The Saucy Wenches Book Club

"People on Herald say you have PTSD and you became a  hermit like a monk because of it." "Either a hermit or a monk, not both," I corrected out of habit. "Herald also said he was disfigured." Arabella made big eyes. "Yes, I'm a hermit. Mostly I brood," Mad Rogan said. "Also I'm very good at wallowing in self-pity. I spend my days steeped in melancholy, looking out the window. Occasionally a single tear quietly rolls down my cheek." Arabella and Lina snickered in unison. "Do you also brush a white orchid against your lips?" Arabella put in.  "While sad music plays in the background?" Lina grinned. "Perhaps," Mad Rogan said.  Burn For Me, By Ilona Andrews.  

"It was a strange feeling--not surprising, I supposed, since everything felt strange now--this being a natural at something.  As a human, I'd never been the best at anything.  I was okay at dealing with Renee, but probably lots of people could have done better; Phil seemed to be holding his own.  I was a good student, but never the top of the class.  Obviously, I could be counted out of anything athletic.  Not artistic or musical, no particular talents to brag of.  Nobody ever gave away a trophy for reading books.  After eighteen years of mediocrity, I was pretty used to being average.  I realized now that I'd long ago given up on any aspirations of shining at anything.  I just did the best with what I had, never quite fitting into my world.   So this was really different.  I was amazing now--to them and to myself.  It was like I had been born to be a vampire.  The idea made me want to laugh, but it also mad...

The Beauty All Around Us In the United States, yesterday we celebrated what we are thankful for. Of course we are all thankful for our friends, our families, our jobs, blah, blah, blah. But we all know that we are Saucy Wenches. And Saucy Wenches are really thankful for the beauty in the world, so today we are going to celebrate some of the most beautiful creatures on Earth. Each Wench chose a particular creature with her favorite photo to share with you, dear readers. And since we know that you are exhausted from dealing with that family you are thankful for, all day yesterday, we are going to limit the chit-chat and just share the beauty. Enjoy. Oh, and you. are. welcome!  

“ Are you drunk?” He shrugged. “I’m Irish,” he   said.  “I’ve spent most of the last millennium drunk.” "You have an accent when you’re drunk,” she observed. “I have an accent all the time,” he replied. "It hides its head in shame when I'm sober."                              Shadowflame, Dianne Sylvan                                                                                                                                                                         ...

Do you like your fantasy books gritty and full of swords, maces, hammers and death? If so then Mark Lawrence's series The Broken Empire could be the series for you.  It is Lawrence's debut novel and has the added bonus of the whole series being complete. For a debut novel it is a very good piece of fantasy writing.  It also has the added bonus of not being overly long as some fantasy books tend to be.  Book #1 is called  Prince of Thorns and follows Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath or Brother Jorg for most of the book.  He's been running wild over the Broken Empire pretty much raping, pillaging and burning as he goes. It almost seems that he acts in a pretty pointless manner.  He's on the cusp of turning fourteen and things are about to get interesting.  So check after the jump about why this fantasy novel is compelling reading. Mild spoilers.

Miranda looked past David to the scattered bodies he’d left strewn about the ground. “If it had been me lying here, would you have been angry enough to do that?” [snip] “No,” he replied. “I would have ripped out their hearts with my bare hands and shoved them down their throats.” She smiled. “I probably shouldn’t find that romantic, should I.” ~ Dianne Sylvan, Shadowbound

The ratman froze, staring at me. "Why are you laughing?" His voice held just a hint of unease. Good. "I was hoping that the vampires would come for me soon and save me. You've got to admit that's funny." ~Anita Blake Guilty Pleasures by  Laurell K Hamilton

Source. Most of the Wenches have been reading quite a bit this week even with real life keeping us fairly busy. A lot of us have picked up each other's recommendations, some are rereading old faves (which happens a lot here.) A new release from the King of Horror himself had one Wench excited! And Harry Potter also found his way onto our reading lists! Some of us are trying something new entirely, which is always exciting! Click through to see what we've been up to this past week.

There are those among us who have erred, deeply and significantly. Who have wounded the world and broken themselves. The worst of them lose themselves in their errors. The best of them crawl back, one foot at a time, and seek to amend their breaches. That is the way of the brave. Wild Things ~~Chloe Neill

„Into every generation a slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer." Here is the jist of it according to imdb: A young girl, destined to slay vampires, demons and other infernal creatures, deals with her life fighting evil, with the help of her friends. I chose this concise description because everyone knows what Buffy the Vampire Slayer is about. If you don't then what the hell are you waiting for, watch it!! Have you been living under a rock?! Anyway, this show is a part of my life. It's on the list of my top favourite shows of all time, and I can watch it today and still not find it boring. Come with me through the jump as I tell you all about my love for Buffy and the gang! Warning: spoilers abound!

“I was conceived because it would be good for my House to have an heir and because my parents' genes ticked the right set of boxes. You were probably conceived because your parents loved each other." "According to our mother," Bern said, "he was conceived because she was too wasted to remember a rubber." Mad Rogan stopped chewing. "I was conceived because my mother skipped bail. Her boyfriend at the time threatened to call the cops on her so she had to do something to keep him from doing it," Bern said helpfully. Awesome. Just the right kind of information to share. "Aunt Giselea isn't the best mother," I said. "There's one in every family.” ― Ilona Andrews , Burn for Me

“Are we talking about Tyler?" Julian asked, leaning forward to put his face between the two of them from the backseat. "Please do call him, I have missed being handcuffed to every possible surface whenever I speak.”  Cross & Crown by Abigail Roux Source

Say you have a friend and she's constantly gushing over a book and she's trying to get you to read it. Let's say you are not like me who avoids those books like the plague just because someone else recommended them. No, you decide to read the book. You ask your friend to lend you this amazing piece of literature and she does. But just as she's handing it to you she drops this little nugget: „this is the first book in a series of 15 books so far and there are more coming out“. Now what?? Do you: 1.        Run away never looking back? 2.        Decide to be brave and take on this daunting task? 3.        Say you'll wait for the TV show? After the jump we'll try to give you all the necessary reasons to choose number two.

“There was something so primal and hungry about the way he stared down at her..the way their bodies unconsciously strained toward one another as if nothing - not even time, not distance, not even death- could ever keep them apart.”

My wrists and ankles were bleeding. My knees too--I must've scraped myself trying to draw the circle. So far today I'd seen a woman almost die, I'd shot a person, I'd killed another person with my shockers, I'd been strung up on wires and almost crushed by a car, and now I was bleeding all over the place. If I could, I would punch today right in the face.  Bern's black Civic pulled into the parking lot and swerved to avoid the bus.  Mad Rogan looked down at my chalk lines. "This is the lousiest circlework I've ever seen. Were you drawing with your eyes closed?"  That was it. I threw the chalk at him, got up, marched to the Civic, and got inside. "Drive, Bern. Please." Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

I love reading like Marilyn sometimes! Click through to see what the Wenches Are Reading this week, and share your list in the comments below! Seriously, what are you reading? Barb doesn't know what to read next!

"So, it was a surprise to both Kim and me when I wound up in Group A, with the boyfriended girls.  At first, I tried to hide it.  After I came home from the Yo-Yo Ma concert, I told Kim the vaguest of details.  I didn't mention the kissing.  I rationalized the omission: There was not point in getting all worked up about a kiss.  One kiss does not a relationship make.  I'd kissed boys before, and usually by the next day the kiss had evaporated like a dewdrop in the sun.  Except I knew that with Adam it was a big deal.  I knew from the way the warmth flooded my whole body that night after he dropped me off at home, kissing me once more at my doorstep.  By the way, I stayed up until dawn hugging my pillow.  By the way I could not eat the next day, could not wipe the smile off my face.  I recognized that the kiss was a door I had walked through.  And I knew that I'd left Kim on the other side."  ---- If I Stay by Gayle...

He glanced at me, his eyes dark. "Would you rather talk about your dream?" "No." "Considering that I was featured in it, I think I deserve to know the particulars. Were my clothes missing because we were in bed? Was I touching you?" He glanced at me. His voice could've melted clothes off my body. "Were you touching me?" I shouldn't have gotten into his car. I should've taken a separate vehicle. "Cat got your tongue, Nevada?" "No, we weren't in bed. I was pushing you off a cliff to your death." Burn For Me by Ilona Andrews. 

They say there is no such thing as a perfect person. I disagree. There exists one man who is the embodiment of perfection. That one man is Jensen Ackles. Don't believe me? Well, for this fangirl Friday, I am here to prove to you that Jensen Ackles is the world's most perfect man. Though, I will concede to the fact that there are, in actuality, several perfect men out there. But, Jensen is definitely one of them. He's got it all, the whole package. Looks, talent, personality, everything. Keep reading after the jump to watch me go into full on fangirl meltdown. Or, as some of my friends call it, a full-on Jensen Situation. Yes, we have a term for reveling in his perfection.

“..the fields might fall to fallow and the birds might stop their song awhile; the growing things might die and lie in silence under snow, while through it all the cold sea wore its face of storms and death and sunken hopes...and yet unseen beneath the waves a warmer current ran that, in its time, would bring the spring.”  The Winter Sea, Susanna Kearsley

“Of course I’m an organ donor. Who wouldn’t want a piece of this? —T-SHIRT”  Seventh Grave And No Body by Darynda Jones 

Patrick Rothfuss recently visited Portland, Oregon, on his book tour, and I didn’t let the fact that I’ve never read a single one of his books stop me from attending! I have every intention of reading his highly regarded fantasy novels, which have been on my TBR list for a while, and I thought that hearing him speak might motivate me to move them up the list. (It did!) I also wondered what this enigmatic author is like. Rothfuss writes the enormously popular Kingkiller Chronicles : The Name of the Wind , The Wise Man's Fear , and the not-yet-published Doors of Stone . My friend Lorna is a big fan of these books and has been nagging encouraging me to read them so we can talk about them. She was thrilled to go to the signing with me and help write this post.

People believe, thought Shadow. It’s what people do. They believe, and then they do not take responsibility for their beliefs; they conjure things, and do not trust the conjuration. People populate the darkness; with ghosts, with gods, with electrons, with tales. People imagine, and people believe; and it is that rock solid belief, that makes things happen. ~ Neil Gaiman, American Gods

While you're up there, grab the plates." I leaned over to turn off the oven. "I'll take it from here. Thanks." Cortez nodded. "I'll wash up." Savannah watched him leave, then jumped from the counter and scurried to my side. "He was asking about Adam," she said in a stage whisper. I took the foil off the lasagna. "Hmmm?" "Lucas. He was asking about Adam. You and Adam. I came in, you were gone, he said you were on the phone, so I checked call display on my phone and told him it was Adam. Then I said you'd be a while because you guys, like, talk forever, and he said, 'Oh, so they're pretty good friends,' or something like that." "Uh-huh." I sliced into the middle of the lasagna, making sure it was cooked through. "I think the lettuce is wilted, but could you check it for me?" "Paige, I'm talking to you." "And I heard you. Lucas asked if Adam was a frien...

   As the weather continues to chill in the Northern Hemisphere there's nothing better than curling up with a cup of something hot, a cozy blanket, and a good book. And we're reading some very good books. From Ilona Andrews's new series to the next Guild Hunter book, to checking off some reading challenge books, the Wenches have lots of selections to choose from this week. Click through to see what we're reading. 

Good thing I hadn't mentioned my little field trip to Volos's office. No doubt she would have put that under the category of psycho ex-girlfriend behavior, instead of the strategic surveillance I'd convinced myself it was. Dirty Magic ~~Jaye Wells

Scarlett O’Hara Dear Scarlett! You aren’t helpless. Anyone as selfish and determined as you are is never helpless. God help the Yankees if they should get you.   ~ Rhett Butler IMDb’s description of the 1939 movie Gone with the Wind , based on Margaret Mitchell’s book of the same name, says: “A manipulative Southern belle carries on a turbulent affair with a blockade runner during the American Civil War.” That is so harsh both for Scarlett and Rhett, isn’t it? Oh yes, Scarlett O’Hara is a spoiled brat, selfish and vain, also insecure and shallow. But she is only 16 when the story begins, and what do we really know at that age? And at that time, she acts according to her times: simply be sweet and pretty until you find a wealthy husband, then raise a family. I watched the movie first, and fell in love with Scarlett as fast as lightning. Then I went to find the book and fell in love all over again with Scarlett, Rhett, and the American South of the t...

They should be afraid of me. I am by far and away the most frightening creature that lives in this city. House of the Rising Sun ~~Kristen Painter

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy #1) by Ilona Andrews From Goodreads: Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career—a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile case. Nevada isn’t sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire. Then she’s kidnapped by Connor “Mad” Rogan—a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run or surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive. Rogan’s after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she’s getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world. In general, I tend to read only paranormal romance and fantasy. So, when  Head Wench Barbara received this book as an ARC, I was eager to read it.   In addition, I am ...

"I'll tell you now. The silence almost beat me. It's the silence that scares me. It's the blank page on which I can write my own fears. The spirits of the dead have nothing on it. The dead one tried to show me hell, but it was a pale imitation of the horror I can paint on the darkness in a quiet moment. "

Mad Rogan smiled a big, wide, conciliatory grin and raised his hands. "Hey, hey. No need to get worked up. Look, no gun. I can see you're the man. You're in charge here."[snip] "Now we know," Mad Rogan said, his voice cold. "I'm in charge. I'm in charge of you. I'm in charge of the guy next to you. I'm in charge of the ground you're standing on. When I'm gone, I don't care who is in charge. When I leave here, you can fight and kill each other over who is running things while I'm not here. But let's be clear: when I'm here, when you see me, I'm in charge." ~ Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

    For most of the Wenches autumn is firmly settled in allowing us to snuggle inside with great books. Almost everyone is reading something new and wonderful, from thought-provoking non-fiction to next installments in great series to brand new series from our favorite authors, we've got lots of choices on our plates this week. Click through to see what we're reading, and share your reading list in the comments below!

In a bemused tone, Nereus asked, "Why is sex the only endeavor where a male hopes his partner is a rank novice?" Lanthe couldn't stop the grin that spread over her face. "Why indeed?" Dark Skye by Kresley Cole.