Friday's News and Notables

1. Gender bias at NPR - and what it reveals about the world of literary fiction.
2. Enter before Valentine's Day for a chance to win some Nicholas Sparks stuff.
3. Awwww 
4. Ebook numbers. In case you were wondering.
5. Audiobooks.  
6. 2012 Best of LGBT

Review: A SEAL in Wolf's Clothing by Terry Spear

A SEAL in Wolf's Clothing by: Terry Spear
Source: NetGalley
(Sourcebooks Casablanca 2012, 352 pages)

Blurb:

With the ultimate alpha male hero-werewolf Finn Emerson, Navy SEAL-bestselling author Terry Spear ratchets up the heat in the new installment in her hugely popular paranormal romance series.
While her brother is away, Meara Greymere intends to play-she just has to find the right alpha male. But when old friend Finn Emerson arrives, she's horrified he'll tell her brother what she's been up to.
Finn Emerson is on the trail of a murderous gray werewolf and fears his friend's sister is in grave danger. He's just going to have to settle in and keep the sexy woman out of trouble.

Review:
This is book 9 in Terry Spear's Werewolf Romance series. BOOK NINE... I just realized how far in this series this title is and really... I have to say that I am impressed. I am impressed that the author was able to tell an enjoyable story about the attraction between the two characters while doing a great job of building the world the character's live in. I understood the plot, got a glimpse of the history, and even though I could tell there was more to the story than was being told in this book (hence it being a series) I didn't feel like I was missing anything big enough to ruin the read. Finn was great great as the alpha male and fun to read about and I love that Meara was a strong feminine match for him. I haven't read any other books by Terry Spear but I am definitely putting the first book on my wishlist. 

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.

Challenges: 

Deliver Me From Darkness by Tes Hilaire

Deliver Me From Darkness by: Tes Hilaire
Source: NetGalley
(Sourcebooks Casablanca 2012, 352 pages)

Blurb:

A STRANGER IN THE NIGHT...
He had once been a warrior of the Light, one of the revered Paladin. A protector. But now he lives in darkness, and the shadows are his sanctuary. Every day is a struggle to overcome the bloodlust. Especially the day Karissa shows up at his doorstep.
COMES KNOCKING ON THE DOOR
She is light and bright and everything beautiful—despite her scratches and torn clothes. Every creature of the night is after her. So is every male Paladin. Because Karissa is the last female of their kind. But she is his. He may not have a soul, but he can't deny his heart.

Review:
I finished this one in one night. I definitely recommend and I will be keeping an eye out for the next in the series. The story hit all the high notes for me and had all the elements of what I like in a paranormal romance. The love story was achingly sweet and I was able to connect with both characters and I am looking forward to finding out who will star in the next book.
I could see this becoming a favorite series and I am hungry for more.

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.

Challenges: 

Friday's New and Notables

1. First, this amused me. Then, it intrigued me. Mmmm cowboys.
2. I've been hearing a lot about the movie. I need to get the book.
3. Library spam? 
4. "I miss them already." Me too, buddy. Me too. 
5. Brilliant! 
6. G-Spot news.  
7. I may have to break my "no spending money on books in 2012" rule for this one.

Review: A Demon Does it Better by Linda Wisdom

A Demon Does it Better by: Linda Wisdom
Source: NetGalley
(Sourcebooks Casablanca 2012, 352 pages)

Blurb:
After more than a century, Doctor Lili Carter, witch healer extraordinaire, has returned to San Francisco and taken a job at Crying Souls Hospital and Asylum, where something peculiar and wicked his happening. Patients are disappearing, and Lil wants to know why.
AND DOUBLY DANGEROUS FOR A DEMON...
Lili finds herself undeniably attracted to perhaps the most mysterious patient of all-a demented but seriously sexy demon named Jared. What's behind the gorgeous chameleon demon's late-night escapades?
Before long, Lili and Jared are investigating each other-and creating a whole new kind of magic.

Review:
This being the sixth book in the series, but the first that I have read by this particular author, I am going to give a lot of leeway in this review. The background information that would have been recognized and appreciated in a book that had been read from the beginning of a series was lost on me. I may eventually pick up the first one to see if I appreciate the story more after learning about the world from the start. 
That being said, the author did do a good job of catching the reader up on the ins and outs of how this world works. I enjoyed the story overall between Lili and Jared and thought that it was a sweet romance that happened within the circumstances. 
My main problem with this book is the believability of those circumstances. Yes, yes it's paranormal romance and not believable to begin with. However, I couldn't help thinking through most of the story that the characters didn't really do as much as they could have with the situation. I felt that Lili could have explored other avenues on ways to help Jarod and the other patients but she seemed to be content to go about her job and moan a little on the side about what she was missing and what he may be suffering. I felt like I was more involved with the situation than perhaps she was. 
If you are looking for a light-hearted romance with a world you can pick up on pretty quickly then this is a good one for you. It would probably be something good to read on a plane.

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.

Challenges: 

Review: The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark

The Demon Lover by: Juliet Dark
Source: NetGalley
(Ballantine Books 2011, 448 pages)

Blurb:
Since accepting a teaching position at remote Fairwick College in upstate New York, Callie McFay has experienced the same disturbingly erotic dream every night: A mist enters her bedroom, then takes the shape of a virile, seductive stranger who proceeds to ravish her in the most toe-curling, wholly satisfying ways possible. Perhaps these dreams are the result of her having written the bestselling book The Sex Lives of Demon Lovers. Callie’s lifelong passion is the intersection of lurid fairy tales and Gothic literature—which is why she’s found herself at Fairwick’s renowned folklore department, living in a once-stately Victorian house that, at first sight, seemed to call her name.
But Callie soon realizes that her dreams are alarmingly real. She has a demon lover—an incubus—and he will seduce her, pleasure her, and eventually suck the very life from her. Then Callie makes another startling discovery: Her incubus is not the only mythical creature in Fairwick. As the tenured witches of the college and the resident fairies in the surrounding woods prepare to cast out the demon, Callie must accomplish something infinitely more difficult—banishing this supernatural lover from her heart.
Review:
It has taken a while for me to write this review because I have a lot of mixed feelings about the book. When I picked the book I was under the mistaken impression that it was a young adult book. It seems that a lot of readers have had a similar impression. The cover was probably a bad choice since it really does not go along with the flavor of the book at all and gives the impression of an innocent story despite the title of the book. This book is more along the line of an urban fantasy / paranormal romance with some erotica thrown in. Some of the scenes are very sexually graphic but I think they balance out with the story eventually.
The world Juliet Dark was able to build was very imaginative. I liked how she wasn't afraid of letting her characters become scary or unlikable even if they seemed to be something else early on. One of the main problems I had with this book though was how Callie seemed to take all of the discoveries she made with such an amazingly calm attitude. Despite learning about a whole new world that she had seemingly wished for all her life with her obsession about Myths and fairy tales, she never showed any excitement or amazement or fear or any O-M-G-IS-THIS-REALLY-HAPPENING moments. She took it all in stride. As if to say, "Oh yeah. I knew that would happen.Can we move on now?"
The romance was sweet and my urge to throw my nook across the room when I finished the book was probably just a side effect of wanting to find out how their story ends and not necessarily a reflection on the book as a whole. Needless to say, I'll be keeping my eye out for the next in the series.  

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 (kind of)

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.

Challenges: 

Review: Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs

Bone Crossed by: Patricia Briggs
 Source: Ebook - Library
 (Ace 2010, 304 pages)


Blurb:
Marsilia, the local vampire queen, has learned that Mercy crossed her by slaying a member of her clan. Now, she's out for blood. But since Mercy is protected from direct reprisal by the werewolf pack-and her relationship with its sexy Alpha-it's not Mercy's blood Marsilia is after...
Review:
I am really enjoying this series. Urban fantasy isn't my usual go-to genre but this has just enough romance to get the heart pumping. The action is, as always, fantastic and the story has remained consistent with the rules that govern the world Patricia Briggs has created. A great read but if you start the series I definitely recommend starting at the beginning with Moon Called.


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.

Challenges: