Hellish Good Time and Other Not So Cool Things

So I finished another book the other day and it was fantastic! Go out now and buy Hell's Belles by Jackie Kessler. I read it so fast, that it didn't even seem like I was reading. Sounds kind of weird ... but no joke. I'd be like, "I'm just going to read a few pages" then BAM, I read like 50. Insane! The voice flows so well, so quick, your eyes flit over the pages without any roadblocks or potholes to tear you out of the story. And what a unique story. Jezebel is a succubus who has a bit of a disagreement with the way things are going to hell in hell (or would that be going to heaven?), so she leaves hell for earth and disguises herself as a mortal and tricks a witch into giving her a talisman that masks her true identity from the demons trying to track her down and take her back to hell. In the course of one day she meets a hot guy, travels to New York, and finds a job at—what else—a strip bar. But this is only the beginning of her journey. She still has a ton of demons wanting to drag her back, a best friend who's a Fury, Queen Lilith with a major hair up her ass, a hot incubus who keeps wanting to play naughty with her, and well ... trying to figure out her new mortal body and all that comes along with being human. Not to mention that this book is damn sexy. But, of course, with a succubus as the heroine, what do you expect? What was so great was Kessler's world building. All the little nuances concerning the different levels of hell, different types of demons, the roles demons play in seducing mortals, and why they do it. I never thought I'd actually root for a demon in a book or feel bad for Lucifer but Kessler pulled it off without any questions. According to her site, the next book in the series Road to Hell is out in November and I believe the third book is Hotter Than Hell. I can't wait!

On my writing front, I got two more rejections from agents. I had high hopes for this one and was kind of bummed to get these responses. Got a little bit of feedback which was good and bad. Ugh! I'm so frustrated. I still got it out there with two other people, but I'm not getting my hopes as high this time. A CP finished the story and has a bunch of suggestions for taking it in a new direction, so I'll see how I can improve. I'm always up for improvement, especially if it means breaking in the biz and learning new ways to evolve my story and my writing. But I have to admit that the improvement process is painful. Kind of like plastic surgery. Not that I know, but I've watched Doctor 90210 enough to see how uncomfortable everyone is right after having a ton o' fat removed or getting implants. But after a few weeks, they're better and most look hotter, too. So I guess that's what will happen to my story. It'll get better looking ... hopefully.

Reviews

As my escape these last few weeks, I've been catching up on my reading.

Bitten and Smitten by Michelle Rowan
A very fun and entertaining vampire chick-lit romance. Michelle has a great voice and style that just captures you and hold your attention from the start. When a blind date goes wrong, Sarah Dearly (fun-loving, hilarious, and witty) is turned into a vampire and her sire is immediately turned into dust by psychotic vampire hunters. While running for her newly undead life from these hunters, she bumps into Theirry de Bennicoeur, a six-hundred-year-old vampire about to end his life because ... well ... he's just sick of living and has lost the spark. And energetic, crazy Sarah is just the person to ignite it again. Of course, Michelle adds a love triangle to the mix with Quinn, a reluctant vampire hunter who has fallen in love with Sarah, whom he tried to kill—not really a good start to a healthy relationship. Michelle is a bit of a tease because the few moments where Theirry and Sarah and even Quinn and Sarah come close to taking their relationship to the next level is hot but nothing more happens. I wanted to see more!!! At least she has a sequel coming out this summer, Fanged and Fabulous, so I can see their relationship develop. Maybe I'm just a total perv when it comes to the hot scenes which brings me to my next book ...

The Nymph King by Gena Showalter
I'd read her Alien Huntress book, which is action-packed and has hot scenes but nothing could prepare me for the sensuality of this one. Gena has created a new twist to the underground world of Atlantis where Nymphs, Vampires, Dragons, and all types of mythical and god-like creatures dwell. She has set the stage well for a myriad of tales to be spun from this new world. In her book, Nymphs are highly sexual creatures that no one can resist. The Nymph males exude sex appeal that attracts females by the herds until they are frothing at the mouth (and probably other places) just to be with the Nymphs, who thrive on sex to heal and increase their strength for battle. You want a book full of Alpha males???? Then this one is totally for you. In fact, I'm not sure how the Nymph males can even be in one room with all the masculinity and Alpha-dog attitude they ooze. Enter Shaye Holling, a woman who has shut herself away from any kind of loving relationship because of her parents' penchant for going from one failed relationship to the next. To protect herself from getting close to anyone new in her family (because they would just leave during the next round of divorces) and any man for fear of losing herself like her mother, Shaye has become an ice princess, whose resolve is able to resist the advances of the Valerian, the king of the Nymphs, even when he claims that she's his mate. Gena does a great job of building and building and then building some more the sexual tension between the two main characters until, when you're about to burst from all this pent up sexuality, it finally happens. Though I became frustrated with Shaye for keeping up her icy resolve for most of the story, Gena did a good job of making me understand Shaye's history and why she'd resist for so long. I wanted to see a little more with the battle sequence at the end and some more with Poseiden, who makes a few, too-brief appearances. But this is the definition of a romance where the relationship comes first and the other parts of the story are secondary characters. I look forward to her other books set in Atlantis and I'm really hoping that the Dragons make an encore appearance ...