From its opening scene, the fantastic Black Dust Mambo latches onto the reader and does not let go, even after the last page is turned. In New Orleans for Carnival, the annual gathering of magic practitioners, Hoodoo apprentice Kallie Riviere wakes up on her hotel bathroom floor after a very late night of too much alcohol and just enough of Gage, the nomad conjurer she had taken back to her room. The discovery of Gage’s bloody, dead body in her bed shocks Kallie, especially since she did not hear anything at all. As it is clear that nothing can be done for Gage, Kallie decides to call her friend Belladonna first to get her advice about whether to call 911 or the Hecatean Alliance, the governing body in charge of Carnival. While talking to Belladonna, another nomad shows up at Kallie’s door looking for his friend Gage.

The new arrival identifies himself as Layne, and two things happen almost simultaneously: the two feel an instant connection, and Kallie breaks the news to Layne about Gage. At first unwilling to believe Kallie’s story and her innocence, Layne admits he had a dream that something happened to his friend and he felt compelled to come and check on him. Layne decides to use his abilities as a Vessel for souls of the dead to find out what happened to Gage but, during the attempt, Layne almost dies himself, as a result of the soul-stealing magic still running rampant throughout Gage’s body. Kallie manages to perform CPR on Layne, as well as somehow suck the bad juju out of his body, though she has no idea how she accomplishes the latter. Belladonna and Kallie then discover the hex in her bed and realize that perhaps the spell was meant for Kallie herself.

Paramedics arrive to care for Layne, and shortly thereafter, so does Lord Basil Augustine, master of the Hecatean Alliance. Taking control of the scene, Augustine works a spell of forgetfulness upon the hotel manager and the paramedics in regards to Gage’s dead body. Not so sure of Kallie’s innocence but suggesting that if she is indeed a target herself he can provide protection, Augustine takes Kallie into custody to get to the truth.

As always, Phoenix creates characters and worlds so vivid the reader feels as though they are taking part in the story rather than just observing the action. Though different in tone and subject matter from the author’s Maker’s Song series, Black Dust Mambo, even with its thread of humor, packs a solid punch and provides some truly creepy moments. The reader gains a view into a unique and little-known belief system that appears to exist as a blending of the familiar and the esoteric.

The author excels at characterization, and her talents are once again evident here. The enigmatic Kallie with her mysterious and tragic background, the feisty and loyal Belladonna, the intriguing, determined Layne, and all of the other secondary players, good guys and villains alike, comprise the backbone and setting of a fascinating story that belongs on the shelves and in the hands of all urban fantasy readers. This reviewer eagerly awaits the next book about Kallie’s world.

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (June 29, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439167877
• ISBN-13: 978-1439167878

To purchase a print copy of Black Dust Mambo from Amazon click here.
To purchase a Kindle copy of Black Dust Mambo from Amazon click here.

To purchase a print copy of Black Dust Mambo from Barnes & Noble click here.

(2 votes, average: 3 out of 5)

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PLEASE NOTE: The contest portion of the Adrian Phoenix event is now closed. The winners will be chosen at a later date and notified via email.

Adrian Phoenix Revealed courtesy of Simon and Schuster.

Adrian Phoenix is the author of the critically acclaimed series The Maker’s Song–A Rush of Wings, In the Blood, Beneath the Skin, and (in 2011) Etched in Bone. Black Dust Mambo is the first book in her new hoodoo series of magic, mystery and murder in the bayou. She lives in Oregon with three cats and is contemplating adding a dog into the mix.

About Adrian Phoenix

Q: What is your birthdate?:
A: 10/4

Q: Previous occupations:
A: Cashier, book store clerk, security guard, certified nurse’s aide

Q: Favorite job:
A: Writing.

Q: Name of your favorite composer or music artist?:
A: Trent Reznor - Nine Inch Nails

Q: Favorite movie:
A: Gladiator

Q: Favorite television show:
A: Supernatural

Revealing Questions

Q: How would you describe your life in only 8 words?
A: Pedal to the metal, never look back.

Q: What is your motto or maxim?
A: Always follow your heart.

On Books and Writing

Q: Who are your favorite authors?
A: Stephen King Oscar Wilde Kris Nelscott Jeri Smith-Ready C.J. Cherryh James Ellroy Thomas Harris Jeaniene Frost

Q: What are your 5 favorite books of all time?
A:The Stand by Stephen King The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton The Alienist by Caleb Carr A Dangerous Road by Kris Nelscott The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers

Q: Is there a book you love to reread?
A: Darkling I Listen by John Evangelist Wall

Q: Do you have one sentence of advice for new writers?
A: Always follow your heart.

Q: What comment do you hear most often from your readers?
A: Everything was so vivid, I felt like I was there.

Read a FREE excerpt of Black Dust Mambo here on Adrian’s site!

http://www.adrianphoenix.com/files/Black_Dust_Mambochapter1.pdf

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Learn more about Adrian Phoenix below:
To read reviews of this author’s work go here.
To visit the author’s website go here.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/adriannikolasphoenix
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Adrian-Phoenix/55403659403?ref=mf
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Adrian-Phoenix/55403659403?ref=mf#/?ref=home
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AdrianPhoenix
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/944594.Adrian_Phoenix
Dante’s Club Hell Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dantes_club_hell/
Club Hell Fan Forum: http://clubhell.yuku.com

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CONTEST INFO: Open to readers in the US

Prizes:
First Place: A prize package including 1 copy of Black Dust Mambo, a mojo bag made by Adrian and a bottle of hoodoo oil! For one lucky winner!

Second Place: 2 copies of Black Dust Mambo. Two winners

1. LEAVE YOUR FIRST NAME AND THE INITIAL OF YOUR LAST NAME in your comment/post so we can give you the proper credit for your entries. Mandatory, if you don’t leave this, none of your entries will count. It is NOT mandatory to make a purchase to be entered into the contest.

2. Ask Adrian at least ONE question, please make sure they aren’t duplicates. Good for 10 entries per question. (Max 3 good towards entries)

3. Order copies of Adrian’s new book Black Dust Mambo by clicking the links below.

From Amazon click here.

From Barnes & Noble click here.

Good for 500 entries per book you purchase by using the links above. Email your receipt to the prize Goddess here bittenbybooks.contests @ gmail.com (no spaces). Not valid on past purchases.

OR you can use the Barnes & Noble link HERE to make your purchase of ANY kind of merchandise during the contest. You can also use the Amazon link HERE to shop as well. Good for 100 entries to the contest for EACH item you purchase. Not valid on past purchases.

4. Spread the word about this event and invite everybody you know by using the new Share Buttons below at the bottom of the post to tell your friends about this contest and come back and tell us where you shared. This is the live link to the event: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=26942 if you don’t know how to use either of those functions. Good for 25 entries per place you post the event link.

While you are here today, please be sure to stop by the Linda Robertson event here http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=26946

RSVP to Vivi Anna’s event here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=26936

RSVP to Nicole Peelers KINDLE CONTEST here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=26834

Enter to win FREE copies of  No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=26718

Go here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=26735 For more than 45 FREE books

Read this week’s Column and comment here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=26796

Vote in this week’s poll here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=26888

good for 25 entries per each one you do.

That’s it!

RULES AND LEGAL DISCLAIMERS
The contest ends on 6/30/10 at 11:59 pm Central and the winners will be contacted via email. You will receive your prize directly from the authors. PLEASE LEAVE YOUR FIRST AND THE INITIAL OF YOUR LAST NAME as well as a valid email where we can contact you. REMEMBER the more things you do, the more entries, the greater the chances of winning. PLEASE ALLOW THIRTY DAYS to receive your prize BEFORE EMAILING US.

1. Please note, the prize stated IS the prize you will receive, there will be absolutely no substitutions or changes the prize is non-transferable. If you don’t want the prize being offered, please don’t enter the contest. If you ever win an electronic copy of a book, please note that it is ILLEGAL to forward, give away or copy it in anyway once you receive it. Doing so violates copyright. If we find out that it has been done, you will no longer be eligible to win any of our contests.
2. You have FIVE days from the day the we contact you to claim your prize by sending your name/mailing address to me. Failure to contact me will forfeit your prize. BBB can at that time, choose either to re-award the prize to another entrant or not.
3. The prize stated IS the prize you will receive, there will be no substitutions, trades or changes. No exceptions. Please do not ask. If for some reason you do not wish to claim your prize, please let me know as soon as possible. Bitten by Books has the option to re-award it or not.
4. Contest is open to readers in the USA except where noted above. The prizes are shipped directly from the publisher unless otherwise noted.
5. Bitten by Books is in NO way responsible for the prizes being offered in any of the contests. If for some reason a contributor does not honor their prize, there is nothing we can or will do about it. We are not worried that this will happen, but we want to be very clear that WE are not offering these prizes, the contributor is and it is their responsibility to fulfill their prize obligations.
6. These rules are subject to change or be modified without prior written notice.
7. Contest is void where prohibited.
8. By entering this contest you are agreeing to our terms of entry

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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The third installment in The Maker’s Song series begins exactly where the second left off with the unintentional death of an FBI agent at Dante’s hands, and Heather, Annie, Von, and Caterina on the run with the express purpose of hiding and protecting Dante. Since the Fallen heard Dante’s song and are now aware of his whereabouts on Earth, several emissaries make the journey to find him and bring him to Gehenna. When they arrive, Dante believes they are responsible for the death of his father, Lucien, and retaliates in a breathtaking scene that will not get spoiled here.

With incidents and perspectives shifting between several different characters on both sides – those who wish to protect Dante and those who wish to exploit him – a third group begins to emerge: those who start to realize there is much more to Dante than they have been told and who seek to understand him. To the Fallen, Dante is their Maker, to the vampires, their True Blood prince, and to the humans in pursuit of him, he is either a dangerous psychopath to be apprehended and stopped or a tool they wish to use for their own purposes.

As in previous installments, Phoenix transports the reader to another world comprised of both shimmering beauty and tactile violence, peopled by characters so real they seem personal acquaintances. Illustrating the significance of the link between Lucien and Dante and the consequences to them both when it dissolves, Lucien exhibits the excruciating pain any father feels at such a loss: “He’d severed the bond he’d shared with Dante and survived. But a cold, lightless hole had been ripped into the fabric of his being; a hole that seemed to rip wider with each breath he drew” (202).

The author masterfully reveals secrets large and small as the plot unfolds throughout the gripping narrative, keeping the reader guessing and surprised with the turn of every page. Fusing and melding the worlds of angels, vampires and mortals into a story where appearances hide greater truths ensures an engrossing and matchless reading experience. As always, the wait for the next book in the series will assuredly be too long.

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Pocket; Original edition (December 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439137293
• ISBN-13: 978-1439137291

To purchase a print copy of Beneath the Skin from Amazon click here.

To purchase a print copy of Beneath the Skin from Barnes & Noble click here.
To purchase an eBook copy of Beneath the Skin from Barnes & Noble click here.

Books in the The Maker’s Song series in the order they should be read:
A Rush of Wings
In the Blood
Beneath the Skin

(3 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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The stunning second installment in the Maker’s Song series begins a few weeks after the point at which its predecessor, A Rush of Wings, leaves off. Dante sends Heather home to Seattle, fearing for her safety if she remains around him. The secret branch of the FBI, aptly named the SB (for Shadow Branch) is very interested in how Heather survived the bullet which should have killed her and becomes intent on keeping her around in a position where she can be studied. That is, of course, if another faction does not kill her first. As if this is not enough to contend with, Heather also needs to deal with her sister Annie, who shows up at Heather’s apartment at the same time Dante does while his band Inferno is on tour in Seattle.

Dante’s role as the Maker leads to his pursuit by three parties: the same groups shadowing Heather, the Fallen angels who seek to control him to prevent the destruction of their world, Gehenna, and a truly scary psychic twin brother and sister team who wish to use his unique skills for different purposes. Seeking to protect Dante from being bound by any of the Fallen, Lucien breaks his link with his son when he is taken captive by the leaders of Gehenna. Meanwhile, the twins, knowing of Dante and his abilities, attempt to capture and manipulate him. All the while they are trying to stay ahead of those on their trail, Heather and Dante additionally seek to understand both Dante’s past and what it means to be a creawdwr.

Once again, Phoenix draws the reader into the darkly beautiful world she has created: a place scary yet romantic with an underlying epic feel. The relationship between Heather and Dante is virtually tactile in its intensity, and we know that they belong together in the complementary relationship which allows them to thwart the forces that seek to destroy them. The secondary characters all effectively add true support to the narrative and to the relationship between the two leads.

Phoenix excels at crafting monsters, the human variety often being the more frightening. Seeking to come to terms with how her life has changed, Heather realizes: “Just three long weeks ago, she’d learned that the world was much darker and more varied than she’d ever imagined” (73). All of the various threads of the story are woven together seamlessly into a suspenseful whole that the reader will resent having to put down even to sleep or eat. This reviewer anxiously awaits the next episode in the series, Beneath the Skin.

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Pocket; Reprint edition (August 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439157251
• ISBN-13: 978-1439157251

To purchase a print copy of In the Blood from Amazon click here.

To purchase a print copy of In the Blood from Barnes & Noble click here.

Books in the The Maker’s Song series in the order they should be read:
A Rush of Wings
In the Blood
Beneath the Skin

Check out this awesome author here:

http://www.adrianphoenix.com/

http://www.myspace.com/adriannikolasphoenix

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Adrian-Phoenix/55403659403?ref=mf

(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)

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This first installment in Adrian Phoenix’s debut series grabs you by the throat and does not let go. F.B.I. Agent Heather Wallace’s search for a brutal serial killer takes her to New Orleans. Murdered next door to Club Hell, a nightclub operated by the mysterious and compelling Dante, the victim’s crime scene contains messages that appear to be directed at someone in particular. The proximity of the scene to the nightclub, combined with the fact that the victim and Dante share a hometown, leads Heather to believe that Dante may be the intended recipient of the killer’s message as well as his next target.

When Heather goes to interview Dante, she meets Lucien De Noir, the club owner and seeming guardian of Dante, who has some secrets of his own. Eventually, Heather catches on to what the reader already knows: Dante and many of his friends are vampires, or “nightkind,” as Dante prefers to call them. At the same time Heather is attempting to come to grips with her realization, she discovers that a secret project involving Dante and the serial killer is being covered up by her agency.

Heather lives and breathes on the page. The reader both sympathizes with and admires her. Doing her job against seemingly impossible odds under even “normal” circumstances, Heather is tough yet compassionate, seeking to be a voice for the victims of the crimes she investigates: “But she remembered. Each and every one. Carried their images in her mind: a mental photo album of the dead, a yearbook of ended lives” (139). When the additional aspect of the paranormal appears in the mix, Heather initially resists believing what she sees with her own eyes, but finally accepts what she witnesses and acknowledges the existence of a world she did not believe possible.

Dante feels no shame for what he is yet does not kill indiscriminately. His tortured mind, a result of the project experiments, provides an added dimension to his character, as layers of his personality are uncovered, along with the peeling away of the protections guarding his memories. The reader learns something of the very intriguing Lucien’s background as the story progresses yet is left hoping to learn more in the next book. Additionally, the author effectively develops and incorporates into the story the secondary characters, all three-dimensional and easily visualized.

The title, A Rush of Wings, aptly illustrates the tone and tactile atmosphere of this excellent book, in addition to the subject matter. Phoenix has created a dark, shadowy world that is all the more scary due to its gritty realism combined with the paranormal elements. Suspense and non-stop action compel the reader to keep turning the pages in order to find out what happens to the characters they care about. Fans of Hamilton, Harrison, and any contemporary urban fantasy will appreciate and enjoy this frightening yet seductive universe.

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Pocket; Reprint edition (February 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416593659
• ISBN-13: 978-1416593652

To purchase a print copy of A Rush of Wings click here.

Books in the The Maker’s Song Series in the order they should be read:
A Rush of Wings
In the Blood
Beneath the Skin

To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.

(4 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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