Some Thursday Randomness

Haven't done one of these in awhile. It has been crazy around here with the end of summer vacation, getting ready for middle school and whatever else decides to creep up on us.

Shannara Chronicles on MTV: I haven't read any of these books so not sure what the characters are supposed to look like. MTV shared a post (here) sharing the official character portraits. Some don't look like they belong in a fantasy show to me but again I don't know (Wil Ohmsford (Austin Butler) looks like Jace from Cassandra Clare's series.). Here is my one of my favorites:

Commander Tilton

I know many did not enjoy the first Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp but I did. The first posters for Alice Through the Looking Glass make me want to see this movie next year.

Music
I haven't liked all her songs but I've been a fan of Carrie Underwood's voice since she was on American Idol. I've had many days this past year where I've looked at the hubby and said "this is one of those days I wish I drank", this song sums that feeling up.

New Releases ~ week of 08/24/2015

On The Hunt by various (anthology)

A Ghostly Demise by Tonya Kappes (#3 Ghostly Southern Mystery)
Taste of Sugar by Marina Adair (#3 Sugar, Georgia)
An Indecent Invitation by Laura Trentham (#1 Spies and Lovers)
Another Day by David Levithan (#3 Every Day)
Bounce by Noelle August (#2 Boomerang)
Breakout by Ann Aguirre (#3 Dred Chronicles)
Cage of Deceit by Jennifer Anne Davis (#1 Reign of Secrets)
Cancans, Croissants, and Caskets by Mary McHugh (#3 Happy Hoofers Mystery)
Candy Corn Murder by Leslie Meier (#23 Lucy Stone Mysteries)
Cat in a Zebra Zoot Suit by Carole Nelson Douglas (#27 Midnight Louie)
Claiming His Cowgirl by Lori King (#3 Crawley Creek)
Cold Hearts by Sharon Sala (#2 Secrets and Lies)

Dragon King by Donna Grant (#6.5 Dark Kings)
Eden by Candice Fox (#2 Archer and Bennett series)
Even Vampires Get the Blues by Sandra Hill (#6 Deadly Angels)
Ever After by Rachel Lacey (#3 Love to the Rescue)
Fall for Him by J.C. Valentine (#3 Forbidden Trilogy)
Find Me by Laurelin Paige (#6 Fixed)
Forces From Beyond by Simon R Green (#6 Ghostfinders)
Game on by Calvin Slater (#3 Coleman High)
Gone but Knot Forgotten by Mary Marks (#3 Quilting Mysteries)
Guerilla by Mel Odom (#2 Makaum War)
Heat Exchange by Shannon Stacey (#1 Boston Fire)
Her Lucky Cowboy by Jennifer Ryan (#3 Montana Men)
Illusive by Nina Levine (#6 Sydney Storm MC)

Insidious by Dawn Metcalf (#3 Twixt)
Internship In Murder by Donald Bain (#28 Capital Crimes)
It's a Wonderful Wife by Janet Chapman (#3 The Sinclair Brothers)
Just a Little Kiss by Renita Pizzitola (#3 A Crush)
Keeper's Reach by Carla Neggers (#5 Sharpe & Donovan)
Koko The Mighty by Kieran Shea (#2 EBK)
Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray (#2 Diviners)
Lies Ripped Open by Steve McHugh (#5 Hellequin Chronicles)
Luck Be a Lady by Meredith Duran (#4 Rules for the Reckless)
My Savior by Alanea Alder (#4 Bewitched & Bewildered)
Nightwalker by Jacquelyn Frank (#5 The World of the Nightwalkers)
Not Always a Saint by Mary Jo Putney (#7 Lost Lords)
Paradise Road by C. J. Duggan (#2 Paradise)

Passing His Guard by Melynda Price (#2 Against the Cage)
Released by Shay Savage (#3 Caged)
Running Wild by Susan Andersen (#4 Sisterhood Diaries)
Scotsman of My Dreams by Karen Ranney (#2 MacIain)
Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore (#2 Grim Reaper)
Shadows Strike by Dianne Duvall (#6 Immortal Guardians)
Some Kind of Wonderful by Sarah Morgan (#2 Puffin Island)
Starlight on Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs (#11 Lakeshore Chronicles)
Storm Surrender by Magda Alexander (#5 Storm Damages)
Sustained by Emma Chase (#2 Legal Briefs)
Take A Chance by Micalea Smeltzer (#4 Willow Creek)
Kill or Die by William W Johnstone, J A Johnstone (#3 Flintlock)
The Drowned Boy by Karin Fossum (#11 Inspector Sejer)
The Golden Vendetta by Tony Abbott (#3 Copernicus Legacy)
The Last Time I Saw Her by Karen Robards (#4 Dr. Charlotte Stone)
The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny (#11 Chief Inspector Armand Gamache)
The Prince and I by Karen Hawkins (#2 Oxenburg Princes)
The Veil by Megan Chance (#3 Fianna Trilogy)
Threads of Evidence by Lea Wait (#2 A Mainely Needlepoint Mystery)
Time Patrol by Bob Mayer (#4 Area 51)
To Desire a Highlander by Sue-Ellen Welfonder (#2 Scandalous Scots)
Tough Love by Lori Foster (#3 Ultimate)
Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines (#1 Field Party)
Vampire in Crisis by Dale Mayer (#8 Family Blood Ties)
What to Do with a Duke by Sally MacKenzie (#1 The Spinster House series)
When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare (#3 Castles Ever After)
Wildest Dreams by Robyn Carr (#9 Thunder Point)
X  by Sue Grafton (#24 Alphabet Mysteries)
You're the Earl That I Want by Kelly Bowen (#3 Lords of Worth)

New Releases ~ week of 08/17/2015

#Poser by Cambria Hebert (#5 Hashtag)

A Pattern of Lies by Charles Todd (#7 Bess Crawford Mystery)
A Sweet Possibility by Natalie Charles (#2 Archer Cove)
A Warrior Wedding by Teresa Gabelman (#7 The Protectors)
Lost Souls by Seth Patrick (#2 Reviver trilogy)
Agent to the Rescue by Lisa Childs (#3 Special Agents at the Altar)
An Alpha's Choice by Carrie Ann Ryan (#10 Redwood Pack #2 Talon Pack)
Be My Valentino by Sandra D Bricker (#2 Jessie Stanton)
Bitter of Tongue by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brenna (#7 Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy)
Born to Be Wild by Matt London (#3 The 8th Continent)
Broken Hearts by Sam Crescent (#7 Chaos Bleeds MC)

Court of Fives by Kate Elliott (#1 Court of Fives)
Damage Report by Mandy M Roth (#2 Immortal Outcasts)
Deceptions by Kelley Armstrong (#3 Cainsville)
Deep Night by Kathy Clark (#3 Denver Heroes)
Forsaken by Lisa Renee Jones (#3 The Secret Life of Amy Bensen)
Getting Wilde by Jenn Stark (#1 Immortal Vegas)
Here Comes Trouble by Anna J. Stewart (#2 Tremayne Family Romance)
Insatiable by Leslie Kelly (#5 Unrated!)
Killer Run by Lynn Cahoon (#5 A Tourist Trap Mystery)
Laid Out by Sidney Halston (#4 Worth the Fight)
Last Words by Michael Koryta (#1 Markus Novak)
Love After Dark by Marie Force (#13 The McCarthys of Gansett Island)

Never Say Never by Nicole Edwards (#2 Sniper 1 Security)
Night of the Cobra by Jack Coughlin (#8 Sniper)
Noir by Jacqueline Garlick (#2 The Illumination Paradox)
Scandal Never Sleeps by Shayla Black, Lexi Blake (#1 The Perfect Gentlemen)
Sinful by Lexi Buchanan (#5 Bad Boy Rockers)
Suspicions by Cynthia Eden (#3 Battling McGuire Boys)
Tangling with the Tiger by Vivi Andrews (#5 Lone Pine Pride)
The Bachelor Takes a Bride by Brenda Harlen (#8 Those Engaging Garretts!)
The Banished of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler (#1 Covenant of Muirwood)
The Reckoning by Carsten Stroud (#3 Niceville)
Two Minutes by Dannika Dark (#6 Seven)
Vagrant by Gemma James (#4 Condemned)

Book Review (Arc) ~ Warren the 13th and The All Seeing Eye

Warren the 13th and The All Seeing Eye

by Tania del Rio
Illustrated by Will Staehle
published by Quirk Books
expected release date: November 24, 2015
genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Mystery,

**received from publisher/netgalley in exchange for honest review.

Summary (Goodreads): Meet Warren the 13th, a cursed 12-year-old Victorian bellhop who’s terribly unlucky . . . yet perpetually optimistic, hard-working, and curious. Orphan Warren’s pride and joy is his family’s hotel, but he’s been miserable ever since his evil Aunt Anaconda took over the management. Anaconda believes a mysterious treasure known as the All-Seeing Eye is hidden somewhere on the grounds, and she’ll do anything to find it. If Warren wants to preserve his family’s legacy, he’ll need to find the treasure first—if the hotel’s many strange and wacky guests don’t beat him to it! This middle-grade adventure features gorgeous two-color illustrations on every page and a lavish two-column Victorian design that will pull young readers into a spooky and delightful mystery.

My Thoughts: I wanted to read this for two reasons. The first cover (here) caught my attention when I was scrolling through netgalley. The final cover and illustrations the author posted made me want it even more. The second reason is my son. He is not a fan of fiction books, reads mostly non-fiction, and I am always looking for stuff for him to read that will make his teachers happy. This is one I will be getting for him when it comes out.
Warren comes from a long line of Warrens, all eventually become owners/managers of the hotel. Unfortunately, our Warren receives the hotel before he is old enough to run it, leaving him and it in the care of his aunt and uncle. The uncle is lazy and spends all his time eating and sleeping and the aunt is evil, always coming up with new ways to torture/discipline Warren.
Anaconda fills the classic villain role well. She is evil, greedy, and will do anything to get what she wants. Power, power and more power. With the help of her sisters (and several others) they manage to tear apart the hotel looking for the Eye, all under the nose of the oblivious uncle.
There were many twists and turn along with all of Warrens ups and downs throughout the book. Warren, while not your typical leading character, is still great and you cannot help but root for him. There are many surprises and great side characters, meaning there is something for everyone.
As I said, I'll definitely be getting this for my son and personally, I'm most looking forward to seeing the final illustrations.

Rating: 4

Some Thursday Randomness

Doctor Who

Amazon is offering the Doctor Who: Free Comic Book Day comic for the kindle here










I want to be looking forward to season 9 of Doctor Who but I'm being cautious. I like Capaldi but did not enjoy season 8. I don't really like Clara and she was way too important last season.


Kitchen Randomness
I like finding unusual things for the kitchen. Funko posted a blog showing some new mugs and salt/pepper shakers that they will be releasing in October.

ART
Some more artwork from Cryptid-Creations who does daily paintings on deviantart.

InsideOut (FA)

Shrak (FA)

Baby Reaper

New Releases ~ week of 08/10/2015

A Castle For Dragons by Julie Wetzel (#0.5 The Dragons of Eternity)

Becoming Ellen by Shari Shattuck (#2 Ellen)
Better When He's Brave by Jay Crownover (#3 Welcome to the Point)
Between the Living and the Dead by Bill Crider (#22 Dan Rhodes)
Brown-Eyed Girl by Lisa Kleypas (#4 Travis)
Chasing the Phoenix by Michael Swanwick (#2 Darger and Surplus)
Consumed by You by Lauren Blakely (#3 Fighting Fire)
Contract to Kill by Andrew Peterson (#5 Nathan McBride)
Dead Soon Enough by Steph Cha (#3 Juniper Song Mystery)
Devil's Bridge by Linda Fairstein (#17 Alex Cooper)
Fearless by Elliott James (#3 Pax Arcana)
Fool's Quest by Robin Hobb (#15 Realms of the Elderlings)
Fourth Debt by Pepper Winters (#5 Indebted)

Gargoyle Hall by Angie Sage (#6 Araminta Spookie)
Gustav Gloom and the Inn of Shadows by Adam-Troy Castro (#5 Gustav Gloom)
Hard to Fight by Bella Jewel (#1 Hard to)
Jubilee Manor by Bethany Hagen (#2 Landry Park)
Keep Me by Kathy Coopmans (#3 Shelter Me)
Long Upon the Land by Margaret Maron (#20 Judge Deborah Knott)
Make Me by Tessa Bailey (#4 Broke and Beautiful)
Pretending She's Mine by Stacey Mosteller (#5 Nashville Nights)
Rage/Killian by Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright (#15-16 Bayou Heat)
Reawakened by Colleen Houck (#1 Reawakened)
The Escort by Laura Marie Altom (#3 Shamed)

Reflections by Seanan McGuire (#2 Indexing)
Silver Linings by Debbie Macomber (#4 Rose Harbor Inn)
Sin and Swoon by Tara Brown (#2 Blood & Bone)
Souls Unfractured by Tillie Cole (#3 Hades Hangmen)
The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu (#2 Three-Body Trilogy)
The End of All Things by John Scalzi (#6 Old Man's War)
The Healer by Virginia Boecker (#1.5 The Witch Hunter)
The Left-Hand Way by Tom Doyle (#2 American Craft Series)
The Lightning Stones by Jack du Brul (#8 Philip Mercer)
The Patriarch by Martin Walker (#10 Bruno, Chief of Police)
The Verdict on Each Man Dead by David Whellams (#3 Peter Cammon Mystery)
Tracker's End by Chantal Fernando (#3 Wind Dragons MC)
Valley of Kings by Michael Northrop (#3 TombQuest)

New Releases ~ week of 08/03/2015

A Chorus of Innocents by P F Chisholm (#7 Sir Robert Carey)

A Dish Best Served Cold by Rosie Genova (#3 Italian Kitchen Mystery)
A Gilded Grave by Shelley Freydont (#1 Newport Gilded Age)
Alec's Royal Assignment by Amelia Autin (#3 Man on a Mission)
All Wound Up by Jaci Burton (#10 Play By Play)
As Black as Ebony by Salla Simukka (#3 The Snow White Trilogy)
Berried Secrets by Peg Cochran (#1 Cranberry Cove Mystery)
Best Laid Plans by Allison Brennan (#9 Lucy Kincaid)
Better Homes and Corpses by Kathleen Bridge (#1 Hamptons Home & Garden Mystery)
Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Marty Wingate (#3 Potting Shed Mysteries)

Chase the Darkness by J D Tyler (#7 Alpha Pack)
Consumed by Cari Quinn, Taryn Elliott (#3.5 Lost in Oblivion)
Crossways by Jacey Bedford (#2  Psi-Tech)
Crushed Velvet by Diane Vallere (#2 Material Witness Mystery)
Crystal Kingdom by Amanda Hocking (#3 Kanin Chronicles)
Dante's Dilemma by Lynne Raimondo (#3 Mark Angelotti)
Dare to Rock by Carly Phillips (#7 Dare to Love)
Dare You Forever by Allie Juliette Mousseau (#2.5 Brothers of Ink & Steel)
Dark Ascension by M. L. Brennan (#4 Generation V)
Dawnbreaker by Jay Posey (#3 Duskwalker Cycle)
Deadly Assets by W. E. B. Griffin, William E Butterworth IV (#12 Badge of Honor)

Dragonbane by Sherrilyn Kenyon (#26 Dark Hunters)
Dream a Little Scream by Mary Kennedy (#2 Dream Club Mystery)
Edge of Darkness by Christine Feehan, Maggie Shayne, Lori Herter
Emily Windsnap & the Ship of Lost Souls by Liz Kessler (#6 Emily Windsnap)
Evil Never Dies by T. R. Ragan (#6 Lizzy Gardner)
Falling Under by Lauren Dane (#2 Ink & Chrome)
Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (#1 Broken Earth)
Fudging the Books by Daryl Wood Gerber (#4 Cookbook Nook Mystery)
Gold Shimmer by P. T. Michelle (#4 In the Shadows)
His Father's Eyes by David B. Coe (#2 Case Files of Justis Fearsson)
Hunt for the Pyxis by Zoe Ferraris (#1 Galaxy Pirates)

If Onions Could Spring Leeks by Paige Shelton (#5 Country Cooking School Mystery)
Indulge by E B Walters (#2 Infinitus Billionaire)
Justice for Mackenzie by Susan Stoker (#1 Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes)
Kick, Push. by Jay McLean (#2 Road)
Kitty Saves the World by Carrie Vaughn (#14 Kitty Norville)
Loom and Doom by Carol Ann Martin (#4 A Weaving Mystery)
Lord of the Wings by Donna Andrews (#19 Meg Langslow)
Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews (#8 Kate Daniels)
Malice at the Palace by Rhys Bowen (#9 Royal Spyness)
Master No by Lexi Blake (#9 Masters and Mercenaries)

Most Likely to Succeed by Jennifer Echols (#3 Superlatives)
Murder in the Paperback Parlor by Ellery Adams (#2 Book Retreat Mystery)
Of Dreams and Rust by Sarah Fine (#2 Of Metal and Wishes)
Plum Upside Down by Valerie Comer (#5 A Fresh Farm Romance)
Protocol Zero by James Abel (#2 Joe Rush)
Public Enemies by Ann Aguirre (#2 Immortal Game)
Revenge of the Chili Queens by Kylie Logan (#3 Chili Cook-Off)
Right Wrong Guy by Lia Riley (#2 Brightwater)
Rough Edges by Shannon K Butcher (#5 Edge)
Shadows of Sherwood by Kekla Magoon (#1 Robyn Hoodlum)
Smoke on the Water by Lori Handeland (#3 Sisters of The Craft)
The Bangkok Asset by John Burdett (#6 Sonchai Jitpleecheep)
The Cat, the Sneak and the Secret by Leann Sweeney (#7 Cats in Trouble Mysteries)
The Earl Claims a Bride by Amelia Grey (#2 The Heirs' Club of Scoundrels Trilogy)
The Girl at the Center of the World by Austin Aslan (#2 Islands at the End of the World)
The Lure of the Moonflower by Lauren Willig (#12 Pink Carnation)
The Mountain by David Lynn Golemon (#10 Event Group Adventure)
The Nightmare Charade by Mindee Arnett (#3 The Arkwell Academy)
The Potter's Lady by Judith Miller (#2 Refined by Love)
The Princess and the Player by Kat Cantrell (#4 Dynasties : The Montoros)
The Promise of Home by Darcie Chan (#3 Mill River)
The Sword of the South by David Weber (#5 War God)
The Twice and Future Caesar by R. M. Meluch (#6 Tour of the Merrimack)
The Veil by Chloe Neill (#1 Devil's Isle)
The Widows Choice by Hildie McQueen (#1 Brides of Coler Valley)
Trapped by Shay Savage (#2 Caged)
Tremaine's True Love by Grace Burrowes (#1 True Gentlemen)
Trial Run by Thomas Locke (#1 Fault Lines)
Twilight Vendetta by Maggie Shayne (#2 Wings in the Night: Reborn)
Undying Hope by Emma Weylin (#1 Undying Chronicles)
Vampire Attack by Eleanor Hawken (#5 Sammy Feral's Diaries of Weird)
Veiled by Benedict Jacka (#6 Alex Verus)
While You Were Gone by Amy K. Nichols (#2 Duplexity)
Wolf Trouble by Paige Tyler (#2 SWAT)

Book Review (e-Arc) ~ The Veil

The Veil (Devil's Isle)

by Chloe Neill
published by Berkley NAL
expected release date: August 4, 2015
genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal

**received e-galley from publisher and netGalley in exchange for honest review.

Summary (Goodreads): Seven years ago, the Veil that separates humanity from what lies beyond was torn apart, and New Orleans was engulfed in a supernatural war. Now, those with paranormal powers have been confined in a walled community that humans call the District. Those who live there call it Devil's Isle.

Claire Connolly is a good girl with a dangerous secret: she’s a Sensitive, a human endowed with magic that seeped through the Veil. Claire knows that revealing her skills would mean being confined to Devil’s Isle. Unfortunately, hiding her power has left her untrained and unfocused.

Liam Quinn knows from experience that magic makes monsters of the weak, and he has no time for a Sensitive with no control of her own strength. But when he sees Claire using her powers to save a human under attack—in full view of the French Quarter—Liam decides to bring her to Devil’s Isle and the teacher she needs, even though getting her out of his way isn’t the same as keeping her out of his head.

But when the Veil threatens to shatter completely, Claire and Liam must work together to stop it, or else New Orleans will burn…

My Thoughts: I always keep my expectations low when going into a new series from the UF/PNR genres. It helps to cut down on any disappointment. Fortunately, this book worked for me. While there were some things that didn't quite make sense, overall, this is a series that I'll look forward to the next book coming out.
This book was more story driven than character driven for me. The author made New Orleans recognizable while also making it a dystopian landscape. Like finding out how NOLA and it's people managed to survive and rebuild and go forward after the war with the paras. I look forward to finding out more about the those living and working in Devil's Isle. At times they were more interesting than the main group of characters.
While I liked Claire and Liam,  if they are the sole focus of this series, I can see myself losing interest. Having Claire become so proficient in her powers so quickly and in the save the day moment was less believable than anything. I had seen mention of it around and had to agree, she should not have been able to solve the veil problem all on her own at this point in her life.
There is some romantic feelings between Claire and Liam but it was kind of light. It has possibilities going forward but like I said above I will enjoy this series more if there are other characters taking the lead than just these two.
Even with the current veil problem being resolved there are enough questions/mysteries to keep me interested in future books.

Rating: 4