Gush and Gripe #8 + NetGalley Knockout

GUSHING ABOUT OUR FOLLOWING!

We just recently reached 1000 followers!

How awesome is this news?! We like to thank every one of you who followed and joined our discussions. All the authors, publishers and tour sites who've helped us reach this goal, you somehow made it easier for us and definitely more fun. You make us feel so special and very much loved. We do our best to return the favor because we know how challenging it is to gain followers and have them actually follow you, pay attention to your posts and exchange thoughts. So we pay it forward and it's very heartwarming that it paid off somehow. 

We promise to come up with more fun stuff and read-worthy articles for all of you. If we can only give each one of you a hug, we definitely will!

GRIPING ABOUT EBOOKS!

Maybe this is an uninformed rambling so feel free to comment so we can discuss it for the ultimate purpose of enlightenment. Help me understand why (1) some electronic books are the same prize as their paperback counterparts and (2) some are even more expensive than print versions!

A standard paperback is $7.99 while some digital print books are $9.99 and at times you can't even loan the ebook out, it's a little steep if you ask me. I would think these traditional publishers are saving money on raw materials like paper, ink, binding, surplus prints, etc. by going digital so shouldn't it follow that the prices of their ebooks be cheaper? Not only that, I've noticed that the expensive ones are usually the YA books. Your target market are average teens (unemployed) who rely on their allowance and baby-sitting money to buy ten-dollar books, that's a little steep if you ask me.

I love physical books, the feel of paper, the smell of a new book, cracking open that virgin book spine, for a bibliophile those sensations are incomparable.  But I'm also for technology and going Green. Digital books are saving trees and the environment and Amazon turned it into this gigantic global market, it's time someone regulates the pricing method IMHO. There's a lot of room for improvement here and I hope someone takes a look at it and make this market more efficient and consumer friendly.

______________________________________

My original goal was 19 books and though I didn't meet my goal nor kept to my original list of books, I still think I did pretty well. I did cheat with other books and if I count that, I'd meet my goal. In any case, it was fun and as far as I'm concerned, it gave me the extra push to read my galleys so mission accomplished Goldilox!

1. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
2. If I were You by Lisa Renee Jones
3. Mockingbird by Chuck Wendig
4. Lip Service by M.J. Rose
5. A Lady Can Never Be Too Curious - DNF
6. Fifty-One Shades of Blonde
7. The Enchanted Truth
8. The Kingdom - review pending
9. The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe
10. Speechless by Hannah Harrington
11. The Angel by Tiffany Reisz - review closer to date of release
12. Blades of Winter by G.T. Almasi
13. The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron

Masked Blusher: Licked, Cuffed + Spanked by Erotica

Hi, I am the Masked Blusher, I am anonymous unless you figure out who I am, then maybe not so much. 

NOTE: 

We never thought we'd ever tag a Guest Blog post with 18 and up... guess there's always a first time for everything. Proceed with caution. 

Review: The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron

Format: ARC (NetGalley)
Release Date: September 1, 2012
Excerpt here
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository 

A spine-tingling tale of steampunk and spies, intrigue and heart-racing romance!
When Katharine Tulman's inheritance is called into question by the rumor that her eccentric uncle is squandering away the family fortune, she is sent to his estate to have him committed to an asylum. But instead of a lunatic, Katharine discovers a genius inventor with his own set of rules, who employs a village of nine hundred people rescued from the workhouses of London.

Katharine is now torn between protecting her own inheritance and preserving the peculiar community she grows to care for deeply. And her choices are made even more complicated by a handsome apprentice, a secretive student, and fears for her own sanity.

As the mysteries of the estate begin to unravel, it is clear that not only is her uncle's world at stake, but also the state of England as Katharine knows it. With twists and turns at every corner, this heart-racing adventure will captivate readers with its intrigue, thrills, and romance.

THE DARK UNWINDING is set in a beautiful estate with a community that is self sufficient led by an eccentric genius inventor. When Katherine set foot in Stranwyne Keep, she never expected a self-sufficient community where people were given decent employment to provide for themselves and their family all because of her Uncle's hobby. Katherine was set to believe that Fat Robert's inheritance, and consequently hers, is being squandered in useless gadgetry that his Uncle was fond of creating. This premise planted in her mind by her Aunt Alice can't be farther from the truth because her Uncle's madness has done nothing but improve people's lives and now it's up to Katherine to keep it that way. 

-- the villagers of Stranwyne do not deserve to be turned out of their homes. And neither does your unvle belong in a lunatic's cell, merely for the crime of being created differently from his fellows.

A very promising plot line that turned into a very laborious read! THE DARK UNWINDING was slow to unwind and get on with the story. The world that Sharon Cameron created is dark, gritty and exactly what the cover art implies. What killed it was the world building itself. She took her time in sowing the seeds she planted and the heart-racing romance promised faded in the background. Towards the end I couldn't care less about Katherine's love life or inheritance, I just want to get it over with. The slow pace doused the excitement I felt when I started reading the book. 

Which is disappointing because Katherine is a likable heroine. She's sharp, objective, carefree and empathetic towards the people her Uncle employed. The setting is equally fascinating with all those clockwork gadgets and her Uncle Tully's genius, even the secondary characters were entertaining enough. It's the way these strong points were strung together that affected an otherwise engaging story. With all the mysteries and possible conflicts the plot implies, SCameron could've jumped in the thick of things right away instead of distracting us with too much scenery.

Feature and Follow #14: Best Cover Bad Story

Feature & Follow is a weekly meme hosted by, Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Each week, each host will have their own Feature Blog which allows them to show off more new blogs! It is a fun way to keep in touch with fellow bloggers, meet new bloggers and gain new followers. 

This Week's Question

What is the best cover of a book that you’ve read and didn’t like?

Answer: Lauren Kate's Fallen is one of the first book that started the trend of girls wearing ball gowns but with a Gothic feel to it. I LOVED this trend, I found it very attractive and like most of you, I was weak and picked up the series because of the catchy title and cover. 
Unfortunately the story wasn't up to my liking, I didn't find Luce a strong heroine and the love triangle was weak and truly annoying.

Feel free to follow Talk Supe via GFC, NetworkedBlogs, Linky or Email subscription. If you're new to our site, please leave a comment below and we will make sure to visit & follow your blog. You may also follow Talk Supe on Twitter and Facebook.

Happy Feature & Follow!

Waiting on Wednesday #25

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Braine

The Prince
The Original Sinners 3
Tiffanny Reisz
Harlequin Mira
November 20, 2012

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer...preferably in bed. That's always been Kingsley Edge's strategy with his associate, the notorious New York dominatrix Nora Sutherlin. But with Nora away in Kentucky, now it's Kingsley's chance to take her place at the feet of the only man he's ever wanted-So ren, Nora's on-again, off-again lover-until a new threat from an old enemy forces him to confront his past.

Wes Railey is still the object of Nora's tamest yet most maddening fantasies, and the one man she can't forget. He's young. He's wonderful. He's also thoroughbred royalty and she's in "his" world now. But Nora is no simpering Southern belle, and her dream of fitting into Wesley's world is perpetually at odds with her dear So ren's relentlessly seductive pull.

Two worlds of wealth and passion call to her and whichever one Nora chooses, it will be the hardest decision she will ever have to make...unless someone makes it for her.

Pre-Order The Prince

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

I am so obsessed with this series! I'm now reading The Angel and I'm taking my sweet time with it. So naturally, I'm already excited for book 3. Tiffany Reisz is my new guilty pleasure... and carbs... with sugar. Did someone say, puff pastry?

So tell us, what book or books are you anxiously waiting for?

Writer Wrangler: G.T. Almasi on Blades of Winter + Alix Nico

So if you've dropped by our blog last week, you might have seen this review I did where I dropped a couple of French words. In case you missed it, it's for Blades of Winter, penned by this guy who graciously stopped by our blog today to talk more about Alix Nico and his debut novel.

Talk Supe: Hi G.T.! Thanks for for indulging our interview request. 
G.T. Almasi: Glad to be here.

Talk Supe: Like I mentioned in my review, I had a hard time classifying Blades Of Winter in terms of genre. It has a sci-fi feel to it but its so much more than that. I know Blades Of Winter falls under several but if one is to box it, in what genre would it fall under? I think you're the best person to consult with.
G.T.: I saw an interview with Maurice Sendak where he indicated that he did not consider himself a writer of children’s books. That categorization came from everyone who read his classic book, Where The Wild Things Are. 
My book mashes-up several genres, so I also have a hard time classifying it. I didn’t set out to write in a genre, I just wrote whatever I wanted. I guess the fact that Blades of Winter is being published by Random House’s science fiction imprint Del Rey means it’s Science Fiction.

Talk Supe: There are a lot of teen heroines running around the book world, makes Alix different from the rest?
G.T.: I think all the teen heroines running around are pretty different from each other. Lisbeth Salander, Bella Swan, Katniss Everdeen, Hannah Heller, Hermione Granger and the other female action leads are unique characters, each in their own worlds and situations. 

What makes Alix unique is that violence is her chosen profession. She carries out her missions with a fevered zeal that reveals a certain lack of empathy, which I believe all killers carry, whether they’re government-sponsored or not.

Alix’s story is not intended for young readers. The language is strong, the violence is graphic, and her attitude is not always that exemplary. In this way she’s similar to Lisbeth and Hannah, but unlike these two characters Alix intentionally immerses herself in the sort of hair-raising situations most people, even these other characters, would run away from if they could. To paraphrase Bud from Repo Man, the life of Alix Nico is always intense.

Talk Supe: Was it hard for you to write about a story with a female lead and a teenager at that?
G.T.: The female part was not too difficult, but the teenage part was tricky. In my early drafts Alix was barely past puberty, yet her behavior was more like what you’d see from a late-teenager or early twenty-something. I based her advanced maturity on the poise I see from teenaged Olympic athletes. 

However, no American publisher would touch a story about such a young hit man, so I made her nineteen instead of fourteen. A concession I wrangled from my editor was that although we meet Alix when she’s nineteen, she’s been in the field since she was fifteen. We just haven’t gotten those stories from her... yet ;)

Talk Supe: How long did it take for you to conceptualize Shadowstorm and write the first book, Blades of Winter?
G.T.: I have notes from more than ten years ago. As more ideas came to me I’d add them to my journal, (note to all aspiring novelists: keep an Idea Journal!). Eventually I had so much material that I said, “Wow, I could write a whole book about this.” Then I said, “Well, why not?”

The original draft for Blades of Winter took me about a year to write. I’ll never forget the thrill of typing “The End.” Wow! I’d done it! 

Then the real work began. Five years and nineteen drafts later, hardly any of that original version remains, but I’m really happy with how it came out, especially since it’s the first book I’ve ever written.

Talk Supe: Which part of the book was the most challenging for you to write?
G.T.: The detective story part. Spy stories have a strong detective-story element, but when I read or watch a detective story I always think the butler did it.

Talk Supe: How many Shadowstorm books are you planning to write?
G.T.: Three for now; Blades of Winter, Hammer of Angels, and an as-yet-untitled third book. But I’ve left hooks all up and down my alt-history timeline for lots of other stories.

Talk Supe: What should we expect from Alix in Hammer of Angels? (I really love the book titles.)
G.T.: More ass-kicking craziness, with a greater sense of the impact her missions are having on history. She also grows up a bit from the experiences she has in both the first and second books. And her supporting cast receives some fun additions, not all of them entirely fictional.

Talk Supe: What would Alix say to convince the readers to buy her book?
G.T.: Oh man, nothing I could repeat in polite company. It would be really persuasive, that’s for sure.  ;)
Talk Supe: I think it'll be somewhere along the lines of Get it! Blades is Fuckin A!


FUN FACTS
Day job: Graphic designer / web developer.

Favorite band/song/album: My favorite album is London Calling by the Clash, although my favorite song is White Riot, which is on their eponymous debut album. My favorite active band is Anti-Flag.

If you're to keep only one book from your library, what would it be? Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson.

Living person you're dying to meet: Elie Wiesel, author of Night.

Favorite / least favorite classes in high school: My favorite classes were art and computers. I aced all my art classes, and my teacher was the one who suggested that I apply to RISD. I was “that drawing kid,” and classmates used to bring their notebooks to me so I could draw elaborate illustrations of Conan (or whatever) on them. One kid had me paint an Iron Maiden album cover onto the back of his denim jacket. It came out really well and he paid me with a case of vodka. 

I also had a leg up in computer class. My father had already helped me learn how to program my own video games in BASIC, so I knew more than the teacher did. I used to write these short malware apps, label them something irresistible like “Space Invaders,” and give them to the asshole jocks who used to whip me with wet towels in the locker room. When they ran the program their computer would lock up and wail like the siren on a police car, which attracted a lot of negative attention from the teacher.

My least favorite classes were everything else (I hated high school). One possible exception was French class because my friends and I had so much fun pronouncing everything phonetically, (“je suis ici” became “jay swiss eye-kie”). Of course our teacher rewarded us with, “F-moins. Cherchez-moi.” (F-minus, see me.)

Blades of Winter, the first book of G.T. Almasi's Shadowstorm Series is out today. Trust me, it's worth adding to your collection.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

The Teens Who Would Be King by G.T. Almasi

The Teens Who Would Be King

“Hey, let’s take over the world and — ooh! Shiny!”

If Olympic athletes trained to be Ninjas instead of athletes, we couch potatoes wouldn’t stand a chance. Fortunately, the kind of person who spends their entire life training their bodies to perform super-human feats is also the kind of person who’s easily distracted by glittery trinkets. When we tell Olympic athletes to “Go for the gold!” we’re really telling them, “Don’t rise up against us and become our genetically superior overlords!”

Every time I watch the Olympics I think, “If we made those kids into spies they’d kick butt!” All we’d have to do is channel their mental focus and physical discipline into their youthful patriotism and stuff them full of biotic enhancements and implanted communication gear. Then we’d have a cadre of unstoppable super-spies. And the kids would love it! What teenager doesn’t wish they had a cell phone installed in their head?

Olympians and spies hold a powerful fascination for us: a super-human combination of discipline and danger. I’ve been a James Bond fan my whole life. I also really enjoyed the adventures of Indiana Jones, Rambo, and Jason Bourne. I loved watching the female leads in La Femme Nikita and the Tomb Raider properties. But none of these action heroes were teenagers, and female characters still represented a tiny minority of action leads. 

Then Harry Potter happened, and young characters -- male and female -- suddenly became viable action leads for grown-up audiences. Now, with Hunger Games, Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Twilight and others, we’re seeing more and more young would-be Olympians doing very adult things. 

I’ve been asked if Blades of Winter is similar to these other titles. It’s a tricky question, because I don’t consider those other titles similar even to each other. While the fundamental idea -- a teenage female character in an extremely violent story -- is the same, each of these stories fly off in their own direction once they’re past this initial similarity. Even so, it’s interesting to be swept up in this trend, especially since it didn’t really exist when I started writing Blades of Winter six years ago. 

I do, however, worry that these books and movies will give the Olympians ideas. Instead of entertaining us with their athletic gifts, they could enslave us with their superior genes instead. Then they would establish a new world order that — ooh, look! Shiny!
Gold medals continue to be our best defense against the Olympians. The current literary trend of young heroes to give them dangerous ideas means that maintaining this defense is more important than ever. Happily, it seems that London’s recent pile of fresh hardware has effectively squashed the Neo-Sapiens’ hunger for global domination. 

For now. 

-GTA
August, 2012

Blades of Winter, the first book of G.T. Almasi's Shadowstorm Series, is out today. 
Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Girl Crush Mondays: Pink

Alecia Beth Moore

I have always been a fan of Pink and I was actually on her team when Brit-Brit and Xtina were battling for the pop princess title. Next to Kelly Clarkson and Alanis Morissette, she's my next go-to girl when I'm in need of some PMS/guy hating songs plus her beats are really fun to work-out to.

Stupid Girls was the song that probably catapulted her to mainstream pop due to it's controversial message and music video which satirize certain pop princesses and celebutantes during the time of its release. It was so good that she even landed a guest spot in Oprah!

After an onstage concert accident, reconciling with her motocross motorbike racer hubby, Carey Hart, and a  baby, she's now back with a brand new song and an upcoming album, The Truth About Love. I for one can't get enough of the debut single, Blow Me (One Last Kiss).

Winner: If I Were You Launch Tour

Christiane C.

Congratulations for winning 

$10 Amazon Gift Card plus these two books from Lisa's 

Vampire Wardens Series

Thank you to Lisa Renee Jones for sponsoring the giveaway 

and please don't forget to pick up her latest novel

(and my latest obsession)

now available for purchase

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Bought, Borrowed and Bagged #17

BB&B (Bought, Borrowed and Bagged) is a weekly meme, inspired my The Story Siren and Pop Culture Junkie, where we share with you the books that we have bought, borrowed or bagged (won) plus a recap of the previous week's reviews, upcoming reviews, on going events and any news we want to share with our followers.

Cimmaron

Bought

Bagged

Braine

Bought

Bagged

from FMB Blog Tours for review

FREE from Amazon

from NetGalley & Edelweiss

Upcoming Reviews

• Defiance by C.J. Redwine
• The Red Diary by Toni Blake
• The Lure of Sharpinsay by Krista Holle

Last Week's Reviews

• Lip Service by M.J. Rose
• The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe
• Speechless by Hannah Harrington
• Mockingbird by Chuck Wendig (Buddy Review)
• Blades of Winter by G.T. Almasi

Check out these other fabulous blogs that participate in 

Bought, Borrowed & Bagged:

Lauren and Nia at Northern Plunder

Chrystina at Book Liaison
Wickedly Delicious at Wickedly Delicious Book Blog

Early Review: Blades of Winter by G.T. Almasi

Series: Shadowstorm 1
Format: ARC (NetGalley)
Excerpt here
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository 

Nineteen-year-old Alix Nico, a self-described “million-dollar murder machine,” is a rising star in ExOps, a covert-action agency that aggressively shields the United States from its three great enemies: the Soviet Union, Greater Germany, and the Nationalist Republic of China. Rather than risk another all-out war, the four superpowers have poured their resources into creating superspies known as Levels.

Alix is one of the hottest young American Levels. That’s no surprise: Her dad was America’s top Level before he was captured and killed eight years ago. But when an impulsive decision explodes—literally—in her face, Alix uncovers a conspiracy that pushes her to her limits and could upset the global balance of power forever.

MOTHAFUCKIN' A! 

Pardon my French but that was my overall reaction to G.T. Almasi's debut novel, BLADES OF WINTER. I have never read anything like this! I don't even know how I'll classify it, all I know is that if Almasi intends to pay homage to John le Carré and Stan Lee, he did a stellar job of doing so, both the British author and Marvel Godfather will be proud of his first endeavor to continue the legacy of ass-kicking, super human heroes with heart pounding, science fiction stories glazed with espionage and lots and lots of big guns and heavy ammunition.

Almasi didn't specify the exact setting for BLADES OF WINTER but from several bullet points, I assume that the story is set in an alternative present. In Alix's world, the Germans essentially won WWII and now rules most of Europe. Together with the US, China and Russia, they complete The Four. Four superpowers who rule and control the world in a political and military game similar to Risk. Aside from military and munition advancements, The Four managed to develop super humans or bionics. I love Almasi's depiction of bionics and how they came to be, he made it special but not too technical and highfalutin that it would turn off readers who are not into science fiction such as myself. Alix's world was futuristic but not to the extent that it became a boring scientific drone of bio-technology warfare similar to Terminator or Total Recall. My favorite parts were the history lessons doled out in flashforward style to reinforce the political climate Almasi painted.

I don't know, Raj. It seems like you could eat me for dinner and still have plenty of room for dessert.
Yeah, Scarlet, I could, but all your metal and plastic wouldn't be so good for my digestion.

Alixandra Janina Nico, codename Scarlet, is everything you want your heroine to be. This 19yo redheaded bionic, yes BIONIC, teen was a former world class gymnast before she got recruited by ExOps. Receiving a bunch of mechanical and biological modifications and enhancements making her almost invincible. Alix is a natural spy taking after her father, legendary Philip Nico, is THE best agent ExOps ever had and Alix is closely following in his footsteps. She's a sarcastic, daring and beautiful super spy who is very skilled in combat, a machine and a lethal one at that. Taking out enemies without remorse, Alix won't have second thoughts ripping your spine out with a forceful yank or castrate you mid conversation just to prove she can.

I was conflicted reading BLADES OF WINTER, I don't if I should slow down or match the jolting pace that G.T. Almasi set. From page 1 we have people and places exploding and it only intensifies with every chapter, culminating into a clusterfuck of situations that had Alix chasing after spies from all points of the world. With her partner and part-time lover, Trick, they uncover treasonous conspiracies along the way that had Alix going in and out of the hospital. But more importantly, Alix discovers that Big Bertha, the most infamous agent the world has known, aka Philip Nico, her father is still alive and Alix made it her mission to find and save her Dad.

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having overdone it last night, and I detest all the booze I drank because I dread the loss of my lunch and the pain of puking my guts out. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy Grace to avoid the cheap stuff, to never again mix grain and grape, and to make sure I eat something beforehand. Amen.

- Alix's Act of Contrition

But before Alix is reunited with her father, she must run other missions and tie loose ends that will eventually lead her to her father. For now she has to take care of Winter, the man who runs the Blades of Persia, a group rumored to be working to reclaim the Middle East from the Germans. This was Big Bertha's last case and information about Philip's last mission is crucial if helping Alix discover what happened to her father and where his current location is.

I never thought I'd enjoy, much less fawn over, a book like this. BLADES OF WINTER gave me such a rush that the adrenaline high lasted long after I finished the darn book. It also didn't help that Almasi ended the in one of those WTH?! moments that if it were a real book, I'd be shaking it silly in case there's a missing page hidden somewhere. If you're into high action/adventure books with a witty, cunning and deadly heroines, BLADES OF WINTER is THE book for you. G.T. Almasi can't write a stronger book than this, it's sharper and more lethal than Adamantium claws. Read the excerpt if you need more convincing.

*Book 2, Hammer of Angels, is scheduled for release in March 26, 2013

Writer Wrangler: MJ Rose Talks Erotica

Today we are lucky to have the author of

read review here

and one of the country's premier erotica writers.
Welcome to Talk Supe, M.J. Rose!

Talk Supe: I know you've published several books but have you always written erotica or have you penned other stories that are not of the genre?
M.J. Rose: All of my books have sensual elements but only Lip Service and Lying in Bed are really what I'd call "erotic". That said there  are erotic scenes in every book.  It might be my favorite part of writing... when i get to the sex scenes the writing flows in a way that it doesn't in the rest of the book.

Talk Supe: Erotica has been around for a long time but the popularity of 50 Shades has put this genre back to the forefront, what are your thoughts about mainstream erotica books that have been recently released? Do you feel these newly published books are really erotica or just a bastardization of the genre to keep up with the trend?
M.J. Rose: I think the internet and ebooks made it less embarrassing for people to buy erotic books. When Lip Service came out we sold more than a thousand times as many books via online sales or direct mail sales. As for the current crop of books -  - I actually don't read a enough current erotica to judge what's being written now. I love writing it - and I love wonderful books that have erotic elements but I don't search out erotic to read.

Talk Supe: People usually mistake erotica as porn but what is erotica and how is it different from romantica or it's illegitimate cousin, porn?
M.J. Rose: I don't like labels and don't use them.  One person's erotica is another person's (fill in the blank.) I believe in freedom of expression and I think that fantasies are wonderful and that nothing that happens consensually is wrong as long as no one is hurt.  But to define it - I don't think I can.

Talk Supe: Which novel of yours is your favorite or the most special and why?
M.J. Rose: It's like asking a mother which child she  likes the best. Usually its the most recent novel. Though I guess Lip Service is special in its own way since it was the first and the one that got me so much attention.

Talk Supe: Aside from yourself, which other erotica writer do you recommend and what book of theirs should we check out?
M.J. Rose: I loved Anne Rice writing as A.S Roquelare in the Sleeping Beauty Trilogy.


FILL IN THE BLANKS

I am currently reading C.W. Gortner's The Queen's Vow.
My guilty pleasure is watching romantic comedies on tv.
At least five great perfumers is something every woman should have.
I can't resist a man who can laugh at himself.
Picasso is someone I'm dying to meet and chat with.

Check out these books from MJ Rose

 Butterfield Institute Series

New Books

More Books

M.J. Rose is a founding member and board member of International Thriller Writers and the founder of the first marketing company for authors: AuthorBuzz.com. She runs two popular blogs; Buzz, Balls & Hype and Backstory.

For more info on M.J. Rose and her books please visit her website at

www.mjrose.com

or her Goodreads page

you can also follow her on Twitter @MJRose

Early Buddy Review: Mockingbird by Chuck Wendig

Series: Miriam Black 2
Format: ACR (NetGalley)
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Excerpt here
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository 

Miriam is trying. Really, she is.

But this whole "settling down thing" that Louis has going for her just isn't working out. She lives on Long Beach Island all year around. Her home is a run-down double-wide trailer. She works at a grocery store as a check-out girl. And her relationship with Louis--who's on the road half the time in his truck--is subject to the piss and vinegar Miriam brings to everything she does.

It just isn't going well. Still, she's keeping her psychic ability--to see when and how someone is going to die just by touching them--in check. But even that feels wrong somehow. Like she's keeping a tornado stoppered up in a tiny bottle.

Then comes one bad day that turns it all on her ear.

This review is very special because (1) this is my first buddy review and (2) I get to do it with one of my best blogger buddy, Melissa of Lily Element. We are both gaga over this series and to switch it up a bit, we decided to gush about the return of our favorite anti-hero, Miriam Black, and her own flock of black birds.

STORY

We are legion. The demons in your head.

Braine: I love how right off the gate Miriam is pissed and people started dying. I know it sounds morbid but that sets the theme of the book if not the series. Here I thought we're going to see Miriam living a quiet domestic life with Louis. So I was pretty surprised to read that their life is far from happy and in fact it has deteriorated since the events in Blackbird.

Melissa: Call me a glutton for punishment, but I can't get enough of Miriam's in your face attitude and brutal honesty. The story quickly morphs from the day-to-day life of Miriam and lack of Louis, to the odd job that Louis finds her. He quickly dumps her at a school to go hang out with a woman he kind of knows. Was it just me, or was The Caldecott School an interesting choice of places to stick Miriam in? The purpose of the school is to reform bad girls, which describes Miriam perfectly.

Braine: I know, I feel like maybe Louis set her up or something sending her to that reform school. But Miriam has no rhyme or reason so of course she just goes along with it and find herself in another jam. I never expected a reform school to join the mix, this series is so morbid and such a horror story you know nothing good will come out of it when he adds teenagers to the cast of characters.

MIRIAM

If you knew me, you wouldn't think that locking me away in a trailer for a year would be a super idea.

Melissa: Miriam is still the crazy lady that I grew to love. She still cusses like a sailor and goes looking for trouble. 

Braine: Still a chain-smoker and still drinks on an empty stomach! LOL

Melissa: But there are minor changes that I noticed. She actually tries to change for Louis by wearing gloves so she doesn't see how people die. There is also the fact that she lies to a woman about how she dies because she doesn't want to upset her.

Braine: I never saw those gloves coming and I never expected her to be the "considerate" type. I know she still has a conscience somewhere. Remember how self-absorbed she was in Blackbirds? Maybe Louis softened her a bit.

Melissa: I agree, I think Louis is probably the reason why her personality changed and she actually cares about a few people. Dare I say it, but there was even a slightly sweet side that was exposed.

Braine: My uh-oh moment was when she touched and saw Lauren Martin's death. I knew she'll  be Miriam's obsession and her quest to stop that vision from happening will set off a series of events that will turn this thriller into a horror story! But this only proves that Miriam's anti-hero complex is superficial, it's her inherent goodness that makes her go into superhero mode and tries to change people's fates. It might anger "the powers that be" but probably it's her way of giving the finger to this force that gave her this "gift". Plus seeing all those deaths is enough to drive anybody insane. No wonder Miriam is always teetering on the edge of insanity.

VILLAINS

It's not my fault I'm surrounded by idiots and lunatics half the time.

Melissa: Wendig really stepped up the villain(s) in Mockingbird. The bad guy had no qualms on targeting teenage girls, which I think is why this book kind of shook me.

Braine: True, when the identities and back stories of the villains were revealed, I was so revolted by them. It reminded me of the movies Psycho and Wrong Turn. A family of (SPOILER) murderers  targeting helpless women, running a very twisted morality campaign! How can you reason with crazy?! Until now I still don't know how Miriam managed to get away from those people. That was a too tight of a situation and to say that she had another close call is an understatement.

Melissa: Miriam seems to triumph in impossible situations, but even I doubted she would get away from the villains this time. They were really creepy and on more than one occasion I wanted to throw my nook in the freezer (like Joey from Friends) so the scariness wouldn’t get me.

Braine: One wonders when her 9 lives is going to run out

A FLOCK OF BLACK BIRDS 

--you have a job to do and we won't let you walk away until it's done.

Braine: Aside from fantasy books, I've never really encountered birds, supercharged birds, to be part of the character list much less a major one at that. I would sometimes see crows and ravens outside and while reading MOCKINGBIRD, I developed minor phobia about it. I'm a little superstitious and I have heard that a black bird's call heralds bad mojo but Chuck Wendig took it to another level!

Melissa: I haven’t seen birds like this in anything before, so it really freaked me out when they talked. I’m not even going to think about the scene with Louis and the birds, that is the stuff of nightmares.

Braine: After that video you showed me, the only black talking bird I know are mynah birds, I didn't know ravens/crows can too. In any case, I will never look at a black bird the same way again.

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