The Saucy Wenches Book Club

A smile quirked the corner of my mouth at a sudden thought. “Hey, Ivy,” I said lightly. “Pass me the clotted blood.” Not missing a beat, she pushed the bottle across the table. Glenn froze. “Oh my God!” he whispered harshly, his face going sallow. Ivy snickered, and I laughed. “Relax, Glenn,” I said as I squirted ketchup over my fries. I lounged in my chair, giving him a sly look as I ate one. “It’s ketchup.” “Ketchup!” He pulled his paper place mat with his food closer. “Are you insane?” “Nearly the same stuff you were slurping last night,” Ivy said. I pushed the bottle toward him. “It won’t kill you. Try some.” His eyes riveted to the red plastic, Glenn shook his head. His neck was stiff, and he pulled his food closer. “No.” ~ Kim Harrison, The Good, the Bad, and the Undead

"And nothing in my past is going to come up and bite you or me on the ass," he added with a shake of his head.  "I've got no mysteries.  Only thing I've got back there is some broken hearts and a whole lot of red tape." Zane studied him for a long moment.  "All right," he murmured... Ty Grady, Chapter 4      ~ Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban, Cut & Run

"It's an awful truth that suffering can deepen us, give a greater luster to our Source colors, a richer resonance to our words. That is, if it  doesn't destroy us, if it  doesn't burn away the optimism and the spirit, the capacity for visions, and the  respect for simple yet    indispensable things." ~  Anne Rice, The Queen of the Damned , The Vampire Chronicles series

The Dramatic Confessions of an Outlanderholic upon the Loss of her Outlander Virginity Hi, I‘m Beta, and I‘m outlandishly addicted to Diana Gabaldon‘s amazing series, Outlander . There, I‘ve said it, and I have to blame ... thank our Wenches Kathi and Merit for that, because after reading their very intriguing and inspiring post about the books, I just could not put them on hold for very much longer. I had heard of them often, of course, and sure enough I‘d heard plenty about Jamie Fraser whenever the Wenches who had read the books were gushing over him, saying how amazing and perfect he is, when talking about their book boyfriends. Er, not that we talk about our book boyfriends that much. *shifty eyes* Yup, that's exactly what I did when I saw all those page numbers. But I‘m going to be frank... eeehh, let me rephrase that... I‘m going to be honest and admit that the page numbers were/are verra overwhelming, and one of the reasons why I hadn‘t picked up these book...

In a quick shift, she shot around his body, jumped back into her car, and slammed the door. He moved just as fast. Surging in through the open window, he turned her head and kissed her hard, his mouth taking over, the drive to wipe clean any trace of that human male making his sex pound. She kissed him back. With equal strength. As his shoulders were too big to fit through the window, he wanted to claw through the steel. He had to stay where he was, however, and that made him even more aggressive, his blood roaring in his veins, his body straining as his tongue entered her, his hand snaking behind her neck, burying in her hair. ~~J.R. Ward, Lover at Last

I recently discovered a book series that I wanted to share: Diana Rowland's Kara Gillian books. They grabbed me from the very beginning. At the time I found them, four books had been published. I read through them fairly quickly. Kara was an engaging heroine with just the right blend of strength and vulnerability, the side characters were interesting, and the plots kept me wondering. Then the fourth book, Sins of the Demon , ended with a heart-stopping cliffhanger.... Kara Gillian's 5th book is out AT LAST!!! I waited on pins and needles for six months for the next book, Touch of the Demon . And boy, did I have a wonderful surprise to reward my (im)patience! This book introduced a new, vividly drawn, utterly fantastical realm, rich with the unpredictability one might expect of a different dimension, and infused the series with a whole new level of possibilities. I was a fan before, but I am smitten now and cannot wait to see where Rowland takes Kara's story n...

Source Most of the Wenches are itching to get their hands on one of two books today. Jeaniene Frost is releasing the second in her Night Prince trilogy, Twice Tempted , and Head Wench Barb and Guest Wench Jennifer will be getting their books signed by Ms. Frost this evening. Also, J. R. Ward's hotly anticipated Lover at Last , book 11 in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, will be devoured by some of the Wenches starting today. A few Wenches have some other books on their minds. Click through to see what else the Wenches are reading this week.

“There is nothing else than now. There is neither yesterday, certainly, nor is there any tomorrow. How old must you be before you know that? There is only now, and if now is only two days, then two days is your life and everything in it will be in proportion. This is how you live a life in two days. And if you stop complaining and asking for what you never will get, you will have a good life. A good life is not measured by any biblical span.”

Collage by Olga Daniels Artwork by http://anyae.deviantart.com/ Color by http://blaubeerstrauch90.deviantart.com/ Interview...with the Wenches!! BDB style Some of us are so excited about the release of Lover at Last , the newest novel in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, that all we can think of is our favorite males in Caldwell, N.Y. And since I'm a firm believer in sharing this love, I thought that a post was in order! When I look back to the time when some of the Wenches began reading BDB, what struck me right away was how each of the girls fell for different brothers for such different reasons. We all connected to a brother pretty quickly and have never really strayed. Anne has always been Rhage's girl, Barb always has preferred Rehv, and Zsadist has owned my heart since I first saw him on paper. So what is it about these brothers that make us swoon? I decided to pay a little cyber visit with my lovelies and ask them for the particulars, the ins and outs ...

~ Diana Gabaldon, Lord John and the Scottish Prisoner

"I got you, Bella." Zsadist's voice. Low. Full of strength. "You're safe. You're out of there. And you're never going back." He had come for her. He had come for her... She started to sob. The car seemed to slow, but then their speed redoubled.  Her relief was so great, she slid into blackness. ~ J. R. Ward, Lover Awakened

"No, maybe he's not perfect," she said. "But I bet he doesn't consider women to be tarts , who should be in a man's bed twenty four hours a day." "I was jesting about that. Mainly. Almost totally." She glared. "For the record, male Lorekind have higher opinions of females than human males do. The playing field's more equal in our world." "Ha! I find it hard to believe that men who've lived for centuries—and might even be medieval —believe in equality more than a human male raised in the Madonna era." "The Lore is home of the Valkyrie, Furiae, Witches, and Sirenae. You underestimate females, and you find your balls nailed to the wall." ~ Kresley Cole, Dark Desires After Dusk      Immortals After Dark series

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). Source 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 afte...

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 a...

~ Margaret Atwood, Bluebeard's Egg

Original picture ~ Patricia Briggs, Moon Called , Mercy Thompson series

Created by Olga Daniels What better way to prepare for the impending release of the next Black Dagger Brotherhood novel, Lover at Last by J. R. Ward, than to relive some of our favourite scenes in the previous books?! Some of these scenes were selected by multiple Wenches, others are just personal favourites. One is. Clearly. The. Wench. Favourite. It won't be hard to tell which one! After the jump, see which scenes made us ooh, ahh, and pant for more.

“Maybe I should have cut him some slack. With his broken wing and lifetime of eating roadkill, he probably had a lot to be ungrateful about. Too much hard luck can create a permanent meanness of spirit in any creature.” ~ Jeannette Walls      The Glass Castle

Source There is quite a mix in our book bags this week: rereads for upcoming releases, time-honored grand fantasies, brand-new-to-us discoveries, and out-of-the-blue impulses. Click through to see what has captured our imaginations this week. And don't forget to tell us what you're reading, in the comments below!

Source “Anybody can be charming if they don't mind faking it, saying all the stupid, obvious, nauseating things that a conscience keeps most people from saying. Happily, I don't have a conscience. I say them.”  ― Jeff Lindsay,  Darkly Dreaming Dexter  

The latest in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, Lover at Last , releases on March 26th, and the Wenches couldn't be more excited. We're celebrating all week, right up to the 26th, by sharing all the BDB goodness we can handle. And what better way to start than . . . What's that you say, dear readers? You want to join us in the Wenchiest (and the most satisfying) game around? Well here you have it! The Black Dagger Brotherhood Edition of Marry, Fuck, Kill ! Find out which Brothers the Wenches want to walk down the aisle with, who we want to have a tangle in the sheets with, and who drives us mad and makes us want to commit murder! And thank you to Wench Olga for the beautiful banner. ;-)

Glenn? I thought. My face went slack as I remembered our missing ketchup and the pieces fell into place. “You…” I sputtered. Glenn had stolen our ketchup? The man’s face went panicked, and he reached out, almost covering my mouth before he drew back. “No,” he pleaded, leaning close. “Don’t say anything.” “You took our ketchup!” I breathed, shocked. Beyond Glenn I could see Jenks rocking in mirth on Edden’s shoulder, able to hear our whispers and keep up a running conversation to distract the FIB captain at the same time. Glenn shot a guilty look at his dad. “I’ll pay you for it,” he begged. “Anything you want. Just don’t tell my dad. Oh God, Rachel. It would kill him.” For a moment I could only stare. He had taken our ketchup. Right off our table. “I want your handcuffs,” I said suddenly. “I can’t find anything real without fake purple fur glued to it.” His panicked look eased and he shifted back. “Monday.” ~ Kim Harrison,  The Good, the Bad, and the Undead

"Kate? What the hell are you doing here?" "I live here." "Why?" "Because I'm with him now." Dagfinn looked at Curran. "You and her are...?" "She's my mate," Curran said. Dagfinn swung his axe onto his shoulder. The runes sparked with pale green. "Well, how about that? You know what, I don't care, I'll still beat your ass, but I like her so I won't kill you." Curran's eyes turned gold. "Thanks." Dagfinn waved his arm at him. "Well, go on. Do your transforming thing." "No need." "Oh, there is a need," Dagfinn assured him. "Are you going to talk all day? I'm a busy man," Curran told him. "Fine. Let's get to it." Frost condensed on Dagfinn's hair. His skin turned dark. He grew, gaining half a foot of height, his shoulders spreading wider. "Have fun, baby," I called. ~ Ilona Andrews, Ma...

Inspired by the popular TV show . This may come as a huge surprise to you, but the Wenches love books. And we love to quote our books. And I’m taking a wild guess here, but you might have noticed we love to occasionally post the quotes we love to quote here... ;-) What we also love is playing games. So I thought, why not combine all that together, make a game out of it, and ask our awesome readers to play with us. You might not have read all the books we’ll be quoting, but we’ll keep this plain and simple. You’ll get 5 random lines from 5 different books, and all you have to do is to tell us who said what. See, plain and simple! We even make this easier for you by telling you which book the quote appears in. Could we be any nicer!? So what do you say, are you ready to play Whose Line Is It Anyway , Wench style? Where everything is quoted and the points don’t matter? That’s right, the points are just like the moo point.

Only in grammar can you be more than perfect. ~ William Safire

~ Nalini Singh, Caressed by Ice

Review: Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs ( Mercy Thompson series) Even though I just finished reading the Mercy books at the beginning of this year, I was chomping at the bit to get the new one. I adore Mercy, Adam, Warren, Ben, Samuel, and the rest of the Tri-Cities gang. So I was very excited to learn that I didn't have long to wait. Frost Burned didn't disappoint me! The story might sound familiar. Someone kidnaps the wolves and drugs them with Gerry Wallace's concocted werewolf drug. But it takes a couple of twists along the way. I'll discuss those twists, and the rest of the story, and my thoughts on the book after the jump! Warning: Minor(ish) Spoilers Ahead!!

A sheriff arrested me. I could be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure my men-in-uniform fetish began that day.  The sheriff was hot. And he handcuffed me. I've never been the same. ~ Darynda Jones, First Grave on the Right

Source The Wenches seem to have a lot going on this week, and some of us are reading more than others. Anne got to finish the new Mercy Thompson book, so look for a review later this week, and a few Wenches are still preparing for upcoming releases. Barbara and Angela are tickled to be hooked on the same new-to-us series right now, and a few Wenches are still bravely working their way through some huge books. Click through to see who's reading what, and don't forget to share with us what you're reading this week!

"Yes, Bones was a killer, but that wasn't what I saw when I looked at him. I saw the person who'd taught me how to accept myself when no one else wanted me to. Who loved me without any of the fears or conditions I'd first put on our relationship, and who'd risked death several times for my life, my mother's, my friends, and countless other people he'd never even met when he took on an undead white slavery ring. All of that had just been in the past decade, too. I'd probably never know all the things Bones had done for others in the time before he met me, or the centuries before I was even born. Killer, yes, but that was the smallest part of him in my eyes." This Side of the Grave Night Huntress Series ~~Jeaniene Frost

Source In preparation for the new season of HBO's A Game of Thrones , we thought it was time to play our favourite game: Marry, Fuck, Kill ― known as The MFK Game to regular players. I've polled some Wenches and guests to see who they think deserves to meet a horrible end and who they'd like to get into the sack. I have to say, I'm surprised by the number of people who would like to Fuck Jaime Lannister. I guess we all love a bad boy. Just remember, he's married to me, but I can share with a fellow Wench! Check after the jump to see our choices.

The Library at Dunham Massey, Cheshire, England ( Source ) “My finger's stuck.” Dumbfounded, he looked down at the sight of Lillian tugging on her imprisoned finger. “I can't get it out,” she said. “Just pull at it.” “It hurts. It's throbbing." “Pull harder.” “I can't! It's truly stuck. I need something to make it slippery. Do you have some sort of lubricant nearby?” “No.” “Not anything?” “Much as it may surprise you, we've never needed lubricant in the library before now.” — Lisa Kleypas, It Happened One Autumn      Wallflowers series

I certainly believe we all suffer damage, one way or another. How could we not, except in a world of perfect parents, siblings, neighbours, companions? And then there is the question on which so much depends, of how we react to the damage: whether we admit it or repress it, and how this affects our dealings with others. Some admit the damage, and try to mitigate it; some spend their lives trying to help others who are damaged; and there are those whose main concern is to avoid further damage to themselves, at whatever cost. And those are the ones who are ruthless, and the ones to be careful of. — Julian Barnes , The Sense of an Ending

Ty looked at him seriously as he stepped closer, letting Zane's arms encircle his hips. He put one hand on Zane's upper arm, fingers digging into his bicep. He reached up with the other hand to touch Zane's face, gliding his fingertips along Zane's lips as he looked him over. It was an odd gesture from his normally undemonstrative partner, one that struck Zane silent as he waited for Ty's next move. He had expected Ty to make another comment or wisecrack, but Ty said nothing, letting his fingers slide down Zane's neck, over his chest, down to his waist to disappear under the unbuttoned shirt Zane still wore. Zane shivered. "Care to help me get into character?" Ty whispered with a mischievous smile. ~ Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux,  Fish & Chips , Cut & Run series

Was it love at first sight for our favorite books? I recently asked my fellow Wenches to share great opening sentences from some of their favourite books. I was interested in knowing whether the opening lines grabbed their attention from the start, so they knew they were reading a book that would come to mean so much to them. Sometimes that happens, but other times it takes a while for a book to engage us so completely. We might not fully appreciate the significance of those opening lines until we’ve read further. We might be so busy anticipating what lies ahead, and how that cliffhanger from the last book in the series is going to be resolved, that we hardly notice the introduction. Then we turn the last page and have to start right back over again, so we can read more slowly, to fully absorb those opening lines, along with all the others we might have missed in our haste. In some books, a powerful first statement gives us pause, or even stops us cold, and we can’t even...

Source Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears. "After all this time?" "Always," said Snape. - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

"I do know you’re nothing like him. But you're still… still a lot. A lot to handle. I don't mean your junk, obviously, as we've not gotten to the fondling-bits stage yet. And I can't believe I just talked about your junk. Anyway, I'm not saying you're not a lot to handle, in the junk department, but I meant 'a lot' more as in, like, 'you.' You're a lot. Just… a lot."   ~ Nicole Peeler Eye of the Tempest

Wench Book Boyfriends We want our readers to get to know us better, and what better way to do that than to introduce you to our book boyfriends. The whole lot! (Yes... there are MANY!) We have a very special, happy community here. The Wenches don't do envy (mostly!), because sharing IS caring after all *wink wink* and there are lots of hot men to go around. Men we fell in love with in the books we love. Sometimes right off the bat, sometimes gradually. There are even cases where hatred turned to lust and love! Regardless of the journey, it ends the same for us. Yet another man we want... badly. Thanks to those naughty authors! I think it's safe to say we have all our genres covered. Paranormal romance: Check! Urban Fantasy: Check! Mystery/Thriller: Check! Classics: Check! Historical Romance: Check! Fantasy: Check! So, Saucy Readers! Gird your loins, prepare your drool buckets, and have your fainting couches ready! The Wenches present to you their favorite Book Boyfrie...

"Men," said Mr. Kyle, "people have been trying to understand dogs ever since the beginning of time. One never knows what they'll do. You can read every day where a dog saved the life of a drowning child, or lay down his life for his master. Some people call this loyalty. I don't. I may be wrong, but I call it love — the deepest kind of love." After these words were spoken, a thoughtful silence settled over the men. The mood was broken by the deep growling voice I had heard back in the washout. "It's a shame that people all over the world can't have that kind of love in their hearts," he said. "There would be no wars, slaughter, or murder; no greed or selfishness. It would be the kind of world that God wants us to have — a wonderful world.” ~ Wilson Rawls, Where the Red Fern Grows

Source Many of the Wenches are gearing up for new book releases by revisiting previous books in several series. You'll see books from the Black Dagger Brotherhood series on our lists this week, as well as the Cut & Run series, and A Song of Ice and Fire still sits on several Wenches' bedside tables. (Those are long books!!) Guest Wench, Natalie also did her job well with her review of Darynda Jones's Charley Davidson series, as those books are still getting some rotation. Click through to see what else we are reading this week. And don't forget to share what you're reading in the comments!

“I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you and it as well.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Source This quote is dedicated to my dad, who turns 60 on Saturday, and who made me the book lover I am today. This is one of his favorite quotes in all of literature. Happy Birthday, Dad!! I love you!