Ex Libris

Guest post by P.G. Forte + Giveaway

2013-05-22T12:55:00.000+02:00

Please give a warm welcome to P.G. Forte, who in her celebration of the release of her latest novel, Ashes of the Day, is not only bringing us sexy vamps but delicious cookies as well! And being the baking fan I am, is there a more perfect guest than PG? I don't think so ;-) So read on to discover that even vampires like cookies and to win some for yourself just enter the giveaways at the end! ;-)

Baking With Vampires
by P.G. Forte

When I started writing about vampires, the last thing I was expecting was cookies. Sure, I’d always enjoyed reading about food and writing about food. There’s tons of good-eats in most of my other books. But these were vampires. They didn’t eat regular food…did they? Apparently they did.

Oh, not for nourishment, you understand. I’m that much of a purist, at least. You can change whatever else you want about them, but if you take away the fangs and blood-drinking, they’re just not vampires anymore. No, my vampires eat for entertainment, or comfort, or out of habit, or in an attempt to fit in with humans. Or…well, for a lot of reasons, actually. They don’t always eat, but when they do…it’s usually cookies.

I know. What was I thinking, right? But as with most of the weirdness that occasionally crops up in this series, I blame this on Damian. He’s the one who started it, after all. Right before my eyes, right there in the first chapter of the first book, before I had any idea what he was doing (and before I had the sense to stop him) he morphed from being an alpha-male, cross-dressing diva, into Suzie Homemaker. It went something like this…

The disgruntled guests filed slowly out through the doorways. Armand was among the last to leave. The parting glance he shot in Damian’s direction was filled with seething animosity. Julie stiffened in alarm, but Damian appeared not to notice.

Finally they were alone. Damian sighed as he let go of their wrists. Reaching for the tiny strings that fastened his kimono he drew the garment around himself and secured it in place. “Now, then,” he said as he threw an arm around each of their shoulders and propelled them from the room. “Let’s go down to the kitchen and have something to eat while we talk, shall we?” Drawing them both even closer, he pressed a kiss against the side of each of their heads. “I baked cookies. Who wants chocolate chip?”

That throw-away line at the end of the scene—it seemed so innocent at the time. How was I supposed to know it would haunt me through the next several books? In Ashes of the Day, which releases this week, we even flashback to Damian’s first attempt at baking.

“What kind of cookies are we making?” Julie asked cautiously. “Are they good? Will I like them?”

“I hope so, chica. I bought enough ingredients to make several kinds, so I’m sure at least one of them will suit you. I thought we’d make chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal raisin and peanut butter and something called Snickerdoodles—although possibly not all of them tonight.”

Julie giggled. “Snickerdoodles? That’s funny. Why’s it called that?”

Damian shrugged. “I have no idea, niña. But they’re made with both sugar and cinnamon so I’m sure they must be very tasty.”

Ah, those were the days…

It’s been fun exploring the softer side of such deadly, centuries-old creatures; watching the always-in-control vamps lose it over babies; re-inventing family life in the 1970s from the perspective of blood-sucking night-walkers. And, of course, there were also the cookies. You really can’t go too wrong with those.

“Cookies?” Georgia sounded confused. Suzanne looked up again to find the other woman regarding her curiously. “How sweet. Tell me, did you make those yourself?”

Suzanne nodded. “Well, mostly. Armand helped.”

“Did he?” Georgia arched one eyebrow at him. “You bake, Armand? I’m astonished.”

“Oui. I astonish myself, at times.”

In honor of this obsession (and Ashes release, of course) I’m running a contest. And, you guessed it, the prize is cookies—a lovely gift-pack from the Pacific Cookie Company.

So tell me, do you like reading about food in books, or do you find it too distracting? And what’s your favorite type of cookie?

PG Forte inhabits a world only slightly less strange than the ones she creates. Filled with serendipity, coincidence, love at first sight and dreams come true…it also bears an uncanny resemblance to Berkeley, California.

She wrote her first serialized story when she was still in her teens. The sexy, ongoing adventure tales were very popular at her oh-so-proper, all girls, Catholic High School, where they helped to liven up otherwise dull classes. Even if her teachers didn’t always think so.

You can connect with her at:

her Website - Blog - Twitter - Facebook - Goodreads

Ashes of the Day by P.G. Forte

Book #4 in the Children of the Night series

Only blood can break your heart.

New Year’s Eve, 1999. The world is braced for Y2K, but that’s not the only ticking time bomb in Conrad’s life. Damian wouldn’t be the first vampire to find a way to die, but Conrad is determined he will not be one of them.
Present day. Damian struggles to trust that fate could possibly be kind enough to give him a love as perfect as Conrad’s. Conrad balances on the keen edge of his own fear that one more slip of his formidable control could drive his lover away—permanently.

Julie learns the hard way it’s not just interspecies relationships that seldom work out. Even between vampires, love is not a smooth course.

Meanwhile, intrigue and conflict within the nest continue to grow, fueled in no small part by Georgia’s slipping hold on a deadly secret. Marc works to consolidate his position as leader of the ferals—and discovers that being a walking anomaly has certain advantages. Including some that are totally unexpected.

Product Warnings: Contains more love triangles, more power struggles, more tears and teeth gnashing, and even more graphic scenes of manlove between moody, domestically inclined vampires than in previous editions. Definitely not recommended for anyone suffering from ALSSD (Auld Lang Syne Sensitivity Disorder) or with aversions to ballrooms, evening clothes, sarcasm, or close-quarter stiletto combat.

Buy at Amazon - B&N - Samhain

GIVEAWAY RULES:

There are TWO giveaways:

The Cookie Giveaway

P.G. is giving away a lovely gift-pack from the Pacific Cookie Company to a lucky reader!

To be entered fill out the Rafflecopter form below and answer P.G.'s question: Do you like reading about food in books, or do you find it too distracting? And what’s your favorite type of cookie?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 31 May 2013!

The Gift Card Giveaway

There is a grand prize of a $75 USD gift card to the winner's online retailer!

To be entered fill out the Rafflecopter form below and tell us: Do you like reading about food in books, or do you find it too distracting? And what’s your favorite type of cookie?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 15 June 2013!

Good Luck!

Guest post by Jackie Ashenden + Giveaway

2013-05-21T12:55:00.000+02:00

With such a title as Talking Dirty with the CEO how could I not be curious and excited to discover the story and the heroine who is ready and able to talk dirty with a sexy CEO? So it is my pleasure to welcome to Ex Libris its author Jackie Ashenden who is here today to tell us about this sexy CEO hero, so join us and get to know Joseph the hero of Talking Dirty with the CEO! (ps. and don't leave without entering the giveaway at the end! ;-)

When it comes to heroes, everyone (well, okay, not everyone, but a LOT of people) loves an alpha. They’re strong, protective, decisive and when they want something they go out and get it. What’s not to love about that? But it's not all sexy alpha perfection. In order for them to be a true romance hero, they've got to have a problem. Deals, man! Issues!

My hero Joseph, in Talking Dirty with the CEO, has issues. Major issues. He's got ADHD. It's something that's been a strength for him in business but it's pretty much shot his personal life all to hell. Why? Because he’ll focus on something quite intensely and then, just as quickly, lose interest. His relationships suffer because he forgets dates, gets so interested in something he'll forget he's supposed to meet someone. Or dismiss something as unimportant because he's too interested in what he's doing right now. He's thought of as unreliable. And it's not because he's innately selfish, it's because he's got ADHD.

It sounds like something only kids get, right? But it's not. It affects a lot of people and can play havoc with their lives. And the really tricky thing about writing a hero like this is that he's not ever going to get better. All he can do is manage his condition and try and live his life the best he can.

Poor guy, I actually wrote him like that on purpose. Not because I have the condition myself but because – and this goes for all my books – I reckon everyone, no matter damaged or how hard they issues they face are, deserves a happy ending. Everyone deserves to find that special someone who understands them and helps them get through the bad times. Don't you think? :-)

So what about you? What kind of issues would you like to see handled in a romance? Or have you read about an about issue you thought was unusual? If so, what was it?

Jackie has been writing fiction since she was eleven years old. Mild mannered fantasy/SF/pseudo-literary writer by day, obsessive romance writer by night, she used to balance her writing with the more serious job of librarianship until a chance meeting with another romance writer prompted her to throw off the shackles of her day job and devote herself to the true love of her heart – writing romance. She particularly likes to write emotional stories with alpha heroes who've just got the world to their liking only to have it blown wide apart by their kick-ass heroines.

She lives in Auckland, New Zealand with her husband, the inimitable Dr Jax, two kids, two cats and some guppies (possibly dead guppies by the time you read this). When she's not torturing alpha males and their stroppy heroines, she can be found drinking chocolate martinis, reading anything she can lay her hands on, posting random crap on her blog, or being forced to go mountain biking with her husband.You can connect with her at:

her Website - Twitter - Facebook - Goodreads

Talking Dirty with the CEO by Jackie Ashenden

Book #1 in the Talking Dirty series

Gadget journalist Christie St. John is more geek than chic. But when research for an article she has to write on online dating leads to the bed of the hottest guy she’s ever met, she knows that if the geek is to keep the hottie CEO, she’s going to have to come out of her digital shell.
Tech mogul Joseph Ashton never expected an Internet blind date to end in the best sex of his life. Yet as the chemistry between him and Christie burns out of control, he can’t help but think this woman is out for his money like all the rest. She claims she wants his heart instead – but that’s the one thing he can never give.

Read an excerpt

Buy at Amazon - B&N - Kobo - iTunes

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Jackie has generously offered a $50 USD Amazon or Amazon UK gift card to a lucky reader!

To be entered fill out the Rafflecopter form below and tell us: What about you? What kind of issues would you like to see handled in a romance? Or have you read about an about issue you thought was unusual? If so, what was it?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 3 June 2013!

Good Luck!

Guest post by Callie Hutton + Giveaway

2013-05-20T12:55:00.000+02:00

I have the pleasure of welcoming to Ex Libris Callie Hutton, who is celebrating the release of her latest novel, The Elusive Wife, a Shakespeare-play-reminiscent historical romance recently released by Entangled Publishing's Scandalous line. So read on and you could even win a beautiful necklace sat the end. ;-)

So You Want to be an Author?
by Callie Hutton

On occasion, to keep myself anchored in the ‘real’ world—as opposed to the fairy tale land I live in every day while I write--I substitute teach at our local high school. I love high school students, they’re fun, funny and take themselves much too seriously.

Last week one of my students watched me typing away from his desk right next to me—a problem student, special seating and all—and asked the question I get every once in a while. “How do you become an author?”

I learned a long time ago not to laugh at that question, because even though it seems obvious to me—write a book—some people are really confused on how it works. You see, because it is actually a nebulous procedure.

As far as I know, there is no Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Author. You can have a Master’s Degree in Literature, or be a creative writing teacher, or have ideas for stories running around your head all the time, but that doesn’t make you an author. You can hang around with writers, join writer groups, take online craft classes, and learn the lingo, but until you sit down and write that book--and here’s the tricky part – actually finish it – you’re not an author.

You also must be a voracious reader. I always raise my eyebrows at someone who tells me they want to be an author and when I ask why type of books they like to read, they say, “oh, I don’t read very much.” I cross them off my list as credible future authors. If you don’t read – you’ll never write. Well, not anything that I would read, anyway.

Like any other field, being an author requires discipline. You must set aside time in your busy life to write. You need to prioritize. If you only have an hour to write, and it’s a choice between working on your story or watching the latest reality TV show, which is it? If you must decide between figuring out that plot problem, or reading yet another book on the craft of writing, which is it?

Writing takes practice. Lots and lots of practice. Someone once said there are no great writers, only great re-writers. Again, if you have a fancy college degree, that doesn’t make you an author, even though you probably wrote a number of papers during your college career. It probably helps when searching for that right word, or knowing which form of a word to use. But nothing screams ‘author’ like staring at the blank screen of a computer, wishing something would come to mind.

Reading about the craft of writing doesn’t work, either. I can read all the books I can get my hands on about heart surgery, but unless someone is foolish enough to lay their body out in front of me while I hold a scalpel, I’ll never be a heart surgeon. Nor do I want to be, actually.

And, until you sit down, write that book, finish it, then submit it to a publisher, you’re not an author. Scary, isn’t it?

Callie has been making up stories since elementary school, and writing gave her a way to turn off the voices in her head. After having a number of articles and interviews published in newspapers and magazines, she took on what she’d always dreamed of. Writing that book. She currently has a number of both historical and contemporary romance books published.

She currently lives in Oklahoma with her husband and adult children who move in and out with alarming regularity. Add three rescue dogs and the household is complete—and full. She enjoys hearing from her readers, and would love to have you visit her.

Connect with Callie at her Website - Twitter - Facebook - Goodreads

The Elusive Wife by Callie Hutton

Jason Cavendish, the Earl of Coventry, is trying to discreetly locate his unwanted and abandoned bride among London society to request an annulment. However, he doesn’t remember what she looks like because he was blind drunk at his arranged wedding and hasn’t seen her since.

The fascinating Lady Olivia has captured the Earl’s attention. Newly arrived from the country to stay with her school friend for the Season, she is appalled to discover that her husband, Lord Coventry, doesn't even recognize her. She's not about to tell the arrogant arse that she is his wife. Instead, she flirts with him by night and has her modiste send her mounting bills to him by day.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned… Too bad this woman finds her husband nearly irresistible.

Read an excerpt

Buy at Amazon - B&N - Kobo - iTunes

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Thanks to Entangled Publishing's helpful intervention, the Earl will gift a family heirloom charm bracelet of pearl and sterling silver to the individual who assists with the locations of The Elusive Wife!

To be entered just fill out the Rafflecopter form below and tell us: When do you consider someone an author? When they have written their first story? Submitted it to an agent/publisher? When they signed their first contract? Or when their book gets published? Or at another moment? Do tell us.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 13 June 2013!

Good Luck!

And this week's winners are...

2013-05-19T14:30:00.000+02:00

Hey Everyone!

I am out of town on a mini vacation, and though the weather is awful, rainy and November-cold, at least I get to burrow under my duvet with a good book ;-) This week I only have two winners to announce, congratulations to

the lucky winner of an ebook copy of Lover Undercover by Samanthe Beck is

Patricia Crews

the lucky winner of an ebook copy of their choice of one of the Hawaiian Heroes books is

Kim Pinch

Congratulations winners! You have all been notified of your win in e-mail by tonight, please get back to me within 48 hours or I will have to draw a new winner. Thank you.

There are still a lot of giveaways going on, you can enter them by clicking on their individual links at the top of the blog.

Have a lovely Sunday/long weekend everyone! :-)

Book Review: It Had to Be You by Jill Shalvis

2013-05-18T15:30:00.000+02:00

Title: It Had to Be You
Author: Jill Shalvis
Series: Book #7 in the Lucky Harbor series
Release Date: 28 May 2013
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Number of pages: 368 pages
Source: ebook copy provided by publisher through NetGalley
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Amazon, Kindle, Book Depository US, Book Depository UK

Grade: 4 stars

Novellus superbus!

Goodreads appetizer: Ali Winters is not having a good day. Her boyfriend left her, everyone in town thinks she's a thief, and now she's about to be kicked out of her home. Her only shot at keeping a roof over her head and clearing her name is to beg for help from a police detective who's as sexy as he is stern....

After a high-profile case goes wrong, Luke Hanover returns to his hometown for some peace and quiet. Instead he finds a bombshell brunette in a heap of trouble. As he helps Ali put her world back together, the pieces of Luke's own life finally seem to fall into place. Is this the start of a sizzling fling? Or are Luke and Ali on the brink of something big in a little town called Lucky Harbor?

My Thoughts: It Had to Be You is the seventh book in Jill Shalvis' Lucky Harbor series, and though the last book I read in the series was Head Over Heels (Book #3), I didn't feel lost, so don't worry if you didn't keep up with the series as in spite of some events and characters/couples of the previous books being mentioned you won't feel left in the dark as the books can be very well read as standalones.

It Had to Be You features Ali, a young and optimistic florist and ceramist who recently moved to Lucky Harbor and wants to make it her home since she loves the ambiance of the small town and most of all its people. Ali was a heroine the reader could not not love. She was like a soft kitten but that didn't mean she was a doormat without a backbone:

“I know I might look like a ball of fluff,” she said, “but I’m not. Not even close. And the fact that I get up each morning and put a damn smile on my face is the same as…Batman putting on his cape.”
“I—”
“I’m not done. It’s…protection. It’s my shield. It’s me waving my middle finger to the world, because I choose to be happy.”

She was all smiles and sunshine, and she was cheerful and adorable despite the shitty things that life dealt to her, most recently discovering that her boyfriend, with whom she shared a house not only cheated on her with a handful of women, terminated the lease on the house (and moved out of their home) without her knowledge, but also accused her of stealing several thousand dollars of county money. So yep, he was a prize winning douchebag and he didn't stop there he wanted to mess with her self-confidence as well. Grrr.

“Do not listen to him,” [Luke] said, maybe a little harshly, but he wanted her to hear him. Really hear him. “You’re not a nobody. And you are a florist, a great one. You also teach ceramics. Hell, Ali, half of your students are in love with you. You care enough to be nice to nosy, old men. You helped a stranger avoid the rest of the world, even when he was a total ass. You’d give that stranger the last of your paycheck simply because you thought it was the right thing to do.”
“It was the right thing to do,” she said. “And you weren’t a total ass.”
“You’d probably give away your heart and soul if it was needed,” he said. “But that would be a shame, because you’re one-hundred-percent heart and soul. You’re the real deal, Ali, the way the rest of us have forgotten how to be.”

The hero is Luke, who returns for a short but much needed vacation to Lucky Harbor, the hometown he left after graduation and hasn't looked back since (due to some personal loss, grief and of course guilt). He plans on spending his 2-3 weeks of leave resting in solitude, so you can imagine his surprise when he finds a lingerie-clad stranger traipsing in his kitchen. Yep, that is Ali who takes Luke for an intruder as thanks to her jerk of a boyfriend she wasn't aware she had to move out of the house. Seriously that first meeting between Ali and Luke was one of my alltime favourites! :-D

Luke is a badass strong homicide detective but he has such a softie heart inside, he couldn't resist leaving Ali in a ditch and had to help her clear her name, even though he was off duty and wanted to avoid people to recuperate. I also loved his dry and acerbic humour:

His cell vibrated. He looked at the screen. His commander. With a long, slow inhale, he connected. “Hanover.”
“Got a death threat this morning.” Commander Craig O’Neil’s voice was gruff and as commanding as his title. “Aimed at all of us. Just wanted you to know.”
“Great,” Luke said. “I’ll start working my way down my bucket list.”

“You need to think about this, Ali. Loving me isn’t a day in the park. I’m stubborn and like to be right. I rarely make my bed. I can never find my fucking keys. And last but not least, I love you so hard it hurts. I might die of it, actually, which makes me a short-term bet at best.”

Ali and Luke were a wonderful pair, Ali's sunshine personality eased and alleviated Luke's guilt and the nagging of his inner demons, and Luke's protectiveness was a welcome change to finally have a man who recognized what a gem of a woman Ali was. He was fully conscious of the fact that she was a sweet and caring woman who deserved happiness and to be loved and cherished, and he felt that she deserved more and better than him. Thankfully Ali soon disabused him of that ;-) I loved how their romance was both sweet and sexy (and Jill Shalvis even got some extra brownie points from me for not forcing a rushed proposal into the ending).

Verdict: It Had to Be You was a nice addition to the Lucky Harbor series. Jill Shalvis once again delivered a highly entertaining and lovable story, wonderfully mixing mystery, humour and small town romance to give the reader a story that will make them smile and feel happy. Both Ali and Luke were great characters I fell in love with, and it was nice to catch a glimpse of the previous characters and Lucky Harbor residents. Jill Shalvis' writing is witty, sexy with a big dose of chuckle-out-loud funny humour and if you haven't read the Lucky Harbor series yet I urge you to do so, and if you are a fan of the series I'm sure you'll love It Had to Be You just as much as I did.

Plot: 8/10
Charaters: 8/10
Writing: 8/10
Ending: 9/10
Cover: 7/10

Review originally posted at Book Lovers Inc.

Buy it:

Order of the series:

Book #1 - Simply Irresistible - Read my review
Book #2 - The Sweetest Thing - Read my review
Book #2.5 - Small Town Christmas
Book #3 - Head Over Heels
Book #4 - Lucky in Love
Book #5 - At Last
Book #6 - Forever and a Day
Book # 6.5 - Under the Mistletoe
Book #7 - It Had to Be You - to be released on May 28th!

Guest post by Diana Quincy + Giveaway

2013-05-17T12:55:00.000+02:00

I am very happy to introduce you to Diana Quincy, who is one of 2013's revelations and her debut novel, Seducing Charlotte, a charming and captivating historical romance (the first in her Accidental Peers series) became one of my favourite reads of this year! So read on to learn more about the story and Diana and you could also win some great prizes! ;-)

Are you a Luddite? Do you run the other way when faced with the latest technology?

My new book, Seducing Charlotte, explores these themes, which continue to be relevant even two centuries after my story takes place.

The Luddite rebellion, which began in 1811 in Nottinghamshire, England, was sparked by the rapid advance of new machinery. Factories turned to the new steam-powered looms and knitting frames because they lowered production costs. The machines could turn out cotton, lace or stockings much more quickly than the skilled artisans who’d once crafted these goods by hand.

Many workers, including cloth finishers, weavers, tailors and shoemakers, found themselves jobless and on the brink of starvation. In protest, many broke into factories and destroyed or damaged the machines with hammers.

The machine breakers’ movement got its name from its elusive leader, Ned Ludd, who was widely believed to be fictional.

Smashing the machines was really a way to protest against factory owners who paid low wages, used unskilled laborers and cut working hours.

Today, however, the term Luddite continues to be associated with people who are afraid or contemptuous of new technology.

But some people are just indifferent.

I’ve got a friend, a smart, savvy high-fashion type, who has zero interest in electronic gadgets. She’s told me more than once that it’s a lucky thing she even has a cell phone.

As for me, I have to admit that when Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad, introducing the concept of a tablet, I turned to my husband and said, “I don’t get it. How is that different from a laptop? What’s the point?”

Well, I now get the point. After all, I’m not a Luddite, I’m just not imaginative when it comes to technology. Show me how to use a new device and I’ll eventually get onboard. I might even embrace it.

What about you? Are you a ‘Luddite?’ Or are you one of those people who’s always first in line to get the new tech gadgets? Which is your gadget of choice?

Leave a comment below for a chance to win one of two $25 gift cards – for either Amazon or Barnes & Noble, winners’ choice.

Diana Quincy is an award-winning former television journalist who decided she'd rather make up stories where a happy ending is always guaranteed. Growing up as a foreign service brat, Diana lived in many countries and is now settled in Virginia with her husband and two sons. When not bent over her laptop or trying to keep up with laundry, she enjoys reading, spending time with her family and dreams of traveling much more than her current schedule (and budget) allows. Diana loves to hear from readers. You can connect with her at:

her Website - Blog - Twitter - Facebook - Goodreads

Seducing Charlotte by Diana Quincy

Book #1 in the Accidental Peers series

Even if he is the catch of the season, Charlotte Livingston has a low opinion of the wildly handsome Marquess of Camryn. He’s an industrialist who thinks nothing of replacing workers with machines, depriving them of an honest living. Camryn is everything a social reformer like Charlotte detests. Besides, her loyalty belongs to another man.

Yet, as a violent machine-breakers rebellion rages across England, an undeniable attraction flares between the passionate adversaries. Camryn vows to destroy the rebel movement, unaware that the spinster who has captured his heart, harbors a secret - a shocking connection to one of its leaders that could shatter them both.

Read an excerpt

Buy at Amazon - B&N - Kobo - iTunes

Excerpt of Seducing Charlotte

He marveled at the way the sun illuminated the clear blue in her eyes. “I won’t bother to dissemble, Miss Livingston.” Taking hold of her hand, he pulled Charlotte around the massive tree trunk, out of the sight of the rest of the guests. “I hope to steal another kiss. Actually, I have thought of little else since our last one. Will you allow it?”

She flushed, her gaze floating beyond him. “Really, Camryn, if you ask for permission, it hardly qualifies as stealing a kiss.”

Blood raced to his vitals when it registered she’d just told him to take what he wanted. Shaking his head, he wondered what is was about this woman that made him desperate to touch her again. It had been an agonizing week since he'd last felt her lips beneath his. Now, finally offered the opportunity, he greedily grasped it.

Cupping Charlotte’s cheeks, he marveled at their satiny softness before lowering his face to hers, kissing one side of her succulent mouth and then the other. Then he intensified his actions, pressing down on her lips, bidding her to open them to him as she had once before. When she did, he kissed her as deeply as he had ever kissed a woman. He licked and plunged his tongue deeper, greedy to taste more, losing himself in her subtle floral scent. She tasted of lemonade, a woman’s softness, and unlimited possibility. Her untutored tongue ventured to taste him as well, provoking a delighted sound of surprise from him. The wondering hum that sounded from the back of her throat made his body quicken in a rush of heat.

Awareness gradually filtered back to him, reminding Cam of their surroundings. He pulled away with great reluctance, his blood at a boil, and forced himself to take a step back lest he pull Charlotte to the grass and make love to her right there with other guests nearby.

She stood frozen in place with her eyes still closed, red circles burned into the high arches of her cheeks. After a moment, as if in a daze, her lids fluttered open. He easily recognized the hazy arousal in those unfocused blue depths for they mirrored his own. They stood facing one another for a moment, bodies apart, but gazes interlocked. She blinked.

“When I said you had a clever tongue, I really had no idea.”

Buy at Amazon - B&N - Kobo - iTunes

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Diana has generously offered a $25 USD Amazon or B&N gift card to a lucky reader!

To be entered fill out the Rafflecopter form below and tell us: What about you? Are you a ‘Luddite?’ Or are you one of those people who’s always first in line to get the new tech gadgets? Which is your gadget of choice?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 5 June 2013!

Good Luck!

Guest post by Tessa Bailey + Giveaway

2013-05-16T12:55:00.000+02:00

Tessa Bailey is back at Ex Libris to tell you about her brand new release, His Risk to Take, the second novel in her Line of Duty steamy and exciting Entangled Brazen series! Come and meet Ruby and Troy, the heroine and hero of His Risk to Take and don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end!

Ruby Elliott isn’t used to being turned down…

She sidled up next to Troy and signaled the redhead with a dollar bill. “Hi. Can I get some quarters, please?” When the bartender turned to make change, she spoke to Troy without looking directly at him. “So, blue eyes. Why don’t you stop staring and buy me a drink? I don’t want to dehydrate before you work up the nerve.”

Troy Bennett, however, isn’t like other men…

Her hand rested on the bar’s edge, feminine fingers curling and uncurling into her palm as if restless to touch something. He thought of that hand sliding down the front of his jeans while he sucked on her bottom lip. Her breath would catch against his mouth, right before those graceful fingers gripped him.

All at once, the idea of taking her home became irresistible. Urgent. Unable to help himself, he leaned in closer. Too close. “Ask nicely, and I’ll think about it.”

"I'm the guy she spent Friday night with. And I'm the guy she's going to spend tonight with. So maybe the better question is, who the fuck are you?"

Ruby becomes a puzzle he’s determined to solve…

Ruby crossed her arms and leaned against the bar, facing him. “You don’t gamble, and you’re not in the mood for fun. Maybe I picked the wrong guy to buy me a drink. Should I ask one of your friends instead?”

Over his dead body. They weren’t getting within two feet of her. “I wouldn’t advise it.”

“Then I’d advise you to be a little nicer.”

“Now where’s the fun in that?”

Connect with Tessa at her Website - Twitter - Facebook

His Risk to Take by Tessa Bailey

Book #2 in the Line of Duty series

Homicide cop Troy Bennett had a reputation on the Chicago PD for being fearless and in control?until the night his daredevil partner is killed during a raid. From that moment on, he swears he?ll never again be responsible for the loss of a loved one. To escape his demons, Troy transfers to the NYPD, bringing him up close and personal with Ruby Elliott, a beautiful, street-savvy pool hustler.

Reckless and stubbornly independent, Ruby embodies everything Troy?s avoiding, but when she walks into O?Hanlon?s Pub and blows his carefully laid plans to hell, Troy knows he has to have her?risks be damned. But there?s a connection between Ruby?s shadowed past and a case Troy?s working involving a notorious Brooklyn felon, throwing her safety into jeopardy. Confronted with his biggest fear, will Troy push Ruby away to keep her safe or fight to keep her in his arms where she belongs?

Read an excerpt

Buy at Amazon - B&N - iTunes

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Entangled Publishing has generously offered an ebook copy of His Risk to Take to a lucky commenter!

To be entered just leave a comment and tell us: If you went out with a man (or a woman), what would you want them to perceive about you by the end of the night?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 24 May 2013!

Good Luck!

Guest post by Cindy Dees + Giveaway

2013-05-15T12:55:00.000+02:00

Today's guest is Cindy Dees, who although has penned more than a couple dozen novels, is celebrating the recent release of her brand new Entangled Brazen release, Femme Fatale, the first book in her Hard Bodies series. Please welcome her and you could even win a copy of the book!

Whenever anyone asks me about my writing process, I'm always reminded of the line from Shakespeare in Love, "It's a mystery." I can answer the obvious questions:

--Am I a plotter or a pantser? If I have enough time, I prefer to plot out stories in advance. But, when I'm on a tight deadline, I sometimes have no choice but to just jump off the cliff and start writing by the seat of my pants.

--Do I come up with story lines or characters first? Oh, definitely stories. I've been known to turn in entire synopses to my editor that don't include a single character. I just outlined the plot. My lovely editor would then ask gently, "And are there going to be any people in this story?" Over time, I've learned to really enjoy creating characters, though. I love studying the people around me and taking bits and pieces of their personalities that I find most fascinating and weaving them into my fictional characters. You know that line, Be careful what you say to me--it may end up in a book? Totally true around me!

--What's a typical writing day like for me? I drop off the kiddo at school at 7:30 and head straight to the nearest Starbuck's. I suck down a mocha latte, soy, no whip, curse the fact that my barista can't just give me a caffeine IV drip, and then I get to work. I work for 5-6 hours, typically. I give myself permission to stop after ten pages each day, but I average more like 16-17 pages a day. On a good day, I might write 25 pages or more. I do that 5-6 days a week. I find if I stop writing for more than a day or so, I have a dreadful time getting going again. The trick is for me to keep writing every single day at a high rate of output.

--I tend to visualize the scenes I'm writing the next day in my head as I'm going to sleep. I run them cinematically and discover things like whose point of view will be most effective, how other characters in the scene are reacting to the action, and what color socks everyone is wearing. My family will tell you I have a bit of a sock fetish. When I was a kid, I only had black, white, and dark blue socks, and I vowed to have lots of colorful, cute socks when I grew up….and I have drawers full of them, now! At any rate, by the time I sit down to write a scene, I'm usually just dumping what I've seen onto the page. Hence, I tend to type fast and continuously in a fashion that roundly ticks off my writing buddies when they see me do it. No pauses, no deletions, just typing like a house on fire for hours on end.

--Do I ever get stuck? Every single book, without exception, I do. It's the one thing that's completely consistent for me in every book I write. I get anywhere from 50-100 pages into the book and stop cold. I have to ask myself the question, "where the heck am I going with this?" By the time I'm done with the opening of the story, it's already going in a different direction than I originally envisioned, and I have to adjust and add or subtract plot content. Characters are starting to come to life, and yes, they routinely do things I hadn't planned on for them.

--Do I ever talk to my characters? Let's just say my family is frequently heard to interrupt me when I start talking about someone to ask, "Wait. Are these people real or in one of your books?" It's one of the best parts of being a writer. I not only get to listen to the voices in my head, I get to talk back to them!

--Any advice for other authors? Two things: First, give yourself permission to write crap. You can always edit bad writing into great writing, but you can't edit a blank page into anything but a paper airplane. Second, I call it my ABC theory of writing…Apply Butt to Chair. Or in my case, ABCD Apply Butt to Chair Daily. The single hardest part of writing is finding the self-discipline to sit down and do it enough times and often enough to actually finish a book.

But, all of those things said, do I have the slightest idea what makes for that special magic of a story well told? Nope. Not a clue. It's a mystery. I'm just incredibly grateful that the stories I tell seem to resonate with enough readers that I keep getting to do it over again. We all know a great book when we read one. It's got that mix of emotion, action, surprise, humor, and happy ever after that leaves us feeling all happy and satisfied inside.

If you've got a story rattling around inside your head refusing to leave you alone, I encourage you to ABC and put it to paper or electron. Who knows? Maybe a whole lot of other people would love to hear your story, too!

Cindy Dees started flying airplanes while sitting in her dad’s lap at the age of three and got a pilot’s license before she got a driver’s license. At age fifteen, she dropped out of high school and left the horse farm in Michigan where she grew up to attend the University of Michigan.

After earning a degree in Russian and East European studies, she joined the U.S. Air Force and became the youngest female pilot in the history of the Air Force. She flew supersonic jets, VIP airlift and the “C-5” Galaxy, the world’s largest airplane. She also worked part-time gathering intelligence. During her military career, she traveled to forty countries on five continents, was detained by the KGB and East German secret police, she got shot at, flew in the first Gulf War, met her husband and amassed a lifetime’s worth of war stories.

Her hobbies include professional Middle Eastern dancing, Japanese gardening and medieval reenacting. She started writing on a one-dollar bet with her mother and was thrilled to win that bet with the publication of her first book in 2001.

Her 40th romance novel will be published in 2013, and she’s looking forward to the release of her first epic fantasy novel with co-author, Bill Flippin, in 2014.

Connect with Cindy at her Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Femme Fatale by Cindy Dees

Book #1 in the Hard Bodies series

Former teen star Olivia Harper has a problem. If she can’t shake her girl-next-door image and become the femme fatale her latest role requires, her career will flop. But with her squeaky-clean image, Liv’s hardly been kissed, let alone had her world rocked between the sheets. There’s no way she’ll ask her playboy co-star for pointers, so she turns to the sexy new military consultant for some discreet…guidance.

Major Blake Ramsey is stuck hiding out babysitting actors who can’t even lace their combat boots, until his boss can deal with the fallout from his last mission. When Liv propositions him, he can’t decide whether she’s the naïve girl she claims to be or a bombshell looking for another conquest.

But as the lessons heat up, Blake and Olivia catch the eye of the papparazzi and jeopardize both their lives...

Buy at Amazon - Goodreads

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Entangled Publishing has generously offered an ebook copy of Femme Fatale by Cindy Dees to a lucky commenter!

To be entered just leave a comment and tell us: Who could you picture as a femme fatale? Classic ones like Brigitte Bardot or modern ones like Angelina Jolie? When you hear "femme fatale", who do you see?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 24 May 2013!

Good Luck!

Book Review: Gone with the Wolf by Kristin Miller

2013-05-14T21:00:00.000+02:00

Title: Gone with the Wolf
Author: Kristin Miller
Series: Book #1 in the Seattle Wolf Pack series
Release Date: 21 April 2013
Number of pages: 208 pages
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Source: review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Amazon, iBookstore, Kobo, Read an excerpt

Grade: 3 stars

Novellus bonus!

Goodreads appetizer: CEO and alpha werewolf Drake Wilder has given up the search for his one true love. When he discovers that she’s a secretary in his company, Drake’s primal instincts kick into overdrive.

What he wouldn’t give to have her fingers rake over his body instead of the keyboard…

Free-spirited bartender Emelia Hudson wants nothing more than to make her Seattle-based bar succeed. But when profits decline, she slips into a dress suit and secures a nine-to-five. After learning that her bar has become property of Wilder Financial, Emelia is determined to get some answers.

Two can play the ruthless business game. If only her attraction to the boss wasn’t so intense…

When Drake’s twin brother senses that Drake has found his match—and now inherits their father’s billion dollar estate—he hatches a plan to take Emelia out. Drake vows to protect her at all costs, but he might have to pay with his own life.

My Thoughts: Gone with the Wolf is the first in Kristin Miller's Seattle Wolf Pack paranormal romance series released by Entangled Publishing and the very first story I read from her.

Gone with the Wolf started out well, I loved the the chuckle out loud Halloween wine cellar scene where the air sizzled and cracked with the tension and attraction between the hero and heroine but somehow after that the story just fizzled out.

Gone with the Wolf was a quick and easy read, but it left me disappointed as I had several problems with it, both when it came to the characterisation and the writing.

In Gone with the Wolf Kristin Miller mixes several tropes: the enemies to lovers, the mistaken identity, the boss and the secretary, and the fated mate tropes; and I felt it was a bit too much as she didn't have any effort/depth left for the development of the characters. The main characters remained shallow, I couldn't get a grasp on Emelia she ran hot and cold, while the villain remained a cardboard character, with not much detail giving him dimension.

Emelia took the whole "werewolves exist and yep, I'm turning into one" a bit too easily in my opinion, while that could have provided some understandable and justified drama.

I thought there were several plot holes, some more glaring than others, like *SPOILER ALERT* The big crisis at the end of the book: Emelia is abducted yet for three days Drake doesn't look for her even though 1) she disappeared after their fight, 2) she might be in danger from his psycho brother whois hellbent on killing her, 3) it was previously stated that he gets physically sick if he spends longer times away from her and 4) with their mate connection he didn't feel her fear and stress for three days? She disappeared, didn't come to work and he just shrugged, not really worried? I found that quite the glaring black plothole... *END OF SPOILER*

As to the writing style, I felt that the story was still in its rough form and would have needed more/stricter editing to smooth things out. Some things were just thrown in the story without proper explanation or reason for their inclusion, dialogues at times read fractured as if the two person communicating weren't talking to each other:

“And Raul, I need you to reschedule the business meetings from this afternoon to Monday. I have to take the rest of today to finalize the deal for Emelia’s bar.” Raul met Drake at the door.
“I thought you said you were leaving the lawsuit in her hands.”
“I am,” Drake said as rain battered the windows in a relentless onslaught. “I’m talking about the other bar. The one that’ll make her forget all about the Knight Owl.”
“I’m sorry if this is overstepping my grounds, sir, but I overheard one of her guards talking…” Shit, here it comes. “From my understanding of what I heard, you told Emelia that a female turned werewolf wouldn’t be able to survive having an Alpha’s child.”

what is the connection between buying a bar and siring children?

There was also lot of "telling" rather than "showing" in this book, the author just gave explanations for the world-building in the characters' inner thoughts, which stood out, as those were things they already had to know...

Verdict: All in all, I liked the concept of mashing several of my favourite tropes into one single story, but the execution was wilted. The story started off strong and my attention was instantly hooked at the starting scene, but after that both the plot, the characters and the development of their relationship read shallow, sketched, just thrown on the paper without much development or depth. The characters remained one dimensional and I wasn't really convinced that the hero and heroine shared more than a fated sexual attraction.

Gone with the Wolf held promise on paper, but sadly didn't deliver. A quick and easy read, but in the end a meh story that could have been better.

Plot: 6/10
Characters: 5/10
Writing: 6/10
Ending: 6/10
Cover: 9/10

ps. I was also wondering about why was the story titled Gone with the Wolf? There was one small detail that could serve as connection, namely that Drake's yacht was called Tara, but that didn't seem reason enough for choosing this title. So I'm sorry but the importance of why the author chose this title completely flew over my head.

Buy it:

Guest post by Addison Fox + Giveaway

2013-05-14T12:55:00.000+02:00

I am very happy to welcome back to Ex Libris, Addison Fox, author of the new Boardrooms and Billionaires contemporary romance series published by Entangled Publishing, who is here today to tell you about her latest release, Merger to Marriage, the second book in the series. So if you join us for this impromptu chemistry lesson *winks* you could also win a copy of Tempting Acquisitions, the first book in the series or even a $50 USD Amazon gift card! :-)

A Short Chemistry Lesson
by Addison Fox

My thanks to Stella for having me today!

So I have a confession….I was horrible at chemistry in high school. No matter how hard I tried, the periodic table was not my friend and I spent my entire sophomore year convinced I’d blow up the school (I wish that was an exaggeration).

Fortunately, I left the school in the same condition I came into it, but as I look back on it now, I realize if I’d only applied the same lessons found in my beloved romance novels, I might have been a bit better student.

I thought I’d pull a few examples from my latest release, MERGER TO MARRIAGE, to illustrate my point.

Lesson #1 – A chemical substance is a form of matter that has constant properties and characteristics.

Mayson turned the moment she was free, and the impression of strength and quiet attractiveness she’d glimpsed from the edge of his profile hit her with a harder punch.

Oh, he was more than attractive, with a ready smile and hazel eyes that were an unexpected and intriguing contrast to his lighter hair. The broad chest she’d felt layered against her back boasted an even broader set of shoulders above it, and every inch of his tuxedo-clad frame had an aura of power and confidence.

Lesson #2 – A chemical bond is an attraction between atoms that allows the formation of chemical substances that contain two or more atoms.

On impulse, she leaned over to press a quick kiss to his cheek. Light stubble on his chin scratched against her lips before he turned toward her.

Mayson knew the instant the simple gesture changed into something else entirely. Something hot and urgent as greedy wisps of need reached out to wrap sly tendrils around both of them. His arms came around her, tightening as he dragged her against his chest. She shifted her hands at the last minute so they settled against his shoulders, the hard muscles under her fingers flexing as he pulled her close.

Those lush, sensuous lips quirked in a half smile before they took possession of hers, and then there was nothing but need as each fought the battle to consume. The heavy crash of the ocean faded as the sound of her heart swished in her own ears, matched in counterpoint to the heavy thrum of Holt’s pulse under her fingertips. His lips were firm under hers before they opened, his tongue sweeping into her mouth in a show of carnal possession.

Chemistry Lesson #3 – A chemical reaction is a process that leads to the transformation of one set of chemical substances to another.

“What you’re suggesting is a merger, a blending of interests, not a marriage. We don’t even know each other.”

“We know this.” Without giving her time to step away, Holt moved in and pulled her against his chest in a tight embrace. Any thought of resistance faded in the brief moment it took him to close the gap between them and she wrapped her arms around his neck, a full participant in the kiss. His lips were gentle, yet firm against hers, and she allowed him to take the kiss deeper, tangling her tongue with his. Desire struck—swift and sure—as the sensual moments spun out between them.

He trailed his hands over the skin exposed at her back, his fingers tracing the ridges of her spine. The shivers of anticipation that had gripped her morphed into shivers of need as his broad chest pressed to hers. Her hands gripped his waist and she fumbled with the material of his shirt, suddenly desperate to feel the warmth of his skin.

She marveled at how easily her body recognized his. It had been just like this that night at the wedding. Like she’d come home.

She wanted him.

Of course, a business merger is hardly the romantic stuff of legend and I’ve got a few more tricks to throw Mayson and Holt’s way until they can truly find their way to happy ever after. But I do have to wonder….maybe I really am on to something with my chemistry lesson.

Perhaps if I’d had romance novels in place of my high school teacher I’d have taken away a bit more from the class!

Happy Reading!
Addison

Addison Fox can’t remember a time when words weren’t part of her life. An avid reader, her love of the written word started at the tender age of one with The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear (a poem she could recite by heart to any family member who would listen.) Dr. Seuss, C.S. Lewis, Judy Blume and a host of others quickly followed until she discovered THE CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR by Jean M. Auel while writing a paper at the library in the seventh grade. Although not a classic romance, Ayla and Jondalar’s love story moved her firmly into the romance section and she hasn’t looked back!

Her paranormal romance series, The Sons of the Zodiac, launched with NAL in March of 2010. The series recounts the adventures (and path to true love!) for an immortal band of warriors, granted the powers of their astrological signs and charged with protecting humanity. Beginning in November 2011, Addison will have a new contemporary series on shelves as well. BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE is the first in the Alaskan Nights series. Set in the fictional town of Indigo, Alaska, a couple of city girls are about to learn that the wide open spaces of Alaska just may hold everything they’re looking for.

Addison lives in Dallas. She loves to get email from readers.

Connect with Addison at

her website - Twitter - Facebook - Goodreads

Merger to Marriage by Addison Fox

Book #2 in the Boardrooms and Billionaires series

One night of passion…

Mayson McBride has spent the last decade restoring her family’s magazine empire with her two sisters. She loves what she does, but she can’t shake the feeling something’s missing. Which is why she jumps at the chance–incognito–for a single night of no-strings-attached sex with Holt Turner.

A once in a lifetime connection…

Holt’s been unable to forget the woman he shared one night of explosive passion, and he’s thrilled to get reacquainted with her at a weekend house party. What he doesn’t expect are the immediate feelings of need and desire–emotions he keeps firmly in check–upon their reunion.

A forever commitment…

When Mayson and Holt’s single night together leads to unexpected consequences, both must decide what matters most. Especially when a threat from Holt’s past promises to ruin their relationship before it’s barely begun.

Buy at Amazon - B&N - Goodreads

GIVEAWAY RULES:

There are TWO giveaways:

Blog giveaway

Entangled Publishing is offering an ebook copy of Tempting Acquisitions, the first book in the series to a lucky commenter!

To be entered just leave a comment and tell us: what was your favourite subject in high school? Or what was the subject you dreaded/hated the most?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 24 May 2013!

Good luck!

Grand Prize Giveaway

To be entered to win $50 USD Amazon gift card just fill out the Rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 2 June 2013!

Good luck!

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon 7.0 Starting Line and Updates

2013-05-13T21:00:00.000+02:00

More about the Bout of Books Read-a-Thon HERE.

The 7th round of the Bout of Books Read-a-Thon started today and let's see what are my goals this time:

My Time Devoted to Reading

Although this will be the first time I will be on vacation during the Read-a-Thon as I have plenty of outings planned (visiting friends) and even a family trip I doubt I'll have much time to read :-/

My Goals

Read at least 5 books
Update my reading progress
Participate in the mini-challenges

Books To Read - My goal is to make a dent in my Entangled review books, this is just a pile from which to choose:

Updates

5/13

Number of pages I have read today: 164 pages
Number of books I’ve read today: 1
Total number of books I’ve read: 1
Books:

Spin Devil by Red Garnier (Book #1 in the Devilish Games series)

5/14

Number of pages I have read today: 30% of Defending the Duchess by Rachelle McCalla
Number of books I’ve read today: 0
Total number of books I’ve read: 1
Books:

Spin Devil by Red Garnier (Book #1 in the Devilish Games series)

5/15

Number of pages I have read today: 3% of Against the Wall by Rebecca Zanetti
Number of books I’ve read today: 1
Total number of books I’ve read: 2
Books:

Spin Devil by Red Garnier (Book #1 in the Devilish Games series)
Defending the Duchess by Rachelle McCalla

5/16

Number of pages I have read today: 287 pages
Number of books I’ve read today: 1
Total number of books I’ve read: 3
Books:

Spin Devil by Red Garnier (Book #1 in the Devilish Games series)
Defending the Duchess by Rachelle McCalla
Against the Wall by Rebecca Zanetti (Book #1 in the Maverick Montana series)

5/17

Number of pages I have read today: 263 pages
Number of books I’ve read today: 1
Total number of books I’ve read: 4
Books:

Spin Devil by Red Garnier (Book #1 in the Devilish Games series)
Defending the Duchess by Rachelle McCalla
Against the Wall by Rebecca Zanetti (Book #1 in the Maverick Montana series)
Chasing Mrs. Right by Katee Robert (Book #2 in the Coming Undone series)

5/18

Number of pages I have read today: 28% of Kissing the Maid of Honor by Robin Bielman
Number of books I’ve read today: 0
Total number of books I’ve read: 4
Books:

Spin Devil by Red Garnier (Book #1 in the Devilish Games series)
Defending the Duchess by Rachelle McCalla
Against the Wall by Rebecca Zanetti (Book #1 in the Maverick Montana series)
Chasing Mrs. Right by Katee Robert (Book #2 in the Coming Undone series)

5/19

Number of pages I have read today: 162 pages
Number of books I’ve read today: 1
Total number of books I’ve read: 5
Books:

Spin Devil by Red Garnier (Book #1 in the Devilish Games series)
Defending the Duchess by Rachelle McCalla
Against the Wall by Rebecca Zanetti (Book #1 in the Maverick Montana series)
Chasing Mrs. Right by Katee Robert (Book #2 in the Coming Undone series)
Kissing the Maid of Honor by Robin Bielman (Book #1 in the Secret Wishes series)

Wrap Up

Number of pages I have read in total: about 876 - which sounds much more impressive than the number of books I have read

Total number of books I've read during the event: 5

Books:

Spin Devil by Red Garnier (Book #1 in the Devilish Games series)
Defending the Duchess by Rachelle McCalla
Against the Wall by Rebecca Zanetti (Book #1 in the Maverick Montana series)
Chasing Mrs. Right by Katee Robert (Book #2 in the Coming Undone series)
Kissing the Maid of Honor by Robin Bielman (Book #1 in the Secret Wishes series)

As for my goals:

~~Read at least 5 books~~ - DONE
~~Update my reading progress~~ - DONE at the end, but had trouble keeping up
Participate in the mini-challenges - big fail

This was the first time I was on vacation and not working full-time during the Read-a-Thon, but since I was on a family trip I knew I couldn't be too optimistic about having much free time to read and reality was worse than expected: Though I got to read some books while on the plane and on the road, I didn't participate in any mini challenge and I had trouble updating my sheet. But well, I had a nice family vacation ;-) Hope you had fun during the Read-a-Thon. :-)

Interview with Cathryn Fox + Giveaway

2013-05-13T14:00:00.000+02:00

Just yesterday I devoured a short little novella that packed more heat and sensuality than its mere 51 pages would have made me expect, so head my words and pick up Hold Me Down Hard by Cathryn Fox, which got released today by Entangled Flirt if you are in the mood for a quick, well written delicious bite of a story ;-) And to whet your appetite join me as I get to interview its author, the lovely Cathryn Fox!

Stella: Hi Cathryn, welcome to Ex Libris! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Cathryn: Hi Stella, thanks for having me. Ah, what to tell. Well, I’m a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. I loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (I never says no to a brownie) red wine and watermelon. I have two kids in university and a husband who is convinced he can turn me into a mixed martial arts fan. I can never find balance in my life, am always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter and try to write page-turning books that my readers will love. I was a financial officer in my other life and have lived all over Canada but have finally settled down in my childhood hometown with my family.

Stella: Your latest novel Hold Me Down Hard is a short and very hot read released today by Entangled Publishing, congratulations! Can you tell readers what they can expect of it?

Cathryn: If a reader doesn’t have much time, but wants to sneak in an afternoon quickie, or a fast beach read, then this is the book for them. It’s a fun, sexy, fast paced read, yet still contains all the emotional elements that make for a satisfy romance!

Stella: Hold Me Down Hard is extremely short, what were the hardships/challenges of telling a story in only 51 pages? Why did you choose to write with such length limitations?

Cathryn: These two characters knew each other for a long time, so I didn’t have to spend time showing the growing physical or emotional connection. They already had that. I just had to show Eden pushing the limits on both, so she could finally get Jay to open up to her. I told the story that needed to be told, fulfilling all physical and emotional requirements, and it simply came in at that length.

Stella: Could you introduce Eden Carver and Jay Bennett, the heroine and hero of Hold Me Down Hard?

Eden Carver:

Amanda Seyfried as Eden

Height:5’7
Weight:130
Hair color: Blonde
Eyes: Brown, honey flecks
Definable markings: None
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite TV show: Any reality TV
Best Trait: Compassion
Worst Trait: Wears clothes that drives her neighbor crazy and forces him to take cold showers.

Jay Bennett:

Henry Cavill as Jay

Height:6’2
Weight:190
Hair color: Dark brown
Eyes: Dark brown
Definable markings: Tattoo on arm
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite TV show: Anything as long as Eden is watching it beside him
Best Trait: Overprotective
Worst Trait: Wears a cop uniform that drives his neighbor crazy and forces her to take cold showers.

Stella: And if you could have your dream cast who would play them?

Cathryn: Well for Jay, I’d love to have Henry Cavill, and for Eden, Amanda Seyfried.

Stella: Great choices! :-) Do you have a favorite scene in Hold Me Down Hard? (Or which one was the hardest to write?)

Cathryn: I love the opening when Eden is coaxing Jay to rehearse with her, and I especially love when he calls her out on the lines in the script.

Stella: Can you share with us some little secret trivia connected to the writing of Hold Me Down Hard (a scene/character that did not end up in the final version, a real person inspiring a character, scene, what gave you initial idea for the story, etc.)?

Cathryn: I absolutely love friends to lovers stories, so when I sat down to think about writing my next story, this sweet, or not so sweet, farm girl came to mind. For the last thirteen years I lived in farm country, and I know farm girls work hard and are TOUGH! So I wanted to draw on that when I told my story.

Stella: You have already written and published several dozens of books, what made you decide to bring Hold Me Down Hard to Entangled Publishing?

Cathryn: Entangled publishing is dynamic, author friendly publisher that is really making its mark in the publishing world. I love how they treat and connect with each and every author. They also give each book, no matter the length, the attention it deserves and we get to work with an amazing publicity team to set up interviews and blog tours. Entangled is a great place to be!

Stella: What shall we expect from you, what is next on your schedule?

Cathryn: Up next is the rerelease of PLEASURE CONTROL, PLEASURE PROLONGED, and PLEASURE EXCHANGE (May 21st). After that my story, TEACH ME, will be released in the FLING anthology on June 25tth, and then in July, TEMPERATURE RISING will be a part of the SMOKIN’ HOT FIREMEN collection edited by Delilah Devlin and published by Cleis Press. July 17, I will also be releasing BEDDING DOWN, book two in my WEEKEND COWBOYS series.

Stella: Can you share with us some little secret trivia, something that not many people know about you?

Cathryn: Well, yes, I could…but I probably shouldn’t. :-)

Cathryn is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and red wine. She has two teenagers who keep her busy with their never ending activities, and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. Cathryn can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love. Cathryn also writes Young Adult novels under Cat Kalen and co-writes paranormal romance as Taylor Keating.

Connect with Cathryn at her Website - Facebook - Twitter

Hold Me Down Hard by Cathryn Fox

When Eden Carver, Iowa farm girl turned NY actress, decides to seduce the sexy cop next door, she begins to wonder if she’s bitten off more than she can chew.　

The last thing Officer Jay Bennett wants is to cross a line with the sweet and innocent country girl—no matter how much he’d like to help himself to a nibble. Not only are they in the friendship zone, a naïve girl like Eden doesn’t belong in his dangerous world.　

But when she asks him to help her rehearse lines, and things go from simmer to boil, he finds himself doing the one thing he swore he’d never do.He knows he needs to walk away from temptation, but when sweet little Eden bites back, it tilts his world on its axis.

Because biting back changes everything.

Read an excerpt

Buy at Amazon - B&N - Goodreads

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Entangled Publishing has generously offered an ebook copy of Hold Me Down Hard by Cathryn Fox to a lucky commenter!

To be entered just leave a comment and tell us: Eden finds cops particularly sexy, but what kind of men or jobs would you deem sexy? Firefighters? Doctors? Cowboys? Let us know!

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 24 May 2013!

Good Luck!

Cover Reveal: Into the Fire by Amanda Usen + Giveaway

2013-05-13T09:00:00.000+02:00

You all know what a big fan I am of culinary romances so when I heard that the lovely Amanda Usen, who besides being a romance author daylights as a pastry chef(!) had a brand new novel coming out from Entangled Publishing in their Indulgence category romance line, I couldn't have been more excited!! :-D

So I am happy to report that thankfully the release date of Into the Fire (doesn't it sound all exciting and sensual? I have to fan myself just thinking of all the delicious and sexy scenes there could be ;-p lol) isn't much further (June 10th everyone, mark your calendars!), and to make the wait bearable the terrific people at Entangled put together this game and giveaway, so have fun and don't forget June 10th is The Date! ;-)

You can find the 2nd piece of the puzzle at Ex Libris, here it is:

Puzzle Piece #2

And my ingredient is: BUTTER -

doesn't everything taste so much better with a little bit of butter? ;-)

And a bit about the novel itself:

Into the Fire by Amanda Usen

Jackson Calabrese has a lot of nerve. He beat Lila Grant in the Culinary Academy competition using her recipes. Now, he’s opening a restaurant and wants her help? Fine, she'll fix his menu, but it's going to cost him.

Heir to the Calabrese restaurant empire, Jackson can buy anything he wants, except creativity, so he buys Lila's instead. He can craft perfect paella, but to take New York by storm he needs her innovative spark.

Skillets aren't the only things hot in the kitchen, and an uneasy truce ignites into passion. They’re great in bed, but Jackson doesn't trust her, and Lila is contemplating revenge. The restaurant opening approaches, the menu is completed, and the tables are set for one final act of betrayal. How can love bloom in the midst of such a hot mess?

Release Date: June 10, 2013

Pre-order at Amazon - B&N

Amanda Usen knows two things for certain: chocolate cheesecake is good for breakfast, and a hot chef can steal your heart. Her husband stole hers the first day of class at the Culinary Institute of America. She married him after graduation in a lovely French Quarter restaurant in New Orleans, and they spent a few years enjoying the food and the fun in the Big Easy. Now they live in Western New York with their three children, one hamster, two guinea pigs, a tortoise, and a new-to-them beagle. Amanda spends her days teaching pastry arts classes and her nights writing romance. If she isn’t baking or writing, she can usually be found chasing the kids around the yard with her very own hot chef husband.

Want chimichurri, chocolate cake or Chicken Alighieri? Visit Amanda at http://www.amandausen.com, where you can find recipes for many of the yummy dishes in her books. She can also be found on Facebook and Twitter if you want to chat about romance, writing, or recipes.

GIVEAWAY RULES:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 20 May 2013!

Good luck!

It's Monday, What Are you Reading? (#115)

2013-05-12T21:00:00.000+02:00

It's Monday, What are you reading? is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read and the books to be finished this week.

Hey Everyone,

We'll have a busy week at Ex Libris (with the Bout of Books Read-a-Thon starting as well as two author guests tomorrow), so I thought I'd get an early start on the week and tell you about the books I have read last week:

Books I completed

Gone with the Wolf by Kristin Miller
(Book #1 in the Seattle Wolf Pack series)

Amazon

This was my first book I read from Kristin Miller, and sadly it didn't blow me away. My detailed review will be posted on Tuesday, but until then you can enter to win a Gone with the Wolf prize pack on the blog right now.

Plus One by Brighton Walsh

Amazon

This was a delightful little novella: sweet, funny and sexy, I loved it and Brighton Walsh instantly became a must-read author for me :-) You can read my review here.

One Night of Misbehavior by Shelley Munro

Amazon

This was a modern light Cinderella retelling with not much depth or substance, both the characters and the plot remained shallow, but it was a quick read.

The Mad Earl's Bride by Loretta Chase

Amazon - Kindle - Book Depository

The Mad Earl's Bride by Loretta Chase was a lovely, well written historical romance novella I enjoyed a lot :-) My review will be posted soon.

Seducing Charlotte by Diana Quincy

Amazon

Wow, this was very hot and well written, I just discovered Cathryn Fox and added her to my must-read-authors list. A very short but steamy novella, great for a quick bite of titillating story :-) Detailed review to be posted soon. (And make sure to stop by tomorrow as Cathryn will be here with an interview ;-)

Books I'm currently reading

All the Way by Jennifer Probst

Amazon

I started reading All the Way by Jennifer Probst but I wasn't really enchanted. Though it is described as a foodie romance (with the hero being in charge of a restaurant and the heroine being a restaurant critic), I didn't find too much description of food in the first 30%, and both the hero and heroine were shallow and boring. Will see if it improves later...

A Most Scandalous Proposal by Ashlyn MacNamara

Amazon - Kindle - Book Depository

I started reading A Most Scandalous Proposal by Ashlyn MacNamara because I was craving a lovely, heart-warming historical romance, and it sounded like it might fit the bill, but there was too much going on and it required too much effort to try to keep up with all the characters and going ons, so I put it down after 24%, will see if I'll give it another go.

Books I can't wait to start

Protecting What's His by Tessa Bailey

Amazon

I'm seriously getting impatient to read Tessa Bailey's new Line of Duty series! :-)

And what are you reading this week?

And this week's winners are...

2013-05-12T12:00:00.000+02:00

Hey Everyone!

The weekend is once again here and that means it's time to announce this week's winners! Congratulations to

the lucky winner of an ebook copy of Extreme Love by Abby Niles is

rhireading

the lucky winner of an ebook copy of Wife in Name Only by Hayson Manning is

Sasha

the lucky winner of an ebook copy of Fish Out of Water by Ros Baxter is

Mary Preston

the lucky winner of a copy of Sacrifice the Wicked by Karina Cooper is

Barbara E.

Congratulations winners! You will all be notified of your win in e-mail by tonight, please get back to me within 48 hours or I will have to draw a new winner. Thank you.

There are still a lot of giveaways going on, you can enter them by clicking on their individual links at the top of the blog.

Have a lovely Sunday everyone! :-)

Book Review: Hitched by Erin Nicholas

2013-05-11T21:00:00.000+02:00

Title: Hitched
Author: Erin Nicholas
Series: Book #4 in the Promise Harbor Wedding series
Release Date: 30 April 2013
Number of pages: 352 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Source: review copy provided by the author for review
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Amazon, Samhain, B&N, Read an excerpt

Grade: 4 stars

Novellus superbus!

Goodreads appetizer: And she thought the bridesmaids dresses were her biggest problem…

Allison Ralston would rather be anywhere other than this wedding. Even if the wedding is hers Especially since the wedding is hers.

But Allie’s determined to restore her family’s happiness, and if tying the knot with longtime family friend, Josh Brewster, is the way to do it, then she’ll walk down that aisle, toss that bouquet and drink that champagne. Oh, she’ll definitely drink the champagne.

There’s only one thing that could get Gavin Montgomery back to Promise Harbor. And she’s about to say I do to another man. Now he’s back to claim what’s his—even if he has to do it in the middle of her wedding.

Allie is shocked—and okay, a little turned on—when Gavin literally sweeps her off her feet. Safe in his arms, she succumbs to fatigue, stress, and yes, the champagne, only to wake up in his bed. In Alaska.

Now that he’s put four thousand miles between Allie and all her responsibilities, Gavin’s determined to show her that they can make a life together. If he has his way, the next wedding Allie will be planning will be theirs.

Warning: Contains a guy so in love he’s willing to break up the wedding of the season, a bride who just needs to get to, well, anywhere else, and enough hot sex to take them from New England to Alaska and back again.

My Thoughts: Hitched is the 4th and final instalment of the Promise Harbor Wedding series (you might remember seeing my reviews of Jilted by Kelly Jamieson, Bolted by Meg Benjamin and Busted by Sydney Somers on the blog in the past couple of weeks).

After the groom, the matron of honour and the best man, we finally get to see the bride's version of the events in Hitched is, and I have to tell you I started Hitched with some trepidation because of Allie, the runaway bride and the heroine of Hitched. Why you might ask. Well for two reasons: 1) she left her fiancé, a nice guy through and through at the altar and disappeared for weeks without word to anyone, and 2) because she was about to get married with her ex-best friend's true love. But let's see if Hitched managed to redeem Allie in my eyes by showing us her side of the story...

From the previous instalments I already suspected that Allie and Josh's match was rather a marriage of convenience based on friendship and affection rather than passionate love, and here we were really shown how that was exactly the case. To Allie Josh acted more like a responsible, reliable big brother coming to the rescue, who was always there to lend his support and strength when the going got tough, and poor Allie didn't have it easy by losing her mom to cancer and having to take care of her family despite her own grief. I could see and understand how she took Josh as her escape from all the tiring responsibilities weighing her down, how nice it was to share her load with someone sympathetic and kind. I get that he was her rock and I even get why they would decide to get married, but they had absolutely no chemistry at all. It was like they were siblings or cousins.

As for the unforgivable breach of the Girlfriend Code by hooking up and almost marrying her best friend's love I have to say that Allie is acquitted: Josh was there as a shoulder to cry on and carry her burdens after her mom's death, and before developing anything with him she asked Devon whether it bothered her if she got together with Josh. Since Allie was in a daze following her mom's death she didn't pick up on the subtle clues in Devon's answer, when Devon said it was fine by her, she took that at face value. So in that aspect I absolve her as well.

But, somehow despite her justifying these offences, Allie was still a heroine I didn't grow to like much. She had that odd mixture of martyr and egocentric whining/vulnerability that although telegraphed to my brain that I should feel sorry for her (or at least be sympathetic) since she didn't have it easy, just didn't resonate with my heart and she mostly frustrated/irritated me.

Gavin, the hero on the other hand was a dream come true. He was wonderfully intense, determined and dedicated in showing and convincing Allie that he has become the man she needed. He was warm-hearted, tender and his powerful love, devotion and need to be there for Allie moved me.

“Being with you, right now, is better than anything I’ve had for a really long time,” she told him honestly. Couldn’t that be enough?
“I know.” His confidence was another thing that had always drawn her. That and his laid-back attitude. “But I don’t just want to be better. I want to be the best.”
“You are—”
“No,” he said, pushing himself up off the rug. “But I will be. The best thing in your life, the best thing to ever happen to you.”

“I’m trying to talk you into letting me show you that there’s more to me than roller-skating and eating dessert first.” He wasn’t looking at her but she could see the strain in his face. She’d always loved the roller-skating and dessert part of being with Gavin. But…this seemed important to him. Josh wasn’t a big dessert eater, period.
“But I love dessert,” she said weakly.
“You think of me for fun, but I don’t want to just be the extra stuff. I want to be…the main meal, what you need most. Hell, I want to be your vegetables.”

One of my favourite part of Hitched was reading about Allie and Gavin's history and all the little traditions they had back then, Erin Nicholas' typical chuckle-out-loud humour shone through those memories. It was clear they had lots of fun and that Gavin gave his best to try to cheer Allie up, even when he was younger and had no clue how to go about it:

“Do you remember the time you made up naughty versions of fairy tales for me?” Somehow she could tell he was smiling when he said, “Of course.”
“I especially liked the Cinderella story where she and Prince Charming got it on in the broom closet before midnight.” She felt him turn toward her. “And, of course, how Hansel propositioned the witch to get him and Gretel out of trouble,” she said. Gavin lifted his hand to her head, stroking her hair. Allie kept her eyes shut, breathing deep of his scent, which was even more energizing than the fresh, natural air. “And who could forget what the frog really needed from the princess to turn human?”
“What if I tell you that I’ve come up with a few stories of my own?” she asked.
“It won’t matter.”
“You don’t think I can distract you with a story about Snow White and the seven dwarfs?”
“You’re going to turn a beloved childhood story into a gang bang?” She smiled.
“Well, I hardly think any dwarfs would be grumpy or sleepy if that was going on. You have a dirty mind.” “Yes, I do. More so when you’re around.”
“One of your most endearing traits, in my opinion.” His eyes narrowed slightly.
“I know.”

The chemistry between Allie and Gavin was undeniable. And what pulled at my heartstrings was the deeper, emotional connection they shared, or at least that Gavin wanted to share with Allie:

“What are you doing?” she finally asked, turning to him. “You don’t want to go to Promise Harbor.”
“No, I don’t,” he said honestly.
“Then why are you here?”
The first words that came to mind made the most sense. “Because I need to hold your hand, and I can’t do that unless I’m in Promise Harbor with you.”

Gavin turned his attention fully on Allie. “You will call me,” he said firmly. “I might suck at this at first, but you will call me and give me a chance. And I’ll get better at it.” Something warm spread through her chest, and she felt the vise that had been squeezing her heart loosen. She smiled. “A chance at what?” she teased lightly. She actually really appreciated his honesty about not knowing what he was doing exactly. The bumbling attempt outside his comfort zone meant more than all the perfect words and actions from everyone else in the past two years.
“The chance to be there,” he said with a little grimace.

Verdict: Hitched was a nice conclusion to the series and I was glad to see Allie's side of the story. Although she managed to redeem herself when it came to the charges brought against her in the previous novels since I now understand her reasons and her side of the story better, yet she just isn't a heroine I much liked. On the one hand she acted like a self-sacrificing martyr while on the other hand only seeing the world centred around her (it may sound contradictory but she managed to realize them both). She just read like a weak heroine and I couldn't grow to like her character. However, Gavin, the hero was swoon-worthy. I loved his determination and intensity. His deep love and devotion for Allie is what made Hitched such a great love story. I found that at the end things were tied off way too conveniently with a bow making everyone happy and in love, and thus leaving me with a pinch of disappointment at the easy way out.

Plot: 8/10
Characters: 7/10 - loved Gavin but Allie irritated me too much
Writing: 8/10
Ending: 7/10 - it was tied off way too conveniently with a bow making everyone happy and in love
Cover: 8/10

Review originally posted at Book Lovers Inc.

Order of the series:

Book #1 - Jilted by Kelly Jamieson
Book #2 - Bolted by Meg Benjamin
Book #3 - Busted by Syndey Somers
Book #4 - Hitched by Erin Nicholas

Buy it:

Guest post by Christine S. Feldman + Giveaway

2013-05-11T14:00:00.000+02:00

Romance’s Little Instruction Book

(or…9 Things I Learned About Life and Love by Reading Romance Novels)

by Christine S. Feldman

Have you noticed that romance novels tend to get a bad rap from certain people? “Romance,” they scoff, waving a hand in dismissal. “Bah. It’s just fluff. It may keep you entertained for an hour or two, but that’s all.”

Snobs.

Source: Magnus Manske/Wiggy

Can romance novels be pure entertainment and escapism? Some of them, sure. But the same could be said about pretty much every other genre out there, and you’ll find a huge range of substance within each one. And yet somehow the romance genre winds up being like your second cousin Scottie who is forced to sit at the kiddy table at family gatherings because there’s never any room left at the one for the grown-ups.

The truth is, there are plenty of wonderful little gems on the romance shelf at your local bookstore that have a lot to teach us about real life. For example, six-pack abs are an absolute must in a soul mate.

I kid, of course. Although six-pack abs can’t hurt…

All kidding aside, I’ve read plenty of romances that touched me or taught me something. To prove my point about their content, I’m offering up here a list of 9 truths commonly found in them that—in my opinion—carry over into real life:

1) True romantic heroes come in all different forms. Whether they be highland warriors, weathered cowboys, or corporate businessmen, the form they take doesn’t matter—and in fact it’s often very different from what the heroine initially thought she wanted. Her perfect partner may be the exact opposite of what she supposed would figure into her life’s plan, and yet the unvarnished reality usually turns out to be so much better than her fantasy ever was. So keep yourself open to possibilities…

2) Secrets have a way of coming out into the open (so you probably shouldn’t keep them in the first place). In a book, the secret may be something like a true identity or a hidden personal connection or even a secret baby, while real-life secrets may not be quite so dramatic—then again, Jerry Springer might argue differently. But even if you have the best of intentions, keeping a secret from your significant other can lead to whopping cases of hurt feelings and misunderstandings that no amount of flowers can ever quite make right, so think twice before doing it. Flowers aren’t cheap.

3) Nobody likes a jerk. Flawed we’ll accept as long as our leading man is working to overcome his flaws, but a true jerk is never the hero of a romance novel for a very good reason. At least, not a very successful novel. You probably don’t want to invite one into your real life, either. No matter how nice his abs are. (But feel free to post a picture of his abs on Facebook. He might as well contribute to society somehow.)

4) Having the chutzpah to go after what you want can be very attractive. This is true in both heroes and heroines of romance novels. Nobody wants to read an entire book about somebody who sits around passively waiting and hoping that their dreams will come true, do they? We’re also drawn to dynamic people in real life. Just don’t confuse chutzpah with ruthlessness. It’s not a good look on anyone.

5) A healthy bit of humor does wonders for romance. I think half the movies Meg Ryan has ever made support this point far better than any argument I could ever make.

6) You need to hold on to the good stuff. The hero in my book Coming Home reminds the woman he loves how important it is to savor the good moments that come along in life, and I’m a big believer in that myself. They may come sandwiched in between some painful ones sometimes, but they should be appreciated all the more because of that.

7) Your true soul mate is probably going to turn out to be the one person standing beside you when you really need him most. When the chips are down and things seem bleakest in many a romance novel, the heroine often discovers that the hero is willing to stand beside her no matter what the personal cost. If someone in your life does that for you, hang on to him.

8) If you want your happy-ever-after, you’re going to have to be willing to take some risks. It might not involve something quite so flashy as sprinting through the airport to tell your one and only that he’s your one and only, but that doesn’t mean it won’t require some guts and tenacity. Maybe it involves wearing your heart on your sleeve, or maybe it’s got more to do with pursuing a lifelong dream no matter how impractical it seems. But happy endings always seem to require a certain amount of gumption.

Source: Multichill/cyclonebill

9) A man who will fix you breakfast in bed—and then do the dishes, too—is a true keeper. Okay, this one didn’t actually come from a romance novel, but by golly, I think it ought to appear in more of them. (My husband’s specialty is omelets. I’m a lucky girl, and don’t I know it.)

So the next time someone snickers at a romance novel just because it’s a romance novel, maybe you can set them straight. They don’t know what they’re missing.

Have you ever read something in a romance that struck a chord in you?

Christine S. Feldman writes both novels and feature-length screenplays, and, to her great delight, she has placed in screenwriting competitions on both coasts—and has even won a couple of them. In 2012 one of her screenplays was featured as a staged reading in New York City at the Gotham Screen International Film Festival, and later that same year she signed her first publishing contract for her debut novel, Coming Home, with a second one to follow this summer. When she is not writing, she is teaching kindergarten, puttering around in her garden, ballroom dancing with her husband, or doing research for her next project.

Visit Christine at her website - Facebook - Goodreads

Coming Home by Christine Feldman

No woman ever really forgets her first love. Callie Sorenson is no exception. Hers was tall, tanned, and—as her older brother’s best friend—completely off limits.

Danny McCutcheon.

It’s a name that Callie hasn’t spoken in years, even if the man to whom it belongs has never really been all that far from her thoughts. Or her heart. But now a twist of fate will bring her back to the childhood home she left behind years ago, and to the hometown boy for whom she secretly longed.

When her mother takes a bad fall and breaks her hip, Callie leaves the bright lights of New York City to fly back west and help with the rehabilitation. It’s a tense homecoming due to a long time estrangement between mother and daughter, and it drives Callie to confront both a painful personal loss and her unanswered questions about the father who abandoned her when she was just a child.

It also brings her face to face with Danny again, and Callie quickly realizes that old feelings die hard.

But for Danny, it’s new feelings that are a problem. Callie is not the young girl he remembers but a woman now, and a very desirable one. They both have reasons to fight the growing attraction between them, but the temptation may just prove to be too much to resist, despite some very real risk to their hearts. The past casts a long shadow over the future, though, and Callie will have to overcome it or else face losing the one man who means the most to her.

Read an excerpt

Buy at Amazon

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Christine has generously offered a $10 USD Amazon gift card to a lucky commenter!

To be entered leave a comment and answer Christine's question: Have you ever read something in a romance that struck a chord in you? Tell us about one of the lessons you learned from romance novels!

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 24 May 2013!

Good luck!

Book Review: Plus One by Brighton Walsh

2013-05-10T21:00:00.000+02:00

Title: Plus One
Author: Brighton Walsh
Release Date: 6 May 2013
Number of pages: 68 pages
Publisher: Carina Press
Source: ebook copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Amazon, Carina Press, B&N, iBookstore, Kobo, Read an excerpt

Grade: 4.5 stars

Novellus superbus!

Goodreads appetizer: Olivia hates the singles scene, so when her best guy friend, Ian, offers to be her plus one to a series of weddings she has to attend, she agrees. Although she doesn't want to complicate their lifelong friendship, she can't pass up the chance to have a steady date without the dating drama. What she doesn't expect is to now find Ian so incredibly sexy.

When Ian sees his old friend Olivia dolled up for wedding #1, the boyhood crush he once nurtured transforms into smoldering attraction. It doesn't take long for their no-strings arrangement to turn physical. But as Olivia's desire to stay "just friends" becomes clear, Ian's feelings are deepening. In the time they have together, how will Ian convince Olivia that one plus one can make for a lifelong pair?

My Thoughts: With summer approaching it seems that more and more wedding romances are published, and this time I would like to draw your attention to this little gem I just discovered two days ago. I started reading Plus One because the blurb sounded like a fun, flirty wedding romance with the "from-friends-to-lovers trope" that I just love, and it didn't disappoint! It was cute, it was light and it was delightful! Brighton Walsh just got added to my must-read authors and I can't wait to read more of her stories (hopefully full length novels)!

Although the story is just 68 page-long, Brighton Walsh managed to tell a well rounded story with three-dimensional, well-developed, interesting characters the reader could root for, and despite its shortness Plus One left me fully satisfied.

I think one of the reasons for Plus One's success is that the premise can resonate with a lot of people, because at one time or another all of us had to go through what Olivia has to: who didn't have to suffer through one or more awful first date(s)? And who didn't dread going to a wedding alone, sans date? And because of that, Olivia was a very relatable heroine. It didn't hurt that she was a lovely, genuinely nice and funny character too.

And Ian... *sighs* he was dreamy! Even though we are told he is quite handsome, what stayed with me was what a warm-hearted, devoted and gentle guy he was. I just love the "best friend to lovers" trope and Ian was the bf of my dreams. He was funny, considerate, tender and thoughtful. He was a great friend besides being a hunk ;-)

He definitely wouldn’t be a bad guy to be on the arm of at all these weddings. At six foot three, he exuded a certain innate manliness, but even with all that height, he still had this gentleness about him that could only come from being raised around women. The youngest—and only boy—of four kids, he grew up to be sensitive and understanding. Not to mention the fact that it wasn’t exactly a chore to look at him, with his tousled blond hair and clear green eyes. No, he wasn’t her normal type—which was to say he wasn’t tall, dark, broody and a complete asshole—but she could definitely see his appeal.

I loved the easy banter and familiarity between Livvy and Ian, their every scene and conversation radiated that deep and strong camaraderie and affection that shows how close they grew through their many years of friendship. And Brighton Walsh is to be lauded because despite this strong bond their sexual chemistry was believable and utterly hot, and their love intense:

Shaking his head, he dropped his gaze to his feet. “I can’t do it anymore. I thought I could, I thought I could take whatever you could give, but I can’t do this half-assed bullshit anymore.” He looked up, his eyes boring into hers. Almost seeming to steel himself for what he was about to say, he took a deep breath. “I have been in love with you for twenty years. Twenty goddamn years.” Reaching up, he ran both hands through his hair in a sign of frustration. “I can’t pretend I’m not anymore. I want to be yours, Liv. Not just your plus one.”

Brighton Walsh's writing is captivating and delightful. I fell hook, line and sinker in love with Plus One right from the very first page when she shared this laugh out loud funny horrible date scene:

“So, interesting fact,” the guy sitting across from her said. His confident tone suggested he really did think it was interesting. “Cat urine is one of the most difficult things to get out of carpet.” Olivia Winters just stared at him, no longer surprised by what came out of the mouths of the men she dated. After a solid eighteen months of nothing but shitty and shittier dates, she was done. Done. She didn’t need this. She wasn’t a leper, for God’s sake. She was cute and fun. She owned her own bakery—her own successful bakery, thank you very much. She had a great sense of humor, if she did say so herself, and gave one mean blow job—or so she’d been told.

Who could resist bursting out in laughter after that first paragraph? I certainly couldn't :-D

Verdict: Plus One was a delightful little story I devoured in no time. Both Olivia and Ian were loveable characters and their chemistry besides being sizzling had more depth due to their strong friendship and affection. I loved Brighton Walsh's writing style, her dry humour shining through Olivia's thoughts made me chuckle out loud, while her well developed 3D characterization was infused with so much heart and emotion that it made me sigh. A wonderful funny and romantic story I can only recommend you pick up!

Plot: 9/10 - I just love the "best friends to lovers trope" and here it was executed to perfection!
Characters: 9/10
Writing: 10/10
Ending: 8/10
Cover: 8/10

Review originally posted at Book Lovers Inc.

Buy it:

Guest post by Tamara Morgan + Giveaway

2013-05-10T12:55:00.000+02:00

Please give a warm welcome to contemporary romance author Tamara Morgan, who is back here today to celebrate the release of her latest novel, The Rebound Girl, the first book in her brand new Getting Physical series published by Carina Press. Join us as Tamara talks about what readers expect and want from a romance novel when it comes to its hero and heroine, and if you tell us what you want you could even win yourself a copy of The Rebound Girl! ;-)

A Hero to Love/A Heroine to…?
by Tamara Morgan

One of the best things about reading romance novels (and about reading in general, really) is that everyone has different expectations and experiences. Some of us go in wanting escapism and entertainment. Some of us want to fall in love all over again. Some of us want to learn more about the world and how others perceive it.

I like all of these answers, but perhaps my favorite answer of all was one I heard my editor say on Twitter. In a romance novel, she claimed to be looking for “a hero to fall in love with and a heroine to root for.” Everything else is just details.

While her wisdom is something I’ve come to rely quite heavily on, I actually prefer to take that idea one step further. Heroes? They’re easy. A noble soul and some chiseled abs are all I really need. But in heroines, I look for more than just someone to root for—what I really want is someone I can be best friends with.

I don’t really care what a heroine’s background is. I don’t care if she’s falling into a harsh dystopian world like in Kit Rocha’s Beyond Shame or dancing at a Regency ball in Diane Farr’s The Fortune Hunter. I don’t care if she’s a quirky florist in Elyssa Patrick’s As You Wish or a brash, ballsy plastic surgeon like in my own The Rebound Girl. As long as I can imagine taking her out for drinks and gossiping over canapés, we’re good.

Of course, I know my opinion isn’t universal. :-) I’ve heard lots of different qualities that romance readers look for in their heroines, including:

• A placeholder for themselves
• An adventuring type willing to do things they wouldn’t
• Someone who shares the traits of their own loved ones
• A lady who can kick some butt without losing her vulnerability
• A woman with hidden depths
• Someone overcoming a difficult past
• Women who fall into easy-to-define stereotypes
• Women who DON’T fall into easy-to-define stereotypes
• Someone smarter than them
• A flawed character

…which makes me curious. What makes a heroine worthwhile to you? What qualities do you seek out in your heroines that grant them a long-lasting place in your heart?

The Rebound Girl by Tamara Morgan

Book #1 of the Getting Physical series

Plastic surgeon Whitney Vidra knows all about getting over a cheating ex. She followed her boyfriend halfway around the world before she found out about his infidelity. Now she's focusing on her career and her friends, and using men just for single-serving, no-strings fun. Until she meets charming Matt Fuller.

Newly single Matt is captivated by the vibrant Whitney, in every way the opposite of his cheating ex-wife. When he confesses to Whitney that he hasn't had sex since his divorce, she volunteers to be his rebound girl. But Matt's not a no-commitment kind of guy—he's either all in, or all out.

Whitney is determined to remain attachment-free, but Matt is equally determined to prove to her that what they have is more than just a rebound fling.

Read an excerpt

Buy at Amazon - B&N - iBooks - Carina Press

Tamara Morgan is a contemporary romance author of humorous, heartfelt stories with flawed heroes and heroines designed to get your hackles up and make your heart melt. Her long-lived affinity for romance novels survived a B.A. degree in English Literature, after which time she discovered it was much more fun to create stories than analyze the life out of them.

You can find Tamara on her website, Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Tamara has generously offered an ebook copy of The Rebound Girl to a lucky commenter!

To be entered just leave a comment and answer Tamara's question: What makes a heroine worthwhile to you? What qualities do you seek out in your heroines that grant them a long-lasting place in your heart?

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 24 May 2013!

Good luck!

Cover Reveal: Act Like You Love Me by Cindi Madsen

2013-05-10T09:30:00.000+02:00

Act Like You Love Me by Cindi Madsen

Book #2 in the Accidentally in Love series

All’s fair in acting and amore...

Brynn McAdams isn’t the awkward drama geek she was in high school—she’s grown up and confident, or at least she likes to think so. But when her old crush, the impossibly handsome and impossibly unattainable Sawyer Raines, comes back to town to direct her community play, Brynn finds herself determined to be someone other than the girl he doesn’t even recognize. Good thing she’s an excellent actress.

After his bad breakup in NYC, the last thing Sawyer wants is to get involved with another actress. But the glamorous and beautiful Brynn draws him in, even though as her director, he knows she’s off-limits. There’s just something about the woman that feels…familiar. Like home.

As Brynn’s lies start to snowball, she struggles to stop acting and come clean. But what if Sawyer is already falling for the fake Brynn, not the Brynn she truly is?

Pre-order at Amazon - B&N

ACT LIKE YOU LOVE ME excerpt:

“Cut, cut cut!” Sawyer stood. “Was that supposed to be more passionate? Because it sucked.”

“This is supposed to be the eighteen hundreds,” Brynn said. “It can’t be too passionate or it would seem inappropriate for the time.”

The next instant Sawyer was charging up the steps to the stage. “I’m not saying it’s got to be a kiss with tongue, I’m saying you’ve got to look at each other like you’re in love so the audience will want it to work out. Our modern audience.” Sawyer shook his head. “Take it again, from before the proposal.”

It was impossible to concentrate with Sawyer standing right there, so close she could hear every shift of his body and feel his gaze on her like a weight. All her lines were swimming together.

Leo knelt, told her she was an angel. She said her line, trying to peer into his soul like she wanted to be with him, and then Leo kissed her. And it was sloppier than usual.

She did her best to not jerk back, though it was her first instinct.

“Okay, that was just…” Sawyer moved in front of her. He looked at the playbook, then lowered it by his side and stared into her eyes. The air thickened around them and she could feel every thump of her heart. “What a perfect angel you are, Cecily.” He said it so tenderly, his smile close-lipped but full of joy.

“You dear romantic boy,” she said, all out of instinct because thoughts were getting fuzzy.

He leaned in and kissed her, a soft kiss with his lips barely parted. The pressure of his lips increased for a delicious moment, and then they were gone. A quick, simple kiss, but when his mouth left hers, she felt its absence so strongly that she couldn’t think about anything else for a couple seconds. Her breath was stuck somewhere in her lungs and her lips still tingled, living the sensation over and over again. Heat wound through her body, her hands itched to reach out and touch him. And then she remembered she was supposed to. She ran her fingers through his hair and felt the whisper of his breath on her wrist as he exhaled.

“Wow, that was good,” Wendy said from the front, breaking Brynn from her trance.

Brynn stepped back and swallowed, but her throat wasn’t working right. Sawyer’s eyes never left hers, and one corner of his mouth curved up in a smug, self-satisfied way.

“It was all right, I suppose,” Brynn said, working to keep her voice steady. She crossed her arms and shrugged. “For a first-timer, anyway.”

That only made Sawyer’s smile grow wider.

Brynn couldn’t help but watch Sawyer as he jumped off the stage. Funny how she’d dreamed of kissing him all the time in high school, but her fantasy wasn’t even close to the real thing. Her heart felt like it’d just been wrung out and shoved back in her

And her scene with Leo was better. She was sure it had nothing to do with the fact that she closed her eyes and pretended it was Sawyer kissing her again.

Nope. Nothing at all.

Pre-order at Amazon - B&N - Goodreads

Cindi Madsen sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children. She is the author of YA novels All the Broken Pieces and Demons of the Sun, bestselling short romance Falling for Her Fiancé and the women's fiction novel Cinderella Screwed Me Over.

Connect with Cindi at her website - Twitter - Facebook

Book Review: Take What You Want by Jeanette Grey

2013-05-09T19:30:00.000+02:00

Title: Take What You Want
Author: Jeanette Grey
Release Date: 12 March 2013
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Number of pages: 113 pages
Source: review copy provided by the author
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Amazon, Samhain, B&N, Read an excerpt

Grade: 5 stars

Novellus perfectus!

Goodreads appetizer:

She needs an escape…and he’s exactly what she had in mind.

College senior Ellen Price spends every spare minute studying to get into medical school. Until spring break yawns before her, as empty as her wallet.

With no money to hit the beach, she fills her empty to-do list with a plan: for just one week, she will become the kind of take-no-prisoners woman she secretly wishes to be, starting with the hot guy at the bar. It’s a no-risk situation: at the end of break, he’ll head back to his campus, and she’ll go back to hers. No muss, no fuss.

At first, Josh Markley isn’t sure what to think when the quiet, intense beauty from his pre-med classes approaches him for a night of casual sex. Even more mystifying, she doesn’t seem to return his recognition. But if she wants to play “strangers in a bar”, he’s game.

Their passionate night is a welcome respite from life’s stress, but afterward, Josh realizes he wants more—from himself, from life, from Ellen. Except she still thinks he’s a one-off she’ll never see again. Confessing the truth now—before she figures it out on her own—could shatter the fragile beginnings of just what the doctor ordered. A forever love.

Warning: Contains mistaken identities, a sometimes-glasses-wearing hottie, deep questions about figuring out what you want from life, and a red-hot college romance.

My Thoughts: Take What You Want was my first story by Jeanette Grey but definitely not the last! Her storytelling sucked me in and I gobbled it up in no time, closing my ereader with a happy and contented sigh.

Take What You Want was a wonderful surprise of a story! A flammable sexy story with some sweet and romantic moments that pulled at my heartstrings. My first Jeanette Grey story but definitely not the last! Jeanette Grey's writing is gripping and evocative, the first few lines will suck you in and you won't be able to put down the book until you have finished.

Ellen is a serious and dedicated pre-med student who can't afford to fly off with her friends for spring break so as to bring some holiday fun in the disappointment of having to stay home and work she decides to become a daring and fearless woman for a week and have all the fun she can as her alter-ego. Her first night she spies one of the most handsome and sexiest guy she has ever seen at the bar and goes over to pick him up. What she doesn't know is that the guy, Josh is her classmate and has been fascinated by her since the first day he glimpsed her in freshmen year. He can't believe Ellen doesn't recognize him, so he goes long with what he thinks is Ellen's role playing, but when he soon learns that she really has no idea who he is he gets tangled in his own web of deceit and pretend. And so starts a week of intense discovery both sexual and emotional for Ellen and Josh.

Ellen despite having such an ordinary name was anything but boring. I loved how such a serious and relatable young woman created this alter ego to live out her fantasies and experience things she only read/dreamed of. I found that exactly because she was such a girl next door she was a heroine the reader could identify with and feel as if her story could have happened to anyone. It was also moving to see that besides being a serious, dedicated and ambitious pre med-student there was an insecure, vulnerable side to Ellen.

Both Ellen and Josh were pretending to be someone else and both had some major things on their minds regarding their future. But it was interesting to see how they were exact opposites to each other in the sense that Josh was more confident and sure in his own feelings for Ellen and their relationship, he had to take decisions regarding his studies and future career; while Ellen was sure about her career and completely clueless and vulnerable about her private life and her relationship with Josh.

I loved Josh. *sighs* He was lovely and wonderful. A guy, who despite being described as sexy and handsome, what you remember about him is how tender and warm-hearted and funny he is. I loved how he was the “girl” in the relationship, that is, how he was the one who wanted much more than a meaningless fling right from the start.

"And wanting more wasn’t just about wanting her body. He wanted the seductress in the high heels and short skirts, all right, the one that oozed sex and confidence. But he wanted the girl in the plain sweaters with the loose waves that fell over her face, too. The one that hid in the last row of the lecture hall but who always knew the answers. The one that dissected a pig all by herself, looking kissable even in a rubber apron and goggles and gloves. He wanted her to want more than a fuck from him. He wanted her to remember him. To know him."

And I absolutely have to comment about the sexual attraction, chemistry between Ellen and Josh: it was off the charts! Their love scenes were incredibly hot, sexy and tender, emotional at the same time. You’ll need a fan with this story!

Verdict: I LOVED Take What You Want and Jeanette Grey became a must read author for me. Not only was Take What You Want a thought-provoking and emotional journey of self- and love discovery for the characters, it was a sensual, sexy and addictive story I couldn’t put down until the very end. At the beginning I was reluctant to read Take What You Want fearing that due to the characters being in college it would be hard to relate to their problems, but take it from me, that concern was for naught. Thanks to Jeanette Grey’s gripping writing I felt invested in Ellen and Josh's life and relationship and those two are characters as well as their story is one I will long remember.

And oh boy was their story sizzling! *fans herself*

So yes, I give Take What You Want by Jeanette Grey 5 scorching stars and urge you all to pick it up! :-D

Plot: 8/10
Characters: 9/10
Writing: 9/10
Ending: 9/10
Cover: 8/10 - suits the story perfectly

Read our dual review at Book Lovers Inc.

Buy it:

Guest post by Jennifer Iacopelli + Giveaway

2013-05-09T12:55:00.000+02:00

The Boys of the Outer Banks Tennis Academy

While writing GAME. SET. MATCH. I quickly realized that without any intention of doing so, I was writing about three extremely attractive young men, all of whom were fundamentally different in the way they live their lives, but especially in the way they approach love. I tried to think of a way to describe them to you without giving away too much of the plot and I couldn't! So instead, I bring you a short playlist, two for each guy, that represents them and their struggles with the L-Word in GAME. SET. MATCH.

Alex Russell

Raised by his single mum on the tough streets of East London, Alex Russell had way too much energy as a kid, so to keep him busy and off the streets, she enrolled him in every single sport available. Tennis was the one that stuck. After being spotted at a junior tournament, beating kids twice his size with a lot more training, the England's Lawn Tennis Association sponsored Alex and the rest is history. He has seven Grand Slam Championships and there are whispers of him becoming the greatest tennis player of all time...if he could find the time to train between parties...

The Fighter - Gym Class Heroes (feat. Ryan Tedder)

Radioactive - Imagine Dragons

Theodore “Teddy” Harrison

The "Normal Harrison" (as the rest of the world likes to call him) Teddy Harrison would be the shining star in any family, aside from his own. Content to let his twin sister Penny hold the spotlight and a full tennis scholarship to Duke waiting for him in the Fall, he's coasting through life, one girl at a time. After having his heart stomped by his first-and only-serious girlfriend, Teddy isn't looking for a relationship. Then one kiss threatens to ruin everything he's built with his best friend...

Womanizer - Britney Spears

Cruel to Be Kind - Letters to Cleo

Jack Harrison

You don't have to be a genius to be a sports agent, but Jack Harrison is just that, a genius. After graduating high school at 16, he finished Harvard in three years while starring on their tennis team. He followed that up with Harvard Law. Jack is brilliant, savvy and does his best to help his little sister navigate the shark infested waters of the professional tennis circuit. When an unexpected attraction crashes into him full force, will he allow himself to love, despite all the obstacles in the way?

Big Enough - Taddy Porter

Too Close - Alex Clare

Game. Set. Match. by Jennifer Iacopelli

Book #1 in the Outerbanks Tennis Academy series

Nestled along the North Carolina coast, the Outer Banks Tennis Academy is the world's most elite training facility. In this pressure-cooker environment, futures are forged in blood and sweat, and dreams are shattered in an instant.

Penny Harrison, a rising female star, is determined to win the French Open and beat her archrival, Zina Lutrova. But when her coach imports British bad boy Alex Russell as her new training partner, will Penny be able to keep her laser-like focus?

Tennis is all Jasmine Randazzo has ever known. The daughter of two Grand Slam champions, she's hell-bent on extending her family’s legacy and writing her own happily-ever-after...until her chosen Prince Charming gives her the just-friends speech right before the biggest junior tournament of the year, the Outer Banks Classic.

With a powerful serve and killer forehand, newcomer Indiana Gaffney is turning heads. She’s thrilled by all of the attention, especially from Jack Harrison, Penny’s agent and hot older brother, except he keeps backing off every time things start heating up.

With so much at stake, dreams—and hearts—are bound to break. Welcome to OBX: Where LOVE is a four-letter word, on and off the court.

Buy at Amazon - B&N

Jennifer Iacopelli was born in New York and has no plans to leave...ever. Growing up, she read everything she could get her hands on, but her favorite authors were Laura Ingalls Wilder, L.M. Montgomery and Frances Hodgson Burnett all of whom wrote about kick-ass girls before it was cool for girls to be kick-ass. She got a Bachelor's degree in Adolescence Education and English Literature quickly followed up by a Master's in Library Science, which lets her frolic all day with her books and computers, leaving plenty of time in the evenings to write and yell at the Yankees, Giants and her favorite tennis players through the TV.

Connect with Jennifer at her website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

GIVEAWAY RULES:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 5 June 2013!

Good luck!

It's Monday, What Are you Reading? (#114)

2013-05-08T20:30:00.000+02:00

Hey Everyone,

Well I know it's already Tuesday but yesterday got so busy I completely forgot to post about the books I've read in the past week, so beter late then never, right? So let's take a look at the books, which ahve entertained me last week:

Books I completed

Lover Undercover by Samanthe Beck
(Book #1 in the Love Undercover series)

Amazon

This was the second book I read from Samanthe Beck and she is truly no one-wonder author! You should try her books and keep your eye on her, trust me ;-) Our dual review will be posted at Book Lovers next week and until then you can also win a copy of Lover Undercover on the blog right now.

Hitched by Erin Nicholas
(Book #4 in the Promise Harbor Wedding series)

Amazon

This was the 4th and last instalment in the Promise Harbor Wedding series, my review will be posted this week, but to get a first taste you can read my reviews of Jilted, Bolted and Busted.

Once Upon a Tower by Eloisa James

(Book #5 in the Fairy Tales series)

Amazon - Kindle - Book Depository

I was in the mood for a historical romance after my contemporary spell and when I glimpsed this newest release of Eloisa James I knew I wanted to read it. Once Upon a Tower was my favourite Eloisa James novel so far. I really liked the hero and heroine, and their interactions and the way Eloisa James incorporated details of the fairy tale of Rapunzel was ingenious. Detailed review to be posted closer to release date (May 28).

Taken by the Duke by Jess Michaels

(Book #1 in the Pleasure Wars series)

Amazon

I was lucky to read this first novel in Jess Michales' brand new historical romance series (to be released on July 2), which centers around a Regency (and erotic) Romeo and Juliet retelling. I enjoyed it a lot and can't wait to read the next books in the series! My review will be posted closer to the release date.

Seducing Charlotte by Diana Quincy

Amazon

Seriously this book was the best and most unexpected surprise I had last week! Based on the blurb I was expecting a North and South (by Elizabeth Gaskell) retelling, but Seducing Charlotte was so different! I loved the author's writing style, it was captivating and I devoured the novel in no time. All the characters were wonderful and well-fleshed out, and I can't wait to read more by Diana Quincy! Please tell me her next release will be soon. very soon! My detailed review will be posted next week.

Books I'm currently reading

All the Way by Jennifer Probst

Amazon

I just noticed I haven't read this sexy culinary romance by Jennifer Probst yet so I'll dive in right away.

Femme Fatale by Cindy Dees

Amazon

I wasn't in the mood for the simpering spoiled heroine of Femme Fatale so I put it down last week, we'll see if I'll pick it up and continue reading, I really don't like the heroine and so far the characterization of the hero is equally shallow and inconsistent...

Books I can't wait to start

Protecting What's His by Tessa Bailey

Amazon

I'll have to get to this one, everyone seems to have fallen in love with Tessa Bailey's writing :-)

And what are you reading this week?

Guest post by Kristin Miller + Giveaway

2013-05-08T12:55:00.000+02:00

I am happy to welcome back to Ex Libris Kristin Miller, who is celebrating her latest release, Gone with the Wolf, a fresh new paranormal romance released in Entangled Publishing's new Covet line. Join us as Kristin tells us a bit about her favourite tropes and how she incorporated them in Gone with the Wolf. And of course, there is a giveaway waiting for you at the end. ;-)

My Favorite Tropes to Read and Write
by Kristin Miller

My favorite tropes to read are enemies-to-lovers (because I think the bickering between the hero and heroine leads to amazing sexual tension), mistaken identity (because it’s fun to watch a couple stumble over themselves as they discover each other’s true identity), boss-secretary relationships (because…well, there is something undeniably hot about crossing that line), and Alpha males.

In Gone with the Wolf, I tried to incorporate all of those.

Drake is an Alpha to the core. He personifies the boldness and confidence of a normal alpha hero, but because he is a true Alpha of the Seattle Wolf Pack, he embodies the position so much more. (And he’s so much sexier for it!)

If I was going to write a boss-secretary relationship, I was going to write one that was far from normal. Drake Wilder is the CEO of a major Seattle-based corporation. He’s cold and calculating, running on figures and numbers and data reports. Emelia Hudson is not only his carefree secretary, but the owner of a bar that his company “illegally” purchased.

Quite the snag, right?

The set-up worked perfectly to incorporate the enemies-to-lovers trope. Emelia is livid that Drake’s company purchased her bar, then refused her the decency of a meeting to figure out why she had a deed to the same building. Driven by bitterness, Emelia demands answers and doesn’t realize she’s falling for Drake until she puts the anger behind her.

The mistaken identity trope was more difficult to include in the plot, which is why the trope only exists in the first chapter. When Drake and Emelia first meet, they are at an office Halloween party. Emelia plans to seduce the jerk-off boss who bought her bar, chain him to his bed, take pictures of him and Instagram them to the Web. She wants revenge for being dismissed and glanced over. But once they meet, and Drake purposefully leaves out the part about being her boss, thoughts of revenge go flying out the window. Sparks fly. Emotions run hot. It isn’t until the morning when Emelia is in the office that she realizes Drake Wilder is not the Big Bad Wolf, but the big bad boss man.

I think adding my favorite tropes to the book made it come to life. I wrote what I wanted to read, and I had a great time doing it.

What are some of your favorite tropes to read and write?

Gone with the Wolf by Kristin Miller

Book #1 in the Seattle Wolf Pack series

CEO and alpha werewolf Drake Wilder has given up the search for his one true love. When he discovers that she’s a secretary in his company, Drake’s primal instincts kick into overdrive.

What he wouldn’t give to have her fingers rake over his body instead of the keyboard…

Free-spirited bartender Emelia Hudson wants nothing more than to make her Seattle-based bar succeed. But when profits decline, she slips into a dress suit and secures a nine-to-five. After learning that her bar has become property of Wilder Financial, Emelia is determined to get some answers.

Two can play the ruthless business game. If only her attraction to the boss wasn’t so intense…

When Drake’s twin brother senses that Drake has found his match—and now inherits their father’s billion dollar estate—he hatches a plan to take Emelia out. Drake vows to protect her at all costs, but he might have to pay with his own life.

Read an excerpt

Buy it at Amazon - B&N - Kobo

Kristin Miller has had a passion for language and literature her whole life. Born and raised in northern California, she often made up stories about faraway places and edge-of-your-seat adventures. After graduating from Humboldt State University, Kristin taught high school and middle school English, married her college sweetheart, and had two beautiful munchkins. In 2008, she took time off from teaching to raise her children, and started writing while they napped.

Her first novel was published in 2011, and since then she has had seven other novels published (mostly paranormal romances). She is the author of Gone with the Wolf with Entangled Publishing, the dark and gritty Vampires of Crimson Bay series with Avon, and the short-but-steamy Isle of Feralon novellas with Harlequin Nocturne Cravings.

You can find Kristin on her website, Twitter, Goodreads and on Facebook.

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Kristin is giving away a Gone with the Wolf themed prize pack to one lucky winner!

Prize pack includes:
● Gone with the Wolf swag including a custom made beaded bookmark
● Seattle’s Best coffee & Starbucks travel mug
● Ghiradelli chocolates
● Too Much of a Good Thing is... Wonderful! wine bottle charm

To enter just fill out the Rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 20 May 2013!

Good luck!

Guest post by Cathryn Cade + Giveaway

2013-05-07T14:00:00.000+02:00

Please join me in welcoming to Ex Libris today Cathryn Cade, who stops by to celebrate the release of Burning up the Rain, the latest novel in her exciting Hawaiian Heroes series which combines sizzling romance and nail-biting action all set in the beautiful Hawaiian islands! Join us as Cathryn talks about what hidden dangers vacations may bring and if you share your own experience you could even win a copy of any of the Hawaiian Heroes books! :-)

Vacations can be Dangerous
by Cathryn Cade

Hi, I'm Cathryn Cade. I write red hot romance for Samhain and myself (self-pub). I'm here to tell you, I'm doing my part to make May 'One Hot Little Month'.

Maui

My husband and I were lucky enough to visit Maui for the last 2 weeks of April. We stayed in a condo on Sugar Beach, Kihei. Here's a shot of the view from our lanai.

We flew from Montana, then Seattle. When you sit in a waiting area and then on a 6 hour flight, you remember some people. You see them around the island in restaurants and at the beaches. We even ended up in the same condo as some nice folks from Spokane, Washington.

But, the poor woman was injured when trying to right a big wooden paddling canoe on the beach. She passed the last few days in Maui in a wheelchair! She'll be okay after some physical therapy, nothing torn or broken, but she did not enjoy the end of her vacation.

Back in the Maui airport to fly home, we recognized another man from our plane, now wearing a cast on one arm. He'd slipped on the rocks in a popular snorkeling bay. Yet another man was on crutches—stepped off a curb in Lahaina, a popular shopping area, and sprained his ankle.

Wow, who knew the tropics were so dangerous? I feel lucky to have come home in one piece, especially as I'm a klutz. Now, that's reality.

The heroine and hero of Burning up the Rain, debuting today at Samhain, face dangers in paradise, but of an entirely different kind. 'Cause who wants to read about falling off a curb?

I'd much rather my Hawaiian Heroes and heroines faced exciting dangers, such as a vile LA cartel that wants to hide their drug profits in a huge new development on the pristine South Kona coast of the Big Island. Right next door to the private family beach enclave of the Ho'omalu family.

The land has been in the family for hundreds of years, and is protected not only by the laws of Hawaii, but the power of Pele, goddess of Hawaiian volcanoes. Pele has tasked the Ho'omalu family with protecting her islands while she sleeps, and gifted them with powers to call upon her island to help.

Burning Up the Rain by Cathryn Cade

Book #4 in the Hawaiian Heroes series

Her powers could save her island…or bring their love crashing down.

Despite her successful career, Lalei Kai-Ho’omalu has always considered herself mere decoration in a dynamic Hawaiian family, with none of their powerful gifts. Destined for life in the background as a useless, upper-crust wife.

Desperate to escape her mother’s latest matchmaking attempt, Lalei acts on her sizzling attraction to a guest at her cousin’s island wedding, making him a bold offer he can’t refuse.

A no-strings, no-holds-barred affair on Nawea Bay with the sexy Hawaiian beauty is just the break California Realtor Jack Nord needs from his fast-paced career—and an inner darkness he’d like to forget. Just for a while.

Their very public liaison is the shocking declaration of independence Lalei intended—with unintended consequences. Stirred to anger by developers set on carving her family’s unspoiled ancestral lands into a resort, Lalei discovers she has the supernatural power to stop them.

But when Jack learns his lover can bring down the rain and throw bolts of lightning, whose side will he take? The money-making machine? Or the woman born to protect her island home?

Warning: A wahine whose real estate may be too hot to handle, and a Realtor who’s determined to seal the deal.

Read an excerpt

Buy at Amazon - B&N - Samhain

'Aue! Wow! Now, wouldn't you rather face that kind of exciting danger than slipping on rocks, or a curb? Nah, probably best to leave the drug smugglers between the pages.

But have you ever had a vacation turn to disaster because you or a companion was injured? Or maybe you lost your luggage or got stuck in an airport. Vacations can be awesome, or really stressful.

Leave a comment and I'll enter you to win a FREE copy of your choice of the Hawaiian Heroes' series.

And stop by my blog to see the other authors heating up May into 'One Hot Little Month'.

Aloha,
Cathryn Cade
... red hot romance!
Sign up for My Newsletter for a chance to win goodies!

Cathryn Cade writes red hot romance for Samhain Publishing, including The Orion Series, an acclaimed sci fi futuristic series, and her Hawaiian Heroes. Her new series, Club 3, light BDSM romance debuts at Samhain in October.

Cathryn has also begun self-publishing new sci fi futuristic series. Her FREE novella, Heart of Stone, debuted at #1 on Amazon. Look for it there, and wherever ebooks are sold. Stark Pleasure, Bk 1 of The LodeStar series will debut later in May. Be the first to know by joining Cathryn at:

her Website - Twitter - Facebook - Goodreads - Pinterest - Samhain Author Page

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Cathryn has generously offered a copy of winner's choice of her Hawaiian Heroes' series to a lucky commenter!

To be entered just leave a comment and tell us about one of your vacation disasters.

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 17 May 2013!

Good Luck!