Mooninite cake

Ah. Life, it is good.

Went to see Evanescence last night! It was a great concert. DIdn't much care for Finger Eleven, but Chevelle got better the more they played. Evanescence was awesome. I just love Amy Lee's voice.

Have today off. It was NIck's birthday yesterday, but doing cake and ice cream tonight with some friends. I'm making him a Mooninite cake. Yes, he asked for it. ANd is in fact off to Target right now to get more frosting. I will definitely show a picture of it later. Sadly, it's a bit hard to do neon colors in frosting, so they'll be more Easter-y Mooninites, but still... It's the idea.

Read a few good books. Finished Bacchus by Jordan Summers, The Viscount's Bawdy Bargain by Connie Lane, a Sasha White novella in the Pure Sex anthology, and a couple more ebooks that I can't remember offhand. ALso started the newest Linnea Sinclair, Games of Command, and almost done with Improper Proposal by Patricia Cabot at work.

Bought a few books today, too. Found Nauti Boy by Lora Leigh used (didn't feel like buying it new), then bought new Sight Unseen by Samantha Graves, something with Ghoul in the title by Victoria Laurie, and Kitty Takes a Holiday by Carrie Vaughn.

So what is everyone else reading? And what books are you most looking forward to in April, end of March?

Google Reader

Ah...my new favorite toy. It's so nice to use. And I can check my blogs wherever I want. Snarfer was nice, but still a bit too buggy and man I got mad when it croaked this weekend. I didn't even have to register or anything to use Google Reader since I already had an account from my Gmail. I think I've commented on more blogs than I did with Snarfer, so perhaps this will help me get back in the swing of things in blogland. ANd perhaps more people will surf on over here and I'll feel more guilty about not posting as much and post more. Well, taht's the thought anyways.

Also been working on a list of books this year that look good. I've already got a ton in a Word doc, but need to get it looking better. I need to budget for books a lot better now that the house thing is in sight. And my goodness, so many new books are coming out in trade. Even Robin D. Owen's newest Heart book will be trade. As well as P.C. Cast's newest Goddess book. Arghhhhhhhhhhh

Larissa Ione blog q

Does anyone know what the feed is for Larissa's blog? I want to add it, but can't find anything and I always forget to check it because I don't have it marked anywhere.

Updated to add:

The lovely Larissa came by and gave us the link to her feed. Thanks Larissa!

House hunting

Well, the in-laws are here and we went house hunting today. Or at least drove around looking at houses. Tomorrow's Sunday so we have a list of open houses to hit. Should be fun.

On another note, my Snarfer has croaked and I've gotten very mad at it and am trying out Google Reader for a bit. Anyone use it?

Finished reading The Chick and the Dead by Casey Daniels. Fun mystery. Read Tielle St. Clare's newest Dragon book on my ppc.

The ultimate aphrodisiac

Okay, one of many. But anyways...

Nick is baking.

Nick is baking brownies.

Nick is baking brownies with chocolate frosting on top.

*swoon*

Atlantis Rising by Alyssa Day

Eleven thousand years ago, before the seas swallowed the Atlantaens, Poseidon assigned a few chosen warriors to act as sentinels for humans in the new world. There was only one rule-desiring them was forbidden. But rules were made to be broken…

When she calls…
Riley Dawson is more than a dedicated Virginia Beach social worker. She's blessed with a mind link that only Atlantaens have been able to access for thousands of years. Being an "empath" may explain her wistful connection to the roiling waves of the ocean, the sanctuary it provides, and the sexual urges that seem to emanate from fathoms below…

He will come.
Conlan, the High Prince of Atlantis, has surfaced on a mission to retrieve Poseidon's stolen Trident. Yet something else has possessed Conlan: the intimate emotions-and desires-of a human. Irresistibly drawn to the uncanny beauty, Conlan soon shares more than his mind. But in the midst of a battle to reclaim Poseidon's power, how long can a forbidden love last between two different souls from two different worlds?

Oh my...I really enjoyed this book. For some reason, it took me awhile to get through the first few pages. But not because of the book, just because of things going on in life. But oh, once I started in on reading this, I had lots of trouble putting it down. I think what I like most about this book is that it's populated by alpha males who don't come across as jerks. Yay!! I mean, there's a bit of "Mine" going on, but when it comes down to it, Conlan doesn't act all high and mighty and like he knows more than Riley about everything. So they're definitely alpha males, but it worked. And although there are plenty of guys in the story, they didn't come across as sequel-bait. They all added to the storyline. And Riley...it's not often you come across a social worker as a heroine. She's a strong woman, which of course she has to be to be in her job for very long. But she even gets to kick some ass in the book, which was awesome. We actually got to see the heroine saving the hero and not the other way around for once. So I have to say I loved those elements.

The world-building is also nice. It's a world like ours, but vampires and werewolves have outed themselves and are all over the place. Like in media and politics. And Atlantis exists, but the Atlanteans have hidden themselves from the world, but some of them try to watch over humanity and save them from vampires.

Anyways, I really liked this book. I liked that it doesn't gloss over the nasty bits too much, but doesn't dwell on them. And the romance is actually pretty good, too. :-) Riley's an empath and basically gets into Conlan's head, thereby knowing everything about him. And she loves the man he is. Aww....

So yeah, if you want a good paranormal romance read, I'd recommend hunting this one down.

Without a Sound by Carla Cassidy

Haley Lambert has moved back to her Kansas City childhood home to care for her orphaned niece, Molly-and to find the monster who murdered her own sister. Molly may have witnessed her mother's murder, but whatever the little girl saw on that fateful night, she isn't talking. Now, with the killer still loose, another game of hide-and-seek is about to begin.

I read this one over two lunch hours at work. It's a nice fast-paced romantic suspense, though a bit on the average side. Average isn't bad, but it wasn't a book I wanted to tell everyone that they must read it.

The mystery/suspense element here is nicely done. I certainly didn't guess who the bad guy was. I also really enjoyed how Haley and Molly interacted. Haley's more of a nomad and her sister was definitely a homebody, so Haley's definitely got her hands full dealing with everything. Grey, the hero, is a former child therapist/psychologist (I really can never remember the differences) and consults with the police, but doesn't do any therapy anymore for reasons that are later revealed in the book. I really liked the back story on the main characters as it all worked for me.

What makes this only an average grade is the romance. It's a decent sort of romance, and by the end of the story I believed in their HEA, I still thought that there wasn't enough face time between them. I wanted more between them. But there wasn't anything that really stood out as being bad. I did enjoy reading the book. And will still definitely read future Carla Cassidy books since I've enjoyed all of hers that I've read.

TGIF

Ah, Friday. Had today off and pretty much bummed around. Did go to Michael's and bought some yarn and needles to make a kitty toy for Gambit. Finished it not too long ago. Didn't really read much today, but I was up late last night reading more Lois McMaster Bujold. I think she's definitely becoming one of my favorite authors. I've picked up a bunch of the omnibuses that have the stories in chronological order. Miles Errant is the book that's up next.

Also picked up a bunch of books from the library including Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas and Night Rising by Chris Marie Green.

I work this weekend, but next weekend, the in-laws are coming and we're going to head to some open houses. Which means that yes, it's the start of some serious house hunting. Finally, but also kinda scary.

Hmmm....what have I read lately? Oh yeah, finished Forbidden City by Alex Archer. I so love the Rogue Angel series. It's just so much fun.

And ooooh....the 4th Tielle St. Clare dragon book is out from EC. I'm so buying it. And I think another of Nathalie Gray's books. Scenes from Feral kept popping up while I was reading Bujold. I hope she writes more books in that world.

Fortune's Fool by Mercedes Lackey

Fortune's Fool is the latest in Mercedes Lackey's Five Hundred Kingdoms series.

In the Five Hundred Kingdoms, never believe what your eyes are telling you . . .

As the seventh daughter of the Sea King, Ekaterina had a wonderful life—but also a lot of responsibility. Her special gift for moving around on land made her the perfect emissary from her father to check out interesting happenings on the surface. In short, she became the family spy.

On one such reconnaissance mission, she encounters Sasha— the seventh son of the king of Belrus. Though everyone sees his talent at music, they also consider him a fool. Ekaterina suspects something more powerful lies behind his facade. But before she can find out what, Ekaterina is kidnapped!

Carried off by a whirlwind and trapped in a castle with other kidnapped princesses at the mercy of a possessive Jinn, Ekaterina knows her chances of being found are slim. Which means that fortune, a fool and a paper bird are the only things she can count on. Oh, and of course her own clever mind and manipulative abilities . . .

I really enjoyed this one. This time, there are lots of Russian/Slavic fairy tales mentioned. We get Rusalkas, Baba Yaga, Wili, firebirds, etc. And lots of other fairy tales. It's a lot of fun and I definitely enjoyed all the mythological mentions.

But there's also some romance with Sasha and Ekaterina. Both Sasha and Ekaterina know enough about The Tradition to thwart it, and it was great fun seeing the ways that they manipulated things to get what they needed. These two definitely aren't stupid.

I think someone reading the book just for the romance would be disappointed, but when it's combined with such an imaginative story, it worked for me. Very well, in fact, as I read this one rather quickly. I really look forward to future Five Hundred Kingdom books.

Also, it does make mention of events in previous books, but it does stand alone quite well. And characters from previous books pop up here.

Books read February 2007

So, I was a bit lazy updating my spreadsheet. But here are the ones I know I read.

The Hero Strikes Back by Moira J. Moore
White Lies by Jayne Ann Krentz
Private Confessions by Lori Borrill
Relentless by Jo Leigh
Nip, Tuck, Dead by Lori Avocato
Irresistible by Susan Mallery
Feral by Nathalie Gray
The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry
Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
Girl's Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky
Ghost, Interrupted by Sonia Singh
Innocent in Death by J.D. Robb
Tell Me Your Secrets by Cara Summers
Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (contains two books in one)
The Chosen by Alex Archer
Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace by MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi
Challenging Carter by Kate Davies
Candy Store by Bella Andre
Young Miles by Lois McMaster Bujold (omnibus edition of two books and a short story)

I think that's all, but I may have missed a few.

Upcoming 2007 fantasy

Checking out the Roc/Ace site this morning I noticed a book that looked interesting that I hadn't heard anything about.

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews



Blurb from Penguin:

Mercenary Kate Daniels cleans up urban problems of a paranormal kind. But her latest prey, a pack of undead warriors, presents her greatest challenge.

Comes out March 27th.

Also see from Amazon:

Lorna Freeman's newest comes out in October. It's called Shadows Past.

Poltergeist by Kat Richardson, sequel to Greywalker that was so good. Comes out Aug.

Blood Drive by Jeanne C. Stein end of July

Wraith by Phaedra Weldon looks to be the first book in a new series coming out in July.



Key to Conflict by Talia Gryphon



Blurb from BAMM:

Meet Gillian Key--a paramortal psychologist who can treat the mental distress of nonhumans. And she's a Marine Special Forces operative who can get physical with them when the situation calls for it. Gillian's two worlds collide when she travels to the Carpathian Mountains in Romania to counsel a dangerously attractive local master vampire--and becomes embroiled in a brewing turf war with the legendary Dracula.

And though the website that popped up for Gryphon wasn't there, I did find this video on YouTube. It's pretty short, but definitely makes the book look interesting:



Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin



Blurb from Shearin's site:

A girl with attitude. An all-powerful amulet.
This could only mean trouble.

My name is Raine Benares. I'm a seeker. The people who hire me are usually happy when I find things. But some things are better left unfound...

Raine is a sorceress of moderate powers, from an extended family of smugglers and thieves. With a mix of street smarts and magic spells, she can usually take care of herself. But when her friend Quentin, a not-quite-reformed thief, steals an amulet from the home of a powerful necromancer, Raine finds herself wrapped up in more trouble than she cares for. She likes attention as much as the next girl, but having an army of militant goblins hunting her down is not her idea of a good time. The amulet they're after holds limitless power, derived from an ancient, soul-stealing stone. And when Raine takes possession of the item, it takes possession of her.

Now her moderate powers are increasing beyond anything she could imagine—but is the resumé enhancement worth her soul?

Well, that's all for now. Need to head to work soon. But I think I'll definitely be looking out for these.

Note: I have no idea what happened with this post. I'd done it a week ago and thought I'd put it up, but apparently not!!