The Saucy Wenches Book Club

Why, oh why, do we find the most dangerous, forbidden men the most irresistible?   ~ Faefever by Karen Marie Moning

How excited was this fangirl to learn that Devon Monk had a new Shame and Terric e-book coming out in November? Super excited! Monk is one of the very few authors that I regularly check her blog page for updates. After the first two Broken Magic books, I wanted more of the two leads. Thankfully Monk has obliged her fans. Although I will note that Stone Cold (Broken Magic #2)  did end in such a way that another book wasn't a given.  It also was one of my five star reads of 2015. You can imagine my happy dancing when I discovered this book was on the horizon. Yeah it was pretty epic dancing.  Source: www.giphy.com Thanks Devon Monk for providing us with an ARC of Back Lash .

My favorite new show this year is Blindspot, which premiered on September 21, 2015, and focuses on a mysterious tattooed woman (Jaimie Alexander) who has lost her memory. The FBI discovers that each tattoo contains a clue to a crime they will have to solve. It’s a fast-paced drama with lots of action and intrigue. With every passing day Jane unveils a new skill or a hidden talent without understanding its origin. Who is Jane Doe – is she an asset or an enemy? Who erased her memory? And who is behind the cryptic tattoos?

“…Something isn’t right with you and this property. Strange things happen around it. I don’t know what is going on, but I will find out. You could make it easier on yourself by coming clean.” “Sure. This is a magic bed-and-breakfast and the two guys in my kitchen are aliens from outer-space.”   Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews

We're always happy to read a new story by the amazing Megan Hart. Although, maybe "happy" wouldn't be the right word for the emotional roller coaster you're on for the duration of the book. She unfailingly delivers a story that makes you want to weep for so many reasons, and feel everything the main character is feeling.  Hold Me Close was no exception. I knew it would be a difficult one when I read the blurb. But wow. Ms. Hart deals with dark and difficult subject matter in a way I have yet to see another author do.  Apart, they are broken, but together, they are whole.   Effie and Heath are famous. Not for anything they did, but for what happened to them as teenagers. Abducted and abused by the same man, they turned to each other for comfort until they were finally able to make their escape. Now adults, their relationship is fraught with guilt and despair. Whether fighting or making love, their passion is strong enough to destroy them both —...

Arrakis teaches the attitude of the knife — chopping off what’s incomplete and saying: ‘Now, it’s complete because it’s ended here.’

“It's not that I don't like people. It's just that when I'm in the company of others - even my nearest and dearest - there always comes a moment when I'd rather be reading a book.”  ―  Maureen Corrigan ,  Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books

"You're going to make me breakfast, too? Wow." He gave me a look, "You know I don't cook." "Well, I sure hope this means you plan to try. Expecting me to cook breakfast isn't a good way to sell this mate business.: "Does that mean I should cancel the offer on the cabin in the Poconos?" Personal Demon by Kelley Armstrong

India Black is the Madam of Lotus House. She would be as far removed from an agent of the British Government as one would expect. But what better trade in which to delve for information from punters or potential suspects? The series is set in Victorian England and as you can imagine it can be a pretty grim place at times. Carol K. Carr weaves a wonderful mystery where the ending isn't quite as clear cut as you would expect and with plenty of humour in the mix. I've enjoyed each book. I just wish more people were reading them. They are wonderful escapism and India Black a delightful heroine. So if you have never heard of The Madam of Espionage series, I recommend you give it a go.

I thought what better idea for a Fangirl Friday than to talk about my favourite reads of 2015. It's that time of year where lists are compiled and I have a few clear favourites from my year of reading.  It was an accomplishment for me in that I'm now officially up to date with the Outlander Series. I'm delighted as it's only taken me a couple of years and has been very rewarding.  Thanks Kathi!  Only four books made the five star cut for me this year. Whilst there were plenty of books that made it to four stars, they didn't quite rock my world like the books below.

"That's it. Fate is a fickle whore. We're not going. Take your clothes off and get back in my bed.”  ―  Karen Marie Moning ,  Shadowfever

It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins Source

“There's no guarantee that justice will win out or that a noble sacrifice will make any difference. But when it does, there's something that still swells my chest. There's magic in that.... It tells me that's the way things are supposed to be."

Source. The Wenches have been trying to make that pesky thing called "real life" give us a break so we could make more time for reading this week. Some of us succeeded! Some, not as much. Those of us who got time with our e-readers and paperbacks, revisited beloved books and beloved cities like Dublin. Our hearts are always there anyway! There's some juicy Hollywood gossip on our lists, and an especially inspiring autobiography. As well as some mindfuckery, which we love, and some straightforward regency romances and urban fantasy! Never say we're not an eclectic bunch! Click through to see what we've been reading, and please share with us what you've been up to! 

I wasn't about to romanticize him. I knew he was ruthless. I've known that since the day I met him, and saw him staring at me across the length of the bookstore with cold, old eyes. Barrons does exactly and only whatever serves Barrons best. Period. Keeping me alive serves him best. Period. [snip]  ~Faefever by Karen Marie Moning  

ACHOO!!!!  ACHOO!  Wait, wait, I think…..ACHOO!  Yup, my sneezes always come not in pairs but in threes, and I am so sorry that you had to be witness to them.  However I tend to sneeze when mass amounts of dust have recently been flung airborne.  The reason I had to brush off said keyboard was because I'm writing my first review after a self imposed hiatus.  With that said: I am BACK!  Well just for a visit or two and to share with you and my beloved Wenches an absolutely must read author!  I hate to dust and cleaning does not rank much higher on my list of things I want to do, that and I will always put it off doing both to read.  Not just any ordinary author would make me clean an inch of dust off my keyboard.  Only one who caused so much laughter as to actually make me worry about my physical well being could get me motivated enough to share her work with everyone here.   Now before you make that big leap thr...

Source . It was an entirely new experience for him, to be physically appealing to a woman who otherwise did not care for him.

I read fanfiction. That's right, fanfiction. Yes, I will admit it.  Fanfiction has a bad rap thanks EL James . But, I don't care. I am here to tell you why I love fanfiction so much. What's that you say? You don't know what fanfiction is? Let me give you a definition then. There is fanfiction for literally everything from TV shows and movies like Supernatural , Game of Thrones , and the Marvel Cinematic Universe to random things like a story in which Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert fall in love . Or, the Chicago Blackhawks re-imagined as a kindergarten class . You name it, it exists in the fanfiction universe. Keep reading after the break and I'll tell you why I read so much fanfiction.

“Sometimes hanging out in pajamas with a good book sounded like a phenomenal idea.”  Hard bitten, Chloe Neill

"You're pissing me off." "You'd be surprised how easy it is for me to live with that." Burned ~~Karen Marie Moning

The cast of The Crimson Field I first heard about The Crimson Field because a director working on some Outlander episodes* tweeted that it was his next project. The show sounded interesting, but when it aired in the U.S., I was so busy watching Poldark that I missed it. I finally got around to binge watching this show recently, and enjoyed it so much that I wanted to spread the word. The Crimson Field takes place in a fictitious British field hospital on the French coast at the beginning of World War I. It was originally broadcast by the BBC in 2014, as part of its World War I centenary season, commemorating the war’s 100-year anniversary. Casualties come to this hospital, from far and wide, to heal and be healed — from the ravages of the battlefield, the cruel conventions of civilization, the loss and longing that life throws everyone’s way. But this is no grand epic, it’s like a cultured British version of M.A.S.H. (though not nearly as funny). These gritty challenges a...

“I am tempted to incapacitate him with the hemlock and then castrate him.” Lena paled. “I don’t think that would be very wise,” she said. “And the only knife we own is what I use for the cooking. You’re not using that.” “I was planning on using a spoon,” Honoria replied. ~ Bec McMaster, Kiss of Steel

The Wenches have been busy this week. Not all of us with reading, unfortunately. But most of us still managed to dedicate some time to reading and watching stuff.  We might have some new TV and book recommendations for you this week! Let us know what you think! Click through to see what we've been up to!

image courtesy of fuckyeahreactions.tumblr.com "Don't be silly; it's only Chicago in winter," Julian scoffed sarcastically as he set the bag down. "Why would you need gloves when you can have frostbite?" Warrior's Cross by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux

Merit’s Joy of the Bite (Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill) My love for Merit has no limits, just like Merit’s love for food. I want to be her when I grew up. I love her fierceness and loyalty, her wit, her sense of justice and humor, her integrity and compassion. I admire the way she has evolved. Merit’s growth through the series is amazing. She starts as a graduate student in literature, does not have much of a social life, and her world looks small and simple. She is changed into a vampire, a change that leads to a character transformation. Nevertheless, this transformation is based on her human inner self, which was exceptional before she became a vampire. I think her conversion just sharpened her qualities and brought them out. One thing or quality stands out from the beginning, regardless of her change: Merit’s love for food. It’s as if food and her love for it is another character in the story. Some of the funniest moments in the books involve food, and...

Bad things don't happen to people because they deserve for them to happen. It just doesn't work that way. It's just… life. And no matter who we are, we have to take the hand we're dealt, crappy though it may be, and try our very best to move forward anyway, to love anyway, to have hope anyway… to have faith that there's a purpose to the journey we're on. {snip} And try to believe that maybe more light shines out of those who have the most cracks. Archer's Voice ~~Mia Sheridan

“It seemed funny to me that the sunset she saw from her patio and the one I saw from the back steps was the same one. Maybe the two different worlds we lived in weren't so different. We saw the same sunset.” The Outsiders   by   S.E. Hinton Source

If you read our weekly What the Wenches Are Reading posts, you'll know that a little while ago, Barb and I both read Fat Girl Walking: Sex, Food, Love, and Being Comfortable in Your Skin...Every Inch of It by Brittany Gibbons. Well, Barb read it first and then, knowing me like she does, insisted that I read it as well. And, I am so glad she did. I'm here to tell you my thoughts on this lovely book. And, in the process, hopefully convince you to read it as well. But, first, a summary of Fat Girl Walking ....sort of: Dear person holding Fat Girl Walking First of all, thanks for picking up this copy of my first book. I hope you buy it—and not just because each purchase gets me one step closer to buying the leather pants of my dreams. I hope you buy Fat Girl Walking because I want to start a conversation. Or continue a conversation, one I inadvertently started a while ago when I took my clothes off on a stage in front of 700 people. A lot of people thought I was awesome for...

“You might want to think twice before you try to use a man's conscience against him. It may turn out he doesn't have one.”

How was Halloween, Saucy readers? We hope you had a fun, candy-filled night!  You'll notice that the Wenches are reading a lot of each other's favorites! Some of us are still traipsing through Scotland (and time) with Claire and Jamie. Some are busy reading romances, contemporary and regency. And some of us are just reading whatever we can get our hands on!  Click through to see what we've been reading! 

"When insane things start to arrange themselves in sane patterns around you, you know you got problems." ~ Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

I've been pretty quiet lately, mostly just going along, reading things that don't run away, rereading a lot to keep myself from stressing too much, you know the drill. Well, as I was browsing facebook, I was linked to Playing for Keeps, which was a freebie on Kindle at the time. I downloaded it, like I do about eleventy billion children's non fiction books to use with our science curriculum, and whatever takes my fancy along the way... and then I forgot about it. Skip ahead about a month, and the ebook I was reading was having troubles turning pages, and then I was on a new reader, because my old one wasn't working the way I wanted it, so I had none of my usual 300+ books at hand, and... I dropped into Kindle. Why not. Kilts on the cover meant pretty much an automatic go-for-it, and sure enough, I loved the book. Enough that the prequel and sequel made it onto my wishlist at Amazon within an hour. I'd put together a mini-review of Playing for Keeps, and it turned ...