Audio Book Review: 'Grave Sight' by Charlaine Harris

My last audio book for my commute to and from my corporate day job was Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris. This is the first book in the Harper Connelly series. Harper is the book's heroine. After being hit by a lightning strike as a child, Harper developed the ability to locate dead bodies. She feels a kind of sixth sense, a buzzing sensation, when she's near a corpse, and she gets a vision of how the deceased came to be deceased.

Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong about the identities of the murderers. My first inkling was that Harper's love interest, Deputy Hollis Boxleitner, would turn out to be the killer. But no, he's just a pleasant and slightly lonely blond-haired man in his 20s who, very tragically, lost his wife.

I was a bit disappointed when Harper didn't show any inclination to stay with Hollis, or at least see him again. But she's a young woman, only 24, and she and her brother/manager Tolliver live a nomadic lifestyle. I don't judge her for having a brief romance; I'm simply more used to romance novels, where the relationships are decidedly longer-term. I didn't enjoy this as much as the first Sookie Stackhouse book because it wasn't as romantic, but that's just a personal preference.

I'm not usually much of a mystery reader. I wouldn't have listened to The Cuckoo's Calling if it hadn't been written by J.K. Rowling. Also, audio book choices are somewhat more limited than paper and e-book choices. A lot of the bestsellers that make it into book-on-CD format aren't the ones that interest me. But I do love paranormal themes, which is what makes Charlaine Harris an author of choice to me.

This was a perfectly satisfactory story with an interesting heroine with an unusual ability. I don't know yet whether or not I'll finish this series, but I certainly enjoyed listening to this audio book.

I did have a bit of a hard time picturing Harper and Tolliver, though. He's supposed to be tall and pale, with straight black hair and a mustache. I keep thinking of the Guy Fawkes mask from V For Vendetta. Harper has short, curly black hair, but when I try to picture a Caucasian women with curly black hair I keep thinking of Mother Gothel from the Disney movie Tangled. It may be that I imagine more vividly when I'm physically reading that when I'm having the book narrated to me.

I checked this book out from my local public library and was not obligated to review it in any way. Next up, I'll be listening to A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle, read by Jennifer Ehle. I actually had no idea Ehle was American, because I remember her mainly as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice, opposite Colin Firth. Her mother is English, which I suppose is why she can do a passable English accent. In any event, she makes a lovely audio book narrator of the sequel to A Wrinkle in Time.

I'll still be aggressively imagining Alexis-Bledel-as-Rory-Gilmore in the role of Meg Murry in my mind's eye.

Pride and Prejudice and Person of Interest: A #JaneAusten Birthday Mash-up

Happy birthday to my literary foremother Jane Austen, born December 16, 1775! If you are ever eager to read more about the brilliant English novelist, here are some Pagan Spirits blog posts you might enjoy:

Jane Austen Fight Club video

Pride and Prejudice, now with Zombies and Hidden Lusts: Text Comparison

Review of Northanger Abbey

It's another thing, too: Joss Carter Appreciation Week. This event is to be held December 15-22 in honor of the emotionally-devastating loss of one of TV's greatest female characters from Person of Interest. Since two great things can sometimes taste great together, I now present a short mash-up I like to call "Pride and Prejudice and Person of Interest:"

Josselyn was suddenly roused by the sound of the doorbell; and her spirits were a little fluttered by the idea of its being Colonel Finch himself, who had once before called late in the evening, and might now come to enquire particularly after her. But this idea was soon banished, and her spirits were very differently affected, when, to her utter amazement, she saw Mr. Reese walk into the room. In a hurried manner he immediately began an enquiry after her health, imputing his visit to a wish of hearing that she were better. She answered him with cold civility. He sat down for a few moments, and then getting up walked about the room. Josselyn was surprised, but said not a word. After a silence of several minutes, he came towards her in an agitated manner, and thus began:--

"In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you. Also, you look kind of badass in that uniform.”

Josselyn's astonishment was beyond expression. She stared, doubted, and was silent. This he considered sufficient encouragement, and the avowal of all that he felt and had long felt for her immediately followed. He spoke well, but there were feelings besides those of the heart to be detailed, and he was not more eloquent on the subject of tenderness than of pride. His sense of her being an officer of the law, of its being a detriment to his continuing illegal activities, were dwelt on with a warmth which seemed due to the consequence he was wounding, but was very unlikely to recommend his suit.

In spite of her deeply-rooted sense of justice, she could not be insensible to the compliment of such a man's affection, and though her intentions did not vary for an instant, she was at first very sorry for the pain he was to receive; till, roused to resentment by his subsequent language, she lost all compassion in anger. She tried, however, to compose herself to answer him with patience, when he should have done. He concluded with representing to her the strength of that attachment which, in spite of all his endeavors, he had found impossible to conquer; and with expressing his hope that it would now be rewarded by her acceptance of his hand. As he said this, she could easily see that he had no doubt of a favourable answer. He spoke of apprehension and anxiety, but his countenance expressed real security. Such a circumstance could only exasperate farther; and when he ceased, the colour rose into her cheeks, and she said,--

“In such cases as this, it is, I believe, the established mode to express a sense of obligation for the sentiments avowed, however unequally they may be returned. It is natural that obligation should be felt, and if I could feel gratitude, I would now thank you. But I cannot--I have never desired your good opinion, and you have certainly bestowed it most unwillingly. I am sorry to have occasioned pain to anyone. It has been most unconsciously done, however, and I hope will be of short duration. The feelings which you tell me have long prevented the acknowledgement of your regard can have little difficulty in overcoming it after this explanation.”

Mr. Reese, who was leaning on the mantel-piece with his eyes fixed on her face, seemed to catch her words with no less resentment than surprise. His complexion became pale with anger, and the disturbance of his mind was visible in every feature. He was struggling for the appearance of composure, and would not open his lips till he believed himself to have attained it. The pause was to Josselyn's feelings dreadful. At length, with a voice of forced calmness, he said:

"And this is all the reply which I am to have the honour of expecting! I might, perhaps, wish to be informed why, with so little endeavour at civility, I am thus rejected. But it is of small importance."

"I might as well inquire," replied she, "why with so evident a desire of offending and insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your will, against your reason, and even against your training as an assassin? Was not this some excuse for incivility, if I was uncivil? But I have other provocations. You know I have. Had not my feelings decided against you—had they been indifferent, or had they even been favourable, do you think that any consideration would tempt me to accept the man who has been the means of ruining, perhaps forever, the happiness of my most beloved partner, Detective Fusco?"

As she pronounced these words, Mr. Reese changed colour; but the emotion was short, and he listened without attempting to interrupt her while she continued:

"I have every reason in the world to think ill of you. No motive can excuse the unjust and ungenerous part you acted there. You dare not, you cannot deny, that you have been the principal, if not the only means of dividing my partner from your partner Miss Shaw—of exposing one to the censure of the world for caprice and instability, and the other to its derision for disappointed hopes, and involving them both in misery of the acutest kind."

She paused, and saw with no slight indignation that he was listening with an air which proved him wholly unmoved by any feeling of remorse. He even looked at her with a smile of affected incredulity.

"Can you deny that you have done it?" she repeated.

With assumed tranquillity he then replied: "I have no wish of denying that I did everything in my power to separate my partner from your partner, or that I rejoice in my success. Towards Shaw I have been kinder than towards myself."

Josselyn disdained the appearance of noticing this civil reflection, but its meaning did not escape, nor was it likely to conciliate her.

"But it is not merely this affair," she continued, "on which my dislike is founded. Long before it had taken place my opinion of you was decided. Your character was unfolded in the recital which I received many months ago from Leon Tao. On this subject, what can you have to say? In what imaginary act of friendship can you here defend yourself? or under what misrepresentation can you here impose upon others?"

"You take an eager interest in that gentleman's concerns," said Reese, in a less tranquil tone, and with a heightened colour.

"Who that knows what Mr. Tao’s misfortunes have been, can help feeling an interest in him?"

"His misfortunes!" repeated Reese contemptuously; "yes, Leon’s misfortunes have been great indeed."

"And of your infliction," cried Josselyn with energy. "You have reduced Mr. Tao to his present state of poverty—comparative poverty. You have withheld the advantages which you must know to have been designed for him. You have deprived the best years of his life of that independence which was no less his due than his desert. You have done all this! and yet you can treat the mention of his misfortune with contempt and ridicule."

"And this," cried Reese, as he walked with quick steps across the room, "is your opinion of me! This is the estimation in which you hold me! I thank you for explaining it so fully. My faults, according to this calculation, are heavy indeed! But perhaps," added he, stopping in his walk, and turning towards her, "these offenses might have been overlooked, had not your pride been hurt by my honest confession of the desire to continue my criminal kneecapping activities that had long prevented my forming any serious design. These bitter accusations might have been suppressed, had I, with greater policy, concealed my struggles, and flattered you into the belief of my being impelled by unqualified, unalloyed inclination; by reason, by reflection, by everything. But disguise of every sort is my abhorrence. Nor am I ashamed of the feelings I related. They were natural and just. Could you expect me to rejoice in your connections to the NYPD?—to congratulate myself on the hope of friendship with Fusco, whose condition in life is so decidedly beneath my own?"

Josselyn felt herself growing more angry every moment; yet she tried to the utmost to speak with composure when she said:

"You are mistaken, Mr. Reese, if you suppose that the mode of your declaration affected me in any other way, than as it spared me the concern which I might have felt in refusing you, had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner."

She saw him start at this, but he said nothing, and she continued:

"You could not have made the offer of your hand in any possible way that would have tempted me to accept it."

Again his astonishment was obvious; and he looked at her with an expression of mingled incredulity and mortification. She went on:

"From the very beginning—from the first moment, I may almost say—of my acquaintance with you, your manners, impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form the groundwork of disapprobation on which succeeding events have built so immovable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry."

"You have said quite enough, Detective. I perfectly comprehend your feelings, and have now only to be ashamed of what my own have been. Forgive me for having taken up so much of your time, and accept my best wishes for your health and happiness."

And with these words he hastily left the room, and Josselyn heard him the next moment open the front door and quit the house.

The tumult of her mind was now painfully great. She knew not how to support herself, and from actual weakness sat down and cried for half-an-hour. Her astonishment, as she reflected on what had passed, was increased by every review of it. That she should receive an offer of marriage from Mr. Reese! That he should have been in love with her for so many months! So much in love as to wish to marry her in spite of all the objections which had made him prevent his friend's marrying her partner, and which must appear at least with equal force in his own case—was almost incredible!

It was gratifying to have inspired unconsciously so strong an affection. But his pride, his abominable pride—his shameless avowal of what he had done with respect to Fusco—his unpardonable assurance in acknowledging, though he could not justify it, and the unfeeling manner in which he had mentioned Mr. Tao, his cruelty towards whom he had not attempted to deny, soon overcame the pity which the consideration of his attachment had for a moment excited. She continued in very agitated reflections till the sound of Lady Stanton's carriage made her feel how unequal she was to encounter Kara's observation, and hurried her away to her room.

***

You can read the entire text of Pride and Prejudice, free, at Project Gutenberg.

Book Club Friday: 'Northanger Abbey' by Jane Austen

Blog note: see this post if you want to enter to win a copy of Wendy Owens' YA paranormal The Guardians Crown

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summary from Goodreads: A wonderfully entertaining coming-of-age story, Northanger Abbey is often referred to as Jane Austen’s “Gothic parody.” Decrepit castles, locked rooms, mysterious chests, cryptic notes, and tyrannical fathers give the story an uncanny air, but one with a decidedly satirical twist.

The story’s unlikely heroine is Catherine Morland, a remarkably innocent seventeen-year-old woman from a country parsonage. While spending a few weeks in Bath with a family friend, Catherine meets and falls in love with Henry Tilney, who invites her to visit his family estate, Northanger Abbey. Once there, Catherine, a great reader of Gothic thrillers, lets the shadowy atmosphere of the old mansion fill her mind with terrible suspicions. What is the mystery surrounding the death of Henry’s mother? Is the family concealing a terrible secret within the elegant rooms of the Abbey? Can she trust Henry, or is he part of an evil conspiracy? Catherine finds dreadful portents in the most prosaic events, until Henry persuades her to see the peril in confusing life with art.

Executed with high-spirited gusto, Northanger Abbey is the most lighthearted of Jane Austen’s novels, yet at its core this delightful novel is a serious, unsentimental commentary on love and marriage.

My Review: Because this book isn't quite as well-known as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, I wasn't sure what kind of quality to expect from the writing. I found this book to be a delightful surprise.

Catherine Morland is a delightful heroine, letting her preoccupation with Gothic novels run away with her (an accurate literary depiction of early 19th century fangirling) and slowly developing feelings for Henry Tilney. (I want an adaptation in which Henry Tilney is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Please, Hollywood?)



These are subtle reading pleasures, but pleasures nonetheless. The ending's a little abrupt; it would have been nice to know more about the man Eleanor married, who seems to come out of nowhere. And what about James - did he end up happily married?

Still, I think more people should read it. More people would read it, possibly, if it had a more interesting title; I suggest I'm Sorry I Thought Your Father Murdered Your Mother.

You can get the e-book free on Amazon:



I bought a paperback of Northanger Abbey, well used, at a library book sale for 25 cents. This is an unsolicited review, and I was not compensated for it in any way. Because of its well-worn condition and torn pages, my copy is now resigned to the recycling bin.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

I am currently reading:

My latest Amazon Vine selection

Reading and reviewing for a review exchange with the author

In my PNR rotation - a Donna Grant comes next

Guest Post ~ "The 50 Shades Effect" by Erotic Romance Author Samantha Holt

Hopping by from the Coffin Hop? Please visit THIS POST. 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock recently, you will be aware of the 50 Shades of Grey phenomenon. In fact, even if you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll have heard of it. I tried that, didn’t work.

Love it or hate it, 50 Shades has affected the face of both romance and erotica. It’s opened people (women mostly) up to the idea of reading erotica for enjoyment (not that just that kind of enjoyment) but for a bit more than just getting your kicks! It’s also allowed people to explore a whole different side of themselves. Ann Summers have reported a huge boost in their sales of bondage gear since its release.

However, I’ve noticed a worrying rise in the number of reviews that well-established BDSM authors are receiving, complaining that their writing is nothing like 50 Shades. It’s not romantic enough, or it was too hard-core. This is where 50 Shades has muddied the waters slightly. See, 50 Shades is not really a story about a BDSM relationship. In reality, a true sub/dom relationship is nothing like this. There’s a distinct element of control, but it’s also about respect, and what many don’t understand is that it’s a very caring relationship. It’s about the trust that lies between the sub and the dom. Do I know this from experience? No, but I’ve read enough good quality erotica to understand it and have several friends who know this world far better than I and are very willing to share their thoughts.

So there lies the fact is that if you enjoyed 50 Shades, you may not enjoy true BDSM erotica. This is no bad thing, but should be taken into consideration before jumping into the fire. And should certainly be taken into consideration before leaving a scathing review. If it’s not your sort of thing, fine, but please, I beg of you, don’t state that you were disappointed because it wasn’t like 50 Shades! Take a moment to look at the quality of the writing and see around the elements you disliked. And if you loved it - hurray - you’ve discovered a whole world of amazing erotica.

I’ve also mentioned that it’s muddied the waters when it comes to the romance genre too. Personally, it’s had little effect on me as readers tend to understand what they’re getting with my historical romances. A little history, a little romance and some sensual content - much like it has always been with this genre. But 50 Shades bridges this gap between romance and erotica, creating more of an awareness of this cross-genre. Classic romance books will have erotic content but written in the most beautiful way possible or will have none at all. 50 Shades is neither of these and is considered romantic erotica. The issue is that people get confused and no longer know what to expect. It’s become necessary for romantic authors to be more explicit in their descriptions to ensure that readers know exactly what they’re getting. On the plus side, this has opened up a new demand for romantic erotica, with a whole stream of very well written (and not so well) books following the 50 Shades style.

Now, is it a bad thing that women are more open minded and willing to talk openly about sex? No, of course not. Anything that gets people reading and discussing something that has long been considered taboo, in my mind, cannot be a bad thing. And like many fads, things come and go. It won’t be long until we see the next big thing and who knows; hopefully this time it may be something that can be considered a classic in the future. The fact is that 50 Shades will not be something that we share with our grandchildren but Pride and Prejudice still will be. So, for the moment, us romantic writers have nothing to fear and erotica writers will weather the storm and enjoy the increase in sales while it lasts, along with the unfortunate reviews, comforted by the knowledge that we are lucky to have some wonderful, loyal readers who will always stick with us, whether we are the ‘in’ thing or not!

***

Samantha Holt is the author of several medieval romances including the bestseller, The Crimson Castle, and a series of historical erotic shorts. She lives in Warwickshire, England with her twin girls and occasionally her husband, who works abroad. She credits her ability to write about romance to his long absences! You can follow Samantha on Facebook for new releases, free stories and giveaways. 

http://www.facebook.com/romanticfiction

Her latest book, The Angel’s Assassin, is available to download for free on Amazon on the 31st October - 1st November.

As a rebellion sweeps England, Lady Annabel finds her home overrun by rebels. Much to her relief, a dark knight comes to her rescue, claiming to have been sent to protect her by her uncle.

But Nicholas holds a secret about the job he was sent to do and it is a far cry from what Annabel believes it to be. As the attraction between them grows, Nicholas begins to question the dark life he has lived. But is it enough to change him and will Annabel ever trust again after learning the true nature of his sinful duty?

Guest Post ~ Happily Ever After by Kate Monroe

That’s the one thing that all romance novels have to have in common, isn’t it? The ultimate goal is for the two lead characters to end up together, no matter what subgenre their tale is set in. The reader won’t be satisfied unless the characters they’ve invested their time and emotion into get their happy ending in defiance of the obstacles that are in their way; and it’s those obstacles that make the story.

Can you imagine reading a romance novel where the two characters get together and resolve all their issues in Chapter One?  There would be none of the tension or delicious anticipation that a true tale of romance needs in order to draw in the reader and bring them along on the journey. That journey by definition cannot be an easy one, for if it was then the story wouldn’t intrigue the reader.

The conflicts that make the story a success and keep the reader’s interest need to come from two directions – internal and external. Simply put, the things keeping them apart need to be both their own internal doubts and fears holding them back, whilst at the same time external forces are working to make it difficult for them to be together.

In The Falcon’s Chase, Reuben and Ari must face those issues in abundance.  Both of them have personal issues that they must deal with; for Reuben, it’s the prosthetic arm he wears. Though the nanorobots that control it make it physically superior to the flesh and bone it replaced, it’s a constant reminder of a terrible and painful secret in his past. He detests it, for not only does it force him to remember all that he’d rather forget, he also believes it makes him less than other men; less attractive, and less worthy.

Ari has just as many troubles of her own. All she does is driven by her soul-deep need for the independence that has been denied to her all her life. The only child of the Admiral of the British Navy, she has been treated as nothing more than a possession by her father. Her wants and needs have been ignored since she was a small child, and now she has sacrificed everything in order to win the freedom she craves. She hasn’t done so simply to fall straight under the control of another man; and with that consuming her, the thought of submitting to all she feels for the captain of the Falcon is near unbearable.

Even if Reuben and Ari can manage to deal with those obstacles, though, circling around them is a disaster waiting to happen, inextricably tangled around them both in ways they could never have imagined. The families they both fled from  draw them back to the very last place they would ever want to be, and the enormity of the truth they discover there dwarfs all else that has come before.

It might sound formulaic and cliché, but the key to writing a successful romance is to stick to such time-honoured elements that have been proven to work from the days of fairytales, through to the era of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and then right up to the here and now.

***

Kate Monroe is a redheaded author and editor who lives in a quiet and inspirational corner of southern England. She has penchants for classic sci-fi, horror and loud guitars, and a fatal weakness for red wine. Her interests in writing range from horror to erotica, taking in historical romance, steampunk and tales of the paranormal on the way; whatever she dreamed about the night before is liable to find its way onto the page in some form or another…

Kate has had short stories published in numerous anthologies including works by Sirens Call Publications, Cruentus Libri Press, Rainstorm Press and Angelic Knight Press. The Falcon's Chase is her debut full-length novel.

***

The Falcon’s Chase 

Captain Reuben Costello is just hours away from facing his execution when the unlikeliest of rescuers storms into his cell. Lady Arianne Dalton needs the assistance of the infamous Black Swan to flee England and all its constraints. He finds himself more than willing to help the fiercely independent Ari in exchange for his freedom.

However, when they come to find their fates inextricably tangled in a plot that threatens the very foundations of British society, they are swept away on a chase that puts not only their lives, but their hearts at risk - and neither of them can defy the wild and stormy ride they find upon the Falcon.

Author: Kate Monroe

Publisher: Pink Pepper Press

Number of Pages: 298 pages

ISBN-13: 978-0615695662

ISBN-10: 0615695663

Release Date: October 5, 2012

***

Links for Purchase:

CreateSpace

Amazon US

Amazon US Print

Amazon UK

Amazon IT

Amazon DE

Amazon ES

Amazon FR

Smashwords

***

The Falcon’s Chase Excerpt:

Chapter One

London, 1861

Reuben Costello knew that he had tried a hundred times to wrench the unyielding iron bars of his prison cell apart, but he could not resist the urge to try just once more. However hard he tugged, though, they withstood even the inhuman amount of force that his prosthetic arm applied to them, just as they had so many times before.

He delivered a furious kick to the bars that had him inescapably trapped as his dark eyes settled upon the copper plated arm that he wore like a badge of honour. Meticulously bonded to the living flesh it clung to, it was just as responsive and more effective than the arm of muscles and bones that had existed in its place for the first eleven years of his life; but though he had worn it for twenty years now and it had served him well for all of those, the sight of it still filled him with a bitter and resentful disgust.

Even that painful emotion, though, could not distract him for more than a few moments. Far more pressing was the grim awareness that with every second that passed, sunrise drew nearer, and with it would come his execution. Reuben had lived a far from blameless life, always dancing along the thin, blurred line that separated the pursuits of an ordinary merchant and the more interesting activities that he liked to indulge in.

Betrayed to Her Majesty's Royal Navy after a dalliance with the pirates that roamed the Red Sea proved too irresistible for his mercenary side to ignore, Reuben had been captured and dragged to the infamous Tower of London. It had taken no less than a dozen captains to bring him in. Had he been aboard his ship when they attacked, he had no doubt that they would not have succeeded.

Reuben had not been aboard the Falcon, though. Instead, he had been spending the night with his latest mistress - and when she had brazenly lounged back on the bed with a cigarillo between her perfect red lips and laughed loudly as they dragged him away, he had silently cursed his propensity for choosing his bedmates based on looks alone.

That, it seemed, was not a mistake he would have the chance to ever make again. Though his crime was nowhere as severe as it should be to warrant execution, that was the sentence that had inexplicably been passed. Time was rapidly slipping away from him and much to his disgust, it was becoming clear that there would be no escape from the harsh fate that awaited him.

He sank down to the cold, grimy cobbles that lined his dungeon cell and affixed a menacing scowl to his face for the sole benefit of any gaolers that should happen to parade past his cell with their looks of disdain and taunts about the noose that was so soon to be claiming his neck in the hangman's embrace. Soon, light footsteps heralded the approach of just such a person.

Reuben snatched upon the only amusement that would be his on this last lonely night of life. He wrapped his fingers around the hateful bars of his cell and knelt down, drawing back his thin lips to expose the gleaming teeth beneath as he deliberately allowed a low, ominous growl to rise up from the pit of his stomach and echo around the confines of the dungeon.

He squinted into the dimly-lit gloom as the footsteps quickened and caught sight of a distinct shape emerging from the putrid darkness. Far shorter than any of the guards he had become accustomed to - he would estimate that the top of their head would not even reach his shoulder - and dressed all in black, the person reached into their pocket and extracted what was undoubtedly, from the jangling sound of metal against metal, a bunch of heavy brass keys.

Reuben's eyes narrowed as they quickly swept across the newcomer appraisingly. Their head was bowed low, concealed from his gaze by the shadow of the black cap atop it, and a full-length greatcoat enveloped their body and skimmed across their ankles to reveal tight-fitting breeches and laced leather boots.

Everything about the clothing that they wore screamed of masculinity, but an incredulous suspicion was rising inside him that it was no man that stood before him. The slender fingers that were now fumbling with the keys were pale and unblemished, as far removed from the rough and calloused hands of the gaolers as it was possible to be. As they unlocked the door and hastily slammed it shut behind them, the shape of a second person stepped out of the shadows in the corridor.

“I shall stay at the end of the corridor to stand guard, then - just shout if you need me, ma'am.” They were dismissed with a jerk of the head and an irritable wave of the delicate hand that had unlocked the door.

Even if those intriguing words had not made it plain that it was a woman now locked in the cell with him, any remaining doubt he might have had was extinguished when he inhaled sharply and a delicate scent that had wafted in with the newcomer danced around his senses, teasing and tantalising him with its faint notes of jasmine and gardenia. It was a scent that was intrinsically and undeniably feminine in origin.

Reuben swallowed hard, for a woman's appearance in his cell could mean only one thing. He let loose a soft groan. He had been alone in his cell for over a month now and the company of a woman was perhaps the only thing that might make him able to forget his imminent execution. With a deep, primal hunger raging inside him, he stared at her intently as she slowly pulled away her cap to reveal the face of the woman that had come to offer him the scant comfort she could provide.

“Ah! You are to be this condemned man's last meal, I presume?” Reuben's low voice was hoarse, for the instant that she had removed her cap and revealed herself to him, he had been consumed by such a forceful throb of aching desire that he knew he had to have her, prostitute or not. Not even pausing to think upon the surprising and uncharacteristic generosity that his gaolers had shown in sending such a rare beauty to him on the eve of his execution, he roughly backed her up against the stone walls of the cell.

Her soulful eyes widened and her lips parted, but before she could speak Reuben devoted himself to the far from unpalatable task at hand. If this was to be the last woman he would take before his execution then, he thought wryly, it was fitting that she was by far the loveliest he had ever had in his arms, despite her manly attire - attire that he intended to waste no time in stripping away from her shapely form.

He shook his tangled, jet black braids back out of his face, lowered his head and laid forceful, triumphant claim to her wonderfully soft and pliant lips, already dizzy with the strength of his desperate yearning for her. Reuben slipped one hand behind her head to caress the delicate nape of her neck and hold her in place as his fingers wound through the silken curls of hair escaping the tight bun attempting to restrain them, his arousal rapidly spiralling out of control as he pushed himself up against her to mould himself against every feminine contour of her body.

He forced his prosthetic arm between their bodies to reach for the intricate buttons of her greatcoat and tugged them apart with such force that they ripped free of the fabric, but even that was not enough to persuade him to break the kiss. Never before had a mere kiss managed to arouse him with such ferocity. Perhaps it was the adrenalin pounding through his body in anticipation of his death intensifying all that he felt, but Reuben had never craved any woman as much as he did this one.

As his fingers insistently moved between their bodies to seek out the fastenings of her shirt, though, brushing against the agonisingly tempting curve of her high, full breasts as they did so, she twisted her head to the side with a loud and rasping cry. “What in God's name do you think that you are doing, sir?!”

Reuben arched one dark eyebrow incredulously as he fought for breath and ruthlessly kept her pinned up against the wall. “I thought that was more than obvious! I was beginning to avail myself of all the pleasures that your sweet mouth had to offer to me. Is that not why you came here?”

“No!” Rage burned in her wide, darkened eyes as she struggled desperately to free herself of his hold. “Good God, I am no...no...” She trailed off, blushing hotly as a small smile began to quirk back the corner of his lips.

“Prostitute?” Reuben offered mildly, his anger at being interrupted fading away in the face of her evident reaction to his proximity - a reaction that it seemed she was not simply falsifying for the sake of her wages.

“Indeed I am not!”

Her curt denial seemed genuine, much to his bemusement. As he allowed his fingers to work their way underneath the shirt she wore to caress the bare skin he found beneath, he tilted his head to the side. “But I don't understand - how did you get in here if you are not a prostitute, little lady?”

Her flush deepened but her lips twitched with what could only be irritation as she plunged one hand into her pocket and extracted a furled piece of parchment. She unravelled it and thrust it at him contemptuously. “Admiral Dalton's seal tends to open any door that happens to be in one's way.”

“Admiral Dalton signed an order for my release?”

“No, but I am very adept at forging my father's signature; I am Lady Arianne Dalton. My friends call me Ari, but you may call me milady - and you can let me go now!”

The Weekend Round-Up: Literary Links to Love VI

In case you haven't been social media stalking me this week, here are some of the literary links you may have missed out on.

Tit Elingtin and I were interviewed about Eminent Domain at The Best of Everything (link is now defunct, unfortunately).

Gabe Habash, in his Publisher's Weekly blog, brought us the best book memes of 2011 (another dead link, alas).

According to Entertainment Weekly, Chris Columbus, who directed the first two Harry Potter movies, is collaborating with YA author Ned Vizzini to produce a 3-book series called House of Secrets. Could be interesting...

Speaking of my favorite, phenomenally popular book franchises: as much as I love Twilight, I can't help but get a chuckle out of "If Famous Writers Had Written Twilight."

This book came out in September, but I just discovered it now: Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star. It's not a mash-up, but a P&P-inspired tale in which Darcy, Bingley and Fitzwilliam have a band, and their new opening act is Long Borne Suffering, a band featuring Lizzie and Jane Bennet and Charlotte Lucas. It's just about the coolest thing since Little Vampire Women.

If you're enamored of Pride and Prejudice and its myriad sequels and tributes, you might also like The Spinster's Vow by Enid Wilson. It's another Lizzie Bennet-Fitzwilliam Darcy romance.

Our favorite TV inspired by our favorite books: here's Fangs, Wands and Fairy Dust's summary of the most recent crop of supernatural TV shows, including The Secret Circle (based on the L.J. Smith novels) and my new favorite, Grimm.

Now the sexy stuff:

Sex toys, this article states, are increasingly being marketed to a religious audience. Why not?

Finally, if you need a little liquid inspiration, you can always order a make-your-own absinthe kit (sorry, that link no longer works). I can't resist making this terrible pun: absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.

(Public domain image)

An Interview with Mitzi Szereto!

Erin: Were you a fan of Jane Austen before you started writing Pride and Prejudice: Hidden Lusts?

Mitzi: Yes, most definitely. And I have to credit the BBC TV adaptation of the novel for inspiring my interest in all things Austen. The series was perfection and the actors really brought to life the characters in a way that I believe will never again be achieved. What particularly appeals to me about Jane Austen is her wit and sense of satire. She points out with great cleverness the hypocrisy and ridiculousness of “society.” I bet a lot of people would love to hear what she’d have to say about our modern times!

Erin: Did you find it was easy to add erotic tension to Pride and Prejudice? Do you feel as if some of it was present in the original?

Mitzi: Yes, I did find it relatively easy. However, I should add that I wanted to keep the characters in, shall we say, character, and for their sexual hijinks to be exactly the kind of thing we’d expect them to get up to. As for erotic tension in the original, it was most definitely there, particularly between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Those two were buzzing with sexual tension! Lydia Bennet was also a highly sexualized character, and Austen was giving us a lot of not-so-veiled hints about her promiscuity; I just ratcheted it up to the next level. Well, several levels, actually.

Erin: Are you currently planning to bring your blend of humor and erotica to any other public domain works?

Mitzi: It’s quite possible, yes. I really enjoyed writing Pride and Prejudice: Hidden Lusts and I hope readers enjoyed reading it, too. There has been a lot of controversy about my version, but frankly, I think these people need to get a sense of humor. The book is just a bit of good harmless fun, and in today’s world, I think we can all use some of that. As for combining humor and the erotic, I love it! People need to get a sense of humor about sex as well. Seems like everyone takes it too seriously. I say lighten up and have a laugh!

Erin: As a transplant from the U.S. to the U.K., do you feel more American or English?

Mitzi: I definitely feel more English. I never felt American, even when I lived in America. Maybe it’s the English eccentric thing that fits me, I don’t know. I definitely have more of a kinship with the English sense of humor as well. I wonder if when I grow old I’ll turn into a female version of Victor Meldrew?



Erin: You have a quirky sense of humor. Where does that come from? Other than your own writing, what do you find funny?

Mitzi: I’ve always been quirky. It’s part of my personality and has been ever since childhood, so naturally it translates into my sense of humor. I have no idea where it comes from. To be honest, I’ve never really sought anyone’s approval for what I do, so perhaps that gives me more freedom to just be myself. ­As for what I find funny, it’s quite wide-ranging, though I will say that I do not find the majority of contemporary American humor remotely funny. Just the opposite, in fact. Unfortunately, a lot of contemporary English humor is following suit, particularly with regard to television, in that they are trying to parrot the unfunny American sitcoms and crude comedians that are repeatedly shoved down our throats. I quite liked the earlier season of the League of Gentleman BBC series, but for the most part I’m a bit of a dinosaur in my tastes. I love the older English comedy series such as One Foot in the Grave and Keeping Up Appearances.

My taste in American humor goes even farther back to The Marx Brothers and those madcap comedy films from Hollywood’s Golden Era. Give me Cary Grant any day! I also enjoy Jackie Mason. Classic stuff!

Erin: Your next project, editing Red Velvet and Absinthe, an anthology of paranormal erotica, took a completely different tone. What caused you to switch gears?

Mitzi: I love switching gears. I think it would be boring to keep doing the same thing over and over. I actually had Red Velvet and Absinthe on the back burner for a number of years. I’ve always been a huge fan of Gothic fiction, and I’m surprised that I didn’t go this route a lot earlier in my writing career, though, without giving too much away, I will say that the Gothic is going to make another appearance in a future work. It was just down to luck and timing that RV&A got off that back burner and finally came to fruition. I’m really pleased with how it’s turned out. The quality of work is extremely high and each story has something different to offer. It was a pleasure working with so many talented writers.

Erin: Other than the BBC production of Pride and Prejudice, what's your favorite Colin Firth movie?

Mitzi: I have to say P&P is the absolute pinnacle of Colin Firth for me. I know he’s said that he doesn’t want to be forever known only as Mr. Darcy, but I think it’s a testament to his talent as an actor to have brought that character to life in the way he had. I’m not really keen on his comedy roles. Not that he isn’t good in them; it’s just that I prefer his more brooding side. It’s very sexy.

Links:

Author website: http://mitziszereto.com
Pride and Prejudice: Hidden Lusts website: http://mitziszereto.com/prideandprejudicehiddenlusts/
Red Velvet and Absinthe website: http://mitziszereto.com/redvelvetandabsinthe/
Errant Ramblings: Mitzi Szereto's Weblog: http://mitziszereto.com/blog
Facebook Author Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mitzi-Szereto/24537936152
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/mitziszereto
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/72445.Mitzi_Szereto
Mitzi TV: http://mitziszereto.com/tv
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/mitzi_szereto

Gods and Goddesses - Guest Post by Elizabeth Aston + Giveaway!

Erin's note: Readers, I am chuffed (yeah, there's no good American word for chuffed) to have author Elizabeth Aston guest-posting at Pagan Spirits today. She's here to talk about her favorite ancient goddesses and gods, and how they inspire her fiction. She came with goodies to give away. She's the author of six volumes of historical fiction based on one of my most recent obsessions, Pride and Prejudice. She also wrote the contemporary novel Writing Jane Austen. Without further ado, here's Elizabeth:

Ever since I first read the Greek myths as a child, I’ve been hooked. What a bunch they are, those Olympians and all the lesser hangers on. Raw power, raw emotion, raw sex, raw everything. But subtle with it, tricky, untrustworthy.

Cross them at your peril, mortals.

And the stories are so fabulous (literally). You can hear them again and again, in their original form and as they crop up in various versions in literature and opera and paintings and ballet and goodness knows where, and never grow tired of them.

They’re archetypes, of course, and archetypes are great for writers. Here’s Ares, god of war, angry, hot blooded, wanting to kill. Here’s Hera, the nagging wife, but the one you want beside you when you’re in labour. Hestia, goddess of the hearth, offering you a warm drink and checking that the guest room is just right. Hermes, made of quicksilver, carrying messages, up to all kinds of sly dealings. Surly Poseidon, drowning men for fun and causing the earth to shake, Hades, guarding the under world, Hecate, goddess of the moon, Artemis, virgin goddess of the hunt, great Athene, who lives on in those glorious Power Marys of Piero della Francesca. Zeus, taking his pleasure where he wishes (and he wishes often); austere, dangerous Apollo…

And just think what they got up to, all that time on their hands, nectar to drink, immortality. Sex, for one thing. Lots of sex, much of it extremely dodgy, but they certainly knew how to enjoy themselves.

Do I believe in them? Of course not, how could I, modern woman as I am? However, I do have a Janus pot at my front door, to honour the god of the threshold, and a Medusa pot (her snaky glare deters burglars). And which of us hasn’t heard the call of the gods, at one time or another?

A favourite of mine is Dionysus. Not the fat, rackety Bacchus, but the glowing young man with a leopard skin. He’s trouble, he stirs everything up, but without him, life would be dull, dull, dull. He’s the god of wine, and he brings liberation, anarchy, upheaval and the unexpected. Dionysus is the Lord of the Dance, and that’s why, in Unholy Harmonies, my character Issur, another name for Dionysus, is a dancer, a classically trained dancer, who arrives as a dancing telegram in the house of Sadie, an abandoned wife, and proceeds to carry out a devastatingly sensuous strip tease.

He transforms Sadie’s life - that’s what he does, wakes mortals up to a sense of what life is truly about. Just as wine loosens our tongues and spirits and morals, so does this great god, the twelfth Olympian, bring chaos and ecstasy into our lives. And, just as Dionysus led the Maenads in a terrible dance that led to Pentheus's violent death, so, in the English village of Unthrang, Issur takes to the hills with his followers.

He’s a transforming god, and the other reason I like him is the wonderful love story associated with him. He came across Ariadne, stranded on a beach on Naxos by the faithless Theseus, and fell passionately in love with her. When she died, he set her among the stars, and her wedding diadem became the seven stars of the constellation Corona Borealis.

Who is the female counterpart of Dionysus, with his beauty and his wildness and the danger when you go too far? It has to be Aphrodite. We know her as the goddess of love, but she’s also a goddess of pleasure and merriment and delight. Aphrodite's attendants are Paidia (Play), Eudaimonia (Happiness), Pandaisia (Banquets), Pannychis (Parties & Night Revels), and Antheia (Floral Decoration). How’s that for fun? Yet, like Dionysus, she has a darker side, leading men to war and madness, as she did when she gave Helen to Paris and brought about the Trojan war.

Every novelist honours Aphrodite. Whether it’s a sensuous romance, with hot sex on every other page, or a coy romance ending in no more than a kiss, a deep and thoughtful tale of misery, an action-packed thriller - Aphrodite will be there, you can bet on it. Centre stage, or lurking deliciously in the shadows, she makes her presence known, and we instinctively look for her in everything we read.

Dionysus and Aphrodite are a great double act. They are about pleasure but also like all the gods, are not to be trifled with. Mortals do well not to thwart them or ignore their sinister powers - and that's true of all the gods and goddesses: Take care! But whether in the writer’s soul or out dancing in the hills, in an elegant drawing room or delighting in the pleasures of the bed, there they are, this troublesome and awe-inspiring duo, bringing joy and danger into all our lives, just as long as we hear them calling and let them in.

Links for Elizabeth Aston:
Site and Blog: http://www.atticabooks.com/ea/?page_id=45
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1029694174
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Elizabeth_Aston
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Aston/e/B001HCTYPM/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

The Giveaway:

Please comment below your favorite god or goddesses and enter to win a copy of Children of Chance, the prequel of the Mountjoy series. In one week, I'll pick a winner of this ebook! Available in any ebook format.

And for the Giveaway Grand Prize: Everyone who comments is eligible to win a lovely hematite bracelet and earrings seen here (http://www.charmsoflight.com/bracelets/Hematite_Hearts_Bracelet_Br-He-001.html; http://www.charmsoflight.com/earrings/Hematite_Heart_Earrings_E-He-001.html). I'll pick a lucky winner mid-October and can ship anywhere in the world. Good luck!