Sabina Kane Read A Long: Interview with Jaye Wells + Giveaway

Welcome to the last discussion in the Sabina Kane series Read a Long. This time around we have a 3 part interview with the author, Jaye Wells. Jenese, Christen and I all had questions for Jaye. So to make sure you visit all three blogs to see the complete interview.

Also this time around there will be a giveaway. Jaye has a new book coming out June 6, Meridan Six. I'm giving one copy to one lucky reader.

Now with further ado check out our interview with Jaye Wells.

I love it when a secondary character steals the show. WTF did the idea for Gighual come from?  

Well ... it's like this: I've had a fascination with hairless cats ever since Rachel got on on Friends. Remember? She was convinced the cat was evil? Anyway, since Sabina was half-mage I thought it would be funny for her to have a hairless cat familiar.

True story: I almost cut Giguhl from the book entirely. Luckily, a smart beta reader talked me out of it and suggested that maybe instead of him already being her familiar he could be sent as a messenger of sorts from someone. I took that idea and ran with it, which is where the initial scene where he tries to kill her came from.

I probably owe that beta reader a drink since without Giguhl I don't think the series would have sold in the first place.

Let's talk love interest. Why Adam and not Slade? (Sorry Mancy) 

Oh, Slade. I like him so much. But in the end, he was not a good choice for Sabina because he is too similar to her. He didn't challenge her to grow. The theme of the entire series is balance. She needed someone who could help her find that sweet spot between her vampire and mage sides. It was all about Sabina's growth and who, in the end, helped Sabina reach that place. To me that person was Adam.

Can we except the same type of dark, sick, twisted humor in your up coming release, Dirty Magic? (Please say yes) 

I'm pretty sure I'm incapable of writing anything without that dark, twisted vein. I can tell you that when my agent read Dirty magic she kept saying, OMG ___ is so creepy. And then she'd giggle. So I guess that's a yes?

Thanks for hosting the read-along for the Sabina Kane series. I'm thrilled people are still discovering Team Awesome!

Head over to Readers Confession & Goldilox and the Three Weres to read the rest of the interview.

After several years as a magazine editor and freelance writer, USA TODAY Bestselling author Jaye Wells finally decided to leave the facts behind and make up her own reality. Her overactive imagination and life-long fascination with the arcane and freakish blended nicely with this new career path. Her Sabina Kane urban fantasy series is a blend of dark themes, grave stakes and wicked humor. Jaye lives in Texas with her saintly husband and devilish son. Her work is represented by Rebecca Strauss of DeFiore and Co.

  

Missed a Discussion? No problem. Check them out below.

1/25/2013: Red-Headed Stepchild
at The Book Nympho
REVIEW
DISCUSSION

 2/22/2013: The Mage in Black
at  Goldilox and the Three Weres 

REVIEW

DISCUSSION

3/29/2013: Green Eyed Demon
at  The Book Nympho 
 REVIEW
DISCUSSION

 4/26/2013: Silver Tongued Devil 
at Readers Confession
REVIEW
DISCUSSION

5/31/2013: Blue-Blood Vamp
at The Book Nympho

REVIEW

Interview Part 1
Interview Part 2
Interview Part 3

Meridian Six

by Jaye Wells

June 6, 2013

Meridian Six remembers the days before the Troika enslaved humans. She also remembers her mother, a freedom fighter who was murdered in the final battle between humans and vampires. But it is her mother’s final words that have haunted her: 

Red means life. 

When M6 finally runs from the vampires who've held her captive, she finds herself used by her own race. Because in a world at war, freedom is a luxury paid for in blood.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Blue-Blooded Vamp by Jaye Wells

Blue-Blooded Vamp 

by Jaye Wells 

(Sabina Kane #5)
Source: Purchased 

 

The epic conclusion to the amazing Sabina Kane urban fantasy series.

Sabina Kane is on the hunt. Her prey: Cain, the father of the vampire race and the one who murdered her family and her friends. Unfortunately, Cain is hunting Sabina, too. The one man who holds the key to defeating Cain is, of course, Abel. A mage with secrets to spare and, hopefully, the power to match it. Unfortunately, for Sabina, he's in Rome and may not want to be found.

Sabina sets out for Italy with her friends, Giguhl and Adam Lazarus, to track down the only man who can get her the revenge she hungers for. But will he help her or oppose her? And just who is Abel, really? Worst of all, when Sabina figures out the goddess Lilith has a plan for her-she realizes this trip is getting deadlier by the minute.

As they say: when in Rome-SURVIVE.

First Thought: Ass womb!

The Action: The conclusion of Sabina Kane series is jam packed with fight scenes with Sabina taking on Cain. Sabina (with the help of Team Awesome) goes through a long road and many tests to get to the final battle with Cain. She really shows her badassery on her road to hell.

The Romance: After only having luke warm feelings for the romance part of the series, I am satisfied that Adam ended up being the right man for Sabina. (No the series doesn't have a love triangle but I thought another male character was hotter for a while.)

The Humor: Jaye Wells continues to bring the dark and twisted humor I've come to love. Gighual is the best comic relief character I've read in a long time, if not ever.

The End: It was hard saying good bye to Team Awesome but all good things must end and Wells did it at the right time and in the right fashion. Blue-Blooded Vamp is a great end to the series. We get questions answered. We get shocks. We get laughs. We get tears. And we get closure without it being sugary.

Would I recommend this series? Hell ya botches. For Gighual alone it's worth the read. If you enjoy Urban Fantasy with a kick ass heroine that learns that being a team player is better than being a cold heart bitch loner and you like dark humor that will sure to scandalize you, then Jaye Well's Sabina Kane series is for you.

Review: Silver-Tongued Devil by Jaye Wells

Silver-Tongued Devil

by Jaye Wells

Sabina Kane #4

Now that the threat of war has passed, Sabina Kane is ready to focus on the future. Her relationship with Adam Lazarus is getting stronger and she's helping her sister, Maisie, overcome the trauma of her captivity in New Orleans. Even Giguhl is managing to stay out of trouble thanks to the arrival of Pussy Willow and his new roller derby team. But as much as Sabina wants to feel hopeful about the future, part of her doesn't trust that peace is possible.

Her suspicions are confirmed when a string of sadistic murders threaten to stall treaty negotiations between the mages and the vampires. Sabina pitches in to find the killer, but her investigation soon leads her down dark paths that have her questioning everyone she thought she could trust. And the closer she gets to the killer, the more Sabina begins to suspect this is one foe she may not be able to kill.

First Thought: What a ride! So many ups and downs.

The Heroine: Sabina Kane is an ex-assassin. She's half mage and half vampire which made her life growing up hell since the two races can't stand each other. Now she has the pressure of bring the two races plus other supe together because she is The Chosen. 

The Love Interest: Sabina is following in her mother's foot steps and falling in love with a mage. But after 4 books I'm still not feeling the connection between Sabina and said mage, Adam.  Some very valid points are brought up between the two and I can't help but think that they are good ones for keeping them apart. We'll have to see where their relationship goes in the last book, Blue-Blooded Vamp.

The Plot: Silver-Tongue Devil moves us forward in the building tension that Sabina will have a day when she must save her loved ones and quite possibly all the dark races. So the evil grandmother is dead and gone so Sabina and the group should be able to take a vacation and enjoy life, right? Well they do for a little while. We get to see the gang hang out while.....trying to solve a couple of murder cases. Someone is killing and making it look like a vamp.  

The Series: The series continues to hold my interest and I love all the one-liners and sassy side characters as much as I like the heroine. Jaye Wells take us on an emotional ride this time around. There is so much going on with the interaction between the series regulars. If you like your Urban Fantasy with action and a lot of side slipting snark then check out this series. 

Final Thought: Jaye Wells has been added to my auto-buy list with this series. And I can't wait to see what kind of ending she has in store for Sabina and the gang with the last book in the series, Blue-Blooded Vamp. 

Part of:

Check out the discussion over at Readers Confession.

Sabina Kane Series Read-a-long: Green-Eyed Demon by Jaye Wells

Welcome to the discussion for the 3rd book in the Sabina Kane series, Green-Eyed Demon. If you have read ahead in the series please remember to not spoil about future plot lines. To help with this I've come up with a few discussion points for us to talk about. Feel free to talk away in the comments and if you have posted a review for Red-Headed Stepchild leave a link for us to check out.

WARNING: if you have not read this book you might want to come back after reading since this discussion MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.

Reviews:

Readers Confession
Goldilox and the Three Weres
The Book Nympho

Favorite Quotes:

Jennifer -

“I think you need to go find that boy and tell him how you feel about him. Then you need to ride him like a tilt-o-whirl.” 

“I frowned. This from a man who just watched a midget riding a gimp?” 

Christen - 

I choked on my coffee. "You tried to sleep-sex Adam?" "I didn't sleep-sex him. Just kind of, well, humped his leg a little."

Discussion:

What is one of the biggest things that stands out for you that has changed about Sabina since book 1? 

Jenese -
I've noticed for a cold hearted assassin Sabina was supposed to be she is quick to admit her faults and admit she's wrong. Hell...I'd put up more of a fight than her sometimes. Sorry...I'm kind of conflicted about this.

Christen -
She is definitely still battling her I'm-a-cold-hearted-bitch-who-doesn't-need-anyone side, but you can see that she's finally starting to admit to herself how much the other characters mean to her. I like that her transition has been slow though, she can't change in one book.

Jennifer -
She's gone from cold heart bitch to someone that has friends and family that she cares about and is willing to die for. I agree that she sometimes gives in too fast but I think it's because her emotions are so raw. She's learning how to be a person that cares for others.

This series has dark humor and some of the best humor is used in this one. What was your favorite funny scene?

Jenese -
I think most scenes with Pussy Willow were hilarious. When she made her first entrance in her Cleopatra outfit that was great. 

Christen - 
The scene with Sabina and Zen in the cemetery trying to do the ritual with the dead guy and the owl? That was hilarious. Talk about a spell going awry! And Sabina was actually insulted that the zombie didn't want to take a bite out of her, lol!

Jennifer -
Midget orgy scene! When Gighul comes back and gets Adam and Sabina to show them what he found to when they see it in the window. It only makes it funnier that Gighul is in his blad cat form. And WTF did they see that one dude doing? LOL 

Best secondary character goes to... 

Jenese -
PW all the way...lol...Pussy Willow stole the show. 

Jennifer -
Pussy Willow NO DOUBT! I loved how he/she interacted with Gighul. 

Christen - 
Still Giguhl! PW comes close, but Mr. Giggles just has no equal, lol!

What do you think of Adam and Sabina's relationship?

Jenese -
I like a bad boy and Adam is NOT a bad boy!! He's very goody too shoes for me. I do like when he gets feisty though...that side needs to come out more. 

Jennifer -
Granted Urban Fantasy is not as much as about the romance as PNR is but I usually find myself rooting for the romance to develop between the heroine and hero but with Sabina and Adam I'm meh on them. I'm just not feeling them as a couple. Maybe things will change in the last two books.

Christen -  
Yeah, I'm not that concerned with their relationship either. I wanted them to work things out and get together, but I'm not all that excited about it. I think they had more hot moments in the last two books actually than in this one.

***spoilerish***

Do you think Maisie is going to be okay after all this?

Jenese - 
She has certainly been through an ordeal in this book. I'm glad her vamp sife has come out...maybe a little too much. 

Christen -  
I'm worried about Maisie, but I'm glad to see her character get a darker side. That's kind of mean of me, lol, but I like when an author takes an upbeat, happy character and breaks them down to show them heal. I think in the end it will cause Sabina and Maisie's relationship to deepen.

Jennifer -
I think it's going to take a lot to make her ok. I'm not sure that she will ever be her old self again but with a war coming that might be a good thing.


Were you surprised to see Valva missing from this book? Do you think the new characters we meet here will be in the next one or will they go the way of Valva?

Jenese - 
I was also surprised to see that Valva was gone. I hoped that she would be a nice new addition the crew as well in Giguhl's life. I have to agree with Jen there is definitely a chance we will see her again since she's now connected to Masie. I would hate to think that they went through all that to keep her here and then she's not in the books.

Christen -
I was really surprised that Valva is gonzos. I thought she was going to be a character we'd have for a while. We didn't even get to see the scene that leads to her leaving! I wonder what made the author decide to kick her to the curb. I like all the new characters we met in New Orleans so I hope we see then in the fourth book.

Jennifer - 
I'm wondering if Valva will show back up since she is Masie's familar. I looked up the cities for the rest of the series and New Orleans is mentioned so I'm thinking we might see the characters from Green-Eyed Demon in rest of the series. But Wells might throw new outlandish characters at us.

I read the short story, Violet Tendenices and it explains the scene in the vampire strip club where Valva leaves the group.

Tell us what you think in the comments 
and feel free to leave a link to your review.

Read-a-Long Schedule:

1/25/2013: Red-Headed Stepchild
at The Book Nympho
REVIEW
DISCUSSION

 2/22/2013: The Mage in Black
at  Goldilox and the Three Weres 

REVIEW

DISCUSSION

3/29/2013: Green Eyed Demon
at  The Book Nympho 
 REVIEW
DISCUSSION

 4/26/2013: Silver Tongued Devil 
at Readers Confession

5/31/2013: Blue-Blood Vamp
at The Book Nympho

Please follow my co-hosts:

Review: Green-Eyed Demon by Jaye Wells

Green-Eyed Demon

by Jaye Wells

Sabina Kane series #3

The clock is ticking for Sabina Kane. Her sister has been kidnapped by her grandmother, the Dark Races are on the brink of war, and a mysterious order is manipulating everyone behind the scenes.

Working on information provided by an unlikely ally, Sabina and her trusty sidekicks--a sexy mage named Adam Lazarus and Giguhl, a Mischief demon--head to New Orleans to begin the hunt for her sister. Once there, they must contend with belligerent werewolves, magic-wielding vampires and--perhaps most frightening of all--humans.

But as much as Sabina is focused on surviving the present, the past won't be ignored. Before she can save those she cares about most, she must save herself from the ghosts of her past.

Well I'm three books deep into the Sabina Kane series and I'm still enjoying it. Wells keep delivering the snark and introducing us to more fun secondary characters. All the while showing us that a once cold heart bitch assassin and turn into a kick ass heroine.

Sabina and the gang is back (minus one vanity demon) looking for Masie. The Kane family is one dysfunctional bunch. You've got Sabina and Masie, twin sister that are half vampire and mage. Which it really hard since the two races can't stand each other. Then throw in their grandmother, the vampire bitch that is the head of the vampire race. Dear ol' granny kidnapped Masie in last book, The Mage in Black.

The gang lives New York City to search the Big Easy for Masie. All kinds of weird stuff goes down in New Orleans, from zombies to drag queen shows. But it's not all fun and games. There's some serious action and magic use going on in this installment. Sabina is really starting to come into her own magic and I think she is only going to get stronger in that area.

We get more action in the romance department as well this time around. Although I'm not 100% sold on Sabina and Adam. But time will tell if I come around to them being a couple.

So to sum up Green-Eyed Demon: snark, midget orgy, fast paced action and a little brown chicken, brown cow.

To check out my reviews of the other books in the series click on the covers below.

  

Review: The Mage in Black by Jaye Wells

The Mage in Black 
by Jaye Wells 

Sabina Kane #2 

 

Sabina Kane doesn't have the best track record when it comes to family. After all, her own grandmother, the leader of the vampire race, just tried to kill her. When she arrives in New York to meet the mage side of her family, the reunion takes the fun out of dysfunctional.

On top of that, the Hekate Council wants to use her as a pawn in the brewing war against the vampires. Her mission will take her into the bowels of New York's Black Light district, entangles her in mage politics, and challenges her beliefs about the race she was raised to distrust. And Sabina thought vampires were bloodthirsty

1st Rule of Demon Fight Club...Don't talk about it. 2nd Rule of Demon Fight Club...read this freaking book for the Demon sidekick alone and you won't be disappointed.

That's right the lovable Mr. Giggles is back bitches. I absolutely love Giguhl, Sabina's demon familiar. He's great for a laugh and we find out that he can hold his own when it comes to a fight. His and Sabina relationship is funny and touching. They have each others back and Sabina learns to let her big boy demon out on his own. Sabina has to stop being a stage mother when Giguhl gets into an underground Demon Fight Club that is ran by The Shade, a vampire from Sabina's past.

Sabina, Adam and Giguhl starts out on a cross country trip from L.A. to New York. From page one we get a hilarious action scene at a gas station where Sabina and Adam have to fight for their lives against three vamps that was sent to take her out.

After the group makes it to New York, Sabina is thrown into the Mage life. She meets her twin sister and whole host of other Mages. Sabina is out of her element while she tries to learn to use her magic from her Mage heritage.

There a little bit of romance in the works but with the supe world on the brink of war it gets push aside for the time being.

I'm enjoying the world and characters that Jaye Wells has created. She does an excellent job of balancing the action and snark. The Mage in Black is another winner in the urban fantasy genre and feel like the next book, Green-Eyed Demon is only going to be even better as Sabina wages war on her evil grandmother.

Part of:

Make sure you head over to Goldilox and Three Weres 

for this month's discussion post.

Read-a-Long Schedule:

1/25/2013: Red-Headed Stepchild
review/discussion at The Book Nympho

 2/22/2013: The Mage in Black
review/discussion @  Goldilox and the Three Weres 

3/29/2013: Green Eyed Demon
review/discussion @  The Book Nympho  

 4/26/2013: Silver Tongued Devil 
review/discussion @ Readers Confession

5/31/2013: Blue-Blood Vamp
review/discussion @ The Book Nympho

Review: Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells

Red-Headed Stepchild 

by Jaye Wells

(Sabina Kane #1) 

In a world where being of mixed-blood is a major liability, Sabina Kane has the only profession fit for an outcast: assassin. But, her latest mission threatens the fragile peace between the vampire and mage races and Sabina must scramble to figure out which side she's on. She's never brought her work home with her---until now.

This time, it's personal.

Red-Headed Stepchild is a fantastic start to the Sabina Kane series. Jaye Wells does a great job of balancing humor and action in this fast pace urban fantasy novel with a hard-ass heroine that grows a heart by the end of the book.

The book almost read like two for me. The 1st half we have a tough as nails heroine that would rather just do her job as an assassin for Domina, the vampire council, than have any down time and friends. In fact in the opening scene we see Sabina kill her friend because her grandmother, a member of the Domina told her to. No real questions asked.

Lavinia, Sabina's grandmother, is a total bitch and has treated Sabina as a second rate citizen all her life because she is half mage. But Sabina is good enough to carry out the death sentences that Lavinia is too good to do herself.

The second half of the book we Sabina change when she starts to realize that she has made friends with the small group of people that is helping her with her undercover assignment that the Domina has sent her on. She doesn't know how to act seeing as she's never really had any friends.

Among the group of friends is a super sexy mage named, Adam. Sabina learns about the mages' way of life from Adam, including how to use magic. Adam comes off as a stalker at first until his story unfolds. Then he is someone that Sabina is glad to have around.

Another person that Sabina finds herself being friends is the demon, Giguhl that was summoned to "test" Sabina by trying to kill her but one funny thing after another happens and Sabina finds herself with a house quest she can't get rid of. Giguhl is an AWESOME side character and helps bring humor to the story and I can't wait to see more of Mr. Giggles (the pet name that Sabina gives him).

All in all Red-Headed Stepchild is an urban fantasy book with everything, action, humor and a budding romance and an evil bad guy looking to take ove the paranormal world. If you like kick ass herione with a surprising soft side and Demons that are addicted to the home shopping network you should give  Jaye Well's Red-Headed Stepchild a go.

Sabina Kane READ-A-LONG

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This much urban fantasy awesomeness needs THREE hosts:

The Book Nympho, 

Goldilox and the Three Weres 

& Readers Confession 

Read-a-Long Schedule:

 1/25/2013: Red-Headed Stepchild 

review/discussion @ The Book Nympho 

 2/22/2013: The Mage in Black
review/discussion @  Goldilox and the Three Weres 

3/29/2013: Green Eyed Demon
review/discussion @  The Book Nympho  

 4/26/2013: Silver Tongued Devil 
review/discussion @ Readers Confession

5/31/2013: Blue-Blood Vamp
review/discussion @ The Book Nympho  

On the LAST Friday of every month we will post our reviews, share our favorite quotes and there will be about 3 discussion topics/questions talk about.

If you’re interested in joining us in our SABINA KANE series read-a-long, grab a copy of Red-Headed Stepchild and meet us back here, on The Book Nympho, on 1/25/2013 for our 1st discussion.

Audio book listeners are welcome too.

Please follow my co-hosts: