The Saucy Wenches Book Club

Ryodan is behind her with an arm around her throat. Barrons is standing in front of her. I don't envy her, sandwiched between those two men. Or wait, maybe I do. Burned ~~Karen Marie Moning

Cruise ships in Philipsburg, St. Maarten I recently went on a Caribbean cruise — just me, my husband, and an entertaining assortment of vampires, vampire hunters, and various supernatural species. The cruise was a dream come true for me, and I was looking forward to an abundance of relaxation time, which of course meant oodles of opportunity to indulge in reading. I hadn’t been on a cruise in years. Now that I’m more of a quiet-book-in-a-scenic-nook traveler than a party-loudly-by-the-pool person, fictional companions were higher on my packing list than carousing couture. I carefully selected just the right book series well in advance, one that I knew would keep me riveted yet easily accommodate frequent interruptions. I made sure I had multiple formats, like audio books and e-books. And then I inadvertently started a new series the week before the trip, so I brought all those books along, too! How did I fare, with clear turquoise waters, lush green rainforests, beaches of ...

The currency of life is passion, and as with any coin, it has two sides: pleasure, pain, joy, sorrow. Impossible to slip a single side of that coin into your pocket. You take all or nothing. Burned ~~Karen Marie Moning

A VERY Spoilery Discussion of Karen Marie Moning's Burned  by: Zee the Terrible and Barbara Bones You've finished Burned , right? If not, check out Zee's non-spoilery review here , and come back to this post when you're finished. Because we cannot hold in all of the thoughts, speculation and feels we had while reading Burned and in the days since when we couldn't stop thinking about it. You know we loved Burned , the long awaited seventh installment in Karen Marie Moning's superb Fever series. Which, considering the Wenches' love for KMM and all things Fever , is no surprise. What you may not know is that some of us have been unable to think of much else, that we've been discussing it nonstop. So much of Burned blew us away, from jaw-dropping revelations to stunning plot twists to that last line ensuring that we're dying for book eight! Come with us through the jump, where we'll discuss all the juicy details. All.the.details. ...

“I have a theory that selflessness and bravery aren't all that different.”  Divergent by Veronica Roth

“A kiss with the right person simply can't be compared to the drudgery of sleeping with the wrong one over and over.”

Barrons is irresistible when reading!  You're going to notice a definite theme running through almost all of the Wenches' reading choices this week. Let's not give away the surprise...click through to see what we're reading this week. Are you with us, Saucy Reader? Share your book choices in the comments below.

I exhale gustily. Not because I feel sorry for myself. Self-pity is a wasted emotion. It merely prolongs whatever trauma you suffered by keeping it alive in your head. Dude, you survived it. Move on.  ~ Burned (Fever Series #7)   by Karen Marie Moning

Readers, the Wenches have been completely consumed by BURNED since release day! We've been suffering from an itch only the amazing Karen Marie Moning can scratch! This is the book we have been WAITING for since Iced. Iced was great. Loved it. But this. This was something else. On a whole other plane. It started off great, but once it hit it's halfway mark IT.BLEW.MY.MIND. Into smithereens. And after that it was just one epic ride -- all you could do was hold on for dear life. From Karen's FB page . Click through to read my non-spoilery review.  There will be spoilers from Darkfever to ICED , of course. NO SPOILERS FROM BURNED !  

Source. " Mac draws up short to keep from slamming into Barrons and her blonde hair swings back over her shoulder , brushing his face as it goes and my hearing is so good I catch the rasp of it chafing the shadow stubble on his jaw, then one of his hands grazes her breast and his eyes narrow when he looks at what he touched in a hungry way I want a man to look at me like one day and , as they continue to recover from the near-collision , their bodies move in a graceful dance of impeccable awareness of precisely where the other is at all times that is unity, symbiosis, partnership I only dream of, wolves that chose to pack up and hunt together , soldiers who will always have each other’s back no matter what, no sin, no transgression too great, ‘cause don’t we all transgress sometimes and it fecking slays me, because once I got a little taste of what that was like and it was heaven and they’re so beaut...

My name is Merit and I am a Bookaholic: a person who has a strong passion for and desire to read all the time. Addiction  –  an abnormally strong craving. Craving      –  an intense desire for some particular thing. Books         –  a very long definition, here goes... Anthony Browne I crave books. I love reading, all the time, anywhere and everywhere. While I read, the real world disappears, I’m tumbling through the rabbit hole pages, submerged in the plot, and I forget everything else... I am thrilled to find myself in new and different worlds. I like the ability to explore new possibilities, to be someone else: a kickass heroine or a dashing young English lady, a mysteries magician or a notorious witch. How else can I travel back in time to find a maddeningly strong and sexy “king of men” to live with, to love forever? That doesn’t mean I don...

“Anybody can look at a pretty girl and see a pretty girl. An artist can look at a pretty girl and see the old woman she will become. A better artist can look at an old woman and see the pretty girl that she used to be. But a great artist — a master — and that is what Auguste Rodin was — can look at an old woman, portray her exactly as she is… and force the viewer to see the pretty girl she used to be.” Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein

“...what will we someday do, I always wonder, without the pleasures of turning through books and stumbling on things we never meant to find?”

We've made it to BURNED release day. AND WE COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED! We have literally been counting the days since ICED. We were all sour and grumpy (and maybe a little weepy) when we found out the next book kept being postponed. (We love Karen, so much. And totally understood her reasons. We're just impatient Wenches!) But at last, it's here!!!  SO.FUCKING.READY! So, in our attempt to somehow survive these exciting days while everyone DEVOURS Burned , I figured we'd indulge in a round of Team Wars! (Which I am normally NOT  a fan of.) Just for fun! Click through for a look at the pros and cons in favor of each guy! (Not necessarily in a romantic light, since Dani's story is still kinda young.)  Will contain spoilers from ICED.  

You’ll never be just anything. A tsunami can never be just a wave ... Waves are banal. Tsunamis reshape the Earth. ~ Karen Marie Moning, Iced

Happy release day, Saucy Readers! Today we are getting the next installment in the series that made The Saucy Wenches the group we are-- Burned , book 7 in Karen Marie Moning outstanding Fever series is hitting our doorsteps and e-readers today. So, if you don't hear from us for a few days send a search party. With chocolate. Click through to see what else we've been up to before Burned derails our reading lists.

"It won't do any good, Lady Polgara," the king said rather ruefully. "As your father so pointedly mentioned, I'm not considered very bright. The Alorn Kings won't listen to me. If you leave now, they'll just send someone like Brendig to apprehend you again." "Then that unfortunate man may suddenly find himself living out the remainder of his days as a toad or possibly a radish," Aunt Pol said ominously. Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings

Tuesday, January 20, 2015, is release day for Burned , the latest installment in Karen Marie Moning's wildly popular Fever series. It seems like ages since Iced came out just over two years ago. Three years have passed between the two books, with Dani being a little older now. It will be interesting to see how she has matured and how this will be reflected in her point of view. Also, Mac and Barrons are back! *cue applause!!!* We can barely contain ourselves! After the jump, we've posted some great teasers and excerpts from the new book, along with the official book trailer, all shared by the wonderful Karen Marie Moning! 

Jonah, who knew me much too well, had a bottle of blood and a candy bar ready when I climbed into the sedan. "I ate breakfast. And even if I hadn't, I don't need to be fed." He checked the mirrors, pulled into traffic. "Since you've already opened that candy bar, I presume said breakfast didn't do much for you." I considered offering him a bite but decided he didn't deserve it. ~~Blood Games Chloe Neill

Come with me through the jump, as I tell you just a few reasons why I love Stargate , and why you should, too!

Ethan held out his hand. In his palm was a glossy blue box with a silver "C" engraved in the top. Brow furrowed, I took it from him. "What's this?" "An apology of sorts." I made a moue, but slipped the lid from the top...and then my breath left me. Inside the box sat a baseball, its well-worn white leather marked by the signatures of every Cubs player from the team. It was just like the one I'd had--just like the one I'd told him about the night we'd made love. I blinked down at the box, trying to take in the gravity of the gift. "What--where did you get this?" Ethan slid his hands into his pockets. "I have my sources." "You shouldn't have." He stopped me with his hand at my jaw, thumb against my chin. "Sometimes, people must adapt. Immortality doesn't make the things we love less important; it means we must learn to treasure them. Protect them." I swallowed hard and made my...

"You should be afraid. Very afraid. Before, I told you if you wanted to end things between us, I would let you go, but, Leila"-- his voice deepened-- "I lied." Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost

The Dark Duet series, C.J. Roberts He was my tormentor and my solace; The creator of the dark and the light within. This one is a very very dark story. It took me a long time to decide how and what to write. I can definitely say that it left me emotionally disturbed for a while, due to my strong feelings and shocked reactions, both during and after reading it. The Dark Duet series includes 3 books — Captive in the Dark , Seduced in the Dark , and Epilogue — and is tagged as a BDSM/erotic romance. OH GOD! It is so much more than that!!! Very few books play with the mind the way these books do. BDSM is not really my style, and I never considered it more than a diversion created to get us girls off. The lure of violence, humiliation, and pain did not entice me to read this series, because these do not titillate or in any way entertain me. Nevertheless, I found myself captivated and seduced in the darkness of my living room (forgot to turn on the lights, I...

“In my experience, those for whom war is lucrative are rarely satisfied. For them, war is opportunity, not hardship or sorrow. After all, it is rarely their sons who lie in unmarked graves on foreign soil.”

"I warn you, Arianne, I am out of patience." "With me?" That is so like him.  "For Lord Tywin and the Lannisters you always had the forbearance of Baelor the Blessed, but for your own blood, none." "You mistake patience for forbearance..." ~Conversation between the Prince of Dorne and his daughter, Arianne ~~ A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

  A serious cold snap is gripping much of the Wenches' hometowns, so we are finding all the excuses we can to stay inside and read. Click through to find out who's reading new finds, who's rereading  favorites in preparation for upcoming releases, and who's reading some of those new releases.  And share your list in the comments below.

"In the movies this sort of character is known as the fifth business, or the change agent. When he turns up in a film, you know he's there because the screenwriter put him there. But who is screenwriting our lives? Fate or coincidence? I want to believe the latter. I want that with all my heart and soul. When I think of Charles Jacobs - my fifth business, my change agent, my nemesis- I can't bear to think his presence in my life had anything to do with fate. It would mean that all these terrible things- these horrors - were meant to happen. If that is so, then there is no such thing as light, and our belief in it is a foolish illusion. If that is so, we live in darkness like animals in a burrow, or ants deeps in their hill. And not alone." Revival by Stephen King.

I was pretty sure I wanted to either do a post on Colbert, or Tolkien, this week. I've been feeling pretty sad about The Colbert Report ending lately, and the last Hobbit movie made me pretty weepy. So I thought about it for a while (it almost came to a point where I was going to do a post on what a huge Tolkien fan Colbert is...) and decided to make Stephen Colbert the topic of my Fangirl Friday post, as a sort of farewell to his amazing legacy.  So click through the jump for a lot of Colbert fangirling! And not much else.

Any woman can be both the perfect housewife and an accomplished assassin, because both functions require the same qualities: creativity; a never-say-die attitude; and an attention to details, no matter how small…” TheHousewife Assassin’s Handbook , Josie Brown

“You think I haven’t thought about what it might be like to return to my rooms at the end of the night and find you there — to find you in my bed, to have your body and your laugh and your mind? To look across a room and know that you were mine — that I’d claimed you. Me .” He drummed a finger against his chest. “ Me . Ethan Sullivan. Not the head of Cadogan House, not the four-hundred-year-old vampire, not the child of Balthasar or the Novitiate of Peter Cadogan. Me . Just me. Just you and me.” Twice Bitten ~~Chloe Neill

As part of a book challenge hosted by Wench Angela on Goodreads, I had to read a book whose title began with the letter Q. I settled on a recommendation by another challenge participant, in part because it was set in Austin, Texas. This seemed like a refreshingly different locale, and I happen to know it’s a really cool town because I used to live there. Plus in this book, vampires live in Austin, and I’ve missed PNR/UF lately. Queen of Shadows introduced me to the Shadow World series by Dianne Sylvan. I was pleasantly surprised by this book, though a little on the fence at times, and by the end I was ready to pick up the next installment in the series. First, I decided to check out the reader comments online. Whoa! Turns out, this is a rather controversial series! Book 2 has incited some strongly negative reactions and caused readers to DNF the series. (It has also inspired some staunch and spirited defenders.) Yet despite a big dip in the approval rating for book 2, book...

That would be a fine day...one that I needed a girl to save my life. From a vampire. ― Colleen Gleason, The Rest Falls Away

“I believe there’s something you’ll need, Sentinel.” Ethan slid from his chair, dropped to one knee on the carpet. My mind had to race to keep up, but my heart pounded madly. Ethan looked up at me, grinned. “That thing, of course, is this.” He held up a small dessert fork. “You dropped your fork, Sentinel.” My blood pounded in my ears. I stood up, swatted his arms with slaps. “You are a jerk.” He roared with laughter. “Ah, Sentinel. The look on your face.” He doubled over with laughter. “Such terror.” I kept swatting. “At the thought of marrying you, you pretentious ass.” He roared again, then picked me up and carried me to the bed. “My pretentions are well earned, Sentinel.” “You have got to stop doing that.” “I can’t. It’s hilarious.” Only a man would think fake proposals were so funny.    ― Chloe Neill , Blood Games     

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

"I love you, Merit. You are my future, and I intend to make certain you--and the rest of the world--know that, when the time is right. Why does it surprise you so much?" I struggled to put the emotion into words. "It's not surprise at you. It's not doubt. It's just--it's blossomed so fast. Four hundred years of dating, and you've made up your mind about me so quickly."  {snip} "I made up my mind because we fit," he said, reaching out to take my hand, to squeeze it. "You make me better, and I like to think I do the same for you." I thought of the awkward human, then vampire, I'd been, and the slightly less awkward vampire I was becoming. "It's just--you were very unexpected." "That's because you'd only explored one half of yourself, Sentinel. I merely gave you the chance to blossom. To be the person you were always meant to become." Tears rushed into my eyes, and I knuckled them a...

Friends is, far and away, my favorite TV show of all time. I started watching it during the summer after its first season (back when networks reran shows in the summer) and it was appointment viewing for the next decade. I never missed an episode, I bought VHS tapes of "Best of Friends", then I bought every complete season on DVD as they became available, before the series was even finished. Those DVDs have been the best entertainment dollars I've ever spent, having watched them repeatedly, a season never too far from my DVD player. I'm so excited that Netflix just got all ten seasons, because now I'll have the show wherever I go, on my TV, tablet, and phone! It's always a good time for an episode of Friends , a pick-me-up when I'm feeling down or an added joy when I'm feeling up. The amazing thing about this show is its staying power--it was wonderful and funny from beginning to end for ten years, something that most shows cannot claim. It's also ...

Hope  smiles from the threshold of the year to come, Whispering "it will be happier." ~~Alfred Lord Tennyson