Before

Coincidentally, I found a cooking pumpkin in my kitchen last week(see: strange things I find after a kids Halloween party). So pumpkin it is.

First recipe: Soup

The recipe calls for an onion, a couple potatoes, noodles and garlic and 3 litres of vegetable broth. First step: Saute onions and garlic in olive oil and butter before adding the rest… Honestly, I was a little surprised, mostly for its lack of cinnamon and spice. I think I always imagined pumpkin soup like a liquid version of pumpkin pie.

In a typical me move, I wasn’t thinking at all about what I was actually doing-making soup-and added the noodles too early, and wound up having to decide between chunky pumpkin soup, or pumpkin/noodle puree -_-

I went for the chunks.

After

It smelled fantastic while simmering, but the ultimate test was the world’s two pickiest eaters, and – VICTORY! The oldest damn near drooled when I lifted the pot lid, and the youngest only ate the pumpkin-of course, she still refuses to believe they aren’t carrots. Will definitely be doing this one again.

I still have half a pumpkin-I’m thinking pumpkin cheesecake.

That’s low-cal, right?

Black Dagger Brotherhood Book 8

John Matthew has been through his vampire transition and take the life of the Brotherhood with a vengeance, but he still can’t shake the nightmare of his past and is unsure of his future as a warrior hero. He’s made a promise to honour the Brotherhood and their fight with the slayers at all costs, until the love of his life is kidnapped and he is forced to make a choice that could his life and the Brotherhood’s for ever…

Lash has taken Xhex and is keeping her in an invisible prison, hidden in plain sight. After weeks of searching, the Brothers can’t find a single trace of her. John Matthew is out of his head, mourning the loss of her as if she were his bonded mate, despite the years of constant rejection.

To Lash’s surprise, and horror, his body begins to change, rot actually, slowly evolving into the Omega 2.0…but the transformation weakens him and Xhex is able to bust out of the wards.

When Xhex finally escapes after nearly a month of abuse she is dancing on the edge of death. John finds her and with the help of the Brothers and their mates, bring Xhex back from the brink…

It’s John’s unwavering devotion and deep sympathy for Xhex that finally breaks her down. Their relationship begins to blossom, but they both realize it will never come into full bloom. “[Xhex's] end game doesn’t include anyone else but herself.”

John and Xhex agree to hunt Lash together and go their seperate ways, but when John is nearly taken out by a lesser Xhex begins to question the strength of her feelings. When John offers Xhex the final strike at Lash, giving her some closure after the abuse he dealt her, she realizes she can’t live without John.

True to a J.R. Ward novel, Lover Mine is contructed of layers of plot. It’s not just the vast history of each character that I admire for their depth, it’s the simultaneous and ongoing storyline that introduce new characters and sheds light on characters we know and always wondered about.

In Lover Mine we finally get to really know Darius, the Brother killed in the very first book of the series. As reader’s we knew that he was a ferocious warrior, Beth’s and John’s father and that somehow his soul is carrying on within John. But through reading Darius’ journal, some of the why’s of John’s hebaviour are uncovered, and both Thorment and Xhex’s beginnings are revealed.

As expected the relationship between John Matthew and Xhex is both frustrating and satisfying. I enjoyed both characters, particularly Xhex. Tough chicks rule! But I did wonder if someone quite so emotionally damaged would recover so quickly…

Besides the characters of focus, we have Lash and the Omega and the lessers. I believe I almost, almost felt a twinge of sympathy for Lash…until the story continued and I was reminded what an absoulute freak of nature he is. Was. Loved the scene where John pins Lash to the ground so Xhex could kill him. Really hope I’m not the only person who found the unraveling of events romantic…

I was pleasently surprised by the focus put on Qhuinn and Blay’s relationship. I wondered if Ward would bring the gay relationship into the light, and I’m happy she did. I doubt I’m the only one feeling a little torn. I like Blay, he’s in love with Qhuinn, who I don’t paricularly like. I do like Saxton though…but somehow I get the feelings he’s not a permanent character in the series.

Through Payne’s insights we are introduced to another important characters in Xhex’s life. I’m looking forward to reading more about Payne, Vishous’ estranged twin sister, in Lover Unleashed. I like her spirit and love that she can keep up with Wrath in a fight.

What I wasn’t too hot for, but which is typical of a J.R. Ward novel, is too much long winded despcription that slowed the story flow down and had me skimming. Thankfully Ward toned down the slang in this novel, so it’s quite possible to read without a Ward’s Dictionary.

If you haven’t already read it, the long awaited Curran’s POV: Volume II can found here:

Curran’s POV: Volume II

Am I salivating waiting for the Magic Slays release date on May 31st? Oh, hell yes.

Between that, re-re-re-re-editing House of Thorns, and slipping into phases of World of Warcraft addiction, time has been somewhat fleeting.

I had never in my entire life played a computer game. In fact, I loathe games in general (bo-ring) but after being inundated with stories about this(mount)and that(quest), I was finally intrigued enough to check it out. I (much to my surprise) wasn’t disappointed. Overwhelmed, hell yes. I need to go where? And do what? HOW? (Probably would be easier if I wasn’t playing in German, but it has improved my vocabulary. Still not sure when I’ll ever need to use the words, seeing as we (unfortunately) don’t live in a middle-age world of magic…) But with much guidance I was finally able to stop swearing at my laptop, stopped repeatedly dying, and found a half-assed groove. The appeal factor? It’s a little bit like living in a story book, but unlike writing, you don’t have to actually think about everything your character should experience, you just decide what you want to do and live the storyline. More than once though I’ve sat back and stared, mystified, at the screen in front of me. The first time wasn’t when I got a “gz” for some achievement and I had to ask for a gamer translation, it was the first time I read “afk” on the chat box.

AFK! aka Away From Keyboard.

I thought that was just a joke. A Leonard/Sheldon/dork joke.

You remember that episode of The Big Bang Theory when Penny turns into a total gaming addict? You know, when the guys are playing and have their headsets on and Penny keeps interrupting and they keep saying “afk”… yeah, then I remembered the end of the episode, when Penny accepts an online date with Howard. That was my first World of Warcraft slump. Eye-opener. Call it what you will. I questioned my motivation. Questioned myself. Then about a week later I got bored and started playing again. Now I’m one level away from flying and in 15 days I’ll have a tiger to ride instead of a purple fucking elephant.

Not sure if I should laugh or cry at my success.

And now back to reality.

Sadly, I don’t have a review to post today, since I’ve been a total slacker as far as writing them goes (see above). Have a reeeeally long to-read list too. At the top is This Side Of The Grave by Jeaniene Frost, but it will have to wait until I finish Lover Mine. J.R Ward is another one who needs her own dictionary. Why must she abbreviate everything?

45 days until the True Blood season premiere!

“…let these good people practise their consitutional right to be fucking idiots.”

I love Pam.

This post needs music and I’m in a 69 Eyes kind of mood.

But Portero is a stranger town than Hanna expects. As she tries to make a place for herself, she discovers dark secrets that would terrify a normal soul. Good thing for Hanna, she’s far from normal. As this crazy girl meets an even crazier town, only two things are certain: Anything can happen and no one is safe.

After her father’s death Hannah moves to Portero, Texas, with the hope of awakening her mother’s motherly instincts. What she doesn’t expect is the small Texas town to be even stranger than she is. Monster’s creeping around every corner and luring students to peril, hunter’s flashing in and out of existence, and townsfolk who adhere to rules even Hanna can’t quite grasp; for the first time in her life her dance along the edge of insanity is what keeps her, and the people she loves, alive.

This is not a novel, it’s a work of art. If you function under strict logic, this book probably isn’t for you. This book is the definition of reading outside the box. I am one of those lucky people who rarely apply logic to anything, so this book has settled itself at the top of my favourites list. It now lives behind glass.

This story had my full attention from the moment Hanna began speaking to her father…who’s voice she heard from inside her head. I couldn’t put it down for fear that the words would pick themselves up and rearrage themselves on the page. Guaranteed next time I read this book it will be a completely different story.

I really enjoyed how the focus of this Young Adult novel was the relationship between Hanna and her mother. There was a romantic relationship as well, but because of the kaleidoscope crazy the teenage romance was refreshing and not redundant. Bleeding Violet my be labelled YA, but there’s a little something for everyone here.

Generally speaking, all the characters are all well-developed, and Rosalee, Hanna’s mother, has a good deal of strange going on herself, but Hanna is the real kicker. Hanna isn’t a round character, she’s bursting with life. I could have rejoiced when she revealed the reason she fled from her aunts in Chicago covered in blood. Finally, an interesting character! Should I be worried that I sympathised with her, a bi-polar manic-depressive, more than I do with most ‘normal’ characters?

Nothing like beating your clothes with a stick in the bathtub and being totally disconnected from the world to bring a girl right back into the middle ages.

So if I’ve been a little sketchy with posting, you know why. On the other hand, with very little to do otherwise, I’ve got a decent amount of reading done. I will say this now- Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves is the best book I’ve read in a looong time.

Luckily I was able to borrow a stick so I am now, somewhat officially, online again.

Hello Facebook.

I know it’s a little after the fact, but did everyone make it through the day of romance and love with their heart still intact? I would love to hear some romantic anecdotes, extra points if they’re kinky. I, personally, thought I’d been struck by Valentine’s day brilliance. I’m talking gifts. Self-made, highly creative, heavy on the morbidity. The two people I relayed my genius to cringed. In hindsight, the gift was a good idea and I’m fairly positive my dark other half will appreciate it. Who doesn’t enjoy misty cemetery pictures?

Whilst walking through the graveyard, taking in the sights and reading gravestones, it occurred to me how bland the stones here in our local ‘yard are. Name and date. Period. Old, yes. But no stories, no ‘Beloved mother and wife’ and so on. Mine will be much more interesting. ‘Will rise again’, ‘Buried alive’, ‘Rob my grave and suffer a thousand deaths’…you get the idea.

If I ever find my card reader I will show you what I mean…about the existing graveyard, that is.

Personally, I never expected to spend my time after 12 o’clock trudging through the ice and snow, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do…after mixing drinks.

I will refrain from going into it; the result would be shockingly similar to a wine & liquor store’s inventory list. I decided to wear a fairly short skirt that night, a highly atypical move on my behalf and fairly unclever, all things considering. Lucky for me I was smart enough to wear my trusty Doc Marten’s rather than heels. Nevertheless, I’m fairly positive my gracelessness will never be matched…then again, I didn’t fall asleep half naked on a park bench, or even pass out awkwardly, so I guess I’m still one up on this guy…

So, who’s stuck to their resolutions? I, for one, not only broke my resolution on New Year’s day, but I seemed to have regressed for the effort of trying. What was my resolution…go ahead, ask. I wanted to quit smoking…again. I figure once life calms down a bit, I won’t feel the crushing impulsion to poison my body and harden my lungs with nicotine.

Yeah, eventually I’ll find it repulsive. For now it’s a crutch…one then I will continue to lean on heavily until this epic move is behind me. Yes, finally. The big move. I’m certain it will be how people remember me. It will be mentioned in my eulogy. Not enough people to carry the heavy things, a truck too small for the big furniture, and only two seats in one car, so the rest of the moving party will have to take the bus…

Told you. I can’t even type that without lol’ing. Seriously.

Good news! SHADOWFEVER is finally available!!! If you’re anything like me, you been dyeing to get your hands on it since reading the very unsettling end of Dreamfever. WHO WAS THE BEAST???

And what about Stevie Rae and Rephaim? The Raven Mocker refuses to be used against Stevie Rae, but what choice does he have when no one in the entire world, including Zoey, would be okay with their relationship? Does he betray his father or his heart?

JANUARY 4 MASTER of SMOKE A Mageverse by Angela Knight
After being attacked by a werewolf, Eva Roman is now able to shift into one. Luckily she saves a handsome shapeshifter from a similar attack. Eva does not know his true identity as Smoke, a Sidhe warrior. His attacker was Warlock, the magic-imbued leader of a cult of werewolf assassins trained to destroy all others. As a war ignites between all the immortals in the Mageverse, Eva and Smoke will need more than their love for each other to survive.

JANUARY 4 BLOOD CHALLENGE Book 7 in the World of the Lupi series by Eileen Wilks
Ex-cop Lily Yu and werewolf Rule Turner’s engagement announcement is stirring up ugly passions in the Humans First camp. There’s hate mail, followed by death threats. And when a lupus in Tennessee goes on a killing spree, Lily realizes that it’s only the opening skirmish in an all-out war.

JANUARY 4 MERCY BLADE Book 3 in the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter
Jane, a shapeshifting vampire-hunter-for-hire, crosses paths with a stranger who has arrived in New Orleans, enlisted to hunt vampires who have gone insane-or so he says…

JANUARY 18 SHADOWFEVER Book 5 in the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning
“Evil is a completely different creature, Mac. Evil is bad that believes it’s good.”

From the luxury of the Lord Master’s penthouse to the sordid depths of an Unseelie nightclub, from the erotic bed of her lover to the terrifying bed of the Unseelie King, Mac’s journey will force her to face the truth of her exile, and to make a choice that will either save the world . . . or destroy it.

JANUARY 25 ARCHANGEL’S CONSORT Book 3 in the Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh
An ancient and malevolent female immortal is rising in Manhattan to reclaim her son, the archangel Raphael. Only one thing stands in her way: Elena Deveraux, a vampire-hunter-and Raphael’s lover.

JANUARY 25 RIVER MARKED Book 6 in the Mercedes Thompson series by Patricia Briggs
Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She’s never known any others of her kind. Until now. An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River-one that her father’s people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help…

She failed to kill him when she had the chance, and now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won’t join him, he won’t rest until he has silenced her…forever.

But Rose can’t forget what she learned on her journey-whispers of a magic too impossible and terrifying to comprehend. A magic inextricably tied to Lissa that could hold the answer to all Rose’s prayers, but not without devastating consequences. Now Rose will have to decide what-and who-matters most to her. And in the end, is true love really worth the price?

After the guardian trials Rose, Lissa and the rest of the St. Vladamir grads are swept off to Pennsylvania, where the newest guardians and Moroi would spend time at the Royal Court, and where Rose plans her next move: busting Viktor Dashkov out of a maximum security prison in Fairbanks, Alaska. While in Russia, Rose was told a story about restoring Strigoi to their original state. The person who ‘saved’ the dhampir? Robert Doru- Viktor Dashkov’s brother. Unfortunately, Robert-a spirit user-has been dancing the line of insanity for so long that he is completely unreachable without Viktor’s help. And though she’s loathe to release Viktor Dashkov, she can’t ignore the possibility of restoring Dimitri’s soul.

Rose creates a plan and she escapes the Royal Court with Lissa and Eddie, a friend from St. Vlad’s. Using Lissa’s charms to mask their appearances and her vampire compulsion, the three manage to trick their way into Tarasov prison to retrieve Viktor. After a narrow escape, the four of them flee to Las Vegas, where Robert lives in seclusion outside the city.

Robert agrees to a meeting, during which he reveals the rumour of restoring a soul is not only possible, but he was the one who’d performed the act. Rose is elated, until she learns that not only must the silver stake be infused with spirit, but the spirit user must perform the staking; only the spirit-blessed have the gift on life. Only Lissa can pull the Strigoi soul out of limbo between life and death. And despite Lissa’s protest, Rose forbids it. Lissa is Moroi, royal Moroi, and the last of the Dragomir’s. She cannot face Dimitri.

Unfortunately, Dimitri and his minions find them. Rose finally has the opportunity to kill Dimitri, yet she can’t bring herself to do it while there is still hope for his soul. And after another narrow escape, and losing Robert and Viktor, Rose admits defeat.

Guilt ridden, Rose faces her punishment at the Court: manual labour and filing. When Lissa’s ex-boyfriend, Christian, confronts Rose about their strange ‘girls weekend in Vegas’ disappearing act coinciding with Viktor Dashkov’s sensational escape, it’s Eddie who fills him in on the finer details. Except Christian believes completely that Lissa is capable of facing, and staking, Strigoi. Through the bond, Rose watches as Christian begins coaching Lissa to fight, eventually gaining assistance from their new guardians. While Lissa and Christian are away at Lehigh Rose is summoned before the queen to give a statement of her ‘achievements’ as a teenager. Rose doesn’t have long to be baffled, because Lissa and Christian’s group are attacked, their guardians and chaperone slayed, by Strigoi – a group led by Dimitri, who kidnaps the two Moroi, baiting Rose.

Rose leads a team of guardians into the Strigoi layer, determined to retrieve Lissa and Christian, alive and unharmed, and destroy Dimitri once and for all. While Rose is facing Dimitri Christian and Lissa free themselves, but in the second before Rose’s stake reaches Dimitri’s heart she is shoved out of the way and Lissa approaches him, charmed silver stake in hand. With Christian’s help Lissa is able to pierce his heart, restoring Dimitri’s soul.

The surviving guardians return to the Court, where Dimitri is locked away, and refuses to see Rose; he is in agony over the evil he has committed, especially what he has done to her.

When a new Moroi law is passed, declaring guardians fit to serve and protect at sixteen, rather than eighteen Rose is enraged, particularly when she discovers that her testimony helped pass the law. Rose faces queen Tatiana and the court…only to be thrown out for calling the queen a ‘sanctimonious bitch’ after she denies Lissa her right to vote.

With Rose’s help, Dimitri is granted semi-freedom, though he still refuses to face her. Rose persists, until Dimitri makes is clear he doesn’t love her. A declaration that is contradictory to his behaviour when royal guardians arrive to arrest Rose for high treason and Dimitri ferociously attempts to protect her. After Rose and Tatiana’s many public “falling-outs” Rose becomes suspect number one when she is murdered.

Blood Promise left me feeling hopeless, and Spirit Bound left me more than a little unsettled.

Despite the first half of the book being sinfully dull, there are several things that I quite enjoyed-besides the fact that it picked up a little over half-way through.

In keeping with its predecesors, this novel’s characters are fantastically developed, and even the most supplementary characters are well-rounded. Lissa, for example, is finally interesting. I could never quite understand why Rose felt such loyalty to her; she’s always been so spineless that I got the impression she was just in Rose’s way. I love the way this character developed, and it was great to see her really using her vampire strengths and taking charge of a situation. I really didn’t think she had it in her to stake Dimitri, and I was pleased to be proved wrong.

Adrian, as well, is a character that took on unexpected, very pleasant, characteristics. I hardly ever expected to see him so completely devoted to Rose. It makes me fear for his heart. He’s an entertaining character, and I would really love to read more about him in the future. (Providing he isn’t killed off in Last Sacrifice, that is.) Adrian has grown on me so much that I don’t know who I’m rooting for anymore, Adrian or Dimitri.

Speaking of Dimitri…I should have expected him to be self-sacrificing. I was relieved that Rose and Lissa managed to save his soul, and really, his behaviour is fitting. If Dimitri hadn’t felt he should carry the burden of his guilt alone, and attempt to turn Rose away after the hell he’d put her through, he wouldn’t be Dimitri. He does have one truly spectacular moment when he fights to protect Rose from the royal guardians that hit me on a primal level and made me think I haven’t paid enough attention to him in previous books.

What I love most about this book is that it made me feel.(After the really BO-ring first half). I was amused, I felt my heart break with Rose’s and actually cried when Dimitri rejected us in the church, and when the new law declaring guardians fit to serve at sixteen, I do believe I actually saw red. Why can’t those pompous, self-serving vampires defend themselves!!!(Isn’t that an odd sentence…this may be the only book I’ve read where vampires behave like the weaker race.) Any book that has me super pissed off right along side a character deserves a round of applause.

Of course there was a great deal of teenage drama, what with Lissa and Christian’s unresolved romance and such, but I love how it’s not overdone. It’s a are quality in a young adult novel.

1. Victorian, steampunk, or bondage and buckles; armwarmers are an accessory no dark one will want to be without.

You can find these ribbon laced gloves, and more, at Kinky Angel. The Black Angel also has a fairly wide selection of opera gloves and armwarmers to browse through.

2. Trueblood Pinot Noir? Vampire Cabernet Sauvignon? Vampire vineyards has a wide selection of wines, ranging from $10 to over $300. Peruse the wicked wine cellar to find the perfect flavour for your dark beloved.

3. A little goth rock for the dim ones, Diminished 7′s Dim World. Save yourself time and throw it in your Amazon shopping cart.

4. Is your dark one’s status set to ‘leaves the window open at night so Edward can come in’? Then Eclipse is a safe choice. Don’t worry, you won’t have to brave the lines of swooning teens, Eclipse is available at Amazon.

If your dark one is more the steampunk/Johnny Depp type, then Alice in Wonderland is probably a safe bet.

5. Books. Amongst the given authors (Jeaniene Frost, Ilona Andrews, Laurell K. Hamilton, etc) that have driven the paranormal followers into frenzy over the years, there are several complete series that I highly recommend.
For the young adult: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. The sixth, and final, book in this series is a brand new release, and is on-sale at Amazon.

6. For the almost high fantasy fan, I highly recommend the Black Jewels series by Anne Bishop. The series is ongoing, but the first three books make-up the complete trilogy. This is an incredible story, in a fictional world that’s so real you can almost taste it, with characters your sure to fall in love with. You want unicorns? Demons? A realm where Saetan is the good guy? The Black Jewels is for you. The first three books, Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows & Queen of the Darkness, are available at Amazon, as well as the complete trilogy.

7. And for the down and dirty vampire fans, those whose tastes lean more towards the horrific, Jennifer Armintrout’s Blood Ties series is a must have.

All is fair in love and terror, and this complete four-book series, will keep your dark one burning the midnight oil. All four books, The Turning, Possession, Ashes to Ashes and All Soul’s Night, are available at, of course, Amazon.

8. This one happens to have the skulls, but anyone who says this ring isn’t gorgeous is lying.

Not quite what you’re looking for? Rock N Goth has a wide selection of rings, pendants, watches, and so on…

9. Nothing creates ambience like candlelight…

This candle sconce is only $14.95 at Mayhem Gifts. Just add the black candle…

10. Did I mention we like weapons. Shiny ones. You can find renaissance daggers for as little as $12.50 at Medieval Collectables. Or you can go for something a little more extreme(*cough cough expensive*), like this pirate plug bayonet dagger with a fully tempered high carbon steel blade for $95. *My precious…*