Caribou’s Gift (A Hero With Antlers) by Eve Langlais-a review

Caribou’s Gift by Eve Langlais-a review

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Caribou’s Gift
(A Hero with Antlers and Attitude)
Kodiak Point
by Eve Langlais
Release Date: December 16, 2014
Genre: paranormal, romance

Caribou's Gift

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.99¢–Caribou’s Gift can be found in KISS OF CHRISTMAS MAGIC 20 stories of the paranormal anthology: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 16, 2014

Darn it, a man had his pride and a caribou a certain majestic presence, all of which could wind up ruined if he abased himself to play a simple-minded reindeer in the town’s Christmas parade.

No way was he wearing tinsel in his antlers.

Like heck was he sporting a red nose and pulling a sleigh.

But he changes his mind when he meets the woman in charge of the event.

Single mom, Crystal, is doing her best to offer her daughter the best Christmas ever. It’s their first in Kodiak Point, and she’s not about to let some vain jerk ruin it.

If playing dirty is what it takes…then bring on the Christmas games.

As Crystal and Kyle butt heads, they discover more than goodwill this holiday season. They’re gifted with a second chance at love.

•••••••••••••••••••

Kiss of Christmas Magic (collection by various authors)

I recently purchased a collection of short stories for a little Christmas reading…Kiss of Christmas Magic is a collection of 20 Paranormal Holiday Tales of Werewolves, Shifters, Vampires, Elves, Witches, Dragons, Fey, Ghosts, and More….

The first of the stories is by Eve Langlais

This delightful tale of Kodiak Point pack is a wonderful read. The characters are delightful and very alpha male.

This starts as the Alpha of the Kodiak Point pack asks Kyle (a caribou shifter) to fill in for a reindeer in the upcoming Christmas parade. And not just any old reindeer…Rudolph the Red Nosed himself! Kyle being a very alpha male was absolutely not giving in to this request. He was an alpha male and had his pride to consider and, of course, his rep with the ladies. However to turn it down, he has to inform the lovely cougar shifter Crystal that he’s not the type to play Rudolph.

The lovely Crystal (of pillowy rack and heart shaped ass) lets him know exactly what she thinks of him and the reason for turning the community down. Needless to say, he took her point of view as a challenge and was even more convinced he really needed to see more of her and “get to know her”.

Being a very talented techno/electrician type, Kyle comes to the parade building to help out with the various floats and try to win back points with the lovely lady. She ignores him, driving his alpha personality totally bonkers…

Crystal and her daughter Gigi are on the run and hiding from a very nasty ex-boyfriend type who has them scared and hiding. The alpha of Kodiak Point took them in and promised a safe haven. The daughter runs and hides at every loud voice and never goes to strangers.

Kyle tries to make more points with Crystal, but bombs out in the stable building where the “real” reindeer are kept. He finds Gigi hiding in the hay and doesn’t know whose child she is. They strike up a friendship and then when he returns her to her mom the sparks begin to fly in another direction.

Okay, that’s the setup. This is a wonderfully witty, funny and just plain feel great story. It’s a quick read and very entertaining. I was really delighted with the banter and resulting romance. It’s a great story and I highly recommend reading it! So if you need to cuddle up by the fire and have a quiet but remarkably good read, try this one out.

Merry Christmas everyone and enjoy, I certainly did.

Reviewed by Georgianna S

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Sentinel / Warrior (Light Mage Wars .5 & 1) by Nancy Northcott-Reviews and Interview

Sentinel / Warrior (Light Mage Wars .5 & #1) by Nancy Northcott-Reviews and Interview

Light Mage Wars Series

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SENTINEL
(Light Mage Wars .5)
by Nancy Northcott
RELEASE DATE: April 2014
Genre: Adult, contemporary, paranormal, romance

SentinelABOUT THE BOOK:

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He’s on a Quest for Justice
Her Secrets are his Only Hope

When mage investigative reporter Rick Moore gets the unexpected chance to clear his father’s name, it looks like a dream come true. But there’s a price. He must first uncover the truth about the mage world’s most wanted fugitive.

Caroline Dare knows her beloved brother had a reason for killing a member of the mages’ governing council. Real heroes don’t go rogue on a whim. Burned by shady reporters, she pours her devastating worry for him into her fabric art career and maintains stony silence about him. But when her art is panned as a fraud because she’s blind, she’s forced to seek help from Rick, a man she knows only as a sexy arts writer.

Helping beautiful, determined Caroline prove her art is her own gets Rick inside her well tended walls. But as he wins her trust, he finds he’s losing his heart. Now he has a choice–give up his dream or betray the woman he loves.

••••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW:

Some background: Mages are a gifted species of people who source their power from the elements. But there is an enemy against their kind, who suck the power and life essence from the mage, known as ghouls. Similar to vampires, the ghouls take down their prey, both mundane and mage, to feed from their blood. Leaving behind a trail of venomous poison in their victim’s blood, those who survive will eventually become ghoul. All magic must be kept hidden from humans and anyone revealing the existence will be punished.

SENTINEL is the first installment in Nancy Northcott’s adult, contemporary Light Mage Wars paranormal romance series-a prequel to her formerly named Protector series. This is mage investigative reporter Rick Moore and blind tapestry artist Caroline Dare’s storyline.

Told from two distinct third person points of view SENTINEL follows Rick Moore as he sets about to investigate the story behind Griffin Dare- a mage who has presumably gone rogue- and the death of his own father for using dark magic. After meeting Griffin’s sister Caro, an up and coming artist whose faith in her brother borders upon worship, Griffin is no longer convinced that the man he is hunting is responsible for the number of deaths and murders for which he has been blamed but Rick’s editor is forcing his hand as it pertains to the investigation. A complication will arise when Rick begins to fall for Griffin’s sister knowing that if she were to know the truth about his investigation, his betrayal would sabotage any hopes of a happily ever after.

The relationship between Rick and Caro is based upon a lie. Rick has been hired to gather any and all information about Griffin Dare and he will use Caro and her family to get what he wants. As the storyline progresses, Rick’s attraction to Caro deepens and he is no longer willing to destroy a family for a newspaper byline. The sex scenes are seductive and intimate.

The world building introduces the magic, the mages, the sentinels and the warriors who are at war with the ghouls and the Collegium. The presiding governing body at the Collegium enforce the rules to which the mage must adhere and in this the Collegium has placed a price on Griffin Dare’s head. We will learn a little more about Rick’s family history –including Rick’s father’s death sentence and the break up of a family.

The secondary characters include Caro’s over protective family as well as Griffin’s best friend Will Davis, whom we met in the Protector series. Will’s connection to Griffin Dare has already been established in the original series so I will not give away any spoilers.

SENTINEL is a quick read that helps to establish some background information about the search for Griffin Dare. There are moments of heartbreak and betrayal for a woman who has spent years trying to defend a brother she no longer knows and for a family whose only son has been accused of the most heinous of crimes. Nancy Northcott blends a contemporary romance with a paranormal edge resulting in an entertaining series for your flights into the fantastic.

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WARRIOR
(The Light Mage Wars #1)
by Nancy Northcott
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Genre: adult, contemporary,paranormal, romance

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WarriorA Woman Tormented by Darkness

Archaeologist Audra Grayson hopes the dig in the Okefenokee Swamp will save her career. But that hope is dashed when she finds out-of-place relics and brilliant, sexy consultant Will Davis comes to investigate her for fraud. Worse, working on the site strengthens the evil shadow that has haunted her since childhood, and she knows he will think she’s crazy and unfit for the job.

A Mage Who Must Oppose it At All Costs

Mage Will Davis senses the darkness in Audra when they meet. Wondering whether she’s in league with dark forces, he vows to ignore his growing attraction to her. Then deadly ghouls target her dig, and Will discovers they want the ancient bronze pieces to open a portal for demons from the Void between worlds. If they succeed, everything on Earth is an endangered species.

The Fate of the World at Stake

With ghoul attacks escalating and mage traitors in league with the enemy, time is running out for Will to stop the portal from opening. The chemistry between him and Audra threatens to combust, but the darkness within her may give the enemy its chance. Must Will choose between the fate of the world and the love of his life?

••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW:

SOME BACKGROUND: The Mage are a gifted species of people who source their power from the elements but their enemies-the ghouls-suck the life force and power from the mage to survive. Similar to vampires, the ghouls take down their prey, both mundane (humans without magic) and mage, to feed from their blood. Leaving behind a trail of venomous poison in their victim’s blood, those who survive will eventually become ghoul.

WARRIOR is the latest installment in Nancy Northcott’s adult, contemporary Light Mage Wars ( formerly The Protectors) paranormal romance series focusing on a supernaturally gifted group of humans who pull their power from the elements. This is mage and loremaster Will Davis and Native American archaeologist Audra Grayson’s storyline. When Audra’s team of archaeologists unearth a 4,000 year old sword from the Okefenokee Swamp, Will Davis’s team of mage warriors is called in to investigate the ‘out of place’ ancient weapon.

The storyline follows Audra and her team as they continue to uncover relics that do not belong to the area. Audra is hoping to clear up her previously tainted reputation that several years earlier ended her career with a nervous break down. What no one understands or knows is that Audra has a dark secret-one that controls her mind and at times her body- that is buried deep within the recesses of her consciousness. Hoping to keep the darkness buried, Audra avoids all confrontation and social interaction whenever necessary.

Will Davis has been a regular throughout the series. A call from the university archaeology department finds Will, undercover as a member of the Georgia Institute for Paranormal Research, partnered with Audra in the hopes of discovering the truth behind the ancient artifacts. But something about Audra draws Will like a flame to a moth; he senses something dark and dangerous in Audra, but not necessarily a part of her control. As the team continues to unearth the relics, lives will be threatened and a series of destructive attacks at the site will set into motion Audra’s introduction into the world of Light Mage and supernatural powers.

The storyline and thusly, the relationship between Audra and Will is very slow to build. Audra fights her attraction to Will- a man with a reputation with the ladies-and therefore Audra chooses to ignore the elephant in the room. She spends most of her time (and the storyline) avoiding any personal or intimate contact with Will and when our couple finally get together, Audra places an expiry date on their relationship. Audra’s constant self-deprecating and low self esteem as it pertained to any potential relationship including her building attachment to Will was oft times depressing and frustrating which made the slow build even slower. Will is a man who avoids long term commitments and it is in his nature to walk away from any potential permanence-I did not feel any emotional attachment to this couple. The romance element was sadly missing for most of the storyline.

The supporting cast of characters includes Audra’s archaeological team, museum foundation advisor Denise Larabee as well as several previous storyline couples from Nancy’s PROTECTOR SERIES including Edie and Josh, Stefan and Mel, Griffin and Val. The world building continues to focus on the war with the ghouls; the demons from the otherworld; and the possibility of another traitor in the Light Mage Collegium.

Nancy Northcott’s gifted world of magic and romance, demons and ghouls is incredibly detailed and passionately spirited. There are moments of heartbreak and betrayal, romance and love, drama and action wrapped up in a supernatural storyline that is imaginative, elaborate and defined.

Reading Order:

Sentinel (Light Mage Wars .5)
Renegade (The Protectors 1)
Protector (The Protectors 1.5)
Guardian (Protectors 2)
Warrior (Light Mage Wars 1)

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviews by Sandy

Interview

TRC: Hi Nancy and welcome back to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the release of WARRIOR.

Nancy: Thank you, Sandy! I’m delighted to be back. I appreciate your having me here and reviewing my books.
Nancy Northcott
TRC: We would like to start with some background information. For anyone who does not know Nancy Northcott, would you please tell us something about yourself?

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Nancy: I’m a lifelong book geek who discovered Nancy Drew, comic books, science fiction, and fantasy in grade school. I also love mythology and history, especially English, American, and ancient history, and, of course, romance.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Nancy: When I was small, my grandfather and I used to make up stories and draw stick people to illustrate them. That was the start of turning imagination into something that could be shared. My love of stories with a lot of action and of heroes and heroines who have a little something extra undoubtedly springs from my early reading.

TRC: When not writing, what do you do to relax?

Nancy: I read, watch TV, or go to the gym and zone out on the treadmill.

WarriorTRC: WARRIOR is the second installment in your new paranormal series THE LIGHT MAGE WARS. Would you please tell us something about the premise of the series and of the book?

Nancy: The tag line for the series is “Fighting back an ancient evil with the fate of humanity at stake.” Like the PROTECTORS series that preceded it, THE LIGHT MAGE WARS is about the Light Mages’ struggle to keep ghouls, who use dark magic and prey on humans and mages, from bringing demons to Earth from the Void between worlds. If the ghouls succeed, everything that breathes is an endangered species.

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series?

Nancy: There will be four more books, at least two more novellas, and some short stories under this series name. It already includes one extended-length novella, Sentinel, and one novel, Warrior.

TRC: Can each book be read as a stand alone?

Nancy: Definitely. Each book centers on one couple’s romance, tracking it from the beginning to the HEA. The bigger ghouls/demon plot develops from book to book, but I always include a brief recap so new readers know what has gone before.

TRC: Do you have any plans to continue THE PROTECTOR series?

Nancy: I’m so glad you asked me that! I know this is sometimes confusing for readers. THE LIGHT MAGE WARS are the continuation of that earlier series. I don’t own the PROTECTOR series name, so I had to come up with something different going forward, but the books are all part of the same external story arc.

Sentinel in THE LIGHT MAGE WARS is a prequel to Renegade, the first PROTECTOR book, and to Warrior, the first with the LIGHT MAGE WARS group. So anyone who wants to start with the earliest events the characters experience and go through chronologically should ignore the series names and read in this order: Sentinel, Renegade, Protector, Guardian, and Warrior. And then Nemesis, which will be out in the spring of 2015.

They’re arranged in reading order on the book page of my website, too, and listed that way in the Light Mage Wars product descriptions with online vendors. Here’s the book page link at my website- Nancy Northcott

Light Mage Wars Protector Series

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

Nancy: Thank you for implying that I do! I try.

The overall arc of this series was mapped out before Renegade was published. That includes the main couples and the bare bones of their conflicts. While there are only so many types of romantic conflict, the origins of those issues can be as varied as the characters who experience them.

It helps that the story world is intricate enough that I have plenty to explore. Ghouls have been at the center of several books, but I also have demons, mage traitors, latent mages (those whose magic hasn’t yet manifested) and various magical entities I can use. There’s also still plenty to learn about the magic and the mage world’s politics.

TRC: What are your thoughts on cliff-hangers (between installments) in storylines?

Nancy: It depends on what type of cliffhanger it is. In general and for me–though others may feel differently–I think they work better in genres other than romance. When I pick up something labeled Romance, I want to be happy at the end. I enjoy short stories or novellas that may not go all the way to HEA but open the path for it and have a satisfying, romantic resolution to the conflict within that story. But that satisfying, romantic ending is essential for me in a romance, regardless of its length.

TRC: Do you believe that the cover plays any role in the reader’s selection process?

Nancy: It plays a role in mine, so I tend to assume it does for other readers. An attractive cover will get me to read the blurb. If I like that, I’ll read a sample unless I already know I like that author’s writing style. With authors I know I like, I tend to just buy the book.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties (research, logistics, background) did you encounter writing this particular storyline and series?

Nancy: Warrior centers on an archaeological excavation in the Okefenokee Swamp, and the hero and heroine are archaeologists. I’m not, though I’ve always been interested in the subject. On top of that, the swamp is a vast (about 700 square miles) blackwater peat bog, an amazing ecosystem very different from anything else I’ve ever seen. It was first inhabited thousands of years ago. All this means I had a lot of research to do.

Okefenokee Swamp

I took several excursions in different areas of the swamp with guides from Okefenokee Adventures, the official concessionaire for the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. These are people who’ve spent decades exploring the swamp. The guides were very patient with my many, many, many questions, stopping or backing up the boats so I could get pictures I wanted, and showing me Billy’s Island, which was the inspiration for Mystery Island in the story.

They also referred me to a man who has spent his career researching the swamp’s ecosystem, inhabitants, and history. In turn, he recommended an archaeologist who has actually conducted an excavation in the Okefenokee. Very few people have done so.

My husband–who sat in a small motorboat on the water in 40-degree temperature at the end of this past February and never complained, so I give him major marriage points for that!–knew a local archaeologist, who answered lots and lots of questions about archaeology in general and Native American studies in particular.

People were very generous with their time and expertise, and I appreciate that so much. I asked all the questions I could think of. I’m just hoping I didn’t trip over one that never occurred to me!

I started visiting and researching the Okefenokee before Renegade was published. I quickly fell in love with the place. This seems strange to all my friends, who know I like my surroundings climate-controlled and my wildlife safely distant, but I find the swamp’s strange beauty truly magical. When the water is undisturbed, it’s a perfect mirror, and that will definitely matter in a book at some point!

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

Nancy: It’s a bit of both. The characters are driven by the conflicts, which are designed to push them in certain directions. But within that framework, the characters dictate the ways the story events affect them. For example, one couple will progress to intimacy much faster and in different ways than another. The risks each character takes, and thus the way the story progresses, depend on that character’s nature.

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 writer’s fail in this endeavor?

Nancy: Hmm. That’s an interesting question. I can only answer it based on my experience and preferences as a reader, which also shape my writing.

I like to know fairly early what drives a character. That doesn’t mean I need to know the complete backstory in the first 50 pages, but I need to know what emotions spur this character’s choices. What makes him or her shy away from romantic involvement? What does he or she find challenging in life?

I can accept anything as long as it’s motivated, and I need the motivation built in before the moment of the critical choice. If it is, then I roll right along with the character. If not, then I feel as though the book took a left turn while I was going straight.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Nancy: I have two projects going just now. The first is the next LIGHT MAGE WARS novel, Nemesis. It’s centers on hunky deputy reeve (the mage equivalent of a deputy US Marshal) Carter Lockwood and kick-ass builder and interior designer (and mage) Tasha Murdock. They knew each other before, in circumstances that kept them from becoming involved, parted on difficult terms, and have now been flung back together.

The second project is a followup to my micro-story, “The Solstice Ball,” in the Tiny Treats: A Holiday Collection anthology. The story is about a deputy reeve and a mage teacher who unexpectedly connect. I’ve had some requests for the continuation of their story, so I’m working on that. I’m not sure when it will be available.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Nancy: Just that Tiny Treats is free and contains micro-stories by 19 authors. At this busy season, time to read drops off, so contributing editor Trish Milburn thought we should offer people some romances they could read in a few minutes.

TRC: Thank you Nancy for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on all of your success.

Nancy: I appreciate that. Thanks again for having me. I wish everyone at The Reading Café a safe and enjoyable holiday season and a terrific 2015.

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Temporal Shift (Dark Desires #4) by Nina Croft-Review and Interview

Temporal Shift (Dark Desires #4) by Nina Croft-Review and Interview

Temporal Shift

.99¢ ebook deal at Amazon and KOBO

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Release Date: November 17, 2014

Caught between destiny and desire…

After diving into a black hole in search of the source of Meridian, the key to immortality, the crew of the Blood Hunter finds themselves stranded in an alternate universe.

Engineer Devlin Stark doesn’t want immortality. He just wants to live long enough to get his revenge on the man who murdered his brother. Now, he’s trapped in a strange world with a crazy woman who claims he’s fated to be her lover.

Saffira Lourdes has a destiny: to save humanity and lead her exiled people to the Promised Land. Haunted by visions of the past and future, she’s been sustained through the years by a dream lover. Unfortunately, Devlin doesn’t believe in fate. But it’s obvious there’s a connection between them, one that will soon be tested by the limits of time and space. Saffira is about to make the crew of the Blood Hunter an offer they’ll find impossible to refuse.

They’re heading back to Earth, and they’re going back in time.

••••••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: TEMPORAL SHIFT is the fourth installment in Nina Croft’s adult, paranormal, sci-fi DARK DESIRES (Blood Hunter) fantasy, romance series focusing on the crew of the space cruiser-The El Cazador (now known as the Blood Hunter 2). This is GM (genetically modified) engineer and leader of the Resistance Devlin Stark and Saffira Lourdes’s storyline. Although it is the fourth in the series, it can be read as a stand alone but for cohesion and backstory, I recommend reading the series in order.

Some background: 1000 years after Earth’s demise, the ruling Collective, and the self-proclaimed Church of Everlasting Life play a major role in the control of space. The Collective control the rights to the rare radioactive element known as Meridian-that will bestow immortality on those who can afford the price. The Church is in the business of exterminating the genetically modified beings-considering them abominations and a sin against God. These two ruling factions are currently at war with one another and will destroy anyone that gets in their way.

Told from third person point of view TEMPORAL SHIFT finds the crew of the Blood Hunter on the other side of a black hole. Hoping to locate the planet from which the element ‘Meridian’ originated, the crew will travel to an unknown planet where they will meet beings similar to what Callum Meridian (leader of the universe) and the Collective have become. What they did not expect to find is a humanoid female who claims Devlin is her lover and asks the impossible from the ship and her crew. Saffira Lourdes has been chosen as ‘the one’ to save her species and possibly that of old Earth but to do so, Saffira must travel back in time before Earth’s demise.

The relationship between Saffira and Devlin is fraught with anger, betrayal and mistrust. Saffira continues to lie to the crew of the Blood Hunter, about what it is she must do. Saffira has seen the future and the future claims that Devlin is her mate. Devlin wants nothing to do with Saffira, especially after she has placed the crew in danger time and again, but Devlin’s body wants something more.

The world building continues as the Blood Hunter space ship shuttles between black holes, unknown planets, wormholes and deep space. The secondary characters include the crew of the Blood Hunter, most of the previous storyline couples: Tannis and Meridian: Rico and Skylar; as well as Captain William ‘Thorne’ Thornton-a man who has vowed to protect Saffira with his life. The time line covers thousands of years through the black holes and wormholes, yet only days to months will have passed in current time. Saffira will travel back hundreds of years only to come face to face with the man that she will love over fifteen hundred years later.

Nina Croft’s DARK DESIRES (Blood Hunter) series is an addicting and remarkable journey into the unknown travelling through time and space; through black holes and into alternate universes. There are moments of passion, seduction, romance and pain coupled with the intensity of a crew whose lives are constantly in danger but will never leave a crew member stranded or alone. Nina Croft will captivate your senses, your imagination and your need for romance and the paranormal.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

Series Spotlight Black and Yellow

BREAK OUT
(Blood Hunter/Dark Desires #1)
by Nina Croft
Genre: adult, sci-fi, paranormal, fantasy, romance

ABOUT THE BOOK: Re release September 30, 2014

Click HERE for our review of BREAK OUT

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Break OutThe year is 3048, Earth is no longer habitable, and man has fled to the stars where they’ve discovered the secret of immortality—Meridian. Unfortunately, the radioactive mineral is exorbitantly expensive and only available to a select few. A new class comprised of the super rich and immortal soon evolves. The Collective, as they’re called, rule the universe.

Two-thousand-year-old Ricardo Sanchez, vampire and rogue pilot of the space cruiser, El Cazador, can’t resist two things: gorgeous women and impossible jobs. When beautiful Skylar Rossaria approaches him to break a prisoner out of the Collective’s maximum security prison on Trakis One, Rico jumps at the chance. Being hunted by the Collective has never been so dangerous—or so fun.

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DEADLY PURSUIT
(Blood Hunter/Dark Desires #2)
by Nina Croft
Genre: adult, sci-fi, paranormal, fantasy, romance

ABOUT THE BOOK: Re-release November 1, 2014

Click HERE for our review of DEADLY PURSUIT

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Deadly PursuitHe craves his own freedom.

Jonathon Decker knows how to keep his enemies close—and his allies closer. But what about his women? Everyone wants a piece of the world’s sexiest werewolf, now that he’s been broken out of prison. Enter Alexia, the High Priestess of the Church of Everlasting life. Captivating and independent, Alexia is everything Jon could want in a woman. But can she be trusted? It will take more than one night of endless passion to find out…

And she is his to possess…

After twenty-four years of faithfully playing by the rules, Alex is finally ready take fate into her own hands. Her passion for Jon is a force to be reckoned with—and the way he makes her feel keeps her coming back for more. But their desire could lead them both down a dark path—one in which there’s no turning back. How much will each of them risk to be together…for all time?

_______________________

DEATH DEFYING
( Blood Hunter/Dark Desires #3)
by Nina Croft
Genre: adult, sci-fi, paranormal, fantasy, romance

ABOUT THE BOOK: Re-release November 25, 2014

Click HERE for our review of DEATH DEFYING

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Death DefyingPart snake, part human, and—some would say all bitch—Captain Tannis of the starship El Cazador has one goal in life—to earn enough credits to pay for the Meridian treatment to achieve the immortality she craves. And one last job will get her there. The assignment: protecting the most powerful man in the Universe.

Being leader of the known universe isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, it sucks big time. And after five hundred years, Callum Meridian, founding member of the Collective, is bored out of his mind. But as things are changing, he’s changing—into what, though, he isn’t sure. Callum is determined to discover the truth, and he’s employed the crew of El Cazador to help him do it.

Not everyone agrees with his plan, though. His own people will stop at nothing to prevent the truth coming out, the Church is taking advantage of the confusion and attempting a coup, and even the crew of El Cazador seem close to tossing him out the airlock without a space suit. But defying death has never been more dangerous, sexier, or more fun.

Interview yellow:black

TRC: Hi Nina and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the release of TEMPORAL SHIFT, the latest instalment in your DARK DESIRES (Blood Hunter) series.

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

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Nicola CleasbyNina: I originally come from the north of England – a spectacularly beautiful area known as the Lake District. But from the age of eighteen I found myself drifting south in search of the sun. After living in a lot of different places and travelling extensively, I’ve now settled in the mountains of southern Spain on an almond farm with my husband and a whole load of animals. Here I spend my time soaking up the sun, drinking wine, writing romance and travelling vicariously through my characters.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Nina: Growing up, I had three older sisters, whose books I would pinch, and they all had very different tastes in literature. And then there was my mother, who would devour vast amounts of Mills and Boons romances. So I ended up reading just about everything. Romance, fantasy, sci-fi, historical. And—because I’m a strong believer that you should write the sort of things you love to read—I’ve ended up writing just about everything as well. I love mixing up genres.

TRC: When not writing, what do you do to relax?

Nina: Reading. Swimming in the summer. Also, I have a horse and ride most days, and three dogs, so I walk a lot. I like to drink wine and I live in a very beautiful part of the world so I spend a lot of time lying under fig trees with a book and a bottle, admiring the view.

Temporal ShiftTRC: TEMPORAL SHIFT is the November 2014 release (and book four) in your DARK DESIRES (Blood Hunter) series. Would you please tell us something about the premise of the series? And the latest book?

Nina: The series follows the adventures, romantic and otherwise, of the crew of the space ship, the Blood Hunter.

The year is 3048, Earth is no longer habitable, and man has fled to the stars where they’ve discovered the secret of immortality—Meridian. Unfortunately, Meridian is exorbitantly expensive and only available to a select few. A new class comprised of the super-rich and immortal soon evolved. The Collective, as they’re called, rule the universe.

But as with any civilization, there are some people who just don’t want to be ruled. And that’s definitely the case with the crew of the Blood Hunter. A motley bunch of space pirates, the crew includes a vampire, a werewolf, genetically modified beings, and really anything else I can come up with.

Dark Desires is the series where I allow myself to do anything and go anywhere—my imagination is the only limit and that’s certainly the case with Book 4, Temporal Shift. Temporal Shift contains just about my favourite sci-fi trope—time travel—and tells the story of Devlin and Saffira and a love that survives the vast distances of time and space. Time travel is complicated…it’s fair to say that my head nearly exploded numerous times while plotting the book—I sort of hope it has the same effect on my readers.

TRC: Is there a reason the series name has been changed? Different sites show different series names e.g. DARK DESIRES or BLOOD HUNTER.

Nina: It was purely a decision of St. Martin’s Press, the publishers who recently re-released the books in mass market paperback format. They made some very pretty new covers and felt that the series needed a title that more strongly suggested romance.

Dark Desires Series

TRC: If you could virtually cast the leading characters of the series, which models or actors would be represent your ideal image?

Nina: Hmm – I always find this really hard, but I think a red-headed Scarlett Johansson for Saffira and maybe Hugh Jackman (think wolverine…) as Devlin.

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series?

Nina: There are six books planned for the series. Book five, Blood and Metal, is written, book six, Flying Through Fire, I’m struggling with right now. Maybe I just don’t want to bring it all to an end.

TRC: Who or what was the influence behind the premise of the Dark Desires series?

Nina: I’d finished watching Firefly (maybe my favourite TV series ever) for the third time and I really wanted to write a space opera. But then I started thinking about my characters and Rico my pilot suddenly morphed into a vampire. And I thought why not? If people escaped the destruction of Earth, why wouldn’t vampires (and maybe a whole load of other things as well?)

TRC: What challenges or difficulties (research, logistics, background, scientific) did you encounter writing this particular story and series?

Nina: This is actually one of the easiest series to write because I literally make it all up. That’s the fun of writing speculative fiction. I can write anything I want as long as I can make people suspend disbelief just long enough to enjoy the books.

Actually though, for Temporal Shift, I did quite a lot of research on time travel and black holes and quantum mechanics (did I mention my head exploding?)

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

Nina: I think the important thing is to foreshadow, very subtly, throughout the story. So when something pretty wild happens (which it does quite often in this series) it’s been set up and instead of people saying – no way! They’ll say – hmm, of course.
That’s the theory anyway.

TRC: What are your thoughts on writing a series and ending an instalment with a major cliff hanger?

Nina: I think there are situations where cliff-hangers work, though personally I find them really aggravating when I’m reading, especially if the next book in the series isn’t out yet! But I write romance, so while there’s an overlying series storyline, each individual book is complete and standalone, following the romance of one couple and coming to a happy-ever-after ending.

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

Nina: I’m a total plotter, so I tend to spend a lot of time getting to know my characters before I start to write. While I’m plotting, I’ll allow them some leeway and we’ll go off at tangents and do unexpected things, but that’s fun and necessary. I’ll only start to write the actual story once I understand them; their goals and fears and motivations. And at that point they’d better not try and do something that’s out of character.

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 writer’s fail in this endeavor?

Nina: I think they need to make the reader care about their characters. They don’t necessarily have to like them (and I’m very fond of a lot of characters who aren’t particularly nice) but they have to care. I think one of the strongest ways to get people to care is to make the character want something…desperately. Give them a good reason for wanting it and then make it obvious that they’re not going to get it. So probably, where writers fail, is that their characters don’t care enough—so why should the reader?

TRC: Writer’s Block is a very real phenomenon. How do you handle the pressures and anxiety of writer’s block?

Nina: I tend to try and just push through it. I do my best writing, and I’m happiest, when I give myself a daily word count (right now 3000 words per day) and stick to it, even if I’m convinced what I’m writing is rubbish. I think accepting that the first draft you write is not going to be perfect can be very liberating.

TRC: Many authors bounce ideas and information with other authors or friends and family. With whom do you bounce ideas?

Nina: My poor husband gets to listen to a lot of my plot problems. So does my horse. Neither are particularly good at solving them. But I’m in a couple of fabulous online writing groups and I can go there if I get really stuck on anything or just want some brainstorming help.

TRC: What three things would you like to accomplish in the next five years?

Nina: Write lots, and be healthy and happy.

TRC: What is something that few, if any people, know about you?

Nina: I have a three legged Vietnamese pot-bellied house pig, called Piggles.

The Telepath ChroniclesTRC: On what are you currently working?

Nina: I recently wrote a short story, No More Lies, for a sci-fi anthology, The Telepath Chronicles (which released this month!) I so enjoyed the world and it had so much potential, that I’m basing a series on it and am currently writing book 1. I don’t have a title yet (hopefully it will come to me) but it’s sort of contemporary/sci-fi/romance about a rogue covert operations group of telepaths and their search to discover their origins (and it’s going to contain all my favourite sci-fi themes!)

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Nina: Just that I’ve had great fun writing the Dark Desires series and hope people have as much fun reading the books.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food – Cheese

Favorite Dessert – Ice cream

Favorite TV Show At the moment – Sons of Anarchy or maybe the Walking Dead

Last Movie You Saw Dawn of the Planet of the Apes I enjoyed it!

Favorite Musical Group – Maroon 5

Dark or Milk Chocolate – Both

Secret Celebrity Crush – Charlie Hunnan – actually it’s not that secret.

Last Vacation Destination – I visited my sister in Cambridge last year.

Pet Peeve – Injustice

TRC: Thank you Nina for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulation on the new release and we wish you all the best.

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A Highland Wolf Christmas by Terry Spear-a review

A HIGHLAND WOLF CHRISTMAS (Heart of the Wolf #15) by Terry Spear-a review

A Highland Wolf christmas fall 14

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 7, 2014

Financial advisor Guthrie MacNeill isn’t a complete Scrooge—he just hates the enormous cost associated with the Christmas holiday season. Needless to say, when his pack hires a party planner to decorate the castle, he’s at his wit’s end. Until Calla Stewart arrives on the scene with her mistletoe in hand.

Calla has never had a client as difficult as Guthrie, but she’s determined to give the pack a Christmas season they will never forget—no matter how much it costs. But when her ex-fiancé begins stalking her and threatening her safety, Guthrie decides to loosen his grip on the purse strings and let out his inner Highland warrior wolf to protect her.

••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: A HIGHLAND WOLF CHRISTMAS is the fifteenth installment in Terry Spear’s contemporary, adult Heart of the Wolf paranormal romance series focusing on the shifter wolves of the Scottish Highlands. This is event planner Calla Stewart and financial advisor Guthrie MacNeill’s storyline, one that began in book fourteen –Hero of a Highland Wolf- where Calla ‘stole’ Guthrie’s boxer shorts and ran them up the flagpole. A HIGHLAND WOLF CHRISTMAS can be read as a stand alone storyline. Many of the previous storyline characters play secondary roles but any important information is revealed when and where necessary.

Told from third person point of view, the storyline focuses on the upcoming Christmas celebration. As the MacNeill Clan make preparations for the holidays, they bring in their friend and events coordinator Calla Stewart whose personal life is spiraling out of control. Having called off her wedding and mating to Baird McKinley, Calla finds herself being stalked by the very man from whom she left standing at the altar. Enter Guthrie MacNeill-the wolf who would steal her heart and become her mate-if only they survive the coming attacks.

The premise follows the building relationship between Calla and Guthrie but both are coming off of recent disastrous courtships with other wolves. Their attraction to one another is immediate but neither one wants to jump into another relationship fearing heartbreak and rebound emotions. While the preparations for the holidays get under way, Calla’s ex fiancé has plans of his own that involve getting Calla back-at any cost.

The world building continues using the backdrop of the Scottish Highlands and Argent Castle, as well as the continuing story of the MacNeill Wolf Pack and their growing family. The secondary characters include many of the previous storyline couples as well as Calla’s family and a number of rival wolf pack members whose goal is to see Calla returned to their Clan.

A HIGHLAND WOLF CHRISTMAS is a story of betrayal, revenge, heartbreak and hope. Terry Spear pulls the reader into a seductive tale of action, romance and suspense during the holiday season and Christmas festivities; where two people who have lost find love with one another. Terry’s wolves will tweak your imagination and set your mind onto a path of hopeful futures.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

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Life Lived Twice by Sherrie Wouters – Review and Giveaway

Life Lived Twice by Sherrie Wouters – Review and Giveaway

Life Lived Twice Banner

 

love lived twiceAmazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

Description:
Some promises are made to last forever…

What if you fell in love with a stranger…but that stranger had come from your past, a past you never knew existed until the moment your eyes met?

When Tess Winters locks eyes with a stranger at an airport bookstore, it ignites a feeling of passion somewhere deep inside her that she can’t explain.

Although the encounter is innocent and brief, the intensity of it lingers, leaving her overwhelmed by a yearning for the mystery man now consuming her every thought.

Struggling to break the powerful hold he has over her heart, Tess starts to experience strange but familiar dreams…dreams from the turn of the twentieth century of the charming Mr Addison Taylor.

As her dreams start to materialize into reality, and past and present begin to blur, Tess is forced to put the pieces of a forgotten time together, and soon discovers that love isn’t the only thing that can find you after an eternity.

Captivating, mysterious, and romantic, Life Lived Twice will leave you wondering whether love is so powerful it could last more than a lifetime

 

Review:
LIFE LIVED TWICE by Sherrie Wouters is a unique and original read. Tess Winters is starting a new life for herself. She tends to be shy, reserved and a little ‘old fashioned’! While she is traveling home from vacation, she has a chance encounter with a stranger that changes her life forever. They are reaching for the same book and when their eyes meet, she calls out, Addison! Too bad that’s not his name! This electrifying encounter with this mystery man leaves her unsettled and reminds her of dreams that she has had her whole life.

This novel has two overlapping storylines, one present day with Tess and one that goes back to 1908. Through Tess’ dreams we learn the story of star crossed lovers, Addison and Lylah.

I don’t think that I have ever read a novel that so effortlessly immerses us into two beautiful love stories. This is a story of love that transverses time. It is a love that can never die, because it can take other forms. Reincarnation is a central theme and how our souls can reunite after death. Remember, our lovers have found each other in a different lifetime, but evil can also return. Does Tess have a chance to change history and be with her soul mate?

Evil has been stalking Tess her whole lifetime and she has a chance to make amends with her past. The ending was really unexpected, but I highly recommend this touching novel about love that can last more than one lifetime.

Reviewed by Jules

Copy provided by Author


giveaway

Sherrie is offering a paper copy of Life Lived Twice to one (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

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. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

4. LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.

5. Giveaway is open to USA only.

6. Giveaway runs from June 15 to June 18, 2014

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Sea Panther by Dawn Marie Hamilton – Review, Interview & Giveaway

Sea Panther by Dawn Marie Hamilton – Review, Interview & Giveaway

 

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Sea Panther
Crimson Storm #1
by Dawn Marie Hamilton
Genre: paranormal, Highlander, vampire, romance, time travel
Release Date: March 20, 2014

sea panther smaller

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository /  Smashwords

Description:
Sea Panther ~ a Scottish inspired paranormal romance with a Highlander vampire shifter hero, a modern damsel in distress, adventure, suspense, and romance. And a wee bit of time travel—just for fun.

Can love mend a fractured soul?

After evading arrest for Jacobite activities, Scottish nobleman Robert MacLachlan turns privateer. A Caribbean Voodoo priestess curses him to an eternal existence as a vampire shifter torn between the dual natures of a Florida panther and an immortal blood-thirsting man. For centuries, he seeks to reverse the black magic whilst maintaining his honor. Cruising the twenty-first century Atlantic, he becomes shorthanded to sail his 90-foot yacht, Sea Panther. The last thing he wants is a female crewmember and the call of her blood.

Although she swore never to sail again after her father died in a sailing accident, Kimberly Scot answers the captain’s crew wanted ad to escape a hit man. She’s lost everything, her fiancé, her job, and most of her money, along with money belonging to her ex-clients. A taste of Kimberly’s blood convinces Robert she is the one woman who can claim the panther’s heart. To break the curse, they travel back in time to where it all began—Jamaica 1715

Review:
Sea Panther is the first book in the Crimson Storm series by Dawn Marie Hamilton.

Robert MacLachlan is a Scottish nobleman cursed by the Voodoo Priestess Zola.  He is now damned for all eternity to walk his life as a vampire shifter.  He has spent lifetimes searching for a cure to his malady.  Now in the twenty-first century his yacht is down one crew member.  His faithful servant and friend Colin MacEwen has placed and ad looking for said crew member.  The answer to the ad may be Robert’s downfall or his cure.

Kimberly Scot is a wanted woman. A wanted woman being tracked by the wrong man. A hit man to be exact.  A shady financial deal coaxed on by her now ex-fiancé has left her jobless, homeless, emotionally and financially ruined.  Desperate to escape her impending doom – she decides to answer an ad for a crew member on the yacht the Sea Panther.  Kimberly hasn’t sailed in years, not since her father death.  She swore she would never said again, until now.  Desperate to leave behind her life in ruins, she meets with the Sea Panthers captain and practically begs him to take her with him.

Once Robert meets his new crew member, a female, no less.  That is the last possible thing he needs right now! He can barely control both his inner vampire and inner beast from the moment he meets Kimberly. And one small taste of her blood convinces him that he has found his mate! But will Kimberly still want to be with him once she knows about the curse and the beasts within him?

I knew within the first few pages of meeting Robert that I was going to fall head over heels in love and that is exactly what I did. From the Scottish accent to his rebel attitude. The loyalty of his friends and crew only leave you wanting more.  His sister Raven left a lot to be desired at first but she quickly began to grow on me.  The relationship between Robert and Kimberly was romantic and mysterious.  Each page left me wanting more.  The tale of woven imagery was good to begin with with but throw in time travel and the Port Royal Harbor, Jamaica, 1715 and I was hooked.

After finishing this book I desperately searched for information on a second book and was so please to find that book two will be Raven’s book.  So look forward to reading that! And I would love to know more about Colin

Reviewed by Erin

Copy provided by Author

Interview 1

dawn_head_shot_small

 

The Reading Cafe is happy to welcome Dawn Marie Hamilton. Dawn is here today to discuss her new release, Sea Panther, as well as tell us what she has in store for us in 2014.

Let’s talk to Dawn.


 

TRC:  Please tell us about yourself

Dawn:  In pursuit of a longtime dream, I left a corporate career and became an indie author of Scottish inspired fantasy and paranormal romance. One of the highs on the roller coaster ride occurred when my paranormal romance ‘Sea Panther’ finaled in the Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® contest.

TRC:  Did you always have an interest in writing?  When and how did you first start writing?

Dawn:  My first foray into writing was short stories for a creative writing class in high school. I wanted to be a writer, but life and a corporate career got in the way. I traveled often for business and spent many lonely evenings reading romance novels. To pass time while traveling, I made up stories about couples lounging in hotel lobbies and airport waiting rooms. Stories about how they met, the conflicts they faced, and what their future would bring. While riding in a taxi in Brussels, a whisky billboard sporting a hunky Highlander caught my attention and I thought perhaps I could write stories about men like him.

TRC:  Sea Panther is the first book in your Crimson Storm series.  Can you please tell us the premise of the Crimson Storm series, and how you came up with the idea?  

sea panther smallerDawn:  The official blurb: In 1715, political unrest plagues Britain. Pirates haunt the waters off His Majesty’s island of Jamaica. And a Voodoo priestess unleashes an unholy ancient power, triggering a bloody Crimson Storm.

The inspiration for the series came during the writing of ‘Sea Panther’. It all started with wanting to write a vampire pirate series. Robert, the hero of Sea Panther balked. He didn’t want to be a pirate. While researching a Scottish connection for the story, I stumbled across an historical hypothesis that Lord Archibald Hamilton, Governor of Jamaica, had gathered together and commissioned a fleet of private warships in Port Royal, Jamaica, intended as a Jacobite navy. The Jacobites were from noble Scottish families, and along with many Englishmen were determined to place James Stuart on the thrown instead of George Ludwig, King George I, the German wearing the English crown. So Robert became a privateer, who during a botched Voodoo curse is transformed into a Vampire and a Florida Panther shifter.

For the series, each vampire shifts into a different animal—Florida panther, raven, wolf, jaguar, hawk.

TRC:  Can you please give us a brief description of Sea Panther?

Dawn:  Tortured by his vampire and Florida Panther shifter selves, Robert MacLachlan sails the Atlantic, seeking a way to reverse the black magic that cursed him. During a return trip to his compound in Florida where scientists and doctors work on a cure under the guise of a Florida Panther research facility, he becomes shorthanded to sail his 90-foot sailing yacht. Kimberly Scot joins the crew to escape a hit man. Sparks fly between the couple as they stop at several port of calls—Chesapeake City, Annapolis, New Bern, Charleston, St. Marys—and escape those who stalk them. At Robert’s compound in Florida they learn of a way to end the curse, but they must travel to Jamaica 1715.

TRC:  All your books take place in Scotland.  Is there a reason they are all things Scottish?

Dawn:  The Highland Gardens series of time travel romances take place in both the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and Scotland. The Crimson Storm series, although inspired by Scottish history, takes place in multiple locales around the world. I’ve always been enamored by the Scottish portion of my ancestry, and thread the history and culture of Scotland within my stories.

TRC:  When writing Hot Scottish hunks, what actors do you envision playing those roles?

Dawn:  This is a tough question. I would much rather read a book than watch TV and only occasionally watch movies, but here goes: Certainly, Gerald Butler. Perhaps Sean Bean, Hugh Jackman, or Kevin McKidd for a Highland chief. I’ve never seen him act, but I like the looks of Jason Lewis for Robert in ‘Sea Panther’

TRC:  What is your writing process? Do you have a favorite spot or time? Do you like to outline your stories or just go with the flow?

Dawn:  There is a really comfy overstuffed chair and ottoman in my office, which is my favorite place to write—usually during the day while my husband is out of the house. The process for writing each story is different, but all begin with the seed of an idea—a character, a setting, or a plot thread. I might start writing and research along the way or begin with research and move on to the writing. I start with a rough outline and use a storyboard to expand on the plot as I write. After a very rough draft is written, I go back and layer in more detail. The story gets passed off to critique partners then I edit, edit, and edit, before sending the manuscript to a professional editor for a couple of passes.

TRC:  You have written Fantasy, Time Travel romance, and Paranormal.  Do you have a preference, and are there any other genres you would like to write?

Dawn:  Never say never, but I write what I like to read. Genre lines are blurry, and my stories tend to bend the traditional rules. History, time travel, fantasy, paranormal, and romantic suspense merge.

TRC:  When not writing, what hobbies do you like to do to relax?

Dawn:  An avid gardener, I shed stress while getting my hands dirty. I enjoy cooking and sometimes share recipes on author Pat McDermott’s food website, Kitchen Excursions. I love the outdoors and camp, hike, bicycle, and canoe with my husband. Our recent favorite haunt is Shenandoah National Park.

TRC:  What are you currently working on?

Dawn:  Just Wait For Me, the third novel in the Highland Gardens series and a holiday novella are in the works in addition to Raven’s Revenge the second book in the Crimson Storm series.

TRC:  Is there a book or author that gave you the inspiration to write?

Dawn:  I can’t pinpoint a specific book or author. It’s been more of a culmination of all the books I’ve read by numerous romance authors over the years.

TRC:   Who are your favorite fictional character (male and female) (not your own)?

Dawn:  Wrath and Beth from the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J. R. Ward. I so enjoy revisiting with them in each book of the series.

TRC:   Would you like to add anything else?

Dawn:  Thank you for having me as a guest at the Reading Cafe.

LIGHTNING ROUND:

FAVORITE FOOD  Salmon

FAVORITE DESSERT  Smith Island Cake

MILK OR DARK CHOCOLATE  Dark

FAVORITE BOOK  Dark Lover  J. R. Ward

FAVORITE MOVIE  Somewhere in Time

LAST BOOK YOU READ  Edge of Darkness by J. T. Geissinger

CAT OR DOG?  Dog (Sheltie)

Thank you, Dawn for answering our questions. The Reading Café wishes you the best of luck with Sea Panther.

If you would like to learn more about Dawn, you can find her at the following links:
Blog  / TwitterFacebook  / Amazon  /  Goodreads

 

Giveaway

Dawn is graciously offering an e-copy of Sea Panther to one (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. Please register using the log-in at the top of the page.

2. If you are using a social log-in such as Twitter or Facebook, please post your email address with your comment.

3. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

 4. LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.

5. Giveaway open Internationally

6. Giveaway runs from April 27 to May 1, 2014

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Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh – a Review

Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh – a Review

Heart of Obsidian

Links to order Heart of Obsidian:
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository / Kobo

Description:
A dangerous, volatile rebel, hands stained bloodred.
A woman whose very existence has been erased.
A love story so dark, it may shatter the world itself.
A deadly price that must be paid.
The day of reckoning is here.

From “the alpha author of paranormal romance” (Booklist) comes the most highly anticipated novel of her career—one that blurs the line between madness and genius, between subjugation and liberation, between the living and the dead.

 

Review:

Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh is the 12th book in her Psy/Changeling series.  My favorite book in the series (I love them all), was a tie between Slave to Sensation & Kiss of Snow. Notice I said was, though it is close.  I never thought I would love a book just as good or better with the hero being Kaleb Krychek, especially in competition with Hawke or Lucas.  But Heart of Obsidian was simply amazing.  Nalini Singh continues to prove that she is a master storyteller, and in this book she has created a fantastic masterpiece.

Heart of Obsidian is Kaleb Krychek’s story, as we knew it would be after the end of Tangle of Need.  We did not know who was the woman he had found, and what did she mean to him?   We learn early that Sahara Kyriakus (Nightstar) was that woman, someone deep in his past, who turned out to be a fantastic heroine. This book belongs to Kaleb and Sahara, in so many ways.

The book picks up immediately after Tangle of Need, with Sahara transported to Kaleb’s home, where he slowly tries to get her out of a labyrinth shell, which she herself put together during her 7 years in captivity.  Right away you are surprised how gentle, but firm Kaleb is with Sahara.  We know from the start she is important to him, but Sahara does not remember Kaleb.  This is a surprise, as Kaleb has always came across as the most powerful psy; cold, calculating, and extremely dangerous. With Sahara we begin to see a different side of Kaleb, and Nalini does such wonderful job in salvaging him. 

This is not to say that Sahara wasn’t equally as wonderful as Kaleb.  She was awesome, and possibly one of the best heroines in this series.  As Sahara begins to heal, and trust Kaleb, she sees his inner darkness, and knows how dangerous he is. But she also sees the goodness in him and together they will discover each other, as their love grows, and each will heal in their own way.  Kaleb loves Sahara, as he knows she is the only person who can save him.  This was such a beautiful romance, with two damaged people, who lost and found each other. 

It is Sahara who will get Kaleb to reveal his past, and how he came to be what he is.  We learn the horrifying truth of Kaleb being trained by the evil Santano Enrique, and the things he had to endure.  Sahara uses her memory of the young Kaleb, to help show him not everything is dark, and the light inside him is their love.  The fact that Nalini can get us to care about Kaleb is something, but we got to love him, as much or more then many of the other psy/changeling heroes.   Since all the heroes in this series are awesome, this was an amazing feat by Nalini. 

Kaleb and Sahara’s romance is so emotional on every level. As always, the sex scenes were hot and steamy, but there were some added elements of humor that were funny. For example, when Kaleb professed to be a virgin, and after they had hot and heavy sex, Sahara asked him how he knew what to do, or if he tested on someone.  He offered to share his research on the internet for her to read.  Lol

Besides this wonderful romance that pulled on our heart strings, not to mention the intensity, Heart of Obsidian continued the ongoing civil war with the Pure Psy against the Psy Council and Changelings.  Kaleb was the hero throughout, working with his Arrows to save many people from the destruction being done by the Pure Psy.  Though there was a constant worry that Kaleb had other plans, & the extent he would he go to control the Psy net. 

We get to see some of our other favorites like Aden, Vasic, Judd, Mercy, Faith, Vaughn, Nikita, Anthony, and briefly Hawke and Lucas. There was a lot of intense action throughout, with all the factions helping one another to fight the evil Pure Psy. 

The ending was very exciting, with some resolution, as it is a game changer.  However, much is left open to see how this change will affect the Psy & Changelings, and most of all…Silence. There is so much more to learn, and more enemies to defeat, but I can’t wait for what Nalini has in store for us as she reaches the final few books to end this arc. 

Will Silence survive?  Will Sahara be able to keep the darkness inside of Kaleb in control?  Did we learn who is Ghost?  Yes, we did, but you will have to read this book to find out who it is.

Heart of Obsidian is an emotional roller coaster, very intense, exciting, and an amazing romance.  It is this romance that totally surprised me, being so beautiful, so much emotion, and very passionate.  I can’t say enough of Nalini Singh, who has become one of my top favorite authors, how great a writer she is.  Not only can she take a character seemingly unredeemable, dangerous and make him someone we would fall in love with; but she continues to amaze me how she keeps all the details of this complex world so precise, flawless and brings us to an exciting climax still to come.  Bravo Nalini, you outdid yourself in this book!

Reviewed by Barb

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Christine Wenrick – The Charmed Trilogy Guest Post, Reviews, & Blog Tour

Christine Wenrick-The Charmed Trilogy Guest Post, Reviews & Blog Tour

Charmed promo

 

Guest Post-Black and Blue

 

Why the Secondary Characters are Just as Important?

First off I would like to thank Sandy and Barb and The Reading Café for having me here today to talk about my recently completed Charmed Trilogy, and why for me the secondary characters are just as important.

As an author I often look back on my secondary characters and realize they were an important key to the success of a story. Why? Because one of my favorite things to do is thread a character through the background of someone else’s story and bring them along slowly to the reader, gradually inviting more interest until the time is right to let that character shine in their own story. Some of my favorite authors, such as Lisa Kleypas and Julia Quinn have done it to me in their Hathaway and Bridgerton series and I love it! There is a significant investment for the reader in doing this, one that hopefully pays off in leaps and bounds in the end.

In my Charmed Trilogy I have two types of secondary characters, ones that have significant screen time with the hero and heroine and most of their story is told within the series, and ones that float in and out with little hints of what might come. Those are the ones to watch out for. And I’ll let you in on a little secret with regard to my books . . . if I tell you the first and last name of a character, then that character will be relevant somehow to that series or another one.

My friends and I often joke that if a character comes in with generic first name only, then they’re a goner for sure. Yeah, you really won’t find a main character for me named Chris or John (which happens to be my brother-in-laws name, sorry John).

I hope you will check out my Charmed Trilogy and fall in love with those important secondary characters. If done correctly, they can truly make a story all the more enriching for the reader. And in time, they can even prove to be a fan favorite!

 

SERIES SPOTLIGHT – COMBINED REVIEWS:

 

The Charmed – Book One

the charmed

Links to order The Charmed: Amazon / Barnes & Noble Kobo

THE CHARMED will be on sale for ONLY $0.99 from May 13 – 27 on:
AmazonSmashwordsBN.com and The iBookstore.

 

The Charmed – Reviewed by Erin

The Charmed is book one in The Charmed Trilogy by Christine Wenrick and begins with us finding Olivia Ann Greyson, 26 year old music prodigy, on a train, traveling with her childhood best friend Sarah. Uneasy and sensing that something is wrong – Olivia’s instincts turn out to be absolutely correct.  What results sets off an epic event that is sure to change Olivia’s life for ever and show her that what she thought was the stuff of nightmares may in fact be a reality after all. 

 
Caleb Wolfe is a young vampire and he has just rescued / saved Olivia from a coven of evil Nightwalkers, intent on having her for their own.  While Olivia has just found out that vampire exist – she is scared, confused and afraid.  Devastated at the loss that she just experienced and the realization that she has just come to know – Olivia struggles with being under Caleb’s protective care. But as Caleb and Olivia soon understand – that fateful night was not their first meeting.  They have met before – years ago.  And that moment in time had forever been etched in Olivia’s mind.  And once she realizes who Caleb is and what he means to her past – it awakens inside her feelings that she has never felt before.   
 
As Olivia recognizes that she is beginning to feel strongly for Caleb, she also realizes that something is changing inside of her.  She no longer needs her glasses that she has had since she was a small child and that her injuries are healing much faster than they should be for a human.  Not knowing what is wrong or what she is experiencing – Caleb’s coven decides its best if Olivia leaves before Caleb gets too far invested and breaks any rules.  Once back home – Olivia notices that her appearance has now changed and she is soon approached by two men Gideon and Alec from The Brethren, who say that they know what is wrong with Olivia and that they can help her.  Having no one else to turn to – Olivia trusts them and soon finds out that what she has been experiencing isn’t at all what she thought it was.  
 Can Caleb fit into her new life and will he want to once he finds out what Olivia really is?  There is only one way to find out….
 
Let me start off by saying – DO NOT start this book before bed… you have been warned!!  This is definitely a – can not put down – pry my fingers from it – I went to bed at 4am – slept 3 hours – finished in one day kind of book!  I could absolutely not put this book down once I started it.  I had to and wanted to know what was going to happen next.  There are some extremely powerful scenes – like when Olivia must leave Caleb for the first time – for the sake of everyone’s own good.  I was left a hot mess of tears, sniffles and tissues.  I can honestly say that I do not ever remember sobbing at a book this way before.   The connection between Olivia and Caleb struck me so deep by this moment that it was heart-breaking as this scene unfolded.  The connection, love and sincerity between Olivia and Caleb is truly palpable, in every sense of the word.   As Olivia’s true nature is revealed – you soon realize that not even that will stop the two of them from being together!
 
The secondary characters – Jax (alpha vampire of Caleb’s coven) and Gemma (Dhampiresa of Caleb’s coven) – are extraordinary characters that I loved from the moment I met them.  Gemma is quirky, fun and down to mean business when need be.  I love the fact that she leaves poems around the house.  I was intimately intrigued by her doing that – I kept asking myself does she know it’s him that is reading them, keeping them.  Jax is a big, gruff, gentle giant of a vampire who collects Gemma’s poems and collects them and is obviously so in love with her that I wanted to scream at him to tell her how he feels!  I sincerely hope to read more of Jax and Gemma in the future books, as the love Jax feels for her is so apparent and so raw that it is definitely a must continue.  Alec, is Olivia’s Guardian in the Brethren – and while I believe he is pure of heart for his care and protection of Olivia – I did not care for him.  I believe I felt so strongly against him taking her from Caleb that I did not want anything to do with him.  Hopefully as the story unfolds in the next book I may grow to like him more but as of right now – not one of my favorites.
 
As sleep deprived as I am – I am diving head first into the next book – The Charmed Souls




The Charmed Souls – Book 2
the charmed souls

Links to order The Charmed Souls:
Amazon / Barnes & NobleKobo / Smashwords / The iBookstore.

The Charmed Souls – Reviewed by Erin

The Charmed Souls is book two of The Charmed Trilogy by Christine Wenrick.  In this continuation, we find that Olivia has left Caleb to prove not only to herself but to Caleb and others that their love is real and not just an illusion brought on by her Charmer skills. In separating herself from Caleb she decides to go with her Guardian – Alec, to the Brethren, the group she is told and believes is sworn to protect her. In the mountains of Canada, on sacred ground, at the Brethren’s stronghold, she will train, learn how to use her new found talents and give Caleb the space he needs. On this sacred ground she can not be sensed by any vampires and is completely protected, as vampires can not step on sacred ground. Olivia makes some good friends with those sworn to protect her, and even with those that can give her answers to her past.  But her time with The Brethren does not go quickly nor smoothly and soon Olivia is second guessing her choices.  As secrets unfold, Olivia learns that the ones chosen to protect her may not all be there exactly for her well being. 

I found this book to be heart breaking in that I did not want Olivia away from Caleb nor anywhere near Alec at first.  While I understood why she was where she was and what she was trying to do, I found that my heart wanted her with Caleb – where she truly belonged.  This part of their story I believe was needed so that they both would know if their love was real and true.  But I found it very sad at times.  I loved the secondary characters that were sworn to protect Olivia. Guardian Lucas Rayner is a wonderful, foul mouthed golden boy that I fell for right away.  Hunter Phin Daniels is warm and caring best friend to Alec that you can’t help but want to know more about.  And then there is Kane, a very naughty shape-shifter that I truly believe no woman could resist, at least I know that I couldn’t. I also found it very heart warming that Olivia made a true friend in Maya Brunetti, an Empath, that you can tell will be a life long friend to her.  
I loved the fact that Olivia made real friends with true relationships and in the end I even started to like Alec, and that he accepted the fact that the love between Olivia and Caleb was real and not a byproduct of her Charmer skills. When Olivia does return home to Caleb – I must say it was gut-wrenching to see what Gemma put Jax through.  But in the end – I must say that I was extremely happy with the outcome of those two.  Looking forward to reading the third and final book in this series




The Charmed Fates – Book 3
the charmed fates
Links to order The Charmed Fates:
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo /Smashwords

 

The Charmed Fates – Reviewed by Erin
The Charmed Fates is the third and final book in The Charmed Trilogy by Christine Wenrick.  Some time has passed since that fateful night when Caleb Wolfe, Daywalker saved Olivia Greyson’s life.  In that time, Olivia has found out that she is a Charmer, trained and honed her skills, and has come to realize that her destiny is with her mate – Caleb.  Just when you think life is about to settle in and get perfect – along comes a curve from the past!  Celeste – a vampire claiming to be Caleb’s first and only mate is back and she wants what she believes is rightfully hers.  Will Caleb return to his past and the vampire that changed him, or will he stay his ground with his destiny Olivia?  Olivia does what she believes is right and leaves Caleb – leaving him alone with her rival and nemesis.  The Charmed Fates are about to step in and the outcome may not be exactly what Olivia thought it was going to be.  
 
The final book in this series was heartbreaking yet again.  It seems every time Olivia thinks her life is settling and she is about to be happy the fates step in and throw her a curve ball.  The story begins with Olivia with her new family / coven and she is happy.  She believes she may finally have the life that she wants.  She has found her blood grandfather, her blood mate – making her truly feel like a family for the first time ever.  The Nightwalker, Luther Davin, is still obsessed and hunting her.  But she feels that she is strong and able to fight for herself and her coven.  But out of the blue, Caleb’s first blooded mate comes back and wants him – wants him back with a vengeance.  I disliked  Celeste from the moment she stepped on the page.  And I wanted nothing more than for someone, anyone to do away with her.  Olivia as well as myself, felt betrayed by Caleb’s reaction to Celeste.  I did however love what transpired between Jax and Gemma at the beginning of the book and prayed for a resolution for them in the end.  Olivia choosing to leave Caleb again was completely understandable and distancing herself seemed exactly the right thing to do.  Oh the things we do for love! In the end, Caleb and Olivia will forever be one of my favorite couples – although they took the long road getting there!  If you are looking for a wonderful read with lots of full-filling characters – this one is for you!


About The AuthorChristine Wenrick

Christine is a graduate of Washington State University where she received a BA in Interior Design. And true to form of using mostly her ‘right brain’, she splits her time between her commercial design career and her imaginary world of writing. She lives in the scenic Pacific Northwest where she enjoys hiking, camping and photographing many of the wonderful places that served as inspiration for her Charmed Trilogy. Her biggest reward in life is any given day when one of her books connects with a reader because she herself is such a lover of reading. Some of her favorite authors include Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, and Kimberly Derting.

To keep up on all the latest information about Christine and her books, visit her website or you can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.


Blog Tour Black and Blue

May 13 – 27

5/13- Book Monster Reviews (guest post)
http://www.bookmonsterreviews.com/

5/13- My Reading Obsession (guest post & review)
http://4myreadingobsession.blogspot.com/

5/14- Ramblings From This Chick  (guest post)
http://ramblingsfromthischick.blogspot.com/

5/14- HEA Romances With A Little Kick (series spotlight & reviews)
http://hearomanceswithalittlekick.wordpress.com/

5/15- Red Hot Books (interview and reviews)
http://www.redhotbooks.com/

5/16- Book Lovin’ Mamas  (interview, series spotlight and reviews)
http://booklovinmamas.blogspot.com//

5/17- Romance Junkies (interviews)
http://www.romancejunkies.com/rjblog/

5/17- Froggarita’s Book Case ( series spotlight, excerpt & reviews)
http://www.froggaritasbookcase.com/

5/18- Mad Hatter Reads  (guest post)
http://madhatterreads.blogspot.com/

5/18- Reading Between the Wines  (guest post) http://readingbetweenthewinesbookclub.blogspot.com/

5/19- Toot’s Books Reviews (series spotlight & reviews) http://tootsbookreviews.blogspot.com/

5/20- Cocktails and Books (interview & reviews)
http://www.cocktailsandbooks.com/

5/20- Salacious Reads (Series Spotlight)
http://www.salaciousreads.com/

5/21- Salacious Reads (Review, Book 1)
http://www.salaciousreads.com/

5/21- Buffy’s Ramblings  (guest post)
http://buffy-kennedy.blogspot.com/

5/21- GraveTells  (guest post)
http://gravetells.com/

5/22- Paranormal Book Club (series spotlight)
http://paranormal-bookclub.com/

5/22- Reader Girls (guest post & reviews)
http://www.readergirlsblog.com/

5/22- Salacious Reads (Review, Book 2)
http://www.salaciousreads.com/

5/23- Vampires, Werewolves & Fairies Oh My!  (guest post)
http://vampireswerewolvesfairiesohmy.blogspot.com/

5/23- Salacious Reads (Review, Book 1)
http://www.salaciousreads.com/

5/24- Riverina Romantics  (guest post)
http://riverinaromantics.blogspot.com/

5/25- The Reading Cafe  (guest post & reviews)
http://thereadingcafe.com/

5/26- The Jeep Diva  (interview & reviews)
http://thejeepdiva.com/

5/27- Books-n-Kisses (series spotlight)
http://www.books-n-kisses.com/

5/27- Bookin’ It Reviews (series spotlight)
http://www.bookinitreviews.com/

 

Giveaway-Blue:Black

Christine is giving away a $50.00 Amazon Gift Card and a signed copy of The Charmed to one lucky winner that follows the tour.

THREE (3) runners-up will receive an eBook of THE CHARMED.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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