A Dirty, Sexy, In My Mailbox Post

Posted: September 2, 2010 by Rebecca @ Dirty Sexy Books in Rants & Raves
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I’m behind on my reading this week, so I don’t have that review of The Native Star ready yet.  Sorry about that, but I have something else I wanted to share with you anyway.

In our household, my husband likes to get the mail.  I don’t know why it thrills him to perform this little duty, but I’m more than happy to let him do it.  Yesterday he came in with a package for me that clearly held books, and he asked me if he could open it.

I said sure, go ahead, and went back to reading my book.

He ripped it open, said, “There are three in here,” and pulled out the following: Read the rest of this entry »

What a Rotten Month to be Broke – September’s New Release List Is Making Me Cry

Posted: September 1, 2010 by Rebecca @ Dirty Sexy Books in Rants & Raves
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Here I am, trying to save money, and September is rife with new releases that I truly want to read.  Hmm, maybe I can visit the thrift store for the kid’s back-to-school clothes?  Would that qualify me for the Worst Mommy of the Year Award?  Crap.  New clothes it is then, and no books for me.  Well, perhaps just a few.

Here on Dirty Sexy Books I don’t give a shit about all of the new releases.  I can’t, because otherwise I’d be here forever.  Nope, I’m just going to list the books that would interest me, and hopefully by extension, you as well.  If you’d like a more comprehensive list, please check out Abigail’s masterpiece over at All Things Urban Fantasy, where she worked her fingers to the bone to type in something like 53 new releases.  Buy that lady a drink if you ever meet her in a bar.  That took some sweat.

SciFiGuy has busted out a list of Young Adult releases that has me reconsidering all the holes in my list below.  For instance, I’m definitely reading Firelight by Sophie Jordan, even though I neglected to add it here.  The heroine is a she-dragon!  How cool is that?

I’ve been breaking up the new release list in into three categories, and I’ve added a new one because I’ve been reading so many ARCs lately.  I’m listing the books under Must Read, Want to Read, I’ll Read it if I See it, and I’ve Already Read It. Read the rest of this entry »

Review: “Lover Mine” by J. R. Ward 2010

Posted: August 30, 2010 by Rebecca @ Dirty Sexy Books in 4.5 Stars - Damn Close to Perfection, Review
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4.5 Stars – Damn Close to Perfection

Plot Summary:  Xhex has been missing for four weeks now, and the Brothers are convinced that Lash, the new leader of the Lessers, is holding her captive.  John Matthews has carried a torch for her ever since he first saw her, and he’s determined to be there for her when she is freed, even though she’s never returned his feelings.  Xhex figures there’s nothing left to live for after she takes her revenge on Lash, but she starts relying on John during her recovery period, and his unconditional acceptance melts her icy core.  He’s been to hell and back, just like she has, and this is the base that brings them together.

(BLACK DAGGER BROTHERHOOD: BOOK EIGHT)

In my experience, most paranormal romance series tend to get a little saggy in the behind as they age, but J. R. Ward keeps delivering high quality installments in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.  Lover Mine was a fantastic read from start to finish, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate her willingness to shift the focus from the ‘couple,’ and tell other stories concurrently.  It’s all too easy for a paranormal romance to slide into a monotonous montage of fighting and fucking (sorry for using the vulgar term, but the writer in me likes the alliteration), but this series never commits that particular sin, and that’s why I’ve stuck with it for so long. Read the rest of this entry »

The Dirty Sexy Book Club Discusses “Happy Hour at Casa Dracula” by Marta Acosta

Posted: August 29, 2010 by Rebecca @ Dirty Sexy Books in Book Club
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It’s finally here!  It’s time to discuss Marta Acosta’s first novel in her paranormal comedy series, Happy Hour at Casa Dracula.  If you have not read this book, feel free to read my spoiler-free review instead.

Here are some questions to get the conversation started.  Remember, spoilers are welcome in the comments below.

1.  Looking back at my review for book one, I said that the men in her life are either “selfish psychos,” “lying, cheating hypocrites,” or “obsessive perverts.”  I love Milagro, but I don’t think any of these guys are good enough for her (that opinion does change over the course of the series though).  What do you think?  Are any of these guys redeemable, or would you kick them all to the curb?

2.  This story passes the Bechdel Test in spades, and that’s no mean accomplishment when far too many urban fantasy/paranormal novels focus on just one female character and that’s it.  Besides Milagro, who is your favorite female character? Read the rest of this entry »

Review: “Black Blade Blues” by J. A. Pitts 2010

Posted: August 28, 2010 by Rebecca @ Dirty Sexy Books in 4 Stars - Brain Candy on a Lazy Afternoon, Review
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4 Stars – Brain Candy for a Lazy Afternoon

Plot Summary:  Sarah Beauhall is a young woman making ends meet by working at two jobs that she loves.  By day she is an apprentice blacksmith, and she’s either shoeing a horse, or making a sword for the Renaissance fair set.  By night she’s the props manager for a low-budget fantasy movie, and in between her jobs there’s her girlfriend Katie.  Money may be tight, but her professional and personal life are going great until one night the idiot actor breaks her favorite sword in two.  Sarah decides to test her skills and reforge the blade, and once it’s whole again, everything in her world falls apart.  Some huge guy claiming to be a dwarf talks to her about the sword’s power, and he says she must slay a dragon, who just happens to be the guy financing the movie.  Sarah can’t seem to control her temper anymore, and when she holds the sword she feels something… but dragons, dwarves, and magical swords are just too much for anyone halfway sane to swallow.

I really wanted to read Black Blade Blues after I learned that it’s about a female blacksmith who is also a lesbian, but I was dying to read it when I learned that the author, J. A. Pitts, is a man.  I wanted to know, could he pull this off? Read the rest of this entry »

Review: “Shades of Milk and Honey” by Mary Robinette Kowal 2010

Posted: August 27, 2010 by Rebecca @ Dirty Sexy Books in 4 Stars - Brain Candy on a Lazy Afternoon, Review
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4 Stars – Brain Candy for a Lazy Afternoon

Plot Summary:  This is a story about two sisters, one of whom has all the beauty, and the other who has all the talent, and the only goal for these gentlewoman is to snag themselves a husband.  Unfortunately for our heroine, Jane Ellsworth, she is not just a ‘plain Jane,’ but she is downright unattractive if we’re being truthful.  Her complexion is sallow, her nose is too large, and her chin is too pointed, and she’s practically a confirmed spinster.  Despite this obvious setback, she has an amazing talent with magic, and her skill will spark an attraction when she least expects it.

This is an easy recommendation if you like Jane Austen’s novels.  Mary Robinette Kowal truly embraced this style for her historical romance, and aside from the introduction of magic, it reads just like one of Ms. Austen’s small, intimate stories.  Since Ms. Kowal makes it so clear where she found her inspiration for Shades of Milk and Honey, I didn’t mind all of the little similarities (her Acknowledgements begins, “Allow me first to acknowledge the enormous debt I owe to Jane Austen, who not only inspired this novel but has taught me much about the importance of small details.”). Read the rest of this entry »

Snakey iPad Sacrifice, Princess and Pegasus, Urban Fantasy Ins and Outs, Readers Are Not Sad Sacks!, and Black Kindle Beats White Kindle

Posted: August 26, 2010 by Rebecca @ Dirty Sexy Books in News
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This will totally blow chunks.  The Wall Street Journal says that we should get ready to start seeing advertisements in digital books.  ”With e-reader prices dropping like a stone and major tech players jumping into the book retail business, what room is left for publishers’ profits? The surprising answer: ads. They’re coming soon to a book near you.”  No, no, no, no!!!  Those greedy bastards.  Isn’t it enough that they don’t have to print and ship paper copies?  I guess not.  Although, I wouldn’t mind seeing ads for more books, but I doubt they’ll do that.  It’s more likely that I’ll start seeing ads for crap I don’t need/want.

Oscar de la Renta has released a line of iPad “clutches” (calling it a case is too lowbrow, I suppose), and hear this – they’re made of python and crocodile skin.  I get it.  We kill all kinds of animals for our own use, and I’m guilty too since I like steak, but do we really need to go out of our way to kill exotic animals so Mr. Richy-Rich can have a python iPad cover?  Just in case you’re curious: Python: $390. Crocodile: $290.  I never thought I’d feel so bad for a snake, but that’s a sucky reason to have to die.  Besides, a case for the iPad isn’t necessary.  We’ve taken ours on two trips, and we don’t even have a proper case for it.  We just stick it in between the folded clothes in our carry-on bag. Read the rest of this entry »

Review: “Mockingjay” by Suzanne Collins 2010

Posted: August 25, 2010 by Rebecca @ Dirty Sexy Books in 5 Stars - It Kept Me Up All Night!, Review
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5 Stars – It Kept Me Up All Night!

Plot Summary:  Katniss has survived The Hunger Games, again, but right before she was rescued from the arena, Peeta was captured by the Capitol’s forces.  Her goal to keep him alive may have been in vain, because now he’s surely facing a fate worse than death.  These thoughts torture Katniss as she tries to recover from her own wounds in the secret underground bunker of District 13.  Long thought to have been bombed out of existence, this mythical district made a deal with the Capitol 75 years-ago to disappear, but they see a chance to rally the districts around Katniss, the symbol of the resistance.

(THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY: BOOK THREE)

There were a few of us who were a wee bit disappointed by book two, Catching Fire.  It repeated too many of the main plot points of its predecessor, The Hunger Games, to be called original, although it was still vastly entertaining.  To those critics who found fault with book two, I’ll say that Mockingjay goes to new and unexpected places.  It’s nothing like the first or second story, and I think it cements the status of The Hunger Games Trilogy as one of the best young adult series out there. Read the rest of this entry »

Dueling Review: “The Reapers are the Angels” by Alden Bell 2010

Posted: August 24, 2010 by Rebecca @ Dirty Sexy Books in 4 Stars - Brain Candy on a Lazy Afternoon, Dueling Review, Review
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Poor TJ.  I pulled a real switcheroo on her this month.  We were all set to read a novel by Daniel Abraham that’s long been in our TBR piles, A Shadow in Summer, but then I heard about this new zombie apocalypse story that was pulling in great reviews, and I asked her to switch to The Reapers are the Angels.  It turns out that TJ was in the mood for a zombie story, and away we went!

Plot Summary: For twenty-five years, civilization has survived in meager enclaves, guarded against a plague of the dead.  Temple wanders this blighted landscape, keeping to herself and keeping her demons inside her heart.  She can’t remember a time before the zombies, but she does remember an old man who took her in and the younger brother she cared for until the tragedy that set her on a personal journey toward redemption.  Moving back and forth between the insulated remnants of society and the brutal frontier beyond, Temple must decide where ultimately to make a home and find the salvation she seeks.

Read the rest of this entry »

Review: “Soul Enchilada” by David Macinnis Gill 2009

Posted: August 23, 2010 by Rebecca @ Dirty Sexy Books in 3 Stars - Like a Date With a "Nice" Guy, Review
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3 Stars – Like a Date with a “Nice” Guy

Plot Summary:  With a name like Eunice Smoot, I suppose it’s no wonder that she’d prefer any other name, even “Bug.”  She’s an 18-year-old high school dropout who is living in a roach-infested apartment, and she’s about to be evicted because her pizza delivery job isn’t paying enough to cover the rent.  Her sole possession of any worth is a classic 1958 Cadillac Biarritz that she received from her deceased grandfather, but she’s in for a nasty shock when a demon informs her that the car and her soul are being repossessed.  Her dear old Papa C sold his soul to the devil for the car, and he put down his granddaughter’s soul as collateral too.  Now that Papa C skipped out on his end of the deal, Bug must pay up.

Soul Enchilada is cute, but I was just not feeling it.  The only time I felt at home is when Pesto and Bug kept calling each other Dude or Dog, but otherwise there was too much shudder-inducing grammar that gave me chills like someone was nail-scraping a chalkboard.  Here’s a bit from the beginning (pg. 3): Read the rest of this entry »

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