Friday's news and notables

Around the web...

Isaac Salazar

Yeah. I downloaded it.

Taylor Swift  keeps getting more awesome every day.

A question about zombies. Specifically, Zombie Stories. Extra specifically, Zombie Stories that Don't Suck.AskMetafilter

Making Sense of Digital Books for Kids – Part 1 Part 2

Library ebook checkouts up 200% this year.

I want this. I've always wanted to live on a farm.

...and from the same website, something that will help you keep track of your books.

Thursday's Quickie Review: Shapeshifter's Craving by Lee Pearce

Shapeshifter's CravingBy: Lee Pearce
(pub. Ellora's Cave 3/15/2010 25pp.)

Cost: Free
Review:

Characters
Kate, princess to the shapeshifters, and Aiden, her bodyguard, experience their first sexual encounter on the river shore after Kate gets it in her head to ask Aiden why he's never made a pass at her. Awaakwaaaard. Not for the characters really, but it was awkward to read it. Kate has the personality of a 13 year old girl and Aiden has probably been been lifting too many dumbbells since he then not only immediately makes a pass at her but then gets down to business right there at the side of the river. I'm not really sure where her brothers and sisters (who were swimming with them earlier) went during this interlude. I'd prefer to give it the benefit of the doubt and think they were alone during coitus.


Plot
The problem, though, is Aiden has a secret and Kate has a decision to make. I won't spoil the secret but Kate's decision is what animal she will choose to become her single shapeshifting form. Because apparently you have to pick one... You can't just continue to shift into anything you want... 


I don't know why. 


I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation...


But Kate STILL hasn't chosen one. Even though ALL her brothers and sisters did ages ago. SHE'S LATE. RUDE.


Overall I am glad this was a short book. The sex was less than exciting. I kept wondering if I was reading it too fast and missing some parts. I went back and reread it...and nope. I think my brain might have filled in a lot the first time around because the second read through was worse. The love story was subpar. All the elements for a great story were there but I think it missed making a connection with the reader.


Sexual Content: m/f


At A Glance:
1= Could not finish the book
2= A struggle to read to the finish
3=Meh. Average with all the elements I like in a book but nothing notable
4=I ended it with a smile on my face
5=Excellent. I want to read everything this author has ever written and when I finish all the books on my wishlist I will reread it.

Review: More Than a Man by Emily Ryan-Davis

Author: Emily Ryan-Davis
Title: More Than a Man
Format:  Ebook Nook
Print Length: 313 pages
Published: January 2010
Get it on Amazon
Get it on Barnes & Noble
Cost: $2.99 Barnes & Noble


Blurb:
Manporium. It's where women of The Future go to buy the men of their dreams.

Genetically engineered to the bride's specifications, a Manporium husband is a perfect husband. At least, that's the theory. But twice-widowed Noelle Lytton shook Manporium's flawless track record when both her first and second husbands died tragically while pursuing interests she engineered into their makeup. Desperate for the perfect marriage she's always dreamed of, she knows her third Manporium husband will be her last. It's this man or nothing.

Vegetarian. Generously equipped. Dominant in bed. When Aya Lytton emerges from Manporium's creation chamber, he knows exactly what he is: custom-made for his bride. Noelle's wish list made her desires perfectly clear. But her desires have nothing to do with his overwhelming need to be more than just the man she created. He'll use every advantage he has to convince Noelle he’s not just her match: he's irreplaceable.

Warning: Sometimes things don't go quite as expected at Manporium. A bride's wish list is, er...subject to interpretation and a man might come out with extra appendages and a mind of his own.



My Review:
I love, love, loved this book. Though there were some parts of the story where I felt the characters actions were inconsistant with their personalities, though I think that could be said about any real person so it adds a bit to the story. My major criticism is that there aren't any other books to follow up with. Hopefully the author decides to expand on this idea and turn this into a series. I ended the book with a smile on my face and will definitely follow this author to see what else she has.



Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Friday's News and notables

I plan to ask Santa for this for Christmas. It's for a good cause...Yeah, that's why.

What a great idea for a community. I wish I lived in that neighborhood.

An interesting take on what readers can learn from romance novels. 

Hilary Duff wrote a book? Actually two. How did I miss that?!

Vampires through the years.

These are fabulous! Love the covers. The blurb for "Lord of the Forest":
Linda didn't have any doubts about her feelings for Brett Faulkner -- but he was the local lord of the Manor, while she was just a very ordinary girl.Why should he be interested in her? Or was Linda being snobbish and out-of-date about it all?

Thursday's Quickie Review: Interlude in Pearl by Emily Ryan-Davis

Author: Emily Ryan-Davis
Title: Interlude in Pearl
Format: Ebook (Free on Barnes & Noble)
Print Length: <50
Published: February 2010
Get it on Amazon
Get it on Barnes & Noble
Cost: Free Barnes & Noble

Previous books in the series
1 - All the Trees in Pearl  

2 - All the Women in Pearl

Blurb:
Twin Mountains Ranch foreman Mickey Lowe can't sit through one more night of newlywed relations without losing his mind. Packing up his frustration and yearning, he delivers himself to Pearl spinster Emma Morgan with the intent to inspire some lusty cries of his own.

When the cowboy comes knocking at Emma's door late in the night, she believes she knows what he wants and she is ready for him in an instant . . . until she discovers what he's really after.



My Review:
This short story was an enjoyable snapshot of a moment in two peoples lives. I am definitely going to check out the other books in the series. Sexy and sweet.



Rating: 5 out of 5

Review: Devoured by Darkness by Alexandra Ivy

Author: Alexandra Ivy http://www.alexandraivy.com/index.htm
Title: Devoured by Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #7)
Format: Nook ebook 
Print Length: 352 pages
Published: December 1, 2010
Get it on Amazon
Get it on Barnes and Noble
Cost: $3.80 Barnes and Noble
Previous books in the series
1 - When Darkness Comes
2 - Embrace the Darkness
3 - Darkness Everlasting
4 - Darkness Revealed
5 - Darkness Unleashed
6 - Beyond the Darkness


Blurb:
Tane is a Charon, sworn to hunt and kill rogue vampires. His new assignment seems like a waste of his talents--until he catches up with the jinn he's been sent to capture. Half human, half demon, Laylah has a vulnerable streak that strikes right through to Tane's cold heart. He should be furious when she uses her powers to bind them together, preventing him from dragging her before the Commission. Instead he welcomes any reason to stay close enough to touch, to taste, to seduce. . .
Laylah doesn't know why she was chosen to protect a child who may be the catalyst in a war between good and evil. But the mysteries of her past pale compared to the dangers approaching. Tane is devastatingly strong, breathtakingly sensual. And Laylah will have to trust in every ounce of that strength, because her enemies are drawing near, eager to destroy them both. . .


My Review:
Would I read it again? No, but that doesn't mean it didn't keep me up all night so I could finish it. The plot kept me interested but the characters fell short for me on this one. Tane seemed a little stale and I never felt like he had any depth. 


Boy meets girl. Boy compares girl to his tortured past. Boy overcomes his doubts and falls for girl. Girl becomes completely dependent on boy. Blah. I just wasn't feeling it. But like I said, the plot was good enough that it kept me interested. 


Rating: 4 out of 5