Darque Reviews

Review - Storm of Visions by Christina Dodd

2009-07-15T02:26:00.002-04:00

A new review has been posted on the website for Storm of Visions by Christina Dodd. This is the first installment in The Chosen Ones series.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/216854.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/216875.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - Drawn into Darkness by Annette McCleave

2009-07-15T02:24:00.002-04:00

A new review has been posted on the website for Drawn into Darkness by Annette McCleave. This is the first installment in the Soul Gatherers series.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/216812.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/216896.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - Redemption Alley by Lilith Saintcrow

2009-07-15T02:22:00.002-04:00

A new review has been posted on the website for Redemption Alley by Lilith Saintcrow. This is the third book in the Jill Kismet series.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/216833.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/134401.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - The Path of Razors by Chris Marie Green

2009-07-08T22:35:00.003-04:00

A new review has been posted on the website for The Path of Razors by Chris Marie Green. This is the fifth installment in the Vampire Babylon series, and the second in the London Underground trilogy.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/212917.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/212959.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - Stolen Heat by Elizabeth Naughton

2009-07-08T22:33:00.003-04:00

A new review has been posted on the website for Stolen Heat by Elizabeth Naughton. This is the second installment in the Stolen Trilogy.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/212896.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/213001.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - The Red Tree by Caitlin R. Kiernan

2009-07-08T22:30:00.002-04:00

A new review has been posted on the website for The Red Tree by Caitlin R. Kiernan.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/212938.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/212980.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Winner - Strange Brew - Anthology

2009-07-07T12:41:00.004-04:00

Thanks to everyone who came out to comment for the chance to win a copy of the Strange Brew anthology! The winner is......

#68 Kytaira

Congratulations! Just send my your mailing info at Darque Reviews AT gmail DOT com and the lovely St. Martin's Press publicist will get your copy out to you. :)

Happy realease day to the Strange Brew authors!

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Promo - Orbit Books - The Most Awesomely Bad SFF Cover in the World

2009-07-06T17:36:00.004-04:00

Orbit plans to design it, and they'd like reader's help! Even if you don't participate, you really should take a few minutes to check out the titles that other readers have come up with. :)

http://www.orbitbooks.net/2009/07/06/the-most-awesomely-bad-sff-cover-in-the-world/

Happy Reading...
Kimberly

Book Giveaway - Reminder - Strange Brew - Anthology

2009-07-06T00:40:00.004-04:00

Don't forget to check out the Strange Brew giveaway! See the original post for details on how to enter:

http://darquereviews.blogspot.com/2009/07/book-giveaway-strange-brew-anthology.html

Be sure to check back on July 7th for the winner. :)

Good Luck and Happy Reading!

Review - Winter Duty by E. E. Knight

2009-07-06T00:34:00.001-04:00

A new review has been posted on the website for Winter Duty by E. E. Knight. This is the eight installment in The Vampire Earth series.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/209675.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/209696.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - Mating Game by Janice Maynard

2009-07-06T00:32:00.003-04:00

A new review has been posted on the website for Mating Game by Janice Maynard.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/209633.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/209717.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Book Giveaway - Strange Brew - Anthology

2009-07-01T00:44:00.004-04:00

We have a new release day giveaway for a copy of the anthology Strange Brew! A big thank you goes to the St. Martin’s Press publicist who is kindly sharing a copy of this book.

About the Book:
Today’s hottest urban fantasy authors come together in this delicious brew that crackles and boils over with tales of powerful witches and dark magic!

In Charlaine Harris’ “Bacon,” a beautiful vampire joins forces with a witch from an ancient line to find out who killed her beloved husband. In “Seeing Eye” by Patricia Briggs, a blind witch helps sexy werewolf Tom Franklin find his missing brother—and helps him in more ways than either of them ever suspected. And in Jim Butcher’s “Last Call,” wizard Harry Dresden takes on the darkest of dark powers—the ones who dare to mess with this favorite beer.

For anyone who’s ever wondered what lies beyond the limits of reality, who’s imagined the secret spaces where witches wield fearsome magic, come and drink deep. Let yourself fall under the spell of this bewitching collection!

About the Giveaway:
Release day for Strange Brew is July 7, 2009 and you have until early that morning to leave a comment on this post to enter. This giveaway is open to US addresses only.

There are 9 stories in this anthology by a very talented group of authors in Urban Fantasy. I’d love to hear which author’s story you’re most excited to read.

The authors are: Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine, Karen Chance, P. N. Elrod, Charlaine Harris, Faith Hunter, Caitlin Kittredge and Jenna Maclaine.

I know, what a tough decision!

You can visit the St. Martin’s Press website: HERE

If you’d like a better look at the stories included in Strange Brew, feel free to check out my review on the Darque Reviews website: HERE

Good luck, and happy reading! Be sure to check back on July 7, 2009 to see if you’re the lucky winner.

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - Demon Inside by Stacia Kane

2009-07-01T00:40:00.003-04:00

A new review has been posted on the website for Demon Inside by Stacia Kane. This is the second installment in the Megan Chase series.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/207733.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/207775.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh

2009-07-01T00:38:00.003-04:00

A new review has been posted on the website for Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh. This is the sixth book in the Psy-Changelings series.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/207712.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/56454.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Winners - Marked series by S. J. Day

2009-06-30T11:31:00.003-04:00

Thank you all so much for entering the contest to win one of 3 sets (3 books each) from S. J. Day’s wonderful Marked series. A big thank you to TOR, who kindly sponsored this great giveaway. Congratulations to Ms. Day on today’s release of the 3rd book in her series, Eve of Chaos!

There were 191 entries, and each entry was saved in the order it was received by date and time from all entry types combined (comment on post, Guestbook signature, Contest link and Wish list suggestions). The winners are:

#158 – Annalisa (comment on post)

#68 – Blackroze37 (Guestbook signature)

#103 – Zarantha (comment on post)

Congratulations winners! Please email me your mailing address at: Darque Reviews AT gmail DOT com.

To learn more about S. J. Day’s Marked series, please visit her website: HERE

To take a look at TOR’s books, please visit their website: HERE

To read reviews of each of the books in the Marked series, please feel free to visit the author’s page on the Darque Reviews website: HERE

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - City of Souls by Vicki Pettersson

2009-06-28T23:44:00.003-04:00

A new review has been posted on the website for City of Souls by Vicki Pettersson. This is the fourth installment in Sign of the Zodiac and had been given a 'Starred Read'.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/205612.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/115454.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - Witches Incorporated by K. E. Mills

2009-06-28T23:42:00.000-04:00

A new review has been posted on the website for Witches Incorporated by K. E. Mills. This is the second installment in Rogue Agent.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/205633.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/205654.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Promo - Breath of Fire by Tammy Kane

2009-06-28T20:26:00.002-04:00

Breath of Fire
Tammy Kane
Love Spell – Dorchester Pub
June 30, 2009
ISBN# 978-0-505-52816-2

Book Blurb:
When the dragon came to claim him, Karl knew his great plan had gone horribly wrong. If he had known the creature was real, he wouldn’t have scoffed at the villagers… and he certainly wouldn’t have been so quick to let them chain him to a rock. Mattaen Initiates trained as warriors, but no man could defeat a dragon.

“My name is Elera, daughter of Shane. And you, Initiate, are my virgin prize.”

She had vanquished the beast and named her price: one night with the virgin sacrifice she’d saved. He’d taken a vow of chastity, but Karl still had a man’s needs—and Elera’s sultry curves made him ache to taste his first woman. With one scorching kiss she shattered his defenses… and led him into a world of deception and seduction, where he’d be forced to choose between the brotherhood that had raised him and the woman whose courage set his heart on fire.

To learn more about Breath of Fire, please visit Ms. Kane’s website: HERE

You can ‘Browse Inside’ Breath of Fire: HERE

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Promo - Berkley Sensation - July 7, 2009 releases

2009-06-27T18:58:00.003-04:00

Atlantis Unmasked
The Warriors of Poseidon
Alyssa Day
Berkley Sensation
July 7, 2009
ISBN# 978-0-425-22322-2

Book Blurb:
Poseidon’s warriors swore an oath eleven thousand years ago to protect humanity from those who stalked the night. Yet when a woman with an ancient Gift dares to claim the heart of one of Poseidon’s fiercest warriors, the world teeters on the knife’s edge between desire and darkness . . .

A warrior scarred…

Alexios survived two years of unspeakable torture at the hands of a vampire goddess. Now he’s been ordered to team up with a beautiful warrior and take on the most dangerous mission of his life: to retrieve the Vampire’s Bane. Without it, Atlantis can’t ascend to the surface and take its rightful place in the world. But when evil threatens, will Alexios be led by duty—or his heart?

A descendant of Diana…

Grace is part of the rebellion against the vampires and shape-shifters trying to take over her world. She is deadly with her bow, because when she takes aim, she never misses her target. But suddenly she’s focused on a damaged Atlantean warrior who sees her as a weapon, not as a woman. When thousands of lives are on the line, will passion overrule, or will her aim still be true?

When two worlds collide…Atlantis is unmasked.

To learn more about Atlantis Unmasked, please visit Ms. Day’s website: HERE

Breaking Midnight
The Fitz Clare Chronicles, Book 2
Emma Holly
Berkley Sensation
July 7, 2009
ISBN# 978-0-425-22867-8

Book Blurb:
Edmund is an elder among the upyr, a shape-changing race of immortals. Kidnapped by rivals, he's now a pawn in a deadly game to control the world, and only the love of the mortal beauty, Estelle, can save him.

To learn more about Breaking Midnight, please visit Ms. Holly’s website: HERE

Review - Vicious Circle by Linda Robertson

2009-06-26T23:52:00.002-04:00

A new review has been posted on the website for Vicious Circle by Linda Robertson. This is the first installment in the Persephone Alcmedi series.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/202875.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/202917.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - Vanished by Kat Richardson

2009-06-26T23:50:00.001-04:00

A new review has been posted on the website for Vanished by Kat Richardson. This is the fourth novel in the Greywalker series.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/202854.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/200238.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Review - Skin Deep by Mark Del Franco

2009-06-26T23:48:00.003-04:00

A new review has been posted on the website for Skin Deep by Mark Del Franco. This is the first book in the Laura Blackstone series.
http://darquereviews.com/12612/202812.html

You can also visit the author's page:
http://darquereviews.com/14912/202896.html

Please feel free to share any comments on this book here on the blog post. :)

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Guest Post - Rona Sharon - author of Royal Blood

2009-06-26T12:27:00.006-04:00

Blood, Fire, and Pillars of Smoke: The Rise of Vampires in Pop Culture
By Rona Sharon, Author of Royal Blood

As popular themes go, vampires may very well win the prize of "most commonly resurrected." You may love them, hate them, or are trying very hard to ignore them, but surely you have wondered at least once what made the damned princes of darkness so bloody interesting.

If you prefer "real world" storylines and are observing the phenomenon as a baffled bystander, you might be interested to know that thousands of years before achieving mass popularity in movies such as Underworld and Twilight, and TV series like True Blood, vampires had manifested in pagan mythology, monotheistic demonology, and spiritual rituals.

Throughout history, vampire myths appeared in nearly every culture. From the ancient Middle East (Mesopotamia, Judea, Egypt), these archetypical baddies invaded Europe, where they found fertile soil in Slavic paganism, and also materialized in Africa, Asia, and the Aztec Empire.

Curiously, the earliest vampires were females -- violent dark goddesses like the Sumerian Lilitu, the Egyptian Sekhmet, and the Indian Kali, all possessing immense supernatural forces. These vampiric goddesses had both the powers to create and to destroy, to give birth and to devour.

In the Dark Ages, tales of vampires sparked public hysteria. Corpses were exhumed and stabbed. It had taken the vampire various reincarnations, through the Hebrew Talmud, Arabian Nights, Boccaccio's Il Decameron, and eclectic poetry to reemerge as the suave ageless nobleman.

This 19th century "makeover" was a direct outcome of the violent volcanic eruption in Indonesia in 1815. The Judgment Day atmosphere caused by dark skies and a frosty summer inspired Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, as well as plays and operas starring the alluring vampire lord.

From this point on, the revenants' star was on the rise and shining ever so brightly with each literary, musical, or theatrical piece conceived (oftentimes as a result of consuming laudanum) in their honor. Lord Byron, Edgar Allen Poe, and Alexandre Dumas, to name a few, contributed to their eternal fame, but it was the Irish novelist Bram Stoker's Dracula that had the mightiest impact on the imagination and cast the glory of the bloodthirsty count and his court in perpetuity.

Evidently the public's fascination with vampires is not an original fad. The vampire is the most popular fiction character of all times. What is it about vampires exactly that appeals to so many people? And why, being familiar with this totally fictitious half-man, half-monster icon, people are still happy to spend their time on movies, books, and TV series that feature vampires?

Entertainment and escapism come to mind. As much as we are riveted by "real world" plots, sometimes the brain needs to zone out in fantasyland. This explanation is plausible, but it fails to prove why the vampire in particular outperforms any other fantastical creature.

We should keep in mind that the vampire has only recently assumed the role of the compelling, gothic, martyred, seductive, gorgeous, off-limits, struggling, sympathetic, romantic outcast in love with a human. The slick hunk in black leather pants, driving a sports car in a metropolis by night, was not the bloodcurdling image that had haunted the graveyards of our ancestors.

Granted, the spooky effect has value. Sexologists believe that scary moments stimulate the libido and therefore couples may bond effectively having watched a horror movie together. However, while this theory is bound to stick in your memory, it does not offer sufficient evidence, either.

Vampires, whether pale and beautiful or ghoulishly foul, have always been identified with death, blood-drinking, and sex, feeding on emotions such as love, guilt, dread, desire, pity, and sadism.
Far be it from me to undertake psychoanalyzing why we are obsessed with death, blood, and sex. In my capacity as a historical novelist, I choose to explore the mysteries of the human psyche through stories in the hopes of understanding why we were put on this earth and how we may improve our lot in life. Ironically, as I study the tapestry of man's fleeting existence, I see how the fruits of one generation's labor -- art, science, architecture, etc. -- are reaped by its successors.

Now, a vampire -- omnipotent, never-aging, and immortal -- may travel the centuries unscathed, unconstrained by a deadline in his pursuit of enlightenment and happiness. Would he or she be a cheerful voyager or one cursed with loneliness? Then there is the future to consider. What if the world and/or mankind are doomed to a cataclysmic end? Would anyone care to witness that?

Vampire symbolism is tied in heavily with the awareness of the powers of darkness, chaos, and the occult -- ancient mysteries that add a chilling dimension to the rich layers of history and cast a question mark on the future. Doomsday prophecies made for an absorbing read as I was doing research back in 2007 for Royal Blood, my Tudor Vampires novel. Here's an example:

"Awake, ye drunkards, and weep . . . For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion . . . Sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand . . . And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come."
– Book of Joel

The vampire -- a human lookalike possessed of superior abilities, as well as frailties, dependent on man for sustenance, multifaceted and obscure -- remains an enigmatic figure. Friend or foe? Through him, we get to experience latent fancies and scenes in which the secrets of creation are unraveled. Thank heavens for fiction, I say. The world, I predict, has not seen the last of the vampire crazes. The undead are here to stay, our prolific imagination will undoubtedly continue to produce them, and even the most discriminating realist may yet cross over to the dark side.

©2009 Rona Sharon, author of Royal Blood

About the Book:
Royal Blood
Rona Sharon
Kensington
April 1, 2009
ISBN# 978-0-7582-2858-1

Book Blurb:
In the Tudor Court of 1518, your friends and enemies can be one and the same...

During the annual celebration of the Order of the Garter, Sir Michael Devereaux arrives in King Henry VIII's court on a mission for his benefactor. The celebration's endless feats and sumptuous women delight the charismatic newcomer, who becomes captivated by the enigmatic Princess Renée of France. But evil, it seems, has followed Michael to the court. Shortly after his arrival, an unknown killer claims several victims, including the Queen's lady-in-waiting, and the powerful Cardinal Wolsey asks Michael to help with the investigation. As he searches for the killer, Michael is haunted by disturbing images of the victims—flashes of violence that lead him to doubt his own sanity. Michael soon realizes that the key to solving the crime is connected to both the Pope's Imperial vault in Rome and a mystery from Michael's own past—revealing a secret that is so damning, it could forever alter the future of mankind.

Powerfully evocative and steeped with detail from the breathtaking era of the Tudors, Royal Blood is historical storytelling at its richest—an unforgettable tale of intrigue, passion, and danger.

About the Author:
Rona Sharon is the author of critically acclaimed historical novels of intrigue, passion, and danger. Her latest, Royal Blood, is a tale of lust and violence in the treacherous Tudor Court. From her home on the Mediterranean Coast in Tel Aviv, surrounded by thousands of years of history, Rona brings her passion for culture and travel to her writing and never fails to deliver a story that carries a punch . . . and a dagger.

For more information please visit http://www.ronasharon.com/

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Book Giveaway - Reminder - The Marked series by S. J. Day

2009-06-25T15:16:00.006-04:00

Less than a week left to get your entries in to win one of three sets of the first three releases in the Marked series by S. J. Day! Please see the original post for instructions on how to enter:

http://darquereviews.blogspot.com/2009/06/book-giveaway-marked-series-by-s-j-day.html

Good luck, and happy reading!

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

Promo - The Spy Who Haunted Me by Simon R. Green

2009-06-25T15:09:00.004-04:00

The Spy Who Haunted Me
Secret Histories, Book 3
Simon R. Green
ROC
July 2, 2009
ISBN# 978-0-451-46272-5

Book Blurb:
Eddie Drood’s evil-stomping skills have come to the attention of the legendary Alexander King, Independent Agent extraordinaire. The best of the best, King spent a lifetime working for anyone and everyone, doing anything and everything, for the right price. Now, he’s on his deathbed and looking to bestow all of his priceless secrets to a successor, provided he or she wins a contest to solve the world’s greatest mysteries. Eddie has to win, because King holds the most important secret of all to the Droods—the identity of the traitor in their midst…

About the Author:
Simon R. Green is a full-time author who lives in Bradford-on-Avon in England. (right up the river from Shakespeare.) He has been writing for close to two decades and has well over 25 books to his credit, including the hugely successful urban noir Nightside series. He is a New York Times bestseller for his novelization of the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com