Monthly Archives: December 2013

Waiting For Magic by Susan Squires-Review, Guest Post and Giveaway

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Waiting For Magic by Susan Squires-Review, Guest Post and Giveaway

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Waiting For Magic
Children of Merlin #3
by Susan Squires
Genre: adult, paranormal, contemporary, romance
Release Date: October 25, 2013

Waiting For Magic

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 25, 2013

Keelan is the middle sister of the large and successful Tremaine family who are descended from Merlin of Camelot. His magic lives in their DNA, but only comes alive when each meets a destined lover who shares the gene. Keelan has watched two of her siblings find true love and magic powers they can use to help the family in their fight for survival against the Clan, whose magic comes from Morgan Le Fay. Just Kee’s luck she’s fallen in love with someone who doesn’t have the Merlin gene. Now she’ll never get magic. She’s afraid to tell her even her best friend, Devin, that she’s about to give up on her destiny. They’ve lived like twins since Devin was adopted by the Tremaines when he was nine. Now their paths are diverging, painfully.

Devin has his own problems. He harbors a secret that is driving him to leave the family for good. He’s never felt he belonged anyway. To repay them for their kindness he vows to acquire one of the three lost Talismans. It can protect the Tremaine family from the Clan, descendants of Morgan Le Fay. And only Kee can keep him from making the ultimate sacrifice.

••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: WAITING FOR MAGIC is the third full-length novel in Susan Squires’ adult, contemporary Children of Merlin paranormal romance series focusing on the Tremaine family who believe they are the descendants of Merlin. Each descendant will come into their power and magic, when they meet the one person that will unlock their destiny. This is Keelan Tremaine and Devin McDonald-Tremaine’s story.

The storyline premise begins four years after He’s A Magic Man-book 2. The Tremaine family has been pulled into a magical war between the descendants of Merlin and, the descendants of Morgan Le Fay and the Clan. Morgan is on the hunt for the remaining three of four powerful and magical Talismans and the Tremaine family is standing in her way. In this particular instalment, Devin (Dev) Tremaine-the adopted son of Brina and Brian Tremaine will come into his power and the source of his transition is a forbidden love with a woman he has called his sister since he was nine years old.

Keelan (Kee) and Devin have been best buds since the day the Tremaine’s brought him home but Dev’s desire for Kee has been growing in the ensuing years and the wrongness of his desire eats away at his heart and soul. Now that they are both twenty three years old, Dev’s desire and love for Kee feels forbidden and incestuous and both have continued to deny their growing power and love for one another.

Susan Squires pulls the reader into a storyline of forbidden love, heartbreaking abuse and bitter revenge. Morgan Le Fay is a woman who wants nothing more than to bring down the Tremaine family and to ensure their demise, Morgan is willing to destroy anyone and everything that gets in her way including those closely connected to the Tremaines. When the discovery of another Talisman leads the Clan and the Tremaine family to a haunted castle, it will be Devin who sacrifices himself in the search for a powerful weapon in the war against Morgan and her minions. Devin has always felt that he has never belonged and placing himself in the direct line of conflict will pull the family into a heartbreaking situation where one of their own is battered and abused.

WAITING FOR MAGIC is an emotional storyline that will break your heart. It is darker and more dangerous than the previous stories; it is passionate and revealing; and the premise straddles the line between moral values and forbidden love where falling in love with your adopted sibling may be ethically wrong-but falling in love with the person who brings out the magic of both your heart and soul is anything but….

Susan Squires does an amazing job writing about a subject that may be considered taboo but one that has been addressed in a number of storylines in recent years. There is always a fine line between right and wrong but sometimes the line drawn is filled with too many holes and not enough defenses. Dev and Kee’s story is a story about two people made for one another and if the powers that be have declared that ‘she is the one’ than who are we to argue with the powers in control.

Reading Order
1. Do You Believe in Magic  (April 2012)
2. He’s A Magic Man      (September 2012)
3. Your Magic Touch (prequel novella) March 2013
4. Waiting for Magic  (October 2013)

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy

Guest Post

 

Setting Your Book in Your Home Town

Everyone says, write what you know, and what do you know better than where you live? But I’ve always set my books in exotic locales. It’s fun to pretend you’re there. Dark Age Anglia, Regency England, Morocco, Nineteenth Century Italy, Caligula’s Rome, the French Revolution. I loved researching all those different places and times, and it was a great excuse for some travel. My husband and I have stood on the only sixteen acres that Alfred the Great controlled during the time of the Danes and looked down into the Coliseum on a hot day when you could practically hear the gladiators shouting.

So why on earth did I choose to set my new series, The Children of Merlin, in the Southern California beach towns near Los Angeles where I live? I wanted this family with Merlin’s magic in their DNA to live in a very real world. So the Tremaine family estate, The Breakers is on a bluff over looking the Pacific and Catalina Island on the Palos Verdes peninsula. I used to keep my horse there and drive that coastal road almost every day.

Children of Merlin

The first book, Do You Believe in Magic? takes place in Nevada as well as Los Angeles. He’s a Magic Man is set in the Florida Keys, the Caribbean and Chicago along with Tremaine Central. But by the book out now, Waiting for Magic, we’re in the L.A. area exclusively.

However, there’s a trap for a writer setting a book where she lives. Your setting for a novel can only be so real. The book sometimes just demands places that don’t exist. In my books, the Breakers sits on a huge bluff over looking the ocean, cut off from neighbors. If a piece of land like that existed, it would have been subdivided long ago! I used the Magic Castle in Hollywood as inspiration for the mysterious Magnus Pendragon’s estate. But I put it in an isolated canyon in the Hollywood Hills instead of on Franklin Avenue with six lanes of traffic right beyond the lawn. I shamelessly relocated a real landmark, an elevator tower that is the only way to access houses at the top of a ravine too. You can see pictures of some of these locations on my website. Susan’s Website

For those of you who live in the L.A. area, forgive me. And don’t go looking for the Breakers. You can, however, enjoy an evening at the Magic Castle, if you have an invitation. It’s much more entertaining and less menacing than the ominous Pendragon estate. 

About the Author

Follow: Goodreads / Website/ Facebook/ Blog

Susan SquiresSince beginning her career in 2000 with Danegeld, which won a Golden Heart for best unpublished manuscript from Romance Writers of America, Susan has published seventeen novels and three novellas in collections with Dorchester Publishing and St. Martin’s Press, as well as self-publishing three books and a novella in The Children of Merlin Series. She’s been a finalist in the Rita contest for Best Romance Novel and garnered several Reviewer’s Choice awards from Romantic Times BookReviews. Publisher’s Weekly named Body Electric one of the ten most influential mass-market books of 2003 and One with the Shadows a Best Book of Year. Her work has appeared on the New York Times and USA Today Best Sellers lists. She’s known for breaking the rules of romance writing, and whatever her subject, historical period, or theme, her work always contains some element of the paranormal.

Giveaway

Susan is offering a copy of any book in the series to one lucky reader. US/Canada (paper or ebook):  International (ebook only)

1. If you have not registered, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Giveaway is open: US/CANADA choice of paper book or ebook: INTERNATIONAL e-book only

4. Giveaway runs from December 12 to December 16, 2013

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Flamebound by Tessa Adams – a Review

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Flamebound by Tessa Adams – a Review

FlameboundLinks to order Flameblound: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository

Description:
After Xandra’s nasty run in with the Arcadian Council of Witches—where she was almost killed and her boyfriend, Declan, was almost framed for it—her plan is to lay low and figure out why its members would torment the people they are supposed to protect. Declan, temperamental and protective warlock that he is, doesn’t feel so reticent. And when violence erupts again, there’s no stopping him from pursuing revenge…

When a council member is murdered in a fashion that screams dark magic, Declan claims someone else beat him to it. Xandra doesn’t want to believe he could commit such a brutal act, but she knows he has a dark side—one that his former love interest Tsura understands better than she ever will. With Tsura back in town, Xandra doesn’t know whom to trust. And a killer targeting witches and wizards is still at large

 

Review:

Flamebound by Tessa Adams is the 2nd book in her Lone Star Witch series.  We met our heroine, Xandra Morgan, in the first book, Soulbound.  Xandra is the 7th daughter of a 7th daughter, and though she was powerless for years, and gave up any hope, she discovers that she does have some unique powers.  However, these powers are not what Xandra really wanted, as she sees and feels visions of terrible deaths that call her for help or to find the body.   In Flamebound, Xandra’s powers become much more, and with our hero, Declan’s help, they work on helping her control those powers. 

The crux of this story, besides Xandra trying to maintain control of her powers (she now can shoot flames); is her romance with Declan, which has grown magnificently, especially now that they are soulbound.  They have become such an awesome couple, and a very sexy one.  I loved Declan in this book, as he devotes himself to protect Xandra, not to mention show her his feelings.  I mean their sexual chemistry was off the wall.  I loved them together.  Also, the main storyline is a series of murders against the evil Council of Witches that tried to kill Xandra in Soulbound. Xandra worries that Declan is behind the killings in revenge against council members who hurt her. 

What follows is an exciting story, filled with non stop action, excitement and suspense.  A major part is Xandra’s physic connection to a kidnapped girl, as they desperately try to find her. Tessa Adams does a fantastic job of putting the complex pieces together, as there were a number of twists and surprises.  Will Xandra and Declan be able to find the young girl?  Who is behind the murders of the council members, and why?  Will Xandra survive her growing extraordinary powers?

Another wonderful thing about this series is that Adams has created a great group of secondary characters, including Xandra’s best friend Lily; Detective Nate, and her large royal family of witches.  The ending was very exciting, and a total surprise.  This is a great series, with a kick ass heroine, and an awesome powerful and sexy hero.  I intend to continue reading this series, as long as Tessa Adams writes them. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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Wild Justice by Kelley Armstrong – a Review

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Wild Justice by Kelley Armstrong – a Review

 

Wild JusticeLinks or order Wild Justice: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository


Description:
Protect the innocent. If there is any one principle that drives hit man Nadia Stafford, it’s this. In her own mind, when she was thirteen, she failed to protect her older cousin Amy from being murdered. Now she fails again, disastrously, when she botches a hit. To help her find her equilibrium, her mentor, Jack, brings her a gift: the location and new identity of the predator who killed her cousin and disappeared after the case against him failed.

Vengeance, justice? With the predator in her sights, nothing seems more right, more straightforward, more easy. But finding justice is never as simple as it seems

 

Review:
Wild Justice is the 3rd and final book in Kelley Armstrong’s Nadia Stafford series.  I am a big fan of Kelley, as I loved her Woman of the Otherworld series.  Nadia Stafford is a totally different genre, but I have loved this series also, and have waited patiently for this final piece.  Kelley does not disappoint, as Wild Justice was perfectly done. 

Nadia Stafford is our heroine, a former cop, who has two jobs. As Nadia, she is a lodge owner; and on occasion in secrecy, she is Dee, a hitwoman.  From the start, we had learned that Nadia performs these hits on assignments to kill very bad people, such as mob hits, abusers, murderers (who may have gotten away with it).  She uses this well paid income to build up her lodge.  We know from previous books, the three main characters that Nadia will work with, are also hit people.  Jack, Quinn and Evelyn are major characters in this series. 

Wild Justice starts off as Nadia misses an opportunity to eliminate a wife abuser, since she did not want to endanger the other people around.  When she finds out the husband killed the wife a short time later, Nadia becomes distraught and blames herself. It is Jack, who comes to her aid, and gets her to focus on what he has found for her from her dark past.  Nadia, as a 13 year old child, saw her cousin raped and murdered, but the person who did this was acquitted, and disappeared. Jack has found the man of Nadia’s constant nightmares, but by the time they get to him, he is dead.  The bases of the story begins here, with Nadia, Jack, Evelyn and eventually Quinn who will work together to find out who killed Drew Aldrich and why are they trying to kill Nadia.

This becomes a very exciting suspense story, with some surprises and twists.  Nadia’s nightmares bring forth more memories of that awful night years before.   In between, Nadia tries to justify her ending her romance with Quinn; and at the same time act on what has been hidden between her and Jack. Who will Nadia choose?   Will Nadia learn the secrets of her past?  Who is trying to kill Nadia, and why?    

Wild Justice is a fabulous story that ends it all.  This is different type of story, in the world of hit people, who justify what they do to remove miscarriages of justice, and the evil people who get away with commiting awful crimes.  In Wild Justice, Kelley Armstrong saved her best for last.  Thank you, Kelley Armstrong for giving us Nadia Stafford, who was a wonderful smart, savvy, and tough heroine.  Wild Justice was a great series that I will miss.

Reviewed by Barb

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Unclaimed (The Amoveo Legend #5) by Sara Humphreys-Review, Guest Post and Giveaway

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Unclaimed (The Amoveo Legend #5) by Sara Humphreys-Review, Guest Post and Giveaway

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Unclaimed
The Amoveo Legend #5
by Sara Humphreys
Release Date: December 3, 2013
Genre: paranormal, shifters, romance,

Unclaimed

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

UNCLAIMED (The Amoveo Legend #5) by Sara Humphreys

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 3, 2013

Tatiana Winters, from the Timber Wolf clan, is a spirited veterinarian who wants nothing to do with the Amoveo—the ancient race of shape-shifters who live secretly among humans. But when the Amoveo Prince’s horses fall sick, Tatiana reluctantly heads to his ranch to help.

When she meets Dominic Trejada, a handsome warrior from the Tiger Clan, they instantly clash and sparks ignite. But when danger stalks near, they will have to find a way to trust each other if they want to stay alive.(less)

••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: UNCLAIMED is the fifth full length novel (and sixth storyline) in Sara Humphreys adult, contemporary paranormal series-The Amoveo Legend. The Amoveo are an ancient race of telepathic, dream walking animal shape shifters and this is Tatiana and Dominic’s story. With the continuing war between the Purists, the Caedo family and the Amoveo, no shifter is safe from the puritanical minds of those hoping to keep the species pure.

The storyline focuses on an attack against the royal horses in the protected compound of the Amoveo. Already on high alert after several abduction and murders by the Purists and the Caedo family, the Amoveo hope to get answers from hybrid wolf-shifter and veterinarian Tatiana Winters. With Tatiana’s sister already mated to an Amoveo male, it is only a matter of time before Tatiana is claimed by the man who has been walking in her dreams. Dominic is a pure Tiger shifter and his beast has been searching for his mate for a very long time. Amoveo shifters who have not found their mate by the age of thirty, begin to lose their abilities to shift and will eventually walk the earth in human form-and Dominic is one year from his thirtieth birthday.

Tatiana knows she is a hybrid female but wants nothing to do with a domineering Amoveo male who by fate and DNA will lay claim to the woman who will save the beast. As the storyline unfolds it becomes clear that Dominic and Tatiana are meant for one another but Tatiana’s human side still remains defiant until the end. And in the end, everyone will be placed in danger when it is discovered that one of their own may be responsible for the attacks against the horses and threats against the Amoveo and their mates.

The relationship between Tatiana and Dominic is one that is tempered by Tatiana’s reluctance to admit she is Dominic’s mate. As an independent, talented and educated female Tatiana wants nothing to do with a controlling mate and especially not one who is Amoveo and pure alpha male. But once their relationship moves into the final phase, the sexual attraction and heat is evident and it will take all of Tatiana’s will not to succumb to the powers of her intended mate. Hoping to walk away without a backwards glance, Tatiana will discover that she has lost her heart to a man who is willing to die to protect the woman he loves.

Sara Humphreys continues Steven’s story and one that will break your heart when you realize that perhaps it was never meant to be. But fate can be a cruel SOB and Steven will know heartache and pain once again when the reality of his situation will come crashing into the compound in the form of a betrayer and someone with connections to the Purists.

UNCLAIMED is a storyline where the Amoveo males know that there is someone that calls to the beast; a female that completes his life; and a mate that will save his soul. Each instalment finds a different male hoping to find the one only to discover that the ‘one’ isn’t ready to go willingly or peacefully into his life. There will always be a struggle when the male exerts his dominance over his mate but in the end it will be his fated female that has control over the Amoveo heart of her mate. Sara Humphreys writes a fascinating series that will pull you in every time.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

Guest Post black and purple

Evolution of a Romance Hero by Sara Humphreys

There’s one quality that all of my romance heros must have–they have got to evolve. I don’t want to use the word change becuase we all know that it’s a disaster to try and change someone but I do want my heros to evolve.

What’s the difference?

To me, change implies a total overhaul and that a character becomes fundamentally different. For example, a carnivore suddenly changes to an avid herbivore. Can you imagine a T-Rex that one day decides berries taste way better than the carcass he was noshing on the day before? Crazy isn’t it?

Well, to me, that’s change.

Evolution, on the other hand, means that there are certain inherent qualities within someone and it just takes certain influences to bring these characteristics to the forefront.

In UNCLAIMED, Dominic, a pureblood Amoveo Tiger Clan shifter, is unwaveringly bound to his position as Guardian of the Amoveo royal family ranch. He is blind to most anything other than his job and that is his sole focus. Deep beneath that grouchy, short-tempered, scar-faced surface is a sensitive soul but the weight of his responsibilities keeps his sensitivity buried deep. He often equated sensitivity with weakness and a Guardian can be anything but weak.

However, when he meets Tatiana, the half-Amoveo wolf shifter, that tough exterior begins to crack.

It starts with the need to protect her, the same way he protects the others on the ranch but it doesn’t stop there. Dominic expands his world as he begins to put Tatiana, and her needs, ahead of his own. His evolution takes him outside of himself and his duties. His love for Tatiana and his desire to see her happy, outweighs his need to be the best Guardian. Yes, he still protects his people and takes his position seriously, but his life is no longer only about what he wants.

I love watching characters, heros in particular, learn to see the world through someone else’s eyes. I think it’s looking at life via that new perpsective that allows people–fictional and real alike– to evolve.

Dream on….

Sara ~~

About the Author

FOLLOW Sara: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Sara Humphreys

 

Sara has been a lover of both the paranormal and romance novels for years. Her sci-fi/fantasy/romance obsession began years ago with the TV Series STAR TREK and an enormous crush on Captain Kirk. That sci-fi obsession soon evolved into the love of all types of fantasy/paranormal; vampires, ghosts, werewolves, and of course shape shifters.

Sara is married to her college sweetheart, Will. They live in New York with their 4 boys and 2 insanely loud dogs. Life is busy but never dull.

Giveaway-Purple:Black

Sara and Sourcebooks are offering a paper back copy of UNCLAIMED to one lucky reader at The Reading Cafe

1. If you have not registered, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3.  Comment and tell us to enter you into the giveaway

4. Giveaway is open to US and CANADA only.

5. Giveaway runs from December 11 to December 14, 2013

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Tinsel My Heart by Christi Barth

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Tinsel My Heart by Christi Barth

Tinsel My HeartLinks to order Tinsel My Heart: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

 

Description:
Becca Huntley’s produced the Lyndale Park Players’ over-the-top Christmas show for ten years. It’s a beloved Minneapolis tradition, and the theater’s main fundraiser. But this year’s production is in danger of being canceled when their director disappears into rehab. Good thing his directing partner steps in to save the day. Except for the minor fact that he hates everything about Christmas.

Jack Whittaker wiped this town off his shoe with his graduation tassel and never looked back. But duty compels him to fulfill Tyler’s promise to direct the show. Even though it means working with Becca, the girl he always wanted, lost to Ty, but never forgot.

It’ll take more than a few handfuls of tinsel to soften Jack’s heart toward Becca’s favorite holiday. Steamy kisses that melt the snow right off his boots are a step in the right direction. They’ll both discover that Christmas is about making each other’s dreams come true. But will it require sacrificing their chance at a happily-ever-after together?

 

Review:

Tinsel My Heart by Christi Barth is a sweet Christmas romance novella.  I love Barth’s Aisle Bound series, and decided to read this book, which is part of an anthology by Carina Press, All I’m Asking For: A Contemporary Christmas Anthology.  Knowing that I will enjoy this fast read, as Barth always does a great job creating wonderful couples, and a fun story.  Tinsel My Heart continues that thread.

The backdrop of this story takes place in a small town in Minnesota, where the residents are planning their annual Christmas play.  It starts off when they find out the director, who usually handles this annual event, is in rehab and cannot come.  Despite their concerns that they do not have the funds to hire another director, things do work out, as another famous director has promised to fill his friend’s shoes as a favor. 

Becca is our heroine, who is also the producer of the play.  She knows both directors, and was pleasantly surprised to see Jack Whittaker, who will fill Ty’s shoes and direct the play.  Becca, Ty and Jack were childhood friends, with Ty and Jack becoming famous directors, and partners.  Our hero, Jack, has always had a thing for Becca, but backed away in deference to Ty.  But Becca and Ty remained only friends, which Jack thought was more.  What Jack didn’t know was that Becca always had a thing for him too.

What follows is a sweet story about Jack taking over preparing the cast and crew of the play in time for Christmas, as well as Jack realizing how much he still cares about Becca, despite the years passed.  Becca treats Jack like a long lost friend, not able to truly open her heart, since she is afraid to get hurt.  Watching the two of them slowly fall in love was great, as they made a great couple.  Each had their own issues; Jack hating Christmas for many reasons, including his childhood, and trying to move on without Ty.   Becca afraid to move on to further her career as a producer, since she gave everything up after college to take care of her grandmother, who recently died.  Together they face their flaws, and help each other overcome them.  The Christmas backdrop, the play, and a wonderful couple makes this a fast and enjoyable read.  As usual, if you want a romance with a HEA, a fun story, and a great couple; look no further then Christi Barth. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Author

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Crista McHugh – Deception’s Web- Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

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Crista McHugh – Deception’s Web- Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

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Deception’s Web
The Deizian Empire series
 Book #3
 Release Date: December 9, 2013

Deception's WebLinks to order Deception’s Web:
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The BookDepository

Description:
 A soldier looking for redemption falls into the arms of the empire’s Black Widow… Galerius, former Captain of the Legion, is honored to be given a chance to redeem himself by discovering who is behind the failing barrier. A series of anonymous letters all point to Hostilius, governor of Lucrilia, but Galerius thinks he’ll learn more about the plot by seducing the governor’s thrice widowed daughter, Claudia. Although he warns himself not to fall into snare of the empire’s most deadly temptress, one kiss leaves him begging for more. Claudia has spent years as a pawn in her father’s political games and longs to break free of his rule, even it means betraying him to the emperor. When Galerius arrives in Tivola, she’s not sure if he’s there to aid her father or stop him. She willingly submits to his seduction, despite their class differences, in order to find the truth. What she doesn’t expect to find is a man who indulges her secret fantasies, satisfying her in a way none of her previous husbands did, and treats her as something more than a conquest. As time runs out to thwart her father’s plans, she must decide if she can trust Galerius not only with her life, but her heart

Review:

Deception’s Web by Crista McHugh begins with more threats against the Emperor and the Empress and the empire that Titus and Azurha are working ever so hard to bring together.  Someone is trying to sabotage the barrier that protects their planet from the barbarians and they both know that they will need someone that they can entrust such secrets with.  And to add to the secrecy, we discover that Azurha is pregnant and Titus will do anything to keep the love of his life and his unborn child safe.

 

When Galerius is summoned to the palace, he’s not quite sure what to make of it.  After all, he failed the emperor and resigned his post as Captain of the Legion, even though Titus and Azurha protested, he felt he had no other choice.  Once he is brought up to speed regarding the new threat to the empire, he still doesn’t feel that he is the one for the job.  But, once Azurha plays him like a fiddle and gets him riled, he jumps at the chance to redeem himself in their eyes and to himself.  However, when he finds out that he will have to interact with the empire’s notorious Black Widow…………  Gods help him…

 

To say that Claudia has been a pawn in her father’s quests to take over the empire is like saying that Moby Dick was a sardine.  She has bore the brunt of her father’s ire as well as her brother’s.  But, once she realizes that her father is planning something big and strike at the Emperor and seize control of the empire, she knows that she can no longer be his pawn.  And, once she realizes that Galerius is there to stop her father, she sets out to aid him without his knowledge.  The one thing that Claudia didn’t count on was Galerius making her wish for things that she dared not to ever wish for.  Could they place their trust in each other and, just maybe, find happiness together?  Well my friends, you will have to read to find out.

 

Oh my sweet Jesus, where to begin?!  McHugh has once again left me astounded with her storytelling skills.  Everyone knew that Galerius was being too hard on himself when he left the Legion, which made us love him even more.  And, when Titus and Azurha played good cop/bad cop in order to have him help them once again, the pride with which he embarked on this mission made your heart swell.  BUT, how in the world would McHugh make us accept Claudia?  After all, she had made a play for the Emperor and was horrid to Azurha.  Seems Azurha knew there was more to Claudia than met the eye and Crista McHugh did a fabulous job in letting us see even more than what Azurha seemingly already knew.  The absolute disdain that Claudia’s father and brother had for her will make your heart break, but once she knows she can no longer accept her role in her father’s machinations, she holds her head high and does what she has to do to right the atrocious wrongs reaped upon their people by her father.

 

Crista McHugh has once again written an awesome story full of political intrigue and steamy romance.  There is also a wonderful path of self discovery after a life full of self doubt for both Galerius and Claudia.  One that will absolutely leave you wanting more from this wonderful world that McHugh has so effortlessly created.  Very well done Crista McHugh, very, very well done……  Oh, and, by the way, there will be more, right?!?!?!!?  =D

 

Reviewed by Vickie

Copy provided by Author

Deizian Series

 

 

Guest Post-White and Aqua

The Isle of Capri, Tiberius, and Caligula

crista picture 1

When creating my fictional setting of Tivola (in the province of Lucrillia) , I turned to the Isle of Capri for inspiration. In addition to being the home of the beautiful Blue Grotto and other amazing scenery, it was also home to several emperors during their reigns. This was where young Caligula spent his formative years under the care of Emperor Tiberius (who was fond of tossing people he didn’t like off the cliffs). And when I decided to create a power-hungry villain and son, I didn’t have to look much further than that pair.
Crista picture 2

Completed in 27 AD, Villa Jovis was where Emperor Tiberius basically ruled the Roman Empire during the last ten years of his reign. Rumors of sordid behaviors, from the aforementioned executions for entertainment to the orgies that last for days, filtered back to Rome. The people were so appalled by Tiberius’s behavior that they publically rejoiced when his ward, Caligula, smothered him in his sleep. But of course, we all know about Caligula’s reign… If you could set a story in any place, where would it be?

Giveaway
Crista has graciously offered to give one lucky member of The Reading Café a copy of her first two books in her Deizian Empire series, Tangled Web & Poisoned Web.

Deizian Series 2

1.  Please register using the Log-In at the top of the page, or by using one of our social log-ins.

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3.  Giveaway open Internationally

4.  Contests runs from December 10 to December 14, 2013

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Cover Reveal-Lost Hope (Lost #3) by Frankie Rose

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Cover Reveal-Lost Hope (Lost #3) by Frankie Rose

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Lost Hope
Hope #3
by Frankie Rose
Genre: YA, paranormal, romance
Release Date: January 15, 2014

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Add to Goodreads shelf: LOST HOPE

“How Many Miles To Babylon?”

“Threescore and Ten.”

“Can I Get There by Candlelight?”

“Yes, and back again. If your heels be nimble and light, you may get there by candlelight.”

London 1891

Two boys meet in a foggy, darkened alleyway in London. Poised to fight, they recognise a quality in each other that stays their hands: they’re different. Not human. Well, not entirely, anyway. The universe, God, Kismet…something brought them together, forged a bond between them as strong as brothers’, and even they know it has to be for a reason.

London Present Day

Daniel and Kayden are cut from the same cloth. Their lives, their histories are so intertwined and tangled together that the last fifty years they’ve been at each other’s throats have seemed like an eternity. For Kayden, it’s been a punishment. For Daniel, a painful burden.

Now that circumstances have drawn them back to London once more, repairing the bridges they’d once burned to the ground is taking time. Time they don’t have.
Farley Hope is used to things going wrong. Epically wrong. A dead mother; a half-brother who recently went on a killing spree and refuses to come out of his room; a friend whose body has been hijacked by a malevolent, powerful being…

All of that would be bad enough, but considering her brooding boyfriend hasn’t brought up the fact that she agreed to marry him in weeks…her run of bad luck is really starting to take its toll. Things had better start looking up, otherwise her new-found powers are going to be put to use, and there’s no guaranteeing what will be getting blown up.

This is where it all began.

Where chance meetings set an unstoppablechain of events in motion.

How a prophecy came to be realised.

How Lost Hope was found.

Series Spotlight Black and White

Sovereign HopeSovereign Hope
Hope #1
by Frankie Rose
Release Date: July 1, 2012

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/

Everyone has a soul

Some are just worth more than others

Farley Hope was seventeen when her mother disappeared. In the last six months not much has changed, except that her eighteenth birthday came and went and still no sign of Moira. Her life is just as complicated as it always was. Since her father died in a car crash before she was even born, she’s officially parentless, and to top it all off she’s still suffering from the hallucinations. Mind-splitting, vivid hallucinations- the kind prone to induce night terrors and leave you whimpering under your covers like a baby.

The last thing on her mind is boys. Farley is on break from St. Judes’ when she meets Daniel. It’s not some casual run in at a party, or even a blind date with friends, though. Daniel is the guy following her in his 1970′s Dodge Charger; the guy standing at her window in the LA lunch hour traffic, trying to persuade her to leave everything behind and follow him. And he’s hot as all hell.

_________________________

Eternal Hope cover releaseEternal Hope
Hope #2
by Frankie Rose
Release Date: October 12, 2012

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/

He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me

When your friends go missing and you don’t know if they’re dead or alive; when you tie your soul to the one you love; when you kill to protect and your family suffers, there’s only one thing you can do:

Move to Montana.

Farley Hope is special. She was prophesied to kill the forebears of her bloodline- a race of cold-blooded Reavers, men who steal the souls of the living to gain power. The Quorum had counted on Farley ending her own life in the process, but when Kayden came to her aid and helped save both her and Daniel, he undid their plans. Now the Quorum are displeased, not only with Kayden, but with Farley and Daniel too. Though her father is now dead, Farley’s troubles with the Reavers are far from over. An ancient Immortal, trapped for a thousand years, wants Farley for himself, and he will stop at nothing to claim her.

With secrets that lead to anger and pain, that turn friendship to dust, the group must overcome the problems within their own circle before they have a hope of fighting off the powers that threaten their lives.

About The Author Black and White

Frankie Rose

 

Frankie Rose was born in the United Kingdom, but now lives with her husband in sunny Australia.
She officially makes things up for a living, and when she’s not doing that, she is generally making paper birds out of receipts and old lists or taking photographs that make her smile.

FOLLOW: Goodreads / Website / Twitter /

 

 

Love Between the Sheets

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Holiday Magic (Second Chance #1) by Susanne Matthews-a review

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Holiday Magic (Second Chance #1) by Susanne Matthews-a review

Holiday Magic

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 28, 2013

How would you react if you found your fiancé in bed with one of your bridesmaids?

Weeks before their Christmas Eve wedding, Georgia Baxter canceled everything and fled to New York, immersing herself in her jewelry design business. Three years later, unable to move on, she agrees to come home to help Eleni. What her twin fails to mention is that Georgia’s help will include working with the man who broke her heart.

Mark Anderson would do anything to undo the night of his bachelor party when he unwittingly destroyed his future with the woman he still loves. When he learns that Georgia is returning to manage Holiday Magic for the winter months, he is excited. This may be his chance to convince her that it was all a big mistake.

Will there be enough magic in the air this season to give their love a second chance?

•••••••••••••••••••••

Susanne Matthews has done it again, and just in time for Christmas!!

Ms. Matthews has creatively sculpted a wonderful story of star-crossed lovers that truly belong together but were pulled apart by jealous and devious friends. Fortunately, they were pulled back together by a loving sister and fate.

Georgia Baxter and Mark Anderson were engaged, three weeks before the wedding an awful prank or perhaps worse, a jealous plan; pulled them apart. Three years later, Eleni Baxter, Georgia’s sister (and Mark’s business partner) prevailed upon Georgia to return home to help her with her business while she began a very lucrative new contract.

To do this, Georgia would have to work with Mark a bit. Only for her sister would she do this…or so she told herself. While home, both she and Mark began to find answers to what happened three years ago that really caused the breakup. Old jokes, or plots come to the surface and love, still in both hearts, blooms anew.

That’s the set-up, and I won’t spoil this wonderful story by giving out all the juicy details. Let’s just say I found it heart poundingly romantic. Oh to find your one true love and have it go bad….oops…almost spilling more beans! LOL! It’s a wonderfully engaging story that you’ll love to curl up around with a glass of wine or eggnog. It’s just the HEA you’re looking for at this time of year! Enjoy it, I certainly did!

Copy supplied by the author

Reviewed by Georgianna S.

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