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Tag Archives: Themes
Hard As It Gets by Laura Kaye-Review and Blog Tour
Hard As it Gets by Laura Kaye-Review and Blog Tour
Hard As It Gets
Hard Ink #1
by Laura Kaye
Release Date: November 26, 2013
Genre: contemporary, suspense, romance
Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository
ABOUT THE BOOK; Release Date November 26, 2013
Tall, dark, and lethal…
Trouble just walked into Nicholas Rixey’s tattoo parlor. Becca Merritt is warm, sexy, wholesome–pure temptation to a very jaded Nick. He’s left his military life behind to become co-owner of Hard Ink Tattoo, but Becca is his ex-commander’s daughter. Loyalty won’t let him turn her away. Lust has plenty to do with it too.
With her brother presumed kidnapped, Becca needs Nick. She just wasn’t expecting to want him so much. As their investigation turns into all-out war with an organized crime ring, only Nick can protect her. And only Becca can heal the scars no one else sees.
Desire is the easy part. Love is as hard as it gets. Good thing Nick is always up for a challenge..
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REVIEW: HARD AS IT GETS is the first instalment in Laura Kaye’s new contemporary, adult, suspense, action-filled, adult HARD INK series focusing on a group of ex special forces soldiers trying to prove their innocence in an Afghanistan military operation that went horribly wrong.
The premise of Hard As It Gets finds Becca Merritt at Hard Ink Tattoo Studio when her computer nerd brother Charlie goes missing and the only clue is a cryptic message to contact Rixey at Hard Ink Tattoo. Nick Rixey is a former special forcers soldier who once served under the command of Becca and Charlie’s father- Colonel Merritt- and wants nothing to do with Becca or her brother. Painful memories and the loss of friends has forced Nick to walk away from the life he once knew and the people he loved. But when Becca’s life is threatened, Nick gathers his former friends for another mission that will bring them one stop closer to clearing their names and uncovering the truth about what happened the year before.
The relationship between Becca and Nick is one of instant attraction but one that is initially subdued because of the circumstances surrounding Nick’s association with Becca’s father and the search for her missing brother. Nick wants Becca but knows that if the truth about what happened in Afghanistan were ever revealed he could lose Becca once her brother has been found.
The storyline is a suspense filled, action packed search and recovery for Becca’s missing brother and the people behind his abduction. Although the ex special forces friends are closer to clearing up their name, they are no closer to finding the people behind the operation and why they were the ones to take the fall. The story ends with the mystery yet to be solved but in doing so will allow each member to be front and center in a future storyline.
Laura Kaye pulls the reader into a heart pounding story about honorable men who have been placed in a dishonorable position because of one man’s greed and struggle for power. We are introduced to the surviving members of the special forcers team-each bearing the emotional and physical scars of that fateful day-and each with their own story to tell. Nick will come face to face with the ‘brothers’ he once served with and fought beside and, realize that pushing them away was the biggest mistake he could have made.
HARD AS IT GETS is a story about betrayal and loss; lovers and friends; retribution and honor. Laura’s grasp of the military life and the day to day struggle of those who survived will make you think about all of the soldiers who have returned only to remember those that they left behind.
Copy supplied by the author/publisher
Reviewed by Sandy
Hey everyone! I’m soooo excited to be celebrating my release of Hard As It Gets, the first book in my new Hard Ink series that follows the surviving members of a disgraced Army Special Forces unit as they follow new leads to uncover the conspiracy that saw them discharged from the military. Running their covert operation out of the back of Nick Rixey’s tattoo parlor, their mission brings them into all-out war against an organized crime ring. Along the way, the team finds love and support in unexpected places—but will they be able to regain their stolen honor?
Today, I wanted to share a sexy excerpt from the book where the action is heating up for Nick and Becca – ahem – enjoy!
Excerpt ~ Chapter 11, just after Becca has survived a kidnapping attempt:
Becca’s insides nearly vibrated with the need to know what the hell Nick wasn’t telling her. She’d hit the edge of her tolerance for any more mystery, even of the tall, dark, and achingly handsome kind.
His lips pressed into a grim line and his eyes flashed. “Becca, let’s just—”
“No.” She stepped right into his space and jabbed a finger into the granite of his chest. “Don’t put me off anymore. I deserve to know. I need to know,” she said, hating the strained pitch of her voice.
His expression went dark and his jaw ticked. She saw it in his eyes the minute he made the decision to spill. Her stomach plummeted to the floor. It was bad. He didn’t need to tell her that much. Everything inside her braced for the onslaught of bad news.
When he spoke, the words were even, straightforward, factual. “Someone ransacked your house. Picked the back door lock again. Went through just about every room.”
The brick walls bent and warped around her, but she shook off the dizziness and forced herself to focus on Nick’s face. His presence was the only thing grounding her. “Why would they do that? Could you tell if anything was missing?”
He shook his head. “The why of it I intend to figure out. I promise you. But the place was too much of a mess to—”
“Take me.” Becca pushed past him and hit the handle on the door.
Arms wrapped around her from behind. “Becca, we—”
“No!” She threw off the hold and scrambled away, her back coming up hard against the wall.
Nick’s expression was a roiling sea of emotion. Surprise. Fear. Anger. Concern. “I’m sorry. What just—”
“That was how he grabbed me.” She swallowed hard and shuddered at the remembered press of the man’s flesh against hers. “I’m sorry,” she rasped, embarrassment heating her face, despair and exhaustion sucking the fight out of her.
He came forward slowly. “Don’t apologize,” he said, his voice cranked tight. “And don’t cry.” His thumb swiped under her eye, once, twice, and then his knuckles caressed her cheekbone. The little touches were comforting, sweet, and she thought maybe he needed to give them as much as she needed to feel them. He tucked the loose strands of her destroyed ponytail behind her ear.
“I’m not crying,” she said despite the wetness plain on her face. She shook her aching head, then pressed her cheek into his hand. “I’m not.”
“I know.”
Introducing Nick and Becca from Hard As It Gets
I am absolutely thrilled to be celebrating the release of my sexy contemporary romance, Hard As It Gets, the first book in my new Hard Ink series. If you like sexy, gritty contemporaries, military heroes and themes, and even a little suspense, Hard As It Gets is the perfect book for you! *grins*
Today, I’d like to introduce you to Nick Rixey and Becca Merritt, the hero and heroine of Hard As It Gets. They just sizzled together on the page and I really enjoyed writing them. I hope you love them, too! So, without further ado, please meet Hard As It Gets’s Nick and Becca:
MEET HERO NICK RIXEY:
Becca’s first impression of Nick:
“I’m Nick Rixey. Who wants to know?”
Becca jumped at the deep sound of the man’s voice. Geez. How long had he been standing there? And, big as he was, how had she not heard him approach? It was like he’d materialized out of thin air.
The surprise of his appearance pounded adrenaline through her system. Her racing pulse had absolutely nothing to do with the bulge of his impressive biceps straining the sleeves of his black T-shirt, the hints of ink just visible on his upper arms, nor with his harsh yet darkly handsome face. And definitely not with the way his jeans hung on those lean hips. Right. Definitely not.
Given who her father was, or had been, this was the type of man she’d expected to find at the end of Charlie’s cryptic note. His dark hair was a little on the long side, but the hard edges and leashed strength of his body clearly read ex-military.
Nick’s Job: Process Server, Part-time Tattoo Artist
3 Words that Describe Nick: Tortured, Alpha, Heroic
3 Things he Loves about Heroine Becca Merritt: Her courage, her compassion, the way she takes away his hurt
Who could play Nick if the book was made into a movie? Tyler Hoechlin hung above my desk for months (in fact, he just may still be there!), so he’s got the look for sure!
MEET HEROINE BECCA MERRITT:
Nick’s first impression of Becca:
Becca Merritt was the all-American girl personified, with her fierce blue eyes and wavy hair the rich color of honey. Bet she tastes as sweet, too. And, damn, that body. It was all he’d been able to do not to gawk at the curves her fitted T-shirt hugged, or trace his eyes over the lace just visible through the thin cotton. It was like the sun had strolled through their front door, casting heat and light all over him. Only the haunted dark circles under her eyes ruined the analogy.
Becca’s Job: ER nurse
3 Words that Describe Becca: Loyal, Compassionate, Strong
3 Things she Loves about Hero Nick Rixey: His intensity (in everything), his strength, his willingness to help her and her brother
Who could play Becca if the book was made into a movie? With her wholesome prettiness, Blake Lively would make a good Becca Merritt!
Do you have a question for either of the characters or their author lady? Ask away and we’d all be happy to chat!
Thanks for reading!
Laura
“Edgy, sexy, and full of suspense! A great read from a great new author!”
~J.R. Ward on Hard As It Gets
Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
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The publisher is offering a paper copy of HARD AS IT GETS to 5 (five) lucky readers at the end of the tour.
The giveaway is TOUR WIDE. Please follow the rafflecopter instructions.
NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions please contact the tour promoter.
Possession (Fallen Angels #5) by J.R.Ward-Promotion and Giveaway
Possession (Fallen Angels #5) by J.R.Ward-Promotion and Giveaway
With the upcoming October 1, 2013 release of J.R.Ward’s POSSESSION (Fallen Angels #5) the Berkley Publishing Group / New American Library are offering a paper copy of JR’s 1st book in this series, COVET (Fallen Angels #1) to five (5) lucky commenters at The Reading Cafe.
As part of an early promotion, check out our series spotlight and then comment for your chance to WIN 1 of 5 paper copies of COVET by J.R.Ward.
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#1 New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward explores what really happens when good and evil toy with humanity in her new novel of the Fallen Angels, as the salvation of a doomed soul depends once again on a crossroads…
Seven deadly sins. Seven souls to save. This is the first battle between a savior who doesn’t believe and a demon with nothing to lose!
POSSESSION
Fallen Angels #5
by J.R.Ward
Release Date: October 1, 2013
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When Cait Douglass resolves to get over her broken heart, throw off her inhibitions, and start really living, she’s unprepared for the two sensual men who cross her path. Torn between them, she doesn’t know which to choose–or what kind of dire consequences could follow.
Jim Heron, fallen angel and reluctant savior, is ahead in the war, but he puts everything at risk when he seeks to make a deal with the devil–literally. As yet another soul is unwittingly caught in the battle between him and the demon Devina, his fixation on an innocent trapped in Hell threatens to sidetrack him from his sacred duty…
Can good still prevail if true love makes a savior weak? And will a woman’s future be the key, or the curse, for all of humanity? Only time, and hearts, will tell.
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Covet
Fallen Angels #1
by J.R.Ward
Release Date: October 29, 2009
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Redemption isn’t a word Jim Heron knows much about-his specialty is revenge, and to him, sin is all relative. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel and is charged with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. And failure is not an option.
Vin DiPietro long ago sold his soul to his business, and he’s good with that-until fate intervenes in the form of a tough-talking, Harley-riding, self-professed savior. And then he meets a woman who will make him question his destiny, his sanity, and his heart-and he has to work with a fallen angel to win her over and redeem his own soul.
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Crave
Fallen Angels #2
by J.R.Ward
Release Date: October 5, 2010
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Isaac Rothe is a black ops soldier with a dark past and a grim future. The target of an assassin, he finds himself behind bars, his fate in the hands of his gorgeous public defender Grier Childe. His hot attraction to her can only lead to trouble-and that’s before Jim Heron tells him his soul is in danger. Caught up in a wicked game with the demon who shadows Jim, Isaac must decide whether the soldier in him can believe that true love is the ultimate weapon against evil.
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ENVY
Fallen Angels #3
by J.R. Ward
Release Date: September 6, 2011
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As the son of a serial killer, homicide detective Thomas “Veck” DelVecchio, Jr., grew up in the shadow of evil. Now, on the knife-edge between civic duty and blind retribution, he atones for the sins of his father- while fighting his inner demons. Assigned to monitor Veck is Internal Affairs officer Sophia Reilly, whose interest in him is both professional and arousingly personal. And Veck and Sophia have another link: Jim Heron, a mysterious stranger with too many answers… to questions that are deadly. When Veck and Sophia are drawn into the ultimate battle between good and evil, their fallen angel savior is the only thing that stands between them and eternal damnation.
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RAPTURE
Fallen Angels #4
by J.R.Ward
Release Date: September 25, 2012
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Mels Carmichael, reporter for the Caldwell Courier Journal, gets the shock of her life when a man stumbles in front of her car outside the local cemetery. After the accident, his amnesia is just the kind of mystery she likes to solve, but she soon discovers they’re over their heads with his past. Over their heads with passion, too …As shadows walk the line between reality and another realm, and her lover’s memory begins to come back, the two of them learn that nothing is truly dead and buried. Especially when you’re trapped in a no-holds-barred war between angels and demons. With a soul on the line, and Mels’s heart at risk, what in heaven – or in hell – will it take to save them both?
After reporter Mels Carmichael hits a disheveled man with her car
outside the local cemetery, she pays a visit to the stranger in the hospital. The only thing he remembers of his past is seeing a name written on a headstone: that of Jim Heron—a fallen angel charged with rescuing souls from the seven deadly sins. Now, as Mels struggles to help this mysterious stranger rediscover himself, Heron himself returns to prepare for a battle between good and evil.
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FOLLOW J.R.Ward: Website / Facebook / Goodreads /
Jessica Rowley Pell Bird was born on 1969 in Massachusetts, USA. She is the daughter of Maxine F. and W. Gillette Bird, Jr. She began writing as a child, penning her thoughts in diaries as well as inventing short stories. She read her first Harlequin Presents novel in a rose garden when she was in her teens. She was hooked immediately. By the time she went to college, she had boxes and boxes of Harlequins and Silhouettes. Every year, her mother would ask why all those books had to live in the house and Jess would reply that if even one of them disappeared she would know. (She’d catalogued them.)
Jess finished her first romance manuscript the summer before her freshman year of college. She attended Smith College and graduated with a double major in history and art history. She then received a law degree from Albany Law School. Shortly after that, she began working in the healthcare industry in Boston. She spent many years as one of the premier medical center’s Chief of Staff. While working as a lawyer in Boston, she completed two novels more and started a number of partials. In 2001, Bird married John Neville Blakemore III. Both her mother and her new husband kept telling her to send something in to an agent, a publisher, the Tooth Fairy, anyone. She thought they were nuts, but eventually got her nerve up and bought a lot of stamps. Since getting published, she has written contemporary romances as Jessica Bird and paranormal romances as J. R. Ward. She has been a Rita Award finalist, received two Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice nominations and has been a HOLT medallion finalist.
New England born and bred, Jess is surprised to find herself living south of the Mason Dixon line. (But that’s what happens when you marry a Southern gentleman.) She and her husband live with their golden retriever, who oversees her writing in a supervisory role.
The Berkley Publishing Group / New American Library are offering a paper copy of COVET (Fallen Angels #1) by J.R.Ward to five (5) lucky commenters at The Reading Cafe
1. Please register 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 are social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.
3. Giveaway is open to USA only.
4. Giveaway runs from September 19, to October 1, 2013
Cathy Yardley – Biography – Bibliography
Cathy Yardley – Biography – Bibliography
Biography
A few random facts about me:
I am a fiction addict.
I love J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts, Jim Butcher, J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood, Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter, Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series, Stephen King, Jennifer Crusie, Marian Keyes, J.K. Rowling, and a slew of other authors.
I have been known to stay up all night to finish a new novel. I don’t so much read as devour.
I am an out of the closet foodie.
People who follow me on Facebook can attest: I am a foodie-blog whore. Love Smitten Kitchen. Adore Pioneer Woman Cooks. Bake my own bread on a weekly basis (because the recipe is so frickin’ easy, a chimp could do it — and it tastes phenomenal. I am a walking infomercial for this bread. ) Total Top Chef freak.
I am a geekgirl.
I love the San Diego Comic-con, or “The Con” as they call it.
I was part of the SCA — The Society for Creative Anachronism — and briefly sponsored my own mini army. I learned to speak some Japanese from anime.
I have a near encyclopedic knowledge of character actors and obscure movies. I have been called to settle bar bets.
I have a more-flirtatious-than-appropriate relationship with Excel spreadsheets. When I used to work at a day job, if I wore lipstick they assumed I was going on an interview. To this day, an entire marketing department lives in fear of my memory.
I love being an author.
Love writing. Love promoting. Love everything about it. And I love hearing from readers. Email me, anytime, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Bibliography
Sexy Reads
Avon Red Fairytale Trilogy
Crave
Ravish
Enslave
Harlequin Blaze
The Driven Snowe
Guilty Pleasures
Working It
Jack & Jilted
One Night Standards
Baby It’s Cold Outside
Chick Lit
L.A. Woman
Couch World
Turning Japanese
Romantic Comedy
Surfgirl School
The Cinderella Solution
Non Fiction
Will Write for Shoes
Novellas
Playing with Matches
Come September
Marcie Marcie Marcie
Marcie Marcie Marcie
Tickle Your Fancy is one of our Themes. Since The Reading Cafe is a place we can all hang out, while we drink our coffee or sip our margaritas, the talk of everything books can lead to funny stuff when we are having fun. Since we have been enjoying this feature…It is time for another Marcie…
It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!
It’s that time of year again, my favourite time of the year actually, Christmas. So not only am I busy getting ready for the holidays at home, but also at work and there I work with kids, the wee one’s. So you can probably imagine what kind of chaos is ensuing for me as we inch closer and closer to Santa’s annual visit. I enjoy all the hussle and bustle of getting ready for Christmas not only at home, but at work too. The kids love the Christmas season in my room, I’m just like one of them when it comes to Christmas and all the fun. I even have various Christmas hats I rotate between daily to entertain the kids and my co-workers. One elf hat even sings. My co-workers love that one. 😉
So when I pulled out my Christmas decorations it didn’t take long for my room to look like Santa’s Elves and his workshop had thrown up in my room. Tinsel, red ribbons, stuffed reindeers and santas were everywhere. Heck they were even decorating themselves. They were looking more like the Christmas tree then my tree was. They were having a good time, albeit it a messy one, but it’s Christmas. Needless to say I was able to restore some order, get the room and tree decorated with their help.
Now decorating the room is only one step on having fun for Christmas with me and the kids. I love doing crafts with them. So we’ve started Christmas crafts and we’ve been making playdough ornaments this week. Of course after you make and dry them it’s decorating time. Glue, paint and sparkles were everywhere. By the time Christmas is over I’ll be number 1 on the caretakers hit list. LOL!!!! For anyone who’s ever dealt with sparkles and crafts you know what I mean. I’ll be finding sparkles in June at this rate. They just go everywhere and stick to everything. Not to mention for some reason kids love to paint and sparkle themselves too. I swear I needed a tub yesterday to clean up just the kids. LOL!!!!
Next on the Christmas fun list; baking Gingerbread Men. I can only imagine what will happen then. If last weeks cookie making activity is any indication I’m in for a fun and messy time. A couple of my kids thought the dough was like the playdough and decided to mush it and mold it and just play with it. Then of course they decided to taste it and ate some of it. I think they played and ate more of it then we made cookies. But that’s kids for you, what fun is baking if you don’t taste any of the dough. I know I always did, heck I still do. 😉 We did manage to make an even dozen cookies even though the recipe called for 16, so that wasn’t too bad. Surprisingly they tasted good too. Yes I’m a brave soul, I even tried the cookies we made after they had their grubby little hands all over the dough. LOL!!!
Yes I’m a big kid when it comes to Christmas and working with a group of wee one’s is the perfect place for me this time of year. I should sign off now and go surf the net for more fun Christmas ideas that me and the kids can do over the next few weeks before we break for the holidays. Hmmm, maybe I should also look for a safety vest in case the caretaker comes looking for me. LOL!!!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone. See you in the New Year!
Marcie
Jim Butcher – Biography – Bibliography
Jim Butcher – Biography – Bibliography
Biography
Jim Butcher is a martial arts enthusiast with fifteen years of experience in various styles including Ryukyu Kempo, Tae Kwon Do, Gojo Shorei Ryu, and a sprinkling of Kung Fu. He is a skilled rider and has worked as a summer camp horse wrangler and performed in front of large audiences in both drill riding and stunt riding exhibitions.
Jim enjoys fencing, singing, bad science fiction movies and live-action gaming. He lives in Missouri with his wife, son, and a vicious guard dog.
Jim goes by the moniker Longshot in a number of online locales. He came by this name in the early 1990′s when he decided he would become a published author. Usually only 3 in 1000 who make such an attempt actually manage to become published; of those, only 1 in 10 make enough money to call it a living. The sale of a second series was the breakthrough that let him beat the long odds against attaining a career as a novelist.
All the same, he refuses to change his nickname.
Bibliography
The Dresden Files
1 Storm Front – Release Date: April, 2000
2 Fool Moon – Release Date: January, 2001
3 Grave Peril – Release Date: September, 2001
4 Summer Knight – Release Date: September, 2002
5 Death Masks – Release Date: August, 2003
6 Blood Rites – Release Date: August, 2004
7 Dead Beat – Release Date: May, 2005
8 Proven Guilty – Release Date: May, 2006
9 White Night – Release Date: April, 2007
10 Small Favor – Release Date: April, 2008
11 Turn Coat – Release Date: April, 2009
12 Changes – Release Date: April, 2010
13 Ghost Story – Release Date: July, 2011
14 Cold Days – Release Date: November, 2012
Dresden Files Omnibus Bibliography
1–3 Wizard for Hire 2005 March – Storm Front, Fool Moon & Grave Peril
4 & 5 Wizard by Trade 2006 March – Summer Knight & Death Masks
6 & 7 Wizard at Large 2006 October – Blood Rites & Dead Beat
8 & 9 Wizard Under Fire 2007 May – Proven Guilty & White Night
Side Jobs October, 2010 Ten short stories
“Restoration of Faith” (Harry Dresden short story)
“Vignette” (Harry Dresden vignette)
“Something Borrowed” (Harry Dresden short story), published in My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding (October 3, 2006)
“It’s My Birthday Too” (Harry Dresden short story), published in Many Bloody Returns (September 4, 2007)
“Heorot” (Harry Dresden short story), published in My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon (December 26, 2007)
“Day Off” (Harry Dresden short story), published in Blood Lite (October 21, 2008)
“Backup (Harry Dresden novelette, illustrated by Mike Mignola), published by Subterranean Press (October 31, 2008)
“The Warrior”, published in Mean Streets (January 6, 2009)
“Last Call”, published in Strange Brew (July 7, 2009)
“Love Hurts” — from Songs of Love and Death, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois (Released November 16th, 2010.)
“Aftermath — post-Changes novelette from Murphy’s POV, EXCLUSIVE to this anthology!
Short Stories (to be added to next Side Jobs sequel)
“Even Hand”, published in Dark and Stormy Knights (July 20, 2010)
“Curses”, published in Naked City (July 5, 2011)
“Bigfoot on Campus”, published in Hex Appeal (June 5, 2012)
“AAAA Wizardry” – Dresden Files RPG, published by Evil Hat
“I Was A Teenage Bigfoot” -Blood Lite 3: Aftertaste, edited by Kevin J. Anderson.
Released 5/29/2012
“B is for Bigfoot” – Under My Hat: Tales From the Cauldron, edited by Jonathan Strahan. Released 8/28/2012
“Bombshells” – Molly-POV novella from Dangerous Women, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Duzois.- Release date TBA.
Codex Alera
1 Furies of Calderon – Release Date: October, 2004
2 Academ’s Fury – Release Date: July, 2005
3 Cursor’s Fury – Release Date: December, 2006
4 Captain’s Fury – Release Date: December, 2007
5 Princeps’ Fury – Release Date:December, 2008
6 First Lord’s Fury – Release Date: November, 2009
Other
The Darkest Hours – Release Date:June, 2006
Jennifer L. Armentrout -Opal Trailer Reveal
Jennifer L. Armentrout – Opal Trailer Reveal
No one is like Daemon Black.
When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well… There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.
But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.
After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different… And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.
Together we’re stronger… and they know it.
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
USA TODAY Bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.
Find Jennifer on: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website | Blog
Young Adult Storylines-The Requisite Love Triangle
YOUNG ADULT STORYLINES-The Requisite Love Triangles
As most of you know I am NOT a fan of the YA love triangle for so many reasons but the biggest and most heartbreaking is the fact that everyone deserves to love and to be loved especially by the object of one’s affections. The YA (young adult) storylines are fraught with more love triangles than any other genre or age-defining series and with the new crop of authors and young adult series arriving on our virtual shelves at an alarming rate my angst is blossoming fourfold. With the advent of the e-reader and the ebook, there are so many authors promoting theirbooks and storylines that as a reviewer I am unable to keep up with the daily proliferation. And yet, there is nothing new or awe inspiring about many of these new novels, but there is one constant – that of the teen-aged love triangle. Whether the attraction is between humans, human and vampire, vampire and were, or a sub-species of supernatural being, the attraction between these young adults presents a conundrum of very large proportions on differing levels.
Does a YA storyline require a love triangle to keep the reader’s attention?
For some apparent reason, the love triangle is a major premise in the young adult storylines. From Stephenie Meyer’s TWLIGHT saga (Bella, Edward, Jacob): Cassandra Clare’s MORTAL INSTRUMENTS (Clary, Jace, Simon) and INFERNAL DEVICES (Tessa, Wil, Jem): L.J. Smith’s VAMPIRE DIARIES (Elena, Stefan, Damon) to indie authors like Addison Moore’s CELESTRA (Skyla, Logan, Gage, Marshall) series the 3-way and sometimes 4-way love interests are heartbreaking, angst-ridden, gut wrenching and occasionally annoying and condescending. And in many of the cases, the heroine is in love with both man-boys (or more in some cases) and vice-versa. This alone makes for a heart-breaking storyline knowing that one or more will not stand up to the unwritten guidelines set out in the young adult budding romance category. In many cases, the author will add another female character to appease the ‘runner-up’ for the heroine’s affections or in some cases (gasps) kill off the also-ran. Fans of ‘Team Jacob’ were slightly incensed when Stephenie Meyers wrote a new ‘love interest’ for Jacob in the form of Edward and Bella’s newborn hybrid vampire/human daughter: Cassandra Clare has found a partner for Simon with Jace’s ‘sister’ Isabelle: and Infernal Devices’s Jem appears to be on his way out possibly succumbing to an addiction: and in the case of Addison Moore’s Celestra series all 3 young men profess their love for Skyla and yet each is willing to risk her life and even kill (if necessary) the object of his affection –doesn’t really sound like love to me but it apparently works- each incarnation she is still deeply in love/lust with the man-boys and is willing to profess her love and intentions with each depending on whom she is with at the time. I kid you not-this young woman is in love with all 3 man-boys and they are in love with her. The intensity of the love is beyond the capabilities of most humans, yet this young woman professes her love to each as though he were the only one for her. And…each man professes his love for the girl hoping that he will be the ONE…*sigh*…my head hurts.
What I have to point out (and bear with me on this) is that these storylines are works of fiction and if there is one thing I know, many readers love these characters as though they are best friends and lovers. They will discuss the intimate details of the character’s lives and place human attributes, human rules and human laws on fictional, fantasy and supernatural beings. When a reader places his/herself into the storyline, and becomes deeply involved with the characters and the premise, he/she will feel the angst and heartbreak associated with the loss of love or rejection by the heroine (in the cases I have mentioned). Many young readers will side with the rejected lover because he is usually the underdog and can feel both empathy and sympathy for unrequited love. The teen years are hard enough for many young adults fighting acne, hormones, first love, crushes and mood swings of epic proportions, and yet they endure the stories of rejection over and over in the hopes that perhaps one day, reflecting the reality of everyday life, the underdog may win the girl and live happily ever after. But real life is not a fantasy or fiction storlyline, and in most cases, the girl doesn’t get either boy because there is rarely the reality of the love triangle. But fantasy/fiction is the operative concept. We read to escape for a few minutes or few hours. We are taken to magical worlds where men with wings swoop in and take us away to a hidden cave or secret location (looks around wondering if anyone noticed I lost my way). But I digress.
And yet many will read this and say ‘give these young adults more credit’. Believe me, I am, but with the popularity of the Twilight Series and the uproar over Team Edward vs Team Jacob, many fans take their storylines and characters very seriously. And to add fuel to the fire, the heroes and heroines are all beautiful and the images portrayed on book covers and in the movies reflect the unnatural perfection of the storyline characters, as do most adult novels, but most adults know the difference between reality and fictional characters. When a face is placed on a character, that character begins to take on a believable persona. Jacob (aka Taylor) and Edward (aka Robert) by any other name and face, would illicit a different reaction if the actors portraying the characters looked like the average teenaged boy with pimples who has yet to shave or reach his full height.
Do we (adults) do an injustice to young adults writing ‘romance’ stories where physical perfection always wins out?
At a time where image is everything and is so pronounced in the media, on TV and the big screen, the young adult storylines are filled with beautiful teens, who overcome some tragedy to find the perfect mate waiting for them when their head comes above the proverbial water and yet there will always be the one who wasn’t quite good enough, perfect enough or destined by fate to be the ONE. And here lies the problem with the love triangle-someone will always be hurt. Regardless of whether or not another ‘mate’ is found, the initial drama of the unrequited love will forever be part of the storyline premise and the boy left behind will always know he was never good enough on some cosmic scale of teenaged justification. And in some cases, it is the reader who will walk away with a broken heart wishing that Bella chose Jacob or Clary chose Simon. The reader will imagine him/herself waiting in the wings to rescue the runner-up in a tale of heartbreak and love. And there is usually something physically different or wrong with the one who didn’t get the girl. In some cases the difference is subliminal (blonde hair vs black hair) where the reader is not wholly aware of the semiotics used throughout the story.
So like many others readers, the perpetual young adult love triangle breaks my heart when I imagine so many young teens facing their own reality of unrequited love although not on the same scale as most of today’s YA storylines. The angst and pain of lost love or the experience of rejection is real enough when it happens to you, but to read about it in virtually every YA novel, brings it full circle with every publication and premise in the young adult genre. I know my heart is breaking, the tears will fall and by the end of the book, I am exhausted.
So, I offer this post up for thought. I know I am not the only reader who is frustrated with the YA love triangle. What is your opinion regarding the young adult love triangle? Do you feel that today’s young readers are savvy enough to distinguish between the fictional love triangles and the reality of their own lives? Do you think that these YA love triangles are too heartbreaking and angst-ridden for those readers already experiencing a tumultuous life as a teenager growing up in today’s world? Do you think the Young Adult storylines require or need a love triangle to keep the reader’s attention?
NOTE: The series and storylines mentioned in the article are only a few of the young adult books I have chosen to acknowledge with regards to a three way love interest. I am in no way pointing a finger at a specific author or novel, but use these as a few examples that come to mind where the love triangle is a major premise in the storyline development.
My thoughts-Sandy