The Romance Reviews

The Romance Reviews

Monday, April 28, 2014

Pick Me Up Monday-Back Hard at Work!

Happy Monday Everyone!

It's hard to believe we are almost half way through the year already. The day's and weeks speed by so quickly it seems like no time at all before the holidays will be with us once again.

I've had quite a busy week, with writing hard on Firestorm, the second book in the Children of Drakkan. I was out at the Las Vegas Pirate Fare on Sunday giving a live reading of the first chapter of the first book, Soul Fire and got quite a bit of attention for the book. Something which tickled me no end.
Well, it's back to writing, since the deadline looms and I have so much left to do I'm going to be living in my cave for awhile. Have no fear though, I will still make time to touch base with you all and will have news on Dark Desire, book 4 in the Dark Breed Enforcers series which is set to release sometime in June. So excited!

Have a wonderful week all and we will chat again next Monday.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The Knights Druid Book 2-#BHooks

MFRW Authors Blog
Welcome to another installment of The Knights Druid.

BLURB:
What’s worse than a pissed off Knight? Colin Hennessy.

Shifter, Knight and quick tempered Irishman, Colin remembers vividly his past life as Sir Kay. Haunted by the woman he once loved and lost, he has spent his lives searching for his lost love to no avail. Now Arthur is back and his life once again is filled with purpose. Joined by a common goal, he lives only to protect Arthur and his fellow Knights from the twisted, black magic of Mordred.
Juliet Boyd moves among societies rich and pampered, but she holds within her a terrible secret. One Vance Hollister is determined to exploit. Mordred is back in a new skin, now as Vance Hollister and the old evil is alive and well.

Colin and Juliet are unprepared for the flare of attraction that ignites between them from across a moonlit parking lot. Dare she open herself and expose her cursed gift? Can he save Juliet from Vance’s twisted manipulations or will he lose his second chance at love? A showdown between good and evil is coming to a head with Colin and Juliet right in the middle.

HOOK:

“Ms. Brody, I’m Colin Hennessy and I need a word with you.”
His voice slid over her an erotic caress of satin on naked skin, his accent strong with the lilt of Ireland. His lips were so firm, so sensual as they quirked up slightly on one side. She had an overwhelming desire to feel that mouth on her own. Her womb clenched as heat flooded her veins with a sharp stab of desire.
Her voice was breathless as she asked the only question that came to mind, “Where’s the dog?” Even though she knew the answer, as impossible as it seemed, she knew the dog and man were the same.
His gaze cooled. “What are you to Vance Hollister?”

Hooked yet? 
Barnes & Nobel: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-knights-druid-shannan-albright/1113573930?ean=2940044996052

Monday, April 21, 2014

Pick Me Up Monday- This, That, and Everything In-between

Happy Monday All!
As the days get hotter, here is a little something to make all that heating up worth while.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. I've been busier than usual these past two weeks. I was in Brea, California on April 12th as a guest speaker talking about World Building. The wonderful members of Orange County chapter of the RWA are a wonderful bunch of wildly talented authors. Thank you for the pampering.
Once home, I spent up until Thursday of last week writing my fool head off on my second book in my historical paranormal series...then my computer crashed Thursday night. All of my hard work was irretrievable, so after screaming at the warranty department where I bought my computer, my I.T. guy took charge and got them working on it. The news? The book is gone and I'm forced to rewrite everything. Lesson learned? Hell yeah, I bought an external hard drive and save every night. I may have long nights ahead where I try to catch up with my deadline though.

On a positive note, Dark Desire has a release date of June 2014. I'm thrilled to be continuing the Dark Breed Enforcer series with Evernight Publishing. So all was not lost entirely and though I've had a set back with one book I did get good news at the end of the week. 

It's my nature when bad things happen to try and figure out what I need to learn and how I am going to push through the situation. Once on the other side I usually can figure out what went wrong and how to guard against it happening again in the future.
Well, that's all the words of wisdom I can tolerate for the week, so I will just wish you an awesome Monday. Back to work...or in this case, re-work. 

Sunday, April 20, 2014

#SPeekSunday-Dark Desire Book 4 of Dark Breed Enforcers


Happy Easter Sunday all!
 I'm very excited to let you guys know a release date for June has been set by my publisher, Evernight so very soon it will be available in eBook form for all the read. So without further delay here is another sneak peek of Dark Desire.
Temple Fox refuses to give Amari Oman's Seal. An artifact with devastating  destructive capabilities
Temple will do everything in his power to keep in out of her hands, even when Amari betrays his identity to the Preservation Society. An organization formed to eradicate all Dark Breeds from existence. 

SNEAK PEEK:

 Lucien led them past the stairwell, the sound of angry voices and pounding feet grew louder as they ran past, stopping at a door labeled janitorial supplies. The door barely shut behind them when the sound shouts, breaking glass and furniture being overturned carried to their hiding place.
Mob mentality at its finest, Temple thought dryly, and the Enforcers wondered why he wouldn't lift a finger to help a human.

The space was tight with the three of them crammed in-between buckets, mops and cleansers. He squeezed Leola’s hand in reassurance, noticing, even with the dim lighting from one single overhead bulb, the paleness of her face, fear haunting her dark eyes. The sharp stab of anger surged through his system, hating Amari even more for putting his woman in such danger.

Thanks for stopping by Click Here to be directed to the main page to read all the wonderful peaks offered this week.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

#Jixit by Jude Liberman-Eggcerpt Exchange

jixitsmall
Blurb:

Colin Jix is a loner. He's had to be, so he lives in a remote mountain town where he limits his contact with other people.  He's settled into his solitary life and resigned himself to be alone. That is until Dot Tate shows up with a broken down car and needs his help.  Neither can fight their immediate attraction, but then he discovers a tragic secret and must step outside his comfort zone to make things right.

And here is the eggcerpt:

A persistent knocking woke him early the next morning.  Disoriented and still tired from lack of sleep, he rolled off the couch and stumbled to the door.  Without thought he pulled it open with a yawn and then froze, suddenly remembering he never opened his door to strangers as well as making sure he was completely dressed first.  As the cool air from the hallway hit his naked chest, he realized he still wore the towel from his shower the night before.  Her scent on that unwelcome air hit him harder, and he covered his crotch with one hand and slammed the door shut with the other.

Dot was left standing in the hall, staring at the door, but that's not what she saw.  The vision of Colin in only a towel would be forever imprinted on her retinas.  Her mouth fell open at those muscles, and the hair lightly sprinkled on his chest and abdomen, disappearing beneath the low riding towel.  His tattered uniform and all that grease had hidden much more than she could have hoped for, and she licked her lips.

"Oh my!" The breath rushed from her lungs, before she sucked it back in and knocked on the door again.

"Yeah, hold your damn horses!" His muffled shout replied from a distance.

Her instincts told her to get the hell out of there. She'd already embarrassed him, and she didn't want to make it worse, but she knew she couldn't leave without at least apologizing for taking him so unaware. She thought mechanics always got up early. Glancing at her watch, she winced, having read the time wrong.  It probably was too early to show up at a man's home, especially one she barely knew.

Dot took a few steps away from the door and waited.  His agitation came through the wood in muffled curses, and she clenched her fingers together behind her back.  When the door finally opened again, black covered Colin from head to toe.  The only bit of skin visible was the part of his face the knitted cap and matching scarf didn’t cover.  She frowned, wanting to see his hair without all that grease, and she missed that opportunity earlier when she couldn’t tear her eyes from his muscular chest and arms.

His whole body blocked the doorway as he glared at her.  “How did you know where I live?”

She gave him what she hoped was her most charming smile.  “So I guess you’re not going to invite me in?”

His objection to that suggestion shone clearly in his disgruntled features.  “I was actually on my way out.”  He closed and locked the door behind him and then marched past her to the stairs.  “I thought you understood that your car won’t be ready for at least a week.”

Dot stared at his ass, wishing his jeans were a bit tighter.  “Of course you made that clear.  I was having breakfast at the diner and mentioned how my phone switches off for no reason. The waitress mentioned you.  I actually think she has a crush on you.”

Colin stopped half way down the stairs and looked over his shoulder at her.  “You mean Rose?”

She nodded, unable to keep the humor from showing in her grin.

“Rose has a crush on every eligible man in the whole town.  I’ll have to talk to her about giving out my address to strangers though.”

Dot raced down the stairs and stopped in front of him.  “I’m not a stranger.”

He stared down at her, his expression unreadable, and she tried not to fidget under his intense scrutiny.  He held out his gloved hand to her, and she stared at it, unsure what to do.  Did he want to hold her hand?  A warm rush flowed through her body at the thought, even though she wouldn’t be holding his bare hand.

“Your phone?”

“Oh, of course.” She couldn’t stop the nervous giggle that escaped as she scrambled through her purse in search of her cell phone.  Once found, she placed it in his gloved palm.

Colin stared at it for a moment, and she saw uncertainty cross his face.  Finally, he pulled off one glove and cradled the phone in his fingers.  She could only stare in awe as his expression changed, as if he no longer saw the phone but something bigger, and his eyes scanned the empty air above his palm.

He blinked a few times and then refocused on her.  “I’ll walk you back to the diner.  I should have your phone fixed by then.”

Without another word, he passed her on the stairs, and she had no other choice but to follow him.

 




 Will be for sale shortly on:

 
I will post the actual release date and link once it is available.

Available for pre-order at Barnes & Noble and will be soon at Kobo Books and iTunes, but you can view it and read the first chapter now on Smashwords.com. April 11th is the official release date when it will be on Amazon.com. www.judesplace.com/blog @judel

Monday, April 14, 2014

#The Red Room-Joan Barbara Simon/#Eggcerpt Exchange

 
Joan Barbara Simon author of Until Forever Becomes the End and Shaking Thoughts, brings us an incredible book of short stories and poems. The rich detail of her words pulls you into her erotic tales and prose as few others have. I'm happy to bring you a taste of her next venture, The Red Room.
 
BIO Joan Barbara Simon (Ph.D.); novelist, poetess, songwriter. Lecturer. Researcher. Trouble-maker. She's been called a brainy little nympho. She's been called a man without a dick, or a woman with one. She can learn to live with that. She's been reaping 5-star reviews for her fiction in all genres. She looks more closely at undefined spaces - linguistic, sexual, philosophical, political - because she knows how to resist the temptation, the comfort, of easy answers.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Synopsis:Voicing those questions, those desires which convention has tamed out of the ‘’good” female, Joan Barbara Simon and her chorus of eloquent, critical protagonists dare to sidestep propriety in their search for sincere personal fulfillment and a redefinition of the intimate experience. A collection of poetry and short stories.

THE RED ROOM

Against her better judgment. She sent him a message. A harmless one: she was having lunch with the children and would plough her way through some work in the afternoon. She was hoping he would invite her to come over. She was hoping and yet it was what she feared the most. She waited... but in the end she brought the girls back to school and drove home. Yes. It was better that way.

Her phone rang.He said he had the afternoon free and thought she meant she was spending the afternoon with the children. So, she’s not? So, she’s at home? He did not ask her to come.

Can... can I come? she almost whispered.

Yes.

I’m on my way.  

She sent him a message. She sat in her room, trying to resist the temptation to write to him, to contact him. She opened one, two bottles of wine and downed them. She wanted to live the feeling of being in love; that which makes the world go round. She wanted to love him; his freedom, his pride, this glorious, threatening man she orbited round as though warming up to a dare. She wanted to contaminate herself with the freedom he accorded, knew she was of a similar spirit, yet she fell short, guilt like a nail pushing up through her shoe.

Her attention kept being drawn to the place her thighs met. She couldn’t breathe. Squeezed her hand to that troublesome place. Felt it throb. Brought her fingers to her nose...sighed.

She fucked her mattress every night she found herself alone. Fucked the walls, the door edge, the table corner, the chair. Anything that was hard enough. Or near enough.
 
 
 
Her books are available at:
Smashwords, WHSmith, Waterstones, Barnes & Nobel, The Book Depository, Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon France, Amazon Germany 


Thursday, April 10, 2014

#Ilona's Wolf from Lindi Lamont-Eggcerpt Exchange

Cover of Ilona's Wolf
Ilona's Wolf: A Fairy Tale Romance

Steamy Fantasy Romance Novella

Blurb:

Imagine a world filled with magic, a tormented knight, a damsel in distress, an evil sorcerer...

While picking herbs in the woods, Princess Ilona is rescued from a woodsman by a wolf. When the creature licks her wounds, it is suddenly transformed into a man. A very handsome, very naked man who makes passionate love to her in a glade. She has dreamed of a handsome knight to aid her cause, but a werewolf?

Cursed by an evil wizard, Rolf was trapped in wolf form until he tasted the blood of a royal. Now he must escort the princess on a hazardous journey back to the castle to stop an ill-fated wedding and face the evil wizard who placed the evil curse on Rolf.

Excerpt:

She sat frozen, her back to the tree. Oh, gods, don't let it see me. She tried to cast an invisibility spell, but to no avail. The wolf looked at her, golden eyes gleaming, mouth open, showing off large, sharp teeth. She closed her eyes and gripped her throat with both hands. Quaking with terror, she listened as the animal padded toward her. She felt its hot breath on her cheek.

Opening her eyes a slit, she stared into the face of the wolf. Sad eyes stared at her, and her fears receded. Perhaps he'd been tamed. She reached out with what was left of her powers, but sensed no immediate danger. "Good wolf," she stammered.

She held out one shaking fist, and the wolf sniffed it before licking her knuckles. It moved closer, sniffing her clothing. To her surprise, the animal hunkered down beside her and laid its head on her leg. Carefully, she touched it, stroking the soft fur.

Relief flooded through her. Saved by a wolf, of all creatures. "Thank the gods you showed up when you did. I'd no wish to be ravished by the likes of him."

The wolf lifted its head and seemed to smile up at her, mouth open, tongue lolling.

She smiled at the canine as she continued to pet it. "Grateful I am for you rescuing me, but 'tis not exactly what a girl dreams of. Where's my knight on a white steed? 'Tis he who is supposed to do the rescuing."

When the wolf lowered his head, sniffing between her legs, she laughed and pushed it away. "Rude creature."

The animal responded by sitting up and resting its head on her breast. She put both arms around it and hugged it close, dropping a kiss on its head. "Do not misunderstand, Sir Wolf, but I still wish you were a knight. A strong, handsome knight like my Werner."

The familiar sadness filled her at the memory of her husband. "I miss him so much, you know. Dagmar says another knight will come for me, a handsome knight to protect us and make sweet, passionate love to me."

The wolf whined and raised his head to lick her cheek. Laughing, she tried to push him away, but he licked her full on the mouth. She closed her eyes, stunned when her powers came rushing back, like a flood of magic coursing around her.

Turning aside, she summoned her basket to her side. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the wolf jump up, staring at the basket. Her vision seemed to blur as the wolf's face slowly became humanlike, then shifted back. She must have hit her head harder than she'd thought if she was seeing things. She closed her eyes and shook her head, but the aching had receded.

When she peeked again, the wolf was gone, and a naked man crouched in front of her. A handsome, well-built man with shaggy brown hair and golden brown eyes.

Ilona's Wolf is available from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, iBooks and https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/369097 Smashwords.

Find Lyndi online at:

Website: http://www.lyndilamont.com
Blog: http://www.lyndilamont.com/blog
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LyndiLamont
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LyndiLamont

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

The Knightrs Druid-#BHooks

MFRW Authors Blog

Time once again my friends to offer you a little hook from my second book in the Knights of Excalibur trilogy. Here is a little blurb on The Knights Druid.

 
Arthur and his Knights are back and ready to kick ass!

 
What’s worse than a pissed off Knight? Colin Hennessy.

A war is brewing which suits Colin just fine. Shape shifter, Knight and quick tempered Irishman is a volatile combination. Colin remembers vividly his past life as Sir Kay and with it all that he loved and lost.

Juliet Boyd moves among societies rich and pampered, but she holds within her a terrible secret. One Vance Hollister is determined to exploit. Mordred is back in a new skin. Evil has a new name and Vance Hollister plans on bringing the war onto a new battlefield.

Colin and Juliet are unprepared for the flare of attraction that ignites between them from across a moonlit parking lot. Dare she open herself and expose her cursed gift? Can he save Juliet from Vance’s twisted manipulations? Or will he lose his second chance at love? A showdown between good and evil is coming to a head with Juliet and Colin right in the middle.

Here is a taste of the first face to face encounter between Arthur and Mordred aka Vance. 

HOOK
 
Vance barked out a humorous laugh. “Sorry to be such a disappointment to you, father.”
“I am not your father anymore. You would do well to remember that,” Arthur warned.
Vance’s eyes nearly glittered with malice. “I wonder what mother would have to say about this little reunion.”
“Morgan Le Fey is dead, Viviane effectively bound her so she would not reincarnate, ever.”
Vance shrugged, “Never say never. It has a way of biting you in the ass.”
 
Available at:
 

 

Monday, April 7, 2014

Pick Me Up Monday - The Good and The Awesome!

Happy Monday!
Yeah, I know, not so loud. Monday's should be walked through very carefully since they set the tone for your whole week, thus this pic came to mind.
So what's the good and awesome? Well, the good is I'm back hard at work on Firestorm the second book in my newest series which will come out this summer. I can't tell you how excited I am about this series which jumps through all different periods in history. The history nerd in me is jumping up and down with happiness. Then when you mix it with my second biggest love, paranormal romance, let me just say my muse is humming a very happy tune.
 
Now for the awesome. I've been asked to teach a workshop at the Orange County Romance Writers of America this Saturday. I am getting to share my world building with other writers who share the same passion for writing as I. I'm a California girl who used to live in Orange County and with my Hot Mojave Knight committee members in tow I get to show them some of the sights I grew up with. So, after we are through for the day we will be heading to Santa Monica Pier and hope to have time to take them to Hollywood Blvd.
 
 
Due to the California trip taking all weekend, next Monday's blog may come later in the week. And on that note I'll bid you all a great week and will talk to you all later.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Dark Desire Book 4-Dark Breed Enforcers #SPeekSunday



Happy Sunday and welcome to another installment of Dark Desire. After seven months of searching Zeke finally finds Laris, his wife who's parting gift to him was a dagger in the chest. He has only one thing in mind, revenge. But all things are not what you expect them to be. Not even close.
 
BLURB:
 
A destiny he can no longer deny
Being heir to the throne of Atlantis is not all it’s cracked up to be. Especially if you live under a world altering prophecy he is powerless to prevent. Ze’Kerhia is simply known as Zeke, the computer wizard and fighter for the branch of Enforcers lead by Marcus Valerian. He must now return to a life he walked away from in order to save a friend. Forced into a marriage to a woman he never met. Worse, she is Lemurian, a long standing enemy of Atlantis for thousands of years.
A brutal betrayal                            
One look at Laris Raail and Zeke knows he’s in trouble. He is captivated by her stunning dark beauty and grace, but more, he senses an intelligent and caring woman beneath which stirs his blood like no other could. With hopes high for the future he is unprepared to find a Lemurian dagger buried deep in his heart by the hand of his new bride, Laris.
A deadly plot revealed
Acting on a tip, Zeke finds Laris after seven long months of searching. Revenge his only motive. He is unprepared when he finds Laris with no memory of her past or even her name. It doesn’t take much time before Zeke realizes they are being hunted. Caught in a plot so treacherous, the dark breeds and humans alike may be unable to prevent the war it would spark. It’s up to the two of them to try and prevent more bloodshed and reveal the traitor in their midst.
Can they survive long enough to prevent the slaughter of innocent lives? Or will they too, perish before revealing who is behind a plot to enslave the world.

Sneak Peek
 
“What are you?” She managed to get out, shocked by the sight.

“Don’t play me Laris, it won’t stop the inevitable.” Zeke gritted out.

Confusion and fear clamored through her as she stared at the strange, angry man. Was he a man? “My name is Lori.” She argued, amazed to find her voice calm and steady. So far removed from the terror filling her, making her heart beat erratically, worse, her words seemed to enrage him further.

“Well, Lori is it? I know…intimately, your real name is Laris. What, surprised to find me still breathing?” He let out a harsh bark of laughter, which chilled her. “You have lousy aim, wife. You only nicked my heart.” He spit the word at her. “When you attempt to kill someone, you really need to be sure the body isn’t breathing.”

She shook her head in confusion. The man had her mixed up with another. No way could she ever take another life, could she? “Please let me go, I’m not who you think, I would never do anything like that. I’m just a stripper.”

His fingers bit into her upper arms causing her to wince in pain, his voice harsh in her ears. “You’re quite the little actress. Sorry, but your still going to pay and I promise you I will enjoy every moment of your pain.”
 
Be sure to check out all the great peeks. Just click here and you will be directed back to the main page.
Enjoy!

Friday, April 4, 2014

#Happy Birthday Baby by Tory Richards-Eggcerpt Exchange


Happy Birthday Baby!
My Novella Featured in the Eggcerpt Exchange






What better way to spend your fiftieth birthday than with the hot male stripper you’ve been coveting for months! Proving you can have fun at any age, Happy Birthday Baby! from author Tory Richards is a celebration of life you won’t soon forget.


Available for pre-order!



Excerpt - “Lana, wait.” I heard Joe’s voice and picked up my step, which was hard to do on gravel while wearing heels. He caught up with me in no time, gently taking hold of my arm and drawing me to a halt. “Are you okay?”

I knew we were looking at each other, but it was too dark to see his expression. “Yes. I just need some light to call a cab.”

“You’ve changed your mind about coming home with me?”

“I’m sure you can find a replacement,” I said, thinking about the waitress inside.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he asked angrily. “What did that jerk tell you?”

“Enough to know you won’t be lonely. I only hope my friends didn’t pay you too much to sleep with me.” The hand on my arm tightened, revealing either I’d hit a nerve, or he was growing angrier. “I’m okay with it, Joe, really. I should have known a man like you would have to be paid for a little, ah, extra special attention.”

“A man like me?” His tone was low and gravelly, and I didn’t need any light to know he was clenching his teeth. “Well, let’s go then. I want to make sure I give you their money’s worth.”

Surprisingly, I wasn’t frightened of Joe. He brought out other emotions in me. So when he began pulling me behind him I didn’t protest. He was just too damned sexy, and arousal still hummed through my body. I knew that with his talents he’d have me eating out of his hand in seconds. He was a tall man, his steps much wider than mine, and it was inevitable that I’d stumble. When I did, he caught me, and pulled me up into his arms without breaking stride.

“This isn’t necessary.” A thrill shot through me in spite of my mild protest. I couldn’t recall the last time a man carried me.

He just grunted. When we reached his car, he dropped me to my feet at the passenger’s side door. I barely had time to notice it was a Corvette before he crushed me against the door and kissed me roughly. Caught totally by surprise, at first, I stiffened, but within seconds, I melted against him like ice cream on a hot sidewalk. Oh my God, the man knew how to kiss! When he reined in his aggressive attack, his mouth turned soft and coaxing, dragging me into a realm of endless erotic possibilities.

Available Liquid Silver Books
http://www.lsbooks.com/pre-order-coming-soon-romance-books-c322.php

More information about Tory Richards
http://www.toryrichards.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ToryRichards
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/authortoryrichards