Top 5 Sundays #60 – Favorite Gun-Totting Heroines!

 

 

Hey everyone!

After all the sword action a couple weeks ago, it’s Gun time! Choosing my faves was so much fun!

Hope you’ll join me!

 

   This week’s results:

Favorite Gun-Totting Heroines! = 8 (72%)

Movies That Should be Books! = 3 (27%)

 

The theme for today is:

Favorite Gun-Totting Heroines!

 

But first, a little bit about this feature and the rules to join in…

Every Sunday I will post a TOP 5 list on the blog. It can be about anything and every week I'll have a new theme {You can vote on next week’s theme on my left sidebar!} and I will ad the Mr.Linky bellow the post so you can do a list with the theme and add you link to it.

Rules:

1. Write a post listing your TOP 5 choices within the theme I chose (or was chosen on a poll) for the week.

2. Mention this Blog on the post and link back to it.

3. Fell free to use the Feature's image (there is a smaller size version of it bellow)

4. After you've finished your post, add you link (of the post, not your blog's main page) to the Mr.Linky at the end of that week's post.

5. If you don’t have a blog to post, just leave your list in the comments =)

This week’s theme is Favorite Gun-Totting Heroines!

*in no particular order

 

Lily Yu

World of Lupi Series by Eileen Wilks 

Lily is a cop, so the gun is a given… But she is also one of my fave heroines ever, so there! LOL

 

Shiarra 

H&W Investigations Series by Jess Haines 

Shiarra is all out Kick-ass!

 

Rachel Morgan 

Hollows Series by Kim Harrison

Rachel is a great witch, but she is just as skillful with a gun =D

 

Sabina Kane 

Sabina Kane Series by Jaye Wells

Sabina rocks! Can’t wait for the next book! 

 

Kitty Katt

Katherine “Kitty” Katt Series by Gini Koch

 

Kitty always forgets to turn the safety on, on her guns… but she’s still awesome! 

 

   

Attention!

Please HELP!

If you have any theme ideas for the next Top 5 Sundays Posts, please leave them in the comments!

Your input would be much appreciated!

 

Now I can’t wait to see who is in YOUR List of Favorite Gun-Totting Heroines!

 Write you post and leave your link so i can check it out!

Hope you guys have fun with it!

Don’t Forget to Vote for the Theme for

My TOP 5 Sundays Post on the Poll at the left sidebar!

 

 

Thanks so much for tuning in and I’ll see you soon!

xoxo,

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2011 Events Teaser, Winner Announcements, Talking About My Firsts & Live HOLLOWS Discussion!

Hey Everyone! I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend! I have a couple things I wanted to talk about today, so I decided to put all in the same post hehe. I’ll try to make it as brief as possible =D

First of all, I wanted to tease you guys a little bit with some amazing authors that will be stopping by the blog…

• Maria V. Snyder
• Tracey O’Hara,
• Josh Lanyon
• Rachel Caine
• Joss Ware
• Caitlin Kittredge
• Stacia Kane
• Jennifer Estep
• Joss Ware
• Jaime Rush

& so many more! =)

I have a couple winners to announce as well…

 

Winner of a SIGNED Copy of:

Pamk

 

Winner of my ARC of:

Natalie

(from Mindful Musings)

 

All winners have been emailed and have 72 hours to respond!

If they do not respond, another winner will be drawn!

My dear Bloggy friend, Stephenie G. from Paranormal Haven did a great post about Bookish firsts this week {NO, not that First LOL}. With her blessing, I’ve decided to do a list of my Firsts…

My first crush – Richard {Anita Blake Series} – It was my first Paranormal encounter and I’ve had a thing for Alpha males ever since!

My first serious book boyfriend – Kisten {Hollows series} – He was everything I’ve ever wanted and more… =/

The first time I strayed – Zsadist {BDB series} – I couldnt help it! and btw, Kisten was long gone by then… not my fault =(

My first non vampire book boyfriend – Curran {Kate Daniels series} – Oh Curran! Yum!

The first series I fell in love with – Anita Blake series.

The first time I reached the dreaded cliff hanger – End of Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins! That was torture!

The first book/scene that invoked strong emotions in me. I'm talkin' throwing my book against the wall - *SPOILER* When Kisten dies in the Hollows series by Kim Harrison. I lost it! I cried like I’ve never cried before and kept crying almost all the way through the following book =/

The first scene I read where I can read and reread it a thousand times and it won't get old – I can’t really recall such a special scene. But the one in Magic Bleeds where Curran wakes up and Kate had been waiting by his side is pretty amazing!

The first scene to ever make me blush – Chapter 32! Need I say more? LOL

The first book I enjoyed but don't think I could read again – Any in a Paranormal Romance series.

The first book that made me think 'why did I pick this up?' – hmmmm I don’t know...

The first book I read that I thought I wouldn't like but was proven wrong – More like a genre. Contemporary Romance, I never thought I’d enjoy it, but I have found some series/books that i loved.

What about you?

Who was your first crush?

Have you replaced your first book boyfriend?

 

Now for you Hollows fans, I have a nice treat…

Welcome to the Pajama Chat Readers first Urban Fantasy discussion. In February, Kim Harrison will be releasing the eight Hollows/Rachel Morgan novel, Pale Demon, and to get everyone ready for it, Me  and Jackie from Literary Escapism want to rehash what has happened so far. Was there something from Dead Witch Walking that you just have to get off your chest? What about the events of A Fistful of Charms? I know you have something you want to get off your chest?

If you want to take a quick look at each of the novels, click here.

The Live Chat was awesome and you can listen to it right now:

Listen to internet radio with Pajama Chat Readers on Blog Talk Radio

 

 

Don’t Forget to Vote for Next Week’s {Jan, 9th} Theme for

The TOP 5 Sundays Post on the Poll at the left sidebar!

Don’t Forget to check out My Giveaways:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Sign Up for…

 

Thanks so much for tuning in and I’ll see you soon!

xoxo,

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Early Review: Pale Demon {The Hollows, #9} by Kim Harrison

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Condemned to death for black magic and shunned, Rachel Morgan has three days to somehow get to the annual witches convention in San Francisco and clear her name. If she fails, the only way she can escape death is to live in the demonic ever after . . . for ever after.
Banned from the flight lists, Rachel teams up with elven tycoon Trent Kalamack, headed for the West Coast for his own mysterious business. But Rachel isn’t the only passanger along for the ride. Can a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car survive for over 2,300 miles? And that’s not counting the assassin on their tail.
A fearsome demon walks the sunlight, freed after centuries of torment to slay the innocent and devour souls. But his ultimate prey is Rachel Morgan. While the powerful witch with nerves of steel will do whatever it takes to stay alive, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.

From Goodreads.

• Publisher: HarperCollins | Eos 
• Release Date: February 22nd, 2011
• My Copy: Received for Review from NetGalley.
• Pages: 432  
• Series: The Hollows | Rachel Morgan Series 
• Genre: Urban Fantasy 
• Author's Website
• Pre-Order This Book:

Pale Demon (The Hollows)

*contains spoilers if you haven’t read the previous books in the series and NO Spoilers for Pale Demon

I literally freaked out when I saw Pale Demon on NetGalley. It felt forever while I waited to see if my request was going to be approved and when it was I squealed like a banshee. I stopped whatever I was doing, read Black Magic Sanction {which I was delaying to read for a while} and dove right into it and I am SO glad I did.

Pale Demon is AMAZING! Not since Kisten’s death have I enjoyed a book in this series so much. Yes, I still miss Kisten, but now I can finally see a direction, a path through which Kim Harrison will most definitely drag our dear Rachel. It will be a tortuous one, but I am really looking forward to reading about it.

In Black Magic Sanction Rachel finally caught a break and has a chance of expunging her shunning, all she has to do in go to the witches convention in San Francisco and beg the witches’ council… It sounds simple, but it’s nothing but, specially when her shunning keeps her from going by plane and  Trent Kalamack  joins her, Jenks and Ivy on the road trip from hell.

Pale Demon was non-stop action and every page had me craving the next. I loved what Harrison has done with the series, she wasn’t afraid to change everything up and I can’t wait to see where she takes Rachel next.

I really don’t want to spoil anything, but the ending killed me! It’s not really a cliffhanger, but it left such an incredible question mark for the series that I felt my heart stop. I feel like Kim Harrison is back and that after the rocky road that this series has been after Kisten’s death, she has finally found a new way, one that I can’t to follow.

Pale Demon is Urban Fantasy at it’s best! If you are a fan of the series, I think you’ll LOVE this book and if you have yet to read this series, now is the perfect time to start, you won’t regret it!

 

Previously in The Hollows Series:

Check Out My Series Review HERE or click on the image above

& Check Out My Review of “Black Magic Sanction” HERE, or click on the cover above!

 

 

Don’t Forget to Vote for Next Week’s {Jan, 9th} Theme for

The TOP 5 Sundays Post on the Poll at the left sidebar!

Don’t Forget to check out My Giveaways:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Sign Up for…

 

Thanks so much for tuning in and I’ll see you soon!

xoxo,

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Review: Black Magic Sanction {The Hollows, #8} by Kim Harrison

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rachel Morgan has fought and hunted vampires, werewolves, banshees, demons, and other supernatural dangers as both witch and bounty hunter—and lived to tell the tale. But she's never faced off against her own kind . . . until now. Denounced and shunned for dealing with demons and black magic, her best hope is life imprisonment—at worst, a forced lobotomy and genetic slavery. Only her enemies are strong enough to help her win her freedom, but trust comes hard when it hinges on the unscrupulous tycoon Trent Kalamack, the demon Algaliarept, and an ex-boyfriend turned thief.

It takes a witch to catch a witch, but survival bears a heavy price.

From Goodreads.

• Publisher: HarperCollins | Eos 
• Release Date: February 23rd, 2010
• My Copy: Kindle Edition | Bought.
• Pages: 487  
• Series: The Hollows | Rachel Morgan Series 
• Genre: Urban Fantasy 
• Author's Website
• Buy This Book:

Black Magic Sanction (Hollows)

*contains spoilers if you haven’t read the previous books in the series

I waited a long time before finally reading this 8th installment in this awesome series and one of the main reasons for that, is that I am still having a hard time dealing with the death of one of my favorite characters ever, so much so that I still tear up at the mere mention of his name. I have yet to decide if killing him off was a touch of genius of Kim Harrison’s or if it was the worst thing she could have done, only time will tell.

Against all odds, I actually really enjoyed Black Magic Sanction. The action was literally none stop , so much so that I felt I was reading more than one book and not in a bad way. Rachel is more kick-ass then ever and at the same time she is more vulnerable than ever. Not only people are still trying to kill her, the Coven {Witches’ Group that controls and regulates all witches} has shunned and are actively trying to erase her off the map.

A lot happens in Black Magic Sanction, even though that for the overall arc of the series there isn’t much evolvement, I am still reeling from another incredible sad loss and I am trying to cope with the fact that Kim Harrison keeps killing people that I love off, even though it is understandable considering the extremely dangerous world Rachel lives in.

I got to see all my favorites in this book… Trent, Jenks, Ivy, Pierce, Al, Ceri and even some people that I didn’t care to see again LOL. I really enjoyed seeing how much most characters have evolved and how some relationships that seemed doomed, have come to be very interesting and important for the series.

All in all, Black Magic Sanction is a great read, but it does feel like a transitional book and I have very high hopes for Pale Demon. I do  have to say though, that I hope Ivy is Rachel’s HEA, even though it is looking less and less likely; It’s one of the only ways I can accept Kisten’s passing… Here is hoping!

 

 

Next in The Hollows Series:

Coming Out February 22nd, 2011!

Stay Tuned for my Early Review Coming VERY Soon!

 

Previously in The Hollows Series:

Check Out My Series Review HERE or click on the image above!

 

Don’t Forget to Vote for Next Week’s {Dec. 19th} Theme for

The TOP 5 Sundays Post on the Poll at the left sidebar!

Don’t Forget to check out My Giveaways:

Win a SIGNED Copy of “Alien Tango” by Gini Koch!

International!

Click HERE To Enter!

Ends December 17th!

Good Luck!

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Thanks so much for tuning in and I’ll see you soon!

xoxo,

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Series Review: The Hollows Series {Books 1-7} by Kim Harrison

 

The underground population of witches, vampires, werewolves—creatures of dreams and nightmares—has lived beside humans for centuries, hiding their powers. But after a genetically engineered virus wipes out a large part of humanity, many of the "Inderlanders" reveal themselves, changing everything.

Rachel Morgan, witch and bounty hunter with the Inderland Runner Services, is one of the best at apprehending supernatural lawbreakers throughout Cincinnati, but when it comes to following the rules, she falls desperately short. Determined to buck the system, she quits and takes off on the run with an I.S. contract on her head and is reluctantly forced to team up with Ivy, Inderland's best runner . . . and a living vampire. But this witch is way out of her league, and to clear her name, Rachel must evade shape-changing assassins, outwit a powerful businessman/crime lord, and survive a vicious underground fight-to-the-death . . . not to mention her own roommate.

From Goodreads {Blurb from the first book in the series “Dead Witch Walking”}

• Publisher: HarperCollins | Eos
• Release Date of Book #1: July 1st, 2004
• Release Date of Book #7: February 24th, 2009  
• My Copy: eBooks/Bought.
• Series: The Hollows | Rachel Morgan Series 
• Genre: Urban Fantasy 
• Author's Website
• Buy The Series:

 

 

 

 

 

Click HERE or on the image above!

 

*contains MINOR series spoilers 

I LOVE This series! Kim Harrison has created such an amazing and rich world, that is extremely easy to get lost into. Not to mention the characters that you can’t help but fall in love with.

Rachel Morgan is a witch working as a runner, bounty hunter, for the I.S. {Inderland Services} in a world after the turn. The turn was when a breakout killed 2 thirds of the human race, all because of tomatoes. The Inderlanders, supernatural races, were imune and after the breakout they were also the majority. That’s when they decided to come out of the closet.

Rachel is tired of doing menial jobs for the I.S., so along with her back up, the Pixie Jenks and the living Vamp Ivy, she quits her job and starts a private runner business. The thing is that the I.S. is not taking Rachel’s quitting lightly, specially since she has taken one of their best runners with her, and now they are trying to get to permanently retire, into the grave.

Rachel Morgan is a kick-ass heroine, one of the best out there and her adventures are so much fun! Throughout the novels we get to meet an awesome cast of secondary characters that you can’t help but love… Kisten, Matalina, Pierce, Trent, Quen, Ceri and so many more… Each book in the series is full of all-out action balanced out with a great sense of humor that has me laughing out loud many times.

Rachel is one of my favorite heroines ever and amongst the reasons I love her so much is that she is willing to over look the lines drawn by human and supernatural society and do what has to be done to keep her loved ones and herself alive, without ever crossing the lines of the own morals and without hurting anyone on purpose.

I think my biggest biff with the series however, was the death of one of my favorite characters ever about halfway through the series and I am still trying to cope with it. I do enjoy Rachel and Ivy’s sexual tension, which is something I had never seen in an Urban Fantasy novel before and it does bring something new to the table, despite the fact that their “will they – won’t they” tension can get on your nerves sometimes.

All in all, The Hollows is Urban Fantasy at its best and is a must read to any one that consider him/herself a fan of genre. If you haven’t read it yet, get to it! If you have, you know what I’m talking about =D

 

Next in The Hollows Series:

Black Magic Sanction & Pale Demon Review Coming VERY Soon!

 

Don’t Forget to Vote for Next Week’s {Dec. 19th} Theme for

The TOP 5 Sundays Post on the Poll at the left sidebar!

Don’t Forget to check out My Giveaways:

Win a SIGNED Copy of “Alien Tango” by Gini Koch!

International!

Click HERE To Enter!

Ends December 17th!

Good Luck!

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Thanks so much for tuning in and I’ll see you soon!

xoxo,

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