Of Claws and Fangs: Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway

 

 About OF CLAWS AND FANGS:

New York Times bestselling author Faith Hunter presents a stunning collection of stories from the world of shape-shifting vampire hunter Jane Yellowrock and beyond.

Collected together for the first time, this volume contains shorter works featuring heroines Jane Yellowrock and Nell Ingram, as well as a host of other characters from the Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood series. Faith Hunter is “an expert at creating worlds filled with intriguing supernatural elements and exciting scenarios”* and her skills are on full display in this collection. From a vampire-filled Halloween evening in New Orleans to the searing tale of how a certain were-leopard first got his spots, this collection has something for everyone, and each story is sure to put the super in supernatural.

With eighteen stories in all, Of Claws and Fangs will enrich and entertain—it’s a must-have for Faith Hunter’s readers and all lovers of fantasy.

Preorder links:

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Books-a-Million

IndieBound - The Book Depository

Kobo - Google Books - Apple Books

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Excerpt:

Shiloh and the Brick

First appeared as a serial short in 2016 for the release of Blood in Her Veins. In the timeline, Jane is an Enforcer for Leo Pellissier.

“Yes. You are going, Shiloh Everhart Stone,” Molly said, enunciating every word with pitiless determination. “You and your blood-servants. You do not have the control you need, as evidenced by your reaction yesterday.”

A man had pinched Shiloh at a bar-and-grill near dawn, and she had come within a hairsbreadth of biting him. Unasked. And when her blood-servant stopped her, she nearly set the woman’s hair on fair with an inflammatur witch working. Shiloh was a major incident waiting to happen. The girl whirled to me. “Are you going to let her do this to me, Enforcer?” Shiloh demanded.

Ohhh. Nice move with the Enforcer title. Too bad I’d seen it coming. And too bad she used it. Making me choose between witches and vamps sounded good on the surface, but calling me Enforcer decreased her possible avenues of argument and backed her into a corner she hadn’t seen yet.

I shrugged. “You’re a witch, as powerful as anything I’ve ever seen.” I crossed the fingers hidden behind me. I had seen Angie Baby. So . . . liar, liar, pants on fire. “And a vamp. And you lost control. Therefore, yeah. I’m letting your aunt and uncle send you to witch training camp.”

“This is so not fair,” Shiloh spat.

“Thanks, Jane,” Molly said, her tone nowhere near calm and reasonable. Behind her, Big Evan smiled, the expression barely visible behind his full red beard. Molly shoved her own bouncy red curls out of her face and scowled at her niece, her words still strident. “You need formal schooling. It’s not an option. No witch in New Orleans can take you on to train, not with the work taking place putting together the Witch Conclave. The Charlotte coven accepted you as a student for six weeks and assured us of your safety. You. Need. Training.”

“I’m not going.” Shiloh stamped her foot.

I curled my lips under to keep from laughing aloud. I had never seen a vamp stamp their foot.

“And you can’t make me. Right, Enforcer?”

That’s what happened when you got three redheaded people, two of them witches, and one a witch-vamp, all in the same room with a Cherokee skinwalker. Trying to get them to work together to solve our problem had been difficult. Actually, impossible, so far.

I’m Jane Yellowrock. I was on my own, hunting and staking rogue vamps when I was Shiloh’s age. Now I’m the Enforcer to the MOC of NOLA and, with my partners, I run Yellowrock Securities, Inc., chasing and fighting “things that go bump in the night.” I can do tough. But I’d rather fight a ten-foot alligator with my bare human hands—buck naked—than deal with a teenager.

“No. They can’t,” I said, and I thought poisoned darts would shoot from Molly’s eyes. I grinned and stood, pulling my cell. “And I can’t.” On the cell’s face, I tapped the name Leo Pellissier, my boss and the Master of the City of New Orleans. I handed the girl the cell. “But he can.”

“I’m not talking to him,” Shiloh said, her eyes bleeding scarlet, her pupils dilating vamp-black.

I just laughed, the sound a little catty, a little mean, and shook my head. “Take the phone before he answers or I’ll stick you under my arm and carry you to vamp HQ and watch him convince you. It won’t be pretty.”

Shiloh ripped the cell out of my hand and said, “What?” A moment later she scowled and added, “Sir. What, sir? It’s Shiloh, sir.” She turned away and hunched her shoulders. I smiled at Molly and her husband Evan. It was a fake smile but it was all I had left, and it was nicer than the one I had shown Shiloh.

Molly’s niece had disappeared at age fifteen, a runaway. That same year, she had reappeared in New Orleans, in a teen shelter, just in time to be swept up by the Damours, witch-vampires who were looking for witch children to use in black-magic, blood-magic sacrifices for a big-ass spell to . . . never mind. It’s convoluted. But I could still feel the chill in my bones from the day I discovered she had been taken. Soon after, Shiloh had been turned and used by vamps to accomplish their own ends.

Except for running away to New Orleans—and look how badly that gone—Shiloh had never made a single decision in her own life. She had lived every moment at the behest of others, and she had suffered trauma. Her mother had commited murder and killed her father. Witches had abandoned the girl. Vamps had used and abused her. Her remaining family hadn’t known what to do with a witch-vamp.

All that made me want to let her go, let her make this decision with her own life, let her face the consequences on her own. If she was the only one to face repercussions, I’d likely let her go. But that wasn’t going to happen. If Shiloh Everhart Stone let a witch working explode, or bit a tourist, or, God help us, both, it would create major reverberations throughout the witch and vamp worlds. The whole country might face the results with her. And there wasn’t enough of me to protect everyone.

_______________________

About Faith Hunter:

 Faith Hunter is the award-winning New York Times and USAToday bestselling author of several series: Jane Yellowrock, Soulwood, Rogue Mage, and Junkyard Cats. In addition, she has edited multiple anthologies and coauthored the Rogue Mage RPG. She is the coauthor and author of 16 thrillers under pen names Gary Hunter and Gwen Hunter. Altogether she has 40+ books and dozens of short stories in print and is juggling multiple projects.

She sold her first book in 1989 and hasn’t stopped writing since.

Faith collects orchids and animal skulls, loves thunder storms, and writes. She drinks a lot of tea. She likes to kayak Class II & III whitewater rivers. Some days she’s a lady. Some days she ain't.

___________________

Tour-wide Giveaway!

There’s a tour-wide giveaway open to US residents!

• 2 winners will receive a limited-edition leather Soulwood bracelet

• 1 winner will receive their choice of a $50 gift card from Amazon or Barnes & Noble

Enter the giveaway here

Check out all the tour stops at LTP

Skinwalker - Book Review (repost)

 

Skinwalker (Jane Yellowrock #1) by Faith Hunter

What is it about:
Jane Yellowrock is the last of her kind—a skinwalker of Cherokee descent who can turn into any creature she desires and hunts vampires for a living. Back from hiatus, she’s hired by Katherine Fontaneau, one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans and the madam of Katies’s Ladies, to hunt a powerful rogue vampire who’s killing other vamps.

Amidst a bordello full of real “ladies of the night,” and a hot Cajun biker with a panther tattoo who stirs her carnal desire, Jane must stay focused and complete her mission—or else the next skin she’ll need to save just may be her own…

What did I think of it:
A very promising start of a series. Jane is a cool, intriguing character who knows how to kick ass. Her Cherokee skinwalker ability is really cool and used to the fullest for the story in my opinion. I also love the setting and the over all world building. Talk about scheming, creepy vampires! There's two points of view in this book and I must confess it took me some time to get used to the voice of the second character, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. The story is intense and full of action and there's lots of cool, interesting characters, I'm already looking forward to learning more about some of them in future books.

Why should you read it:
It's got a kick-ass skinwalker and scheming vampires.

Teaser Tuesdays - Death and the Girl He Loves

 

"Pfft, you did," he said as though I'd insulted him.

"Yes, and I don't know how. If you do this, Malak will kill you."

(page 55, Death and the Girl He Loves by Darynda Jones)

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Symbiont - Book Review

Symbiont (Parasitology #2)

by Mira Grant

What is it about:

THE ENEMY IS INSIDE US.

The SymboGen designed tapeworms were created to relieve humanity of disease and sickness. But the implants in the majority of the world's population began attacking their hosts turning them into a ravenous horde.

Now those who do not appear to be afflicted are being gathered for quarantine as panic spreads, but Sal and her companions must discover how the tapeworms are taking over their hosts, what their eventual goal is, and how they can be stopped. 

What did I think of it:

This book is mostly a really cool read.

It takes off where the last book ended. Sal discovers things about herself she will has to comes to terms with, and she'll have to pick sides in what looks like a looming war. And then there's the sleepwalkers: people who turn into a kind of zombies due to their tapeworm implants.

I was invested and eager to see where things would lead. I love both Sal and her boyfriend Nathan, and cheered them on. There are really cool and interesting things happening, and there's some nail-biting action along the way.

Near the end I felt that the developments were a bit unbelievable though. I just couldn't get why certain people acted like they acted. It seemed to go against their nature. This made that the last part of the book started to drag a bit for me as I wasn't as invested as before.

The ending however made up for the dragging bits before though, and now i'm eager to see how things will end in the last book of this trilogy. So you bet I'll try to read it soon.

 Why should you read it:

It's a cool Near Future read.

buy from amazon

An Affair with a Spare - Book Review by Voodoo Bride (repost)

 

An Affair with a Spare (The Survivors #3)
by Shana Galen

What is it about:
Rafe Beaumont, fifth son of an earl, uses his irresistible charm with the ladies to glean dangerous war secrets. Now he's putting those skills to the ultimate test: capturing an elusive assassin by seducing his daughter. The problem? She's entirely immune to Rafe's flattery.

Never before has Collette Fortier met a man as attractive as Rafe. But her father's life is at stake, and succumbing to Rafe would be disastrous. But when Rafe turns the tables on her, offering support and friendship instead of a fleeting affair, Collette finds herself tempted in ways she never could have imagined...

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:
This book sounded fun, so even though I haven't read the previous books I decided to give it a try. And luckily as with most Historical Romances it can be read as a standalone.

I really liked Collette and wanted her to succeed. She is surrounded by strangers and on a secret mission, her only ally is more of a jailer than someone she can trust. Rafe seems to be a bit shallow at first, he is so used to women falling at his feet, that he says some really vapid things. When he has to change tactics when Collette doesn't swoon like he expects, he starts to get more likeable and he actually goes through a bit of a change as a person.

Once the two begin to give in to their attraction they will have to decide if they trust each other and will share their secrets. This leads to a more adventurous storyline that had me worry about how things would end for both of them.

All in all this is a very enjoyable and fun read, just like the other books by Galen I've read. I most certainly will read more of her books when I'm in the mood for Historical Romance.

Why should you read it:
It's a fun Historical Romance.


Buy from bookdepository

Salvaged - Book Review (repost)

 

Salvaged
by Madeleine Roux

What is it about:
In this dark science fiction thriller, a young woman must confront her past so the human race will have a future.

Rosalyn Devar is on the run from her famous family, the bioengineering job she's come to hate, and her messed-up life. She's run all the way to outer space, where she's taken a position as a "space janitor," cleaning up ill-fated research expeditions. But no matter how far she goes, Rosalyn can't escape herself. After too many mistakes on the job, she's given one last chance: take care of salvaging the Brigantine, a research vessel that has gone dark, with all crew aboard thought dead.

But the Brigantine's crew are very much alive--if not entirely human. Now Rosalyn is trapped on board, alone with a crew infected by a mysterious parasitic alien. The captain, Edison Aries, seems to still maintain some control over himself and the crew, but he won't be able to keep fighting much longer. Rosalyn and Edison must find a way to stop the parasite's onslaught...or it may take over the entire human race.

What did I think of it:
This is a very entertaining read.

I had heard it's scary and creepy, and although there was indeed a nice creep factor at times, it wasn't all that scary to me. But I have to warn you: It seems I'm not easily scared by books.

The viewpoint switches between several characters, and at times this is a strength, but it also reduced the suspense for me. I think this book could have been stronger with less viewpoints. Still I was interested from the start and flew through the book to see where the story would lead to.

I must say my favorite character wasn't Rosalyn or Edison, but rather one of the other crew members aboard the Brigantine. I felt myself rooting for that character and it made me more invested in Rosalyn finding a solution. The ending is not a cliffhanger, but does leave room for Roux to create a sequel.

All in all this is a fun and entertaining read. I'll most definitely keep an eye out for more by Roux.

Why should you read it:
It's a very entertaining SF thriller.


buy from bookdepository

Parasite - Book Review (repost)

 

Parasite (Parasitology #1)
by Mira Grant

What is it about:
A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease.

We owe our good health to a humble parasite - a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the tapeworm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system - even secretes designer drugs. It's been successful beyond the scientists' wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them.

But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives...and will do anything to get them.

What did I think of it:
I wasn't a fan of Feed, the first book in the Newsflesh series by Mira Grant, but I love everything I've read from her under her Seanan McGuire penname. So I decided to give Parasite and try.

And it is so cool!

Sal is the first person to be saved from death by the SymboGen parasite and is still under observation six years later to see how she copes after her near death experience. She and her boyfriend Nathan get caught up in strange events involving the parasitic implants and they go hunting for the truth.

I loved Sal. She has amnesia since her accident and is trying to rebuild her life. Her parents however are afraid to let her go especially as she's not the same anymore. I loved reading how Sal tries to find her own way in life and how she copes when she and Nathan try to get to the bottom of the strange illness that seems to target people with a parasitic implant. I also really liked Nathan. He stands by Sal's side when she needs him and trusts her judgement where her parents do not.

Slowly things get worse and time seems to be running out. I was totally hooked and couldn't stop reading. I had to know what Sal and Nathan would uncover. Who was to be trusted, what was going on exactly, and would Sal and Nathan manage to uncover the truth in time. Some things in this book were quite obvious in my opinion, but I didn't mind one bit. Even knowing some things they might uncover I was totally rooting for them.

The worldbuilding is very realistic. I could easily belief a parasite like that could be engineered. I was at times seriously icked out by the descriptions and events. All in all a really cool read. You bet I'll get hold of the next book in this series.

Why should you read it:
It's a really cool and disturbing read.

On Voodoo Bride's Wishlist: You're My IT

 

You're My IT (Nerds of Happy Valley #1)

by C.N. Holmberg

Dice meets derby in a new contemporary romance novel by bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg.

Fourth try’s the charm… or is it?

The first guy Blaine ever confessed her feelings to dismissed her. The second made her friendless. The third, a viral internet sensation.

And Blaine is praying the fourth will be different.

After two years of pining for the aloof and secretly hilarious IT guy at work, roller-derby-warrior Blaine creates a master plan: after Lysander returns from his transfer in California, she’s going to spill everything. And why not? She’s got a killer undercut, thighs of steel, and shares his love for superheroes. In her book, they’re a match made in heaven.

Lysander has enough self-esteem to fill a thimble and has always struggled with his place in the world. When his father has a health scare, Lysander takes charge of his own, and consequentially loses fifty pounds. Suddenly the people around him think he’s worth his space—especially the women. And when Lysander fishes the literally shallow waters of dating and returns with a girl on his arm, Blaine fears she may have lost her chance with him entirely.

The Death of Jane Lawrence - Book Review

 

The Death of Jane Lawrence

by Caitlin Starling

What is it about:

Practical, unassuming Jane Shoringfield has done the calculations, and decided that the most secure path forward is this: a husband, in a marriage of convenience, who will allow her to remain independent and occupied with meaningful work. Her first choice, the dashing but reclusive doctor Augustine Lawrence, agrees to her proposal with only one condition: that she must never visit Lindridge Hall, his crumbling family manor outside of town. Yet on their wedding night, an accident strands her at his door in a pitch-black rainstorm, and she finds him changed. Gone is the bold, courageous surgeon, and in his place is a terrified, paranoid man—one who cannot tell reality from nightmare, and fears Jane is an apparition, come to haunt him.

By morning, Augustine is himself again, but Jane knows something is deeply wrong at Lindridge Hall, and with the man she has so hastily bound her safety to. Set in a dark-mirror version of post-war England, Starling crafts a new kind of gothic horror from the bones of the beloved canon. This Crimson Peak-inspired story assembles, then upends, every expectation set in place by Shirley Jackson and Rebecca, and will leave readers shaken, desperate to begin again as soon as they are finished.

What did I think of it:

So the blurb I read about this book didn't include that it was set in "a dark-mirror version of post-war England", so I went into this book thinking it was Historical Gothic Horror. This false assumption made that I a rocky start with this book, but soon I discovered this story was set in a Fantasy world instead of the normal world and I settled into it.

And I loved the first part of this book. 

It's atmospheric, mysterious, spooky at times, and intriguing. I was curious to discover what was going on, even while I didn't connect with Jane or her husband.

Then there was a kind of reveal at 70% in and both the story and Jane went of the rails for me. Gone were the suspense and atmosphere. I kept reading in hope the story might get back on track, but to no avail. There was even one chapter that made me want to throw the book across the room. 

All in all this book left me disappointed as it felt as if it's trying to be clever instead of suspenseful and creepy. I had another book by this author on my wish list, but I'm not sure I want to try it after this one.

Why should you read it:

Maybe you will find this a clever story.

buy from amazon

Teaser Tuesdays - Symbiont

So much of the way she had always interacted with me made sense now. So much of it still needed to be made sense of.

(page 18, Symbiont by Mira Grant)

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Four Aunties and a Wedding - Book Review

 

Four Aunties and a Wedding (Aunties #2)

by Jesse Q. Sutanto

What is it about:

Meddy Chan has been to countless weddings, but she never imagined how her own would turn out. Now the day has arrived, and she can't wait to marry her college sweetheart, Nathan. Instead of having Ma and the aunts cater to her wedding, Meddy wants them to enjoy the day as guests. As a compromise, they find the perfect wedding vendors: a Chinese-Indonesian family-run company just like theirs. Meddy is hesitant at first, but she hits it off right away with the wedding photographer, Staphanie, who reminds Meddy of herself, down to the unfortunately misspelled name.

Meddy realizes that is where their similarities end, however, when she overhears Staphanie talking about taking out a target. Horrified, Meddy can't believe Staphanie and her family aren't just like her own, they are The Family--actual mafia, and they're using Meddy's wedding as a chance to conduct shady business. Her aunties and mother won't let Meddy's wedding ceremony become a murder scene--over their dead bodies--and will do whatever it takes to save her special day, even if it means taking on the mafia.

What did I think of it:

I thoroughly enjoyed Dial A for Aunties, so preordered this book asap. As soon as it arrived I quickly finished the book I was reading and dove into this one.

And this is yet another winner!

The aunties are still causing mayhem wherever they go. If it's not by wearing the coolest fascinators ever, it's by trying to outsmart the mafia. I was laughing throughout this book and eager to see what weird plan the aunties would come up with next to save the day.

Are the events in this book sometimes a bit over the top? Absolutely, but I think that's the charm of these books. I enjoyed all the antics and the weird strategies the aunties came up with and read this book in almost one sitting, It is that much fun!

All in all a wonderful and fun book. You bet I'll be rereading these books when I'm in the mood for something delightful and funny!

Why should you read it it:

 It's a hilarious and delightful read 

buy from amazon

Savage City by L. Penelope - Book Blitz

Savage City
L. Penelope
(The Bliss Wars, #1)
Publication date: March 31st 2022
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

For Talia, death is only the beginning of survival…

When a tragic accident cuts my lonely life short, instead of heaven or hell, I’m stolen away to a terrifying city of warring shifter clans—the Nimali and the Fai. The Nimali mistake me for their missing princess. Her father, the dragon king, is identical to my own. But in this world, he dotes on me with the love and affection I always craved. And in a land with no tolerance for outsiders, feigning amnesia and impersonating shifter royalty may be the only way to survive.

For Ryin, falling in love is the worst kind of betrayal…

As a Fai warrior in captivity, I’m forced to serve my enemy even as I plot their destruction. The lost princess returned much changed, now the heat between us crackles irresistibly. While helping her heal using my magical talents, I begin to question what I thought I knew about the Nimali. She remains as forbidden as ever, but she also might be the key to freedom for me and my people.

Caught between two enemy factions balancing on the knife-blade of annihilation, our lies are the only thing keeping us alive, but they just might be our undoing.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

On top of the wall, silence reigns as the soldiers wait for word. We all stare toward the ground, anticipation a dark cloud suspended over us as sharp eyes scan the gloom for either a member of the scouting team that went out an hour ago or a Revoker, red eyes flashing and fangs covered in gristle and blood.

The first person who runs into view is tall and familiar and very much Nimali. His armor is blood spattered, but he appears uninjured. Others sigh audibly in relief, but my jaw tightens. Prince Shad. I wouldn’t have minded if he’d been grievously injured. My daimon silently chastises me for the unkindness, but I can’t help it. There are only two Nimali men who could have killed Dove, and he’s one of them. Until I’m certain it wasn’t him, I have to act like it was.

A bear and a lion are close behind him—part of the prince’s honor guard. The bear’s gait is hampered by a pronounced limp, though she still eats up the ground with long strides. Then my focus returns to the prince. He’s carrying something—someone—over his shoulder like a sack of beans. His bounding steps cross the distance easily, and then he’s at the rope ladder a soldier threw down. He climbs it with one arm while holding what I can see now is an injured woman.

Blood pours down her back from gashes that I’m sure were made by a Revoker’s claws. Her clothing is odd. A short, loose dress, oddly patterned and flimsy—I’ve never seen anything like it before, not on a Nimali or a Fai. Why anyone would go into No Man’s Land without battle armor is a mystery, but the woman is also barefoot. Begrudging respect bubbles up from my chest for the way the prince is able to negotiate the climb with that much dead weight, carried awkwardly. He could have shifted into his other form and flown up, but his own claws might have further injured her. And he is definitely treating her like something special.

The reason becomes clear when he finally gets to the top and one of the soldiers reaches out to help him with his burden. Prince Shad shakes his head and gently lays the woman down on her side, revealing her face.

I’m too far away to see at first, but when the soldiers in front of me gasp and immediately kneel, I get a glimpse. Princess Celena lies there, bloodied and battered. Her rich, chestnut skin is ashen, taking on an almost gray pallor. I’m frozen in place for a moment viewing her small form, her strange, tattered clothing, the odd way she’s braided her hair.

Then I’m shoved hard from behind, stumbling forward through the kneeling men and women.

“Where is the healer?” Prince Shad roars, but I’m already there, crouching down beside the princess. My daimon joins me seconds later, eager to fill me with its essence and lend me its healing power.

Celena’s back is ravaged, the wounds already bubbling with the poison from the Revoker’s talons. They look fresh, so it’s not too late to heal them if I’m quick about it. I hold out my hands and close my eyes, letting my daimon fully take over. Its energy flows through me, using my physical body as a conduit for its power.

Through my daimon, I sense the damage, the torn flesh and the toxins that have already entered her bloodstream. The healing energy pulls the poison out, a sticky black substance that leaks onto the stone of the wall. The flesh, layers of muscle and skin, is knit back together until there isn’t so much as a scar left. I silently thank my daimon and it retreats. Then I open my eyes.

Prince Shad is staring down at his sister. When the blue light of my power retreats, his dark eyes flick up to mine.

“I removed the poison,” I tell him.

“All of it?” I nod. His lips flatten into a grim line. “We’re taking her back to the Citadel. Come with me; the king will want to be sure.”

Author Bio:

L. Penelope has been writing since she could hold a pen and loves getting lost in the worlds in her head. She is an award-winning author of fantasy and paranormal romance. Equally left and right-brained, she studied filmmaking and computer science in college and sometimes dreams in HTML. After living on both coasts, she settled in Maryland with her husband and their furry dependents. Sign up for new release information and giveaways on her website: http://www.lpenelope.com.

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Blake and Mortimer - Ramblings from Sullivan

 

I've always been a big fan of Edgar P. Jacobs' series Blake and Mortimer. When different authors and illustrators restarted the series in the '90 I was apprehensive, but mostly they did a good job. However I lost track of new albums releasing, so I totally missed that in 2019 an album drawn by François Schuiten released called The Last Pharaoh. 

This turned out to be a story that loosely follows my favorite story by Jacobs: The Mystery of the Great Pyramid. This combined with the fact Schuiten is an amazing artist and used his own style instead of sticking to Jacobs' style as others did, meant I had to get this album.

And of the stories not written by Jacobs this story is the most beautiful! It's in a very different style than Jacobs', but still it fits perfectly and is an amazing tribute to Jacobs and his work.

Sadly enough it seems it has not been translated to English yet.

For lovers of graphic novels I can recommend picking up this series though. Keep in mind that the original series was written between 1946 and 1972 so there are some outdated things in them, but overall they hold up well imo. Jacobs was a lover of SF so his stories are filed with futuristic and fantastical elements.

I will get my trotters on some of the newer albums I'm still missing to complete my collection.

Find Blake and Mortimer on Amazon

Ensnared by the Alien Medic - Book Review by Voodoo Bride

Ensnared by the Alien Medic

by Nessa Claugh 

What is it about:

Lissa Jones is a runaway human—not that her husbands would admit it if you asked them.

Married to two alien men from Lukrim to get off a polluted, dying Earth, Lissa found herself isolated in a culture she didn’t understand. Meeting someone through a bridal program had never been her plan, but she was dealing with it. And then her life came crashing down. Lukrim had hidden the existence of humans from the rest of the galaxy and Earth needed active assistance, not guardians who just wanted access to human women. Her marriage? A lie. Her husbands? Unwilling to let her go.

Voshan found himself ripped from his normal job as a surgeon on a planetary disaster relief ship to serve on a hospital ship. A war to free Earth loomed and there would undoubtedly be casualties. It wasn't something he had ever anticipated, but he wants to free the humans as badly as anyone else.

After the two unexpectedly meet, Lissa's backwater planet heritage becomes valuable in the operating rooms of the war. Lissa’s attention is on the operating table and Voshan, and he can't keep his mind or his sul-tentacles away from her. The only thing standing between them? Her husbands are coming and they want her back.

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:

I got offered a review copy of this book, and when I read the word tentacles in the above blurb I just couldn't resist. 

This is such a delightful read.

I liked Lissa from the start. I could understand why she signed up to a bridal program that made her end up with two alien husbands she's not too happy about. When it tuns out Earth was lied to about the bridal program and the Galactic situation in large Lissa flees from her husbands and ends up on a hospital ship where she meets Voshan.

And Voshan is delicious! He's kind, thoughtful, and has tentacles galore!

I loved seeing the two get to know each other and fall for each other. But Lissa's husbands don't just let her get away, especially one of them is possessive, and angry she escaped. I was eager to see how things would turn out. 

Next to a sweet romance between Lissa and Voshan there's action, danger, and steamy tentacle action. You bet I had a great time with this book.

All in all this has everything I want from an alien romance. I picked it up for the tentacles, but kept reading for the entertaining and delightful story. I think I'll investigate what other books Claugh has written.

Why should you read it:

It's got tentacles! It's a delightful Alien Romance

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Ensnared by the Alien Medic - Release Day Spotlight + Excerpt

Releasing Today! 

Voodoo Bride got the chance to read a review copy of this Alien Romance and fell in love with all the tentacles! 

Ensnared by the Alien Medic

by Nessa Claugh 

Lissa Jones is a runaway human—not that her husbands would admit it if you asked them.

Married to two alien men from Lukrim to get off a polluted, dying Earth, Lissa found herself isolated in a culture she didn’t understand. Meeting someone through a bridal program had never been her plan, but she was dealing with it. And then her life came crashing down. Lukrim had hidden the existence of humans from the rest of the galaxy and Earth needed active assistance, not guardians who just wanted access to human women. Her marriage? A lie. Her husbands? Unwilling to let her go.

Voshan found himself ripped from his normal job as a surgeon on a planetary disaster relief ship to serve on a hospital ship. A war to free Earth loomed and there would undoubtedly be casualties. It wasn't something he had ever anticipated, but he wants to free the humans as badly as anyone else.

After the two unexpectedly meet, Lissa's backwater planet heritage becomes valuable in the operating rooms of the war. Lissa’s attention is on the operating table and Voshan, and he can't keep his mind or his sul-tentacles away from her. The only thing standing between them? Her husbands are coming and they want her back.

Excerpt:

“Happy?” Voshan asked, dragging them down the entry hall to the tram.

“Loads,” Lissa said. “Now come on, you can at least let me look at them before we get there. Cuts down on time.” 

Voshan found himself very happy that the tram car was empty, because the human’s soft hands playing over his cut up sul tentacles was making things very tight in his pants despite every effort to not think about her touch. 

“I’m sorry,” Lissa said, liquid eyes gazing up at him from where she was nestled against his side. 

She pressed her mouth to his sul and he jerked in surprise. 

“Sorry!” she gasped. “Did that hurt?”

“No,” he managed. “I was just surprised.” 

“It’s a human thing,” she said, quirking one side of that expressive mouth. “You kiss things to make them feel better.” 

“I might feel a little better,” he admitted, hating himself for it. 

“Can I kiss it again?” Lissa asked. 

“As much as you want,” he said.

She pressed those soft, full lips against his sul over and over again, and Voshan closed his eyes. She was his friend. She was one of the best medics he’d worked with in a long time, and she was a real asset in the medbay. So why did everything in him want to throw all that away to press his mouth to her skin the way she was kissing his tentacles? The last thing she needed was another alien chasing after her, especially tonight, and yet he badly wanted to show her what he could do for her. What his sul and his sie could do for her. 

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Check back tomorrow for Voodoo Bride's review!