Dark Heroine: Dinner With a Vampire by Abigail Gibbs

Morning, everyone! I'm a stop on the TLC tour for Abigail Gibbs's The Dark Heroine: Dinner With a Vampire this morning!

I feel like I'm a pretty big supporter of the idea of the new New Adult category. Personally I think its super unfair that readers generally have the option to read about teens or thirty+ adults and nothing in between. Abigail Gibbs's debut The Dark Heroine: Dinner With a Vampire is one of the first "New Adult" titles I'm seeing promoted so far. I'm sure there's a decent sized audience for this particular book but I'm not it. Oops.

Violet Lee was supposed to be meeting her friend at Trafalgar Square, instead she ended up witness to a massacre. She's discovered and kidnapped by the killers who just happen to be vampires -- and vampire royalty at that. Though she's a hostage, she's also under the protection of the royal family. Violet's father is a high ranking government official, one who's not a friend to the vampires, making Violet a pawn in a game of politics. As her time amongst them stretches on, she finds herself unable to resist an undeniable attraction to her captor, Prince Kaspar, though she'll fight it as long as she can.

It's admirable that not only has Gibbs (who's just begun university, if I read her bio correctly) has become so massively popular so quickly. She originally released Dinner With a Vampire on Wattpad and scored a six-figure publishing deal as a result. All while she's still a teen. That's huge! Unfortunately after the initial action of the beginning, the book started become overwhelmingly cheesy for my taste.

First, I had a hard time believing that Violet (or any girl who's supposed to be as stubborn as she appeared at first) would give in to Kaspar so easily. It would have been easier to believe her falling for Fabian but the love triangle then became a bit tedious considering.

I should point out, though, that the book is marketed as a romance and doesn't pretend to be otherwise. My own personal taste would lean to more of the prophecy and the dark heroine myth and less of the Kaspar/Violet/Fabian drama. It also became a bit hard not to draw Twilight comparison once the romance came into play.

For more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on the author, you can visit her on Wattpad and like her on Facebook. There's also a group page for Dinner With a Vampire on Facebook.

Rating: 2/5

An Interview with Darynda Jones

Morning, readers! Tomorrow is the official release date for Darynda Jones's second installment in the Darklight series, Death, Doom and Detention. As part of the tour for DD&D's release, I've got a super cool Q&A post for you guys today along with a contest. Be sure to read all the way to the bottom for the contest entry.

So a big, big welcome to Darynda!

1. Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself and what inspired to write in this particular genre?

Absolutely! Well, I’m kind of boring, so I won’t go into detail. I’m married, have two gorgeous sons, three dogs and a pretty amazing husband. I have a BS in sign language interpreting and worked as an interpreter for several years before selling to NY. I am one of the lucky few who got to quit her day job and write full time. Every writer’s dream!

As for this genre, I simply love it. The very first scary movie I ever saw was an old black and white vampire movie and I’ve been hooked ever since. I was five and I’ve never forgotten it. I used to write vampire romance years before it was cool. Of course, I was just a kid so our hero and heroine never got past the kissing stage, thankfully, but paranormal elements have been in my blood since I could write.

2. There is a bit of a love triangle going on in this series, which of the two, Cameron or Jared have fans been rooting for more?

Actually, one might think it’s a love triangle between Cameron and Jared, but in reality it’s more between Cameron and Glitch. Glitch is very jealous of Brooklyn’s relationship with Cameron and we get to find out more about that in Death, Doom and Detention.

3. What is your favorite scene from the book? Could you share a little bit of it, without spoilers of course? 

I think my favorite scene in DDD is at the very end when Jared tells Lorelei to trust him and “take a leap of faith.” I love that scene and it shows just how much she really does trust him even after everything that happened to them.

4. Is there a character that you enjoyed writing more than any of the others? 

I have to say, I love writing Brooklyn and Glitch. Their dialogue is fast, fun and merciless. Brooklyn reminds me very much of the heroine in my adult series, Charley Davidson. 

5. What did you have the most fun with while adapting this paranormal tale to fit in into the real world?

I think coming up with things like secret societies and centuries-old prophecies to explain the events that are taking place in our world, and yet to explain why only a handful of people know about them. It makes it fun and, hopefully, plausible. 

6. Did you find anything really interesting while researching this or another book? 

I did. I was doing some research to explain Lorelei’s lineage, how she is the last prophet in a long line of predecessors, and I got to research bits about Saint Joan of Arc and Sappho, both remarkable women. I love their stories and Sappho’s poetry, the small clips that have survived, is gorgeous. I would love to be able to write like that. 

7. With the book being part of a trilogy, can these books be read as stand alones? 

Absolutely! My editor makes sure of it. LOL. In each sequel, it’s up to the author to make them stand alones, to give enough background info as to not bore the previous readers, but to fill in any new readers to the events that took place beforehand. It’s a fine line and sometimes readers still get annoyed with all the backstory, but it’s a necessary evil. 

8. Will there be a spin off with any of the characters in this series? If you had to write about a spin off which character would have the honor of becoming the hero or heroine? 

Brooklyn! I would love to write a series with Brooklyn, but I kind of doubt I will. Mostly because I have too many other projects in the fire. I want to write so many books and there just aren’t enough hours in the day. 

9. What are you hoping fans will get out of this second book in the series? 

I hope they will just enjoy the ride! I write to entertain. I have no ulterior motives, and if I’ve given the reader a few hours of fun and excitement, I have done my job. 

10. What was the last amazing YA book you read? 

Oh, my gosh, so many! I am a huge Hunger Games fan, but that was a while ago. I really liked Divergent and its sequel Insurgent, so I will go with those. LOVE the storyline.

Big thanks, Darynda, for being on the blog today!

Thank you so much for having me!

About Darynda:

NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious Golden Heart®, a Rebecca, two Hold Medallions, a RITA ®, and a Daphne du Maurier, and she has received stellar reviews from dozens of publications including starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and the Library Journal. As a born storyteller, Darynda grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike, and she is ever so grateful for the opportunity to carry on that tradition. She currently has two series with St. Martin’s Press: The Charley Davidson Series and the Darklight Trilogy. She lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband of almost 30 years and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys. She can be found at www.daryndajones.com.

And now for the contest:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Releases 3/5/13

Some of the new titles hitting shelves this week are:

The Shape Stealer by Lee Carroll

The End of the Point by Elizabeth Graver

Silenced by Kristina Ohlsson

A Conspiracy of Alchemists by Liesel Schwarz

Abide With Me by Sabin Willett

The Andalucian Friend by Alexander Soderberg

The Romanov Cross by Robert Masello

An Inquiry Into Love and Death by Simone St. James

Room No. 10 by Ake Edwardson

Evil in All Its Disguises by Hilary Davidson

The Late Night Horror Show by Bryan Smith

Doughnut by Tom Holt

Deep Down by Deborah Coates

The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper

Slashback by Rob Thurman (Cal Leandros series)

The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates

Mary Coin by Marisa Silver

Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

Unremembered by Jessica Brody

The Holders by Julianna Scott

Death, Doom and Detention by Darynda Jones

The Dark Heroine: Dinner With a Vampire by Abigail Gibbs

When We Wake by Karen Healey

Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington

Requiem by Lauren Oliver

The Murmurings by Carly Anne West

Legacy of the Clockwork Key by Kristin Bailey

New on DVD:
Red Dawn
Wreck-It Ralph
Playing for Keeps

New reviews at Bookbitch.com:
The Different Girl by Gordon Dahlquist
Death, Doom & Detention by Darynda Jones
All Seeing Eye by Rob Thurman

Pre Pub Book Buzz: The Eighth Court by Mike Shevdon

I'm bringing back Pre Pub Book Buzz -- or Books I'm Stoked About -- Saturdays! Why? Because there are always a ton of upcoming releases I can't wait to read and Saturdays are kind of a free day to do promote those.

This week, I'm stoked about the upcoming fourth installment in Mike Shevdon's Courts of the Feyre series! This is one of my favorite series. I've since passed along copies to my sister as well and she's become just as addicted to it as I have.

Here's a bit about the upcoming Eighth Court from the publisher's page:

The Eighth Court has been established, but petty rivalries and old disputes threaten its stability. The mongrels that make up the court are not helping, and Blackbird enlists the help of the warders to keep the peace.

Has Blackbird bitten off more than she can chew, and can the uneasy peace between the courts continue under such tension and rivalry?

File Under: Urban Fantasy [ A New Dawn | Uneasy Alliances | Eight Into One | End Of An Era ]

The Eighth Court is due out May 28 from Angry Robot. 

This series is perfect for readers who like dark urban fantasy mixed with history elements a la Ben Aaronovitch and Christopher Farnsworth.

If your interest is piqued but you've not read the first three installments, here are the links to my earlier posts: 

Sixty-One Nails 

The Road To Bedlam

Strangeness and Charm 

I highly recommend reading the books in order so be warned, there may be spoilers in the second two reviews if you've not yet started the series. 

172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad

I was looking for the perfect snowstorm read while also trying to pick my second book for the 2013 Translation Challenge being hosted over at Curiosity Killed the Bookworm, when I finally settled on Johan Harstad's 172 Hours on the Moon. This YA sci-fi/horror has been getting pretty great reviews from a lot of the bloggers I follow and it's been on my radar for a while. It seemed perfect for both counts on this snowy weekend.

In the decades since man's first steps on the moon, NASA has all but abandoned moon landings. Until now. Three teens, randomly selected from around the globe, will have the opportunity of a lifetime: participating in a brand new lunar mission. Once they're selected, they'll undergo months of training before heading off with a team of astronauts to DARLAH-2, a modular station built in the Sea of Tranquility in the seventies. The station has never been used. In fact, this team will be the first to ever set foot in DARLAH-2. But the mission isn't so straightforward. These teens and their team are about to find out the real reason man hasn't returned to the moon. 

I was a little concerned at the outset with this one. It seemed to start a bit slow and I wasn't hitting it off with the characters. Mia, who never had any interest in the moon in the first place, is entered by her parents. She's down right rotten to them and only agrees to go after learning that her bandmates would die for the opportunity themselves. Antoine is hurting over a bad break up and signs up while obsessively mourning his relationship. And Midori is a bit of an outcast amongst her schoolmates in Japan. She dreams of escaping to a place where she'll fit in. For all of them, the fame and notoriety of being involved with the moon mission is the perfect opportunity. Once we get past the somewhat awkward introductions and into the meat of the story, 172 Hours on the Moon gets really good.

I loved the creepy factor! The "truth" about DARLAH-2 when it's revealed, Midori's weird urban legends, the warnings before the mission begins, all of it is great! There were parts that were more than a little reminiscent of Apollo 18. Fortunately for us all, Harstad does a much better job with his moon horror.

I don't know why we don't have more space horror. Alien is phenomenally popular. I loved Pandorum. Just about every Mars movie has been pretty terrible, though, and while I was stoked about Apollo 18 in theory, in reality it didn't live up to expectations. 172 Hours on the Moon gives me more hope. I'd like to see more like this!

And a nod to Tara F. Chace for her translation here. Harstad's teen debut was originally published in his native Norway. Harstad's style overall is very Scandinavian - there is a starkness that I notice with all the Scandinavian fiction I read and it's very much present in Harstad's book. Had I not known this was a translation going in, however, I don't think I would have noticed. The translation is completely smooth and seamless.

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

Happy book birthday, Maureen Johnson! Today marks the release of The Madness Underneath, the second in Johnson's Shades of London series.

Rory Deveaux is recovering in Bristol after barely surviving an attack by the Ripper. She's ready to return to her school and her friends in London, but it takes some prompting to convince her family. It does help that her therapist has announced it the best road to recovery for Rory - returning to the scene of the incident, that is. Turns out this return has been manipulated by the Shades. See, the Ripper destroyed their last terminus and the division is in danger of being shut down unless they can come up with something quick. After all, what good is a ghost busting cop if he can't bust ghosts? Fortunately for them, Rory has somehow managed to become a terminus herself. With just a touch, she can banish a ghost to wherever it is they go. And her return couldn't have come soon enough. Something weird is happening in London once again and Rory might be the only one who can stop it. 

I think it's safe to say that The Madness Underneath has been at the top of a lot of Must Have lists for 2013, mine included! I adored The Name of the Star. Rory is smart and sarcastic and the combination of mystery/thriller elements and paranormal is one that I always love - when done well. And Johnson definitely does it well. Plus, Johnson's writing style is light without becoming overly frothy. Snarktastically snarky, to be honest: just the right blend of smart ass humor and social observation (extra wonderful in a boarding school setting and via a Louisiana girl, too!).

Strangely, while The Madness Underneath delivered on all counts, the end felt a little flat. It's clear there's more to the story but this felt very much more To Be Continued... than the end of The Name of the Star. Ah, well. I guess it'll be another year before we find out what happens to ... and with the whole ... and if Rory will be able to ... I don't want to ruin it for you!

A Future Arrived by Phillip Rock

Morning, all! I'm a stop on the TLC tour for the final installment of Phillip Rock's Abingdon Pryory trilogy this morning.

When we last left the Grevilles and Abingdon behind in Circles of Time, it was Christmas of 1923. Now, as A Future Arrived begins, it's 1930. Anthony and Hanna Greville are now in their seventies and the Earl of Stanmore is sadly reminded that his youth is far behind him. Charles is now headmaster of Burgate House School. Martin's young brother in law Albert is just about ready to begin university, but reveals that he'd much rather follow Martin's lead and become a journalist himself. Meanwhile, the Wood-Lacy girls are all growing up as is Alexandra's son Colin. The story soon launches into WWII and the next generation become the focus of this final installment in the trilogy. 

This has been something of a roller coaster of a read. I've become so invested in these characters and am very sorry to have to finally say goodbye to them all. I was concerned upon learning that the characters I'd come to know and love in the first two books took a bit of a back seat in this third release but actually the transition worked very well. Many of them are still readily present throughout the story (Martin for the most part, though Charles, William, the elder Grevilles, and even Fenton do make occasional appearances).

I rather enjoyed getting to know the younger characters better! And it made sense considering that by the time WWII rolls around these are the characters now experiencing the terrors and tragedies that Charles, Fenton, and Martin experienced in The Passing Bells. Colin - Alexandra's son - has dreams of becoming a military pilot as does Derek Ramsey, one of Charles's students. Jennifer Wood-Lacy falls hard for Albert - Martin's brother in law. And We follow them all through their formative years and into the new war.

As with the first two, Rock's style is gripping and his pacing is phenomenal. It took me just one afternoon to get through this final installment. Granted I'd planned my weekend that way, saving up this last visit with Abingdon Pryory for a day when I could devote all my time and attention to it.

Any fan of historical fiction and epic family dramas will love this trilogy. I really cannot recommend it highly enough! Rock sadly passed away in 2004. The rest of his work is out of print. It does make me wonder what other gems are hiding in the depths of publishing past, not deemed to be literary enough to last through the generations. Again I am so glad that this particular trilogy has been rereleased today.

Be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here to see the rest of the stops on the tour for this book and the rest of the trilogy as well.