Bea Reviews Tempest Reborn by Nicole Peeler

Publisher: Orbit
Series: Jane True #6 
Source: purchased
Release Date: May 28, 2013
Challenges: Finishing the Series |  What An Animal
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe* | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Anyan may be trapped in an evil dragon and Blondie may be gone, but Jane knows one thing: she's not about to give up. She's ready to tear down heaven and earth to save her lover, despite those who believe he's lost.

Luckily for Jane, those who've given up on Anyan do not include those closest to her. Defying The Powers That Be, Jane and Company form their own crack squad of misfits, in whose hands the fate of the world may well rest.

With a little help from her friends, the Universe, and lots of snacks, Jane embarks on her greatest adventure yet, confident that with great sacrifice comes great reward. The question is, who will be that sacrifice?

Bea Reviews Tempest's Fury by Nicole Peeler

Publisher: Orbit
Series: Jane True #5
Format Read: paperback
Source: purchased
Challenges:  Finishing the Series;  What An Animal
Release Date: June 26, 2012
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe* | Barnes & Noble | 
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Jane's not happy. She's been packed off to England to fight in a war when she'd much rather be snogging Anyan. Unfortunately, Jane's enemies have been busy stirring up some major trouble -- the kind that attracts a lot of attention. In other words, they're not making it easy for Jane to get any alone time with the barghest, or to indulge in her penchant for stinky cheese.

Praying she can pull of a Joan of Arc without the whole martyrdom thing, Jane must lead Alfar and halflings alike in a desperate battle to combat an ancient evil. Catapulted into the role of Most Unlikely Hero Ever, Jane also has to fight her own insecurities as well as the doubts of those who don't think she can live up to her new role as Champion.

Along the way, Jane learns that some heroes are born. Some are made. And some are bribed with promises of food and sex.

The Friday 56: Tempest's Fury by Nicole Peeler

This is a fun meme to do hosted by Freda's Voice. If you'd like to join in the fun go to The Friday 56.

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it here.

Like last week's book, this is one from my personal pile that I'm reading for the March 2015 Take Control Of Your TBR Pile. "Tempest's Fury", by Nicole Peeler is an urban fantasy that is both dark and funny. The quote is from page 56  in the paperback.

The fire pit was a bizarrely seventies Playboy touch, but it worked, not least as the flames if the fire were a supernatural kind that wouldn't actually burn down the library.

Quote-Tastic #43 Trust me, baby, my p***s is harmless!

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.

I'm a little bit late this week; I lost track of time. Oooops. 

For several years I glommed onto fun UF series, Jane True by Nicole Peeler. Then I got busy and fell behind. It's one that I'm trying to catch up on this year; in the meantime, here's a quote from the first book, "Tempest Rising". Jane and her vampire lover are engaging in some smexy times. Jane is concerned about the physical repercussions and this is their conversation:

Review of Carniepunk, an anthology

Publisher: Gallery Books
Format Read: eGalley (I was about 2/3 of the way done when the pub sent a finished print copy)
Source: The publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: July 23, 2013
Buying Links:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Blurb from goodreads:

A star-studded urban fantasy anthology featuring bestselling authors Rachel Caine, Rob Thurman, Seanan McGuire, Jennifer Estep, and Kevin Hearne, whose stories explore the creepy, mysterious, and, yes, sometimes magical world of traveling carnivals.

The traveling carnival is a leftover of a bygone era, a curiosity lurking on the outskirts of town. It is a place of contradictions—the bright lights mask the peeling paint; a carnie in greasy overalls slinks away from the direction of the Barker’s seductive call. It is a place of illusion—is that woman’s beard real? How can she live locked in that watery box?

And while many are tricked by sleight of hand, there are hints of something truly magical going on. One must remain alert and learn quickly the unwritten rules of this dark show. To beat the carnival, one had better have either a whole lot of luck or a whole lot of guns—or maybe some magic of one’s own.

Featuring stories grotesque and comical, outrageous and action-packed, Carniepunk is the first anthology to channel the energy and attitude of urban fantasy into the bizarre world of creaking machinery, twisted myths, and vivid new magic.  

Bea's Thoughts: 

I'll do my usual anthology process and give a mini-review of each story. I was excited about this anthology as it has a mix of authors I love, authors I've been wanting to read and one I hadn't heard of before. All the stories involve carnivals to one degree or another, but the punk aspect is vaguer and missing completely from some of the stories. I've marked my favorites with an asterisk.

Review: Tempest's Legacy by Nicole Peeler

Book Blurb:  Jane True has become proficient in basic magics, confident in herself and her abilities, and happily rooted in Rockabill. Her life is still divided between her supernatural brethren and her human friends and family, but it’s a division she maintains with very little trouble.

Everything changes, however, when Anyan brings Jane news that will force her to confront her dichotomized existence – supernatural females are being murdered, or have simply disappeared.

Jane and Anyan must embark on a desperate search to find out who is abducting these women, and how Jane can be protected from them. Aiding them is Jane’s former flame, Ryu. But can his stated motivations be trusted? And who are the mysterious figures dogging Jane’s and Anyan’s footsteps if not minions of Jarl?

Eventually, the trio stumble upon a secret so huge that it threatens to disrupt the tenuous traditions keeping humanity safe from the supernatural community that has, up until now, been content to lurk in the shadows.

Will they uncover the truth in time to save Jane’s friends? And just how far will Jarl go to protect his secrets?

My Thoughts:

I loved it. You need to read it. That is all.








Oh, you want more detail than that? Fine, be picky. :P

     Tempest's Legacy picks up several months after the end of book two, Tracking the Tempest. Jane is learning how to use her magic offensively. She has made friends with the other supernaturals in Rockbill and has achieved some contentment in her life. Life is going pretty well over all for Jane so naturally she gets bad news. Supernatural females are disappearing, even dying and Anyan is investigating. Jane gets involved and so does Ryu and some of his associates. Sadly, Caleb isn't around much in this story but Peeler assured me on Twitter that we'd see more of him *grin* in the next book. However, we do see more of Julian. He gets more attention in this book and also acts as a spotlight for the halflings, who play a major part in this book. The new halflings (most of them) are strong, smart, sassy women who intimidate Jane at first, but then she gets to know them. I hope we will see more of them.

     Peeler takes us deeper into the supernatural world, it's politics and culture. It's a fascinating world and we see up close how some of them live, especially the halflings. Jane, and the reader, learn more about the supernatural world. The Borderlands was a fascinating place, particularly it's relationship with the larger supernatural community.

     Jane's growth, emotionally and magically, continues in this book. That growth is something I appreciate about this series. Peeler has no qualms about changing things up and keeping the pace moving. There's no chance for anyone or anything to get stale. Despite the fast pace of the series, character development and growth are not forsaken. Since the book is told on first person, we see Jane's thoughts and to a lesser extent her feelings. We see, and feel, her frustration with the Alfar, the murders, her relationship with Ryu, and we see her growing determination to do whatever she has to in order to protect her human family and friends, and her less powerful supernatural ones too. She does what she thinks is necessary, even when it terrifies her but also listens, usually, to her friends. She can be a rush in headlong first girl but she learns and listens, and speaks up for herself.

     This book is darker, grittier, with more of an edge. This magical world is not all lightness, butterflies and tea cakes. Like ours, there's violence, corruption, politics, etc. But there's humor, love, loyalty, friendship, and of course, Jane's ever talkative libido. Still, it's clear that Peeler is moving this into a darker direction, and Jane also. I can't wait to see what happens next.

  **Note: the version I read was a galley, not a final copy and it contained numerous typos, misspellings, and half-finished sentences. Presumably, these were found and fixed before it went to print. I hope so, because they kept taking me out of the story, especially where the wrong word was clearly used, changing the meaning of the sentence.**  

Publisher:   Orbit                                                 Release date: January 1, 2011

More Info: goodreads                                          Series: #3 in The Jane True series


This book was provided by NetGalley as an eARC.

Interview with author Nicole Peeler

     It's no secret that one of my very favorite series these days is the Jane True series written by the wonderfully funny, and smutty, Nicole Peeler. I was introduced to her first book over at the Kelley Armstrong discussion board book club. I enjoyed that first book, Tempest Rising, and looked forward to the second one, Tracking the Tempest.  Well, I loved that book, it's one of the very few books I've given a 5 star rating on goodreads. I laughed so hard I was breathless and I talked it up on Twitter. Nicole is on Twitter also (@NicolePeeler) and is even funnier, smuttier, and more potty-mouthed than in her books. I knew that I had to interview Nicole. This interview doesn't do her justice, but maybe it will whet your appetite and encourage you to seek her books out if you aren't reading them already.

     First, some info about Nicole. Over the summer she moved to Pittsburg (in Pennsylvania in the US) to teach at Seton Hill University's Master of Fine Arts program in Writing Popular Fiction. When not teaching or writing, she enjoys cooking and eating, traveling, and spending time with her friends and families.

     Nicole can be found all over the web. In addition to Twitter, she's on facebook, has a website, and blogs at The League of Reluctant Adults or you can email her at IHeartSelkies AT gmail DOT com.

                                                             The Jane True books:

And now for the interview.  :)

BEA: Nicole, thank you for coming by and chatting with me. Maybe next time Jane, Anyan, and some of the others could visit also.

BEA: Why writing? Would you continue to write if you were no longer published?

NICOLE: I’ve always written, and I’ve always loved words, but I’d never really written fiction. To be honest, I don’t know if I would write fiction if I weren’t publishing it. But I would never stop writing. I’d probably go back to writing academic work. But who knows?

BEA: What is your favorite part of writing?

NICOLE: I think it’s being able to tell the stories I’ve always wanted to read.

BEA: What is your least favorite part?

NICOLE: How things get dropped from above into your lap, and need to be turned around in a few weeks.  I love my publishing company, and I know this is normal, but it’s hard when you have a pretty intense day job.

**as an example - during the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, Nicole tweeted about her work on revisions for book 4 that she was aiming to turn in for Jan. 2nd - Bea**

BEA: Was there someone who was, or is, particularly helpful to you?


NICOLE: I’ve had so many mentors, so many amazing teachers, and so many incredible friends. Too many to name, here. I can tell you there’s no way I could ever have done any of this alone.

BEA: Why urban fantasy?

NICOLE: I love the fact it’s so “real” and so fantastic, all at the same time. I can have my character deal with “real woman” issues, like sexual safety, at the same time that she’s worrying about being with a vampire. It’s fun, but it also allows me to say some things I think need to be said. ;-)


BEA: If you could be a character in a book, which one would it be, and what part would you play? (Romantic lead, sidekick, etc)


NICOLE: I’d definitely be the vulgar sidekick. I’d be like Grizelda in my books, saying really raunchy stuff in the background like some perverted peanut gallery. ;-)

BEA: Do you prefer paper books or ebooks? Why?

NICOLE: I’ve just come to ebooks, and I do love them. Don’t get me wrong, at heart I’m a paper book girl. But I’ve moved so much, and had to give up so many books over the years, it’s heartbreaking. With ebooks, they can always move with me.

BEA: Do you write by hand, on a typewriter, or on a computer? If on the computer, do you use any particular software program to help you?

NICOLE: I write on a computer, just using word or pages.

BEA: I saw on twitter that you were participating in NaNoWriMo. Why? What is useful or valuable about it? 

NICOLE: I didn't really do NaNo, but I signed up and I sponsored NaNo at my university with another professor. I think it’s a great way to get people writing, and to realize how much time they do have to write, if they just make that time. But I’m not really a NaNo gal. I have to write a lot, already, and I really have to edit. I can’t not edit as I go along. I tried with NaNo, and it was interesting, but there’s no way I can’t not edit.

BEA: How many books are currently planned for the Jane True series? Is there a possibility of a spin- off?

NICOLE: I’ve got six books planned for Jane, but only six. That said, I would love to do a spin-off, and already have it quite developed.



**yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - Bea**

BEA: Why a selkie for your lead character?

NICOLE: I picked a selkie because Jane could be magical, but not bad ass. No one expects a selkie to be a ninja. ;-) And I wanted Jane to be more “human” than some urban fantasy heroines out there.

**I love this about Jane; it's also one of the things that I like about Mercy in the Mercy Thompson books by Patricia Briggs. I really like that they are more human, more relatable than some of the kick-ass, do-it-all heroines out there - Bea** 

BEA: What else do you want to write?


NICOLE: I want to write this spin off, and then I’m not sure. It’s still so early in my career, and I’m only now coming to terms with being a writer. It’ll take me a little while longer to start thinking about what else I want to do, in terms of story lines.


BEA: Who are some of your favorite authors?


NICOLE: I have so many: Philip Roth, Iris Murdoch, Muriel Spark, Sarah Waters, Mercedes Lackey, Charles de Lint… the list could go on and on. ;-)

BEA: You’ve traveled a lot, what do you like about traveling? What is your favorite place and why?

NICOLE: I think it’s really important to travel. It’s challenging, and it makes people see the world differently. I’ve lived abroad for many years, and the experience really made me who I am, today. As for my favorite places, I feel very at home in London, but I absolutely adore Istanbul.

BEA: You are active on twitter and several blogs. Where else are you active online and why do choose to use social media? Do you think it is necessary now for an author?

NICOLE: I think it’s absolutely necessary for writers to be media-savvy. Publishing houses expect us to do a lot of our own promo, nowadays, and the internet is the cheapest and most accessible way to do this. As for why I chose social media, it was all things my publisher told me to do when I started. Before I sold my book, I didn’t even have a Facebook page.

Nicole, thanks again for stopping by and taking the time to talk with me. I know that Tempest's Legacy will do well for you and I'm already itching for the next book, Eye of the Tempest.

Review: Tracking the Tempest by Nicole Peeler

Book Blurb: Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and Ryu - Jane's bloodsucking boyfriend - can't let a major holiday go by without getting all gratuitous. An overwhelming dose of boyfriend interference and a last-minute ticket to Boston later, and Jane's life is thrown off course. Ryu's well-intentioned plans create mayhem, and Jane winds up embroiled in an investigation involving a spree of gruesome killings. All the evidence points towards another Halfling, much to Jane's surprise.

My Thoughts: OMG, I loved this book. It was awesome. Do not, however, read this book if you are having trouble breathing. I was recovering from an asthma flare while reading it and laughed so hard that I could barely breathe. But there's more to the story than humor. Peeler mixes humor, romance, bawdiness, action, mystery, and mythology into the perfect confection. I enjoyed the first book, but Peeler took it up several notches with this story.

     This one takes place several months after the first book, right around Valentine's Day. Jane has been training, learning how to use her magic and developing defensive skills. Ryu surprises Jane with a trip to his home in Boston for the holiday. The trip is an eye-opener in many ways. Jane and Ryu learn more about each other, for better and for worse. We still get to peek into Jane's mind and see her often hilarious, breathtaking (in my case), thoughts. Jane is snarky, hilarious, observant, and willing to fight for what matters to her. On a side note, I follow Ms. Peeler on Twitter, and Jane comes by her bawdiness, her snark, and her humor quite naturally.

     The trip however is not all fun and games. Ryu's job as an investigator interrupts their time together. A halfling is on the loose and committing gruesome murders. As they learn more about him, Jane finds herself torn. Even as she's appalled by the murders, the more she learns about him, the more sympathetic she is to him. Their investigation is complicated by the presence of an investigative team sent by a rival at the fae court. During the course of the book, Jane comes to understand that this new life of hers has it's downside and that magic is not a cure-all for everything or a guarantee that her life will be better.

I like that we see Jane changing and growing. In only two books, there's been more character development than some authors manage in an entire series. I like Jane, she feels like she could be a neighbor or co-worker. Ryu is more exotic, and also arrogant and condescending. While that was apparent in the first book, we really get to see it up close and personal in this book, and so does Jane.

We see many of the people from the first book, including Anyan, who is still yummy, and Caleb, of the ginormous penis. We also meet the members of Ryu's investigative team. One of the things that I like about the Jane True series is Peeler's use of mythological characters. We have not only the standby races of elves but less commonly used races such as selkies, gnomes, satyrs, and ifrits. She does a nice job of taking mythology, tweaking it to her purposes, and putting it into a contemorary story and setting.

I loved this book and I am looking forward to the next one, "Tempest's Legacy", due out in January 2011.

Publisher: Orbit Books

Release date: June 16th, 2010

This book was borrowed from my local library.