The Transplanted Tales Tour Stop

Today Kate SeRine is here as part of the blog tour to promote her second Transplanted Tales novel, The Better to See You, out February 7. Amazon | B&N | Kobo. 

The blurbage: "Once upon a time, a spell went awry and Make Believe characters were cast into the ordinary world. And the results aren’t always happily ever after…

Everyone thinks fairy godmothers can do no wrong. But if not for a certain spell mis-cast by Lavender Seelie, Cinderella’s former fairy godmother, the Tales would not be stuck in the Here and Now. Fortunately for Lavender, she’s about to get a second chance at a happy ending…

The Refuge, a sanctuary for wayward Tales, seems like the perfect place for Lavender to start a new life—especially when she discovers an unexpected ally in Seth, the brooding werewolf who’s been typecast as a villain ever since his run in with Little Red Riding Hood. But when humans from nearby towns start turning up dead, their bodies mutilated with archaic Tale symbols, Lavender wonders if Seth’s deep sensuality has blinded her to the truth. And that distraction could put innocent lives in danger. Including her own…"

My take: I really liked SeRine's Red (see my review here). Where that one felt more UF with a heavy dose of romance, this second installment had the romance aspect front and center. It is still first person, as we see everything from Lavender's POV. We just get into the romance faster than in book 1. It surprised me at first, until we find out why everything happened so fast. I liked Lavender's dilemma, and it showed how far her character has progressed.

When I first heard about book 2, I wasn't surprised that Seth was going to be the male lead. However, the choice of Lavender as the heroine did surprise me at first. Lavender is one half of the reason that the Tales are stuck in the Ordinary World. She made a lot of mistakes in the past, and in book 1 we see her as an alcoholic mess. At the start of book 2, a year has passed, Lavender is now friends with Tess, and she is trying to turn her life around. She also pisses off some powerful people and so Tess sends her to the Refuge to get away from the heat.

Being the reason the Tales are stuck in the real world doesn't endear her to many, but I like how she sticks it out and owns her part. 

Lavender is not a grandmotherly "bippity boppity boo" type. She's a little hottie and in the end I was very happy with how the romance came together. Both she and Seth have a lot of skeletons in their respective closets. They need someone who will accept them for who they are.

Having a hell of a lot of chemistry doesn't hurt, either.

And Seth? Seth was really endearing once we got to meet him in book 1. His life has been so tragic. I just wanted him to be happy. He can cook too. If you really dig romantic heroes, I think you will be quite satisfied with Mr. Wolf.

The overall conspiracy first unearthed in book 1 is still a big part of the problem in book 2. I was glad to see some parts solved, although there is still plenty left to explore. We also get to see a bit more of Trish Muffet, the heroine of book 3. That one involves Nicky Blue and I cannot wait to read it.

For those who really loved the world of the Transplanted Tales, this book fleshes it out more and gives us a peek into how the Tales who don't get along so well with the Ordinary World live. We also get to see one of my favorite literary characters: Puck. 

And now let's move on to a little Q&A with Kate SeRine:

Review - Legacy

Legacy (The League of Illusion #1) by Vivi Anna

Jovan, a magician, is called home to his dying father's bedside. His father is the head of The League of Illusion, a governing body of magic users. Jovan is the black sheep of the family. He and his brother Rhys have A HISTORY with much bad blood. His father tasks them with teaming up to find their older brother Sebastian who has been missing for several years. They bring in a Druid tracker who happens to be Jovan's former flame, Skylar.

Cue some angst and some action.

I liked the world with its mix of magic and a touch of steampunk gadgetry. The romance was all right. I felt the inevitableness of it all, but the coupling just sort of happened in the end. And the end was really quick.

Also, the main issue of the book is still ongoing, although the relationship issues have been settled. So romance wise, you're good, but story wise, you're kind of in the middle of things.

I have to say that I didn't think that Skylar and Jovan's issues were dealt with so much as they were done away with. There was a step or two missing there. It was a really quick read.

I felt like we got a good start to something. Like I mentioned before, I kind of dig the world and we haven't seen that much of it yet. I actually think that Rhys is more my type of hero, and his book is next.

[received an ARC to review]

Review: Steel's Edge

Steel's Edge (Edge #4) by Ilona Andrews

The Edge series ends with another exciting installment. We've travelled the Edge world - from the Edge to the Broken, back to the Edge and now into the Weird. We've also had very different heroes and heroines in each story - something I have come to appreciate in romance series.

This go-round we have Charlotte and Richard, both trained from an early age in the mannerisms of the blueblood Weird elite. Charlotte is The Healer, very powerful and living in the Edge with Rose's grandmother because she is afraid of using the darker side of her ability. I love stories that focus on the destructive possibilities of a healing power. We first met Richard in Bayou Moon. Cerise's cousin, Kaldar's brother, and a father-figure to Lark/Sophie, Richard hunts slavers, the people who nearly destroyed Sophie when she was very young.

Richard and Charlotte team up to go after the head of the slavery ring, falling in love along the way. They are very evenly matched and fit well together. This isn't an angsty romance. It is more their mission than any insecurity that gets in their way. I liked that a lot.

Lots of action, some heartbreak for fans of the series, and lots of George, Jack and Sophie. We also get more of Spider and get to see what happened to some family members from previous books. The bits where Charlotte takes Sophie under her wing were really well done. Bayou Moon is still my fav book of the Edge, but as a whole I have really enjoyed this romance series.

I thought Steel's Edge was a good end to the series, although I hope some day the Andrews team will come back with the future adventures of an all growed up George, Jack and Sophie.

Everything's Starting to Get Real...

Today the awesome Carolyn Crane is here! Her latest, Mr. Real, is going to be out October 30.

This is not the first time Carolyn has dropped by the Book Pile, but this time she came with some genuine Carolyn Crane art (perhaps you have seen them on her blog or other places around the internets - if not, I weep for you).

From the Mr. Real blurb:

"He finds the girl of his dreams…with the secret agent of his nightmares.

Alix Gordon is a woman who doesn’t take life too seriously. What’s the fun in that? So when she stumbles across occult software that can bring any computer image to life, she conjures up lots of awesome outfits and accessories. And then, on one drunken, horny night, she conjures up Sir Kendall, the sexy TV ad spy . . . who looks exactly like Paul Reinhardt, the super-sexy martial arts teacher who kicked her out of class three years ago.

Fighter Paul Reinhardt has good reason to hate Sir Kendall, the character he brought to life to land a part in a TV ad; he’d do anything to forget him. A cross country road trip seems just the thing . . . until Paul finds himself inexplicably drawn to Minnesota and is shocked to discover Sir Kendall - in the flesh - with the girl he’d once loved from afar. He barges into Alix and Sir Kendall’s love nest, determined to stop the madness - somehow.

But is superspy Sir Kendall transforming into something more dangerous anyone can imagine? And what will Sir Kendall do when Paul and Alix finally give into their mad lust for each other?"

My take: Mr. Real is a paranormal-romance-superspy-mashup that defies a strict category and was just so much fun to read. When Carolyn's characters mess up, they do not do it half-assed. In fact, the first lesson I gleaned from this book was to never screw with an occult computer program after the 5th beer. Definitely want the beer goggles off for that kind of decision.

I did like Alix. She of course did stupid things, but she tried so hard to do right and build herself up after years of feeling inferior. Paul, yeah, good stuff right there. He is tormented but he tries to work through it and I liked him a lot. And Sir Kendall was exactly how all of my Bond fantasies play out. Sure he's a suave, charismatic figure, but get involved with him and you'll be screwed over (and not in a happy-fun-times-way). I really liked that we got to get into all 3 of their heads. Especially Sir Kendall. Also really happy with how Paul & Alix balance each other. I do like when the couple have a prior history.

This is just book 1 and I can't wait to see what Carolyn cooks up for us next.

And now on to the Q&A!

Review: Moonlight & Mechanicals

Moonlight & Mechanicals (Gaslight Chronicles #4) by Cindy Spencer Pape

I did something with this book that I really rarely do - I read book 4 without reading any of the preceding books in the series. To be fair, it is a romance and generally you can get away with reading out of order for most romance series (of course, there are exceptions). I didn't realize it was a book 4 when I first requested it, but I really had no trouble getting into the world, so it all works out. I plan on reading the other books too, so that works out better.

This is a paranormal romance with an infusion of gadgets and alt-Victoriana.

Winifred, better known as Wink, is a brilliant scientist and inventor who used to be a street urchin before she was adopted. Liam is a werewolf who works for Scotland Yard. She's been in love with him for years. He has feelings for her, but fears his werewolf self is too dangerous to be around. He has many issues stemming from his parents abusive union.

Both are involved with the Order of the Round Table, who use magic and gadgets for queen and country.

Cover Reveal: The Better to See You

Today the Book Pile is part of the cover reveal for The Better to See You (transplanted Tales #2) by Kate SeRine. I really had fun reading the first book in this series, Red, and I'm eagerly awaiting book 2. I have a thing for fairytales, and when those tales have to deal with the real world and living life outside their stories, that is good stuff.

From the publisher:

"Coming February 2013 from eKensington

Once upon a time, a spell went awry and Make Believe characters were cast into the ordinary world.

And the results aren’t always happily ever after…

Everyone thinks fairy godmothers can do no wrong. But if not for a certain spell mis-cast by Lavender Seelie, Cinderella’s former fairy godmother, the Tales would not be stuck in the Here and Now. Fortunately for Lavender, she’s about to get a second chance at a happy ending…

The Refuge, a sanctuary for wayward Tales, seems like the perfect place for Lavender to start a new life—especially when she discovers an unexpected ally in Seth, the brooding werewolf who’s been typecast as a villain ever since his run in with Little Red Riding Hood. But when humans from nearby towns start turning up dead, their bodies mutilated with archaic Tale symbols, Lavender wonders if Seth’s deep sensuality has blinded her to the truth. And that distraction could put innocent lives in danger. Including her own…"

I have to be honest. While I knew that Seth would be getting his story, I was a bit surprised that Lavender is the female lead. We only got a small taste of her in Red, so I'm looking forward to seeing what SeRine does with this character. Considering that fairy godmothers are always the support staff in fairytales, I like that this one is getting her turn center stage.

And here is the cover:

Well Hello, Seth! My, what big...I think I'll let you fill in the rest.

Sidenote: Anyone want to take bets on how many times someone has uttered those words today?

I have seen many variations on the bare-chest male cover, and I'm glad that this one isn't headless. I also like that the eyes are very vivid. I was checking against Red's cover and I like that the font is carried through, but Red's simplicity remains my fav of the two. This definitely catches the eye and lets you know that there's going to be Romance here. Red skirted UF/PNR for me.

I think I'll just ruminate on it a bit more while you go check out the giveaway*.

As a special treat to celebrate the cover reveal, Kate is giving away three copies of RED (Transplanted Tales #1). Enter using the Rafflecopter widget:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Find out more about Kate SeRine and Transplanted Tales:
Website: www.kateserine.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/KateSeRine
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kateserine
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/kateserine

*This giveaway is part of the Cover Reveal Party, not a Book Pile giveaway.