This 'n That: Karen Marie Moning's Fever Series Continues, Hurricane Irene & Reading

Today, Karen Marie Moning posted details about the continuation of her Fever series in her Facebook page. This is what she had to say:

"I'm currently working on a trilogy that features Dani, Christian MacKeltar, Ryodan, and the mysterious 'Dancer,' set primarily in Fever-Dublin. Each installment in the trilogy is a stand-alone mystery, however there are larger plot arcs unfolding in the background. Where Mac was introspective and her story could feel somewhat esoteric, Dani is down and dirty in the streets. Lots of details, lots of action. There’s a different feel to the two series, totally different vantage points. I’m having a blast writing it.

For those of you who have been worrying—the trilogy is not YA. If I had to categorize it, I would say it straddles the line between YA and adult uneasily. I don’t pull any punches. It may be controversial in some ways. But whose teen years weren’t? LOL! Many of the questions I left unanswered in the FEVER series are addressed in this new series.

Exciting news: I’ve agreed to write two more books after that. Once the new trilogy is complete, I’m returning to the core story begun in the FEVER series, and will resume writing about Mac, Barrons, V’lane, Cruce, the Unseelie king, the concubine, the Song of Making.

All in all, there are five more books coming about the Fever World!"

So for those of you who wondered and can't wait to continue reading this series, there's the answer to your question. There's more "fever" coming your way. You can read the whole post here. Please note that the "bold" lettering is mine.

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In other news, after a rocky start to the week with an earthquake that shook our area, we are now getting ready for hurricane Irene! Everyone is preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. I was actually let out from work early today, even though the sun is shining, because traffic is unbearable and preparations need to be made with time.

I'm making sure that there are plenty of batteries for my flashlights so I can read during the evening if the power fails. Stay safe people!!! Wish us luck!

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And talking about reading, I've had a terrible reading month so far! I was away from home for over a week taking care of family responsibilities/emergencies plus an unexpected heavy workload for a summer month, and didn't have time to read at all during that time. I managed to post a few reviews that were already on draft, but I'm behind on those for the month, although I hope to catch up by next week. I'm forever hopeful!!

I am reading and have read a few westerns lately, a speculative fiction anthology and a historical romance novella that I really enjoyed.

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Oh, and as an aside [nothing to do with reading], I watched that historical baseball game where the Yanks hit three, count them, THREE grand slams in one game -- Canoe, Martin and Granderson. What a feat! They won the game 22-9 against the Oakland A's.
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That's it for my news. Are you looking forward to reading the rest of the Fever Series? How's your reading going this month? Do you like reading speculative fiction? Do you really care that the Yanks hit THREE grand slams in one game? LOL!!!

August 2010 Reads

August was an average reading month for me -- although I couple of great books there were no big surprises and no deep disappointments. That's good, right?

But wait, that's not quite right! I would like to highlight one short story I thought was excellent -- Here There Be Monsters by Meljean Brook included in the Burning Up Anthology: Grade A-.  That story certainly stands out and now I'm really looking forward to reading The Iron Duke and the whole series. :)

As for the rest of my reads, here's the summary for August:

Total books read: 16
New Reads: 14
Re-reads: 2

Favorite new reads this month:

• A Not So Perfect Past by Beth Andrews: B+
• Pumpkin Teeth by Tom Cardamone: B+

I loved Cardamone's story "River Boy" in Labonte's Country Boys: Wild Gay Erotica Anthology when I first read it last year, and both the story and characters  (River Boy and Skink) stayed with me. I've been looking for something by this author and was happy when I found Pumpkin Teeth, a collection of his short stories. I was not disappointed.  

Cardamone's writing style is creative and the stories and characters are quite unusual. There's horror and fantasy with the exploration of sexuality as its core, "Tank" & "Suitcase Sam" are already favorites. He finishes some stories and leaves others with ambiguous endings that left this reader thinking and wondering more than once -- I'll definitely be re-reading some of them. Other stories stayed with me for their shocking and nightmarish qualities. I'm not into horror and this collection kept me riveted, that says a lot in my book. Category: LGBTQI Horror Released: October 23, 2009 by Lethe Press Books 

Burning Up by Susan Andersen (Upcoming Review)
One Season of Sunshine by Julia London: B
Not Without Her Family by Beth Andrews: C+
His Secret Agenda by Beth Andrews: C
The Down Home Zombie Blues by Linnea Sinclair: B
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan (Upcoming Buddy Review)
Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley: C
New Normal by Jeffrey Ricker: B
Burning Up Angela Knight, Nalini Singh, Virginia Kantra, Meljean Brook: B
Love Me If You Dare by Carly Phillips (Upcoming Review)
Corralled by Lorelei James: B-
Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole: B-
Rising Tides (Quinn Brothers Trilogy, #2) by Nora Roberts (Re-read): B+
Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas (Re-read): A

What about you? Did you have a favorite book, a big surprise or disappointment in August?

New August 2010 Releases I Can't Wait to Read!

Well, this has been one hot summer, the temperatures have been scorching and the hot new releases just keep coming. In July, I chose six new releases I couldn't wait to read and thankfully most of them were great reads! I did miss highlighting two must reads for me last month, Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley and A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James, both historical romances.

In August, there are six new releases I'm looking forward to reading. I've already read and enjoyed one of them, Sureblood by Susan Grant, a sci-fi romance, so that leaves five. Here are the summaries and release dates for all of them:

Sureblood by Susan Grant
Release Date: August 1, 2010
 (Review here)

Five years ago rival space pirate captains Val Blue and Dake Sureblood stole one incredible night together. But their brief, passionate history ended with the assassination of Val's father and the condemnation of Dake's clan. Now Val struggles to prove her mettle—to herself and to the dissenters amid her own people. Every successful raid is a boot heel ground into the burning memory of Dake Sureblood—and their secret son is a constant reminder of their shared past….

Ambushed and captured before he can clear his name, Dake Sureblood returns from a hell like no other to expose the true killer of Val's father. But as the identity of their enemy becomes chillingly clear, the former lovers must put aside their mistrust and join forces to protect their clans and their precious son.

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Burning Up Anthology
Release Date: August 3, 2010

Bring these four authors together and it's sure to ignite a spark...

Angela Knight pairs a vampire warrior and his seductive captor in a battle against demonic predators.

Nalini Singh returns to the world of her Psy-Changeling series as a woman in lethal danger finds an unlikely protector-and lover.

Virginia Kantra continues the haunting tales of the Children of the Sea in her story of a wounded soldier rescued by an enigmatic young woman.

Meljean Brook launches a bold new steampunk series about a woman who strikes a provocative-and terrifying-bargain for freedom.

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Lord of the White Hell by Ginn Hale
Release Date: August 15, 2010

Kiram Kir-Zaki may be considered a mechanist prodigy among his own people, but when he becomes the first Haldiim ever admitted to the prestigious Sagrada Academy, he is thrown into a world where power, superstition and swordplay outweigh even the most scholarly of achievements.

But when the intimidation from his Cadeleonian classmates turns bloody, Kiram unexpectedly finds himself befriended by Javier Tornesal, the leader of a group of cardsharps, duelists and lotharios who call themselves Hellions.

However Javier is a dangerous friend to have. Wielder of the White Hell and sole heir of a Dukedom, he is surrounded by rumors of forbidden seductions, murder and damnation. His enemies are many and any one of his secrets could not only end his life but Kiram's as well.

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Demon from the Dark (Immortals After Dark Series,#8)by Kresley Cole
Release Date: August 24, 2010

A DANGEROUS DEMON SHE CAN’T RESIST . . .
Malkom Slaine: tormented by his sordid past and racked by vampiric hungers, he’s pushed to the brink by the green-eyed beauty under his guard.

A MADDENING WITCH HE ACHES TO CLAIM . . .
Carrow Graie: hiding her own sorrows, she lives only for the next party or prank. Until she meets a tortured warrior worth saving.

TRAPPED TOGETHER IN A SAVAGE PRISON . . .
In order for Malkom and Carrow to survive, he must unleash both the demon and vampire inside him. When Malkom becomes the nightmare his own people feared, will he lose the woman he craves body and soul?

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Sin Undone (Demonica Series, #5) by Larissa Ione
Release Date: August 24, 2010

HER TOUCH IS DEADLY
As the only female Seminus demon ever born, master assassin Sinead Donnelly is used to being treated like an outcast. She spent decades enslaved, and now vows she'll die before she'll relinquish her freedom again. Then Sin's innate ability to kill her enemies goes awry: She creates a lethal new werewolf virus that sparks a firestorm of panic and violence.

HIS HUNGER CAN'T BE DENIED
Half-werewolf, half-vampire Conall Dearghul is charged with bringing in Sin to face punishment for the plague. And she's no stranger: He's bound to her by blood, and the one sexual encounter they shared has left him hungering for her raw sensuality. Worse, Sin is the underworld's most wanted and Con soon learns he's the only one who can help her . . . and that saving her life might mean sacrificing his own.

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Burning Up by Susan Andersen
Release Date: August 31, 2010

Though it's been years since the infamous Macy O'James stepped foot in Sugarville, Washington, everyone remembers what she supposedly did. The tiny town is still buzzing about her crime and lack of punishment.

Now back to lend her family a hand, Macy vows to hold her head high—especially at her high school reunion. But forget about the hottest man in Sugarville escorting her. Though she and fire chief Gabriel Donovan generate enough sparks to burn down the town, he's a law-abiding, line-toeing straight arrow. So not her type.

But maybe—just maybe—he can change her mind about that.

Summer 2009 Reads: July and August

My summer reading was not quite what I expected this year... I basically concentrated on finishing my reading for the M/M Reading Challenge in the month of July. As you'll see by my lists, I was also able to fit in some new releases, but not much else -- there were too many outside interruptions this summer for me. I'm hoping that September will bring a return to my usual reading and writing schedule.

July

1) Hidden Currents by Christine Feehan - D

2) What Happened in London by Julia Quinn - B+

3) Don't Tempt Me by Loretta Chase - B+

4) A Hint of Wicked by Jennifer Haymore - B-

5) The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan - A

6) Black Hills by Nora Roberts - B

7) Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh - A

8) Boarding Action by Angela Benedetti (Walk the Plank Anthology M/M) - B

9) Islands by Samantha Kane (M/M) - A

10) ePistols at Dawn by Z.A. Maxfield (M/M) - A

11) Out of Bounds by T.A. Chase (M/M) - B+

12) Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale (M/M)- A+

13) The Edge of Impropriety by Pam Rosenthal - A-

14) No Limits by Alison Kent - C

August

1) The Rancher's Rules by Lucy Monroe - B

2) Head Over Heels by Susan Andersen - Upcoming Review

3) Nightlife by Rob Thurman - B+

4) A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James - Upcoming Review

5) Moonshine by Rob Thurman- Upcoming Review

6) Dancing in the Moonlight by Raeanne Thayne - A-

7) Madhouse by Rob Thurman - Upcoming Review

8) Natural Disaster by Chris Owen (M/M) - B+

9) Shelter from the Storm by Raeanne Thayne - B

10) Slave to Shadow by Gavin Atlas (M/M) - B

11) Shy Hunger by Ginn Hale (M/M) - B

12) The Cowboy's Christmas Miracle by Raeanne Thayne - B-