This is Your Song #4

Posted by Lizzy on Apr 6, 2013 in this is your song | 0 comments

Welcome to This is YOUR song

a brand new book meme hosted by Lizzy’s Dark Fiction.

Meme name is inspired by the Elton John song.  Here, I find that perfect song to fit some of the most popular books. I’ll pick 5 books from different genres or age groups and match them with the song that I think describes the book the best.  

1.)  In the erotic category, we have Dead Again by Lisa Andel.  

Werepanthers, dragons, and demon sorcerers. What’s a normal red-blooded woman to do? Have sex with them, of course. Even though Lisa is mostly human, her life is anything but normal. Spending more time with the supernatural side of society than with humans might account for that. Then again, it might have to do with all the people who want to kill her for sport, since she doesn’t stay dead. Whatever the reason, she’s come to the painful realization that something important is missing from her life. Sex. And if she doesn’t get some soon, she might just lose her mind. Her best friend Ashur decides to help her out. He starts the ball rolling by introducing her to a werepanther who’s known to have a way with women. The shifter is so good that he leaves Lisa craving more. Wherever she can find it. With whoever she desires. Though she’s no longer in danger of going insane, her life becomes stranger yet, as she acquires and loses lovers, and lives and dies . and lives. Where will it all end? Only God knows. And he’s not talking.

Song Match:  Promiscuous by Nelly Furtado

Lyrics:  Promiscuous girl, you’re teasing me  /  You know what I want and I got what you need  / Promiscuous boy, let’s get to the point  /  ’Cause we’re on a roll, are you ready?

Reason:  Because this book is all about hooking up and getting it on.  Seriously.  Dead Again has less of a plot than 50 Shades of Grey.

2)  In the horror category, we have Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

Here are the confessions of a vampire. Hypnotic, shocking, and chillingly erotic, this is a novel of mesmerizing beauty and astonishing force—a story of danger and flight, of love and loss, of suspense and resolution, and of the extraordinary power of the senses. It is a novel only Anne Rice could write.

Song Match:  Monster by Skillet

Lyrics:  I feel it deep within, it’s just beneath the skin / I must confess that I feel like a monster  /  I hate what I’ve become, the nightmare’s just begun  /  I must confess that I feel like a monster

Reason:  Louis never asked to become a vampire.  The thirst he has for human blood repulses him, yet he can’t deny the monster within himself for long.

 

3)  In the paranormal category, we have Alexander Death (Jenny Pox #3) by J. L. Bryan

While Seth searches for Jenny, Dr. Heather Reynard of the CDC unravels Seth and Jenny’s secrets.

Alexander opens Jenny’s mind to her deep past, and to the full horrific extent of her powers.

Torn between her feelings for Alexander and Seth, and between her past lives and her present, Jenny must prepare to face her enemies, as well as the darkness within her…

Song Match:  Freak like me by Halestorm

Lyrics:  This is no disease, you don’t need a cure  /  It’s our time now to come out  /  If you’re a freak like me!

Reason:  Jenny Pox meets Alexander Death, who tells her to embrace who she is.  She doesn’t need to be ashamed of her power of the plague.  Alexander has an ugly power of his own and thus a freak like her.

 

 

4)  In the angel/demon category, we have Shimmer of Angels by Lisa M. Basso

Sixteen-year-old Rayna sees angels, and has the medication and weekly therapy sessions to prove it. Now, in remission, Rayna starts fresh at a new school, lands a new job, and desperately tries for normalcy. She ignores signs that she may be slipping into the world she has tried so hard to climb out of. But these days, it’s more than just hallucinations that keep Rayna up at night. Students are dying, and she may be the only one who can stop it. Can she keep her job, her sanity, and her friends from dying at the hands of angels she can’t admit to seeing?

Song Match:  Uninvited by Alantis Morissette

Lyrics:  You speak of my love like you have experienced love like mine before / But this is not allowed, you’re uninvited

Reason:  This is the theme song for City of Angels (love!), where an angel falls in love with a human.  In Shimmer of Angels, Rayna is able to see angels, but she has to hide this or risk a return trip to the mental institution.  And then one day she meets an angel at school.  She tries to ignore him and pretend like angels don’t exist.  Despite their obvious attraction, it is Cam that tells Rayna that he is unable to love her.  It’s forbidden to love a human.  It’s also unheard of that a human can see angels.

5)  In the zombie category, we have Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines

Stealth. Gorgon. Regenerator. Cerberus. Zzzap. The Mighty Dragon. They were heroes. Vigilantes. Crusaders for justice, using their superhuman abilites to make Los Angeles a better place. Then the plague of living death spread around the globe. Despite the best efforts of the superheroes, the police, and the military, the hungry corpses rose up and overwhelmed the country. The population was decimated, heroes fell, and the city of angels was left a desolate zombie wasteland like so many others. Now, a year later, the Mighty Dragon and his companions must overcome their differences and recover from their own scars to protect the thousands of survivors sheltered in their film studio-turned-fortress, the Mount. The heroes lead teams out to scavenge supplies, keep the peace within the walls of their home, and try to be the symbols the survivors so desperately need. For while the ex-humans walk the streets night and day, they are not the only threat left in the world, and the people of the Mount are not the only survivors left in Los Angeles. Across the city, another group has grown and gained power. And they are not heroes.

Song Match:  Bodies by Drowning Pool

Lyrics:  Let the bodies hit the floor / Let the bodies hit the floor / Let the bodies hit the floor / Let the bodies hit the floor!

Reason:  90% of the book is pure zombie (ex) killing…and that might be a low estimate.  

What songs would you pick with these books?

 

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Short Story Saturday #17 The Haunted Halls

Posted by Lizzy on Mar 29, 2013 in short story saturday | 0 comments

Short Story Saturday #17

Welcome to Short Story Saturday, where I find books 100 pages or less on Amazon that are both self-published/small press published and worth reading, which means you’ll only see mini-reviews of 3 stars and up on this feature! If you know of an awesome short story (can be your own), send me an email.  If I like it, then I’ll post it on Short Story Saturday.

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The Haunted Halls: Volume 1 by Glenn Rolfe

Genre:  Horror

Publisher:  Allen Agenda Publishing

Links:  Amazon  |  Goodreads  |  Jukepop Serials

Released January 27, 2013

Description:

What lies in wait at the Bruton Inn? Where did it come from? What does it want? People are checking in, but the little voices, the nightmares,the deep cold sinking into their marrow is changing them. What haunts these halls will alter those within its confines. Something big is unfolding, something dark- something evil. The haunted halls of the Bruton Inn welcome you. Checking in?

My thoughts:  I am completely shocked by this first installment by Glenn Rolfe.  This story captivated and chilled me from the first page.  I’m shocked as to how well the author drew me into each character’s story, made me care about each character, set up a pretty creepy scene, and then forced me to the next character.  There were so many characters and yet each one had an individual personality and story.  To successfully develop that many characters in such a limited word-space and still not ever info dump is an incredible display of writing talent.

I did think that the flashbacks were weaker than the present day story.  Considering how brief these flashbacks, I don’t think their faults can merit a deduction in the rating.  The horror did waver slightly by the end.  Horror is a hard sell, but I think that Glenn Rolfe has created the beginning of a fantastic serial series with this first short story.  At only 43 pages, it accomplishes more than I thought a short story could.  The ending isn’t exactly a cliffhanger, but it does make you want to start the next segment. (A)

The hand caressed his chin; fear commandeered his thoughts.  He began whimpering a preemptive cry, as he felt the hand begin pulling away from his face, the flesh of his stubble covered jawline ripping up and away with its cold dead touch.

 

The Haunted Halls: Volume I is currently only 99 cents on Amazon, but you can read the FULL story for free on Jukepop Serials.

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Series Overview: The Flesh Cartel by Rachel Haimowitz

Posted by Lizzy on Mar 23, 2013 in short story saturday | 0 comments

I’m doing this review a little differently, since I was given review copies of both the first and second installment.  Each one is less than a hundred pages but no less compelling to read than a full length novel.  If you’re able to handle the content, then this is a great short length series to read.  I would put up a warning label, but there’s too many warnings to list.  If you get offended by anything, chances are you will probably get offended by something in this series.

I received copies of both from the publisher/Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Flesh Cartel Series by Rachel Haimowitz

Genre: Erotic horror

Publisher:  Riptide

 

The Flesh Cartel #1: Capture

Links:  Goodreads  |  Riptide Publishing  |  Amazon

Released October 1st, 2012

In this first installment of the exciting new psychosexual thriller, The Flesh Cartel, orphaned brothers Mat and Dougie Carmichael are stolen in the night from their own home. Taken to a horrifying processing facility, they are assessed, microchipped, and subjected to unspeakable brutality—all in preparation for sale to the highest bidder.

In a world where every person has a price, the beautiful and subduable PhD student Dougie is highly prized. His brother, a rough-edged MMA fighter, is less desirable—and potentially too dangerous—but he still has his own appeal.

Abused and locked up under round the clock surveillance, with no idea where they are or even why they’ve been taken, escape seems impossible, which leaves staying together their only hope. And after being separated once by the foster system, they’ll do anything to keep it from happening again. Anything at all.

(Publisher’s note: This title contains material some may find objectionable or trigger-inducing, including explicit violence, non-consent, and forced incest.)

Please note that Amazon has removed this title from their site for “content violation.” It is still available at a number of other retailers and the publisher’s website.

available on Amazon as of 2/25/13

There have been very few books that are too hardcore for me to read.  The Flesh Cartel is right on that border.  There were sections of this book that I seriously considered to putting the book down because of how far it pushed my comfort zone.  This isn’t your typical BSDM novel of master and servant.  This is a story about two brothers abducted and forced into sexual slavery.  There are no limits to how gritty this novel gets.  The torture scenes are more degrading than my imagination thought possible.  If graphic scenes bother you, don’t read.  If m/m bothers you, don’t read.  If rape scenes bother you, don’t read.  If you can’t stomach incest, don’t read.  If none of that stuff bothers you, then prepare for a mental roller coaster as you read this book.  It’s the novel equivalent of the movie Cannibal Holocaust.  Apparently, Amazon removed it from their site for a while because of content issues and I can completely understand why.

This is part of a series and one I will most definitely be continuing.  A+

The Flesh Cartel #2:  Auction

Links:  Goodreads  |  Riptide Publishing  |  Amazon

Released November 5, 2012

In episode two of The Flesh Cartel, the dark purpose behind Mat and Dougie Carmichael’s abduction is revealed. Though Dougie is protected from the worst of the guards’ brutality, he’s disgusted to find himself halfway to broken—despairing of escape and terrified of pain. Mat holds onto hope despite repeated rapes and beatings, but threats toward his brother teach him well to lay aside his pride and pick his battles carefully.

Worn down by days of unrelenting fear and abuse, Mat and Dougie are packaged and marketed with the same ruthless efficiency as any consumer product: Dougie the prettyboy twink, Mat the rabid pit bull. They are led to the auction block as the showpiece of the house’s collection.

Mat would rather be beaten to death than play the role of obedient slave for sale, but Dougie, desperate not to be separated from his brother, strikes a deal with the pitiless Madame who runs the auction house and controls both their fates. It might just be enough to keep them together—slaves, but together—assuming Mat even wants to be after Dougie fulfills his end of his deal with the devil.

(Publisher’s note: This title contains material some may find objectionable or trigger-inducing, including explicit violence, non-consent, and forced incest.)

The second part of the series is basically about how far will you go to save the life of someone you love.  For Dougie and Mat, that limit is probably further than most of us.  I can’t imagine ever suffering through this with one of my siblings.  I think if my life ever got to this point, death might be a better option.  But, not these two.

The scenes are so vivid and heart-wrenching that it feels like I’m reading someone’s memoir and not a work of fiction. (A)

(Information borrowed from Goodreads.  No picture available.)

M/M erotic romance author, freelance writer and editor, sadist with a pesky conscience, shamelessly silly, proudly pervish. I’m a twitter addict (@rachelhaimowitz), and I blog every M/W/F at Fantasy Unbound. To learn all about my current and upcoming projects, please stop by my website. I love to hear from folks, so feel free to drop me a line anytime at metarachel (at) gmail (dot) com.

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Short Story Saturday #16 The Yellow Wall-Paper

Posted by Lizzy on Mar 9, 2013 in short story saturday | 2 comments

Short Story Saturday #16

The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

I decided to resurrect this meme, since I got a shiny new graphic for it.

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Welcome to Short Story Saturday, where I find books 100 pages or less on Amazon that are both self-published/small press published and worth reading, which means you’ll only see mini-reviews of 3 stars and up on this feature! If you know of an awesome short story (can be your own), send me an email.  If I like it, then I’ll post it on Short Story Saturday.

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The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Genre:  Horror Publisher:  It was originally published in 1892, so it is now public domain, I believe. Links:  Goodreads |  Amazon Description:

The Yellow Wall-Paper is written as the secret journal of a woman who, failing to relish the joys of marriage and motherhood, is sentenced to a country rest cure. Though she longs to write, her husband and doctor forbid it, prescribing instead complete passivity. In the involuntary confinement of her bedroom, the hero creates a reality of her own beyond the hypnotic pattern of the faded yellow wallpaper – a pattern that has come to symbolize her own imprisonment. Narrated with superb psychological and dramatic precision, The Yellow Wall-Paper stands out not only for the imaginative authenticity with which it depicts one woman’s descent into insanity, but also for the power of its testimony to the importance of freedom and self-empowerment for women.

My thoughts:  I came across this book in a discussion about female horror writers.  Since it was a free from Amazon (and still is!), I downloaded it, read it, and it managed to creep me out more in 40 pages than most books do in 300.  The Yellow Wallpaper is a psychological horror and it’s a little confusing at first, since it is written in first person.  As the narrator becomes more and more detached from normalcy, the book’s path becomes more clear, and the horror builds.

At night in any kind of light, in twilight, candle light, lamplight, and worst of all by moonlight, [the wallpaper] becomes bars!  The outside pattern I mean, and the woman behind it is as plain as can be.

Download a free copy on your kindle today!

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This is YOUR song #3 – book playlist

Posted by Lizzy on Mar 8, 2013 in meme | 4 comments

 

Welcome to This is YOUR song

a brand new book meme hosted by Lizzy’s Dark Fiction.

Meme name is inspired by the Elton John song.  Here, I find that perfect song to fit some of the most popular books. I’ll pick 5 books from different genres or age groups and match them with the song that I think describes the book the best.  

1)  Representing Paranormal Romance books, we have Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she’s returned–to her old life, her family, her boyfriend–before she’s banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance–and the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

As Nikki’s time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole’s queen.

Everneath is a captivating story of love, loss, and immortality from debut author Brodi Ashton.

Song Match:  I Will Wait For You by Mumford & Sons

Lyrics:  And I came home / Like a stone / And I fell heavy into your arms / These days of darkness / Which we’ve known / Will blow away with this new sun

Reason:  The only thing that gets Nikki through the underworld is the face of her beloved.  When they finally reunite, it’s like the time apart never happened.

#2  Representing Dystopian books, we have The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don’t live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender.

If she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Song Match: Take it Easy by The Eagles

Lyrics: Come on, baby, don’t say maybe / I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me / We may lose and we may win though / We will never be here again.

Reason:  Despite fighting impossible odds, everyone around Katniss keeps telling her to lighten up and enjoy all that the Capital has to offer while she’s there.  Peeta also wants to extend his love and friendship, telling her that together they stand a better chance.  Win or lose, it’s only going to happen once, right?  *cough Catching Fire cough*

3)  Representing Controversial books, we have Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman.

Two young people are forced to make a stand in this thought-provoking look at racism and prejudice in an alternate society.

Sephy is a Cross — a member of the dark-skinned ruling class. Callum is a Nought — a “colourless” member of the underclass who were once slaves to the Crosses. The two have been friends since early childhood, but that’s as far as it can go. In their world, Noughts and Crosses simply don’t mix. Against a background of prejudice and distrust, intensely highlighted by violent terrorist activity, a romance builds between Sephy and Callum — a romance that is to lead both of them into terrible danger. Can they possibly find a way to be together?

In this gripping, stimulating and totally absorbing novel, black and white are right and wrong.

Song Match:  Black or White by Micheal Jackson

Lyrics:  But, if you’re thinking about my baby / It don’t matter if you’re black or white / And I told about equality / And it’s true / Either you’re wrong or you’re right

Reason:  Because Callum and Sephy repeatedly defy the rules of society to be together.  They don’t care what color the other one is, as long as it means they will be together in the end.

4)  Representing Children’s books, we have Eve Hallows by Robert Gray.

Fourteen-year-old Eve Hallows lives in a monster-inhabited place where everything is horrible, which in her world means wonderful, but things are about to become wonderful (horrible) when she must move to the human world.

Song Match:  Monster Mash by Bobby Pickett

Lyrics:  The zombies were having fun / The party had just begun / The guests included Wolf Man, Dracula, and his son 

Reason:  Because it’s a kick-ass song about fun monsters and Eve Hallows is a kick-ass book about a monster family I’d love to be a part of.

5)  Representing Horror books, we have Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake.

Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story…

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

Song Match:  Sally’s Song by Amy Lee

Lyrics:  And does he notice my feelings for him? / And will he see how much he means to me? / I think it’s not to be / What will become of my dear friend / Where will his actions lead us then?

Reason:  Cas is a ghost hunter.  His presence in the house marks the end for Anna Dressed in Blood, but she can’t help but spare him from the horrors ahead, even if it means retribution from whatever else is in the house.  As Cas keeps returning to see her, Anna can’t help but love him, even though their relationship is doomed from the start.

What songs would you pick with these books?

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Feature & Follow #4

Posted by Lizzy on Mar 7, 2013 in meme | 29 comments

Feature and Follow #4

This meme is brought to you by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.  Congrats to Kathryns Inbox and Megz Madd Readz for being the featured blogs for this week.

For this meme, you can follow me however you’d like.  Whatever makes you come back a second time!  Leave a comment and I’ll be sure to follow you back.

What is a book you didn’t like that all your friends raved about or what book did you love that wasn’t popular?

There are SO many books that I just didn’t get.  I didn’t like Fifty Shades of Gray.  I didn’t like ANY of the Twilight series, even though I read all four.  I didn’t like City of Bones, and yet my friend STILL somehow convinced me to buy the sequel.  I should stop listening to their recommendations, since I’m not a fan of romances or asshole/possessive male characters.

I think it’s actually much easier to tell you what books that did live up to the hype – Harry Potter and Divergent.

The book that I really enjoyed that most people hated was Shimmer of Angels.  People thought that the situation was unbelievable and the men of the love triangle not consistent.  I thought that it was a fun, compelling read about a girl who sees angels but can’t admit to it.  I had a fear when I was younger of being locked inside of a mental institution so maybe I just relate to her in a way most readers don’t.

What recommended book did you not like?

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