N.K. Jemisin, who is a NEBULA AWARD NOMINEE (sorry, was I shouting?) for her amazing novel THE KILLING MOON

Beth Cornelison for making the Bookscan Romance bestseller list with COWBOY’S TEXAS RESCUE.

Christina Henry for the release of BLACK CITY, the latest novel in her fabulous Black Wings series.  You can read the first chapter or get more info over on her website.  Just click here!  (If you’re a Beezle addict, you can hear him grumbling over in the Sidekick Corner at Literal Addiction.)

Vicky Dreiling whose publisher is celebrating the upcoming release of the first novel in her Sinful Scoundrels series, WHAT A WICKED EARL WANTS, by giving people the chance to win one of ten copies at GoodReads (ends tomorrow, so enter asap)!  Of course, you can always guarantee yourself a good read by pre-ordering it today.

I’m sure I will think of a million more things as soon as I post, but that’s what tomorrow is for!

And now on to two people who are doing everything right!  Virtual confetti to Karen Whiddon and Beth Cornelison (see how I switched the order here so as not to play favorites?) for their exciting new releases:

COLTON’S RANCH REFUGE by Beth Cornelison

Ex-soldier Gunnar Colton’s only focus is shaking off the horrors of war in his remote cabin—until a murderer abducts another victim from the neighboring Amish community. Now the Colton code of honor kicks in and it’s his duty to protect the eyewitness who’s the next likely target.

Treating sexy, spitfire actress Violet Chastain as just another assignment is next to impossible, though. There’s more to her than Hollywood and the hurt she’s hiding. The minute Gunnar lets the starlet and her twin baby boys into his home, the guard around his heart starts to crack. One taste of passion shows him the future he could have with Violet—if the threat closing in doesn’t claim them both.

About the Author

Award-winning author Beth Cornelison has been writing stories since she was a child. A University of Georgia graduate, Cornelison worked in Public Relations before becoming a full-time writer. She has won many honors for her writing, including the coveted Golden Heart, awarded by the Romance Writers of America. She lives in Louisiana with her husband and son. For more information, visit her website at http://www.bethcornelison.com.

THE WOLF PRINCESS by Karen Whiddon (with bonus Pack novel ONE EYE OPEN)

Trouble. Princess Alisa senses it instantly when she first meets Braden Streib, the mysterious specialist her parents summoned from America to stimulate her shape-shifting cycles. At first—and unlike her many suitors—this confident, swarthy outsider in dark sunglasses seems indifferent to her royal status. But Alisa’s essence soon whispers to Braden, a Halfling, of untamed talents that could prove devastating—as well as impossible to resist. Her abilities, if properly aroused, might be her kingdom’s only hope. For amid the pomp and secrecy of the court, Braden and Alisa are about to confront an extremist enemy—and an unexpected passion beyond their wildest imaginings….

About the Author

Karen Whiddon started weaving fanciful tales for her younger brothers at the age of eleven. Amidst the Catskill Mountains of New York, then the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, she fueled her imagination with the natural beauty that surrounded her. Karen now lives in north Texas, where she shares her life with her very own hero of a husband and three doting dogs. She divides her time between the business she started and writing. Check out her website, http://www.karenwhiddon.com.

She was running from a nightmare . . .

Tess Sinclair must hide. Hunted by a powerful man who wants her dead, Tess flees her Texas home in search of anonymity, safety, and a new life. When a hired gunman catches up with her, a handsome stranger intervenes. But can she trust the blue-eyed cowboy who appoints himself her guardian?

He was chasing a dream . . .

Nothing could stop Justin Boyd from his pursuit of a music career in Nashville–except a woman in peril. Haunted by his sister’s murder, Justin can’t walk away from Tess until he knows she’s safe. Yet the stakes in this game of vengeance are higher than he ever imagined, and the price for freeing Tess might be his own life.

TIGER BOUND by Doranna Durgin (Harlequin Nocturne, July 24)

“…characters readers will love” – Romantic Times, 4 Stars

“…creative ideas, ground-breaking characters and emotionally charged conflicts.” –Amelia Richards, Cataromance 4 Stars

Cover Copy: Like the Siberian tiger he can transform into, Maks Altán is a strong, ferocious fighter who’s incredibly protective of his Sentinel kin. But thanks to a debilitating injury, he feels anything but fierce. That is, until he is sent to guard Katie Maddox, a gorgeous healer who awakens a dangerous lust within him. Problem is, in the shifter world, Katie’s deer alter ego is easy prey…and much too tempting for Maks.

As unnamed danger lurks just beyond her awareness, Katie has doubts—about her abilities, her role in the Sentinels and the strange desire she feels toward her new protector. But somehow, the wounded predator and his wary prey must ignore their instincts, their fears and their dangerous attraction to each other in order to defeat their common enemy!

THE REUNION MISSION by Beth Cornelison (Silhouette Romantic Suspense, July 24)

This is a fabulous chance to read two books by award-winning author Beth Cornelison for the price of one.  This volume collects two Black Ops romances: THE REUNION MISSION and TALL DARK DEFENDER into one volume!

(Read an excerpt)

ALL SEEING EYE by Rob Thurman (Pocket Books, July 31)

“Visual and engrossing—keeps you rapidly turning the pages.” —Heather Graham, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Moon

“Multitalented Thurman is moving in a new direction by offering up a supernatural thriller that features a cynical psychic. Life has not been kind to Jackson Lee, which has resulted in a hero who doesn’t merely put up walls around his emotions — Jack opts for virtual electric fences. Thurman specializes in damaged characters with a strong sense of family. Creepy and chilling, this is a ghost story with a killing edge.” —Romantic Times Book Reviews

“This is a fast paced story that sucks you in and pulls you along until the best plot twist ever sucker-punches you in the gut. And then it’s over, leaving you wanting more. It’s an easy read, but not a simple one; it’s definitely got its dark and disturbing moments. There’s action, sarcasm, murder and a touch — just a touch, mind you — of affection. I loved it so much that when I finished reading it, I turned it over and started again. That’s the highest praise I can give a book.” -Bookshelf Bombshells

Cover Copy: The New York Times bestselling author of the Cal Leandros series delivers a bold new supernatural thriller where one man’s extraordinary abilities come with an equally phenomenal cost.

Picking up a small, pink shoe from the grass forever changed young Jackson Lee’s life. Not only did its presence mean that his sister Tessa was dead—murdered and stuffed in the deep, black water of a narrow well—but the shoe itself told him so. Tessa’s death triggers an even more horrific family massacre that, combined with this new talent he neither wants nor can handle, throws Jack’s life into a tailspin. The years quickly take him from state homes to the streets to grifting in a seedy carnival, until he finally becomes the cynical All Seeing Eye, psychic-for-hire. At last, Jackson has left his troubled past behind and found a semblance of peace.

That is, until the government blackmails him. After Jackson is forced to help the military contain the aftermath of a bizarre experiment gone violently wrong, everything he knows about himself will change just as suddenly as it did with his little sister’s shoe.

And while change is constant . . . it’s never for the better.

I’m so pleased to announce that James A. Hetley’s classic and critically acclaimed Celtic fantasies are now in digital!  You’ll really want to check out these two novels in his Wildwood series.

THE SUMMER COUNTRY by James A. Hetley (TKA Distribution)

“You don’t find many books like this, never mind first novels. Hetley’s The Summer Country is like an old Irish whiskey — dark and smoky, abounding in flavour and detail… The Summer Country is all the things a good novel should be: a tightly-written, resonant…story rich with flawed characters, dark visions, and quiet joys, with the whisper of true mystery, lying there in wait at the very heart of it all.” —Charles de Lint

“As Mo might put it, compared to standard pseudo-Celtic fare, The Summer Country kicks butt.  And architect/former karate instructor/Vietnam vet Hetley might create as much stir in the field as fellow Maine-man Stephen King when he first came upon the scene.” —Locus

“Beautiful, dark, and gritty, this first novel is a real winner.”  —Booklist

Cover Copy: Maureen Pierce works the night shift in a convenience store, carries a .38 Smith & Wesson in her pocket, and talks to trees. She knows enough clinical psychology to think that when the trees answer, it proves she’s crazy. She can live with that.

She manages to get by in a world where she doesn’t really fit, until the truth reaches out to touch her as she slogs home through the slushy midnight sidewalks of a February sleet storm. That truth offers a seductive promise of warmth and sun, green growing things and trees that really do answer when she talks to them. It tells her that she isn’t truly human.

Now her blood heritage drags her from Maine into ancient myth three steps away from the modern world, with all the claws and teeth and cruelty intact. Camelot is dead. Arthur is dead. Law is dead. Power rules the Summer Country of Celtic myth, behind the Old Blood faces of beast-master Dougal, dark witch Fiona, and her cunning, treacherous twin brother Sean. Their plots entangle and threaten Maureen’s sister Jo, Jo’s human lover David, and Brian Albion — the enigmatic Old Blood knight of the warrior Pendragons, who Maureen trusts about as far as she can throw him.

Maureen can become either a slave or a mighty witch, but her own dark past may be her worst enemy.

THE WINTER OAK by James A. Hetley (TKA Distribution)

“Full of rich prose, this sequel to the critically acclaimed THE SUMMER COUNTRY confirms that Hetley has created that rarest of gems: a Celtic fantasy worth reading. . . . Fans of ‘realistic fantasy’ authors like Charles de Lint and George R. R. Martin will particularly enjoy sinking their teeth into this gritty and entertaining story.”  —Publishers Weekly

“Hetley’s seamless blending of ‘real’ and mythical realities is pure magic, every bit as enchanting here as in The Summer Country.” —Booklist

“You’ll want to read THE SUMMER COUNTRY first before you dive into THE WINTER OAK as this is that rarity of sequels, one that perfectly builds off the previous novel.  James Hetley can be very proud of the story he has created – it’s that good!” —Green Man Reviews

“Readers tired of stereotypical fantasy fairylands will find this sequel to THE SUMMER COUNTRY rather refreshing.  This enchanted land is as dark and gritty as any urban landscape, which should appeal to fans of Tanya Huff and Laurell K. Hamilton.” —Romantic Times

“Fans of urban fantasy in the style of Charles de Lint and Tanya Huff should enjoy this well-written sequel to The Summer Country.” —Library Journal

Cover Copy: “Happily ever after” doesn’t always work, even in fairy tales. Maureen Pierce has won her castle, her man, and her powers, after terrible suffering in THE SUMMER COUNTRY. She has won a host of fierce enemies as well — among them, the powerful dark witch Fiona and the deadly black dragon Khe’sha, who plot vengeance. Many of the Old Blood fear the change that she brings to the Summer Country of Celtic myth, and the warrior Pendragons believe that her lover, Brian Albion, has betrayed their secrets.

If that wasn’t bad enough, Maureen hates her castle for the pain she suffered there. She fears her new-found powers. The ghosts of old trauma still haunt her and those close to her — Brian, her sister Jo, and Jo’s lover, the human bard David.

Against that, Maureen has the love of the Wildwood, the tangled, dangerous, above all magical forest surrounding the castle she won. She and those with her have honor — a strange and rare and powerful concept in the Summer Country.

Holding her place turns out to be as hard as winning it, and she’s going to need help.

Sometimes, that can come from where it’s least expected.

(From L to R: J. Kathleen Cheney, P.N. Elrod, Karen Whiddon, me, and Rosemary Clement-Moore)

Rosemary’s novel TEXAS GOTHIC, a fabulous story that appeals to adults as well as the young adult audience for which it’s intended, was just featured on Good Morning, Texas as a great book to take to the pool or beach, especially for the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend! Oh, and that first series that’s mentioned (“like Veronica Mars meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), Delacorte is bringing out the first two, PROM DATES FROM HELL and HELL WEEK, and publishing them together in September in an omnibus edition called BRIMSTONE.  I highly recommend checking it out!

If you’re looking for romantic reading for the holiday weekend, RT Book Reviews has a “Which Self-Published Story is Right for You?” quiz up on their website featuring works by Sharon Sala, Diana Layne, Crista McHugh and our own Beth Cornelison (TRUST IN ME, currently just 99 cents!).

Here are some other great 99 cent reads!

THE MALORIE PHOENIX by Janet Mullany: a stolen family jewel, an abandoned child, mystery, intrigue and, best of all, romance!

Z by Lauren Baratz-Logsted: a contemporary re-envisioning of The Great Gatsby

Our you can “Take Five” with Lynn Flewelling, whose latest Nightrunner novel featuring my very favorite spies Seregil and Alec, will be out next week (CASKET OF SOULS).

They’re a bit more than 99 cents currently, but, of course, if you feel a sudden urge to run out for any of my books, there’s the Vamped series (Clueless meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer…nearly as cool as Veronica Mars meets…) or BAD BLOOD (mythology, murder and mayhem, first in the Latter-Day Olympians urban fantasy series).

Blurb:

Survival. Danger. Living on the edge. It’s what Alec is all about. But crawling on his belly through the South American jungle is child’s play next to babysitting the mother-to-be with the bad luck to get caught in the cross fire. Safeguarding Erin Bauer and her baby is Alec’s top priority. Only, now the Special Ops soldier is falling for this brave, vulnerable woman with the melting mahogany eyes.

Alone with Alec in a remote Rocky Mountain hideaway, Erin knows her life depends on the rugged, enigmatic stranger. Alec makes her feel protected. Cherished. Complete. But he lives a life of risk and deadly danger. How much is Erin willing to risk for a love that could give them both what they need and desire most?

Next Tuesday, Lynn Flewelling‘s new Nightrunner novel, CASKET OF SOULS, is coming out from Bantam Spectra.  You won’t want to miss Seregil and Alec in their latest adventure, doing what they do best.  Now available for pre-order everywhere.

Blurb:

The Nightrunners are back in this gripping novel full of Lynn Flewelling’s trademark action, intrigue, and richly imagined characters.
 
More than the dissolute noblemen they appear to be, Alec and Seregil are skillful spies, dedicated to serving queen and country. But when they stumble across evidence of a plot pitting Queen Phoria against Princess Klia, the two Nightrunners will find their loyalties torn as never before. Even at the best of times, the royal court at Rhíminee is a serpents’ nest of intrigue, but with the war against Plenimar going badly, treason simmers just below the surface.

And that’s not all that poses a threat: A mysterious plague is spreading through the crowded streets of the city, striking young and old alike. Now, as panic mounts and the body count rises, hidden secrets emerge. And as Seregil and Alec are about to learn, conspiracies and plagues have one thing in common: The cure can be as deadly as the disease.

Also, since I missed offering the HUGE CONGRATULATIONS here on my blog at the time, here’s a belated you go, girl! for Rachel Caine, whose latest Morganville Vampires novel, BLACK DAWN, hit #50 on the USA Today bestseller list and has been tearing up the charts in the UK.  Check out the Waterstones page with the Morganville Vampires up front and center!  (And clearly “Not just for teens!”)

I want to shine a light too on the wonderful reviews coming in for Janet Mullany‘s latest historical romance THE MALORIE PHOENIX, out in digital everywhere (Kindle, Nook, etc.)  Dorothy Muir calls it, “a good, rollicking Regency tale.” Imagine a World… says, “From beginning to end, this book is never anything less than amazing.” Want to know more?  Check out Janet’s book trailer.

To start with, I want to give a shout out and congratulation J. Kathleen Cheney on the sale of her wonderful historical fantasy series to Ace.  Based on our announcement:  J. Kathleen Cheney‘s OF AMBERGRIS, BLOOD, AND BRANDY, a novel of fantasy, suspense, and romance set in an alternate turn-of-the-century Portugal in which races of shape-shifters live in secret, and a fantastical underwater work of art and a psychopathic killer become tangled in a string of murders that threaten the stability of the entire nation, sold to Kat Sherbo at Ace Books.

And I’ve been remiss offering congratulations on a batch of other great new sales over the past month:

Kira Sinclair‘s three novels set in Sweetheart, South Carolina – a small southern town where the men are sinful, the women are feisty and Cupid always wins, to Laura Barth at Harlequin Blaze.

N.K. Jemisin‘s three books in a post-apocalyptic epic fantasy, in which a heroine searches for her lost daughter in a world torn apart by seismic magic, to Devi Pillai of Orbit.

Beth Cornelison‘s final installment of the Black Ops Rescues series and a new trilogy featuring three Louisiana brothers who take on danger and natural disaster to defend the women they love, to Keyren Gerlach of Silhouette Romantic Suspense.

Carol Berg‘s two books in the Sanctuary series, involving fantasy and forensics, to Anne Sowards of Roc.

Steven Harper‘s THE HAVOC MACHINE, fourth novel in the steampunk Clockwork Empire series, to Anne Sowards of Roc.

Congratulations to you all!   I’m really looking forward to all of these forthcoming releases!

Also, you know that saying about how you can’t please all of the people all of the time?  Well, on Magical Words, which I guest blog for regularly, AJ Hartley did a wonderful post a few days ago on Dealing with Negativity.  It’s something we all encounter, and it can be so damaging to your psyche and reputation, but I think his post helps put it into perspective.

In other news, Chloe Neill is giving away two ARCs of BITING COLD, the latest novel in her New York Times bestselling Chicagoland Vampires series here on her blog.  Contest ends at midnight on May 21st, so enter soon for a chance to win!

Kalayna Price is also running a great ARC giveaway for the latest in her USA Today bestselling Alex Craft series.  This one closes a day earlier, so you’ll want to check it out right away!

Lauren Baratz-Logsted‘s acclaimed novel THE BRO-MAGNET is currently free(!) on Kindle, so get it while it’s hot!

Setting the Scene for TRUST IN ME

Thank you, Lucienne, for the opportunity to set the scene of my small town contemporary romance, TRUST IN ME. First a story, then I’ll tell you how you can get TRUST IN ME for FREE!

The summer after I finished sixth grade, my family moved from Missouri to Augusta, Georgia. One of the benefits of this move was that we were now four hours away from my grandmother, who lived in Asheville, North Carolina, instead of sixteen hours. My mom took advantage of the chance to visit her aging mother as often as possible, meaning my sisters and I also made the trip. I loved the opportunity to visit with my grandmother, but just as I have cherished memories of the time at my grandmother’s house, I remember well the drive through rural South Carolina to reach Asheville.

In particular, I remember driving through Clinton, South Carolina, a picturesque small town and home of Presbyterian College. Clinton became my model of small town life and beauty when story ideas and characters for TRUST IN ME started whispering in my mind.

The tall ancient oaks lined the streets with branches that ached over the road to create a shady tunnel of greenery. The old homes, both large and small, harkened to a bygone age. The railroad tracks we bumped over at the center of town and small businesses that lined the main street— barber shops, hardware stores and drug stores— were reminders of the days before superstores and malls ruled the retail landscape. Home owners’ well-tended lawns blossomed in summertime with a rainbow of flowers and blooming shrubs. I can remember rolling down my window just to catch a whiff of the floral scents that perfumed the air.

In a residential area of Clinton, we’d pass the lovely campus of Presbyterian College with its stately Georgian style brick buildings and shady quads, and I began forming ideas of the sort of college campus I wanted to call home when I graduated high school.

Not far from town, along the country highways that crisscrossed the state, peach orchards and vegetable gardens yielded crops that were sold in the numerous roadside stands. I have never eaten a sweeter, more delicious peach than the ones grown in western South Carolina.  Large pastures with cows idly grazing, farm houses and mobile homes with dogs sleeping in the sun added to the slow-paced, nostalgic feeling of this beautiful small town.

Time passed, and I married and moved away from Georgia. My grandmother grew ill and needed to be placed in a nursing home closer to my mom, and I was no longer making that trip from Georgia to North Carolina via Clinton, South Carolina. Yet when I started writing TRUST IN ME, Clinton was burned in my brain as the idyllic setting for my small town romance.

My hero, Kevin, worked in a family owned hardware store like the ones that lined Clinton’s main street. Heroine Claire dreamed of attending Harrison University, based on Presbyterian College, and she rented a room from an elderly lady who lived in one of the old homes with a bounty of sweet smelling flowers and dogwood trees blooming in the yard. Kevin lived in one of the mobile homes outside the town limits and even had a stray mutt who adopted him. I also had the owner of one of those roadside peach stands came to shop at Lowery’s Hardware.

Although I changed the name of the town so that I could take some creative license, the inspiration for my small town of Grayson came from those summertime trips up and down the highways between Georgia and North Carolina, and my fond memories of Clinton, South Carolina.

Would you like to visit Grayson? Now is the perfect time, because this weekend (May 3-7) TRUST IN ME is available free on Kindle! (You can get it here.)

Yesterday was the release day for Waters Run Deep, the first book in the Boys of Bayou Bridge series, and the first book I have taking place in my native state of Louisiana. It’s so exciting to bring my readers a new family, a new setting and a new venture into, well, semi-suspense. Here’s the link if you want to check it out  http://www.amazon.com/Waters-Run-Deep-Harlequin-Superromance/dp/0373717768 , but I didn’t want to spend my day talking about my book. I wanted to share a special friend with you….a friend who introduced me to my editor and started me on this entire adventure : Rita-nominated, Golden Heart winner BETH CORNELISON. Thanks for being here with me today, Beth, to talk about what you have going on

Thanks, Liz, for the chance to guest blog here at ENALR and give my testimony (Can I get a Hallelujah?) about how my great friends in the writing community have supported and encouraged me throughout my career.

I have no doubt in my mind that I would not be the multi-published, award winning author I am today if not for my writing buddies. My friends in the writing community, especially the lovely ladies (and you too, Dennis!) of the NOLA STARS chapter of RWA, patiently critiqued my earliest books and taught me craft of romance writing when I was a newbie who didn’t know point of view from a hole in the ground.  They encouraged me through the heartache of numerous rejections, introduced me to publishing professionals who could help my dream of publishing a reality, and guided me through the minefield of submitting my work to the right people. I remember one published author friend telling me “Never pass up the opportunity to meet an editor!” based on her advice and encouragement, I took an extra appointment at a conference with an editor from Harlequin. That editor ended up requesting my manuscript, loved my voice and stuck with me until we found the right manuscript to launch my career with Silhouette Intimate Moments (now called Harlequin Romantic Suspense).

When I finally received ‘The Call,’ my writer friends celebrated with me over the sale of my first book, complete with cake and balloons, and really understood what it meant to have  reached my dream. My writing friends have been my teachers, my fan club, my mentors and my sounding board for years and I treasure every one of them. It has been my pleasure to give back to each of them the same love and support they gave me.

When Liz sold her first book, I swear I was as happy for her as I was when I sold my own book. I’d been Liz’s roommate at her first RWA National conference, had critiqued one of her first contemporary books, and had introduced her to a certain editor I’d met through other friends earlier in my career. That editor just happened to later buy Liz’s books for Superromance– oh, happy day!!

I’m a big believer in karma when it comes to the writing community.  You get back what you give. I’m lucky to call Liz my friend and hope that I can continue to inspire, support and teach other writers the same way my friends have bolstered me. And in the spirit of good karma, I want to share two opportunities for you to get my books for FREE!  First, my small town romance TRUST IN ME is available for free download at Amazon May 3-7.

Escaping the cheating fiancé and sheltered life her father has arranged for her, Claire Albritton wants nothing more than to take control of her life and learn to fight her own battles. Kevin Fuller believes he must rescue damsels in distress, and Claire is decidedly out of her element in small town South Carolina. When trouble inevitably finds Claire, Kevin’s white knight protection and heroics are exactly what Claire doesn’t want. But his kisses…that’s another matter.

            I’m thrilled to be able to offer TRUST IN ME free for a few days, so be sure to head over to Amazon starting tomorrow and through the weekend.

Want more? Well, then leave a comment here and tell me something special a friend has done for you that meant the world to you. I’ll pick one comment at random on May 8 to win a copy of one of my backlist books (you can see your choices at www.bethcornelison.com) and a sweet treat. (Chocolate anyone?)

Thanks again, Liz, for all you do and your friendship too! Hugs!!

You are so welcome, Beth. I’ve loved having you as my mentor, roomie and all-around good friend, and I’m glad you dropped by to share with us a little about the friendships you’ve made on your journey I have to say that I’m surrounded by such a wonderful support system, including these gals here at ENALR. Nothing like people who will buy your books, review them, retweet links and post testimonies about your books. Gotta say having friends makes the journey all the more sweet!

1- The Knight Agency is giving away an iPad and thirteen free e-books to go on it to one lucky winner who signs up for our newsletter.  Details are here.  Good luck to you all!  (Wish I could enter.)

2- I want to wish a HUGE congratulations to P.N. Elrod, whose story “Beach Girl” won an Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine Readers’ Choice Award!  To see what this means to her, you can check out her blog, written when the story was published.  So sweet.  So well-deserved!

3- The Knight Agency is also hosting a chat this Thursday, December 15th at 9 pm ET with THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS co-authors Cec Murphey and Marley Gibson, complete with giveaways…because we’re just that cool.  Details are here.

4- New in digital this week are reissues of Christie Golden’s wonderful Chronicles of Verrold, INSTRUMENT OF FATE and KING’S MAN AND THIEF (or click here for IOF on Kindle or Apple; here for KING’S MAN on Kindle, Apple).  She’s a New York Times bestseller for her Warcraft and Star Wars tie-ins.  Read her original work and see why!

Now, I’m pleased to present Beth Cornelison, whose new release, which I talked about earlier this week, is currently available at all etailers.  It’s a story that’s close to my heart, perhaps because my husband is also a hot, motorcycle-riding man.

A different sort of hero or why I love Kevin Fuller by Beth Cornelison

            After publishing umpteen (that’s a real number, isn’t it?) books with Harlequin and other mainstream publishers, I recently took the plunge into the indie publishing waters (via the services of The Knight Agency). TRUST IN ME is a small-town contemporary romance set in South Carolina and features a different sort of hero than the usual romance hottie.

In TRUST IN ME, after breaking free from her overbearing father and cheating fiancé, Claire Albritton wants nothing more than to take control of her life and learn to fight her own battles. Kevin Fuller believes he must rescue damsels in distress, and Claire is decidedly out of her element in small town South Carolina. When trouble inevitably finds Claire, Kevin’s white knight protection and heroics are exactly what Claire doesn’t want. But his kisses…that’s another matter.

I had mixed feelings as I wrote Kevin’s character. As much as I love, love, love him (did I mention how much I love him? ), he’s not the typical romance hero. I wondered, Would readers accept him and fall in love the way I did? Would they dismiss him for the very things I felt made him special?

Don’t get me wrong, Kevin has plenty of the stuff that makes a hero sexy (he’s got the hot  body, the motorcycle, the killer smile, above average looks). He’ll also put himself in harm’s way to save the heroine, stand by his beliefs at all costs, and work relentlessly to reach his goals. Yep, he’s got integrity in spades. He also has a wry sense of humor that he uses as a shield to protect himself from personal pain, and soft spot for the underdog.

So what makes him so different? A few things. Kevin is no million mogul or Arab sheik. He’s a hardware store manager who’s deeply in debt and living paycheck to paycheck thanks to his mother’s medical bills. Kevin is a pacifist, more Boy Scout than warrior. He’s also mostly beta, a best friend and warm place to land instead of a brooding Alpha.

While plenty of romance authors, and subgenres for that matter, employ the beta hero with great success, Kevin represents my farthest venture into betaland, and so I’m holding my breath. Will readers love him as much as I do? Will they see that Kevin is just what Claire wants and needs, her perfect match, and fall for him as she does?

I hope so. For me, Kevin is much more down-to-earth and realistic than a millionaire entrepreneur or Alpha secret agent. He’s the nice guy we all wish for our daughters, the man of morals and a work ethic we admire in the news. He’s the good guy we cheer for when he wins in the end, the happy ending that gives us all hope. Frankly, he’s the kind of guy we need more of in this world…and that’s why I love him.

TRUST IN ME is available for Kindle, Nook and other ereaders from the usual ebook retail sites.

CAT TALES by Faith Hunter (Penguin eSpecial, available everywhere, but some quick links here to Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and iTunes)

“Four stories from the world of “smart, sexy, ruthless” (New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison) heroine Jane Yellowrock—plus bonus material!

Explore the world of shape-shifter and vampire hunter Jane Yellowrock in these four stories, collected here for the first time. Meet Jane as she leaves the orphanage she was raised in…and encounters the witch who’ll become her future best friend. Discover the story behind Cajun cop Rick LaFleur’s cat tattoos—and the powerful witch who inked them. And, in the final, all-new story, find out what happened between Jane and Rick seconds after the end of Mercy Blade. Plus, get a never-before-seen index of vampire clans and alliances and a letter from the author about the origins of Jane Yellowrock.

And don’t miss a special excerpt: the first three chapters from the newest Jane Yellowrock novel, Raven Cursed—out January 2012!

NIGHT OF THE TIGER by Doranna Durgin (Nocturne Bite, available at eHarlequin, Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com and elsewhere)

From the moment she sees tiger shifter Scott O’Brien, Marlee Cerrosa can sense his aura of power, his alluring strength, and the gleam of something wildin his eyes. She also feels his returned interest in her—until he learns she’s a prisoner of the Sentinels and an accused traitor.

Marlee expects him to reject her, but instead he asks for her assistance in tracking down a mole in their base. If Marlee can help him, Scott can offer her redemption—and perhaps even a future together….

TRUST IN ME by Beth Cornelison (TKA Distribution, available Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, etc.)

A hero for the rest of us?

Escaping the cheating fiancé and sheltered life her father has arranged for her, Claire Albritton wants nothing more than to take control of her life and learn to fight her own battles.

Kevin Fuller believes he must rescue damsels in distress and Claire is decidedly out of her element in small town South Carolina. When trouble inevitably finds Claire, Kevin’s white knight protection and heroics are exactly what Claire doesn’t want. But his kisses…that’s another matter.

ONCE A MISTRESS by Debra Mullins (Samhain’s Retro Romance line, available everywhere, including Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, and Samhain itself)

Her love will capture the ultimate treasure—his heart.

Diana Covington is a dutiful daughter with a boring future all mapped out for her. A shipping fortune and lush Jamaican estate that will someday be hers, a husband of her father’s choice. Romance and Caribbean adventure exist only in her dreams, in which the Black Spaniard, El Moreno, plays a starring role.

Until she is kidnapped by the evil pirate Marcus, and her girlish fantasies quickly turn to nightmares.

Alex Rawnsley’s dark Spanish looks makes him the perfect choice to take on the identity of El Moreno. His mission is to bring Marcus to justice, but his heart thirsts for blood. Vengeance for his brother’s murder is within his grasp when Diana’s kidnapping throws a hitch in his strategy.

Snatching her from Marcus’s clutches is easy enough, but what to do with her now? He cannot return her home lest she be taken again. He has no choice but to keep the distracting, innocent beauty aboard his ship. In his cabin. In his bed. The temptation to make her his own grows stronger by the hour…but opening his heart to love may forever close the door on his quest for revenge.

• An evaluation of the first three chapters and synopsis of your novel by my agent, Robin Rue of Writers House. Robin also represents Linda Howard and Elizabeth Scott, two of my favourite authors.
• A critique of the first 100 pages of your manuscript by Robin’s assistant extraordinaire – Beth Miller.
• An honorary Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood membership and mentorship.
• A WiFi Kindle donated by the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood. Our Kindle comes pre-loaded with books published by Rubies.
• The opportunity to have your cat star in Beth Cornelison‘s next novel. (I love this idea!)
• A collection of autographed Anna Campbell novels. Trust me, you want all these on your bookshelf.
• A critique of a partial manuscript from USA Today bestselling author Annie West.
• An afternoon tea in New York with Meg Cabot. Bidding is up to $1,600 so far.
• A meet-and-greet with Celine Dion in Vegas, as well as two concert tickets.

To date, Brenda’s auction has raised over $1 million, but much more is needed to help find a cure for diabetes. Donations to the cause can also be made — click here.

Happy bidding!

This Silhouette Romantic Suspense title is my first exposure to Ms Cornelison’s work (though I know there’s at least another one in my TBR mountain range…). Tall Dark Defender tells the story of Annie Compton, a single mother of two young children and a survivor of terrific domestic abuse, and Jonah Deveraux, an ex-cop with his own emotional scars. This is also a sequel of sorts to Duty to Protect, in which Annie is a secondary character.

Here is the (misleading as usual) back cover blurb:

Rescued by a handsome stranger.

Undercover investigator Jonah Deveraux barely knew Annie Compton, but that didn’t stop him from nearly blowing his cover to save the pretty waitress from a ruthless killer. Convincing the stubborn single mom that she needed his protection 24/7 was a fiery battle of wills, but fighting his burning desire to make love to her was a war he wasn’t sure he could-or wanted to-win.

Annie didn’t like a mysterious man keeping watch over her, especially one as dangerously attractive as Jonah. But she’d do anything to keep her family alive, even if it meant giving in to her temporary bodyguard’s demands regarding her safety… and her heart.

The book starts by setting up the two characters, literally, on a collision course. Annie works as a waitress at the diner that is, as far as Jonah can tell, at the center of an illegal gambling ring and money laundering operation run, naturally, by unsavory and dangerous characters. Of course, neither Jonah nor the readers know who, exactly, these villains are.

By behaving like a timid, half-starved church mouse, Annie pretty much invites the people around her to indulge in abusive behaviour. Customers shout at her, she takes it. They stiff her with the bill, she takes it. Her boss sends her-alone, on foot, in the middle of the night-to deliver a package in a seedy area of town, off she goes.

(Quick tangent: off she goes, after her shift had ended, without taking a minute and a half to call her babysitter, who is taking care of her toddler and five year old. Um… excuse me? Seriously? Yet we are asked to believe that Annie’s every action is motivated by her love of her children. Me? Not buying it.)

Seriously, who wouldn’t expect Jonah-who has already defended her against some of the men he suspects to be part of the gambling ring-to offer her a ride and, when she refuses, to follow her? And who wouldn’t expect her to be attacked, the package stolen, while Jonah defends her?

The part where I started hitting my head on the desk (figuratively speaking, I was laying on the bed) is when, right after she’s been attacked, Annie refuses Jonah’s offer of a ride back to her apartment. Yes, you read right. After being hit in the face and scared spitless, Annie prefers walking back, through this self-same dangerous neighborhood, all the way to her apartment, in a not much better part of town (see “waitress at a diner” part of review), in the middle of the night.

Even worse, she resents it when he follows her a second time, all the way to her door.

And worse yet? Her reasoning to refuse Jonah’s offer. Apparently, by refusing help from men, no matter how well intentioned or string-less their offers are, she will “shed the debilitating attitudes and knee-jerk reactions from her marriage in favor of strength and self-empowerment.”

May I ask again… seriously?

A few days later, after finding her boss at the diner dead on the premises, this same woman decides to stick her nose into Jonah’s investigation. And not just by listening around and telling him of anything suspicious, no. Annie decides to search the dead man’s office and barely escapes being caught in the act by the new manager-one of the men involved in the gambling ring. After that close shave, she suddenly has the gumption to go head to head with Jonah on the matter of participating actively in the investigation-helping him retrieve some evidence and, for all intents and purposes, putting herself and her children squarely in the sights of whomever is behind the first guy’s murder.

Character inconsistency much?

Look, I get that people indulge in behaviour that makes no sense every day-but the difference between real life and fiction is that fiction must make sense. Annie’s behaviour doesn’t make any sense-throughout the novel she seesaws between cringing at softest noise and stamping her foot and getting in people’s faces. Randomly.

Unfortunately, Jonah is not much better. He starts out as a wonderful, caring, patient, generous man. The perfect man, given his own experience with domestic abuse, to understand Annie’s fears, to give her room. Indeed, perfect enough for Annie to decide to jump off the ledge and trust him.

Only for him to decide, literally seconds after climaxing, that he’s not the man for her. That she deserves better. That the best he can do for Annie is to “let her go.”

Is that perfect timing or what?

In contrast, the suspense thread was fairly tight for the most part, with the bits revealed here and there shedding just enough light on the puzzle to keep the interest going. Unfortunately, the scene where the known villains confront Jonah-and Annie-seemed overdone to me. Too many successive bangs, so to speak, in too short a period of time (let alone page-wise) for me to suspend my disbelief.

Tall Dark Defender gets 5 out of 10 from me.