Book Review: Lover Avenged (Black Dagger Brotherhood #7) by J.R. Ward

Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this installment to the series. The book itself is very chunky with so much stuffed between the covers it's going to be hard to review this without any spoilers (I'll do my best and hide anything that reveals to much).

This book focuses on Rehvenge (Bella's brother) who has really been a secondary character, albeit an intriguing one, up until now. We have seen him as Bella's somewhat over protective brother and as Phury's drug dealer, trying to hide his 'dark side' from the rest of Vampire society; knowing that if anyone found out about his being half sympath he would be shipped off to the sympath colony. On a visit to Haver's clinic for more of the drugs that keep his sympath side suppressed, he meets nurse Ehlena; this book is the story of how he tries to protect her from his world. Not just the sympath in him and his monthly visits with princess; but the drug dealing, the clubs; basically everything that makes up his life. He doesn't want to be with her, because he doesn't see himself as good enough for her, and yet he can't imagine life without her. Ironically Ehlena feels the same about Rehvenge (although for different reasons).

I like that Ehlena is another strong female character that can think for herself and doesn't necessarily do as she is told. I think that if all the women in these books were quiet and did as they were told all the time without an argument, not only would they not be likable and irritating as characters, I think it would also make the male characters less appealing. Each book in series starts with the main character seeming quite hardened to the world, and as the story goes on and you start to peel back the layers you always see a different 'softer' side to them, they come across a bit more mellow. Zsadist being perfect example of this. They are all alpha male characters and, to an extent, all control freaks that want to have their own way. I think it's having the strong female characters that makes the story, and peels away the layers so you get to see what is really going on underneath the dominant, alpha male exterior.

There was so much going on in this. With events going on in this book such as (view spoiler)[Rehvenge's true identity as a sympath not being such a big secret anymore, and the death of both the princess and the sympath king now makes Rehvenge their leader, it will be interesting to see how this develops and the effects that it will have on the kind of relationship that he will have with Wrath and the Brotherhood. Hopefully it will be a good thing for them both. (hide spoiler)]

Xhex and John: (view spoiler)[ I can't wait to really get into the next book to see where this relationship is going. After getting the cold shoulder from Xhex, the effect that John's subsequent change in personality will have on himself and well as the people around will be. Also seeing how things play out with Xhex now that she has been taken by Lash, and getting to see more of who she is as a person is something that I'm looking forward to in the next book. (hide spoiler)]

Great book with lots of detail. Highly recommend if you have kept up with the series.


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Book Review: Lover Enshrined (The Black Dagger Brotherhood #6) by J.R. Ward

Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So far I think this has been my least favourite installment of the series. Not saying that I didn't enjoy it, I just happened to enjoy the others more.

So far each book has focused on a couple and then had the whole Lesser story line and John Matthew et al. story line happening more in the background. For a book the is suppose to be centered more around Phury and Cormia, it didn't feel as though it took up the majority of pages. I don't necessarily think that the other story lines got more pages than the "main" one but it certainly didn't feel like it got the lion's share.

I'm not going to lie, I think that Phury has 99 problems, 95 of which are just imagined, and don't even exist, and the remaining 4 aren't as bad as he thinks. I think there were a few missed opportunities for humour with Cormia. Considering that she has been taken out of and bland and basic environment and then brought into this bizarre and vibrant world, I feel as though the shock and wonder and lack of understanding could have been played upon a little more. This was sort of done right at the end with the other Chosen, and I think at times through out the book this was a missing.

(I'm Going to hide the next sections because of Spoilers)

The Lessers: (view spoiler)[ It will be interesting to see the repercussions of the Lessers taking and turning Lash and the effect that it will have on the Vampire community. I have a hunch that he won't last very long, purely based on his personality. (hide spoiler)]

John Matthew: (view spoiler)[I'm looking forward to watching John and Torhment rebuild their relationship, and come to terms with everything that has happened. It will be interesting to see if Torhment's absence and the fact that John has gone through his transition will have an effect on the dynamic of their relationship. (hide spoiler)]

Good book and totally worth reading if you have kept up with the series so far.

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Book Review: Lover Unbound (the Black Dagger Brotherhood #5) by J.R. Ward

Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think that I read this book too quickly.

It was interesting to discover Vishous's past, and see how he has been shaped by it as well as a what it takes to reshape it all. V has always come across as one of the more level headed characters but it really came as no surprise that he was just as troubled as the rest of them. It was an interesting choice I think to pair him with Jane. All the couples so far have had someone that needs saving. This was a pairing of two very strong minded people that under different circumstances may not have got along. I like Jane as a character. She came as bit of a relief for Marissa in the previous book. I like that she is very independent, stubborn and doesn't back down easy.

I think that there is a story to be told about Jane's colleague after V payed a visit for that photo. Could it be another Butch scenario?

Good book. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Would recommend.

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Book Review: Lover Revealed (The Black Dagger Brotherhood #4) by J.R. Ward

Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am loving this series!

I love the fact that the characters in these book have so many layers to them. They are so well written, you get a real feel for them, an can create such a clear image in your own head as to what they are like and how they act. The characters and the writing make for a really engaging story. The changes in character perspective and the subtle change in writing style that goes with it, make the book very well rounded and believable. I think if the writing style stayed consistent for each character, it really wouldn't work as there would be to many characters that you wouldn't differentiate between. The change is subtle, but it is there.

This installment focuses on Butch; who since book one has been there and around with the Brotherhood, but never really going anywhere. This time we get to see why he is here and see behind the tough cop persona, and watch as the relationship with Marissa unfolds. It was also interesting to see the friendship between Butch and Vishous develop.

Great edition to the series. Highly recommend.

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Book Review: Lover Awakened (The Black Dagger Brotherhood #3) By J.R. Ward

Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow. I loved this book. J.R Ward has a great writing style that really puts you in the character's head space, and changes depending on the character.

This book focuses on Zsadist. Up until now he has really been the shady, mysterious character that we all know is there and yet don't really know anything about him. Over the first two books we are told to stay away from Zsadist, he's dangerous and has issues; in this book we discover his awful and tragic past and see a different side to him and come to understand his motivations and mindset. This is all done through the development of the relationship between him and Bella, who was introduced in book two.

We also see the John Matthew story line develop a bit more, and it is certainly going to be interesting to see what direction that goes in especially with the events that happen towards the end of this book.

Really enjoying this series. Highly recommend.

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Book Reviews: The Black Dagger Brotherhood (1-2) by J.R. Ward

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So my mum recommended this series to me, and she has never steered me wrong when it comes to books, so off I went to raid her bookshelf.

I quite enjoyed this book. If you are looking for a book with a strong plot that has a star middle and an end to it these may not be for you (I'm already on book 3). These books are centered on the couples rather than the on going problems that they have with their enemies. I know some people has said that there are too many characters all being introduced at the same time and feel like they can't then for an image in their mind as to what is going on; but having read book two already and currently being on three, I would say if you read book one and feel that way keep reading. To me, this book isn't just Wrath and Beth's book, it's also the introduction into this world. The following books really start to flesh out the characters and start developing the different story lines. So they are definitely worth sticking with.

I feel that this is a great start to a series, that has a lot of potential to develop and create some amazing characters. I highly recommend checking these out.

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Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book.

I like how with this series, each book continues the story arc of the battle, war... (is that the right word?) with the Lessers, and yet each time focuses on a different main character. I think its a great way for readers to get know the characters better as you spend the majority of the book seeing through their eyes and being in their head, and you therefore feel that these are very three dimensional characters.

This book focused on Rhage, and his story. We learn a more about his past and his beast, and how he ended up with the curse to begin with. This book really help you understand his character more. I book one, he is seen as the good looking one that is with a different woman every night; in this installment we learn that there are reasons for this. I enjoyed how the author has taken this Warrior character and shown a softer side. I like how all the characters in these books have a lot of layers to them and can develop and create some really interesting stories.

I would definitely recommend this series, although I suggest reading them in order.


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That's All Folks...

Over the last few months we have had to make a hard decision in the Tomb with regards to +Dead With Tequila. After a lot of thought and consideration, copious amounts of coffee and chocolate, We have made the decision to close the store on Storenvy.

There have recently been some changes at Storenvy, that if I'm being completely honest, don't sit very well with R and myself, and we now feel that it's time we moved on. Dead With Tequila has been on Storenvy for nearly two and a half years now, so this was not a decision that was made lightly. Within the last couple of months, Storenvy have introduced what they are calling a "Storenvy Fee". This is a fee payed by YOU, the customer, basically for shopping on the platform. We already pay commission on the marketplace sales (this comes out of our profits) and we are fine with that. In theory that commission is because it is a sale that the platform has generated for us and it goes back into things tech support for the sellers, customer service, keeping the platform running. But with this new Fee, on marketplace sales they get the commission WE pay and the Fee that YOU pay. YOU still pay this Fee even if we have generated the sale ourselves through our own marketing in our own store. We don't feel that is fair that you should have to pay a fee because you chose to shop there over anywhere else.  

Now, just because we are not happy with this fee doesn't mean we don't understand why it has been brought in. This Fee is also suppose to go towards improving the customer service and all the other things that I mentioned before, and that's not a bad thing. In fact that's a great thing! The platform should develop and grow, and hopefully by doing so, improve. However they never actually told the sellers that they planned to implement this. We only got an email after some (understandably) angry people took to the Facebook group asking questions and demanding answers. The answers we were given didn't really address peoples concerns and still nobody seems to know exactly what is going on with it, and it's been a month.

The thing is it's not just the fee that has caused us to make this decision, although it has definitely played a key role. Storenvy is suppose to be the ideal place for "Indie" sellers. It even says so right at the top of the home page.

Okay, so it doesn't say it word for word, and this is an animation that changes. However the only bit that changes is the word "Brands". It changes to other words such  as "Artist", "Makers" and "People". As much as there are a lot of sellers that fit that description, there are also a lot of mass production companies; as in multi-million dollar companies. They have as much right to sell items as everyone else does, but in becomes an issue when these become the store that the platform pushes to the top of the listings, and repeatedly make them featured brands. (Every store as a limit of 500 products. If you become a featured brand you get space for even more listings.) What this means is the marketplace is swamped with mass produced items and small businesses that work hard to produce unique, amazing items get pushed down to the bottom of the pile and are lucky if their products show up in the first thousand pages (depending on what you search, you can have over seven thousand pages to flick through).

This is something that has been bought up by several sellers. Most wanting to voice their opinion, and others because they feel it's unfair and want the issue addressed. Basically the answer that they got was to do more marketing (I'm paraphrasing here. But when you take all the wordy filler out of the given answer this is what was said.). Indie sellers that consist of stay at home mums, and young artists, and companies that only consist of one or two people, were basically being told to do more marketing to compete with multi-million dollar businesses, who probably have a department of a couple of hundred people that focuses on just marketing, let alone having to make products, do inventory, plan sales, create ads, do the marketing, and be active across social media. I think that a lot of people started to feel as though the platform wasn't interested in it's Indie sellers anymore. There a few other small things that contributed to us deciding to close up shop here, but these are the two big reasons.

I think we have perhaps out-grown Storenvy. We stared Dead With Tequila with absolutely no idea what we were doing and no experience of the crazy world that is e-commerce. Storenvy was a great place for us to learn (and boy, was there a steep learning curve!) and figure out exactly what Dead With Tequila is suppose to be and get the vibe right. For the record, I don't think Storenvy is a bad company; I think it's great in fact. I believe that they have a lot of good ideas, and good intentions to go with, it's just their execution occasionally misses the mark. But our time here has come to an end, and we must say good bye.

So what does all this mean?

It means that Dead With Tequila is MOVING!!! As of 2017 Dead With Tequila will be joining Tomb Buddies on Tictail. In the new year items will slowly disappear from the Storenvy store and materialize on the new Tictail store.

The majority of items will make it to their new home, but some wont be so lucky. We decided that we need a bit of a tidy up of the stock. So we might do a clearance sale, or some giveaways we're not sure yet. With this move comes a new look for Dead With Tequila. A more simple look. I think after nearly two and a half years, I have finally nailed down the colour scheme. So there'll be a new store that will look completely different from the Storenvy one, and the blog will therefore get a makeover to match. I've already started work on these and so far I'm really happy with it all. It looks amazing!

This move should also open up more opportunities for us, and allow us to expand and develop the way that we want to with out so many restrictions. The store is completely customizable, the discounts options are more versatile, there are more category options in the marketplace and a good focus on the small business/indie sellers and no product limit.

R and myself are excited about the future of Dead With Tequila and hope you will continue to follow us no matter where we end up with this. There are a lot of exciting things to come, and we can't wait to share them with you. It's a whole new beginning...



Congratulations! You made it to the end of what my be my longest post ever! As per usual, if you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below, find me on Twitter, send a carrier pigeon with your message, or perhaps a flying monkey, unicorn or even a magic carpet.

Book Review: Building From Ashes by Elizabeth Hunter

Building From Ashes by Elizabeth Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book. Although I did find it a bit harder to get into than the books in the Elemental Mysteries (EM) series. This book basically tells you what Carwyn was doing when he wasn't with Gio and B in the EM books.

It also introduces some new characters like Brigid, as well as letting us get to know other members of Carwyn's family. As well as this you kind of see more of the fall out of the events in Rome and a bit of what really came next once they all thought the Lorenzo issue was dealt with.

I recommend reading the Elemental Mysteries series before this just for some back story and to understand the events and character relations in this book.

Very enjoyable.

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Book Review: The Elemental Mysteries Series by Elizabeth Hunter

A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So this was a well written quick read, that had a slightly different take on the vampire romance genre.

Interesting characters (kinda won me over with the goth librarian, because that's basically me) with good personalities and well written relationships between these all.

This was ones of those books that you forget that you're reading; it was very gripping and the stray flowed really well and held my attention to the point it became one of those where you say one more chapter and 3 hours later you're still reading and it's nearing 1 in the morning.

I highly recommend giving this a go.

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This Same Earth by Elizabeth Hunter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A gripping continuation of a great story.

Five years have passed and has an impact on the relationship between B and Giovanni. So this book really focuses on them sorting out their issues with each other and developing that relationship further. There are also a lot of new characters in this book, and it's interesting to see how the different vampire relationships work when you add in their politics and alliances.

A great book that I highly recommend if you have already started the series.

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The Force of Wind by Elizabeth Hunter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved this!

I really enjoyed how the story arc has continued to develop in this instalment of the series. The revelations of what this book that everyone is after contains, and the way the characters perspectives change according to this was interesting to see. As well as this you see the vampire politics come even more into play and see how different alliance are formed.

I also likes the character development in this book. You see how far B has come since book one, how she has grown as a person and also how her relation ship with Gio takes the next step.

Good book. This series is definitely worth reading.

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A Fall of Water by Elizabeth Hunter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a fantastic and dramatic end to a great series.

Beautifully written from start to end, with well thought out characters and relationships. This is a romance story that is put together and written in a way that it doesn't feel like one. The character all have very different personalities and there is a great chemistry between, them all.

It's so easy to get completely caught up in this story and forget that you are reading at all.

I highly recommend this to anyone that is a lover of either the romance or vampire genre of books.

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Book Review: Shadow Rites (Book 10) By Faith Hunter

Shadow Rites by Faith Hunter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved this!!

This series just gets better and better. Well written, with a plot that continues to develop, and draw you even further into the world of Jane Yellowrock. I like how even though the individual stories in each book get wrapped up and explained, the events still carry over to the next book and tie in with the next story. I think this also helps build the characters, and develop them. They all have so many layers and are so well written that you never get bored of them.

Action packed, with plenty of twists and turns and a great sense of humour. I highly recommend this series.


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It Begins...

So after what has been nearly a year in the making, Tomb Buddies is open for business!! 

Yes it has been a long process, that is still far from over. But they are here! Finally!! 

You can check out the store here at www.tombbuddies.tictail.com/ 

There are a whole bunch of different items for you to get your hands on. T-shirts, Tank Tops, Posters, Tote Bags, Cushions and even Mugs. All items are made in the USA; meaning that you can be certain that everything has been produced ethically, without a sweatshop in sight. 

Also, for every item that is bought from the store, I plan to donate a pound to that amazing charity Random Acts. If you haven't heard of them check out their website here.

Book Review: I Kill by Giorgio Faletti

I Kill by Giorgio Faletti
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So I bought this a while back in a second hand book shop, with no real expectations.

This isn't the kind of book that I would ordinarily read, but I felt like mixing things up a bit and trying something different. I have to say I was surprised to find that I quite enjoyed this book. I struggled with the first couple of chapters as it felt like a bunch of things were happening and yet they didn't seem to relate to each other, but I decided to stick with it and give it a chance.

This had a very interesting plot line, that was very well and cleverly written. There was a good cast of characters that worked well together with their own backstories, that were bought up and explained when necessary and in a way that didn't detract from the story that you were reading.

If you like a rather gruesome murder story then this one is definitely for you.

A very good book.

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Behind The Curtain

Hello!!! Yes, I am still alive. I've been really busy working away on all the Tomb Buddies stuff (very exciting)

The good news is the end is in sight. I'm nearly ready to open; the store looks amazing and I can't wait for everyone to see what has been going on in the Tomb.

To keep up to date with everything don't forget to follow Tomb Buddies on Twitter, Instagram , Facebook (yes, this is new) or you can join the mailing list  and be the fist to know when we are open, when any awesome sales are on and get discount codes! On the other hand you could create a Tictail account. You can them follow our store and all of the thousands of other amazing brands that are on there, Seriously there are so many awesome things in the Marketplace!!

Click here to see a sneak peak of something that you will be able to get in store.(Video didn't look so good in the blog post, sorry for the redirect)

Okay now back to work so we an get this store open!!

Feel free to leave questions and comments at the bottom, or send them via Unicorn, Carrier Pigeon, Flying Monkey, Magic Carpet or any other weird mode of transport you can think of!

Book Review: Adept ; Ex Machina by Robert Finn

Adept ; Ex Machina by Robert Finn
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Okay so this was books one and two sandwiched in one cover.

Adept (book 1)

So from reading the back of this book I though that this could be a really good story as there appeared to be potential for this to have a really unique story line and be really gripping. However I don't feel that things went that way, hence me only giving this two stars.

The book was a bit slow at getting started. I got nearly 200 pages in and as much as I could see where the story was heading, I didn't get the point of it all. In hindsight that should of told me how little I was going to enjoy the rest of this book.

Sometimes descriptions are a bit overdone - like when you're at school and the teacher tells you to add more descriptive words and you end up abusing description by writing any big fancy sounding word you can think of; it got tedious and sounded like the writer was trying to hard. So points for effort, but not for execution.

Even after finishing Adept, I don't care about the characters. If they had all died I wouldn't be all that bothered by it. It was obvious who the good guys and the bad guys where, but I didn't find myself rooting for either side. We know that Susan is American and blonde, but aside from this we don't really know anything about who she is as a person. Why does she do what she does? Why did she decide to move to England to work? Ultimately we don't really know (or in my opinion we don't) why she was in the place she was at to become a player in this story. We also know little about David. What is David's history? What's with the martial arts? How'd he get into what he does as a job? I get the impression that it's not what he wants to be doing, nor does it seem like something that he enjoys. So what motivates him? I found this lack of back story on the characters made it hard to connect with them.

So by the point of basically being half way through Adept, the story could have been wrapped up quite nicely (and to be honest I was stating to run out of patients with the book)But I still had another 250 odd pages to go before I reached the next book. I kept reading. I thought 'Hey maybe there is going to be some nifty plot twist that I didn't see coming!' There wasn't (feel free to disagree with me). By the time that I reached the end I felt like it was all being dragged out way too much, and it had become a chore to finish.

Some of the reviews on the back of the book are throwing around words and phrases like "Fast paced", "Witty", "Carefully plotted", "Humour" . Personally I would disagree; except maybe on the "carefully plotted" part. It is carefully plotted; perhaps to a fault.


Ex Machina

If this hadn't have been in the same book I wouldn't have even picked it up after reading Adept. For some odd reason though I made an attempt at reading it. I say attempt because I didn't finish it. For the first time in I don't know how long, I gave up on a book.

This is the first fiction book that I have read that has foot notes. Yes, you read that correctly FOOT NOTES. The character who's perspective this is from is irritating. It feels like a she is constantly whining about something and then goes off to the pub to drown her sorrows with many glasses of wine and various other alcoholic beverages.

It became a chore to finish Adept and I have run out of patients to even want to try and finish Ex Machina.

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Book Review: The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and would highly recommend it to anyone one that loves the paranormal/vampire genre.

This really has it all. A great cast of well written characters, each with their own personalities that play off each other and help add another level to the story; you of course, have the main story line of having to stop the bad guy, but with the interactions and relationships between the characters you also have the side story of them (Allison/Zeke) truing to work through their own issues, can you be a vampire and not be a monster? I like how by this book Jackal and Kanin are like the devil and the angel sitting on Allison's shoulders. With Kanin telling her she can be good and doesn't have to be the Monster, and Jackal telling her to give in to her instincts.

I really love Juile Kagawa's writing style. Everything from the characters, the dialogue,to the setting and the action scenes is really well written. You can really put yourself there and build a clear image in your head as to what this dystopian world is like.

I thought that this was an amazing end to the series, that has put a new and unique spin on the vampire/romance genre. Highly recommended. I loved it!

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Book Review: Bad Science and Bad Pharma By Ben Goldacre

Bad Science by Ben Goldacre
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic read. This should be a compulsory reading for everyone. Bad Science is such an eye opening book into what really goes on in the academic world and the media.

I found it amazing to read about things such as spa detoxes and seeing how gullible people are by buying into it; because when it's written in black and white, the lack of true science behind it is so obvious. Although this is by no means a light read, the science and techno-babble is clearly explained and remains entertaining till the end. Definitely worth reading.

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Bad Pharma: How medicine is broken, and how we can fix it by Ben Goldacre
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a book that everyone on the planet should read!! Shocking, infuriating, a total eye opener and a must read.

This book will make you think twice about anything you heard relating to the Drug industry. Incredibly informative and written in a way where all the complicated science stuff is explained so that anyone can understand it without looking in a dictionary every five seconds.

I love the fact that Ben Goldacre has made this knowledge available to the public. After all, the things that happen in the Pharmaceutical industry will effect us in the real world and we deserve to know what they are hiding. If you think that you will ever be given a prescription by your doctor then you must read this.

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Book Review: I Think You'll Find it's a Bit More Complicated Than That by Ben Goldacre

I Think You'll Find it's a Bit More Complicated Than That by Ben Goldacre
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is another book that everyone really must read. Not just for entertainment purposes, but to actually learn something.

This book is a collection of Goldacre's Bad Science columns and other writing occasionally with some update not added in. This makes it perfect for dipping in and out of and reading a bit here and there when you're between books. Having lots of short column length pieces also means that you don't get bogged down in read with all the statistics and super detailed stuff. This is certainly a book that is suitable for everyone; written in away that you don't have to go and look up every other word. Funny and informative at the same time, I highly recommend all of Ben Goldacre's books. This is a must read!



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Book Review: Paranoia by Joseph Finder

Paranoia by Joseph Finder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked this up a while ago on a whim in a second hand book shop because I felt like trying something a little bit different for a change. Corporate espionage really isn't my genre, unless you can work in some supernatural, vampire, werewolf elements in; in saying that I quite enjoyed this book.

The start was a little bit slow and took some getting into, but after that it was a real page turner, and very gripping. I thought that the characters were well written and each had their own defined personalities, even the minor characters. You could really get a feel for the characters; who are the good guys, and who are the bad guys. You empathized and cared about Adam, the main character; he is written in a way that makes him likable and relatable. The descriptions of the setting was done really well. You could picture clearly in your head what each place looked like and the atmosphere of each location

The only downside of this book was that the ending felt really rushed. Almost as if there was a limit to how many words could be used in the book. You got the big reveal and then four or five pages later you reach the back cover of the book. I think that perhaps a bit more of an explanation could have been given to fully explain how got to where they were at the end (can you tell I'm trying to avoid spoilers?)

I would definitely recommend this book. A face paced enjoyable read.

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Book Review: Waterfall (Teardrop #2) by Lauren Kate

Waterfall by Lauren Kate
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book. However I don't feel as though it was as good as the first one.

If you read Teardrop and enjoyed it, you should read this just to know how things turned out. Waterfall picks up where Teardrop left off, but I think that the potential for an awesome story line that is just as good as the first got left behind somewhere. Don't get me wrong, this is still a really good book and totally worth reading; but where I read Teardrop in a day, I read Waterfall in a week.

The description of the setting and characters was great, as it normally is in Lauren Kate's writing. You can get a clear image in your mind as to how the world looks and how the characters interact in it. We got introduced to some new characters in this book. Solon - the lost Seedbearer : He was a fairly interesting character, and nothing like what I expected. we also met his assistants Filiz and The Poet, but they are only secondary/tertiary characters and don't have a huge role to play. The Gossipwitches were interesting and were written in a way that they had an air of mystery about them. I think that these were all well written and they had some really good dialogue, that added another layer to their personalities and characters.

On the other hand, by the end of the first book I cared about what happen to the characters, and therefore had a reason to want to pick up this book; I wanted to see how they were going to fix things. I didn't feel like there was anything in this book to draw you back in to caring about the characters, especially if it had been a while since you read Teardrop and didn't re-read it before starting Waterfall. Also I feel like there are things that are said or happen in the book that answer some questions but raise others, and these don't appear to be explained.

The ending felt rather rushed. I don't feel like you end up know if Eureka succeeded or not with saving everyone, and making things right. Eureka suddenly became a very different kind of person in the last quarter of the book. She went from someone that cares about her family and friends to someone that seemed really detached from the people that are there to help and support her. We never know what happen to Ander, cat and the twins either.

Despite what now seems to be a long list of negatives, I would still recommend this book.

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Book Review: Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry

Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So I've given this book three stars. If two stars = it was okay, and three = I liked it, then two and a half stars is probably a more accurate. The book was better than just Okay, and I didn't dislike it, I'm just not sure that I liked it either.

I liked the concept and idea of this book. Zombies as the new terrorist bio-weapon and a secret task force hastily set up to deal with the problem before it can happen; sounds great right? In my opinion it sounds like a great story-line with a lot going for it. I feel that this book really hit the mark in some places and missed it in others. I feel as though the writing style is some what inconsistent (for lack of a better word). Let me elaborate:

From chapter to chapter the character perspective changes. Now ordinarily, I would be fine with that. However it wasn't just the perspective that changed; all the chapters from Joe's perspective were written in first person where as all the other chapters from the perspectives of the other characters are written in third person. Maybe I'm just being fussy, but I think, by all means change the character perspective, but either use first person or third person; I don't feel like it flows well chopping and changing between the two.

I found that by the end of the book, I didn't feel like I cared about the characters. It was obvious who the good guys and the bad guys were, but I never felt like I was rooting for either team. I also don't feel that I ever really got a good idea of what the characters were like. As in, I don't really know what their personalities are like and I can't really picture them in my head either. Although I thought that it was clear that some of the characters were suppose to have a more light hearted, sarcastic side, I feel as though it seemed a bit forced. In the case of Mr. Church we should have learnt a little bit more about him as we went through the book in my opinion, and I don't feel that I knew him any better by the end of the book than I did at the start (yes I am fully aware that he was suppose to be mysterious secretive, but this would have been a great use of changing the character perspective in different chapters; the reader could know more about that the other characters did) .

On the other hand, the descriptions of the settings and situations is really well done and you can create a clear image in your head of what things look like and what is happening. It's also written in a way that makes it really fast moving, with lots of action. Still, with this being said, I don't feel inclined to pick up book two any time soon. Perhaps it's more of a guy book, with all the detailed talk of guns and military stuff, and is just a little too far outside of my area of interests.

If you like books that have a lot of action, terrorist plots, secret task forces, and plenty of military talk this may be more of your kind of book than it is mine.

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Book Review: How To Run With A Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf #3) by Molly Harper

How to Run with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So this third installment of the series was slightly different from the previous two, with it not being set in Grundy or the Valley. This story is told from the perspective of Dr. Anna Moder, physician to the werewolves back in the Valley.

I really enjoyed this book. Changing the setting ever so slightly and shifting the focus to a minor character's perspective allowed the series to keep up with expectations, and stay interesting. Dr. Moder isn't who she says she is and her past is chasing after her, causing her to go on the run, where she happens to encounter Cooper's cousin Caleb, the semi-legal werewolf bounty hunter who was briefly mentioned in The Art Of Seducing A Naked Werewolf. There is a great chemistry between the characters, and the level of humour is continued in this book, through the narrative and conversation, with them both keeping secrets about who they are and still wanting to be honest with each other. All this leads to them having funny debates about trivial things.

I highly recommend not just this book but the whole series. Molly Harper has a fantastic writing style that draws you in, and makes her books something that you just can't put down. Well written with the romance and supernatural sides well balanced, great characters, and a brilliant sense of humour. So worth reading.

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I'm back! And I'm Still Alive...Sort Of...

I'm back! Not that I really went anywhere, just had a really bad case of the Flu. Bad enough that I started planning my funeral (FYI, I want a funeral pyre, on a Viking boat, pushed out onto a lake/sea at sunset. For two reasons: 1) It'll be the last chance for me to be a complete pain in the backside for everybody involved. 2) It'll be very cinematic, so someone better film it; seriously I'm giving you a chance to make your big break as a film maker here.) So I basically spent bank holiday Monday playing catch up to all the things that I should have done last week.

I did use this time to have a good old think, a dangerous occupation I know, and to plan out a way for me to open the new Tomb Buddies store sooner rather than later. This is one of those times where being such a perfectionist isn't a good thing. I am quickly coming to the conclusion that, for me to wait until I'm totally finished with the drawing/designing part of things before I open shop, means that you will be waiting for a very long time. As in you may do nothing but wait. This is one of those projects that, even if you gave me till the Sun implodes, I still wouldn't be finished. I don't want you to have to wait that long; hell, I don't want to wait that long! Therefore I have devised a plan that means I can open the store and share all the great stuff that I have been working away on for what seems like an eternity, while I still continue to work on the project at the same time and that way everyone is happy. I already have a few products uploaded to the store, which is quite exciting. Store is looking awesome as well. Follow on Twitter (@TombBuddies) or Instagram (@tombbuddies) (or find the relevant buttons over on the right :P) This is were pretty much all the Tomb Buddies related updates are appearing.

Everything in the Tomb Buddies store will be made in America. This means all items will be made ethically; sweat shop free, and workers are payed a fair wage and work in a safe environment. The only downside to this is that things cost a little bit more, but to be quite honest, I think that it's worth paying the slightly higher price.

In other news:

• World Goth Day is on May 22nd and +Dead With Tequila will be having a sale. so keep an eye out for more details about that. 
• May 27th is WWF's Wear It Wild event you can sign up here. If yo have nothing to wear why not pick up Dead With Tequila's "Live The Wild Life" shirt here. For every shirt purchased we will donate £2 to the WWF. 
  

Also you may or may not have noticed the addition of the "Book Reviews" tab at the top of the page. It does what it says on the tin; basically I've created a page where I will be adding links to all my book review related posts so that they are in order and in one place. I only push reviews from Goodreads to my blog when they are lengthy enough to be worth while reading. The short ones are only on Goodreads. I'm trying to get better at writing longer reviews for books, but sometimes words don't cover, and can't explain how awesome a book is, which is when you end up with the " Oh My God THIS BOOK IS AMAZING" review.

Anyways, I'm going to stop waffling on and get back to sorting things out so that I can open Tomb Buddies!

A usual, questions comments leave below, find me on twitter, or send a flying monkey, unicorn, or even a carrier pigeon with your message. 

 

Book Review: How To Flirt With A Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf #1) and The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf #2) by Molly Harper

How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really didn't know what to expect from this book; I had a feeling that it would be really bad or really good. I absolutely loved this book! It was gripping right from the start, with likeable characters and a great story line.

A worthwhile read!!

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The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this second installment in this series.

I love how the romance side and the werewolf side balance each other out; you never feel like either bit is being overdone and the comedy moments really bring it all together, and give it a lighthearted feel. The characters are really well written and you get a clear sense of all the different personalities. Molly Harper writes in a way that really makes you care about the characters and the story. This makes it one of those books that you just can't put down, no matter how late it is!

I highly recommend this series. Full of humour and great characters.

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Book Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this book.

It took me a long time to decide whether or not to read this because of some of the reviews that I'd seen. People seemed to love it or hate it; with some slating it saying it was terrible and others thinking that it was a piece of literary genius. I didn't hate this book, but I didn't love it either. Some reviews had said that it had poor grammar, that made it hard to read; I disagree with this. Overall, it was pretty well written and had a good flow that didn't require any extra concentration to follow while reading. I think that these people were referring to a couple of spots where a phrase may have been lost in translation, but this only occurred once or twice, so it's really not a big deal. On the other hand, I wouldn't go as far as to say that it is a piece of literary genius either.

I find myself feeling a bit conflicted over this book. I have previously seen the film (both the Swedish and English version, I know I broke a big rule,) so already knew what the book is about. I think that if I hadn't seen the films first, I would never have picked up the book and would have stopped reading after the first few chapters; it was the already knowing that kept me reading. However, it also meant that I found myself questioning why certain bits were relevant and felt like parts were being dragged out.

Overall I think that this is a good book. If you have seen the films, you may feel that is drags in places; if you haven't seen the films and you like reading mysteries/crime books you will probably enjoy this. It's well written, and I personally don't feel like the grammar has been effected when it was translated.

(As a side note I think that the films are pretty truthful to the book, so if you want to know the story but it's not your gene of book, watch the films)

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Book Review: You're Never Weird On The Internet by Felicia Day

You're Never Weird on the Internet by Felicia Day
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a really awesome book, that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading. I get the feeling that Felicia Day writes the way she talks, and that is really what made this book so engaging. I just couldn't put it down; I was so caught up in the anecdotes being told everything else just had to wait.

I think that a lot of topics discussed in this book, are things that everyone experiences in life and can easily relate to; even if you're not a gamer* . So I think that even people that are not familiar with her work (FYI you're missing some amazing stuff) or have never heard the name Felicia Day, would enjoy this book and connect in some way. I loved how this felt like you were having a conversation while reading this, and the analogies are hilarious! I think I started annoying people laughing at some of these. There was a very exciting moment when I saw that there were pictures, I don't remember the last time I read a book with pictures, so that took me back to being a kid again.

Fun and jokes aside, there were some real meaningful stories and lessons here too. Lessons that we should all take good notice of. It was a good reminder that sometimes you have to just do things for yourself and not worry about what others think of you. It's good to see someone 'promote', for lack of a better word, that there's nothing wrong with being different and a bit weird, especially when we live in a world where we are told on a near daily basis, what we should be like.

I cannot highly recommend this book enough. Gripping from start to end, entertaining, with a good message behind it all. A must read!

*(Just to clarify: I'm not a gamer. BUT I do have all 7 series if Buffy on DVD and have watched them more times than I can count. The same goes for Eureka, Firefly etc...I even have Fringe, and I'm working my way through Supernatural, so most definitely knew who Felicia was when I got this book.)


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Book Reviews: The Immortal Rules and The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #1 - #2) by Julie Kagawa

This is a really great new take on the Vampire genre that I highly recommend.


The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Really really loved this book. The Immortal Rules has a, in my opinion, a fresh and exciting concept driving it, and therefore creates an amazing original story line. Awesome story about the decisions that one would be willing to make in order to survive and keep on "living"; even if that means becoming something you hate. It even has a bit of that teeny romance stuff thrown in for substance (I realize that sarcasm doesn't read all that well, but hey ho). I hope there is a second installment on the way soon, because this could really go places. I highly recommend you give this a go.

View all my reviews The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Can't wait to get my hands on the next one!!!!

Great storyline, great characters, awesome writing style. Well worth a read.

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Book Review: Teardrop (Teardrop #1) by Lauren kate

Teardrop by Lauren Kate
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So a friend got me this book as a gift knowing that I loved the Fallen series enough to read each one multiple times. I read teardrop in just over a day, (much like I did with Fallen) I just couldn't put it down!

Teardrop takes a new look and idea to the story of Atlantis; this I found quite interesting, as there are Greek links all the way through the book, which is funny considering that it's set in Louisiana. This definitely has that potential to become a interesting and gripping series.

On the other hand, I did notice a couple of similarities with Fallen, such as: Brooks - tall, dark slightly longer hair - friend/ bad guy; kind of reminds me of Cam
Ander - mysterious blond boy that she can't take her mind off and most encounters don't go well; anyone thinking Daniel here too???

Not that there is anything wrong with this, it's still a great book and worth the time spent reading it; the actual character personas are different to that of Fallen, I still can't wait for the next one! I just wonder in the next series that Lauren Kate writes is the bad guy gonna have dark hair be close to the main character in some way and then be trying to end the main character by the end of the book; and the good guy gonna be blond, a bit standoff-ish with the main character and by the end of the book they both head over heels in love with each other and will to die for the other one. Even if it does go this way I will probably still read it because I'm weird like that.

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Book Review: Magic Breaks (Kate Daniels #7) By Ilona Andrews

Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! I loved this.

Magic Breaks finishes the story arc meaning that we finally meet Roland, aNd Kate has to confront her biggest fears and challenges to date. When one of the Masters Of The Dead is found murdered but what appears to be a werewolf Kate is given just 24 hours to deliver the murderer to Hugh d'Ambray if she wants to avoid a war between the Pack and The People.

With Curran dealing with another issue, Kate has to decide what the best options are, and at the same time make sure it's a decision that will make the Pack council happy. I like the fact that even this far into the series, with all the challenges that Kate has had to face, she has stayed true to herself. She still tries to make the choices that will save her friends and they people that she cares about, even if she has other alphas criticising her. I think that a lot of other authors would have made the mistake of changing what kinds of person she, I'm glad that Ilona Andrews hasn't done this.

In this book I think that the fact that Curran would move heavens and he'll for Kate is really make concrete. I love these two as a couple. The dynamics between them are great, and I love the fact that they still disagree with each other and are very much their own people. I like that the relationship side of things never takes over the story.

It's taken me a couple of days to come to terms with how this book ended. It really show what is important to Curran and Kate.

I can't wait for what comes next in this series

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Book Review: Magic Rises (Kate Daniels #6) By Ilona Andrews

Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So much awesome-ness and not enough words in the world to do it justice. To say that I loved it would be the understatement of the century,so let me put it in a simple format.

Action : Check
Humour : Check
Sad moments : Check
Suprises : Check
Twists, turns, and potential game changers : Check checkerdy check.

Change is afoot in Atlanta people; change is afoot.

Don't worry though, Kate 'll fix it! :)

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Book Review: Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels 5.5) by Ilona Andrews

Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

(By the time I am writing this review, I have actually read the book two or three times)

Andrea has her own book!!! Yes a full length book!

I really liked this book, but then I like everything by Ilona Andrews, especially if it is part of the Kate Daniels series in some way. It was interesting to see this world from a different perspective, especially a shapeshifter one. I think this was a good chance to get to know Andrea's personality a bit better and understand her character more. As well as this, I think it worked well as an opportunity to see the changes in her character; like the effect of excepting that she is beastkin, and no longer works for the Order and the relationship between her and Raphael, that would have been hard to explain and fit in to a book from Kate's perspective, without it feeling like you were missing something or it not being relevant to the story line.

It was also nice to see how someone without Kate's knowledge of myths and legends, handles situations with all the weird and wonderful creatures that the magic waves throw up.

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Book Review: Magic Slays (Kate Daniels #5) By Ilona Andrews

Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What more do you want from a book than a big doomsday device, that can wipe out anything with magic, and some crazy woman with a sword and shapeshifter army trying to stop it all? I don't know what else you need either.

The Red Guard come to see Kate at Cutting Edge to see if she can find a missing inventor and the device that he was building. What they leave out is that the device could pretty much and the world. Kate being Kate, takes the job and she and Andrea set out to solve the mystery. fun to get to see them as friends and to see them working together. It make it more than just these characters that are thrown together. That is something that Ilona Andrews is great at; she is a master at developing characters and the relationships between them. You really get a sense of the different personalities and can really relate to them. I think that's why these books never get boring.

A lot of different groups come into play in this book. Some of the conversations/arguments between the groups are so funny. I think it was a very clever way to explain some of the politics between the different groups but keep things interesting and moving along, and make some of the newer characters likable.

Once again a fantastic book!

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Book Review: Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels #4) By Ilona Andrews

Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just another amazing book from Ilona Andrews in the Kate Daniels series.

In this book we learn a lot about Kate's family, and what this means for all the people that are close to her, and what it could mean for all of Atlanta.

The relationship between Kate and Curran is taken to the next level in this book in pure Kate Daniels style. This means arguments at the most inappropriate of times, and that just adds to the hilarity of their situation. We also see exactly how much that they mean to each other and the lengths that they are willing to go to protect one another in the most dangerous of situations. Kate also discovers that it's not all plain sailing being with the Beast Lord.

As always there are plenty of fight scenes, that are really well written, as per usual and keep the pages turning. There's lots of wit and humour that really make these books as awesome as they are. These are characters that I wish I could be friends with.

Such a good series. Must reads!!

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Book Review: Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels #3) by Ilona Andrews

Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don't remember how many times that I have read this book..at least 6 times. I never get bored of reading the Kate Daniels series, or anything that's by Ilona Andrews.

When Derek gets himself into trouble, Kate steps in to help save him and help Jim and his team hide it from Curran.

This if course make for great dialogue between the pair of them. I love the relationship between Kate and Curran, and the way that Ilona Andrews has developed it. This is something that Andrews is amazing at. She really know how to build tension between two characters and develop a relationship between them that doesn't feel forced or rushed. This and the way she has worked in the weird shapeshifter customs, ensures that you will laugh till your sides hurt.

There, of course, is plenty of action and fight scenes in this book to keep the pages turning. I love how after a big fight scene there tends to be something funny and light hearted; like Kate trying to work out how she is going to move a body of a creature that is twice her size.

This a great book. The last page is just genius, I might add.

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Book Review: Magic Burns (Kate Daniels #2) By Ilona Andrews

Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love everything that Ilona Andrews writes. I haves read this series over and over and never get tired of reading them.

Every Seven years a magic flare occurs. This is a magic ways that lasts a lot longer than a regular wave, so this means big trouble for Kate. The Pack have asked Kate to retrieve some maps that have been stolen. This turns out to be ore difficult than it seems for Kate, especially when she also has to stop an evil Goddess from entering the world.

I love that no matter how serious a situation is the characters still maintain a sense of humour and can be witty. We also see relationships change, even if Kate doesn't realise it at the time. There is plenty of action that carries the story along without it being a constant battle.

You're life will be incomplete if you don't read Ilona Andrews's books, especially this series.

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Book Reviews: Magic Bites (Kate Daniels #1)By Ilona Andrews

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have officially lost count of how many times that I have read this particular series of books.

They are all just as entertaining each time I read them and I can't recommend them highly enough. This is one of those time where I want to be able to dive into the book and just live there with the characters.

The series is set slightly in our future where magic and technology are fighting for dominance. This is a world where anything can happen. Mystical creatures can be conjured during the magic waves and then wreak havoc on the city of Atlanta once they get stuck here during the tech, and it's Kate Daniels job to clean up the chaos and try to keep casualties at a minimum.

The chemistry and dialogue between the characters is so well written, really get a feeling for who they are and can create such clear images in your head, you could be standing next to them in the conversation. While you get the whole relationship development and personal side of things, it never dominates the plot; it has the perfect balance between the two.

You really must read all of Ilona Andrew's books! it would be a crime not to!

Lost In The Tomb

Okay so I think it's time for an update.

Tomb Buddies Twitter and Instagram accounts are all up and running !! Be sure that you follow if you don't want to miss anything. You can also sign up to the mailing list here so you will be the first to know when we open the store.

The store is looking really good at the moment; I'm really excited for you all to see it. I have to keep reminding myself that I still have a lot to do before we get to that. I already have one mug designed and uploaded, and a few more part done and some still floating around in my brain. I also have some ideas sorted for cushions, most of which, will also work on t-shirts and posters.

The Animals Went In 2 By 2...

So I have been squirreling away in the Tomb, plotting and planning, working on my cartoon project. I feel like this is a good time to share a bit and let you in on some secrets, and even have some input.

I can confirm:

• It will be called Tomb Buddies (if you want to get pedantic, Tomb Buddies From Dead With Tequila. But that doesn't have quite the same ring to it.) 
• There are 9 characters.- Hank the Rhino, Milo the Rabbit, Bert the Bear, Giovanni the Giraffe, Vern the Rat, Finnegan the Cat, Nelson the Elephant, Silas the Lion, and Agnes the Hippo.
• There are plans for Mugs and Cushions (exciting stuff, right?).
• Tomb Buddies will have it's own Twitter and Instagram accounts. As soon as they are up and running I'll let you know the handles for each. Tomb Buddies news and info will still be posted to the Dead With Tequila blog, Facebook page and Pinterest accounts. 
• There will be a new store opened especially for them (basically a second Dead With Tequila store).
• The new store will NOT be on Storenvy. 

The new Tomb Buddies store will be on platform called Tictail. Hands up if you have heard of Tictail before now.....No body....Yeah...Me either until I started researching other platforms that integrated with the company we use to print and drop ship our T-shirts, hoodies, posters etc. 

Here's some basic information on Tictail.

They launch in 2012 and are based in Sweden, and they also have an office in New York. Their aim is to make it easy for indie brands/small businesses (like me) to build an online store that looks great an inviting to customers.

Just like Storenvy, Paypal is available for checkout. Or it will be when the Tomb Buddies store is launched. (Interesting fact: Paypal is your only option to check out with on the Dead With Tequila store. We did have Stripe, but after hearing that a lot of other store owners had been victims of fraud, some loosing hundreds of dollars and their merchandise, when using Stripe, I disabled the account.)

Now onto the part where all of you lovely people come in...

If you know, or think of any puns, one liners/jokes that involve, either: a Rhino, a Rabbit, a Bear, a Giraffe, a Rat, a Cat, an Elephant, a Lion or a Hippo, or a combination of any of them, (if you have something that involves all nine animals you may just get the title of Magical Unicorn) please tweet me or Dead With Tequila or just leave them in the comments below. I would be very appreciative. In the event that I use them on a T-Shirt/mug...any other product that I feel like adding, I'm going to list them on the Dead With Tequila blog kind of like a `Wall of Fame`

Thanks in advance. :D

When The Voices Talk To Me

So I've been working away in the +Dead With Tequila Tomb lately mainly on my cartooning project that I mentioned ages ago. It come on a lot in the last few weeks, you'll be happy to hear.

Some of you may have seen this on the Dead With Tequila Instagram account (follow us @deadwithtequila) This a work in progress shot of that project. In the Tomb it has begun to be know as the Tomb Buddies collection. There will be eight characters in total: a Rhino, a Rabbit, a Bear, a Giraffe, a Rat, a Cat, an Elephant, a Lion and a Hippo. All of which have names, but you'll just have to be patient and wait and see what we have called each of them.

The reason that you can see random limbs and floating heads here is because this is essentially going to be a hybrid style of art. everything will be hand drawn, the old fashioned way, on paper and then scanned in and digitally cut out and posed to make the final designs. I have to draw each character then break them down into individual parts and then draw each part from every conceivable angel; hence the reason that things are taking so long. When it's done this will pretty much just be Posters, T-Shirts and Tote bags. I'm considering perhaps doing cushions and maybe even mugs, but I'm going to think on it some more. Cool handmade bookmarks were part of the original plan, but I still haven't quite perfected a design in my head yet, so that may or may not happen. We are talking about creating a separate store for this collection. Purely for that fact that already I have so many ideas of what I'm going to be doing with the characters, and also because we feel that as much as this continues the Day Of The Dead theme that we try and focus on in the Dead With Tequila store, we feel that it's different enough that it wouldn't necessarily fit in with the other collections. This is going to be kept really simple. Black and White, clean lines, and have an overall cute feel to it. There will also be a separate newsletter that you can sign up to, I'll give you more info on that at a later date though.

In other news, I added this to the the store earlier today. You can check it out in the store here. It's made in the USA, and ships from Los Angeles. If you didn't already know our store uses PayPal, so check out is secure.

  

Review: Dead Ice

Dead Ice by Laurell K. Hamilton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was really good to see Anita go back to her roots, as it were, dealing with zombie related issues.

The main story line behind this book is someone is making zombie porn; but the zombies aren't quite right. They have their souls trapped in their bodies and the only person that Anita has ever know to be able to do that is dead. Anita also has a small issue with one of her own zombies that make her wonder how much more power she may have gained from all the people that she is tied to. There is also the matter of the wedding planning to be done and to decide who else gets a ring in the other commitment ceremony. Asher also makes a very big mistake...Again.

I found this book rather enjoyable to read. The only thing that I would say is that maybe it was all wrapped up a little to quickly at the very end. It all seemed to get resolved in the last 10-20 pages and I feel that it would have felt a little less rushed with an extra 20 pages; just to expand on the explanations a little bit.

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Book Reviews: Affliction and Jason by Laurell K Hamilton

Affliction by Laurell K. Hamilton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, never thought that there would actually be a zombie apocalypse for Anita to deal with.

Anita receives a phone call from Micah's mother telling her that is father is in the hospital after being attacked a a zombie, and is dying from a disease that he caught when he as bitten. So Micah, Nathaniel and Anita fly out to be at his bedside. Anita ends up getting involved in the investigation and Edward comes to help her solve the case.

This was a really action packed book that pushed all the characters to their limits. Also Anita makes a big choice that everyone is going to have to deal with when they get home.

I highly recommend this book

View all my reviews Jason by Laurell K. Hamilton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is really a short story/novella. It's only 255 pages. There is no plot. It really just consists of Jason, JJ, Anita and Nathaniel having sex; and everyone helping Anita figure out how she really feels about Jade and what to to about those feelings.

There's a lot of character building and working through each other emotional issues and offering advice. No plot and therefore a very quick read, not that that's a bad thing.

View all my reviews