The Saucy Wenches Book Club

"It was just...for frick's sake...why couldn't the "normal" she'd gotten have been more like a good steak dinner, or a night where, instead of worrying about life and death or goddamn portals to Purgatory, she watched reruns of The Big Bang Theory and ate Oreo ice cream out of the carton?"   Immortal by J.R. Ward Source

American Horror Story has ushered in a new era in high-quality TV suspense, oddball characters, twisting plot lines, and genuine, honest-to-goodness, spine-tingling horror. It’s also audacious, outrageous, quirky, and totally unpredictable — and one of my very favorite shows!! AHS excels at using a recurring set of performers to portray completely different characters in a completely different era, setting, and story each season. At its core is a stellar and versatile cast, which includes some highly acclaimed, scenery-chewing, scene-stealing ladies of the limelight. I think this strong ensemble of actresses deserves a big round of applause! They are varied, multifaceted, and include high-powered veterans, rising stars, and occasional guest divas. At the center of the show’s maelstrom of madness and mania is AHS ’s reigning queen, Jessica Lange — around whom all the others revolve. Haunting our dreams with many faces: Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, and Sara...

"There’s an inverse relationship between my temper and my ability to control my accent.  If you hear me say ‘Fiddledeedee’, run for the hills, because I’m getting ready to take out bystanders.” How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf , Molly Harper

Noah swiped at some dust as he sat in the only empty chair in the room. Everything else was stacked high with books and frames Wyatt had never gotten around to putting back up after the office had been painted over the summer.  The Gravedigger's Brawl by Abigail Roux  With Halloween approaching, I thought this would be a great time to put together one of my favorite posts. A Dream Cast. This time the cast of Abigail Roux's Gravedigger's Brawl . This short story is one of my favorites and not only is it a ghost story, it takes place in the days leading up to Halloween. So, now is the perfect time! I love doing these posts. They are definitely my favorites to write. But, this one was a little tougher than usual. Since this is a short story, there aren't a lot of descriptions of the characters, nor is there time to really get to know them, like in a series. However, I had a clear picture in my mind for several of the characters. So, I decided to cast the rest of t...

She still hadn’t decided whether it was weirder that he was a vampire or that he could move things with his mind. Actually the weird thing was that she now had a relativity scale for weirdness, and that just being a vampire wasn’t automatically at the upper limit of that scale. ~ Dianne Sylvan, Queen of Shadows

ganked from fuckyeahreactions.tumblr.com "I can't read," Garion repeated. "Nobody ever taught me how." "That's ridiculous!" "It's not my fault," he said defensively. She looked at him thoughtfully. [...] Garion could almost hear the little wheels clicking around in her head. "Would you like to have me teach you how?" she offered. It was probably the closest thing he'd ever get to an apology from her. "Would it take very long?" "That depends on how clever you are." "When do you think we could start?" She frowned. "I've got a couple of books, but we'll need something to write on." "I don't know that I need to learn how to write," he said. "Reading ought to be enough for right now." She laughed. "They're the same thing, you goose." Garion & CeNedra, Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings

   We hope you have some spooky choices on your reading list this week, Saucy Reader. I'm thinking of adding some classic Stephen King to the top of my TBR in honor of the season. Which would you recommend? Click through to see what else the Wenches are reading this week, and share your current reads in the comments below.  

"I can turn to that day as though it were a page in a book. It’s written so deeply upon my mind I can almost taste the ink." ~ Hannah Kent, Burial Rites

Why does Fever STILL have a hold on me? Anyone that knows me, knows that I’m as fickle as the day is long. I will love, love, love something one day, gorge on it, obsess about it, tell everyone *they* must have this too!, and then eventually, I’m done. Over it. Finished. Kaput. You get the picture. The list is long of the foods, products, television shows, and books that I’ve been this way with. Only one thing has stood the test of my obsessive tendencies over time. After three years of adoration, obsession (with healthy breaks in between, haha), and shouting to the world that they, too, need the Fever series in their life, I am still utterly in love with this series. Join me after the jump for some (non-spoilery) reasons why I just Can’t.Let.Go!

Thank the dear sainted Elizabeth Taylor... House of the Rising Sun ~~Kristen Painter

Nobody's perfect. Well, there was this one guy, but we killed him... Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore Source                       Happy Birthday to my sister, Julie!! Like the quote says, nobody is perfect. But, you are pretty close!

Sebastian St. Cyr. Ex soldier in the Napoleonic Wars and Viscount Devlin, heir to the Earl of Hendon. The series came to my attention through our Goodreads book club and I have been delighted with the recommendation. While the series has distracted me from reading challenges and book of the month's it's been a fabulous find. The series are mysteries and follow Sebastian's growing interest in solving murders. He seems to have a special talent for it. Luckily he has a couple of attributes which make him ideally suited to the role. C.S Harris has created a character who sucks you in and her vivid descriptions of London and it's surrounds draws the reader into the depths of the tale she weaves. The bonus of this series is that as of yet, I've only been able to work out who the murderer once. Even that single time I still couldn't work out how it all played out to lead to the victims death. Riveting and compelling, this series is well worth reading.  After th...

“Love is not a whim. Love is not a flower that fades with a few fleeting years. Love is a choice wedded to action, my husband, and I choose you, and I will choose you every day for the rest of my life.”

Click through to see what the Wenches are reading this week, and share what's at the top of your reading list, in the comments below!

People treat you as badly as you let them treat you. Key word there: let. ~Karen Marie Moning, Bloodfever

We are so stoked to be a stop on Darynda Jones's blog tour in celebration of the release of Seventh Grave and No Body , which hits shelves and e-readers tomorrow! Natalie has already devoured it, and loved it. Check out her review below, as well as an excerpt from the book. Then enter Darynda's giveaway, vote for the Saucy Wenches for the Blog Of The Day, and gear up for tomorrow's release. Seventh Grave and No Body:   Twelve. Twelve of the deadliest beasts ever forged in the fires of hell have escaped onto our plane, and they want nothing more than to rip out the jugular of Charley Davidson and serve her lifeless, mangled body to Satan for dinner. So there’s that. But Charley has more on her plate than a mob of testy hellhounds. For one thing, her father has disappeared, and the more she retraces his last steps, the more she learns he was conducting an investigation of his own, one that has Charley questioning everything she’s ever known about him. Add to that a...

"If you help me get this collar off," she told Thronos, "I could create a portal to wherever you want."  Or she could command him to repeatedly stab himself in the dick. The she'd run away as fast as she could manage - seeing as she would be laughing really hard.  Dark Skye , by Kresley Cole.

"This is..." She frowned at her visitor before introducing him. "Fartus Wanker." "Fenton Welch," the man corrected sternly. House of the Rising Sun ~~Kristen Painter

Another week, another Fangirl Friday post! This week, I thought about writing a post on a number of different things.. but in the end, a rewatch of the first season of  Elementary made the decision for me. How could it not? So readers, this week, I am going to share with you just a few reasons why Lucy Liu is FLAWLESS.  It totes is!

“The rush of fear is far better than the defeat of boredom. The high of not knowing what comes next, so much better than always knowing one day will be like the last.”  If I Were You , Lisa Renee Jones

“Of course I was under the spell, and the wonderful part is that, even at the time, I perfectly knew I was. But I gave myself up to it; it was an antidote to any pain, and I had more pains than one.” ~ Turn of the Screw by Henry James

American Gods is an award-winning novel by Neil Gaiman. Although it was released in 2001, it is new to me. Back then, I was firmly entrenched in reading Harry Potter and Narnia to my kids. I didn't spend a whole lot of time discovering new (to me) authors, instead whenever I had time to devote to myself I would pick up the latest book by my favorite author of the time. I wasn't actively looking for anything new and different, so I really feel like I missed out here. Come with me through the jump and I'll tell you why I'm, so glad I finally found this modern classic, and why you should check it out, too!

Now he has the court so obedient and we are such fools, if he does not want to think of something, then none of us says it. If he loses his son and cannot bear the grief, then the boy is buried out of sight. And when he next wants to do something which is completely wrong, we will find that he has grown stronger still. He can deny the truth and nobody will argue with him. ~ Margaret Pole, on King Henry VIII — Philippa Gregory, The King’s Curse

 He paused, lips twitching. "So you came back down? Hoping to do what? Sneak me back up to your room?" "Of course not. I was getting an aspirin and a glass of water." "You have a headache?" "No—yes. A bad headache. So sorry. Better luck tomorrow." I started to close the door, but he wedged his fingers in the gap. A tug and it opened a little farther. Then, one hand still on the door, he reached the other in, fingers brushing my cheek, hand going behind my head to pull me to him. For a second, I hung there, straining for his touch, aching for his kiss… and knowing, if I let him get me closer right now, I wasn't going to make it as far as the bed. And as delicious as that thought was, it wasn't quite what I had in mind. So I stepped back and snapped the lock down, stopping it at a six-inch gap. "Headache, hmm?" His expression went serious. "Do you know what's the best cure for that?" "What?" ...

Click through to see what we're reading this week, and share your choices in the comments below!

"Death and taxes and childbirth! There is never a convenient time for any of them" ~ by Margaret Mitchell, Gone With The Wind

I love sitcoms. Love them. Always have. What's better than a sweet, happy story told in under thirty minutes that makes you laugh and feel good, gives you a brief pick-me-up and leaves you with a smile remembering the antics of your favorite characters? Nothing, that's what. I've loved sitcoms for as long as I can remember, watching reruns of Diff'rent Strokes after school and first runs of Family Ties on Sunday nights before bedtime. Friends is my all-time favorite TV show, the DVDs of the complete series being one of the best purchases I've ever made, with The Cosby Show a close second. Remember, I talked about my love for Clair Huxtable in a previous Fangirl Friday . In the decade since Friends went off the air there have been other sitcoms that have been good enough, like How I Met Your Mother and The Office , but nothing has captivated me like The Mindy Project . A fan since the pilot, I honestly wasn't sure the show would make it through it's s...

Chess lied to herself every day; it was just something she did, like taking her pills or making sure she had a pen in her bag. Little lies, mostly. Insignificant. Of course there were big ones there, too, like telling herself that she was more than just a junkie who got lucky enough to possess a talent not everyone had. That she was alone by choice and that she was not terrified of other people because they couldn’t be trusted, because they carried filth in their minds and pain in their hands and they would smear both all over her given half the chance. ~~ Stacia Kane , City of Ghosts

​Go with me, like good angels, to my end; And, as the long divorce of steel falls on me, Make of your prayers one sweet sacrifice, And lift my soul to heaven. Henry VIII by William Shakespeare Source One year ago, last week, I lost my godfather and my favorite uncle. That wound is still not healed for my family. But, I know that he is up there looking out for me and my son. I hope you're resting in peace, Uncle Bob. Say hello to Grandpa and Aunt Mary for me.

   The Wenches took a well-deserved break from blogging last week, but most of us were still reading. Rereading some favorites, checking out some new releases we got via ARCs, enjoying some historical fiction and some young adult titles. Click through to see who's reading what, and share your picks in the comments below.

“Why be the sheep when you can be the wolf?”

Jericho Barrons actually made the faint beginnings of a lunge toward me, as if to physically restrain me. Until that moment, although aggression charged the air and threat had been implied, there'd been nothing overt. I'd been aggravated, now I was a little afraid. Our gazes locked and we stood a moment in that frozen tableau. I could almost see him calculating the importance-if any at all-of our sudden audience. Then he gave me a faint sardonic smile and inclined his head as if to say, You win this time, Ms. Lane . "Don't count on it twice," he murmured. ~Karen Marie Moning, Darkfever

To fill the void left by no new Sidewinder or Cut & Run books, I decided to read Abigail Roux' newest short story, The Bone Orchard . It is available on it's own or as part of a set, called My Haunted Blender's Gay Love Affair, and Other Twisted Tales . I didn't know the other authors, so I purchased Abi's story on it's own. And, I am so, so glad I did! Now, like I said, it's a short story, so this will be a quick little review. But, read on if you want to find out more about what I thought about Abi's The Bone Orchard .