Contest Winner, The Week Ahead and It’s Sidecar Time!

What a great time we had during Series Week. Great comments and new authors/series for me to investigate and read. Winner of Primal Red is yganoe! Congratulations and thanks to everyone who commented. Two cover artists I forgot to mention were Catt Ford and April Martinez! Love their covers too! Next contest up will be JL Langley week in October to celebrate the release of My Regelence Rake with a series recap, a author spotlight and a book contest for that novel. Plus I will be participating in the Halloween Blog Hop so stay tuned.

Meanwhile Maryland’s rollercoaster weather ride continues. We hit another record yesterday. The coldest July day temp ever recorded. We had a high of 71 degrees F yesterday. This on top of 6 more records, mostly for heat. Hottest 100 degree days in a row, hottest day, hottest night…and then the coldest day? All in the same month? Climate change, people! It’s real!

So anyhow, back to the week ahead. I have been reading some really great books of late, and my review of one of them, Ariel Tachna’s Fallout will be posted on Tuesday. You don’t want to miss this book. So lets get to all the books being reviewed this week:

Monday: Country Mouse by Amy Lane and Aleksandr Voinov

Tuesday: Fallout by Ariel Tachna

Wednesday: Notice Series by M. F. Raiya

Thursday: Pricks and Pragmatism by J. L. Merrow

Friday: Reaping Shadows by Jamieson Wolf

Saturday: Frat Boy and Toppy by Anne Tenino

Now for the summer cocktail of the week. Nope, still not cooking, more summer cocktails to come:

Sidecar (light, tasty, and packs a punch):

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons superfine sugar
1 lemon wedge
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) Cognac
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) Cointreau or other Triple Sec orange liqueur
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) fresh lemon juice
1 cup ice

Directions:

Spread superfine sugar on small plate. Rub lemon wedge halfway around rim of chilled martini or coupe glass. Dip moistened side of glass in sugar to lightly coat outside rim of glass. Set aside.
In cocktail shaker, combine Cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice. Add ice and shake vigorously until well chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into prepared martini or coupe glass and serve.

Why A Series Can Make My Heart Sing!

It’s no secret that I love books and always have. From my earliest memories of listening to someone read to me then transitioning to being old enough to pick up a book myself to while away the time. When I was younger, my family moved around every couple of years or more as my father’s job was to evaluate school systems. While not a hardship, it’s not conducive to the young who find it hard to leave friends and special places behind again and again. As I got older and the moving proved more stressful, I turned to books for companionship. Books, never far from me from birth (a given with parents as educators), became my constant companions. They became my escape from reality, an acceptable form of “invisible friend”, my Harvey. I was lucky in that one of my uncles, a great uncle really, worked at Charles Scribner’s & Sons. Uncle Wade sent us boxes of books of all types and genres, most of which were too old for me (Frank Yerby, really?) and that created its own special allure, to be old enough to read all those books! A new goal and easily fed addiction formed early in life – I was seven by then.

Have I said that books fascinate me? It was always just a matter of minutes before I lost myself in an author’s special universe. Their characters jumped to life on their pages waving swords or crawling through tunnels, the places they created became worlds whose paths I wished to tread and on whose seas I wished to voyage. Don’t you remember picking up a book and starting to read, and thinking please, please, never let it end? That was me, out in the woods or under a blanket in bed, book in hand, eyes shut tight and wishing with all my might for a magic wand and horses with wings.

With some books, just one book is sufficient to satisfy your need for the world the author created. You read it and are happy to have visited there. They were great hosts, told you a marvelous story and fed you a meal that left you full if not completely replenished. When it came time to take your leave,you wished those characters well and felt that while you have enjoyed the visit other destinations were calling and you must be off. My Friend Flicka was one. Treasure Island was another. So was Old Yeller, Dahlgren and National Velvet and hoards of nameless books of my youth. But then there are those books whose characters became friends or heros, the worlds they lived in were places I yearned to go, each and every element necessary and magical to me at the time. Those stories had multiple books called a series! From the mundane to the mystical, I gobbled up series with all the ardor and fervor of a zealot.

For me a series meant never having to leave your favorite characters behind or the universe they inhabited. After you finished one story, you could look forward to a new adventure, a new challenge or a new journey taken with the same beloved people/beings you met in the first book. Sometimes the characters stayed the same, they lived in their old house, had the same friends and stayed the same age. I am thinking Nancy Drew here with Beth, George and Ned. And sometimes the characters grew up like those in C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia. But whatever the shape the narrative took, I knew that I would be visiting a familiar place but with unknown consequences. Oh the anticipation, the agony, the time I spent daydreaming about what was to come next for my heros (of all genders and species).

Whether it was L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz books or Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings , book series have been my affordable addiction. Not possible to own a herd of horses in a suburban backyard? Let’s substitute dragons for horses and scarf up Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern. My parents inform me that we are southbound, going to visit the relatives again this summer. My first reaction? OK, second reaction? Hide all of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover books in my suitcase to pull out at the cousins first suggestion to Dippity Do my hair and head out to the Dairy Queen. Series after series, genre after genre, my addiction grew and my bookshelves groaned.

Has my addiction to series dwindled as I have aged? Not on your life! Don’t look at me like that! I know you have been there along with me. Haven’t you ever reached the end of a book that has kept you mesmerized from word one and wanted to scream out ‘Noooooooo, I don’t want it to end”? Or had the characters in the latest book you were reading seem so real that the last sentence of the epilogue left you feeling bereft? Or maybe the world that came alive in between the pages was so vivid that you could smell the alien air and feel the magic in the landscape? It still happens to me at 2 or 3 am in the morning (just like always) when I come to the end of a gripping saga I started earlier that day and never put down. I scramble to get back to the pages in front and then in the back to see what else the author has written. If stymied, and who wouldn’t be at that time of the morning, I turn on the computer (ok this part is new) and check for updates at their publishers or websites, never mind the dogs glaring at me because I have disturbed their sleep. And when my search turns up that the book is a part of a series? Well, let’s just say I give the ol’ Rebel Yell a run for its money and make my Celtic ancestors proud!

Some of my favorite series? Hard to separate them out as I have so many in different genre’s. Mystery authors make it easy for me. Love you Martha Grimes and Inspector Jury, same to you, P.D. James and Inspector Adam Dalgliesh, and on right to up Sarah Paretsky and her female private eye, V I Warshawski and Stieg Larsson and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Once a mystery author creates a character, a series is sure to follow. Authors of the supernatural and fantasy are much the same. Look at Laurell K Hamilton and Anita Blake. Hit List is the 20th Anita Blake novel. Or Terry Pratchett and his Disc World series that is comprised of 33 novels. That could be a little daunting if not for the treasure that is Disc world.

Sooooo, where was I? Oh yes, my love for book series. Today with the advent of eReaders and ePublishing, the novel and book series has never been more popular. Especially with my m/m fiction, I have so many favorite series that I hardly know where to start. Perhaps I will start with a series I began my m/m journey with. That would be Carol Lynne’s Cattle Valley series, still going strong today at book no. 27. I love Josh Lanyon’s Adrien English series and Kate Steele’s Bond of the Maleri books. Can’t go wrong there. I would wave Jet Mykles Heaven Sent series at you, can’t miss those! Or JL Langley’s With or Without series with her wolf shifters that are so hot and memorable. So many that I need to start a list. And just look at the books I have reviewed lately. Some of my must read series are among them: Cut and Run from Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux (now just written by Roux), Infected by Andrea Speed (I groan just thinking about Roan – snicker), the Lost Gods series by Megan Derr, the Cambridge Fellows books by Charlie Cochrane, Katey Hawthorne’s Superpowered Love series and so many more. I feel like one of those people at an awards show with a never ending list. I could go on and on and on while a guy in the wings gives me the signal to shut up.

So here I am all these years later and nothing has changed. OK, yes some things have changed. Sheesh! You think you would let a girl get by with some things…but my love of books and a series of books? Never. A great series still fills me with excitement and the expectation of wonderful surprises just on the horizon. I look forward to each new twist and turn the author can think up and that I never saw coming. I can’t wait for the paths unexplored and the roads not yet taken by characters I love on worlds new and known. And that is why a series makes my heart sing.

Small list of my favorite series in no particular order and yes I know I left a lot out. Please send us your favorites:

M/M Series (3 or more books):

Promised Rock series by Amy Lane
Lost Gods series by Megan Derr (fantasy)
Conquest series (rockers) by S. J. Frost
Heaven Sent by Jet Mykles (rockers)
Adrien English Mystery series by Josh Lanyon contemporary
Cut and Run by Urban and Roux, now just Abigall Roux – contemporary
Infected series by Andrea Speed (science fiction)
Sanctuary series by RJ Scott action/adventure
Faith, Love, and Devotion series by Tere Michaels contemporary
St. Nachos series by Z.A. Maxfield contemporary
Cattle Valley by Carol Lynne cowboys contemporary
With or Without series (shifters) by JL Langley
Sci Regency series by JL Langley
Cambridge Fellows series by Charlie Cochrane
A Matter of Time series by Mary Calmes
Warder series by Mary Calmes
Home series by TC Chase
Superpowered Love series by Katey Hawthorne

and all the series I have written about this week, Infected, Cambridge Fellows, Lost Gods, Dance with the Devil, The Sanctuary series…..

Bellingham Mysteries series by Nicole Kimberling – last day to make a comment and be entered into the book giveaway contest for Primal Red.

Review of the Warder Series by Mary Calmes

Continuing our Series week, I am featuring a series I loved, this time by Mary Calmes. I love her writing and other series by her will be included in the Spotlight on Series at a later date:

Rating for the Series: 5 stars

In her Warder series, Mary Calmes has created a group of memorable characters and a special universe for them to live and play in. In the Warder universe, demons and other hell creatures have the ability to visit our world via portals. Once here, they wreck death and destruction on the unwary human race ignorant of their presence. The only thing standing between hell and humans? Warders, a group of people called to duty by their special talents and gifts. Each city has such a group defending it against the abyss. Its leader is called a Sentinel, the oldest of Warders. They (male or female) lead a team of five Warders, like the five points of a pentagram. Each Warder, usually a orphan when called, has a special gift to go along with the powers all Warders hold. And while the Warders are incredibly powerful, they also have a need for a Hearth, a person who provides the Warder with a home, a safe place to channel their energy, someone to love them and for them to love.

As the Sentinel explains it. “We have found over the centuries that all power and no heart will kill a warder…“My men protect me and each other, and to do that, they need a balance in their lives. For a warder, their hearth—home—is vital and necessary.” And without a Hearth, the Warder eventually dies. And not just anyone can become a Hearth to a Warder. If a Warder sleeps with someone and that person is not their Hearth, then the Warder drains away the life force of the person they are sleeping with, leaving them aged and withered. If the Warder leaves quickly enough and never returns, the person rebounds back to the age they had been. But when the Warder finds their Hearth, a bond is formed and the Hearth acquires special powers of their own, including keeping their Warder safely energized while not being drained themselves. Their Hearths are their connection to the real world they are protecting.

The Warder series is the story of the five Warders of San Francisco and their Hearths. In each of the first four books, we have two Warders in desperate need of a hearth, a Warder whose Hearth disappears into another dimension due to a demon’s plan, of an already established couple, their backstory and the dangers that await a Warder and Hearth the longer they stay together and the final book is the story a Warder who visits his Hearth’s home and finds all is not what it should be. Each book is a tale that will tug at your heart and bring you a new couple to love. Mary Calmes gift of characterization flows from book to book, with each member of a couple the yin to their partner’s yang. Sometimes the story is told from the Hearth’s pov, like Julien Nash in His Hearth. We learn along with Julien, what Ryan Dean really is and what is means to be a Warder and his Hearth. It’s a great introduction to the group of men and the series. In other books, it is the Warder telling the story and that is equally necessary to fully understand the pressures and turmoil of a Warder’s inner life as well as the toll all the killings and death of innocents take on their souls.And facing off with the Warders and their Hearths are a series of demons and hell dimensions as well crafted as the Warders themselves. Calmes skillfully builds the anticipation and anxiety as each couple struggles to find and then keep their relationship safe, irregardless of its longevity.

I have been asked several times to name my favorite Warder couple and found it impossible to do. I meet one couple and fall in love with them, read another book in the series and love that couple and so on. Each couple is so different as each Warder brings his own set of needs, insecurities and power to the relationship and that is balanced by the strengths and qualities of their Hearth, giving each story its own flavor and depth. I love this series and have heard that Mary Calmes might be writing one last story in the series. I hope its true.

Here is the books in the order they should be read to fully grasp the role each Warder plays in the group and who all the characters are that are mentioned, complete with outstanding covers by artist Reese Dante:

His Hearth (Warder #1): This is the story of Warder Ryan Dean and his Hearth, Julien Nash. It is told from Julien’s pov and gives the reader the backstory on Sentinels and Warders. Julien Nash is searching for his date at the company Christmas party and finds him with another man in the copy room. Stunned and more than a little irritated when his date comes to find him, their argument is interrupted by former model turned broadcaster, Ryan Dean, who takes his date’s place. Their connection to each other is immediate and Julien finds himself taking Ryan home after the dinner is over. One night turns into the weekend of love and lust that comes to an abrupt end when Julien comes out of the bedroom to find Ryan in deadly combat with four demons. When Ryan’s true nature and calling is revealed, Julien must make a choice that will affect the rest of their lives.

Tooth and Nail (Warder#2): Warder Malic watched as his best friend and fellow Warder Ryan find his Hearth and vowed never to let another get that close, no matter the cost. Just the thought of loving someone, being that vulnerable scared the hell out of him, Malic preferred being the snarly, sarcastic person that his reputation purported him to be. Until he came across a angel being attacked by drunken thugs in a bathroom and everything changed. Dylan is only 19. On his way home from his temporary job as a Christmas angel in a seasonal boutique, he stops at a bar and gets into trouble immediately. He is rescued when a tall scary blond man pulls off his attackers and makes sure Dylan is safe. Dylan knows he has found the man he was meant to love. Now if he can only convince him. Malic is drawn to the gorgeous young man in his arms. The strength of that attraction sends him running off into the night. But fate has other plans and Malic soons meet up with Dylan again, and again. How much will it take before Malic accepts what Dylan already knows to be true, Dylan is his Hearth and they belong together.

Heart In Hand (Warder#3): Hearth Simon Kim loves his Warder Leith Haas but a Warders life is a dangerous one and Simon has always held a part of himself back from Leith, afraid to let that last part of him open to the perils of a Warder/Hearth relationship. Then Leith disappears into a demon dimension while trying to rescue Simon and others from a demon trap. Now Simon must risk everything, including sacrificing his heart,if he is going to get his Warder and love back safely.

Sinnerman (Warder#4). Warder Jackson Tybalt is secure in his relationship with his Hearth until he catches him cheating on him. The loss of his Hearth/love, causes Jackson in his grief and rage to become a loose cannon, reckless in pursuit of demons, heedless of his own safety, drunken and irresponsible, Jackson now threatens the security of his group and the welfare of the humans he is supposed to protect. Then kyrie Raphael offers him a relationship that Jackson thinks is built on darkness, lust and pain. This is what Jackson has been seeking and Jackson accepts. Raphael is a demon who just happens to hunt his own. He has wanted Jackson as his own for some time and jumps at the opportunity the depressed Jackson gives him. What follows is an exploration of ” what a body needs to bandage the wounds of the heart, and Raphael will hide the tenderness he feels for Jackson for as long as the warder wears the guise of the Sinnerman.” I do think this is my favorite of the series. Far darker than the books before it, it has a depth combined with a vivid description of a man lost in emotional turmoil. And Raphael is just an outstanding character.

Nexus (Warder#5):Nexus is the story of Marcus Roth. top criminal lawyer and Warder and his Hearth, Joseph Locke. They are an interracial couple, with the added twist that Joseph Locke is also blind. They are an established couple which makes the story even more interesting. Nexus begins with Marcus and Joseph traveling to Lexington, Kentucky to celebrate Joe’s grandfather’s birthday. Joe’s family is unaware, even after all the years they have been together of the special nature of their bond of Warder/Hearth. When a demon threatens the family, the local Warder group demonstrates just how ineffectual they have become and Marcus must step in and take charge of the situation. As the situation gets more dangerous, Marcus’ identity is revealed to Joe’s family and Marcus must face a tremendous sacrifice to save them all.

Again, a totally different take from the other couples. Marcus and Joe are still deeply in love after many years together but Marcus doesn’t realize how important he is not only to Joe but to all the other Warders. It is a study of a traumatized man trying unsuccessfully to recover from an ordeal. Marcus and Joe grab the reader from the start, their story is multilayered and easy to empathize with. Loved them.

Cherish Your Name (Warder#6): Malic Sunden is accompanying his Hearth, Dylan Shaw, home for the holidays. Dylan has assured him that his parents and sibling will love him but that’s not the case. Dylan’s parents make it obvious that they think Malic is a cradle robber and that Dylan could do much better. Dylan is occupied with his old friends, and doesn’t see what his family’s disapproval is doing, making Malic rethink their relationship. On top of that, the Shaw’s neighbor is coming on to Malic and a demon with his own agenda, wipes Malic’s memory clean and kidnaps him to another dimension. An amnesiac Malic must fight his way back to a home he no longer remembers with just a name to use as a beacon. As a Warder Christmas story, it has all the right elements, a house decorated for Christmas that would be worthy of the Kranks, a disgruntled family, too much celebrating and a demon to threaten to detroy Malic and Dylan’s bond, that is if Dylan’s family doesn’t accomplish that first. I love Dylan and Malic and loved that we got another story featuring their relationship. We left it at the very beginning of the bond in Tooth and Nail and this gives us a glimpse into the relationship months later. As with the previous books, some of the other Warders make appearances as well. Loved it.

And now all the books have been published in print editions in two books. Collection #1 contains books 1-3, and Collection #2 has books 4-6. All available from Dreamspinner Press and Amazon.

Here are the covers for the printed collections, I love those covers, just gorgeous. Great design:

Favorite Series Covers and Cover Artists!

Book covers have always fascinated me. Some repel me, others draw me in immediately. Think “ooh, shiny, pretty…” lol. Others intrigue me by their content or graphic design, while others leave me “meh” or confused. When I think of series covers that are successful, all they have some of the same elements incorporated into their design. The first being I can tell the books belong together at a glance, they have a cohesive design element consistent in every cover. The fonts stay the same. Each cover contains the same overall design with small changes that don’t affect the overall picture they present to the reader.

So we are looking for consistency, cohesiveness, clarity and recognition. Designs that convey a sense of connectedness between the books. Look over my choices and see if you agree with me. Many of my favorites series also have some of my favorite series covers. Yes, I have let quite a lot out but I need something for the next cover post, don’t I? Lets get started.

1. Cut & Run series by Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban, now being written by Abigail Roux,cover design by Mara McKinnon:Simple and elegant. The central object, which is prominent in each storyline, is changed out with each book. I can tell a Cut &Run book in a heartbeat.

2. Lost Gods series by Megan Derr, design by London Burden. Each cover is a map of the kingdom the story is set in. The color is important as it is a prime element for each kingdom and its culture. Blue for the kingdom of Kundou, a land to whom the sea is all important. It’s people have hair in all shades of blue and green, the color of water. The orange/red cover of Burning Bright is self explanatory and so on. Subtle, expressive, simple on the surface yet contains hidden meanings just like the books.

3. Sanctuary Series by RJ Scott, artist/cover design by Reese Dante. Each cover depicts the two men who will be the novel’s romantic couple, usually one is a Sanctuary op. The design stays the same with the men being switched out. The models are consistent with the descriptions of the men inside. Reese Dante does the fantastic design.

4. Dance With The Devil series by Megan Derr, design by London Burden. Effective use of a simple graphic design where the object floating in the center of a black cover is switched out for each new book. Again the main element is important to the storyline. Effective, elegant, and easy to recognize that the books belong together without having to resort to the publishers note.

4. Cambridge Fellows series by Charlie Cochrane, cover design by Scott Carpenter: All the covers have a lovely vintage feel to them, sepia toned with elements such as furniture, buildings and mens clothing from 1900’s included on the design. Unfortunately, the last cover from Samheim had a more modern looking model which threw off the design. The newest title in the series has a completely different look as it was published at the different company. Can you pick it out?

3. Superpowered Love by Katey Hawthorne, artist P.L. Nunn: Just wonderful art by PL Nunn, the covers really set the stage for the stories within. I just love these. Again while the content changes, the style is the same and makes the books easy to identify.

4. Infected series by Andrea Speed, art by Anne Cain, cover design by Mara McKinnon: These covers blow me away. Intense, dramatic, with that hint of menace. Outstanding. They are offered to download at Andrea Speed’s website. I grabbed them, you will want to as well. Andrea Speed’s website http://www.andreaspeed.com.

5. Cattle Valley Series by Carol Lynne, art by Anne Cain. It doesn’t matter if it is Book 2, Book 12 or Book 23, you can tell it is a Cattle Valley book immediately due to the great design and artwork by the wonderful Anne Cain. This series is branded, folks! Total E Bound does more of a series branding than any other publisher or so it seems to me.

6. Sci-Regency Series by JL Langley, cover by Anne Cain. Sigh! I love Anne Cain and her artwork. Especially her cover for My Fair Captain. That one is so drool worthy that I have to bring out the towels. Yeah, I know TMI! But just look at that chest! And the same goes for the other two books in the series, the last of which, My Regelence Rake, is to be released in October 2012.

7. Leopard’s Spots series by Bailey Bradford, artwork by Posh Gosh. What a lush, rich group of covers, They are like a feast for the eyes, I just don’t know where to look next. The design pulls your eye around the cover, so nothing is missed. Just superb.

So that’s my short list. What is yours? Yes, I see the same artists over and over on covers I like. Anne Cain, PL Nunn, Reese Dante, Posh Gosh and London Burden. Lately I have also noticed Alessia Brio too. I know I have missed so many great artists, help me fill in the blanks. And don’t forget to leave a comment and be entered in the contest.

What Series Am I Reading Now?

My reading list has always been a convoluted constantly changing creature (alliteration how I love thee), but lately it is full of authors delivering an addictive group of novels revolving around a select cast of characters and the universe they inhabit, in other words a series! What does surprise me is that most of the series I am currently reading come from authors that were new to me, undiscovered territory as it were. So these series actually represent a double dose of goodness, that of a new author as well as new series. I will note that the series I am listing here are ones that are either not complete or a recently completed series that I haven’t finished reading.

1. Infected Series by Andrea Speed:

It started with Andrea Speed and her Infected series. I can’t remember why I picked up Infected: Prey to begin with but I know that from the moment I met Roan and discovered the story of a cat virus (like AIDS, it is a blood born pathogen) spreading across the States with devastating effects on society, I was hooked. Andrea Speed was a new author for me (as is most of the authors here) but with her creation of Roan, she has given us wonderful reluctant superhuman hero, complete with a unique voice and style of dialog I would recognize as his anywhere. Roan would appreciate it if he were a solitary being but he comes with a close knit group of people in various roles that are as multilayered, as personable as tragic and humorous a bunch of beings as you will ever meet. Roan has esoteric tastes in music so I was not always familiar with his choices of bands (These Arms Are Snakes really?) but Andrea Speed thankfully provides the playlists on her website so I can get up to speed (snort) and so can you. And Roan’s commentary on society, reality tv, religion, ok anything really often has me in stitches when I am not dissolving in tears. Do not pass up this series.

Infected Shift is the latest in the series. Find my review of it here and a list of all the previous books. The books should be read in the order they are written to get the full measure of the story and the characters.

Infected Series: Prey, Bloodlines, Life After Death, Freefall, Shift.

Andrea Speed’s website In Absentia can be found here.

2. Lost Gods Series by Megan Derr:

I didn’t know what I was getting into when I was asked to review Treasure, the first book in the Lost Gods series. I had a vague notion about it being a fantasy series, mermaids, dragons, that sort of thing. But from the first page of Treasure, Megan Derr’s characters grabbed me by the shirtfront, gave me a shake for good measure and pulled me into their complex, richly layered saga of the gods returning to their lands 1,000 years after their deaths. Let’s start with the way Derr has crafted this series. Each book is the story of one kingdom and their Lost God. For each kingdom, Derr created a people whose religion, dress, language and beliefs reflects that culture of their land as well as geographical map to help the reader envision the story. Her world building is dazzling and from novel to novel, the saga changes in scope from a rollicking sea adventure to the sacrifice of innocents, from broad humor to scenes that had me sobbing uncontrollably. Megan Derr leaves nothing to chance in her books, there is myth building, creation puzzles and themes of forgiveness, sacrifice and rebirth. After Treasure came Burning Bright, a book I was in no way prepared for and still holds a huge place in my heart which is odd considering my mouth tasted of ash after reading it. An astonishing novel in a series of the same measure.

This is a 5 book series and Megan Derr has just submitted the last book to the publisher, Less Than Three Press. I have just finished the 3rd book, Stone Rose. Find my review here along with the reviews for the previous books. My review of the covers will go up on Tuesday.

All the books should be read in order that they were written because of the complex saga and the long list of intertwined characters. Treasure, Burning Bright, Stone Rose, Poison, and Chaos.

3. Cambridge Fellows Series by Charlie Cochrane:

I remember reading a review by Erastes of one of the Cambridge Fellows series and found myself intrigued by the high rating and Erastes’ regard for the author’s historical authenticity and writing style. Then it popped up again and again on must read lists on various blogs to the point I found myself ordering Lessons in Love (Cambridge Fellows #1) and got my first introduction to the Drs. Orlando Coppersmith and Jonty Stewart. I will say our first introduction was a little shaky. I loved Cochrane’s descriptions of 1906 Cambridge from the language/terms spoken at that time to the shoppes of the day but it took me some time to warm up to Orlando and Jonty. I liked them well enough, respected them but felt a little removed from their characters. Then came Lessons in Desire (Cambridge Fellows #2) and the distance between the characters and myself dissolved never to return. With each book the relationship between the characters deepened as more of their backstory came into light and I become more engaged, more connected to the characters and their fate. By Lessons in Discovery (Cambridge Fellows #3), I was seriously in love with Orlando and Jonty, and paid close attention to each case they investigated (oh yes, there are mysteries in each book).

There are some hard subject matter buried in these stories, including one of child abuse and rape. Charlie Cochrane handles it with sensitivity while never deviating from the emotional devastation it visits upon her characters. The author’s use of language and location gives her stories such depth and authenticity that I often find myself running to do research on some topic she has brought up long after I have finished the book. Every part of this series is beautifully done. I just finished the fifth book of this series, Lessons in Temptation (Cambridge Fellows #5) and thought I saw the end of the series with All Lessons Learned (Cambridge Fellows #8). Then Charlie Cochrane published Lessons for Survivors (Cambridge Fellows #9) this month with a different publisher and the series continues. Huzzah!

Find my review of Lessons in Temptation(Cambridge Fellows #5) here and all the reviews for the previous novels.

The list: Lessons in Love, Lessons in Desire, Lessons in Discovery, Lessons in Power, Lessons in Temptation, Lessons in Seduction, Lessons in Trust, All Lessons Learned and Lessons for Survivors.

Charlie Cochrane’s website is http://charliecochrane.livejournal.com

4. Dance With The Devil Series by Megan Derr (yes, Derr again):

This was easy. My co-reviewer Sammy was reading these novels and I picked up the first based on her recommendation and my knowledge of the author. Right away, the method Megan Derr used to create her narrative delighted me. We are introduced to Chris White, supernatural detective, and his associate detective Doug who happens to be an imp by the means of detective cases. Each chapter is a different case Chris White has been involved in. Here Derr does not follow a strict timeline for the first case ,Case No. 507 The Devil’s Consort, finds Chris already the consort of Sable Brennen, the demon Lord of the city. The next chapter, Case No. 37 finds Chris just starting out in the business. Here he meets Sable for the first time as well as so many more unusual and delightful characters that reoccur throughout the novel. The next case is Case No. 532, Bad Blood Part 1 which moves the story forward. Then the case immediately after is one from the past bringing with it the backstory of whatever character is now front and center. If that seems confusing, trust me its not. And as for Chris himself? Well, he happens to be part ghost with the ability to walk through solid surfaces, handy when you are a detective facing locked doors!

I have just finished with book four in the series (yeah, I know I didn’t see it before I started writing this all down, I am on or at another book 5), but it seems that Derr is taking us on a tour of the various territories of this world she created. The first 3 books are very connected together as there lands are adjacent to each other and then with book 4, she starts introducing the dragon lands which are the subject for books 5 and 6 so far. Within these pages we have demon lords, vampires, werewolves, imp, gorgons, warlocks, witches, pixies, brownies, dragons, knights, and almost every supernatural or fantastical being you can think of. A veritable smorgasbord of fantasy characters, all realistically portrayed (as real as supernatural beings can be), all so personable that you love them, hurt for them, care greatly what happens to them, even if they are the walking dead.

Pick these up, don’t pass go, don’t stop for anything, even a Margarita before getting the first book, Dance with the Devil. You are going to be my BFF for this one!

The list: Dance With The Devil,Dance In The Dark, Ruffskin,Midnight, The Dragon Pit,The Sword of the King

Read my review of the last book Midnight and you will find a list of the previous books as well.

Megan Derr’s website is http://maderr.com. Also check out Less Than Three Press!

5. The Sanctuary Series by RJ Scott:

Take one crime family, The Bullens, add in gorgeous sexy, competent operatives working for a secret agency dedicated to keeping witnesses safe and investigating crimes that the other alphabet government agencies are involved in or won’t handle and you have the Sanctuary series by RJ Scott. Guarding Morgan (Sanctuary #1) is our introduction to Sanctuary, their operatives and the Bullen crime family. Morgan is the eyewitness to the brutal murder of a young woman, and is the first domino to topple over in the line of events that will eventually bring the Bullen family to justice. Each book gives us a new romantic pairing and more leads/clues into how widespread are the Bullen family’ crimes, extending into the Senate itself. Scott gives the operatives a realistic feel, they screw up, they bleed, they are stressed out and sometimes overwhelmed. These are real people who are overextended just by the nature of the job they perform. And while there are at least one HEA, most are HFN which is believable given their jobs and responsibilities.

The Bullens are a despicable bunch and Scott throws us quite a few false leads and surprises here. The investigation gets compromised, there is a FBI mole, and things are not always what they seem. It is a great ride full of characters I came to care about, there is not one cardboard cutout to be found in these novels. The Bullen Family saga ended at Full Circle but the Sanctuary novels will continue or so RJ Scott assures me. What a happy reader than made me.

So here is my review of Full Circle with the complete list of the Sanctuary books to date. Read them in order. Guarding Morgan, The Only Easy Day, Face Value, Still Waters, and Full Circle. You will love them if you like great action adventure and sexy special operatives!

RJ Scott’s website is http://www.rjscott.co.uk

6. Cut & Run Series by Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban, now being written by Abigail Roux:

How do I love this series? Let me count the ways. I love it to thee to the depths and breadth and height my soul can reach, I love thee purely, I love thee….well I am sure you get my drift. This series is brilliant. It all started back in 2008 when Dreamspinner Press published Cut & Run, the first in the series then written by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux. It was here that Ty Grady met Zane Garrett in the offices of the FBI. Neither man had a partner, both were coming off undercover assignments, and in Zane’s case, a deep undercover assignment that left him with a drug and alcohol addiction. As they saw it, they were polar opposites, Zane liked to “crunch the numbers” as it were, and Ty flew by the seat of his pants. This was not a partnership that had long term or even short to middling term written on it.

Their first assignment has them looking for the murderer of a pair of FBI agents. They are squabbling, constantly finding fault with each other’s techniques and personalities. Then the murderer turns his attention to them and they must act together as a team to track down the killer before they become his next target. Cut & Run sets the tone for the series. A tight, suspenseful storyline that contains a complicated assignment that somehow furthers Ty and Zane’s complex relationship. This is not a case of instant love or even instant like. Instead we are given a relationship that is built slowly and with great care over six published books so far and Abigail Roux has stated she plans to go to at least nine in the series.

And what remarkable characters we have in Ty Grady and Zane Garrett. They have fervent, obsessed fans who have Team Ty and Team Zane t-shirts (Edward and Jacob eat your hearts out). And all that obsession, all that mania is totally warranted. These are not your larger than life superheroes. Instead we have two human beings, with all the frailties, faults, and traits that make it easy to identify and empathize with them. Ty comes from a family steeped in military tradition but only now are we finding out why he joined the Marines. And Zane’s background? We have only gotten hints of it, with a fact thrown in here or there. Stars & Stripes (Cut & Run #6), coming out in August 2012, will answer some of our questions, but not all. That is in keeping with the slow leak of information as each man still has much to learn about the other.

Is there a difference now that Abigail Roux is writing the series alone? No, absolutely none. The flow is as seamless between Fish & Chips and Divide & Conquer as Divide & Conquer and Armed & Dangerous. In fact, I found Armed & Dangerous to be the best yet (without taking anything away from the wonderful skills of Madeleine Urban who no longer writes). Abigail Roux is a master of location, character and plot and it shows in these books. When she writes about Baltimore, you know this person has been to Baltimore, walked the streets there, taking in the flavor unique to the city. It is the same whether Ty and Zane are in Chicago or on the high seas in a cruise ship, there is nary a false note that is hit. Such authenticity keeps everything so real that at times it is hard for me to come out of the stories.

I cannot recommend this series enough. If I could, I would run the streets waving a Ty and Zane banner myself. And no I won’t tell you which shirt I have in my closet! Now go and get Cut & Run, start there, read them in order (no peaking or reading in advance)! You will be sending me flowers over this one!

Cut & Run,Sticks & Stones (Cut & Run #2).Fish & Chips (Cut & Run #3),Divide & Conquer (Cut & Run #4),Armed & Dangerous (Cut & Run #5) see my review here, Stars & Stripes (Cut & Run #6) – coming in August from Riptide Press.

Abigail Roux’s website can be found here.

So, that’s my short list. What an amazing group of authors to go with some of the best series I have ever read. Are there others? You betcha. JL Langley’s With/Without Series and her Regency series, Andrew Grey’s Range series, Mary Calmes’ Panther series and so many others.So let’s consider this installment number 1 in my new What Series Am I Reading Now column, shall we? And check in with me all week. Be sure to leave a comment along with an email address to be entered into the contest for a copy of Primal Red from Nicole Kimberling.

Now tell me what series are you reading now?

It’s Series Week at Scattered Thoughts and Our First Book Giveaway!

This week is series week here at Scattered Thoughts… and Joyfully Jay. JJ and hubby were hurrying off to Scotland to celebrate their 40th birthdays (yep, won’t see that one again) and 15 years of marriage (not this one either) and wanted to know if Sammy and I had anything we wanted to write about. Well, little love pandas, I have been reading some outstanding series and loving on the fact that my journey with each cast of characters would not be stopped short at one book! And as my mind wandered over the various landscapes and emotional terrains of those series, a little LED light went off in my head, I waved my hand and piped up “Series! I want to write about how I love series!” Sammy and JJ both had favorites series too, everyone got excited and so the idea of series week was born.

So what an exciting week ahead here in Maryland to offset the return of 100 degree temperatures and humidity that would not be out of place in the Congo! I will be talking about why I love a series, I am listing my favorite series and favorite series covers. I thought about listing my all time worst series but hey we are not about negativity here, at least this week. There are author spotlights and our first ever book giveaway! Nicole Kimberling will be giving away a copy of Primal Red, the first in the Bellingham Mysteries series being reviewed this week! So watch out for her Author Spotlight and the series review. Make a comment and I will choose a winner by the end of the week!

So here it is, my sweet baboos, the schedule for Series Week!:

Monday: Series I Am Excited About (And Still Reading)

Tuesday: Favorite Series and Series Book Covers

Wednesday: Series Spotlight: The Warder Series by Mary Calmes

Thursday: Author Spotlight: Nicole Kimberling

Friday: Series Spotlight: The Bellingham Mysteries Series by Nicole Kimberling

Saturday: Why A Series Makes My Heart Sing!

Also stop by Joyfully Jay this week. Check out the authors and series reviewed there. She is having book giveaways from Ava March and Katey Hawthorne! Woohoo. Love both of those authors and their books so you can’t go wrong.

Here is another great summer cocktail recipe in our battle against the summer heat and doldrums:

The French 75:

Ingredients:

1 lemon
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) gin
1 1/2 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) simple syrup
1 cup ice cubes
1/4 cup (2 ounces) dry sparkling wine, such as brut Champagne, chilled

Preparation:

Using zester or paring knife, slice peel from lemon in long, thin spiral. Reserve lemon for another use and set peel aside.
In cocktail shaker, combine gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Add ice and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain into chilled Champagne flute and top with sparkling wine.
Curl lemon peel around finger to create twist at least 6 inches long. Garnish drink with twist and serve immediately.

Review of Almost Paradise (Pine Hollow Wolves #1) by Caitlin Ricci

Rating: 4 stars

Liam Glass is on a errand for the Alpha of his pack, Sampson. His mission? To buy gifts for Evangeline, Sampson’s twin sister and equally powerful wolf. With him are his two young Neapolitan Mastiffs, Lucy and Ethel. As he is finishing his business at the jewelry shop they frequent, a frazzled man enters with his young daughter. The stranger is looking for work when his daughter notices the dogs with squeals of joy. Everything about the man and his daughter speaks to Liam’s inner wolf and his need to protect them both.

Travis and his daughter, Hannah, have been left in dire financial straights after paying off the lawyers in his custody case. After winning his case, Travis was forced to sell everything he owned to pay the bills. All his attempts to find a job have met with failure when he and Hannah walk into a shop on their way back to the hotel. When an attractive customer in the shop offers Travis hundreds of dollars to watch his dogs for the weekend, he accepts the offer without question as it means a roof over their heads and food to eat however temporary the security is for their small family.

When Sampson calls and orders Liam immediately to leave the city on pack business, Liam uses his need for someone to care for his dogs as a means to aid Travis and Hannah without offending the man’s pride. Then he realizes that Hannah can see his true self and everything changes. Liam must protect Hannah and tell Travis the truth. But will Travis be able to accept the fact that Liam isn’t human and cost Hannah the security she needs?

Almost Paradis is a short story full of neat twists on wolf shifters and serves as a great introduction to characters in the new Pine Hollow Wolves series. Where to start? Liam and his pack are chock full of intriguing characters in a pack structure that appears to be a little different from those I have gotten in other shifter books. For starters their Alpha, Sampson, has a twin sister who is he equal in power, dominance, and statue. And while the author doesn’t come right out and say it, I believe the Alpha and his sister are both black (a diversity lacking in other shifter tales). She is also “the tallest woman” Travis has ever seen with an outrageous love of jewelry and sense of humor. I can’t wait to get more of her character and her brother’s if she is anything to go by. I also fell in love with Liam as well. Who wouldn’t love a wolf shifter with two Mastiffs pups he has named Lucy and Ethel and obviously adores? Elegant and comfortable with who he is as a wolf high in status with his pack, he still loves children and falls under Hannah’s spell immediately. I loved their interaction as well.

Travis is heartbreaking as a father who has given up everything he owns to win custody of his daughter only to see themselves made virtually homeless, with no support system and no income to rely on. He and Hannah are statistics all too common in today’s economic reality. Travis is totally believable right down to the bags of washed and unwashed clothing in the hotel room. Those who might scoff at a father getting into a car with a stranger who offers food, shelter and money have no idea how desperation effects a persons actions. In this case, Travis got lucky, he and Hannah bring out the protective instinct in Liam as well as feed Liam’s desire to have children. Then there is Hannah, a totally endearing tot as well as Lucy and Ethel, the Neapolitan Mastiffs with personalities to match their size.

There is no case of instant love here which I appreciate. It is definitely a case of HFN and Travis asks for certain rights and promises before he agrees to Liam’s proposal. I was so happy to see that this book serves as a expositional setup for the additional books to come. I will eagerly await the arrival of Pine Hollow Wolves #2 and the chance to reacquaint myself with Liam, Travis, Hannah, Evangeline and the rest.

Cover: Artist Lee Tiffin. I love this cover. How cute is the father/daughter duo? This would be perfect except that the animal on the cover is a Husky and not a wolf. How could the artist make that mistake I don’t know but it takes the whole cover down several notches. They should have done their homework, put a wolf on the cover, and then this would have been one of my Best Cover of the Month.

Review of Ruffskin (Dance With The Devil #4) by Megan Derr

Rating: 5 stars

It is a typical night at The Bremmer, it’s pouring outside and Johnny is arguing with Grimm inside over an alleged flirtation at a party they just left. A messenger interrupts them looking for Peyton Blue, the werewolf coowner and bartender of The Bremmer. The strange courier has a package to deliver, one that has an immediate effect on their beloved barkeep. When Grimm chases after the courier, he disappears under a magical spell.

The package is from Peyton’s past, bringing with it bloody memories and a death sentence. It is up to Johnny and Grimm to find the messenger, and finish the conflict started years ago when Peyton still belonged in the Blue Pack.

Ruffskin is a short story that follows the characters of Dance in the Dark (Dance with the Devil #2), Johnny Goodnight and his boyfriend/guard Grimm, and their friend Peyton Blue, a werewolf. Without reading Dance in the Dark, you will miss the backstory on all the characters involved in the case here which would be a mistake and leave you confused as to the elements involved in Ruffskin. That said, this is a marvelous addition to that universe. Most of the denizens of The Bremmer, local bar and hangout, have interesting pasts and it’s bartender and owner is no different.

Of course, it is a dark and stormy night that brings Peyton’s past home to him, a past he has tried so very hard to forget and one that could cause his death. Johnny Goodnight is none other than John Derossiers, son of The Dracula Derossiers who rules the territory they live in. When the mystery and conflict from Peyton’s past intrudes on the bar and his father’s land, Johnny is called in to investigate and solve the problem. And what a problem it is. A dreadful dark secret that is at the heart of the chaos in the Blue werewolf pack. This is a very sensitive subject matter that Megan Derr gives a delicate and compassionate treatment, identifying the matter through the use of a poem instead of outright stating the nature of the abuse. Simply and elegantly done.

Ruffskin contains all the usual elements I have come to expect from Megan Derr. Great characterizations, smart dialog and a storyline that keeps the reader engaged right to the end. Ruffskin is listed as the fourth book in the Dance With The Devil series but the author states at the beginning that this story fits in right after the second book as I have noted above. While Midnight could almost be read as a stand alone (it figures into the books that follow it), the first three books should be read in the order I have indicated below:

Dance With The Devil (DWTD#1) – see my review here.

Dance In The Dark (DWTD#2) – see my review here.

Ruffskin (DWTD#4)

Midnight (DWTD#3) – see my review here.

Cover: Again another gorgeous cover by London Burden in keeping with the series and containing a simple graphic of a object center to the storyline.

Review of Midnight (Dance With The Devil #3) by Megan Derr

Rating: 5 stars

Devlin White, Duke of Winterbourne, is the last of a great line of Black Witches. With the death of his father, his remaining siblings has renounced the black arts for white and left for the new world, only he remains to carry on the family name and glory. He receives a request from Lord Tamor, demon lord of his land, to investigate the latest draugr sightings in the countryside just outside his territory, far more numerous than ever before. The vampires whose territory it is refuses demon assistance, preferring that of a renown and infamous witch instead.

When Devlin accepts the mission, he decides to leave behind his beloved ward, Midnight, who he treasures above all. The reason? Midnight is a draugr as well, a living corpse made by Devlin’s own special magic, and until White can figure out why or who has called these draugrs from the grave, he doesn’t want Midnight close to the problem or Midnight may be influenced as well.

Powerful magic is at work and the culprit clever at hiding themselves and the motives behind their actions. When Midnight appears on the scene despite Devlin’s orders, he catches the attention of the person behind the draugr attacks. Then the race is on to find out who is responsible for the draugrs and stop them before they take control of the one being Devlin loves, whether he knows it or not.

Midnight continues our journey through the different territories of the world that makes up The Dance With The Devil series. Each book contains either overlapping characters or mentions characters/beings that are central to the next book. Midnight’s focus is on the walking dead. We know them as zombies. People or beings called from the grave, animated for some or someone’s purpose. Midnight, the character, of the title is a unique draugr, created by Devlin White himself and another sorcerer, when just a boy. With snow white skin, blue hair, nails and eyes only to give away his status as a walking dead, he is otherwise perfection to look upon with powers of his own. He is an innocent among evil or those to whom evil or black magic are constant companions. Midnight is also deeply in love with Devlin and doesn’t know how to get Devlin to look at him differently. Every aspect of Midnight will claim the reader’s compassion and instill him into our hearts, so beautifully is he realized. In Devlin White, Derr draws our attention to the witches in her universe and their companions. I loved Devlin White who continues her rolecall of aristocratic main characters. He is elegant, wry, and aware of his status without being autocratic and unduly harsh. He is a wonderful construct among many here. I found his feelings towards Midnight especially authentic. He has raised Midnight since he was a boy. In the back of his mind, he wonders if his feelings toward Midnight are appropriate, if he is not taking advantage in some way of Midnights total reliance on him. Devlin recognizes his love for Midnight, but doesn’t want to recognize at what level that love exists. It is a touchy emotional terrain he has to navigate over and Derr does a wonderful job of helping us understand not only his frustration with their relationship but Midnight’s as well because we get to “listen” to both sides of the argument they are having with themselves and each other. Barra, his man servant, is equally memorable as he is a “wolf elf” to use the term coined by a dragon. A mongrel who is hurt by the term and gentle in spirit. Barra is such an interesting character all by himself, made more so by his interactions with others, especially a certain knight and his dragon.

Yes, that would be dragon, and where there are dragons, there are also knights, a goblin or two, an angel, imp, vampires, and several sorcerers as well. Derr throws the whole complement of mystical and supernatural beings at us not only in this story but the entire series. And each and every being comes through as believable, from their actions to skin color.

Derr’s vivid description extends to her settings, where the mist lies cold upon your face, the rains soak your clothes and the fog obscures the frightening creatures hunting you. She doesn’t just inform you of the danger but makes you feel each second of every minute of the menace and perils facing our protagonists. She can make your heart race and your breathe quicken along with Devlin’s as he faces down one opponent after another. Derr finds subtle ways to endear her quirky characters to you even when they are characters that exist towards the edges of the story. There is no character or stray plot thread that can ever be considered a “throwaway” in a Derr novel. Somehow, someway, that fact, that character will make a reappearance and resolve a plot point you hadn’t considered before.

Midnight is a solid 5 star story in the middle of a wonderful 5 star series. Megan Derr really deserves such a larger audience for her stories and her talent, both of which encompasses many gifts as well as wild and wonderful elements. From supernatural detectives, a bar where everyone knows your name even if it be mystical in nature, action/adventure stories as told by demons and love lorn vampires, there is something for everyone here. Start at the beginning or start here. Just don’t let this series or this book pass you by!

The Dance With The Devil Series. The first two especially should be read in order:

Dance With The Devil (DWTD #1) – see my review here.

Dance In The Dark (DWTD #2) – see my review here.

Ruffskin (DWTD#4) – see my review here (the switch in order is intentional)

Midnight (DWTD#3)

Cover. The cover by London Burden is just outstanding. Simple, elegant and with a cohesive design for the entire series. I love it.

The Week Ahead and another Rant on the Heat and F%^*&%g Pepco!

It’s Sunday in Maryland and we are in the 12th day of our heat wave and power losses! Yesterday we hit 105 degrees F and today is not supposed to be much better. There are still plenty of folks around the area without power as the limbs from last Friday’s storm continue to fall onto power lines, including some that just went back up. We are anticipating more storms as the cold front from the north is slowly coming our way and we know from experience (and science class) that a collision between a cold front and a hot as hell front brings a humongous amount of meteorological explosions.

Yesterday I found out that the storm cost us our relatively new dishwasher (burned out) to go along with the air conditioning circuit board and a heck of a lot of groceries that had to be thrown out. When I called the appliance store to see if there was any reset button etc that I could try, I got the “yeah, lady, I have been fielding calls from hundreds of people just like you all day”. Am I supposed to take comfort in the fact that everyone lost their appliances along with us? Perhaps so. There are thousands of us facing the same problems.

It is also our unfortunate lot to have Pepco has our energy supplier. They rank last in the ENTIRE NATION in service and reliability. Not surprisingly they rank first in profits as their bill came yesterday right on time, along with their expectation that we pay right on time. But they are not held to the same accountability. People just coming into the area say they have never experienced the power outages that are a regular occurrence here. And Pepco just asked for a rate raise too! Talk about cojones! But I think this time they will be met with more fines instead of raises. Peoples ire is up. We are fed up, the politicians are fed up! Maybe something will finally be done about them. I can always hope. In the meantime, the Moderate State is hanging up its nameplate and looking for a new moniker! Any ideas?

So yeah, heat. So hot in fact that I haven’t felt like cooking. It’s too hot even to stand at the grill. So we are making drinks, baby! Look for a drink recipe after the week ahead.

I am continuing to review two more books in the Dancing With The Devil series by Megan Derr. Just a outstanding series by a great writer and a wonderful lead into the week of July 16th which will be concentrating on book series all week. I think you will love it. So this is how this week will play out if the power stays on:

Monday: Midnight (DWTD #3) by Megan Derr

Tuesday: Ruffskin (DWTD #4) by Megan Derr

Wednesday: Almost Paradise by Caitlin Ricci

Thursday: Torquere Short Stories

Friday: Stolen Dreams by Sue Brown

Saturday: Author Spotlight: Nicole Kimberling

For your summer drinking pleasure, a Catalina Margarita!
1 1/2 oz tequila
1 oz peach schnapps
1 oz Blue Curacao liqueur
4 oz sweet and sour mix

Directions

Shake with cracked ice and strain into chilled cocktail or margarita glass.

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