The Saucy Wenches Book Club

He debated not even looking at the text; he wasn't sure he wanted to encourage Ty to distract him from work. Then, after a moment, Zane shook himself. There was no reason to be so seriously uptight about this. He activated the phone to read the message.                                                     The last 3 calls on my phone are for backup and pizza and sex. In that order. Can't decide what that says about me. Divide and Conquer ~ Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux

M, F, K: True Blood Edition Source Vampire? Were- something ? Witch? Human? There's plenty to choose from in the small towns of Bon Temps and Shreveport, Louisiana.  Given the opportunity, who would you Marry , Fuck and Kill on HBO's show True Blood ? Pick three characters and do whatever you please to each of them.  Anyone is fair game. Dive in!

View on Goodreads "From the first time you laughed with me, all those months, and all those stories," Joe said quietly, "They were all you, to me. All of them were you." Broken ~~Megan Hart

I blinked at her, suddenly loathing her to the depths of my soul. Not only was she probably rather evil, and definitely thoroughly unpleasant, but she also didn't read. ~ Nicole Peeler , Tracking the Tempest

Christian MacKeltar, Vlad Tepesh, Ian Flannery, Jonah, Catcher Bell, Alcide Herveaux...  What do these "supporting" characters have in common?   Me!!   I love them all!! More importantly, I love them more than (or at least as much as) the leading men of their series. Give me a book with two (or more) male characters and, nearly without fail, my favorite will be the one the heroine passes over. This trait of mine simply mystifies some of the Wenches, so I've set out to try to explain my love of secondary characters. I don't know whether I can convince anyone else to join me in my odd proclivities. My "affliction" might turn out to be merely my own unique brand of fangirling that no one else understands. But at the very least, there will be some man candy to help support my arguments, so I hope you will enjoy reading more about my strange taste in book boyfriends after the jump! fuckyeahreactions.tumbl r.c om

Terrible thought she was brave. She remembered it now, heard his voice in her head as if he stood next to her. "They scared. Not you, though." Terrible thought she was brave, and if he - a man whose name was Terrible, a man whose path people scrambled to get out of - thought so, it must be true. She could do this, she would do this. Unholy Ghosts ~~Stacia Kane

Amanda: Dudes. I finished Iced , and Karen Marie Moning is a fecking genius! Anne: I'm still in the midst of Pride and Prejudice . I'm also in the middle of A Storm of Swords , and George R.R. Martin broke my heart wide open twice within the span of five chapters. Damn him! Angela: A bit of a slow reading week this week. The Christmas madness has started in my part of the world, so can't see much reading between now and Christmas. Read The Flesh Cartel Part 1 , and I have to say, it was so naughty that I'm kinda shocked I liked it. Barb: I'm still in the middle of Shadowfever , but I also succumbed to peer pressure and started Outlander . I just started it, so I don't have an opinion yet. Beta: Reading Outlander and liking it so far. These books are pretty long and I'm guessing it will take awhile finishing the first one, let alone all the others, so don't be surprised if I am repeating myself here next week. ;) Donna: Continuing in my...

“Well, don't expect us to be too impressed.  We just saw Finnick Odair in his underwear.”  ―  Suzanne Collins ,  Mockingjay myhungergames.com

Out of the wickedly inventive imagination of #1  New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward comes a world where sin and salvation collide in a battle for the future of mankind — where a cynical fallen angel struggles against the seven deadly sins and a demon’s lure over seven chosen souls... Mels Carmichael, reporter for the Caldwell Courier Journal, gets the shock of her life when a man stumbles in front of her car outside the local cemetery. After the accident, his amnesia is just the kind of mystery she likes to solve, but she soon discovers they’re in over their heads with his past. Over their heads with passion, too... As shadows walk the line between reality and another realm, and her lover’s memory begins to come back, the two of them learn that nothing is truly dead and buried. Especially when you’re trapped in a no-holds-barred war between angels and demons. With a soul on the line, and Mels’ heart at risk, what in Heaven — or in Hell — will it take to save the...

Vadim parted his lips, almost surprised at the tongue. It seemed unlike Dan, somehow, to kiss him like that. He ran his hands down Dan’s face, to his shoulders, enjoyed how the muscles shifted, how the man breathed, and felt himself press into the kiss. Demanding more, much more as it struck an inner chord, somewhere down there, which reminded him of lust and greed. He shouldn’t be wanting this, but the kiss was sensuous, tender, and after all the months it was impossible to pretend he didn’t want this, this and more, because they both could have been dead, and not met here. Special Forces: Soldiers by Aleksandr Voinov/Vashtan and Marquesate

"It's your show, kid. You make the call." Oh, great. Now it was all up to me. "I hate it when you do that. If you don't want to help me catch this vampire, just say so." Wild Bill lit a cigarette, sucked in a drag so deep it nearly made me turn green, and let it out in a big, gusty sigh. "Here's the way I see it. If I say no, let's take a rain check, then Dr. Douchebag's managed to drive a little wedge between us. And every time he taps that wedge, he'll nudge us farther apart, until one day, while neither of us is looking, that tiny little crack he's made turns into a great big rift. Or I go with you, and I see what's what, and I look that prick in the eye and try to figure out what it is he's really got cooking. Either way, babycakes, I'm screwed." ~ Snare: Channeling Morpheus 7, Jordan Castillo Price  

Stories you read when you're the right age never quite leave you. You may forget who wrote them or what the story was called. Sometimes you'll forget precisely what happened, but if a story touches you it will stay with you, haunting the places in your mind that you rarely ever visit. ―  Neil Gaiman,  M Is for Magic

There was too much colour in being a March, and Edward, with my willing assistance, did all that he could to paint my life beige. ~~Julia March Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourne

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~ Melody Beattie Today is the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, and although several Wenches don’t celebrate Thanksgiving because it’s not a tradition in our countries, it doesn’t mean that each and every one of us isn’t thankful for what she has and is blessed with. Life is rarely easy, but we can always find something to be grateful for. Today we want to share with you what we are most thankful for in our lives. :-)

“Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.” ~Mark Twain Source: Chris O'Leary Illustration Many Saucy Readers and Wenches in the United States are preparing to celebrate the annual Thanksgiving holiday. Traditionally, we take time away from our jobs and busy schedules to gather with family and friends, prepare and consume large quantities of delicious foods in appreciation of a bountiful harvest, and contemplate the many things for which we are grateful. Numerous Americans seem to be extremely thankful for football games, which they spend the entire weekend watching. Or shopping, which they sometimes begin as early as 12:01 A.M. on the day after Thanksgiving. Predictably, no matter what country they live in, the Wenches are thankful for the endless supply of books we have to choose from. As we look back over the past year, we’re kind of amazed at the volume and variety of books we have discovered, dissected, drooled over, and ...

tumblr “When did I turn into a needy whiny angsty idiot who needed to be swept off her feet? "  She snorted then started running again, forcing me into a brief sprint to catch up. "We're conditioned from birth," she said. "I swear to god, if I ever have a daughter I'll ban all of the Disney princesses from the house. Except Mulan. She kicks ass.”   ―   Diana Rowland , S ecrets of the Demon

Amanda: I'm still reading The Flesh Cartel , Episodes 1 & 2 , as I have not had much time to read.   Anne: At several Wenches' request, I'm reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I'm not very far in, but it's interesting so far. Angela: I'm giving Dragonfly in Amber a rest this week. I'm finding that, though I am enjoying it, when things get too intense I need to give it a break, and the event I read about last week has made me need to take a breather. So I'm reading Sacrificial Magic ( Downside Ghosts , #4) by Stacia Kane. Nearly finished and loving it. Terrible is just *sigh* my new book boyfriend. Barbara: I'm still reading Shadowfever . Real life, plus the usual block after finishing a KMM book, are getting in my way. I can, however, joyfully report that my mom just finished the Fever series and loved it. I need to buy her the books for Christmas, I think. Beta: I have finally finished Iced and dude, it was A-fecking-mazin...

“There was something so best-musical-ever when people screamed and begged for mercy, and she could listen to a good musical all day.” - Kaia in Lords of the Underworld by Gena Showalter

The Highs & Lows of Being a Spoiler Prude I'm a little intense when it comes to things I like. Like books. Now, I'm not trying to tell anyone how they should do stuff. AT ALL. To each his/her own I always say. Same goes for reading. But like I said...sometimes I get intense. And when I get intense, I can be a little.... extreme. And I'm extreme about trying my best to avoid spoilers for things I want to enjoy at my own pace. I am, more or less, a spoiler prude. A spoiler flirt sometimes. (Thank you Wench Shau for that term!) And this is where I plead my case. “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” ~Ernest Hemingway

"And when my body shall cease, my soul will still be yours, Claire. I swear by my hope of heaven, I will not be parted from you." The wind stirred the leaves of the chestnut trees nearby, and the scents of late summer rose up rich around us; pine and grass and strawberries, sun-warmed stone and cool water, and the sharp, musky smell of his body next to mine. "Nothing is lost, Sassenach; only changed." "That's the first law of thermodynamics," I said, wiping my nose. "No," he said. "That's faith."  —  Diana Gabaldon,  Drums of Autumn

"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Anna Karenina ~~Leo Tolstoy

"Kid, let me tell you something. Most people spend their short time in this world less than half alive. They wander through their days in a haze of responsibility and resentment. Something happens to them not long after they're born. They get conflicted about what they want and start worshipping the wrong gods. Should. Mercy. Equality. Altruism. There's nothing you should do. Do what you want. Mercy isn't Nature's way. She's an equal opportunity killer. We aren't born the same. Some are stronger, smarter, faster. Never apologize for it. Altruism is an impossible concept. There's no action you can make that doesn't spring from how you want to feel about yourself. Not greedy, Dani. Alive. And happy about it every single fucking day." ~Ryodan, Iced , Karen Marie Moning

I've always thought of myself as a free-thinker. Someone who couldn't care less about another person's sexual orientation, someone who admired another person's willingness to be themselves. I am still that way, I just never expected to enjoy reading about it so much! I was presented with an m/m book series one day from a fellow Wench and I thought... nah, not for me. It's just not my thing. I had nothing against it. I was sure the stories were good and the sex hot, but I didn't think I'd care to read a novel about two guys in a relationship instead of the standard m/f romances I've grown to love. Boy, was I wrong. I discovered a whole new world of m/m romances that, for me, completely put standard romances to shame. I started with the Cut and Run series by Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban. Fellow Wench Amanda gave this to me, and it took me a while to start reading it. She explained it was about two alpha males, and I thought, how would that work? T...

“I wanted you to watch, so I stomped around the room to wake you before I got in the shower. Didn't you wonder why the light was on? It wasn't for me, I can see in the dark. And then I kept the water cold so the glass wouldn't fog.” ― Jeaniene Frost, Night Huntress Series, First Drop of Crimson

“She liked a very particular kind of plot: the sort where the pirate kidnaps some virgin damsel, rapes her into loving him, and then dispatches lots of seamen while she polishes his cutlass. Or where the Highland clan leader kidnaps some virginal English Rose, rapes her into loving him, and then kills entire armies of Sassenachs while she stuffs his haggis. Or where the Native American warrior kidnaps a virginal white settler, rapes her into loving him, and then kills a bunch of colonists while she whets his tomahawk. I hated to get Freudian on Linda, but her reading patterns suggested some interesting insight into why she is such a bitch.”  ~Nicole Peeler, Tempest Rising

A Review of The Gravedigger's Brawl by Veronica Vishous I'm supposed to be writing a review of The Gravedigger's Brawl by Abigail Roux.  I really am.  But I've learned this about myself: I do not know how to write reviews. The Gravedigger's Brawl is a good book.  I liked it.  You should read it, too.  End of review.   I could write about what I liked.  I like that the main characters are "out;" as someone whose primary m/m experience is the Cut & Run books this was a nice change.  I like the atmosphere at the Gravedigger's Tavern; it's a cool place and in my younger days I would have liked working with Ash and Ryan and Delilah.  Even Caleb would be cool to work for; he's gruff but he takes care of his people.  I think Wyatt and Ash are a good match for each other.  Even though they don't think they fit into each other's worlds very well, I think they fit just fine.  A historian with an interest in the Victorian er...

I lock eyes with my reflection and don't look away. The day you look away you start to lose yourself. I'm never going to lose myself. You are what you are. Deal with it or change. Iced ~~Karen Marie Moning

Amanda: I have had very little extra time to read this week, so I've been reading our wonderful Saucy Wenches blog. I have also been reading The Flesh Cartel , episodes 1 & 2. It's not for the faint of heart, but it is gripping.    Anne : I'm eagerly anticipating the next Alex Cross book being released on the 12th. Until then, I'm just browsing in past reads for my next post. Angela : This week I'm still on Dragonfly in Amber . Real life is making it a slow reading week at present. Hope to churn though in in the next week. Barbara: Still working on Shadowfever . I'm in that place, after reading Iced , where I'm having a hard time concentrating on any book. Plus it's cold enough to knit, and I can't knit and read at the same time. :) Beta: Still reading Iced which I'm loving more and more with every "page" I turn. What can I say, KMM is a fecking genius! Donna: I just finished reading some Jessica Bird's roman...

“And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.) KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS! So... be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea, you're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So...get on your way!”

“It begins with absence and desire. It begins with blood and fear. It begins with a discovery of witches.” A Discovery of Witches  and Shadow of Night (book 3 is expected…) This is the story of Diana Bishop, a descendant of the Salem witches. Diana is an alchemy history academic who is unwilling to embrace her witchy powers. She makes a surprising discovery in Oxford’s Bodleian Library: An enchanted book that she did not request. Although she doesn’t know it yet, this book will alter her life and completely rock her world. This unintentionally (or perhaps deliberately?) received manuscript also draws the attention of all sorts of creatures in this world. Thus Diana’s story begins....

“I figure you really wanted me you’d say. Like now, maybe, if you dig. I’ll fuckin carry you down your place on a run, you tell me aye, get you on your back afore the next word comes out your mouth. But you oughta have yourself certain, causen I ain’t lookin for charity, an I ain’t lettin you go after. Once …once ain’t enough for me, dig?” Downside Ghosts, Unholy Magic by Stacia Kane  

Made by Olga Daniels Special Agent B. Tyler Grady Divide & Conquer by Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux

“For how can one know color in perpetual green, and what good is warmth without cold to give it sweetness?" John Steinbeck, Travels With Charley  

How far would you go for your child?  That is the central theme and a repeated line in the wonderful Defending Jacob by William Landay . Defending Jacob is a courtroom/family drama. A significant portion of the book deals with the drama of an investigation and trial. But the real heart of the story is watching a family deal with a crime, an arrest, a trial and the aftermath of that trial. Watching the main characters grapple with the guilt or innocence of their loved one makes this book both gripping and heart wrenching. And, all the while, you are grappling with Jacob's guilt or innocence.

"Ash took a step and laid his hand against the door behind Wyatt.  Wyatt's back hit the door as Ash pressed against him.  He reached for Wyatt's wrist and brought it up, pinning Wyatt.  The kiss was almost chaste, if the presence of a French tickler could be classified as that.  Ash slid Wyatt's hands up the door until he held them over their heads as they kissed, Ash brushing Wyatt's lips with the tip of his tongue but pressing their bodies together hard. The odd dichotomy of the actions sent an instant pang of lust through Wyatt's body." ~~Abigail Roux,  The Gravedigger's Brawl

Overview of Karen Marie Moning's Iced Discussion by Honorary Wench, Jennifer Chloe Jane On Tuesday, October 30, 2012 (official release day of Iced ), Barb and I were in the lovely Le Pavillon hotel in New Orleans, sitting in front row seats, listening to Karen Marie Moning answer questions from her dedicated fans. It was an exciting event to end our amazing weekend. Having received Iced just the night before, the majority of the guests had read only the first few chapters (and no spoilers allowed from those who spent the night reading), so most questions about the new book were very general, and quite a few she didn’t even answer, not wanting to give anything away. Read on to find out if Ms. Moning answered your burning questions. Or if she artfully ducked them. This is not a transcript of the discussion, but my impressions, based on what I remember.

Iced Release Bash in New Orleans 2012 You want to know the recipe for the most fun you've ever had? Take one part highly anticipated continuation of an amazing book series, add one part hordes of like-minded Moning Maniacs, stir in one or two (or four hundred) good friends, and pour it all over New Orleans. Honorary Wench, Jennifer, and I spent last weekend in New Orleans with Karen Marie Moning, Phil Gigante, Eric Etebari, and a few hundred Fever fans. This being the first trip to NOLA for both of us, we tried to see and do everything, while still making time for all of the fun planned by the KMM gang. The short version: we had an absolute blast. And you all should come with us next time. We'll all party with the Maniacs, Wench-style! For a slightly longer version, here's a recap of our ridiculously fun NOLA- Iced weekend...

"You persist in this romantic vision of what it is to be a vampire, but despite my best efforts to curb it I have a taste for blood" "My ideas about vampires may be romantic, but your attitudes toward women need a major overhaul." ~A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

One book is mentioned in almost all of the Wenches's reading lists this week. Any guesses what book has us all on the same page? (har har) Of course it's Iced by Karen Marie Moning. Read on to see what the Wenches are saying about Iced , and what other books are on our bedside tables.

A Review of Karen Marie Moning's Iced by Zee the Terrible W e have been waiting on the edge of our seats for Karen Marie Moning's ICED . Desperately. Ever since we greedily devoured Shadowfever . More than a few of us were a little apprehensive about relating to Dani and whether we’d want to read an entire book from her POV, so this was the one that was going to decide whether we were in for her journey through the trilogy or not. We knew we'd be in for an unforgettable new adventure, and I must say, Ms. Moning did not disappoint. The Wenches on Iced release day! I ced picks up where Shadowfever leaves us, more or less. The year is 1 AWC, After the Wall Crash. We read about 14-year-old Dani “Mega” O'Malley freeze-framing through the streets of Dublin, battling the Fae with her sword, avoiding Mac, and keeping the citizens of Dublin informed with her newspaper, the Dani Daily. W e are back on familiar ground, but this time we have bigger monsters ...

"Peeta and I grow back together. There are still moments when he clutches the back of a chair and hangs on until the flashbacks are over. I wake screaming from nightmares of mutts and lost children. But his arms are there to comfort me. And eventually his lips. On the night I feel that thing again, the hunger that overtook me on the beach, I know this would have happened anyway. That what I needed to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that" --Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games series.

View on Amazon Sharon Kay Penman is the master of medieval historical fiction.  I've read everything she has written in historical novel form, and I've never been disappointed. Lionheart is another fantastic book to add to my love of the author's work. Meticulously researched and entertaining, this is a no-holds-barred look at Richard I and the Third Crusade. Penman is able to richly bring to the page the man, the times and the landscape. I know we often look at paranormal romance and urban fantasy around here, but trust me, that isn't the only thing we all read. Keep reading to learn more about this fascinating story and cast of characters.

“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” “If you know how to read, you have a complete education about life, then you know how to vote within a democracy. But if you don’t know how to read, you don’t know how to decide. That’s the great thing about our country — we’re a democracy of readers, and we should keep it that way.” Ray Bradbury 1920-2012

  "Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul.  The Soul of the person who w r ote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it.  Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens."  ~ The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron

"Memory can refuse to let you forget what you'd like to and run away with what you want to remember. It's an unreliable bitch, or your best friend. Sometimes, it's both at once." Broken ~~Megan Hart

I finished reading The Casual Vacancy , J.K. Rowling's new novel, a couple of weeks ago and needed some time to let it settle. I've read some reviews from eminently more qualified and educated people, so I won't even try to compete with them.  One thing I've noticed is that this book got people talking.  She has constructed a controversial story that is very far removed from the world of Harry Potter , at least in some ways. One of the good things about reading is owning your own impression of what you've read. No one can tell you what to think or how to feel. It's a personal experience, and whether or not you liked a book, your impression can linger and come back to you.  I like to think that everything I've ever read has enriched me, taught me or simply entertained me. Keep reading for a few of my thoughts on what I found memorable about this book.

"You definitely have the voice for phone sex, but I've got to go. I have a date with my vibrator." "Oh, Eva." Cross spoke my name in a decadent purr. "You're determined to drive me to my knees, aren't you? What will it take to talk you into a threesome with B.O.B?" - Sylvia Day, Bared to You