The Saucy Wenches Book Club

Ugh, morning people. They were the grossest. "What are your plans for the day?" Correction. Talkative morning people were the grossest.   Bet On Me (Bedroom Games #3) ~~Alisha Rai

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Click through to see what we're reading this week! 

“I didn't want to believe that killing was deep inside of me. I didn't want to think about the part of me that took a dark joy in gathering all the power it could and using it as I saw fit, everything else be damned. There was power to be had in hatred, too, in anger and in lust, in selfishness and in pride. And I knew that there was some dark corner of me that would enjoy using magic for killing—and then long for more. That was black magic, and it was easy to use. Easy and fun. Like Legos.”

I hated that she saw beneath the mask, beneath the bones and flesh, and yanked at my soul like a beam of sunlight fighting its way through murky waters of a swamp. That warmth called to me, as she lay sprawled out on my bed--a fucking prayer trapped in a mind full of debauchery.  Backfire ~~Keri Lake 

As you may know by now, several Wenches are doing a slow re-read of the Chicagoland Vampire books by the lovely Chloe Neill. This re-read has made me realize that I have a lot of questions about this universe and the events that have yet to occur. I've already covered Some Girls Bite , and Friday Night Bites in two parts ( one and  two ). I'm here today to dive into the questions I had while reading Twice Bitten , which I've determined is one of my favorites of the whole series. I had a ton of questions while reading this one. So, this will also be broken into two parts. Keep reading after the break to see part one!

“His lips slammed down on hers and cut off her words.  For a split second, she could only sit, stunned, as his mouth moved on hers. What. The. Fuck.  Had she ever been kissed like this? Had he ever kissed like this? Because he kissed like he hadn’t tasted a woman in forty years, like she was the last woman on earth. He kissed like there would be no beginning or end without her.  He kissed her like he…wanted her.”  Alisha Rai's   A Gentleman in the Street

You know what's the best thing about reading communities? Book clubs, book groups, and just generally having great friends who read as much as you? The recommendations. Trust me. You might think you're a one genre kinda gal/guy. Or at least that you're limited to a select few. But what I've learned is, good recs will change EVERYTHING.  Yes, you FIIIIINE being, it is.  Click through to read more.

“The last woman I kissed was dead, her picture hung above my mantle. A reminder of the fucking monster I’d become. I’m more than she could handle. I fuck like I fight, dirty, ruthless and without a single ounce of mercy.” Playing with Monsters , Amelia Hutchins

“Are you afraid?" Volker questioned while sitting at the table and getting comfortable. "No. But I have incredible luck with dice and I am ruthless. You will lose, gentlemen. I will destroy your lands, take your women, ravish your men, and make your children my slave labor. I will own every castle, house, and farm that is within my reach. I won't be satisfied until I own all of it and you. I will destroy you all, gentlemen, and, to be quite blunt, I don't think you can handle it." Van covered his mouth to keep from laughing out loud and he didn't dare look at his sister. Verner stepped back, motioning to the table. "Now I must insist." "As you wish." Irene sighed and stood. She glanced at Van and gave him a quick wink before turning back to his uncle.  "I do hope you're a 'sobber,' Mr. Van Holtz. Nothing I love more than the lamenting of the men I annihilate." ~~~~~ "I can't believe you made him cry....

Click through to see what we're reading this week! 

“You still sound like Darcy,” Jane said. “Speaking of which, Chip [Bingley] is planning a dinner party, and he wants you to come. But just to warn you, Darcy will be there, and so will Caroline, of course.” “I’d be delighted to attend. I’m willing to overlook Chip’s horrible taste in friends and sisters because of his wisdom in falling for you.”... “Not only will I be there,” Liz said, “but I’ll be impersonating a pleasant woman with great manners.” ~ Curtis Sittenfeld, Eligible

Nick was notoriously twitchy about commitment. He'd probably disappear into a puff of smoke that spelled out "nope" in the air if Kelly told him he'd proposed while drugged. Cross & Crown by Abigail Roux

As you know, we love Nalini Singh around here; some of us love her Guild Hunter series and Psy-changeling is the perfect cup of tea for others. Me, I've been falling deeper and deeper in love with her Rock Kiss series as I've followed from the very first book, Rock Addiction , which I told you about here . I also told you about the last release, Rock Redemption, here , which I thoroughly enjoyed.  Of course, when I saw that the final member of Schoolboy Choir was getting his HEA soon and that Rock Wedding was available on NetGalley, I requested that baby right away. I didn't remember anything about Sarah from the previous books, and didn't know Abe very well, but it was a Rock Kiss book, so I was pretty sure it was going to be a great rock-and-roll romance. I was so right, but Rock Wedding turned out to be more.  Come with me through the jump and I'll tell you why I loved Rock Wedding and why you need to devour this series if you haven't been keepin...

Sophia: Go with it? Harry: Don't fight against inevitability. Life is until it is not, so why get fussed? Don't hurt anyone, try not to give your dinner guests food poisoning, be clean in word and deed-what else is there? Just be a decent person in a decent world. Sophia: Everyone's a decent person in their own eyes. Claire North, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

I took this! My fave NOLA pic.   Do you have a favorite city you've ever been, ever? For most of my life my favorite city was my hometown of Akron, Ohio, but that was until I visited New Orleans. I had no idea when I stepped off that plane that my experiences over the next three days would ensure that NOLA burrowed under my skin and into my heart, that I would long to be back in the Crescent City nearly every day until I could return. Since then I've become a fan of that Saints, I have an ever-growing collection of fleur-de-lis, New Orleans jazz and brass band music are in heavy rotation on my playlists, and I am drawn to TV shows, books, and movies set in The Big Easy. What is it about NOLA that makes it such a part of your heart and soul? What makes it someplace that you need to visit again and again to finally experience it all, where does the city's palpable magic come from? Come with me through the jump and I'll tell you some of the reasons that once you visi...

I don't ask why they drink. I understand. If I found the cauldron and drank from it, it would erase all pain and allow me to start life over, a blank slate. I couldn't grieve for what I didn't remember ever having. That they drink implies that on some level the Fae feel. If not pain, at least significant discomfort.  ~ Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

At first, I didn’t know what to make of it. But the lack of symmetry bothered me. And I’ve learned to be suspicious of everything. That’s when a bunch of stuff started to dawn on me:                   1. The only explanation for asymmetrical visibility is a dust storm.           2. Dust storms reduce the effectiveness of solar cells.           3. My solar cells have been slowly losing effectiveness for several sols.                From this, I concluded the following:                   1. I’ve been in a dust storm for several sols.           2. Shit.   The Martian by Andy Weir

The Wenches have been reading all sorts of books this week. If you're looking for something new to add to your TBRs or thinking of old faves to reread, we've got you covered. Thrillers, fantasy, romance, erotica, YA. You name it, and it's probably on our reading lists! Click through to see what we've been reading. 

“I hope that the epitaph of the human race when the world ends will be: Here perished a species which lived to tell stories. We tell stories to strangers to ingratiate ourselves, stories to lovers to better adhere us skin to skin, stories in our heads to banish the demons. When we tell truth, often we are callous; when we tell lies, often we are kind. Through it all, we tell stories, and we own an uncanny knack for the task.”

You can love someone deeply, irrevocably, and still love yourself and others enough to live without them. You stay with people you love because life is better with them, not because you'll die otherwise. Bet On Me: Bedroom Games #3 ~~Alisha Rai

What books have rocked our boat in 2016? There are always much anticipated new releases for us, and this year has been no exception. We've had some great new reads in 2016. So let's look through our list to see what has enthralled us so far. I wonder if they'll still be in our top ten come the end of the year, as I know there are still a couple of new releases that I'm looking forward to. I'm sure that's true for other Wenches, too.

Sometimes life is about being sad and doing things anyway. Sometimes it's about being hurt and doing things anyway. The point isn't perfection. The point is doing it anyway. Biting Cold ~~Chloe Neill 

This summer has, by and large, been a challenge. We've had pet issues, we've had central air installed for the first time in over a decade (I've been without central air since I left the US in 2004!!), we've had funerals, and birthdays, and travel, and immigration issues, and cleaning, and broken ereaders and a Harry Potter class for the munchkin that has had us spinning... It's been really hard to come up with literally *anything* to fangirl over. I want to fangirl over things like sleep. My own bed. An hour of quiet time in the afternoons. All things that are *ludicrously* lame to fangirl over! Then, last night, it hit me. It's not the most fangirly of my fangirly things, but you know what? It's something I really appreciate. Even when it's spectacularly crappy. Book-to-movie adaptations.

“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own... Jealousy is a disease, love is a healthy condition. The immature mind often mistakes one for the other, or assumes that the greater the love, the greater the jealousy”  Stranger in a Strange Land    Robert A. Heinlein  

I am having a quarter-life crisis. I read about them online after Googling: What the fuck is wrong with me? The website was a dot-org so I know it is legit. F*ck Love ~~Tarryn Fisher

Click through to see what we're reading this week! 

“I was thinking that I love you,” she just came out and said it, with a little bit of defiance mixed in. … “And if you insist on hollering and throwing your Y chromosome around, how about waiting ‘til we get inside to do it. I don’t feel real comfortable out here in the open.” He stopped lurching forward and simply stared at her, unblinking. Somehow managed a cocky, delighted grin. “Was it my charm or the manly vomiting that convinced you?” He was talking about her I love you, she knew. “If you must know it was your facile mind that did it. Any guy who can use the phrase brackish water reverse osmosis in the same breath as wouldn’t care if it tasted like piss is a man with many layers of interest. And you told me I smelled like ass. How’s a girl to resist?” ~ Nemesis , Lisa Clark O’Neill

The land wavered with heat, even as the sun descended. Summer evenings in Texas were apparently blazing hot right up until the sun went down, when they became merely uncomfortably warm. Stars & Stripes by Abigail Roux

In case you didn't know, the Wenches love some good Man Candy. We also realized that we haven't done nearly enough Man Candy posts lately. So, in an effort to fix this, we are back  again today for yet another edition of the Hotties of Hamilton . Today's man candy will focus on the four King Georges. And, because I'm a sucker for a talented man, along with delicious pictures, you will also be treated to a bunch of YouTube clips showcasing these gentlemen's enormous talent. You can see the other two Hotties of Hamilton posts here and here . If you are as obsessed with Hamilton as Head Wench Barb and I are, you should definitely check those out. If you've already seen them (and don't want to have another look), follow me after the jump to objectify Hamilton's four royals.