It’s been absolutely months since I posted anything on here and I can only apologise! I’ve been so busy with the Christmas period, then my new forum that I just didn’t have the time to spare – which is a terrible thing to admit, but true nonetheless.
I have a lot of book reviews to put up over the next week or so, so please bear with me and I’ll get back up to speed ASAP!
If you’re lucky enough to be one of the first 10,000 people to request it, you may be able to grab yourself a copy of this book HERE. If not, well here’s a review and, if you still want a copy, I have a copy here for one of you lucky people to win.
So the idea behind this book is for all us mums to take some time to ourselves, lock the bathroom door, run a radox bubble bath then sink into said bubbles with this book (which has been published using waterproof pages – which is pretty cool – in case we’re silly enough to drop it) and chill out.
Sounds like a plan to me… and that’s what I did when the book dropped through my door today. At 12.30pm (in the afternoon for those of you trying to figure out times!) I told my other half I was having a bath and he was on child control (like pest control only less swatting) and off I went with book in one hand and radox in the other. I was expecting a real feel-good story, so imagine my surprise when I read 38 pages (the length of the book) of unremitting misery. The story is about a woman who’s husband plays tonsil hockey with her stepsister on her wedding day and it goes rapidly downhill from there.
I won’t spoil the ending for you but suffice to say it did not make me relax and enjoy my bath or even exit the bathroom with a new inclination to breeze through the day after having some well deserved me-time. No, I left the bathroom wondering if the point of the book was to make me look at my life and think “well, it doesn’t suck quite as much as I thought it did!”
So now to the competition – if I haven’t put you off this book for life! (It isn’t badly written, it’s just not a feel-good bathtime read).
I have ONE.. yes ONE copy of All Steamed Up to give away and all you have to do is the following:-
1. Read my Competition/Giveaway rules and follow them 
Yup, that’s it!
Oh and incidently, always wishing to end on a high note… the bath was lovely! 
I have found over the last few months that there are quite a few authors who use Twitter, both to just make random tweets (like the rest of us mere mortals) and also to keep their fans up to date with their goings on. So I thought I’d share the twitter names of the ones I’ve discovered so far. If you know of any others that aren’t listed, please let me know via the comments and I’ll add them to this list. I hope all you book lovers out there find this useful!
@warrenadler – Warren Adler – General
Blurb
f you want to use vBulletin to its maximum potential, but don’t know how to do it – you’re not alone. You’ve also come to the right place to solve this dilemma! Recently, after hearing many people asking “is this possible with vBulletin?” I did some investigation and realised there were no decent “How To” guides for most of the forum software available today.
The unfortunate reality is that many people out there want to run a forum, have great ideas for forums, but don’t have a clue what to do with the software once they have it in their hands – or, in this case, on their website! The idea behind this eBook is simple! By the end of it, you’ll be armed with everything you need to know about starting your own forum using the vBulletin software.
The vBulletin Bible is not only useful for people just starting out with the vBulletin software, but also works as a hand reference guide for more intermediate/advanced users.
This book is split into 3 main sections.
Section 1 covers the initial installation of the vBulletin software.
Section 2 covers, in detail, all aspects of the Admin Control Panel
Section 3 covers, in detail, the frontend (forum-side) of vBulletin
The Appendices hold website resources.
Included in the purchase price is 12 months free support and access to updates of th 3.8 series ebook on the vBulletin Bible forums.
You can also purchase The vBulletin Bible from the following places:-
The vBulletin Bible is essentially a textbook which takes you through every aspect of the vBulletin software. If you don’t know already, vBulletin (affectionately known as vB by its customers) is a purpose-built software to run forums on. vBulletin is one of the best in forum software available, but if you’ve never used it before your first glimpse into the Admin Control Panel can be very daunting.
That is where this book comes in. Available solely as an ebook, currently, it talks you through every single option vBulletin has – from the first steps of downloading it from the Jelsoft website, uploading it to your host and then going through the Admin Control Panel – breaking down every single option into small easy-to-understand laymans terms. It covers both the backend (Admin Control Panel) and the front end (user side, forum home, User Control Panel) in such a way that even if you have never been near vBulletin before you will soon know exactly what it can do and where to find how to do it. For more experienced users, this serves as an excellent reference for those occasions when you know an option is possible, but you just can’t remember where it is!
There is a free-to-use forum also available, where you can find a multitude of tutorials in the default options and also ways to customise the site – all written in a straightforward easily understandable manner. You will also find knowledgeable staff on hand to answer any problems and queries you have. Included with the book is a free 12 month support package, which gives you free updates to the ebook over the year and any additional material that is issued.
Blurb
Raven Whitney is a psychic who has used her gift to help the police track down a serial killer. Now she is determined to escape the glare of recent publicity for the peace and quiet of the Carpathian Mountains. Despite her own emotional fatigue, Raven finds herself connecting psychically to another wounded individual somewhere close by. Prince Mikhail Dubrinsky is the leader of his people but, as his ancient Carpathian race grows ever closer to extinction, he is close to giving in to the heavy weight of loneliness and despair. Then a female voice enters his mind and tries to console him. Intrigued, Mikhail becomes obsessed with finding this unusual human female. From the moment their minds touch, Raven and Mikhail form a connection. But there are those who incorrectly view all Carpathians as vampires, and are determined to give their extinction a helping hand.
The concept of this particular series of stories, from what I could gather from this book, is that the male “Carpathians” (or vampires to the rest of us – they drink blood, are immortal, etc, which to me constitutes vampiric behaviour) need to find their life-mate or consign themselves to becoming some kind of monster – I think losing any kind of emotional feeling and, by all accounts, only seeing in black and white.
When I first started to read this book, I was sure it was set in the 19th century, and it was only when a computer was mentioned in passing that I realised this wasn’t the case. The novel has a very old-world feel, making me think of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (not so much in the fact that this is going to be a classic novel, but the style of writing). While Christine Feehan is, obviously, a very good writer – she has an excellent way of wording things so that you can actually visualise what she’s describing – I found this story to be quite boring. At times I paused to wonder what exactly the point in the novel was, but since I felt the same about Sherrilyn Kenyon’s first Dark Hunter book and am now a huge fan of the novels, I persevered. This isn’t the best book out there and is, in a lot of places, extremely boring to the point of making me want to cast it aside. The characters didn’t really grab me and suck me in to their world. And the whole relationship between Raven and Mikhail was too quick and accepted to be believable.
I do have the rest of the books in my To Read and Review pile and I’m hoping that, like the Dark Hunter series, they become better the more she writes.
Urban Fantasy is a subgenre of Fantasy, where the stories are based in contemporary real-world urban settings instead of traditional fantasy settings of mythical cities/worlds/lands. Below is a list of authors who are popular in this genre.
Cat Adams
C.T. Adams
Ilona Andrews
Jennifer Armintrout
Kelley Armstrong
Keri Arthur
Jenna Black
Francesca Lia Block
Patricia Briggs
Emma Bull
Jim Butcher
Rachel Caine
Jonathan Carroll
Mike Carey
Karen Chance
Cathy Clamp
Cassandra Clare
Shirley Damsgaard
Sylvia J. Day
Carole Nelson Douglas
Jeaniene Frost
Neil Gaiman
Laura Anne Gilman
Simon R. Green
Justin Gustainis
Laurell K. Hamilton
Charlaine Harris
Kim Harrison
J.C. Hutchins
Chris Lester
Charles de Lint
Sergey Lukyanenko
China Mieville
C.E. Murphy
Tim Powers
Tim Pratt
Kat Richardson
Rick Riordan
Matt Ruff
Jeanne C. Stein
Rachel Vincent
Terri Windling
This list is by no means complete so if I have missed off any you feel should be included, please let me know.
Blurb
What wouldn’t you wish on your worst enemy? It seems that Harry Dresden is about to find out. . .
Harry Dresden, PI and practitioner of magic, has done his best to keep his nose clean where the White Council of Wizards is concerned. Even so, his past misdeeds haven’t looked good to the Council’s Wardens – and they take their responsibility to enforce the Laws of Magic very seriously. but this has placed him in a bit of a predicament. Morgan, formerly his chief persecutor among the Wardens has been wrongly accused of treason. There’s only one punishment for that crime so he’s on the run, wants his name cleared, and needs someone with a knack for backing the underdog. Someone like Harry Dresden.
Dresden faces a daunting task. He must clear the less-than-agreeable Morgan’s name while simultaneously hiding him from the Wardens and the supernatural bounty hunters sent to find him, discover the identity of the true turncoat and, of course, avoid accusations of treachery of his own. A single mistake may mean that heads – quite literally – could roll.
And one of them might be his.
Turn Coat is book 11 in the Dresden Files series and usually, by this point, a series this long has a tendency to lose its steam somewhat and sometimes begin to flounder. Thankfully, this series isn’t one of them! While it’s possible to pick up this book without having read any of the previous ones, to really appreciate the richness of the plot you have to understand what has gone on before, to understand the dynamics of the various relationships between Harry and the other characters.
As always, Jim Butcher writes with a black humour that is absolutely wonderful. Had he been born in the right era, he’d have been applauded as a masterbard (one has to wonder if Jim can sing and play the instruments for that, but no matter, his storytelling is good enough to overlook it if he can’t!).
From the first page, you are pulled in by Harry’s dry wit as he recounts his latest escapade and you’re right there with him, feeling every emotion and physical attack as he goes up against the skinwalker, while trying to discover who’s really behind the murder that Morgan has been set up for. Without giving too much away, Harry gets emotionally battered in this book, losing people to the vengeful nasties in this book and the ensuing battle near the end is fantastically written.
I’m yet to be disappointed by a Harry Dresden novel, and I hope that continues as I wait for the next installment with bated breath. Turn Coat is a superb addition to the series and has left me wanting more (as they always do) as well as leaving me with questions that need answering.
Ten out of ten for a wonderful tale, Jim!
Blurb
I don’t remember the first time I changed into a wolf. One night I passed out, and awoke to find my body covered in yellow fur. My brain was beyond reacting. It took this in its stride, as it had everything else in my new life. I got to my feet and went in search of food. As a curious and independent six-year-old, Clayton didn’t resist the bite ? he asked for it. But as a lone child werewolf his life is under constant threat. So when enigmatic Pack member Jeremy Danvers saves him, Clayton is determined to protect his adoptive father, no matter what the cost. So begins this gripping collection of four tales chronicling the bloody feuds of the American Pack, and the coming of age of Clay Danvers, a very powerful ? and very singular ? werewolf.
I’d already read three out of the four tales on Kelley’s website prior to her removing them for inclusion into this book. She decided to release them in book format and is giving all proceeds of the book to the World Literacy of Canada book benefit, so I don’t believe anyone can complain about now having to pay for something that was originally offered for free!
The first story in the book, Infusion (originally available on the website), covers the conception of Jeremy, so the main focus is his father, Malcolm, and how he meets Jeremy’s mother. It brings readers of the Otherworld series, further insight into why Jeremy’s and Malcom’s relationship is so negative from the start. The second story, Savage (originally available on the website), brings to life how Jeremy and Clay meet and brings an added depth to the many quirks you discover in Clay throughout the main series of books. Kelley captures the essence of their relationship and shows it to the readers with her ever-present style and passion. Ascension, (the third and last story that was originally available on the website) tells us the story of Jeremy’s elevation to Pack Leader and shares with those who have followed the series how and why Clay is the most feared werewolf around. The fourth story (and likely the one fans were waiting for) is Kitsunegari and focuses mainly on Jeremy, with a little more detail on his and Jaime’s relationship.
As always, Kelley delivers what she promises. An entertaining set of stories, answering questions thrown up in other books, while leaving more questions unanswered ready for further books. For people new to the series, this book would be a good opener in one respect, introducing you to Clay and Jeremy before the story of Bitten starts. But on the other hand, by reading this first, it will spoil the story to be told in No Humans Involved.
On a whole, a well-rounded book, laying the groundwork for further stories in the future!
Blurb
They walk the streets no one else can walk, take the jobs no one else will take, and if you’ve got a problem – and the cash – they can solve it.
Of course, if your case involves rabid werewolves, cursed objects, the living dead, malevolent beings from another dimension, or other “unusual” circumstances, it may cost you a bit extra . . .
Mean Streets is a compilation of four all-new novellas by Jim Butcher, Simon R. Green, Kat Richardson and Thomas E. Sniegoski. While I’ve read Jim Butcher and own two of Kat’s books (haven’t read them yet) I hadn’t read anything by Simon and Thomas, so their stories were a foray into new territory for me.
Jim Butcher’s novella is called The Warrior and brings us back into the world of Harry Dresden – an excellent choice to kick off this book. The main plot is Harry trying to protect his friend Michael and his family from danger and ends up becoming a target himself. What I liked most about this novella is the ending. Without giving too much away, the ending is not what you’re expecting throughout the whole tale and, as usual, Jim Butcher, shows just why he’s such a fabulous author, weaving the story with skill and humour.
Next up is Simon R. Green’s offering – The Difference A Day makes – taking us into his Nightside series with John Taylor, PI. John is hired to find the lost memories of a desperate woman. I’m in two minds on this one. While it’s written extremely well, I didn’t particularly enjoy the story. The whole tale just didn’t gel for me and I couldn’t enjoy the characters. I think it may be necessary to have “met” the characters before to really get a grip on the dynamics of both the characters and the Nightside. I was left with the feeling that the story was rushed and wasn’t very well thought out.
The third novella is by Kat Richardson and brings her Greywalker, Harper Blaine, to Mexico during the Day of the Dead, where she becomes enmeshed in a tangle of dark family secrets and revenge from beyond the grave. I’ve yet to read the two Greywalker novels (although I do own them) but I found the story easy to follow without having any prior knowledge of the main character. Overall the story was interesting, drawing on some of the beliefs of Mexico to give a very real feel to the whole situation. This story, for me, ranked as one of the two strongest stories in the compilation – the other being Jim Butcher’s.
The fourth and final offering is from Thomas E. Sniegoski – another author I’ve never read. In this tale, Remy Chandler – a fall-angel-turned-detective – investigates the death of Noah (yes, THE Noah). At first I wasn’t too sure I was enjoying this one, but I think it grew on me. Remy is an interesting character and I do believe I will be picking up some of the novels in this series. The tale Thomas shares with us relates to the flood and what happened to the animals that didn’t make it on the ark – I found this interesting on many levels and the story was woven well.
Overall, the book isn’t bad, and for any fans of the authors contained well worth picking up for the additional stories to the respective series’.
Blurb
Mercenary Kate Daniels cleans up urban problems of a paranormal kind. But her latest prey, a pack of undead warriors, presents her greatest challenge.
This one got off to a slow start and I did keep putting it back down for a while, but after a few stops and starts I finally settled into the book. One criticism is the oblique references to Kate’s own blood and no explanations of why it’s so important, although you will get some suspicions nearer to the end of the novel. The blood issue is something, I’m guessing, the autor is building up to in the next book (or three).
Overall not a bad opening book, if you can stick with it beyond the first couple of chapters. Once it gets going, it’s a good read
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