Karma♥Bites’s Mercurial Reads

GENRE:   PNR/HR/steampunk

LENGTH:   427 (MMP pgs)

HEAT LEVEL (content):  sexy-hot (m/f vanilla; frank but not overly explicit/graphic)

PUBLISHER (pub date):  Forever/GCP/Hachette (Dec 2013)

SERIES INFO (timeline):  Darkest London #4 (almost 2yrs after #3)

BLURB:

Best in series thus far!

Very quick thoughts b/c I’ve got several books to read before I can return to this series and read “Evernight” (book #5) prior to the Feb 24th release of “Soulbound” (book #6).

In a nutshell, I’m thoroughly loving this series.  So *really* fortunate that I managed to get over hump re: “Firelight” (book #1), due to fantastic narration (IMHO, ‘voice acting’ truly applies here) by Moira Quirk.  [More specifics re: that to be in forthcoming recap of books #1-3, probably by this weekend.]  I’m so impressed by Ms. Quirk that I’ve stayed w/ audio for all books―which is *very* unusual for me b/c ABs usually take me 3-4x longer.

The MCs in “Shadowdance” were introduced in the previous books

What's that adage?  If, at first, you don't succeed, try and try again?

Alrighty then... I'm gonna give BL another go (spurred by new laptop) and see how I fare w/ site.  'Course, I almost logged right off when I realised how much things had changed--JFC, tech-challenged me is gonna have to re-learn how to navigate around new set-up and whatnot. :(

OK.  Planned re-start will be a bit (more) delayed.  So for now, I leave y'all with link to fusion.net's Man Crush Monday: Mark Ruffalo

http://fusion.net/story/49270/man-crush-monday-mark-ruffalo/

(Yes, today's technically Tuesday but c'mon, w/ double holiday/extended weekend + snow/ice storm, who's really 'on schedule' right now?  Stay warm!! ;-)

“There’s something different about him,” Jackie said quietly. “He’s got heart.”

“Sounds awful.” Lana rolled her eyes. “Damn good sex, hot biker dude, and he has heart. Definitely don’t sleep with him again. Too bad you didn’t ask advice from your best friend.”

*snicker*

NTM author and pretty good thus far!  Hot guys, hot sexy times, funny banter at points.  And now, things are kicking up and... eyelids are drooping b/c beat from weekend activities.  *grumbles*

Hope everyone had a great weekend & wish y'all a grand start to Monday!

As always, never hurts to check your preferred retail outlet to see if deal/freebie also there.  Note that some may be repeat freebies.

TGIF, y'all!!

Just in case anyone missed these... as always, check your preferred outlet as well. :)

LAURA KAYE's Hearts of the Anemoi #1-3 (PNR; m/f) ― *amazing* deal @ 99¢

(Entangled = no lend)

www.amazon.com/dp/B00JCYHNBY/

ANDRE NORTON's The Scent of Magic (FA) currently @ 99¢

www.amazon.com/dp/B008XMZ9S0/

CAETHES FARON's Measure of Devotion (FA; m/m) ― Free!

www.amazon.com/dp/B00855WSQ6/

JESS RAVEN & PAULA BLACK's Becoming Red (PNR/erotica-lite) ― Free!

(interesting world-building BUT serial trilogy = on-going storyline over 3 books)

www.amazon.com/dp/B00AGLRUYC/

GENRE:  Erotic Sci-Fi Romance

LENGTH:  109 (Kindle pgs)

HEAT LEVEL (content):  Erotic (see FYI below)

PUBLISHER (pub date):  self (19 March 2014)

SERIES INFO:  n/a

BLURB:

Unexpectedly more :)

* Review copy provided by the author.

What a surprise! Initially expected a quick, enjoyable erotic romp, but by the ending, got a story with greater depth & emotions―with a (presumed) HEA to boot. IDK why but this book reminded me of the movie, Pretty Woman. As with the movie, I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel to see how Kit & Pike fare. :)

Interesting concept of sex trade turned corporate, with licensed 'companions' getting assignment contracts & pay, as well as bonuses for consenting to extra duties. Light world-building, just enough to maintain sci-fi feel. Diverse mix of characters/clients, with plenty of sex scenes (altho some more for plot movement whilst others definitely for arousal).

I liked how Kit's attitude & character slowly changed due to her new assignment. I only wish that I knew how/why she became the way she was in the beginning. As for Pike, I liked him immediately & could relate to his caution.

Also loved Ms. Vora's writing in this one―overall, very well-written, with some sections being almost poetic. Example:

... A breeze ruffled her hair, bearing the sharp scent of greenery, the perfume of live flowers. Real sunlight warmed her cheeks, the backs of her hands.

 

And everywhere she looked, she found something to delight her eyes. Pike's fabulous complex. The trees and towers and shining windows of nearby residences. Parks and fountains and mother-of-pearl paths that glittered from afar.

 

It really was too good to last. Too beautiful, too pleasurable, too perfect. ...

Definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a hot, erotic read with varied sex content. If one were to classify this as 'dark erotica', then I would consider it to be on the 'lighter' side, meaning more grey than black.  But do check to see if anything in the content FYI poses a problem. ;-)

___________

Content FYI: 

I've been quietly grumping to RL friends about hitting a mini-slump after reading Parts I and II of Meljean Brook's The Kraken King.  Despite the variety of reads on my immediate TR list, nothing kept my interest so after each failed attempt, I re-read an Iron Seas book or short.  Which was not good, b/c I's gots certain books to read, dammit!

So a friend got creative and offered to lend Incubus Master: Complete, which both snared my interest *and* made me grumpier.  Yaoi fantasy serial w/ incubi demons?  *growls*  8-part serial (99¢ for average 20pgs each) released as compiled edition @ $5.99 for @ 200pgs, give or take? *mutters choice words*

And thus, my dilemma... do I or don't I?  On the one hand, it's a lend so I'm not wasting my money.  On the other hand... *grumps anew*

GENRE:  Steampunk; Romance

LENGTH:  104 (Kindle pgs)

HEAT LEVEL (content):  Sexy-Hot (m/f vanilla; frank but not overly explicit/graphic)

PUB INFO:  Berkley (Penguin); 7 Aug 2012

SERIES INFO:  Iron Seas 1.5

BLURB:

Can't get enough of Rhys & Mina
(and Newberry!)

Re-read 4-2014 (along with The Iron Duke)

4 stars b/c I always crave that extra bit via epilogue after a particularly good read, and Ms. Brook provides that & more via this novella.

Some may find it overly lovey-dovey (and in truth, I wouldn't fault them) but I enjoyed seeing Rhys & Mina post-wedding―both re: their contentment and their separate nagging worries 8 months into the marriage.  Also, I can never get enough of Newberry, especially when Mina teases so to get him to blush. ;-)

But oh, what shall happen re: Scarsdale?  *frets*

Some are repeats.   Also, never hurts to check your preferred outlet first. :)

Hot Pursuit (CR) @ www.amazon.com/dp/B00DY9FEDM/

Betting on You (CR) @ www.amazon.com/dp/B00FAYYWNC/

A Little Bit of Hot (CR; Out of Uniform #9.5) @ www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G4DPF4I/

The Pursuit of Passion (CRS) @ www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EZ5N6Z2/

Invasion Earth (ER-SciFi) @ www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D71EQRW/

My Lady Compelled (ER-HR) @ www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GPOO64/

Island Shifters (FA; Oath of the Blood #1) @ www.amazon.com/dp/B0063EONHS/

The Wicked Kiss (PNR) @ www.amazon.com/dp/B004YTT2OI/

Crimson Night (FA/PNR) @ www.amazon.com/dp/B00EXCZXYE/

Club Dishabille (ER-CR) @ www.amazon.com/dp/B0092QUFRQ/

Promise Me This (HF/romance) @ www.amazon.com/dp/B00724LJ0W/

No Knight Needed (CR) @ www.amazon.com/dp/B00AB05RRU/

Alisha Rai's Play With Me (ends today)

www.allromanceebooks.com/product-playwithme-1157275-147.html

Elizabeth Lapthorne's Flirting with Danger (today & tomorrow)

www.allromanceebooks.com/product-flirtingwithdanger-907163-149.html

Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin #1) currently $1.99 (no lend)

Check your preferred retail outlet. Price drop in effect @ Amazon, B&N, and Kobo.

Ah, nice to see ‘troll’ and end up laughing :)  Compliments of Litchick below:

In case anyone was wondering how I spent my afternoon, I'll give you five guesses:

 

a) Working (because I love my job)

b) Working (because I really should)

c) Working (because I'm an adult and that's what's expected of me)

d) Working (because I'd like to continue to make my mortgage payments on time, my car payments, my credit card payments, and still put money in my 401k and in savings because I don't want to try and live off social security alone because I've seen how poorly that worked out for my one grandmother (the one on my mother's side, not the one on my dad's, she invested wisely in her youth and is now sitting pretty))

e) Reading everything David Thorne has ever posted on his website

 

If you answered e, you're correct! Anyways, I know we bitch and moan about BBAs all the time, and for a while I've been of the opinion that it is never wise for an author to engage a reader about their negative opinion of their book.

 

I've changed my mind.

The Kraken King, Part II:
The Kraken King and the Abominable Worm

GENRE:  Steampunk; Romance

LENGTH:  @ 70pgs (PDF converted to Kindle)

HEAT LEVEL (content):  n/a for Part II

PUBLISHER (pub date):  InterMix/Penguin (Apr 22, 2014)

SERIES INFO:  Iron Seas 4.20

BLURB:

*** ARC provided by the author/publisher via NetGalley ***

The Kraken King, Part II: The Kraken King and the Abominable Worm consists of Chapters 4-8 of book #4 in the Iron Seas series. I enjoyed this installment even more, simply because the earlier chapters worked mainly as introduction and set-up. But with Part II, the adventure really begins as our pair sets off across the harsh Australian inlands to reach the smugglers’ dens further south.

Zenobia, hiding her hurt and even more protective of her true identity, is determined to resume travel to the Red City and thereby reunite her friend with her husband as quickly as possible. Ariq, disappointed by Zenobia’s abrupt change and cool rebuff, focuses on finding clues to who or what is behind the repeated attacks by marauders before the Nipponese Empire is roused to action. Fortunately, their seemingly separate goals point in the same direction.

Part II of The Kraken King continues to build the UST between Zenobia and Ariq via innuendos, teasing banter, and growing mutual admiration. (Oh yeah, verbal foreplay is seriously going on. *grins*) But Part II also serves to better connect the reader to other characters as well. More of the personal histories of Ariq and his brother, Taka, are revealed—and in turn, that of their mother who had been executed five years earlier for spying on the Nipponese. (Should be interesting to see how/if Ariq’s parentage plays out at some point.) In addition, the glimpses here and there of Zenobia’s married mercenary guards make them highly sympathetic and highlight Zenobia’s secret longing for what they share.

Another excellent mix of humour, action and romance by Meljean Brook and another solid recommend. This hit all of my good buttons and I gobbled it up so fast that I re-read it later that day.

But dammit, the ending!! IDK whether to thank or shake my fists at the InterMix folks for unexpectedly including Part II in the ARC to Part I. I could’ve handled waiting after Part I but after the ending to Part II? No. So wrong.

*sigh* Excuse me as I go off into a corner for a bout of self-castigation whilst figuring out if that’s the Orloj on this cover. :/

(FYI, The Kraken King, Part III: The Kraken King and the Fox’s Den is scheduled for release on April 29, 2014.)

The Kraken King, Part I:
The Kraken King and the Scribbling Spinster

GENRE:  Steampunk; Romance

LENGTH:  @ 76pgs (PDF converted to Kindle)

HEAT LEVEL (content):  n/a for Part I

PUBLISHER (pub date):  InterMix/Penguin (Apr 15, 2014)

SERIES INFO:  Iron Seas 4.10

BLURB:

Meljean Brook feeds my creative & literary soul

*** ARC provided by the author/publisher via NetGalley ***

With the latest addition to the Iron Seas series, Meljean Brook proves once again why she is an auto-buy for me, as well as a go-to author when I hit a book slump. If The Kraken King, Part I: The Kraken King and the Scribbling Spinster (‘The Scribbling Spinster’) is any indication, then the whole of The Kraken King promises to be another 5-star delicious romp. Based on my read of Part I (and II), I most definitely recommend The Kraken King to fans of steampunk and/or those who enjoy a well-written storyline with equal parts adventure and romance.

I briefly thought to title this review as ‘Meljean Brook once again delivers the complete package’. But then I realised that it might be an overstretch (and somewhat premature) given that The Scribbling Spinster is only the first installment of eight. *grins* I admit that my heart sank when I learned that the next Iron Seas book would be a serial but consoled myself with the notion that Ms. Brook decided on this format as a nod to the heroine, who is a writer of serial adventures. (Inkslinger... *snicker*)

As with past Iron Seas books, The Scribbling Spinster easily met all of my expectations. Meljean Brook’s vivid and imaginative world-building and interesting characters (both primary and secondary) captivated my creative soul whilst her witty dialogue and teasing innuendos tickled my funny bone. And then, her narrative writing and imagery satisfied my literary soul with lines such as this:

The heated air wavered around them. As the miles passed, they veered west, until the sea shimmered on the right. … In the east, green hills lay against the horizon like an exhausted woman.

The Scribbling Spinster consists of Chapters 1-3 (converted to roughly @ 76pgs on my Kindle) but I already love the main characters. Zenobia Fox, Archimedes’s sister who is oft-mentioned in earlier Iron Seas books, reveals her stalwart nature from the get-go as the airship on which she is traveling is attacked. She is a bundle of contradictions—adventurous in spirit if not necessarily in body, fanciful yet pragmatic, shadowed by her childhood and private fears yet seemingly a strong presence to others. Whilst not as dashing or (in)famous as her sister-in-law, Yasmeen (aka Captain Corsair), Zenobia possesses intelligence and a quiet strength which, I imagine, will be tested in future installments.

Ariq (aka the Kraken King) promises to be a swoon-worthy hero, early impressions aside. I mean, I get insta-lust and directness but “On the flyer, I liked the feel of you against me. Now I’d like to feel you beneath me” within hours of meeting under frightening circumstances? Dude! Really?! LOL… Good thing that Ariq has got more than a few positive attributes to offset that one. *wink*

Alas, the mutual attraction and Ariq’s very tempting offer are derailed by sharp ears and a misconstrued conversation. Thus, the UST between Zenobia and Ariq must simmer a bit longer as they leave the relative safety of Krakentown for the unknown in The Kraken King, Part II: The Kraken King and the Abominable Worm, scheduled for release on April 22, 2014.

Until the next installment, I’m gonna resume my self-inflicted grumbling and gnashing of teeth. Yeah, colour me masochist. :)

P.S… In anticipation of possible ‘Wha—? You, reading an incomplete serial, Karma?’, I pre-emptively assert a woman’s prerogative to change her mind. And if that doesn’t sway, then I have only this: It’s Meljean Brook; how could I not? ;-)

For the two people out there that do not have a copy of my debut novel, BAY'S END, it is currently free for the next couple of days. Click on the cover to get your copy from Amazon.com today!

If you're so inclined, share away. Thanks!