The Saucy Wenches Book Club

Kelly kissed him as they both came down from the post-orgasmic high. "Love you too," he whispered. "Even if you do like hunting intergalactic librarians."  Nick rolled his eyes, valiantly fighting not to smile. He popped the handle on the door, and Kelly went tumbling out of the Range Rover to the ground.  "It was intergalactic historians . Damn, son, get it right."  Cross & Crown by Abigail Roux

Review by Wench Veronica Vishous  Jordan Castillo Price’s latest novel, Meatworks , releases this Thursday, July 3rd. Having been hooked on several of her series ( Channeling Morpheus , PsyCop , Mnevermind ) and biding my time for the third and final Mnevermind book, I was a little surprised and very happy when I learned she had a new book coming out in July. When I read the description, I was flat out intrigued and couldn’t wait to read it. Heavy on the technological sci-fi, it wasn’t my usual thing. But the main character is described as having a “crusty punk rock charm” and he’s forced to attend an amputee support group. Really, how could I resist? The author provided an Advanced Reader Copy for this review. Find out if the book lived up to my expectations after the jump. 

"In the evening he went to the cinema to see The Lord of the Rings , which he had never before had time to see. He thought that orcs, unlike human beings, were simple and uncomplicated creatures." ~ Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Favorite On Screen Adaptations : Edition 1 Hello all Wench followers. I am truly amazed at how time flies, I cannot believe we are creeping into July!!!! Real life just seems to get in the way of so much fun. However if you follow me through the jump, I would love to help give you a break from reality for a bit with some of my favorite Man Candy. And it's not just any Man Candy, but the special kind that came to life on screen from pages of books and comics!

I focused on her eyes, and the light returned to the world. I still ached for my aunt, but Sydney was here, my hope and my anchor. I wasn't alone. I wasn't misunderstood. Swallowing, I nodded and gave her a weak smile as spirit's dark hand released its hold on me. For now. The Fiery Heart ~~Richelle Mead

Best-selling author, Elizabeth Gilbert's latest novel, The Signature of All Things , a runaway hit in 2013, released in paperback yesterday. A 2013 Goodreads Choice nominee, The Signature of All Things landed on a number of "Best Of" lists last year, and I'm excited to tackle this sweeping novel. I'm also excited to give one of our lucky readers a chance to win their very own copy of the book! Be sure and get in all of your chances to win, below. US entries only, please! a Rafflecopter giveaway To celebrate this exciting release, Penguin Publishing is also giving away a plant a month for a year! You can enter here . Look for a discussion in our Goodreads group in August! You can join the Saucy Wenches Goodreads Book Club here . Good luck, and happy reading!

"I hate you," Kelly groaned. "Poor Boo Boo." "I hate your high tolerance," Kelly groused. "I hate that I can't drink you under the table or knock you out with normal drugs 'cause your stupid body is immune to chemicals. I hate that when I try I wind up in a ditch in Mexico." "There there," Nick cooed. "I hate you so much." Kelly's hand in his back pocket as they walked told a different story, though. Cross & Crown by Abigail Roux Source

By now, we're all pretty familiar with me and my penchant for Riptide. And so it's not exactly a surprise that I would bring you a new blog tour from Riptide: this time for Shadows & Dreams by Alexis Hall! * * * * * * * * * * * * Hello, and welcome to my second ever blog tour, celebrating Riptide Publishing’s release of Shadows & Dreams, the sequel to Iron & Velvet. Yay! Thank you so much to The Saucy Wenches Book club for hosting me. And, to you, dear reader, for stopping by. If you’d like to come with me and keep me company on my virtual wanderings, you can find a full listing of when and where I am.

“A man might befriend a wolf, even break a wolf, but no man could truly tame a wolf.”

   Click through to see what the very smart Wenches are reading this week. And share your reading choices in the comments below!

"Bring us Sandor's head, and I know His Grace will be most grateful. Joff may have liked the man, but Tommen was always afraid of him...with good reason, it would seem." "When a dog goes bad, the fault lies with his master," Ser Kevan said. Then he turned and walked away.  ~~ George R. R. Martin, A Feast for Crows

There are so many books out there to choose for our children that sometimes it's hard to decide what to pick. I've checked with the Wenches to let me know some of their favourite children's books. Either their own or books that they loved reading to their children. The wonder of reading is the new worlds, concepts and ideas that it opens up to us. There is nothing quite like having your child sitting on your lap listening to you reading a story (yes, even when it's the millionth time you have read the book). I loved it when the child's memory became so good that they could already predict what word you were going to say next.  So let's look after the jump at some of our all time favourite children's books and see how many you recall.

“Adrian smiled and clasped my hands, taking a few steps toward me. "And as for who you are, you’re the same beautiful, brave, and ridiculously smart caffeinated fighter you’ve been since the day I met you.”   Finally, he put “beautiful” at the top of his list of adjectives. Not that I should have cared.   “Sweet talker,” I scoffed. “You didn’t know anything about me the first time we met.”   “I knew you were beautiful,” he said. “I just hoped for the rest.”   Source. He always got this glint in his eyes when he complimented my looks, like he was seeing so much more than just my actual appearance. It was disorienting and heady . . . but I didn't mind. And that wasn't the only thing I suddenly found overwhelming. How had he gotten so close to me without me even realizing it? It was like he had secret stealth abilities. His hands were warm on mine, our fingers locked together. I still had remnants of that earlier joy within me, and being co...

“Give me a night by the fire, with a book in my hand, not that flickering rectangular son of a bitch that sits screaming in every living room in the land.”  ― Mark Helprin , Winter's Tale

Team Arrow.* I'm in love with the CW TV show  Arrow . I don't know why. Humour, great story telling, a season long story arc and abs. Of course I don't just watch for the shirtless scenes. A trait that CW shows do very, very well by the way. The show does have a plot. The series is based around the comic book hero the Green Arrow from DC Comics. The central character is billionaire and CEO of Queen Consolidators, Oliver Queen. Early editions of the comic series had the Green Arrow dressed similar to Robin Hood. Well at least the early versions of Robin Hood. However when I first heard they were making the show I was instantly put in mind of the cartoon Robin Hood played by a fox. How wrong was I??  Very. Oliver Queen rocks green! Check after the jump as to why I've become obsessed with a dedicated follower of this show. Spoilers for Seasons #1 and #2.

I have loved others,  and I do love many, Sassenach- but you alone hold all my heart, whole in your hands," he said softly. "And you know that" Written in my Own Heart's Blood , Diana Gabaldon

Vasic: “How do you control your telekinesis while intimate with your mate?"   Judd: "I broke a damn lot of furniture at the start, including two beds." A curious glance. "What are you doing?"   Vasic: "Traveling around the world.”  Nalini Singh ~ Shield of Winter (Psy - Changeling #13)

Cross & Crown is here!   Cross & Crown is here! Yes, I really am still overjoyed to have had the chance to not only read the book for review, but also to be a part of the tour for it! I'm crazy excited. Included here at our stop is a cut scene from Cross & Crown , the Rafflecopter giveaway, and review! I'm so stinking excited I could burst. I almost did when the book hit my email!

There is just under one month to go until the thrilling conclusion of Deborah Harkness's All Souls Trilogy hits our bookstores and e-readers, leaving some Wenches counting the days until they can devour The Book of Life . In the meantime, you can read chapter one at Deborah Harkness's website, here . After you've read chapter one, come back and enter our giveaway for a chance to win a Commonplace Book, as featured in Shadow of Night , and a holographic button. Three additional winners will receive a holographic button, so enter today! a Rafflecopter giveaway **US Entries Only, please** Then come back in July when we will be giving away a copy of The Book of Life!

People are never perfect, but love can be.

While several Wenches are consumed with Written in My Own Heart's Blood, the rest of us are finally getting into Wench recommendations, making progress on epic sagas, savoring rereads of favorites, and nursing a book hangover. Click through to see what we're reading, and share your list in the comments below!

Yeah, he took a bullet to the back of the head.  Doctors said it's either physical damage or shock of some kind. "Kind of like that time I got kicked in the head by that goat." Nick burst out laughing, "Yeah, kind of like that." Kelly glanced at him, admiring his profile. He still owed Nick for that. They'd been on a mission when they'd taken cover in a gully that just happened to be sheltering several goats, including one territorial billy goat who'd taken a shot at Kelly's head.  He'd woken up as they'd been carting him back to camp, and Nick had convinced him he was a Bible salesman from Oklahoma who'd gotten fresh with the livestock and paid for it with a hoof. He still had trouble looking at goats without flashes of completely unwarranted guilt. "Asshole," Kelly muttered. Nick very nearly giggled before he got himself under control. Cross & Crown by Abigail Roux

 Once Upon a Time, Season Three Finale Network television got really good this year. I don't know if it's the plethora of paranormal shows, scripted shows making a comeback after a decade of reality crap shows, or if I just wasn't watching the right things before. At any rate, for the first time in a long time there were several shows this year that I never missed. So it was with excitement and a little trepidation that I approached May, a month chock-full of season finales. I was hopeful that producers and writers would end their seasons on satisfying notes, yet I was worried that they might crash and burn, as we've seen all too many times before. Amazingly, none of the shows I am currently in love with disappointed. The Mindy Project did a quirky salute to romantic comedy movies, giving fans what we've been wanting all year. Modern Family had a fantastic wedding in a style only they could do. Yes, I cried. I always cry at weddings. The Originals kicked ass...

I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren't trying to teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom.

"I was here. Really here. Edinburgh sloped up behind me, to the glowering heights of Edinburgh Castle, and down before me, to the gracious majesty of Holyrood Palace at the foot of the city." ~ Diana Gabaldon, Voyager

I love to travel to other countries and see new places. After I‘ve gotten to know the online bookworld through my online friends I‘ve been dying to be able to go to one of those book conventions and most importantly to go visit all my online friends! I haven‘t travelled a lot in my years, so I have a long list of countries/cities on my list that I want to visit. But realistically, I probably won‘t be able to visit them all seeing as it‘s a long list (plus it‘s pretty expensive...) but who knows, maybe I‘ll get lucky and win the big one in the lottery! Considering I love to go to new places and experience something new and the fact that I haven‘t been able to cross that many places off my list there is one place that is one of my favorite and I just love to go there again and again. In fact I‘ve been there three times already and plan to go again. I‘m talking about the beautiful city, Edinburgh. After the jump, I‘m going to attempt to tell you why I love it so much.

Angeline tightened her hold on Eddie's arm and smiled up at him. "If you ever get to see my home, you can fight my brother Josh to show that you're worthy of me." I had to swallow a laugh. I'd seen the Keepers' community and knew she was absolutely serious. I worked to keep a straight face. "Aren't you breaking a lot of rules by being together without that having happened yet?" Angeline nodded, looking a little glum. "My mom would be so scandalized if she knew. But I guess this is a unique situation." Eddie smiled indulgently at her. I think sometimes he thought we were exaggerating about the Keepers. He was going to be in for a shock if he ever did visit them. "Maybe I can fight a bunch of your relatives to make up for it," he said. "You might have to," she said, not realizing he was joking. The Indigo Spell ~~Richelle Mead

“But I don’t understand why those are the same words I have to use for a feeling that’s not the same anymore,” Kelly continued, his voice lower, more intimate and more confused.  “I . . . I need you. I adore you. I want to wake up every morning and make you fix me breakfast so I can watch you cook. I want to . . . I want to spend the rest of my life with you doing things that make life worth living. I want to make you smile. I want you to take me to every baseball stadium out there and teach me every single little thing you know about the game because I love the way your eyes light up when you talk about it. I want to . . . what words do I use for this feeling if ‘I love you’ has already been used?” Nick tried to swallow against the lump in his throat and couldn't. He shook his head, at a loss. He stared into Kelly’s eyes for long moments before finally attempting to speak.  “How about . . . marry me?” Kelly smiled and wiped at his eyes. “Okay.” Ball & Chain by Ab...

I've checked with the Wenches to see what books languish at the bottom of their To Be Read (TBR) lists. You know the books. They're gathering dust or they've been relegated to the bottom of your e-reader. You'll get there one day, you vow. However, as other books / series come to your attention, they continue to move further and further down the list.  The stare at you every time you go on Goodreads or what ever site you store your list on. Occasionally I know I feel a pang of guilt that I haven't got to them yet. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to give me the push to read them though. I will! One day! I promise! Let's check after the jump to see what books the Wenches keep putting off reading.

“All I want, is for you to love me. Not because of what I can do or what I look like, or because I love you - just because I am.”

Claire Fraser reads about a certain blue flower that she needs to go look at again It’s all about series this week! We’re either currently engrossed in a series, starting a new one, lingering with an old one we can’t bid adieu, inhaling the latest installment of a tried-and-true friend, or salivating to get at—AFTER 5 LOOOONG YEARS—the newest volume in the series we’re completely obsessed with...and trying to remain calm. Today is a BIG day for some of the Wenches: Written In My Own Heart’s Blood (MOBY) releases!!! You might not be hearing from us for a few weeks while we hide away in our reading corners. Are you diving right into MOBY, too? Or smitten with another great series? Have you found a new vacation thriller? We hope you’ll share what you’re reading with us in the comments below!

"Man wants to be king o' the rabbits, he best wear a pair o' floppy ears." ~George R. R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons

- Some of our favorite scenes from the Outlander Series - Text from Goodwill Librarian The day that so many Outlander fans all around the world have been waiting for—for such a long time—is just around the corner. The day when our calendars finally say it's June 10th, 2014, and we can finally get our hands on Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon! That day, my ladies and gentlemen, is tomorrow. To quote myself from my post about losing my Outlander virginity, where I said: "I can't even imagine how agonizing it must have been for fans who were reading each book as it was published, having to wait years for the next one." I still can't. And not only did early fans have to wait for the next book, they didn't have all the online fan groups, pages, and blogs for sharing the love of the books and the author. Let alone have this amazing access to the author herself, who is so amazingly approachable and wonderful when it comes to her f...

Adrian's smile returned. "If it makes you feel better, you actually looked natural out there - back in the park."   "Doing . . . what? Throwing fireballs?" I shook my head. "There's nothing natural about that."   "You wouldn't think so, but . . . well. You were . . . amazing, throwing that fire like some kind of ancient warrior goddess."   Source. Annoyed, I turned away. "Stop making fun of me."   He caught my arm and pulled me back toward him. "I am absolutely serious."   I swallowed, speechless for a moment. All I was aware of was how close we were, that he was holding me to him with only a few inches between us. Almost as close as at the sorority. "I'm not a warrior or a goddess," I managed at last.   Adrian leaned closer. "As far as I'm concerned, you're both."   I knew that look in his eyes. I knew because I'd seen it before. I...

“Reyes. Alexander. Farrow," I said. Seconds after I spoke his name, Reyes walked into his bedroom, and I looked across the open space directly from my room into his. He waited for me to continue. "I feel like there's something missing from my bedroom." A dimple appeared at the corner of his mouth. "You don't say." "Any idea what that might be?" He glanced around my room as well, then shrugged. "I can't imagine." "Oh, wait," I said, stepping from my room into his, "wasn't there something here? Like, I don't know, a wall or something?" He looked up. "You could be right. I do seem to remember a barrier of some kind here." "Yep," I said, stepping closer, "I definitely remember a partition separating our apartments." When his only response was a mischievous tilt of his full mouth, I asked, "Where did you put my wall?" He crossed his arms over his chest and le...

Source Today for Fangirl Fridays I would like to tell you about my favorite book character: Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser. Claire is the heroine of Diana Gabaldon’s wildly successful Outlander series. I had hoped to fangirl about Diana Gabaldon herself, but Wench Kathi beat me to it (and she did an absolutely stupendous job!). So I would like to share some of my favorite quotes by and about Claire that really show the kind of woman she is and why I admire her so much. Any Outlander fan knows that Jamie calls Claire mo nighean donn , which means “my brown lass” in Gaelic. She is also known as Sassenach , which isn’t quite as pleasant. The Gaelic refer to the English as Sassenachs, and they aren’t being complimentary when they use it. When Jamie calls Claire Sassenach, I imagine he says it in a teasing or tender way . Why do I love Claire so much? It’s kind of hard to put into words, to tell you the truth. I don’t know if I’m up to the task to adequately express my admirat...

"It's a great comfort," he said at last, "to see the sun come up and go down. When I dwelt in the cave, when I was in prison, it gave me hope, to see the light come and go, and know that the world went about its business." He was looking out the window, toward the blue distance where the sky darkened toward infinity. His throat moved a little as he swallowed. "It gives me the same feeling, Sassenach," he said, "to hear ye rustling about in your surgery, rattling things and swearin' to yourself." He turned his head, then, to look at me, and his eyes held the depths of the coming night. "If ye were no longer there—or somewhere—" he said very softly, "then the sun would no longer come up or go down."  A Breath of Snow andAshes , Diana Gabaldon

“Men and swords. My father said that if you put any able-bodied man, no matter how peaceful, into a room with a sword and a practice dummy and leave him alone, eventually the man would pick up the sword and try to stab the dummy. It is human nature.” ~ Ilona Andrews Magic Bites

Would you go back through the stones? As the evening star began to glow among the black pines’ branches, I concluded that in this situation reason was of little use. I would have to rely on something else; just what, I wasn’t sure. I turned toward the split rock and took a step, then another, and another. Pausing, I faced around and tried it in the other direction. A step, then another, and another, and before I even knew that I had decided, I was halfway down the slope, scrabbling wildly at grass clumps, slipping and falling through the patches of granite scree. ~ Claire Beauchamp in Outlander If you’re fan of Outlander , and Jamie Fraser has totally ruined you for other men, you might occasionally find yourself debating the pros and cons of life in the 1700s. I never can figure out what takes Claire so long to settle into the era because, in her own words after surveying her new husband’s sleeping form: damn . It seems to me that the opportunity to share life with Jamie Fras...

“ T o see the years touch ye gives me joy, Sassenach,” he whispered, “—for it means that ye live.” H e lifted his hand and let my hair fall slowly from his fingers, brushing my face, skimming my lips, floating soft and heavy on my neck and shoulders, lying like feathers at the tops of my breasts. “ M o nighean donn ,” he whispered, “ mo chridhe , My brown lass, my heart.” “ C ome to me. Cover me. Shelter me, a bhean , heal me. Burn with me, as I burn for you.” I lay on him, covered him, my skin, his bone, and still—still!—that fierce bright core of flesh to join us. I let my hair fall down around us both, and in the fire-shot cavern of its darkness, whispered back. “ U ntil we two be burned to ashes.” — Jamie and Claire

 Finishing and continuing Richelle Mead's Bloodlines series, starting Darynda Jones's Charley Davidson series, waiting impatiently for Diana Gabaldon's next Outlander book, expanding our minds with a couple of non-fiction titles, eagerly waiting for a new Abigail Roux, discovering the brilliance of Stephen King, and reveling in George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire . That's how we're spending our reading time this week.  How are you spending your reading time this week? Share your adventures in the comments below!

Prophet had even considered IM sex once, when he'd been bored out of his mind in Eritrea, but there had been a bombing outside his door just when things had gotten hot.  Kind of ruined the whole moment.       ~ Catch A Ghost by S.E. Jakes

Where (most of) our favorite alphas meet—both the guys and the gals! The annual Alpha Showdown has been going on over at the Vampire Book Club , and we’ve been agonizing over some of the choices we’ve been asked to make on the ballots. It’s always so difficult to choose between book boy (and girl) friends, and so unfair that we should even be asked to. Isn’t life hard enough? Can’t we just say they all win? The other problem with this showdown is that Jamie Fraser isn’t a contestant. Seriously—in an alpha contest—the lethal, charismatic, and ruggedly handsome hero of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series doesn’t qualify?!?!? According to a quick Google search, an alpha is, just to get started: courageous, strong, persistent, a good protector, funny, humble, well educated, generous, loyal, respects the opposite sex, leads through example, lives by his or her principals, and is motivated by strong purpose (here’s the complete list ). And I can think of no better personification of...