This just in…

Eleven authors have banded together to support breast cancer research with their writing. Authors4theCure, which includes award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors, as well as two breast cancer survivors, is donating proceeds from the sale of their paranormal anthology, Entangled, to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).

~ Entangled includes ten suspense-filled paranormal stories (plus one novella) from an impressive list of talented authors:

Lori Brighton
Michelle Diener
Cynthia Eden
Jennifer Estep
Misty Evans
Nancy Haddock
Liz Kreger
Dale Mayer
Michelle Miles
Edie Ramer
Allison Brennan

~ Stacia Kane contributed the foreword and the book’s formatting and cover art were also donated to the project.

~ BCRF-funded research has helped save lives and improved the quality of care and rate of survival for tens of thousands of breast cancer patients in the past decade. Their research has revealed that the “cure” is a mosaic made up of as many approaches to diagnosing, treating, preventing and surviving as there are different types of breast cancer. The anthology is also a mosaic made up of many stories donated for this worthwhile cause.

~ Entangled will release September 12, 2011, and will be available as an ebook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and other online retailers.

~ The ebook price is a mere $2.99, so let’s all do our part and donate!

Consider yourself flashed.

Liviania’s review of Unholy Magic (Downside Ghosts, Book 2) by Stacia Kane
Urban Fantasy released by Del Rey 6 July 2010

The second book in a trilogy tends to be the worst, since it is stuck setting up the exciting climax of book three.  Luckily for me, Unholy Magic didn’t feel like it was just marking time.  There were typical second book touches of expanding the setting and furthering an ongoing storyline – in this case, possible corruption in the Church, letting to unsettled ghosts.  At the same time, the one book mysteries about murdered prostitutes and a haunted movie star stand pretty well on their own.

The biggest flaw of the book is the giant coincidence that helps Chess Putnam putt the pieces together and figure out the murderer’s identity.  Truthfully, it’s a series of about three giant coincidences, which makes it all the more convenient and lazy.  Stacia Kane makes up for botching the mystery through the strong atmosphere of the novel, revelations about Chess’s past, and more of Terrible and Lex.  There’s also some needed levity amongst the grit, mostly due to Chess’s smart mouth and the consequences thereof.  But she manages to get herself into some situations that are funny in a tense sort of way.

Terrible and Lex are both bad ideas. They’re mixed up in drugs, they probably kill people, but they’re also charismatic.  It’s easy to see why Chess falls for Terrible and keeps falling into bed with Lex despite the fact that she knows she shouldn’t be involved with either.  Terrible continues to exhibit many sides, as he did in Unholy Ghosts, and Lex gains more texture.

For those bothered by drugs, that aspect does not disappear.  In fact, Chess has been increasing her drug use since she now has access to two dealers.  Once more there are clear negatives to Chess’s use, but nothing life-ruining and while Chess angsts about many things, her inability to stop using isn’t one of them.  Other readers may be bothered by the orgy scene in the middle of the novel.  (Fans of soap operas will adore the movie star storyline.  It’s convoluted and over-the-top and reminds me of the delicious craziness that was Passions.)

It’s a combination of factors that makes me enjoy the Downside Ghosts series so much.  Part of it is the novelty.  While Unholy Ghosts and Unholy Magic fit easily within the boundaries of the urban fantasy genre, they don’t use many of the more popular tropes.  I’m frequently annoyed by love triangles, but Kane keeps me at bay by actually offering up two equally plausible love interests.  I’m also a sucker for stuff that extrapolates what society would be like if just a few things were different, and Kane has that down as well.

Grade: A-

Summary:

ENEMIES DON’T NEED TO BE ALIVE TO BE DEADLY.

For Chess Putnam, finding herself near-fatally poisoned by a con psychic and then stopping a murderous ghost is just another day on the job. As an agent of the Church of Real Truth, Chess must expose those looking to profit from the world’s unpleasant little poltergeist problem—humans filing false claims of hauntings—all while staving off any undead who really are looking for a kill. But Chess has been extra busy these days, coping with a new “celebrity” assignment while trying on her own time to help some desperate prostitutes.

Someone’s taking out the hookers of Downside in the most gruesome way, and Chess is sure the rumors that it’s the work of a ghost are way off base. But proving herself right means walking in the path of a maniac, not to mention standing between the two men in her life just as they—along with their ruthless employers—are moving closer to a catastrophic showdown. Someone is dealing in murder, sex, and the supernatural, and once again Chess finds herself right in the crossfire.

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in this series:

Liviania’s review of Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, Book 1) by Stacia Kane
Urban fantasy released by Del Rey 25 May 2010

Sybil was offering me a variety of books to review and quickly realizing I’ll say yes to almost anything.  The hook for Unholy Ghosts was the controversy over the main character’s drug use.  There’s nothing I love more than being able to take a specific side in an argument.

I can see why the people who don’t like drug use are disturbed by the depiction in Unholy Ghosts.  Chess Putnam credits the drugs for helping her cope and shows no desire to stop.  There’s no angst about her drug use ruining her life.  Despite that, I wouldn’t call it a positive portrayal.  Chess acknowledges that the drugs dull her senses and that keeping her use a secret is a hassle, especially when her dealer is blackmailing her.  All in all, it felt more realistic than a gimmick, so I felt the inclusion of drugs made sense within the story.

The blackmail?  Ghosts have started showing up at the airfield dealer Bump wants to use to move product.  He enlists Chess, a Debunker for the Church of Real Truth, to exorcise the ghosts.  The world of Unholy Ghosts diverged from ours when homicidal ghosts showed up.  The Church of Real Truth replaced other religions when they figured out how to get rid of ghosts.  Many people fake haunting, causing a need for Debunkers, who rarely have to deal with actual ghosts. Stacia Kane does a good job of working out the logistics of her world, which includes gangs who refuse to obey the Church due to Confucian ideals.  It’s much more exciting than reading a standard vampire mythology again.

One of the things I love about the Downside Ghosts series is the fact that Chess is just another Debunker.  She’s competent, and a decent detective, but she doesn’t have super special awesome powers.  She just gets involved with nasty cases due to her underworld connections.  She can be hard to sympathize with sometimes, since her issues tend to rule her life, but her voice is absorbing.  While she tries to be hard, her narration reveals how fragile she is.

I also enjoyed both of her love interests.  Terrible starts out as a thoroughly unlikeable thug working as Bump’s enforcer.  But as Chess gets to know him, she starts to appreciate his better qualities and finds him more attractive.  At the same time Stacia Kane reveals Terrible’s ability to be nice, she maintains his characterization as a guy who beats up others for a dealer.  He’s a complex character, which I love.  Lex, conversely, remains a cipher during Unholy Ghosts.  He’s a hot cipher though, and Terrible’s busy being complex, so it works.

After I finished Unholy Ghosts, I immediately passed it on to my dad and picked up Unholy Magic to read myself.  (After finishing that, I begged Sybil for City of Ghosts.)  I like the Downside Ghosts because it has a different feel to it.  The mystery, world-building, and romance elements are well-balanced.  As noted, Chess isn’t super special awesome.  Plus, I’m intrigued by both love interests instead of instantly pulling for one and being bored during the other’s scenes.

Grade: A

Summary:

THE AFTERLIFE IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.

The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen and constantly attack the living. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Consequently, there are many false claims of hauntings from those hoping to profit. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully-tattooed witch and freewheeling Debunker and ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for nailing the human liars or banishing the wicked dead. But she’s keeping a dark secret from the Church: a little drug problem that’s landed her in hot and dangerous water.

Chess owes a murderous drug lord named Bump a lot of money. And Bump wants immediate payback. All Chess has to do is dispatch a very nasty species of undead from an old airport. But the job involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and crossing swords with enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust with a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah.

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in this series:

ShannonC’s review of Personal Demons by Stacia Kane
Contemporary paranormal/urban fantasy romance released by Juno 1 Apr 08

I asked Stacia Kane for an ARC of her upcoming release, Personal Demons, because I read her blog and I’ve liked one of the books she wrote as December Quinn quite a lot. I didn’t really know what I was getting into, so I didn’t have much time to develop any preconceived notions about what the story would be about.

The first thing I should point out about this book is that it’s dark. It’s even scary in places, and she doesn’t skimp on the gory details. This is, after all, a story about demons, and these demons are not always the nicest people in the world. This worked really well for me, because I like horror and ghosts and ghouls and things that bump in the night, but I also know it’s not everyone’s cuppa.

As for the characters, mostly they worked for me. Megan is a likable enough heroine. She’s got her own issues, but she reacts the way I imagine most people would to finding out that they’ve gotten themselves mixed up in demons. Her reactions ranged from disbelief to anger and finally to acceptance. However, she didn’t gel for me as much as I’d have liked, given that this book is told in a tight third-person and all we ever get is her PoV.

I have a feeling a lot of readers are going to love Grayson Dante, the book’s hero. He’s enigmatic, kind of a smart-ass, and holy hell is he sexy! The sex scenes between Dante and Megan were very charged and steamy. Although, that being said, this book ends with a satisfying happy for now ending. It’s clear that Megan and Dante have quite a ways to go before they are officially happily ever after.

As for the rest? The blurb makes it sound like Brian, the reporter Megan has to deal with, is way more of a threat to her than he actually is. I liked Brian, actually, because he seemed like, again, a fairly normal guy who got caught up in weird stuff he wasn’t sure how to deal with.

The plot moves along briskly. The action never really comes to a stop, though there are quiet moments. It’s not all unremittingly dark, either. Megan’s demon protectors, Malifus, Malificarum and Spud provide some wonderful and much-needed comic relief. The only thing I would have liked is for a few scenes to have been expanded upon. There are a couple of moments where we look back on some event that’s just happen and talk about it, where I thought that we should have seen the events firsthand. It’s because of all that that I didn’t entirely feel like I was emotionally invested in the characters.

I definitely enjoyed this book. It’s not without its flaws, but I think for readers of urban fantasy who like lots of action and lots of chills, this book will work particularly well.

Grade: B

When psychological counselor Megan Chase promises listeners to her new radio call-in show she’ll slay their personal demons, they believe her. So do the personal demons.

Megan doesn’t know she’s the only human alive without a personal demon on her shoulder. This, coupled with her psychic abilities, makes her a valuable weapon for any demon mob-like “family” lucky enough to gain her allegiance. It also makes her a serious threat not just to the personal demons, but to a soul-sucking Legion of Hell known as The Accuser. The Accuser already has an old score to settle with Megan, and sees this as the perfect time to do it.

But Megan isn’t without allies as she’s plunged back into a world she forgot existed. A member of a competing demon family sees Megan as his ticket to power, and sets about both protecting and seducing her with devilish intensity.

Can Megan, her new demon lover, a witch with poor social skills, and three cockney guard demons named Malleus, Maleficarum, and Spud defeat not only The Accuser, the personal demons, and the ghosts of Megan’s past, but the reporter who threatens to destroy Megan’s career as well?

Read an excerpt.

Read more from ShannonC on her personal blog, Flight Into Fantasy.