Comic Review: Before Skullkickers (Skullkickers #24)

Before Skullkickers (Skullkickers #24)
Story By: Ron Marz
Story By: Todd Dezago
Story By: Jim Zubkavich
Art By: Lee Moder
Art By: Stjepan Sejic
Cover By: Edwin Huang
Cover By: Jim Zubkavich
Image Comics

Price: $3.50
Diamond ID: JUN130461
Published: August 28, 2013

Before Skullkickers: A return to our classic legacy numbering just in time for a new set of Tavern Tales! Four short stories by top flight talent detailing the earlier adventures of our heroes.- See more


Skullkickers keeps up the satire with its latest issue, this time with some Watchmen-inspired cover art and four short stories that have fun with the origin story and the prequel. There are four stories, each penned by a different writer, and each given a unique art style by different artists.

"Elvish Graces" kicks things off with a young Kusia in training, learning the ways of assassins from a tyrannical instructor. by Ron Marz and Stjepan Sejic. The humor remains, but the change in artwork here really offered a more classical feel to the heroic style of the story and setting.

"Dagnabbit T' Hell" by Adam Warren and Remy Mokhtar offered a more visually familiar, with a foul-mouthed gunslinger fending off a devilishly determined wildcat that appears hellbent on devouring him one article of clothing at a time.


After that there's "Choose Your Partner" by Todd Dezago and Jeff Cruz. A bit of an anime vibe--manga, I suppose, since this is a comic book after all--and a pub setting with Rex chatting up a lass while his Dwarfen sidekick rumbles with the rest of the patrons. Cute, violent, and funny. Not a bad combination.


"Dimensional Theory 101" has series co-creator Jim Zub and artist, Lar Desouza, teaming up with a classroom oratory from the tentacled menace himself, Thool. Or is it herself. Itself, let's go with itself. Anyway, the only really interesting bit from this story was a bit of a teaser for the next story arc.

Skullkickers #24 is a fun distraction while waiting for the next adventure to kick off. Nothing that measures up as a must-read, but any fan of the series will not dare pass up reading it, and newcomers could certainly find themselves drawn to the series by checking this one out, too.

review: Skullkickers #23review: The Mighty Skullkickers #1 (Skullkickers #21)
Review: Savage Skullkickers #1 (Skullkickers #20)
4 Sheep

Gef Fox

Wag The Fox: a den for dark fiction

Book Review (ARC): Tempt the Stars (Cassandra Palmer #6) by Karen Chance (spoiler free)

Tempt the Stars (Cassandra Palmer #6)
by Karen Chance 
Being a goddess is a lot less fun than you might think. Especially when you’re only a half goddess, and you only found out about it recently, and you still don’t know what you’re doing half the time. And when you've just used your not-so-reliable powers to burglarize the booby-trapped office of a vampire mob boss.

Yeah, that part sucks.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Cassandra Palmer, aka the Pythia, the freshly minted chief seer of the supernatural world. After all, Cassie still has to save a friend from a fate worse than death, deal with an increasingly possessive master vampire, and prevent a party of her own acolytes from unleashing a storm of fury upon the world. Totally just your average day at the office, right?

When I started this book I was a little worried it wouldn't measure up to Hunt the Moon, which was a giggling thrill ride from page one to page… last. Tempt the Stars doesn't move at a break neck pace until the end, and there isn't as much humor, but it makes up for it in feels. OMG, the feels, people. When I put this book down I was an emotional mess; twitching on the floor foaming at the mouth mess. My heart was on the floor squished under the heel of Ms. Chance. Yes, she made me cry. I can’t give anything away, but the next book has the potential to be one of the funniest as well as emotionally draining.

The Mircea fans are going to be a little disappointed. He only appears on a handful of pages. Pritkin fans are going to be strung out by the end. This book takes Cassie into the demon realm and we learn more about their culture and history, also Pritkin’s father Rosier. Things aren't what they seem and Cassie is finding out just how many people have been keeping things from her. She also has to deal with feelings she has been ignoring her whole life. In spite of all that she is becoming stronger and ready for the coming war, but first she needs to go back in time for one little errand with the most unlikely of partners. Casanova gives a lot of comic relief since he is made an unwilling participant in Cassie’s adventure into hell along with Caleb, a war mage, and Pritkin’s friend.

I am expecting a lot of feels in the next book. There is a reason Mircea isn't around in this book. We aren't told exactly why and I am afraid of what the fall out will be, knowing his personality. I don’t envy Cassie at all! This could go so many ways! I am in denial about having to wait another year to find out what happens *twitch, twitch*.

This is book #6, and the series still manages to surprise me, and each book is better than the last. Now I am going to go into my corner and whimper softly and hope Chance decides to throw the fans a bone while I wait for the next book.

5 “Pythia Power” Sheep

Sharon Stogner

About the Author:

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Karen Chance is the author of two New York Times bestselling series, plus a number of novellas and short stories, all set in the Cassandra Palmer universe. A full-time writer since 2008, she was previously a university history teacher, which comes in handy when writing the time-travel aspect of Cassie’s crazy adventures. She loves Las Vegas, the main setting for her novels, but currently lives in Florida near her family home.

Book Review: Hunt the Moon (Cassandra Palmer #5) by Karen Chance

Hunt the Moon (Cassandra Palmer #5)
By: Karen Chance 
Cassandra Palmer recently defeated a god, which you’d think would buy a girl a little time off. But it doesn’t work that way when your new job description is Pythia—the world’s chief clairvoyant. Cassie is busier than ever, trying to learn about her power, preparing for her upcoming coronation, and figuring out her relationship with the enigmatic sexy master vampire, Mircea.

But someone doesn’t want Cassie to become Pythia, and is willing to go to any lengths to make sure the coronation ceremony never happens—including attacking her mother before Cassie is even born.

I love this series so hard. The wait for each book is a long excruciating experience, but well worth it. This is book #5 in the series and I think my favorite so far. The action starts at a sprint from page one and doesn't stop till the very end. I wonder if Karen Chance was out of breath by the end of each writing day? And on top of that, the witty character dialogue and the inner voice of Cassie had me laughing out loud. I actually would stop to read a few sentences to my kids so I could share the fabulous with someone. It would be cool to sit around with a bunch of Cassandra Palmer fans and listen to the book on audio. Well, on second thought that might not work if there is a Team Pritkin and Team Mircea. Then we might come to blows <G>

You can absolutely pick up this book and enjoy the ride. Chance includes all needed background story along the way. Even though I've read all the previous books it has been two years since I read book #4 and I appreciated the information. But if you love a fast paced urban fantasy you will regret not stating at book one.

What I loved about Hunt the Moon was Pritkin and Mircea broke down and confided in Cassie (and us) about their past. There was a lot of sharing going on. All kinds of sharing. Cassie finally gets some information about her mom and dad and in the process finds out something extraordinary about her Pythia powers. She became a stronger person in this book. Everyone is trying to control her, and her powers and she finally has had enough. I was so proud of her. Now if she could get her head straight about the two men in her life. I don’t envy the day if she ever has to make a choice. The passion she feels for Mircea and Pritkin is different, but both are just as strong. Don’t worry, this isn't an angsty triangle. Not quite sure how Chance pulls this off <G>. Cassie spent most of the book with Pritkin and one of my favorite secondary characters, her body guard Marco. My other favorite would be her Stetson wearing ghost partner in crime, and best friend Billy Joe.

The suspense, non-stop action, razor sharp wit, and raw emotions of all involved had me in knots by the end, and Cassie’s reaction when she realized what Pritkin had sacrificed broke my heart. Luckily I have book #6 sitting right next to me. I advise having access to all the books once you start the first.I could gush about this book and series all day long, but I won’t. I got book #6 Tempt the Stars to jump into right now. When reading a book I mark quotes I want to share, but I had to stop after the first 10 pages because I was highlighting just about every line! So here are a few of my favorites:

~~~~

“For a frozen second, I looked at him and he looked at me, and then I screamed and threw my coffee, which hit him square in the groin. And I guess that didn't feel too good because he screamed, too, and for a minute there was a whole lot of screaming going on.”

~~~~

“And then I was jerked back up, fast enough to cut off my breath, to leave me dizzy. Or maybe that was the feel of the hard arms around me or the harder body behind me. Or the stunning relief of Not dead, not dead yet-

Because that never gets old.

My name in Cassie Palmer, and I’ve cheated death more times than anyone has a right to expect. In the past two months, I’ve been shot, stabbed, beaten and blown up a few dozen times, and that doesn’t count all the magical ways I’ve almost been killed. I’d have been dead a long time ago if not for my friends, one of whom had just jumped off the cliff after me.

I’d have been a lot more appreciative if he hadn’t pushed me first.”

~~~~

“What?” I said defensively, clutching the mink and my dignity. Since I was barefoot, mostly naked and completely hungover, I was pretty sure I grasped only one of them.

5 “glass in my ass” Sheep

Sharon Stogner

About the Author:

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Karen Chance is the author of two New York Times bestselling series, plus a number of novellas and short stories, all set in the Cassandra Palmer universe. A full-time writer since 2008, she was previously a university history teacher, which comes in handy when writing the time-travel aspect of Cassie’s crazy adventures. She loves Las Vegas, the main setting for her novels, but currently lives in Florida near her family home.

Spotlight: An Element of Time by Bebe Knight + giveaway

An Element of Time

Eternal Flame Series: Book One
By: Bebe Knight
Releasing September 24th, 2013 through Solstice Publising

A vampire and a slayer walk into a bar… Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but for Veronica and Mackenzie, it’s the beginning of the rest of their lives…

The world has seen its fair share of evil, but Veronica Chase had no idea such monsters truly existed. Werewolves, poltergeists, witches… even vampires. Ignorance was bliss. But her reality was crushed on that horrid day her family was taken away from her. Now, Veronica has devoted her entire life to hunting those very creatures, searching for the werewolf pack that murdered her parents in hopes of finding her abducted sister. Nothing will get in her way of settling the score for the hand she was unjustly dealt. That is until her newest assignment brings her to her knees.

After one hundred and eight years on earth, Mackenzie Jones thought he had seen it all. With the exception of daylight of course, but that’s what comes with the territory being a vampire and all. Perpetually damned to live his life as a bartender in the shadows of the night, nothing has sparked his interest lately. Just once he wished something exciting would happen in his mundane life. Little did he know, his wish was about to come true. Walking through the door to his bar, and into his heart, Mackenzie allows love to take the wheel for the first time. There’s just one slight problem. She’s there to kill him.

Excerpt

Veronica took a seat on an empty stool in a deserted corner, far enough away from anyone to hear a conversation. He glanced her way and held up a finger to let her know he’d be right over. Mackenzie was currently busy talking with two girls, a blond and a brunette, who were both dressed to kill and definitely playing him up. The blond kept laughing louder than necessary, while the brunette playfully hit his arm.

Veronica rolled her eyes. It was obvious to anyone with half a brain what they were after. However, his demeanor suggested that he was uninterested. Either that or just very naïve. Points for her if that were the case. When he was finally able to remove himself from the talkative twins, he made his was over to take her order.

“What can I get you?” Mackenzie asked with his back to her, ringing out another customer on the cash register. He had no clue that she held the fate of his life in her hands.

“Make it a Bloody Mary,” she requested. Trying to see if she could get him to turn around, she hoisted her messenger bag onto the bar, making a loud thump in the process.

He cocked his head toward her, and raised an eyebrow. “You sure you can handle it? I like mine extra hot.”

“Yeah, ninety-eight point six degrees,” she muttered under her breath. “Bring it on Mackenzie, I like a challenge.” He turned around at the mention of his name.

God, he’s gorgeous, Veronica thought. Shit, is he using mind control on me? She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Now was her chance-- all she had to do was hop over the bar and stake him. Easy enough, right?

“Now that I have your undivided attention, let me introduce myself. I’m Veronica Chase and I’ll be your slayer tonight.” She took a stake out of her bag and placed it on the bar. “Any questions?”

About the author:

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Bebe Knight is the author of the paranormal romance series, The Eternal Flame Books. She lives in Upstate NY with her husband and son. Writing has always been a part of her life whether it be books, plays, or handwritten letters to friends and family. It’s a dream come true for her to be able to share her stories with others.

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Alpha Male Diner: Archangel recipe by Linda Poitevin + giveaway

We have a heavenly dish for you today! Urban fantasy author Linda Poitevin is cooking up Aramael from her dark UF series The Grigori Legacy. The third book in the series Sins of the Lost doesn't come out till Oct 15, but you can get a taste here! Come on in a get a piece of Archangel Aramael...

-1 hot, hunky warrior angel (but don’t tell him I called him that!)
-1 set of storm-driven grey eyes
-1 pair of black wings with feathers that turn razor-sharp in battle

Add:
-A heaping handful of smoulder
-A fierce determination to protect the mortal soulmate who turned away from him

Then stir in:
A division of loyalties that could tear apart the entire universe.

Taste Test:

“Anything?”

Alex looked up from her notebook as she joined Aramael on the sidewalk. “Do you care?”

His mouth thinned. “It would go faster if you’d let me help.”

“No.”

“Alex—”

“We’ve been over this. Twice. You’re not a cop.”

“No, I’m a bloody Archangel,” he snapped. “I think I can handle asking a few questions.”

Archangel? Her gaze flicked to the massive black wings half unfolded behind him. Michael’s wings had been black, too, and so had the other Archangels’. That must be what differentiated the choirs, the color of their wings. So. Aramael had been not only welcomed back into Heaven for his part in Seth’s attempted assassination but also promoted. Wasn’t that just ducky.

She returned her attention to her notes. “I don’t care. You’re not trained, you might miss something, and the answer is still no. Feel free to leave if that’s a problem.”

“Is this how it’s going to be between us?” he asked quietly.

Scowling, she ignored the jab of pain beneath her ribs. “There is no us. There’s me, and there’s you following me.” She stepped around him, coming up short as he moved to block her. “You’re in my way.”

“I didn’t ask for this.”

“Neither did I.”

Aramael’s sigh stirred her hair. “I know. And for what it’s worth, I wish it could be otherwise.”

“It can. Leave.”

He shook his head. “You’re too important.”

Her brain shied from all that stood behind the statement. “Fine. Then let someone else protect me.”

“I can’t do that, either.”

“You’re hardly the only angel in Heaven.”

“None of the others would protect you as I can.”

“Michael—”

“Mika’el is the one who assigned me to you. He knows the strength of my connection to you. Knows I would risk everything to keep you safe.”

The pain beneath her ribs sharpened, taking away her breath. She clutched the notebook and pen tighter, felt their edges imprinted on her fingers.

“Don’t,” she snarled. “Don’t you dare go there. You made your choice when you went after Seth, Aramael, and I made mine when I saved him. We’re done.”

“You know that isn’t true.”

“I. Made. My. Choice.” She crossed her arms, settling into outright belligerence. “We’re done.”

“We’re soulmated, Alex. We can never be done.”

Even if she could have found her voice, she had no words. No argument. No rebuttal for the truth her soul recognized even as her mind rejected it. Sudden, infinite weariness pressed down on her. He was right. No matter how much she wanted it otherwise, no matter how certain she might have been—was—in her choice of Seth, Aramael was still right. The bond between them would never go away. She could love another with all her heart—and she did—and still she would feel that tie. That unbreakable connection.

Sins of the Lost (Grigori Legacy #3)

by Linda Poitevin
From the author of Sins of the Angels and Sins of the Son comes the newest novel in the “electric, thrilling and extremely intelligent” (Ex Libris) Grigori Legacy series.

Heaven and Hell are on the brink of war as Lucifer builds his Nephilim army and waits for his new agenda to become a reality — that of having a Nephilimchild of his own bloodline to lead his forces to cataclysmic victory.

With rumors of the pending war rampant on Earth, Alex fights to save humanity from its own panic –­ leaving little time for her fledgling
relationship with Seth, the man with heavenly origins who has captured her heart. But when Nephilim children begin to disappear, along with Alex’s own vulnerable niece, the inevitable war between Heaven and Hell becomes as personal as sin.

Heaven has its own plans to fight the coming apocalypse, but first it needs Seth back. Asked to betray the man she loves, Alex must turn for help to the soulmate she thought she’d given up — the Archangel Aramael, who may be her last chance to save her family and humanity from the ashes of Lucifer’s Armageddon.

About the author:

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Linda Poitevin was born and raised in B.C., Canada’s westernmost province. Growing up in an era when writing was “a nice hobby, dear, but what are you going to do for a living?”, Linda worked at a variety of secretarial jobs before applying to be a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Due to an error in measurement, however, she was turned down when she didn’t meet the height requirement of that time. Undeterred, Linda became a civilian member in the force and was a dispatcher for two and a half years, during which time she met her husband, a police officer.

Following their transfer to Ottawa, Linda went on to become a real estate agent and then a human resources consultant before starting a family. She remained a stay-at-home mom, homeschooled her youngest daughter for nine years and, now that she has realized writing can be more than a nice hobby, she continues to live her dream of being a cop vicariously through her characters.

Linda currently lives near Ottawa with her husband, youngest of three daughters, one very large husky/shepherd/Great Dane-cross dog, a cat, two rabbits, and a bearded dragon lizard. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found in her garden or walking her dog along the river or through the woods.

In addition to her books, Linda also does freelance writing and editing. Information about her services can be found at www.lindapoitevin.ca.