Blog Tour: Jess Haines (Plus Giveaway!)

The H&W Gang Talk About Travel  

 By Jess Haines 

Hello there!  Jess Haines here.  I'm the author of the urban fantasy H&W Investigations series
(HUNTED BY THE OTHERS [link: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/finditem.cfm?itemid=16761],
TAKEN BY THE OTHERS [link: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/finditem.cfm?itemid=18148],
DECEIVED BY THE OTHERS [link: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/finditem.cfm?itemid=19226],
and the upcoming STALKING THE OTHERS [link: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/finditem.cfm?itemid=20725]).   

Shiarra has been having a pretty bad time of things lately. She's here with some of her friends (and otherwise) to tell you about it.  Since I'm headed to New Orleans in August for Authors After Dark, they H&W Gang are going to touch on the Big Easy (among other places).  Over to you, Shia!  

____________________

Shiarra: I've only been to New Orleans once. I don't remember most of it.

Sara:  Neither do I. I think we both had one Sazerac too many.

Arnold: Sazerac?

Sara: A drink New Orleans is famous for. When we went on vacation, Shia and I tried it.

Shiarra:  We tried it a lot.

Royce: I very much would have enjoyed seeing that, I think.

Chaz: Me too.

Arnold: Ditto.

Sara: Maybe we should go on vacation when all this crazy stuff blows over.

Shiarra:  That's not likely to happen anytime soon.

Chaz: I'd go to Vegas if I could get away for a vacation.

Arnold: Because of the hookers?

Shiarra:  If he wants to live to see the end of this interview, he isn't going to answer that question.

Royce: Perhaps he should answer it, then.

Chaz:  Oh, screw you, dead man.

Royce:  I don't lie with dogs.

Sara: That's… uh… kinda gross.

Chaz:  What?!

Arnold:  Shia's turning pretty red over there.

Shiarra: I don't want to talk about it.

Royce:  Perhaps now would be a good time to mention it would not be wise for any of you to travel to Las Vegas.

Arnold: What, even me?  Why?

Royce: The master vampire over that territory and I are not on good terms. If he knew someone with a connection to me--however indirect--was visiting, he would not take kindly to it.

Sara: Why aren't you guys best of buds?

Royce:  I would rather not discuss that here.

Chaz:  Big surprise.

Shiarra:  I'm kind of disturbed by the idea that I might end up in trouble just for going on vacation. Are you in a pissing match with anybody else right now?

Sara: Are you allowed to say “pissing” here?

Arnold: Too late if she can't.

Chaz: Heh.

Royce: I wouldn't say such words in public again, were I you. It's bad for your image.

Shiarra:  Oh, yay. The most pressing of my worries.

Sara: No kidding. I'm with Shia, though. What places should we avoid? Are there any cities that are safe to visit?

Royce: If you leave my territory, I cannot promise that you would be safe. Some of the other vampires take pains to police the areas they are responsible for, and some do not.

Arnold: There are only fifteen master vamps in the U.S., including you. They can't be everywhere.

Royce: We have deputies to act as our representatives in the larger cities under our care. We are always--always--watching for enemies and unexpected guests.

Shiarra: That's mildly disturbing.

Chaz: More than mildly.

Sara: Wait a sec. Fifteen? I've heard of Clyde Seabreeze in Los Angeles, but I don't know of any others.

Royce: That is no coincidence. Most of them wish to remain unknown by human society, ignored by any Others not of their own kind.

Arnold: Someone cue the Secret Agent Man theme.

Chaz: I'm not surprised. Leeches are a shady bunch. I can name a few of 'em for you.

Royce: That may not be a wise move. This is a public forum.

Arnold: Dude, I know it's tempting not to listen to him, but he's right. It's not a good idea to broadcast stuff like that without telling the vamps in advance what you're doing. They take exception to that stuff.

Royce: As do most Others. We all value our privacy.

Shiarra: Can I guess one? I want to guess!

Sara: I just want to know where it's safe to take a vacation when this is all over. 

Arnold: Don't worry. Wherever you want to go, I'll protect you.

Chaz:  Ha. Don't count on it. One mage against a host of vampires? Or a pack of Weres? Good luck.

Shiarra: I dunno. Arnold seems pretty capable of taking care of himself.

Chaz: Maybe if he was alone. But watching over Sara? And maybe you, too? No, he'd never make it.

Royce: You underestimate the power of a mage, wolf. It's no wonder you can't maintain leadership of your own pack.

Chaz:  A momentary setback. I'll be taking everything in hand as soon as I figure out who set me up. And I do mean everything.

Shiarra:  I don't like that sound of that. 

____________________ 

You can learn more about Shiarra and the rest of her friends in HUNTED BY THE OTHERS (link: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/finditem.cfm?itemid=16761).  

For the next stop on the blog tour, be sure to visit the official STALKING THE OTHERS blog tour calendar (link: http://jesshaines.com/blog/2012/05/07/stalking-the-others-official-blog-tour-calendar)! 

You can also visit me on the web:

www.JessHaines.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JessHainesAuthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#%21/Jess_Haines

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/jesshaines

Thanks again for having me and the gang over, Tori!

Add this book to your Goodreads shelf

Vampires, werewolves, mages–the Others are very real, and wreaking havoc in Shiarra Waynest’s life. But now, she’s returning the favor…


Once, she was one of the good guys–or as close as a New York P.I. can get. Then Shiarra Waynest was drawn into the world of the Others. Every faction has its own loyalties and agenda. And Shia’s recent betrayal by her ex-boyfriend means that she may be on the verge of becoming a rogue werewolf at the next full moon.


Of course, with all the threats against her, Shia’s not sure she’ll live long enough to find out. The enigmatic vampire Royce wants her back in his clutches, as do two powerful werewolf packs, along with the police. Instead of going into hiding, Shia is enlisting the aid of her enchanted hunter’s belt and every dirty P.I. trick she knows. If she’s going down, she’ll take out as many of her enemies as she can–and hope that in the process, she keeps whatever humanity she has left…

Enter the giveaway HERE

Alice's Review: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Released: 23rd August 2011
Paperback: 421 pages
Price: AU$17.99
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: Bought
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance
Series: Bloodlines
Series Order:
1. Bloodlines
2. The Golden Lily (review coming soon!)
3. The Indigo Spell (12th February 2013) 
Summary:

Sydney belongs to a secret group who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the world of humans and vampires.

But when Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, she fears she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. What unfolds is far worse. The sister of Moroi queen Lissa Dragomir is in mortal danger, and goes into hiding. Now Sydney must act as her protector.

The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathising with vampires. And now she has to live with one...

My Rating:

My Opinion:
In this book, a lot of mysteries are solved (albeit towards the end) and a lot of new ones start. First off: What's up with Keith's eye? Why is Jill acting all weird with Adrian? And can Eddie get any cooler? I've never paid any attention to Eddie, but this book made me realise how much I secretly love how awesome and cool and brave he is. Also, Adrian is a pretty cool guy.

I was looking forward to Rose and Dimitri's cameo! We got Rose but you'll have to wait for Dimitri. Here's a hint: His cameo is the last three words in the book. So, Dimitri fans, you won't get to see any sexy Russian in this book. (I know, I kind of teared up too!)

So there is always the notorious bad guy in books, and Keith is the one; Jill is the sweet, innocent one that the protagonist grows to love; Adrian is the potential love interest; Eddie is the loyal and faithful protector and friend; and everyone else is for story progressions. The story centred mostly around Jill, Adrian, Eddie and Sydney. I got to know Sydney in this book and whilst she is sometimes annoying, she is definitely a great character. I like how her values and fears are very realistically conveyed and shown, instead of us just being TOLD about it. Richelle doesn't just tell - she shows us. 

What I find an important factor in books is how emotionally invested in them I get: feeling emotional at certain events that happen throughout a book that I am reading makes me enjoy it that much more, and Bloodlines made me choke up a little at times, made me angry and made me smile. What also made me love it more is Eddie. He does something so selfless in Bloodlines and it made me all teary. I think out of all the characters in this book, Eddie is the one who made me look back and smile.

Okay, so this book has a loooot of things going on that mix into one big mess. Sydney is walking a thin line with the Alchemists and Keith is being a nasty bastard; Jill is getting bullied at school; Adrian is bored and moneyless; the students at school are raving about these special tattoos. This is all a big mystery and Sydney accidentally gets mixed up in it.

I thought this would be a romance but it wasn't! There was no room for romance to fit in anywhere, and that was completely fine. I'm sure that there will be some in the sequel, but there were no obvious hints at who the potential star couple would be. We obviously guess it's Adrian and Sydney, and I can see that happening... kind of... but Richelle does have five books to go!

My verdict: I cannot go on about how great this book is. I loved it and am so sad that I finished it so quickly! This is a must-read and will keep you up till the wee hours of the morning.

I needed to put my favourite parts in. These are two separate instances, by the way.

"They're waiting for you. Go on in." Adrian leaned close to Keith's ear and spoke in an ominous voice. "If. You. Dare." He poked Keith's shoulder and gave a "Muahahaha" kind of monster laugh.

Keith was just bringing the glass to his lips when Adrian said, "Mmm. O positive, my favourite."

Keith sprayed out the wine he'd drunk and promptly started coughing. I was relieved that none got on me. Jill burst into giggles, and Clarence stared at his glass wonderingly.

"Is it? I thought it was a cabernet sauvignon."

Authors After Dark 2012 Spotlight

So I think you've all noticed by now that I'm attending Authors After Dark this August, what with all the author spotlights I've featured thus far this year. I just figured I would go into a bit more detail for those of you unfamiliar with this convention.

First off, it is, indeed, a convention. Most of the authors attending are paranormal authors. There will also be a whole slew of NY and Small Press authors. Here's a list of the NY authors:

• Shayla Black  
  Judi Fennell    
• Leanna Renee Hieber
• Pamela Palmer
• Amanda Carlson         
• Mari Freeman
• Alexandra Ivy
• Allison Pang
• Manda Collins            
• Jeaniene Frost            
• Darynda Jones           
• Nicole Peeler
• Carolyn Crane            
• Yasmine Galenorn      
• Stephanie Julian         
• Katie Reus
• MaryJanice Davidson
• Lia Habel        
• Erin Kellison  
• Jessa Slade
• Virna DePaul  
• Jess Haines    
• Jade Lee         
• Sasha White
• Cynthia Eden  
• Mark Henry   
• Kelly Meding

And what a great list! I was fangirling when I saw how many authors I adore who are attending, and I can't wait to meet and read books by some debuting authors like Amanda Carlson.  I'm not as familiar with the small press authors (check out the list here), but the ones I've worked with thus far have been great, so I am looking forward to getting to meet them at the convention also.

Okay, so the authors are cool and all... but you know what gets me even more excited for this August? The fact that I will FINALLY be going to NOLA! The hotel is in the French Quarter, on Bourbon Street, and all the attendees got a great deal for the hotel.

I plan on stuffing my face with Karen from For What It's Worth, meeting some great authors and bloggers--finally!--stuffing my face, laying out by the pool area, stuffing my face, and exploring New Orleans.

Also, I got asked to be a presenter for the Bookie Awards, so I'm sure everyone I know will be laughing at me as I do that. I'll be that crazy girl up on the stage with a shot of tequila saying she's the book faery.

Maybe I should wear a pair of wings.

As you can see, I'm super excited about August, and I plan on doing a few book giveaways when I get back. It will also be the vacation I so desperately need after a long, long year and a half of college classes non-stop (if you've been wondering why I'm so scarce as of late, it's because I'm taking an accelerated Nutrition and Anatomy & Physiology class at the same time...gah!). I'll try to remember to take some pictures, and I'll definitely be tweeting to you guys.

I can't wait to meet those of you who are going! :)

Guest Post with Benedict Jacka

Good and Evil, Light and Dark

by Benedict Jacka 

            There are two main power blocs in the Alex Verus setting – Light mages and Dark mages – and the first thing to get clear is that Dark does not mean evil and Light does not mean good.  This is a very common misconception among newcomers to the magical world, so it’s worth explaining in detail. 

Of the two groups, the Light mages are the more organised.  They’re generally easier to deal with than Dark mages and they’re usually more approachable, but they’re not necessarily good people, for reasons that should be obvious.  Calling yourself a 'Light mage' doesn't make you a servant of light any more than calling yourself a 'good person' makes you a person who's good.  Even if they were originally set up as a bastion of goodness to stand against evil (which mage historians have differing opinions on), the Light faction is an organisation, not a status.  Old members leave, new members join.  Light mages have existed for thousands of years and their society has had time to evolve a very long way. 

Rather than thinking of it in terms of good vs evil, a better way to think of Light mages is in terms of order vs chaos.  The Council and Light mages as a whole stand for order.  They effectively run the magical world – there's no other body with anywhere near the combined power and influence of the Council, meaning that any kind of governmental functions fall to the Council by default.  They like things to be organised, predictable, and consistent.  The biggest reason that Light mages come into conflict with Dark mages isn’t that Dark mages are evil, it’s that they don’t follow the rules. 

Dark mages function quite differently.  They don't have a centralised organisation or a Council or any kind of administrative system.  In fact, it can be difficult to know whether someone even is a Dark mage – it's not like you can apply for a membership card (and other Dark mages wouldn't respect it if you did).  If being a Light mage is like being a citizen of a country, being a Dark mage is more like being a follower of a cause or a religion.  What makes you a Dark mage is the way you act and the ideals you believe. 

Dark mages follow a philosophy called the True Path, the True Way, or simply the Path or the Way.  The True Path holds that someone's reality is defined by their personal power and the only goal that has any long-term value is increasing that power.  Traditional morality is seen as an artificial construct:  while it can be beneficial in certain situations, it places limitations on the user's ability to pursue power and therefore has to be discarded.  If power is a virtue, the corresponding vice is weakness, and Dark mages consider voluntary weakness the one really unforgivable sin.  Anyone who turns away from power is giving control of their life to whoever is willing to pursue that power, and by doing so they prove themselves unworthy to wield it.

The last paragraph probably makes Dark mages sound pretty evil, and it’s not at all difficult to find examples who live up to the stereotype – there’s absolutely no shortage of Dark mages who are cruel, brutal, vicious, and even murderous.  However, it’s worth remembering that Dark mages don’t believe in evil for its own sake.  They believe in power, but what a Dark mage does with that power is up to them – many Dark mages support quite sympathetic causes.  Finally, Dark mages have friends and family and loved ones, just the same as everyone else.  While trusting a Dark mage is rarely a good idea, automatically assuming the worst will often lead you to the wrong conclusion. 

Alice's Review: Shadow's Edge by J.T. Geissinger

Released: 12th June 2012
Paperback: 359 pages
Price: $7.16/12.96
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Source: ARC from author
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Night Prowler
Series Order:
1. Shadow's Edge
2. TBA
Summary:

Deep within the primeval forests of southern England, a race of beautiful, savage shape-shifters lives hidden from the everyday world. Bound together by ancient bloodlines and a ruthless code of secrecy that punishes traitors with death, the Ikati send their leader Leander on a mission to capture one raised outside the tribe before she can expose their secret. When Leander tracks the unsuspecting outsider to Southern California, the hardened warrior is prepared for a fight—but not for the effect the sensual young beauty has on his heart.

Jenna spent her childhood in hiding, on the run from someone—or something—her parents refused to discuss. She trusts no one, not since her father’s mysterious disappearance, not since her mother’s sudden death, and definitely not since she began exhibiting strange, superhuman abilities. When handsome, enigmatic Leander appears, promising answers to the mysteries that shroud her past, she knows she shouldn’t trust him either. But their connection is undeniable, and as powerful as the enemy hell-bent on destroying every one of their kind…

My Rating:

My Opinion: I was excited to read this book because it sounded promising. I sped through it (I finished it in one day!) and I thought it was a bit anti-climatic. Maybe a bit too obvious in its plot and ending. The novel starts off with a few news articles written about the Ikati, the cat shape-shifters and then continues on to Jenna walking around in a supermarket and then spotting Leander watching her.

I won't get into the plot because I honestly didn't think it was fantastic; it's predictable and didn't surprise me and I continued on because I knew there would be a happy ending. This is definitely a light read, without too many tense moments. I think the blurb made it out to be a lot more dramatic than it was.

I did like Jenna. She's assertive and strong and manages to hold her own against Leander and the Ikati leaders. I liked that she had the confidence to stand up for herself and get what she wanted. What I didn't like was how she made some stupid decisions, like trying to rescue a young Ikati woman by herself before she even learnt how to control her powers! She gained nothing from this and got herself captured and hurt and that was totally avoidable in my opinion! I know some people would consider her actions noble, but I think it was impulsive and stupid.

I didn't feel any particular like for Leander. I was a bit meh - he seems like a nice enough guy and he's definitely checked all the boxers on the 'Handsome, Mysterious, Sexy Stranger' list that qualify him to be a suitable love interest. I thought that these two fell in love too quickly, despite any 'strong connection' that they may have. They didn't interact enough with each other for me to easily believe they had something other than chemistry.

One of the things I loved was the mythology. I love shape-shifter novels because of the huge variety of mythology in them - all the different lore never gets old and it's so interesting reading about authors' takes on it. This contained a lot of cat stuff, which is cool because I love cats and there aren't enough novels written about them, in my opinion.

My verdict: This is a book that sits solidly on a bench in between boring and amazing - it wasn't anything special apart from its fantastic and interesting take on feline shapeshifters.