I will be the guest for Author’s Tips on the Romance Alley Blog, Sunday Nov. 29th.  My article is called “Using Research in Building a Paranormal Romance World.”  It gives not only practical help but also insight into the making of THE STORMY LOVE LIFE OF LAURA CORDELAIS.  Visit us and comment.  Ask questions.   

http://romancealleysuzannahsafi.blogspot.com/

Also my vampire romance novel THE STORMY LOVE LIFE  OF LAURA CORDELAIS is available at http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thestormylovelifeoflauracordelais-374695-139.html

For an excerpt: http://nightsofpassion.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/celebrating-the-release-of-the-stormy-love-life-of-laura-cordelais/

And coming out real soon is another novella in the Vampires of Manhattan series, A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS.  I’ll announce it as soon as the release date is definite.

On Dec. 19th, I’ll be guest blogging on author Sandra Sookoo’s site http://www.sandrasookoo.com  and I’ll also be hosting a holiday party here at Nights of Passion.  I plan on giving away an ebook.  Ah ah ah … I can’t tell you which one yet.  That would be giving away the surprise.

In preparation for the holiday, my husband brought me home a surprise.  Rice Dream has Rice Nog out and it’s delicious. No, they are not paying me to endorse their product. I really tried it for the first time today and loved it.  It fills the hole in my heart left when I could no longer drink egg nog.  I can’t drink milk, you see.  So begins the thoughts of food for the holidays. 

Ta for now.

Heart of Darkness

Gena Showalter, Maggie Shayne and Susan Krinard

Harlequin HQN, Jan 2010, $7.99

ISBN: 9780373774319

“The Darkest Angel” by Gena Showalter.   Lysander is well known for being unemotional and perhaps the best demon slaying angel.  He is one of the Elite Seven warriors of the One True Deity.  His current target for death is Bianka Skyhawk, a daughter of a Harpy and a phoenix shapeshifter, but mostly a killer who is of Lucifer’s bloodline, but he must remain patient until she breaks heavenly law.  Instead his desire for her is killing him as he has never wanted anyone for the many millennia he has lived; yet she is inside his soul.

“Love Me to Death” by Maggie Shayne.  Twenty-two years ago in Port Lucinda, Maine, the teens (David, Brad, Kevin, Randy  and Mark) were drinking cheap booze near the abandoned old Muller Place and commiserating about being dumped or their girls being away when they set it on fire. They did not know that Sierra Terrence took shelter there and died in the inferno. Now over two decades later someone who seems to be Sierra from the grave haunts the five men who killed her and their loved ones.

“Lady of the Nile” by Susan Krinard.  In 1890 London, the memories of ancient times have led Lady Tameri to believe she is the reincarnation of an Egyptian princess.  Leo Erskine knows she is wrong and plans to prove to her she is just a lovely Victorian lady.  However, neither the believer nor the skeptic is prepared for the prophecy that ties them in love forever.

This trilogy of urban romantic fantasies with differing spins will elate fans especially with the bonuses of a Lords of the Underworld tale and a sequel to Ms. Krinard’s Lord of Sin.

Harriet Klausner

GENRE: Romance / Paranormal
PUBLISHED: 2009

SERIES: “Relics of Merlin” series, #3

WHY THIS NOVEL: I noticed it for the cover, then the blurb suggested it was an older woman/younger man romance + it seemed Gothic.

Grimspell castle. With its dark, imposing stone walls, it certainly looked haunted. As a ghost-hunter, Lady Philomena was accustomed to restless spirits. But she found the dark, imposing nature of the castle’s owner far more haunting than any specter. London Society might not approve of shape-shifters such as Sir Nicodemus Wulfson, but firmly-on-the-shelf Philomena rather enjoyed the young baronet’s sudden interest in sniffing around her skirts. She’d even consider giving in to him altogether if not for a murderer on the loose–a beast that might just be Nico himself.

I only noticed after I’d ordered Enchanting the Beast that it’s actually part of a series and book #3 at that. But as far as I can tell, it didn’t matter that I missed the first two novels in this series, at least when judged by my enjoyment of this novel: I liked Enchanting the Beast and Kennedy’s voice. So much that I’m going to buy the other novels in this series and will look if Kennedy published more novels.

Enchanting the Beast does indeed feature an older woman/younger man romance: Philomena is 40, Nicodemus is 27. It’s also set in a Victorian England were magic still exists. Philomena is a ghost hunter and Nicodemus is a shape-shifter. (I just love the characters’ names.)

Shape-shifters are immune to magic and Nicodemus, Nico for short, is skeptical about Philomena’s (Phil) ability to communicate with ghosts. But nevertheless, he hires her to help his brother, Royden, who sees and is haunted by ghosts. Royden visibly suffers and his health deteriorates more and more. Something must be done.

What Nico isn’t skeptical about is his attraction to Philomena. He knows he wants her and even Philomena’s repeated rebuffs (the age difference) don’t deter him. Their romance was a delight to read, especially because Nico honors Philomena’s wishes to stay a gentleman even though his attraction to her grows and grows. I thought that refreshing because, after all, he’s a shape-shifter and in paranormal romances this usually means the beast takes over when it’s attracted to a woman. And even though Nico is as sensitive as a block of wood re ghosts (= he can’t see/feel them), after he believes in Philomena’s ability, he’s there to support her. He’s actually so attuned to Philomena, he knows when a ghost is around.

I liked Philomena. She was reasonable and logical, and she does indeed see and can communicate with ghosts. But because she can’t command them to appear or talk to her, she doesn’t mind faking it when necessary:

It appeared the late Lord Stanhope had chosen not to linger in the physical world.
Which didn’t make one whit of difference to Phil. Lady Stanhope had paid her for some peace of mind, and she would give it to her regardless. (2)

The ghost were sufficiently Gothic and although I had an idea about how the mystery would resolve, the denouement came with a twist to it. There were only two things that I thought needed more explanation:

1) Why did Nico’s brother remain at the castle even after Philomena arrived? She knows that ghosts (usually) are bound to a place and Royden became very ill because of their haunting. Wouldn’t she have thought of sending him away (sooner)?
2) [Spoiler] [highlight to read] Why did the ghosts scare Royden when they actually wanted his help? Was he that easily scared? [/Spoiler]

But these were small niggles and overall, I enjoyed reading Enchanting the Beast a lot.

Verdict: I liked it. (4/5)

I’ve put up the page for the book tour for Eva’s Last Dance today.  It seems horribly early, but from years gone by, I remember how December slides by in haze, January disappears down a rabbit hole, and February seems to be here before you get your bearings and settle into the new year properly.

So I’m putting the page up now.  Here’s a link to it, and it’s also listed in the page links in the sidebar.

And I’m finally getting the hint that excerpts are welcome and appreciated.

So here’s an excerpt.

_____________

Nearly 100 years after their last dance together, Eva’s long lost love, Edward makes contact again.  Eva—petite, blonde, blue-eyed, lonely and a vampire now—can’t resist falling into his arm and under his erotic spell.  She’ll do anything he asks of her now.

Until the spell is rudely interrupted by human demon hunter, Ryan Jefferson, who is on the trail of an incubus.  He sets out to seduce Eva properly in a searing night of dance and passion.

_____________________

Excerpt

Usual warning folks…This is not kiddie fare. Read at your own moral risk.

Chapter One

Eva brushed her gloved hand down the length of her gown nervously and stepped out onto the roof, her heart pounding. At the other end of the roof, he was standing there waiting for her and she thought she might die.

“Edward,” she whispered, coming to a halt.

“Yes, it’s me.” He came toward her, holding out a rose. “I know it’s a shock but I can explain all that.” He handed her the rose. “Just as I know you can explain how you came to be here. Now.” And he smiled, just like she remembered, his blue eyes dancing, his easy smile lighting up his face. His blond hair was slicked back as always and he wore a white suit, just as she remembered too.

“You don’t look any different,” she said and her voice was husky.

“Neither do you.” He picked up her hand and drew her toward the centre of the roof. “It’s not the Waldorf, but would you care to dance?”

“I haven’t danced since…since then.” She looked around at the paper lanterns he had strung. “What about music?”

He pulled a small remote control from his pocket and clicked it. “Modern living has some advantages,” he confessed and a Strauss waltz emerged from an MP3 player and speakers set up on a small table. Waltzes. She loved waltzes the best and he knew it. She melted into his arms and wished that she was able to cry, to give expression to the overwhelming joy of being nestled in Edward’s embrace once more. Soon she would have to find out how this miracle had happened. But not now. For now she would simply enjoy it.

And dance. It had been such a long time.

Once, long ago, she and Edward had danced every night, their bodies pressed against each other, their eyes locked, the knowledge of their future together written in each others’ gazes.

She turned her head now to look him in the eye. “Edward.”

He looked at her and she saw once again the gleam in his eyes. The dancing had often been their only way of expressing their physical needs for each other, that they would not be able to fulfill until their marriage. Now she saw and understood the lust in his eyes and welcomed it. There was no impediment and her heart raced. As their steps slowed to a gentle swaying, his big hand gathered up the skirt of her gown, lifting it and his mouth captured her lips.

She moaned as his tongue pushed into her mouth, rough and commanding. Fright tore through her. They would never have been this daring when they were first engaged. Their families would have been shocked and horrified at the public display. But the fright was edged with arousal that swiftly overcame the old barrier. She wanted more.

Edward bent her over his arm, his hand sliding under her gown, past her stocking tops, to the tops of her thighs. His hand was cool but nevertheless, she found his touch made her tremble with anticipation. This was Edward, the man she had loved and thought she had lost.

His lips trailed down her throat to kiss her breasts above the low décolletage of her gown and his hand pushed between her thighs. She was slick with moisture and bare of undergarments. She longed for him to thrust his hand—

“Hey, asshole!”

Edward turned his head around toward the access doorway, questing like a wolf surveys the landscape.

Eva tried to stand up, for there was a man on the roof a few paces from the door, wearing a three-quarter length coat against the April chill, his legs spread in an aggressive stance. Black hair that was supposed to be short but needed cutting and glinting blue in the soft lights. Dark eyes surveying them with a world-weary expression and a sharp jaw set at a sardonic angle. Worse, there was a double-barrel shotgun over one shoulder.

Edward made a sound that was inhuman. A banshee howl. And he dropped her. She fell flat on her ass as he turned and strode toward the stranger, careless of the gun he had over his shoulder.

The man flipped the gun over and fired one barrel and Eva screamed as Edward clutched at his stomach with a shocked expression.

“Surprise,” the stranger said. “Think I’d use normal pellets on an asshole like you? Salt bound with holy water, with my compliments.” He walked up to Edward, put a boot on his shoulder and shoved and Edward fell on his back.

“What are you doing?” Eva cried, scrambling over to them.

“Saving your ass, honey. Don’t get in the way.” The man reached under his coat and pulled out a black knife with a flat, wide blade. Edward lay clutching his stomach and gasping with inhuman, whimpering sounds and the man leaned toward him and thrust the knife into his heart.

Eva screamed. She leapt on his back, reaching for the knife, moving as fast as she could but before she could pluck it from Edward’s heart, he disappeared. She stared at the black, smoking outline where his body had been, disbelief crowding all thoughts from her head.

That was when the man flipped her onto her back on the roof and straddled her, his black eyes glinting dangerously. “You’re a fucking vampire!” he railed.

Ryan watched the delicate little blonde’s crystal blue eyes get very large. “How do you know that?” she whispered. “No humans—”

“I just off’d an incubus. You think I don’t know about vampires?” he railed. “Question is, what did the thing want with you? They go after humans. Not your kind.”

“You’re a hunter,” she said breathlessly, fear blooming in her eyes.

“Relax,” he said, sitting back on his heels. “I took vampires off my hit list five years ago. But that still doesn’t answer my question.”

“Edward…was an incubus?” she asked. She looked like she was about to burst into tears and Ryan put it together with an almost audible click. “Jesus Christ, they duped you, didn’t they? Who was Edward to you? An old boyfriend?” He got to his feet. Normally, he would have let her get up on her own but something about her dress—the olde worlde quaintness of it, the long gloves and the way her golden curls were piled on top of her head…or maybe it was just the way her big blue eyes were gazing at him with such desperate need for help and information—whatever, okay, all right, he was a weak-minded idiot—he picked her up around the waist and put her on her feet. And damn but his hands nearly met around her middle.

And just for a second he flashed on a mental image of gripping her waist as he pounded his cock into her petite little package, making her scream his name.

He stepped back, dropping his hands from her waist like she was a hot potato and picked up the shotgun and reloaded it, giving his suddenly shaking hands something to do.

“Edward…was my fiancé,” she said softly. “We were supposed to have married, May 1, 1912. I was to join him in New York and booked passage on the Titanic.” She looked up at Ryan with a small smile. “I was not one of the women who found an early seat on the lifeboats. But a man who found me as I was dying offered me an alternative and I took it. He made me into a vampire, which allowed me to survive the cold that night and pass as human until we arrived in New York on the Carpathia. I could not go to Edward after that. It was part of the price of becoming a vampire.”

Ryan expected her blue eyes to swim with tears, until he remembered that vampires could not cry. He cleared his own throat. “What happened to him?” he asked.

“He died in the great war,” she said softly. “A hero, they said.” She looked over at the still smoking outline of the incubus. “So when I got his note today, saying that he had returned and wanted to see me, I thought that perhaps he had found a way to live on, just as I had.”

Ryan recalled the image he’d seen as he’d first stepped onto the roof—the demon’s lips on her breasts, his hands between her thighs, the gown hiked up around her hips and realized that his cock was straining against his pants, beating a steady tattoo that echoed in his temples. He was lusting after a vampire. Shit. Who’d have thought?

He waved toward the blue satin dress she was wearing. It made her waist look tiny and her breasts look like they might spill out at any moment. The sleeves looked like they would fall from her arms if he gave them the slightest encouragement, further exposing her breasts. He already knew that beneath the long panels of the dress she wore delicate stockings that stopped just above her knees and nothing else.

“Is this what you used to wear, then?”

“Almost,” she said, with a small smile. “My momma would have spanked me for not wearing a corset, or…other items. But yes, this is what we wore then.” And she blushed.

Ryan knew he was lost then. The blush did it. That and the dress that covered up far more than women exposed these days, yet did more to say “fuck me” than most porn. He was gone. Hook, line and sinker. He wanted to wrap himself around her delicate beauty and at the same time pin her to the wall and fuck her until those blue eyes hazed over with sensual repletion.

“So the fucking bastard gives you one dance and you’re putty in his hands,” he ground out. “Didn’t you even stop to ask for his credentials?”

“It was Edward. Why would I ask? And he danced with me. We always danced. We…” Her blush deepened and she dropped her gaze. “We danced instead of…” Then she lifted her head and looked him squarely in the eye. “We danced instead of sex. It was the way of it in those days, Mr.…”

“Ryan,” he said stiffly, as ideas exploded in his mind. “Jesus Christ, you’re a virgin,” he said softly.

“I most certainly am not,” she said stiffly. “I’ve been a vampire for nearly a century, Mr. Ryan. I assure you, virginity is a technicality I left behind a long time ago.”

“Just Ryan.” He held up a hand, frowning. “Technically speaking, you might still be. These things count in the demon world, let me tell you. I’m not talking about toys, or other vampires, or the loss of a hymen, if that’s what you mean.”

Her chin remained up but her blush deepened and he knew he’d hit the mark. He put the shotgun down again, to make himself less threatening and dropped his hands to his sides. “Have you ever had sex with a human male?” he asked softly.

She took a breath. “No,” she admitted.

He nodded. “That’s what the incubus wanted—your virginity. They prey upon humans because they’re easy marks but finding virgins is becoming more and more difficult for them. But when they do, they get all the power that comes with that virgin’s blood. But a virgin vampire’s powers? Sex with you would give them power beyond belief. No wonder they went to such effort to fool you.”

She backed up and sat quickly in the fold up chair next to the table, like the strength had suddenly run out of her legs. “I had no idea,” she said.

“There’s a war on,” he said dryly. “Didn’t they warn you about this stuff?”

“I’ve never… I didn’t tell anyone,” she said.

Ryan knew he had to give her the rest of it. “They’re going to keep coming at you, you know.”

Her blue eyes looked up at him helplessly.

“They’re going to keep coming at you until you do something about it,” he finished harshly.

“What do I do?” she whispered.

His cock throbbed. “Have sex with a human,” he said. He fought for a casual, offhand tone. “I’m willing to help out, if you want.”

___________

So…has promised, do you think?

Otherwise Known as Sidhe’s Current Wishlist

November Releases Not Posted Last Month:

Kathryn Smith – Dark Side Of Dawn

Alicia Dean – The Heart Of The Witch

 Lilith Saintcrow – Flesh Circus

Heather Graham – Night Of The Wolves

V.K. Forrest – Immortal

Clare Willis – Once Bitten

Karen Kelly – Dating Outside Your DNA

 Cynthia Eden – Hotter After Midnight (MM)

Kim Harrison – White Witch, Black Curse (MM)

Mario Acevedo – Jailbait Zombie (MM)

Devyn Quinn – Soul Of The Wildcat (Erotica)

Mary Janice Davidson – Undead And Unworthy (MM)

Julie Kenner – Torn

 Kelly Gay – The Better Part Of Darkness

Carole Nelson Douglass – Vampire Sunrise

Hannah Howell – If He’s Sinful

Jessica Bendinger – The Seven Rays (YA)

Amy Rench – Fallen Rogue

John Levitt – Unleashed

 Mary Hughes – Biting Nixie

December 1^st

 Jennifer Armintrout – Veil Of Shadows

Susan Kearney – Rion

Shiloh Walker – Hunter’s Need

Joey W. Hill – A Mermaid’s Ransom (Erotica)

Jean Johnson – The Cat (MM)

J.R. Ward – Lover Avenged (MM)

 Sharon Ashwood – Scorched

S.L. Wright – Confessions Of A Demon

Caitlin Kittredge – Demon Bound

 Sherrilyn Kenyon – Born Of Ice

Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl – Beautiful Creatures (YA)

Christina Skye – Bound By Dreams

Jenna Kernan – Dream Stalker

Sarah McCarty – Wild Instinct (Erotica)

Anthology – Holiday With A Vampire III – Linda Winstead Jones, Lisa Childs & Bonnie Vanak

 Anthology – Beyond The Dark (MM) – Lora Leigh, Angela Knight, Emma Holly & Diane Whiteside

December 8^th

Charlene Teglia – Claimed By The Wolf

 Laurell K. Hamilton – Divine Misdemeanors

December 22^nd

Bree Despain – The Dark Divine (YA)

Lesley Livingston – Darklight (YA)

December 29^th

 Jill Myles – Gentlemen Prefer Succubi

Julie Kenner – Turned

Jenna Maclaine – Bound By Sin

 Adrian Phoenix – Beneath The Skin

Lara Adrian – Shades Of Midnight

Rachel Vincent – My Soul To Save (YA)

 Molly Harper – Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever

As always, if any authors or readers would like me to add any books I’ve missed, please leave a comment or email me at sidhevicious(at)shaw(dot)ca. (MM) = a book that’s being re-released in mass market. (YA) = indicates a Young Adult novel. Happy reading!

You asked for it you got it! 

You can now read the entire second book of the Vampire Diaries: The Struggle online free for a limited time thanks to Harper Teen (Harper Collins Publishing) and the CW TV Network (home of the TV series).

Read The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle
rather listen to the audiobook? Audible.com

I got my official release date for Kiss Across Time yesterday.  May 4, 2010.  Just under six months away.

I guess that’s the drawback for writing for a house series.  Everyone gets pooled together at the speed of the slowest common denominator.  I have a feeling I’ll have other titles coming out between now and then.

Anyway, I thought I’d celebrate by splurging with an excerpt, as they seem to be well received by everyone.

But first the blurb, of course!

Taylor Yates just got fired from her university for insisting that the 5^th Century British poet and playwright, Inigo Domhnall, existed. When she hears the poet’s lyrics in a death metal song, she engineers a meeting with the dark-eyed, dark-haired lead singer, Brody Gallagher. An unintended kiss sends them spinning back to the poet’s time, when Saxons were pillaging King Arthur’s Britain, and a warrior expects a proper farewell from his woman before he sets off for war.

Brody’s all for kissing her again.  More, he’d like her to try kissing his friend and lover, Veris, just to see what will happen.  His blond, tall, blue-eyed Saxon friend Veris.

_____________

Excerpt

The bathroom door opened and the singer stepped out, wrapping a silky-looking bathrobe around him. He halted when he saw her, his eyes narrowing.

“It was you,” he said flatly.

Her heart squeezed. It was him. Breandán. In the vision, dream, whatever it was that she’d had when this Brody had kissed her. Long hair and everything.

“You even have a scar on your chest,” she said and lifted her hand to touch, just under her own left breast. “Just like Breandán did.”

His eyes widened. “Jesus,” he breathed.

After a second or two he stirred. “I guess I don’t have to ask if you experienced what I did out there, then.”

She licked her lips. “That isn’t…usual, then?”

He gave a low laugh. “God no!” He lifted a hand to her face but hesitated just before he touched it. “May I?”

She appreciated his sensitivity. “Yes.”

His thumb stroked her cheekbone. “Your name is not really Toiréasa, is it?” His voice was low.

She shivered. He’d been there. He’d really been there with her.

“Taylor,” she said.

“I want to kiss you again, Taylor. I want to see what happens this time.”

She focused on his full lips and she remembered him sliding his cock into her. Even though it had been a dream or a vision, or whatever it had been, she recalled it like it had actually happened. She could feel it. Her clit throbbed.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Curiously, she believed him. She nodded.

His mouth touched hers hesitantly and she knew there was a pocket of fear in him too. Then his lips grew firmer, more demanding and his tongue thrust into her mouth. She forgot about visions and daydreams and simply enjoyed the kiss. Brody was a damn fine kisser and she hadn’t been kissed in a long, long time. She threw herself into the kiss, letting herself be seduced by its power. She pressed up against him, enjoying the pleasure of simply being held by a man, the scent of a man. She wound her arms about his neck and rubbed herself against him with a soft little moan.

He gasped and lifted his head up, looking at her. “No visions,” he said softly. “But both of us experienced it, the first time.”

“Yes,” she agreed. Then she realized that she was draped against him. Worse, his cock was beating between them, signaling his arousal in the most obvious way.

She tried to stand up but he held her still. “Wait,” he said. “There’s no rush, is there?” His hand was stroking the back of her thigh, making it quiver.

“I have to go home.” She tried to make it sound convincing. But she really wanted to stay right where she was and continue kissing him. She had no idea who he was. She didn’t even know his last name. But she already knew what his cock looked like and what it felt like to fuck him. And if the vision they had shared had any sort of truth in it, he had loved her once.

Before she had been fired two days ago, Taylor had been within half an inch of being a history professor. She hadn’t believed in past lives and all that sort of bullshit. But right now she was willing to grasp it in order to give herself enough justification just to fuck the brains out of this man because kissing him felt so damn good. But that wouldn’t make her feel any better tomorrow morning.

She bit her lip. “I can’t stay,” she said regretfully. “I would love to. I would. But that isn’t a good enough reason.”

Brody held up his hand. “Before you go,” he said. “Would you do me one small favor?”

She stepped away from him. “It depends.”

“I want you to kiss my friend. I want to see if it works on him.”

Taylor laughed. “Why on earth would it?” Then something in Brody’s expression registered on her. “Oh…he’s your lover, isn’t he?”

Brody lifted a brow.

“A very long-term lover,” Taylor concluded with growing wonder. She tilted her head to study him. “What is his name?”

“Most people call me Veris, because they can’t pronounce my real name.”

She whirled around to face the voice.

He was sitting on the arm of the chair where the suit jacket had been a few moments before. Blond hair, blue eyes, six foot two inches of self-assured, very broad-shouldered male.

“You!” She struggled for the name. “Dr. Gerhardsson. You consulted with me last week, about the Domhnall plays.”

“Jesus, you son of a bitch,” Brody said behind her. “You went and did it after all.”

Veris smiled. “I did.”

Brody brushed past Taylor and threw himself into the lounge chair. He looked at Taylor. “You’re a history professor?”

“I nearly was,” she said flatly.

“You don’t look like one,” Brody commented.

“Neither does he,” she said, pointing at Veris. He was wearing leather pants and a sleeveless white cotton overshirt that made the most of the tanned, rounded caps of his shoulders and the bunches of muscles of his arms. Veris crossed his arms over his chest, which just seemed to multiply the amount of tanned muscle on display. His blue eyes twinkled.

Brody seemed more than mildly pissed about Veris’ consultation, which had been utterly professional in nature. Dr. V. Gerhardsson had not indicated by so much as an inch that he even recognized that Taylor was a woman.

Even so, Taylor had been left feeling edgy and weak-kneed after the evening consultation and had fallen into bed and indulged in a rare session of masturbation that featured Gerhardsson and his blue eyes and broad shoulders and various parts of his magnificent anatomy, over and over again.

Brody glared at Veris now. “I can see now why you came home in such a muck-sweat that night…the seventeenth, right?”

Taylor jumped. That was the night.

Veris just shrugged a little. No pride lost there. “I have no objections to kissing the lady now, if that’s what you want.” He smiled a little but his eyes were dancing with merriment.

Brody glared for a moment longer, then gave up. Taylor knew he had tabled the argument for later. He sat forward on the seat and spoke to Veris. “I told you what happened during the concert. I want to see if it happens to you when you kiss Taylor, because of our bond. If it does, then we’re going to have to tell Taylor.”

Veris glanced at Taylor. “And that won’t have tipped her off at all,” he said.

“Like consulting her about the Domhnall plays won’t have?” Brody shot back.

Veris grimaced. “I see your point.” He got to his feet and walked toward her and Taylor knew that the equivalent of a nuclear explosion would have to go off before she would move from the spot.

Veris stopped in front of her. “May I?” he asked. He seemed to tower over her five-foot-six frame, even with her spiked boots.

She thought her knees would give out. “Yes,” she said, her voice hoarse.

He slid his hand around her waist and the other under her hair. This close, his blue eyes were mesmerizing and she could feel her heart thundering. It hurt as it slammed against her chest. She gripped Veris’ shirt almost convulsively, suddenly afraid.

“It’s all right,” he whispered, his lips brushing hers, his breath fanning her. “I have you.”

He kissed her.

_________

So…what do you think? 

]]> http://tealceagh.com/2009/11/25/mias-return-is-out/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:48:30 +0000 Teal Ceagh http://tealceagh.com/2009/11/25/mias-return-is-out/

It’s out!  It’s out!

It’s finally out!

Of the three books in this series, Mia’s Return edges out slightly ahead of the pack as my favorite.  Not huge amounts, just by a nose.  The others have their elements that endear them to me, but overall, Mia has…symmetry.  Which is unusual, because most authors always struggle with the middle book of a trilogy because of the famous saggy middle syndrome.

The emotional intensity and conflict in this one just fell into place and went “click” and the book wrote itself.  So much so that I sweated for two days to bring it down under the word count limit.

But it’s out.

It’s out!

Click here to read more about it on my site.

Click here to buy it.  (awww, come on, I have to do this, I’m a poor author!)

FIRST DROP OF CRIMSON

Night Huntress World, Book 1
(a sexy spinoff from the Night Huntress series)
by Jeaniene Frost
release date: 02/09/2010

pre-order on Amazon Immortal Fiction

back cover description: 
The night is not safe for mortals. Denise MacGregor knows all too well what lurks in the shadows – her best friend is half-vampire Cat Crawfield – and she has already lost more than the average human could bear. But her family’s dark past is wrapped in secrets and shrouded in darkness – and a demon shapeshifter has marked Denise as prey. Now her survival depends on an immortal who craves a taste of her.

He is Spade, a powerful, mysterious vampire who has walked the earth for centuries and is now duty-bound to protect this endangered, alluring human – even if it means destroying his own kind. Denise may arouse his deepest hungers, but Spade knows he must fight his urge to have her as they face the demon nightmare together…

• read chapter one excerpt on her blog

We flash a lot of abs on EtS and it’s all in good fun.  There’s certainly no harm in enjoying the fantasy of a dark & dangerous hero every now and then be he vampire, werewolf, demon, angel or fae!

But today, the day before Thanksgiving, I wanted to take the time to celebrate true romance.   The kind of romance that sends a man shopping for his wife’s favorite pens when he sees her diligently striving to keep up with the craziness of National Novel Writing Month.  The kind of romance that inspires a man to load up a teenager and twin nine year olds to travel a couple of hours out of town in order to attend a family function and at the same time give his wife time to finish edits in the peace and quiet of an empty home.

My husband is strong and lean, but he isn’t a model.  He doesn’t usually have romance novel-esque dialogue rolling off his tongue.  There are times when he even forgets what to say when I ask, “Do I look fat in these jeans?”.  (If you’ve ever seen that deer-in-the-headlights-look, then you know what I mean;>)

But he’s never failed to hold me when I’ve received a rejection. 

He’s been on this journey with me since I began writing when my oldest son was 2.  That makes thirteen years of cheerleading and support and unfailing belief.  If it wasn’t for my husband, I might never have decided to go for it.  I remember the day that my twins started kindergarten.  On that day my husband looked at me and said, “now you’ll have time to write”.  I didn’t know it at the time, but he made a promise to me that day that he’s kept to this one.  After years of treating writing like a hobby, something I dabbled at while my toddlers played on the playground, I began to take writing seriously on that day when he gave me the gift of “time to write”.

Since then I’ve had successes and failures.  I’ve had manuscripts that sold and manuscripts that were rejected.  But through it all I’ve had him…my hero… and a truer romance has never been.

Yesterday I sent queries to agents for the first time. 

True romance is a man who grabs you at the end of a day like that and gives you a big squeeze as he celebrates the courage it took to hit “send”.

And chocolate, of course, he never forgets the chocolate…

KISS OF DEATH

The Morganville Vampires, Book 8
estimated release: April/May 2010
by Rachel Caine

pre-order from Amazon Immortal Fiction

The way the Glass House worked, on a practical level, was that there was a schedule for the stuff that had to be done. Cooking, cleaning, fixing things, laundry. Technically, they were all on every housemate’s list. In practice, though, what happened was this: the boys (Michael and Shane) bribed the girls (Eve and Claire) to do laundry, and the girls bribed the boys to fix things. 

The basement of the Glass House was big, dark and creepy, which wasn’t really such a surprise. Most basements were, and this was Morganville. Morganville went in for dark and creepy the way Las Vegas went in for neon. Apart from the one area Claire was in, with a battered washer and dryer, a table that had once been painted some kind of industrial green, and some shelves filled with unidentifiable junk, the rest of the basement was dim and quiet. 

She had the music cranked up so high that she failed to hear steps coming down the stairs. In fact, she had no clue she wasn’t completely alone until she felt a hand touch her shoulder, and hot breath against her neck.

• read full excerpt on RachelCaine.com

Registration is now open for The Authors After Dark 2010: Romance Unlimited.

You can check out all the info and such on the website: http://aadromanceunlimited.com

Dates: Sept. 16-19
Place: Harmon Meadow Holiday Inn
Registration: $140 (includes 5 meals)
Room Rate: $109 a night double occupancy (Room reservations open Dec. 2nd)

So get out there and register! We are looking at a fantastic weekend this coming year!

Stella Price
Award winning best selling author
www.stellaandaudra.com  

This is a completely amazing event. I’m going and I just registered. Hope to see everyone else there.

Now for a photo requested by viewers. Here’s the mother of the bride dress. 

Now onto  other things.  I’m still exhausted from the wedding and have to go through the final for A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS and turn it back in.  Then there’s Thanksgiving. 

The display book cover is now up and working at All Romance Ebooks for my vampire romance novel THE STORMY LOVE LIFE OF LAURA CORDELAIS.  YAY!  http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thestormylovelifeoflauracordelais-374695-139.html

Wishing you and yours a fun Thanksgiving!  I’ve been counting my blessing and family is at the top of my list.   Ta for now.

THIS JUST IN.  The winner of Wendy Ely’s contest is Karin.  Congratulations! Wendy will be getting in touch with you.

It’s part of the book tour, but I only found out less than 48 hours ago that the date was confirmed, so I’ve barely managed to get it up onto the book tour page and the guest post written…but I’m there, and it’s there, and if you’re reading this, this post is there, too.

So…deep breath, everything fell into place as it should.

I’m over at Love Romance Passion today, kicking off the first date of my double-header book tour.  Come and chat, and be in the running to win a copy of Beth’s Acceptance, and impress the hell out of Love Romance Passion with how many people actually come and chat with me, as this is my first time there.

I got a great review from Amber over at AmberKatz Book Blog today.  I’ll be guesting there on Sunday to talk about Mia’s Return, but she reviewed Beth’s Acceptance — this was a bit of a bonus, as I gave her the book just so she could keep up with the series in general as they’re so tightly entwined.

“Beth’s acceptance is just the right read to heat you up on a cold Winters night! The heat radiates from the story from start to finish and the bits in between come close to bringing the reader to melt down in delight. I am not a huge fan of erotic stories but this one really got my pulse going and the storyline kept me intrigued enough to read till the end.

The paranormal elements were well thought out and I am interested to see what happens in the next two books in this series. Luckily I have them waiting for me and I am already feeling the pull to check out the sequel Mia’s Return.

The Destiny’s Trinities are technically only novella’s with their size of 100 pages but with the vampires and other creatures filling the pages who cares? These are just the right size to curl up with when you need a little time alone and a little excitement.”

Click here for the full review.

It’s going to take me a few days to figure out how I want to organize my site. I am an avid reader sometimes reading more than a dozen books a week. I can sit for days and read just barely taking a break. It’s not something my family loves about me. It often keeps me from cooking, cleaning, etc.  Some of the books I read this week and hope to review include:

New Releases:  Led Astray By a Rake, Sara Bennett; Big Bad Wolf, Christine Warren; The Most Wicked of Sins, Kathryn Caskie; Royal’s Bride, Kat Martin; To Desire a Devil, Elizabeth Hoyt; Captive of Sin, Anna Campbell.

Great Find Author Michele Sinclair – The Highlander’s Bride and To Wed a Highlander.

MyFavorite Author Lora Leigh – Dawn’s Awakening.

Plus four other books from four great authors.

I took my writing on the road last night to meet up with some fellow NaNoers. I love meeting other writers. It must me feel, well not so weird in my quest to getting published. Most people who blog about writing are published writers or have gotten that YES from an agent. Me ~ not so much. I’m still one of those writers who is wallowing in the muck and mud trying to get someone to notice my work. Have I mentioned that querying sucks.

Back to NaNo. It has been an experience. Writing all the time with that deadline looming over my head constantly taunting me has been at times trying and other times exhilarating(that’s when you lose control of the words and they just spill out onto the page) – oh AND the words actually make sense and move the story forward. Gawd, that’s awesome! The past few days I’ve read plenty of blogs where the NaNoer is throwing in the towel. Why toss the towel when it’s not even Nov. 30th? Let me tell you my story is no where near complete but dammit I’m going to make it to 50k. Too bad for me the story will not be finished at 50k so I must push forward to oh I don’t know somewhere between 85,000 to 90,000. A lot of paranormal romance publishing houses require the story be between 80k-100k. All these f*cking guidelines can drive a writer mad. I think the story should dictate how long it should be, but what do I know I’m not published….YET!  Bahahahaha

I’m back home and more or less recovered. I think!

The problem with people like me is we got more ideas than time and our bodies aren’t always keeping up.

When I was kid people wondered why I pushed myself so hard. No one else was going to do the work for me. Everything I have, I earned the hard way. Blood sweat, and tossing caution to the wind or leaping before making sure something would catch me. I’m not dead yet but that could be the evil mastermind posing as a superhero by day.

Wait. What do they call those? Villains. Shh. Please keep this under wraps. I’ve got a façade to keep up.

I did more edits on NIGHT REINS. I love rewrites. I love the story so much I enjoy going in and cleaning things out. I cleaned up the synopsis of LIFE REINS got my super critique partner to look over it. Edited, she relooked at the work, I did more edits. See, I wasn’t joking about loving the rewrites. I went over some AEQUITAS II PUNISHMENT.

Over the coming posts, I’ll be adding in some interviews in the mix not to bore you with my mad ramblings.

Susan the bride and groom are beautiful and I hope they live long and prosper. I got that line from a hotty. Spock.

Mason
a.c.Mason
Darkness ♀♂ Desires
www.acmason.com

Ahh the joys of being in the final stretch of nano and I’m so dreadfully behind. But I’m ultimately glad that I decided to join. I mean, who cares that I had one wip that I was editing, another novel that I was rewriting and a backlog of at least 6 other pieces. Who knows, where the idea for this one came up from LOL – AHH the madness – Isn’t it wonderful?

I have to give where credits due and that’s primarily my wonderful husband and daughters. While they stand there, all the while listening to me ranting about this chapter not fitting or something is missing in another. I cannot count the countless times my husband has tried to reassure me that everything will fall into place. Then my girls with their “mommy I can’t wait until you get it published”, seems to be the only thing that keeps me going. Well of course not to mention my twitter friends. Without them I’d be living in my own personal Hell with all these projects LOL

On a side note which is completely random and I just wanted to share with everyone,  NEW MOON was GREAT!!!!! I probably would have enjoyed it more if I was a teenage girl. But needless to say they did a fanstatic job of displaying one my favorite reasons why I love werewolves. They’re just unbelievably awesome!

Alright, so getting back to NanoWrimo. I think it’s too soon to tell if I’ll make it out alive, but I’m hopeful and can’t wait for the month to be over. Most of my anxiety, is the result of me wanting to get back to editing Hellbound and getting it out there. The Nano piece was originally suppose to be another Novella but as each day goes by, I seem to come up with some more idea’s on how to stretch out the story line and I’m extremely tempted to make it a full length piece.

With that being said, I thought that it might be nice if I was to divulge just a little  bit of what the story is about and then you’ll understand, why I simply cannot leave it at 50k.

Keats is a Werewolf who was exiled from his pack and not for the reasons that the whole pack was told about. Now taking up refuge in Toronto, he’s on a mission to cure himself and wants to lead a normal life even if it kills him. While he’s on his own personal mission, he crosses paths with the beautiful Rhiannon, whose got a past herself. Both Keats and Rhiannon become victims of a huge power play which is doomed to reek havoc in their own little world. Does Keats find the cure for his Lycanthropy? Will Rhiannon step out of the shadows as her true self? Most importantly, will the both of them be able to save their relationship?

Unfortunately that’s about all I can say at the moment. Now that I’ve puttered around enough, it’s time for me to get back to writing. Take care and I’m sure we’ll chat soon enough.

Cheers,

Layna

Hunting Julian

Jacquelyn Frank

Zebra, Jan 2010, $6.99

ISBN: 9781420104257

In Fort Lauderdale, bounty hunter Asia Callahan observes Julian Sawyer who has sex with a different girl every night.  However, she watches him because thirteen females vanished across the country including her sister Kenya after meeting him.  She knows his pattern and vows to learn what happened to her sibling and prevent number fourteen.  Asia enters the Pussy Willow nightclub where Julian moves in on her.  At his apartment, he grabs her throat and says she emits no sexual odor.  Asia tries a jujitsu attack that draws pink blood.  Julian picked her like her sister as a Chosen, but instead needs her as his zini.  He mentally rapes Asia, but stops short of the physical.  Instead they enter a portal to his world.

Julian explains to the Ampliphi leaders that his days as a gatherer are over as the human is his kindra.  His companion Ariel is elated to see Julian until he introduces her to Asia as his kindra.  He tells Ariel he will retire soon and informs Asia she is in the “Beneath” plane below that of the earth where his people are starving.  As she struggles to adjust, some leaders want her dead while Julian needs her to come to him as he wants her, but his people need them to feed off their sexual energy.

Readers will be hooked from the moment Julian takes Asia to his dimension as the other realms premise comes across quite powerfully real even the need for sexual energy fueling this odd world with edifices hanging on nets.  The lead couple is an interesting pairing as he needs her while she rejects him for taking her against her will leading to his major frustrations.  Although the Ampliphi should have stopped the villainess long ago as she was hurting those dependent on her, fans will relish this terrific science fiction romance.

Harriet Klausner

Hunting Julian

Jacquelyn Frank

Zebra, Jan 2010, $6.99

ISBN: 9781420104257

In Fort Lauderdale, bounty hunter Asia Callahan observes Julian Sawyer who has sex with a different girl every night.  However, she watches him because thirteen females vanished across the country including her sister Kenya after meeting him.  She knows his pattern and vows to learn what happened to her sibling and prevent number fourteen.  Asia enters the Pussy Willow nightclub where Julian moves in on her.  At his apartment, he grabs her throat and says she emits no sexual odor.  Asia tries a jujitsu attack that draws pink blood.  Julian picked her like her sister as a Chosen, but instead needs her as his zini.  He mentally rapes Asia, but stops short of the physical.  Instead they enter a portal to his world.

Julian explains to the Ampliphi leaders that his days as a gatherer are over as the human is his kindra.  His companion Ariel is elated to see Julian until he introduces her to Asia as his kindra.  He tells Ariel he will retire soon and informs Asia she is in the “Beneath” plane below that of the earth where his people are starving.  As she struggles to adjust, some leaders want her dead while Julian needs her to come to him as he wants her, but his people need them to feed off their sexual energy.

Readers will be hooked from the moment Julian takes Asia to his dimension as the other realms premise comes across quite powerfully real even the need for sexual energy fueling this odd world with edifices hanging on nets.  The lead couple is an interesting pairing as he needs her while she rejects him for taking her against her will leading to his major frustrations.  Although the Ampliphi should have stopped the villainess long ago as she was hurting those dependent on her, fans will relish this terrific science fiction romance.

Harriet Klausner

Well, I saw New Moon.  It’s definitely more edgy than the first. Worthwhile going to the theater for because of the hugeness of the scenery and movement of the characters within it is breathtaking.  The werewolves were wonderful. Yes, there are more shirtless scenes than I could count and Jacob was more grown up and a very believable rival to Edward for Bella’s affections.  The Italian vamps were awesome.  There was tons of sexual tension and then the set up for the next film. I have to add that Victoria gives me the chills.  When you see it, you’ll know why. I don’t want to spoil it so I won’t say more.  My favorite book was the last one, so I won’t comment further on New Moon as it wouldn’t be fair. Definitely a fun movie experience.

Why am I talking about computers?  It seems everyone I talk to is having computer problems. My computer gave up the ghost last week and my future son-in-law came over and got it running again.  But he advised strongly that I get a new one, so I ordered one.  It hasn’t come yet and I’m trying to continually back up anything new.  

In regards to that, if you go to All Romance Ebooks and want to buy my first full length vampire romance novel THE STORMY LOVE LIFE OF LAURA CORDELAIS http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thestormylovelifeoflauracordelais-374695-139.html  please, do not be detered. The cover is in your purchased copy.  There’s a glitch with the display version for the online stores and that that’s being worked on.  No worries.  Every purchased copy has the gorgeous cover already included.

I’m going to be blogging a lot in the next couple of weeks. I do have two events happening on Dec. 19th.  I’ll be at http://www.sandrasookoo.com for her holiday party and also on the same day be part of a party here at Nights of Passion.  I’m going to be giving something away to one lucky person, but I’m not going to say what yet. It will be a surprise.  Ta for now.

• Title: When He Was Bad
• Author: Shelly Laurenston and Cynthia Eden
• Type: Paranormal shifter anthology
• Genre: Pack and Pride series short novel + long novella with vamp and shifter
• Sub-genre: humorous and suspense
• My Grade: B+ (4.2*)
• Rating: PG-13 to NC-17
• Where Available: Wherever books are sold
• FTC Disclosure: book purchased at online bookstore

Well, When He Was Bad my re-read book this month.  I just couldn’t seem to get interested in anything lately, so I grabbed this off my keeper shelf and enjoyed it again.  No, it isn’t my favorite, but I actually enjoyed it more on this read through than I did the first time since I had started Ms Eden’s Hotter After Midnight and become reacquainted with Nils van Holtz, alpha of the van Holtz wolves,  in Ms Laurenston’s The Main Squeeze.  Van Holtz first showed up first in Go Fetch! with his wife Irene Conridge.  The first story in When He Was Bad goes back in time to when Van and Irene first got together in the early 1980’s.

Miss Congeniality is the ironic title given to the story of Niles van Holtz and Irene Conridge.  It takes place in the 1980’s – when a color screen for a PC was a huge leap forward in technology.  The van Holtz pack is the richest pack in the US, thanks to their hugely successful chain of high end steakhouses,  hand along with the Smith and Mangus packs, the most influential. Irene Conridge is a professor at a small but elite college in the northwest.  She went there at the age of 18 with 3 PhD’s and a chip on her shoulder that’s still there.  An only child who was so extraordinary she addressed the UN when she was only 10 years old and was once taken into custody by the authorities who feared an enemy nation might grab her (It ended badly when she blew up a goodly portion the military installation and several blocks in a nearby city – they let her go.)  Niles see her when she arrives on campus at the age of 18 to his 21 and he assumes she’s “fresh meat’ for his conquest list.  Instead, Dr. Conridge is a new faculty member.  He’s had a thing for her and her seamed stockings ever since.  Thanks to generous donations of the van Holtz family to the school, Irene tries to be pleasant – or as pleasant as her very limited social skills permit – she doesn’t kill him.  Hey, among shifters that’s almost love!

Irene’s roommate and best friend Jackie drags her from the party and gets her to agree to destroy her latest research before it can fall into the wrong hands.  Nervous and a little edgy, she hears a sound and goes after what she thinks is an intruder with   Irene agrees and drives out to a remote area to dump the small amount of material – which actually acts like a super fertilizer on plants.  From nowhere a hyena leaps at her.  Then lions appear and finally wolves.  Irene had been holding her own with 1 hyena,but lions???  She ends up using her supercharged version of a taser to kill the attacking hyena when the wolves appear.  Then the lead wolf shifts into a naked Niles van Holst and Irene allows the pain to send her into a blessed oblivion.

Niles hauls Irene back to the van Holst mansion and she has to stay there for several days while he tries to work out some kind of agreement with the hyena clan and lion pride to keep her alive once she leaves van Holst territory.  Irene has known about shifters for many years because her long time friend, roommate and fellow prodigy Jackie is a jackle.  Niles has run into intransigence with his fellow shifters and Irene’s life ends up hinging on his marking her as his mate.  Lions and hyenas don’t do that, but they know that wolves mate for life.  Niles just doesn’t believe it.  He thinks it’s all some story parents tell.  Once he bites Irene though he learns it isn’t.  suddenly, he’s lost all interest in the available she-wolves, even the lionesses do nothing for him.  In a panic, he shows up at Irene’s and demands a kiss.  Of course it doesn’t END there.

How does a womanizing wolf and genius with boundary issues connect?  Very well in bed, but with difficulty out of it.  She’s never learned to play, he just ignores her and manages her – but doesn’t control her.  Irene has to learn to be human and how to play.  Her whole life has been about the intellectual expectations that others have of her.  Everything she is, her entire self image is centered on her amazing intelligence.  Niles teaches her about the rest of life.  He’s determined, conniving, cunning and over-sexed – just what Irene needs to make her forget.  But someone is trying to find her recent research.  She held back just a little of the lethal material, but no one knows, right?  The FBI is following her – but so is someone else.

The story is classic Laurenston.  An intelligent, self-sufficient, independent, emotionally closed off female and a womanizing, vain, self-centered, alpha shifter male.  The sparks fly as Irene slowly finds out how much pleasure can be had from being ‘normal’ and Nils comes to terms with the reality of the mate bond, getting his mate to adjust to it, and the fact he must become the pack alpha, like it or not.  He deliberately drives her crazy by leaving his photo all over her office, drives away any other man, and teaches her how to enjoy life instead of just work, how to be ‘normal’, or as normal as possible, while respecting her intellectual gifts.  By itself, Miss Congeniality is a solid B+ (4.3*)

*********************************************************************************

The second long novella/short novel in this anthology is Wicked Ways by Cynthia Eden.  She and Ms Laurenston often appear in the same anthologies.  Both write paranormal, but Ms Eden writes stories that are more paranormal romantic suspense.  Wicked Ways is set in the same ‘world’ as Hotter After Midnight, but here the location is a small town in Louisiana.  Miranda Chase tries online dating and handsome Paul ends up in her house – when he bares his fangs and goes for her throat.  Her neighbor is there and rips him away.  Paul, a sadistic vampire, calls Cain ’shifter’ like a curse.  Cain calls Paul a ‘parasite’.  In the ensuing melee, the two supernaturals damage each other and Miranda calls the police.

There have been a series of murders across state line.  All the women were, all had tried online dating, and all met with a man named Paul.  And all had there throats cut – possibly to hide the fang marks.  Her house a wreck and a crime scene, Cain takes her in for the night.  He’d love to do more, but she’s human and she’s in denial about what happened, refusing to believe there’s such a thing as vampires, despite what she saw, heard, and felt.  Cain forces her to realize there are by showing her the puncture wounds in her neck.  Miranda finds herself  learning a lot more than she’s comfortable knowing – Cain isn’t human, he’s “retired” from the FBI, and the psychotic vamp will keep killing if she doesn’t help them nail his hide.  Rather than go into hiding and let Paul move on to another victim, she decides to work with Cain and the FBI to try and catch him.  Her Spanish is rusty, but when the agent Santiago calls Cain ‘gato grande’ even she knows that means ‘big cat’.  She also learns there are a whole lot of other supposedly mythic creatures out there, like demons, djinn, and werewolves – who are usually psychotic.

Miranda is attracted to Cain and staying at his house proves to much temptation to them both.  Paul, however, is as drawn to Miranda as Cain expected.  Cain smells him – old blood – and goes into the woods near the house and lets his animal free – a big, black jaguar.  He hunts the vamp, but Paul is ready for him and shoots at him and heads for Miranda.  Paul didn’t use silver bullets, so even though the wound hurts, Cain isn’t that badly injured.  Then he goes after Paul, but the vamp does the unexpected and shoots Miranda knowing Cain will stay with her and not go after him.

Miranda decides she’ll continue to help hunt Paul.  She creates an online persona with a new name and location in hopes of drawing him out in Miami.  Meanwhile, Cain is visiting ‘feeding rooms’ where vamps find willing humans and no one has seen Paul.  Miranda and Cain go to Maimi and the very first club sees Miranda’s cover is blow by an Irish Vamp, Sullivan, who knows Cain and knows her real name.  But the trap for Paul becomes a trap for Miranda.

The story is well done, the hero’s angst minimal, and the hunt for Paul is exciting, the suspense plays out well.  The geography of the locations could have been better defined, as could the settings themselves, but other than that, it was well done.  On it’s own this is a solid B (4*).

Chosen by Desire by Kate Perry

I’m a sucker for a fun hot romance, especially one with a touch of the paranormal, so this was right up my alley. I loved it. By the way, this is the second of the Guardians of Destiny, after Marked by Passion, but I didn’t feel like I missed much by not reading the first.

Carrie is working on finishing her thesis and needs final proof before she leaves China: Wei Lin’s journal. She ends up “borrowing” it from a monastery, along with another scroll, the legendary Book of Water. She just kinda got stuck, stealing is not something she would usually do.

Here begins the Book of Water, wherein lies the truth about man and energy. For energy is but a tool, good or bad determined by he who wields it… (pg. 44)

Max, the alpha hero who is living as a monk, sees her steal the scrolls and follows her back to California, determined to retrieve them.

In a typical romance set-up, Max has been betrayed before and doesn’t at first believe that Carrie is as innocent as she seems. He is still drawn to her, though, and can’t resist. Carrie, of course, has her own issues. They’re a good couple. He’s brooding, bossy and over-protective. She’s her own person, not willing to just go along with whatever he says, but of course they both need each other. There’s a lot of action along the way, with others looking for the scroll and threatening Carrie’s life.

The paranormal is really a side light to the story. Max has some powers, but they only come in to play occasionally, which I like. I was glad the the romance was the center of the story. And of course, it has a happy ending, a necessity for me.

She didn’t need to ask what he thought. the way he smiled, slow and full, like the sun coming out from a long bout of night, was answer enough. (pg. 350)

So, do you like your romance action-packed, with a touch of paranormal and some hot sex, like I do? I’m giving away one copy of Chosen by Desire, thanks to the publisher. To enter, just leave me a comment below by December 6. I’ll announce the winner on December 7. Sharing somewhere, somehow will get you an extra entry, just make sure to let me know. This one’s open to the US and Canada only, no PO boxes, and you need to be 18+.