The Saucy Wenches Book Club

“The right belief is like a good cloak, I think. If it fits you well, it keeps you warm and safe. The wrong fit however, can suffocate.” The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) Brandon Sanderson

“I can smell blood, Elena,”  Dmitri drawled, walking back into the room.  “Are you trying to flirt?”

“You get a little moody sometimes but I think that's because you like to read. People that like to read are always a little fucked up.”  ―  Pat Conroy ,  The Prince of Tides Click through to see what books have captured the Wenches this week, and be sure to share your list in the comments below!

Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me. Insisting on this story was a form of mind control, but for the most part, it worked.... Fear begets fear. Power begets power. I willed myself to beget power. And it wasn't long before I actually wasn't afraid. ~ Cheryl Strayed,     Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Rhodar nodded. "That's why we're so delighted to have Tolnedra's foremost tactician here to advise us," he said, bowing floridly. "Please, your Magesty," General Varana interposed, lifting one hand. "Suggest, not advise. An observer can only suggest. The term advice implies partisanship that is not in line with the Empire's position of strict neutrality." "Ah," King Rhodar said. He turned to King Cho-Hag. "We must make arrangements for the comfort of the Imperial suggester and his staff," he declared with a broad grin. Enchanters End Game by David Eddings

Sometime you've got to! The old adage is never to judge a book by its cover. But rules are meant to be broken, right?  Book covers have come a long way, and these days some of the best books have the most beautiful covers. I choose books for different reasons, most often recommendations by friends, but sometimes a cover just grabs me and I have to see what's inside. Follow me through the jump where I'll share with you some of my favorite book covers.

As some of our long time readers may know, the Wenches added a baby to our mix last year, my son, Baby Wolverine*. Well, Baby Wolverine is now 15 month old Toddler Wolverine. And, as my parents instilled in me, I am already beginning to instill him with what will hopefully become a life-long love of reading. Fortunately, my husband is an avid reader as well. We are both working hard to steer him towards books and reading. It seems, so far, that we are succeeding! Which means that for this Fangirl Friday, I will be THAT parent gushing about their child. But, it's for a good reason! So, read on after the break to hear me rave about my son and his budding love of books!

It occurred to me that over the course of the last year, we'd become a strange and wonderful team. The ombuddies, Cadogan House, the sorcerers, with occasional help from other supernaturals. Most of them friendly, all of them with unique strengths that contributed to a pretty weird, but wonderful, whole. Dark Debt ~~Chloe Neill

“Yes, of course duct tape works in a near-vacuum. Duct tape works anywhere. Duct tape is magic and should be worshiped.”  The Martian by Andy Weir From Tumblr

On April 21, 2015 Jordan released  A Bitter Taste of Sweet Oblivion  Ebook Box Set, which includes novelettes 6-10 from the Channeling Morpheus series. and correlates to the second paperback. The novelettes in order are  Brazen, Snare, Fluid, Swarm, Elixir. Jordan  is also releasing a new Channeling Morpheus short,  Canine . The release follows the release of Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary which contains novelettes 1-5. One of my favourite aspects of the whole series besides the fantastic stories is the cover art. It is incredibly sexy, and just draws the reader in. Be careful, you might need to keep a fan handy in order to cool yourself down whilst reading. A Bitter Taste of Sweet Oblivion Blurb Staking a vampire isn't so easy now that Michael's got a vampire of his very own. Although killing them is no longer an option, he's as determined as ever to stop the spread of vampirism. Wild Bill is a lover, not a fighter--so he's tickled when Michael...

“Fearlessness is a fool's boast, to my mind. The only men with no fear in them are dead, or the soon to be dead, maybe. Fear teaches you caution, and respect for your enemy, and to avoid sharp edges used in anger. All good things in their place, believe me. Fear can bring you out alive, and that's the very best anyone can hope for from any fight. Every man who's worth a damn feels fear. It's the use you make of it that counts.”

The Wenches have been reading quite a bit this week! Sexy angels, Mac and Barrons, magic, pirates, and more are all on our lists. A few rereads, some new series, a couple of audiobooks, and a very famous translation are all part of our reading week. What about you, Saucy readers? Let us know in the comments what you've been reading this week!

...he rose to his feet and, placing his hands on the table, leaned toward her until she could've reached out and run her fingers along his freshly shaven jaw. "You are here," he said in a tone that made her heart thump wildly against her ribs, "because you belong to me."  ~ Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh

We have a treat today, Saucy Readers! Kristen Painter, the author of one of our favorite new series of the past year, Crescent City , is stopping by to talk about her fabulous series and New Orleans, the setting of the books. And she came bearing gifts! We're giving away a copy of the complete trilogy.  So, click through to check out our interview with Kristen Painter and to enter the giveaway. Then be sure and check out the Crescent Series trilogy, and our reviews here , here , and here . 

A tall figure hurtled through the gate and slammed face-first into the wall, six inches from her nose.   She jumped back, heart thudding.     Wild crimson hair, the exact shade of the blood dripping from his nose. Black waistcoat, arms in dirty white sleeves shackled behind him with rusted iron at wrist and elbow. The warder jammed a crackling electric hoop stick around the man's neck, pinning him to the wall at a safe distance. The lunatic laughed and wriggled like a netted fish, earning him a punch in the small of the back that knocked his breath away.   Every nerve screamed at Eliza to flee. But the narrow corridor left her nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.   Malachi Todd grinned at her, green eyes sparkling with mischief. "Hello, Eliza," he panted. "Always we meet in such a crowd. Surely we no longer need a chaperone?" The Diabolical Miss Hyde by Viola Carr.

Greek Mythology + Sci-Fi / Fantasy Books I may have said it before and I will gladly say it again: I love the ancient Greek Myths (GM), and I also love science-fiction and fantasy stories. So I decided to try and combine these two loves into one fangirl post. I know that Greek (and other classical) mythologies provide the foundation of many sci-fi and fantasy tales. Just think about what we have here: Gods and Humans, immortal and mortal, mythological and magical creatures, power and magic with intrigues, quarrels, and jealousy. Myth is basically the result of humans trying to explain their surroundings — nature phenomena like thunder, lightning, and earthquakes, the unknown, and the unrecognized. Myth is also a way to explain and advise human behavior by way of storytelling. For example, the story of Narcissus the hunter is a lesson in excessive pride and its punishment. I hope you’ll come explore with me a few of my sci-fi and fantasy favorites that were influence...

I rubbed my neck and stared up at the sky for a minute before letting Micah guide me to the SUV. With every step I wanted to run back in case the angel changed his mind and returned. My senses reminded me it was a foolish notion. They  weren't  coming back.  The hole inside my chest seemed to grow bigger as the realization firmly planted into my mind. Darkness Taunts , Susan Illene

  “I gave him everything and it didn't work out. He didn't love me.”  Changing the Game by Jaci Burton 

Source All of the Wenches reading Gone Girl finished up this week and agree that it is delightfully fucked up! We highly recommend. Additionally we're reading some new-to-us fantasy (par for the course around here), old favorites, an award winner and an unexpected contemporary romance. Click through to see who's reading what, and be sure to share your reading list in the comments below!

True feeling is always circular — either circular, or paradoxical — simply because its cause and its expression are two halves of the very same thing! Love cannot be reduced to a catalogue of reasons why, and a catalogue of reasons cannot be put together into love. Any man who disagrees with me has never been in love — not truly. ~ Eleanor Catton, The Luminaries

"You probably shouldn't have displayed your talents quite so openly," Belgarath told her. "People prefer not to believe in that sort of thing. There's a whole catalogue of nasty little emotions curdling in the human spirit and anything the least bit out of the ordinary raises the possibility of retribution." Castle of Wizardry , by David Eddings

It's a reading slump, so what do you do???? Yes Outlander , I'm looking at you.  I've queried with my fellow Wenches what they would do and here are a few ideas below to help you get through a slump.

Dame Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess, Downton Abbey I want to gush about two of my very favorite characters on TV today and the actors who bring them to life each week, during far too few weeks of the year: *drumroll* The Dowager Countess of Downton Abbey Captain James Flint of Black Sails At first glance, these characters might not appear to have much in common. They are far removed in time and location, and hmmmm, perhaps deceptively more similar in temperament than might at first be apparent. Yet they are closely bound by blood, because they are played by the incomparable Dame Maggie Smith and her younger son, Toby Stephens. Toby Stephens as Captain James Flint, Black Sails I am smitten with their spot-on portrayals of the (hilariously) snooty British aristocrat and the swashbuckling pirate. They fully inhabit their roles with an aura of gravitas and great personal flair. Their characters entice me with mysterious depths I yearn to plumb. They lead fe...

Luc looked at me. "I'm guessing you're going to be busy with Navarre House tomorrow but do remember us, withering away in the basement of Cadogan House." I hitched a thumb at Ethan. "I go where he tells me to go." "You need training." I'd known that was coming and had a response in the chamber. "I bested the captain of the Navarre House guards with a dagger, while wearing stilettos and a gown, in front of an audience. I have all the training." "I'm taking credit for this one," Catcher said to the room, hand in the air. "Just FYI." "I like to think it was a group effort," Ethan said. "All of us working together to shape our lump of girl into a Sentinel." "I like to think I'm more than the sum of my training." "You are," Luc said. "There's at least some hot beef or deep dish in there." "I am also more than Chicago foodstuffs." ...

When he spoke again, he lowered his voice even further. “This may seem hypocritical, but there are a few things I just didn’t want you to know about me.” He pulled his scuffed Glock out of his waistband, checked the clip, and held it at the ready.     “Is this really the right time for this conversation?” Ty asked with a raised eyebrow.     Zane winced. “I just need you to know . . . I . . . I hate baseball.”     “You shut your whore mouth!”     Crash & Burn by Abigail Roux Source

“Everyone has secrets. It's just a matter of finding out what they are.”

Suffering some pretty serious book hangovers, three Wenches are enjoying the hell out of Gone Girl. We're also reading a new fantasy series, an award winner, preparation for the release of a favorite, and another Fever reread. Click through to see who's reading what, and be sure to share your reading list in the comments below. 

Give me a man with a little fight in him, a man who calls me on my bullshit. (But who also kind of likes my bullshit.) ~ Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

It's been very busy on my TBR thus far in 2015, with new installments, and some final books, in several of my favorite series, and Garden of Dreams and Desires in the last one I've been on pins and needles waiting for since I closed the last book. I told you how much I loved the first and second  installments. I've actually had this book on my hot little hands for a month now, but since learning that it was going to be the last installment in the Crescent City series, I've been putting off starting it. I wasn't ready to let go of Augustine, Harlow, Lally, Olivia, and all of the wonderful characters that make up this rich world, not to mention leaving behind New Orleans again.  I finally started the book, and while I dragged my feet a bit getting to the end, I  finally made it to the end of the journey. Come with me through the jump and I'll tell you whether the adventure was all I had hoped for. I will attempt to keep it spoiler free, as always.

"Ward this. Spell that. How did you navigate life before you met me?" I shrug. "It's kind of like realizing you're married to Bewitched . Except not in the married sense," I add hastily. "But you know what I mean. Why break your back vacuuming when a saucy twitch of the nose can clean the whole house.?" "My nose has never twitched, saucily or otherwise. And that was an utterly absurd premise. The only price for using magic was compounded human stupidity. Humans consistently engender chaos without violating alchemical principles." "Oh, my God, you watched -- " "I did not." "Yes, you--" "Did not." You just said --" "Inescapable pop culture." "Oh, you so watched it."  BURNED by Karen Marie Moning

So you know how there are book that stay with you for different reasons. You never forget them because they helped you understand something about yourself, they taught you something, they made you feel happy, they scared the crap out of you, they shocked you, they made you angry or sad, etc. Well, join me after the jump and I'll name some of my all time favorites.

“Dear Ms. Baird,    As of today, you do have a slave clause in your contract. It means you do everything I say. Under no circumstances are you to eat, sleep, take breaks, or check in to hotel rooms with men named Eggplant.  Sincerely, Gabriel”

A VERY Spoilery Discussion by Zee the Terrible and Barbara Bones By our collage expert, Olga. Readers, it's been nearly a month since the release of the latest Chicagoland Vampires book, which Barb reviewed here , and we are still awed by how fabulous this book was, how fantastic this series still is after eleven installments. I t's finally time for us to have a deep, dirty, thorough, and extremely spoilery discussion of the latest book in the series that is already one of our favorite releases this year! Chloe Neill's Dark Debt ! Yes, we know. You're so surprised... not. And for those of you who want to catch up, our spoilery discussion of Blood Games is here !  Click through to get to the juicy bits!  WARNING!