The Saucy Wenches Book Club

As if to hammer home to me just how much I wasn't meant to be there, my helmet kept slipping down over my eyes, and I really, really needed to pee. While I knew it was just my nerves, that didn't matter. If I pee my pants I am going to be so pissed, I thought... ~ Nicole Peeler, Tempest's Legacy

Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf? If you are a regular reader here, you might have noticed that I have a very large small obsession with Joe Manganiello. The other Wenches sure have noticed. It's so bad that I will sometimes get Facebook notifications that I've been tagged in something by one of them, and it's almost always about Joe. The Wenches are also kind enough to notify me whenever he's going to appear on a talk show or guest star in a TV series. They know that I'll want to DVR it. Or at least find a YouTube video of it. So when we started doing our Fangirl Friday posts, they didn't even need to ask who the topic of my first piece was going to be. So here I am to convince you all that you, too, should love Joe Manganiello. Besides, how can you not at least think he's hot? I mean, LOOK AT HIM! Source     Exactly, JD. Exactly. My love for him started, as it did for most people, with True Blood . I had watched the firs...

This quote is for my fellow Wenches, both near and far.

A Little Peek Into The Wenches' Lives Unfortunately, we don't have these shelves (much to Wench Barb's disappointment). We've been around for a while now, and we have some great readers whom we love as much as the books that brought us together. So we thought it was time we shared more of ourselves with you. And what better way than to give you a peek into our lives... or, more importantly, our bookshelves! You know how there are doorways to different dimensions/worlds/realms in sci-fi or fantasy stories? A phone booth, a fairy circle, a wardrobe, a fireplace, a mirror, or a rabbit hole? THAT is what I think our bookshelves and e-readers are: Doorways to so, so many different worlds. They might seem inconspicuous, well camouflaged in our everyday lives as just another piece of furniture or just another hand-held gadget, but they are so much more. They hold some of the most precious things in our lives, books. The stories that have consumed us completely, ...

Dan smiled at me with lips still moist from mine. I have seen clouds part for the sun. I have seen rainbows. I have seen flowers in the morning, covered in dew, and I have seen sunsets so brilliant with fire they made me want to weep. And I have seen Dan smile at me, his lips still wet from my kiss, and if I had to choose which sight moved me the most I would say it was that one. ~ Megan Hart, Dirty

This week some of the Wenches have been busy with a couple of old favorites, some with new releases, and some with new recommendations thanks to the Vampire Book Club’s 2013 Alpha Showdown. A few of us have finally gotten around to each other’s reading recommendations too! Needless to say, we can’t wait to hear what they have to say about them! Click through to see what we’ve been up to, and as always, tell us what fictional universe you are currently residing in! Maybe we’ll be meeting up in the same ones.

T y had come to attention, body taut in a smart salute. His jaw was tight and his eyes were unreadable, staring ahead from the shadow of his white cover. He stood straight and tall, every ounce of him perfect and rigid, the bright colors and harsh white of his uniform in sharp contrast to the washed-out sepia of the day. Zane didn't think he'd ever seen anything more incredible and heart-wrenching than Ty right then. {Snip} How many times had Ty done this, said goodbye to a fallen comrade in that uniform? ~  D ivide & Conquer by A bigail Roux and M adeleine Urban On this Memorial Day, the Wenches would like to say thank you to all of the men and women in the armed services in the US and across the world. You are incredible, and our world wouldn't be the same without your service. Thank you to you and your families for the sacrifices you endure. Source

A Quick Guide to Who’s Who & What’s What Many Wenches love the Psy–Changeling Series , and we REALLY love Nalini Singh. The books... And novellas... I know, a LOT of books, huh? Well, that’s what I thought at first, but trust me, these babies get you hooked in no time. I’ll admit, some didn’t hold my interest as much as others; however, each book has something for everyone, even if it is just an appearance by a character you really loved in the previous book. Don’t worry, I won’t go into a deep analysis of every book, but I will say a few words about this series (and try not to spoil anything) after the jump!

Source “And I so very fucking much love that man.” Vadim felt himself tighten up, body finally translating the touches and dealing with the pain, lust grew, and he groaned, wanting nothing more in the world to last but this, this tenderness, Dan talking. The illusion that there was no marching orders, he’d stay here and that was the end of it. Happily ever after. “And I love...you.” In Russian. “You’re killing me with this...” he gave a near-silent laugh. “Difficult to…endure…” “Difficult to part.” Dan groaned, he sped up slightly, but his stroking remained slow. Couldn’t let Vadim come. “Most difficult…ever.” He concentrated on nothing but his feelings. Every sensation, no matter how small or big. ~ Aleksandr Voinov and Marquesate,     Special Forces – Soldiers (1980-1989)

Source "Lord Stark," Jon said.  It was strange to hear him call Father that, so formal.  Bran looked at him with desperate hope.  "There are five pups," he told Father.  "Three male, two female." "What of it, Jon?" "You have five trueborn children," Jon said.  "Three sons, two daughters.  The direwolf is the sigil of your House.  Your children were meant to have these pups my lord." Bran saw his father's face change, saw the other men exchange glances.  He loved Jon with all his heart at that moment.  Even at seven, Bran understood what his brother had done.  The count had come right only because Jon omitted himself.  He had included the girls, included even Rickon, the baby, but not the bastard who bore the surname Snow, the name that custom decreed be given to all those in the north unlucky enough to be born with no name of their own. Their father understood as well.  "You want no pup for yourself, Jon?"...

We simultaneously looked over to where Ethan, half naked, was toeing off his black leather loafers. The muscles in his abdomen clenched as he moved. So did the lines of corded muscle across his shoulders. God, but he was beautiful. I narrowed my gaze. Beautiful but evil. Wicked. The repugnant dregs of foul malevolence. Or something. “Jesus,” Mallory whispered. “I want to support your quest for revenge and all, but maybe you should just let him glamour you.” She looked at me, and I could tell she was trying not to laugh. “Either you’re fucked, or you’re fucked , right?"  ~ Chloe Neill, Some Girls Bite , Chicagoland Vampires series

It happened one evening in late 1975. I was sitting with friends in a small apartment, my BF just came back from a few days in London, England. He always brought with him new vinyl records and music albums. (For you young readers: A vinyl record is a disk made from vinyl plastic. The sound is recorded on a very fine line or groove that goes around and around in a spiral from the outside edge of the disk to the center...) Ancient artifact: vinyl record! In that era, before the Internet brought the world together as a global village, I was living in a small provincial country far away from the “centers” of the world. New music, bands, and singers (together with many other things) came to us very late; sometimes it took months or a whole year. So, if you remember, I was sitting... BF placed the new record on the record player, with a mysterious smile on his lips, the record started playing, and my (music) world changed forever. This new record was A Night at the ...

Owen stopped eating long enough to raise his eyebrows. "Safeword? I know what it is," he muttered, forestalling the explanation Malcolm was about to spew. "I just mean, I'm the one who's going to need it?" Malcolm took a few deep breaths. Was the Yank being irritating on purpose, or had Malcolm given him too many points for intelligence? "Well, I am buying dinner," he ground out, and Owen winked. "Hamburger." "Yes, Yank, hamburgers for dinner." "Nope. Hamburger for safeword. I'm not likely to spit that out in the middle of sex unless I mean it, right?" ~~ Country Mouse , Amy Lane & Aleksandr Voinov

Source "She was there—expecting me, naturally." He chuckled once.  "She hopped down from the high stool at the counter as soon as I walked in and came directly toward me. "It shocked me.  I was not sure if she meant to attack. That's the only interpretation of her behavior my past had to offer. But she was smiling.  And the emotions that were emanating from her were like nothing I'd ever felt before. "'You've kept me waiting a long time,' she said." I didn't realize Alice had come to stand behind me again. "And you ducked your head, like a good Southern gentleman, and said, 'I'm sorry, ma'am.'" Alice laughed at the memory. Jasper smiled down at her.  "You held out your hand, and I took it with out stopping to make sense of what I was doing.  For the first time in almost a century, I felt hope." ~ Stephenie Meyer,  Eclipse

Dreamspinner Press sometimes have promotions where they give away free ebooks. One of the gems I discovered was a book called A Note in the Margin by Isabelle Rowan. The book has continuously come up on my Goodreads recommendations so I was keen to give it a try. I wish I had read it earlier, as it is so good; I just had to pimp it out to you all. It centres around David and John. David is a homeless man and John a businessman who is on a leave of absence due to migraines. While it may sound like an interesting mix, I can assure you, you will not be disappointed. Check after the jump to see why I loved this book so much.

“Love is blind, they say; sex is impervious to reason and mocks the power of all philosophers. But, in fact, a man’s sexual choice is the result and the sum of his fundamental convictions. Tell me what a man finds sexually attractive and I will tell you his entire philosophy on life. Show me the woman he sleeps with and I will tell you his valuation of himself. No matter what corruption he’s taught about the virtue of selflessness, sex is the most profoundly selfish of all acts, an act which he cannot perform for any motive but his own enjoyment–just try to think of performing it in a spirit of selfless charity!–an act which is not possible in self-abasement, only in self-exaltation, only in confidence of being desired and being worthy of desire. It is an act that forces him to stand naked in spirit, as well as in body, and to accept his real ego as his standard of value. He will always be attracted to the woman who reflects his deepest vision of himself, the woman whose su...

Source The Wenches' reading choices are quite diverse this week, ranging from the beginning of a huge epic, to an intense erotic tale that is so much more, to a few different Urban Fantasy choices. I have a feeling our lists are going to be altered by some of the entries in this year's Alpha Showdown over at The Vampire Book Club, where we have championed two of the contestants. In fact, Donna has already checked out one of the entrants, and we are awaiting her verdict. Click through to see what has struck our literary fancies this week. And, as always, don't forget to tell us what you're reading this week, in the comments below!

“It seems to me I am trying to tell you a dream—making a vain attempt, because no relation of a dream can convey the dream-sensation, that commingling of absurdity, surprise, and bewilderment in a tremor of struggling revolt, that notion of being captured by the incredible which is of the very essence of dreams... No, it is impossible; it is impossible to convey the life-sensation of any given epoch of one's existence—that which makes its truth, its meaning—its subtle and penetrating essence. It is impossible. We live, as we dream—alone...”

Dirty by Megan Hart: A Review I picked up Dirty out of desperation. I was in a terrible book funk, the sort that happens when you've been reading a series for exactly 10 years, and the conclusion leaves you wondering whether you're even reading something written by the same author. I didn't feel like starting a new series. I just wanted ONE book that would make me forget.   Having read Broken by Megan Hart a long time ago, after Wench Donna's intriguing review , I figured, why not. If nothing else, erotica can distract you. So I got Dirty on my Kindle.  Click through to see what I thought of it and whether it did the trick!

During the last weeks of greater intimacy, she had come to know some unexpected things about her betrothed. He spent a ridiculous amount of money on buying books and time on reading them and also on scribbling verses―these traits she intended to regulate after marriage... Philippa de Roet, reflecting upon her future husband, Geoffrey Chaucer ~ Anya Seton, Katherine

“Success, after all, loves a witness, but failure can’t exist without one.” ― Junot Díaz , The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

"He was the heart of my world, my gravity, my sun. My life before him was a dream from which I'd joyously awoken. He turned this dusty cell into a prince's chamber, hung it with satin and silks. I loved him." ~ Harper Fox,  Scrap Metal

Misha's Minions, Unite! "Our core message is that you can make a difference in people's lives with even small contributions; it's an effort to get people to be less apathetic and a little bit more involved. People don't have to dramatically change the course of their lives to make a change in someone else's life. I grew up with a single mom on welfare and there were some instances in my childhood where the kindness of strangers made a huge difference in our lives and made a lasting impact on me. We were homeless at one point and living in a tent and someone gave us a gift certificate so we could go and have breakfast in a restaurant, and it was such a lovely morning for us and for someone else it was $14, like nothing. So, the core mission is to carry that spirit forward, encouraging people to make small contributions that make a big difference." ~ Misha Collins This is just a taste of what you can expect from Mr. Collins. Here he's talking abo...

DEA Spoiler-Gate I 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 ...

I knew I was fairly pathetic, but was I really so pathetic? Probably , replied my inner voice, snarkily. Bite me , I thought. Followed quickly by, I really gotta stop talking to myself . ~ Nicole Peeler,     Tempest Rising

Source The vast majority of the Wenches are still recovering from last week's heartbreak. A few of us didn't want to touch the latest release with a 10-foot pole, but like a train wreck, many Wenches needed to find out if it was really as bad as all that. Some muscled through to the bitter end, and some decided it wasn't worth the trauma. Click through to find out how each Wench fared with The Book That Shall Not Be Named, and what we are using to cleanse our literary palates.  Don't forget to tell us what you're reading, in the comments below!

“And Harry, with the unerring skill of the Seeker, caught the wand in his free hand as Voldemort fell backward, arms splayed, the slit pupils of the scarlet eyes rolling upward. Tom Riddle hit the floor with a mundane finality, his body feeble and shrunken, the white hands empty, the snakelike face vacant and unknowing. Voldemort was dead, killed by his own rebounding curse, and Harry stood with two wands in his hands, staring down at his enemy's shell.”  ― J.K. Rowling , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Collage by Olga Daniels 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 wine Chocolate (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 Group BFFs or BBFs Brain bleach Box of tissues Second box of wine Check 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.

  "Tink's a Disney whore."  - Jenks's favourite saying ~ Kim Harrison, For a Few Demons More

"You can just cut that out, Kevin Pryor," I said.  "I no more killed Arlene than you can tell your mama who you're living with." Kevin turned bright red, and I knew my tongue had gotten the better of me. Kevin and Kenya had been living together for a year now, and most people in town knew about it. But Kevin's mom could pretend she didn't know because Kevin didn't tell her face-to-face. There wasn't a thing wrong with Kenya, except for Kevin's mom [thought] she was the wrong color to be a girlfriend to Kevin. "You just shut up, Sookie," he said. Kevin Pryor had never said a rude thing to me in his life. I suddenly realized that I didn't look the same to Kevin now that I was wearing orange. From being someone he should treat with respect, I'd become someone he could tell to shut up. ~ Charlaine Harris, Dead Ever After

It’s time for Fangirl Fridays again, and I can’t think of anyone I’ve more wanted to sing the praises of over the last year than Diana Gabaldon. Given that she has completely taken over my literary life. Diana Gabaldon at the Grand Canyon.** Until last spring, I’d never heard of this woman, deferentially referred to as Herself by legions of fans who eagerly await the next books in her phenomenally popular Outlander and Lord John Grey series. I was about 20 years late to the Outlander party, but my belated enthrallment is deep and shows no sign of abating in the next few decades. How could she have inspired such enthusiastic devotion from me in such a short time? Because her stories have engaged me more passionately than the many others which came before. Her characters have rooted themselves in my heart more deeply. And her books satisfy every single desire I have as a reader: to be transported to new worlds; to be completely absorbed by the skillful weaving of events, char...

~ Charlaine Harris, Living Dead in Dallas

Source I’m sorry I haven’t written to you in a couple of weeks, but I have been trying to “participate” like Bill said. It’s strange because sometimes, I read a book, and I think I am the people in the book. ~ Stephen Chbosky,     The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Our Favorite SVM Quotes For the Wenches! It has been a long ride. It started at different moments in time for all of us. But it all ends the same way. With Dead Ever After . Kathi's already told you about our journey to each other in The Saga of the Saucy Wenches . Now we want to share with you our journey through the books that bonded us. The moments that made an impact on us from the very first time we read them, the ones we highlighted or dog eared because we just had to keep coming back to them again and again. We have been moved to one strong emotion or another countless times during the course of the books. Tears, longing, anger, lust, or just feeling what Sookie was feeling as strongly as she was. Fair warning: we love everything Eric Northman! Click through to read a few of our favorite moments from each book, which will forever remain with us. These are seared into our memories and hearts regardless of how the series ends for the vampire who stole the scenes...

... All's Well That Ends Well? Not! The Wenches have been reading Charlaine Harris's Dead Ever After , the last installment of the Southern Vampire Mysteries/Sookie Stackhouse Novels. And lets just say, we've been rendered speechless. We're going to let a few appropriate gifs do the talking till we get our bearings. Mildly spoilery vibe after the jump.

Eric came over to me, beaming. I had never been more undilutedly glad that our bond was broken, because I didn’t want to feel what he was feeling, even a little bit. He put his arms around me, kissed me with enthusiasm, and all I could smell was blood. He was wet with it. It was getting all over my dress and my arms and my chest. After a minute he drew back, frowning. “Sookie?” he said. “You’re not rejoicing?” I tried to think of what to say. I felt like a big fat hypocrite. “Eric, I’m glad we don’t have to worry about Victor anymore. And I know this was what we planned. But surrounded by dead people and body parts is not my idea of a good place for a celebration, and I’ve never been less horny in my life.” His eyes narrowed. He didn’t like my raining on his parade. Understandable. And that was the thing, wasn’t it? I found all of this understandable. But I still hated it, hated myself, wasn’t too fond of anyone else. “You need some blood,” I said. “I really am sorry yo...

Today, is the day, dear readers! The series that brought the Wenches together finishes with the final installment of Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mysteries . A year ago we would have been all over this release, but this time, most of us know what happens, and the wind has been effectively removed from our sails. Wench Angela will be reviewing Dead Ever After , in a week or two, and some of the rest of us will probably have a thing or two to say about how Ms. Harris wrapped up Sookie's adventures, so look for that in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, click through to see what we're reading this week, and then tell us about your choices for this week!  

“Did we have sex?” he asked directly. For about two minutes, this might actually be fun. “Eric,” I said, “we had sex in every position I could imagine, and some I couldn’t. We had sex in every room in my house, and we had sex outdoors. You told me it was the best you’d ever had.” (At the time he couldn’t recall all the sex he’d ever had. But he’d paid me a compliment.) “Too bad you can’t remember it,” I concluded with a modest smile. Eric looked like I’d hit him in the forehead with a mallet. For all of thirty seconds his reaction was completely gratifying.