Rachel the Book Harlot

I just wanted to wish you all a very happy new year. I hope the coming year brings lots of wonderful things to each and every one of you. And if you lost someone special in 2015, I hope 2016 brings you healing and peace. 

Guys, 

Help! Have you seen this post by Grim: http://allhailgrimlock.booklikes.com/post/1313664/plans-for-the-future

I'm terrified. Does anyone have her as a friend on Facebook so that we can contact her family? 

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday! 

Yesterday I took my very last final exam! Woot! I am officially done! I will eventually have to return in order to earn my master's degree, and then study for the CPA exam, but at least this part of the journey is over. I'm sooooo happy. I did it!

"She's about to walk on the wild side . . .

While filling the display case in her bakery, the bell over the door sounds and Tessa O'Hara looks up to see the man of her dreams. Within thirty seconds he asks her out for a beer. But after four months of dating, she discovers he's an undercover DEA agent-and he's investigating her possible role in her ex-husband's drug business. For Tess, this means their relationship is over.

Brock disagrees. He's committed to his anti-drug mission, but he's fallen in love with the beautiful woman who's as sweet as her cupcakes-and he'll do anything to win her back. Standing between Tess and Brock are their own exes, one of them a drug lord who's determined to get what he wants. Now as danger threatens, can Brock break the rules he's lived by and let loose his wild side to protect the woman he loves?"

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Kristen Ashley’s work is always hit or miss for me. I adored her contemporary romances Law Man and Sweet Dreams. I’m ashamed to admit how often I’ve re-read those two books. Yet Motorcycle Man made me want to stab myself in the eye with a pencil. Guess which category Wild Man falls under?

Everything that was great about Tate from Sweet Dreams -- I’m using him as an example since he and Brock are comparable in terms of their alphadom -- is missing from Brock. Even at his most alpha, Tate still comes across as likable, manly, sexy, and tender. Brock is none of that. He’s basically just obnoxious. He would say things like this: 

“I see this. You’ve shifted ten pounds that looked better when it was on your ass and tits. You’re in a tee and jeans and not your fancy-ass clothes and heels. You lost the glasses and got contacts. The only thing I like, babe, is the hair. Looks good longer and lighter.”

Tess would respond with this:

“He liked my hair.”

And then I'd be like this:

Seriously, what is that?

As to the romance, it fizzled quickly. Aside from the fact that Brock is a jerk and I wanted to shoot him in the groin with a nail gun, there was very little romantic tension between he and Tess. They were together from the outset so there was nothing to root for.

In terms of plot, there wasn't much of one. Not very much happens. 

I keep hoping that one day I’ll encounter the same magic I did with Law Man and Sweet Dreams, but so far that's been a fruitless venture. I think Wild Man sounded the death knell. Looks like Ashley’s work and I will have to part ways. 

Final Rating: 1 star

It's no accident....

Ever wonder what your furry babies are thinking as they watch you silently from their perches? Or why they'll occasionally lick your hand or brow? Don't be fooled. Chances are they're contemplating their next meal...YOU:

"Recent studies conducted at the University of Edinburgh and the Bronx Zoo resulted in scientists now understanding more about our little feline “friends” than ever before. By comparing domestic cats behavior to that of their wild cousins, scientists have found something so unsettling that will have you sleeping with one eye open.

 

You see, your beloved house cat might be a cute, ball-chasing bundle of fur… but she might also be plotting your demise.

 

What they found was that domestic cats and lions strongly share traits relating to dominance, impulsiveness, and neuroticism. In fact, if your cat was bigger, it might just consider making you its dinner."

Be afraid. Be very afraid. 

Read more here.

I saw this on Twitter so thought I would share.

This novella is free on Amazon today, 11/29:

Genre: Horror

Blurb: "For some, dying is easy. For others, dying is their only hope.

Charlie Dawes lies in the Old Oak Hospice haunted by the looming specter of death, plagued by dark memories, stalked by a mysterious, faceless creature he knows only as the Shadowman, who won’t let him die…yet.

Cathy Redman, his only friend and a caretaker in the ward, spends her time reading to Charlie and comforting his pain. She thinks she knows him.

But when an inquisitive detective, a spiteful nurse, and a dangerous old Gypsy’s lives intertwine, Charlie’s true fate is revealed, and it has been sealed by...flesh and coin."

"Chris “Shooter” Sullivan has returned to his home town of Rapid City, South Dakota to pick up the pieces of his life shattered by a roadside bomb in Iraq. He only wants to focus on holding what’s left of his old unit together, running his garage where he builds custom bikes and cars, and pretending that his murdered father’s motorcycle gang doesn’t exist.

Hayley Turner is a young woman with her own traumatic past. Fresh off the bus from Nowhere, USA, all she wants is a job and a place to live, until it’s time for her to leave again. She doesn’t want to make friends, or enemies, least of all the ex-Army Ranger who obviously doesn’t like her. She bristles under his watchful eye. He’s even got her convinced she’s bad news.

But circumstances force two people who don’t need anyone to need each other more and more. The more Chris gets to know Hayley, the harder it is to stay detached. And the more Hayley gets to know Chris, the more she realizes she’s been alone for so long she might never recover from it."

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Shooter is a contemporary romance that felt a little like an alternate universe fan fic of Kristen Ashley’s Sweet Dreams. The stories were different, but there were certain elements that reminded me very much of Sweet Dreams. There was the quirky, nosy checkout girl, the kitchen remodel , the nickname (Slick to Lauren’s Ace), the discussion of paint color, the heroine’s cooking/baking, and the sweet tea (reminded me of Lauren’s Kool-Aid). By the 60% mark I had wondered whether

All of this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. All stories inspire other stories, and many contain similar tropes. For example, who hasn't enjoyed an alternate version of Hamlet or Pride & Prejudice? However, in order for something like that to work, the characters have to take on a life of their own. This is where Shooter fails.

Hayley, the heroine, never becomes a real person. Other than her interaction with Chris and Chris’ friends, she had no true life of her own. No friends, especially with other women, in the story. Her sole activity was cooking for Chris and his crew. It would have been nice to see other aspects of her life. And, there wasn’t progression in her character or any true transformation of her own making.

Also, for the most part, Chris’ crew remained two dimensional. Their role was to be available to Chris at all times, which wasn’t realistic. While we were told they had lives outside of Chris, this never truly comes across in the story. The only ones that were somewhat fleshed out were Tex, and at times, Doc. The rest were cardboard thin. Also, the crew's protectiveness of the heroine was often over-the-top and unrealistic.

Chris, the hero, was okay. He's a jerk in the beginning, but becomes likable as the story progresses. My only issue with him is that his concern for Hayley comes out of thin air. I would have liked more interaction between him and the heroine before he developed such intense feelings of concern. The way it was done felt a bit jarring. 

The last 80% of the story felt tacked on, and some of it, a bit silly. Much of it was predictable so I skimmed a little at the end. 

I did find some parts of Shooter enjoyable, particularly the first portion of the story. But, by the end, the cons outweighed the positives.

Final rating: 2 stars

I would have liked to have reblogged from .38 but for some reason I now cannot do it. I can't copy because it won't bring my screenshots. I can't add screenshots here, they all add at the top of the page.

Here's the link, Scott has been a busy little thieving bee.

"SHE WOULD DARE ANYTHING TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM HIS RULE.

EVEN HIS BED.

He ascended from the darkness years ago—Azrael the Eternal, Azrael the Undying, Azrael Who Is Death—bringing with him the black rains, the fires, the souring of the sky, and the Eaters. Now he rules in the walled city of Haven with his favored Children and his dead court, while all that is left of the living struggles to survive in the ruins of a world that used to be their own. But even as extinction looms, humanity will never surrender to their monstrous conqueror.

For Lan, this brutal life has been the only one she’s ever known, but she still believes it can change. If the war can never truly end until the Eaters are ended, she will go to Haven, to Azrael himself, and demand he end them. To her surprise, she does not immediately die the hero’s death she expected. Instead, Azrael offers her a chance to convince him, and all she has to do is submit herself to the chill embrace of the lord of the Land of the Beautiful Dead.

From the author of The Scholomance and The Last Hour of Gann comes a new vision of erotic horror! This book contains explicit sex and gore and is intended for mature readers only."

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I am a huge fan of author R. Lee Smith's work. I loved Last Hour of Gann, Cottonwood, and despite it's gory content, Heat. That's why it pains me beyond me measure to give Land of the Beautiful Dead a low rating. Unfortunately, this latest addition just wasn't up to par with Smith's previous novels.

To start, the world-building was weak at best. Some aspects of the world-building didn't make sense and didn't feel fully fleshed out. Azrael's origins were never fully explained. What is he exactly? By the end it's still a mystery.

The plot was also weak. One of the problems is that the blurb is a little misleading. According to the blurb, Lan expects to die a "hero's death", but the truth is that Lan isn't a hero. She is just an impulsive girl driven by grief so she never actually has a plan of action. Therefore, events just happen to her as she meanders through the story. Also, events never felt truly tied to an overall story arc. Certain events felt contrived solely to move the story forward.

In terms of the Hero and Heroine, there was very little growth and change for either Azrael or Lan. There were some mild changes in Azrael, but he never truly evolves. I think without Lan, he would revert back to his initial tendencies. Also, while I understood, to a certain extent, his cruelty towards humans, I couldn't understand his cruelty towards his own people. Once I learned how they were created, and their feelings and will when it came to Azrael, his behavior and treatment of them didn't make sense. Especially since he supposedly created them out of loneliness. I thought this bit was inconsistent.

In regards to Lan, she never evolves at all. In fact, she devolved as a character. She started out somewhat interesting, then became dumb, selfish, and self-absorbed as the story progressed. Her mission of ending the Eaters only came into play whenever it was vital to the plot. Otherwise, her entire focus was on herself and Azrael's relationship with his other consorts. And she does something so stupid and ridiculous that I almost DNF'd the novel because of it.

As to the love story, it lacked depth. Their love was pretty much based on nothing: Azrael loving Lan seemingly because she treated him like any other man, and Lan loving Azrael once he gave her an orgasm. It was never quite clear why they fell in love. Still, even though Azrael was cruel, he was oddly likable. Lan, on other hand, was extremely unlikable with very little redeeming qualities. I couldn't understand what he saw in her.

There were also editing errors sprinkled throughout the story. Enough that I was pulled me out of the story on several occasions. I think this novel could have benefited from one final edit before being released.

Sadly, Land of the Beautiful Dead was a disappointment. I wouldn't discourage anyone from giving it a shot, you might like it much more than I did, but if you are new to R. Lee Smith's work, then I would recommend starting with Last Hour of Gann or Cottonwood.

Final Rating: 2.5 stars

Missy Blue stole this story from writer Wynter S. Komen. Komen's story was fan fiction of a film entitled Warrior: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/9099258/1/In-The-Land-of-Gods-and-Monsters.

For more information go here, to katiebabs' blog.

The book has been pulled from Amazon, and Missy Blue has now essentially vanished. No doubt she will one day re-emerge under a new pen name and do this again.

People are liking my posts, only they aren't doing it. It shows up on their timelines but the posts in question are attributed to other people.

This is a database bug and I'm including screen captures so you can see exactly what is happening. This is mainly for booklikes staff, but is also to reassure people that no one is stealing your stuff. It is just a really bad bug and needs to fixed NOW.

Screencap1

Screencap2

Screencap3

I know that MbD and HfK are NOT stealing my posts. I also contacted HfK and she did NOT like my "ironic, isn't it" post. I have not contacted Musings, but will assume he did not actually "like" either my post or my review.

The screencaps are kind of small here,but if you "view image", it brings them up full size.

Staff, take care of this. This is a HUGE issue that needs to be fixed. Please respond and let us know that you are working on this.

Feel free to reblog if you feel it necessary.

 Season 6 Episode 3 "Thank You"

WARNING: Major Spoilers Ahead

The following is some speculation about the events of episode 3, "Thank You". There are spoilers. 

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I just watched the episode tonight, so bear with me as I have an emotional breakdown and wallow in denial. 

I cried my eyes out over the events of this episode, but now feel like a total doofus because I think we've all been duped. Apparently, some people believe Glenn's death is a fake-out. Forbes even posited some really great reasons why they think Glenn is still alive. I re-watched Glenn's "death" scene, and I think they might be right. 

When Glenn falls, it does seem like Nicholas' body falls on top of him.

And if you check out the following screenshots, it looks as though the Walkers are tearing through what appears to be Nicholas' beige shirt as his body lies on top of Glenn crosswise, as opposed to Glenn's faded grayish blue t-shirt:

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Exhibit C:

The writers/effects team were really slick because they had Glenn also wear a beige overshirt on top of the tee, but the shirt is unbuttoned. When Glenn falls, the beige shirt falls open, and what we see is the faded grayish blue t-shirt which is almost indistinguishable from Nicholas' beige shirt: 

Exhibit D:

Since Glenn landed at the foot of the dumpster, the theory is that he'll pull himself underneath it in order to save himself. He does seem to realize this might be an escape route:

Exhibit E:

Now, this could all be wrong. If so, I don't mind living in blissful denial until it's confirmed in the next few episodes that Glenn is indeed dead. But if not, those bastards owe me a box of Kleenex. 

Well played, Walking Dead Writers. Well played. And I hate you all. (No, I don't. I love you. Please don't kill Daryl!)

Screenshot source: http://kissthemgoodbye.net/

I will never understand why people do this.

It turns out Laura Harner stole/copied the content from author Becky Mcgraw's book My Kind of Trouble:

 

 

 

Becky McGraw

October 19 at 11:47am · Milton, FL ·

HOLY CRAP -- do people have no morals about STEALING these days? I was just notified by a reader that she started reading M/M romance recently and read a book by another author that is almost VERBATIM my book My Kind of Trouble with the exception it's a m/m book!! I need a recommendation for a good literary attorney fast!!

 

 

Read more here.

 

Saw this post on Black Gate, and thought my Horror loving friends would find it interesting:

"Stephen Jones’s The Art of Horror: An Illustrated History, a gorgeous full-cover coffee table book, was published by Applause Theatre & Cinema Books in hardcover on September 1, 2015. It’s a beautiful retrospective of horror in theater, cinema, pulps, paintings, book illustrations and comics, and it’s the kind of book you really need to see to fully appreciate..."

Read more here.

3.75 stars

"A crime of passion, or cold-hearted murder?

A serial rapist is leaving a string of tortured women behind him, but while DS Logan McRae’s girlfriend, PC Jackie ‘Ball Breaker’ Watson, is out acting as bait, he’s trying to identify a blood-drenched body dumped outside Accident and Emergency.

Logan’s investigations suggest someone in the local bondage community has developed a taste for violent death, and he soon finds himself dragged into the twilight world of pornographers, sex-shops and S&M.

Meanwhile, the prime suspect in the rape case turns out to be Aberdeen Football Club’s star striker, and he has an alibi for every attack. Logan thinks they’ve got it horribly wrong, but can he get anyone to listen before the real rapist strikes again? Especially as Jackie is convinced the footballer’s guilty and she’s hell-bent on a conviction at any cost…"

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Broken Skin contains everything I’ve come to expect from the Logan McRae series: entertaining and likeable characters, dark humor, and entertaining crime solving. This installment didn’t feel as seemingly lighthearted, if you can call it that, in the dark humor department as the previous books, but it still had its moments.

“Laz!’ she said, grinning as soon as she clapped eyes on Logan, ‘This no’ a bit fresh for one of your corpses? Thought you liked them a bit more ripe?’

 

Logan didn’t rise to it. ‘He was found outside A&E last night, bleeding to death. No witnesses. Something horrible’s happened to his backside.'

 

‘Oh aye?’ The inspector raised an eyebrow. ‘Medical horrible, or “I was hoovering naked and fell on a statue of Queen Victoria” horrible?’

Fans of Detective Inspector Steel will be happy to know that she's back in all her glory. Detective Inspector Insch also gets quite a bit of page time. Both are extremely fun in their own way, but DI Steel always steals the show. Her interaction with Logan, and Logan’s reaction to her when they work a case together, is priceless.

As usual, Logan is working more than one case. This time, however, it felt like there was a little too much going on. Things felt a bit scattered and not as cohesive as in previous books. Also, some of the outcomes felt a little too coincidental and far-fetched.

I had a hard time with some of Logan’s actions and decisions. As has been the case with both Book 1 & 2, Logan can sometimes be self-absorbed and not as empathetic as he should be. Here it was a little more than usual. Also, as has been my complaint in the past, I cannot understand how he could miss such obvious clues.  I just want to shake him at times, and say:

But, I guess this is something I will have just have to get used to when it comes to Logan. 

Despite those minor issues, I still enjoyed Broken Skin very much. It’s not my favorite of the series so far, Book 2 Dying Light holds that honor, but it was still a good read and a great addition.

Recommended for fans of the series.

Final Rating: 3.75 stars