Pink Martini (The drink, not the musical group. This is a blog about booze, after all.)

        So, for any of you follow this blog regularly, or as regularly as I post, you probably figured out that I had a baby recently. I am now the proud parent of a five month old girl. I love her very much, even though she occasionally makes a scream/sound that has been described as the Devil's weed-eater. Or I guess what lawn equipment in hell would sound like. This is a sound she makes when she is happy, which brings me to my new favorite cocktail recipe! (I was going to get to it eventually.) It is a pink martini, simple to make and perfect for the summer. You just need your favorite vodka, some coconut rum, cranberry juice, and pineapple juice.


Directions:


Add 1 1/2 oz of vodka (I would stick with plain, unflavored vodka, but if you like a super sweet drink go for a citrus flavor or you can always double up on the coconut.)

1 1/2 oz of coconut rum (I like Bacardi, but Malibu works fine as well.)

Splash of cranberry juice.

Splash of pineapple juice.

(Obviously a splash will vary depending on who is mixing the drink, but again if you like it sweeter just add more fruit juice.)

All of this goes into your cocktail shaker with some ice. Shake then pour and serve!

     If you want to get fancy, you can add a fruit garnish of cherries or a pineapple slice. If you are making these by the pitcher you might have more fun with the cherries since they provide a stem to play with after you eat the garnish. Although I have yet to meet someone who can tie a knot with one of those, but it's fun to watch people try.


Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer and can find the time to enjoy this light libation.

Sceptre of Storms

    The Sceptre of Storms is the second installment of the Age of the Flame series; a YA fantasy series that I am enjoying tremendously. This book picks up where the first, The Sword of Sighs, ended. Sarah Bean once again finds herself traveling to strange places, this time a world between worlds, then back to Seythe to fulfill her destiny as the Living Flame. The action of in this book is non stop and in some places quite a bit darker than the first book, however this is balanced well with a bit of humor. As with the first book, James manages to create interesting worlds that are appealing to adults as well as his target YA audience. This is not the type of thing I would normally find myself reading, but I was completely engrossed in this book and I can't wait for the next one. Very entertaining read. 

I give it five cocktails. 

This book can be purchased by clicking on the following links:  Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble

50 Shades of Decay

50 Shades of Decay, as anyone familiar with recent pop culture would guess, is a play on 50 Shades of Grey, the popular Twilight fan fiction erotica. Only rather than being about BDSM, this is horror/erotica, and some of the stories within go into really alternative lifestyles. In fact, this anthology contained some stories that featured sub(sub?)genres that I didn't realize were out there. But there are 51 stories by 51 different authors, so their take on zombies and erotica varies widely. There are stories of love that leads to suicide come the apocalypse, zombie strippers, necromancy, necrophilia, and the list goes on. The stories range in quality from good to excellent, with my favorites leaning much more heavily into the horror genre. 

Out of all of the short stories in this anthology, two in particular really stood out to me. Rabbits, by Guy Anthony De Marco, is a rather bleak story that features a zombie with a latent memory and a man who comes to realize that he has been reduced to nothing more than an animal in a cage. There were a few stories that dealt with similar themes, but De Marco manged to capture the sense of hopelessness in just a few short pages in a way that has stayed with me long after reading it. The other, and possibly the best story in the anthology, is Z Spot, by Benjamin Kane Ethridge. Ethridge's story revolves around a zombie stripper that is still going through the motions as she slowly decays, and who is also looking for an emotional connection. She finds it with one last customer, but things take a tragic turn. Ethridge is one of those rare writers who can take something that could easily be ridiculous and turn it into a moving story of love and loss. 

If I was giving awards away for titles, the award for best short story title ever would have to go to Pretty Kitty's Post Apocalypse Porn Palace. My love for alliteration aside, this was a good story. Jolie Chaton is the author and she has an original take on the zombie apocalypse,  or at least one possible business opportunity that could be available afterward. 

Overall this is a good anthology that I think would appeal to anyone who loves zombie fiction, and quite possibly a few of you weirdos out there who have truly outlandish fetishes. (That last bit is very tongue in cheek, so please don't send me any hate mail. Many thanks.) 

I give it four cocktails.

This title is available as an ebook and in paperback, and can be purchased by clicking the following links: 

Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble

Moonstruck: High Moor II

Moonstruck is the highly anticipated sequel to High Moor, the debut novel from Graeme Reynolds. High Moor was an excellent read, and the second in the series doesn't disappoint.  This book picks up right where High Moor left off, and the action starts almost immediately and continues at a fast pace the whole way through. I don't want to mention anything about the plot as that would give away some of the ending of the first novel, but I can say that even with the fast pace Reynolds brings in several new characters and takes the time to develop them fully. This helps him deliver an emotional impact that you don't often see from such action oriented novels, and speaks to his skills as a writer. Moonstruck is a fantastic horror novel with enough carnage to make the gore hounds happy and has scenes that are going to stay with me for a long time.

If you have read High Moor then you definitely need to pick up Moonstruck as it is one of the best books of  the year. If you haven't read the first one, then by all means do so. This is not a series you want to miss out on. Highly recommended.  

I give it five cocktails. 

This book is available as both a paperback and an ebook from the following: Amazon US, Amazon UK, and Barnes and Noble as a paperback. 

High Moor, the first in the series, can be purchased by clicking the following links:  Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble

The Mighty Quinn

      The Mighty Quinn is an odd, quirky, fun read. Stiles starts the book in what seems like the middle of the action. The reader doesn't get much background information, but we quickly learn that this version of Canada is populated by angry Weres and a man who can suck the heat out of anything, which comes in handy when being attacked by said Weres. This prompts the attacked, Quinn, to head south to the US where he is looking to lay low for a while. Instead trouble keeps finding him, and all sorts of bizarre things start happening. 

      Stiles takes lots of creatures from the horror genre and just has fun with them. The result is a book that has a dry humor and continuous action that makes for a light, fun read. Anyone who enjoys the horror genre but wants something that doesn't take itself too seriously should pick this one up. 

I give it four cocktails. 

This book can be purchased by clicking the following links:  Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble

Sword of Sighs

The Sword of Sighs is a young adult novel, which is not something I would normally read, but Greg James, who also writes horror as G.R. Yeates, is one of my favorite authors so I made an exception for this one. I am very glad that I did. The Sword of Sighs is a fantasy novel with well paced action and compelling characters. The story features Sarah, a young girl who is tormented by school bullies until she finds herself transported to another world where the bullies are much more menacing than the ones found at her school. She also learns that there is something different about her, and she is set on a course that will change her life forever. 

     Even though this is a young adult novel, I think adult readers will also enjoy it. One of the things I liked about it was James' use of dream sequences throughout the book. Nightmare sequences are something he uses frequently as a horror writer and the more dreamlike sequences are no less effective here.  It gives the reader a unique way to see into the character's mind.  This was an entertaining read and I am looking forward to the next one. 

I give it five cocktails. 

This book can be purchased by clicking the following links: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, Kobo

The Rift (Detectives and Demons)

 

   The Rift, by R.J. Clark, is a horror novel and detective story all rolled into one. Set in post Katrina New Orleans, it is not a version of the city that anyone will easily recognize. This is because in the world that Clark has created, the city has become hell on earth, or at least a section of it has anyway. This version of things makes for what is a very fun, violent, blood drenched story that brings in some classic horror elements such as possession and all manner of evil creatures, and mixes them in with an interesting mystery.
      What I enjoyed most about this novel was how much fun Clark had with it and with the characters. All sorts of terrible things happen to Matt Faustus, the paradimensional investigator and our lead character, but Clark presents it in a way that takes the reader along for the blood soaked ride. This is the first in a series, and I hope there are many more to come after it.



I give it four cocktails.

This book can be purchased by clicking on the following links: Amazon US, Amazon UK