Christmas Countdown--4 days to go!!

Countdown Christmas is an event at A Bookalicious Story to celebrate the coming of Christmas in 2 weeks time. There'll be fun interviews, Christmassy excerpts and giveaways just brimming with bookish-goodness ranging from YA Fantasies to New Adult Contemporary Romances to Adult Historical Romances. I hope y'all will join in this celebration! The more the merrier, aye? ;)

FOUR days to go!! Another late post, but I have invited a very special guest today. This author dabbles in NA, YA, contemporary and paranormal. She likes to add in a dash of psycopathic tendencies to her "villains" in her novel, and she is....

Juliana Haygert!

About Juliana

While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.

Connect with the author:
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | NA Alley | Newsletter

Breaking the Reins
Release date: August/11/2013

Blurb

Horses, mansions, tea parties, and lies are twenty-year-old Hannah Taylor’s life. To others, her family and her relationship with Eric is perfect. But she knows the truth. She lives it.

After a fire takes her grandma’s life and kills her horse, Hannah’s immaculate life spirals out of control. Her father disapproves of her decision to run her grandma’s ranch instead of focusing solely on learning the family business; Animal Control brings her Argus, a mistreated horse that she can’t turn away even though she’s not ready for another horse; and her boyfriend, Eric Bennett, a world famous polo player, becomes possessive and authoritarian. Despite her best efforts to disguise it, Hannah grows wary of him.

Then, Leonardo Fernandes struts onto the polo scene. A cocky rookie with a messy life of his own, he’s drawn to Hannah and isn’t afraid of showing it, even when Eric makes it clear she is his and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep it that way. Hannah suffers for Eric’s jealousy. The abuse only gets worse when Leo steals the title of best polo player in the world from Eric.

But the title isn’t enough for Leo. He wants Hannah too, and she can’t deny her attraction to him either. Somehow, she must find a way to break free from abusive Eric before he breaks every bone in her body.

Goodreads | Pinterest | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Apple | Createspace | Book Depository

Playing Pretend
Expected Publication: March 2014

Blurb

As the Governor’s daughter, Charlotte McClain is an expert in playing pretend. High society, the men her mother shoves in her direction and a Pre-Law major are all a part of her perfect pretense. But when she pretends to be a nobody during Spring Break, she meets someone who rocks her world.

Mason Rowell knows heartbreak and Spring Break don’t mesh well, so he allows the mysterious Charlotte to seduce him. What should have been a fling, results in something deeper. After Spring Break has long since passed, he moves to Washington to pursue his graduate degree, but what he never expected to find living among the rich and pompous, was the girl who gave him the strength to change and the desire to start anew.

When the guy Charlotte can’t forget goes from a sensual memory to temptation in the flesh, her facade is put to the test. If she surrenders to his charms, she risks ruining her mother’s perfect career and master plan. Playing pretend is what Charlotte does best, but how long can she pretend she doesn’t love who man that made her proud of her true self?

**A light, sexy NA Contemporary Romance (18+)**

Goodreads

Destiny Gift
Everlast Trilogy #1

Blurb

Thirty years in the future, a sinister New York City exists in permanent darkness.

A student at the secured NYU, nineteen-year-old Nadine has visions of Victor Gianni, an imaginary guy she has real feelings for. Afraid of being truly insane, she explains the visions away as simple daydreams, but she can no longer deny them when she bumps into Victor in real life. But this Victor doesn’t know her, and turns her away. After the encounter, Nadine’s visions change to those of eerie fates, gods she’s never heard of, demons with sharp claws they are not too timid to use … and instructions.

To discover if she’s losing her mind, Nadine follows the vague directions—with the real, rude and reluctant Victor—leading to a man who knows it all: Nadine can restore an ancient creed by unveiling the clues on her visions, and bring sunlight and peace to the world again. But that’s only if the demons and the other evil forces behind the darkness don’t stop her first.

Goodreads | Pinterest Board | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Apple | Createspace

Other books in series:

Other works by Juliana Haygert:

An Interview with Juliana Haygert

Hi, Juliana! Thank you so much for coming over to the blog!

Juliana: Hello there! :)

1) I've read on your guest post on Ramblings from this Chick that you've worked on Breaking the Reins for 3 years! That's a pretty long time. What was your first draft like? How different is it from the final baby (all books are babies to me. So precious, haha)?

Juliana: Well, I’ve plotted and thought about Breaking the Reins for 3 years – while I wrote another novels. I wrote Breaking the Reins in 3 months. My first drafts are usually goodish lol I trust my editor, though, and if she tells something isn’t working, I listen to her ;) My final draft is cleaner – less repetition, more clarity, less grammar errors – all because of my editor.

2) 3 months, wow that's pretty fast! Are you a fan of animals, that's why horses play such a prominent role in Breaking the Reins? How about polo? Any other sports you're good at or are interested in or think is major cool?

Juliana: My family had a farm when I was younger and there were lots of horses in our farm. I love horses. As for polo, it came with the first idea of the story – I didn’t know much about polo, but I researched and watched a lot of games.

Well, Ballet and dancing isn’t considered sports (which I find stupid), but I love dancing. I’ll write a book about a ballerina someday ;)

3) I. LOVE. HORSIES!! Haha, but I've never been able to interact with those beauties much in my life. Sigh.. But hey, you're quite an active person, aren't you? You've also said you wanted to write a time travel romance, that that was your original idea for Breaking the Reins. Well, it couldn't have been more different, since it is now a contemporary romance. Was it a conscious decision to switch genres? Did you want to switch?

Juliana: The time travel romance is another novel and it was never the original idea for Breaking the Reins, lol. That one has magic and mythology and Breaking the Reins was always a contemp romance ;)

4) I would love to read a time travel romance written by you, though! I've been a fan of time travel romances since my very first one a few years ago! Would you want to write a time travel romance next time? What are you working on currently?

Juliana: I’m finishing Playing Pretend, and next I think I’ll write the third novel on the Everlast Trilogy. Then I guess I’ll work on the ballerina idea, and maybe after that I’ll work on the time travel romance. That’s a good thing about being indie: I can write what I want, when I want ;)

5) Which kind of story do you prefer to write the most?

Juliana: Honestly, I don’t have a preference between the genres I write. It depends on my mood. Sometimes I want to write a UF, sometimes I want to go into an angst contemp, sometimes I want a little creepy on the side …

6) If you had a choice, which of these worlds do you want to live in? What about another author's novel's world? (For example, Hogwarts or Asgard or maybe part of JR Ward's BDB world)

Juliana: Probably Hogwarts or Narnia.

7) Cool, haha. Any book recommendations for fans of your books?

Juliana: For fans of my UF series, I recommend the Crescent Chronicles by Alyssa Rose Ivy. As for fans of my contemp stories, I recommend Easy by Tammara Webber and Off Sides by Sawyer Bennet.

Rapid Response Questions

1) Pen and Paper or Microsoft Word?

Juliana: Word

2) Hot Chocolate or Bailey's Irish Cream?

Juliana: Spiced Pumpkin Latte? lol

3) Ironman or Captain America?

Juliana: Thor? lol

That was fun. Haha, thanks again for coming over!

Juliana: Thank you for having me! :)

Teasers from Breaking the Reins

(Click to enlarge)

Christmas Countdown--5 days to go!!

Countdown Christmas is an event at A Bookalicious Story to celebrate the coming of Christmas in 2 weeks time. There'll be fun interviews, Christmassy excerpts and giveaways just brimming with bookish-goodness ranging from YA Fantasies to New Adult Contemporary Romances to Adult Historical Romances. I hope y'all will join in this celebration! The more the merrier, aye? ;)

FIVE days to go!! Christmas celebrations wouldn't be complete without MORE romance, right? Especially steamy ones to keep us warm when we're snowed in. (Well, in Singapore we're rained in)

Anyway, our guest today is an adult contemporary and paranormal romance writer...

Olivia Hardin!

About Olivia

Olivia Hardin always realized how strange she was to have complete movie-like character dreams as a child.  Eventually she began putting those vivid dreams to paper and was rarely without her spiral notebooks full of those mental ramblings.  Her forgotten vision of becoming an author was realized when she connected with a group of amazingly talented and fabulous writers who gave her lots of direction and encouragement.  With a little extra push from family and friends, she hunkered down to get lost in the words.  She’s also an insatiable crafter who only completes about 1 out of 5 projects, a jogger who hates to run, and is sometimes accused of being artistic, though she’s generally too much of a perfectionist to appreciate her own work.  A native Texas girl, Olivia lives in the beautiful Lone Star state with her husband and their puppy Bonnie.

Connect with Olivia:
Author's Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Witch Way Bends
Bend-Bite-Shift Trilogy #1

Blurb from Goodreads

Devan Stowe is a woman on a quest. She has only one thing on her mind when she teams up with Kent Crosby and his associates—putting an end to her father’s child trafficking business. Her determination takes her on a journey to discover her true strength and… the one man she was destined to love. In his arms, she’ll learn the meaning of trust, honor, and courage. Old friends and new will come together to help Devan unlock an amazing gift that will free her from her past and open up a future full of magic, faeries and more things than she ever imagined possible.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

Witch Way Bends is free on Nook!

Other Books in Series:

All for Hope

Blurb from Goodreads

To protect her heart, he left her behind.

To protect her life, he’ll leave the life he's made behind.

Sometimes the safest distance between two hearts is no distance at all…

Kidnapping a baby wasn’t something Hope ever dreamed she would do. But she’s been burned by the legal system before, so when the court places her friend’s child into the custody of an abuser, she takes matters into her own hands. She steals the baby and fakes her death, hoping to make a clean getaway. She planned every detail, except one.

Her high school sweetheart and best friend, who left her years before, sees her at a gas station. Hope thinks all is lost, until he offers to help them.

Brennan had always been the love of Hope’s life, but he never wanted to be. She knows she cannot depend on him for long. However, as each day passes, it becomes painfully obvious that she is in way over her head. She goes with him, intending to keep him always an arm’s length away to protect her heart. But being on the run together sparks the old flames that once burned between Brennan and Hope.

Families, friends, and lovers must band together to save an innocent baby and a daring woman or both of their lives will be destroyed. Together, they’ll do it All for Hope…

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes | Smashwords

Sweet Magic Song
For Love of Fae Trilogy #1

Blurb from Goodreads

Belle Bittner was sold to the highest bidder when she was just a child, sought for the magic lying dormant in her blood. She grew up as the adopted daughter of a wealthy vampire couple, and serving the child-trafficking Org seemed her only option in life. But Belle has other plans, and she won’t let anyone get in the way of her escape, even if it means betraying those who try to help her.

Desperate to stay free of an evil vampire who means to possess her no matter what, Belle decides she can use the protection of the flirtatious faery named Roon. The two of them flee to the faery realm where Rooney believes he can better protect her. What he doesn’t know is that taking the beautiful siren through the golden door will set off a cataclysm of events that will threaten the fabric of both the human and the faery worlds.

Separating myth from fact to decipher the truth about her powers could mean the destruction of the new life Belle’s trying so hard to build.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

Other works:

A Guest Post by Olivia Hardin

Merry Christmas everyone! I was asked to write a guest post of Christmas with the characters of All for Hope. In the book, Hope and Brennan celebrate the holiday with Bren’s lost family. Here I decided to recreate the scene, originally told from Hope’s point of view, and this time to view it through Uncle James’ eyes. Enjoy!  

        “I love watching the children open presents. It’s amazing to see the wonder in a child's eyes. Christmas brings more blessings than most people realize.” Sir James Rawley grinned, watching as his son Jeremy passed gifts around the room.

        He wondered at the circumstances that had placed these new members of his family at his doorstep. Iggie, his beloved sister was gone and remorse cinched tight around his heart because he hadn’t made amends with her before she passed.

        Still, the heavens had issued him a pardon, a chance to make amends. He watched as Hope set aside her own gifts and made a pile of the numerous ones for Michelle in front of her. The baby screeched with glee at the bright, colorful wrapping paper and ribbons.

        James glanced at Brennan, his nephew. The young man’s eyes kept a close watch on Hope and the baby, love spilling forth from each grin, each word, each touch of his hand to Michelle’s blonde head.

        Iggie would have been so proud of her son for putting his own life on hold to protect the woman he loved.

        And Hope was a joy to him. She was the bridge between James and his nephew. Only by her ability to care, to reach out to all those around her had she taught Brennan to let his lost family close to him.

        The touch of melancholy in Hope’s eyes was clear to him and he imagined her thoughts were on her own family. He thought of all the holidays he’d spent without Iggie, wondering if she was well. Yes, it must be very difficult for the young woman to abandon her people, all for the life of one little baby.

        Sir James reached out to give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, then laughed with joy as he took in the sight of so many loved ones gathered around him.

        Hope turned to face him and gave him a sympathetic gaze. “I'm sorry about the trouble we've caused with Kay—”

        “Cider anyone?” His daughter Kay's voice resonated, and Hope swiveled quickly to see the other woman carrying a tray into the room. Kay was a headstrong and fiercely protective of her family. She reminded James so much of himself when he was younger, untrusting of anyone who could potentially threaten those she cared most about.

        Yet her suspicions were set for the moment as she offered Hope a nod and a little smile in acknowledgment. His hand still on Hope’s shoulder, James felt the tension ease and his heart swelled with love.

        He laughed boisterously. “Trouble? Hah! Merry Christmas, everyone.”

        His grandchildren took their his words as their cue, and paper and bows went flying. Gasps filled the room as everyone tore into their gifts.

If you’ve enjoyed this little snippet and its peaked your interest, please check out All for Hope, still available for just $0.99 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, iTunes and Kobo. Again, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Reading to you all!

 

Olivia is very generously giving away a beautiful bracelet (shown below) to one lucky international reader! Giveaways end Jan 8, 2014.

Christmas Countdown--6 days to go!

Countdown Christmas is an event at A Bookalicious Story to celebrate the coming of Christmas in 2 weeks time. There'll be fun interviews, Christmassy excerpts and giveaways just brimming with bookish-goodness ranging from YA Fantasies to New Adult Contemporary Romances to Adult Historical Romances. I hope y'all will join in this celebration! The more the merrier, aye? ;)

6 days to go, guys! It's on to a genre that hasn't been featured yet. It's a new genre, relatively, and it's a cross between YA and Adult Fiction. I have invited Pepper Winters, international bestselling author of the Monsters in the Dark series, a New Adult series!

Tears of Tess
Monsters in the Dark #1

Blurb from Goodreads

A New Adult Dark Contemporary Romance, not suitable for people sensitive to grief, slavery, and nonconsensual sex. A story about finding love in the strangest of places, a will of iron that grows from necessity, and forgiveness that may not be enough.

“My life was complete. Happy, content, everything neat and perfect.
Then it all changed.
I was sold.”

Tess Snow has everything she ever wanted: one more semester before a career in property development, a loving boyfriend, and a future dazzling bright with possibility.

For their two year anniversary, Brax surprises Tess with a romantic trip to Mexico. Sandy beaches, delicious cocktails, and soul-connecting sex set the mood for a wonderful holiday. With a full heart, and looking forward to a passion filled week, Tess is on top of the world.

But lusty paradise is shattered.

Kidnapped. Drugged. Stolen. Tess is forced into a world full of darkness and terror.

Captive and alone with no savior, no lover, no faith, no future, Tess evolves from terrified girl to fierce fighter. But no matter her strength, it can’t save her from the horror of being sold.

Can Brax find Tess before she’s broken and ruined, or will Tess’s new owner change her life forever?...more

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

Quintessentially Q
Monsters in the Dark #2

Blurb from Goodreads

“All my life, I battled with the knowledge I was twisted… fucked up to want something so deliciously dark—wrong on so many levels. But then slave fifty-eight entered my world. Hissing, fighting, with a core of iron, she showed me an existence where two wrongs make a right."

Tess is Q’s completely. Q is Tess’s irrevocably. But now, they must learn the boundaries of their unconventional relationship, while Tess seeks vengeance on the men who sold her. Q made a blood-oath to deliver their corpses at Tess’s feet, and that’s just what he’ll do.

He may be a monster, but he’s Tess’s monster.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

Last Shadow
Expected publication: April 2014

Blurb from Goodreads

“My life wasn’t perfect but at least it was mine. Now, I live in hell and owned by others. I fell for a guy who promised me the world and sold me for five kilos of cocaine. I want nothing more than to end this existence of abuse and slavery. I’m not weak. I’m not giving up. I’m just done.”

Owned. Possessed. Used.

Lyric is a whore. After three years as a pawn in a high class game of bastards and sex, she’s had enough. Every hope and dream she’s ever had is inked on her skin—a reminder of why she should stay alive. But she’s lost all hope and the moment she runs out of flesh to tattoo, Lyric will find freedom. Freedom by death. As her last breath fast approaches, she needs nothing and no one…until him.

Kage was born to be one thing: a killer. Trained from birth, he’s an expert in blood and extermination—the last shadow his victims ever see. He’s the best at his profession; a ruthless, unfeeling assassin. He needs nothing and no-one…until her.

A man who lives to kill and a woman who wants to die. A serendipitous match…or so they thought.

*****

A New Adult Dark Contemporary Romance, not suitable for people sensitive to slavery, cruelty, and non-consensual sex. A story about a killer with no remorse, a woman living in nightmares, and a future that binds them in servitude.

Goodreads | Author's Website

Watch for these upcoming releases from Pepper Winters.

 

Monsters in the Dark Book #2: Twisted Together (Tentative Release 2014)

 

Broken Chance (Tentative Release – TBD)  

About the Author

Pepper Winters wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero, the better, and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex… her books have sex.

She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends.

Her debut book Tears of Tess will be followed with Quintessentially Q. You didn’t think Q could stop so soon, did you? Her other two titles, Last Shadow and Broken Chance will be coming soon.

Connect with Pepper:
Author's Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

An Interview with Pepper Winters

Hi, Pepper! Welcome to the blog!

1) Hey, you've been so busy recently! How's Quintessentially Q (a.k.a. QQ) coming along?

Pepper: Really good thanks! It releases in about 36 hours so I'm starting to freak out and hope that I've done everything that I can.

2) Oooh, big day!! Good luck, yeah! :)) How will QQ be different from Tears of Tess? Will it be any more darker, or sexier, or more focused on the emotional development between Tess and Q?

Pepper: It's different in a lot of ways. Tears of Tess I held myself back, unsure how far I could go. QQ is more me. There's violence and raw emotion, but also redemption, connection, and happiness. It follows their journey from man and woman to soulmates :)

3) Seems intense, and TT was already super intense for me! Can you tell us something about QQ that can't be found anywhere on the Net? Maybe not too spoilery but more of a juicy tidbit? ;)

Pepper: Oh, good question. Um...how about an xmas message from Q himself ;)

"May your ass by sore from my not-so-tender care. May your skin be flushed and bruised from my not-so-gentle touch. May your mind be full of sin and lust and darkness. But most of all, may you enjoy your Christmas full of kink and togetherness that only truly twisted couples can endure." --Q.

4) Hot damn, haha. I pity/am happy for Tess, mixed feelings whenever Q is in the picture. You have a few more books scheduled for release, Broken Chance and Last Shadow. What will they be about? Are they connected? Will there be more installments for both?

Pepper: They aren't connected to Tess and Q. Broken Chance is more erotica than dark, but knowing me it will turn darker as I grow to know the characters more. And Last Shadow I am very excited about. Another slavery book with a hero who kills and a heroine who wants to die.

5) I'm really looking forward to Last Shadows!! There's a sort of mix between fantasy, dystopian and erotica romance. So intriguing! Last Shadow seems really dark, though. Like reeeeally dark and gritty. Will it be? More so than ToT and QQ?

Pepper: Um, I think it will be darker in different ways. I can't say much without giving too much away, but there will be the same hard to read subjects (like rape and violence) but in a different context.

6) I've been wondering about this for some time... Tears of Tess and QQ seem very heavy on BDSM and erotica that I sometimes thought ToT tread more on adult erotica territory. Do you think it's more NA or adult erotica? Did ToT turn out the way you envisioned it to be initially? How much did the story change along the way?

Pepper: That's a very fair comment. Tess is only 20 so it fits into the NA catagory, but you're right that it's heavy with BDSM that might be more adult rather than NA. Then again, a lot of NA these days are very heavy on sexual themes. I suppose it fits loosely into both?

7) Where d'you get your inspirations from anyway? Like all those um, should-be-illegal coitus scenes? Haha!

Pepper: I normally get snippets of the plot while staring out the window, or driving :) I love those moments where the plot progresses without me hindering it. It excites me to start writing!

8) Have you ever thought of writing a story in another genre? Fantasy maybe? Or historical romance?

Pepper: No not at this stage. I'm really enjoying the genre I'm in, however never say never. I do have a dark historical thought I've been mulling over but it's not on my list to write as yet :)

9) Dark. Historical. Holy crap, please write that soon. What genre do you love to read most? Any author recs? :)

Pepper: I read every genre. Popular, unpopular, traditional and indie. I LOVE all books.

Rapid Response Questions

1) First book boyfriend that pops in your head?

Pepper: Jondalar from Clan of the Cave Bear

2) Sunrise or sunset?

Pepper: Sunset. I'm a night owl.

3) Vanilla or...well, not vanilla (if ye get wha' I mean)?

Pepper: Nope. No vanilla. Either sex or icecream. blah

Thanks so much for having me on your blot, Yet!

Thank you so much for coming over to the blog!! :)

Pepper is very generously giving away one (1) ecopy of TEARS OF TESS and QUINTESSENTIALLY Q each to one (1) international reader. How awesome is that?! Giveaway ends Jan 8, 2014.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for visiting! You can refer to the master calender of events on Day 1's post. :)

Christmas Countdown--7 days to go!

Countdown Christmas is an event at A Bookalicious Story to celebrate the coming of Christmas in 2 weeks time. There'll be fun interviews, Christmassy excerpts and giveaways just brimming with bookish-goodness ranging from YA Fantasies to New Adult Contemporary Romances to Adult Historical Romances. I hope y'all will join in this celebration! The more the merrier, aye? ;)

7 days to go! We had dragon shifter yesterday, so today it's gonna be WEREWOLVES, VAMPS, DEMONS, AND EX-MILITARY, oh my!! Haha, we can't celebrate with PNR/UF without them, aye? ;)

Katie Reus! aka Savannah Stuart

About Katie

Katie Reus is the New York Times, USA Today, and IndieReader bestselling author of the Red Stone Security series, the Moon Shifter series and the Deadly Ops series. She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom’s stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it.

However, she didn’t always know she wanted to be a writer. After changing majors many times, she finally graduated summa cum laude with a degree in psychology. Not long after that she discovered a new love. Writing. She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense.

Connect with the author:
Author's Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Alpha Instinct
Moon Shifter #1

Blurb from Goodreads

Fear has a scent. So does desire…

Ana Cordona has been a strong leader for the lupine shifters who survived after all the males and most of the females in her pack were mysteriously poisoned. As tough as she is, with no Alpha male, the pack is vulnerable to the devious shifter Taggart, who wants to claim both their ranch and Ana as his own. When Connor Armstrong comes back into her life, promising protection, it’s almost enough to make Ana forget how he walked out on her before—and reluctantly accept his offer to mate.

The minute Connor sees Ana again, it reawakens a raw hunger. He must have her for his bondmate—his wolf cries out for it. But his human side knows he must proceed with caution because of their complicated past. If he is to truly have her body and soul, he must go beyond his burning desire and win back her heart. Whatever it takes, he is determined not to leave her side again.

But Taggart and his rival pack are not their only enemies. A human element in town is targeting shifters. Their plan not only threatens Ana and Connor’s future, but the lives of the entire pack…

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Other Books in Series:

First Surrender
The Serafin: Sin City #1

Blurb from Goodreads

He’s dangerous, sexy, and everything she wants…

Sierra hit it off with Hayden from the moment they met. The dangerously sexy, tattooed ex-SEAL is one of the best friends she’s ever had—and the main star in her wildest fantasies. But he doesn’t see her that way. And she’d die of embarrassment if he found out she was still a virgin.

And he’s about to make his claim…

Hayden’s struggled to keep his attraction to the beautiful, dark haired casino chef a secret. He’s not good enough for her. But when an attacker targets Sierra, Hayden’s protective instincts go into overdrive. With the attraction between them burning out of control, he’ll do whatever it takes to protect her and convince her they’re meant to be together.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Other Book in Series:

Darkness Awakened
Darkness #1

Blurb from Goodreads

Years ago he ended things between them to protect her…

As leader of one of the fiercest werewolf packs in the south, Finn Stavros is in full battle mode 24/7. He has no choice—he’s one of the few beings strong enough to fight the Akkadian demons, whose mysterious escape from hell threatens the entire world. With the battle turning bloodier by the second, Finn is ready for anything…until his vampire long lost love shows up on his doorstep in desperate need of his help, sending his heart into a tailspin. He agrees to help her, unaware that she carries a shocking secret that will turn his life upside down.

This time, he’s not letting her go…

Vampire Lyra Marius curses the day she met Finn. The ruthless werewolf promised to love her forever, but he rejected her instead—before she could share her life altering news. Pregnant, kicked out of her coven, and cast aside by the love of her life, Lyra struggled to raise their rare shifter-vampire daughter Vega alone among humans. When the 16-year-old is kidnapped and used to fulfill a frightening prophecy, Lyra swallows her pride and turns to Finn for help. But how long can she fight her feelings for him and keep him from guessing the truth about who Vega really is? As they race against the clock to save their daughter, they must defeat the lethal threat imposed by demons infiltrating the human world and a hell gate that could not only reveal their existence to mankind, but destroy the world in the process.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Other Book in Series:

Out Summer 2014

Other works:

And MANY MORE
 

 

A "Would Your Rather" Interview with Katie Reus

Hi Katie! Welcome to A Bookalicious Story, and thank you so much for coming over! :)

Katie: Thanks so much for having me here today!

Would you rather...

1) ...live in the world of the Moon Shifter series, Red Stone Security series (assuming you'd be in league with all that panties-combusting alphas), Deadly Ops series, relatively new The Serafina: Sin City series, or your latest Darkness series? Why?
**I'm sorry I couldn't list your standalones too. You're too prolific a writer. (Evidence)

Katie: Ha, I can’t answer that! If I had more than one kid, it would be like asking me to choose which I liked best! Instead of ‘would I rather’ how about… it would be insanely awesome to combine all my series. Throw super spy Jack from Targeted (Deadly Ops) into the dark, supernatural Moon Shifter world? Yes please! Or throw sexy billionaire Wyatt from my RSS series into my Darkness world where he gets to meet an actual dragon shifter! How awesome would that be?!

Waiting on Wednesday (1): Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine

*I use Grammarly's english grammar check online because bad grammar's like bad breath; everything about it stinks. Haha, kidding, but I used it for this post and with it spotted 2 mistakes. 1 was on purpose and the other, well, it fitted my mind-speak, so I'm leaving it. So hey, my grammar's not that bad after all!*

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My very first WW! I'm having my firsts with lots of memes lately, haha. Anyway, this week, or since many weeks ago, I have been waiting on:

Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine
Expected publication: February 4th, 2014
Publisher: NAL

Blurb from Goodreads

A standalone built around the character of Benvolio, from Romeo and Juliet. The novel will be told from the point of view of Benvolio, who is Romeo’s cousin and, in Shakespeare’s play, attempts to get the lovelorn Montague interested in other girls after it’s discovered that Juliet is a member of the clan his family despises: the Capulets. Caine’s novel, her agent said, explores a scenario in which Romeo and Juliet are not the only couple to fall into dire romantic straits and is “a tale of intrigue, betrayal, hatred, and tragedy,” about “lovers lost, and lovers found.” (From Publisher's Weekly)


Preorder or find out more about PRINCE OF SHADOWS at:
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Author's Website

 

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I have never read (or will ever read) about Romeo and Juliet's love story cause, duhh, it's ends in a tragedy and no one in their right minds like tragedies. Haha, no offense. But I've always been super fascinated by one of history's most famous love stories, and since this is bout their relatives, I'm all for it. :)

I haven't read any of Caine's other series, but I've heard good things about it, so yay.


Thanks for stopping by! What are y'all waiting on this week? :)

Christmas Countdown--8 days to go!

Countdown Christmas is an event at A Bookalicious Story to celebrate the coming of Christmas in 2 weeks time. There'll be fun interviews, Christmassy excerpts and giveaways just brimming with bookish-goodness ranging from YA Fantasies to New Adult Contemporary Romances to Adult Historical Romances. I hope y'all will join in this celebration! The more the merrier, aye? ;)

Sorry late post! 8 days to go, how are y'all spending your time? :)) Today, I have invited an author of a DRAGON novel!! Dragons have been one of my favorite mystical beast of all time, and of course dragon romances are the coolest.


So, innnntroducing..

Lorenda Christensen!

About Lorenda

A native of Eastern Oklahoma, Lorenda lives with her husband and two sons in a house that feels far too small during the stay-inside winter months. Lorenda loves chocolate, hates snakes, and despite living two years in Bangalore next- door to a native preparer of Indian cuisine, cannot cook anything but ground beef. She is a recovering nail biter, and is currently celebrating five years bite-free.
Lorenda is the 2012 recipient of the Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® award in the Paranormal category for her debut novel, Never Deal with Dragons.
She was born in Arkansas and immediately smuggled across the Oklahoma border. Lorenda is a past resident of Bangalore, India and a current resident of Tulsa, Oklahoma. She’s not a neat person. Or even a somewhat tidy person. Okay – Lorenda is a completely filthy and disgusting failure at all things housekeeping. She also kills plants, but not on purpose.

Connect with the author:
Author's Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Never Deal With Dragons

Blurb

Consoling a sobbing dragon and serving pig buffets are just part of the job for Myrna Banks. Working for a mediation firm, it’s her job to get humans compensated for damages caused by the dragons who now rule. But her “typical” day is interrupted by Trian Chobardan, an old flame who sneaked out of her bed two years ago, taking her heart and a handful of classified documents with him.

Myrna would love to show Trian the door, but he’s been sent by North America’s reigning dragon lord for help negotiating a truce with a powerful rival to avert war. Myrna agrees to help, even though she’ll be stuck with Trian as a partner.

As the two work together, Myrna finds Trian to be surprisingly supportive—and still irresistibly attractive. Though her brain tells her not to forget his betrayal, her body feels differently. When they learn the enemy dragon lord is planning something no one could have imagined, Myrna has to learn who she can trust before she loses not only her heart, but her life.
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Carina Press

Watch for these upcoming releases from the Dragon Trilogy.

 

Book #2: Dancing with Dragons (Tentative Release 2014)

 

Book #3: ‘Til Death or Dragons (Tentative Release – TBD)

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An Interview with Lorenda Christensen

Hi Lorenda! Thank you so much for coming over to the blog. :)

1) I heard you're hard at work with Carol's book, Dancing with Dragons. Can you tell us a little about Never Deal with Dragons and Dancing with Dragons? Will they act as standalones or a series?

Lorenda: Sure! The plan is for this series to be a total of three books all based in the same world—a post WWIII Earth where dragons are the ruling class and humans are simply trying to survive.

Each book focuses on a different couple, so they can be read as standalones. The stories do flow chronologically, however, and you’ll see mention of plot items from earlier books in Dancing with Dragons and Book #3 (working title: ‘Til Death or Dragons), but I don’t think it’s necessary to read them in order.

The first book, Never Deal with Dragons, focuses on Myrna Banks, a woman who works for a company specializing in dragon and human relations. Myrna’s job is…unusual to say the least. I had a lot of fun writing about her frequently crazy run-ins with dragons. The second book, Dancing with Dragons, is Carol’s story. Carol is Myrna’s best friend and an employee of an advertising agency. She helps Myrna out on a project, and manages to find herself embroiled in an international, dragon-infested mess than she has no idea how to get out of.

Both ladies, in addition to their dragon troubles, have romantic issues to deal with as well, each of them having to wrestle with their own dream man/pain in the rear-end (depending upon the situation).

Book #3 is a work in progress, and I hesitate to reveal too much, just in case my editor needs to change things, but I feel somewhat comfortable saying that the setting will be the circumstances surrounding Myrna’s wedding.

2) In your novels, do you usually tend to focus more on the romance or the plot? More Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance?

Lorenda: While I feel my books have a heavy dose of good old-fashioned romance, I would say my stories are more urban fantasy than paranormal romance. Never Deal with Dragons was the 2012 winner of the Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® Award, so obviously there’s a bit of romance between the pages, but you won’t be seeing the hot and heavy sexy-times that you’d get in a J.R. Ward or Nalini Singh book, and I feel like my characters are more action oriented than emotionally driven.

Christmas Countdown--9 days to go!

Countdown Christmas is an event at A Bookalicious Story to celebrate the coming of Christmas in 2 weeks time. There'll be fun interviews, Christmassy excerpts and giveaways just brimming with bookish-goodness ranging from YA Fantasies to New Adult Contemporary Romances to Adult Historical Romances. I hope y'all will join in this celebration! The more the merrier, aye? ;)

9 days to go, folks!! It's down to one digit now! Today's guest is an author in a totally different genre. Historical Fiction!

Michelle Diener!

About Michelle

Michelle Diener writes historical fiction and fantasy. Her Susanna Horenbout & John Parker series, set in the court of Henry VIII, includes In a Treacherous Court, Keeper of the King’s Secrets and In Defense of the Queen.

Michelle’s other historical novels include Daughter of the Sky, The Emperor’s Conspiracy and Banquet of Lies (loosely connected to The Emperor’s Conspiracy).
Michelle’s first fantasy novel, Mistress of the Wind, is set for a December 23, 2013, release.
Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.
When she’s not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her blogging at Magical Musings, or online at Twitter and Facebook.

Connect with Michelle:

Author's Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Banquet of Lies

Blurb

A SECRET TREATY AND A SECRET LIFE

REGENCY LONDON: Giselle Barrington is living a double life, juggling the duties of chef with those of spy-catcher. She must identify her father’s savage killer before the shadowy man finds her and uncovers the explosive political document her father entrusted to her safekeeping.

Posing as a French cook in the home of Lord Aldridge, Giselle is surrounded by unlikely allies and vicious enemies. In the London streets where she once walked freely among polite society, she now hides in plain sight, learning the hard lessons of class distinction and negotiating the delicate balance between servant and master.

Lord Aldridge’s insatiable curiosity about his mysterious new chef blurs the line between civic duty and outright desire. Carefully watching Giselle’s every move, he undertakes a mission to figure out who she really is—and in the process, plunges her straight into the heart of danger when her only hope for survival was to remain invisible.

If you enjoyed The Emperor’s Conspiracy, you’ll find a number of the characters from that book make an appearance as secondary characters in Banquet of Lies, including Charlotte and Lord Durnham, although you don’t by any means have had to have read The Emperor’s Conspiracy to read Banquet of Lies. It stands on its own.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

Mistress of the Wind
Releasing: December 19, 2013

Blurb

Bjorn needs to find a very special woman . . .

The fate of his people, and his own life, depends on it. But when he does find her, she is nothing like he imagined, and may just harbor more secrets than he does himself.

Astrid has never taken well to commands. No matter who issues them . . .

She’s clashed her whole life with her father, and now her lover, the mysterious man who comes to her bedroom in darkness and disappears to guard his mountain by day as a bear, is finding it out the hard way. And when he’s taken by his enemies, no one is prepared for Astrid’s response.

It is never wise to anger the mistress of the wind . . .

A captivating and magical adult retelling of the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon.

Goodreads | Kobo

In A Treacherous Court
Susanna Horenbout and John Parker series Book 1

Blurb

Henry VIII’s most lethal courtier and his newly appointed artist become the only thing keeping him on the throne – and if they survive, neither will ever be the same.

John Parker is one of Henry VIII most useful courtiers — utterly merciless and completely loyal. But one small favour for his King will pull Parker into a deadly plot against the throne, one that will test his courage, his resolve, and most especially, his heart.

A commission from Henry VIII should have been the crowning achievement of Susanna Horenbout’s career, but before the beautiful and talented artist even sets foot in England, she finds herself in possession of a secret that could change its history. With Parker as her only protection against killers who will stop at nothing to silence her, Susanna has to trust the dangerous, enigmatic courtier. She’s used to fighting in a man’s world, but she never expected to be fighting for her life.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

Other books in series:

 

Other works:

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An Interview with Michelle Diener

Hi Michelle, welcome to the blog, and thank you so much for coming over!

Michelle: Thanks so much for having me!

1) I heard that you have a new book releasing next, your first foray into the fantasy genre, Mistress of the Wind. Belated congrats! It's based on an old folktale right? Is it your favorite folktale?

Michelle: Yes, Mistress of the Wind releases on December 23rd, and I'm really excited about it. It is based on the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon and yes, it is my favorite fairy tale.