5 for Friday - July 13

The Authors After Dark convention is getting so close, I can practically taste it! (For those of you who are curious, it tastes suspiciously like a Pat O'Brien's Hurricane.) But I am trying not to obsess.  This week has gone by pretty fast, thanks in part to an unplanned visit to New Orleans to visit my mom and take in a family crab-boil.  While I was there, she pulled up the blog on her computer, read a couple of posts and said, "You can be a little funny." (*pause*) "Who knew?" Thanks, Mom.

5. Kresley Cole has announced the next book in her Immortals After Dark series! Macrieve will be Uilleam's story.  (That's one of the Lykae twins who we last saw escaping the prison-island in Dreams of a Dark Warrior.)

I'm always down with the Lykae and I will read anything from Kresley Cole.  But I was kind of hoping for a Lanthe and Thronos book to be next.  Some people have said they thought it would be Kristoff and Furie, but I'm expecting them toward the end... maybe right before a big finale featuring Nix.  I won't bitch too much, though. I was dreadfully unexcited by the idea of a Carrow book with a hero I had never heard of, and Demon from the Dark ended up being my favorite book in the series so far. Macrieve will be out May 14th.

This seems like a good time to trot out my picture with Paul Marron, no?

I can wait to see what dude will end up on the Macrieve cover. Maybe I'll get to snuggle with him too.

4. I really enjoyed The Hunger Games --the book and the movie. Mockingjay is a whole 'nother story.  I will spare you the rant about how much I hated the ending of the series and jump to the part where Lionsgate has announced they are splitting the movie into two parts.

Yack.  It's not worth two movies.  It's the same length as the other two books and it was the most unappealing of the three.  Boo.

3. Onto more pleasant news, there is a new trailer out for the next season of Sons of Anarchy.

Jen is in her happy place.

2. Speaking of my happy place, Channing Tatum says there is gonna be a sequel to Magic Mike.  As I said on Twitter, I hope the filmmakers learn from their mistakes in the first movie: less "plot," more stripping.  Someone told me this may be a prequel.  I'm ok with that.  I'd love an excuse for Joe Manganiello and Matt Bomer to get some more screen time.

But if we go with a new crop, let me recommend my casting: Jared Padalecki, Jason Momoa, Charlie Hunnam, and Zac Efron as the new "kid."  Oh yeah, and Channing Tatum. You can't have a Magic Mike movie without Mike.

Now I have myself all aflutter. Any thoughts on your fantasy casting?

1. And in one more piece of movie news, Michael Fassbender has announced plans to co-produce and star in the adaptation of Assassin's Creed.

For those unfamiliar with the game, it follows Desmond Miles, as "an unwilling participant in an experiment wherein he's forced to live out the memories of his assassin ancestors."* I wonder if he'll be naked.


Have a great weekend.

XOXO,
Jen

*I totally stole that Assassin's Creed description from MTV.com.

5 for Friday - July 6

Happy Friday! I'm finally over my Magic Mike hangover and I have learned two very important lessons.  One: it's bad enough to drunk-dial or drunk-tweet, but it's even less of a good idea to pull out the camcorder and post your drunken monologue-slash-movie-review online... even if your enabler-friends say it is funny.  And two: if you are foolish enough to do this anyway, for the love of God, disable the comments on YouTube.  Days after my review posted, someone left the comment, "Lonely drunk older woman. Yuck."  I wanted to shout, "I'm not lonely!!" But I thought better of a flame war with some kid out in cyberspace. (I'm still crying on the inside and the comments are, indeed, now disabled.)

In other news, I decided to go ahead and start the Crossfire series and I really ended up enjoying Bared to You. Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to give it a try!!

5. I read and Loved Elizabeth Hoyt's Thief of Shadows with a capital-L. Now she is spilling the deets on the next Maiden Lane book, Lord of Darkness, out in February.

WHEN STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT
He lives in the shadows. The mysterious masked avenger known as the Ghost of St. Giles, his only goal is to protect the innocent of London. Until the night he confronts a fearless lady pointing a pistol at his head—and realizes she is his wife . . .

BECOME LOVERS...
Lady Margaret Reading has vowed to kill the Ghost of St. Giles—the man who murdered her one true love. Returning to London, and the man she hasn’t seen since their wedding day, Margaret does not recognize the man behind the mask. Fierce, commanding, and dangerous, the notorious Ghost of St. Giles is everything she feared he would be—and so much more . . .

DESIRE IS THE ULTIMATE DANGER
When passion flares these two intimate strangers can't keep from revealing more of themselves than they had ever planned. But when Margaret learns the truth—that the Ghost is her husband, Godric St. John—the game is up and the players must surrender . . . to the temptation that could destroy them both.

4. A tidbit for fans of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series.  According to her Facebook page, her next Dark Hunter book may be about Acheron's brother Styxx.

This excites me. I'm ready to get back into the Acheron side of the DH world!!

3. Laura Wright's 4th book in her Mark of the Vampire series, Eternal Beast,  is coming soon.  Now she has released a book trailer.

I'm excited to read Gray & Dillon's story!  It's out August 7.

2. I love Kelly Meding's Dreg City books.  But I've never tried her MetaWars series.  There's no time like the present, though. Pocket After Dark is featuring book one, Trance, for free on their website this month!

Kelly Meding’s war-ravaged Los Angeles is ground zero for the ultimate Meta human showdown in this sexy, action-packed new series.

Fifteen years ago, Teresa “Trance” West was a skilled telepath and a proud member of the Ranger Corps. But ever since the Rangers were inexplicably rendered powerless at the climax of the devastating Meta War, she’s bounced from one dead-end job to another. Now her powers have reappeared just as mysteriously as they vanished— only they’re completely transformed and more potent than ever. And they’re threatening to destroy her.

Trance heads to Los Angeles to track down the surviving Rangers and discover who restored her powers—and why—but a phantom enemy is determined to kill them before they can reassemble. As they dodge his deadly attacks and come to terms with their new role as heroes, Trance and the rest of the team set out to annihilate the sinister madman . . . only to discover their own powers are his greatest weapons.

If you like it, book two, Changeling, just came out June 26.

1. Here's a big one for Guild Hunter fans. Nalini Singh is holding a giveaway for three ARCs of Archangel's Storm.

I love the Guild Hunter covers, don't you?? This is Jason's book, out September 4th. Scoot over to her blog to enter. The contest runs through July 20th.

*Bonus Items*
Thea Harrison has revealed the cover art for her next Elder Races novella. And Moira Rogers has a new one in the Last Call series.

What do we think?  Hunter's Season is out September 18th.  No release date yet for Firecracker.


Have a great weekend!

XOXO
Jen

P.S. The contest winner is JenM.  Jen, send me an email and I'll hook you up with your prize.

I Have Achieved Magic Mike

As of 1:30am, this video seems like a good idea.  I mean, I've been talking about this movie for about six months and a few people told me they were looking forward to hearing my thoughts. So here they are, shot very poorly and with terrible lighting. But at least I don't have to worry about my spelling.

Enjoy it while you can. I'll probably wise up and take it down tomorrow... when I am a bit more sober.

5 for Friday - June 29

Happy Friday, everybody! Or perhaps, a more appropriate salutation Happy Magic Mike Day!!  But I'll get back to that in a minute.  First, I have to say it's been a real hit and miss week for me in bookland. I read the first novella and full-length book in Jocelynn Drake's upcoming Asylum Tales series.  I liked those, but everything else I read just kind of fell flat. I guess it was because I was coming off the high from all of those fabulous June 26th releases.  Who knows?  Now I'm feeling a bit uninspired to pick up anything new.  Ever have one of those weeks?  Anyway... I know something that will cheer me up...

5. At long last, the wait for Magic Mike is over.

Believe it or not, I will not be going to see this tonight. One of my buds is working, so we can't go until tomorrow.  (*tears*) But Saturday night, we are hitting the theater, and I for one, am going with a blood alcohol content of at least .05.

And to show you my level of commitment to Joe, Matt and the boys, you should know that I am braving the displeasure of family members by missing an out-of-town birthday party on Saturday. Mr. Red Hot Books knows how much I've been looking forward to the movie and he has offered to take the kids for me! (That's love, people.)

4. Hot on the heels of her Once Burned release, Jeaniene Frost is already talking about the next Vlad book.  The second installment in the Night Prince series will be titled Twice Tempted.  It's scheduled for release March 19, 2013.  How am I going to wait that long?

3. Sherrilyn Kenyon has revealed the cover for her next League book. Check out the deets on Born of Fury:

Counted among the fiercest Andarion warriors ever born, Hauk is one of the five founding members of the Sentella- an organization that has declared war on the League that rules the Ichidian universe with an iron fist and terrifies it with an army of well-trained assassins. Hauk’s enemies are legion, but he fears nothing and no one. He will do whatever it takes to survive and protect his Sentella brethren.

Sumi Antaxas is one of the best assassins the League has ever trained. In her world, failure is not an option and she has never met a target she couldn’t execute. So when she’s assigned Hauk, she believes it’ll be a quick and easy mission.

But nothing is ever as simple as it seems, and Hauk is far better trained...

Born of Fury is out April 1. But if you don't want to wait until 2013 for your next dose of the Ichidan universe, remember Maris' story, Cloak & Silence, will be out December 15.

2. Everybody is talking about Sylvia Day's Bared to You these days. I've heard many people call it the better alternative to FSoG.  I haven't read it. Honestly, the 50 Shades comparison turned me off, but now I am wondering if that was a mistake.  (*sigh*)  Anyway, the cover for book two is out:

Reflected in You is out October 2.  The final book in the trilogy will be out in December.

1. Finally, with The Avengers and Magic Mike premieres moving into the rear-view, I'm wondering what I can look forward to next at the theater.  I'm leaning heavily toward the Total Recall redux.  I'm as sick of remakes as everyone else, but I have to admit, this looks pretty bad-ass.

After this, I will begin to fixate on Ryan Reynolds as Connor MacLeod in the Highlander reboot, FO' SHO!I am picturing him in the kilt already!!


Have a great week... remember AAD in NOLA is less than six weeks away!!! If any featured authors want a last-minute spotlight, just let me know and I'll be happy to host you here.

XOXO
Jen

5 for Friday - June 15

As you read this, I am kicking back and (hopefully) enjoying my vacation.  It's been a great week for reading. I finally treated myself to that Once Burned arc and it totally lived up to my expectations! The best from Jeaniene Frost I have read in a long time.  I also read Tempest's Fury and am still reeling from the killer ending. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to read this weekend, but what I think makes a good vacation isn't always what the rest of the family has in mind.  All I know is that if someone says "bathing suit" to me, they are getting a kick in the shin.

5. Karen Marie Moning has released the blurb for her new Fever-world book Iced.  Check it out:

The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive.

Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.

Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux.

When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks—and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.

Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin—before everything and everyone in it gets iced."

I'm not sure how I feel about this.  Dani is obviously still quite young. There is no talk about romance --and I'm glad.  I can't quite imagine Mac really trying to kill her. I'm not a big Dani fan, but I keep reminding myself that I didn't like Mac in the beginning either, so I will definitely give it a chance. (I am a little scared, though.)

4. Maya Banks has revealed the cover for her upcoming Highlander Most Wanted.

It's gorgeous, right? This is for the second book in her series Montgomery/Armstrong series, out in February.  Book one, Never Seduce a Scot, releases September 25th.

3. New Magic Mike trailer. Perhaps the best thing that has happened to me this week.  I know I shared it with many of you on Twitter, but it's worth it to watch it again, yes?



It's got bare asses and big dicks in silhouette. My life is complete. (The banner says July 11th, but it's out June 29th.)

2. I don't usually spend much time talking about YA or Twilight kind of stuff, but have you seen the Entertainment Weekly cover on the new Breaking Dawn movie?

It is positively creepy how much that little girl looks like she could be their child.  Wow.

1. I told myself I wouldn't watch True Blood this season, but then I asked myself, What if Joe Manganiello gets naked?  Then, of course, I watched it.  And he kept all of his goddamn clothes on.  I saw Sheriff Andy's bare white ass. I saw Sam's extremely mooby moobs.  But Alcide didn't even take off his shirt. What. The. Hell.  I am totally not watching next week.   

But what if Joe Manganiello gets naked?  Who am I kidding?

A big thanks to everyone who participated in the Shameless Summer Hop this past week.  You guys are the best!

Until next time!
XOXO
Jen

5 for Friday - June 8

Welcome to 5 for Friday, the birthday edition! That's right. Today I am celebrating my 8th Annual 29th Birthday.  I probably won't actually do anything to celebrate, but I am treating myself to a weekend of great reading. Maybe I'll finally let myself read the copy of Once Burned that's been staring at my from my kitchen table.  Or maybe I'll glut myself in a BDB Qhuay re-read in honor of...

5. Lover At Last.  Oh. My. God.  The only book I have ever been this excited about is (maybe) Shadowfever. And honestly, I'm not even sure if I was this excited about that one.  I love the cover, even though I would have liked to see Blay on there too.

I know everybody talked about it yesterday, but I don't see myself getting tired of looking at this one. Please, God, can March get here any sooner?

4. Speaking of anticipation, the Magic Mike release is just three weeks away.  If you haven't seen the It's Raining Men version of the trailer, you are seriously missing out.

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

And if that doesn't whet your appetite, maybe a little stripping preview with Big Dick Richie will do the trick:

Get More: MTV Shows

It's like Christmas, right?  And speaking of male strippers, I wonder if it would be frowned upon to hire some to perform in the lobby at RT this year. They have strippers in Kansas City, right? I'm ready to tear that shit up!

3. I swear I'm sticking to my man candy theme, when I tell you that NOW is the time to start watching Spartacus. If you don't already, you are seriously missing out. There is action, violence, sex, and full frontal male nudity by the bucket-load.  (It's also got boobies if you want to convince your man to watch with you. Or maybe boobies float your boat too. It's win-win.)

Anyway, Starz is replaying all the episodes in order, starting tonight!  Check out the clip and set your DVR. I wouldn't steer you wrong.

   

2. OK, clearly I'm on a video kick today. Seems like a good time to stick in my Tumblr Photo of the Week.

((**Photo removed to prevent copyright infringement**))

1. And finally, as I was trolling YouTube yesterday, I came across this delightful video of some charming Asian men wishing me a happy birthday.  I laughed so hard that I cried.

I swear I'll talk more about books next week.

XOXO
Jen

5 For Friday - May 18

Happy Friday, friends.  It's been a crazy week at my house. The hubs is in Miami to visit his best friend and to attend some porn convention.  This makes me the Best Wife Ever, and gives me the green light to attend the book conventions of my choice over the course of the next year. Win-win.  My temporary single-mom status has made it hard to get much reading done, but tonight, you can be sure I am hunkering down with Armed & Dangerous and a glass of wine!   I've been dying to read this one and I didn't get to start it until late last night. Cut and Run is definitely my favorite m/m series.  With that in mind, let's get this party started:

5. The Hop Against Homophobia is currently underway.

If you aren't familiar with it, the hop is an effort from more than 250 m/m authors, reviewers and publishers to stand together and create awareness of homophobia.  There are some really great posts here and they're delivering a message that needs to be heard by everyone.  I urge you to check some of them out. You could also win some great m/m book prizes.

4. I just found out that the uber-awesome Stacia Kane is releasing a prequel novella to her amazing Downside series.  It's called Finding Magic and it comes out June 4th. An early birthday present to me, perhaps?

Before Chess Putnam was a magic-wielding Churchwitch, she was a student in the Church of Real Truth—with a keen sensitivity to magic, a strong rebellious streak, and a penchant for self-destruction. And in Finding Magic, a grisly ghost murder becomes Chess’s baptism of fire.

When eighteen-year-old Chess Putnam is offered the chance to train with a special team of investigators known as the Black Squad, she feels torn. She’s never been a team player and hates how one male Inquisitor condescends to “the new kid.” But at her first bloody crime scene, she gets a taste for investigation—and is hooked on the high. Though the seasoned Inquisitors consider the series of ghost murders random events, Chess starts to detect a pattern. Is a psycho killer summoning ghosts from the City of Eternity and using them as murder weapons? As Chess gets closer to the dark truth, she puts herself in grave danger and risks losing everything she’s fought so hard for.

I'm excited, but can I love Chess without Terrible? (And what's up with the blond hair?)

3. Speaking of Terrible...

I am so excited to be his champion in the VBC Alpha Showdown.  We're up against tough competition.  I mean, who doesn't love Kate Daniels? But Terrible fans, we need to unite! Come cast your vote Monday, May 21st.

2. HBO has released its first trailer for Season 5 of True Blood.  Check it out:

There was no doubt that the show would have to veer away from the books this season since they decided not to make Jason a were-panther and that is such a huge part of Dead as a Doornail.  But other than some left-over Debbie Pelt stuff, this looks like a main story arc completely independent of the Charlaine Harris series.  Personally, I hate the fact that they left the books, but I know some folks prefer the changes.  What do you think? Will you be watching next month?

1. The Magic Mike release is only six weeks away! And Entertainment Weekly has a great spread on the sexy stars in its next issue.

There's also a behind the scenes video from the cover shoot.  Click below if you want to watch it, but wait until you're done reading everything here, because the link will take you to the EW website.  It's worth it just to see how many times Channing Tatum can say "junk" in under 3:00.

Warning: Joe Manganiello is not in this video.

That's about it for this week. I need to go finish crying over the Grey's Anatomy finale.

XOXO
Jen

Did Somebody Say "Full Frontal?"

I don't normally post about movies or anything else that is not book related.  But you know I do have a soft spot for man-candy.  And I'll be damned if I didn't just hear about the man-candy movie of the century.

It's called Magic Mike and it's a Steven Soderbergh movie about male strippers.  Sit down for a moment while I lay out the cast:



Alex Pettyfer




Channing Tatum



Joe Manganiello



Matthew Bomer

They will be taking off their clothes in this movie.  Let's stop and absorb that for a moment.  They will be naked.  Maybe completely, gloriously naked... a la Spartacus.  I think I might set up a tent at the theater.

Oh yeah.. and this guy is playing the ex-stripper who owns the club:


Matthew McConaughey


I'm going to go sit in the corner and rock back and forth until this movie comes out.