The Saucy Wenches Book Club

By all accounts, I feel that I should adore Jane Austen. I mean, everybody does, right? She's always been well loved, but her popularity has exploded in recent years. Big budget movies, BBC adaptations, spin-off books. Even people who don't read have read her books and love her. I am quite fond of her contemporaries (Shelley, Brontë, etc.). And having a lit degree from a small midwestern college means I have some appreciation for British literature (my program was all about the dead white guys). Austen was considered somewhat of a rule-breaker in her time; novels weren't entirely accepted as an art form, and she supported (tried to) her family by writing rather than marrying well. I like rule-breakers.

I have tried, over the years, to like Jane Austen's work. I've tried really hard. I'm not sure why, but I kept telling myself, "You should like these books, why don't you like these books? Try reading just one more, maybe you'll like this one." …

Why M/M is Losing My Interest As some of you might have noticed, I enjoy reading M/M books. That's right, Male/Male action. I found this genre after getting sucked into the world of Qhuay (Qhuinn and Blay), which transpired over several installments in the J.R. Ward Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Many of my friends enjoy this genre as well, but I've started to feel like the love affair is over. The heady days of reading nothing but M/M have passed me by, and I'm feeling a bit disillusioned with the genre.

You might ask why I feel this way, after all I've been through together with Ty and Zane and so many other exciting male couples. I'll explain my reasons for this sad turn of events after the jump.

DEA Spoiler-GateI want to talk a bit about the events between April 25th and the official U.S. release of Dead Ever After on May 7th. I'm speaking specifically of the DEA spoilers, our reactions to those spoilers, and the responses, both official and by other SVM fans.

You see, I'm angry. Sure, I've had strong feelings about the book itself, but I'm more angry at how some of the SVM fans have been treated. I'm angry at how the fans—who have been loyal to the series from the start, who love all of the characters, and who have defended Charlaine Harris from unfair criticism over the years—I am angry at how WE were treated when we had a valid and fair emotional reaction to the spoilers.

Let me be clear. We were not upset because Sam was the HEA. We were not upset because Eric was not the HEA. If you need proof, read my DEA Hopes and Dreams post, the entirety written pre-spoiler. While we had differing opinions and desires, every one of us hoped for Sookie a place wher…

Attention Dear Readers:The following items will be required for your survival kit when you try to read Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris.
Box of wineChocolate (preferably dark, as I'm thinking of your health)Spirits: Vodka / Bourbon / Gin / Bailey's Irish Cream (really, whatever your poison is)Book Club Support GroupBFFs or BBFsBrain bleachBox of tissuesSecond box of wineCheck after the jump for instructions on actually reading Dead Ever After. By the way, if you prefer not to consume alcohol, simply replace all references to it, wherever they appear, with "chocolate". Note there are spoilers, because really that horse bolted weeks ago.

It's not a huge secret that most of the Wenches are wishing for a DEA HEA that involves Eric. But I caught up with my fellow Wenches and some SVM friends, and asked them about their other hopes and dreams for Dead Ever After, as well as any burning questions from over the years they hope finally get answered. We've been discussing these things for a long time, and we're less than 24 hours from our speculation and questions being put to rest. After 12 books, it's an odd feeling indeed. Bittersweet, if you will. Anyway, keep reading after the jump to find out what we're hoping Dead Ever After has in store for us Sookie.

What'll You Do When You Get Lonely and Nobody's Waiting By Your Side?
The Chosen Layla is not a very popular character right now, at least not in my corner of the Black Dagger Brotherhood (BDB) fandom. To put it bluntly, she's the witch-with-a-capital-B who manipulated Qhuinn into fathering her child and is keeping him and his true love Blay apart.

I'm not happy with how it all went down, and Layla isn't on my Top 5 or Top 10 or even Top 15 list of favorite females in the series. But I don't blame her (too much) for her actions as she went into her needing. And I certainly don't think she's solely responsible for the "situation" as we go into Lover at Last (hello, Qhuinn, I'm looking at you, too).

To review, in Lover Reborn, John, Qhuinn, and Layla returned to the BDB compound while Autumn was in her needing. Layla thought she was immune because of the time she spent on the Other Side but she was wrong. Soon after her return, her needing ca…

I’ve been a big fan of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J. R. Ward for about two years. Although I love all of the Brothers, their shellans, and soldiers, Qhuinn and Blaylock have a special place in my heart. Qhuinn and Blay were the reason I discovered the m/m genre. I started shipping them in Lover Enshrined. It was in this book that Blay confessed his love for his best friend, Qhuinn. Qhuinn said he didn't feel the same way, but his actions told us different.
They pulled apart, looked into each other's eyes...and something shifted..."Just once," Blay said softly. "Do it just once. So I'll know what it's like."...Oh, it was sweet. Blay's lips were incredibly sweet and soft. The tongue probably wasn't supposed to be part of it, but there was no helping that.Fast forward to Lover Mine, and we found out that Qhuinn has feelings for Blay, too. Unfortunately, Qhuinn isn't ready to deal with his feelings, and Blay moves on and starts da…

When Did Erotica Become Unsexy?Saucy Readers, this is a rant. If you’re having a good day and don’t want to ruin your mood, maybe you should stop here. If you enjoy the recent trends in romances and erotica — regardless of the barely-there plot — you might not want to read this either. You’ve been warned!

I’m one of those women who enjoys reading romances every once in a while. After every intense series, chilling mystery, and hair-raising horror story, I like taking a break with a romance. For the past few years, I’ve found that erotica is a fun break in between book series, even when the series themselves are full of romance and sex. It just helps knowing that at the end of around 2-3 hundred pages there will be a happily ever after.

I won’t lie — the sexual tension, chemistry, and the sex in these books is a major reason I enjoy them. I like the whole “girl meets boy, boy tries to get girl, girl holds off, sparks fly, they clash, they melt, they surrender” formula. Yes, it’s predic…