Title: A tale of Two Demon Slayers
Author: Angie Fox
Release Date: January 26, 2010
Pages: 308
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Best Book Quote: “After all my years of organizing field trips, fire drills and potty breaks for my three-year-olds at Happy Hands Preschool, you’d think I could get two geriatric biker witches through the Las Vegas airport in under an hour. But sometimes the things that look simple on the outside aren’t. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way.”
In Angie Fox’s latest urban fantasy novel A Tale of Two Demon Slayers
(from the Love Spell series) the main character, Lizzie Brown, is a somewhat unconventional slayer in that she didn’t choose her current occupation. Instead, she’s just an average girl who had this wonderful power thrust upon her. With these powers came a family of witches, a talking dog, and an incredibly handsome Griffin named Dimitri – all seemingly there to complicate her life. But, Dimitri ends up being exceptionally helpful during their demon slaying encounters and she’s starting to fall for him.Deciding that’s it’s time for a well-earned vacation, Lizzie and Dimitri decide to go to his family villa in Greece – an awesome opportunity for Lizzie to get to know Dimitri better. Unfortunately, nothing is ever as it seems in the world of the supernatural and it turns out that Dimitri had used some very special magic in his original quest to find Lizzie, the demon slayer. And, someone has stolen that magic – this is not good. It’s tantamount to death for Lizzie if the magic falls into the wrong hands so they must get it back at all costs. So, the vacation in Greece turns into a constant fight to defend the villa against attacks from evil beings while trying to figure out a way to get her magic back.
Angie Fox has crafted a well written tale of supernatural romance and action that almost makes you think she crafted a spell of her own to keep the reader wanting more. The author grabs your attention immediately with funny descriptions of Lizzie’s Harley riding grandmother and her coven of witches. Her talking terrier, Pirate, provides comic relief throughout the book with his quips about every situation they find themselves in while Lizzie herself has that ability to always say the right thing. The sizzling romance between Dimitri and Lizzie is just the right mix of passion and intimacy. I highly recommend A Tale of Two Demon Slayers for urban fantasy readers and look forward to the next installment in the Love Spell series.
Title: Seduced by Shadows
Author: Jessa Slade
Release Date: October 6, 2009
Pages: 400
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Seduced by Shadows by Jessa Slade is a unique new take on the paranormal urban fantasy and it had me entranced after the first chapter. Sera Littlejohn is an isolated survivor, having come out of a horrendous car wreck with a severe limp and a crippled spirit. When she meets a mysterious stranger who accosts her on the street, and he knows her name, Sera doesn’t realize that her life is about to be changed forever because she is going to be introduced to a world that she cannot believe truly exists – and given a revitalized body to boot.
Archer is a demon-possessed fighter who battles daily to keep his humanity alive and whose mission it is to keep the evil demons of the other worlds at bay. He is drawn to Sera, knowing that she is next on the list for possession by an emerging demon, and that she will be the first demon-possessed female to fight alongside his men in their demon-fighting entourage. An undeniable attraction develops between Sera and Archer but they both fight it, especially since Sera finds the whole concept of a group of demon-possessed fighters saving humanity just too hard to believe, let alone trust.
I loved this story.
Jessa Slade makes Archer ultra-tough yet vulnerable. Sera is damaged both physically and emotionally, yet Archer is able to complete her by allowing her to gradually awaken and find her true calling in life. While reading the book I could totally connect with the characters because the author seamlessly takes you from the normal, everyday world into a strange, unknown place that runs parallel to our reality. It’s a place where an unusual religious order is fighting to keep humanity safe while also fighting to maintain and control the demons inside themselves.
If you like urban fantasy (and you know you do) pick up Seduced by Shadows. I just found out that the sequel Forged of Shadows is now available. Sweet!
Last week Vampire Bill’s maker, the evil Lorena, was killed by Sookie, who shoved a metal pole through her heart. When I saw that I couldn’t help but think of the Bon Jovi song:
“Shot through the heart,
And you’re to blame,
Darlin’
You give love a bad name”
In tonight’s True Blood Episode 8, titled Night On The Sun we meet a NEW character. Her name is Holly Cleary (portrayed by Lauren Bowles) and she’s a new waitress at Merlotte’s. As you might guess, Holly has a special secret power!
Here’s what else happens in True Blood Episode 8 – Night On The Sun
• Sookie and Bill have a parting of the ways after Bill saves her life. I’m a big Team Bill fan but I’m also firmly in Camp Eric. Alas, so many choices . . .
• Holy Serial Killer, Batman! Rene, the guy that killed several female fang-bangers in True Blood Season 1, appears to Arlene in a dream. He tells her he’s the real father of her unborn baby.
• Jason plans to go after Bill for what he did to Sookie, even though Sookie has forgiven him.
• Alcide Is HOT. I just had to say that.
• Tommy, Sam’s stupid younger brother, tries to pick a fight at Merlotte’s with Hoyt about his relationship with Jessica. Sam’s trying to instill some value
• Bill teaches baby vamp Jessica some cool fight moves tonight. I love seeing them move at super fast vampire speed. Jessica opens up about her feelings for Hoyt; she really loves him and decides that he deserves someone sweet. You know, becoming a vampire has really changed Jessica for the better.
• Sookie’s cousin Hadley delivers a message from Eric, telling her “Russell’s coming for you. Don’t trust Bill. If they find you they’ll do horrible things to you.”
• Lafayette’s mother escaped from the asylum and comes to live with her son. She says she’s not crazy, it’s just the drugs they give her at the hospital. I’d say the jury’s still out on her sanity . . .
• Talbot throws a hissy fit about Russell’s marriage to Sophie-Ann. Eric jumps in and offers to keep Talbot company. Since Talbot is gay, I’m wondering what Eric is really offering.
• Some odd looking men come to Merlotte’s looking for Crystal, who’s currently staying with Jason. When they try to threaten Sam his brother Tommy comes to his defense. When they leave, Tommy implies that they smell “different.”
• Okay, looks like Talbot wants Eric to pay up. They exchange a kiss (which really creeps me out, probably because I don’t like Talbot).
• Oh CRAP! Jason comes upon a woman in a garage eating what appears to be an animal.
• Debbie Pelt and a couple of werewolves break into Sookie’s house to kill her. Fortunately, Bill and Jessica are guarding her house and take on the werewolves while Sookie and Debbie go at it woman-to-woman. Unfortunately, Jessica follows one of the werewolves outside and gets snatched by Russell. Bill calls him a coward and he releases Jessica, who’s badly wounded. She runs away with the werewolf close on her tracks. Russell then proceeds to attack Bill.
• Meanwhile, Eric, naked with Talbot, stakes him. Russel, feeling Tallbot’s death, releases Bill and flies away.
• Hurrah! Baby vamp Jessica kills the werewolf chasing her.
• The episode ends with Sookie and Bill getting busy.
And The Funniest Line from tonight’s True Blood episode: Talbot, when admonishing Russell for killing the Magister says “you’re acting like a century-old child.“
To find out more about the True Blood characters like Crystal, the guys from Hotshot, Russell, Hadley, and Holly you really should read the books. The books are great and they’re a bit different from the TV show. You can now get the first 8 books in a box set on sale: True Blood Box Set (first ‘8 books)
Title: Evermore
Author: Alyson Noel
Release Date: February 3, 2009
Pages: 320
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Sample Book Passage: “I nod, refusing to look any further than his sleek, black motorcycle boots. The kind that are more GQ than Hell’s Angels. The kind that look very out of place among the rows of multi-colored flip flops that are currently gracing the green-carpeted floor.”
A sixteen year old high school girl who can read the thoughts of others – sounds like a gift, right? Well, not really for Ever Bloom, a young girl who had a near-death experience and she now knows people’s thoughts, learning all of their life story simply through touch. Why is that a bad thing? Well, in Evermore, by Alyson Noel, knowing people’s innermost thoughts is not nearly as entertaining as one would think – people hide a lot of disturbing information from others while maintaining a ‘respectable’ façade.
Hiding behind her iPod and a hoodie, afraid to touch anyone, Ever does whatever she can to block out the psychic energy flowing around her. When a gorgeous new kid, Damen Auguste, shows up in school, every girl wants to be with him – except Ever. Keeping to herself, she avoids looking at him until she finally can’t avoid eye contact any longer and what she sees shocks her – he has no aura and she can’t hear his thoughts. What’s going on? How can this walking, talking hunk have no aura . . . is he dead?
Ever avoids Damen but she can’t run from him, he tracks her down. Hooking up with him at a party, Ever is sure her life is about to change. But, the next week, Damen neither calls nor texts – he’s a grope-and-run. And when she sees him giving a white rose to her top tormentor in class, she can only think that he must be playing some kind of sadistic game – jerk! But, there’s a whole lot more to this story than meets the eye and Ever is in for a wild ride as she finds out just what Damen is and what’s in store for her future.
Evermore is available in paperback, Kindle format and audio format.
Lorena finally gets what’s coming to her in True Blood Episode 7 as Sookie sinks a metal pole into her chest, turning her into a big pile of vampire mush. Looks like we are finally rid of that bitch. And speaking of getting rid of vampire assholes, the Magister loses his head after he is forced to marry Russell and Sophie-Ann. Sookie’s true identify is becoming the big mystery that everyone wants to solve in this week’s episode. Keep reading for some other highlights from Episode 7:
Highlights from Tonight’s Episode
Alcide and Tara rescue Sookie and a dying Bill from Lorena’s torture room and put them in the back of the van. Sookie opens up her wrist, pouring her blood into Bill’s mouth. He’s sucking for all he’s worth and then he starts biting. Wow, is this her thanks for rescuing him?
Sookie is dying when Alcide and Tara pull the van over and they race her to the hospital. Who thought it was a good idea to put a critically hurt vampire in the back of a van with a healthy human? Tara kicks Bill out of the van and he lands in the sun with little ill effects although he starts to smoke a bit.
Sam heads out to “redneck central” looking for dog fights. Sam the pit bull appears at the dog fighting ring and gets chained up, but Sam turns human and knocks him out with a punch. Go Sam! Sam pulls the alarm and rescues Tommy from the ring where he was getting his ass kicked by the rottweiler.
Eric brings Hadley to the queen, who’s sitting in a cage. Eric says he’ll drink from Hadley until the queen tells her why she has such a special interest in Sookie. Eric rips into Hadley’s throat as he continues to ask the queen about Sookie Stackhouse. Hadley says that she’ll tell Eric – Sookie is her cousin and then she whispers into Eric’s ear something to which he replies “well, I certainly wasn’t expecting that” and he meets the queen’s eyes.
Sookie is in emergency surgery thanks to Bill’s big drain-fest. Sookie has a major seizure and the doctor tells Tara and Alcide that they can find no blood type for Sookie – without one they can’t give her a transfusion and she’s in a coma. That’s when Jason notes that Sookie has never been sick, never been in a hospital – she was born at home. The mystery continues….
Sam tells his parents that he’s taking Tommy away from them and for Dad to give Tommy his clothes – the poor guy once again ends up standing in his tightie-whities. As Sam and Tommy walk away, it’s funny to see how well Dad’s clothes fit Tommy, especially since Dad is about six inches taller.
Jason keeps talking to Sookie in her coma, telling her that she is all he has, she has got to come back. Then there is a flash of light around Sookie and she is in another, beautiful world where she meets Claudine who gives her something to drink that makes her look happy and healthy. Claudine says Bill will steal Sookie’s “light”. “What light?” she asks as all the beautiful people disappear.
Bill appears in the hospital room – it looks like he survived his fall into the sun. Bill says his blood can save Sookie and Jason gives permission for Bill to give his blood over Tara’s vehement protests. Bill is sitting by Sookie’s bed when she comes awake and he looks so happy until she start screaming in his face. I guess it’s not going to be a happy reunion after all.
The Magister is torturing Pam by putting sterling silver earrings into her eyelids. Pam is defiant and caustic to the end. Eric arrives in the nick of time, revealing that Russell is now his king. As Russell tells the Magister that he is the authority in town, he whips Pam out of the silver chains and puts the Magister in them. The Magister is forced to marry the king and queen, pronouncing Russell and Sophie-Ann to be husband and wife. It’s certainly nice to see Pam again – I missed her last week.
