Quote-Tastic #57 When Men Were Worth Marrying

Join us every Monday and share a favorite quote that's grabbed you for one reason or another. Everyone's welcome to join in - authors, bloggers, readers. The more the merrier! Just grab the button and put up your post :) Don't have a blog? No worries, just leave your favorites in the comment section.  Quote-tastic is hosted by Herding Cats & Burning Soup.

This quote is from The Little Things by Moira Rogers. It's a paranormal romance with werewolves, lots and lots of werewolves. Have I mentioned lately that I love werewolves? :D The quote is pretty hot too. :)

"I have a different question. What's a courting gift?"

Gavin rubbed his hands over his face. "Let's sit over here." He led the boy to the bench in the hallway and sat. "A courting gift is something you give someone you want to spend more time with, or maybe marry. Like the darkroom for Sam."

"So the darkroom is a courting gift? Mom said it was and Dad said no one gives people courting gifts anymore and Mom said they did back when men were worth marrying."

Quote-Tastic #51 Hot Sex, A Sweet Little Lady, and Kicking Ass

Join us every Monday and share a favorite quote that's grabbed you for one reason or another. Everyone's welcome to join in - authors, bloggers, readers. The more the merrier! Just grab the button and put up your post :) Don't have a blog? No worries, just leave your favorites in the comment section.  Quote-tastic is hosted by Herding Cats & Burning Soup.

Several years back, I discovered and binged on paranormal romances by Moira Rogers. I haven't read any since my binge ended but I did enjoy the ones I read. These quotes are from "Crux", the first book in their Southern Arcana series. I still have a few in that series that I haven't read yet.

"I'm not going to pin you down and force you to have hot sex with me, but I'm more than willing."
He rolled away. "If I don't go now, Mahalia will whip my ass. Hell, she might do it anyway."
Mackenzie laughed. "You're scared of a sweet little lady. That's cute."
He stared at the ceiling fan and willed his heart to slow its pounding. "She is sweet. Until she thinks you're taking advantage of some pretty young thing in trouble."
Her fingers trailed lightly up his arm. "Want me to tell her I took advantage of you?"

"God damn it, Jackson, if you tell me you're not going to violate me in about ten different ways, I'm going to use my newly discovered superstrength to kick your ass."

Review of Wild Card by Moira Rogers

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services (re-release)
Series: Down and Dirty #1
Release date: June 3, 2012
Buying Links: Amazon     Barnes & Noble    ARe

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

 As Alpha of the Lonely River Pack, Jack Owens is responsible for keeping the peace between what's left of the human population and the wolves who have taken over since the War. All wolves are his responsibility, even the ones like Virginia Howard who don't necessarily recognize his authority. Ginny's been a thorn in Jack's side since she took over her parent's operation and established herself as one of the area's premiere ranchers. The fact that she's everything he wants in a mate makes it hard to stay away from her, but any good hunter knows how to bide his time.

Ginny fights hard to maintain her independence from men, human and werewolf alike. The humans may not like having a woman as their chief competition, but they're not the ones determined to see her submit. When a group of angry wolves try to run her out of business, she's forced to accept Jack's assistance. But in saving her ranch, Ginny runs the risk of losing something far greater--her heart.



Reviewed By: Bea

Bea's Thoughts:

I do enjoy the writing of the Moira Rogers; it's pretty much guaranteed by now that I'll like whatever they write. This series was released a few years ago, in 2008, but recently they regained the rights and re-released it. It's currently free at the above buying links.

Though "Wild Card" is short, Rogers manages to work in character development, story development and lay the groundwork for more stories. I didn't entirely buy into the motivation of the wolves attacking Ginny and in fact I thought it seriously undermined Jack's position as Alpha. But the Rogers team are too good to miss that, they do address his position and he's mistakes he's made. It's a quick, fun read; not their best but definitely worth a read.




I own this ebook.

My Favorite Books of 2011 So Far

So today's Armchair BEA topic is our favorite books so far in 2011. Surprisingly, that wasn't easy to decide at first. But after thinking about it, I came up with some. So, in no particular order, my fave books so far in 2011:

"These Things Hidden" by Michelle Gudenkauf - It grabbed me from the first page and I didn't put it down until I finished it. By turns, agonizing, hopeful, emotional and coldly rational, it was a fascinating read about families, choices, and what we do in the name of love.

"Shackled" by Morgan Ashbury - A sweet mix of erotica and romance that's also a nice intro to the world of bandage and dominance and 
submission. Not perfect, but well done.

 "The Gathering" by Kelley Armstrong - Sigh. I wouldn't change a single thing about this book. Do you like YA? Do you like Urban Fantasy? Want a break from vamps and weres? READ THIS BOOK.

"How to Flirt with A Naked Werewolf" by Molly Harper - Slightly misleading title, but fun story, well written. A light read but not silly or stupid and lots of likable characters.

"The Survivor" by Sean Slater - Grim, gritty, full of twists and turns and multi-layered, this is not your basic murder mystery or procedural (though it was fun me, a US citizen, to learn about Canadian police procedures), it's not a happy feel-good but it's smart, solid, and hard to put down.

Very good and very HAWT. This is a well written, engaging book. Cleansing, lots of yummy smex, solid, well written, and not a blind drunk monkey anywhere in sight, lol

Heh, I read this after I read an incredibly badly written romance that left me needing to cleanse my mind. This book sure fit the bill. :D













These aren't the only good ones this year, it's actually been a good year for books so far. I hope the rest of the year will be as good.

Review of Wilder's Mate by Moira Rogers

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Release Date: March 8, 2011


More Info: goodreads

Series: #1 in the Bloodhounds series

Book Blurb:  Think a vampire-hunting bloodhound is dangerous?

Try threatening his woman.


Bloodhounds, Book 1
 
Wilder Harding is a bloodhound, created by the Guild to hunt down and kill vampires on America’s frontier. His enhanced abilities come with a high price: on the full moon, he becomes capable of savagery beyond telling, while the new moon brings a sexual hunger that borders on madness. 


Rescuing a weapons inventor from undead kidnappers is just another assignment, though one with an added complication—keeping his hands off the man’s pretty young apprentice, who insists on tagging along.
 
At odds with polite society, Satira’s only constant has been the aging weapons inventor who treats her like a daughter. She isn’t going to trust Wilder with Nathaniel’s life, not when the Guild might decide the old man isn’t worth saving. Besides, if there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s that brains are more important than brawn.
 

As the search stretches far longer than Wilder planned, he finds himself fighting against time. If Satira is still at his side when the new moon comes, nothing will stop him from claiming her. Worse, she seems all too willing. If their passion unlocks the beast inside, no one will be safe. Not even the man they’re fighting to save.


Warning: This book contains a crude, gun-slinging, vampire-hunting hero who howls at the full moon and a smart, stubborn heroine who invents mad-scientist weapons. Also included: wild frontier adventures, brothels, danger, betrayal and a good dose of wicked loving in an alternate Wild West.

My Thoughts:

Wilder's Mate is a blend of steampunk, urban fantasy, western, mystery, romance, and erotica. The two ladies who write as Moira Rogers have stirred and mixed the ingredients together to make an intriguing story.


Wilder is a Bloodhound, created specifically for the purpose of hunting vampires. He has both a human form and a wolf form but the wolf personality seems to rule. Unlike other bloodhounds, he has an ego strong enough to recognize what others can contribute and not just assume that he can do it all. He knows what he is good at and he knows what other people are good at and he's able and willing to use any and all tools and skills available to him. He is smart, quiet, deadly, and compassionate.

Satira comes to appreciate that quality in Wilder, along with many of his others. She is a human raised by her human mother and a bloodhound who is apprenticed to an inventor, a male inventor. Her world doesn't  appreciate women who have technical skills or think for themselves. Satira needs Wilder's help to retrieve the inventor who has been a surrogate father to her.

The story unfolds slowly, nothing is rushed.  The characters are fleshed out, but not all at once in an info dump. The story may be only a hundred or so pages but nothing is forgotten - characterization, plot, dialogue, smex, everything is there. I liked that our heroine, Satira, was not a blushing virgin. She had sexual experience if not much experience with actual relationships, but she was able to meet Wilder on a more or less even playing field (well, overlooking the differences between humans and bloodhounds). Overall, Satira and Wilder are equals in many respects and that makes for a refreshing change from many other romances.

I was a little unclear on what made this story steampunk as opposed to say a UF novel set in the old West of the USA. I have read very little steampunk so I'm still learning. That aside, I liked the mix of gadgets, paranormal creatures, details of the American old West, and romance. The story has some twists and turns, the characters are likable and engaging and the story was fast-paced but not rushed.

Go read!


This eARC was received from the authors for review.

Review: Winter Wishes by Vivi Andrews, Vivian Arend & Moira Rogers

Book Blurb: A Twist on Tradition

A woman has the Christmas Eve from Hell. Two cat shifters play naughty games. And a witch brings out the beast inside the man. The magic of the season takes on a whole new meaning in these three fantastic—and festive—novellas from some of the best voices in paranormal romance.

Anthology includes:  Tangled Tinsel by Vivian Arend
                                   No Angel by Vivi Andrews
                                   Freeze Line by Moira Rogers

Stories also available for purchase separately.

My Thoughts:  The anthology has a very fluid theme of wishes made at the holidays. The fluidity allows for some flexibility in how the stories are handled. Two of the authors chose Christmas and one chose Solstice. Interestingly, in each story the male needs saving of some kind - emotional, physical, etc. In all of the stories, the characters undergo revelations and grow and change. That's a pretty neat trick for a novella.


Tangled Tinsel

Five miles of leather-clad leg is all it takes to lure Kyle Branegan out from his carefully hidden lifestyle as part of the Cougar Corp, a secret branch of the Shifter Enforcer League. He's hoping for a night of fun and frolic, cat-style, no strings attached. With a sultry swing of her hips, Eloise Scott tangles him up in her ball of tricks, and just when he thinks he's about to get lucky, she cuffs him--naked--to her bed.

An undercover cop in the human police force, El's been given a top-secret mission to keep the big cat under her paw until he's needed to testify in court in the New Year. Her decision to take him home for a quiet Christmas in her sleepy hometown turns out to be far more interesting than she expected. Her parents are suddenly rich, her old boyfriend is sniffing around and all six-feet-plus of sexy cougar male is sleeping in her bed.

And that's before they announce their fake engagement...
 
     This author was new to me. I had never heard of her before. The story felt to me like it was part of a series, set in an established world. I was sometimes lost trying to understand the world. According to her website it's a stand alone, with nothign to indicate that it fits into an existing world. So on the one hand, Arend did a good job of building the world to make it feel so real, but on the other hand, it left me, the reader, confused.

     The story starts very quickly with Kyle following El to a lingerie store after seeing her walk by him. There's a humorous bit involving him imitating a store clerk followed by a steamy make out scene in the store fitting room. They head back to some place a little more private, her place, where Kyle is completely surprised by what happens next.

     At times I found Kyle to be overbearing and condescending, traits that I don't care for in real life or fiction. At other times, he was kind and thoughtful. El is emotionally strong except when it comes to her family. She loves them at teh same time she doesn't understand them and avoids visiting.

     Together, Kyle and El help each other out and discover new things about each other and their families. Despite that, I had a hard time connecting to the characters. Add that to my confusion about the world and it was my least favorite of the stories.

      This novella had the most explicit, and frequent, sexual scenes. (Not a bad thing, just FYI)
     
No Angel

When Sasha's boyfriend Jay is sucked through a fiery vortex to Hell, an angel reveals that she's been chosen as the Champion of Virtue in the battle for his immortal soul. As a perennial offender on Santa's naughty list, Sasha can't believe she's anyone's idea of a girl fighting on the side of the angels. But if she doesn't save Jay, he'll be stuck in Hell forever!

Jay aka Jevroth isn't surprised to find himself back in Hell. His visa to visit the mortal plane expired three months ago, but to steal more time with Sasha he's been ignoring his mother's demands to come home to meet his new stepfather: Lucifer.

Sasha has until dawn on the 25th of December to fight the Legions of Hell and rescue Jay, or be trapped there for eternity herself. But now she must decide if the lying, son-of-a-demon is even worth saving...

     I was hesitant about this story; angels and demons aren't my favorite supernatural beings and the premise seemed fake. To my surprise, I liked the story a lot. It has humor, tension, romance, a glimpse into Hollywood, and two very likable leads. The story flowed right along, never moving too fast or too slow and both Jay and Sasha feel like people you might know in your every day life. Now how many demons can you say that about? :D

     I really liked how both Jay and Sasha tried to be their "best" selves with each other, instead of their real selves. As a result, neither knows the other very well and when they go to Hell, the truth comes out. To the surprise of both of them, they like each other's real selves much better than who they pretended to be with each other. Andrews doesn't hit us over the head with the message but works it skillfully into the story.

     A surprise for me was how likable, and pleasant even, Satan was. Yes, he is The Prince of Lies, but he's also a guy dealing with a conniving wife and a reluctant stepson. Even demons have family problems. Andrews was a new-to-me author and after reading this story, I'll be looking for more by her.

     One fairly graphic sex scene towards the end.


Freeze Line

A twenty-first century ice age dulls the magic that emanates from the earth. Shane Sullivan is a lone wolf above the freeze line; He has no desire to join the packs that range closer to the border, where feral instincts can turn a man into a monster. Not until the winter solstice, when he stumbles across a dying witch who needs his help to get back to her people--and her magic--in the south.

Nadia is a powerful woman in her own world, but drained by her escape from captivity in a northern lab. She knows it's foolhardy to trust a werewolf, but he's her only chance to survive the vast white wilderness. The farther south they travel, the harder it is for Shane to keep the beast within under control, and as their mutual attraction intensifies, Nadia's no longer sure she wants him to.

     I had the pleasure, thanks to a friend and Twitter, of discovering the wonderful writing team who make up Moira Rogers just a few months ago. I'm also very fond of werewolves and witches, they are my favorite supernaturals, so I was pretty sure I'd enjoy this story. I did.:)

     Shane is a decent man dealing, the best way he can think of, with the changes in his life since becoming a werewolf. Nadia is a woman, a witch, just trying to survive. Together, they help each out, saving each other's lives and healing their emotional wounds.  I liked how Rogers didn't rush matters between them but let it build. Despite the fact that I am not a werewolf, nor, rumors to the contrary, a witch, I was able to connect with both Shane and Nadia. I cared about them and wanted to see what would happen.

     The world building in this one also felt like a pre-existing  world but not so much so that I was lost. As far as I can tell,  it's the only story in this world but I'd like to see more.

     Contains several sex scenes of varying graphicness. (I have to say, the Rogers team does an awesome job of writing sex scenes; they have become one of my favorites.)


     Overall, this is a solid anthology, with each story worth reading.


Publisher: Carina Press                                                  

Release Date: November 6, 2010

More info: goodreads

This book was received from NetGalley as an  eARC.