The Saucy Wenches Book Club

~ William Goldman, The Princess Bride

Side Characters We Wish We Knew Better Source Catherine Crawfield, Merit, MacKayla Lane. Over the course of their respective series, we've come to know and love these characters inside and out. We can predict how they'll react to a situation, we know their favorite color, what they like to wear, and what their favorite food is. But what about the other, not-often-talked-about characters in these books, characters we've never met or haven't met in depth? That's who I'm here to discuss. There were actually so many, that I decided to focus on three of the Wenches' favorite series. Those would be the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost, the Fever/Dani O'Malley series by Karen Marie Moning, and, of course, Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill. Some of the characters I'm going to talk about we know a little better than others, but not well enough to satisfy our curious Wench minds. So read on after the jump to see which character...

"...Ready to go back to the table now? Or do you need a few more minutes to cool off?" There was that insinuating tone again, making simple words sound graphic. "I'm ready. I just wasn't prepared before." I sat back at the table and slid my hands into his waiting grip. "Go on. Give it your best shot." He grinned with a slow sexy twist of his lips and the fire leapt back into his eyes. "Love to give it my best shot. Let me tell you just how I'd do it..." Halfway to the Grave ~~Jeaniene Frost

Source There's a new release on the horizon for some of us. For a few of us, it's time to get our asses in gear and read the books recommended to us during Wench Angela's reading  challenge ! Some have given in to the irresistible lure of an old flame and are reading about our favorite (very sexy) vampires. Halloween is almost upon us, and other than a few well known monsters from the classics, we're also hanging out with Valkyries and Demons again, for old time's sake. We've been busy getting our hearts broken, reacquainting ourselves with some old favorites, and basically venturing into a lot of different worlds, old and new! Click through to see all the reading the Wenches have been up to this week!

“The women I know with strong personalities, the ones who might have become generals or the heads of companies if they were men, become teachers. Teaching is a calling, too. And I've always thought that teachers in their way are holy--angels leading their flocks out of the darkness.”  Half Broke Horses   by Jeannette Walls   Tomorrow is my Mom's birthday. And, she is one of the best, hardest working teachers I know. So, Mom, this Quote of the Day is dedicated to you. Source

I love horror. I love thrillers. I love suspense. Pretty much me, including the huge smile. I always have. Since I was a kid. My mom thought there was something wrong with me, but turns out I was just a creepy kid who liked to hide in the dark and watch age inappropriate horror movies. While I have read (and loved) my share of contemporary horror, I owe it all to the authors from days gone by who wrote the classics that got me totally addicted. To the thrills and chills of reading horror, the not wanting to look out the window because I might see something not quite natural at night when I was reading, the very real fear every child has of not letting limbs hang off the bed because there IS something there, magnified by some story I was reading at that moment. I have loved each and every blood curling scream, every bone chilling revelation, every hair raising moment. God. I miss every second of getting to know the masters of horror.  A child's imagination is like fertil...

   "We can be hot and sweaty together." He was doing his patented "sexy" voice, which was actually more amusing than erotic. Although it usually ended up having the same effect upon me as if it was sexy. His fingers helped. Damn, his touch was magic. My resolve was already melting, much like the rest of my body. Then he started kissing me, beginning with my lips, then tracing a course along my jaw, down my neck, and along my shoulder. He paused and peered up at me with a cheeky grin. "Shall I stop?" "You magnificent bastard," I moaned. He laughed, his breath like fire against my skin. "I’ll take that as a no."

Ty finished off the drink, shivering as it went through him.  He set the glass down with a loud clunk.  "You're not the only one who fights things every day, Garrett.  Yours are just harder battles, closer to the surface.  Mine..."  He swallowed and peered around the bar, taking in the overwhelming mystique of something ageless in the air and in the city.  It shimmered.  He didn't finish what he was saying, lost in the glow until he felt the touch of warm fingers on his hand. "Grady, come back,"  Zane said quietly. Ty tore his eyes away from the shimmer and met Zane's gaze. "That stuff must have a hell of a punch." "Easy to get lost in," Ty murmured. "Yes," Zane said under his breath.  His facade cracked, and suddenly he looked devastated.  Like he'd given up.  "You are." ~Abigail Roux, Touch & Geaux

"Education never ends, Watson. It is a series of lessons, with the greatest for the last."  Arthur Conan Doyle, His Last Bow.

As a child of the 80s, there was no shortage of great TV moms who were role models and fictional examples of what moms should be. For me, none were better than Clair Huxtable of The Cosby Show . For nearly a decade (and for three decades in reruns, Netflix viewings, and DVDs!), Clair Huxtable was the perfect mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend, and career woman. She was everything I aspired to, and the woman I wanted to be when I grew up. Click through to see just a few of the reasons that I still want to be Clair when I grow up.

"Boyfriends?" He frowned. "You mean lovers . How bloody many have you had?" He stopped. "Are you free with yourself then? With other males? Because that'll be ending—" "What'd you think?" she asked over her shoulder. "That I was a virgin?" "You're only twenty-three," he said, sounding very stodgy, even to himself. "And I try no' to think of any male before me. But if you were no' an innocent, then I'd hoped it would have been once, in the dark, with a ham-handed human who was so bad you had to stifle a yawn or fight against laughing." She shrugged. "I'm sure the number of notches in my bedpost can't compare to yours." "Aye, but I'm twelve hundred years old! Even if I had one female a year, you'd understand how they could accumulate." "Well, I am young," Just as he felt a flicker of ease, she murmured in a sexy voice, "But, baby, I...

Source of Garden "If I had a flower for every time I thought of you...I could walk through my garden forever."   —  Alfred Lord Tennyson

The Wenches love getting recommendations from each other and our Saucy Readers. But sometimes, we “meet” a book the way one would meet a potential love interest in a novel. And we love it when that happens, a whole new world between two covers where no Wench has gone before! Wench Natalie came across one such book and was lovely enough to review it for all of us. Click through to read her review. Source

“A story is not like a road to follow … it's more like a house. You go inside and stay there for a while, wandering back and forth and settling where you like and discovering how the room and corridors relate to each other, how the world outside is altered by being viewed from these windows. And you, the visitor, the reader, are altered as well by being in this enclosed space, whether it is ample and easy or full of crooked turns, or sparsely or opulently furnished. You can go back again and again, and the house, the story, always contains more than you saw the last time. It also has a sturdy sense of itself of being built out of its own necessity, not just to shelter or beguile you.”  Alice Munro , 2013 Nobel Prize winner

Claudette Colbert For the Wenches with time to read, our choices are all over the map this week! Most us have have books on our plates that were recommended by other Wenches, while a few of us are rereading old favorites, fanfiction, or gems hidden in our e-readers. Click through to find out what’s captivating us this week, and tell us what you’re reading. Leave us your recommendations, too. Our TBRs aren’t nearly long enough!

    Gideon Art The simple fact was, he loved her. Loved her with every breath in his body, every cell in his blood, every bone and organ he possessed.  He loved her to the depths of his very soul. Had only taken five minutes after she'd walked away to realize it. She was strong and courageous, she understood him in a way no one else ever had. She teased him and never seemed annoyed that he couldn't tell the truth. No, she was amused. She was beautiful and fit him perfectly.  He couldn't think straight when she was gone because he could only think of her. Could only wonder where she was and what she was doing.  Wonder if she  missed him, needed him, thought of the pleasure they'd brought each other and could bring each other again. ~ Gena Showalter „ The Darkest Lie “

The Abby Sinclair Series by Allison Pang Why Abby Sinclair for Shau? When Angela came up with this challenge and I had to choose a book for Shau, I was smacked upside the head with a shovel. How on planet Earth was I supposed to find an amazing book I have read that Wench Shau hasn’t. That was a double challenge for me! I dare you name a book you have read that Shau hasn’t. That’s not even funny. That Wench is reading machine!!! And here is this series I’d stumbled upon by chance, which at that specific moment was the only series I knew of that Shau hadn’t given a try to. Easy choice! If you like your urban fantasy with a smidgen of angst, a lot of faeries, daemons, and angels, and pervy, hilarious, talking unicorns drooling on your pillow; if a love triangle makes a book more exciting; and if you love to travel to places you've never been before, the Abby Sinclair series might be right up your alley. There are even Legolas references!!! My review of the whole series ...

Light is the left hand of darkness and darkness the right hand of light. Two are one, life and death, lying together like lovers in kemmer, like hands joined together, like the end and the way. ― Ursula K. Le Guin,     The Left Hand of Darkness

Del had sacrificed his freedom and his heart just to keep the man he loved safe. Zane couldn't escape the meaning in Ty's words. "Takes a special person to do that," he said quietly. Ty nodded and looked away. - Fish & Chips Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban

Fangirl Fridays – Metallica This week, I am going to try to put my love for Metallica into words for you. It's tough. Given I am an avid fangirl and tend to not hold back in the face of something I love, some things are harder to explain than others. There's pretty much nothing I can tell you about this band that you can't find written more accurately (and better) on their site . No point in writing out facts about the band you already know or can google: members' names, album names, song names, how many grammys they've won, the Napster drama, Jason Newsted breaking our hearts by leaving and then joining Rockstar Supernova with Tommy Lee (REALLY?!). So instead, I'm going to focus on trying to explain why the band means so much to me, and how much I love them for numerous reasons. Source Read on after the jump!

Original picture ~ Veronica Roth, Divergent

Angelfall is the first book in the Penryn & the End of Days series by Susan Ee. The story was unique and different enough in its genre for me to share it with you, just before its sequel — World After — is due out next month. This might be called a young adult story, but it does not read like one. This is a dark fantasy. It goes from action to post apocalypse to paranormal and horror...all mixed together. It has darkness and grit, craziness and hope, and a new take on the angels’ mythology. I will try to explain all this goodness in mere words after the jump.

"The point isn't knowing what will happen, it's being aware that everything we do affects the whole. All of us--mages, vampires, humans, and the rest--affect the balance of life." "If you start singing, 'Kum Ba Yah' I'm out of here." Red-Headed Stepchild ~~Jaye Wells

Kirk and Spock The Wenches are mostly into book series this week! The lucky ones are rendezvousing with our past loves, finally meeting our next loves, recommended by fellow Saucy Readers, and preparing to revisit loves we've been lonely for in upcoming releases! The rest of the Wenches are sidelined with Real Life, living vicariously through our squeeing, and hoping to join the fun next week! Click through to see exactly who we're holding in our hot little hands this week!! And what about you...are you into series or singles this week? We hope you'll share your current loves with us in the comments!

Two Leilas seemed to be battling it out inside of me. The first was outraged that he still considered it a fait accompli that I'd give in to him, and the second....that slutty bitch was wondering what Vlad looked like naked. Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost Source

T he S tory of B eautiful G irl came to my attention as a recommendation from a family member — who, I might add, also enjoys books as much as I do. When I received the recommendation I went to one of my favorite links, www.goodreads.com , and checked out the story description. Just because someone recommends that I read a book does not mean it’s going to jump straight into my hot little hands or to the top of my To Be Read list. However, the moment I read the description I wanted to read the book. Being a supporter of my local library — well let’s be honest, they support my reading habit — I jumped to their website and requested the book! I recall having to wait for it, as all the copies in my area had been checked out. (I read this book in early January 2012, as part of a challenge to read 100 books in a year.) With all the copies checked out, I thought people must be enjoying it. Okay, so I don’t know if they were enjoying it, but they were definitely reading it. Join me a...

“MS. THOMPSON, it said in heavy block letters, PLEASE KEEP YOUR FELINE OFF MY PROPERTY. IF I SEE IT AGAIN, I WILL EAT IT.” - Moon Called by Patricia Briggs.

intothedance.wordpress.com Her hand was at the door pull when he said, "Lady Stark."  She turned, waited.  "Things go to rust in this damp," Jaime went on.  "Even a man's courtesies.  Stay, and you shall have your answers...for a price." He has no shame.  "Captives do not set prices." "Oh, you'll find mine modest enough.  Your turnkey tells me nothing but vile lies, and he cannot even keep them straight.  One day he says Cersei has been flayed, and the next it's my father.  Answer my questions and I'll answer yours." "Truthfully?" "Oh, it's truth you want?  Be careful, my lady.  Tyrion says that people often claim to hunger for truth, but seldom like the taste when it's served up." ~Jaime Lannister and Lady Catelyn Stark   George R. R. Martin, A Clash of Kings

“I do not think I ever opened a book in my life which had not something to say upon woman's inconstancy. Songs and proverbs, all talk of woman's fickleness. But perhaps you will say, these were all written by men." "Perhaps I shall. Yes, yes, if you please, no reference to examples in books. Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story. Education has been theirs in so much higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands. I will not allow books to prove anything.”   Source Jane Austen, Persuasion

Most people, they saw The Princess Bride when they were little. Me, I didn't see it until I was nearly twenty - and I'm roughly the same age as Fred Savage, who played The Boy. So, I caught it late. Follow me through the jump so I can tell you just exactly when I figured out WHY I loved Cary Elwes so very much!

"No... no!" She stared at his chest—at his heart—in horror. "I am not a... Bride." ~~Kresley Cole, No Rest for the Wicked , Immortals After Dark series

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." --Dr. Seuss Source http://therainbowpants.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/rp-book-tower.jpg

Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance Tropes I will apologize in advance readers. For this is yet another Wench rant. I can't seem to get through a lot of books without ranting lately. *sigh* Last time, it was a rant on all the horrible, out-dated cliches in erotica. This time, I want to talk about some of the tropes in UF/PNR that I have come across too many times to count (and sometimes in other genres too). I really do love most things about the genre, honestly I do. But sometimes, I start a new series and think "oh.. this again.... BORING!" or worse. There have been times when I have just put the book away refusing to put myself through the same old story again. For real. I love the endless possibilities presented in the UF/PNR genre. There are no rules. The writers can pretty much shock, surprise and delight us in millions of imaginative ways. Despite that, it is honestly baffling why there are so many tropes used ad nauseum. Some of our readers will be v...

Source As the seasons change, it's the perfect time for reading, whether it be old favorites or new discoveries, and the Wenches are taking advantage and reading wonderful books. Most of us are reading Wench recommendations, while a few are exploring some darker themes, or lighter young adult series. Click through to see what has grabbed our attention this week. And be sure to tell us what you're reading, in the comments below. Remember, our TBRs are never long enough!

"In the grand scheme of things, dying seemed like an easy way to balance the scales. Easier than the constant struggle to make the right choices and battle my doubts and navigate through the labyrinth mire of dark races politics. Easier than living."    ~ Jaye Wells " Blue-Blooded Vamp "

Okay, bear with me — I'm still new here. Before I managed to jump on board as a Real Wench (tm), I was tapped to do a review of an urban fantasy series I read and enjoy: The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. But, as I've said before, I hate new books. I know, *gasp, shock* , how can this be?!? I've been an extremely prolific reader since I was about seventeen. I'm not telling anyone how long ago that was, but suffice it to say that since then, I've read thousands of books, and after a while... I stopped taking risks. Too many disappointing books when you're not particular. And, since I'm prone to reading anything that will hold still long enough for me to read it, I found a lot of duds. I operate, in general, on recommendation alone anymore. And not only that — I operate *skeptically* on recommendation alone. I'll get a recommendation, and I'll sit on it for months, waiting to see what else this person liked, if I liked any of the other things they di...

Source No, honey. Maybe you can put the things from the Overlook away in lockboxes, but not memories. Never those. They’re the real ghosts. ― Stephen King, Doctor Sleep

Qhuinn got down on one knee. Just dropped right onto the depiction of an apple tree in full bloom. "I don't have a ring. I don't have anything fancy in mind or on my tongue." Qhuinn swallowed hard. "I know that it's out of the blue, but I love you and I want us to --" For once in his life, Blay had to agree with the guy--enough with the fucking talking. With a decisive shift of his body, he leaned down and kissed all that conversation right into silence. Then pulled back and nodded. "Yes. Yes, absolutely, yes..." J.R. Ward -- Lover at Last

Ty growled suddenly as he pushed up onto his hands and knees, and he hooked his elbows under Zane's arms and dragged him into the center of the oversized round bed. Zane's pulse picked up, thinking about the possibilities. When Ty was truly hot and bothered, it could be an amazing experience, like being mauled by a lion without the fuss of needing stitches after. Fish & Chips ~~Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban image ganked from designlap.com

  We are here at another Fangirl Friday! In spending time pondering what I would write about, I thought about a trend that I’ve seen on Facebook called Flashback Fridays and I thought “OMG I’m going to do a smash up of the two!” If Glee can do smash ups of classics…so can I! So my Fangirl Friday piece is a Flashback Friday as well. I’m going to go back to the days of my childhood to something I love still today. The one consistent thing that has seen me through trends, first loves, other obsessions, and fads: The Princess Bride ! Now before you can say “INCONCEIVABLE!” follow me through the jump!

A True Story Thank you, Saucy Wenches Book Club, so much for letting me share your blog and more importantly, share with your readers some of the backstory behind the writing of Illumination , my new book with Riptide Publishing. This book is very close to my heart, and is , at least in part, inspired by true events.

Dragonfly in Amber , Diana Gabaldon

"See that blonde down there with the big tits? I was about to get laid." "One, I’m too young to hear that kind of stuff, and two, I don’t see you carrying a club to knock her over the head with, so how were you going to accomplish that?" Behind me, Ryodan laughs. "You’re ruining my night, kid." "Ditto. Ain’t life at Chester’s grand." ~ Karen Marie Moning, ICED

The Sabina Kane Series by Jaye Wells Many months ago now, Wench Angela challenged the Wenches to recommend books for each other. Many accepted the challenge, but as the year has flown by only a few of us have finished our challenge books, and even fewer have taken the time to write the review on their books. But as summer wound down and my most anticipated new releases of the year have come and gone, I've finally had a break in my reading schedule to pick up the first book in Wench Shau's recommendation, the Sabina Kane series by Jaye Wells, beginning with Red-Headed Stepchild . Why Sabina Kane for Barb? Well, I wanted Barb to read something that has a story that’s rounded up in one book in case she doesn’t want to read the whole series, but also something that I really really liked. I loved Sabina and her story of finding out who she is and what she’s capable of. I knew Barb likes complex heroines, the unappreciated underdogs who have a chip on their shoulder, a...

"Now," Rhea whispered, "do you remember how I taught you to call on your power?" I did, of course, but I had a question. "Yeah, but aren't my talents the exact opposite of what we need here?" Frown lines formed on her forehead. "What do you mean?" "Chthonic powers are mostly about death and destruction." Adam's eyes popped open. I felt his gaze on me even as I continued to look at his aunt for explanation. She shook her head emphatically. "On the contrary, my dear. Your Chthonic powers also give you an immense capacity for healing." "But how do I access that? Before I had to tap into the pit of rage inside me to use them." She smiled. "For healing, you tap into the deep well of love you try to keep hidden." Green-Eyed Demon ~~Jaye Wells