Title: Magic Strikes
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels, Book #3
Publication Info: Ace Fantasy, March 2009
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

With this book, Ilona Andrews takes the crown as the new queen of Urban Fantasy.

No one is safe in this captivating post-apocalyptic world where waves of magic render technology useless and monsters roam the streets. Only a handful of brave souls fight to keep back the darkness. Rebel mercenary Kate Daniels is one of them. She has grown into her bad-ass, tough-as-nails persona in this third book. She is a survivor with a honorable streak a mile wide. She’s lost everyone she’s ever cared for, she protects a dark secret she would be killed for, but Kate can’t help putting her life on the line for her friends and the fate of the world. She’s everything I’ve ever loved in an Alpha Hero, with boobs. Forget sugar & spice, this girl is made of pure guts and determination.

Plot:

Shapeshifters are showing up dead and dismembered, but Kate is shut out of the investigation. She’s pissed, but the Pack follows its own laws. Besides, she’s exhausted from solving magical problems around the city. Before she can get any shut eye, her werewolf sidekick Derek is caught breaking and entering her sketchy, sometimes-informant Saiman. Kate to the rescue. Derek refuses to tell her why he tried to steal tickets to the illegal Midnight Games, but he gives her a note to give to a mysterious female gladiator on the Reaper Team. Kate promises to deliver the note, and gives her word she won’t read it. She accompanies Saiman to the Games and discovers a bloody tournament where magical beings fight to the death for fame and fortune. Before the night is through, Kate curses herself for not reading the note.

She discovers Derek at death’s door in a parking lot, and is immediately set upon by shapeshifters. No one may want Kate’s help, but her conscious won’t let her walk away from friends. It’s a race against time to figure out the connection between the Games and the murders, before the Reapers or the Beast King Curran tear them limb from limb. When Kate is forced to become a gladiator in the arena, her dark secret can’t remain hidden much longer. She has trained all her life for the upcoming showdown with Roland, but he’s had centuries longer to hone his eeevil skills. To save her friends, Kate must (once again) make the ultimate sacrifice.

Discussion:

Each book is better than the last. Kate as a character has grown from a rather whiny don’t-you-know-how-bad-ass-I-am into a real mean, lean fighting machine. She gets knocked down, but she gets up again, ain’t nothin’ gonna keep her down. She’s self-reliant, but loyal to a fault.

World-building and plot are what make this series so spectacular. The battles are epic.

The series is Urban Fantasy, not Paranormal Romance, but over the course of the series there a growing attraction between Kate and Curran (the Beast Lord). Ms. Andrews is a master of sexual tension. In each book, she gives the reader one big delicious bite, then keeps us hanging by our fingernails in eager anticipation of more. Inch by careful inch, Curran gets under Kate’s skin until I want to scream “jump him already!!!” The hot tub scene was priceless. The last scene – oh! I cannot wait to read what is going to happen next.

Ms. Andrews has at least two other series debuting soon. Though I am looking forward to reading them, I want her to DROP EVERYTHING AND WRITE ME MORE KATE & CURRAN.

I recommend reading this series in order: Book 1 – MAGIC BITES. Book 2 – MAGIC BURNS. Book 3 – MAGIC STRIKES.

PS: I did not end up receiving an ARC. Best 8 bucks I’ve spent in a long time!

Has Sookie Stackhouse spurred your appetite? Do you find yourself craving stories of tough chicks who solve crimes and kick butt in dark paranormal worlds where vampires and werewolves roam? Charlaine Harris has won a legion of fans with her Sookie Stackhouse series, starting with book 1: DEAD UNTIL DARK, recently brought to your living room by HBO in the show True Blood.

The genre is called Urban Fantasy, and is typically told in the first person with a female protagonist. UF should not be confused with Paranormal Romance, even if some bookstores incorrectly shelve UF in the romance section (the horror!). There is no guarantee of a Happily Ever After or any love-true-love. UF is more akin to horror than romance.

Here are thirteen Urban Fantasy series recommendations for you to sink your teeth into:

1. Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs
   (featuring werewolves, vampires and the fae).
   Book 1: MOON CALLED
2. Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews
   (featuring magic users, shapeshifters and vampire-like beings).
   Book 1: MAGIC BURNS
3. Women of the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong
   (featuring werewolves, and later other supernatural beings).
   Book 1: BITTEN.
4. Riley Jensen series by Keri Arthur
   (featuring shapeshifters and vampires).
   Book 1: FULL MOON RISING.
5. Hunter Kiss series by Marjorie M. Liu
   (featuring demons).
   Prequel novella: “Hunter’s Kiss” in WILD THING anthology, Book 1: THE IRON HUNT.
6. The Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost
   (featuring vampires).
   Book 1: HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE
7. The Phoenix Chronicles series by Lori Handeland
   (featuring everything under the sun).
   Book 1: ANY GIVEN DOOMSDAY
8. Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher.
   Book 1: STORM FRONT
9. The Hollows series by Kim Harrison
   (featuring every magical being under the sun).
   Book 1: DEAD WITCH WALKING.
10. Georgina Kincaid Series by Richelle Mead
    (featuring succubi).
    Book 1: SUCCUBUS BLUES
    
11. The Gardella Vampire Chronicles by Colleen Gleason
    (featuring vampires).
    Book 1: THE REST FALLS AWAY
12. The Otherworld series by Yasmine Galenorn
    (featuring magic users).
    Book 1: WITCHLING.
13. Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton
    (featuring vampires, shapeshifters and lots of…stuff).
    Book 1: GUILTY PLEASURES

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Vampires, succubi, spirits, OH MY! Urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and YA author Richelle Mead shares the six books she would bring if stranded on a desert island. Her YA series, VAMPIRE ACADEMY, garnered high marks from the Book Smugglers on their recent Richellapalooza week. Richelle’s Georgina Kincaid series is an Adult Urban Fantasy featuring a succubus heroine from Seattle. Her latest book, STORM BORN, is the first in a whole new series called Dark Swan.

This week Ms. Mead is the featured author on the Romantic Times’ Ask the Author Forum. Stop by and chat about writing, books, world building, and Team Seattle.

STORM BORN

Just typical. No love life to speak of for months, then all at once, every creature in the Otherworld wants to get in your pants…

Eugenie Markham is a powerful shaman who does a brisk trade banishing spirits and fey who cross into the mortal world. Mercenary, yes, but a girl’s got to eat. Her most recent case, however, is enough to ruin her appetite. Hired to find a teenager who has been taken to the Otherworld, Eugenie comes face to face with a startling prophecy–one that uncovers dark secrets about her past and claims that Eugenie’s first-born will threaten the future of the world as she knows it.

Now Eugenie is a hot target for every ambitious demon and Otherworldy ne’er-do-well, and the ones who don’t want to knock her up want her dead. Eugenie handles a Glock as smoothly as she wields a wand, but she needs some formidable allies for a job like this. She finds them in Dorian, a seductive fairy king with a taste for bondage, and Kiyo, a gorgeous shape-shifter who redefines animal attraction. But with enemies growing bolder and time running out, Eugenie realizes that the greatest danger is yet to come, and it lies in the dark powers that are stirring to life within her…

Angels’ Blood

I, for one, am on pins and needles to read Nalini’s new Urban Fantasy about Vampire bounty hunters. Her Paranormal Romance series, the Psy-Changelings, is so very good. If the cover is anything to judge by, ANGELS’ BLOOD will be a smashing good show too.

Urban Fantasy author Mark Henry shares the six books he would bring if stranded on a desert island.

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Seattle. One minute you’re drinking a vanilla breve, the next, some creepy old dude is breathing on you, turning you into a zombie. And that’s just for starters. Now, the recently deceased Amanda Feral is trying to make her way through Seattle’s undead scene with style (mortuary-grade makeup, six-inch stilettos, Balenciaga handbag on sale) while satisfying her craving for human flesh (Don’t judge. And no, not like chicken.) and decent vodkatinis.

Making her way through a dangerous world of cloud-doped bloodsuckers, reapers, horny and horned devils, werewolves, celebrities, and PR-obsessed shapeshifters—not to mention an extremely hot bartender named Ricardo—isn’t easy. And the minute one of Amanda’s undead friends disappears after texting the word, “help” (The undead—so dramatic!) she knows the afterlife is about to get really ugly.

Something sinister is at hand. Someone or something is hellbent on turning Seattle’s undead underworld into a place of true terror. And this time, Amanda may meet a fate a lot worse than death…

Mark, who is a comedian, warns strangers “prepare to be insulted” about his debut novel, Happy Hour of the Damned. I picked up an autographed copy at the 2008 Emerald City Writers Conference Book Fair and will let you know if his prediction comes true. To tide you over, here are some other blogger reviews of Happy Hour of the Damned:

• Anna’s Book Blog
• Urban Fantasyland
• ParanormalRomance.org
• *headdesk*
• Graeme’s Fantasy Book Reviews
• Fantasy Book Critic

Jackie from Literary Escapism recruited me for the Weekly Geeks best books of 2008 list. There are three months left, but who’s counting?

Ciara’s favorite Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance Books of 2008:

1. DEMON BOUND by Meljean Brook
2. DEMON NIGHT by Meljean Brook
3. SEA WITCH by Virginia Kantra
4. CRY WOLF by Patricia Briggs
5. MAGIC BURNS by Ilona Andrews
6. PLEASURE UNBOUND by Larissa Ione
7. MINE TO POSSESS by Nalini Singh
8. THE IRON HUNT by Marjorie M. Liu
9. ANY GIVEN DOOMSDAY by Lori Handeland
10. INK EXCHANGE by Melissa Marr
11. MY WICKED ENEMY by Carolyn Jewel
12. THE WILD ROAD by Marjorie M. Liu
13. NIGHTKEEPERS by Jessica Andersen

Last night I had the pleasure of celebrating Lauren Dane‘s year of Über productive writing, meeting irreverent zombie author Mark Henry, and catching ghost orbs with Christina Arbini. What better place to discuss faucet erotica, flesh-eating heroines, and dinner theater hangings than Buca di Beppo?

Lauren Dane was a writing fiend this year, penning two 100-word novels, two 60-word novels, and a bunch of shorter works. She has many books in print and quite a few series. I recommend her Cascadia Wolves series featuring hawt alpha werewolves from Seattle. What’s not to love?

FATED

Just because Fate brings you your perfect mate doesn’t mean it’ll be easy.

Cascadia Wolves series

Could there be any worse fate than a road trip from Seattle to L.A.—with one’s mother—to attend a wedding? Why yes, when one isn’t married yet, like Megan Warden. Toss in a grandmother and a carload of already married sisters and it’s a recipe for sneaking sips of “special” coffee while someone else drives.

Shane Rosario has better things to do than attend a wedding where his father’s relatives will be at him nonstop about getting married and having children. If it weren’t for seeing his anchor bond, Layla, he’d have taken a pass on the entire weekend. It would be easy, since he’s become adept at hiding who and what he is.

When the two weren’t even looking, Fate steps in and before they know it, their bond is sealed. Bonded pair, married in the eyes of their people. Two people tied together in every way. Trouble is, Shane’s not sure he wants all that comes with Megan. And Megan’s certain she’s not willing to live outside her pack, pretending to be human.

The distance between them is more than geographical. It’s a widening gulf rapidly filling with resentment…an emotional divide only acceptance could bridge. Can Shane can accept himself to cross it? Only if they let love take control.

Mark Henry writes humorous zombie Urban Fantasy. His publication story is one in a million: He pitched to an editor without having written a single word. The pitch: Sex in the City meets Dawn of the Dead. Editor asked for 50 pages by the end of the month. Mark chained himself to his computer and wrote 50 pages. Editor read it, asked for the entire book. Mark chained himself to his computer and finished the book. Book went up for auction. Book is currently optioned for a tv show. Book 2 comes out in February. Whew! And now I must get my hands on a copy of the book. “Prepare to be insulted” only makes me want to read it more. He is a blogging addict, and can often be found at the League of Reluctant Adults with fellow Washingtonian author Caitlin Kitridge.

HAPPY HOUR OF THE DAMNED

Seattle. One minute you’re drinking a vanilla breve, the next, some creepy old dude is breathing on you, turning you into a zombie. And that’s just for starters. Now, the recently deceased Amanda Feral is trying to make her way through Seattle’s undead scene with style (mortuary-grade makeup, six-inch stilettos, Balenciaga handbag on sale) while satisfying her craving for human flesh (Don’t judge. And no, not like chicken.) and decent vodkatinis.

Making her way through a dangerous world of cloud-doped bloodsuckers, reapers, horny and horned devils, werewolves, celebrities, and PR-obsessed shapeshifters-not to mention an extremely hot bartender named Ricardo-isn’t easy. And the minute one of Amanda’s undead friends disappears after texting the word, “help” (The undead-so dramatic!) she knows the afterlife is about to get really ugly.

Something sinister is at hand. Someone or something is hellbent on turning Seattle’s undead underworld into a place of true terror. And this time, Amanda may meet a fate a lot worse than death.

“Gruesome, ghoulish, and utterly groundbreaking. Mark Henry is daring and scathingly funny.”—Jackie Kessler, author of The Road To Hell

Lauren Dane, Mark Henry, Christine Feehan, Julia Quinn, Cherry Adair, and many more Pacific Northwest authors will be at the upcoming Emerald City Writers Conference. The book signing is Saturday, October 11, 4-6 pm and is open to the public. Stop by and say hi to our talented local authors!

Emerald City Writers Conference Book Fair
October 11, 2008: 4 pm – 6 pm
Bellevue Hilton
300 112th Avenue SE,
Bellevue, WA – 98004

TITLE: Dead Until Dark
AUTHOR: Charlaine Harris
SERIES: Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampires book 1
PUBLICATION: Ace Books, May 2001
GENRE: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
RATING: <3 <3 <3 <3

Sookie Stackhouse is cheerful down-home southern gal who isn’t afraid to step up when someone’s in trouble. DEAD UNTIL DARK won the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Mystery in 2001. Sookie’s currently on her eighth adventure and, while book 1 is a paranormal romance, the series has morphed into urban fantasy. HBO last night launched a new show based on the book called “True Blood” and staring Anna Paquin as our intrepid heroine. Read the book. It’s much, much better than the show.

Plot:
Small town southern girl Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress living in Beau Temps, Louisiana. She has a little disability that makes people think she’s crazy: she can hear people’s thoughts. Vampires “came out of the coffin” two years ago, and one dark night Sookie sees her first when he walks into her bar and orders a drink. She is thrilled, not only at the excitement of seeing a vampire but also to find that she can’t hear his thoughts. Blissful quiet. Unfortunately two lowlifes take the vamp into the parking lot to drain his blood for profit. Sookie comes to the rescue. When the two villains try to murder Sookie in the parking lot a week later….

***here ends the first episode of TRUE BLOOD***

…Bill comes to her rescue and gives her some of his blood to heal her wounds, making her stronger and faster and more beautiful. So starts her sweet love affair with Bill the Vampire.

Beau Temps is plagued by the murders of young blue-collar women who date vampires. Bill, of course, is a top suspect, along with Sookie’s playboy brother Jason. Sookie decides to investigate to protect her men, and asks Bill to bring her to a vampire bar in a neighboring town, where she meets the manipulative Vampire Eric Northman. (He’s a key figure in later books.) When Sookie’s grandmother is murdered, she knows she’s next.

Discussion:
A delightful read! Great pacing, style and characterization. Sookie’s voice had a charming Southern cadence. It was cheerful and innocent: a refreshing change from the typical cynical, dark urban fantasy heroines. She reminded me of Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson. Both are small town girls just trying to do their blue collar jobs and lead normal lives, but their loyalty compels them to stand up and save the day when their friends are threatened.

I had held off on reading the series, though it was so highly recommended to me, because I prefer a sweet love story to a triangle. This first book is definitely a paranormal romance. Yummy, luv true luv.

***SPOILER***My widdle heart hurts to know that ze love, it donna last. How else is Ms. Harris supposed to keep an eight book series going? Sniff, sniff. ***ENDSPOILER***

It is also a compelling mystery. Ms. Harris weaves in clues like a pro. The villain was a complete surprise.

Ms. Harris peppers her book with romance novel references, which as a romance reader I delighted in. Sookie’s grandmother is a Danielle Steele addict. Eric Northman is first described “wearing boots, jeans and a vest. Period. Kind of like the guys on covers of romance books,” (p 95).

HBO’s TRUE BLOOD:

It was amusing reading the book and immediately watching the TV show. Many of the lines were similar, though the lack of Sookie’s internal dialog on the show took away a much of the charm and humor in the story. Anna Paquin stood around with her mouth hanging open much of the time. And Bill? He had teh uggles. Yeouch. Really, the show reminded me why I don’t watch TV. It sucks. (pun intended.) Books are richer and much more satisfying. Why do TV people feel the need to put in the annoying best friend? Cuz that character was nowhere in the book and drove me bonkers. Comedic relief, she was not. Snark, snark, snark. READ THE BOOK. IT’S MUCH BETTER.

I heart Ilona Andrews, big time. Her intricate world building in the Kate Daniels series is a delight to wrap my brain around. Book 1 MAGIC BITES and Book 2 MAGIC BURNS came out earlier this year, and I’m waiting on pins and needles until I can get my hands on more Curran-Kate tension. Unfortunately Book 3 MAGIC STRIKES isn’t due out until 2009. Gah! Imagine my glee when Ilona posted a free short story today on her blog. She wrote it for an anthology, but decided it was too YA to work for the book. So we get to enjoy it now – Woot!

Click on the link below:

The Days of Swine and Roses by Ilona “Frekin’Awesome” Andrews

Title: Cry Wolf
Author: Patricia Briggs
Series: Alpha and Omega Book 1 (Prequel novella in ON THE PROWL)
Publication Info: Ace Books, July 2008
Genre: Urban Fantasy? Paranormal Romance? Not sure.
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3

Patricia Briggs started her new series off with a bang in the novella “Alpha and Omega” from the anthology On the Prowl. (Read the novella first!) The first full length book, CRY WOLF, continues the story of Anna and Charles in a dynamic, action-packed, and thought-provoking way. Both main characters have the depth and complexity, vulnerabilities and strengths, and layered character arc that Ms. Briggs is famous for. Indeed, her characters, so real I feel I know them personally, are the reason I’m a squeeing fan girl. I just can’t get enough of her books.

Cry Wolf is set in the world of the Mercy Thompson series, where werewolves and fey and vampires are our next door neighbors, even if their existence is partially hidden from humans. Werewolf culture is center stage. While Mercy is an outsider (as a walker), Anna and Charles are both werewolves, allowing the reader greater access to the mysterious world ruled by the Marrok and the intricate pack politics. Bran, the Marrok, is a much larger character in this series, which I loved.

Anna was changed into a werewolf against her will three years ago by a Chicago Alpha bent on saving his psychotic mate. She was emotionally and physically abused in order to keep her under his thumb. She is a rare Omega, one who can bring peace and calm to the pack. Charles, the Marrok’s son, is an even rarer comodity: a natural born werewolf. He uses magic inherited from his Indian mother and his natural dominance to act as his father’s hitman. When he travels to Chicago to investigate the bad Alpha and met Anna, his wolf immediately recognized her as his mate. Cry Wolf begins immediately after the events of “Alpha and Omega.” Bran is transporting an injured Charles and his terrified PTSD mate back to headquarters in Montana. In Montana a rogue wolf is on the loose, killing hikers and bringing the authorities down on the pack. Charles and Anna brave the frozen wilderness to hunt down the killer. They must learn to trust each other, and themselves, to overcome the black magic that threatens their world.

Charles and Anna’s relationship is an unfolding story of healing and trust. Usually in werewolves, the humans will bond first and their inner-wolves will follow later. But for Anna and Charles, their wolves bonded first, and their humans have a harder time. Ms. Briggs treats Anna’s history of sexual abuse with the serious psychologic consequences it deserves. She is not “cured” through great sex or a moment of intuition, thank goodness. Her growth is natural, her struggles real. Anna’s character arc is truly beautiful to behold. Charles is a wonderful hero, patient, protective, sexy. Watching the two of them bloom is a treasure.

Action, action, action for you Urban Fantasy fans. Violence, death. Whatnot. My favorite part was following Anna’s healing process and her growing self awareness. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

PS: Thank you Book Smugglers!!!