Teaser Tuesday: To Dance With the Devil by Cat Adams

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

I have recurring nightmares, in part from what happened when I was a kid, in part from my up-close-and-personal meeting with a bat, and more recently from an encounter with a demon who told me he'd see me in my dreams. All of this makes sleep a very tricky proposition.

To Dance With the Devil by Cat Adams is the sixth book in the Blood Singer series. I really like the main character of this urban fantasy series. Here is the description of this episode:

In To Dance with the Devil, the latest entry in Cat Adams's Blood Singer series, Celia Graves’s newest client is one of the last surviving members of a magical family that is trapped in a generations-old feud with other magic-workers. She’s supposed to die at the next full moon unless Celia can broker peace between the clans or break the curse before it can take effect.

For the first time in a long while, Celia’s personal life is looking up. Her vampire abilities seem to be under control, her Siren abilities have gotten more reliable, and even though her office was blown up, her services are more in demand than ever now that she's fought off terrorists and been part of the royal wedding of the year. Her friends all seem to be finding love and her grandmother has—finally—agreed to go to family therapy.

The only trouble spot is Celia’s love life. Not long ago, she had two boyfriends. Now she barely has one and she isn’t sure she wants him. But Bruno DeLuca is a powerful mage and Celia needs his help…especially after she's attacked and her client is kidnapped. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Jan. 13, 2014)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Last week Minnesota entered the deep freeze. We didn't have school on Monday or Tuesday which gave me some extra reading time. I also had to spend some time redoing my lesson plans and my lesson calendar. I had to do that on Monday when I thought Tuesday was going be a late start and again on Tuesday after they decided to close. This week is the last week of the first semester which means grading will take up some of my reading time. I also have to get ready for all new classes - seven of them - in the second semester. I haven't heard any weather forecasts but it really doesn't matter. I won't be going anywhere except home and school this week.

Last Week:

Hastur Lord by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Deborah J. Ross was a Darkover novel that has been on TBR mountain for a few years. I really enjoyed it and had to sit on my hands to keep me from going to Amazon and buying more of the Darkover novels I haven't read. I had to keep telling myself that my goal was to reduce the size of my TBR mountain instead of add to it. My review will be posted on Feb. 1.

United We Spy by Ally Carter was also on my TBR mountain but hadn't been there long. This is the conclusion to the Gallagher Girls series and was a very satisfying ending to the series. I love the narrator's voice and the action in the series. My review will be posted on Feb. 6.

Killing Floor by Lee Child was the first Jack Reacher mystery I have read. I enjoyed it despite the graphic violence and l look forward to reading the next two books in the series which are also on my TBR mountain. I'll have to decide after that if I want to continue the series or if I have had enough. My review will be posted on Feb. 6.

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan was an Amazon Vine review book that arrived and was read this week. I thought the story was very compelling and the main character someone I could identify with. I'm classifying it as science fiction but this near future story could also be considered a dystopia. My review will be posted on Jan. 22 for this Jan. 28 release.

Currently:

Two more Amazon Vine review books are on my "currently" stack.

I started Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge and then set it aside to read a bit later. I'm on page 14 and in the middle of an infodump that is telling me the whole history of the world. While I know that I will need this information later, it is really slowing down the pace of the book. This is also a Jan. 28 release.

I decided to read Do or Die by Suzanne Brockmann before going back to Cruel Beauty. This romantic suspense title is much more action-packed and is by one of my favorite authors. It is a Feb. 4 release.

Next Week:

Despite my heavy schedule, I have ambitious plans for next week.

I want to read Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch. I have heard excellent things about this thriller which is also the first book in a series.

I also hope to read Howling for You by Chloe Neill. I am hoping this novella will tide me over until Wild Things is released on Feb. 13. I am a big fan of her Chicagoland Vampires series. 

Perfect Lies by Kiersten White is my next YA review book. It is the sequel to Mind Games and will be released on Feb. 18.

I have wanted to read The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion since it was chosen as one of Amazon's best romances of the year. However, I objected to paying over $10 for a book I will likely only read once and can't donate to my HS Media Center. I put it on my wishlist and was waiting for an inexpensive used copy. When it was offered as a Kindle Daily Deal for $1.99, I bought it right away.

Runner by Patrick Lee is my next adult review book. This thriller will be released on Feb. 18.

Reviews Last Week:

• Going Rogue by Robin Benway (Jan. 14 release)
• Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill (YA Contemporary)
• Bad Kitty Meant for Trouble by Nick Bruel (great for Bad Kitty fans and budding authors)
• Death at Bishop's Keep by Robin Paige (Victorian Mystery)
• Grave Dance by Kalayna Price (Urban Fantasy)
• Da Vinci's Ghost by Toby Lester (audiobook for fans of Leonardo Da Vinci)

What was last week like for you? What are your plans for this week? Leave me a link and I'll come visit.

Stacking the Shelves (Jan. 12, 2014)

Tynga of Team Tynga's Reviews has a meme to spotlight the books we receive each week. Visit her site to check out the linky and see what everyone gets. I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow.

Here is what I added to my collection this week.

Howling for You by Chloe Neill is a novella in her Chicagoland Vampires Series. I pre-ordered it for my Kindle. So it popped up on my menu this week.

Girl with the Cat Tattoo by Theresa Weir was a book I saw while cruising blogs this week. The combination of Free and set in St. Paul made me add it to my Kindle too.

I have been wanting to read The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion for quite a while but was put off by the cost. When it went on sale this week for $1.99, I could no longer resist.

I also bought Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire for my Kindle even though it wasn't on sale. I have heard so many good things about this series.

I got my hardcover copy of River Road by Jayne Ann Krentz this week. It will be joining all of her other books on my keeper shelves. I read the ARC a few weeks ago.

I also added A Liaden Universe Constellation, Volume 2 by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller to my print collection. I have everything these people have written in print and on my Kindle. I'll have to check but I think I already have Kindle versions of the stories in this collection.

I also got one Review Book this week. I am a big fan of Suzanne Brockmann's romantic suspense titles and chose Do or Die immediately when I saw it offered in my Amazon Vine newsletter. 

What did you add to your stack this week? Leave me a link and I'll stop by.

Book Review: Death at Bishop's Keep by Robin Paige

Death at Bishop's Keep
Author: Robin Paige
Publication: Berkley (July 1, 1998)

Description: Kate Adrleigh is everything the Victorian English gentlewoman is not--outspoken, free-thinking, American...and a writer of the frowned upon "penny-dreadfuls." Soon after her arrival in Essex, England, a body is unearthed in a nearby archeological dig--and Kate has the chance to not only research her latest story...but to begin her first case with amateur detective Sir Charles Sheridan. 

My Thoughts: Kate Ardleigh is the 1894 version of a modern American girl. When she learns that she has an aunt who lives at Bishop's Keep in England and who wants to hire her as her secretary, she is eager for the adventure. Kate has been making her living as the author of serial stories filled with mystery and sensationalism. She views the opportunity to travel to a foreign country as a perfect opportunity to research her books. 

Kate hardly expects to find murders, buried family secrets and secret societies in her real life. Nonetheless, that is what she finds when she arrives at Bishop's Keep. She quickly becomes close to her Aunt Sabrina who is a free thinking woman who is interested in the spiritualism that was so popular in the 1890s but she doesn't at all care for her Aunt Jaggers who is the very embodiment of the poor relation come to live with her sister and very resentful of her. She is also a very harsh disciplinarian of the servants whom she feels will go bad with any sort of indulgence - like sugar for their tea or carpets and a fireplace in their lounge. Naturally, this has caused the atmosphere at Bishop's Keep to be very uncomfortable filled as it is with sullen servants. It also leads Kate to wonder what hold Aunt Jaggers has over Aunt Sabrina that Sabrina would allow her sister such free reign in the household.

Our hero is Sir Charles Sheridan. He is a man of means who is interested in science and photography. He enters the story when he takes pictures of a corpse at an archaeological site he is photographing and becomes curious about the murder. He meets Kate who is also making inquiries about the murder on her aunt's behalf. While Charles is fascinated with Kate, he doesn't quite know what to make of a woman so different than the upper class  women who are the fixtures in his life. While he is more liberal than the usual Victorian male, he still holds on to some cultural views about women that Kate is constantly upsetting. 

I enjoyed the mystery and the wonderful depiction of Victorian England. I can't wait to read more stories about Kate and Sir Charles.

Favorite Quote:

One of the hazards of having sufficient money to be at one's leisure was the hazard of continually finding oneself bored by the banality of one's existence and hence forced to seek new forms of intellectual stimulation. Murder was most stimulating.

This title was recommended. I bought it for my Kindle. You can buy your copy here. 

Friday Memes: Death at Bishop's Keep by Robin Paige

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

This week I am spotlighting Death at Bishop's Keep by Robin Paige. This was recommended to me as a historical mystery in the vein of the Ameilia Peabody mysteries by Elizabeth Peters. Had it been sitting on my shelf, it could be considered a dusty book. It was originally published in 1998. Here is the description:

Kate Adrleigh is everything the Victorian English gentlewoman is not--outspoken, free-thinking, American...and a writer of the frowned upon "penny-dreadfuls." Soon after her arrival in Essex, England, a body is unearthed in a nearby archeological dig--and Kate has the chance to not only research her latest story...but to begin her first case with amateur detective Sir Charles Sheridan. 

Beginning:

Kate Ardleigh glanced warily over her shoulder.

Friday 56: 

Kate was pleased when she found herself seated next to Sir Charles at dinner, for she meant to ask him a question.

Book Review: Grave Dance by Kalayna Price

Grave Dance
Author: Kalayna Price
Narrator: Emily Durante
Publication: Roc (July 5, 2011)

Description: Whoever said dead men tell no tales obviously never met Alex Craft.

After a month spent recovering from a vicious fight with a sorcerer, grave witch Alex Craft is ready to get back to solving murders by raising the dead. With her love life in turmoil thanks to the disappearance of Fae Investigation Bureau agent Falin Andrews and a shocking “L” word confession from Death himself, Alex is eager for the distractions of work. But her new case turns out to be a deadly challenge.

The police hire Alex to consult on a particularly strange investigation in the nature preserve south of Nekros City. The strange part: There are no corpses, only fragments of them. A serial killer is potentially on the loose, and Alex has no way to raise a shade without a body, so she’ll have to rely on the magic of others to find leads. But as she begins investigating, a creature born of the darkest magic comes after her. Someone very powerful wants to make sure the only thing she finds is a dead end—her own.

My Thoughts: Alex Craft has recovered from the incidents of the first book in the series and the popularity has helped get her business onto a solid and profitable footing. Her love life is less secure though. She hasn't seen Falin Andrews for over a month and he left without a word. Something is going on with Death too that is keeping him away. Alex is also just starting to get used to her new fae powers.

When her friend John calls her in on his homicide case, she gets swept into something bigger than a simple murder investigation. The Winter Queen is gathering the unaffiliated fae which means that Alex is on the run. This gets harder because Falin returns. His is the Winter Queen's lover and pet assassin but he doesn't want to turn Alex over to her.

Alex's new ability to punch holes in the wall between her world and other worlds makes her a desirable commodity for all of the fae kingdoms. Running from various fae makes it hard to investigate the killer who is leaving only left feet behind. Alex's life gets even more complicated when she learns that she has inherited all of Coleman's fae property including his castle and her best friend Rianna. 

This story was very exciting and fast-paced. I like the relationship that Alex has with both Falin and Death. I do not know which one she will eventually choose if she ever chooses either. Alex is a strong character who is over her head in the fae world which is tricky to navigate even for those born and raised there. But her strong loyalty to her friends sees her through.

I can't wait to read the next book in this series to find out what is next for Alex Craft.

Favorite Quote:

"You think I'm letting you out of my sight? Alex, you're a magnet for trouble, though, in trouble's defense, you go out looking for it. What with tearing holes in reality in the middle of populated streets and wandering the wilds using raw meat to draw out a fae well known for tearing people to shreds and eating them, it'a a wonder you're not completely entangled in trouble." He shook his head.

I began listening to the audiobook and finished by reading my Kindle copy. You can buy your copy of the audiobook here or the print/Kindle copy here. 

Book Review: DaVinci's Ghost by Toby Lester

DaVinci's Ghost
Author: Toby Lester
Narrator: Stephen Hoye
Publication: Free Press (February 7, 2012); Tantor Media; Unabridged,MP3 - Unabridged CD edition (February 7, 2012)

Description: Everybody knows the image, but nobody knows its story. 

In 1490, Leonardo da Vinci produced his iconic drawing of a man inscribed in a circle and a square: Vitruvian Man. Today the image appears on everything from coffee cups and T-shirts to corporate logos and spacecraft, and has become the world’s most famous cultural icon. Yet few people know anything about it. In this remarkable book, Toby Lester, the author of the award-winning Fourth Part of the World, tells the picture’s story, weaving together a saga of people and ideas that sheds surprising new light on the life and work of Leonardo, one of history’s most fascinating figures.

My Thoughts: I have always been fascinated with Leonardo Da Vinci. Teaching my fifth graders about the history of science increased my fascination, as did reading Leonardo Da Vinci by Kathleen Krull. When I saw this audiobook in Tantor's Bargain Bin, I had to buy it. It was lucky I had the audio version because the amount of detail would have defeated me in a print book. This book is a very scholarly study of the varied and various influences that led Da Vinci to create the drawing we know as Vitruvian Man.

Lester begins the story with Vitruvius who was a Roman architect in about 29 BC. He decided to achieve fame and possible fortune by writing a book about architecture which was dedicated to Caesar Augustus and which used Augustus as a model for human perfection. For Vitruvius and architects to at least Leonardo's time, the human proportion was a model of the divine and building should also be based on the same proportions. This idea, though not illustrated by Vitruvius, spurred Leonardo to make his famous drawing - Vitruvian Man.

Listening, I was immersed in the personalities of the time and in the political and artistic cultures of Italy. The author placed Leonardo in both his culture and his time and speculated on how they formed the man. It was fascinating and filled with very rich detail.

Stephen Hoye's voice was pleasant to listen to. I admire his ability to pronounce all those Italian names. I did have a moment or two of fear the Hoye would read us the bibliography. I can't imagine that the print version, as scholarly as it was, didn't have an extensive one. Fortunately, he did not. 

I bought this audiobook from Tantor Media's Bargain Bin. You can buy your copy here in print or on audio.