Publisher Printing Preferences
December 29, 2007
Dear ePublishers,
We here at The Naughty Bits are all about the preferential treatment and since discussion has come up about certain well known and well loved ePublishers displaying this preference in regards to taking eBooks to print we wish to lend our support for this briiliant idea.
It so rocks in a “fuck your competitor up the ass with a big one” way. If anything I myself can understand just that very compulsion. But.. I must say that there are times when I sit here wondering if I am the only one seeing some hellaciously talented authors not getting the sweet sweet “print it now” lovin that they so richly deserve.
So without further ado let me show you some eBooks that the Pig would be so buying for his keeper shelf if you just got off your fat ass and put them on the fast track to paperback as soon as these writers have handed you the whack crack they do so well.
With Love, Teddypig
New From Shayla Kersten
December 7, 2007
Forever by Shayla Kersten Read more
Lila Dubois: Savage
November 14, 2007
Savage by Lila Dubois
From: Liquid Silver
I reviewed this sucker over at The Good, The Bad, The Unread.
I just want to thank Sybil for inviting my cranky ass to post over there.
Teddypig’s guest review of Savage by Lila Dubois
Paranormal Fantasy ebook published 7 Nov 07 by Liquid Silver Books
Blurb:
Anleeh spent five long years working to forget from where he’d come. No one would imagine that the calm and debonair Lord Justice was once a barbarian warrior who bathed in the blood of his enemies. Terrified of ever losing the control he fought so hard to gain, Anleeh vows never to return to his homeland of Den.
Sheltered all her life in the Temple, Siara longs for adventure. Saddled with grave responsibility due to her studious and steady nature, Siara wants to leave it all behind for a life of great adventure and purpose. When the newly crowned king and queen recruit her as an ambassador to the far off land of Den, she leaps at the opportunity. Her companion, Lord Anleeh, is not so eager.
If they are to succeed Anleeh must not only strip Siara of the trappings of civility, but demand her submission. Anything less than her complete obedience and loyalty will make them vulnerable to attack in a world where fighting and sex are considered close kin. Siara surprises him with not only her strength, but her passion and spirit. They discover exquisite pleasure and unexpected understanding in each other’s arms. Yet, Anleeh hides the truth of what he was from Siara, even as he feels his beast crawling beneath his skin.
Contains: D/s, Spanking, public sex
Read an excerpt. Â
I have to admit to buying this book in part because of Forbidden’s spectacular cover art created by April Martinez and not just the number of favorable reviews I have read of this series. This book had all sorts of stylistic references to some of my favorite fantasy writers. The Travelogue Fantasy Romance found in the first 75 pages is straight out of classic Andre Norton ~ Year of The Unicorn from her Witch World series . It’s here that he-man Anleeh starts “training” Siara to submit to him adding a whole BDSM dynamic into the budding relationship without the typical leather and chains. After the couples arrival in Den the story changed, though, and started to remind me somewhat of John Norman’s Gor series with the whole male dominated warrior culture, worshiping the primitive animal nature of man, and the manly man subjugation of woman.
Lila Dubois’ writing is top notch and I was quickly drawn into the story and its characters. My reference to Andre Norton should tell you how much I enjoyed it since this style of writing is what initially got me into reading Romance in the first place. All those early Sci-fi/Fantasy writers tossing Romance elements in liberally with their sword battles and strange new worlds. So this was a very fun read for me. Lila got me involved not so much with the Romance part though, since Siara readily admits right from the start to having already fallen for the big hunk-a-burning-love that is Anleeh and Anleeh eventually admits to himself on the journey to being ever so much more so attracted to Siara. The Romance, let’s face it, is a given the minute the sex starts happening so the main conflicts arise from their arriving in Den.
So in Den with the men, Anleeh, the great warrior, returns all civilized and sissified to this Gor-lite culture that worships only the manliest beastly man. We discover, when Siara talks with his mommy, that Anleeh really ran off to The Land Between the Sea to get away from his daddy and uncle who were all into him becoming this great warrior beast-like killer who ravages their enemies on the battle field. Sorta like how Anleeh starts sexually ravaging Siara in front of the whole Hall of warriors and family. But Siara, she likes it!
Siara on the other hand was raised in prim and proper The Land Between the Sea. So even though Anleeh helps her discover her inner sexy vixen chick she still is not all that keen on the Den idea of justice by female subjugation. Especially when she watches a woman named Allana being beaten with a cat o’ nine tails for having been caught by her husband having an affair. The guy she has the affair with, well he gets nothing, it turns out it is all about the woman’s fault for being sexually impure or something like that. How dare they!
There I was reading a dark dark fantasy with all these angst ridden conflicts which were pretty dang cool seeing as how the hero and heroine’s internal struggles with this society matched up with the whole diplomatic mission they were on. A real “mirrors within mirrors” type of deal with Anleeh seeking to come to terms with his inner psychotic beast of war and Siara coming to terms with some really fucked up male chauvinist pigs in fur pants. Then I started looking at how many pages we had left after the whole travelogue and damn, not many, so I was wondering to myself how Lila was going to resolve all these issues she kept bringing up. They were some pretty nasty issues mind you.
One day after the treaty gets signed just as our now sex crazed couple is getting ready to pack up and head back to The Land Between the Sea there is a call to arms and Anleeh rushes off to fight the bad guys for dear old dad and uncle. He returns a fully raging psychotic beast of war that he feared he would become. But Anleeh, he likes it!
Siara then uses THE POWER OF LURVE to show him what exactly he had been missing about himself all these years. That’s right all his problems were magically solved when he changes into a real beast, so she touches him and BAM he’s a panther…. Hold on! Um, what does this fix if he was upset over being a human just “acting” like a psycho killer beast? So what the hell difference does it make if he can actually turn into a wolf or a panther or a dragon or whatthefuckever? That just means he has real claws. I don’t get this ending! How does simply turning into an actual beast resolve his internal conflicts with acting like a beast in battle with daddy and uncle cheering him on? Am I being dense here? Is it just me?
Oh, and THE POWER OF LURVE also seems to resolve Siara’s conflict as well, so beating a poor woman for adultery is fine because she LURVES Anleeh and she would never ever ever do anything like that. So it does not really matter. *heh*
See how I came up with this Gor thing? I liked this story and all that but it really started to bother me in the end like some sort of immature male sexual fantasy right out of the Conan Coloring Book for Preteen Boys (published by Teddiuspigus Press). I still cannot figure out how turning into a were-dragon and flying off into the sunset fixes all their damn problems.
Grade: C
Tags: Fantasy Romance, Grade C, Lila Dubois, Liquid Silver, StraightWhat I Am Reading ~ Lila Dubois: Savage
November 7, 2007
Savage by Lila Dubois
From: Liquid Silver
The warriors of Den are unparalleled in their ferocity in battle and relentless pride, but their warrior-heart, nephew of the King, fiercest of all, was lost to Den when he disappeared into the ranks of the Temple army.
Anleeh spent five long years working to forget from where he’d come. No one would imagine that the calm and debonair Lord Justice was once a barbarian warrior who bathed in the blood of his enemies. Terrified of ever losing the control he fought so hard to gain, Anleeh vows never to return to his homeland of Den.
Sheltered all her life in the Temple, Siara longs for adventure. Saddled with grave responsibility due to her studious and steady nature, Siara wants to leave it all behind for a life of great adventure and purpose. When the newly crowned king and queen recruit her as an ambassador to the far off land of Den, she leaps at the opportunity. Her companion, Lord Anleeh, is not so eager.
If they are to succeed Anleeh must not only strip Siara of the trappings of civility, but demand her submission. Anything less than her complete obedience and loyalty will make them vulnerable to attack in a world where fighting and sex are considered close kin. Siara surprises him with not only her strength, but her passion and spirit. They discover exquisite pleasure and unexpected understanding in each other’s arms. Yet, Anleeh hides the truth of what he was from Siara, even as he feels his beast crawling beneath his skin.
But Siara has a secret of her own.
When Anleeh loses all control, succumbing to the unrestrained battle madness of his people, Siara must chose between saving herself and risking it all to save the man she loves.
I have been hearing good things about this series and let’s all admit that Lila is getting some of April Martinez’s best fucking cover art EVER! It was this second book’s story line that caught my eye though so now I am going to go and get both and read the second book first and work back.
These covers get a big old A+ straight up!
Tags: Fantasy Romance, Lila Dubois, Liquid Silver, StraightThe Land Between the Seas, a world in peril, is the responsibility of one woman. Cryessa, High Priestess of the land by birth and training, is strong and commanding, but locked in a life and death struggle to protect her people from the King, who bears a centuries old hate for the Temple.
Bound to her in slavery, prisoners of war and captives of fate, five men serve as her aides, her lovers, her slaves. One, however, is bound to her with something stronger, deeper, and utterly forbidden. Tamlohn, kidnapped and given to her in chains, chafes at his bindings, but continues to submit, in every way, because of his love and hers.
The political climate in the kingdom is steadily worsening. King Throlock, like his predecessors before him, rules the land only for his own pleasure. He has been continually thwarted by the efforts of the Priestess, while his multiple plots to overthrow or control the Temple have failed. Each failure has only made the King more petulant, vindictive, and determined to hurt those who hinder him, particularly the beloved and dedicated High Priestess.
Cryessa takes on the King and a centuries-old curse to protect her people, the temple, and the traditions she is entrusted to keep, no matter the cost to herself and her slaves. But, in a land steeped in ritual and magic, bound by rules that are indissoluble, can she protect herself from love —the highest form of treason?
What I Am Reading ~ Dionne Galace: Boundless
September 4, 2007
Boundless by Annie Dean ~ Bonnie Dee ~ Dionne Galace
From: Liquid Silver
Tags: Annie Dean, Bonnie Dee, Dionne Galace, Fantasy Romance, Liquid Silver, StraightSeven Days – Annie Dean
Teresa intends to devote her life to the church, immaculate and untouched. Into her quiet life comes a beautiful devil sent to test her purity and her determination. She is silent prayers at midnight; he is the flash of gold in a gambler’s palm. She has known nothing but service and self-sacrifice. He has known nothing but centuries of carnal sin.
Neither know anything about love.
If she denies him, she condemns him to eternity in Hell. If she yields, she forfeits her soul. Who will emerge victorious? To find out, join Dev and Teresa for seven days of temptation.
The Straw Man – Bonnie Dee
A lonely woman imagines the perfect man and accidentally conjures him into being on All Hallows Eve. For a single night she has the lover of her dreams, but a night isn’t nearly enough. Can she find a way to turn her fantasy man back to flesh and blood?
Waking Kitty – Dionne Galace
Jack Ridley is an old-fashioned reporter. He doesn’t believe in anything unless there’s a ton of evidence to back it up and even then, he may still have a question or two hundred for it. Until he meets Kitty Jones and falls like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, Jack can’t seem to care that the ducks in a nearby park are turning pink or giant statues of naked men are appearing out of nowhere in the middle of downtown Chicago traffic.
Pink-haired Kitty Jones is beautiful, flirtatious, and seemingly happy-go-lucky. Under the cheerful, self-assured façade, however, she is slowly falling apart. Not only does she suffer from blackouts and wakes up unable to recall where she is or how she got there, she seems to be seeing dragons … everywhere. The only person she can turn to now is Jack Ridley, a tough-as-nails reporter who seems to have a few secrets of his own.
Sienna Black: To Touch The Stars
May 15, 2007
To Touch The Stars by Sienna Black
From: Liquid Silver
The air around him cooled as Talkirk moved away. Lucan wondered whether the man really put out heat or if he imagined it, just a trick of the mind. That too would take some testing. Investigating.
His thoughts centered in his cock again. He thumped his head gently against the wall where he leaned. He had lived twenty Cycles. He’d proved himself adept, controlled. He could ignore any distraction and yet one touch from this coarse man and he could hardly think for wanting.
The staff clattered to the floor, somewhere across the room. Glass rasped against wood, then Talkirk poured something liquid. “Sit.”
Lucan shook his head. “Do you always give orders?”
There was a pause. Utter silence from the big man. Lucan could hear the sounds of the cairn outside in the quiet. Then Talkirk moved, settling down in front of him. “I’m Talkirk,” he answered. “I don’t have to ask.”
Lucan grinned. Another battle for another day. He straightened off the wall. “Then where would you like me to sit?”
“Here. With me.”
Straight ahead. Lucan stepped forward. Two paces, three, then his toe caught a riser and he stumbled forward. He caught his weight on his hands and knees, sinking into a thick mattress.
Talkirk was half a breath away. Lucan heard him inhale. Felt the rumble before he heard it. His pulse kicked up, beating hard at the base of his throat. Talkirk exhaled, hot against his cheek and asked, “When were you going to tell me you were blind?”
Sienna Black is not a well known author in M/M Romance but she should be, the few books I have read have amazed me in their quality and complexity of the characters and the worlds she creates. This new book To Touch The Stars from Liquid Silver Books is simply yet another example of her powers as a writer.
Lucan, a blind pureblood from The Warren, an underground society, wanders out of the waste to pledge his support to Talkirk Cymren leader of those surface dwellers who live in The Cairn. The Talkirk likes men and makes sure when Lucan offers himself and his services that it means everything. There is an immediate sexual tension between the two warriors and the book hits it right off with a very hot sex scene. Their immediate connection though is not a bed of roses. Others like Delano, The Talkirks second in command, and Athel, The Talkirk’s favorite lover, understandably worry about Lucan’s motives and his loyalty.
The world building here is stunning. The characters are complex and the only bad part of this whole book is it’s short length and the lack of back story for each of these characters we are introduced to. Sienna even jokes about us someday knowing how Athel became The Talkirk’s lover. I know I wanted to hear that story too because none of these characters were written as throw-aways. These characters breath and have underlying and even conflicting motives at times.
The BDSM in this story is not in your face but the relationship dynamics are there though. The sex is raw and even the Ménage à Trois sex scenes are very masculine and the society is highly militaristic and warrior oriented so there is no overwhelmingly tender emotional drama in evidence here. You come away feeling at the end, they did not so much win the battle but simply survived long enough to face another day. I loved this!
Will Lucan realize his dreams? Will Talkirk live a long and healthy life with Lucan and Athel by his side? Will Delano, The Talkirk’s ex-lover and second in command, come to terms with this new Ménage relationship?
I wanted more, I felt this book was far too short and I hope maybe someday to see a longer more complete revision or even a sequel for these people and this fascinating world. Sienna Black you are not only an excellent writer and an extremely kind person but you are so damn good at telling a story it’s scary and please let me know what’s the next book. I will be waiting.
Grade B, as in Got To Be More!
What do others think…
Elisa Rolle
Joyfully Reviewed
What I Am Reading ~ Sienna Black: To Touch The Stars
March 24, 2007
Sienna Black: To Touch The Stars
From Liquid Silver
