolf Kara Mitchell fled with her brother Aiden to Montana after their alpha father punished her for kissing sexy omega werewolf Ryder Carrington. Left scarred by her father’s cruelty, Kara believes no one can love her. After killing his alpha to save the pack, Ryder now rules, but needs a mate. His blood runs hot for Kara. Ryder will do anything to claim her, even risk an all-out pack war that could cost them everything…
 
TRAPPED by Caris Roane
Mastyr Vampire Zephyr, a one-man fighting force, struggles to save the life of a woman who despises his warrior ways. She’s been a thorn in his side, but he has one goal: to keep her safe. For Alesia, however, she just wishes he’d leave her alone since she can never approve of his profession. She broke up with him months ago and wants to start a new life. The trouble is, he’s still the one man who can curl her toes.

Dark and Deadly: Eight Bad Boys of Paranormal Romance is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Find the links to your preferred retailer at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/dark-and-deadly/


EXCERPT FROM BODYGUARD BY JENNIFER ASHLEY
“Here’s the deal, Lizzie-girl,” Ronan said. “I go with you, or you don’t go.”

“Stop calling me Lizzie-girl.” Elizabeth jabbed her finger at his chest. “It’s my store, my life, my sister, and we’ll do this my— Hey! What are you doing?”

Ronan had his giant hands on her soft waist, and he lifted her off her feet. She squirmed and glared, but he lifted her higher, higher, until she was over his head. He often picked up Olaf like this, and Elizabeth was not much bigger than the cub.

“Ronan, you put me down!”

“Nothing doing, sweet thing. Not until you realize that I’m your bodyguard now, and that’s all there is to that.”

“You arrogant . . .”

Ronan saw her hand coming at him, fingers stiff, right for his eyes. He ducked out of the way in time, but the move made him lose his hold. Elizabeth kicked out, not contacting him, but with enough force to twist from his grip and land on her feet. She never touched him, and yet, there she stood, a couple yards from him, hands on hips, breathing hard, triumph on her face.

Ronan growled. “You fight dirty.”

“I learned how to a long time ago.”

“You know something, Lizzie-girl?”

Elizabeth canted one hip . . . Aw, wasn’t that adorable? “What’s that?” she asked.

“I fight dirty too.”

Before Elizabeth could scream, Ronan ran at her and lifted her again, letting the momentum carry them forward until her back was against the outside wall of the Den. Ronan pinned her tightly, his body against hers, so that she couldn’t squirm, kick, or do any neat karate moves with her hands.

Elizabeth struggled, and she glared, and the more she glared, the more Ronan wanted to laugh. She smelled sweet, like the honey she’d poured on her toast. One drop of that honey lingered on the corner of her mouth. Ronan leaned down and licked it away.


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Dark and Deadly: Eight Bad Boys of Paranormal Romance is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Find the links to your preferred retailer at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/dark-and-deadly/

The Goblin Emperor - Book Review *

The Goblin Emperor
by Katherine Addison

What is it about:
The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three sons in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir.

Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment.

Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favor with the naïve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and the specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend... and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne – or his life.

What did I think of it:
I have a weakness for goblins, I will confess. So yes: the mention of a half-goblin hero made me want to read this book, even though I feared the story might be a bit too dry for my usual tastes.

This turned out to be a beautiful read though!

Maia (the lead character) turns out to be half goblin and half elf. The goblins in this book are another kind of goblin than I hoped for, but that was about the only disappointment I encountered, and there was lots of good stuff to counter that disappointment.

Maia has been living secluded - with a mentor who despises him - for most of his life, when at nineteen he is suddenly pushed in the role of emperor, because his father and older brothers all die in a terrible accident. I liked Maia from the start. He's young, unworldly, and has no clue how to be an emperor. He does know he doesn't want to be like his father, so he tries hard to find his own way to be what people expect him to be.

I will confess I hadn't expected to love this book as much as I did. I've read my share of court intrigues, and they can be boring if the author isn't careful. The Goblin Emperor didn't bore me for one second though. I was totally gripped by Maia's struggles to learn how to rule, figure out who to trust, and keep holding on to his ideals in the process.

I was surprised by how much emotion there was in this story. I must admit I shed more than one tear while reading this book. Of course there's lots of politics and back-stabbing going on, but at the heart this story is about Maia, his search for who he is, and where he belongs. After a lonely childhood, Maia longs for friends, and his attempts at reaching out are heart-breaking at times. I rooted for him to find people he could rely on, and to succeed in becoming the emperor he wants to be.

All in all this is a wonderful read that moved me and drew me in. I was sad when I finished it, because I didn't want to say goodbye. I will most certainly reread this pearl in the future.

Why should you read it:
It's a beautiful Fantasy read.





* This review has previously been posted on Between Dreams & Reality

Grigory Legacy Scavenger Hunt

Didn't win my Grigory Legacy giveaway?
Then this is the scavenger hunt for you!

Join in the fun and visit all participating blogs to find all the secret words that form a sentence that could win you a fabulous prize!

Read this post and find the secret word (which might be hidden in the text or a picture). Hint: it has a nice orange color. Visit the other blogs listed in the schedule, find all words, put them in the right order (see the schedule for which clue/word fits where), and enter the rafflecopter giveaway!

Don't feel like hunting all over the place, or can't find the secret word? No problem: you can also enter the giveaway without joining the scavenger hunt. Those who do find all the words just get more entries in the giveaway.

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AUTHOR BIO

Linda Poitevin is the author of the dark urban fantasy series, The Grigori Legacy, from Ace/Roc Books. Linda lives near Ottawa, Canada’s capital, and in her other life is wife, mother, friend, gardener, coffee snob, freelance writer, and zookeeper of too many pets. When she isn’t writing, Linda can usually be found in her garden or walking her dog along the river or through the woods.

Author links: Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter /


BOOK INFO

The Grigori Legacy: Goodreads / Amazon / B&N


Book 1: SINS OF THE ANGELS

SYNOPSIS: A detective with a secret lineage. An undercover Hunter with a bullet-proof soul. And a world made to pay for the sins of an angel...

Homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis answers to no one. Especially not to the new partner assigned to her in the middle of a gruesome serial killer case-a partner who is obstructive, irritatingly magnetic, and arrogant as hell. Aramael is a Power--a hunter of the Fallen Angels. A millennium ago, he sentenced his own brother to eternal exile for crimes against humanity. Now his brother is back and wreaking murderous havoc in the mortal realm. To find him, Aramael must play second to a human police officer who wants nothing to do with him and whose very bloodline threatens both his mission and his soul.

Now, faced with a fallen angel hell-bent on triggering the apocalypse, Alex and Aramael have no choice but to join forces, because only together can they stop the end of days.

Sins of the Angels book links: Goodreads / Amazon / B&N


Book 2: SINS OF THE SON

SYNOPSIS: When homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis sees a photo of Seth Benjamin on a police bulletin, she knows that Heaven's plan to halt Armageddon has gone terribly wrong. As the only mortal who knows of Seth's true nature, only she can save him. Aramael was a hunter of Fallen Angels until a traitor forced him into earthly exile. Now, with no powers and only a faint memory of Alex, his mortal soulmate, he will stop at nothing to redeem himself-even if it means destroying Seth in the name of the Creator...

Sins of the Son book links: Goodreads / Amazon / B&N


Book 3: SINS OF THE LOST

SYNOPSIS: Heaven and Hell are on the brink of war as Lucifer builds his Nephilim army and waits for his new agenda to become a reality — that of having a Nephilimchild of his own bloodline to lead his forces to cataclysmic victory.

With rumors of the pending war rampant on Earth, Alex fights to save humanity from its own panic –­ leaving little time for her fledgling
relationship with Seth, the man with heavenly origins who has captured her heart. But when Nephilim children begin to disappear, along with Alex’s own vulnerable niece, the inevitable war between Heaven and Hell becomes as personal as sin.

Heaven has its own plans to fight the coming apocalypse, but first it needs Seth back. Asked to betray the man she loves, Alex must turn for help to the soulmate she thought she’d given up — the Archangel Aramael, who may be her last chance to save her family and humanity from the ashes of Lucifer’s Armageddon.

Sins of the Lost book links: Goodreads / Amazon / B&N


SCAVENGER HUNT SCHEDULE:

Clue #1: Pearls Cast Before A McPig
Clue #2: Romancing The Darkside
Clue #3: I Smell Sheep
Clue #4: Kelsey's Cluttered Bookshelf
Clue #5: Book Mood Reviews
Clue #6: Bea's Book Nook
Clue #7: The Demon Librarian

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tin Star - Book Review

Tin Star (Tin Star #1)
by Cecil Castellucci

What is it about:
On their way to start a new life, Tula and her family travel on the Prairie Rose, a colony ship headed to a planet in the outer reaches of the galaxy. All is going well until the ship makes a stop at a remote space station, the Yertina Feray, and the colonist's leader, Brother Blue, beats Tula within an inch of her life. An alien, Heckleck, saves her and teaches her the ways of life on the space station.

When three humans crash land onto the station, Tula's desire for escape becomes irresistible, and her desire for companionship becomes unavoidable. But just as Tula begins to concoct a plan to get off the space station and kill Brother Blue, everything goes awry, and suddenly romance is the farthest thing from her mind.

What did I think of it:
This is such a great read!

I love that this is a story that actually uses real aliens instead of aliens that are basically the same as humans in appearance. Even better is that Tula ends up being looked at as the alien, being the only human on the space station, and humans being a rare sight for the other aliens. I think this book would have deserved a place on my keeper shelves just for that alone.

Luckily there's lots more good things about this book. It's a really cool and intense read.

I loved the aliens, especially Heckleck, Tula's mentor. Castellucci manages to keep him alien, while still giving him qualities that make you like him and relate to him.

I liked reading about the space station, the aliens living there, and about how Tula adapts to her new life. It's surprising how Castellucci makes you fall in love with the space station and its inhabitants with just a minimum of world building.

Then the humans arrive and Tula has to decide how to deal with that.

Not often I've come across a book where you can understand the aliens better than the humans, but this book is one of them. I didn't trust the humans at all, and felt like warning Tula about them. It made for some intense reading.

Some events I saw coming, but others caught me off guard and left me shocked. The ending (although leaving some things open) was satisfying, but I was so in love with this story and world by then that I was eager for more.

All in all this is a really beautiful and suspenseful Young Adult SciFi, and you can bet I will get my trotters on the sequel once it releases. I will also try another book by Castellucci in the meantime.

Why should you read it:
It's a YA SciFi with actual aliens!

Alien Collective - Early Book Review

Alien Collective (Katherine "Kitty" Katt #9)
by Gini Koch

What is it about:
Despite not having run for office, nor wanting to remain in office, Representative Jeff Martini is being wooed as the vice presidential running mate for a charismatic senator who seems likely to win the campaign. While the Diplomatic Corps has to deal with the pressures of a political campaign sure to uncover secrets they don’t want shared with the world, Ambassador Kitty Katt-Martini has other worries—handling the reemergence of her most potent nemesis, thought dead and buried.

What did I think of it:
I can't believe we're already on book nine in this cool and funny series. It seems like only yesterday that I picked up Touched by an Alien on a whim, lured by the beautiful cover, and cool sounding blurb. Even more surprising is that Gini Koch keeps delivering time and time again.

Having read a couple of Fantasy books before starting on Alien Collective I will confess I struggled a bit during the first few chapters to get into the story. But once I made the switch from serious Fantasy to quirky and fun SciFi I was hooked.

If you haven't started on this series yet, I can really advice you to go buy Touched by an Alien and dive in. Because this series is addictive and fun. Many things have happened since that first book, that made me fall in love with Gini's writing, and although maybe some people could read this book without having read the previous books, I tell you: you want it all!

This book is a typical 'Kitty Katt' book. It's full of humor, wittiness and bizarre situations. Kitty is a fun heroine, who you know will save the day... eventually. But before she does, you get taken on a wild ride that is well worth it.

There's tons of cool characters, both old and new. There's action, suspense and intense emotions. And there's one particular event in this book that made this piggy a very happy camper! I won't spoil too much, but let me tell you: some authors actually listen to my requests! I hope this will become a trend ;-)

So once again Gini Koch manages to entertain and delight with a witty, funny and cool story. I hope she keeps them coming, because I need more books to feed my addiction.

Why should you read it:
It's a quirky and cool SciFi read.