What's In EthiopianSiren's Closet

Please bear with me friends - my Booklikes page is just 1 week old and I'm pretty HTML ignorant :)  I'll master all the fancy customization stuff later. And I've received some private messages about this - No, I'm not leaving Goodreads...but in light of the review/shelf deletion debacle this September, I wanted a 2nd home for my book reviews. Booklikes seemed like the best fit and I'm happy to find my GR friends here.

 

For now, lets just chat BDB and Fallen Angels shall we? If you haven't read Possession, there are Fallen Angels spoilers in here. Great event. Very relaxed. Maybe about 150 people? She personalized multiple items for everyone. My main objective was to get my Qhuay poster from the Lover At Last signing signed...

 

Me and my new prized possession. 

 

Many of the deets below have already been posted on J.R. Ward's Facebook page. But some stuff was excluded, especially the additional details on s'Ex.  And a few of her funny quips.

 

Q&A Session covering Fallen Angels and Black Dagger Brotherhood Worlds

 

-Tohr's book fast forwarded the BDB world 1 year, so BDB and Fallen Angels books are no longer on the same timeline.

-It feels like forever, but Eddie's only been dead for 1-2 week.

-At the end of Possession, when Sissy goes into the mall and sees the guy with the long ponytail? That's not Eddie.

-Someone ACTUALLY wasted a question on "Is John Matthews Darius?" *sideeye*

-Lots of John Matthews in The King. Darius made the deal with the Scribe Virgin in order to have a relationship with his daughter...JR will use The King to show us what their relationship is like (Darius/John with Beth)...but JR added that "I can't put everything in there" Then JR quickly added under her breath, "That's what she said")...Audience uproar of laughter and JR was in tears...If you need some help on that one, JR was talking about Wrath's cock *g*

-She won't tell us the name of Beth and Wrath's baby.

-Why did Sissy stay on earth rather than go up to the mansion of souls? JR jokes Jim wouldn't be able to bang someone he liked...then gave serious answer that there are two souls left and it should be PAINFULLY obvious who the two souls are...Keep reading.

-The halos that Sissy sees identity The Soul In Play. (But Sissy and Jim still need to figure out the significance of the halos)

-The only way Havers is getting a mate is over JR's dead body.

-The Angels' house...Very interesting...Someone asked a really detailed question, talking about heavy drapes and a vampire comment made in relation to that (I'm only 25% through Possesion - I had no clue about what they were referring to)...I didn't catch everything, but basically, people wanted to know about the origins of the house.  JR won't tell us about its origins right now. But she does tell us this: Eddie is in the attic...It's Eddie's sheer presence that's renovating the house.

-The crazy clock in the Angels' house? Some "mystical shit going on with the clock"

-If Eddie is able to regenerate the Angels' house, can Eddie can come back by regenerating himself? JR thought this question was way off.

-JR used Rehv's book - the first hardcover - to really go "balls-to-wall" and do what she wanted to do with the series. That's why it had a different feel to it. 

-Is the Devina a completely lost cause? J.R. "She ends up with Lash" (major screaming and applause ensued)...JR added, "Bitch needs a man and he needs some of that"

-It's about time for Muhrder to come back, but he's not in The King.

-The women that always asks about the Hoe Patrol and getting the Chosen laid :) She asked again today. JR says they're gonna get some, but not all at once *g*

-Trez very much into Selena, but she has issues

-Hardest scenes for JR to write? JR names several, including Rhage coming back into the bedroom and sitting on the edge of the bed...after he'd just banged another chick, Tohr listening to Wellsie's voice on the answering machine then the brothers appear to tell him she's dead, and Bella running out of the mansion screaming in Lover at Last as she realizes Zsadist is in the plane.

-Nigel is really and truly 100% DEAD. He did kill himself, but it was brilliantly done-->Nigel is always about the game, 1st and foremost, even before Collin. Now JR is worried about Collin....

-There's a followup question about Nigel popping back up? JR joked, "Bitch! What part of dead do you not under..." LOLOL!

-The Scribe Virgin favor that Wrath owes? It might have something to do with her return, but it must be something extraordinary to make her come back.

-JR refuses to tell us what BDB book will follow The King, but she does tell us the next Fallen Angels will is titled "Immortal"

-She now finally knows the answer to whether Lassiter's book will be a BDB book or a Fallen Angels book, but she won't tell us.

-Will there be a conthest between Xcor and Throe? Keep reading

-s'Ex is the Enforcer for the Queen of the Shadow.  He's terrifying/awesome. JR is super excited about him, and now, I am, too. He wears a robe with a hood, like an executioner from the Middle Ages. Initially, you'll think he has a white tattoo all over his body. But actually, s'Ex has been injected with poison to prove his masculinity.  The poison has turned his skin white, but some of his darker skin underneath shines through in some areas. The white/poision induced skin is all over, head to toe, because s'Ex is a badass and had the poison injected all over his body and endured so much pain to do so. JR tells us of this awesome conversion where I fell in love with him a little...s'Ex is having a conversation with iAm. He's trying to talk iAm out of doing something, and he lets him know, "If you do this, I'm going to murder your parents. I'm going to shave your mother's hair, tie her down, rape her, kill her, and then make what I do to your father make that seem like a cakewalk." s'Ex doesn't want to do this, but he will if iAm makes him. The conversation is about something iAm wants to do to get his brother back from Saheev? <--spelling? I had no idea on that last word, but that's what it sounded like :)   JR is clearly in total lust with s'Ex :) JR added that she's happily married, but she "needs some of that"...This s'Ex stuff will be in The King.

-JR is a huge Duke fan - yes, he'll finish medical school.

-JR won't answer "Will Jim will have to take Nigel's place and who will be the new savior?"

-Question: I feel like we're gearing up for something big...Will we lose any of the Brothers in The King? J.R. looks troubled, starts to pace with her head down, then she says, "No - I can't..No" like she wants to answer and she's on the verge of answering...The questioner begs JR Ward not to kill her baby daddy. (JR is familiar with the question asker---she knows which Brother she is referring to when she says "baby daddy"...I unfortunately do not...More on that later)....People begin to BEG for an answer to this question....Then one of JR's people up front (Publisher? Beta Reader?) - I don't know who - but this person firmly yelled at JR, "WATCH IT!"...Then JR apologized to us and said she couldn't answer. Then the questioner started whining about her baby daddy, so JR reassured her, "I told you it's not your baby daddy - What The Fuck Girl?" LOL....

 

My personal speculating into this...The word choice..."it's not your baby daddy"...So if it's not the "baby daddy"/favorite Brother of the question asker...does the way she phrased her response imply that a Brother does die, just not this particular Brother? And also...who in the Hell is this "baby daddy?" :) Because clearly, this dude is apparently SAFE, so now I want to know who he is. So yeah, I feel the word choice in JR's response may have given something away. Hope I'm wrong though~

 

-Layla and Xcor DO hookup. I piggy-backed on someone else's question and added, "Just them?"...I had threesome with Throe on my mind. JR answered that Layla is "somebody's baby mama now"/she's not gonna do all that crazy kinky sex like JR's infamous dirty fireplace scene.

-Wolfen is a subspecies, like the Shadows.

-I heard the questioner ask, "Are Xcor and Tohr brothers?" - and JR pretended like she couldn't hear the question (basically a "Keep Reading" answer)...but on JR's facebook page, the wrote the question, "Are Xcor and Throe brothers"

-Duke is on the Possession cover

-There's talk about the BDB and Fallen Angels series catching up with each other. 2 options for end of FA series: (1) Jim loses (obviously not going to happen since BDB world is still around). (2) Jim wins, but is the end closed or open?...Different possibilities for Eddie... JR speculates - Can Eddie come back in FA book 7? Or will he be resurrected by Lassiter? She doesn't know.

-Assail is very much in The King.  He's basically on a killing spree for the last quarter of The King, so much so JR worried it was too much. She likened all the kills to video game hits.

-Saxton has a huge role in The King. JR originally thought he would die, but now she thinks there's someone he ends up with (Yaaaaay!)

-The Twins are in The King. Their scenes are some of the funniest parts of the book.

-JR is almost finished with Rhage and Mary's novella.

-Payne's regenerating abilities create a problem for JR as a writer. If Payne can regenerate everyone, then the "stakes are in the shitter." So Payne has diminishing abilities (JR likens it to a draining battery). She laid her hands on George - he'll live for 900 years....Boo doesn't need Payne's abilities.

-JR Ward is doing a new series in a new universe. She refuses to answer whether this new series will be PNR (paranormal romance), but she does promise it'll have "plenty of good hard men."

-Muhrder never bonded with Xhex.

-Discussion about awesomeness of "Ad torturing Devina" scene and her ending up at her therapist as a result.

-When Jim told Sissy, "You're Mine", but that he'd regret telling her that - what was up with that? JR: Jim missed a soul because he's more focused on Sissy in this book, rather than saving everyone's soul.

-One question asker is creeped out by Jim/Sissy age difference. JR discusses how the wall has changed Sissy and how Sissy's suffering felt like an eternity to her. She might still have the body

of a 19 year old, but she is not the same girl.

-Butch and Marissa news? - He's still hot. They're fine. She hopes to revisit them. Someone piggy backs - Any kids? JR says she doesn't know, then discusses how not everyone wants kids and that's fine.

-Same city for The King's book signing! March 29th at the Millenium Hotel (that's downtown). They're working on getting a block of rooms.  After the Q&A session, one of JR's assistants said they're working on having some of their official merchandise there for purchase.....

**If you were like me and got a case of the SADZ when you realized the bar at the back the Music Hall ballroom (Lover At Last signing) did not serve alcohol, Please Note: There is a bar at the Millennium Hotel :)

-Last question/answer was a doozy and a perfect way to end the Q&A "Will Beth have a human or vampire pregnancy? JR: I was completely surprised and shocked by the kind of pregnancy Beth has. Half breeds like Beth can "pull from both sides" "...what if there's a third option?"

 

Alien baby? I'm clueless. One of my girlfriends at the signing thought it meant Beth would have twins - one vampire and one human, and one is born later than the other one.  I don't know, but we're having fun guessing :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are quite a few tutorials on how to change the layout of your BookLikes blog. I figured it's good to have them all in one post, and I'd like to thank all who put a lot of work into making them so others can enjoy BookLikes. 

 

Let's start with the customization blogs posted by BookLikes: 

 

• Edit Your Design Theme With HTML on BookLikes 
• Your Blog on BookLikes - Custom-Made

 

 

Tutorials made by BookLikers for BookLikers: 

 

• Litchick's Easy Tips for Customization
• Litchick's How to Change Your Followers/Following to Something Fun
• AnHeC's How to Move/change your Followers/Following conters
• Jane's How to Customize your BookLikes Blog using CSS
• Jane's Customizing your BookLikes Blog Pt.2
• ThreeRs' Blog about Fonts
• AnHeC's How to change font colour (text, link, comment section)
• AnHeC's Background for Search Bar
• AnHeC's How to add the Reading Challenge Widget to your sidebar and customize it
• Little Knitter's How to avoid losing the original source of a post you want to reblog
• Pagefault's How to use spoiler tags on BookLikes
• AnHeC's How to change the layout of reactive links 

 

Note: All links open in a new window and take you to the original posts and their creators. Leave comments, likes and reblog the hell out of them so others can see it too :) 

 

If you're a goodreads transplant, and, like me, depended heavily on those handy little spoilertags, then don't worry.  Booklikes is flexible enough that you can make your own!

 

Here are two ways, for different levels of effort/html-savvyness.  And since I actually am quite rusty and haven't used javascript or html for years, I'll bet my life there are even better ways.

 

Method #1: The single-post spoiler

For this one, you only need to work within a single blog without prep. Just go into html mode (It's a little blue button that says "html" at the very right of the bar on the top of your blog editor, on the same row that has bold, italic, etc.) and insert the following around your spoiler:

In action:

[[spoiler:highlight for text]This is my spoiler!! Yeah, I'm a kind of lame spoiler.]

 

 

Method #2: For this one, we have to go into the html itself.

--go to settings
--click the blog tab
--click the green "Theme: customize" button

--inside the 

"Custom CSS" box, enter the following (and yes, the period at the front of .spoilertext is important, because it indicates that this should be applied to a class)

 

.spoilertext{
display:none;
}

Here is a screencap:

 

 

--click the green "Edit HTML" button.

--in the scary-looking html, find the tag that says "< /head >"(without the spaces, though. It's the closing tag of the header, if you know html.  If you see a tag that says "body", you've gone too far.)

--Insert the following code directly above the closing-header-tag (that < / head> thing):

 

 

(because BL is being wonky and keeps disappearing the javascript, it's also over here:

http://pastebin.com/2wtqpntj)

Here's a screencap:

Congrats! You now have a magical spoiler-toggle!  To use it, just surround your spoiler with a span of class "spoilertext", like this, but without the "*"'s: <*span class="spoilertext">put lots of spoilery text in here <*/span>

 

A screencap:

 

In action:

Hey, I'm a spoiler! I can be magically shown and hidden!

 

The beauty of this method is that if you decide to change what things with the class "spoilertag" do, the fix will be applied to all of the reviews using the class spoilertag, even those created before you changed your solution to the spoiler problem.  

 

Also, note that they only work when you look at the css'd version of the page; e.g. via http://pagefault.booklikes.com/ for me.  So go to .booklikes.com to see if your spoiler worked.

 

Have fun spoiler-tagging!

 

 

// ]]>

Well Hellooo Jackson at the 0:09 second mark!

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=veNNnuRgPxk

Is that the same model from Poison Princess' cover that I didn't think was hot enough to be Jackson? I stand corrected because the longer side swept hair he's rocking now makes ALL the difference...My "head" Jack still reigns though ;)

Fever Series Scoop from Karen Marie Moning's June 22, 2013 Sarasota, Florida Fan Event

One of my book besties is at Karen Marie Moning's "Maniac" fan gathering in Sarasota, Florida RIGHT NOW. During the Q&A, Ms. Moning told the crowd that Dani won't be 14 for much longer - she will be 17 in Burned! YAAAY!

Now this is me, not KMM talking: This is a DARK FANTASY fictional world so basically?...RYODAN CAN GET ON THAT! And I am dying for some Ryodan/Dani hooking up, ok? :) Deal with it.

Additional Updates from June 22, 2013: (YAY! girlfriend texted me more deets)

-We will learn more about Dancer. Dancer is NOT a part of the Unseelie King.

-We will learn more about the Nine, but the Nine will NOT be paired up like the Black Dagger Brotherhood series with books for each of them.

-We will get Mac's POV in Burned. KMM has TWO versions of Burned right now. She's trying to decide how she wants it to go. SHE PLANS TO WRITE 2 MORE MAC BOOKS AFTER DANI'S TRILOGY IS OVER, but those plans could change. The last 2 Dani books and 2 Mac books may get combined into 2 books....Then she may write 3 more Fever books...Depending on which way KMM goes in Burned, "we may get 4 more Fever books or 7 more Fever books."

(Huh????? I'm so bloody confused, lol - We're getting more Mac books? :) I didn't know but apparently my girlfriend already did. That's awesome!! But still, this "combo" book talk raises questions for me: Will the next two Mac books take place during the last two Dani books, but from Mac's POV? Well, no matter WHAT, I know the books are going to kick ass and be awesome and I'm ready to go where KMM takes me)

Had to talk it out with friends and work out the math:
--"We may get 4 more Fever books" - means the 2 final books in Dani's trilogy (Burned and Flayed) PLUS 2 new Mac books
--"Or we may get 7 more Fever books" - means the 2 final books in Dani's trilogy (Burned and Flayed) PLUS 2 new Mac books PLUS the "I may write 3 more Fever books" KMM mentioned today" <---We don't have any indication yet as to the H/h for those 3 <i>additional Fever books she's contemplating.

-KMM won't say when Dani loses her V card!

-More of Mac AND Barrons in Burned.

-Someone in the audience asked KMM when she would free Cruce. KMM responded, "When would you like me to?" :)

-KMM asked the reader attendees why everyone was so pissed off about Jo and Ryodan. One person answered, "We're jealous!" another answered, "Jo's not good enough!" KMM responded by saying something like "ALL of us aren't good enough, but which one of you would say no to Ryodan?" Then an older women (maybe about 65 years old) at one of the tables raised her hand and said if Ryodan is waiting for Dani, he should not be cheating at all (not just with Jo), and then the women added "I want my shot with Ryodan!!" LOLOL!

-KMM will not be at Dragoncon 2013 (my girlfriend asked since KMM was originally slated for it in 2012). And KMM is also a "no" for RT 2014 in Nola (Darn! I was hoping on that one). She's asking for a year off.

Update June 24, 2013: (My girlfriend remembered a few additional tidbits from Saturday's event)

-Movie option for the Fever series has expired, but KMM is happy about that. She would rather have a Fever television series and have more control. She cited Game of Thrones as a good example of book-to-television. She also mentioned that TrueBlood has veered far off from Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series and how that’s something she would not want to happen with her Fever series.

-KMM also said she is not signing any more contracts. She hates being under deadline. She wants to put out a great story.

-A women in the audience asked KMM if men were intimidated by her. A man in the audience shouted “NO!” :)

(Me: George R.R. Martin and Charlaine Harris’ have very different contracts with HBO. Charlaine Harris is not a TrueBlood producer or writer, and she’s repeatedly stated in interviews that HBO doesn’t tell her how to write her books, and she doesn’t tell HBO how to write TrueBlood. In contrast, GRRM is a Game of Thrones producer and writer…which explains why the adaption is unparalleled and, in my opinion, television at its absolute finest. Author control of a film adaption a la E.L. James can happen, but I think E.L.’s background as a television producer was very helpful in maneuvering through Hollywood and demanding nothing less than what she wanted. And P.S.? I think hiring Sam Taylor-Johnson as the Fifty Shades Director was kind of brilliant)

SPOLIER-FREE ARC Review

I could be...rejected for every single subsequent title I request on NetGalley this year...And I Would. Not. Care...Why? Because I read Truth early and nothing, absolutely nothing else matters! Finding Anna is the most crack-a-licious, absorbing, and addictive BDSM romantica series that I'm currently following. I was shouting when I got approved and immediately texting my fellow Stephan/Brianna fan-girlfriends screenshots of my email...That's how bad I wanted it, because that's how much this series f**king Rocks. Thank you so much, TWCS!

In Truth, Stephan is still the controlled and s...*now my eyes are totally glazed over just THINKING about this man*...As I was trying to say :) Stephan is still the controlled and sexy Master, and it's not just in the bedroom. It's 24/7. And it's also in Stephan's interactions with his family and the employees at his non-profit organization. He lives and breathes it and he just IS. I hang on Stephan's every word, even during his conversations with secondary characters. It's a testament to Hayes' skill with characterization.

Holy Hot Hell do things heat up with Stephan and Brianna! Remember the wrecked, traumatized girl that went comatose - literally - at the sight of Stephan's erection, or at his heated stares??? GONE! :) It's a great place to be in their relationship. Brianna now knows she's Stephan's slave, by choice, and he's expanding her boundaries...but he wants and needs to take things further. It's who he is. And you feel that tension just under the surface of this entire book. Brianna is far from emotionally healed, and she may never be after having suffered 10 months of involuntary slavery & sexual torture, but she is getting progressively better with book. 'Truth' Brianna gets disappointed and thinks something's wrong if Stephan doesn't take her every night *grin* And yet, she's so damaged that even the thought of a Brazilian wax causes her fear and anxiety because even that act has been perverted by her former sadistic Master. Some of Stephan and Brianna's closest family and friends are aware of her torture at the hands of Ian, and of Stephan's need for physical sexual sadism. Needless to say, they're horrified by the relationship, especially when it becomes quite clear it's a sexual one. Will Brianna be capable of fully meeting Stephan's needs? Or will simply being with Brianna be enough for him? Or will that leave him feeling incomplete? These are the questions that plagued me and kept me on edge.

Things are further complicated with the appearance of Brianna's father, whom she feels is responsible for her kidnapping, and Stephan's efforts to get her former Master Ian indicted.

All issues are entwined and lead to a shocking conclusion...There I was, initially chastising a character's actions, thinking I had the book ending totally predicted...then *BAM!!*...I should have seen it coming and I LOVED it and where she's taking this series for it's final installment next year. Yes, that's right - Fear not Stephan and Brianna fans - this series is a Quartet. I had a chance to speak with Hayes earlier this month. This is a 4 book series and we will not have to wait as long for it's conclusion. She hopes to publish it by early June 2014, in time for the Reader Author Get Together Con. I think 4 books is the right number. Brianna was such a emotional & physical mess in [b:Slave|11690138|Slave (Finding Anna #1)|Sherri Hayes|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347352658s/11690138.jpg|16636791] and her progression in both areas has felt very real and perfectly paced. I'm so happy this series dedicates a majority of its pages to the progression of the relationship with plenty of H/h time. That aspect is what I'm anticipating most in the upcoming conclusion.

My personal history with the Finding Anna series
I first became intrigued with this series when I randomly had breakfast with Hayes at the 2012 Reader Author Get Together. We were among the last stragglers making our way downstairs on the very last morning of the Con...I love BDSM romance - You write it - Awesome! Let's eat and chat! :) We talked about her writing process for [b:Slave|11690138|Slave (Finding Anna #1)|Sherri Hayes|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347352658s/11690138.jpg|16636791] and the extensive detail and care that went into some of the scenes. She reached out to people in the BDSM community - sometimes messaging back and forth into the wee hours of the morning - to get the dynamics of even a Dom to Dom conversation in the presence of a slave correct. Remember Stephan's interactions with Ian and Brianna when he was purchasing her? That was the result of one of Hayes' late night convos. Well, I'd heard enough. Aftewards, I totally stalked Hayes into the parking lot after breakfast (but she said it was okay!)...and I had her open her packed luggage to sell me a copy of Slave. It was just one of those situations where you have a gut feeling and you KNOW...'I'm going to love it.' And I've been having a fantastic ride, doing group reads on this series ever since.

ARC provided by The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House (TWCS) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

LMAO!! Omg, the end portion of the author/publisher's book warning has me DYING:

"Warning: Capture fantasy; dubious consent; anal play; M/f as well as one m/f/f/m scene; BDSM themes including caning, spanking, bondage, and needle play. Also contains one beginner Dom who is exploring sadism but is still working out how and when to stop."

That might be my favorite warning yet~

2.5 stars. I struggled to care for the couple, but there were a few entertaining moments and a few hot scenes as well, despite my lack of investment in the H/h. I'm on the fence about whether I'll continue with this series.

I had SUCH high hopes for this one as I absolutely loved Bared to You and Reflected in You. But this book was very boring and will surely end up as my most disappointing read of 2013.

When my girlfriend at 2013’s RT Kansas City first reported that Sylvia Day told attendees Crossfire series would be a 5 book series, I was beyond ecstatic, but now?? I’m firmly convinced this should have been a 3 book series.

As I read this via audiobook, I began to not pay attention - sometimes even walking away, beyond earshot - during Eva and Gideon’s sex scenes! And trust me, I NEVER flip through sex scenes! I’m the person that gets a new adult book rec from someone and immediately asks, “Ok…but how hot is the sex?” But with Entwined, although it was loaded with sex, probably in an attempt to make up for an incredibly thin plot, I kept routinely checking my audiobook progress during the last few hours, wishing I would hurry up and reach the end.

Nothing really happened – development wise – in this installment. The only mildly entertaining moment, for me, was when Gideon surprised Eva with a prenup accompanied by a red rose . I thought finally NOW this is getting interesting!!! But that lasted for about 5 minutes…

I actually began enjoying Eva’s scenes with her ex-lover, the sexy rocker Brett Kline, more than her scenes with Gideon. I liked that there was still sexual tension and heat where Brett was concerned, and because I was so bored with Eva and Gideon, I latched on to it! I can’t recall ever reading a romance book and beginning to root for the heroine to be with someone other than the hero, but that happened with Entwined. That’s definitely a first for me.

Then the book’s ending was abrupt and unusual. It felt like the end of a chapter, not the end of a book. I was so confused, I actually hit rewind, thinking I’d somehow accidently hit the fast forward button. But no, that was actually how the book ended :(

Will I continue with the Crossfire series despite my dislike for this installment? Yes. My love for Bared to You and Reflected in You has me hoping for the glory days. I can’t quit, but my excitement for this series is seriously diminished. Really hoping things turn around for the better with the final 2 books.

***Updated 9/16/2013 with tidbits from Tiffany Reisz’ September 14, 2013 book signing*** (My SPOILERFREE Review of The Mistress, including a critique of all the series' Audiobooks, follows at the bottom)

Tiffany Reisz's September 14, 2013 Book Signing

I told Tiffany that she wasn’t to move from Lexington, KY and that she had to stay in my vicinity forever. I think it was at least her 3rd booksigning in my city, in just this year alone.

- As I suspected, a book titled ‘The Priest’ about a Priest in love with an underaged girl was too much for one publisher to handle. They absolutely refused to carry it under that name. Hence the name change. Tiffany gave her publisher a list of acceptable alternatives and The Saint book signing in Lexington, KY. She was excited as her own book, an erotic novella, was soon to be published, but she was there first and foremost as a fellow fan...and now Lorelei is putting quotes like, "I worship at the altar of Tiffany Reisz!" on her books...Get in line, Hunny! *g*

No WAY am I doing a plot summery on this one, or spoiling the jaw-dropping secret of Soren, but come the fuck on, who hasn't read [b:The Siren|10970532|The Siren (The Original Sinners, #1)|Tiffany Reisz|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1335832751s/10970532.jpg|15888570] yet? Go rectify that, immediately!

For me, my favorite moments throughout the entire Red Years quartet are the flashback scenes of Nora and Soren in 'The White Years'...and right off the bat, The Mistress opens with his jailhouse discussion with fifteen year old Nora, and I'm already, just a few pages in, remembering why I love this series so damn much. The White Years flashbacks are also why this doesn't even feel like a series conclusion to me, because what I'm waiting for the most...what I can't even thinking about without turning into a ridiculous puddle of *squee*...is [b:The Saint|16117368|The Saint (The Original Sinners, #5)|Tiffany Reisz|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|23748241]. If I'm being honest, I get a little lightheaded just thinking about it. It's going to be the death of me :)

Back to The Mistress, I really loved how the intricate dynamics of the Nora/Soren/Kingley relationship are fully explained. "Soren couldn't live in a world without Nora. Kingley couldn't live in a world without Soren. Her death would be like the sinking of a great ship. She would take them all down with her." Their SCENE together?!? *deep breath* Talk about scorching HAWT!

If I could change anything about this story, it would be less villian and more Soren. I wanted more Nora/Soren time, but knowing The Saint is coming helps me a lot~

Without getting spoilery, I loved the ending. I thought it was bold and unconventional, and it's exactly what I've come to expect from Tiffany. I think it's certainly left room for additional stories...The Black Years anyone? LOL! :)

THE AUDIOBOOKS:
This criticism is for the publisher...FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, please PLEASE STOP changing the narrator for every book! I loved the narrator for The Siren. That Soren was sexy as hell. I wasn't happy about the change in narrator for The Angel - that Soren narration was probably my least favorite of the series. That Nora also took some getting used to. The Prince narrator often lacked voice inflection. I actually seriously thought it was a computer on a few occasions...but despite that, I preferred this narrator's Soren and Kingley to the predecessor. In fact, I think the french accent on The Prince's Kingley was pretty spectacular. With The Mistress, I preferred this narrator's Wesley to The Siren's Wesley. And I preferred The Mistress' Soren to The Angel's Soren, but not The Siren's Soren. And I preferred The Siren's Nora to The Mistress' Nora.....Bottom line? This switching narrators for each book is yoyo-ing me around and driving me bat shit crazy. Please find someone fantastic and stick with them for the 4 upcoming White Years books. This series is worthy of that.

Other favorite things/quotes I absolutely loved:
-The explanation of how Soren came up with Nora's nickname, "Little One."
-The discussion of the monetary motivations for celibacy in the Church
-"You were in love, not stupid. They're two very different diseases with identical symptoms." - Grace
-"Our Nora has a magic pussy. It's the opposite of the Bermuda Triangle. Lost men sail into it and then find themselves." - Kingley
-"I knelt at his feet because I felt like that's where I belonged. And no, not because I was so unworthy of him, but because he was so utterly worthy of my devotion." - Nora

I just read this in the FAQ section of McGuire's website and cheered *grin*

Isn’t Beautiful Disaster a little racy to be classified as Young Adult?

Yes, that is why it is classified as contemporary romance. Beautiful Disaster is “rated” by the author as mature for strong language and sexual content, and is recommended for ages 17+.

Update: April 12, 2013

I finally read Beautiful Disaster and finished it just in the nick of time for Jamie McGuire’s signing event in my home state last night. I need to finally go ahead and create a blog JUST so I have a friggin’ place to stash my signing posts! :) With all my author stalking/signing groupie ways, it’s time. For now, I’m shoving it here, into this review :)

I started Beautiful Disaster on ebook but finished it on audiobook because pretty early on, I realized I couldn’t bear to stop reading for activities that didn’t lend well to holding a book in my hand. And despite knowing that I was going to also fork over $$ to get the paperback for the upcoming signing…I didn’t care. This book was so consuming in the very best way! Extra bonus was that Beautiful Disaster’s narrator is someone that I’m familiar with and already love: Emma Galvin, the narrator for Veronica Roth’s uber popular [b:Divergent|13335037|Divergent (Divergent, #1)|Veronica Roth|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328559506s/13335037.jpg|13155899] series.

At last night’s Walking Disaster signing and Q&A event in Dayton, Ohio, I told Jamie McGuire that I was constantly going back and forth over which Beautiful Disaster character was more fucked up; that her book took me on SUCH an emotional roller-coaster that it made me nauseous; and that it’s been awhile since I’ve been this affected by a book and I loved every minute of it…“You make me sick!” – I exclaimed, obviously joking! She responded “I LOVE that!”

-On why she had Travis give Abby the nickname Pigeon/Pidge? Jamie took it from Lady and the Tramp – Tramp nicknames Lady Pigeon/Pidge in the movie. She really liked it so she incorporated it into Beautiful Disaster (One of my friends at the signing really wanted an answer on this one because she considered pigeons the rats of the bird world *g*)

-Warner Brothers has optioned the movie. If they don’t make the movie within a specified amount of time, another studio can purchase the rights or WB can pay addition $$ to hold onto the rights for a longer period of time. The screenplay is being written right now. The expected completion date for the 1st draft of the screenplay is May 2013.

-Jamie envisions the really hot actor that played one of the Seal Team Six members in the film Zero Dark Thirty as Travis Maddox (Jamie MUST be referring to actor Taylor Kinney!!)

-The producer for the film adaption of Beautiful Disaster is Donald De Line, whose credits include I Love You Man, Green Lantern, and Michael Bay’s latest, Pain and Gain. (Hmm…I actually don’t like this news at all…Why did WB put an action film guy on this?...And I think everyone knows about how awful Green Lantern. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see and hope for the best! Don’t screw this up, WB! *shakes-fist*)

-When asked about more books in this series, Jamie said she will be writing books for Travis’ brothers. Travis & Abby will have cameos in their books. The order for the books (WHICH IS A SPOILER IF YOU HAVE NOT READ BEAUTIFUL DISATER, SO STOP READING THIS COMMENT IF YOU HAVEN’T)…. is as follows: Trent & Cammy (we meet Cammy in Walking Disaster) will be 1st. Thomas 2nd. And the twins will be 3rd and 4th.

-Jamie was in X-ray school while writing Beautiful Disaster. She actually wrote while in class, and in the evenings, but she still had awesome grades. Last year, with the movie deal and success of her books, and her desire to not be around X-ray machinery while pregnant if she didn’t have to be, she quit that line of work and became a full-time writer. Her husband became her business manager. Jamie believes you always need a Plan B/backup plan, so despite all her success (Walking Disaster is #1 on the New York Times and USA Today), she still keeps up with X-Ray continuing education classes. Smart woman!

-When asked about her favorite book bookfriend/hero from another author’s book, Jamie responded that it was the Twilight series’ Edward Cullen.

-Beautiful Disaster’s original name, as she was writing it, was “Red Flag,” but after hearing Kelly Clarkson’s song ‘Beautiful Disaster,’ Jamie thought “This is SO Travis!” and changed the title.

-Jamie also thanks Kelly Clarkson for the title “Walking Disaster” – she picked that up from the lyrics to her song, ‘You Can’t Win’

-In explanation of the Beautiful Disaster cover, Jamie says the cover artist gave a very literal translation of the title. Butterflies are beautiful. A butterfly in a closed jar is a beautiful disaster.

- Where does she come up with these names, like America, Brazil, Shepherd? Those 3 names are names of Jamie’s real friends. If you didn’t catch it while reading the book, Brazil was actually the last name of the character Brazil. Jamie told her friend Shepherd she would name her 1st born son after him. She had 2 daughters, so named her character after him instead.

-In response to the question, “How much of Beautiful Disaster/Walking Disaster is based upon your own personal experience?” Jamie laughed “More than I’ll EVER admit to!”...She did admit that in college, the football team actually threw Jamie’s birthday party, kind of like Abby’s.

-Jamie’s hubby and baby girl attended the signing with her :)

I can't wait until every gets to my favorite scene... *grin*

This author was rec'd by Kitty Thomas. Also? The Goodreads warning totally sold me :)
"WARNING: If you like your romance sweet, your vampires gentle, and your heroines flawless---this isn't for you. This is a dark, unconventional love story meant for readers who prefer morally ambiguous tales."

Absolutely LOVED it.

Really love Evelyn's voice *full review to follow shortly*

I think I first met Tiffany Reisz in the fall of 2010. She was another fan, like me, excited for a Lorelei James signing in Lexington, KY....But she was also a soon-to-be published author with Seven Day Loan's release just months away. The gorgeous bookcover and Tiffany’s exuberant personality lured me in, so I marked it on Goodreads and waited for its release, not knowing what to expect. Seven Day Loan sucked me in quickly and gave me my first taste of Eleanor (soon to be “Nora Sutherlin”) and Tiffany’s witty, intelligent dialogue. I was certainly excited to try more and eagerly antipating the release of The Siren but....

NOTHING could have prepared me for the brilliance that is THE SIREN.

It’s a total game-changer for the erotic fiction genre. The breadth of her knowledge. Her way with words.....It’s the kind of writing that will have you telling yourself...“I could never write like this.” She’s simply that good. I’ve been reading romantica with BDSM elements since ’06, but I’m a newbie to the erotic fiction with BDSM genre (just a few years). IMHO, Tiffany Reisz is right at the top, next to my other favs like Kitty Thomas. I own The Siren in ebook, audiobook and paperback and I’ll do the same for every one of these addictive Original Sinners stories.

Loved loved the setup. Nora Sutherlin, a popular bdsm erotica writer that also engages in bdsm off the page, has several HUGE secrets she would like to keep from the publishing world. Nora knows the latest novel, The Consolation Prize, is something special...Not like the other books she’s published. Something truly deserving of a top respected publishing house and the very toughest, most talented editor they can give her. And enters Zachary Easton. Sexy, British and very reluctant about being assigned to what he considers “pornography.” As Nora and Zack begin to work together, and he tries to resist being seduced, you fall for not only them, but the couple in the book they’re working on: Caroline and William. You get just a few snippets from The Consolation Prize, but they’re powerful and devastating, especially as Nora has made it clear from the start Caroline and William don’t belong together and the story is about their breakup.

*LeSigh* The character of Søren...Nora’s former Master who is clearly still in love with her. One of the most delicious and forbidden characters you’ll ever have the pleasure of reading about. I saw romance readers spoiling the secret of Søren all over Twitter, but I’m not going to do that. Even when you should have read this book by now - what rock are you living under? But I can say that Søren had the most jaw-dropping, shocking entrance of a character in a book. Ever. The line of popular joke is used to announce Søren's entrance into his first scene, and it took me a moment to realize it wasn't a joke! :) Bravo to Tiffany for going there. For not only Søren, but for all the other “taboo” elements that made this book rock.

Just as the story of Caroline and William, Nora’s characters, begins to break your heart and rip you apart, so too does the dilemena of Nora/Søren, Nora/Zach and woman Zach left behind in London. Add to the mix the love between Nora and her gorgeous, young virginal roomate Wesley, and equally intriguing supporting characters, like Griffin and Kingley - both of whom will have a stronger presence in the Original Sinners books to come.

The flashbacks scenes with Nora and Søren...*Pause - I just literally had to wipe my eyes after reminiscing for a few moments*....for the people that have read The Siren, can you BELIEVE we’re going to get a whole entire book about them? One of the books in this series will be a prequel where we see Søren fall in love with a very young Nora. Their flashbacks in The Siren were hot and intense....even the scene at the police station where he’s just LOOKING at young Nora in handcuffs...and the uniforn...and you know what’s on Søren’s mind...What’s coming. That book, whenever its released, may be the death of me *fans-self*

For The Siren's audiobook, I thought the narrator did a fantastic job. My only quibble would be Wesley's voice - the country twang was a little too strong for my personal preference, but aside from that, I really loved everyone else.

Believe the hype - there’s a reason why nearly every romance blogger has given this 5 stars, why nearly everyone is calling it the book of the year, why even bloggers that were challenged and uncomfortable by some of the material worked through their reluctancy and completely fell hard for this incredible story.

There’s also the added intrigue of the parallels between the heroine of The Siren, Nora Sutherlin, and The Siren’s author, Tiffany Reisz. Both petite brunettes, open about their love of the bdsm lifestyle. Both daring, entertaining as hell (if you don’t follow Tiffany on Twitter, you need to), and immensely talented. And of course, they share the same email address *grin*

This quote from The Siren sums up the awesomeness of the book itself: Zach is having a discussion with his boss about how Nora is capable of more substance than sex in her writing...

“If she did it, she could set the world on fire, and she wouldn’t even need a candle.”

And that’s exactly what Tiffany Reisz has done.

Favorite Quotes from The Siren

Nora describing The Consolation Prize to Wesley:
“It’s kind of a love story. Not my usual boy-meets-girl, boy-beats-girl story.”

Zach: “Have you considered going a more mainstream route with your characters?"
"I like virgins, perverts and whores," Nora said without apology. "I couldn't care less about the people who just fuck for fun on weekends."

Griffin to Zach: “Real sadists don’t need to fuck. They need to fuck you up.”

And the one that ripped this Søren fangirl into two:
”...But you made me wait until I was twenty.”
Søren inhaled slowly. “That was my mistake”
“Miracles do happen. You just admitted to a mistake. What was your mistake? Not fucking me sooner?”
“It was my mistake--” he turned and met her eyes “--thinking we had all the time in the world.”