Review and Giveaways: BAD MOUTH by Angela McCallister

BAD MOUTH by Angela McCallister
Paranormal Romance
247 pages, ebook
Available now (May 2013)
Publisher: Entangled Covet
Review copy provided by publisher for honest review

After her ex-husband’s obsession with vampires, Valerie Craig is on a mission to stop transformations. Of all vampires, Kade Rollins is the worst of the worst, but when multiple murders plague Seattle, Val is forced to enlist his aid. Kade’s crude wit and seductive nature attract her like no other, but she can’t ignore his violence toward his human servants, no matter her yearning to forget.

She’s torn when she learns Kade may be behind the murders. Val's worked hard to protect humans from vampires, but the truth surrounding the murders could ignite a bloody battle between their races, one humans are sure to lose. Someone is pulling strings to build a vampire army and spark the war—setting Kade up to kick it off. But if she trusts the vampire prince, she risks her job, her integrity, and her heart if he betrays her as all the men in her life have.

With all the hot, shirtless dude and man nip hanging out on this cover, I feel like it's my favorite day of the week -- Top Off Tuesday! But, instead, it's my OTHER favorite day of the week -- Friday! It seems appropriate that I'm reviewing BAD MOUTH on such a frabjulous day because there's just something so tasty about a story where the two characters meet, argue-argue-argue then have hot, passionate sex (sometimes, that angry sex...yum), argue some more and finally fall for each other. 

Kade's a jerk (I feel like lately, I've been reading a lot of hey, this alpha male is a total jerkwad but we wind up loving him anyway stories. Huh. I might have to explore that at some point. Or not.). He's rude, crude and, to top that, he's a vampire. So, of course, he's hot as hell. And a vampire prince on top of it. As part of the movement to make vampire transformations illegal, Valerie has a dislike of vampires in general and, once she meets Kade, of that vampire in particular. She's a pretty determined woman who isn't easily charmed, which makes her tumble into Kade's arms and heart even more fun to watch. And Kade, because he's such a player, his fall deep into the throes of love feels like justice of the best kind.

BAD MOUTH is a fun, fast read, perfect for lazing away a couple of hours on the porch with a light breeze blowing, the birds chirping and a tall, icy glass of spiked lemonade on the table beside you.

Available on Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes

GIVEAWAYS -- Hey! It's a DOUBLE SHOT!

First up, Angela McCallister is giving away an author-signed paranormal book bundle and a $50 Amazon/Barnes and Noble gift card. The Rafflecopter is below! It's awesome!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Second, you can win your very own copy of BAD MOUTH (an ebook, that is) and lust after Kade and all his bad boyness along with me!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


ABOUT ANGELA MCCALLISTER

Angela McCallister is a US Navy Sailor and author of Paranormal Romance repped by the fabulous Nalini Akolekar. Spoiled by the gorgeous weather of Southern California, she spends her days reading and writing whenever she's lucky enough to be away from work. In fact, she's never to be found without a book hidden somewhere on her person. Over the past two years, her writing has finaled in multiple RWA writing competitions, and her debut Paranormal Romance, BAD MOUTH, won MERWA's 2012 Everything But The Kitchen Sink Competition.

Find her on Twitter, Facebook, or on her website.

For the full tour schedule, check out the Entangled website.

Speed Date with Tessa: IMPOSTOR by Susanne Winnacker

IMPOSTOR (Variant #1) by Susanne Winnacker

YA Paranormal Mystery

288 pages, hardcover

Available May 28, 2013

Publisher: Razorbill

Review copy provided by publisher for hones review

Can Tessa pose as Madison . . . and stop a killer before it’s too late?

Tessa is a Variant, able to absorb the DNA of anyone she touches and mimic their appearance. Shunned by her family, she’s spent the last two years training with the Forces with Extraordinary Abilities, a secret branch of the FBI. When a serial killer rocks a small town in Oregon, Tessa is given a mission: she must impersonate Madison, a local teen, to find the killer before he strikes again.

Tessa hates everything about being an impostor—the stress, the danger, the deceit—but loves playing the role of a normal girl. As Madison, she finds friends, romance, and the kind of loving family she’d do anything to keep. Amid action, suspense, and a ticking clock, this super-human comes to a very human conclusion: even a girl who can look like anyone struggles the most with being herself.

First Date: Can you imagine having X-Men-like powers? Invisibility, mimicking someone's appearance, moving things with your mind, improbably strength? I mean, wow. That'd be awesome. Or not, if you're like Tessa. Poor Tessa's been abandoned by her family, joins this secret branch of the government where they train her to use her powers for their benefit and then send her off to impersonate a dead girl, living with the girls' family and interacting with her friends. I'm really feeling for the poor girl, especially since she's deep in the throes of a crush with a cute Variant who's seeing someone else.

Second Date: I'm feeling very Mama Bear-ish towards Tessa, wanting to comfort and protect her as she navigates a family life she doesn't belong in and a school life she's unwelcome in. Besides living this dead girl's life, Tessa also has to solve the mystery of who's killing people in this small town. *pats Tessa's back* It's okay, honey. You've got this.

Third Date: The last third of this book is a serious wham-bam, thank you, ma'am! Action-action-action, mystery solved, and Tessa's done with her assignment (I usually like a little more foreplay but sometimes, a quickie's just what you need). This entire book was a ton of fun, much like a date with that adorable player guy that you know won't commit in a thousand years but, damn, he's a good time (Quickie, anyone?).

Available on Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes and Noble

Waiting on...MAGIC RISES by Ilona Andrews

Have you all tried this series yet? It's fantastic -- plenty of intrigue, action and lurve. I mean, just look at that bad-assed gal on the cover, the flames, the lion shifter roaring in the background. It proves it, doesn't it? Generally, I prefer simpler covers but I do like all these in this series resemble one another. Plus, bad-assed chick with a sword on the cover! How can you go wrong? (The only improvement I can suggest would be to switch out Kate with her uber-hot mate, Curran, on the cover. Shirtless. But then, it wouldn't be a Kate Daniels story, would it?)

MAGIC RISES (Kate Daniels #6) by Ilona Andrews

Urban Fantasy

368 pages, paperback

Expected publication: July 30, 2013

Publisher: Ace

Atlanta is a city plagued by magical problems. Kate Daniels will fight to solve them—no matter the cost.

Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.

Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap…

Waiting on is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Top Off Tuesday: A HIGHLANDER NEVER SURRENDERS by Paula Quinn

Started by Felicia, Christi and Amanda, Top Off Tuesday is where a bunch of us share hot-hot-hot book covers (some we've read, some we've just drooled on). Head over to Felicia's blog to share your ToT link and see what everyone else is swooning over.


He's got the hair. He's got the pose. He's got the brawn. And he even has the kilt (which, for once, looks like a real kilt rather than a piece of plaid fabric even though that's a MacMillan tartan, I believe, rather than Grant or MacGregor. Sacrilege!). Now, if only we knew if he was a *true* Scotsman...and bare arsed under it.). I really needed a Scottish hit this week -- my friends back in Chicago who still play pipes in my old band had their first pipe band competition of the season, and I was highly jealous as they posted pics from the beer tent (there's nothing like a good beer tent after a long day of piping!).

A HIGHLANDER NEVER SURRENDERS (MacGregors #2) by Paula Quinn
Historical Romance
352 pages, paperback
Released August 1, 2008
Publisher: Forever

Defending Her Was His Duty

Skilled with a sword and quick with her wit, Scottish rebel Claire Stuart cannot be tamed. And nothing can deter her from rescuing her beloved sister and saving them both from arranged marriages--not even the handsome Highlander who vows to protect Claire. His scorching gaze and fiery kiss bring her to the brink of surrender, but she belongs to no man...

Seducing Her Would Be His Reward

Graham Grant has had his share of lasses. But he has never met one as headstrong or as bonnie as Claire--or one with such desperate, dnagerous plans. Helping her could betray his honor, his country, and more. Graham can't claim her. Yet everything in him says: Take her, make her yours, teach her pleasure, and never let her go.

National Boards are kicking my booty!!

No post until Top Off Tuesday and maybe not the rest of this week...depending.  Also, commenting might be sporadic and, if you're waiting on an email from me, I'm working on it, I promise! *sigh*

See, I've been writing my National Boards all weekend (well, a lot of procrastination went into that writing. I put the "pro" in procrastination. No, I'm not proud of it.), and I'm seriously brain-dead. 

PLUS, I'm not even done! This is Boards renewal, which isn't as much writing as what I had to do ten years ago to get the original Board certification but it's still 23 pages of writing and reflection plus proof (student work, certificates, etc.) and a 10-minute video of my teaching. 

For some reason, I thought I could whip it out in a weekend but my hind brain is thinking, "End of the school year, we don't need to do nothin'! It's time to par-tay! Read, relax, drink and curse! Woot!" 

But my forebrain knows better and is saying, "Get yer arse in gear, girl. You've got a newspaper to put out, National Boards to finish writing and a Freshman First video to put together! Plus, there's BEA and graduation and a ridiculous amount of things to do between now and June 7th. GET WORKING!"

So, I'm going to get back to it. I NEED this sucker done -- my self-imposed deadline is Tuesday for all the writing before handing it over to my editors. Wish me luck!