Life As A Spaz

Spaz Reviews: Third Grave Dead Ahead - Darynda Jones

2012-02-14T00:00:00.000-06:00

I'm reviewing Third Grave Dead Ahead by Darynda Jones with some of my favorite quotes from the book, over at WLP!
There really can't be much more that can be said about this third Charley Davidson book, or the series itself. If you are already reading these books, you already undoubtedly love them. If you aren't reading theses books yet, I can only imagine it is just because you have tripped and bumped your head. I kid! But really, what the heck are you waiting for? I have decided to compile some of my favorite non-spoiler parts of Third Grave Dead Ahead to convince new readers, they need to read these books and for existing fans to enjoy and giggle.

With lines like "I'm leaving the whole shebang in your hands, Mr. Wong!", I was immediately enamored with Charley, once again. Continue Reading...

Shiloh Walker Curves & Qs Blog Tour

2012-02-13T00:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Shiloh Walker Curves & Qs Blog Tour, sponsored by Hips & Curves! I am so excited participate and help promote If You See Her and If You Know Her, the 2nd and 3rd books in The Ash Trilogy series. Each of us on this blog tour got to ask her one question about the series, see mine below along with her answer.

To see my review of If You See Her, the second book in The Ash Trilogy, go here.

Q: What inspired you to create a blind heroine, and what were some of the challenges that you faced. Was it easier in some aspects to have a heroine that could not see what was in front of her?

Well, the entire story came from Lena...and from the very time she came into my head, her blindness was a part of her. And it never defined her for me. I didn't see her as a blind heroine...she was a woman who is blind, not just just a blind woman, if that makes sense. Her inability to see is just one aspect of her.

Since that was who she was from day one, it never really affected how I was writing her story. I guess the hardest part was writing her in a way that would still bring her world to life for the readers, without just relying on her other senses. Lena still had memories of when she could see and that was one way that played out, I think.

Excerpt from If You Hear Her, the first book in The Ash Trilogy:

Lena was dreaming.

She knew it and she had to admit, it was one damn fine dream.
In the dream, she could see. She had vivid memories from back before she’d gone completely blind and sometimes, those dreams taunted her.
This dream wasn’t so bad, though.
She was outside and the sun shone down on her, brilliant burst of light and warmth raining down on her. Tipping her face to it, she stared into the sun until her eyes watered and burned.
“You shouldn’t stare at the sun.”
The voice was low, rough…sexy. And familiar.
Ezra. Damn him.
Couldn’t he leave her in peace, even in her dreams?
Lena was a sucker for a sexy voice and he had such a fine one. Hands came up from behind, rested on her waist and then slid around her, pulling her back against a hard, strong body.
“I don’t want to dream about you,” she said, but she didn’t pull away from him. No, she rested her head against his chest and continued to stare at the golden-white burn of the sun.
“I told you that you shouldn’t look at the sun,” he murmured, stroking one hand up and cupping her breast. Something hot and liquid flared to life inside her.
“It doesn’t matter if I look at it or not. Not now.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m just dreaming. Those pesky UV rays can’t hurt me here.” As much as she hated to look away from the sun, she did, turning in his embrace to study his face. She wanted to see him, too. See what her subconscious image she had cooked up to go with that sexy voice.
And damn, her subconscious had delivered just fine.
Although sometimes she suspected her sighted memories weren’t as clear as they could have been, she wasn’t going to complain. He looked just fine to her.
Right now, she could see…
Right now, she could touch.
And more…she could be touched.

Curves & Qs Giveaway

Enter the Curves & Qs giveaway for a chance to win $50 Gift Certificate provided by Hips and Curves, or a book provided by Shiloh Walker.

The blog hop will take place at the following blogs:

2/6 Book Vixen

2/8 Fiction Vixen

2/10 Tori's Misadventures

2/13 Life as a Spaz

2/15 Under the Covers

To enter, just visit each blog on the scheduled date, leave a comment AND fill out the form below. You can enter up to one time per blog for up to five entries for the grand prize.

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One winner will be chosen for a daily prize (a signed book from Shiloh) at each blog.

All comments and form entries when be tallied up and one winner be chosen to win the main prize, an e-gift certificate to online retailer Hips and Curves.

The prize is valued at $50 (US) and winner is responsible for any and all costs over the dollar amount of the GC. Contest is open internationally, void where prohibited by law. Odds of winning depend of number of entries. The contest will remain open until 2/22. Winner(s) to be posted the week of 2/28 at Shiloh's blog, and will also be notified via email, however they must reply back within 14 days to claim prize.

For a further list of rules, please check out the disclaimer at shilohwalker.com.

Please note the e-gift certificate was donated by Hips and Curves with no strings attached.

Spaz Reviews: Firelight - Kristen Callihan

2012-02-10T00:00:00.000-06:00

My review of Firelight by Kristen Callihan is up at WLP!

The raves from trusted book bloggers surrounding Firelight, the first in a new series called Darkest London by Kristen Callihan, is what led me to purchase and read it. I did not read the blurb, I had just heard something along the lines of "It's a take on Beauty and the Beast." Well, sign me up then! And I'm glad that I listened to the raves.

From the get-go I enjoyed the narration and dialog. Lord Archer first runs across the young Miranda and immediately is drawn to her fire and moxy. I myself was drawn in immediately to their flirtatious banter. And let me not forget to mention how enthralled I was with the beautiful gothic setting, the vivid descriptive settings and dark and romantic atmosphere. I was sucked in and didn't want to get out of this world. Continue Reading...

Spaz Reviews: Darker After Midnight - Lara Adrian

2012-02-09T00:00:00.000-06:00

My review of Darker After Midnight by Lara Adrian is up at WLP!

Darker After Midnight is the 10th novel in Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series. We finally get our HEA for Sterling freaking Chase! All of my trusted book blogger friends told me that this was the best book of the series to date and so I got busy reading it.

This series has been a hit or miss with me from one book to the next, the past three books in the series I have found to be a total snooze fest. One of the issues I have had with the series is the constant parading of the previous HEA couples through the current story to remind us they are in love and how happy they are together. It makes me want to barf and stab my ereader with a spork. It can be that annoyingly cheesey. Fortunately, the cheese parade was halted in Darker After Midnight, and I didn't have any of my usual WE GET IT THEY ARE IN LOVE fits I usually do with these books. Continue reading...

Spaz Reviews: Black Night - Christina Henry

2012-02-04T00:00:00.000-06:00

My latest review of Black Night by Christina Henry is up at WLP!
Half-angel Madeline Black has recently discovered she is the daughter of a fallen angel Azazel who is the right-hand man to Lucifer. Turns out, she's also a descendent of Lucifer from her mother's side. When she is not Azazel's daughter and her gargoyle Beezle's doughnut enabler, she is an Agent of Death. She picks up souls and brings them to the Door, and the soul chooses whether to pass on or to stay and haunt the earth. We pick up with Madeline about a month after the events from the first book, Black Wings. I was eager to start this book because I enjoyed the first book overall. But as soon as Black Night started, I grew concerned with the direction the book was taking and then I just grew frustrated. Continue Reading...

Spaz Reviews: The Last Slayer - Nadia Lee

2012-01-27T23:00:00.000-06:00

I'm reviewing The Last Slayer by Nadia Lee at Wicked Lil Pixie.

The Last Slayer is the first book in Nadia Lee's The Heartstone Trilogy. Ashera del Cid is a hunter, and is the best you can find in the universe when it comes to hunting demons and incubi. After she is forced to defend herself from a dragon in a case keeping some executives safe from Dragon Lords, she sets in motion a series of events that reveal her to be "The Last Slayer". The prophecy tells of her existence marking the downfall of the Dragon Lords and they of course want her dead. Enter Ramiel... the mysterious male who has made a habit of invading her dreams.

The best aspect of this book is the origin stories and lore. I love dragons so much and the world building is spectacularly vivid. Going back in to Ashera's past and learning about her birth parents was very interesting. Ms. Lee developed a great hierarchy of demon classes and it was well done without being overly complicated. Continue Reading...

Spaz Reviews: If You See Her - Shiloh Walker

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000-06:00

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Release Date: January 31, 2012
Series: The Ash Trilogy (book 2)
Genre: Romance Suspense
Shiloh Walker's website

Purchase If You See Her at:

A FACE IN THE MIRROR
Hope Carson may not look like a survivor, but she has escaped an abusive ex-husband and recovered from a vicious assault. Now she endures the painful memories and suspicious rumors surrounding her involvement in the attack. Her ex is a cop, so the last people she trusts are law enforcement officials—and she certainly doesn’t trust how the local DA makes her feel inside.
Remy Jennings should know better. He has no business falling for a woman who he suspects may have a deeply troubled mind. And even if he did make a move, she’d bolt like a frightened rabbit. But how can he deny a burning desire that threatens to consume him? As Hope’s past catches up with her in the worst way, Remy is determined to break through her defenses, earn her trust, and keep her safe in his arms—before it’s too late.

After reading the first book in Shiloh Walker's romantic suspense Ash Trilogy, If You Hear Her, I could not wait to get my hands on this one. If You See Her picks up right where the first book left off and there is a nasty killer still on the loose in the small town of Ash, Kentucky. We know all of the characters in play by now, while the romance arc is between Hope and Remy. As we get to enjoy the happily-ever-after play out, we are also watching the town from the killer's perspective. The whodunit aspect, which spans the trilogy, is so much fun!

One of the things that I love about this book, and the series overall, is the evolution of the friendships between all of the characters. The authenticity of the relationships created is profound, and I love the give and take among the full cast. They are all sensible, and actually talk to each other when they need to and don't unnecessarily withhold information from each other. Nobody suffers from dumb-itis, and the lack of forced angst is refreshing. This definitely affects the pace, and keeps it flowing at a nice fast speed.

I enjoyed watching Remy cherish and adore Hope. From the systematic mental and physical abuse she has suffered at the hands of her ex-husband, Hope is initially terrified of Remy. I don't mean just playing hard to get, she is sincerely terrified of him, and I believed it. Watching her come around to his endearingly charismatic pursuit is enjoyable and endearing. And Law. Love, love, love Law. We've spent the most time with him, since he's remained a solid figure in the first two books and he finally moves to center state in the finale book of the trilogy, If You Know Her. I can't flippin' wait for him to get some nookie! :P Oh yeah, and to find out WHO THE KILLER IS. I have no idea, peeps!

Grade: A. I totally spazzed when I finished this book.

Spaz Reviews: The Shadow Reader - Sandy Williams

2012-01-19T10:44:00.002-06:00

My latest review is up at Wicked Lil Pixie Reviews!

I enjoyed The Shadow Reader, especially as the first book in a new series. McKenzie is a human lost in the world of fae politics and war due to her special shadow reading gift. And then there is the love triangle aspect of it between her Kyo and Aren, which I am not a huge fan of, but I do like the way it played out. I enjoyed the dialog between Aren and McKenzie greatly, especially his reactions to her constantly trying to escape, and her always ending up on the bad side of busted up. There is some fantastic tension, and awesome tenderness too. Continue reading...

ARC Review THE KINGDOM by Amanda Stevens

2012-01-16T09:44:00.001-06:00

Nat and me just got an e-ARC of the second book in Amanda Stevens' The Graveyard Queen series, THE KINGDOM, and could not wait to tell you about how much we love it!! We decided to tag-team review it. If you have not yet discovered this series, you must must must check it out. Start with THE RESTORER, out now!
I would dare say The Kingdom is damn near perfection. I was already eager to read it, but never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate such an amazingly intense and spooky ride. The imagery Amanda Stevens creates right from the first scene starts the incredibly haunting tone of the book, and it never lets up or runs out of steam - it just keeps plowing ahead. Her narration and descriptions are so colorful and vivid. The characters so deep and interesting, I became entranced, and like you Nat, I could not put it down. Holy crap on a cracker, I need the third book The Prophet right nowwww, thank the gods it's coming soon! Continue Reading...

Kresley Cole LOTHAIRE Signing in Austin, TX

2012-01-12T13:40:00.002-06:00

Yes, it happened. I got to meet Kresley Cole last night. I still can't believe it. How awesome was she? Just as awesome as you'd imagine. Don't hate!!

And you know what else? She brought along the cover model, Paul Marron, as "Lothaire". Think he looks familiar? He was also the cover model as Rehv for Lover Avenged, as well.

For a more detailed report, head on over to TX Book Junkie's post, she even has video!

New Cover LOVE! Blood Before Sunrise by Amanda Bonilla

2012-01-09T10:04:00.002-06:00

Amanda Bonilla's cover for BLOOD BEFORE SUNRISE, out July 3rd, has been posted and it is making me ever MORE excited for the second Shaede Assassin novel (if that's possible!)

My Ten Favorite Songs of 2011

2012-01-05T19:30:00.000-06:00

Wow. This post was so super hard to create. I kept creating it, then breaking it off in to another post trying to separate in to different genres. I stopped doing that, put everything back in to one post, and this is what I came up with. Even now I am hemming and hawing over my selections.
These are songs that came out this year, and I have played them over and over and over on iTunes over. They are listed in no particular order :)

M83 - Midnight City
This band came out of nowhere, am I right? I'm wrong! They've been around since 2001 but I certainly never heard of them before this single. This song caught me, and gripped me hard. Give it a chance, the 80s feel to it is so great.

Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers
I didn't love this album as much as LL's previous one, or as much as the remixes done of her songs. But this song stuck to me and I could not stop playing it! Hubs was like "not again!" every time he'd hear the beginning. I'll I'll follow, I'll follow you deep sea baby... oops sorry. Carry on.

Danger Mouse - Two Against One (Feat. Jack White)
Danger Mouse *swoon* love him. He is part of Broken Bells, and collaborates with a lot of artists, including Julian Casablancas (The Strokes) and Gnarls Barkley and Jay-Z and the list goes on and on and on. Here he is with Jack White from White Stripes.

Mr. Little Jeans - Suburbs
The 'Mr.' is actually a Norwegian singer named Monika Birkenes. This song made the XM rounds, and fans created videos for it. This is an AMAZING cover of Suburbs by Arcade Fire! I like this cover more than the Arcade Fire original, and this new official video really captures the melancholy of the song.

Best Coast - Our Deal
So one of my favorite songs by Best Coast came out last year, 'Boyfriend', but this one came out this year. This music video is directed by Drew Barrymore, and I kinda dig it. Modern take on West Side Story. You might recognize some of the young talent in it. Love this dang song!

Little Dragon - Shuffle a Dream

Seriously, everyone, Little Dragon's 2011 album release 'Ritual Union' is one of the best albums out this year. I guarantee it!! Here is a live video really showcasing the Swedish-Japanese singer Yukimi Nagano.

Robyn - None of Dem (feat. Royksopp)
I really really didn't want to like this album, and I don't know why. Maybe because she's so dang weird looking? Anywho, since 1997 when she came out with 'Show Me Love', I've been unable to resist her. I like some of the other songs on the album, but this song is teh ish! Turn it up!

Lady GaGa - Heavy Metal Lover (fan made video)
Helllloooo, do you know me? OF COURSE Lady GaGa is on here! This song is my favorite off her 'Born This Way' album. Another album I played over, and over, and over again, particularly this song.

The Joy Formidable - A Heavy Abacus
This band came out of nowhere for me. They are a three-piece band from Wales, and the lady lead singer also plays the guitar. I love her so hard. This band JAMS the hell out!! I want to see them live. This song from the album particularly stuck with me and you know the rest.

Kelly Rowland - I'm Dat Chick

We all know Kelly is from Destiny's Child. She does dance music so I still follow her. When I heard this song, I played it over, and over, and over again. It gets me MOVING. I really wish she'd released it and made a video for it. The bass is awesome, which doesn't entirely get picked up in this fan-made video:

That's it!

Thanks so much for joining me and my ten favorite songs of 2011. I hope you enjoyed this post! I had so much fun narrowing around thirty songs down to 10 honest ones I've listened to on repeat :)

Music that would be on here if they'd had 2011 releases?

Neko Case, Beach House, & Broken Bells, dammit! Here's hoping for 2012!

Spaz Reviews: Shadow Heir - Richelle Mead

2012-01-03T00:00:00.000-06:00

I'm at WLP reviewing Shadow Heir by Richelle Mead.
Dios mio! As the last book in Richelle Mead's Dark Swan series, I will tell you right now I expected more. Way more. Especially after the great steps back Eugenie made as a character and Queen in the previous book, Iron Crowned. But I hung on, I thought maybe this would just be a case of us needing to remember we can all take a few steps back, but still detour back on course. Sadly, my suspicions that this entire story was pulled out of WTF-ville by the seat of someone's pants became stronger and stronger as I progressed through the pages. It's not the writing that is bad, Richelle Mead has to-date been one of my top favorite authors with her Georgina Kincaid series. I just feel that Eugenie, Dorian, and hell even Kiyo (yes I am saying that) deserved more than wrapping the series up this way. Maybe my expectations were too high as a Eugenie fan to see her go away this way, and were unrealistic. Regardless, I am disappointed as a fan. Continue reading...

Wicked Lil Pixie's 13 Wicked Days of Xmas Roundup

2011-12-31T12:02:00.000-06:00

Nat and I will be picking winners (HA) on January 3rd at 12am EST. So get your entries in ASAP!

December 13th Thea Harrison
December 14th Carolyn Crane
December 15th Diana Rowland
December 16th Adrian Phoenix
December 17th Allison Pang
December 18th Mark Henry
December 19th PJ Schnyder
December 20th Stacey Kennedy
December 21 Darynda Jones
December 22 Jaye Wells
December 23 Jess Haines
December 24 Stella Price
December 25 Nicole Peeler

CLICK THE INDIVIDUAL AUTHOR LINKS TO ENTER. COMMENTS IN THIS POST WILL NOT COUNT.

My Top 5 Books of 2011 at Wicked Lil Pixie

2011-12-28T13:20:00.000-06:00

My Top 5 Books of 2011 are at Wicked Lil Pixie Reviews, and my Top 3 Books of 2011 are at Heroes & Heartbreakers.

1st Week of WLP's 13 Wicked Days of XMas Roundup

2011-12-20T17:16:00.002-06:00

Wicked Lil Pixie's The Thirteen Wicked Days of Christmas has just completed its 8th day. Here is a recap of who all we have featured. Check these authors out! Contests are still open!

December 13th Thea Harrison
December 14th Carolyn Crane
December 15th Diana Rowland
December 16th Adrian Phoenix
December 17th Allison Pang
December 18th Mark Henry
December 19th PJ Schnyder
December 20th Stacey Kennedy

My Most Anticipated UF/PNR Books of January 2012

2011-12-07T19:00:00.000-06:00

Here are my top 5 Picks of Books I am spazzing for in the first month of the New Year! What are yours?

Sins of the Demon (Kara Gillian #4) - Diana Rowland

Shadow Heir (Dark Swan #4) - Richelle Mead

Lothaire (Immortals After Dark #12) - Kresley Cole

Wrong Side of Dead (Dreg City #4) - Kelly Meding

Third Grave Ahead (Charley Davidson #3) - Darynda Jones

I'm at Ramblings From This Chick!

2011-12-01T18:14:00.000-06:00

Ramblings From This Chick: Behind the Blogger: Pam from Wicked Little Pixie: Welcome to Behind the Blogger. Behind the Blogger is a feature where I interview and get to know fellow bloggers from different blogs in the...

Spaz Reviews: Daybreak - Ellen Connor

2011-12-01T11:09:00.000-06:00

My latest post on Daybreak (Dark Age Dawning #3) by Ellen Connor is up at Heroes and Heartbreakers!

Daybreak is the third book in Ellen Connor’s Dark Age Dawning series, set 12 years after the post-apocalyptic Change. The last time we saw Tru was in the first book, Nightfall, and he was an angry cynical misfit teen. Turns out, he’s still angry and cynical, but now he shapeshifts into a lion. The magic that has resulted from the Change has done something odd: more people are able to shift, and in some cases their shifted shape is similar to their spirits.

It becomes clear that something traumatic has happened to Tru since leaving Mason and Jenna’s home a decade ago. He is very close to losing himself entirely to his lion self. Let it also be noted that he is also very aesthetically pleasing, but my first thought within the first two chapters was “Ha, Tru is a dick!” Continue Reading...

Beagle Freedom Project - Caring Consumer

2011-11-30T12:16:00.001-06:00

Many of you may have already seen or heard of Beagle Freedom Project. The latest video has been released this week of their second rescue from this summer, and it is nothing short of ugly-cry-inducing. The Beagle Freedom Project was created to rescue beagles used in animal experimentation in research laboratories and give them a chance at life in a loving forever home.
Please take a moment to watch this video. I give thanks to the folks who are out there trying to help these animals from the cruelty of humanity. I am committed to "shopping with a conscience" and not purchasing products that test on animals, whenever possible. Won't you join me in being a caring consumer?

Our second rescue from beagles who have lived their entire lives inside a research laboratory. These beagles have known nothing except the confines of metal cages. They have known no soft human touch, no warm bed, no companionship, no love. They have never been outside or sniffed a tree or grass. Finally, after years of being poked and prodded, these beagles are FREE! ARME got the call that a facility was willing to release them to us after they had been used in several tests. We picked them up on June 8th and now they are all in loving foster homes, and one has already been adopted. If you are interested in adopting any of these special beagles, please email us at: shannon@beaglefreedomproject.org. If you cannot adopt, but would like to help, ARME is a non-profit organization and we rely on your donations to continue this work. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation. You can donate here. PLEASE DO NOT BUY PRODUCTS TESTED ON ANIMALS! You can see their faces now..... buy only products that have the cruelty-free symbol.

Spaz Reviews: Shaedes of Gray - Amanda Bonilla

2011-11-30T10:03:00.001-06:00

My post on Shaedes of Gray by Amanda Bonilla is up at Heroes and Heartbreakers!
In the first installment of what promises to be an exciting addition to the Urban Fantasy landscape, Amanda Bonilla has skillfully created a new version of Seattle where the heroine Darian is a shaede assassin.

Bonilla offers a unique take on lesser-seen Urban Fantasy mythological beings such as jinn, oracles, and sylphs. The heroine herself is able to become shadow and leave her corporeal form behind once the sun sets. Seattle could not be more perfect for Darian’s line of work, as it is often cloud covered, making it easier for her to change shape in to the shadows. As she moves throughout the city, I felt like I could envision everything she sees and feels as she is flying. I loved it! Continue reading...

Spaz Reviews: Heart of Darkness - Lauren Dane

2011-11-29T10:35:00.000-06:00

My latest review is up at WLP! HEART OF DARKNESS by Lauren Dane.
What a nice new PNR gem Heart of Darkness is! Meriel Owen is second in head to Clan Owen, and she must visit a newcomer violating Clan rules by tapping in to the Magick source without asking Clan permission first. It turns out that violator is Dominic Bright, a smoking hot owner of the human and supernatural club Heart of Darkness. I adored Mariel right from the start. Because of her status and upbringing in the Clan, she could have come across as a total bitch, but she charmed and flirted with the best of them and showed Dominic she was his match in all ways. She knew when and how to be forceful, yet still playful, too. She was highly intelligent and I just wanted her to really come out on top of this, and maybe wanted to secretly be her too. :P
Continue reading...

Music Monday with The Black Keys!

2011-11-28T11:15:00.001-06:00

The Black Keys finally have a new album coming out called El Camino on December 6th!! Thanks to Natalicious for sending me the new video for their new single LONELY BOY!! If this doesn't get you up and moving, then you're dead!

Click here for more of my favorite videos of The Black Keys. They had one of my favorite albums of 2010 :)

Giving Thanks For You With {some of} My Favorite Music

2011-11-24T14:33:00.000-06:00

HAPPY DAY OF GIVING THANKS!

My gift to YOU are three of my most favorite songs of this year! May you be entertained by at least one.

I hope you have a beautiful holiday no matter where you are, or who you're with.

The Joy Formidable - Whirring

St. Vincent - Cruel

Little Dragon - Crystalfilm

Follow My Blog? I Probably Follow Yours, Too. I'm Behind.

2011-11-21T22:57:00.001-06:00

My fellow blogging buddy followers ~ Our lifestyle has changed significantly this past month, and my blogging time has become limited. I have been unable to really keep up with commenting on most of my favorite blogs. Please know that I am catching up on everyone's blogs through google reader as often as possible, and if I don't stop and say Hi, I'm still paying attention! I'll be back bugging you more often *crossing fingers* again in January :) Giddyup!

Update on D

2011-11-21T15:41:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone! We wanted to update everyone on our dawg's terminal illness situation. Many may know our dog Dakota got sick a few weeks ago while we were on vacation. Now that we're in the calm eye of the storm (I have to be dramatic, come on) I can sit and share the situation. Dakota is my first dog, I never had one growing up, and I rescued him at 4 weeks old.

Gratuitous playful puppy pic - 2002

On our anniversary trip a few weeks ago in October, on the third day we got a call from Stay N Play Pet Ranch where we were boarding Tex and Dakota. The owner said that when they went to check in on the dogs that morning, D was displaying symptoms of a possible stroke. They were getting ready to take him to his own vet, but their onsite vet believed it to be vestibular disease. Before they took him anywhere, they wanted to ask if he'd had any history of this. We were at the monorail station at Epcot in WDW and between the noises and my heart racing, I pretty much heard myself whimper "No, never. What do I need to do?" I could hear my own dismay, what the hell happened? She said they were taking him to D's primary vet, and they'd be in touch just as soon as they got there. I am fortunate enough to have retired parents in the area, and called them seeking help. Dad assured me they would call the owner's cell phone and meet her at the vet with D, get all the details for us. We expressed our gratitude and so we tried to wander around Epcot, hoping for the best, on edge to hear an update.

Later in the afternoon, D's vet said that it was definitely vestibular disease, a system of nerves that runs from the brain to the inner-ear, effecting equillibrium. Symptoms usually can last 2 weeks. Sometimes it comes back, or never. And in some cases, the symptoms never go away. Nothing else appeared to be abnormal physically or in any of his internal tests except for one thing. The vet also reported that in running a full blood work panel, his liver enzymes were remarkably high, which concerned her more. She'd have to send off for a more extensive liver test, but she did not feel the two were related at this time, and that he was okay to leave. He was given dramamine, to help with the constant spinning, and back he went. The staff did a great job helping him eat and get around. He seemed more himself once he got some stability back with the dramamine. He was showing visible improvement by both the staff and my parents. So we tried to carry on with vacation, I'm sure you can figure out how that went for us.

5 yrs old - 2007

D's vet called us the day we were traveling home, wanting to discuss the returned liver enzyme function test. She said that the test results show definite liver dysfunction. The cause could be simply something he ingested, and if we put him on meds and saw improvement, then we'd know it is something that could be corrected. The ultimate tell-all, however, would be to have an ultra-sound done. And that was what she recommended in this case. So we scheduled one as soon as they could get one brought in that Friday.

We arrived back home on Tuesday night, and were floored at the dramatic physical change in him since we'd dropped him off last Thursday. In a matter of 6 days. His head was completely crocked to the side, his eyes were glazed, he stumbled around, couldn't jump on the bed, started throwing up when he got excited, and the muscle along his back and on his head were remarkably gone, making his spine look more prominent. In addition, his stomach area was grossly distended. We believed two vets' diagnosis, and looked up everything about vestibular disease. Every single thing it said about him held true, but it just didn't feel right. He looked like a 16 year old dog, not a 9 year old dog.

Overnight, he got dramatically worse. He lost all strength in his legs, his eyes rolled completely in to the back of his head. It became clear that morning that he knew he was dying. We agreed I take him to the vet. But suddenly his state hit me and I was so freaked out, I called my parents to take me. D's vet definitely agreed that something is going on, and we X-Rayed his chest area. The images indicated that the liver was definitely enlarged and that we could not wait another day on an ultrasound. We had to figure out what was going on and treat it asap. She called a specialty vet at Central TX Veterinary Specialty Hospital and said that she is transferring us directly over to their care now. We knew this couldn't be good as we drove over there with all of D's records and the XRay images on a disk. They took D back and we waited. We were called in to a room and the vet laid it out for us:
"Your dog has cancer. He has lymphoma in his liver, eyes and nervous system in brain. It probably started 4-6 weeks ago. He probably didn't even know he had it until it hit his vestibular system in his brain while he was at the boarding place. You have three options.
~~1. Chemo~~ (No. That sounded like a miserable rest of his short existence.)
2. Steroids (This kills down the inflammation of the tumors, makes the dog feel really good, kills the smaller cancer cells, basically slows the process down until it no longer works.)
~~3. Put him to sleep now~~ (No freakin way, if she thinks he has a chance with steroids.)"

So, I called the hubs and filled him in, and we opted to first try steroids treatment. They injected him with a high dose of steroids, and then we were to keep him on prednisone twice daily. The vet explained to us very carefully that we might see improvement for a few days, at best case 3 months. Hubs left work and we spent the rest of the day with him at home, deciding what we would do if he did not get better immediately. We both agreed that if he spent another day like how he was that day, we would let him go. Fortunately, that wasn't how the cards fell! The next morning, he was wagging his tail and ready to start the day. We could not believe it, but like she said, the clinical symptoms of the cancer had been temporarily aleveated. He resembled our dog in spirit and didn't think he was dying anymore. It worked! For now!

Here we are...
Day 18 of prednisone, and Dakota is still alive and kickin. He is the same dog in spirit we dropped off that day last month. He has lost quite a bit of weight, because the cancer is eating up all his food and storage, and his strength is not what it was. His vision is a little bit off. The biggest pain in the ass for all of us are the side effects from the prednisone. They make him thirsty and hungry all the time. He is constantly drinking water and needing to be let out. And instead of constantly begging to play ball, he just wants to eat. And when he pees, he pees for minutes. I am not kidding. I really don't know how one dog can ingest and bloat with so much water. The vet said that this was the reaction we wanted, the question now is for how long? She said it would be weeks or up to 3 months. Because this has spread so quickly... we honestly never expected him to still be here. But, here he is, and here we will continue to spoil and love him for as long as we can until he is not himself and we have reached the end of our borrowed time.

A special thanks to the remarkably kind care provided to Dakota by Stay N Play Pet Ranch, Banfield Pet Hospital Sunset Valley, and Central Texas Veterinary Specialty Hospital. They could not have been more gentle-hearted or diligent in their treatment and care for Dakota. And thank you to my parents.

2011 Tex (8 yrs) blonde doxie mix & Dakota (9 yrs) black lab mix

Between Light and Dark Blog Tour with Amanda Bonilla

2011-11-14T10:54:00.001-06:00

Author Amanda Bonilla has guest posted at WLP on The Shaede Assassin Mythos. Just so y'all know, SHAEDES OF GRAY is one of my favorite books of 2011! I'll be further discussing it at Heroes & Heartbreakers in the next week. Shaedes of Gray out December 6th, so add it to your calendar! Come visit!!

How the Amazing Book Community Stepped Up To Help Me (When "Fresh Fiction" Refused To)

2011-11-09T11:05:00.000-06:00

This post is a GIANT "THANK YOU" to the UF, PNR & R community I feel so blessed to be a part of.

Originally posted at Wicked Lil Pixie Reviews but definitely deserves to be cross-posted.

I purchased a Readers n 'ritas Friends ticket in August and have been so freaking excited for the event coming up this weekend! It's a book convention here in central Texas, and an opportunity to meet some of my most favorite authors: Vicki Pettersson, Ann Aguirre, and Jaye Wells, to name a few. It is also an opportunity to meet up with fellow book bloggers I'd been dying to meet for the first time, as well as a chance to see some again I met in Philly at AAD.

As you may already know, my first dog Dakota was diagnosed with aggressive terminal cancer last week on Thursday. Putting that personal sob story aside, I've been trying to get in touch with "Fresh Fiction", who directs the "Readers N 'ritas" convention, to cancel my registration and issue a ticket refund of $125 since Friday. I'm about 3 hours from the location, it's a weekend event, and I don't want to lose a minute of time with my dog. And, quite frankly, with our growing vet bills, I really need that money back. Even a partial refund would help. I search both Fresh Fiction's site, Eventbrite's site (who facilitated the transaction) and the copy of my ticket generated to me after my purchase... There was no mention of No Refunds at that time, anywhere. I should hope that has been fixed.

Four various emails pleading for assistance, and a handful of rude and distressful Twitter DMs later, my request was finally acknowledged today by the Director of Fresh Fiction. To sum up her answer and tone, it went like this: *No Refunds* and *You can sell your ticket and we'll transfer the name of the ticket to the new buyer.* But this isn't a post on that ridiculousness. This is a post on all of the amazing good that came after that from everyone but Fresh Fiction.

I did what the Fresh Fiction Director recommended, and took to Twitter in an attempt to find someone to buy my ticket. In explaining why I was in such a distressed need to sell the ticket, the response I received was nothing I was prepared for.

Humbled. Overwhelmed. Warmed. Inspired. Enlightened. Loved. Changed.

Cheesey as they may be, these are words that only attempt to describe how I feel right now. I would like to thank the following people for reaching out to me and trying to help me in this crappy situation:

Chelsea of Vamp Book Club for immediately offering to help me sell my ticket. And starting the "If you buy SpazP's ticket I will..." campaign. In addition, thank you for asking me if there were any autographs you could collect for me as well. You are a gem, truly.

Tori for offering up 6 months of undying love if you buy my ticket. I mean... HELLO. This is HUGE. And believe me, this is not offered lightly. You'd be lucky to have just 1 month of Tori's undying love, but 6? This is a major prize.

Amanda Bonilla for offering up a signed ARC of Shaedes of Gray -- holy crap, you guys. This is one of my most favorite books of the year so far. It's been so hard to not talk about it! So I pretty much barfed in excitement over this generosity. You want this!

NAT/WLP... for generously stating that the buyer of my ticket simply wouldn't be shanked. That is love, people. Also for offering to sharpen my knife, when I needed it. And for successfully making me giggle throughout the day, every day. I am so blessed to have Nat as a Friend.

Synde of Cemetary Cat Designs for offering up 10% off her jewelry and free shipping for a year. Say what now? Some of my most favorite jewelry? Offered at 10% off with free shipping? Okay now I've gone from tearing up to ugly crying.

Sierra Dean for $25 gift card to Samhain publishing's site. Okay stop, just stop. This is seriously too much, I can't handle it! I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy! Sierra is Gold.

Berrin Rae for offering up a free eCopy of Knightfall. OMG. Speechless.

PJ Schnyder for offering up free copies of ALL her current titles, aaaaand now I'm sobbing again...Seriously, PJ is one of those people I feel blessed to know. Not only am I fan of her work, I adore her as a person.

Cherry Adair for reaching out to me privately in email, with very nice words of encouragement and ass kicking sentiments. She even offered to pay for my ticket even if she's not going!

It just doesn't get better than this, right? Well, the gesture that made me pass out, pick myself up off the floor, and then faint again, was by Ann Aguirre who offered to immediately fix this. She insisted on covering my ticket, even if we couldn't find someone to buy it. In fact, since she was leaving for Texas to the R&R con the following day, she insisted she send me the money that night. And she did it. Ann Aguirre sent me $125 to my PayPal account, in a matter of seconds. Something I'd been pleading with Fresh Fiction for days to help me with. I still don't even know how to fully put in to words the extent of my gratitude.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone who reached out to me, said kind words, and offered words of support overall. In the end this wasn't about the money, although let's face it, I really need it for the vet bills. What I walked away with was an experience I will never ever forget, and will most definitely focus on paying all this kindness forward. I am basking in the light.

All my love and gratitude, Pamela AKA Spaz

~~IF YOU ARE IN THE CENTRAL TEXAS AREA AND WOULD LIKE MY READERS N 'RITAS TICKET FOR THIS WEEKEND, PLEASE CONTACT ME AT SPAZP (AT) ME (DOT) COM.~~

Update 7:32 PM (CST): We have a buyer! Stacy with Girls in the Stacks will be attending in my place! *throws confetti* I hope she has the best time!!

Happy Halloween, My Lovelies!

2011-10-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from er, um...

Dudes dressed up as Disney characters 'cuz I'm in DISNEY WORLD, bitches!

Have an awesome one, y'all!

Spaz Reviews: Darkness Unbound - Keri Arthur

2011-10-21T18:00:00.000-05:00

My latest review is up at Wicked Lil Pixie!

New Keri Arthur fans and old ones alike are going to love this new series.

Risa Jones is half-werewolf and half-Aedh, enabling her to enter the realm between life and death. She can also see the reapers who collect the souls of the dead. Reapers are the beings who guide soulds to heaven or hell, then the Aedh are the gatekeeper between the light path (heaven) and dark path (hell). It appears that either the gatekeepers are no longer able to guard the gates, or they simply no longer want to. They might have decided it would be simpler to permanently close the gates to heaven and hell, not only stopping demons from escaping but preventing souls from moving on. Keys were created to permanently lock the gates, but now they have gone missing before they could be used (oops!).
Continue Reading...

It's Nat/WLP's 31st Birthday!

2011-10-17T02:00:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NAT!!!!

Something to sing and tear up with:

Something to shake your booty with:

Something to make you ugly cry:

Something to make you giggle:

Hope your day is awesome!

xoxo, Spaz

Spaz Reviews: Midnight - Ellen Connor

2011-10-12T10:02:00.000-05:00

My latest review is up at Wicked Lil Pixie!

Midnight is the second book in the Dark Age Dawning series by the writing duo that comprises Ellen Connor. Ellen Connor is comprised of Ann Aguirre and Carrie Lofty. Their pen name comes from two (of my personal favorite) SF characters: Ellen Ripley from Aliens and Sarah Connor of The Terminator. It is quite a different story from Nightfall as we get a peak in to what life has become post-Change for a new group of survivors. We get a glimpse in to the inner-workings of a group who have created their own society amidst all the despair and desolation. Rosa Cortez has taken all the hardships of her life pre-Change and has built Valle de Bravo, a town of soldiers with scarce females.
"For most people, the Change meant the end of all bright, beautiful things. But it had saved her."
Continue Reading...

Spaz ARC Reviews: Dearly, Departed - Lia Habel

2011-10-04T10:17:00.000-05:00

My latest ARC review is up at Wicked Lil Pixie! Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel.

The world-building and character development in Dearly, Departed is in a word: epic. I know this word has been used to death but really it's actual definition captures the story of Nora and Bram so well. Dearly, Departed is told in first-person but from various characters' points of view, not just Nora. I loved this! Usually this technique can drive me a little bananas, but it was so artistically maneuvered that each point of view told a solid part of the story and helped it flow seamlessly.
Continue Reading...

My Favorite Sulfate Free Shower Products

2011-10-02T17:53:00.004-05:00

I know there are a lot of campaigns out there to pay attention to as a consumer. But this is one that is worth it, because sulfates are an absolutely unnecessary component to cleanliness, and it also makes your shower glass and tile look nasty.

In a nutshell, sulfates are very common foaming agents found in everything from washing-up liquid to shampoo. It dries the hell out of my skin, and it messes with my hair color. It also makes cleaning the shower more annoying. So slowly I have been trying to switch over to products that contain no sulfates. Here are the products I have purchased and tried for myself and have decided to repurchase because of their appeal.

This scent is so dang unique, it really smells like watermelon water and omg it's heavenly. It works up a mild lather, and you do not need to use much of it.

The Body Shop
Earth Lovers Watermelon & Eucalyptus Shower Gel
Best if you want to: Feel fresh and clean with a 100% biodegradable shower gel that is sulphate, paraben and colorant-free. Contains real watermelon and eucalyptus extracts. Best for: all skin types Details: 100% biodegradable, Soap-free, No sulphates, parabens or colourants, Watermelon and eucalyptus scent

You can order Aveda products online, or at an authorized Aveda reseller. The scent is incredibly soothing and the shampoo itself gentle enough for my color.
Aveda
Shampure Shampoo
Our pure, gentle daily shampoo—with Morikue^TM protein—cleanses and fortifies any type of hair. Infusing it with one of Aveda's original aromas: a calming mix of 25 pure flower and plant essences and this shampoo is very

You can order Pureology products online (I get mine from my salon Urban Betty, or at an authorized Pureology reseller, like the salon in Ulta. This stuff is incredible, that I have to recommend it.... But this product has a design flaw, the standard size of the bottle is horrendous to work with when the product gets low, with that long neck. I purchase their super large regular container. Perhaps their plan?
Pureology
Super Smooth Hair Condition

Smooth and replenish unruly hair, and intensify natural shine while protecting colour vibrancy. This daily detangling conditioner delivers smoothing oils of camellia, sesame and organic shea butter for multi-layer balancing and conditions hair with an organic botanical of geranium. Our exclusive ThermalAntiFadeComplex® helps provide heat-styling protection and maximizes colour retention.
NEW ThermalAntiFadeComplex®, Advanced Smoothing Micro-Emulsion Technology, ZeroSulfate®

BB's products went down the toilet not long after they were purchased by Clorox, who is renowned for still testing their products on animals... but this product itself has still remained one of the best neutral scented sulfate free body washes out there.
Burt's Bees
Peppermint & Rosemary Body Wash
Brace yourself for a fresh burst when you lather up with the rejuvenating scent of peppermint and rosemary in this sulfate-free body wash. Formulated with a gentle plant-based cleansing complex, this natural wash leaves skin feeling clean, smooth and refreshed. It's an energizing boost for body, mind and spirit.

For good information on why it's worth it to keep your shower sulfate-free. The Beauty Brains has a wonderful post on Should Your Shower Stay Sulfate Free, check it out!
Do you have any sulfate-free shower products you love and I need to try??

Spaz Reviews: Envy - JR Ward

2011-09-28T00:41:00.000-05:00

My latest review is up at Wicked Lil Pixie! Envy by J.R. Ward

This is a no-spoiler review, but assumes a familiarity with the first two books in the series.

Envy is the third book in JR Ward's Fallen Angel's series and arguably the best in the series. In the main arc of the series, Jim Heron is battling on the side of Heaven with the demon Devina over seven souls. After the first two books, they are now tied 1-1 and have 5 more souls to go head-to-head over. Jim is tasked with influencing a person at a crossroads in his or her life, helping the person take the "good" road while Devina influences the person to take the "evil" road. He'd focused on the wrong man in Crave, and had blown it. Now he is back in Caldwell, New York with his two fallen angel soldiers Adrian Vogel and Eddie Blackhawk. He has made it his mission to save Sissy AKA Cecilia Barten who was slaughtered by Devina in Covet, and whom he discovered was trapped and suffering in Devina's wall of souls in Crave. Continue Reading...

Dear M•A•C... The f-ck is this?

2011-09-26T10:47:00.003-05:00

I love M•A•C makeup, and that is no secret. I get jitters when I approach their counter or store because all of the colors and packaging and endless possibilities make me giddy with happiness. Do I use it all? Neh, I use it when I need it, but I would say I am more a collector. I collect this makeup and treat it as My Precious, especially some of their limited edition pieces like Hello Kitty, Barbie, Disney Villains, to name a few.

They do outrageous things with their collections, too. Stuff that is edgy and often whacky, that you aren't really supposed to wear out in the normal world, but it gives you an idea of the overall look and shows off all the colors in the collection.

So when I opened my email this morning to M•A•C touting their new Fall colors, my jaw dropped to the floor and I stared. That was all I could do. Here is why:

Is it April? Is this a joke? Where do I even begin with this? I am not even sure what to look at first. What exactly are they trying to sell me on? The brows? They are uneven and shaded unevenly. The eyeliner belongs on a clown, and so does the lip color and lining. The blush? Is that supposed to be contouring or was it done by a makeup artist on the set of a zombie flick? What is the look they are going for here, who are they trying to appeal to? Are there any women or men out there who would want to even remotely come close to any part of this look? I would LOVE to speak to those involved in pitching and releasing this final ad to understand the thought process that went on surrounding this omgwtf mess.

Ohhhh, but THERE IS MORE. If you go to their website, they have two other looks as part of the "Fall Colour" collection. No, this is not a joke.

M•A•C Fall Colour: Wild Colour described as "A wild, whimsical & wonderful palette. Stars Small Eye Shadows, Pigment, M•A•C Artist favourite Chromographic Pencil, & Lipstick."

M•A•C Fall Colour: Angel Flame described as "A glamorously arrestingly artistic assortment including an Eye Shadow Quad, Lipglass, Mineralize Skinfinish and the limited life re-appearance of the Jumbo Penultimate."

I just... I'm done. This blows my mind. This HAS to be part of the second Zoolander, am I right?

UPDATE: Mandi says that the person in these three M•A•C shots is the same, and is also the photographer, Cindy Sherman. She has provided these two interesting articles on them.
Cindy Sherman for MAC on Styleite
Cindy Sherman for MAC on guardian

Spaz Reviews: Spider's Revenge - Jennifer Estep

2011-09-26T06:45:00.000-05:00

My latest review of Spider's Revenge by Jennifer Estep is up at Wicked Lil Pixie Reviews. Join me!

I always love how the books in the Gin Blanco series start. They have the best opening lines!

Old habits die hard for assassins.

And that is just what Gin Blanco is. She is the assassin known as Spider and she kills people. Spider's Revenge is the fifth book in the Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep, and it's official. Spider'sRevenge is my favorite book in the series. With that statement, I can easily lead in to saying that this series just gets better and better in its direction, and character development.

Spaz Reviews: The Hour of Dust and Ashes - Kelly Gay

2011-09-25T18:45:00.000-05:00

My latest review of The Hour of Dust and Ashes by Kelly Gay is up at Wicked Lil Pixie Reviews! Join me!

The Hour of Dust and Ashes is the third book in Kelly Gay's Charlie Madigan series. I won't recap it because seriously the summary provided tells you pretty much exactly what happens. I always want to enjoy this series more than I do. It's good, and this is most definitely my favorite book in the series so far, but there is just what us bloggers overuse as "a connection" I am missing with Charlie. Not always. I enjoy the story and world building overall, but at times when I am reading a conversation between characters, it is like they are interviewing each other rather than having a natural conversation.
That being said, I absolutely love the development of Hank's character, as well as the hellhound Brimstone.
Continue reading...

Spaz Reviews: Archangel's Blade - Nalini Singh

2011-09-23T06:45:00.000-05:00

My latest review of Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh is up at Wicked Lil Pixie reviews! Join me!

This is what I'm talking about!! After the slight disappointment I felt over the last book in the series, this knocked my fuzzy socks off. This is Paranormal Romance at its best, seriously you guys. Archangel's Blade is the fourth book in Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series and a break from the first three in that it is Dmitri's story, departing from Elena and Raphael for a change (though of course they're in it!). Continue reading...

New Cover Alert! BITING COLD - Chloe Neill

2011-09-22T16:18:00.001-05:00

Tor just released the new cover for Chloe Neill's Biting Cold (Chicagoland Vampires, #6), with an expected release of August 2012. What do we think? I just know I need Drink Deep like right now!

Guest Post at Fiction Vixen! Shadowman by Erin Kellison

2011-09-21T20:21:00.004-05:00

I'm over at Fiction Vixen today reviewing Shadowman by Erin Kellison.
Shadowman is the third book in Erin Kellison’s Shadow series. In this series there are three worlds: Mortality, where humanity lives; Shadowlands; and the Hereafter. Death, also known as Shadowman, lives in the dark and dreamy world of Shadowlands which can be as beautiful as it is horrifying. The building and melding of the three worlds is pretty fantastic, and enhances the feel of the experience.

I will start off by saying that I am really leery of reincarnation-themed love stories because there are a lot of moving pieces that can fail. When I realized very early on that this book would involve Thalia’s mother and Shadowman’s love Kathleen coming back somehow, I was nervous.
Continue reading...

New Cover Alert! SACRIFICIAL MAGIC and other news by Stacia Kane

2011-09-21T10:14:00.003-05:00

Sacrificial Magic set to release March 27th 2012

SACRIFICIAL MAGIC, Stacia Kane's fourth Downside book has a cover now! Woohoo! And here is the back cover copy:
--
READING, WRITING, AND RAISING THE DEAD

When Chess Putnam is ordered by an infamous crime boss—who also happens to be her drug dealer—to use her powers as a witch to solve a grisly murder involving dark magic, she knows she must rise to the challenge. Adding to the intensity: Chess’s boyfriend, Terrible, doesn’t trust her, and Lex, the son of a rival crime lord, is trying to reignite the sparks between him and Chess.

Plus there’s the little matter of Chess’s real job as a ghost hunter for the Church of Real Truth, investigating reports of a haunting at a school in the heart of Downside. Someone seems to be taking a crash course in summoning the dead—and if Chess doesn’t watch her back, she may soon be joining their ranks.

As Chess is drawn into a shadowy world of twisted secrets and dark violence, it soon becomes clear that she’s not going to emerge from its depths without making the ultimate sacrifice.

--
She states that she is working on CHASING MAGIC (Downside book 5) edits, and working on a Downside novella, which showcases an eighteen year old Chess in Church training. She is also working on a Terrible's POV story and maybe stories for a few other Downside characters. For all this and more, be sure to check out her website!! Stacia Kane

Spaz Reviews: Cipher by Moira Rogers

2011-09-20T11:45:00.000-05:00

My latest review of Cipher by Moira Rogers is up at Wicked Lil Pixie Reviews!

Cipher is the fourth book in the Southern Arcana series by the awesome writing duo that is Moira Rogers. Andrew Callaghan and Kat Gabriel experienced a life changing and traumatic experience just over a year ago that left them both emotionally battered and scarred... and left Andrew a newly turned wolf shifter. They'd always had a thing for each other, but were both young and hadn't had the chance to take things further. After the attack, Kat had to deal with everyone seeing her at the broken-hearted fool when Andrew's new strength and instincts needed to be trained and he had to learn discipline away from Kat. Just as dangerous, Kat's empathic abilities are deadly if she doesn't have the right training to keep the powers from bombing someone's brains out. And so instead of growing closer after the event, they went their separate ways no matter the heartache it caused. But now something is going on that brings them back together and it's a great ride! Continue reading...

Friday Cover Love

2011-09-16T10:12:00.002-05:00

We've got a new cover by the awesome amazing Dan Dos Santos!!

Sins of the Demon is the fourth book in the Kara Gillian series by Diana Rowland. Blurb taken from Goodreads:
A LOUISIANA DETECTIVE OF SUPERNATURAL CRIME

The homicide beat in Louisiana isn’t just terrifying, it’s demonic. Detective Kara Gilligan of the supernatural task force has the ability to summon demons to her aid, but she herself is pledged to serve a demonic lord... in every way he desires.

And now, people who’ve hurt Kara in the past are dying from what appear to be strokes. To clear her name and save both the demon and human worlds, she’s in a race against the clock and in a battle for her life that just may take her to hell and back.

Spaz Reviews: Devil's Business - Caitlin Kittredge

2011-09-16T02:33:00.000-05:00

My latest review of Devil's Business by Caitlin Kittredge is up at Wicked Lil Pixie Reviews! Join Me!

Devil's Business is the fourth book in Caitlin Kittredge's Black London series. Jack Winter is enemy number one in London after the events in the previous book. Everyone is gunning for him since he almost let Nergal's dragon loose on London's Black. Ben Mayhew is a P.I. in Los Angeles and has requested Pete (short for Petunia) Caldecott's help with solving some murders he believes are related to the Black. Pete reluctantly lets Jack accompany her to L.A. to investigate, also allowing the both of them to get out of dodge for a while. Turns out there are some new releases from Hell running around, and they are older and way more frightening than the former residents we have previously met.

Continue Reading...

Spaz & WLP Review: Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent

2011-09-15T02:47:00.000-05:00

Our latest review of Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent is up! Join us!

WLP: I am a huge fan of Rachel Vincent's Shifters series, so when I learned of Blood Bound, the first in her new Unbound series I said "heck yeah!"

Spaz: Huge fan of her Shifters series as well, and didn't even have to read the blurb of Blood Bound or know what it was about to know that I would definitely be reading it. And YAY we got to read together!

I'm Doing a GRIMSPACE & AFTERMATH Giveaway at WLP!

2011-09-02T01:35:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite series in the whole wide world is the romance science fiction Sirantha Jax series by Ann Aguirre, y'all have heard right? So in celebration of Aftermath releasing this week, I am going to giveaway one copy ofGrimspace (Sirantha Jax #1) to a lucky reader who has not yet been able to start this series, and a copy of Aftermath (Sirantha Jax #5) to an existing Jax fan and doesn't have it yet!

Head to Wicked Lil Pixie Reviews to enter

My September Must-Reads

2011-08-31T13:11:00.032-05:00

Hey there everyone! Can you freaking believe September is upon us?! All the August new-releases just about killed my budget, but they're not letting up anytime soon. Here are my September Must-Reads which I've either received as ARCs or pre-ordered for my Nook app.

Dearly, Departed - Lia Habel

Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead.

Blood Bound (Unbound #1) - Rachel Vincent

By blood, by word, by magic… Most can't touch the power. But Liv Warren is special— a paranormal tracker who follows the scent of blood.

Liv makes her own rules, and the most important one is trust no one. But when her friend's daughter goes missing, Liv has no choice but to find the girl. Thanks to a childhood oath, Liv can't rest until the child is home safe. But that means trusting Cam Caballero, the former lover forbidden to her.Bound by oath and lost in desire for a man she cannot have, Liv is racing to save the child from a dark criminal underworld where secrets, lies, trauma and danger lurk around every corner…every touch…every kiss. And more blood will be spilled before it's over…

Midnight (Dark Age Dawning #2) - Ellen Connor

Second in a stunning post-apocalyptic paranormal romance trilogy.

Three years of wandering the post-apocalyptic wasteland has stripped Dr. Chris Welsh of humanity and hope. He’s a dangerous man now, full of dark energy and yen for violence. A harrowing loss drove him from his home, and he hasn’t stopped moving since. Grim and sardonic, he never found anything worth sticking around for – until now.
Rosa Cortez runs Valle de Bravo, a haven of civilization amid the chaos of the Change. Soldiers take their orders directly from her–the iron hand within a velvet glove. The last thing she needs is a feral loner upsetting the town’s tentative balance. However, for the good of her people, she lets the sexy doctor stay. He evokes a delicious new longing, but she won’t submit to any man.
Tension rises as bloodthirsty raiders strike again and again, bent on possessing Valle and its resources. Together Chris and Rosa battle hellhounds and dust pirates while also fighting desperate attraction. To save them, love must overcome the pain of the past–and build a future in this brutal Dark Age…

Archangel's Blade (Guild Hunter #4) - Nalini Singh

The severed head marked by a distinctive tattoo on its cheek should have been a Guild case, but dark instincts honed over hundreds of years of life compel the vampire Dmitri to take control. There is something twisted about this death, something that whispers of centuries long past...but Dmitri's need to discover the truth is nothing to the vicious strength of his response to the hunter assigned to decipher the tattoo.
Savaged in a brutal attack that almost killed her, Honor is nowhere near ready to come face to face with the seductive vampire who is an archangel's right hand, and who wears his cruelty as boldly as his lethal sensuality...the same vampire who has been her secret obsession since the day she was old enough to understand the inexplicable, violent emotions he aroused in her.
As desire turns into a dangerous compulsion that might destroy them both, it becomes clear the past will not stay buried. Something is hunting...and it will not stop until it brings a blood-soaked nightmare to life once more...

Darkness Unbound (Dark Angels #1) - Keri Arthur

Risa Jones is as extraordinary as her heritage. Born from a lab-enhanced clone mother and an Aedh father, she can not only talk to the souls of the dying and the dead, but she can see the reapers and walk the gray fields that divide this world from the next.
They are skill she rarely uses, however, preferring to concentrate on the business she shares with her two best friends. But when her mother asks her to help the parents of a little girl locked in a coma, she reluctantly agrees. What she discovers scares the hell out of her. Because the little girl’s soul no longer resides in her body, and it wasn’t death and the reapers that took her.

Someone had ripped her soul from her flesh.

As it turns out, a creature consuming the souls of the innocent–and not so innocent–is the least of her problems. Because someone wants to rip open the gates that divided hell from earth, and Risa is a key component in their plans. And the only person standing between her and disaster is a reaper who isn’t exactly on her side.

So these are my top reads for September, gah I hope I can get to them all!! What about you? What are YOUR top pics for September?!

Write a Post, Help a Dog!

2011-08-29T11:44:00.009-05:00

If you follow me on the various social media outlets you don't need to be told that I am big on animal rescue, particularly dogs. I ran the Austin Half and Austin Marathon for Blue Dog Rescue here in Austin, TX and raised $2,700 collectively in sponsorships. Now that I'm not running, I'm volunteering in other ways to help out, so when I discovered this initiative I was freaking out all over the place. How easy it is!! Won't you have a look, and join me in this??

Details:

Pedigree is resurrecting is insanely successful Write a Post, Help a Dog program. In 2010, 391 bloggers wrote about the program and with each post, Pedigree donated 20 pounds of its Healthy Longevity dog food to shelter animals. In all, 7,820 pounds of food was donated to two shelters renowned for their care of senior dogs: Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco and Castaway Critters in Harrisburg, Pa.

How you can help in 2011

Simply spread the word about Write a Post, Help a Dog 2011 and once again Pedigree will donate 20 pounds of food for each blogger's post. Here's all you need to include in your post:

The Write a Post, Help a Dog program is aimed at raising awareness and food for the more than four million dogs that wind up in shelters and breed rescues each year.
For each blog post mentioning the Pedigree Foundation from now until midnight ET on September 3, Pedigree will donate 20 pounds of its new dry Pedigree recipe food for dogs -- its best recipe ever -- to a shelter, because every dog deserves leading nutrition.
The Pedigree Foundation -- a 501 (C)(3) nonprofit organization is committed to helping dogs by providing grants to shelters and rescues and encouraging dog adoption. This year the Foundation has already raised more than $376,570 against its goal of $1.5 million to carry out its work to fund grants that not only help shelters operate, but to further shelter innovations.

The Pedigree Foundation depends on charitable contributions from individuals to carry out its mission to help dogs find loving homes. In addition to writing a blog post, here's how you can help:

Donate online at http://pedigreefoundation.org/donate.aspx
Apply for a shelter grant from the Pedigree Foundation by completing a form at www.pedigreefoundation.org
Purchase Dogs Rule Gear at www.dogsrulegear.com where the proceeds go to the Pedigree Foundation to help loving dogs find a home. SPECIAL OFFER: Get 10 percent off Dogs Rule Gear by using the promo code BlogPaws10 from August 22 - September 30.

Then, link up to our Blog Hop below, hosted by the Pedigree BlogPaws bloggers to help spread the word about Write a Post, Help a Dog.

Spaz Reviews: Succubus Revealed - Richelle Mead

2011-08-29T11:22:00.009-05:00

My latest (early, spoiler-free) review is up at WLP! In Succubus Revealed by Richelle Mead, we say good-bye to Georgina Kincaid.

And here we are… The End. Succubus Revealed is the last book in Richelle Mead’s Georgina Kincaid series and I cannot begin to tell you how bittersweet reading this book felt. I wanted to hurry up and read it, yet slow down and savor the story. Ultimately I settled on “screw it, full speed ahead!” and read it one seating.

We find Georgina working as a Santa’s elf at a high-end Mall, far away from her former ideal job at her beloved bookstore, which she had to leave after what happened with Seth and Maddie. Ugh Maddie. Blech, do. not. like! But that’s another rant for another time. Georgie’s been ordered by Hell to transfer her succubus services to Las Vegas, but when she goes out there to scope out the scene, things seem a little too intentionally perfect. With Seth Mortenson’s sister-in-law still ill with cancer in Seattle, this transfer is yet one more hurdle in their attempt to be with each other. Sweet cheesus will Georgie and Seth ever be able to be together?! You’ll have your answer by the end of Succubus Revealedand I get sentimentally teary-eyed all over again just remembering it. Continue Reading...

Spaz Reviews: Aftermath - Ann Aguirre

2011-08-26T10:41:00.012-05:00

My latest review is up at WLP and it's definitely one of my top favorites of 2011. Aftermath by Ann Aguirre.

This review is spoiler-free: I have had to allow myself 24 hours to digest Aftermath, the stunning fifth book in Ann Aguirre’s Sirantha Jax series, before writing up my review. I will give my usual disclaimer I provide in my reviews of Jax books: I am not a huge Science Fiction fan nor am I an expert of the genre. I picked this series up at the strong recommendation of Mandi from Smexybooks, and could kiss her for it. What I think makes the series so incredibly appealing is the powerful character development that spans many genres, so please do not let its Sci-Fi label deter you from giving it a try. This latest Sirantha Jax installment made me feel deeply, made me hold my breathe, left me speechless. It grabbed my chest, closed around my lungs and heart and didn’t let go. Continue Reading...

WLP & Spaz Review: The Renfield Syndrom - J.A. Saare

2011-08-24T17:32:00.011-05:00

Me & Nat are joint reviewing J.A. Saare's The Renfield Syndrome and you don't want to miss it! Come and join us!

The Renfield Syndrome is the second book in J.A. Saare’s Rhiannon’s Law series, and we are going to give you a spoiler-free review. That’s not easy, because things happen in this book that will blow your mind. Here are my live reactions while reading TRS, I saved my notes, and even DMd some of them to Nat:

here we go. shit. love it. what the? BEST CHICK FIGHT I’VE EVER READ!!!!!!!. this bitch can write! holy crap. AWWWWWWWWW! love it. biiiiiiiiiiiiiiitchhh. what the what? uh oh. OH MY GOD MY HEART. IT HURTS SO BAD. biting my nails. deep breathes. WHEN IS THE NEXT BOOK I NEED IT RIGHT NOW. Continue Reading...

Spaz Reviews: Another Kind of Dead - Kelly Meding

2011-08-24T16:49:00.001-05:00

My latest review of Another Kind of Dead by Kelly Meding is up at WLP ~ Join me!

I am not going to do a summary because the blurb really does give you a good idea of what happens in Another Kind of Dead. This book should not be read standalone and is the third book in Kelly Meding’s Dreg City series, which is now one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series.

To me, this series really is one of perseverance and utter sacrifice. Evy, a former Dreg Bounty Hunter, endures awful horrors over the past two books, and they don’t let up in Another Kind of Dead. She just keeps on rolling with the punches and I love her for it. She is tough, and in the end she will do whatever she can to keep those she loves from pain. I have to agree with other reviews I’ve read that compare her to Gin from Jennifer Estep’s Elemental Assassin series. If you enjoy that series, you should really try this one out! Continue Reading...

Spaz Goes To A.. NOT ANOTHER AAD POST! Philly

2011-08-20T10:00:00.001-05:00

NOT ANOTHER AAD POST!

If you're interested, I blogged for WLP about AAD 2011. Come on over and join me!

Spaz Goes to Readers 'N 'Ritas November 2011

2011-08-16T09:48:00.001-05:00

Okay. So I am kind of riding a social high from Authors After Dark, and I have heard R&R mentioned a several times at AAD and since. After hearing Dakota Cassidy would be there, and it's 3 hours from Austin, TX, I was decided Yes! Then I saw Vicki Pettersson was going to be there. Sold! I go to the site to register and discover... Ann Aguirre and Jaye Wells will be there too! I immediately put that registration ticket on my card. Got my hotel booked, too.

So... I will be at Readers & 'Ritas in November, y'all! Will I see you there?

Author List (I've bolded my ultimate personal favorites):

Gena Showalter,
C.L. Wilson,
Candace Havens,
Ann Aguirre,
Nikki Duncan,
Jade Lee,
Marianne Mancusi,
Jane Porter,
Tara Taylor Quinn,
Jaye Wells,
Lauren Willig,
Michele Bardsley,
Dakota Cassidy,
Julia Justiss,
Alyssa Day,
Monica Burns,
Louisa Edwards,
Vicki Pettersson,
Kristen Painter,
Lori Wilde,
Gena Showalter,
Jill Monroe,
Roxanne St. Claire

Back from AAD Philly 2011

2011-08-15T14:33:00.009-05:00

I'm back from Authors After Dark Philadelphia 2011! Wanna see pictures?

>>>Here they are!<<<

Spaz Reviews: Grave Dance - Kalayna Price

2011-08-10T08:39:00.003-05:00

My latest review of Grave Dance by Kalayna Price is up at WLP! join me!

Grave Dance is the second book in Kalayna Price's Alex Craft series. Alex is a grave witch, using magic and grave essence to raise shades. Since the events in Grave Witch, she is now fully discovering how her power has grown and enhanced very significantly. But now she has a giant spotlight on her and every group in the mortal and magical worlds want access to her, or want her dead. What starts out as a gory serial killer case, turns in to something way more involved. Kalayna's journey through this book is full of twists and turns, and is a page-turner! Continue Reading...

I'm off to AAD Philly 2011

2011-08-09T18:41:00.008-05:00

I'm off to Philadelphia for my very first book convention, Authors After Dark, and I am hopping on two planes to get over there yonder. I have a pretty dang busy schedule! I'll share my adventures when I return!

Spaz Reviews: Eye of the Tempest - Nicole Peeler

2011-08-08T08:50:00.000-05:00

My latest review of Eye of the Tempest by Nicole Peeler is up at WLP! Join me!

I have been reborn, I thought as I got my shoulders through the hole, but I got caught on my bottom half. And I shall henceforth be known as Hips-Got-Stuck.
~ The Great Jane True

Eye of the Tempest, the fourth book in the Jane True series, is what I am deeming straight up Classic Jane True. It is a lot lighter than the previous Jane book, Tempest's Legacy, mostly because it is entirely set in Rockabill. While the stakes are high, they are handled with so much humor the typical high level tension in the previous books is absent. I spent a good majority of this book giggling my butt off over Jane's constant cracks over No-Pants-Wearing-Huge-Schlong Caleb, and pretty much everything in the narration throughout the story. Jane's libido is in full effect, constantly battling with her virtue. Continue reading...

Spaz Reviews: Spectyr - Philippa Ballantine

2011-08-04T08:28:00.000-05:00

My latest review of SPECTYR by Philippa Ballantine is up at WLP! Join me!

I was fortunate enough to move from the First Book of the Order novel Geist right on to Spectyr so everything that had been created in the first book was fresh in my mind. Even so, I had to sit here and blink for a while to figure out how to even summarize all that happened. This book was so good that I really had no idea how to start a review for it. I hemmed and I hawed around how to express what I'd just read and how awesome it was.

Sorcha Farris and Merrick Chambers leave their Mother Abbey headquarters and travel south to the Hive city of Orinthal. Once again, Merrick takes the role as diplomat while the lovably snarky and gruff Sorcha remains focused on finding the fugitive Prince Raed, whom she cannot stop thinking about. She has received a message from the Otherworld that his life is in danger, and he has been led to Orinthal to save his kidnapped sister. What the three of them find is a city full of fear due to unexplained murders connected to the Royal family. This is all I will tell you they find to prevent any kind of spoiler that would detract from the experience. What they really find is so much more than that. The events and settings are so richly described you will lose yourself in this book. Continue reading...

Spaz Reviews: Geist - Philippa Ballantine

2011-08-03T08:42:00.000-05:00

My latest review of GEIST by Philippa Ballantine is up at WLP! join me!

Sorcha Farris is arguably the strongest Active within The Order, acting as the magical tank of a bonded duo in a fight against the heists from the Otherworld. After Sorcha's husband of 8 years gets critically injured and cannot work as her complimenting magical seeing Sensitive, the other half of her bonded duo. Discarding protocol, the head of the Order assigns her with a new Sensitive partner, Merrick, and they are immediately sent on a new mission that takes them to the northeast coast. Not shortly after they embark on their journey they immediately come under attack, and eventually run in to a cursed fugitive pirate and his crew. And that's just the beginning...

This is one of those books that I went crazy for while I was reading it. I have finally found a Fantasy series that pulled me in and had me walking away feeling completely blown away. Geist is so magnificently creative, fantastically carved, and I fell in love with the multi-dimensional characters. I immediately went on to buy Spectyr when this was over, but then promised myself I would not write more until I wrote this review first. Continue reading...

Spaz ARC Reviews: Storm's Heart - Thea Harrison

2011-07-26T10:40:00.000-05:00

My ARC review of Storm's Heart by Thea Harrison is up at WLP! join me!

Storm’s Heart is the squee-inducing second Elder Races novel by Thea Harrison. Niniane, formerly known as Tricks, is the most famous public personality of the Elder Races. With the death of Dark Fae King Urien, magical tests have proven that she is the next in line to take the thrown as the Queen of Dark Fae. With a heavy heart she has to leave her Wyr family and her career in PR for Cuelebre Enterprises to take the thrown. When a video pops up on youtube of her getting attacked and disappearing, Dragos dispatches Tiago AKA Dr. Death to find her and bring her back home for protection. After hunting Niniane down, Tiago quickly learns he cannot go neanderthal on her, dragging her kicking and screaming back to safety. Tricks believes that she must take her position as Queen for the greater good. She has no other choice if there is any chance for peace among the Dark Fae and Wyr again. Tiago finds out first-hand how deadly her accession is, and he also soon discovers his life has an new purpose. Continue Reading...

August is HUGE for the Books I'm DYING for!

2011-07-26T02:05:00.001-05:00

Sweet cheese on crackers, I am just not sure where to find the time to devour the books coming up in August. This is the big one, folks. Would you look at all these releases I have to get my greedy little hands on?! What I'm Waiting For:

*book summaries taken from goodreads

8/2

Retribution (Dark/Were Hunter #20) - Sherrilyn Kenyon

Harm no human...
A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he’d spend eternity protecting the humans he’d once considered prey.
Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief- Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters and training for the day when she meets the man who killed her family: Jess Brady.
A gun in the hand is worth two in the holster...
Jess has been charged with finding and terminating the creature who’s assassinating Dark-Hunters. The last thing he expects to find is a human face behind the killings, but when that face bears a striking resemblance to the one who murdered him centuries ago, he knows something evil is going on. He also knows he’s not the one who killed her parents. But Abigail refuses to believe the truth and is determined to see him dead once and for all.
Brought together by an angry god and chased by ancient enemies out to kill them both, they must find a way to overcome their mutual hatred or watch as one of the darkest of powers rises and kills both the races they’ve sworn to protect.

Eye of the Tempest (Jane True #4) - Nicole Peeler

Nothing says "home" like being attacked by humans with very large guns, as Jane and Anyan discover when they arrive in Rockabill. These are professionals, brought into kill, and they bring Anyan down before either Jane or the barghest can react. Seeing Anyan fall awakens a terrible power within Jane, and she nearly destroys herself taking out their attackers.
Jane wakes, weeks later, to discover that she's not the only thing that's been stirring. Something underneath Rockabill is coming to life: something ancient, something powerful, and something that just might destroy the world.
Jane and her friends must act, striking out on a quest that only Jane can finish. For whatever lurks beneath the Old Sow must be stopped...and Jane's just the halfling for the job.

8/16

Second Grave on the Left (Charley Davidson #2) - Darynda Jones

Charley Davidson, Grim Reaper Extraordinaire, is back in this sexy, suspenseful novel of supernatural shenanigansWhen Charley is rudely awakened in the middle of the night by her best friend who tells her to get dressed quickly and tosses clothes out of the closet at her, she can’t help but wonder what Cookie’s up to. Leather scrunch boots with a floral miniskirt? Together? Seriously? Cookie explains that a friend of hers named Mimi disappeared five days earlier and that she just got a text from her setting up a meet at a coffee shop downtown. They show up at the coffee shop, but no Mimi. But Charley finds a message on the bathroom wall. Mimi left a clue, a woman’s name. Mimi’s husband explains that his wife had been acting strange since she found out an old friend of hers from high school had been found murdered a couple weeks prior. The same woman Mimi had named in her message.Meanwhile, Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the Son of Satan. Yes. Literally) has left his corporeal body and is haunting Charley. He’s left his body because he’s being tortured by demons who want to lure Charley closer. But Reyes can’t let that happen. Because if the demons get to Charley, they’ll have a portal to heaven. And if they have a portal to heaven…well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be pretty. Can Charley handle hot nights with Reyes and even hotter days tracking down a missing woman? Will Cookie ever get a true fashion sense? And is there enough coffee and chocolate in the world to fuel them as they do?

8/23

Where Demons Fear To Tread - Sephanie Chong

Fledging guardian angel and yoga teacher Serena St. Clair dares to enter Devil’s Paradise nightclub on a mission—to retrieve the wayward Hollywood “It Boy” she’s assigned to protect. But she’s ambushed by the club’s owner, arch demon Julian Ascher. The most powerful demonic entity in Los Angeles, Julian is handsome as sin, a master of temptation who loves nothing more than corrupting pleasure-seeking humans. He won’t release the lost soul Serena is supposed to guard. Unless she accepts his dangerous wager.…

After the disastrous way his human life ended, Julian vowed that no woman would get the better of him again. Yet this sexy-sweet angel, smelling of fresh ocean air and happiness, triggers centuries-old feelings. Now, their high-stakes game of seduction, where angels fall from grace and where demons fear to tread, will lead them either to an eternity in hell…or a deliciously hot heaven

Devil's Business (Black London #4) - Caitlin Kittredge

Pete Caldecott did everything she could to save Jack from Hell, even reigning in the dark machinations of the Morrigan to help bring him home. Still, Black London has not welcomed Jack back with open arms. . . So when a friend in Los Angeles asks for help tracking a sorcerous serial killer, Pete and Jack decide a change of scenery couldn’t hurt. . .

But the shadow side of the City of Angels turns out to be more treacherous than they ever imagined. Together, Pete and Jack must navigate a landscape teeming with hostile magic-users— and fight an unknown enemy. When their investigation leads to a confrontation with the demon Belial, Jack learns that he wasn't the only thing to escape from Hell. Now it’s up to him and Pete to track and eliminate an evil older than the Black itself—before it turns L.A. into Hell on Earth. And destroys life as they know it back at home.

8/30

Aftermath (Sirantha Jax #5) - Ann Aguirre

DEAD HEROES GET MONUMENTS. LIVE ONES GET TRIALS.
Sirantha Jax has the right genes—ones that enable her to “jump” faster-than-light ships through grimspace. But it’s also in her genetic makeup to go it alone. It’s a character trait that has gotten her into—and out of—hot water time and time again, but now she’s caused one of the most horrific events in military history…
During the war against murderous, flesh-eating aliens, Sirantha went AWOL and shifted grimspace beacons to keep the enemy from invading humanity’s homeworld. The cost of her actions: the destruction of modern interstellar travel—and the lives of six hundred Conglomerate soldiers.
Accused of dereliction of duty, desertion, mass murder, and high treason, Sirantha is on trial for her life. And only time will tell if she’s one of the Conglomerate’s greatest heroes—or most infamous

Succubus Revealed (FINAL Georgina Kincaid #6) - Richelle Mead

In Georgina Kincaid, succubus and she-demon, #1 New York Timesbestselling author Richelle Mead has created one of her most enticing characters. But with a shot at love, and maybe even redemption, is the ultimate seductress finally going soft? Like hell she is. . .

Georgina Kincaid has had an eternity to figure out the opposite sex, but sometimes they still surprise her. Take Seth Mortensen. The man has risked his soul to become Georgina's boyfriend. Still, with Lucifer for a boss, Georgina can't just hang up her killer heels and settle down to domestic bliss. In fact, she's being forced to transfer operations. . .to Las Vegas.

The City of Sin is a dream gig for a succubus, but Georgina's allies are suspicious. Why are the powers-that-be so eager to get her away from Seattle—and from Seth? Georgina is one of Hell's most valuable assets, but if there's any way out of the succubus business she plans to take it—no matter how much roadkill she leaves behind. She just hopes the casualties won't include the one man she's risking everything for. . .

Blood Bound (Unbound #1) - Rachel Vincent

Bound by blood, condemned by fate

As a bloodtracker, Liv is extremely powerful. And in a world where power is a commodity that can get you killed, Liv's learnt to survive by her own rules.
Rule number one? Trust no one.
But when a friend's daughter goes missing, Liv is bound by a potent magical oath. She can't rest until the child is safe.
And that means trusting her dangerous ex, Cam.
A sinister prophecy tells that she and Cam will be the death of each other, yet Liv's tired of being a slave to destiny. She's ready to play the forces controlling her world at their own game.
No matter the cost.

An Update on Meeeee

2011-07-22T18:35:00.010-05:00

It has been 10 days since my surgery, and I had my first post-op appointment! It went so well! My busted up mess of a foot was actually referred to as a "beautiful recovery" and I got to have the stitches removed! We took xrays of how things are going inside, and I am still so amazed of what the hell is inside my foot! There are two other layers of stitches beneath the skin surface, but those dissolve. I still have to use crutches, but I can hobble myself around the house, and can finally take easy showers again! I begin Physical Therapy next Friday to start working on the motion again. If we don't start moving the toe around early enough, scar tissue will form and cause mobility problems. If we do too much too soon, the other layers underneath the skin can pull and gap, then danger of infection starts *gag* But, I am returning to work on Monday in crutches! Don't know til you try.
Thank you so much, everyone who has sent me well wishes. There was a lot of fun in being able to whine and stuff on Twitter. I hope I didn't gross anyone out too badly. Being able to share your battle scars is pretty cool :P

And without further ado... HERE IS MY HOT MESS OF A FOOT!

Spaz Reviews: Skin Dive - Ava Gray

2011-07-21T01:21:00.000-05:00

My latest review of Skin Dive by Ava Gray is up at WLP! Join me!

“All your Taye are belong to me?” - Gillie pg. 265

Skin Dive is the fourth and final book of the Skin series by Ava Gray. I can haz tearz? I have enjoyed this series so so much. Gillie Flynn was diagnosed with Leukemia and when she was miraculously cured, she ended up with a very wonky ability in exchange: she can heal others by taking away (and taking it on to herself) their disease or wounds. The evil Foundation discovers her power, kidnaps her, then keeps her in their Exeter Facility as a lab rat. For twelve years she is kept underground as a prized possession and her abilities are sold to the highest bidder. She is so lonely, and her only real company is the delusional Director of the facility who visits her daily and makes creepy sexual suggestions to her. She lives with the daily fear of being sexually assaulted by him while she is asleep. Enter T-89 also known as "Taye", who has the ability to alter what cameras are able to record in their rooms, and also bypass locks. He is allowed to visit her one day, and they instantly form an unbreakable bond. A mutual respect, and a mutual goal: to get the hell out of there. They manage to escape and cling on to one another for survival. Gillie is head over heels for Taye, but he keeps denying her anything intimate. He cannot remember his past except for flashbacks and he is convinced he will "sully" her, as he puts her on a pedestal as a vestal virgin. When Mockingbird approaches them and offers them a chance to fight back against the Foundation, it results in them having to go their separate ways for survival. Continue Reading...

X-ray Slides & Update!

2011-07-17T00:49:00.009-05:00

Xrays of Arthrotomy of big left toe, a set on Flickr of the 4 X-ray images the surgeon sent me home with on 7/12/11.

The first night, Tuesday, the nerve blockers the anesthesiologist had administered prior to surgery were still in my system, so I was just numb for the rest of the day and was able to fall asleep several times that night. Around 3 PM the following afternoon I had noticed a huge change in how much feeling I had to the area. This time when I sat up to make my way to the bathroom on crutches, the blood rushed to the foot at once and it felt like my foot had exploded. To me, it felt as though I had stepped on a land-mine and my foot was mangled. Not being able to see it did nothing to damper the image, if anything in contributed to the discomfort psychologically.

By 11 PM that night I had uncontrollable tears streaming down my face, I was in agony. It's like every nerve in my foot flipped "on" at once, and realized my foot had been violently altered. I'd taken all the prescribed pain medication and was high as a kite, yet it still wasn't enough to completely dull the excruciating pain I felt. M held my hand and let me squeeze it as the waves ebbed and flowed, and somehow ended up feeding me sour patch kids to try to give me something else to focus on. The yellow ones were the sharpest, and it became my favorite because it tore my brain away from the pain the most. I pushed on and made it through the night. By the following morning I believe I'd experienced the peak and was through the worst of it.

It's now Sunday, Day 6 of the procedure and recovery. The pain is still very bad, but at least it is manageable with heavy narcotics. I am having to embrace so many things not in any of my comfort zones. I hate being this dependent on someone else for everything - I cannot do anything for myself if it involves using my legs at all. I hate being this sedentary/inactive. I am bored out of my mind, and the pain pills make me really dumb so I can't even read. So please send me strong healing vibes so I can get on up and moving soon! I am ready to start feeling no pain, so I can use the foot and work with the PT on exercises to strengthen it. I can't move on to fixing my knee until that happens. Then hopefully my leg will be indestructible. Or at least hopefully I won't be hobbling by the time I reach 50. I like that hope very much!

Spaz Reviews: Kindling the Moon - Jenn Bennett

2011-07-12T05:20:00.001-05:00

My latest review of Kinding the Moon by Jenn Bennett is up at WLP!

"Oh, holy Whore of Babylon." - Arcadia Bell

Arcadia Bell is the bartender and co-owner of Tambuku Tiki Lounge in Morella, California that caters to Earthbound preternaturals. She has been using her "Arcadia" alias and has been in hiding for seven years, after her parents were charged with the deaths of three rival occultists, then faked their deaths. She has not seen them since, but after catching a special news alert one night while she's working, she discovers they've been spotted on camera in Dallas. The word is out... they are alive, and (as we already know) their daughter probably is too. Release the hounds! Arcadia's rival order, The Luxe, wants her parents brought in for justice against one of their own. If they cannot be delivered, then it is Arcadia they want in their stead. The time is ticking down for Arcadia to locate the demon that was present at all four murders and to bind it so that it can deliver the truth of who committed these murders.

I will start out with saying I was smitten with this book right from the beginning. Ms. Bennett does a wonderful job with creating a unique twist on demons and how they are identified by one another. Each Earthbound demon, and anything else preternatural, has a halo around their heads, which helps each other to identify the other with a diffused colorful cloud. The humans are deemed "savages", slang for humans who don't believe in anything paranormal, which I really got a kick out of. The AErthyric demons that are usually the scarier ones that are safely tucked away on another plane can be summoned by talented magicians, with the proper rituals and seals. I enjoyed this world and mythology building and was sucked right in to it. Continue Reading...

I'm Getting an Artificial Toe Joint! What? Don't Laugh!

2011-07-11T22:00:00.003-05:00

As the first part of Operation: Fix My Wonky Leg, I am having an artificial hallux toe joint implanted tomorrow morning (Tuesday), in a process called arthroplasty. It is a cool little device with a metal ball that allows my toe to move normally, and should last about 20 years.

I will be in bed off my feet for 2 weeks, and then in the medical boot for 6 weeks. Not that bad. The severe pain I have suffered despite the chellectomy of the toe I had 5 years ago will hopefully be finally relieved. Then if all goes well with the surgery and recovery, I'm on to knee arthroplasty (total knee replacement) as the second part of this endeavor. During all of this, I am doing three different kinds of stretches as part of physical therapy to strengthen the left hip flexor to further align my wonk left leg properly. Fortunately, hip surgery is not necessary!

I am excited to get this first step over and behind me, and move on. Wish me luck!

And here is a synchronized spaz attack for your enjoyment!

What I'm Reading for the Rest of July!

2011-07-10T13:53:00.011-05:00

I am going to be down for a while this month, and so I have quite an ambitious reading and review list for July! :P Some of these are new releases, I have an ARC in here, and some are firsts in series I've wanted to read forever. So... what are YOU reading this month??

*book summaries taken from goodreads

Storm's Heart (Elder Races #2) - Thea Harrison

Able to wield thunder and lightning, wyr sentinel Tiago Black Eagle has ruled the skies for centuries. His massive build and thunderous power make him one of the wyr's best weapons. And he's the one sent to protect Tricks, heir to the Dark Fae throne, when she's almost assassinated in Chicago. Soon Tiago and Tricks will fall prey to the stormy hunger that engulfs them-a passion that will shake the very foundation of all the worlds.

Grave Dance (Alex Craft #2) - Kalayna Price

After a month of down time, Grave Witch Alex Craft is ready to get back to solving murders by raising the dead. With her love life in turmoil, Alex is eager for the distractions of work. But when her new case forces her to overuse her magic, it might be the last mystery the Grave Witch ever gets to solve...

Body of Sin (Otherkin #4) - Eve Silver

Once the favorite son of the Lord of the Underworld, Lokan Krayl held enviable privileges and powers. Powers that led to a devastating betrayal—murder.
Resurrected by his immortal brothers, Lokan is still trapped in purgatory. He has no way to contact his family. He has no answers. In order to find the truth about his death and who killed him, he must escape his prison. And there's only one way out: through the twelve gates of his eternal enemy, Osiris. But Lokan has help. Bryn Carr, the woman who duped him once before, is his beautiful yet unwanted guide. She's been sent by his brothers to aid him. She's his last hope. Lokan must place his fate—and that of the mortal and immortal worlds—in the hands of the one woman he can never trust.

Cold Sight (Extrasensory Agents #1) - Leslie Parrish

Leslie Parrish introduces Extrasensory Agents, a band of psychic investigators interested only in the cases nobody else wants-the coldest ones...

After being made a scapegoat in a botched investigation that led to a child's death, Aidan McConnell became a recluse. Still, as a favor to an old friend, Aidan will help on the occasional ESA case.
Reporter Lexie Nolan has a nose for news-and she believes a serial killer has been targeting teen girls around Savannah, but no one believes her. So she turns to the new paranormal detective agency and the sexy, mysterious Aidan for help. But just as the two begin forging a relationship, the case turns eerily personal for Lexie-and Aidan discovers that maybe he hasn't lost the ability to feel after all.

Geist (Book of the Order #1) - Philippa Ballantine

Between the living and the dead is the Order of the Deacons, protectors of the Empire, guardians against possession, sentinels enlisted to ward off the malevolent haunting of the geists...
Among the most powerful of the Order is Sorcha, now thrust into partnership with the novice Deacon, Merrick Chambers. They have been dispatched to the isolated village of Ulrich to aide the Priory with a surge of violent geist activity. With them is Raed Rossin, Pretender to the throne that Sorcha is sworn to protect, and bearer of a terrible curse.
But what greets them in the strange settlement is something far more predatory and more horrifying than any mere haunting. And as she uncovers a tradition of twisted rituals passed down through the dark reaches of history, Sorcha will be forced to reconsider everything she thinks she knows.
And if she makes it out of Ulrich alive, what in Hell is she returning to?

Another Kind of Dead (Dreg City #3) - Kelly Meding

Evy Stone is a former Dreg Bounty Hunter who died and came back to life with some extraordinary powers. Now all but five people in the world think she is dead again, this time for good—immolated in a factory fire set specifically for her. Evy and Wyatt, her partner/lover/friend, can no longer trust their former allies, or even the highest echelons of the Triads—the army of fighters holding back from an unsuspecting public a tide of quarreling, otherworldly creatures—they can trust only each other. Because when the Triads raided a macabre, monster-filled lab of science experiments and hauled away the remnants, they failed to capture their creator: a brilliant, vampire-obsessed scientist with a wealth of powerful, anti-Dreg weaponry to trade for what he desires most of all—Evy Stone: alive and well, and the key to his ultimate experiment in mad science.

Shadowflame (Shadow World #2) - Dianne Sylvan

It’s been three months since musician Miranda Grey became a vampire and married David Solomon, Prime of the South. As Queen, Miranda must quickly come to terms with her new role and learn how to negotiate the treacherous waters of Signet politics, inevitably making dangerous enemies along the way.
As if complicated vampire politics and a rising music career weren’t enough, an enigmatic but powerful force from David’s past appears, leaving a wake of chaos and uncertainty for the Pair’s fledgling relationship. Miranda begins to realize how little she really knows about her husband. But when an assassin begins targeting her friends and allies, the Pair must track down the killer, even as their lives hang in the balance…

Spaz Reviews: Nightfall by Ellen Connor

2011-07-09T01:19:00.000-05:00

My latest review of Nightfall by Ellen Connor is up at WLP!

Nightfall is the first book in the new Dark Edge Dawning trilogy series by Ellen Connor, a writing duo comprised of Ann Aguirre and Carrie Lofty. The Dark Age has come upon the world. In Eastern Europe, economies have crumbled, power sources have become extinct, terrorist cells and hatred crimes have quadrupled, martial law has taken over. Road gangs have moved across wide sweeps of territories... And this all precludes the frightening monsters that begin to take over. This darkness has quickly spread to the eastern United States and is rapidly moving west. In this new era, we meet our heroine Jenna Barclay living in Oregon, where that last bits of hope to the "old way of life" are found. As she is entering her home, she is kidnapped by a mysterious and rather large (*cough* hunky) man named Mason and taken to a cabin in the woods outside of civilization. Mason speaks of Mitch, her father, who has been dead since she was twelve years old. When Jenna was a little girl, Mitch had preached the coming of a bleak age of destructive magic, and she is skeptical of Mason's sanity as he claims to have known the man. She is skeptical, until he presents her with a letter, written to her, from her Dad which ends in a prophecy centering around her. What Jenna is about to realize is that what has been happening out East is moving in with a quick swiftness, despite what the news reports have told everyone, and it is far more oppressive than she could have imagined. Mason has not only just saved her life in the nick of time, but has set her on a path to become more than she ever could have imagined. As a small group of people fleeing the closest city to their cabin begs to be let in to take refuge from the predatory hell dogs chasing them, it becomes even more apparent that Mason is telling the truth... and that he needs her just as much as she needs him. And there are some seriously frightening things going on outside that cabin door. Continue Reading...

Spaz's Closing Argument on the Casey Anthony Trial Courtesy of Dexter

2011-07-05T18:10:00.014-05:00

The Great Judge Belvin Perry, Jr

Many of you who follow me on Twitter might know that I've taken a particular interest in the Casey Anthony trial. My fascination was truly based in the court proceedings, and everything that makes up a case from start to finish. I have a double major B.A. from University of Colorado at Boulder in Anthropology (Forensics track) & Sociolology (Criminology track). It was my intention and dream to go on to John Jay College of Criminal Justice for my M.A. in Forensic Psychology. In college I interned then worked at the Boulder County Juvenile Center as the intake therapist who would interview the kids and determine if they were a flight risk. I was on my way to what I thought would be a career in Forensic Psychology. That didn't happen due to various detours in my life at 22 years old, but I am still so truly passionate about all the different aspects of crimes, victims, defendants, and court proceedings. I read and watch anything I can on the subject. Anything!

With regards to the Casey Anthony trial, I didn't much care about the State's witnesses because I don't care to hear about Casey and her permiscuous partying ways. *yawn* I'm also not interested in a witch hunt, either. But when I learned that the scientific evidence testimonies were starting, and that one of my Heros, Dr. Jan Garvaglia, was one of the Chief Medical Examiners who would be testifying... Along with her husband Dr. Mike Wallace... I was DIALED IN to hear then testify. Fortunately, I have a job where I could stream the trial live from a local Orlando newssite, shrink the browser when necessary, and just listen in. I was so in awe over how well Judge Belvin Perry Jr. commanded his courtroom. His patience, his fairness, and his clear and precise instructions and rulings were so impressive. I wanted to hate the defense lawyer Jose Baez for being so sleezy, and for constantly asking for mistrials, and for defending who I perceive as a monster. However, he did his job well as a defense lawyer, never letting up his relentless ambition to get Casey off free. And the State's Jeff Ashton gave the most powerful and strong circumstantial evidence cases probably in the history of law. It was so powerful and compelling, that the country was convinced that a ruling of "Guilty" would happen on at least one of the major charges:

First degree murder, Aggravated Manslaughter, and Aggravated Child abuse. What did the jury find? "Not Guilty" rulings in all 3 major crimes.

She ended up with 4 "Guilty" charges of the misdemeanor "Lying to a Law Enforcement Agent", each carrying a 1-year sentence.

WHAT THE WHAAAT?!!?!!

I was there (listening in) for all the scientific evidence that was shown, and beyond, all the way to the closing arguments this past weekend. I know that the jury wasn't privy to ALL of what we as viewers saw, but, it took them 10 hours to determine that there was a reasonable doubt on all 3 major charges and she is free.

WHAT THE WHAAAT?!!?!!

Yes, it is true. I would rather live in a country that acquits guilty people if there is a reasonable doubt, than one that jails and possibly executes innocent people if a reasonable doubt is present. And in the end, Casey still has to sleep at night and meet whatever karmic god or goddess is on her case.

With all this being said, and after digesting this for half a day, this is MY final statement: "Casey, you better run girl!"

Spaz Reviews: Black Heart Loa - Adrian Phoenix

2011-07-03T05:46:00.000-05:00

My latest review of Black Heart Loa by Adrian Phoenix is up at Wicked Lil Pixie reviews!

Black Heart Loa is the much-anticipated second book in Adrian Phoenix's Hoodoo series, and picks up immediately where Black Dust Mambo ends, with the characters sitting in Divinity's living room. Kallie Riveiére is a Hoodoo, meaning she handles juju and potions and medicines. Her best friend Belladonna is a mambo-in-training. Kallie's aunt Divinity is also her hoodoo teacher and sits near the real Gabrielle LaRue who is a mambo, or voodoo priestess, and deals with the loas. Kallie is doing a reading of her cards trying to locate her cousin Jackson, because it is clear he and his dog have been kidnapped. Abruptly, two men in ski masks break in to her aunt's home with a shotgun, demanding to know where Jackson has hidden their money. Continue reading...

New Cover Alert: Alpha & Omega #3 by the GREAT Dan Dos Santos!

2011-07-02T19:49:00.005-05:00

Fair Game (Alpha and Omega #3)

January 2013

Is this the most gorgeous cover in the series so far, or what?! Dan Dos Santos has done it again! No further information is available on Fair Game yet, other than it's expected release date is January of 2013 and I believe this will be Hardcover.

Spaz Reviews: Hunting Kat - PJ Schnyder

2011-06-30T01:30:00.001-05:00

My latest review of Hunting Kat by PJ Schnyder is up at Wicked Lil Pixie Reviews!

Right off the bat we know that merc Kaitlyn Darah has suffered a violent violation at the hands of men and it has (understandably) resulted in her overtly antagonistic attitude towards the male gender. She completely lacks social skills and sends off aggression vibes in waves. The only man in her life, Captain Devron Rishkillian, was there with her when she suffered a great loss and is the only man who knows how to handle her and not antagonize her. Dev sends her on a messenger run looking to expand her skill set from one of violence, to one of negotiation and diplomacy. It becomes apparent that both Captain Dev and her fellow-shipmate, Skuld (with her ferret, Chester), both are very affectionate towards Kat and want her to find happiness and take a break from the solitude and loneliness she has sentenced herself to out of fear. Continue reading...

Spaz Reviews: Shadow Walker - Allyson James

2011-06-21T02:20:00.001-05:00

My latest review of Shadow Walker by Allyson James is up at Wicked Lil Pixie Reviews!

Shadow Walker is the third book in Allyson James's Stormwalker series and we meet up with Stormwalker Janet Begay and Mick Burns soon after Firewalker ended. Janet awakens something while she is out at Canyon de Chelly taking photographs, something rather frightening. While Sheriff Nash Jones is hot on Janet Begay's trail speeding down the highway, a giant sinkhole sucks them both up. Mick saves the day, by rescuing both Janet and Nash, but that's just the beginning of what's in store for Janet and the Gang. After a visit to Janet's Crossroads Hotel by the new Hopi County safety inspector in town, and a dramatic drop in by Janet's half-sister, we realize the story has only begun. Continue reading...

Life As A Spaz

Spaz Reviews: Third Grave Dead Ahead - Darynda Jones

Shiloh Walker Curves & Qs Blog Tour

Spaz Reviews: Firelight - Kristen Callihan

Spaz Reviews: Darker After Midnight - Lara Adrian

Spaz Reviews: Black Night - Christina Henry

Spaz Reviews: The Last Slayer - Nadia Lee

Spaz Reviews: If You See Her - Shiloh Walker

Top 3 Most Anticipated UF Reads for February

Spaz Reviews: The Shadow Reader - Sandy Williams

ARC Review THE KINGDOM by Amanda Stevens

Kresley Cole LOTHAIRE Signing in Austin, TX

New Cover LOVE! Blood Before Sunrise by Amanda Bonilla

My Ten Favorite Songs of 2011

Spaz Reviews: Shadow Heir - Richelle Mead

Wicked Lil Pixie's 13 Wicked Days of Xmas Roundup

My Top 5 Books of 2011 at Wicked Lil Pixie

1st Week of WLP's 13 Wicked Days of XMas Roundup

My Most Anticipated UF/PNR Books of January 2012

I'm at Ramblings From This Chick!

Spaz Reviews: Daybreak - Ellen Connor

Beagle Freedom Project - Caring Consumer

Spaz Reviews: Shaedes of Gray - Amanda Bonilla

Spaz Reviews: Heart of Darkness - Lauren Dane

Music Monday with The Black Keys!

Giving Thanks For You With {some of} My Favorite Music

Follow My Blog? I Probably Follow Yours, Too. I'm Behind.

Update on D

Between Light and Dark Blog Tour with Amanda Bonilla

How the Amazing Book Community Stepped Up To Help Me (When "Fresh Fiction" Refused To)

Happy Halloween, My Lovelies!

Spaz Reviews: Darkness Unbound - Keri Arthur

It's Nat/WLP's 31st Birthday!

Spaz Reviews: Midnight - Ellen Connor

Spaz ARC Reviews: Dearly, Departed - Lia Habel

My Favorite Sulfate Free Shower Products

Spaz Reviews: Envy - JR Ward

Dear M•A•C... The f-ck is this?

Spaz Reviews: Spider's Revenge - Jennifer Estep

Spaz Reviews: The Hour of Dust and Ashes - Kelly Gay

Spaz Reviews: Archangel's Blade - Nalini Singh

New Cover Alert! BITING COLD - Chloe Neill

Guest Post at Fiction Vixen! Shadowman by Erin Kellison

New Cover Alert! SACRIFICIAL MAGIC and other news by Stacia Kane

Spaz Reviews: Cipher by Moira Rogers

Friday Cover Love

Spaz Reviews: Devil's Business - Caitlin Kittredge

Spaz & WLP Review: Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent

I'm Doing a GRIMSPACE & AFTERMATH Giveaway at WLP!

My September Must-Reads

Write a Post, Help a Dog!

Spaz Reviews: Succubus Revealed - Richelle Mead

Spaz Reviews: Aftermath - Ann Aguirre

WLP & Spaz Review: The Renfield Syndrom - J.A. Saare

Spaz Reviews: Another Kind of Dead - Kelly Meding

Spaz Goes To A.. NOT ANOTHER AAD POST! Philly

Spaz Goes to Readers 'N 'Ritas November 2011

Back from AAD Philly 2011

Spaz Reviews: Grave Dance - Kalayna Price

I'm off to AAD Philly 2011

Spaz Reviews: Eye of the Tempest - Nicole Peeler

Spaz Reviews: Spectyr - Philippa Ballantine

Spaz Reviews: Geist - Philippa Ballantine

Spaz ARC Reviews: Storm's Heart - Thea Harrison

August is HUGE for the Books I'm DYING for!

An Update on Meeeee

Spaz Reviews: Skin Dive - Ava Gray

X-ray Slides & Update!

Spaz Reviews: Kindling the Moon - Jenn Bennett

I'm Getting an Artificial Toe Joint! What? Don't Laugh!

What I'm Reading for the Rest of July!

Spaz Reviews: Nightfall by Ellen Connor

Spaz's Closing Argument on the Casey Anthony Trial Courtesy of Dexter

Spaz Reviews: Black Heart Loa - Adrian Phoenix

New Cover Alert: Alpha & Omega #3 by the GREAT Dan Dos Santos!

Fair Game (Alpha and Omega #3)

Spaz Reviews: Hunting Kat - PJ Schnyder

Spaz Reviews: Shadow Walker - Allyson James