Gizmos Reviews *Kicking It Blog Tour Stop December 4, 2013*

Welcome to my stop on the Kickin It Blog Tour!

My tour includes information on the book itself including a giveaway and excerpt.

I hope you find this post informative and either go out and buy it or get it from the library!

KICKING IT

Edited by Faith Hunter and Kalayna Price

ISBN: 9780451419002

Price: $16.00

Paperback

December 3, 2013

Featuring stories by SHANNON K. BUTCHER * RACHEL CAINE * LUCIENNE DIVER * CHRIS MARIE GREEN * CHRISTINA HENRY * FAITH HUNTER * CHLOE NEILL * KALAYNA PRICE * ROB THURMAN

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine has modern-day potions witches Holly and Andrew facing off against a firebrand politician who wears literally killer boots in a Texas-sized rodeo of trouble.

Boot-loving Cadogan vampire Lindsey must team up with off-again, on-again vampire partner Luc when a woman from her past is targeted by supernaturals in New York Times bestselling author Chloe Neill’s all-new adventure.

And New York Times bestselling author Rob Thurman features Trixa Iktomi from her Trickster series dealing with magical vengeance and magical footwear.

Taking kick-ass urban fantasy literally, USA Today bestselling authors Kalayna Price and Faith Hunter bring together the best of the genre to once again prove when you’re fighting supernatural forces, it helps to keep your feet on the ground.

Review
Anthologies can be a tricky proposition to read. Kickin It features some authors that I have either heard about, read, or follow on a regular basis. One of the key ingredients to each and every single short story is the fact that it contains a pair of boots, or shoes. As I have never not finished a novel, I found this anthology to have left me with all sorts of feelings. As with most novellas, characters who these authors write about are not normally found in the pages as lead characters in any series. They can be spin-off, or secondary characters, or even characters that appear because an author needs warm bodies to fill out the plot and story. Some of these characters I would love to see again and hope the authors don't just shift them under a pile of WIP's they may, or may not complete in the future.

Forked Tongues by Rachel Caine

The first story in the Kickin It Anthology begins with one of my favorite authors in Rachel Caine. Caine whose Morganville Vampires series ended with Daylighters, writes a story about witches Andy Toland and Holly Caldwell. I am not totally sure where these particular characters came from but I would be interested in knowing more. It’s a story that starts with Adam and Holly facing off against humans who make it nearly impossible to feel safe, and ends with a confrontation with a nasty demon. I give it a solid B+

Stolen Goods by Shannon K Butcher

Simone Solange is one of the world’s best thieves. Marcus Brighton could be called a nerd in that he invents things like the books that Simone wears. Marcus hires Simone to steal back a very important hammer that an alien race known as the Fractogasts are using to build a portal for an invasion of earth. Fractogasts actually drain humans of their souls and leave them shells of their former selves. It is up to Simone and Marcus to get the hammer back, and stop the invasion. Like the first story, this centers on a pair of boots that have magical abilities. I actually haven’t read anything by Butcher, so this is was an interesting change of pace. I give the story B-

The Girl with No Name by Chris Marie Green

Lilly Meratoliages wakes up in an unfamiliar setting with no recollection of who she is, or how she ended up in New Orleans wearing a pair of boots that apparently allows her to heal from injuries she sustained. I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Lily was a character in Vampire Bablyon series which I actually found entertaining and was sad to see end. The story takes Lily on a wild ride to discover her true identity and to survive those who want to get their hands on her. The story has plenty enough action and a mystery to keep me entertained. My rating B+

The Devil's Left Boot by Faith Hunter

Twin witches Cia and Liz appeared in Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series when one of their sisters went a little off the reservation and started calling demons which lead to Jane and the Beasts intervention and a rift between Jane and her best friend Molly. I often wonder when an author writes a novella if we are ever going to see them again. This story ends with a feeling that Hunter is not yet finished with Cia and Liz. The nice thing about this short story is that Jane makes a brief appearance and is just the same badass that readers who have read the story will like. Rating A-

High Stakes by Chloe Neill

Chicagoland Vampire author Chloe Neill writes a short story that features, mostly, Lindsey, although Luc, Merit, and Ethan do have bit parts to play. Lindsey's past comes home to roost when her last remaining relative Rachel is threatened, and Lindsey finds herself back in New York to face the past she thought was put to bed forever. As this is a short story, you get a quick retelling of Lindsey's past, a reunion with someone she thought long dead, and a heartfelt romance between Luc and Lindsey that may finally kick off and be equal to Merit and Ethan's. B+

The Parlor by Lucienne Diver

Tori Karacis’s (Latter-Day Olympians) is a PI with gorgon blood thanks to a drunken liaison between the God Pan and an immortal Gorgon. Tori's job is to discover if a husband is actually cheating on his wife. This leads Tori to The Parlor where men mysteriously vanish without a trace. I haven't read Diver's Latter-Day Olympians series yet. I'd like to know more about Tori's relationship with Detective Nick Armani as well as Apollo Demas. This may yet become one of my TBR additions. B

Red Really Isn't My Colour by Christina Henry

One of the few stories in the anthology that actually features a lead character who I have read. Madeline Black and her ever present gargoyle Beezle go on a wild task to locate a pair of red shoes that is said to force the wearer to dance forever. Once again, Lucifer asks Maddy to do something she is not comfortable with, and mayhem and destruction soon follow. This story is said to take place between Black Night and Black Howl. A-

Snake Skin by Rob Thurman

Another short story that features a lead character in Las Vegas bar owner Trixa Iktomi (Trickster) which ended after only 2 stories. Trixa is a character that you need to understand so that you don't roll your eyes at her exploits. It also includes her "strays" Griffin and Zeke who she took in and made part of her family. Again, it features a character that loves her shoes, and is looking for something to keep her attention. It is a strange, strange story and one that left me with lots of feelings. C+

Ruby Red by Kalayna Price

Briar Darque is an investigator for the Magical Crimes Investigation Bureau. Along with partner Derrick Knight, they look into witches who cross the line and have been known to show up a time or two in the Alex Craft series. In fact, the ending leaves readers with a sense that this story took place when Alex's powers are questioned and her status as a witch is called out. As with all short stories in this anthology, this story revolves around a pair of sexy red shoes. Definitely worth the time to read. A-

Excerpt

Robyn Thurman, writing under the name Rob Thurman, is a New York Times Best Selling American novelist living in rural Indiana. To date she has written three series and two short stories, totaling 11 books, and has been published in the US, UK, Germany, and Japan.

Find Rob online on:

Website: http://www.robthurman.net

Blog: http://robthurman.net/urban-fantasy/blog/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rob_Thurman

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/121825.Rob_Thurman

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobThurmanAuthor

   

KICKING IT excerpt:

Snakeskin

There’s all sorts of sayings about shoes. Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes. I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet. It’s no use carrying an umbrella if your shoes are leaking. On and on it goes. Full of good intentions these kind of sayings are. They’re something to guide people who have no common sense or thoughts of their own, my mama liked to point out. My mama, well, I’d long stopped fighting it—my mama was rarely wrong. Sometimes a tad misdirected, but wrong? I can’t say that she was.

Rob’s Latest Release:

Rob’s 8^th Cal Leandros novel, SLASHBACK, was released in March 2013. The ninth, DOWNFALL, will be coming Sept. 2014.

  

 I stopped and let them circle me, first because it was intriguing and, second, because, honestly, what could they do? Only knives, but all armed, and that made them even more interesting. Interesting. Fun.

Playtime…

Taking on bloodthirsty supernatural monsters is how Caliban and Niko Leandros make a living. But years ago—before they became a force to be reckoned with—the brothers were almost victims of a very human serial killer.

Almost.

Unfortunately for them, that particular depraved killer was working as apprentice to a creature far more malevolent—the legendary Spring-heeled Jack. He’s just hit town. He hasn’t forgotten what the Leandros brothers did to his murderous protégé. He hasn’t forgotten what they owe him.
 
And now they are going to pay…and pay…and pay.…

 TOUR DETAILS:

Date: November 18 to December 6

Tour stops:
11/18 Paranormal Cravings – review & giveaway
11/18 Bitten by Books – excerpt #1: Faith Hunter’s The Devil’s Left Boot
11/19 The Book Nympho – review of Shannon’s Stolen Goods, Chloe’s High Stakes, & giveaway
11/19 Bitten by Books – excerpt #2: Chris Marie Green’s The Girl with No Name
11/20 Mad Hatter Reads – review, Q&A, giveaway
11/20 Bitten by Books – excerpt #3: Kalayna Price’s Ruby Red
11/21 Magical Urban Fantasy Reads – giveaway
11/21 Bitten by Books – excerpt #4: Lucienne Diver’s The Parlor
11/22 All Things Urban Fantasy – review & giveaway
11/22 Bitten by Books – excerpt #5: Shannon K. Butcher’s Stolen Goods
11/23 In the Pages of a Good Book – review, giveaway, & spotlight on Rob Thurman
11/23 Bitten by Books – excerpt #6: Chloe Neill’s High Stakes
11/24 drey’s library – review, Q&A, giveaway
11/24 Bitten by Books – excerpt #7: Rob Thurman’s Snakeskin
11/25 Rex Robot Reviews – Q&A &amp, giveaway
11/25 Bitten by Books – excerpt #8: Christina Henry’s Red Isn’t Really My Color
11/26 The Enchanted Alley – review, giveaway
11/26 Bitten by Books – excerpt #9: Rachel Caine’s Forked Tongues
11/27 That’s What I’m Talking About – review, giveaway
11/28 My Bookish Ways – review, excerpt, giveaway
11/29 Fade Into Fantasy – Q&A, giveaway
11/29 The Book Swarm – excerpt, giveaway
11/30 Under the Covers Book Blog – review, Q&A, giveaway
12/1 SciFiChick.com – excerpt, giveaway
12/2 I Smell Sheep – review, giveaway
12/2 Vampire Book Club – excerpt, giveaway
12/3 Paranormal Haven – Q&A, giveaway
12/3 Literal Addiction – review, Q&A, excerpt, giveaway
12/4 Gizmo’s Reviews – review, excerpt, giveaway
12/5 Smexy Books – review, giveaway
12/6 Urban Fantasy Investigations – excerpt, giveaway
12/6 After Dark Rendezvous – review, giveaway

Giveaway:

Prizes include signed books, swag, and even hand-made jewelry! Fifteen winners will each receive one of the prize packs, and every pack includes a copy of KICKING IT! We had fun divvying up all the stuff, hope your readers will be excited to win!

Giveaway is US ONLY (no PO Boxes) and runs Nov. 18th to Dec. 13th.

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