Review: Wilder's Mate by Moira Rogers

Wilder's Mate
Author: Moira Rogers
Publication: Samhain Publishing, Ltd. (March 8, 2011)


Description: Think a vampire-hunting bloodhound is dangerous? Try threatening his woman.

Bloodhounds, Book 1


Wilder Harding is a bloodhound, created by the Guild to hunt down and kill vampires on America’s frontier. His enhanced abilities come with a high price: on the full moon, he becomes capable of savagery beyond telling, while the new moon brings a sexual hunger that borders on madness.
Rescuing a weapons inventor from undead kidnappers is just another assignment, though one with an added complication—keeping his hands off the man’s pretty young apprentice, who insists on tagging along.


At odds with polite society, Satira’s only constant has been the aging weapons inventor who treats her like a daughter. She isn’t going to trust Wilder with Nathaniel’s life, not when the Guild might decide the old man isn’t worth saving. Besides, if there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s that brains are more important than brawn.


As the search stretches far longer than Wilder planned, he finds himself fighting against time. If Satira is still at his side when the new moon comes, nothing will stop him from claiming her. Worse, she seems all too willing. If their passion unlocks the beast inside, no one will be safe. Not even the man they’re fighting to save.

Warning: This book contains a crude, gun-slinging, vampire-hunting hero who howls at the full moon and a smart, stubborn heroine who invents mad-scientist weapons. Also included: wild frontier adventures, brothels, danger, betrayal and a good dose of wicked loving in an alternate Wild West.


My Thoughts: This is the first book in a new series that takes place in an alternate Old West. Vampires are the outlaws and Bloodhounds are the equivalent of the Texas Rangers. When inventor Nathaniel is kidnapped by vampires, Wilder is assigned to the case. Satira has been Nathaniel's unofficial apprentice and is determined to go along to help rescue him.


Satira has been raised around the bloodhounds; her mother was mated to one. She thinks she knows what the bloodhounds are like but she wasn't expecting someone like Wilder. Their attraction to each other was instant but Wilder was determined not to take advantage of her perceived innocence. At first Satira just wants Wilder but gradually, as she learns to know him better, the wanting turns into love.


Satira is smart, determined, and unconscious of her beauty. Wilder is handsome, powerful, and very dangerous. They are a match made in heaven. This was a great romance and a fascinating fantasy world. I look forward to more adventures in the world. 


Favorite Quote:

Nathaniel wasn't content with life as a Guild inventor. He wanted to bring modern comforts to the wild plains, as if people who dared live along the border had time to worry about steam-powered carriages and flying machines when vampires stole through the night.

Book Beginning & Friday 56: Steam & Sorcery by Cindy Spencer Pape

Friday Memes

 

Happy Friday everybody!!

Book Beginnings

 

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Katy at A Few More Pages.  

Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading. 

If you like, share with everyone why you do, or do not, like the sentence.

The Friday 56

Rules:

• Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
• Turn to page 56.
• Find the fifth sentence.
• Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Freda's Voice
• Post a link along with your post back to Freda's Voice

Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

I just began Steam & Sorcery by Cindy Spencer Pape. This is an eARC from Carina Press that I received via NetGalley. I haven't read much more than the first sentence but it really grabbed me and made me want to find out more about the world.


Beginning:

"We live in an age where people can travel on ships that fly through the air." The sharp rap of an umbrella point on the wooden floor of the carriage punctuated the sentence. "Where a machine can calculate the distance between the stars in less time than it takes you to tie your cravat. I fail to comprehend why, in such an otherwise enlightened era, your ridiculously hidebound Order of the Round Table should refuse to admit female Knights."

Page 56, sentence 5:

Miss Bristol bit her full lower lip, then licked away a crumb. Judging by the amount she'd consumed, she hasn't eaten all day. Hell, she probably needed the position just to survive.

Review: River Marked by Patricia Briggs

River Marked
Author: Patricia Briggs
Publication: Ace Books; 1st edition (March 1, 2011)


Description: Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She's never known any others of her kind. Until now. 

An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River-one that her father's people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help...



My Thoughts: This was a great story about Mercy and Adam's honeymoon. After a surprise wedding (surprising to the bride at least!), Mercy and Adam head to a campground on the Colombia River for a honeymoon. Naturally, trouble follows. Mercy learns that they are honeymooning there because of a vision one of the fae had. She also finds that some of the people there knew her father. She even sees his ghost. The gets involved with a number of Native American legends including Thunderbird and Coyote. She learns a lot about her past as she and Adam look for a way to defeat a fae monster who is snacking on those who venture near the Colombia River.


I enjoyed the interactions between Mercy and Adam as they get used to their new roles as husband and wife. I love Mercy's personality as someone who is quite willing to tweak the vanity of anyone who comes near her no matter how powerful they might be. I also loved the character of Coyote who may or may not be Mercy's father. 


I recommend this urban fantasy series to anyone who likes a feisty female character and a well-developed fantasy world. Besides a lot of deadly danger, the book is filled with humorous moments. I found it an all-together great read and one story that I will likely re-read often.


Favorite Quote:

Adam smiled and rocked me a couple of times. "How confusing it must be to have a coyote half, a human half, an Indian half, and a white half."

I snickered and felt better. It was seldom a good idea to take myself too seriously.

ARC Review: The Vampire Voss by Colleen Gleason

The Vampire Voss
Author: Colleen Gleason
Publication: Mira; Original edition (March 22, 2011)


Description: Voss, also known as Viscount Dewhurst, relishes the sensual pleasures immortality affords. A member of the Dracule—a cabal of powerful, secretive noblemen marked with a talisman that reveals their bartered souls—the mercenary Voss has remained carefully neutral…until Angelica.


Angelica Woodmore possesses the Sight, an ability invaluable to both sides of a looming war among the Dracule. Her very scent envelops Voss in a scarlet fog of hunger—for her body and her blood. But he is utterly unprepared for the new desire that overcomes him—to protect her.
Now Voss must battle his very nature to be with Angelica…but this vampire never backs down from a fight.


My Thoughts: This book combines two of my favorite genres - Regency romance and paranormal romance. Voss, who is also Lord Dewhurst, is 148 years old and has spent his time as a vampire playing inappropriate jokes and gathering information about his fellow vampires. He isn't anyone's friend and is determined to remain neutral in the current conflict between two groups of Draculia. However, when he meets Angelica who is in danger from one of the branches of Draculia, his neutrality is tested.


Angelica is an upper class girl who is involved in the ton but she has a unique ability. She can hold an object belonging to anyone and see how they will die. She has used this talent to help other girls decide if their suitor is right for them. The vampires and especially Cezar Maldavi who heads up one of the vampire groups are interested in her. Her talent could prove useful to him and her brother has made off with his sister. He would love to use her as a hostage.


Angelica and her sister Maia have been instructed by their brother to contact Dimitri, Lord Corvindale if he isn't heard from in two weeks. The girls do contact Corvindale and move to his house to be protected by him. Neither girl knows more about vampires than the stories their old grandmother told them. Now that is going to change. Corvindale doesn't like Voss at all and tries to protect Angelica from him two.


I liked the character of Angelica right away. She is young but her psychic gift has made her wise beyond her years. She is practical and brave. I didn't warm to Voss quite so quickly. He was so hedonistic and uncaring of the people around him. 


I liked Gleason's take on the vampire trope. In her mythology vampires are all descended from Count Dracula but all descendants aren't invited to become vampires. Vampires are invited by Lucifer and wear his mark on their shoulders. They gain immortality but each has an individual weakness. They are also supposed to be hedonistic and greedy for blood and sex.


The book is filled with adventures and romance. The intimate scenes were spicy. It was wonderful to see how the love of a good woman could transform a man...or vampire.

Favorite Quote:

She trembled, shuddered, her hands against his shoulders. Whether she were pushing him away or merely steadying herself, he wasn't certain. He didn't care. When he wanted, he took.

Teaser Tuesday: River Marked by Patricia Briggs

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!

My teaser this week is from the wonderful River Marked by Patricia Briggs. This is the sixth in her Mercy Thompson series and it begins with a surprise wedding - a really interesting concept. Right now Adam and Mercy are on their honeymoon and are having their first married fight.

He'd gotten mad when he thought I was going to get mad at him for not telling me about the trailer. It was his belief that I would get mad about it that had hurt him. I wiggled my hips into a more comfortable position and tried to think like Adam -- a very smart person poisoned by testosterone.

This story has been great so far. I have laughed out loud quite a few times at Mercy's unique take on life and her quips. She is such a wonderful character - strong without being hard.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (March 14, 2011)

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.

I am so glad last week is over. The week began well but... Wednesday I went to finally pick up my new glasses, after being without them since Jan. 12 due to cataract surgery, and found out that they didn't work. I still had double vision. They spent an hour trying to adjust them with no success. I had asked a friend to drive me in and promised her dinner in exchange. So we went to Bakers' Square. (Wednesday is free pie day.) When we finally got home we spent some time loading some songs from my iTunes onto her new iPhone. There was no real reading time that night.

Thursday I call my ophthalmologist and was first told that I had to try the glasses for two weeks (by the receptionist) but then was told to bring them in to let their optical department check if they were made correctly. I stopped home after work on Thursday to get the receipt for the glasses and, when I went to start my car to go to the optical department, the car wouldn't start. I had a dead battery. So, instead of going to get the glasses checked, I had to call for a jump and take my car to my dealer to get a new battery. I was going to drive alone to the eye doctor but called my accommodating friend to drive for me when I found out I had to go more places. After doing some shopping, I managed to waste a good part of that evening too.

Friday my friend and I went to the eye doctor and spent about an hour. They checked the lenses and checked with my doctor. The outcome was that I needed to make an appointment to see the doctor again. Luckily, that will happen on Monday after school. My friend and I again did a variety of errands and ended up going out to dinner at a very nice Italian restaurant. I had leftovers for the weekend too. 

I hope that my Monday appointment will solve the problems though I will almost certainly have to go back to the place where I ordered my glasses and have them remade. There goes at least another two weeks until I have glasses that I can use to drive with. I am starting to feel a little housebound (and I need to have my taxes done really soon now.)

I did get some reading done this past week too:

I loved River Marked by Patricia Briggs. This sixth book in the Mercy Thompson series is centered around a honeymoon trip that is filled with trouble and adventure. My review will be posted on March 17.

Wilder's Mate by Moira Rogers is an ebook that begins a new series that combines alternate history, steampunk and the paranormal. It was very entertaining and I look forward to more stories in the world. My review will be posted on March 19.

I did finish Wither by Lauren DeStefano this week. This was another young adult dystopia. In this world girls die at age 20 and boys at 25. The main character is a 16-year-old girl who was kidnapped to be the bride of a 21-year-old. It was very thought-provoking. It is also the start of a trilogy. My review will be posted on March 17 and the book will be published on March 22.

I also read Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis this week. It was an eARC that I received from Simon & Schuster. I just loved this very engaging story. It reminded me a lot of one of my favorite books - Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. It takes place in an alternate 1803 England. Some people have magic but it isn't really socially acceptable. Kat is 12 and in determined to save her older sister from making an unfortunate marriage with the evil Sir Neville in order to save her family from ruin. It was so much fun to read. My review will be posted on March 24 and I have already pre-ordered a finished copy when it comes out on April 5.

I am currently reading:

The Vampire Voss by Colleen Gleason is a paranormal romance from Harlequin. I got the eARC from NetGalley. I am enjoying this one. I like the unique take on vampires. 

Next week:

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness is the first on my list to read next week. It is high on the bestsellers list and has been intriguing to me since I first heard about it. 

After that, I plan to browse my TBR mountain to see what sounds and looks good. What are your plans for the coming week?

In My Mailbox (March 13, 2011)

The weekly In My Mailbox post is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It is fun to see what everyone else gets in their mailboxes, shopping bags, and library visits. Click on the link to The Story Siren's site to see the rules and join in the fun.

 

I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow when you see all the wonderful books everyone gets. You will discover lots of great blogs and lots of books that you won't be able to live without.

This was another one of those weeks when I went a little crazy (make that a lot crazy!) adding books to the TBR mountain.

I received Night Road by Kristin Hannah for review from St. Martin's Press because I clicked a link in the Shelf Awareness newsletter. It will be published on March 22.

I bought Kiss Me, Kill Me by Allison Brennon because I enjoyed Love Me to Death which is the first book in the series. This one is also a thriller.

I bought The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. It is the sequel to The Name of the Wind which has been sitting on my TBR stack for a couple of years. The Name of the Wind has recently been chosen as one of the ten best science fiction books of the last decade. These are epic fantasy books. I dug The Name of the Wind out of the stack and got the sequel. Both books are huge!

I am a big fan of Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series of urban fantasy. Since I also follow their blog, I was pleased to note that they had made some of their other work available for the Kindle. I bought Curran: Volume I, Silent Blade and Of Swine and Roses.

I also added Kaylayna Price's Grave Witch to my Kindle. I have read and enjoyed a couple of other books by her and am eager to read this one.

I also bought Wilder's Mate by Moira Rogers for my Kindle. I am a fan of her work and loved this Old West paranormal with a bit of steampunk added. Look for my review to be posted soon.

Then, I couldn't let the week pass without adding a bunch of free books to my Kindle. Here are the ones that I chose this week.

Ellora's Cave made a bunch of books from their Scintillating Samples line available. I chose Shelley's Secret by Jean Hart Stewart. This is a contemporary romance. I also chose Holiday Hostage by Kelly Fitzpatrick which is also a contemporary romance. And the last one I chose was Love Pursued by Sandra Heath which is a sweet historical romance. 

I also added No Fear by Allie Harrison. This one sounds like a spooky tale of romantic suspense.

One Small Victory by Maryann Miller is another romantic suspense title.

Grave Illusions by Lina Gardner is a paranormal/urban fantasy about vampires. 

Murder in Passy by Cara Black is a mystery and is in the Aimee Leduc series. I really hope it is the first. Fantastic Fiction lists it as book 11 though.

Wild Sight by Loucinda McGary is a romantic suspense novel with elements of the supernatural. 

Highest Stakes by Emery Lee is historical fiction taking place in 17th Century England. 

These ought to keep me busy for a while. What did you get in your mailbox this week?