March 31, 2013

Top 5 Sundays #135 - Favorite Character Names! {Part III}




Hey everyone!
It's the Top 5 Sunday again. 
And first of all, Happy Easter, everybunny! ;)

Here is this really cool event, i'm following for a while now, called "Top 5 Sundays" hosted by "Welcome To Larissa's Bookish Life"

Rules:
1 - Write a post listing your TOP 5 choices within the theme I chose (or was chosen on a poll) for the week.
2 - Mention this Blog on the post and link back to it.
3 - Fell free to use the Feature's image (there is a smaller size version of it bellow)
4 - After you've finished your post, add you link (of the post, not your blog's main page) to the Mr.Linky at the end of that week's post.

The theme for today is:
 Favorite Character Names {Part III}
*in NO particular order
DhesiX Web Developer

March 24, 2013

Review ~ Legend by Marie Lu


“Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything's possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time...You try to walk in the light.”


Title: Legend
Author: Marie Lu
Series: Legend #1
Length: 305
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Original Publication Date:  November 29th 2011
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

DhesiX Web Developer

March 13, 2013

Submerged by Cheryl Kaye Tardif


From Cheryl Kaye Tardif, the international bestselling author that brought you CHILDREN OF THE FOG, comes a terrifying new thriller that will leave you breathless…

SUBMERGED
FREE for a limited time!

"Submerged reads like an approaching storm, full of darkness, dread and electricity. Prepare for your skin to crawl." —Andrew Gross, New York Times bestselling author of 15 Seconds

Two strangers submerged in guilt, brought together by fate…

After a tragic car accident claims the lives of his wife, Jane, and son, Ryan, Marcus Taylor is immersed in grief. But his family isn't the only thing he has lost. An addiction to painkillers has taken away his career as a paramedic. Working as a 911 operator is now the closest he gets to redemption—until he gets a call from a woman trapped in a car.

Rebecca Kingston yearns for a quiet weekend getaway, so she can think about her impending divorce from her abusive husband. When a mysterious truck runs her off the road, she is pinned behind the steering wheel, unable to help her two children in the back seat. Her only lifeline is a cell phone with a quickly depleting battery and a stranger's calm voice on the other end telling her everything will be all right.
*SUBMERGED has a unique tie-in to Tardif`s international bestseller, CHILDREN OF THE FOG.

More Reviews:

"From the first page, you know you are in the hands of a seasoned and expert storyteller who is going to keep you up at night turning the pages. Tardif knows her stuff. There's a reason she sells like wildfire—her words burn up the pages. A wonderful, scary, heart-pumping writer." —M.J. Rose, international bestselling author of Seduction

"Tardif once again delivers a suspenseful supernatural masterpiece." —Scott Nicholson, international bestselling author of The Home

"From the first page, Cheryl Kaye Tardif takes you hostage with Submerged—a compelling tale of anguish and redemption." —Rick Mofina, bestselling author of Into the Dark

"Cheryl Kaye Tardif's latest novel SUBMERGED will leave you as haunted as its characters." —Joshua Corin, bestselling author of Before Cain Strikes

"Submerged will leave you breathless—an edge of your seat, supernatural thrill ride." —Jeff Bennington, bestselling author of Twisted Vengeance




Learn more about Cheryl Kaye Tardif at her website.
Like her Facebook page
and follow her on Twitter.
DhesiX Web Developer

March 5, 2013

Review ~ Seize the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon



Title: Seize the Night
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Series: Dark-Hunter #7
Length: 368 pages
Publisher: Piatkus Books
Original Publication Date: February 24th 2005
Valerius isn't a popular Dark-Hunter-he's a Roman, which means that the largely Greek Hunters have a major grudge against him and his civilization for superceding them. To make things worse, he's very conscious of his aristocratic background and breeding. So it serves him right when he runs into Tabitha Devereaux.

She's sassy, sexy, and completely unwilling to take him seriously. (Not to mention that she's the twin sister of the wife of former Dark-Hunter Kyrian-Val's mortal enemy.) What Tabitha does take seriously is hunting and killing vampires-and soon she and Val have to grapple with the deadliest of all Daimons-one who's managed to come back from the dead, and one who holds a serious grudge against both of them.

To win against evil, Val will have to loosen up, learn to trust, and put everything on the line to protect a man he hates and a woman who drives him nuts.

 My Thoughts:

The main reason I wanted to read this so badly was the fiasco between Nick and Ash. I'm reading this series completely out of order (not recommended!) I missed this one, and while I was reading the latest books in the series I didn't know why their relationship changed so drastically, what triggered it.

However, I got so much more from this book than just the answer to my question. At first it was hard to pay attention to it, especially to the filling parts where nothing really happened, but I have to say that Valerius and Tabitha were very great protagonists. On short term - if we look at it book by book, the Dark-Hunter books are mostly character driven and focus on their relationships, hence it's pretty important to me to like the main characters as well, not just some of my favorite "guest stars" from the previous/latest books. In my opinion, it's not really great if the sidekicks steal all the spotlight from the protagonists.

Anyway, Tabby and Valerius are entertaining and really interesting characters on their own, but together, in the same room, they're sweet and hilarious, even though they couldn't be more different. But that's why  they're complement each other perfectly, causing enviable and quite a few funny moments.

Tabby is the big mouthed, "slightly" hot-headed vampire hunter who lives by her own rules. She's smart, very perceptive, and she's the most kick-ass human girl in the series. However, She is blessed - or cursed as she would say, to be an Empath. She feels the emotions of others around her, even more powerfully than her own feelings. Ash taught her how to dampen down others' emotions, and to concentrate on her own, but they're still aren't completely muted. Mostly this causes her to lash out on people. Perhaps this is the very reason she is a very good pair of Valerius, the always so cold Roman general, who never shows his real feelings and always hides behind his mask. I adored, that these two are so different, and sometimes I truly felt like if Valerius would have jumped right out of the history books to this modern world, in moreover, Tabitha's crazy world. 

Vlad's life story and his relationship with his brother, Zarek was a bit like something we will see in Styxx's book, only not THAT dramatic. It's still pretty harsh, but nothing could top Ash's and Styxx's story. It's twisted, and of course he wears scars on his body and his soul, like every hero in this series. His relationship with the other Dark-Hunters was just as bad. Romans and Greeks? Everyone knows that's not a good pairing, but especially Kyrian hates his guts. Valerius is the big SOB in most Dark-Hunters' eyes. Kyrian (he earned some good points for making the last scene so incredible hilarious!), Julian and Amanda were beyond any doubt the most negative characters in this book (besides the villains),  with their ongoing personal vendetta against Valerius. 

The plot was also interesting. This book had it all: Stryker, Apollymi, a mysterious returning "guest", and of course, as usual, everyone has a different purpose, doesn't matter if they apparently working together. As for the real action, unfortunately I didn't get enough. And the mysterious villain's identity had been revealed too soon, however, there were some interesting scenes, like the way Stryker found out the truth about Ash's origin, the final battle, which was not specifically very exciting, but fact is, it will change the emphasis of the later books. There were real heartbreaking deaths, and this is where Ash and Nick's wonderful friendship runs aground.

Favorite character(s): Tabby, Val, Nick
Favorite scene(s): Tabby's and Val's first meeting in the alley
Favorite quote(s):
The tallest Daimon, who stood even in height to Valerius, laughed. "How nice of Acheron to send us a playmate."
Valerius pulled his two retractable swords from his coat and extended the blades. "Play is for children and dogs. Now that you have identified which category you fall into, I'll show you what Romans do to rabid dogs."
"I hear some godawful kind of music from outside, horns blaring, and I'm in a house with a mohawk cuckoo bird, a transvestite, and a knife-wielding lunatic."
"Why are you at Tabitha's?" Acheron asked.
"It's not my fault I stab all the fanged people. They shouldn't look like Daimons."
"I didn't look like a Daimon, but you stabbed me."
"Yeah, well, you looked like a lawyer so I had to kill you. It was a moral imperative."
"There are always three sides to every memory, Z. Yours, theirs, and the truth, which lies somewhere in between the two."
Better to be feared than liked. His father's words rang in his ears. People will always betray someone they like, but never someone they truly fear.
It was true. Fear kept people in line. He more than anyone knew that.

Overall:  Not too exciting, but still a very good book, with good main characters, interesting twists, jokes, family feuds. Definitely better than most of the previous books in the series. Worth reading.


DhesiX Web Developer

March 4, 2013

Vampirerotique Winter Book Tour: Character Interview + Giveaway



Interview with the sexy incubus-vampire

 from Bewitch by Felicity Heaton




Hey hey hey Everyone! 

I have Felicity Heaton here today and she's brought a very special guest from Bewitch with her for an interview.

Plus, Felicity has something to offer up as a giveaway for a lucky winner here on the blog AND a fantabulous Amazon GC and fantastic book goodies tour wide giveaway to enter! So be sure to follow the tour carefully!

I'd like to say a big thank you to Felicity for letting me be part of this tour! So, I won't leave you guys hanging anymore...It´s time for me to stop talking, and give the word to our guests instead. Felicity, The word is yours!



Thank you for having me here today at The Secret Sanctuary of Books as part of my Vampirerotique Winter Tour celebrating the series and my latest release, Bewitch.

Today, I’ll be talking to the hero of the fifth book in the Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series, the oh-so-sexy vampire, Payne.


Payne was the second of the new recruits that show up in Antoine’s book, Seduce. Payne is an elite vampire and the ultimate man of mystery. Dark and brooding, he keeps his distance from everyone and keeps to himself. He isn’t interested in connecting with people and does all he can to keep his name clean so no one will probe into his personal life. 

A man with secrets almost as dark as Antoine’s, Payne is challenged every day at the theatre and finds it difficult to work there, despite his casual and unaffected air. Having had his heart broken once, he has done his best to stay away from females and keep his hungers under control, but when he needed to work with a witch to help a friend, Payne faced his biggest challenge yet.

Read on to find out more about Payne from the vampire himself.

FH: I’ve managed to get Payne here with me today to talk about his book, Bewitch. You must be in a good mood as you’ve been very helpful with this tour. Enjoying being the centre of attention for a change?

PAYNE: Not really... Elissa threatened to deprive me of sex for a day if I misbehaved and refused to talk to people.

FH: Sex deprivation for a whole day probably sounds quite cushy but considering your nature, and how hot you are for her, it’s probably akin to a year of torture. Let’s kick things off by talking more about you. Tell us a little about yourself.

PAYNE: *scrubs a hand over his blond spikes* I’m guessing people probably know a few things about me already, like the fact that I’m not one hundred percent vampire. I was born to an elite family a few centuries back, but I have incubus genes too. It’s not something I like to talk about, but I’m learning to accept that it’s part of who I am. I’ve been working at Vampirerotique, a theatre in London that caters exclusively to a vampire crowd, for a few months now and I figured I would hate the place because it deals in erotic shows, but I’ve taken a liking to the place, and the people.

FH: They’re a close-knit bunch at Vampirerotique. Like a family. In Bewitch, you meet Elissa. How did you meet and how did you feel about her initially?

PAYNE: Ah... just the sound of her name makes me... well, you get the picture. I swear I’m worse now than I was before I became a mated male. I’m sure you’re picturing dirty shit right about now. Pervert. *grins*

FH: I wasn’t, actually. You’re the pervert. Now answer the question about Elissa.

PAYNE: There it is again... the name of my wicked witch. To be honest, I wanted nothing to do with her when I saved her fine arse back in that fae town. I knew she was trouble the second I realised I couldn’t control her. I wasn’t looking for a mate, not after the crap I’ve been through, but my fae sucks and I figured I could use her to find out where I was supposed to go to meet up with this contact I’d found. I wanted to help Chica by finding her a way out of her little problem. Not sure I can talk too much about that... too... what’s that word you said to me before we started? You told me not to get too...

FH: Spoilerish. *he grins at me like I’m an idiot* It’s a perfectly good made up word. No, best we don’t go into details about Chica and her problem. So you weren’t really into Elissa at first. You certainly changed your tune though.

PAYNE: *nods* It’s hard to resist her when she turns on the wicked witch routine. She’s one fiery woman. *stares into the distance*

FH: *snaps her fingers* Come back before your eyes do that gold and blue thing, and I start wriggling on my seat. I warned you about turning on the charm before, remember? Elissa might be able to resist it, but the rest of us can’t. Now, I have a few questions that Andrea really wanted answered too and I’ve vetted them. I’m sure you’ll like them. She would like to know what were your first impressions of the guys at Vampirerotique?

PAYNE: *scrubs his hair again* You know they’ll read this shit and I’ll get into trouble if I say something they don’t like... but... well, I knew Callum from a long time ago. I met him shortly after a dark phase in my life. His family knew mine and we got along okay, and he never bothered me by asking about things I didn’t want to speak about. Shortly after that, his family moved away, but we stayed in touch. He helped me through some bad stuff, so I felt I had to help him out when he asked me. I have not seen much of Callum but I expected that. I thought perhaps I would be able to spend most of my time alone, in solitude, only coming out when needed to scout for performers. That part of the job I can do easily enough with only minimal trouble.

FH: You’re talking about controlling that part of your nature you would rather not have? The incubus part.

PAYNE: It is more difficult when I’m here at the theatre and someone wants me to go backstage, or be around the practices, or things like that. Since the arrival of the succubus, and the owners of the theatre coming to know more about me, I have been more relaxed. Antoine no longer asks me to oversee the practices when he’s busy. I’m grateful for that.

FH: You’ve made other friends too though. You and Andreu seem to have grown close.

PAYNE: Andreu is a good man. He’s a fool for falling in love with a succubus, but she seems to have eyes only for him too, so I have no need to kill her for hurting him.

FH: Spoken like a true friend. Hurt my buddy and I’ll rip out your heart and feed it to you. What about the others?

PAYNE: Javier is good. I get along well with him now. Antoine can be difficult, but the guy has a lot on his plate, especially at the moment. I think I royally screwed things up with Snow though...

FH: Snow will get over it and everything will be cool again, I’m sure of it. Andrea also wants to know, and I quote “Seriously, what do you do on a regular day basis? I know you're kinda occupied with Elissa and Luca, but what does your typical day looks like? You can go into details, it's a blog for adults, just sayin'”

PAYNE: *smiles and my knees go a bit weak* Use your imagination. Seriously, most of the time I’m either working with Callum on the performers and the shows, or I’m fooling about with Luca. He keeps me really busy. The rest of the time, my wicked witch is the one keeping me busy. She has an appetite, and so do I. I can’t get enough of her.

FH: Now that we’ve seen that you’re capable of smiling, I have to ask you one of Andrea’s other questions. She says, “You don't smile often, let alone laugh... so, what does have the power to make you laugh, other than your new family?”

PAYNE: Ah... this’ll be a major turn off but I’m a bit of a schadenfreude.

FH: Meaning you take pleasure from other people’s misfortune.

PAYNE: *nods* Twisted, I know... I’m one of those people who can’t help but laugh if someone falls over or bad shit happens. Not my best quality, but I can’t help it. Laugh first, ask if they’re all right later.

FH: I know that quality well. I have a tendency to do the same. My husband likes to remind me what I am whenever I snigger if someone trips and does that embarrassing stagger-recover in the street.

PAYNE: You’re married? A mated female... I never knew. I’ll watch my incubus around you more now. We mated people have to stick together.

FH: You’re certainly taking to the role of mated male and family man. Andrea has one more question. Quick, you get one wish! What did you wish for?

PAYNE: *shrugs* Nothing. I have everything I want.

FH: You’re so damn sweet sometimes. *he growls* Not falling for it. So how has life been since you and Elissa got together, and will we be seeing more of you in the rest of the series?

PAYNE: It’s been great. Rocky at times but Elissa is wonderful. I’m blessed to have her, even when she drives me insane. She’s become integral to my life now. I couldn’t imagine a world without her and I’m glad she stuck with me, and gave me a shot. Not many women would. Elissa is special and even when I’m being difficult, she’s there for me, talking me down and telling me that she loves me. Ah, now I sound like a pansy. As for the rest of the series, you’ll see me around.

FH: Describe yourself in one word?

PAYNE: Irresistible.

FH: Really? Are you certain that shouldn’t be incorrigible, or irritating, or moody?

PAYNE: Nope. Irresistible... I’m sticking with that one. *grins*

FH: This mated thing suits you. You’re much easier to talk to now. Thank you for meeting with me today and chatting. I’ll let you get back to your lady and your lad now, and prepare myself to speak with her.


I hope you have all enjoyed this insight into Bewitch and life at Vampirerotique through the eyes of one of the sinfully sexy heroes!

Be sure to follow this fantastic tour to learn more about the passionate heroes, wicked heroines, and life at London’s premier vampire erotic theatre! You can also find yourself in with a chance to win a $100 or $50 Amazon Gift Certificate if you follow the tour. More details, including how to enter and a full list of stops, are available at the Vampirerotique Winter Book Tour page

All of the books so far in the series are available in paperback, and in ebook from Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks and Kobo. Covet, Crave, Seduce and Enslave are available from Barnes and Noble, and Sony Reader too. Bewitch is also available at Barnes and Noble, and will be at Sony soon. Excerpts are available for all of the current releases in the series, so you can get a taste of these wicked erotic romances.

Read more about Bewitch below, and visit my site for links to all the retailers and a hot excerpt:

Bewitch (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series Book 5)
Felicity Heaton



A vampire with a past stained with blood and a soul tainted with darkness, he is perfect in his self-control, never surrendering to his darkest desires. Now a beautiful witch in the shadowy fae underworld threatens to reawaken long denied hungers and tempts him with carnal pleasure.

Payne despises the incubus side of his mixed genes and refuses to give it free rein, but when the wickedly sexy Elissa offers him a possible way to help a friend, he finds it difficult to resist paying the price, even if it will be his undoing—one night of passion at her command.

Elissa is a witch down on her luck until Payne comes crashing into her life. The dangerously handsome male is the key to fulfilling a promise she made, but he is also forbidden, and surrendering to the wildfire passion he stirs within her means risking ruin and death.

When one incredible night of fulfilling their deepest fantasies leads to more than just a pathway to keeping a promise and saving a friend, will they be able to overcome the barriers that stand between them and forever?

Read an excerpt from the book to give you a taste of Bewitch


Books in the Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series

Covet (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #1)
Crave (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #2)
Seduce (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #3)
Enslave (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #4)
Bewitch (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #5)
Unleash (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #6) – Coming in 2013!

Author Biography


Felicity Heaton writes passionate paranormal romance books as Felicity Heaton and F E Heaton. In her books she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons!

If you're a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.

If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, Felicity Heaton’s best selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series she writes as F E Heaton or any of her stand alone vampire romance books she writes as Felicity Heaton. Or if you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try Felicity Heaton’s new Vampire Erotic Theatre series.

In 2011, five of her six paranormal romance books received Top Pick awards from Night Owl Reviews, Forbidden Blood was nominated as Best PNR Vampire Romance 2011 at The Romance Reviews, and many of her releases received five star reviews from numerous websites. In 2012, she received the GraveTells Author of the Year Award and her vampire romance novel, Heart of Darkness, was selected as a 2013 Epic Ebook Awards finalist in the paranormal romance category.


If you want to know more about her, or want to get in touch, you can find her at the following places:
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/felicityheaton



Felicity has offered today to a lucky winner ** International ** the wonderful swag pack below. Big thank you to Felicity for her donation and for stopping by the blog with my favorite hottie in the series! 


Wicked, right? Okay, this was a lot stuff to read and process, so i'll keep this simple. How nice of me!

All you have to do is leave a comment (about anything, really!) and don't forget your e-mail address, so we can contact you if you win!!
The winner will be chosen via random.org and notified via email. The winner will then have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. Contest close on March 15.

Good luck and thanks for stopping by!

Check out the full list of stops at the Vampirerotique Winter Book Tour page

*UPDATE: The Winner is Suzanne. Congrats!*



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