Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Giveaway and Sneak Peek inside of The Catalyst by Zoe Winters


Hello and Welcome to this stop on Zoe's tour! I must say that this book was absolutely fabulous and I would love to back-track and read the first two books. They were that good!!! And how lucky are you that you get a chance to win them? But first, let's take a sneak peek inside The Catalyst:


It started with one lost, shivering pup; it may end in a war...


Panthers don’t do responsibility. They don’t do long-term relationships. They definitely don’t raise kids. But when Z discovers a young wolf in the forest, he takes him in, unaware of the powerful beings hunting the pup.

Fiona is a witch who can’t leave her house; the birds have told her something bad will happen. The mailbox is as far as she’ll go, but even that may provide more danger than she’s bargained for. When a wolf pup stumbles into her garden, her safe, wrapped-up world heads for a free fall.

But along with danger, the pup brings a chance at love—a chance an agoraphobic witch and a bachelor panther shifter aren’t likely to find on their own.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The Catalyst is an ensemble book that also features Jane and Cole (from Blood Lust) and Cain (from Blood Lust and Save My Soul)

Excerpt:


Just have to make it to the mailbox. Everything will be okay. Fiona Patrone stared out the window at the lonely box at the end of the driveway. Her house was surrounded by trees in a heavily wooded area of Golatha Falls—so far out it was amazing the mailman delivered. And yet it felt so open and unknown out there. It was safer inside.

There probably isn’t any mail. Just check it tomorrow. Nothing important. Not worth going out. The thoughts tunneled through her mind like vicious moles. If she didn’t venture out, she’d be even more a prisoner of her own mind and fears. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d gone past the mailbox. If she got to the point where she couldn’t even get that far…

The birds outside screeched then, chattering warnings, screaming the same awful things they screamed at her every day. If you go out there, something bad will happen. She believed them. Birds had no reason to lie. They were excellent seers, so much so, that for centuries people had read bird entrails, not realizing that you needed a live bird to get any knowledge of value.

Something bad. They could at least give her a little detail, some clue as to what she should fear, but the threat remained the same—vague and foreboding as ever.

Fiona had been able to understand the language of animals before she could understand that of humans—a rare and special gift for a witch to inherit. Though she’d always seen it as a curse. If not for those damned birds, she’d be outside living her life. Maybe she would have found love, a job, something.

Well, she had a job—on the Internet. Her money was direct-deposited. She ordered her clothes online and had her groceries delivered. Thanks to the web, agoraphobia had never been so easy. At least from a logistics standpoint.

She took in a slow, measured breath, her hand poised over the doorknob. You can do this. You can do this. You can do this. Fiona mentally repeated it like a subliminal message she prayed would take hold. The doorknob clicked in her hand. She moved through what felt like invisible molasses as she forced herself out the door and into the throng of screeching, angry birds.

The wind had a new crispness. Almost Halloween. As a witch, shouldn’t she be in her element right about now? But the idea of ghosts and goblins and veils thinning served to make the whole ordeal seem more dangerous.

Fifty-five steps. She counted them every day because counting them was the only way she could make herself get there. It wasn’t far. She could run back into her house if the birds were right.

The mailbox held nothing of interest: an electric bill that could have waited until tomorrow. On her way back, step twenty-four, she became aware of the eerie silence. The birds had stopped their squawking, and a stillness blanketed the yard. She would have run straight for the front door except for the plaintive cry coming from somewhere nearby.

Ignore it. It’s not your concern, she told herself. Thirty-five. But the noise happened again. So sad, scared. Her heart softened at the sound. She’d want someone to help her if she were in distress. Fiona tucked the electric bill into the waistband of her jeans and struggled through the wild growth of the front yard. She hadn’t worked on the garden in five years, and it showed.

When she reached the side of the house, she found a wolf pup with wide, brown eyes, crying. He was old enough that he should have started learning the language of his kind, but he hadn’t. There were no words she could pick up and decipher. She could still get emotions and basic information, especially if those emotions were strong. In some circles, this made Fiona dangerous; in others, it would make her a pawn of those who might want to capitalize on such information.

The pup was lost, hungry, scared.

She didn’t sense a mother wolf nearby. Had he been abandoned? Her mind screamed at her to leave him there. But he was so hungry and pathetic. She couldn’t stop herself from scooping him up and taking him inside.

She sat him on the kitchen counter, and he stared curiously at her, turning his little wolf head to the side. He was reddish-brown and white, the cutest thing she’d seen in forever. At least he seemed old enough to be weaned.

She’d made a roast the previous night and wasn’t sure how that would fly with the little guy, but it was what she had. She cut some meat up and put it on the counter. The pup’s tail wagged as he gobbled up the food. She placed a bowl of water down, and he took care of that, too.

He stared at her from the top of the counter as if to say What next? Oh wow, yeah. She hadn’t thought through that part. If he was just lost, his mother would be coming soon. If he was all alone, she couldn’t have a wolf in her house. Even understanding what he needed, it was just insane. And probably illegal.

He positioned himself on the edge of the counter, shifting his weight from paw to paw, negotiating the drop to the ground. His full concentration was on the jump. When he made it to the linoleum floor, he looked up at her, all pleased with himself, and she melted. So cute.

“Well, maybe you can stay for a little while. Until I figure out what to do with you.” Those words had barely tumbled past her lips when the window over the breakfast nook shattered, and a large ball of black fur leaped into her kitchen.

It must be the mother.
But no. As her confusion cleared, she could see it was a large, angry black panther.

Fiona edged back, afraid he’d pounce if she made any sudden moves. What she wouldn’t give right now to have a few handy incantations at the ready. For spells, she needed all the proper tools: sage stick, herbs, candles, salt, etc. She could incant a little if she was very focused, but now, with her heart pounding so fast, wasn’t one of those times. Her own name was a blank—forget coming up with a snappy protection chant.

She grabbed at stray pots and pans and emptied a whole drawer of utensils as she threw everything she had at him. But he batted the objects away, prowling closer, his growl low and menacing. Within seconds, he had her backed into a corner, claws out, swiping at her.

She screamed and grabbed her arm, which was starting to bleed. Her side burned as well. All at once, her brain snapped into sharp focus. She was going to die in a matter of seconds if she didn’t figure something out right now.

He’d stopped clawing at her for a minute and was growling, something about her taking the pup, wanting to hurt him, people after him. Oh, wait. Wait! She could feel the magic crackling around the panther. Therian! That meant there was a person in there. Somewhere.

She called on every reserve of courage she had to form words. “I wasn’t trying to hurt him. He was lost and hungry. I brought him in to feed him. That’s all. I’m not whoever you think I am.”

The panther stared at her hard and growled again.

“Yes, I understand you.”

How is that possible? He growled.

“Rare gift. I meant the pup no harm. I swear.” She held her hands out defensively, hoping he believed her. An insane panther therian in her house wasn’t how she wanted to go out. Blood dripped in a steady flow down her arm; her shirt was torn near her ribcage where more blood was pooling. Oh God. That swipe alone could have killed her.

Breathe, Fiona. He’s calm now. Everything will be fine. Thank God he was a therian and could understand her as well as she understood him.

She still couldn’t figure out what a panther’s concern with a wolf pup was. But really, all she wanted was to get the both of them out of her house and call a window repairman. She was trying to forget the bleeding part. She vowed she’d listen to the birds next time.


So you can understand him?
The panther’s gaze shifted to the pup who gingerly stepped around the broken glass, sniffing things.

“Well, he doesn’t have language like you have yet, but I know what he needs. My gift runs a little deeper than just speech.” Not to toot her horn or anything.

He shifted—–right in the middle of her kitchen. Her eyes didn’t know where to go. Tanned, muscular legs. And…oh dear, skip that, skip that! But her brain had already processed parts of a man she’d never seen outside of television or the Internet, due to her phobia. There weren’t a lot of opportunities to hook up with men when you never left your house.

Farther up, there were very nice abs and pecs—–and those arms. Oh boy. She swiped the back of the hand that wasn’t bleeding across her face, afraid she might be drooling. She wanted to lick him, but under the circumstances that seemed a little weird. Her arm and side burned like fiery hell, but damn, he was pretty. So sleek and lithe, just like what he shifted into.

When her gaze made it up to his face, a boyish smirk graced his lips. There was a twinkle in his brown eyes. His dark hair was longish, but somehow still masculine. Oh yes, there wasn’t an unmanly bone in his body.

“So,” he drawled, moving closer by mere centimeters, “should we just get it on now?”

Her mouth dropped open. He couldn’t have just said that.

A strange look crossed his face.“Sorry. Wild animal here. A little amped up. That was inappropriate.” He extended a hand, attempting to move past the new awkwardness. “Let me look at you.”

The pain in her arm and side flared fully to life as she processed everything that had just happened in her kitchen. When she didn’t respond to his request, he pulled her toward him and lifted her shirt to inspect her side.

He frowned. “Not as bad as it could have been. Nothing major harmed.”

She was about to get angry and indignant about his flippant attitude toward what he’d just done, but then his eyes met hers, warm and honest.

“I’m very sorry about your injuries. I was afraid for the pup and sensed the magic on you. I thought you were one of the ones who tried to take him. I’m all he’s got.” The pup, as if sensing he was being talked about, clomped through the kitchen debris to sit between them, his little wolf gaze going back and forth.

Fiona looked back at the man standing in front of her, so sincere and intense… and attractive, and then the waterworks started.

“Oh, no, don’t cry,” he said, almost in a panic over the concept of female tears.

It wasn’t pain that had brought forth the tears; it was the fact that this was what it took to get near a hot guy for her: a near-death experience, and him breaking into her kitchen: the idea that he was going to take the pup and go on his merry way, and she’d have the memory of him emblazoned on her brain, but that would be all. Her close brush with maleness. Inches from her, but no dice.

It wasn’t that she wanted to take him up on his carnal offer. He was a stranger. And, as he said, a wild animal. And she wished he’d cover himself with something, because judging from outward signs, he was all raring and ready to go. Like most therians, he was unaffected by his own nudity or arousal. Something she wished humans shared in common with them, so she wouldn’t feel so freaked out by his nearness… or so much longing for something she wasn’t going to ever have since she couldn’t make it past her own mailbox.

His smooth, deep voice interrupted her mental hysteria. “Do you have bandages?”

“Bathroom, down the hall,” she said absently, feeling stupid for going all blubbery on him. Thank God he couldn’t read her mind and know why she’d been crying. That would have been too mortifying for words. Better for him to think she was just a big wimp who couldn’t take surface abrasions than to know the truth.

Doesn't this book sound amazing? The Catalyst is the third book in the series and you can take a closer look at it here. So up for grabs are the first 2 books in this series! Just fill out the rafflecopter!! Good Luck and you can follow the rest of the tour by clicking here.



 

Review: The Catalyst By: Zoe Winters





It started with one lost, shivering pup; it may end in a war...


Panthers don’t do responsibility. They don’t do long-term relationships. They definitely don’t raise kids. But when Z discovers a young wolf in the forest, he takes him in, unaware of the powerful beings hunting the pup.

Fiona is a witch who can’t leave her house; the birds have told her something bad will happen. The mailbox is as far as she’ll go, but even that may provide more danger than she’s bargained for. When a wolf pup stumbles into her garden, her safe, wrapped-up world heads for a free fall.

But along with danger, the pup brings a chance at love—a chance an agoraphobic witch and a bachelor panther shifter aren’t likely to find on their own.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The Catalyst is an ensemble book that also features Jane and Cole (from Blood Lust) and Cain (from Blood Lust and Save My Soul)


My Review:

First, before I start with the character analysis, this was an incredibly creative story. I was really impressed with the creation myths centered around each species. They were very unique and I LOVE unique. This book had a little bit of everything, including a very entertaining and funny witch!

Fiona has a fear of the outside and it goes deeper than the birds telling her something bad is going to happen if she goes outside. On her routinely stressful everyday trip to the mailbox, Fiona hears a cry. Having the gift that allows her to communicate with animals, she is at first confused when she can't get a read on it. Then she realizes its young and doesn't have a good enough grasp on the language to tell Fiona whats going on. No sooner does she take it in the house than she is attacked bu....a panther? No! Its a shifter. Fiona acts fast to try and communicate with him. But when Z reveals his human form to her, nothing can keep her eyes from devouring the splendid display of flesh!!

Z is a bachelor and he wants to keep it that way. Every since he stumbled on the pup his life has been in an uproar. He just wants things to go back to normal, and this witch may be the ticket he is looking for! And the pup likes her! But its more than her smell that attracts Z. But his life was going to go back to normal one way or another!

So we have a witch, a moody bacheloresk shifter, and a puppy. And this is only the beginning. There are several stories going on simultaneously and the plot ever thickens. My favorite character is Cain, and just wait until you find out who he is!! This is the third book in the series but I had no problem following it. I thought this book was delightful and can't wait to sample another taste of this series! Excellent read!!


Monday, July 30, 2012

Giveaway and Guest Post with author Lilou Dupont and her book Dangerous Love




Hello and Welcome to Lilou's kickoff with her book Dangerous Love.  Hello Lilou!  So glad I could share the start of the tour with you!!

Thank you, Nikki, for inviting me to be a guest blogger on CEWTNK! I am thrilled that CEWTNK is the first stop on my 3-week, 15-stop whirlwind tour. And thank you to the fab ladies at LitConnect for setting up everything. I will be giving away prizes at each blog stop. 

Dangerous Love, my debut novel, launches on 8.6.12. It is available for pre-order on Amazon and All Romance.

The publisher is Crimson Romance, a division of F+W Media. Crimson releases titles in five popular subgenres: contemporary, historical, paranormal, suspense, and spicy. One of my Crimson sisters is Berinn Rae, also featured on CEWTNK. Way to go, Berinn! Whereas Berinn writes paranormal romance, I write in the spicy subgenre.
I live in Washington, DC. It was a Monday night in March. I was at the Verizon Center watching a Washington Wizards basketball game. As it was the first quarter and the Wizards had a losing record (11 wins, 37 losses), I was not fully engaged in the game.
I absently checked my iPhone. There was an email from the editor for Crimson Romance, where I had sent my manuscript the previous Friday. Apparently, Jennifer and her team had read it over the weekend. They wanted to publish my book!

Yippee! Even though the Wizards ended up losing (again) that night by a heartbreaking two points, I had clearly won.  What I really liked about Jennifer's email – besides learning that I was about to become a published author – was her definition of “spicy”:

“I’d love to have this for our 'spicy' line (what we’re calling our erotica that is super-sexy but emphasizes the romance).”

Yes! I thought. Super-sexy. I'll take it.

In Dangerous Love, the sex is romantic, metaphoric to the theme, and dangerous. I am not sure why! Up until reading Jennifer's email, I had no accurate label for what I as doing.
Set in contemporary Eastern Europe, my novel is about a Jewish American woman who falls in love with the son of a Nazi. In spite of her strong misgivings and guilt, she gets involved with him. The attraction between them is so powerful that she cannot resist.
Romantic? In Prague, he brings her to a secluded area beneath the Charles Bridge. They sat down a grassy patch. They watched the waves lap up to the pebbled shore and the city lights shimmer on the water's surface. When they both got tired, they lay down in each other's arms and stayed that way until the sun came up the following day.

Metaphoric to the theme? In an artist's loft, he ties her up with electrical cords. She was suspended. Laura reflected that in this flayed position, her body took on the shape of a swastika.
Dangerous? Here she was, locked behind bars for blowing her boyfriend...openly and in broad daylight.  As this is CEWTNK, I will mention that the night plays a role. After a shattering breakup, Laura stays up all night in Berlin. The city is percolating and helps to protect her emotionally.


Fast-forward to April. The Wizards win the last six games of the season, including two games against the eventual champions, the Miami Heat. And on May 1, I sign my author's agreement with Crimson.  Where were you when you received news that had the potential of putting your life on a new course? Comment below and enter to win a Dangerous Love eBook or $5 eGift Card. There will be one randomly drawn winner of each prize at this blog stop.

For more tour info, please go to http://www.liloudupont.com/p/events.html. Thank you!

Let's take a Peek at the book itself:


Book Blurb:
In Prague, Laura feels that she has met her soulmate. Yet how can her soul merge with the son of a Nazi?

After being passed over for a promotion at a Chicago advertising agency, Laura cashes in her stock options, quits her job, and moves to Prague. There, she begins an erotic romance with Byron, only to discover that he is German and his father was in the Hitler Youth. As an observant Jew, Laura has deep misgivings about becoming involved with the son of a Nazi, but the attraction between them is so strong that she cannot resist.
When a woman from Byron’s past – the darkly exotic Zsa Zsa – comes between them, can the true love of Laura and Byron survive?
Early Review Testimonials:
Have you read Fifty Shades of Grey? Looking for more well written erotic romance novels? Well look no further! Lilou DuPont’s new book, Dangerous Love, is just that! It is the story of two unlikely lovers, a Jewish woman and the son of a Nazi. DuPont’s adept description of the characters, the setting, and the erotic sex scenes will make this a book you won’t want to put down. This reader actually liked it better than Fifty Shades! The sex scenes were more varied, the story line more developed, and it included some mystery, a kidnapping, and, most especially, a happy ending. I assure you, it will not disappoint!" - Pamela Smart 

"A real page turner! Take this book with you to your favorite café and drink some steamy latte. Who knows where it may take you!" - Rachel B.


"Enticing, exciting writing at its best! Dangerous Love is not to be missed!" - Tsaurah Litzky, author of The Motion of the Ocean


DANGEROUS LOVE Purchase Links:
Amazon| Barnes and Noble | iTunes All Romance

Author Bio:
Lilou DuPont graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a degree in Philosophy and studied Erotic Writing at The New School in New York City. She lives in Washington, DC where she enjoys a successful advertising career and a large circle of friends. Dangerous Love is her first novel. She is at work on her second book, a spy romance set in Bucharest, Romania. Vampires? No. Gypsies? Yes.

Find Lilou at:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LilouDuPont1
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/LilouDuPontWriter
Goodreads:



Sound like a good read?  Of course it does!!  Thanks for stopping by!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Forgotten Memories By: Theresa Stillwagon



For some people ghosts are everywhere…

When rebuilding an old ghost town, a few ghosts shouldn't be a surprise. And for Jen Ferguson, history professor and psychic, it's par for the course. But ghosts aren't her main worry.

After a disastrous affair, which has affected her job at the college, Jen promised her grandfather—the most important person in her life—that she would stay away from men until the end of the semester. That's a promise she's determined to keep, but when she meets rancher Adam Craine, it becomes a struggle. Adam's sexy and flirty, and her psychic abilities are telling her that he might possess a very important quality the previous men in her life had been lacking…he can be trusted.

It's a daily battle for Jen to keep her hands off of him, but she believes she can do it…until two of Winter Creek's ghostly residents decide to up the stakes by possessing Jen and Adam's bodies. How can Jen keep her promise with these two passionate spirits interfering?

And if all that's not enough to deal with, now she's having premonitions of danger which could lead to the destruction of Winter Creek.
My Review:

Jen was a history professor with a love for two things, Winter Creek and her grandad.  She ad her heart broken more times than she could count, so she swore to use men only for sex, no attachments.  Six years later, her plan was still holding strong, that is until one really hot cowboy turns her head.   But she had made a promise to her Grandad to not sleep with any men until the semester was over.  She's fighting it hard, but  more along the lines of what he doesn't know won't hurt him.

Adam has it hot for teacher, embarrassingly so.  One conversation and he was using his Stetson to cover his growing embarrassment...literally.  It truly hadn't been that long since he had been with a woman!  After his wife left, he swore he wanted nothing more than physical relationships.  But he had been lying to himself.  Just one look at Jen made him realize just how much of a liar he really was.

Both people needed to heal from their past, though Jen had it a lot worse.  There is so much going on in the story, that it makes for an all encompassing read! The ghosts and the fact that Jen is not only psychic but can see them, add a little something more to the story.  It really was extremely entertaining and I look forward to reading the second book.  A lot of unanswered questions are floating around my head about what is truly going on.  I hope more is revealed to us soon!!  Excellent read!!



Sunday, July 29, 2012

Guest Post with Dianna Hardy and her book series, The Witching Pen

The Witching Pen Novellas: light, dark & all shades of grey

by Dianna Hardy


The Witching Pen (book one)

It's hard being the most powerful witch on the planet. It's even harder when you're a twenty-five year old virgin who'll lose all of that power the moment you sleep with someone ... that's why Elena's never slept with her best friend and flatmate, Karl, despite the true feelings they harbour for each other.

Elena's about to discover that there are even more difficult things in life to deal with. One of them comes in the form of a pen she discovers one day, a pen that allows anything she writes to come to pass...

Suddenly, it's not just her powers or her heart that's at stake, but her very soul, as a dream demon with a seductive pull uses the pen to try and turn her away from her reality, and from Karl.

But the pen is just the beginning. Everything Elena has believed in is a lie, and her world is about to fall apart... Read My Review!!


The Sands Of Time (book two)


Seven days ago, Elizabeth May tried to commit suicide. She was found by Paul, her husband, who took her under his wing and back to their home. But the attempted suicide is not Elizabeth's main problem -- Elizabeth can't remember who she is, or a single thing about her life beyond the past week.

Plagued by nightmares about a familiar black panther, and a terrifying snow leopard, she is convinced that the dreams are trying to show her something important, and is determined to regain her memories, one way or another.

Meanwhile, Pueblo -- the demon blood-bonded to the witch, Amy -- is going insane trying to find her. Amy disappeared one week ago, and it seems not even their bond is strong enough to penetrate whatever magic hides her.

As Pueblo enlists the help of angels and demons alike, Elizabeth begins to piece together parts of her forgotten life. But what she uncovers may just have her wanting to turn away from who she really is ... for good. Read my Review!


The Demon Bride (book three)

Two thousand and eleven years after the birth of the Failed One, the Witching Pen will be made manifest on Earth by the Great Shanka Witch of the Old Scrolls. By her hand, the Earth will rumble and shatter, and all dimensions will bleed into one.
The true purpose of the Witching Pen has been revealed, and it must be destroyed before an apocalyptic prophecy comes true. There's just one problem -- the Pen is indestructible.

As everyone searches for much needed answers, Elena lays down plans for a radical mission to save her mother from the Shanka's shadow world.

Meanwhile, Mary has finally discovered who she really is, and what that means for the human race.

What Mary doesn't know, is that Gwain has been searching for her for over ten thousand years, and had lost all hope of finding her. Now that he has her, he's faced with an impossible choice: does he save the woman who altered his very existence, or does he sacrifice her to save mankind?   Read My Review!!

Thanks so much to Close Encounters With The Night Kind for having me on their blog today J

I’ve done it! I’ve finally completed a paranormal romance trilogy (although there is another instalment coming – sort of a spin-off book – which is less of a romance and more of an urban fantasy…), and I’ve completed my first ever novel. Yes, The Demon Bride was the first novel I’ve ever written at just under 70,000 words. Before that, I’d only written novellas. 


What. A. Ride!

Not least because I felt all kinds of emotions when writing these books. I was laughing out loud, I was going insane, there were ‘eeewwww’ moments, there were ‘no way!’ moments (yes, even I am surprised by my characters sometimes), there were hot moments (er-hem), and there were moments when I just teared up.

Certainly this last book, The Demon Bride, was all kinds of intense that all the way through writing it, I had to stop after every 1000 words to gather myself before carrying on. There was one point whether I wondered if I would finish it at all; if I had made a huge mistake; if everyone was simply going to hate it… (I’m still wondering, actually, lol…)

Because I do not stick with rules when I write ‘romance’. I write light, fun stuff; I write dark, gritty stuff, and more often than not, both light and dark elements will be combined in the same story. I’d like to think I take my characters to the extreme. Whether that’s true or not, I do take them where they need to go, and sometimes those are some very dubious places indeed. In this series, you get all kinds of romance, from sweet, to fun, to extremely complicated, to bittersweet – I don’t just write one kind of romance, with one kind of hero and one kind of heroine.

In my world, light and dark are ambiguous, love is every shade from pink to scarlet, and life is every shade of grey.

So… readers, do you prefer too read something light and fun, something dark and gritty, or something that combines both?


The Witching Pen Novellas are available in digital and paperback formats. All info and buy links can be found on the series website The Witching Pen Novellas.



And thanks so much to Nikki for taking the time to review this series J


The Demon Bride (Book Three of The Witching Pen Novellas) eBook is released on 31st August, in Amazon stores and Smashwords (other retailers to follow).



The Demon Bride paperback can be pre-ordered from


where you will also find books one and two for sale.



OR preorder the entire Omnibus Edition!



 




Dianna Hardy is a multi-genre author of paranormal things, dark things, poetic things, sexy things, taboo things, and sometimes funny things. She writes about witches, demons and angels. All info about her books can be found on her website DiannaHardy.com



You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.


Dianna came to me almost a year ago with this series and it was so thrilling to watch her progress and to be able to review it.  Piece by piece this thrilling adventure came together and I was doubly honored when Dianna asked to quote me on the back of her book.  A big thank you to all the authors I have had the opportunity to work with!!  You make what I do loads of fun!!




Review: The Demon Bride By: Dianna Hardy



Two thousand and eleven years after the birth of the Failed One, the Witching Pen will be made manifest on Earth by the Great Shanka Witch of the Old Scrolls. By her hand, the Earth will rumble and shatter, and all dimensions will bleed into one.The true purpose of the Witching Pen has been revealed, and it must be destroyed before an apocalyptic prophecy comes true. There's just one problem -- the Pen is indestructible.

As everyone searches for much needed answers, Elena lays down plans for a radical mission to save her mother from the Shanka's shadow world.

Meanwhile, Mary has finally discovered who she really is, and what that means for the human race.

What Mary doesn't know, is that Gwain has been searching for her for over ten thousand years, and had lost all hope of finding her. Now that he has her, he's faced with an impossible choice: does he save the woman who altered his very existence, or does he sacrifice her to save mankind?


My Review:

I can't recommend this series enough.  From the very first book, to this most recent addition, it has been a truly exquisite dip into the darkness.  Especially in this book.  This is truly my FAVORITE so far.  It has a little bit of everything in it and I mean everything!!  This series is a must read for paranormal romance lovers!!

This book is on Mary.  Mary has been the character walking around the other two books with a question mark floating above her head.  All of the other supernatural beings sense her and know shes SOMETHING, but have absolutely no clue as to what.  Considering there are angels, demons, witches, shifters, halflings, and a variety of monsters, that is saying a lot.I have been anxiously awaiting this book because the last book left off with a huge cliff hanger.  So I have been literally hanging on since then, dying to know what Mary is and how she fits into this amazing creation the author has entitled The Witching Pen Novellas.

As I began reading this book, I was as swept away( as with the other two )and I was absolutely shocked as to what Mary turned out to be.  I don't do spoilers in my review, so I can't tell you exactly what she is or how she ties into this story, but I will say that I was extremely delighted with this read.  It was not only the best so far, but well worth the wait.  The creativity and story telling ability of this author has completely captivated me.  Just with this series, she has earned fan and I promise you, that you will see her again on this site!!  Hats off to you Dianna for this exquisite addition to a wonderful series!!!






Saturday, July 28, 2012

Free Amazon Sizzles!!!


SEXY BEASTS AND WARRIORS
GET TWO FREE BOOKS TODAY And Tomorrow

    (July 28 and 29)


I wanted to visit Close Encounters again and I missed my Nikki Babe!

Hey Leanore!!  Always a pleasure to have you on!!!

Today, I want to blog about my most favorite subject. SEXY MEN and what they can do for us.

Here is my first example and he is the star of most wet dreams… an insatiable sexy man.:

Damon from Beasts A different Life:


Damon pinned her with one hand against the wall and drew his face down to her neck. "Mmm…" he growled low. “I dream of your scent, and I can feel it when you're near. I can almost taste you on my lips and I can't deny it anymore."

Gasping, Alex stared into his eyes. Dipping two fingers inside of her, he eased them in and out. He lowered his mouth to her breast, took a nipple and flicked it with his tongue as he continued to slide his fingers in and out of her.

Alex felt a light flush run along her bare skin and she grew wet with this simultaneous, sensual assault. He lowered his body closer and took the other nipple into his mouth without halting his relentless stroking. A glorious heated sensation ran along her skin and her breathing accelerated.

"I will melt you," he threatened against her lips.

Next up is a powerful brave

Devon from Nowhere Arizona:


“Like I want to use my mouth and devour your delicious-looking skin from head to toe?” An inviting vibration filled his voice, and Madeline experienced a lustful spasm. His searing-hot mouth descended on her neck, like a fiery brand on her skin. Her body pulsed. “I want to taste you. What do you taste like? I will bet your juices are both sweet and salty.” Devon's lips caressed the words along her skin, “I would like to take those rosy nipples into my mouth and suck on them until you scream for me.”

She shuddered. “Oh, God.”

Devon leaned in a little closer. “Explore every part of you. Have you wet and wide open.”

She gulped and squeezed her arms even tighter in a struggle to hold herself together.


Victor from Beasts King Of Vengeance:

At the startling proactive image, she gasped and could see his fingers plunging into her.

He smiled wickedly at her as she squirmed while pumping his wet fingers in and out of her open pussy.

"Unh, uh," she panted breathlessly. “Please, you’re going to make me…" She could feel how wet she'd become, as his fingers slid in and out of her.

He plunged them faster and pulled her higher. "Make you what?"

Her throat closed up and she couldn’t answer.

“Say it, Rose.” His fingers rested inside of her as he passed his warm palm over a tingling nipple.

Valentine’s body jerked as the glorious finger propulsion halted and she shook her head while she gazed at his reflection in the mirror.

“Tell me,” he purred to her ear.

A living need for anything and everything he might wish do to her became like a tender aching inside of her. “Make me…” She licked her lips as she stared at his hand resting on her clit in the mirror. “Make me come.” 

Victor lifted her higher and tilted her hips back. “I’m going to watch you come.” He shoved his hard cock into her, the seductive threat rumbling through her.

"Ahh…" She actually could see him go up and deep into her pulsing slick pussy. “Oh, no." She shuddered violently.



MORE SEXY WARRIOR In Gateway to the Sun:

The brave stared down at her thong-like underwear and grasped the material of her lacey panties in his fingers. “Maybe they have a purpose.”

Madeline flinched as his fingers grazed her tender skin there.

With a see-sawing motion, he tugged the thong back and forth over her labia.

“Ohh...”she let out a throaty response before she could think to suppress it.

He smiled wickedly while he moved the panties more briskly across her skin.

The friction built up and she could feel the wet lace rub her clit causing it to swell. Oh God, I cannot bare this! Her body began to tighten and her frantic breathing grew in her chest.

Unexpectedly, he stopped the wet-lace strapping of her clit. He ripped the panties away and drew them up in his fist. “Yes.” He lowered his other hand to her clit and explored her with his strong fingers. “Wet,” he stated flatly with a victorious expression on his face. He raised a glistening finger and grazed it across his tongue as he tasted her juices.

Madeline gulped at the sight of his sensual action. So raw and so sexy at the same time. Her weakness for the pure animal sex this being was capable of spoke to her inner wildness. She attempted to push it all away. She needed to foil his plan of dominance and she let out a loud harrumph of disgust.

He laughed. “You are hot-blooded woman and you also lie very badly.”

*  *   *   *   *   *

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Friday, July 27, 2012

Giveaway and Guest Post with author Pippa Jay and her book Keir


As a reader, I’ve always loved a story that draws me in with the opening lines. Better still, a story that hooks me at the very first sentence. So as a writer I’ve tried to do that with my own work and give a reader something that makes them want to read on. How can a writer do that?

Well, let’s look at an example. How about a scifi classic?

“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”

All right, all right, so I’m cheating a little. Any scifi fan will know that’s the opening line to Star Wars: A New Hope. And then in roars the music, up scrolls the prologue and a space battle blasts its way onto the screen. How’s that for an opening? Would that hook you? J Technology hasn’t quite got to the point where you can open a digital book and have that kind of prologue greet you (although it’s coming), so a writer has to do it with words.

Some more examples:

Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.” A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling.

This time there would be no witnesses.” Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams.

(BTW if you’re interested, there’s a whole page of opening lines on Wikiquote).

Those are just three of my favorites. The weird thing with all of these is that the author is just stating a fact. And yet by stating that fact they’ve made the reader ask questions. Why would there be any doubt that Marley was dead? Why were Mr. And Mrs. Dursley proud to be normal? And what wouldn’t there be witnesses to?

So my opening line? “In the darkness and the silence, Keir sat with teeth gritted against the pain racking his body.”

I didn’t plan it as a hook. That was how I pictured him the very first time he came into my head. It was the first line I ever wrote and the only one that hasn’t changed since I set it down.

Do you want to know why he’s sitting in the dark? Why he’s in pain? You’ll have to read the book to find out. Oh, and exploding space ships, alien races and the romance come later. Promise.

Keir - a science-fiction romance available from Lyrical Press Inc.

Blurb:

Outcast. Cursed. Dying. Is Keir beyond redemption?

 For Keirlan de Corizi--the legendary 'Blue Demon' of Adalucien--death seems the only escape from a world where his discolored skin marks him as an oddity and condemns him to life as a pariah. But salvation comes in an unexpected guise: Tarquin Secker, a young woman who can travel the stars with a wave of her hand.

But Quin has secrets of her own. She's spent eternity searching through space and time with a strange band of companions at her back. Defying her friends' counsel, Quin risks her apparent immortality to save Keir. She offers him sanctuary and a new life on her home world, Lyagnius.

When Keir mistakenly unleashes his dormant alien powers and earns instant exile from Quin's home world, will she risk everything to stand by him again?


BUY LINKS:

Lyrical Press Inc - http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_32&products_id=513

Amazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/Keir-ebook/dp/B0080E4QIA/ref=cm_rdp_product

Amazon.co.uk - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Keir-ebook/dp/B0080E4QIA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336420182&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/keir-pippa-jay/1110110646

BookStrand - http://www.bookstrand.com/keir

All Romance Ebooks - http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-keir-788806-143.html

BIO:

A stay-at-home mum of three who spent twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay bases her stories on a lifetime addiction to science-fiction books and films. Somewhere along the line a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. Between torturing her characters, she spends the odd free moments trying to learn guitar, indulging in freestyle street dance and drinking high-caffeine coffee. Although happily settled in historical Colchester in the UK with her husband of 19 years, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.

LINKS:


Twitter:  @pippajaygreen   http://twitter.com/pippajaygreen

Facebook:  Keir - Beyond Redemption (book page) https://www.facebook.com/pages/Keir-Beyond-Redemption/114058821953752



Pippa is giving away a 10 amazon card to one lucky winner!!  Just fill out the Rafflecopter for your chance to win!!

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