The Saucy Wenches Book Club

" Then Barrons had arrived and I'd wasted no time putting him to work.  A muscle leapt in his jaw. "Tell me again why I'm doing this, Ms. Lane?" "Duh," I said. "Because my arm's broken." I waved my splint at him, in case he'd forgotten. "I don't think you tried hard enough," he said. "I think you need to try again. I think if you angle your splint out like this"—he demonstrated, in the process tipping fingernail polish onto the tiled patio—"then twist your arm around like this." He nodded. "Give it a try. I think it'll work." I gave him a cool look. "You drag me all over the place, making me hunt for OOPs, but do I complain the whole time? No. Suck it up, Barrons. The least you can do is paint my nails while my arm's broken. * Imagining JZB painting Mac's fingernails is so funny. Imagining him painting her toenails is hilarious... It's not like I'm...

by Amanda Garrett-Grady & Margo Northman Barrons MacKayla Lane by ~yami627 on deviantART "All in all, I have a great life, short of missing my parents and counting the days until Alina gets home from Ireland, but both of those are temporary, soon to be rectified. My life will go back to being perfect again before much longer." ~Mac, Darkfever *** In Karen Marie Moning's mesmerizing Fever series, we follow heroine MacKayla Lane's amazing metamorphosis from sheltered Southern slacker to shrewd, strong warrior. Each book features a new-and-improved Mac, relentlessly upgrading her skill set from Mac 1.0 to Mac 5.0, rebranding herself from Pink Mac/Rainbow Girl to Savage Mac to Black Mac, retaining the best of each along the way.

"Barrons's lips twitched. I'd almost made him smile. Barrons smiles about as often as the sun comes out in Dublin, and it has the same effect on me; makes me feel warm and stupid." Faefever ~~Karen Marie Moning  Photo by Kieran Harnett for Marks & Spencer

It's Iced Release Day!!! Which is like an international holiday for the Wenches, given our rabid addiction devotion to the Fever series. With any luck, today we will steal away to our secret reading hideaways and at last discover what new tricks and treats Karen Marie Moning has in store for us in the Fever world. We could not be more excited if we were greedy, spoiled, unsupervised children in a giant candy store!!! (Which we totally feel like, by the way.) Head Wench Barb and Guest Wench Chloe have been representing us at Moning's release extravaganza in New Orleans these past few days, and we are all extremely envious! We look forward to reading all about their adventures, just as soon as we are able to tear our eyes away from our new copy of Iced . So it's a safe bet that we are reading Iced this week if we are lucky enough to live in an area where we can buy it. But some of us are actually able to multi-task or temper our impatience with other books as well. Cl...

Giddy with anticipation for the release of Karen Marie Moning's Iced , a lot of the Wenches have been thinking about Dani "Mega" O'Malley, the young sidhe -seer we first met in Bloodfever , who is poised to step out of the shadows behind Mac and Rowena and take center stage. Though Moning has recently said the three books she is writing for Dani will continue the story we've been following in the Fever books, the POV will shift to reveal the next chapters through Dani's eyes. With our heads firmly buried in Shadowfever in a frenzied effort to finish our rereads before the new release, we Wenches have been wondering what's in store for Dani. But no one has wanted to stop reading long enough to write a proper tribute to our young heroine as she prepares to take the leap to leading lady. Though we all think she's pretty awesome and deserves a big ticker-tape parade to show our support. So a sneaky Wench tried the stealth approach and asked us...

It had taken me until I was twenty-two to be carved by tragedy.  How old was Dani when its razor-sharp teeth drew first blood? She'd told me her mother was killed by the Fae six years ago, which would have made her seven at the time.  Had she watched it happen? Was that how long she'd been with Rowena?  What had the ruthless old woman been doing to her all that time?  "What happened to you, Dani?" I said softly. Dreamfever ~~Karen Marie Moning

He shook me, hard.  "You have no business looking forward to pink cakes.  That's not your world anymore.  Your world is hunting the Book and staying alive.  They're mutually exclusive, you bloody fool." "No, they're not!  It's only if I eat pink cakes that I can  hunt the Book!  You're right--we're not  the same.  I can't walk through the Dark Zone at night.  I don't scare all the other monsters away.  I need rainbows.  You don't.  I get that now.  No birthdays for Barrons.  I'll pen that in right next to Don't wait on him  and Don't expect him to save you unless there's something in it for him.   You're a jackass.  There's a constant  for you.  I won't forget it."... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~   Waiting outside for me was a thermos of coffee, a bag of doughnuts, a set of car keys, and a note.  I unscrewed the thermos top, sipped the coffee, and unfolded the note. Ms. Lane, I would p...

"Being touched by Jericho Barrons with kindness makes you feel like you must be the most special person in the world. It's like walking up to the biggest, most savage lion in the jungle, lying down, placing your head in its mouth and, rather than taking your life, it licks you and purrs." Bloodfever ~~Karen Marie Moning (picture from  http://davidjamesgandy.blogspot.com/ )

"What are you?"  It burst out before I could stop myself.  I knew it was wasted breath.  "Why don't you just tell me and get it over with?" I said irritably. "One day you'll stop asking me.  I think I'll like knowing you then." ~Mac and Barrons, Faefever , Karen Marie Moning 

"Music is a World within Itself, with a Language we All Understand"                                                                                          ~ Stevie Wonder You know the feeling you get when you are so consumed by a book that you're still thinking about it even when you aren't reading it? And you hear a song that suddenly whisks you away into the world you left behind in those pages, and it's almost like the song tells you the story of the characters or makes you envision a memorable scene from the book? Or sometimes, even when ...

It's that time again! You may not be surprised at what most of the Wenches are reading this week....

After the king left, we'd all just kind of looked at each other and headed for the door, as if we couldn't get back to where we felt safe and comfortable fast enough. Mom and Dad took one look at Barrons and me and decided to go back to Chester's. I've go the smartest, coolest parents. Barrons and I went back to the bookstore, straight to bed. We'd gotten out only when near starvation had forced us." -MacKayla Lane Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

Our Favorite Fever Quotes by Veronica Vishous & Zee the Terrible. We're smack in the middle of Fever Focus in anticipation of ICED ! And what better way to celebrate our love for all things Fever than to take a walk through the books we love and the moments that had us burning for more! The quotes that made us swoon, sweat, and sigh. Scenes that made us grip the edge of our seats, or gasp out loud in shock, or just moments that made us smile. All those moments that made it impossible for us to ever completely leave this addicting world behind. We picked just a few of our favorites to share with all our Saucy readers! (Sharing them all would take a lot more than just one post!)  To make it a challenge for ourselves (because we're masochistic Wenches), we both picked ONE moment/scene/quote from each of the Fever books. It was tough, but we persevered. So, let's get this Fever started!

“I didn’t ask. Some things are better left unsaid. He looked at me and I shivered. I never get enough of him. Never will. He lives. I breathe. I want. Him. Always. Fire to my ice. Ice to my fever. Later we would go to bed, and when he rose over me, dark and vast and eternal, I’d know joy.” ~Karen Marie Moning, Shadowfever  

"And there, my dear Fio, you make one of Womankind's greatest mistakes: falling in love with a man's potential.  We so rarely share the same view of it, and even more rarely care to achieve it.  Stop pining for the man you think I could be--and take a good, long hard look at the one I am." Darkfever ~~Karen Marie Moning

One day you do meet a man who kisses you and you can't breathe around it and you realize you don't need air. Oxygen is trivial. Desire makes life happen. Makes it matter. Makes everything worth it. Desire is life. Hunger to see the next sunrise or sunset, to touch the one you love, to try again. Shadowfever ~~ Karen Marie Moning

How Barrons Rocked My (Little Pink) World Barrons. That one name makes women (& some men I'm sure), who have read Karen Marie Moning's BRILLIANT Fever series, shiver with awareness and arousal, makes us instantly visualize a dark, handsome, intensely carnal male. So masculine that every cell in your body reacts to him, heated blood coursing through your veins, whether you want to or not, on a purely base, primitive level. Your mouth dries thinking of the things that sexual beast can do to you, your fingers itch to tug at that dark hair, and a whimper escapes your trembling lips before you can stop it when you even think of how he could "cure" the Pri-ya in you. You can almost feel silk sheets beneath you and a hard, male, sensual beast looming over you. All it would take is a snap of those (very skillful) fingers and you'd be good to go. THAT is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Jericho Z Barrons. Just a little teaser for what the amazi...

"Jericho, you know how you keep telling me words mean nothing?" "Bloody hell, Mac, that's not what I say. I say they're easy and flimsy and dangerous. They can be twisted into any shape and used against you...Actions speak." Fever Moon ~~Karen Marie Moning

Review by Donna WFS and Katherine Z. Barrons We are interviewing a couple of the sauciest Wenches, who also happen to be two of the biggest Fever fans this side of Dublin, otherwise known as Donna WFS and Katherine Z. Barrons or KZB.  The last time we caught up with them, they had just come back from their latest jaunt into the Fever realm, aka Fever Moon .  Let's see how they felt about Karen Marie Moning's latest  Fever -based novel.

* Original photo from behind the scene video David Gandy covers Attitude - The Style Issue 2011,      photogr. by Mariano Vivanco

So, are you guys ready for another round of the saucy game called M.F.K?  No?... Hmm, ok, then I've got nothing... ... Just kidding!  Since we are dedicating this week, and the next one, to the Fever world I asked our Wenches, which character from the Fever series they would want to Multiply, Fertilize and Kaboom. Or in other words Marry, Fuck and Kill which  was a given, right?  There was just one rule, they had to pick three characters and choose only one category for each of them. Without any further adieu, let's go over to our Friend, Joey, who loves to play games and will have the honor of kick-starting this one. Joey, take it away... No Joey, you've got the wrong game, you were suppose to say "Let's play MFK" We talked about this remember? *                          Hey dude, there's no need for the       attitude. Do I need to spell it out ...

"You thought it meant something that I died for you. Did you dress it up in romance? Compose sonnets memorializing my great sacrifice? Did it make you like me better? Did I have to be dead to get you to see me?......Dying is overrated. Human sentimentality has twisted it into the ultimate act of love. Biggest load of bullshit in the world. Dying for someone isn't the hard thing. The man that dies escapes. Plain and simple. Game over. End of pain.....Try living for someone. Through it all--good, bad, thick, thin, joy, suffering. That's the hard thing." Shadowfever ~~Karen Marie Moning

Click through to find out what's caught the Wenches' attention this week....

“You two gonna stand there fucking each other with your eyes all night, or can we get on with it?” ― Karen Marie Moning, Shadowfever David Gandy by photographer  Chiun-Kai Shih

“I love books, by the way, way more than movies. Movies tell you what to think. A good book lets you choose a few thoughts for yourself. Movies show you the pink house. A good book tells you there's a pink house and lets you paint some of the finishing touches, maybe choose the roof style, park your own car out front. My imagination has always topped anything a movie could come up with. Case in point, those darned Harry Potter movies. That was so not what that part-Veela-chick, Fleur Delacour, looked like.” ― Karen Marie Moning,  Darkfever In August of 2011, our dreams came true.  DreamWorks announced that they had purchased the rights to Karen Marie Moning's five book Fever series.  Since then, speculation has been rampant about who will play Ms. Moning's characters.  As far as I'm aware, the production of these movies hasn't really moved forward since the purchase of the rights.  Therefore, in place of actual casting news, I'm here to offer up ...

One day I would stop taking off my clothes in V'lane's presence, but the cost of that resistance would be a piece of my soul. Karen Marie Moning~ Darkfever

As you probably know, dear followers, Karen Marie Moning's next adventure in the Fever World, and the first installment in Dani "Mega" O'Malley's story, Iced , releases on October 30. That is just 16 short days away! We've been looking forward to this for so long, that it's almost unbelievable that Iced Release Day is almost here!   Well, we at the Saucy Wenches Book Club are so excited that we are going all- Fever -all-the-time for the next two weeks. We will be exploring the five Fever books, looking at love, loss, growth, courage, choices, music, hotness, and much more. Saucy Wenches style. So please join us from Monday, October 15 through release day as we gush about one of the best book series we have ever read. With plenty of Mac & Barrons analysis for your enjoyment and ours.   Oh, and if you haven't read the masterpiece that is Fever yet...what are you waiting for? They are amazing.  Read them, and join us in our Goodreads ...

"Unpredictable as a hungry lion, he might be feared by everyone else, but he never ripped out my throat, only licked me, and, if his tongue was a little rough sometimes, it was worth it to walk beside the king of the jungle." ~MacKayla Lane's musings about Jericho Barrons   ~Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

Let's get this out of the way upfront.  I was lucky enough to obtain an Advanced Review Copy of Gravedigger's Brawl, so this preview review is based on an uncorrected proof I received from Riptide Publishing.  However, I have advance-purchased my own copy of Gravedigger's Brawl which will be arriving Saturday. I'm only half-way through the book, but wanted to share my initial impressions.  My full review will be posting in a couple of weeks. Gravedigger's Brawl  has been an enjoyable read so far.  I like the characters.  I like the atmosphere/tone of the book.  At least a couple of mentions have already set me off to researching, and I love when books make me do that.  I've been so curious about the characters and about what happens next that I'm sneaking in pages here and there at work; I never do that (I don't usually have time). Abigail Roux, as always, does an excellent job with character development from the outset. Gravedigger's Bra...

“He smelled the garden, the yellow shield of light smote his eyes, and he whispered, "Life is so beautiful." ... Yes, he thought, if I can die saying. "Life is so beautiful," then nothing else is important.” Mario Puzo ,  The Godfather

Watching my father, I've seen how you can't learn anything when you're trying to look like the smartest person in the room. ~Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible

Last week, I wrote about several discoveries that Wench Merit and I made when we investigated the inspirations behind some of our favorite stories and characters. We found so many interesting little tidbits that I couldn't type them all up before our deadline, so we're picking up this week where we left off. Rube Goldberg's alarm clock We all know that a single, often unnoticed incident can set into motion a contorted, far-reaching chain of events, reminiscent of a Rube Goldberg device, which perfectly illustrates this concept. Just ask the guy whose electricity goes out during the night: his alarm clock fails to go off, so he oversleeps, rushes out the door half dressed, arrives late to his big meeting, realizes he has forgotten both his pants and his presentation (and his lunch, his phone, his evening theater tickets), and sees his day go completely down the toilet from that point. A key element in many movies is that one tiny misstep, that one overlooked detail,...

The conclusion of this scene  here.

It's time, once again, for every wench's favorite party game! Season Four of The Vampire Diaries premiers in the US tomorrow night, and what better way to celebrate that with a little premeditated seduction and murder. Check out the Wenches' (and a few special guest Wenches!) choices of who they would like to marry, fuck, or kill in The Vamipre Diaries (TV show! What, there are books??) and then share your choices below.  

Amanda: I am reading Channeling Morpheus by Jordan Castillo Price. This is a vampire m/m series of novelettes. I wasn't sure how I would feel about mixing paranormal with m/m, but I really am enjoying this series. The mythology that Price has created is fascinating. I am really loving the main characters, Wild Bill and Michael, too. Two thumbs up for this series! (These books can be downloaded at www.jcpbooks.com or purchased through Amazon.) Anne: I'm reading #4 in the Downside Ghosts series, Sacrificial Magic by Stacia Kane. And, I just passed the halfway point in my A Clash of Kings audio book. Angela : Finished Outlander this week by Diana Gabaldon and loved it. It was hard going, but I made it to the last page. There is one scene that was very hard to stomach, but it was rivetting once I found the courage to continue with the book. After two days break though. I've reserved the rest at the library. Let's just say Jamie Fraser can pay me a visit anyday. N...

"Cam?  He's back." The all-important first line of a novel has become something of a cliche; that first line should be creative enough to catch the attention of the reader, draw them in, and make them want to keep reading (Novel Writing 101, syllabus day 1).  It's become a weird little hobby of mine, seeing how creative and "out there" first lines have become. But Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux keep it simple in Warrior's Cross.  "Cam?  He's back."  Warrior's Cross doesn't waste pages on backstory or filler; our two main characters have an established relationship from page one.  The relationship may be mysterious and limited, but you get the sense that there is a connection between them and the angst in this book isn't of the "Will they or won't they" variety. If you haven't read Warrior's Cross, there are mild spoilers below.  In case you aren't familiar with the book and choose to keep rea...

"Cut," Amelia said, handing me the shears. "And mean it." Feeling a little ridiculous and a lot scared, but sure that I needed to do this, I snipped the red yarn. And I lost Eric. He wasn't there.   -Sookie Stackhouse Dead Reckoning (book 12) by Charlaine Harris.

The  Saucy Wenches Way  and  The Dragoon Attack This one started up as a Facebook status during the International Book Week (the third week of September), when one of my friends posted this on his Timeline: It’s International Book Week. The rules: Grab the closest book to you, turn to page 52, post the 5th sentence as your status. Don't mention the title. Copy the rules as part of your status.                                                                                                                                                                ...

Bedding her could be anything from tenderness to riot, but to take her when she was a bit the worse for drink was always a particular delight. Intoxicated, she took less care for him than usual; abandoned and oblivious to all but her own pleasure, she would rake him, bite him  —  and beg him to serve her so, as well. He loved the feeling of power in it, the tantalizing choice between joining her at once in animal lust, or of holding himself  —  for a time  —  in check, so as to drive her at his whim.  —  Diana Gabaldon, The Fiery Cross

"Now, we can be civilized and wait until we get home. Or we can get down to it right here. Either way, I'm dying to come inside of you again, and you're not going to say no." Dark Lover ~~J.R. Ward

Hunter stood and reached for the button of his jeans, slid his zipper down, toed off his boots, then shoved everything off to the thick carpet in a pile. And Kata got her first look at him naked. source:fuckyeahreactions.tumblr.com "Oh, holy shit." The words slipped from her mouth before she could stop them. Hunter was, in a word, gorgeous. Every inch of him solid, hard, imposing. Big... everywhere. She swallowed. He chuckled. "Glad you approve. I'm going to make this so good for you." She didn't doubt for an instant that he could. Surrender To Me ~~Shayla Black