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Marie Harte – The Troublemaker Next Door – Interview & Review

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Marie Harte – The Troublemaker Next Door – Interview & Review

The Troublemaker Next Door
 McCauley Brothers series – Book #1
by Marie Harte
Release Date: June 3, 2014
The Troublemaker Next DoorAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository

Description:
Flynn McCauley never thought he’d be so cliché as to fall for the girl next door. But when Maddie calls him over to help fix her faulty sink, he’s a goner. Too bad the fiercely independent interior designer wants nothing to do with him. Even worse, he’s forced to rely on the advice of his nosy brothers—and his five-year-old nephew!—to figure out how to make her give him a shot.


Review:
The Troublemaker Next Door by Marie Harte is the first book in her new McCauley Brothers series. I have not read Harte before, but having discovered this was a romance with a family/brothers theme, which I have been enjoying lately, I couldn’t wait to read this book.

We meet our hero Flynn McCauley almost immediately, when he realizes his mother has rented the house next door to three women. It doesn’t take long for our womanizing Flynn to offer to help fix their sink, as he is a plumber and wants to meet these ladies. Just when he is finished, he hears one of the woman who just came home shouting, and he goes to find out what is wrong.

Maddie is a very angry young woman, as she describes to her friend Abby, how her boss tried to get her to have sex with him. Beside herself, and unable to control her temper, she eyes the handsome sexy Flynn and curses him out as a typical man. It was a funny scene, but it doesn’t take long for things to change. When she goes the next day to apologize to Flynn, she meets some of the other hot brothers, but it is Flynn who immediately rises her lust level just by looking at him waking up from and drunken hangover in his briefs.

Flynn and Maddie hit it off pretty quickly, and soon they hit the sheets and everything else around them. Both do not want commitment, and consider themselves casual friends, or is it sex buddies. Besides the sex scenes, and there were a lot, this was an interesting story, with an excellent cast of characters. Maddie’s roommates, her cousin and friend; and Flynn’s wonderful family.

Maddie having quit her job, decides to try to make it on her own, in an interior design business. She has her own issues of hiding her own insecurities, and being able to have a successful career. As her relationship deepens with Flynn, it is these issues that could put damper on any possible future, despite her friends trying to help her. Will Flynn and Maddie get past their no-commitment issues, or just remain sex buddies?

I enjoyed the friendship, the fun and snarky comments between the girls. I also loved the closeness of the brothers. This is an erotic storyline and thusly there is plenty of sex and may not be suitable to all readers.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher


Interview-Black and Deep Rose

TRC: Hi Marie and welcome to The Reading Café. We would like to start with some background information.

Marie Harte
TRC: Please tell us something about yourself?

Marie: Hmm. Well, I’m a night owl and caffeine addict. I have two awesome, energetic boys, live in beautiful Central Oregon, and writing is my passion. I’ve been a U.S. Marine, worked in IT, managed truck drivers for a transport company (oh, the stories!), and am now working at what I love—fulltime writing.

 

 

TRC: Have you always been interested in writing?

Marie: Always. As a kid, I’d write stories for fun. First on index cards, then notepads, then on a 5” floppy disk. Ha. In college I earned a BA in English, always with the dream of writing for a living.

TRC: Is there anything (in general) you find particularly challenging about writing?

Marie: The discipline it takes to sit down and do it every day, especially when the weather is beautiful. (My desk is right in front of windows.) Sometimes I don’t feel like writing, but I make myself sit down and do it.

TRC: Can you please tell us the premise of your new series, McCauley Brothers?

Marie: I LOVE my McCauleys! These books are a steamy new contemporary series featuring the tight-knit rough-and-ready McCauley brothers. The guys are down to earth—two are plumbers, one’s in finances, and the oldest works construction. But they sure do know how to treat their women, in bed and out.

The Troublemaker Next DoorTRC: The Troublemaker Next Door is the first book in this series. Can you please give us a brief description of this story?

Marie: Sure! When Flynn McCauley meets Maddie Gardner, sparks fly. She hates men. He’s not into relationships. She lost her job. He fixed her sink—but that’s not all he wants to fix. When a ride home turns into a lot more, Maddie and Flynn decide to keep things strictly casual. Strictly sexual. They won’t date. And they end up not dating…a lot. But soon Flynn wants more from the wary redhead. If he can just keep her distracted long enough to burrow under her skin, Flynn might convince Maddie they have a shot at real happiness. That’s if Maddie can overcome her past to take a chance on the future.

TRC: You write various genres, such as Romance, Erotic Romance, Military, & Paranormal. Do you have a preference? Do you find it difficult to switch between these genres, when writing your stories?

Marie: Because I write a lot, I need to vary what I write so I don’t get bored or stuck. I enjoy my romance on the spicy side, but I’m very open to all genres. I particularly like paranormal stories because I’m a control freak. *grin* I like making up my own rules and setting boundaries for my characters. I find it difficult to break up a series though. Writing them all in a row helps with consistency. But if the series is particularly long (my McCauley are 4 books—short, my Cougar Falls are 8 books and counting—not so short) it helps to take a break. I prefer going from genre to genre rather than say, contemporary series to contemporary series. I’m fresher when I switch it up.

TRC: Though it is more open in this day and age, some authors use pen names when writing Erotic novels. Do you ever receive negative feedback?

Marie: I decided to use a pen name from the beginning, because one, it seemed pretty cool, and two, I was writing professionally while living in the South, the Bible Belt. Not huge fans of erotic romance, let me tell you. I had negative feedback from woman I thought was a friend. Needless to say, she’s a friend no longer. But surprisingly, most people where I live now are very accepting.

TRC: What are you working on now?

Marie: I’m currently finishing up a paranormal novella called Jackal’s Measure, as part of a multi-author anthology called Dark Fates. It was a fun change-up from my year of contemporary romance, dealing with mythology, and in particular, Egyptian mythology. In Jackal’s Measure, a guard of Anubis must deal with the evil Set and save a human woman who’s interfering in Ludos Deorum—the Games of the Gods. Fun stuff!

TRC: What do you like to do when you are not writing?

Marie: Sleep? LOL I love hiking outdoors, especially since it’s often sunny where I live. I walk everywhere I can. I also like to read, watch movies, and occasionally garden. I had a tomato plant last all summer last year. I didn’t kill it and ate homegrown tomatoes. A win-win!

TRC: Many author bounce ideas and information between each other and their family and spouses. With whom do you bounce ideas?

Marie: The voices in my head. Seriously. I have so many ideas about stories I can’t get to that I have a huge folder on my computer filled with pending ideas. I do have friends I go to when I need help with research on careers or technical specifics. But my muse is my only go-to guy for ideas.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Marie: Thanks so much for having me at The Reading Café. It was a pleasure to be here, and I’m so happy to share my brand new series, the McCauley Brothers, with you. I fell in love with the guys while writing, and I’m beyond excited to see The Troublemaker Next Door at my local bookstore. 🙂


LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food—chocolate

Favorite Dessert—crème brûlée

Favorite TV show—Supernatural (through season 5), then Big Bang Theory

Favorite Book: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle

Dark or Milk Chocolate—milk

Favorite Literary Character (male & female) not your own: I have so many favorites, I decided to go old school with this one. Corum, from Michael Moorcock’s The Swords Trilogy, and Dana, from Octavia Butler’s Kindred (fascinating book)

Dog or Cat—I used to say cat, but I live in a dog town. So I’m going with dog.

TRC:  Marie, thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions. The Reading Café wishes you good luck with The Troublemaker Next Door.

Marie: Thank you!!

If you would like to learn more about Marie, you can find her at the following links:
Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

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Burnouts, Geeks and Jesus Freaks by Karen Gordon-a review

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Burnouts, Geeks and Jesus Freaks by Karen Gordon -a review

Burnouts Geeks and Jesus Freaks

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 4, 2014
Genre: Young Adult, contemporary

They’re burnouts – a little short on parents, money and plans for the future, but they’ve got each other and a whole lot of fun. With a world of crazy at home, Carrie Gould needs them to keep her sanity. To stay in their world she needs to keep dating the guy with the party house, which would be fine, if she hadn’t fallen in love with someone else.

He’s such a geek. Ben Gorman is obsessive, smart, strong-willed and on the fast track to his dream of becoming an Army Ranger. He’s also the only geek with a girl. Joelle Welker is perfect for him; a self-proclaimed Jesus freak, who is dedicated to her beliefs and to building a future with Ben. But those plans don’t include his neighbor, Carrie, or Ben’s dedication to her.

Their friendship started by chance. Their love started with trust.

This is a sweet, silly smart-sexy story of first love and first lovers.

••••••••••••••••••••••

I need to get this off of my chest but I found the title quite catchy. Reading the title of this book, you would think this story is a young adult novel about high school cliques. My first impression was it was going to follow a burnout, a geek and Jesus freak about their lives in high school where something will bring them together where they will realize they have a lot in common. Something along those lines. In a way it does follow a burnout and geek but for the Jesus freak not really. You do read the story from the point of view from the burnout and geek.

You have burnout, Carrie Gould and geek, Ben Gorman who are childhood neighbors and friends. Carrie and Ben are good friends despite being on opposite ends of the clique spectrum. I felt like Carrie and Ben are like your star-crossed lovers where there was just so much standing in their way to be together. First it’s the cliques there are associated with, then it’s them being in relationships with the wrong people, and then it’s the circumstances with Ben’s military career and Carrie being forced in a marriage due to an unplanned pregnancy with another man. And when they finally realize their feelings for each other and get together, their time together is just so brief that you are just so overwhelmed with disappointment.

You seriously feel like you want to curse the faith above on why they can’t be together. They are just so perfect together. They’ve known each other since childhood and have continued to remain friends through the years and they both have family issues. They just get each other so well that you are screaming at them to be together even when they are with the wrong people. While Ben and Carrie are separated because of Ben being deployed, it is like a horrible Dear John movie where they don’t even get to hear from each other very much and it’s through only hand written letters not even a phone where they can each other’s voice. The separation was downright just too painful to read. With Ben being on a role with his military career and Carrie accidentally getting pregnant by Nick, it’s feels just like Dear John where the couple don’t even end up together in the end. Luckily, there are second chances in this book. Second chances are one of my favorite book elements. I just love how when all seems lost, things fall back in place as they should.

I love Ben. I love his character on how he is a total boy-scout and gentlemen. I love his sense of responsibility, his loyalty to his mother and grandparents, his love and respect for Carrie and his sense of being true to himself which I must add is really admirable when you are a confused teen trying to find yourself. Ben is almost perfect. Though I admit that the only thing that bothered me about Ben was I felt like he was a little selfish when it came to his military career. Why the heck did he permit her to see other people just because he wanted to accomplish all his goals in the military and he felt guilty if he asked her to wait for him?!? Guys in the military get engaged and married all the time. So why not? Carrie seemed to be so in love with him that I can see her waiting and being faithful to him. There was just a part of me that felt like he didn’t want to be tied down. I get that he wants to follow his dreams and it was what he wanted to do since childhood but why couldn’t he see that you can still pursue you dreams and share it with the one you love?

The other thing that also bothered me was Carrie’s parents. Seriously, they were major A-holes throughout the entire book. Carrie’s mother was very against Carrie’s friendship with MG but to me it felt like she hated Carrie for not being the preppy, school spirit type of teenage daughter. I mean so much for loving your daughter for who she is…NOT! I wanted to back hand her for every cutthroat thing she said to Carrie. As for her father, how emotionally distant can you be to your child?! He really didn’t give a rat’s butt about Carrie and when she was graduating high school, it just seemed like he couldn’t wait to get rid of her. Awful parents and it’s no wonder Carrie went through a crappy string of bad luck sometimes. Nice, caring and loving parents could’ve made a difference in a child’s life.

Overall there was a lot to love about this book. The awesome friendship between MG and Carrie, the comical moments when Carrie, MG and their group of friends got drunk, Ben and Carrie’s moments, and most of all this book just brings you back to high school. It almost feels nostalgic. It makes you remember all the good times with your friends, the parties, the bad relationships, and young love. Great book and I highly recommend it. YA books are fun and it’s good for you to indulge in one every now and then. I can’t wait for the next book. ☺

Copy supplied by the author

Reviewed by Xtina

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Her Perfect Mate by Paige Tyler – a Review

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Her Perfect Mate by Paige Tyler – a Review

Her Perfect MateLinks to order Her Perfect Mate: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository

Description:
When Special Forces Captain Landon Donovan is picked for an assignment with the Department of Covert Affairs, he’s stunned to find his new partner is a beautiful woman who looks like she couldn’t hurt a fly, much less take down a terrorist.

Ivy Halliwell isn’t your average covert op. Her feline DNA means she can literally bring out the claws when things get dicey. She isn’t thrilled to be paired with yet another military grunt, but Landon is different. He doesn’t think she’s a freak and he’s smokin’ hot.

Soon they find themselves facing a threat even greater than anyone imagines…and an animal magnetism impossible to ignore.

Review:

Her Perfect Mate by Paige Tyler is the first book in her new X-Ops series.  I have not read any of Tyler’s work, but after reading this book. I have to check out her other books.  Her Perfect Mate was a fantastic romance suspense story that hooked me in right away, and left me totally impressed by Paige Tyler’s writing.  I loved this book, which had everything; a fabulous suspenseful story, a couple to die for, different type of shifters, Special Ops hunks, excitement, super secondary characters, bad villains and wild crazy ride to the finish. 

We meet our heroine, Ivy Halliwell, on a covert operations mission with her partner.  From the start you can tell Ivy and her partner do not get along.  The mission goes badly, as the partner went on his own and got himself killed. 

Next we meet our hero, Landon Donovan, who is a captain of a special forces operation. Landon is forced to abort an operation, and is sent back home to Washington, not understanding why.  He finds himself in a secret underground compound, which belongs to a high level secret US government agency, DCO (Department of Covert Operations).   Landon meets Ivy, who is a beautiful young woman, who he is surprised to learn is his new partner.  Landon will soon find out that she is as much as an equal or even better at some things then he is.   Ivy isn’t thrilled that she is paired with a Special Forces officer, whom she has not has success with.  Why?  Ivy is a Feline Shifter, and the men she partnered with did not respect her ability.  But Landon is different.  At first he doesn’t know what Ivy is, but begins to learn that she is very good at what she does.  Both begin difficult training for future missions as partners, and soon they find themselves feeling more than respect for each other….the sparks fly off the wall. But it is dangerous for them to become involved, as DCO rules forbid romantic relationships between partners.

At this point, the story becomes so exciting, I could not put it down.  Not only did I love both Ivy, and her cat like moves; but Landon was so swoonworthy.  He was a gorgeous hunk, an awesome soldier, a truly sweetheart of a guy.  He to her surprise, was on her side from the start, and didn’t care that she was a shifter.  This was a beautiful, sweet romance.  But the crux of the story escalates with the second half of the book filled with action, danger, suspense, life threatening situations, not to mention the thrilling ride to the climatic ending.

Not to give any spoilers, but the dangerous mission that Ivy and Landon are sent on, involves missing scientists being kidnapped to help the villains build an unknown weapon of destruction. Landon and Ivy find themselves in the heat of the action, with on one to help them.  When things go wrong, Landon will have to bring some of his awesome friends to help him.  I want to know more about these wonderful Special Ops solders from Landon’s team, as well as few of the nice DCO people.  Paige Tyler has built a great story, with fantastic characters.  I cannot wait to continue this series.  If you like suspense, excitement, nonstop action, adventure and a super great couple; you need to read Her Perfect Mate.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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Second Anniversary Celebration-Julie Cross Prize Package

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Second Anniversary Celebration-Julie Cross Prize Package

Anniversary Giveaway Banner

Today’s second SECOND ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION prize package giveaway is generously donated by the amazing Julie Cross. Julie is offering paper copies of the first three books in her Tempest series (Tempest, Vortex, Timestorm) and a copy of Letters to Nowhere (Letters to Nowhere #1).

 There will be one (1) winner.

Review blue and black

time StormDescription: The battle between the Tempest division and Eyewall comes to a shocking conclusion in this final installment of the Tempest trilogy, where the need for survival stretches the boundaries of history, both past and future, and the world Jackson once knew is a place forever marked by the detrimental effects of time travel.

As Jackson recovers from his brush with death, he’s surrounded not only by the people he loves most—his dad, Courtney, and Holly—he’s also amongst a few of the original time travelers. As he learns more about their life and how this world began, it becomes apparent that they need to put a stop to Thomas and Doctor Ludwig’s experimenting at Eyewall Headquarters. What starts out as an escape plan becomes a war between time and humanity, between freewill and peace. It’s the battle Jackson was born to fight and he’s not about to back down. Not for anything. Not for anyone.

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

Timestorm by Julie Cross is the 3rd and final book in her Tempest series.  Timestorm is an exciting and mind boggling climatic finish to this time-travel series.  Jackson wakes up as he is recovering from his brush with death and finds himself surrounded by many people who we have met throughout this series.  They are all trapped in the future within an area run by the enemy, Eyewall, where there is no escape.  Many of our main characters besides Jackson, play important parts in this finale, such as, Holly, Emily, Courtney, Jackson’s Dad, Jenni, Mason, Marshall, Thomas, Adam and Blake.

In first half of the book, Blake was an important character, as we learn a lot about the original time travelers, and how both Tempest and Eyewall were created, as well as how dangerous Eyewall truly is.  This is a difficult review to do, as you need to understand about the time travel history in this world building that Julie has created, to totally understand this book.  It is an amazing and different storyline, and as I said earlier, mind-boggling.   All the pieces do fall into place, with all the characters at one point or another, having had contact with Jackson during the time jumps. Timestorm is an elaborate story, with the needed history to help tie the pieces, and if you read too fast or skip anything, you will lose so much. 

I came away from this series in awe of what a fantastic job Julie Cross did to write this complicated theme, and at the same time create a nice romance.  You can tell how much research Julie had to have done, and the planning in creating this for the story to flow so well.  Even for those who have read the entire series, it can be confusing at times.  But it is a well thought, brilliant, and different time travel story, which was an amazing feat for Julie Cross.

Reviewed by Barb

 

Click HERE for a link to Julie’s website.

FOLLOW: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Julie Cross prize package

REMINDER: ALL giveaways require a comment to be eligible for the prize.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, 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. Please tell us to enter you into the giveaway.

4. LIKE us on FACEBOOK for an additional entry.

5. Giveaway is open to US only and will be gifted from Amazon.

6. Giveaway runs from February 12 to February 28, 2014

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Fine Tuning Hanna by Tiina Walsh-Review and Interview with the Author

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Fine Tuning Hanna by Tiina Walsh-Review and Interview with the Author

Fine Tuning Hanna

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date

Would saying the magic words ‘I love you’ in time have stopped it all going so wrong for Hanna? Or was some other power at play? Finnish piano-tuner Hanna Suvanto loves her new life and friends in Dublin. And the icing on the cake is meeting Ireland’s premium bachelor, the personal development guru, Sebastian O’Reilly. But their whirlwind romance hits a serious obstacle when Hanna’s stay is unexpectedly cut short. Sebastian seems strangely unconcerned about her departure – and then Hanna makes a shocking discovery about the man she thought she knew. Heartbroken and disillusioned with love, she returns to Finland, resolving to rebuild her life. Back in Ireland, Sebastian can’t get Hanna out of his mind. Surely there is more to her abrupt departure than meets the eye?

REVIEW:

Fine Tuning Hanna is a 282 page good read! It’s a great love story with many interesting well written secondary characters.

Hanna Suvanto is a pretty Finnish young woman, working in Ireland. She is a piano technician, mostly tuning pianos for concert halls. She meets and falls madly in love (and her with her) with a positive thinking speaker, Sebastian O’Reilly (God, I love that name! – LOL). Our author gives us a wonderful story with great scenery, wonderful scenes of love and friendships, while teaching us about positive thinking theory. Very interesting stuff!

They have a whirlwind wonderful time, while the deadline for her to return to Finland ticks away. Then a spiteful woman brings the thing to a seeming halt…resulting in heartache, confusion for Sebastian, and so much more. Will they reconcile? Will love be thwarted? Ahhh….

Fine Tuning Hanna is an interesting mix of learning cultural differences, positive thinking theory, friendships and love. There are, of course, the elements of heat-break and redemption! An interesting and intriguing rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, betrayal, and ultimate friendship.

I don’t do spoilers, because you need to read the wonderful details as the author unfolds the story to you. I’m not sure if this is the author’s first book, but it’s well done and I thoroughly enjoyed the story, shed a few tears, laughed out loud and found my heart pounding a few times! What else is there?
Get a nice glass of wine or your favorite beverage, cuddle up and enjoy, I did!

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Georgianna

Interview

TRC: Hi Tiina and welcome to The Reading Cafe.

We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

FOLLOW: Website/ Facebook/ Twitter

Tiina WalshTiina: I grew up in Finland but when I was 19, I moved to Ireland, fell in love with an Irishman and have lived in Ireland for the past 16 years. My native language is Finnish. I own and run several companies in the real estate sector in Finland and Ireland, which involves traveling back and forward between the two countries a lot. I have always wanted to be a writer, and finally realized my dream of becoming a published author in 2013.

TRC: FINE TUNING HANNA is your August 2013 release. Would you please tell us something about the premise?

Tiina: The book tells the story of Hanna, a Finnish female piano tuner working in Ireland. She falls in love with a famous Irish personal development coach, Sebastian. After the initial romance, things go badly wrong, Hanna goes back to Finland heartbroken, leaving Sebastian baffled by her abrupt departure. But since it’s a romance, there is a happy ending for the couple!

TRC: Who or what was the inspiration behind the characters and the storyline?

Tiina: To some extent, the main character of Hanna is based on me – although it’s my husband who is a piano tuner / player in real life! A lot of the cultural observations about the Finns and the Irish are based on my own experiences. Both myself and my husband are very keen on personal development, hence it was easy to choose Sebastian’s profession ( and he looks quite a lot like my husband…)

Some of the other characters were loosely inspired by some of my friends, yet all characters grew to be their own persons as the story developed.

The storyline itself developed little by little from my initial idea of a Finnish-Irish love story, which incorporated the idea of the main couple at some level not feeling “good enough” for the other one, and both of them having to “grow” during the story to realize that their ideas of themselves were holding them back in achieving a good relationship.

Fine Tuning HannaTRC: How much of the “positive thinking theory” premise is derived from your husband? Do you believe in the power of positive thinking?

Tiina: My husband and I discuss positive thinking ideas a lot, and I confess that I often consult him and his wisdom – he really is very knowledgeable and passionate about positive thinking! And yes, I really do believe in the power of positive thinking, as I have seen endless amount of evidence to support these ideas in my own life, and we both continue to study the topic further all the time.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Tiina: It would make my ego very happy to think I’m the director, but after the initial idea for the storyline, I’m afraid the characters decide what happens next, and I often feel like a mere spectator of the events unfolding – an act very similar to reading, which is my passion in life.

TRC: Are you a plotter or a pantster?

Tiina: Definitely a pantster. I have not learner the art of “looking around the corners” which I presume is what a plotter can do. I have just finished the manuscript of my second book and this, as well as FINE-TUNING HANNA, was written entirely in a pantster mode. But saying that, I have a great idea for my third book, and I have a feeling that some plotting will be required- I don’t know, as I haven’t started it yet!

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writers fail in this endeavor?

Tiina: The writer must concentrate really hard in feeling and listening to the character, in order to bring the characters’ true emotions alive – only if they ring true, will the reader be engaged. Rushing the storyline and not editing the book enough times to catch more details of the situations unfolding, will make the emotional state of the characters feel too shallow to engage the reader.

TRC: How do you keep the plot unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?

Tiina: My beautiful characters keep me on my toes! And my excellent editor…

TRC: How do you handle the pressures and anxiety of deadlines?

Tiina: I have a lot of anxiety and deadlines in my day job, so I don’t really feel any anxiety in regards to writing. But then again, as a self-published author, I get to choose what I do and when – one of the reasons why I chose to go down this path. The plan is to publish a book a year, which I believe to be achievable to me, since I love being a (evening time) writer so much.

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception about you?

Tiina: Tough question! Perhaps the fact that some people seem to think that as a non-native English speaker/writer, I shouldn’t be able to write books in English. If only they knew the amount of English text I “devour” all the time…

TRC: Writers Block is a very real phenomenon for many authors. How do you handle the stress and anxiety of Writers Block?

Tiina: I just don’t write when I don’t feel like it – I can’t say I have felt the Block, but it’s probably because I only write when the Muse takes me.

TRC: Many authors bounce ideas with family, friends and fellow authors. With whom do you bounce ideas?

Tiina: I bounce ideas with my husband and my best friend, who is a famous Irish harpist – a true artist. Funnily enough, neither of them are great readers,
yet extremely insightful when it comes to the story format.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Tiina: I’m working at the ideas level of my third book, and I’m excited and terrified in equal measures about starting the book in early 2014. This is going to be my biggest challenge yet, and I sincerely hope I’m good enough to bring the book alive.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Tiina: Thank you for this opportunity! I have enjoyed thinking about your questions.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food
Meatballs and mash potatoes (typical Scandinavian fare)

Favorite Dessert
Something very chocolaty

Favorite TV Show
The Mentalist

Last Movie You Saw
The Family

Dark or Milk Chocolate
Both

Pet Peeve
My husband keeps using my pen in the home office – it’s mine!

Secret Celebrity Crush
Edward – wait, he’s not real! Not so fussed about the actor, though…

TRC: Thank you Tiina for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of FINE TUNING HANNA. We wish you all the best.

Tiina: Thank YOU.

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Cover Reveal-Dazed (Connections 2.5) by Kim Karr

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Cover Reveal-Dazed (Connections 2.5) by Kim Karr

Dazed Cover Reveal

Dazed
Connections 2.5
by Kim Karr
Release Date: April 1, 2014
Genre: new adult, contemporary, romance

Dazed Cover

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble /

Jagger Kennedy never went looking for fame, he just fell into it. After scoring a major modeling contract, his clean-cut good looks and charm catapulted his career. But when his actress girlfriend breaks his heart, he moves to L.A. to try his hand at acting. He’s not looking for love—he just needs to make a change.

Aerie Daniels is a woman in control … until she meets Jagger. Her surprising connection with him leaves her dazed and it’s unlike anything she’s ever felt. But just when she lets her walls fall, she makes a startling discovery about Jagger that breaks her fragile heart into a million pieces.

To keep from losing the woman who’s changing his world, Jagger is willing to give up anything—including his career. But even that might not be enough to regain Aerie’s shattered trust…

Series Spotlight Black and White

CONNECTED (Connections #1)
by Kim Karr

Click HERE for our review of CONNECTED.

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Barnes and Noble / KOBO

ConnectedABOUT THE BOOK: Released May 7, 2013

What if a ‘Once in a Lifetime’ could happen twice?

Suffering from a past full of tragedy, Dahlia London’s soul has been left completely shattered. Happily ever after is a far cry from reality in her world. But, when she is reconnected with her past, the bonds that form are irrefutable.

When River Wilde, lead singer of The Wilde Ones, comes back into Dahlia’s life, the intensity that fires their relationship combined with underlying feelings that have never died lead her to believe she has met her soulmate.

Struggling with confusion as old connections fade and new ones begin, Dahlia’s grief begins to lift–but guilt remains. River wants to be the one to mend all that is torn within her.
_______________________________

TORN (Connections #2)
by Kim Karr

Click HERE for our review of TORN-Book #2 in Kim Karr’s Connections series

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO /

Torn Cover HDRock star River Wilde brought Dahlia London back from the brink of hopelessness with his unwavering love and devotion. But their entangled history is about to test the strength of their relationship…

Dahlia was certain she had found true love and met her “Once in a Lifetime’ when she reconnected with River. But Dahlia’s world comes crashing down when someone from her past resurfaces, and all of River’s carefully hidden secrets are exposed.

River wants to show Dahlia that life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass—it’s about dancing in the rain. But how many times can one broken heart be mended? Will River and Dahlia be able to stay together or will they be torn apart?

________________________

Mended Connections #3 by Kim Karr
© 2013 by Kim Karr
Published by the Penguin Group
Release date: June 3, 2014

PRE ORDER LINKS: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble

Mended*MUSIC HAS THE POWER TO HEAL ALL. BUT NOT ALL BROKEN HEARTS CAN BE MENDED.*

Always in control, Xander Wilde considered life on the road to be a perfect fit for him. But when disaster strikes on the Wilde Ones™ latest tour, fate intervenes and a newly single Ivy Taylor, the only girl he has ever loved, steps back into his life. *

After moving past her painful breakup with Xander years ago, Ivy was poised to become the next big name in pop music when suddenly she withdrew from the limelight the same day she announced her engagement to her controlling agent, Damon Wolf. *

Xander knows he should keep his distance. But once they’re on the road, he can’t resist pursuing her for a second chance. Yet a jealous Damon can’t let her go and he’s keeping dangerous secrets that could destroy them all.

When the three of them come together, everything falls apart. But if Xander and Ivy can hold tight to the bond that connects them, they just might have a chance at reclaiming the powerful love they thought they had lost forever….

excerpt

Dazed (Connections 2.5) by Kim Karr

CLICK Dazed Excerpt to read a passage from Aerie Daniels’s POV

About The Author Black and White

Kim Karr

I live in Florida with my husband and four kids. I’ve always had a love for reading books and writing. Being an English major in college, I wanted to teach at the college level but that was not to be. I went on to receive an MBA and became a project manager until quitting to raise my family. I currently work part-time with my husband and full-time embracing one of my biggest passions—writing.

I wear a lot of hats! Writer, book-lover, wife, soccer-mom, taxi driver, and the all around go-to person of the family. However, I always find time to read. One of my favorite family outings use to be taking my kids to the bookstore or the library. Today, my oldest child is in college and my twins are juniors so they no longer go with me on these outings. And although I don’t need to go to the actual store anymore because I have the greatest device ever invented—a Kindle, I still do. There’s nothing like a paperback. So now my four year old and I make dates out of going to the bookstore–it’s time I love and cherish.

I like to believe in soulmates, kindred spirits, true friends, and Happily-Ever-Afters. I love to drink champagne, listen to music, and hopes to always stay young at heart. 

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Wild Card by Jamie Wyman – a Review

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Wild Card by Jamie Wyman – a Review

Wild CardLink to order Wild Card: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

Description:
It was bad enough that gods gambled with human souls, but Catherine Sharp’s soul just had to be won by the Greek goddess of Discord, Eris. As if working a dead-end tech support job didn’t suck the life out of her as it was. Now, Cat finds herself performing random tasks for the goddess in her free time.

But when Coyote, the Native American trickster himself, claims to have won her own soul in Mayhem’s weekly poker game, Cat wants in on the action. With five sneaky gods upping the ante, Cat needs to find a way to collect the winning chips that could save her soul.
Marius, a handsome yet irritating satyr with his own debt to Eris, might finally come in handy for something. If they play their cards right and work together, Cat and Marius may just get their freedom back. If they don’t kill each other—or fall in love—first.


Review:

What’s better than a Las Vegas setting?  Hitting Sin City with this gal by your side!  In an unusual (but eventually explained circumstance), Catherine is allowed into the world of the immortals.  It seems she bargained with Eris, the goddess of strife, and lost her soul in the negotiations.  Wild Card by Jamie Wyman bets on Cat (couldn’t resist!) to attend a huge bash at Caesar’s Palace summoned by the deity herself.  If Cat cooperates, her servitude may be terminated.  How can she pass it up?  She hates to be entangled in their affairs as it is.  Ok…so Cat complies, but what does she do upon arrival?  What exactly is she supposed to do at this gala where her human biology will not go undetected?  What exactly is this deal that allowed Cat’s path to even cross with Eris?  And more importantly, can Eris be trusted?

“Listen closely, Cat, for this is all the aid I will give you.  There are four others in the game.  Each of them has a token.  Procure these, bring them to me, and you may get the freedom you desire…Follow your instincts, call in favors, break a few laws…I don’t care how you do it, but if you want your soul back, you will get the tokens.”

Oh, I’ll tell you what aid Eris provides:  Discord of course!  Seems the ancient goddess lost Cat’s soul in a poker game and has lined up Cat, the poor victim, to retrieve tokens from the other 4 players of the game:  Coyote, Maui, Puck and Loki.  Poor Cat has to be subjected to lascivious offers, harassed and hunted by magical creatures that are desperate to win her soul, and this is just a collection of “IOUs”; they’re “all in” for Cat’s soul (you know it’s clever!)  All of this work without certainty of freedom.  One set of jailers for another.  Are you wondering what I am?

“…I can’t understand what’s so special about your soul that all of these gods are willing to take it, let alone fight for it tooth and claw.”

Enter the love interest.  Wyman introduces us to Marius the satyr, personal assistant to Eris (though seemingly disgruntled) and Cat’s unlikely consort.  His description would make any girl swoon:  Drop-dead gorgeous with olive colored skin and a British accent.  Marius just came across as overly confident and smarmy to me.  It sounds like he’s willing to help Cat, the situation is just that dire, but I’m still undecided.  Is Wyman setting him up to be Cat’s lover?  Too soon to tell (plus Marius has painful confessions of his own).  Yes, I am reading and reviewing in tandem! J  Cat’s sworn off the otherworldly, so he better start earning her (my) respect.  To complete Cat’s life, in a good way as far as I can tell (man, I’ll be pissed if that backfires!), is Flynn, Cat’s BFF and technomage (synergy with machines and electronics).  He is a tattooed, lanky, red-headed magical being who owns a punk club and is willing to do whatever Cat needs to keep her safe.  I sense a romantic declaration has been trying to surface, but timing is everything and now is not it.  There is a major twist, a few in fact, that surprised me and made me reconsider all the players’ motives.  Some of this book reads like a prequel would have answers to certain unknowns, but Ms. Wyman takes a languid approach to its finale.

Written with a fresh tone, a contemporary hipster humor, and all around enjoyment, Wyman’s writing appealed to me instantly.  Lovers of mythology and the varying pantheons will delight in all the character references.  While love triangles are usually loathsome to me, I can’t exactly classify this as such.  Marius and Flynn are just 2 great guys who are forces in their own right; each contributes to Cat, but there is another who will throw you off (twist, I mentioned it).  52% in and it’s a simmering attraction between Cat and Marius.  It made me crazy, but crazy for more!  A fae encounter (or “mindfuck”), reassess Cat’s state of affairs.  I was in complete disbelief/denial while simultaneously outraged, but it allowed Cat an inner reflection for honest perspective and discourse.        

What ensues is a mission to reach the pivotal poker chips and Eris herself.  Jumping through hoops is putting it mildly and Eris is no help whatsoever:

“Gather my trophies.  Claim your reward.” 

Trouble is…these other players (and their pawns)?  They’re hardly harmless:  Faeries, Kupua, former lovers, Demigods and deities!  They are quite impressed with Cat’s tenacity and otherness (it’s a word; I looked it up).  Cat has to survive trials and tribulations galore.  Wyman depicts amazing action scenes!  But the unraveling of truths?  WOW.  There’s so much going on…so much for you to love!  

Now all you have to do is read this book to find out how it all culminates.  What a terrific read!  Ms. Wyman explores character backgrounds, supplies empowering moments and revelations, seduces and fools us, and ultimately delivers the Wild Card.  A big YAY for having read this book! 

Beneath my fingertips, chaos became order.  Take that, Eris!

Reviewed by Carmen

Copy provided by Publisher

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