Top Ten Tuesday #8: Top Ten Books With Sexy Heroes

I know I haven't done this for a while, but I've been meaning to. This week is a free topic week, so I'm going to talk about the top ten books I know of that have sexy heroes.

These are in no particular order, just as they come to mind. And remember, sexy is in the eye of the beholder.

1.  Edward Rochester - from Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte There is just something about that brooding, deeply troubled man that is also incredibly sexy.I'm not sure I would have turned him away from the revelation of his insane wife was made, but then again, I don't live in those times, and maybe I'd think differently if I did.

2.  Lucifer - from Lucifer by Mike Carey This is a series of eleven graphic novels about Lucifer, first begun in the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman, then spun off by Mike Carey (just forget about the TV show, they've totally got it wrong). Lucifer had charm that's off the meter. He's not just charming, he's sexy and smart, and don't forget he was once an angel. He doesn't tell you something just because he thinks you want to hear it. He believes in free will and speaking the truth. And yeah, he's damn hot.

3. Rhett Butler - from Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. This man is also charming, and very sexy, but he's got a fire that I'd love to warm myself on, and when he loves, he loves deeply. Seeing Clark Gable's face doesn't hurt, but I loved Rhett even before I saw the movie.

4. Dracula - from Dracula by Bram Stoker  My love affair with the Count began when I first read the book, about the age of twelve. That was the first time I was ever turned on by a fictional character, I think, even if I'm not sure I realized it then. He was dark, mysterious, charming (see a pattern here? lol), and a vampire. I may love my werewolves, but I have a special place in my heart for vampires, especially this one.

5. Cardinal Richelieu - from The Cardinal and the Queen by Evelyn Anthony - This is a fictionalized account of the relationship between Cardinal Richelieu and Anne of Austria. Since Richelieu is my historical crush, this is a no-brainer. He's highly intelligent, sexy (at least in my eyes) and wields power without having to possess it. I would have loved to be able to know him.

6. Acheron - from the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon This series is chock full of sexy guys, but Acheron is special. He's hot and he's powerful, he has a mysterious tragic past, and he's every woman's wet dream. (I also have the doll of Acheron, which is fabulous and very sexy!)

7. Sherlock Holmes - from the series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Okay, maybe the man had issues with drugs, but he has a terrific mind, which is sexy alone. And yes, I can't help but think of Benedict Cumberbatch, but once again, I've loved Holmes since way before BC came along lol

8. James Bond - from the series by Ian Fleming Even without the movies, James is sexy, suave, sophisticated, intelligent, and he has some amazing moves. Add Daniel Craig to that mix and you have the perfect man :)

9. Napoleon Bonaparte - from Desiree by Annemarie Selinko and from The Last Love by Thomas Costain I loved the young Napoleon, the eager lover, the ambitious young soldier who wanted only to follow his star. There is just something about him, even after he got older, that I cannot resist. That's why I listed both books, since I loved him in both

10. Edmund Dante - from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas - Sexy, tragic, generous... it's hard not to want to hold this man and make everything all right.

I'm sure there's more, but I'll stop here lol  I have other things to talk about, just need to find the time. New shows I'm watching. It's been a while, but I'll get there. Thanks for being patient!

If you want to read other people's lists, go here.

Top Ten Tuesday #7: Last Ten Books That Came Into My Possession (bought, library, review copies)

Happy Tuesday! Time to do another Top Ten Tuesday list. This time it's the last ten books that came into my possession - whether bought, borrowed, or given. To see who else is playing this week, go here.

These are in no particular order:

1) Breeding Stations by Chris T. Kat - great m/m sci fi with an original plot involving dinosaur-like creatures, as well as a great hero named Berit, who likes to sleep around and speak his mind.
















2) Dexter is Dead by Jeff Lindsay - The final book in the Dexter Morgan series. I had to read it, even though I wasn't overly fond of the one before.

3) A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie - After Murder in the Clouds, it's the next in the Hercule Poirot series, which I'm reading in order. They're all five star in my book.

4) The Underground Railroad by Natalie Hyde - background for a Civil War-era novel I'm going to write with Denise Wyant

5) Murder in the Clouds by Agatha Christie - A woman is killed on a plane full of people, and no one saw a thing! Luckily, Hercule Poirot is one of the passengers!

6) Lord Heliodor's Retirement by Amy Rae Durreson - After an unpleasant incident, Lord Heliodor

finds himself retired, at his country estate, with an annoyingly clumsy librarian who turns out to be the love he thought he lost thirty years ago. But wait, there's more!
















7) Obsidian Sun by Jon Keys

8) Demon Sacred Vol 3 by Natsumi Itsuki

9) Grave Peril by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files #3)

10) The Naming of the Beasts by Mike Carey (Felix Castor series)

Top Ten Tuesday #6: Books I'd Love to See as Movies/TV Shows

Good morning and Happy Tuesday! I love this week's Top Ten Tuesday theme! Who wouldn't? Let's put the old thinking cap on for this one - top ten books I've love to see as Movies/TV shows.

Okay, let's give this a try. As always, in no particular order.

1. Revelations by Julie Lynn Hayes (seriously, I've wanted to see this one ever since I published it). I think this would make a great movie, and I've already got part of the cast.
















As Judas, Ian Somerhalder - he's got the snark down pat, but he's also capable of emoting without

going over the top.  Pink would be a perfect Mary Magdalene, and Donald Sutherland as God.










2. Breeding Stations by Chris T. Kat - Hot sexy men, tail sex, and dinosaurs! Just think of it. Like Jurassic Park with guy on guy action!

3. The Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling - another great choice, with a hot couple, and lots of action

4. Thick as Thieves by Tali Spencer - Barbarian fucks himself on unicorn horn, gets thrown into a prison cell with pretty male wizard - does it get any better than that? Can't wait for the sequel!














5. The Harvest by MA Church - Here you have a dominant alien who claims a human as his own and takes him on a wild ride. Gotta do both books, and the second one has mpreg!

6. Pendergast series by Preston & Child - I'm dying to see these brought to the screen properly (not counting the weak version someone made which doesn't even feature Pendergast, for crying out loud). These books totally rock.

7. The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger - A strong unconventional woman at a time when

women were not encouraged to be such, a hot alpha werewolf, a swishy vampire with personality - holy cow, I love this series. Hollywood, come on, step up here!













8. the Felix Castor series by Mike Carey - I love these books, about an exorcist who's more than a little unconventional and all kinds of trouble

9. the Gretchen Lowell series by Chelsea Cain - Heart Sick, etc - a female serial killer is unusual, but a beautiful one? Even more so. Plus her relationship with Archie, the detective who brought her in, is unusual, to say the least. Riveting books!

10. High Concept by Whitley Grey - a homicide cop and an FBI agent are all kinds of hot! What great visuals this would have, not to mention lots of action and mystery!

Want to see more Top Ten Tuesday lists?  Go here!

Top Ten Tuesday #5: Ten Sci Fi Books I really love

Happy Tuesday! It's time for the Top Ten Tuesday countdown!

This week, we are free to choose our own topic, so I choose Top Ten Sci Fi books I really love, in no particular order.

1.  Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov - Yes, I know it's three books, hush. Of these books, my favorite character remains the Mule. He is very complex, and very tragic.
















2. From the Earth to the Moon and a Trip Around It by Jules Verne - They made a movie out of this with Joseph Cotton, bu the book is much better. The plot is quite simple. It's about a man who builds a spaceship that can travel from the Earth to the Moon. But it's very interesting.

3. Mysterious Island by Jules Verne - Another movie, this one's better. Takes place during the Civil

War, with Confederate soldiers who escape from a Yankee prison using a hot air balloon and end up on an island with all sorts of strange creatures. And then there's Captain Nemo, for good measure, played in the film by Herbert Lom.

4. Breeding Stations by Chris T. Kat - Technically, this isn't out yet, but I've read it, so I'm counting it. It's the story of Berit, who might be a bit loose with his cock, but he has a good heart. He ends up on a mission with his best friend Carson and some aliens, called Nadisc, and meets Tom and Niyara. They end up on a planet with some vicious war beasts that resemble dinosaurs - but worse. I've read the second book too. Both are well worth reading, fast-paced, as well as erotic!






5.  Titan, Wizard, Demon by John Varley - Yes, that's three books, but they belong together, so I'm listing them together. Sirocco Jones is the commander of a space ship that crashes on the planet Gaea, along with her best friend Gaby. They have no idea what's in store for them. This is so imaginative, especially the race known as the Titanides, and their complex system of inter-breeding. If you enjoy sci fi, you'll enjoy these books.

6.  Dune series by Frank Herbert - All the books are good, but my favorite is God-Emperor Dune. It begins when the Atreides family arrives on the planet Arrakis - Duke Leto, his son Paul, and his wife, the Lady Jessica, who is a Bene Geserit witch. They are there to mine spice for the Emperor (the spice is the life!). Unfortunately, mining melange is not as easy as it sounds. Much of the world is desert, inhabited by giant sand worms, and the people known as the Fremen. If this doesn't sound like enough trouble, throw in the House Harkonnen, under the evil Baron and his two nephews, Beast Rabban and Feyd-Rautha, a trusted friend whose imperial conditioning has been broken, and a gola, and... well, read it for yourself. I also recommend the version of the film featuring Kyle McLachlan, which features Brad Dourif as Pieter deVries and Kenneth McMillan as Baron Harkonnen

7. The Harvest by M.A. Church - There are two books in this series. It has to do with an alien race that comes unexpectedly to earth because they have a problem. The Tah'narians are no longer able to reproduce. They need DNA from Earth men in order to do so. Earth's leaders agree to help by holding a lottery. Those chosen, between certain ages, will go to Tah'Nar, donate their DNA and come home. Well, it doesn't work like that as Dale finds out. He should have been safe, because he's under age, but as he finds out, he's not. He's wanted by the Tah'Narian starship captain Keyno. This book is full of sex and romance and the second book has mpreg. 'Nuff said lol








8. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - A classic hilarious set of novels (I'm including all of them), about Arthur Dent, who only wants to keep his house from being knocked down but ends up going on an intergalactic adventure with his friend Ford Prefect. The plot has to be read to be believed. One of my favorite characters is the two-headed Zaphod Beeblebrox. I loved the BBC series, the movie not quite as much, but it's worth watching.

9. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury - A fascinating collection of short stories that all revolve around Mars, and manage to weave a story among them. The stories run the gamut from funny to sad and everything in between. My favorite is the House of Usher. Yes, just like the Poe story. Classic collection, could never get tired of reading this.

10. Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke - A race of aliens known as the Overlords peacefully take over the Earth and lead mankind into believing it's for their own good. Makes you think. A lot.


I know I have left books out, but hey, I could only name ten, right? Otherwise I might mention Sandman by Neil Gaiman or Neuromancer by William Gibson or Watchmen by Alan Moore or Frankenstein by Mary Shelley or all kinds of stuff by Kurt Vonnegut, or Stephen King, H.G Wells... well, you get the picture.

Want to see who else is taking part in Top Ten Tuesday?  Go here.

Top Ten Tuesday #4: Ten Authors I REALLY want to meet

Wow, what a great topic, how could I not do this one? I can't! By the way, this Top Ten Tuesday stuff is lots of fun!  lol

Okay, here is my list of ten authors I REALLY want to meet (and yes, I know, some of them are dead lol) This list is in no particular order, by the way

1. Mike Carey - author of Lucifer, Hellblazer, and the Felix Castor series... he had me with Lucifer. I fell in love with those books, and am dying to meet the mind behind them.
















2. Chris T. Kat - she's not only my friend and co-author, but she's a wonderful author who's created some memorable characters. I love her perspective on people, and her willingness to go out on a limb to create characters who are not cookie-cutter stereotypes. She draws on your emotions and makes you feel for them, and with them.

3. PG Wodehouse - I absolutely love his sense of humor, I bet he'd be a blast to hang out with (if he were alive lol). I love everything I've ever read by him, but I'm especially fond of Jeeves and Wooster. You gotta admire a guy who lived with a name like Pelham Granville and used his initials, instead of tossing the whole thing lol

4. Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child - okay, technically, these are two authors, but I love the books

they write together as well as separately. They write the Pendergast series, which I am totally enamored of. These books are real page-turners, literally, and combine thrillers with science with mystery with.... a great wow factor!








5. Thomas Harris - he created Hannibal Lecter, of course I want to meet him! Such an awesome character. I should write someone half as good! Alas, I don't believe he likes to give interviews, so this is not likely to happen, but a girl can dream, right?

6. Geoffrey Zakarian - he writes cookbooks, don't judge me! The man is handsome and sexy and classy, and he can cook - he's perfect.
















7. Mae West - She wrote an autobiography, Goodness Had Nothing to do With It, plus she wrote a

play, Sextette, and she was beautiful and smart and brassy, and lived life on her terms. Heck yeah, I want to meet her!











8. Denise Wyant - another author friend of mine, she's bouncy and lively and full of fun, and I think we'd have a great time if we got to hang out!

9. Marian Lanouette - yet another author friend, whom I got to know when I was privileged to edit for her. Her books are great, and I love her characters, and she is a very classy lady who I'd love to meet.

10. Agatha Christie - the creator of Hercule Poirot? Of course, I'd want to meet her, I love her books, and I never get tired of them. I just imagine she has some stories to tell!


Those are the first ten I thought of, I'm sure there are more. What authors would you like to meet?

Top Ten Tuesday #3 - Ten Books I'll Probably Never Read

This week's Top Ten Tuesday challenge is to list ten books I'll probably never read. That's harder than you might think. Most of the books I probably won't read are due to lack of time, not interest. But I can think of a few that do fill the bill, so let's see how many I can come up with.

Here's my list. As usual, in no particular order. And because I have no interest in them, I won't look up their covers.

1. the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare - Ever since I learned she plagiarized her very popular fanfiction, I knew I could not read anything by this author. There is nothing so heinous as claiming credit for what someone else has written. 'Nuff said.

2. Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling (or anything new by her) - I read the first six books in this series, and hated the sixth one with a passion. It made me cry, and I vowed I would not read the last one. My reasons are rather personal ones, and most people wouldn't understand, so I'll just say I have no interest in her any more.

3. the Sleeping Beauty series by Anne Rice's alter ego whose name I don't remember - Sadly, I own all the books Started to read the first one and was bored shitless. Too much spanking and not a lot else. I haven't even been able to give these away. That should tell you something.

4. The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien - I tried it, but I'm sorry, it's boring as hell, not going to try again.

5. The Bible - read parts of it, but to sit down and read it cover to cover is something I'll never do.

6. anything that claims a storyline of mfm, mmm, mmmmmf, or any other combination or variation. In other words, no menage, or whatever the hell you call the rest of that (personally, I call it a whole lot of sluttiness, but that's just my opinion)

7. Ulysses by James Joyce - What little I've seen of it looks very dry and boring.


Well, I'm stumped here. If I can think of anything else, I'll add it later.

Top Ten Tuesday #2

Welcome to another week of Top Ten Tuesday!

This week, the top ten list is: Top Ten Books Which Feature Characters Who _____ (are music allyinclined, have lost someone, have depression, who grow up poor, etc.) Hmmm, that requires me to fill in the blank. Okay, I accept the challenge. I'm going to write a list of the Top Ten Books which Feature Characters Who are Real People 

Here is my list, again in no particular order, just as they come to me. Okay, you may already know my fondness for the first person I'm going to list. Duh, he's on the top of my blog, right?

1. The Cardinal and the Queen by Evelyn Anthony - the character in question is Cardinal Richelieu, who is also my historical crush. This novel tells of the relationship between him and Anne of Austria, wife to King Louis XIII of France. It's a fascinating story, and a great romance. There  were rumors at the time that the Cardinal was the real father of Louis XIV (Louis XIII was gay). I first read this over forty years ago and I'm still not tired of it.









2. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas - again Cardinal Richeleu, although quite a different tale. D'Artagnan is fresh out of Gascony, gone to Paris to seek his fortune, having been given a letter to get him into the King's Guards. While in the process of delivering said letter, he encounters three different men by whom he finds himself challenged to a duel on the following day. These men, as it turns out, are the Three Musketeers, but before any of the duels can take place, they are spotted by the Cardinal's Guards (dueling is illegal in France at this time) and they end up fighting against the Guards, together, and become bffs in the process. In Dumas' tale, Richelieu is the bad guy whom they must outwit at all costs.

3. The Last Love by Thomas Costain - The character is Napoleon, and it tells the story of his  

exile on the island of St. Helena and his relationship with a young English girl named Betsy Balcombe. I've heard rumors of a film to be made, supposedly starring Al Pacino, but have seen nothing. Pacino would make a lousy Napoleon, in my opinion, so I'm actually glad.







4. Desiree by Annemarie Selinko  - Another book with Napoleon, but an earlier Napoleon. Desiree is the daughter of a silk merchant in Marsailles. She meets the young man with great ambitions and they fall in love and become engaged. But when he leaves for Paris, in order to further his career, and she doesn't hear from him for a long time, she borrows some money from her maid and follows him, only to learn things she'd rather not hear. This is the first book that ever made me cry. It's a great story, and the movie features Marlon Brando as Napoleon, and Michael Rennie as Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte.

5. The Trial of Adolf Hitler by Phillippe Van Rjndt - The story begins as the Third Reich is

crumbling around him. Hitler is committed to suicide before capture, and has decided he and his bride, Eva, shall both die. They each have poison and a pistol, as they retire to their room in the Bunker to die. Hitler shoots Eva, then himself. But Fate intervenes and the bullet he fired at himself does not kill him. He is found and rescued by one of his faithful. He recovers and takes a new name and identity, burying himself in a small town in Germany, where no one knows him, and leads a quiet life. Years pass. Hitler, under his new name, is well loved by the citizens of the town, but he decides that the time has come for him to reveal himself, and to demand a trial to exonerate him of the the crimes attributed to him. The stunned nations of the world, learning that he is alive, don't know what to do, or what to charge him with. They get together, and finally come up with three charges, and make arrangements for a trial.  Now the ending was a foregone conclusion, as I suspected it would be, but really, in terms of the charges and the evidence that was presented hi Hitler's defense, I didn't find it quite so cut and dried. In fact, I think it might have been a miscarriage of justice. But that's just my opinion, and of course, it's a novel, so it didn't happen.

6. Lamb, The Gospel of Christ According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore - The title says it all, it's a great book, and I loved it. He has a real way with words, and the story just flows so smoothly. Hilarious and sensitive and deeply moving.












7. Depths of Glory by Irving Stone - This is an historical novel about Camille Pissarro, the

Impressionist. It was my introduction to the Impressionists, and features other artists as characters, including Degas, Toulouse Lautrec, Van Gogh and others. I loved this book, and would gladly read it again.







8. The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone - This one is about Michelangelo and Pope Julius II, the struggle between them, as he painted the Sistine Chapel. Great book, also a really great movie starring Charlton Heston and Rex Harrison.

9. The President's Lady by Irving Stone - Another Stone novel, yes, so shoot me lol  This one is about the love between Andrew Jackson and his wife Rachel, before he was even President. It's a very romantic and poignant tale, and the movie is well worth watching too. Charlton Heston and Susan Hayward.

10. Love is Eternal by Irving Stone - a novel about Mary Lincoln, before and after her marriage to Abraham Lincoln. This lady definitely had issues, but it's also a great portrait of Abraham Lincoln. 

11. Blennerhassett by Charles Felton Pidgin - This novel is about Vice President Aaron Burr, including his infamous duel with Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. I read this many years ago and loved it. I recently bought it again, so I could read it again. Worth re-reading. 

Top Ten Tuesday: #1 All-Time Favorite Authors

My friend Denise pointed me in the direction of the Top Ten Tuesday blog, and I was intrigued by the idea so I thought I'd try it out. This week we're to name our top ten all-time favorite authors. Well, this might end up being longer than ten, because you know there are just so many to choose from, but I'll give it a whirl and see what happens. These are in no particular order, I might add, just as they come to me.

1. Mike Carey - He wrote the Lucifer graphic novel series, which I simply adore, worked with Neil

Gaiman on Sandman, and on Hellblazer, which of course produced John Constantine, whom I love. And he wrote the Felix Castor series. I would love to meet this man and pick his brain. I bet he has a lot to say.

2. PG Wodehouse - I love his sense of humor, he's hilarious and he creates the best characters, especially Jeeves and Wooster. But pick up any of his books - Blandings, Jeeves and Wooster, or any other title - and you're in for a great read.

3. William Faulkner - There is something about him that draws me to him, and he's been a great

influence on my writing, although some might say not for the better, as I think I learned how to write incredibly long paragraphs from reading him. He especially writes about Southern characters, and I especially love the books set in his imaginary Yoknapatawtha County in Mississippi, about the Snopes family - The Hamlet, The Town, and the Manse.

4. Edgar Allan Poe - This man was a master of the short story, and the father of the modern detective story, with his Purloined Letter featuring his detective C. Auguste Dupin. He had a way of sending chills down your spine, with stories and with poetry. Everyone knows The Raven and can quote it. I really love The Black Cat and the Cask of Amontillado, and the Tell-Tale Heart.



5. Margaret Mitchell - I've read Gone With The Wind 17 times so I must like it lol There's something

about Scarlett that you can't help but like even when she's at her most unlikable. She's got a lot of spunk, even if her taste in men is questionable. A Southern belle at the beginning of the book, she is forced by circumstance to adapt or be winnowed out. She chose to change, and nothing could knock her down. She only wrote one book, but it was a dandy.

6. Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child - So sue me, they're two people. But the series they created featuring FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast is amazing. These books are mystery, thriller, science fiction and fantasy rolled into one, and they are real page-turners. I hope they adapt them to the screen some day (not counting the awful version of Relic that's out there). I think Benedict Cumberbatch would make a great Pendergast.

7. Charlaine Harris - I loved the Southern Mystery series, with Sookie, Bill, Eric and the rest. The books are mostly better than the series, although I loved the series, but it veered so far left it flew off into space and lost itself. Her books have a great humor and fantastic imagination. I could easily hang out with Sookie Stackhouse.

8. John Milton - I didn't read Paradise Lost until a couple of years ago, but I loved it right away, basically because of Lucifer. He's a fascinating character, and I have to believe Milton admired him, whether he admitted to it or not (probably not a popular thing to do back then). The poetry is beautiful, although the parts without Lucifer are less interesting. Even better than the Inferno by Dante.

9. Thomas Harris - I've read all his Hannibal Lecter books, more than once. Hannibal is a great

character, well-developed. I could never fear him. Respect him, yes, but fear him no. I was more afraid of Jame Gumb, because he was unstable, an unknown quantity, and you didn't know what he might do. In Red Dragon, I felt rather sorry for Francis Dolarhyde, and wished him well, but in the end his grandmother's evil influence was too strong for him to break. I wish Harris would write more Hannibal, but I don't expect that to happen.

10. James Michener - Known for his sweeping historical novels, he wrote some wonderful books. Some of my favorites are Hawaii, Centennial, and Chesapeake. Rich in characters and brilliant in detail, he gives you a real feel for the age and people he writes about.

11. Irving Stone - He wrote some very amazing biographies, including one of Van Gogh, Michelangelo, and Andrew Jackson's wife. One of my favorites is about the artist Pisarro, and features a bunch of the Impressionists, who are my favorite artists.

12. Isaac Asimov - One of the best science fiction writers ever, I love the Foundation books, especially the story of the Mule.

13. Frank Herbert - Another great sci fi writer, I love his Dune books, my favorite being God

Emperor Dune.

14. Sherrilyn Kenyon - Her Dark Hunter books are amazing, and I can't get enough of them.

15. Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre speaks for itself, a great book and a great love story.

16. Thomas Hardy - While I didn't care for him in school, I learned to love him after I graduated, and I especially enjoyed The Return of the Native, and have read it a few times. Also The Mayor of Casterbridge.



I think this list is long enough now lol  Happy Tuesday, and let's try this again next week, shall we?