10 days....

That's right folks, at the time of this posting there are 10 DAYS UNTIL DRAGON*CON 2012!!!! It's down to the wire for me and my costumes, which thank goodness are nearing completion. I have mad respect for the people who do this on a regular basis - not only is it incredibly time consuming, but the level of commitment and skill necessary to really pull off a costume is immense. I'm doing maybe (*maybe*) 1/4 of the work of a professional and I've found myself contemplating a good cry in the corner more than once. Still I think I'm gonna make it, if for nothing else than to see all the people I love at the event itself!

Getting ready!

As far as hard -core stalkery goes, this year there are a few (heh) names on my list that I want to see/obsess over. They are:

Authors
Laurell K. Hamilton
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Nancy L. Holder
Mercedes Lackey
Larry Dixon

Actors
Gillian Anderson
Dean Cain
James Marsters
Jason Momoa
Amy Okuda
Billy Boyd
Felicia Day

Burt Ward
Adam West
Garrett Wang
Sean Maher
Kathy Najimy
Robert Picardo
Tim Russ
Richard Dean Anderson
Grant Imahara
Anthony Michael Hall
Adam Baldwin
Amber Benson
LeVar Burton
Michael Dorn
Jonathan Frakes
Juliet Landau
Joe Manganiello
Jason Momoa
Nichelle Nichols
Robin Thorsen
Jeff Lewis
Vincent Caso
Sandeep Parikh

Other
Yaya Han
Crüxshadows

But you know what these names say to me?

The Guild Panel

Last year at Dragon*Con it was a Guild panel that even got me watching the webseries. The actors were that hilarious and awesome.

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Star Trek Panels

Oh Star Trek. Whether you're full of Voyager people or those from TNG you guarantee entertainment and possible dramatic exits. Score.

Buffy/Angel Panels

I can't wait to see Juliet Landau - and with James Marsters even! I haven't heard her speak before so I've got my fingers crossed for even more great cast anecdotes.

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Mercedes Lacky

She just may get me back into the author line this year. Her books have been favorites of mine for years and still maintain ample bookshelf space. I've got my fingers crossed it won't take forever and a day because I'd really love to come back with some signed pieces. 

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Adam West & Burt Ward vs Jason Mamoa & Joe Manganiello

These...these are the outliers. Both are incredibly popular icons of geeky goodness, but all are people I'd really only see because they were there - not because I, you know, loved them deeply. They're on the list but huge lines could definitely send me else where.

For anyone else joining me at Dragon*Con, who do you want to see? Or if you're not going, who are your favorites?

Stygian's Honor by Lora Leigh

Window Rock, Arizona, is the last known location of Honor Roberts, who vanished when she was just thirteen. It was her only sanctuary from the Breed research that would surely have ended in her death—one such insidious experiment should, indeed, have killed her. That she lived is both a miracle—and a great mystery.

Stygian’s mission is to find Honor Roberts, no matter the cost. Now, with the help of Liza Johnson, assistant to the chief of the Navajo Nation, he is closer than ever to his goal. But will the discovery of Honor Roberts mean the destruction of the mating heat that has developed between Stygian and Liza?

~~

Generally speaking:

*What worked for me: Liza and Stygian. There was more buildup to them becoming full blown mates and I liked the way it made their relationship a bit more believable.

*What didn't work for me: The non-mystery mystery. People who've been reading this series from the beginning aren't dumb and Leigh was a bit heavy handed with the hints. Also, Jonas being a butthead and the slowest moving plot line in the history of the world. Seriously. I need something to happen pronto.

After reading a few reviews (and learning that Navarro's Promise was published missing an entire chapter, sheesh) I went into Stygian's Honor a little worried. I like this series but even I have to admit that there's only so long that scorching hot sex is gonna hold my attention. I can't be left hanging here much longer because truthfully I'm getting bored. Someone either needs to die/be cured, because I'm not sure if I can keep buying these things if nothing happens. This isn't a stand alone book or an just an erotic romance - it's a series with a overarching plot that's going in a very particular direction. Let's get it going! 

What saved this book for me was Liza and Stygian. Because she kind of knew once her feelings for him kicked in how things were gonna go, she never let him rest on his laurels. She repeatedly called him out and made him treat her like an equal. While I didn't love how Stygian seemed to be a little too understanding of Jonas and his butthead-ness, all in all I was happy with their relationship.

Overall Feeling - C

Series - ...   25) Navarro's Promise 26) Lawe's Justice 27) Stygian's Honor

A little bit of a tease...

Thanks to Shelly Laurenston's newsletter here's a little excerpt from her upcoming release Howl For It (out 8/28)!

Back Cover Copy:

HOWL FOR IT Back Cover:

LIKE A WOLF WITH A BONE
Quiet little Darla Lewis couldn’t be happier when the most-feared member of the South’s rowdiest pack kidnaps her. A girl gets real tired of being overprotected by her own shifter family, and there’s nothing like an oh-so-big bad wolf to start a pack feud, unleash her instincts—and have her surrender however and whenever she wants…

EXCERPT: (Unedited/Unproofed)

HOWL FOR IT
“Like a Wolf With a Bone”
From Brava
Available August 28th, 2012!

Darla had no idea what woke her up.

She knew she was safe and her body nearly healed. She just had a little bit of a headache that started at the base of her skull. But other than that . . .

And yet, she knew she’d woken up for a reason.

Slipping out of bed, Darla made her way downstairs. As she passed the dining room, she glanced into the kitchen and she could see through the big windows and onto the porch. She stopped and spun around, staring at the wolf standing on his porch. He just stood there, staring out into the trees that surrounded his little house.

She walked to the door and eased it open, stepped out onto the porch.

“Eggie?”

He glanced at her. “You should be in bed.”

“So should you.”

“Just keeping watch.”

She stepped closer. “Have you been out here all night?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?” Darla sighed. “You’re such a protector.”

“I am?”

“Of course you are. But we’re safe here. You said so yourself.”

“Couldn’t hurt to have a little extra --  ”

“Lord!” She grabbed his arm and yanked him toward the backdoor. “Come on.”

“Where?”

“You need sleep. You’ve been up for hours.”

“I’m used to it.”

“Well, you shouldn’t be. Not when you’re home.”

She managed to drag him through the house and up the stairs, but as soon as she got to the bedroom he was letting her use, he froze in his tracks.

Darla squealed a little when Eggie brought her up short. She realized he’d only been letting her drag him through the house.

“What’s wrong?” she demanded. She wanted to go back to bed.

“Why am I going in there?”

“So you can get some sleep.”

“But where will you sleep?”

Darla released Eggie so she could put her hands on her hips. “Tell me you are kidding.”

*****

CLICK BELOW FOR MORE! 

Kitty Steals the Show by Carrie Vaughn

Kitty has been tapped as the keynote speaker for the First International Conference on Paranatural Studies, taking place in London. The conference brings together scientists, activists, protestors, and supernatural beings from all over the world—and Kitty, Ben, and Cormac are right in the middle of it.

Master vampires from dozens of cities have also gathered in London for a conference of their own. With the help of the Master of London, Kitty gets more of a glimpse into the Long Game—a power struggle among vampires that has been going on for centuries—than she ever has before. In her search for answers, Kitty has the help of some old allies, and meets some new ones, such as Caleb, the alpha werewolf of the British Isles. The conference has also attracted some old enemies, who’ve set their sights on her and her friends.

All the world’s a stage, and Kitty’s just stepped into the spotlight.
~~

I love this series. Seriously. Even if the details of the first few books get a little fuzzy (which I think I should be forgiven for since we're 10 books in) I still find Kitty and her pack completely entertaining. Vaughn has navigated the tricky waters of giving her main character her HEA without forgetting the rest; just because Kitty and Ben are married doesn't mean that the good guys have finally won or that there isn't more work to do.

I think what keeps me committed is that each book feels 'complete' almost while still not losing the threads of the Long Game. As a reader it can be hard for me to maintain the same level of care that I used to have for a series, I admit that even with this one it took me a minute to work up the energy to read it. But Kitty is immediately someone you identify with, a woman trying to survive in a world that doesn't know what to do with her and in the face of an evil that wants to control her (and everyone). There's a lot of action in this book and more Cormac (yay!) along with familiar faces from previous books. 

The ending is cliffhanger-esque in that it's definitely setting up the next few books (or the rest of the series, I don't know) but we still get to see Kitty take one more step into taking that mantal of leadership she's not sure she deserves. I guess I'm always going to be a sucker for the reluctant hero, the one who makes the best of bad situation. 

Overall Feeling - A

Series - ....8) Kitty Goes to War 9) Kitty's Big Trouble 10) Kitty Steals the Show

Christmas in July (Part II) Winner!

After putting the number of comments through Random.org, the winner is...

Lady Soul

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Congrats Lady Soul, you should have already received an email from me asking for your shipping address :).

And thank you so much to everyone who entered! I love giving away books to good homes and being able to learn more about the people who read this blog while I do it is the BEST!

P.S. - As a quick housekeeping update, please make sure to read the giveaway rules carefully. I had to disqualify some entries because they didn't include email addresses and I wanted to be fair to everyone. Thank you! 

Teaser Tuesday (8/14)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"I went through the door, leaving Claudia looking at him as if she'd never quite seen him before. In the midst of catching bad guys maybe we could have a little romance, and for once, it wouldn't be mine. Cool."

--pg 322, Kiss the Dead by Laurell K. Hamilton

Crux by Moira Rogers

Jackson Holt makes a decent living as a private investigator in New Orleans, home of one of the largest underground supernatural populations in the United States. He and his partners have never met a case they couldn’t crack…until a local bar owner asks him to do a little digging on her newest hire.

New Orleans is the fourth destination in as many months for Mackenzie Brooks, a woman on the run from a deranged stalker. After all, any man who shows up on her doorstep claiming to be her destined lover has more than a few screws loose. But crazy doesn’t explain why he always finds her no matter how far she runs.

When her well-meaning boss puts a PI on her case, Mackenzie comes face to face with the incredible truth: magic is real, and whatever spell has kept her hidden and separate from the paranormal world is rapidly deteriorating.

With time running out, she has no choice but to trust Jackson as he struggles to uncover the truth of her past-and her destiny.

~~

I picked this up for a couple reasons 1) I've like Rogers work in the past, and 2) it was FREE and really who's gonna pass that up? My willpower is just not that strong. I've also been on the fence about whether I could read Impulse without any knowledge of the series whatsoever, and I figured this was as good as a universal sign as I was gonna get.

For the most part I don't have any complaints. The romance between Holt and Mackenzie was sold, with its progress believable in this world of unbelievable happenings.  The sparks are there right from the start but I'm happy it took some time before they jumped into bed together - it just felt right. And I guess it's a compliment that the anachronistic/chauvinistic werewolf world annoyed me? There's not even a lot of it in this book (it's mostly set up for the next two it seems) but I still found myself scratching my head a bit in a 'what the hell' fashion. 

In the end I'd say this book was good but it didn't wow me. Is that a negative though? No, I wouldn't say so. Good books are hard to come by, especially in an increasingly over-saturated genre.

Overall Feeling - B

Series - 1) Crux (free through Aug 15!) 2) Crossroads 3) Deadlock 4) Cipher 5) Impulse (on sale for $3.85!) 6) Enigma (October 2013)