The Blood Vine Box Set by Amber Belldene…Release Event

 

The Blood Vine Box Set Release

with an exclusive novella included!

Release: October 14, 2014

Blood Vine Graphic 1

 

THE BLOOD VINE SERIES

An Adult Paranormal Romance Series

Published by Omnific Publishing

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

The Maras vampires will go to any length to save their kind. Only their lovers can show them how.

 

Blood Vine: When public relations pro Zoey Porter arrives at an enchanting California winery, she discovers her sexy new client is the almost one-night stand she can’t forget. Zoey has vowed never to risk her heart again, but Andre needs her help.

 

Blood Entangled: Kos Maras’s orderly life is in shambles–he must distribute Blood Vine to a population of ailing vampires, but Hunters block him at every turn. To make matters worse, each night, he watches over a temptingly beautiful but unattainable woman sleeping in his bed.

 

Blood Reunited: Vampire biologist Bel Maras must create a cure for the wasting disease that plagues his family. But when it fails, only his ancient and estranged godmother Uta can help.

Now these old enemies must overcome their past to save the vampires and come to peace with the bond they never chose.

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Writing BLOOD VINE

By Amber Belldene

A few weeks ago, one of my priest-friends was late for our colleague group and when we called her to inquire where she was, she was surprised—she’d gotten caught up in reading Blood Reunited and lost track of time. I was, of course, insanely flattered by this turn of events. When she arrived, she gushed about the book, but instead of letting my ego inflate, I had begun to panic.

“It’s so good,” she said.

“But, is it better than the other book you just read?” She had recently read a draft of my work-in-progress, which is a book I’ve been gestating for years. I call it the book of my heart, and when I’m feeling grandiose after a couple glasses of wine, I’ve even called it my magnum opus. I was certain that new book was the best thing I’ve ever written.

She knows all this, and so she winced when she made her confession. “Honestly, yeah. I liked Blood Reunited better.”

“But why!?!” I think I might have actually said exclamation mark-question mark-exclamation.

“It’s the characters. After three books, I love them so much. I’ve been with them for so long, been through so much with them.”

Okay. She had a point there. I had blubbered, balled, and gushed when writing “the end” of the Blood Vine series. It was so emotional and cathartic, taking those characters to a hard-won happy ending.

The Blood Vine series is about four separate couples, but it is also about a family—about how they interact, dole out shit talk and make hard sacrifices for each other. It’s about an ancient conflict and a struggle for peace. And oh yeah, it’s about wine, which I happen to love.

The books have a huge cast of characters and by the end, you know them all very well. Somewhere along the way, I worried I was nuts when I began to feel like I was actually a part of the ensemble, one more wacky member of the Maras family. I think some readers have felt that way too, and I’m proud of that as a writer. I love the idea of readers being drawn in so much that they feel they are part of the gang, right there at the Kastel Estate Winery.

Perhaps it is this feeling of belonging for me as the writer that made it so sad to end the series after three books. Some of my readers didn’t want it to end either. One of my favorite reviews on Amazon says, “Hope, pray, demand–okay, even beg–for the series to continue.” Again, insanely flattering and touching. If only it were possible! But I always planned this series to have a clear plot arc. I personally want to read tight, overarching conflicts, not meandering series, and so that is what I wrote. In fact, the story is so “finished” that I struggled about how to add a short story about Pedro and Lucas, my M/M star-crossed lovers. It took a while, but I finally figured it out, so look for it in the boxed set!

And after that, I’m saying farewell to the Blood Vine world, unless my muse changes her mind. I hope all my readers will come along with me to the new worlds I build, and feel just as much a part of them in time.

Blood Vine Graphic 2

About the Author

I grew up on the Florida panhandle, swimming with alligators, climbing oak trees and diving for scallops…when I could pull myself away from a book. As a child, I hid my Nancy Drew novels inside the church bulletin and read mysteries during sermons—an irony that is not lost on me when I preach these days.

I’m an Episcopal Priest with a bachelor’s degree in religious studies. I believe stories are the best way to explore human truths. Some people think it’s strange for a minister to write romance, but it is perfectly natural to me, because the human desire for love is at the heart of every romance novel and God made people with that desire. I write paranormal, historical and contemporary romance and live with my husband and two children in San Francisco.

My literary agent is the fabulous Becca Stumpf of the Prospect Agency.

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The Talk Show by Joe Wenke…Blog Tour Stop & Excerpt

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Synopsis:

Someone is following Jack Winthrop—most likely the gunman who tried to kill America’s most controversial talk show host, Abraham Lincoln Jones. Ever since that fateful night when Jones called Winthrop with his audacious proposal, life has never been the same. Winthrop, an award-winning New York Times reporter who calls the Tit for Tat strip club his second home, agreed to collaborate on Jones’ national “Emancipation Tour.” The plan is to bring Jones’ passion for radical change to the people and transcend television by meeting America face to face. Now Winthrop has to survive long enough to make the tour a reality in Joe Wenke’s intellectual thriller, THE TALK SHOW (TransÜber, October 15, 2014, $9.99).

As the reach of his stalker spreads, so does the fear that Winthrop’s unconventional family is also in danger—Rita Harvey, the gentle transgender ex-priest and LGBT activist; Slow Mo, the massive vegetarian bouncer; and Donna, stripper and entrepreneurial prodigy—as well as the woman who is claiming his heart, media expert Danielle Jackson.

Steeped in the seamy underbelly of New York City, The Talk Show by Joe Wenke is a fast-paced and mordantly funny thriller that examines how the forces of nihilism threaten our yearning for love, family and acceptance.

 

Excerpt:

The call from Abraham Lincoln Jones came just after 2:00 a.m. On one side of the flat screen TV, Chris Matthews was interviewing Bill Maher. On the other side, one of the contestants
on Worst Cooks in America was barbecuing hot dogs and hamburgers.
Winthrop hit mute and answered the phone in one ring.“Yeah.”
“Fuckin’ A!”
“Yeah?”
“Fuckin’ A!”
“Fuckin’ A?”
“Yeah. F-U-C-K-K-K . . . N . . . A! Goddamn it!”
Silence.
“Hey, don’t get cute with me, Winthrop. You know who the fuck this is.”Winthrop waited one more beat. Then he said, “Fuckin’ A . . . LJ?” Jones exploded. The Big Bang laugh. Just like on the show.
“BING-O!” he screamed, “BING-O! THAT’S MY NAME-O . . .
MOTHERFUCK-O!”The two men had never previously spoken, but Jones was right. Winthrop had known. Instantly. Yes, it was ALJ, the one and only. The man who had dominated talk TV for the last two decades. The anti-Oprah. Raw. Rough. Never predictable, he was the ultimate survivor—hated by some but always loved—crazily, unaccountably, loved nonetheless by millions of people who, if they thought about it for a single second, would realize to their utter confusion that they agreed with Abraham Lincoln Jones on practically nothing. “What are you drinking, Mr. Abraham Lincoln?” “The usual. Blue on the rocks. You?” “Patron. A few Dos Equis.” “Maybe then it’s time for some real conversation. Some crazy E! Hollywood true revelations.”“Celebrity upskirt?”
“You got it, Jack. You ready?”Winthrop was feeling weird. The call had come as a total surprise, but right away it had begun to feel as if it were somehow inevitable or, more precisely, something that he had already experienced, maybe in dream. “I’m always ready, Abe, ready for anything,” he replied. “I guess it’s the gift of paranoia.”“I know you’re ready, Jack. That’s why I called. I know you. I
know your ass inside out. I bet you know my fuckin’ ass too.”
“How’s that, Abe?”
“I know you—the best way to know a complicated white guy like you—through your work.”
“What work?”
“What work?” Jones laughed. “What work? Don’t be coy, Jack.Why, all your fuckin’ work. Not just the fancy Pulitzer shit—the
homeless pieces and the power and race book—but all your goddamn
work. All the New York Times Gray Lady columns you write in
twenty minutes and the New York magazine articles, too.”
Winthrop fell momentarily silent. The bit about the work was flattery, but then again not. There was too much urgency in Jones’s voice.
“You still there, Jack?” Jones asked, sounding for the first time just a touch subdued.
“Totally, Abe. Totally.”
“Then let me get right to the fuckin’ point. Winthrop—I am the Man. I been the fuckin’ man forever. I know it, and you know it, too. But I must admit. Ever since I started, I’ve had not one, not two, but three motherfuckin’ problems. That’s three—as in one, two, three strikes you’re out.”
“Number one?”
“Number one, Jack? Number one, when all is said and motherfuckin’
done, I’m just a goddamn good for nothing motherfuckin’ TV slug.”
“Abe, you’re a huge star. Come on. Aren’t you being just a little bit hard on yourself ?”
“You watch much TV, Winthrop?”Winthrop glanced at the muted screen. Chris Matthews had moved on to his Sideshow. Rush Limbaugh was referring to a transgender woman as an “Add-a-dick-to-me babe.” Meanwhile, the Worst Cooks contestant had somehow set himself on fire.
“What’s problem number two?”
“Problem number two? Problem number two?” Jones paused, out of breath. Winthrop could hear him gasping into the phone like an emphysema patient. Finally he spoke. “Maybe you haven’t noticed, Winthrop, but I got a serious dermatological condition.”
“You mean you’re black.”
“BING-O! And you know what that means, Jack, my man, right up to this motherfuckin’ day when Barack Hussein Obama—black man, white man, Christian man with an infamous Muslim name is the one and only President of these United States of America.”
“But that is truly remarkable, Abe. I mean undeniably, despite the birthers and all of the tea party madness.”
“Yes, remarkable,” replied Abraham Lincoln Jones, his voice dropping to a whisper.This was very interesting, thought Winthrop. No one had more presence, more energy, more panache, more sheer, outrageous chutzpah than Abraham Lincoln Jones. And yet here he was with a phone call out of nowhere, revealing vulnerabilities one would never have guessed at.Once again, Winthrop could hear Jones breathing heavily into the phone.
“So here’s my point, Jack.”
“Your point . . .”
“My point, man, the goddamn reason I called you in the middleof the fuckin’ night . . . my point … is change.”
“Change you can believe in?”
“No joke, Jack. Change you can believe in. Ain’t nothing harder, nothing more motherfuckin’ rare than change, cos, you and I both know almost nobody ever fuckin’ changes, not one little bit. Not even if it’s easy, which it never is. Not even if we’re talking about having a goddamn Henny Youngman Corn Beef on Rye once in a blue fuckin’ moon at the old Stage Deli instead of your usual Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon That Ain’t Never Found And Ain’t Never Gonna Find No Cure Turkey Club—go crispy with the bacon and fries!”Winthrop just laughed. Couldn’t help it. Jones laughed, too. He was on a roll.“Take it easy on Jerry, Abe. He got canned after all those years. The Stage is gone too—but you were saying—”
“Right, Jack. I was saying. It’s all about change. But let’s put the issue another way. In fact, let’s put it your way, Jack. If you’re a fuckin’ nobody, you don’t fuckin’ change.”
“Did I say that?”
“Fuck you, Jack, you know you remember every goddamn precious word you ever wrote. So you tell me. What’s the sure as shit sign of a motherfuckin’ nobody? Come on, now, Jack. I’m practically quoting you.”
“He thinks he’s somebody.”
“Exactly. A fuckin’ nobody thinks he’s fuckin’ somebody. But in reality he’s no fuckin’ body. And as a fuckin’ nobody, he’s got nothing to change from or to.”
“But you’re about to tell me we’re different, right?”
“Ain’t you the cynical motherfucker? But give me a goddamn chance here, Jack. Let me talk. I’m fuckin’ serious. We are different because as you yourself have written, we know we’re nobody.”
“And that what sets us free—lets us throw the switch, change, jump the tracks and go off the cliff like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid—God rest Paul Newman’s blessed soul.”
“You got it, Jack. And I’m calling you well past the goddamn motherfuckin’ witching hour to tell you your fuckin’ switch man is here.”Winthrop paused for a second. “OK, Abe,” he said, after taking a deep breath. “What’s the proposition?”
“It’s this: We all know TV is a swamp.”
“Well, you did say you’re a slug.”
“Fuck you, Winthrop. My mama always said, no lie, you are judged by the company you keep. So who exactly is the motherfuckin’ company I keep on TV? Let’s go up the list, starting at the bottom, with that fuckin’ witch, Nancy Grace, scoring ratings points off of dead babies and missing girls, suckin’ the lifeblood out of every tragedy that has legs. Then, even though he’s gone, I still got to call out that fuckin’ nut job, buzz-headed bigot, Glenn Beck—”
“He’s gone, sort of. You can still watch him on the Web.”
“That man actually made a big show out of baiting the one and only Muslim Congressman, ever, Keith Ellison from Minnesota, challenging him to prove he’s not working with the enemies of the United States.”
“He also said that Barack Obama hates white people. Actually that he has ‘a deep-seated hatred for white people.’”
”And for a while he was everywhere—CNN Headline News, Larry King Live, Good Morning America, Fox News.”
“Maybe he and guys like him are the new Establishment.”
“You mean the swamp establishment—and it’s not just the right wing nuts on Fox News like Bill O’Reilly and Shawn Hannity minus Alan Albatross Colmes and all their Great American guests like Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham.”
“And the architect, Karl Rove . . .”
“Right. And that motherfuckin’, toe-sucking, Clinton-bashing bastard, Dick Morris. Even Fox fired his ass. But it’s not really an ideological thing with me. It’s fuckin’ personal. Personal to me, that is. This was my motherfuckin’ medium. This was my way to communicate.”
“I understand, Abe.”
“I could go on all night, Winthrop, but I won’t. It’s a goddamn pandemic of pathology masquerading as news and entertainment.”

 

Book links:

Amazon

About the author:

JOE WENKE, who is known for his seminal work on Norman Mailer, is an outspoken and articulate LGBTQ rights activist, social critic and observational satirist. He is the founder and publisher of Trans Über, a publishing company with a focus on promoting LGBTQ rights, free thought and equality for all people. Wenke is the author of MAILER’S AMERICA, FREE AIR: Poems, YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING! A Radical Satire of the Bible, PAPAL BULL: An Ex-Catholic Calls Out the Catholic Church, and THE HUMAN AGENDA: Conversations about Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (January 2015). Wenke received a B.A. in English from the University of Notre Dame, an M.A. in English from Penn State and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Connecticut. He is a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post.

Omnific Zombie Takeover with Debra Anastasia

It’s the Omnific Zombie Takeover and I’ve got the fabulous Debra Anastasia taking over! 

 

Ah. Halloween. Time to get the crap scared out of me every time I turn around. I’m a big baby. Maybe it’s because I have an overactive imagination, I can totally imagine the heck out of what’s under the bed.

In honor of the zombie take over, I’m picturing some of my scariest paranormal characters. Hm. Well the first to bust through will always be Satan Jack. That delicious hunk of evil insists on being on this list and I have trouble denying him anything.

Here’s his description for Crushed Seraphim, just so you know what we’re dealing with:

He straddled a simple wooden chair. As his image sharpened in the fog, she realized he was an absolute treat for the eyes. With shoulder-length brown hair, deep brown eyes, and high cheekbones, he smiled as she took a swallow of her courage. The Devil wore the perfect pair of torn-up jeans and a white t-shirt. With forearms covered in tattoos, he wore leather cuffs and layers of necklaces.

The man in front of her embodied pure, walloping sex. He let his eyes sparkle in victory. “See, beautiful Emma, I knew you’d come around.”

He had a scruffy goatee and his jaw line was insanely defined. The word come on his lips made her legs tremble.

Hump him.

“Imagine what happens when the Devil kisses an angel. Don’t you want to know?”

DA1

And I have to confess, the man I had in mind was Johnny Depp. Scary right? Well, he’s in charge of Hell and when it breaks loose? It turns out he cares more about an angel then us pesky humans.

Another favorite character from the Seraphim characters Nero. He’s a straight up demon and has been laboring in the fiery pits of Hell when he escapes. And he winds up standing on a driveway and falling in love…

Nero was back. He was here. Jenny ran downstairs to meet him in the driveway. By the time she got her door open, he was already feasting on the water, letting it run over his face and chest as he gulped.

When he saw her he dropped the hose, and water spilled on the driveway, spreading like clear blood from an open wound. “Jenny. The maybe kiss? May I have the maybe kiss?” He looked from her mouth to her eyes and back. “I’ve been thinking of you, only you, all this time. I didn’t even stop to breathe, just imagining your lips over and over again.”

The fear she should have felt was washed away by his words. She’d been dreaming of this man minutes earlier, and she wanted to go to him — whether or not he was even a man. “I know how you feel. Yes to the maybe kiss. Please.”

Minding her bare feet, she stepped toward him, watching the passion gather in his face. Her long, white nightgown swept through the gathering puddle, and she felt it heavy behind her as she reached him. Her memory was faulty. He was so much more handsome than she’d been allowed to remember. She touched his face, her thumbs outlining his lips before she whispered his name.

And for Nero I had to picture Joe Manganiello. Please? That guy in leather pants? We would all hose him down using just our pussies.

DA2

 

And the last one is my favorite; okay I think I say that too much. They are all my favorites. But Mine? Ugh. I love Mine. He’s a demon that has been trapped for as long as he can remember, his only education was learning about Seriana, the half demon he was supposed to mate with. In a cage. In front of a crowd.

He didn’t even have a name. Here, get to know him:

Seriana’s eyes began to adjust to the dim light. She put her hands on his face. “Surely you have a name?”

“I’m sure I did, but I don’t remember it. I want to escape, and I would like to keep you. All these years, the only steady diet I’ve had is you. Facts about you, sometimes clothing with your scent, a fuzzy picture. I’ve not had blood in…a long time.” He pulled her hands from his cheeks and kissed her palms, inhaling deeply.

“I want to name you.” She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. It was a crazy place to fall for someone, but as much as he’d been conditioned for her, she felt her heart had somehow been conditioned for him.

He growled. “And I want to claim you.”

Seriana names him Mine! Ugh. I think the perfect guy for Mine would be Henry Cavill.

 

DA3

 

Happy Zombie Takeover!! Hope you guys like my dream casting and peek under that bed before you go to sleep.

XO

Debra

Crushed Seraphim

Amazon  |  Amazon UK  |  Goodreads  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Omnific Publishing  |  Trailer

Hairy Larrys CS

CS 99 Vibrating fist

Bittersweet Seraphim

Amazon  |  Amazon UK  |  Goodreads  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Omnific Publishing  |  Trailer

100 lives BS

Woman bound on neck with red rope.

Giveaway:

Debra has a fabulous swag pack to give away to one lucky winner!

CS pendent ZTakeover

 

 

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About the author:

Debra Anastasia is busy, just like every other mom. There’s dinner, the dogs, the two kids, and her violent IBS–which is under control thanks to medication except for occasional multi-tonal farts. Her first love and crowning achievement is her thriving career as the weirdest mom on the block.

Her writing started a decent handful of years ago when–along with the animals and humans in her house–the voices of characters started whispering stories in Debra’s ear. Insomnia was the gateway to plots that wouldn’t give up, wouldn’t let go. Now they stalk her everywhere. Halfway through making lunches, a twist takes hold and–fingers full of peanut butter–she finds somewhere, anywhere to write it down.

She’s eternally grateful to Omnific Publishing, which has now published four of her books: two in the Seraphim Series and two in the Poughkeepsie Brotherhood Series, as well as her novella, Late Night with Andres. That one is special because 100% of the proceeds go to breast cancer research. (So go get it right now, please!) She also very much appreciates her open-minded readers, who embrace everything she has to offer, with a focus on anti-heroes and bathroom humor.

Debra lives in Maryland with her family. You can find her at DebraAnastasia.com and on Twitter @Debra_Anastasia. But be prepared…

Love at the End of Days by Tera Shanley….Release Day Event

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Love At The

End of days

The Apocalypse is coming…

are you ready?

 

Romance and zombies collide in the riveting sequel to Love in the Time of the Dead.

Year four into the Dead outbreak that ended the world and Vanessa Summers has been so burned by love, she swears she will never trust a man again. But Sean Daniels, guard leader of Dead Run River, isn’t just any man. When past lovers return to the colony, things get complicated. Desperate to rid herself of the heartache, Vanessa signs up for a supply run that will test her mettle as a guard in training. Sean volunteers to lead her team, and his hungry looks say it’s more personal than professional.

Danger comes from all sides as they scavenge Dead infested cities, and as her attraction for Sean deepens, Vanessa finds her head and heart at war with each other. He clouds her judgment, and any misstep could spell disaster outside of the safety of colony gates.

A race back to Dead Run River could save a team mate’s life, but trouble has been brewing back home. Laney Landry, the woman who broke Sean’s heart, is in trouble, and Vanessa must decide whether to take back the Denver colony beside the man she’s falling in love with, or bow out of an attraction that terrifies her.

Weathering Dead hybrids, betrayals, battles, jealousy, and soul consuming love, Vanessa must find her place in the team she’s found. And if she can, she might just master survival at the end of days.

 

 

Goodreads Link:https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/107005-love-at-the-end-of-days

Author Website: http://terashanley.blogspot.com/

Twitter: @TeraShanley

 

 

Author Bio:

Tera Shanley writes in sub-genres that stretch from Paranormal Romance, to Historic Western Romance, to Apocalyptic (zombie) Romance. The common theme? She loves love. A self-proclaimed bookworm, she was raised in small town Texas and could often be found decorating a table at the local library. She currently lives in Dallas with her husband and two young children and when she isn’t busy running around after her family, she’s writing a new story or devouring a good book. Any spare time is dedicated to chocolate licking, rifle slinging, zombie slaying, friend hugging, and the great outdoors. For more information about Tera and her work, visit www.terashanley.com.

 

 

 

Just Gotta Say by Laura Kaye…Release Day Launch

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We are so excited to bring you the Release Day Launch for Laura Kaye’s JUST GOTTA SAY! JUST GOTTA SAY is a 17K-word erotic menage short story. JUST GOTTA SAY will be $.99 and available in print!!

 

Just Gotta Say


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Just Gotta Say is a super sexy friends-to-lovers story and a contemporary ménage a quatres. Here’s the blurb:

Callie Davis stumbles upon two of her three male roommates in a surprising, molten-hot midnight tryst and discovers a side of herself she never knew existed. Desire to play with them grips her, and she can’t stop fantasizing about having multiple men, particularly her three long-time best friends.

Callie is thrilled when a guys’ night out gives her the perfect opportunity to recreate her fantasy, with the help of a threesome porn video and a bag of sex toys. That is, until Lucas, Jack and Noah return early and catch her in the act. More than anything, the guys want to make her fantasy come true. But Callie has a secret, and she can’t help wondering if being with all three men will risk the future she’s always wanted with one of them.

As three strong sets of hands caress and undress her, Callie surrenders to desire, because sometimes you just gotta say…yes.

 

Just Gotta Say Excerpt:

The set-up: Callie’s most secret fantasy was just unexpectedly revealed to her three male roommates…

The invitation he laid out for her—the invitation to be with them, to act out this fantasy for real with them—was completely outside anything she imagined possible.

She sat for a long moment, still mostly curled into herself. Her gaze lit on the rough bobbing of Jack’s Adams apple as he swallowed. His apparent case of nerves eased hers. A little. Soft, sandy-colored strands brushed against her forehead. Her nose filled with the scent of him, all night air and masculinity.

Callie took a deep breath, her body remembering her unfulfilled arousal even as her brain struggled to keep up. “What are you saying, Jack?” she whispered, buying herself time to think and needing him to spell it out.

One hand stroked her back while the other combed her hair off the side of her face. “I’m saying”—he nibbled at her ear, but this time his lips lingered, his warm exhalation caressing her skin—“that the three of us want to bring that fantasy to life for you. If you want.”

Every nerve ending tingled with the promise of what he offered. Her heart rose from where it had plummeted into her gut and now hammered against her chest. Images of the three of them kissing her, fucking her, swamped her brain. Blood roared through her ears. “Are you teasing me?”

“Look at me,” he said, sliding his large hand under her cheek.

The commanding press of his skin on hers skittered electrical charges down her neck to her breasts. Her nipples hardened. She acquiesced and sat up just enough to face one of her three dearest friends.

“We want to do this for you.” He quirked the sexiest of crooked smiles and shrugged with one shoulder. “You know we’d be good together.”

She didn’t know whether his “we” meant her and him or the four of them. An encouraging voice in her mind said both interpretations were true.

He cupped her neck, his grasp comforting and reassuring, and brushed his lips against her right cheekbone. Her right eye. Her forehead. Tilting his head to the other side, he repeated the action against her left eye, the apple of her left cheek. She gasped when his last kiss fell on that tender, hollow spot just below her ear.

“What do you want, Callie? Whatever you want, we want. Always.”

 

Author PhotoAbout Laura Kaye:

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nearly twenty books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

 

 

 

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Cover Reveal…Claiming Serenity by Eden Butler

COVER REVEAL
Title: Claiming Serenity (Seeking Serenity, #3)
Author: Eden Butler
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Expected Release Date: December 22, 2014
Cover Designed by: Steven Novak @ Novak Illustration
Synopsis
 
She left glitter in his AC vents. He put green dye in her conditioner.
 
She buttered his bathroom floor, and he kidnapped her precious puppy.
 
Layla Mullens hates Donovan Donley. His crude language, his wide shoulders, his crystal blue eyes…she hates that she can’t stop herself. 
From kissing him or landing in his bed.
 
And Donovan Donley wants nothing more than to knock Layla off her princess pedestal. He hates her stuck up attitude and her soft, tempting lips. He especially hates that her father is his coach. 
 
But he’s fine with their arrangement—act horrible to each other during the day, attack each other naked at night. It works. 
 
But one night changes everything. When Layla doesn’t show, and Donovan’s cold bed stays empty, the lies he tells himself to keep Layla out of his mind aren’t enough to keep him from missing her. And needing her. Something he promised himself would never happen.
The white flags in their prank war have been lowered but their high stakes battle has just begun.
 
★ Grab books 1 – 2 of the Seeking Serenity series ★
 
★ About Eden ★
Eden Butler is an editor and writer of New Adult Romance and SciFi and Fantasy novels and the nine-times great-granddaughter of an honest-to-God English pirate. This could explain her affinity for rule breaking and rum. Her debut novel, a New Adult, Contemporary (no cliffie) Romance, “Chasing Serenity” launched in October 2013 and quickly became an Amazon bestseller.
 
When she’s not writing or wondering about her possibly Jack Sparrowesque ancestor, Eden edits, reads and spends way too much time watching rugby, Doctor Who and New Orleans Saints football. 
 
She is currently living under teenage rule alongside her husband in southeast Louisiana. 
 
Please send help.
 
 
★ Giveaway ★
Eden is offering up the following prizes! 
 
★ (1) Signed set of Chasing Serenity, Behind the Pitch, Finding Serenity & Claiming Serenity (US only). ★ 
★ (1) $20 gift card for either Amazon or B&N. Winner’s choice. (Intl) ★ 

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Delicate Ink by Carrie Ann Ryan…ARC Review

Delicate Ink releases tomorrow, 10/14

Delicate Ink cover

Synopsis:

On the wrong side of thirty, Austin Montgomery is ready to settle down. Unfortunately, his inked sleeves and scruffy beard isn’t the suave business appearance some women crave. Only finding a woman who can deal with his job, as a tattoo artist and owner of Montgomery Ink, his seven meddling siblings, and his own gruff attitude won’t be easy.

Finding a man is the last thing on Sierra Elder’s mind. A recent transplant to Denver, her focus is on opening her own boutique. Wanting to cover up scars that run deeper than her flesh, she finds in Austin a man that truly gets to her—in more ways than one.

Although wary, they embark on a slow, tempestuous burn of a relationship. When blasts from both their pasts intrude on their present, however, it will take more than a promise of what could be to keep them together.

 

My review:

Delicate Ink is the first full length book in author Carrie Ann Ryan’s Montgomery Ink Series and follows the novella prequel, Ink Inspired. While I didn’t read the prequel, I didn’t feel lost while reading Delicate Ink and was kept on my toes from page to page with this book. It is quite a kick off!

Tattoo artist and shop owner Austin Montgomery has started to realize that maybe it was time to kick his bachelor days to the curb. Think about settling down. That soon takes a back seat when a family situation arises that could change everything he’s ever known. With so much on his plate he certainly never expected to find what he was looking for in the new shop owner across the street from his tattoo parlor. Could this woman be the one to capture his heart while being the calm in his storm?

Sierra Elder certainly wasn’t looking for a relationship when she moved to Denver. In fact it was the farthest thing from her mind. Her focus was on rebuilding her life in a new town and perusing her dream by opening the shop she’s always wanted. But if anyone should know fate has a way of sneaking up on you, it should be Sierra. When she went into the tattoo shop for a consultation on some ink, she never expected to meet a man that would occupy her mind and her heart.

It seems as though Sierra and Austin found one another at a time when they needed each other most. Already facing problems when they meet, they are confronted with with more trouble and heartache along they way and will come to find solace in each other…maybe even for the long haul.

I said it earlier, and I’ll say it again that this is one hell of a series start. I was so worried for poor Sierra and Austin throughout the entire book and was puling for them from the start. I wanted them to find some peace from life’s craziness in each other…and luckily Carrie Ann gave that to them, and the reader! I don’t want to ruin anything or give anything away so you’ll just have to grab a copy and hang on for a wild ride!

Carrie Ann not only does a fabulous job with giving our main characters, Austin and Sierra, a whole lot to overcome, but she introduced the entire family and set up a great series. I will certainly be looking forward to the rest of the series!

Thank you, Carrie Ann, for a fantastic read!

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Book links:

Amazon  |  B&N  |  Are  |  Kobo  |  iBooks

About the author:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan never thought she’d be a writer. Not really. No, she loved math and science and even went on to graduate school in chemistry. Yes, she read as a kid and devoured teen fiction and Harry Potter, but it wasn’t until someone handed her a romance book in her late teens that she realized that there was something out there just for her. When another author suggested she use the voices in her head for good and not evil, The Redwood Pack and all her other stories were born.

Carrie Ann is a bestselling author of over twenty novels and novellas and has so much more on her mind (and on her spreadsheets *grins*) that she isn’t planning on giving up her dream anytime soon

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Deconstructing Lila by Shannon Leigh…Blog Tour Stop & Excerpt

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Deconstructing Lila

by Shannon Leigh

She’ll bring him to his knees…

Preservationist Lila Gentry returns to her small Texas hometown to restore the famous Chisholm Trail whorehouse where her great-great-grandmother was a madam in the 1880s. On her agenda is winning back Jake, the one that got away. But how do you rope a man who doesn’t want to be wrangled?

Jake lives by one creed: Keep it simple. His ex showing up in town complicates his life and makes him think about things he’d rather forget.

When Lila’s restoration project is threatened before it even begins, she turns to Jake for help. Working together stirs up old feelings, but while Lila and Jake always sizzle between the sheets—or wherever the moment takes them—it will involve some sweet-talking and finesse to bring these two together.

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Excerpt:

“Jake watched in his rearview mirror as Lila smiled. And then the weight from ten years of resignation hit him like a hammer. He’d fought the urge to reach out and drag her into his arms. To feel her pressed up against his chest. He wanted to know if she still smelled like summer sun and flower gardens.

And because he was tired today from a late-night planning session with a new client, he did stupid-ass things, like stand in the middle of the Grab & Get lot on the hottest day of the goddamn summer and ogle old exes, as if he were ready to drive back to his place and jump in bed.

Very bad idea, thinking of the two of them together in bed. One thing they were always good at, even up to the very end, was sex. And lots of it. At various times of the night and day. In exciting body-bending positions. Hands down, his favorites were the sessions at 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m.”

 

About the author:

Growing up in Hell’s Back Forty, Shannon Leigh developed a fierce loyalty to all things Texas and pledged to share the romance of small town dance halls and the flavor of brisket BBQ with readers.  Currently, she lives in Fort Worth with an extensive cowboy boot collection, a red and white, ’67 Chevy pickup and a mission to find the best taco stands in the city.

She’s been writing since Jesus was a small boy, but recently found a home with the uber wonderful folks at Entangled Publishing.

When she’s not writing fiction, she writes features for local magazines, sells real estate, and runs around with a particular 11 year old known as “The Boy.”

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Tempted By Midnight by Lara Adrian…ARC Review

Tempted By Midnight releases October 14, 2014

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Book links:

Amazon  |  Paperback  |  1,001 Dark Nights 

Synopsis:

Once, they lived in secret alongside mankind. Now, emerged from the shadows, the Breed faces enemies on both sides—human and vampire alike. No one knows that better than Lazaro Archer, one of the eldest, most powerful of his kind. His beloved Breedmate and family massacred by a madman twenty years ago, Lazaro refuses to open his heart again.

Sworn to his duty as the leader of the Order’s command center in Italy, the last thing the hardened warrior wants is to be tasked with the rescue and safekeeping of an innocent woman in need of his protection. But when a covert mission takes a deadly wrong turn, Lazaro finds himself in the unlikely role of hero with a familiar, intriguing beauty he should not desire, but cannot resist.

Melena Walsh has never forgotten the dashing Breed male who saved her life as a child. But the chivalrous hero of her past is in hard contrast to the embittered, dangerous man on whom her safety now depends. And with an unwanted—yet undeniable—desire igniting between them, Melena fears that Lazaro’s protection may come at the price of her heart.

 

My review:

Tempted By Midnight is story number 12.5 in Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breed Series as well as novella number 10 in the 1,001 Dark Nights Series. I am always thrilled to read a new story from Lara Adrian and head back into the Breed world and this novella was spectacular. Packed with emotion, heat, and action, I devoured it in one sitting and loved every second.

Leader of the Order’s Italian command center, Lazaro Archer was used to sensing threats and eliminating them. It was his sole focus, especially now that his family had been taken from him in a horrific manner years before. Preparing for an important meeting with political members with the hopes of ending the strife between the Breed, vampires, and humans, he thought he knew all the players intended on coming to the meeting…and then he saw her. The intriguing and beautiful red-head that shouldn’t be here. Melena. But here she was and his reaction, and attraction, to her was almost immediate. He remembered her from almost another lifetime ago, and remembered saving her from an untimely demise when she fell into an icy lake when she was much younger. She was grown now, and with beauty and brains to spare, he shouldn’t wonder why he was attracted to her. But could he really forget all that he had lost in the past? His family? There wasn’t too much time to ponder more on that night because as fate would have it, he would have to rescue her once again before the evening came to an end…

Melena Walsh would never forget Lazaro Archer. He had saved her life and she will be eternally grateful for that. Now she was here with him and wanted nothing more than to thank him for what he had done all those years earlier. She also would love to be able to ease some of the pain she still saw in his eyes. He had been hardened since she last saw him and after losing his family it was no wonder. But the pull she felt when she saw him was much more than wanting to ease his pain…it was a longing for more. Maybe she would have the chance to rescue him this time…from the sadness and pain that lingered.

Before either one of them can contemplate their attraction, they are met with a terrible situation and thrown together, having to rely on each other to stay alive. And with that, their attraction only grows stronger and into something much more meaningful. Could this be fate’s way of giving Lazaro a second chance at love?

I loved, loved, loved this story. Lara put so much heart into the pages and so much emotion that I was drawn in from the very first page. I loved that Lazaro and Melena had a history and that she understood what he had gone through with the loss of his family. Melena never tried to forget the past, in fact she wanted Lazaro to accept it and move on with his life…a feat he had been unable to do until now. She was exactly what he needed and even though it took a while for him to realize it, she pushed him to realize she was right. He deserved a chance at happiness again and Melena was that chance. It was beautiful to read and I wanted nothing more than for these two to have their happy ending. Of course, my lips are sealed as to if they got it!

Adding another layer to this story was the conflict between the Breed, fellow vampires, and the humans and the trouble all the sides are facing. Also, we got to see a few familiar faces along the way, which was a real treat, and met some new ones that I can’t wait to read more of!

Thank you, Ms. Adrian, for a yet another phenomenal story!

 

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About the author:

LARA ADRIAN is a New York Times and #1 internationally best-selling author with nearly 4 million books in print and digital worldwide and translations licensed to more than 20 countries. Her books have been named among Amazon’s Top Ten Romances of the Year, and have also been nominated by readers multiple times as finalists for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance of the Year. Reviewers have called Lara’s books “addictively readable” (Chicago Tribune), “extraordinary” (Fresh Fiction), “strikingly original” (Booklist), and “one of the best vampire series on the market” (Romantic Times).

Writing as TINA ST. JOHN, her historical romances have won numerous awards including the National Readers Choice; Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer’s Choice; Booksellers Best; and many others. She was twice named a Finalist in Romance Writers of America’s RITA Awards, for Best Historical Romance (White Lion’s Lady) and Best Paranormal Romance (Heart of the Hunter). More recently, the German translation of Heart of the Hunter debuted on Der Spiegel bestseller list.

With an ancestry stretching back to the Mayflower and the court of King Henry VIII, the author lives with her husband in New England, where she is working on her next novel. Visit Lara’s website and sign up for new release announcements at http://bit.ly/LaraAdrianNews

 

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Sleep in Peace Tonight by James McManus…Blog tour stop and author Q&A

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Synopsis:

It’s 1941 and a madman named Adolf Hitler is on a mission to invade Great Britain. The constant sound of bomb blasts followed by the stench of flaming homes and buildings are a part of everyday life in London during the Blitz. The threat that the Nazi’s next stop will be on American soil hangs in the sooty air.

SLEEP IN PEACE TONIGHT (Thomas Dunne Books; October 7, 2014; $25.99) is author James MacManus’ newest historic novel set in war-torn London. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt dispatches his most trusted advisor, a tall, gaunt man named Harry Hopkins, to

London to meet with Winston Churchill. There, Hopkins must assess the growing crisis in Britain. The White House is conflicted and many of FDR’s advisors oppose America joining forces with Britain. During his many meetings with the Prime Minister, Hopkins is bombarded by Churchill’s dramatic rhetoric and constant drinking. Churchill knows the only way to save Britain is with help from the United States. During a dinner in Glasgow, Scotland Churchill implores Hopkins to tell FDR to “give us the tools and we will finish the job.”

In his latest novel, MacManus paints a stunning portrait of a battered London with larger-than-life personalities from history and a mysterious love interest that work together to change the course of history. During his travels in Great Britain, Hopkins is assigned a beautiful young driver named Leonora Finch. The two find consolation in each other’s arms from the threat of war. Hopkins falls deeply in love and the couple’s passion artfully unfolds on the pages. While in London, Harry and Leonora befriend veteran CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow who frequents a secret nightclub named the Black Cat Club that features an unusual mix of colorful characters.

As Harry and Lenora grow closer, she confides that she’s a member of a secret British spy agency. Leonora craves wartime action and will stop at nothing to prove she should be on the front lines, even if it means risking her life.

SLEEP IN PEACE TONIGHT takes readers on an exciting and heartbreaking adventure as they follow two star-crossed lovers on an epic journey. MacManus brings to life an expertly researched and tragic tale of courage, loyalty and passion and spotlights the sacrifices they make in the name of love and loyalty.

 

Q & A with James McManus:

SLEEP IN PEACE TONIGHT

What drew you to writing a book about Harry Hopkins, one of America’s forgotten heroes?

It was my History tutor at St. Andrews University in Scotland who first drew my attention to Harry Hopkins. He was a cigar smoking Texan whose name I have sadly forgotten. We were studying the FDR presidency and it became clear that in the unlikely figure of Hopkins FDR had found a trusted counselor, a confidante and a friend who actually moved into the White House and took up residence in Abe Lincoln’s old study on the second floor.

I say unlikely because Hopkins was a real Washington outsider, politically very much a man of the left from the mid-west, who had been appointed to spearhead some of the more radical programs of the New Deal. Republicans hated him for his political views and Democrats distrusted someone who had never been elected to office yet occupied a key role in FDR’s inner circle.

This was the man who the President decided to send to London at the height of the Blitz in Jan 1941 to find out whether Britain could survive. The American Ambassador, Jo Kennedy, had been withdrawn a few months earlier after suggesting that Britain would never win the war and should negotiate peace terms with Hitler. FDR did not trust Kennedy and sent Hopkins to find the truth.

On the face of it this was an extraordinary choice. Hopkins, as noted, was possessed of radical views and was openly hostile to the idea of the British Empire, as indeed was his boss in the White House. He had never been to London and what he knew of Winston Churchill he naturally disliked.

The relationship that developed between these two very different men fascinated me then and now – hence the book.

 

After Hopkins’ incredible contribution to American and British history, why do you think most people don’t even know who he is?

Historians have understandably concentrated on the two great figures that dominated the wartime transatlantic relationship, FDR and Churchill. Both men were geniuses of giant character who laid big shadows over the events of the time. Inevitably this meant that the vital work of the men and women who served them tended to be overlooked by journalists at the time and historians subsequently.

Added to that, as I have said, Hopkins was never popular in Washington and never wrote a book or left a memoir to tell his story. Thus for a long time his role did not receive the attention it deserved. The fact that FDR used Hopkins on two wartime missions to see Stalin in Moscow and that President Truman sent him back to Russia in 1945 has even led to suggestions that Hopkins was a Soviet agent.

Distinguished academics have dismissed the accusation but it is an index of the ill feeling toward the man in certain political circles that such an accusation was made in the first place. As far as the UK is concerned Hopkins is, and always has been, a little known figure whose appearance at Churchill’s side in 1941 has to some extent been eclipsed by the tumultuous events that followed and American figures such as Eisenhower who drove the war to its conclusion. Also bear in mind that FDR died before he could write his memoirs and thus never was able to pay tribute to his faithful friend and counsellor.

 

Where did you do your research for the book?

The source material for Churchill’s leadership of Britain in 1941-41 is voluminous in published works, in libraries and online. The best account of Hopkins’ relationship with Churchill and FDR at that time is Robert E Sherwood’s two volume history The White House Papers of Harry Hopkins to which I pay warm tribute in the acknowledgements. I worked largely at home in London with these sources.

 

How did you choose the title for your new book, SLEEP IN PEACE TONIGHT?

This is the first line of a little poem I wrote for the main female character, Leonora Finch. She sent it anonymously to Hopkins after he had ended his first visit to London and gone back to Washington. By then he and Leonora were lovers – in my book that is. Leonora wanted to remind Hopkins not to forget London, the blitz and indeed her.

 

While you were researching the book, did you uncover some interesting facts about the main characters – Harry Hopkins, President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill – that you opted not to include in the book?

No. I put all the anecdote and stories I found about the three main characters into the book –FDR’s passion for stamp collecting, Churchill’s wonderful knock-a-bout relationship with his valet Sawyers and Hopkins’ appalled reaction to the lack of heating in grand English country houses.

 

Why do you suppose President Roosevelt had such faith and trust in Hopkins?

They were politically attuned of course and Hopkins fought with success for FDR’s the radical New Deal programs. More importantly Hopkins filled a void in Roosevelt’s life. It is not often realized how lonely FDR was in the White House. Eleanor was his wife in name only, his children had grown up and his close political associates from the old days were gone. Hopkins was almost a surrogate son to FDR and a window into a world the wheelchair bound President could not enter – the glamourous world of theatre, nightclubs and beautiful women. FDR loved talking policy with Hopkins but equally he loved all the gossip. He wanted him around all the time which is why he invited him to live in the White House.

 

Some well-known figures make special appearances in your novel including CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow and Hollywood actor Jimmy Stewart. Did they have any influence on Hopkins?

Murrow certainly did because he was a great newsman and a charming personality who made an impact on all who met him. But don’t forget this book is not history but a novel and while I have made much of the relationship between the two men in London actually they Hopkins and Murrow met more often back in Washington after Pearl Harbor. Jimmy Stewart did indeed travel to Britain to fly bombers against Germany and a remarkable wartime career ensued. I do not know if he and Hopkins actually met in real life but London was a small much bombed city then and I would have thought it likely.

 

One thing you don’t shy away from in the book is Winston Churchill’s heavy drinking. How much do you suppose the Prime Minster drank in a day and did his drinking ever interfere with running the country?

The secret to Churchill’s drinking was that he always had a glass, at least half full of whatever he was drinking at the time, close at hand. It was a great comfort to him. But he did not just drink one glass after another. He drank lightly but steadily from lunchtime to late at night but he did so in a disciplined way. That said he drank far more that we imagine possible today but he had the constitution for it. And of course he matched his appetite for alcohol with his delight in fine food. That probably helped absorb the alcohol. Don’t forget that everyone in wartime London smoked and drank to excess. It was that kind of time. No, it did not seem to affect Churchill’s wartime leadership. The hard drinking rich food loving Churchill beat the vegetarian teetotal Hitler. There must be a lesson for us all in there somewhere.

 

 Is it true that Winston Churchill held meetings with Hopkins while he was soaking in the bath tub?

Absolutely and it is true that when Hopkins put this into his reports to FDR the President laughed out loud. Churchill did indeed receive male visitors in his bath, not regularly but occasionally. He was a man in a hurry and he did not want to waste a second of the day.

 

Churchill made it a point that Hopkins should get an up close look at the various sections of country that had been bombed. Specifically, what towns/communities did Hopkins visit and how did what he saw impact his decision?

The book makes this clear. He went to the two great port cities of Southampton and Liverpool which were heavily targeted by the Luftwaffe. Churchill also made sure he went to Glasgow which is when Hopkins gave the moving quite from the bible in reply to Churchill’s speech. Obviously the damage caused by the bombing in these cities and Britain’s precarious dependence on the Atlantic convoys allowed Hopkins to report back to FDR in dramatic terms

 

Leonora Finch. What was the importance of creating a fictional character in your novel?

The truth is that Churchill desperately wanted to know what Hopkins was telling the President about his London visit. Leonora and her romantic relationship with Hopkins was a device to convey this to the reader and also to show a warmer more passionate side to a man under huge pressure.

 

Was there a real Leonora Finch in Hopkins’ life? Did he have a fling or flings in London even though he was engaged to Louise Macy?

Not that I know of but it would not surprise me if Hopkins cast rather more than an eye over the ladies in London. Eisenhower certainly did when he arrived a couple of years later. It is also true that the Blitz broke down social barriers in London and there was something of a sexual revolution in the city- and elsewhere, as the bombs fell

 

What surprised you most about Harry Hopkins? And what do you think might have happened if the United States didn’t join forces with Great Britain?

I think the speed with which Hopkins grasped the dire plight of the UK when he arrived was surprising for someone who had never been to Britain and disliked what he knew of Churchill. As for the US intervention, if that had not happened we on these islands would be speaking German now. That is why we owe Hopkins so much, he was instrumental in moving the President to see the dangers Britain faced from Hitler and his Nazi regime.

 

Are there any special places in London that you like to frequent to clear your head and write?

When I am stuck I walk around my local park or sweat out the problem in the gym.

 

How long did it take you to write SLEEP IN PEACE TONIGHT?

One year from start to finish including research.

 

Do you have any special rituals or habits when preparing to write?

I time myself with an hour glass and make sure I do three hours every morning. In the afternoon and evening I correct that work – using the same timer. I can only do five hours combined – after that a bottle of wine gets opened.

 

What are your other passions outside of writing?

I have three grown up children and we stay in close touch so I suppose I count that as my main passion. Otherwise poetry which I always read before falling asleep, fish especially shellfish which I love cooking, and collecting the work of young artists who I hope will make it big one day. Finally I am absolutely nuts about my 1988 Saab turbo car which has done a mere 125,000 miles.

 

Did you have input regarding your book’s cover design?

The American covers have been so good I don’t have to. I did have a bit of a fight with the UK publisher over this book but we have sorted that now-it is very close to the US jacket.

 

Of all the literary genres, you’re drawn to historic figures. What is it that you find so fascinating about these people?

Every answer to the problems we face today can be found in the successes and failures of great men and women in the past. But too often we don’t look back and learn. Too many people seem to think Henry Ford was right when he said “History is bunk.” Too few agree with William Faulkner who said in Requiem for a Nun :”The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

 

What is one thing you hope readers will take away after reading your book?

We were lucky at a time when Hitler was bidding to conquer the western world that we had leaders such as Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. And both those great men were lucky to have the services of Harry Hopkins.

 

 

Book links:

 Amazon  |  B&N

About the author:

JAMES MACMANUS is the managing director of The Times Literary Supplement. He is the author of Ocean Devil, which was made into a film starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers. His other novels include The Language of the Sea and Black Venus. www.jamesmacmanus.com

Review…Stirring Up Trouble by Kimberly Kincaid

Sttirring Up Trouble COVER

Synopsis:

Sloane Russo’s turned a decade of crazy jobs and whimsical travel into a career writing steamy novels set in exotic places. Trouble is, Sloane’s flat broke now—and she can’t channel sun-drenched beaches in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The only fast cash in town comes with some seriously distracting temptation: Gavin Carmichael, hot, handsome and oh-so-hard-headed.

Gavin isn’t the impulsive Don Juan of Sloane’s novels. He’s raising his thirteen-year-old half-sister, and he’s pretty sure he’s supposed to act like he’s never heard of fun. Sloane is way too sexy and irresponsible to be his idea of a good tutor for Bree, but the unpredictable anti-nanny may be irresistible as well.

 

My review:

Stirring Up Trouble is the third book in author Kimberly Kincaid’s Pine Mountain Series. This is a series I have loved since the very beginning and was so excited to get my hands on Sloane’s story and let me say…this series just keeps getting better and better. This book was fantastic!

Romance writer Sloane Russo has always lived by the seat of her pants. Trying out new things, going on new adventures, never slowing down long enough to grow bored and that’s how she liked it. Now, her family didn’t like it, per se, and thought she should be settling down and making babies, but it was her life and she loved it. And it was those adventures that lead her to her successful writing career. Her travels to exotic places gave her inspiration and the material to spark her imagination and get her creative juices flowing. Only problem now was that she had used up her travel experiences and was all dried up in the inspiration department. She was also died up in the finances department. Making matters worse was that her publisher wanted a new exotic book, and fast. There was no way she could fly to a far off destination on her good looks and the dust bunnies in her bank account. Leave it to fate to have a way of intervening and dropping a job practically right into her lap. A temporary babysitting job for Gavin, her best friend’s restaurant manager’s, thirteen-year-old sister. Not exactly a dream job, but a job nonetheless. She just had to stick it out for a few weeks, hop on a flight, and write a book. That becomes easier said than done when Sloane soon starts falling for Gavin. Could she ever dream of staying in one place long enough to start a real life? With Gavin, she thinks it just may be possible.

Restaurant manager, Gavin Carmichael really didn’t need any more complications in his life. He lost his mother to cancer, relocated, and now was responsible for his little sister. He couldn’t believe he now lost his sitter for a few weeks. Things start to look up, marginally, when he meets Sloane and she agrees to help him and Bree out. She isn’t exactly his first choice as a sitter for his sister, but she was an adult and could surely supervise. Hopefully. It turns out she is more than capable and in more ways than one and he is soon smitten with all that Sloane is and all that she has become to mean to him and Bree. It scares him to death that she self-admittedly doesn’t do the permanent and never stayed in one place for the long-term but he wants noting more to convince her that he and Bree were worth it. Would he succeed in getting the free spirit to put down roots? God, he really hoped so…

This book focuses on Sloane and Gavin (and Bree) and it was the total package from the very first chapter. Sloane is one of the best heroine’s I’ve read. She’s witty and snarky and matter of fact and I loved everything about her. She doesn’t really do the soft and fluffy and I adore her for it. She cuts to the chase and tells it like it is and even though she doesn’t think she’s the settling down type, deep down she really is. She’s just waiting for the right reason to settle down for. Enter Gavin. The astute professional who is navigating the father-figure role as best as he can. He is handsome and responsible and just wants his life, and his sister’s life, to be ok. What he really needed is an outsider’s point of view to help with his sister and that’s where Sloane shines.   Truly opposites, Gavin and Sloane were a gem of an unlikely match that completely belongs together, even if they didn’t want to believe it at first. The attraction and chemistry between them smolders at first and quickly grows into a burning heat… It. Was. Delicious. I loved watching the relationship evolve for all of them (Sloane, Gavin and Bree) and seeing it bloom into something so very special. I cried my eyes out more than once while reading and the loss of Gavin and Bree’s mother brought a touching aspect to this story.

As I said in the beginning of this review, the Pine Mountain Series is a series that just gets better and better with each book. Yes, you can read any of them as a stand-alone, but the effect as a whole is just so amazing that I vote for reading them all.

Kimberly Kincaid is one of those hidden author gems. She always writes a beautiful story with well-developed characters, great dialogue, interesting and engaging story lines, and plenty of beautifully written heated scenes. If you haven’t picked up one of her book yet, what are you waiting for?

Thank you, Kimberly, for another wonderful addition to the Pine Mountain crew! I can’t wait to read Aidan’s story….

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Book links:

Amazon  |  B&N  |  Kobo  |  iBooks

About the author:
Kimberly Kincaid writes contemporary romance novels that split the difference between sexy and sweet, taking the traditional idea of boy-meets-girl and infusing it with a sassy magic all her own. She believes in fiery yet flawed characters destined for a crash-course in falling in love– usually the hard way– and injects her trademark humor as well as poignant touches into her writing to create her stories.

Kimberly’s writing journey has led down some bumpy roads (that first manuscript is under the bed, where it is very likely to stay), but there has been some fresh pavement too (her second manuscript earned her very first contest final, and landed the fantastic Maureen Walters at the Curtis Brown Literary Agency). One thing is certain — the wild ride of being a writer is a lot richer in both its ups and downs because of friends and readers along the path.

When Kimberly’s not sitting cross-legged in an ancient desk chair known as “The Pleather Bomber”, she can be found practicing obscene amounts of yoga, whipping up anything from enchiladas to eclairs in her kitchen, or curled up with her nose in a book. She resides in northern Virginia with her wildly patient husband and their three daughters.

 

Places to find Kimberly Kincaid:

Site: http://www.kimberlykincaid.com

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

Twitter:https://twitter.com/kimberlykincaid

Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6938229.Kimberly_Kincaid