ARC Review: Into the Woods by Kim Harrison

Into the Woods

by Kim Harrison

(Tales from the Hollows and Beyond)

If you are a Kim Harrison fan, you'll love this.  If you are a Hollows fan, you'll love this.  If you are a true Hollows fan, you've probably read a lot of these stories previously.  But don't despair there is a little something extra that will make this all worth it.  In my opinion, this might not be the best book if you haven't read the Hollows series, however.  I think because the short stories cover a wide span of time and books, you'll be getting some spoilers while reading this.

Another thing that I loved was Kim Harrison's commentary at the beginning of each story.  She gives a little background of how that story came to be or why she decided to do certain things with the series or characters.  I truly enjoyed that.

The Bespelled - 4 Stars

We are going back in time to when Al first captured Ceri.  Al was not a nice guy and this was the story to prove it for a while.  He had no heart then and you can really see how much he's changed and evolved in 1,000 years.  Enjoyable read all over again!  First published in The Outlaw Demon Wails.

Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel - 4 Stars

I always enjoy reading this story.  This was back when I actually liked Pierce.  So during the Solstice, and while Rachel is still a teenager, her brother Robbie dares her to summon their dad to ask him if she should join the IS.  But Rachel ends up with Pierce instead and all the troubles that causes.  First published in Holidays are Hell.

Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil - 4 Stars

And Ivy/Kisten story.   Right before Ivy goes to work as Rachel's partner.  This story gives us a view of the vampire world and politics that come into play.  Kisten is the Scion but at times he leans on Ivy's strength and support to get through.  I loved reading Ivy's and Kisten's relationship and remembering. *sigh* First published in Dates from Hell.

Dirty Magic - 3.5 Stars

Mia is a banshee that shows up in Black Magic Sanction.  I have to say that I personally don't have a fascination with banshees and this story was ok but I didn't connect in any major way.  We are just in Mia's head, Mia who is in love and can't help but suck all the energy and life out of everyone and everything.  First published in Hotter than Hell.

The Bridges of Eden Park - 4 Stars

Broke my heart to read this.  That's all I'm going to say.  First published in For a Few Demons More.

Ley Line Drifter - 3.5 Stars

This is a Jenks/Bis story.  They are hired to investigate a mysterious presence in a statue at a park.  I love Jenks and almost forgot how much I love Bis!  Then there's Matalina, who I just love to read about.  This was a fun story but I thought was a bit dragged out.  First published in Unbound.

Million Dollar Baby - 4 Stars

Here's your new dose of Hollows.  When Trent and Jenks go off on their rescue mission during Pale Demon and then come back with his baby, didn't you wonder what happened?  I loved every second of this Trent/Jenks adventure.  Plus it's written from Trent's POV and I am quickly becoming addicted to being in his head and understanding how he thinks.

Pet Shop Boys - 4.5 Stars

This is the beginning of the non-Hollows stories.  This one should become a full length novel or even a series.  A whole new look at vamps from Ms. Harrison.

Temson Estates - 3 Stars

I felt that this story was gearing up to go somewhere and then it stopped right in the middle of getting there.  Dryads.  Yeah, not exactly my thing.

Spider's Silk - 3.5 Stars

This was interesting, if a bit slow.  I would've liked it to be a bit longer and know what happens next.  She seems to have a fascination with dryads.

Grace - 3.5 Stars

Grace has special powers that can become dangerous.  It was ok but I can't say I loved the ending.  Maybe it needed to be developed more and could be a good story.

*ARC provided by publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: The Good, The Bad and the Undead by Kim Harrison

The Good, the Bad and the Undead

by Kim Harrison

(The Hollows # 2)

Rachel Morgan can’t catch a break. Even as she is happily dating a human, Nick and things seem to be going fairly well with her new roomies, Jenks and Ivy. Rachel gets sucked into a witch murderer case. Several witches have been found dead and Rachel has this gut feeling that Trent Kalamack is behind this. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time Trent had tried something mischievous and manipulative to get what he wants.

As Rachel gets to work with Detective Glen, readers come to see a much more passionate side to Rachel. Flipping through the evidence files, the blood and gore is too much for even a witch like her. I loved this part because it not only showed readers a compassionate side to Rachel, but also displayed nicely that she isn’t above all this. I enjoyed seeing her determination and her eager need to take Trent down. It isn’t simply to take revenge on what he did to her in the last book.

Kim Harrison weaves an intricate plot in THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UNDEAD. Though Trent infuriates me sometimes, there’s also something very magnetic about him. Readers can’t help but wanting to know more about him. Who he really is is still up in the air and I love the way that Harrison plays this out.

Each book in the series reveals just enough to keep readers entertained without giving too much away. Nick still makes me nervous. I like him, but there’s something about him that causes me to question everything he says. I’m eager to find out what happens with the human.

The Hollows has become a world that I have been wholly invested in. I can’t wait to find out what happens next! 

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

Dead Witch Walking

by Kim Harrison

(The Hollows # 1)

It’s about freaking time I read this book! I’ve had this book on my TBR shelf for so long and upon starting this book, I realized that I made a huge mistake of waiting this long! Rachel Morgan is kickass, fun, feisty and a thrill to read!

Rachel is at a turning point in her life. She has made the major decision to leave her job with the IS, taking with her one of the best runners, a vampire named Ivy. Now, the IS doesn’t do well with people who decide to just get up and leave so immediately, Rachel has a new enemy on her hands as an assassination order is put on her. She gets kicked out of her apartment and is forced to live in a church with Ivy. At this point, things really start to go downhill when Rachel gets caught up with the likes of Trent, a sexy and powerful councilman who has his fingers in a lot of dangerous pots. Harrison turns the dial up on the action and the plot twists until your mind is spinning from it all.

Many readers have said that this book suffers from “first book of the series” syndrome. Yes, I think I would agree with that. However, I definitely don’t think it’s a reason not to give this series a shot. DEAD WITCH WALKING hooked with me with the first chapter and then kind of lost its way a little bit in the beginning. Harrison hits you with a lot at once so getting a feel of being in Rachel’s mind while feeling out the world at the same time was a little hard. Some scenes aren’t as clear as they could be and I don’t always agree with what happens in the book, but I still found the book moving at a good pace. By the middle I was hooked and I finished it quite quickly after that.

Despite the minor areas that kind of blur together, Harrison seems to have a clear image of The Hollows in her mind. I like that she is willing to pull out anything to make her books interesting. I mean, really a witch who turns into a minx? I never thought something like that would be entertaining.

If you’re looking to try this series out, then I say go for it! Don’t let the slow scenes get you down. After you get through them, this book really is a breeze to read and from what I’ve heard, the series only gets better from here! 

Purchase Links: Amazon

Covers to Covet

Ever After

by Kim Harrison

(The Hollows # 11)

The ever after, the demonic realm that parallels the human world, is shrinking. If it disappears completely, so does all magic. It's up to witch-turned-daywalking-demon Rachel Morgan to avert catastrophe and keep life from changing... for the worse.

While saving the world is important, it isn't Rachel's only motivation. There's also the small fact that she caused the ley line to rip in the first place, setting off a chain reaction of unfortunate events. That little mistake has made her life forfeit unless she can fix it. It's also made her more than a few enemies, including the most powerful demon in the ever after—a terrifying entity who eats souls and now has an insatiable appetite for her. He's already kidnapped her friend and goddaughter to lure her out, and if Rachel doesn't give herself up soon, they'll die.

But Rachel has more than a few impressive and frighening skillls of her own, and she isn't going to hand over her soul and her life without one hell of a fight. She's also got a surpise: elven tycoon Trent Kalamack. With this unlikely ally beside her—a prospect both thrilling and unnerving—she's going to return to the ever after, kick some demon butt, rescue her loved ones... and prevent an apocalypse before it's too late. Or, at least that's the plan...

Available January 22, 2013

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about this book!

Plus I am loving the cover!!!  It's one of my favorites I think and being that we will be in the ever after in this book then it seems extremely appropriate and well designed!  Is it January yet?

Kim Harrison Signing in CA

Our very own Angela attended the

Kim Harrison signing in

San Bruno, CA a few weeks back!

Kim Harrison, Up Close and Personal

~Well, not personal but Up Close for sure. I sat in the first row at the signing (Barnes and Noble, San Bruno, CA). It was quite an experience and awe inspiring to hear a well known/well established author. I have to confess, I have not read one book Ms. Harrison wrote. I came to her signing to have A Perfect Blood signed for Fran as her Birthday gift. Plus, how many times do a big author come to my neck of the woods, rare!

~At the signing, I met a few women who shared the same interests and read similar books. I was surprised to see a few men who where big fans of the Hollows series. Both Ms. Harrison and her husband were very nice, entertaining and very accommodating to the fans. Although, her husband is not nearly as pretty as she is. She’s definitely a MILF, if I went that way.

~The Q&A was fun to hear. As you know, I was clueless of what they were talking about so, I decided to record them and hell no, I did not attempt to write them down. Ms. Harrison and her husband granted permission for me to post the videos at UTC. It was nice that she actually knows of our Blog. When I asked her to autograph our UTC’s Autograph Page, she said and I quote “oh yeah, I recognize that picture. Under The Covers right?” Squeeeee! I have handed the small clips to Fran and asked her to weed out what our followers might want to see. I hope they are clear enough for you to enjoy. From hearing the comments about this book, no doubt I will get to them sooner then later.

The Hollows was picked up by the CW for the 2012-2013 season


Where the ideas for the species, etc came from?


Why can't pixies and fairies get along?


About her new work and upcoming series


Who is Rachel going to end up with?

Young Adult writing


What do you read?


Inspiration


Clint Eastwood themed titles


What did she want to do before deciding to write?


Advise to aspiring authors

 Print or ebook?

Review: A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison

A Perfect Blood

by Kim Harrison

(The Hollows # 10)

Every year seems like the wait gets longer for these books.  After the massive success of Pale Demon (at least with me) I couldn't wait to get my paws on this baby.  I was literally giddy when it was released and made sure to clear my schedule to read it.  But then after I started it, that enthusiasm seemed to fade a bit.  Why?  Not that it was bad but the first half of the book was very slow and didn't have any of the elements that I've come to love.

Don't get me wrong, I actually like Rachel.  But a Hollows book without either Trent or Al, and a good amount of Jenks is just not as entertaining.  As much as I want to like just Rachel.  She starts off without her powers because she is still wearing the charm Trent gave her.  So this actually makes her quite useless.  She is called in to assist in an investigation where a human group is trying to exterminate the supernatural population by kidnapping (and killing) people that are carriers for the Rosewood syndrome.

But Rachel, as a carrier AND officially a demon, is the perfect target for HAPA.  They are trying to make demons to use their blood, Rachel is already one.  Of course, the fact that she can't tap into her powers leads her to being captured and used.  And this is where she sees the light!  And this is where it all gets better.

A few things I absolutely loved about this book.   

Jenks.  I love that little pixie, I wish I could take him home with me and have him following me around!  He's still always there for Rachel, calls her on her shit, and would risk anything for her and the mission.  That aside from having some really funny one-liners, especially all his new and improved Tinkerbell comments!   

Trent.  Ohhh please Ms Harrison put me out of my misery!  This book was oooooooozing Trent/Rachel chemistry.  They are so perfect for each other.  I have been on that bandwagon from book one when Trent turned Rachel into a rat and put her in a cage.  Yes, call me crazy, but I knew then that I wanted these two together.  And it's all coming together finally.  But I don't know if I can handle one more book of all this chemistry and sexual tension and innuendos without some action.  I should've counted how many times Rachel thought about their kiss in this book.  Nevertheless, we see a side of Trent that I can't wait to see more of.  Businessman aside, he's just as adventurous as Rachel!

Kisten.   Even though he's obviously not in the book he was brought up so many times I could actually start tearing up!

Al.  I missed him so much in this book.  He barely makes an appearance, but my favorite part has to be when he's changing his appearance to act silly for the girls.  Who would've thought Al could actually be cute around kids!

The group dynamic is changing.  Rachel is more and more comfortable with the fact that she's a demon, she does curses, she does black magic.  It is powerful, and it's her responsibility to protect that power.  I am anxious to see where the next book takes us.  However, I do hope there is an end to this series in sight.  Even though I love it, I don't want this all to get dragged along.  *sigh*  Now another year-long wait ahead of us!

Favorite quotes:

“Some nasty bitch of a woman from the coven of moral and ethical standards tried to fry Rache" the pixy said apparently proud of it. "I pixed the Tink-blasted dildo, and Rache's black-arts boyfriend blew her right out the front door. Bam!” 


“Oh, I'm sorry. Did I interrupt some sort of dominance foreplay?”

"Tink loves a duck. What have you been doing? Sitting on your thumb and spinning?" 

Purchase Links: Amazon

ICED teaser and A PERFECT BLOOD excerpt!

If you're a Urban Fantasy mega fan then you'll be alongside me screaming up and down as you read this post.

First up, the awesome, fabulous, amazingly cool Karen Marie Moning has release a teaser of ICED, the first book in Dani O'Malley's anticipated series. You ready for it? OK, brace yourselves! But be warned, THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR THE FEVER SERIES!

Four nights he’s come to me, murmuring my name, making it an exquisite melody with which not even the divine orchestral choir of all the angels in heaven could compete.

He chimes my name in the language of the Unseelie and it makes my ears ring until my mind is emptied of all thought, until my eyes are incapable of beholding any vision other than him. He is so beautiful that merely looking at him makes me weep and when I brush tears from my cheeks, my hands come away stained red with blood.

He wakes me but doesn’t wake me.

He takes me to a place that is so perfect and serene and free of worry that I want to stay there forever.

My name is Cruce, he says. Not V’lane. I was so weary of wearing his golden shining face. He was never half the Fae I am. I have you in the Dreaming, is it not beautiful? Do you not feel divine here with me? You need not fear me. I am not what I seem.

I’m in danger.

 Source: Karen Marie Moning's Facebook fanpage

I am DYING to get my hands on this book! ICED is set out to be released in Oct. 2012. Also, INTO THE DREAMING, Karen's novella in the Highlander series is being rereleased in April. You can pre-order a copy here.

Amazon

Also, Kim Harrison has released the first three chapters of A PERFECT BLOOD! This comes out Feb 21, 2012.

You can check that out here.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three

Purchase A PERFECT BLOOD: Amazon

Which book are you most excited to read? Let us know!

Review: Blood Work by Kim Harrison

Blood Work

by Kim Harrison

(The Hollows: Graphic Novel # 1)

Blood Work is the first graphic novel in The Hollows series. I know people have mixed feelings about this as it can be frustrating to see your favorite characters not portrayed the way you envisioned them. But I'm usually excited to see them come to life one way or another so when I had the chance to get my hands on this at NY Comic Con I was extremely happy. It's been sitting on my desk now for a few weeks and imagine my surprise when I opened it yesterday to read it and I realized IT'S A SIGNED COPY!!!!! After my happy dance... here are my thoughts.

The story in Blood Work is a prequel to The Hollows Book 1 Dead Witch Walking. It basically tells the stoy of how Ivy and Rachel came to work together. This is also told from Ivy's perspective. Basically Ivy set up her previous boss to get blamed for a murder and got kicked out of the homicide division of the IS. She feels she's already at a low point in her life and then she gets assigned Rachel as a partner. What could be more denigrating for a vampire than having a witch for a partner. And it doesn't help that Rachel doesn't know how to dress and acts the part of a ditz. They stumbled upon a murdered were and even though they shouldn't be investigating this case, they manage to figure things out and give Ivy her first taste for the hunt.

As usual, I loved Rachel and Ivy, and I enjoyed being in Ivy's head, where in the books, I wasn't too crazy about her at the beginning. A bit of a touchy subject for me, Kisten is still dating Ivy in this story. I might've cried a little, but I can guarantee you that was something that must've gotten in my eye, not Kisten. Not at all.

At the end of the novel we have a quick glimpse of how the graphic novel came together. There's a long character description and profile that Ms. Harrison had given the artist, and also the initial sketches for the characters and the revisions they went through.

I loved Ivy. She was my favorite graphic representation. Almost exactly how I pictured her. She just has so much raw sexuality, like a vampire should. Her aura was also pretty good. Rachel on the other hand, at times I liked the graphic representation and at times I didn't. My main problem with how the character turned out was Kisten. Where's his sexy persona that a vampire should have? And that's NOT how I pictured him at all! Hmmmm I guess we can't have it all the way we want.

In the end, for a Hollows fan, I think this will be an enjoyable read. It was actually a pretty long graphic novel so I found it worth the money.

For someone who has never read the series... I'm not sure the novel does a good job at explaining the world enough, or if you might be a little lost if you pick this up. However, the general storyline is easy to follow, even if I'm thinking you're missing background info you will still enjoy it and understand it. It might actually be a good taste of what the series has to offer. Just keep in mind, the books are from Rachel's perspective, and she's very entertaining! 

Purchase Links: Amazon

The Hollows on TV

Fans of The Hollows Rejoice!

I am soooo excited about this news I just had to share it with you! 

The Hollows has been optioned for small screen production through the CW network.

And it's been written by Jordan Howley (Smallville).

Check out the CW Network Press Release

*insert screaming and jumping up and down here, while doing a happy dance*

Let's hope this all works out because I would LOOOOOVE to see this series on TV.  I think Rachel has great potential to make the transition from paper to screen.

NY Comic Con 2011

Under The Covers goes to NY Comic Con

Hello maidens!  I can't tell you all how excited I was to be able to get a ticket last minute to go to Comic Con, at least for one day!  So let me give you all a quick update.  I started out the day really early and was at the Javits Center 2 hours before the show actually opened.  Let me tell you that was not early enough, the line to actually get in was already massive!!!  So after standing in line in a cramped "basement" for two hours, along with hoards of people, we were finally let in!  By the time I practically ran to the Conan panel (which started at 10am) the line was already closed because the room would be over capacity!  So I missed the panel about the movie.  So next stop... pick up my ticket for my photo opp.  With ticket in hand the lady at Celebrity Authentics tells me to be back there at 1:30pm for the photo.

Started walking around the booths, and let me tell you there were sooo many vendors and so much cool stuff!  Of course I had a great time just looking at people's costumes!  Some were extremely well put together.  However, I did not understand the massive fascination with Pikachu.  Maybe because I never got into it too much, but THAT was the most popular costume!  I would say a good 30% of the people seemed to be dressed up, which I thought was pretty cool!  My favorite though... and no I didn't get pictures of any of those because I was running around... were the anime style outfits!  Those looked sooooo cute and sexy!  Even the steampunk outfits were crazy cool!  Definitely fun to see!



A couple of things to keep in mind if you are planning to attend the next one. You cannot do everything you want! It's almost impossible. I only got to do one panel, and if I had done one more I would've missed signings or something else. There's a lot of running around trying to be where you need to be at a certain time, a lot of standing in lines, and it's chaotic to figure out where you're going and navigate through so many people. So be prepared to go in a group so you can get more done and make sure you know in advance at least the times of the signings, panels and things you want to do and see.

No, there wasn't a lot of time for eating or even bathroom breaks! LOL

OK but enough of that!  Let me tell you about the BEST part!  The books!!!!!  Books.Books.And More Books!  The people at the publishers booths were extremely nice, I got lots of free goodies from Harper Collins, Penguin Group and Del Rey (I know I'm leaving some out)!  Special author appearances by MY FAVORITE urban fantasy ladies included: Jeaniene Frost, Marjorie M. Liu, Kristen Painter, Patricia Briggs, Kim Harrison, Alison Goodman and Sabrina Benulis.  And yes I got to meet most of them!  Yay me!  Totally starstruck!  And yes, I got to even take a picture with our Author of the Month!  Check out my pics:

Jeaniene Frost

Marjorie M. Liu

Alison Goodman

Patricia Briggs

They were all so extremely nice and funny!  The panel We're No Angels was a lot of fun!  We got to hear how the authors started writing, the writing process, the editing process, the publishing process.  The way their careers have changed their lives!  It was a great insight into some of my favorite authors out there as well as a great of learning about authors I haven't read before and now I can't wait to dive into!  I loved that Marjorie M. Liu made the decision of leaving behind her career as an attorney to become an author and had to downgrade her lifestyle to do what she loved, even though she was a bit worried about what her family would think about her writing steamy sex scenes in her books.  Jeaniene Frost admitting that she's a procrastinator with the Mañana Syndrome.  Kim Harrison admitting to not being afraid of writing crap and then throwing away a bunch of chapters that she wrote until the story started really flowing and coming to her.  Sabrina Benulis being influenced by anime and manga, I'm very curious to read her book now.  Kristen Painter was just so much fun!  Alison Goodman made her decision of becoming a writer when she was in college and it took a while for her family to accept that but they finally did; and how cool is it she was there all the way from Australia?!?  Patricia Briggs was amazing to hear, a lot of fun and I loved that she told the story about her husband calling her one day complaining about his job and she told him "You can quit now!".  They also talked about the difference in the styles of writing between male and female writers in UF and talked about favorite authors, Diana Gabaldon being one mentioned often.  And my favorite question from the audience... a guy that actually admitted he reads romance novels and wanted to know why the men are always so alpha!  ;)  Response, women like to read about the tortured alpha males, that are alrger than life, and the woman who can fix them.  I also got to meet the artist of the Dark Swan graphic novel, he was extremely nice!

I got a lot of free goodies!!!  Thank God I dragged my boyfriend along because he was carrying about 3 totes worth of stuff around for me, as well as standing in lines while I was in others so I could get everything done.  Isn't he sweet?!?! 

So you want to take a pic at my loot?

And yes.... you might be wondering about a certain picture there on that table *sigh* You know I love all the authors I met and heard speaking, and I got a lot of goodies, and all that was fine and exciting.... BUT, and please don't hold this against me, the best part of the show was Jason Momoa!  That was the photo opp I was talking about before, so let me finish the story.  I go back at 1:30 all excited to take my picture, and they're taking pictures with Rose McGowan.  So I asked what happened to Jason Momoa and they tell me his slot was 11:30 - 12:30.  So I started freaking out until someone there took pity on me and told me they would bring him back to take my picture!!!  Don't I just feel special?!!?  So even though I had to wait a little extra, meeting Jason Momoa and having this picture makes up for ANYTHING else, and yes this was my favorite part of the show!  *wipes the drool off the keyboard*  I was very proud of myself I could carry on a conversation with him, even as he was looking me in the eye, holding my hand, and speaking in his low sexy voice!  You just want me to stop talking now and show you right?

Jason as our Hottie of the Week (in June)