Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Emerald City Comic Con- only 3 days away!

This years Emerald City Comic Con is closing in fast! I'm just glad that I don't have to make my entire costume again this year. Last year I made my own warrior skirt and silk screened a Klingon face on the back of my shirt with the outline of their armor on the front. It wasn't horribly sewing crafty but keep in mind I also had to make my sisters too, which took quiet a bit of time. I managed to get everything completed the night before.

The shirts turned out okay, they looked great on my sister but if you're shirt stretches a bit when you wear it, I'd not suggest using fabric paint that cracks when pulled apart, like metallic gold. The skirt made it most of the day and is still lying like a corpse in my closet.

This year we are going as female versions of Han Solo from Star Wars. Hey! Its a comic convention, I can go as what ever I want! (PS- I'll also be wearing this at the Anime Convention the following weekend). Black skinny pants, yoga in my case and jeans in my sisters, with a red stripe down the sides and a pair of combat like boots complete the bottom half of this outfit. The top will consist of a white lace 1/2 sleeve shirt with a red coverup underneath and a black open back shirt that we will be cutting down the front to form the vest.

Just for fun I'll be making leather wrist cuffs with the rebel insignia branded into the tops. They'll be tied close with red ribbon. The hardest thing I have to do this time around is create the leg gun holster (if I wear a fake gun) and create the wrist cuffs. No sweat! Although I've never branded leather before, so that will be an interesting experience.

The Comic con is also holding  a speed dating event which is becoming all the rage at events like this, Sakura Con will also be holding one but I won't be attending that. My sister and her boyfriend decided to join me in attempting to get signed up for the Saturday speed date fest. As I've never done speed dating and its at a convention, it will be interesting to see how it turns out!

I can't wait. Wish me luck on my wrist bands!

Book Review- Shadowlight

Shadowlight
by Lynn Viehl

This is the first novel of her Kyndred series, which is an off shoot of her Darkyn series and even tends to have a few character overlaps. This story focuses primarily on Jessa Bellamy, an entrepreneur who has caught the attention of a pharmaceutical company, GenHance that has been paying special attention to how she uses her extra set of skills and Matthias, whose history is shrouded in mystery and seems to be a man of action and little words. 

They are forced together when Matthias has to act fast in order to save Jessa from GenHance who would like nothing better than to take her back to their lab and harvest her DNA. Forced to live in close contact with Matthias, she fights both her need to open up to another person like herself and her desire for him. With a madman on their tail, she struggles to overcome her desires and the need to protect the others who are like herself.

This novel was a blast to read, although at times it dragged a little, but I plowed through anyway as I knew she wouldn't be providing information unless it was essential to her storyline, and thankfully it was. Since half this story takes place in a cellar with only a few people Jessa comes in contact with, some of the conversations tended to get a bit repetitive. I wasn't quit sure how long Jessa was held, but her thread of the storyline moved very little while the outside world continued to move at its fast pace.

The storyline started out with a big boom of sexual tension about three chapters in, then nothing really happened on that side of things till the last quarter of the story. I do understand that there is a fine line between natural attraction and Stockholm syndrome, but in this retrospect of the story I had hoped for a little more. I will say that most of her stories, although they do focus around a couples growing emotional involvement, this story was more on par to her normal style of writing, although she does throw a few more sexually charged stories in from time to time.

There was one part of this storyline that she could have elaborated on, especially given who the characters were and what they were obsessed about, but that thread wasn't picked up (I don't want to elaborate any more as it will give away part of the story). Maybe it will in the last book she has released (4th in this series) that I haven't read yet.

I give this novel a 4 out of 5 for storyline/romance and a 3 out of 5 for bedroom steaminess.

If you'd like to read more about Lynn Viehl, please check out her website by clicking here.

Upcoming book reviews
Darkness Undone by Jessa Slade
The Mate Attraction by Shelly Laurenston
Dire Needs by Stephanie Tyler

If you have any suggestions/requests for book reviews, please leave a comment!

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Book Review- Oracle's Moon

Oracle's Moon
by Thea Harrison


This story wraps around two main characters, Grace Andrea, who became the Oracle after the recent death of her sister, and Khalil, Demonkind and Djinn Prince of House Marid. Grace, who bites back her own sense of honor in order to accept help with the children her sister left behind and Khalil, a Djinn who finds something that has been missing in Grace's family ever since his daughter was captured and tortured, constantly fight each other, first out of irritation, than over the attraction with each other.

As they struggle to find some type of working relationship together, Grace and her children are exposed to threat after threat as those who seek to manipulate the Oracle draw near and Khalil is drawn even more to Grace, who makes him feel emotions he never felt before.

This was a wonderful forth installment of The Elder Race Series.  I couldn't put it down. The antagonistic relationship between Grace and Khalil was fantastic! They were constantly bating each other and annoying the heck out of everyone. Khalil was a world wind of energy and force as he constantly worked to cope with his new feelings and Grace, with her busted up knee, keen attention to the children she inherited and dealing with the Oracle's power, was an enigma to Khalil as she treated him not with the respect he was used to, but with a complete disregard to his honor or his status.

I give this novel a 5 out of 5 for romance/storyline and a 5 out of 5 for bedroom steaminess.

If you'd like to read more about Thea Harrison and her other novels, please click here.

If there are any novels you'd like me to review, please comment in this post. Thanks!

Monday, March 5, 2012

Book Review- Rainshadow Road

Rainshadow Road
by Lisa Kleypas

This novel focuses on Sam Nolan, vineyard owner and Mark's brother from Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor (the first book in this series) and Lucy Marinn, a local glass artist who creates her own special form of magic. Coming out of a long term relationship with a boyfriend who had cheated on her, Lucy isn't looking for another go no where relationship, especially with someone as charming and not into commitments as Sam. Sam grew up in a house with two alcoholic parents and has decided that he never wants to go through what they did and has sworn off all forms of commitment no matter what he feels for Lucy.

This was a great second installment of Lisa Kleypas Friday Harbor series. Sam was charming and a wonderful male character to read and learn about. Lucy was a strong female character who had to learn first how to enjoy life before she could fully appreciate Sam and all he has to offer. When she vows to never tie him down and Sam finds he can't stay away from her, life gets interesting.

This book was a joy to read and I couldn't put it down. The relationship between Sam and Lucy was extremely realistic, hot and Sam was such a romantic easy going flirt I wish I could meet him in real life.

My one complaint is the magic both Sam and Lucy had a depth and meaning for the characters individually, but didn't really add anything to the storyline except to have Lucy finish the large stained glass window in the living room. I'm hoping that in her next novel in this series, Dream Lake, combines everything in such a way to make a round polished picture of the vineyard house and the brothers who live there.

I give this a 5 out of 5 for storyline/romance and a 5 out of 5 for bedroom steaminess.

If you'd like to read more about this author and her books, please click here.