Good morning everyone! The people who will be receiving a copy of Passion and Plaid by Anya Karin are:
Bridget Thomas-Parker
Lee Todd
Alexandra J
Maureen
bn100
Mary Preston
Lori Meehan
LorettaLynn
nurmawati djuhawan
Katrina Whittaker
*An email has been sent. Please respond within 48 hrs or the prize will be forfeit. I am not responsible for anything that ends up in your spam folder*
Thanks everyone!!!
Available: May 28, 2013 Amazon/B&N
Type: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Kensington
My Copy: Sent
Reviewer: Nikki
Earthly Delights
With a messed up family background and a tendency to grow claws and fangs, Tanner Chance isn’t exactly the boy next door. But he’s a decent cop, and he keeps himself on the side of the good guys. Convenient, because when he rescues a survivor of a horrific shifter attack he finds himself instantly smitten—with an honest-to-goodness angel, as innocent as she is irresistible.
Marna may be angelic, but she’s not stupid or weak. She can take care of herself. Tanner is more temptation than protection anyway. Or so she thinks, until someone wearing her face starts taking out some of New Orleans’ more unsavory paranormals. With police and predators both gunning for her blood, Marna has no choice but to trust Tanner…even though what’s sparking between them is hotter than anything holy.
Avenging Angel is Eden’s fourth book in her The Fallen series and it picks up right after book three ends in an epic battle that leaves Marna wingless and earth bound. I enjoy this series immensely and am still waiting for the book that I won’t enjoy. Eden snags my interest every time she pens a story and luckily nothing changed when I picked up Avenging Angel.
Marna is quite capable of taking care of herself. Even if most of her angel powers have gone on the fritz after her wings were sawed off in a fight with a shifter. Regardless, Tanner has dogged her every step sine she was strong enough to walk away from him after she healed. Now two shifters have turned up dead and the only witness claims Marna did it. Or someone with Marna’s face. Not wanting her to be framed for murder Tanner whisks her away in order to protect her while they try and track down the real killer.
Marna is such a strong female lead character. She matches Tanner and even soars above him on occasion. Due to her run in with Tanner’s brother, she is skeptical of all shifters and doesn’t want to admit to herself the new found feelings shes having are mostly when he is present. The lust is new to her as are all human emotions and she tries valiantly to ignore them in her quest to get back up to Heaven in any way possible. But having Tanner around means Marna is slowly excepting her earthbound state and soon Heaven isn’t her top priority. I love watching (and experiencing) those new found feelings with the characters for the first time. The confusion, the slight anger, the denial are all something that I take along with the hero/heroine and in a world where we take things for granted, being able to feel that for the first time is an awesome experience. Working through them with a alpha panther shifter…even better.
Tanner and Marna together were a definite force to be reckoned with. Tanner’s panther was always close by and ready to attack and that frequently set Tanner on edge. He was always so afraid of losing control but he really just needed to learn to trust himself. His abusive background was constantly on his mind and he believed that any show of aggression made him just who he feared the most…his father.
Cynthia Eden is one of my favorite authors for a reason. She never fails to set the scene and make it believable. Everything is always spot on and the level of emotion she evokes in her characters and readers alike is astounding. Her men are always alpha and her females always rise to the occasion. I also love how her stories, though separate, take place in the same world her other books take place in. She mentions other characters from other series and it really just ties everything together so nicely. I’ve never been let down by a Cynthia Eden book and I always look forward to more from this amazing author!
I give Avenging Angel by Cynthia Eden 4.50 stars!
This May, I’m pleased to support Penguin Group (USA)’s Read Humane® 2013 campaign to fight animal cruelty. We would like to welcome spokesperson and bestselling author Jill Shalvis to our blog today, where she is sharing with us her family’s animal rescue story discusses her Animal Magnetism series with a piece entitled “Why Dogs Make Great Sidekicks!”
Read Humane® is an initiative created by Penguin Group (USA) in 2012 to support our furry friends in honor of National Pet Month (May). As part of the Read Humane® 2013 campaign, six special edition, animal-themed mass market paperbacks have been reissued featuring the official Read Humane® seal. Penguin supports the fight against animal cruelty with a $25,000 donation, regardless of sales, to The Humane Society of the United States’ Animal Rescue Team.
For more information, and complete lists of the six participating authors and book retailers, please visit Penguin Group (USA) or view the official Read Humane® Prezi here.
And remember to join the conversation on Twitter with @BerkleyRomance and @HSUS throughout May by using the hashtag #readHumane. Followers are encouraged to Tweet about Penguin’s animal friendly books, share their own rescue stories, and join in other pet themed conversations.
Jill Shalvis is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over four dozen romance novels, including her fun contemporary Animal Magnetism series, which promotes animal rescue dogs. Jill is a 3-time National Readers Choice winner, and lover of animals! More information about Jill and her collection of fabulous romance titles can be found at www.JillShalvis.com.
***
My Rescue Story, by Jill Shalvis…
At any point, on any day in the Shalvis abode, there are animals. All of them rescued, always. It’s become somewhat of a family tradition, rescuing animals in need, and we’ve found that not only is it a nice thing to do, we get a really great pet out of the deal.
A couple of years ago, our house was fairly full. Okay, so it was straining at the wall joints. We had Ashes — our rescue Border Collie/Australian Blue Heeler. Sadie – our cat who thinks she’s a dog. Micky – a field mouse rescued from the high school science lab. And four teenage girls.
Actually, it wasn’t a house. It was a zoo.
But a year before we’d lost Izzie, our beloved brown lab. And we missed having two dogs. Yes, we’re crazy. Anyway, on that fated day I’m about to tell you about, Alpha Man (my husband) had heard about a yellow lab puppy who needed rescue.
No. No way. I was adamant. I had enough on my plate. But Alpha Man just wanted to go make sure the lab was okay.
So we left the mountain…
And drove…
And drove…
We were following the sketch directions from a guy who knew a guy who had told us about a woman who lived out in the middle of nowhere, and I mean NOWHERE, and she rescues animals.
The landscape was like something out of a Criminal Minds episode, so we were wary at first. We had no idea what we were going to find. A box of puppies, or a meth lab … nothing would have surprised me. I was a little worried because the kids were with us, but it turned out the place was fifty acres of love.
Any animal in need is welcome.
Even the funny looking ones…
The woman had goats, horses, turtles, geese, snakes, angry chickens … you name it and she had it. She was rehabbing it, doctoring it, loving it … whatever the animal needed.
We’d gone because of the rumor of the puppies, the yellow labs. And she did have two puppies. She’d rescued them out of a horrible situation.
But the yellow lab wasn’t the one who stole our hearts. Nope, it was her little baby brother. The runt.
He was filthy and living in a hovel. And the minute he saw us, he came alive. Wriggling, happy, loving. All you had to do was touch him and he writhed in joy and dropped to the floor for a belly rub.
And once he was picked up by the teenagers and loved up by them, he didn’t want to get down. I tried. I tried hard. But the thing had wriggled his way right into my heart. I remember looking at Alpha Man, laughing and crying at the same time.
“You didn’t want another dog,” he reminded me.
I told him to zip it. We were taking this dog and that was that. Besides, there was the little matter of him being in my arms and refusing to be put down.
So we never put him down again. Meet Frat Boy…
***
Why Dogs Make Great Sidekicks, by Jill Shalvis…
Now that you know a little bit about my rescue story, I want to share with you some of the inspiration for my Animal Magnetism series. One of the fun things about writing this series is developing complex and lovable characters… that just happen to be adorable dogs! Here’s why dogs make great sidekicks…
1. Because when you’re on the mountain trail and you come across an angry mama bear and her baby cubs, your dog will run like hell. This will warn you to run like hell as well. Just be careful because if your dog is like my dog, he will throw you under the bus (or in this case bear) to get home before you do.
2. Because when all the cookies are gone you can totally blame your cookie loving dog. No one has to know that you ate all the cookies yourself. And your dog can give you dirty looks for blaming him but he can’t actually talk and dispute your story. Solid alibi.
3. Because if you’ve eaten in a way that disagrees with your stomach, there are never any worries. Your dog will always, ALWAYS, out stink you. And if he doesn’t, you can still point the finger at him. Again, he can’t talk and dispute your story.
4. Dogs are not just great sidekicks but they also make great a really great wingman. If you’re single, you can totally put your dog to work at charming the person you’re interested in. Just make sure that person likes dog drool and dog hair all over everything first.
5. There is never a need for a pillow or extra blanket because your dog will always be willing to get into bed with you and share body heat. Always. Just be forewarned. Being a great sidekick is not the same thing as a good bed partner. They have a habit of being a total bed hog.
***
Thank you so much, Jill for sharing your stories with us! If you have enjoyed Jill’s stories please feel free to show your support in our comments section below and by visiting the other participating websites/blogs…
Read Humane® Blog Tour 2013!
For more information on Read Humane® please visit Penguin Group (USA). To view more special features from spokesperson Jill Shalvis, please visit the following websites/blogs; each website/blog will feature a unique perspective on Read Humane, so be sure to stop by each for a new and exciting experience!
4/29/2013 USA Today’s Happy Ever After Special Feature!
4/29/2013 Fresh Fiction Spotlight
4/30/2013 RT Book Reviews Online Special Feature!
5/1/2013 Happily Ever After Reads Spotlight
5/2/2013 Teresa’s Reading Corner Spotlight
5/3/2013 The Book Reading Gals Spotlight
5/4/2013 Book Crack Spotlight
5/5/2013 Love Romances & More Spotlight
5/6/2013 Books-N-Kisses Spotlight
5/7/2013 RT Book Reviews Online Spotlight
5/8/2013 Cocktails & Books Spotlight
5/9/2013 The Book Pushers Spotlight
5/10/2013 Kindles & Wine Spotlight
5/11/2013 My Book Addiction & More Spotlight
5/12/2013 Eye on Romance Spotlight
5/13/2013 eBook Obsessed Spotlight
5/14/2013 My Friend Amy Spotlight
5/14/2013 Pretty Fluffy Spotlight
5/16/2013 The Romance Dish Spotlight
5/16/2013 Pretty Fluffy Spotlight
5/17/2013 Ramblings from a Chaotic Mind Spotlight
5/18/2013 Romantic Book Affairs Spotlight
5/19/2013 Ramblings from This Chick Spotlight
5/20/2013 Under the Covers Book Blog Spotlight
5/20/2013 The Romance Studio Spotlight
5/21/2013 Chick Lit Reviews Spotlight
5/26/2013 The Reading Café Spotlight
5/27/2013 Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews Spotlight
5/28/2013 Stuff and Nonsense Spotlight
5/29/2013 Thoughts in Progress Spotlight
Publisher: Berkley
After a tragic stint in the National Guards, Adam Connelly returns to Idaho and to Belle Haven, the animal shelter he owns with his brothers. All Adam wants is to be alone. Then he opens the door to the past—the woman whose heart he once broke. Still gorgeous, still tough-as-nails, but this time, unusually vulnerable.
Holly Reid learned the hard way to never depend on a man for anything. Now, of all men, it’s the last one she wants to see, and the only one she needs. Her father has gone missing in the Bitterroot Mountains and she could use someone with tracking skills to help find him.
For Holly and Adam, each with their ghosts, a trek this desperate, this unpredictable, and this intimate, will have its share of risks—including opening their hearts one more time
Hi and thank you for having me as a guest today! Do you read a lot of book blogs and have you ever wondered what a typical day in the life of a full-time writer looks like? I do!
Alas, I know quite a few writers, and I’m not sure there is such a thing as a typical day. Sure, some writers are disciplined and some have word count goals. Some write by the seat of their pants and some plot the story points until every key twist and turn is perfectly mapped out. But each writer’s process is as unique as the writer herself.
I know what I want my days to look like. I’d like to wake up every morning and wave goodbye to my four teens as they slip out the door for school—early, of course, with their lunches packed and their perfect essays filed neatly in their backpacks. (Oh—and even better, my oldest son would drive them in the hand-me-down gold minivan I gave him, because heaven knows they wouldn’t all fit in my new two-seater sports car.)
And after the kids were at school, I’d feed my grateful pets then take a long bath that felt like an hour, but surprisingly only took fifteen minutes. I would emerge from said bath and let my hair air-dry to perfection while I ate breakfast and read the morning paper front to back. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I’d jogged five miles before the bath—but then, in this alternate reality, jogging is so easy that it’s easy to forget something like that.
Soon after breakfast, I would slip into my office (Because of course I have a designated office. An elegant one.), and then I’d start to write, adding two thousand words an hour to a manuscript that was sure to be an instant classic, stopping only to jump on Facebook or Twitter to answer fans’ questions about when the next release is due out or giving my stamp of approval to yet another child being named after one of my heroes or heroines.
At the end of that long (yet incredibly delightful) day, my husband would reward my hard work with a delicious home-cooked meal and nice thirty minute massage.
Wouldn’t that be AMAZING???
Well, that’s not exactly how my typical day goes. The kids are usually rushing out the door and I’m chasing them down the street with their forgotten lunch sack. The pets…actually, yes, the pets are super grateful. (I’ve never felt like such a rock-star for throwing down a bowl of kibble.) But the words don’t always surge from my brain onto the keyboard at an astonishing speed.
Still, it works for me. Regardless of what was happening around me—like orthodontic appointments, running kids to sporting events, and general familial chaos—when I wrote book 3 in The Shadow Slayers series, Dark Flight, it felt like everything was exactly how it should be.
Fans of the series have been through a lot with the characters, and I think they are really going to love this book. Writing it wasn’t a chore, but a pleasure. I was as teary-eyed at the end of the novel as I hope readers will be, and completing that Dark Flight taught me something…
I may not have the “perfect” writer’s life, but as long as I can finish books that speak to something deep inside me and I get the chance to share those books with readers—that’s perfectly all right with me.
As a thank you for stopping by, I’d like to give away a digital copy of Dark Flight to someone who comments today. Will you share with us one thing you’d have or do on your perfect day?
*Contest open until 5/27/13 @ 11:59pm EST with winner announced shortly after. Open internationally*
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Book 1: The Slayer’s Kiss
Publisher: Samhain
When the past flies in your face, clip its wings.
The Shadow Slayers, Book 1
Kara Reed is a supernatural failure. But where her magic falls short, her fists get the job done. The criminal element doesn’t stand a chance once she hits San Diego’s dark streets. When two smoking-hot tenants move in next door, she thinks her love life might finally be heating up. Just being near Gavin and Julian is enough to make her want to offer her body on a platter. Gavin and Julian know it’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out. They’re fallen angels sent to watch over the king’s daughter, one of the last females of her kind. Trouble is, she doesn’t seem to think she needs watching—unless they’re watching her shimmy out of her clothes. No matter how tempting her guardians, Kara’s not about to let anything stop her from tracking down a sadistic killer who carves into his victims and leaves them for dead. Even when she realizes her target may be the very scourge of heaven from which her angels swore to protect her… Warning: Contains a kick-ass heroine with a foul mouth, a kind heart and a raging libido, and two fallen angel warriors who wouldn’t have her any other way. Watch out for sex in the clouds, a magical island of hedonism and a love triangle that gives new meaning to the term “hot-wings”
Book 2: Shadow Rising
Publisher: Samhain
“Her lover is back from the dead but now there s hell to pay. “
When Kara Reed learns her bondmate, Julian, is truly dead, and that Gavin has seemingly skipped town, she figures things have hit rock bottom. But soon, a string of bizarre accidents has her doubting those closest to her. And to make matters worse, the demon-kings brand carved into her best friend Abbeys stomach is deteriorating by the day.
Then a powerful coven of witches issues Kara an ultimatum. Bring them the blood of a true fallen angel the only thing that will heal Abbey or die. Kara would do anything to help her friend. Problem is, the only fallen angel she s seen lately is the disoriented black-wing who attacked her scouts. One who looks suspiciously like Julian. Getting his blood might be easier if he was more interested in kissing her than killing her.
Caught between a coven of vengeful witches and a murderous dead lover, Kara must deliver the blood, heal the slow poison of Abbeys brand, and save Julian from being consumed by the Abyss. But to do this, she may need the help of the one man she swore never to trust again, Gavin.
Warning: This book contains an angry demon returning from the dead, a clan lord hiding a terrible secret, and a hunted heroine cracking open a can of whoop-ass. Watch out for creepy kitties, exploding bad guys, and some very sudsy shower sex.
Book 2.5: The Silverwing’s Sorceress
Publisher: Samhain
Abbey Sellers has to get out of town for a few days while trouble at home sorts itself out. A getaway to her family’s mountain retreat with her friend, Jaxon, is exactly what she needs to relax and forget the wound etched into her stomach. Except since the scorching kiss they shared, spending time with Jaxon isn’t as relaxing as it used to be.
Grounded warriors, secret tunnels, and an ancient Book of Death are only part of the problem. How does any woman with a pulse stay “just friends” with a man who spent a hundred years honing his lovemaking skills in a harem? Besides, he’s immortal, and she has a shelf life. Jaxon, though, isn’t listening—or taking no for an answer.
Jaxon Hex finally knows what he wants, and he won’t let anything stop him from making Abbey his. Not even the devastating secret he’s been hiding from her. With the coven out to assassinate the woman he loves, and Abbey dabbling in death magic that could get her killed, his own blood could be the one thing that heals her—or separates them for all eternity.
Product Warnings
This book contains a warrior with needs, a woman with willpower issues and a cabin that’s not what it seems. Watch out for no-holds-barred sex and a love that can move mountains…literally.
Book 3: Dark Flight
Available: May 21, 2013 Amazon/B&N
Publisher: Samhain
“In a world of shadows, a pure heart can be the most dangerous weapon of all. “
Kara has been training for months to help take down Brakken-the merciless black-wing who is making life hell for the Demiare. But when Julian discovers a scout has been tracking Kara, he wants her out of the fight-even if it means breaking her heart in the process.
Gavin isn’t much better. He’s already lost so much to Brakken and has no intention of allowing the woman he loves to be the next sacrifice. He and Julian have their hands full trying to fight Brakken’s army and keep Kara safe, especially after her recent visit to the mythical white-wings. Since her return, she’s been acting decidedly…strange.
With a terrible battle looming, Kara doesn’t have time to think about her conflicted feelings for Gavin and Julian-or the fact that she’s developed an unnatural taste for Gavin’s blood. But if she thought it was complicated evading mysterious scouts and fending off vicious black-wings, she’s learning that’s nothing compared to loving two strong-willed men.
Warning: This book contains angels that aren’t what they seem, a heroine with mad midwifery skills, and a metamorphosis that will change life as we knew it.
EXCERPT:
Copyright © 2012 Cassi Carver All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication
Kara dropped into a crouch behind the leaves of a giant bird of paradise as her claws silently pushed through the tips of her fingers. Her thigh muscles burned from the continued strain, but they could catch fire for all she cared. He wasn’t going to get her. Not this time.
When the sound of furtive footsteps approached, crunching softly through the thick, tropical undergrowth, Kara grabbed onto a low-lying branch and swung herself up, then quickly scaled the side of the tree. Her heart beat full-throttle, hammering so hard she hoped he couldn’t hear it. But if his hearing was that good, even the shallow breaths she took might give her away.
The buckskin-clad shape came closer. Head to toe, he wore a suit made of animal skin with a leaf pattern hand-drawn on the material. It was a hunting suit. But Kara didn’t feel like being hunted tonight.
She waited until he was directly under the tree where she hid. His chest and back were strapped with weapons that slowed him just enough to put him at a disadvantage. With a silent, decisive breath, Kara leapt.
Claws extended, she pounced on his back from above, flattening him to the ground under her, crushing a mass of fern fronds under his thick chest. She pulled a knife from his back strap and held it to his throat.
Smiling, she leaned down to whisper above his hooded ear, “Give up, big guy?” If it came out a little throaty and seductive, she couldn’t help it. Victory was a major turn-on. But then again, when it came to Gavin Cross, just breathing the same air was enough to get her hot and bothered.
He shifted under her, and his hulking body had no problem moving her with him. With her knees straddling his hips, she lifted up to allow him to roll onto his back.
“Lady Kara…” the man began, “you have need of me?”
Kara dropped the knife and jumped off, falling to one knee and clobbering a sprig of wild orchids in the clumsy maneuver. “Who the hell are you?”
“Patrick. You don’t remember me?” The warrior sat up and searched her eyes for a moment, but then his confusion cleared, as though he’d finally caught on to what was afoot. “Ah, you really don’t remember me, do you? You simply have need of a man. I don’t mind, my lady. I would be honored to service you.”
It still bothered Kara that his offer lit fuses all up and down her body. If she hadn’t grown up as a regular gal, she probably would have taken him up on his offer. Right here. Right now. Already, his substantial interest was growing.
She stood and brushed the debris from her black jeans. “I’m so sorry, Patrick. I really didn’t intend to…jump you. Lord Gavin and I are doing training exercises out here, and I thought you were him. You may want to hunt somewhere else until we’re finished.” When his brows rose, she added, “Finished training.”
Patrick stood, assessing her with a wry smile, then he retrieved his knife and returned it to its sheath. “Lord Gavin, you say? But he was the one who ordered the hunt.”
“He did what?” But just as she said it, something slammed into her from behind, carrying her blindingly fast through the maze of trees and vines until the blurred image of a clearing appeared.
In the next instant, she crashed into the tall grass face first and rolled onto her back—or was flipped, more like it. The hulking form above her blocked out the light of the moon with his massive silver wings. Her back pushed into the soggy soil, the moisture soaking through her shirt, and a root of some sort pressed against her ribs.
She glared up at Gavin, but with only an inch separating them, his hazel eyes were huge, eclipsing everything else in her vision, and his grin seemed to stretch as wide as his wings. “Gotcha.”
“What was that?” she demanded, but it was hard to yell at him with his lips so close to hers.
He brought a hand to her neck and ran his finger slowly across her throat. “If I had a knife, you’d be dead. I win again.”
Kara’s hands found his waist of their own volition. “No you don’t. You cheated. You sent a horny hunter into our training ground. I thought he was you!”
His breath was sweet and spicy, and the corners of his eyes crinkled with soft lines as he smiled. “Cheating is irrelevant when it comes to life and death, princess. Don’t expect integrity from those who want you dead.”
Her hands raked over the bare skin covering his ribs, until she curled her fingers into her palms to keep from touching him again. “Okay, that one doesn’t count.”
Gavin laughed and pulled her to her feet. “It counts. That’s three hundred sixteen for me and seven for you.”
“Shit,” she ground out. “Let’s try again.”
He reached out and adjusted her damp black T-shirt so that it lay smoothly against her chest. “You’re not ready, Kara.”
She batted his hand away. “So I can’t flash like a silver-wing. That doesn’t mean I’m defenseless.” She’d killed his brother, who was incredibly strong for a silver-winged fallen angel—but she didn’t think there would ever be a right moment to throw that in Gavin’s face. Besides, he’d just tell her that his brother hadn’t been an almost invincible black-wing like the beast they were planning to bring down now.
“We’ve done enough for one night. Let me take you home. It must be almost three pm in San Diego, and you said you had to work tonight.”
Now that Kara was officially part of the Mercury Clan—a band of more than three hundred fallen angel hybrids—Gavin had finally confided that Mercury Island was located in the Seychelles chain of islands. Albeit, with all the wards and defenses, there wasn’t a good chance of a fisherman or passing cruise ship catching on to that fact.
Being halfway around the world from San Diego, it was almost twelve hours off from where she called home. Three pm in San Diego meant she’d kept Gavin up all night here on Mercury Island.
“Yeah, I do have to work. And you need to get some rest.”
He wrapped his arms around her, preparing to flash. “Have you thought about my offer?” As he asked, they began to dissolve. He carried her through the inky tar, and a moment later, they were standing on the balcony off her living room overlooking downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter.
She let the nausea and the boneless feeling pass before she answered. “I can’t.”
He growled and released her. “No lady of the Mercury Clan needs to work. I have enough resources to keep you comfortable from now until the Armageddon. Did I ever mention that Teras’s daughter working at a bar for minimum wage and paltry tips is just plain absurd?”
“Only about a dozen times. Don’t you ever get tired of this subject, Daddy Warbucks? I know I do.”
“Your father was my king, Kara. How can I hold my head high when I’m not caring for his only daughter?”
Kara reached up—way up, given Gavin’s six-foot-seven-inch frame—and patted his cheek. The dark blond stubble along his jaw was just starting to poke through and it tickled her palm. “You’re so cute when you go all protect-and-provide on me, but I gotta get ready for work now. Bye.” When she wiggled her fingers in farewell and turned to enter the apartment, Gavin slapped her on the rump. She yelped and dashed into the living room.
“Brat!” he called after her, and then he flashed.
And with the sting his hand left on her ass, he was lucky he did.
She growled and swallowed down her body’s reaction to her golden-haired protector. Since her lover, Julian, had called things off three weeks ago, bringing Kara’s sex life to a screeching halt, her starving body couldn’t handle even grappling or sparring with Gavin without her wanting to unstrap his weapons belt to unsheathe his broadsword.
She sat hard on the edge of the sofa and ran a hand over the side of her throbbing backside. What if she did quit her job? What if she took her place on the island as a lady of the clan? What would it be like to trade her boots and jeans for island wear and an ever-present supply of men eager to do her bidding?
As it was, she wondered how long could she pine for Julian, hoping he’d reconsider—and not just for the sake of her broken, humiliated heart, but also for how effective his attention was at helping her control her raging libido.
Truth was, females of Kara’s kind didn’t do well with abstinence once they’d reached her age. Hell, they didn’t even attempt it. And now more than ever Kara could see why.
She began to pull off her boots, but her face was angled toward the balcony window, pointing towards Mercury Island however many thousands of miles away. “Celibacy sucks!” she shouted.
But unfortunately, rolling around with Gavin Cross in a totally different exercise couldn’t happen until they’d accomplished their primary objective—sending that black-wing bastard Brakken to the Abyss before he got hold of Gavin’s only child.
BIO:
Cassi Carver lives in sunny Southern California with two dogs, four kids, five chickens, and one hubby who gives great massages. She gets to San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter for research (okay, happy hour) as often as possible. She’s never saved the world, but she keeps sexy boots on hand just in case the opportunity arises.
When Cassi isn’t busy plotting or writing, she enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends, caring for pets, getting outdoors, and watching sappy movies that deliver reliably happy endings.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CassiCarver
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CassiCarverAuthor
Website: cassicarver.com
I say that lovingly of course. Something has been nagging on my mind for the past month or so. It’s time I get it off my chest. Goodreads is an invaluable resource to readers, authors and publishers but it’s starting to really piss me off. Not the site per say, but all the douchecanoes that troll around on it.
Now I don’t normally interact on there. I use Goodreads strictly for the purpose in which it was intended. To shelve books I have read or those in which I want to read. I have four shelves. Read, To Read, DNF (Did Not Finish) and Currently Reading. I rate the books I read only after reading them. My way of doing things on Goodreads is becoming obsolete as I see a trend of bitchy self-righteousness emerging with distinct clarity every time I log on.
You see, contrary to what others may think, I could care less why you don’t want to read a book. Don’t like the author? Hate erotic romance? Don’t like heros with giant super peens able to induce 50 orgasms a night? Fine. Don’t read it. Why do people feel the need to rate something they’ve never read simply on their own flimsy reasoning or just because they can? Don’t they realize that by talking about the book, even negatively they are giving the book they seem to so vehemently hate, promo? Even negative promo sells books. Goodreads was created to rate books they’ve read and people are slowly turning it into a platform in which they can spew hatred that they seem to think others care about.
I have noticed this trend mainly within the genre of fan fiction which is a hot button issue for many different people. I can see both sides of the argument but Goodreads isn’t the place for you to spout your agenda. I personally have nothing against fan fiction. I’ve read my fair share (some I was aware of, some I wasn’t) and 99.99% of the time the characters are nothing like the “original” characters in which the author had gotten their ideas. Or they follow the characteristics of a ton of other hero/heroines in the genre. Doesn’t mean they are well wrote but the publishing houses don’t seem to be caring about that right now. But to simply rate a book as bad because it’s fan fiction is absurd. Or you don’t like the cover. Or you disliked the blurb. Whatever your excuse is. People get inspiration from everywhere. Musicians write songs based on other songs they’ve liked. Up and coming actors/actresses try to emulate their favorites. If you don’t like fan fiction just don’t read it. Why do you feel like your opinion on a book you have no intention of reading counts for anything? Basically you just feel the need to be a douche. To use your voice in any way you think you can. Like a child talking just to hear his voice. Read the book. Write a review. THEN give it a 1 star rating. Or just leave it alone. Talk to your hearts content on Twitter, Facebook or your personal blog. Goodreads is for rating books you’ve actually READ.
Just a few examples of shelves I’ve seen on Goodreads:
Gag Worthy Books
I Hate This Author
I Will Never Read This Book Because It’s Fan Fiction (not one actually read, all 1 stars ratings)
Books So Bad They Could Be Used As Toilet Paper
Add to this all the other negativity I see happening over there (authors misbehaving, catty reviews/reviewers, spammy spam spam) and now you understand why I don’t interact. Why I am unfollowing people by the droves because I don’t want to read their bitchyness anymore. Why I keep my opinions off there and on my own blog page instead.
Here are a couple of fan fiction books I’ve read and the varying degrees of ratings I gave them:
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This doesn’t include the plethora of books that read exactly like fanfiction but apparently are not. Like the fabulous Sylvia Day, Maya Banks and Lisa Renee Jones. All of whom books I LOVED but follow the same tropes popular in this BDSM craziness that has become so popular.
Sure I have a list of authors never to review for because I’ve seen some of the horrid behavior they have spewed forth on the internets. I assume most reviewers have one. I suspect even readers have one. I refuse to put it up on Goodreads. Why? Because why does my problem with someone need to be put out there? Why would I think anyone would care why I won’t read so-and-so. It could be because she was horribly immature on Twitter or that I don’t like her stance on dog grooming. I realize NO ONE CARES. Why would I even take the time to list all their books on a “I hate this author” shelf unless I had way too much time on my hands? And that is what it boils down to. People who have nothing better to do then to try and cause a commotion. So with that I will get back to what this blog was created for…reviews. Actually reading and then reviewing. In that order. Always.
Fiction from Reality
For me, some of the best ideas come from my everyday life. Sometimes, an entire character or scene can come from something I see or hear. Today, I was sitting outside of my daughter’s dance studio when I overhead a mom talking to her 4 year old son, asking him to be patient while she found her phone. The poor kid was moaning and cupping his man-parts, hopping back and forth on both feet. Now I don’t have boys, but I was pretty darn sure he was flashing her the universal sign for “I gotta go bathroom.”
Mom, still looking for her cell, didn’t act fast enough, and the kid just dropped trou. Right there in the middle of the parking lot. The mom looked up and, she didn’t yell or even scramble to get him to a bathroom, she just let out a tired sigh and said, “Come on, Connor, don’t pee by the car door. If you have to, then pee on the back tire.”
Obedient Connor waddled, pants around his ankles, to the back of the car and did as mom asked. Connor found his relief, and I found the beginnings Nicholas Reese, my heroine’s four year old son in the fourth book of the St. Helena Vineyard series.
The idea for the St. Helena Vineyard series itself came in a similar way. Years ago my husband invited his cousin to Thanksgiving dinner, who in turn invited her aunt, who invited another aunt, who invited an uncle and in the end I was responsible for roasting turkey for 13 Italians—let me clarify, I put the turkey in the oven and as soon as his family learned I was A) NOT Italian and B) a vegetarian, I was promptly kicked out of the kitchen and given a glass of wine. The dinner was loud and long and we consumed 25lbs of Turkey, 14 bottles of wine, and I knew that someday I would have to capture this kind of crazy love on paper. Seven years later the DeLuca family was created and I was finally able to write my scene. And here is a snip of it…
In this scene, the heroine, Lexi Moreau, is in the bathroom, trying to have a private conversation with her best friend, Abby, when the door explodes in. Poor Lexi discovers that, bathroom or not, private and the DeLuca’s do not co-exist.
Excerpt from SUMMER IN NAPA
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Lexi heard a muffled voice came through the bathroom door. It was Marc’s youngest brother, Trey. “Christ, man, I know this is all new to you, but give the lady some space.”
There was rustling as though some brotherly shoving and maybe a noogie was taking place on the other side of the door. Then Marc spoke. “She’s in there with Abby.”
“Doing what?” Trey sounded completely confused.
“They’re either sharing secrets or they’re trying to sneak out the window above the commode again,” Nonna ChiChi said a moment before the door shot open.
Dressed in an apron that read Got Cannoli? and a pair of red kitten heels that cost more than Lexi’s entire wardrobe, stood Marc’s nonna ChiChi. Beside her was Pricilla, looking stunning in her teal slacks and a tucked-in David Hasselhoff T-shirt with a seascape of gems bedazzled around the neckline, making the ensemble evening appropriate. At least in Pricilla’s mind.
“We weren’t trying to sneak out,” Abby defended, standing up.
“Of course you weren’t, dear,” Pricilla said, stepping into the bathroom and sitting on the commode. She held a covered dish in her right hand and her crocheted bag of treats in her left. She was smiling and in arm’s reach of both Abby’s and Lexi’s mouths. Most grannies discouraged lying with a mouthful of soap; Pricilla believed more in the if-your-mouth-is-too-full-of-chocolate-the-lie-can’t-come-out method.
“That’s exactly what you told me the last time, right before Mr. Patterson caught you two skinny-dipping in his pool,” ChiChi accused.
Abby was about to say something when Marc peeked his head over ChiChi’s. “You went skinny-dipping?”
“The night she stole my car,” Pricilla added.
“I had on underwear,” Lexi clarified, forcing her shoulders back but failing to hide the embarrassment creeping up her face. “And I just borrowed it.”
“What color was the underwear?” Trey wanted to know, popping his head in.
Marc elbowed his brother in the ribs and saved Lexi from answering.
“She hasn’t even had dinner and you’re going to scare her away.” A petite woman with striking blue eyes pushed her way in the room. One hand was securely tangled with Gabe’s, and the other rubbed back and forth over her pregnant belly. “The DeLucas are still learning the concept of personal space and that a bathroom isn’t the place for a family reunion.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Gabe said right as Nate and Tanner came through the door.
“Is it true you’re shacking up with this guy?” Trey wanted to know. Marc slugged him in the arm, and Trey slugged back when Nate pushed his way into the room and between the two brothers.
“Leave the poor thing alone,” Regan said with a reprimanding swat to Trey’s gut.
“I never really knew,” Lexi whispered to Abby.
“Oh, this is nothing,” she whispered back. “Wait until one of them questions the other’s manliness. Then it is on.”
“Shame on you, Trey. Where are your manners? Sleeping in sin is one thing.” ChiChi shook her head and made the sign of the cross. “Making her admit it in front her grandmother is plain rude.”
Lexi felt the blush rise even higher in her cheeks. Did they know about last night? Making people think they were having sex was part of the original plan, but that was before they had done the pantry-floor shuffle.
Marc ran a hand through his hair. “Christ, Nonna—”
Pricilla shoved a summer fiesta cake ball in Marc’s mouth and scolded, “Language. Plus, I don’t think he’s eaten the apple.” Her eyes narrowed, assessing Lexi and then Marc before frowning. “Tart, pie, or strudel. What’s wrong with you, son?”
~~~
Summer in Napa Blurb:
When Alexis “Lexi” Moreau caught her husband, Jeff, sampling the sous-chef’s more intimate wares in their New York restaurant, she ran—all the way back to her hometown of St. Helena, California. Six months later, Lexi has no husband and no restaurant. But she does have a three-step plan: First, convert her grandmother’s bakery into her dream bistro. Second, ignore Grandma’s matchmaking attempts. And third, avoid Marco DeLuca, her ex’s commitment-phobic, distractingly sexy best friend.
In school Lexi was off-limits for Marco. After all, she was his buddy’s girl. But she’s still as smart and as gorgeous—and apparently as immune to his charms—as she used to be. Yet the simple fake romance they agree upon to dodge Lexi’s grandmother’s matchmaking plans soon turns deliciously complicated. And the sultry summer might bring together all the right ingredients for Marco to win the only woman he’s ever wanted.
Author Bio:
Marina Adair is a National bestselling author of romance novels. Along with the St. Helena Vineyard series, she is also the author of Tucker’s Crossing, part of the Sweet Plains series. She currently lives with her husband, daughter, and three neurotic cats in Northern California.
Website: www.marinaadair.com
Twitter: @MarinaEAdair https://twitter.com/MarinaEAdair
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marina-Adair/313569728682853
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6426714.Marina_Adair
GIVEAWAY – Marina has graciously offered up one ARC of Summer In Napa to a US winner. To enter simply answer this question:
*Do you enjoy small town romances?*
Giveaway open until May 24th @ 11:59pm EST with winner announced shortly after!
Type: Erotic Romance
Publisher: NAL
My Copy: Sent
Reviewer: Nikki
Madeline Stone is determined to heal from her tragic past, one difficult step at a time
and she doesn’t need any distractions. Then she meets a mysterious and captivating stranger—and over a glass of outrageously expensive wine, her world turns upside down. Try as she might to banish the wealthy business mogul from her thoughts, Madeline can’t fight Alex’s staggering appeal or his enticing offer of intimate discovery.
Alex doesn’t date—at least, not in the traditional sense. Still, he wants Madeline
and his sexual intensity provides her with a much-needed escape. They embark on a tumultuous erotic affair, one that takes them to the pinnacle of obsession and desire. But underneath each explosive encounter lie dangerous secrets waiting to consume them both.
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This will be a short review because I really don’t have much to say about it. I disliked this book because it comes off as a ripoff of a ripoff of 50 Shades Of Grey. Everybody and their mother has wrote a book just like this. The characters of Maddy and Alex both had such over dramatic, over done stories that I found myself not caring one way or the other what happened to them. In fact when Maddy FINALLY tells Alex why she was afraid of EVERYTHING, it made no sense whatsoever. I get her being upset over her past, but her reactions made no sense. None. Zero. Zilch. Sure, reactions can make no sense, we are after all human, but this, this was so outside of the realm of reality that her character just came off as a self imposed child, stuck in a routine and unable or unwilling to change. Alex has his own secret that he’s guarding with everything he has. Problem was it wasn’t really a secret and it wasn’t really a big deal. To anyone. Except himself.
Then of course there is the dungeon of sex toys, the BDSM club and the flawed millionaire playboy that are so over used in today’s explosion of BDSM books. I want a normal hero. One who can’t buy the heroine a Porsche if he so desires. A bartender, a salesman, even a lawyer…no more millionaires unless the author can guarantee to do it right. Less cliche. More real. If this book would have incorporated something (ANYTHING) new I could have overlooked the cliches. However, Blush gave me nothing I hadn’t read before. I found it boring and chock full of unimportant information that seemed to be added in a poor attempt by the author to move the story line along. Publishers take note. Stop beating that dead horse.
The only thing that moved this from a 1 star to a 2 stars was the fact that I finished it. I have no need to come back to this world for another go round.
I give Blush by Lauren Jameson 2 stars.
