Interview with Laura Bickle & Giveaway!

EMBERS by Laura Bickle

Unemployment, despair, anger--visible and invisible unrest feed the undercurrent of Detroit's unease. A city increasingly invaded by phantoms now faces a malevolent force that further stokes fear and chaos throughout the city.

Anya Kalinczyk spends her days as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department, and her nights pursuing malicious spirits with a team of eccentric ghost hunters. Anya--who is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern--suspects a supernatural arsonist is setting blazes to summon a fiery ancient entity that will leave the city in cinders. By Devil's Night, the spell will be complete, unless Anya--with the help of her salamander familiar and the paranormal investigating team --can stop it.

Anya's accustomed to danger and believes herself inured to loneliness and loss. But this time she's risking everything: her city, her soul, and a man who sees and accepts her for everything she is. Keeping all three safe will be the biggest challenge she's ever faced.

REVIEW

********************************************************************
Please join me in welcoming Laura Bickle to Lovin' Me Some Romance!

My Interview:

Thanks so much for having me!

1. EMBERS showcases a very compelling and impressive cover. One that excels at portraying what the reader can expect to find beneath it. What was your initial reaction when you saw the cover for the first time? What is your favorite aspect? How involved were you with its design?

Thank you! The cover artist is Chris McGrath, who does the covers for Jim Butcher’s DRESDEN books. More of his art is here: www.christianmcgrath.com. He’s also doing the cover for the EMBERS sequel, SPARKS . A sneak peek at the SPARKS cover is here: http://juno-books.com/blog/?p=913

I didn’t offer any input for the cover, really. I was beyond thrilled to see it when I got the initial image in my inbox. I couldn’t have asked for a better cover – it really captures Anya. She’s depicted as being serious, dark and fiery – the whole image is just lovely. It’s a very nontraditional cover for this genre - both of them are – and I adore them.

2. The introduction to the paranormal world of EMBERS is immediate. The crumbling facade of Detroit , Anya's familiar - Sparky, and the Earthbound inhabitants that Anya deals with day-to-day are conveyed quickly via adventure and intrigue. How important was it for you to immerse the reader immediately into Anya's world? Do you feel strongly that the first chapter opening to a novel can be make or break in terms of capturing the reader's attention?

I agree that the first chapter is critically important. This is my chance to introduce the protagonist, her conflicts, and the environment surrounding her. In the first chapter of EMBERS, the reader follows Anya into a ghost-hunting expedition that does not go as Anya anticipated. I think that it was important to show the reader how ambivalent Anya feels about her role in that team, how much of an outsider she’s become. As a Lantern and destroyer of spirits, she’s called upon to do ugly things that no one else will – or can – do. And it wears on her.

3. Anya's paranormal powers as a Lantern is a topic of extreme fascination for me. I think I'm most struck by the uniqueness of her abilities as well as impressed with the emotional toll and the use of it with Anya's character development, as well as the fact that she applies a set of morals to herself with regards to these abilities. Where most paranormal heroines' powers deal primarily in the physical, Anya's is extremely psychological in that she's taking lives regardless of the fact that the lives she consumes are only Earthbound spirits. It humanized her quickly for me and I tuned into her struggles with complete believability. While I know that this is generally a question author's despise, I'm sorry but I gotta ask it: What was the inspiration for Anya, her abilities, and how you deftly filed them under the term Lantern? Can you also describe for those that are in the dark, what a Lantern is? And finally, why the profession as a firefighter?

It’a a good question – not to be despised at all!

Anya is the rarest form of psychic medium, a Lantern. Where other mediums allow spirits to borrow their own hands and voices to communicate, Anya can draw these spirits into her body and incinerate them. In that sense, she’s like a human bug zapper. But it’s a very intimate and upsetting process for Anya, one that leaves her with physical and emotional scars for a long time afterward.

The theme of fire – inner and outer – is the touchstone for my inspiration for EMBERS. Fire destroys irretrievably, and Anya has to come to terms with some of those emotions. Since Anya has a fire salamander familiar, and the story is set in Detroit , a city that has a fiery past, it seemed only natural to make her an arson investigator.

More than that, I wanted Anya to have a real, believable job. While her nights keep her occupied as a Lantern and ghost hunter, I wanted her to have to wake up in the morning, beat the alarm clock into submission, find something appropriate to wear, and fight traffic to get a paycheck like everyone else.

4. Sparky, Anya's fire elemental familiar, provides much needed comic relief. For an unseeing salamander, he stole my heart with lightening speed with his silly antics, endearing personality, and his unabashed loyalty and love for Anya. He's necessary, I think, for if he didn't existence, Anya's loneliness would have been beyond unbearable and she'd likely be a different person. Did he evolve because of Anya's need for at least one being that she could entrust her heart to or did he come fully formed with Anya as a character? Was he as much of a relief for you to write amongst the seriousness of your tale as he was for me to read?

I knew that I wanted Anya to have a constant companion from the very beginning. Though she has her feet in two worlds, she doesn’t belong in either one. It was important for me to give her an emotional touchstone, to allow her to give and receive unconditional love. This doesn’t happen with the men in her life - and very few of us have relationships with people where that’s always the case, if we’re really honest with ourselves.

No matter what happens, no matter what bad decisions she makes or what guilt she feels, Sparky will be there for her. He’s always been with her, and he always will be. I wanted Anya to have that bit of comfort. When I think of Anya and Sparky, the image that always comes to mind is Anya staring up at the ceiling at night with Sparky draped over her feet. Sparky’s hogging the covers, snoring, and he’s cuddling his Glo-Worm.

There’s a lot to be said for the unconditional love of a pet.

5. Ghosts are nothing new, however, I'm completely surprised at how the whole plot concept caught me refreshingly off guard. My rational is that in today's market, vampires, shapeshifters, and magic users dominate leaving ghosts as a trend of the past. What motivated you to abandon the tried and true for ghosts? Are you a believer in their existence? If so, why do you think they're trapped here?

With EMBERS, I set out to do something deliberately different and out of the box. Ghosts have always been in our cultural mythology, and I don’t think that they’re going away anytime soon. Membership in ghost hunting societies has skyrocketed in recent years, suggesting that there’s a resurgence in curiosity about what’s knocking about in grandma’s basement.

I think that ghosts are certainly possible, but I don’t have any hard evidence to back that up. I think that, if they do exist, that they represent a hiccup or glitch in the natural process of returning to the source of life or universal energy. Sort of like tide pools. When the tide pulls back, most of the water returns to the sea. But some of the water is left behind in pools, trapped by the landscape. Some of it eventually trickles back to the sea at a later time, but some of it gets brackish and stagnant. And that’s where the interesting stuff lies, I think.

6. While reading about a city that I've never visited, I was struck at how quickly I championed its survival. This is obviously due to Anya's love for the Detroit but what I really want to know and understand is your love for it. Or is it not love at all but just a fascination with architecture? Why did you incorporate Detroit so thoroughly into the novel to the point that you basically gave it a distinct life as a character amongst all your other characters?

My husband is to blame for all things Detroit in the book. He’s originally from Detroit , and still has family there. He played tour guide for me while I wrote EMBERS and SPARKS , showing me all kinds of unique and forgotten places. Though I never lived there, I grew to love it, too. It’s a city that truly has an indomitable spirit. What was originally intended as a simple setting really morphed into a character that spilled over all the pages.

7. SPARKS , book two in the Anya Kalinczyk series, comes out in August. What can we expect in terms of Anya's adventures? Will there be more discoveries with regards to her powers?

In SPARKS , Anya’s investigating a rash of spontaneous human combustion cases. With the help of the ghost hunters and a soul collector from the Underworld, she must track down the supernatural source of the fires and keep Sparky’s newly-hatched newts safe from a malicious psychic.

In doing so, Anya’s going to make some discoveries about what her role is as an avatar of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar and who her father is. She’ll gather some more insight on why Sparky chose her as a protector. And she’ll also get some additional assignments from the Assistant Regional Manager of the Underworld, a guy named Charon who knows his way around the river Styx .

8. And finally, you also have another Urban Fantasy novel, DARK ORACLE, that just released May 25th under the name Alayna Williams. Why the different name and what is this new series about?

Same genre, and the release dates were close together – hence the use of a different name! DARK ORACLE has a slightly different tone – it’s a mashup of magic and science that should appeal to fans of the X-Files and Fringe.

Tara Sheridan swore off criminal profiling after narrowly escaping a serial killer who left her scarred for life. By combining Tarot card divination with her own intuition, she must help an intense federal agent find a missing scientist who has unlocked the destructive secrets of dark energy. The agent, Harry Li, draws her out of her self-imposed exile and back into the world. DARK ORACLE was released May 25. More info on the ORACLE series is here: www.alaynawilliams.com

Thanks so much for the interview! I enjoyed chatting with you.

Laura

Giveaway Details:

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Publishing, I have 10 copies of EMBERS to giveaway! Here's how to enter:

*Leave a Comment with Current Email Address*

**Contest Open to U.S. ONLY**

***Must be 18 or Older to Enter***

****Contest Closes Thursday, June 3rd at Midnight U.S. Pacific Standard Time and Winners will be Chosen Randomly and Announced Friday, June 4th****

Review: ENEMY LOVER by Karin Harlow

ENEMY LOVER by Karin Harlow

Releases May 25, 2010

When you have no alternative, then you call in L.O.S.T. Because with the Last Option Special Team, it's do or die. . . .

It's Jax Cassidy's first mission for L.O.S.T. - one that will give the former cop who went rogue a chance to prove herself. Her assignment: gain the trust of assassin Marcus Cross . . . eliminate him . . . then take down Marcus's mentor, Joseph Lazarus, a man with a bold eye on the White House. But the woman who's known by her team for being a femme fatale succumbs to passion, only to discover Cross's deadly secret. He's a vampire, and Joseph Lazarus is his creator.

Left for dead by his platoon in the violent hills of Afghanistan, Special Ops sniper Marcus Cross was given a second chance at life. His newly heightened skills make him the perfect killing machine, and as Lazarus's right-hand man, he's quickly rising to the top of his dark empire, purging enemies with speed and precision. Only when dangerous beauty Jax Cassidy is sent to bring him in does he begin to question Lazarus's motives and his own actions. But when Jax's life is threatened by the one thing that can destroy them both, Marcus must make a bitter choice - her death or his.

Publisher: Pocket Star; A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Single Title/Series: L.O.S.T. Series Book One

Cover Thoughts: Intense. The crystalline blue eyes are spot on with hero's description too. Kudos for that!

Why I Read It: I received an Advanced Review Copy from the author.

My Review:

Jax Cassidy has been given a second chance to make a difference in the world as a highly specialized assassin for the black ops team, L.O.S.T. Where only a necessary few within the U.S. government are even permitted to know of its existence, Last Option Special Team is a covert group of assassins so heavily and deeply buried that its members are literally walking ghosts amongst humanity. Those within the dark folds of its classified ranks are beings who harbor such intensely tragic pasts that they give thanks to seeing it all erased, becoming John and Jane Doe's.

Forced unwillingly into L.O.S.T. with wounds still fresh from their recent battering that ultimately had her on the path towards a life sentence in prison, Jax must first bare her soul to the standing operatives and recover from her destroyed strength of self or find her butt right back on her previous path. After six months of intense therapy and training, Jax hits the ground primed and ready to become a full-fledged working L.O.S.T. agent but her first assignment may prove to also be her last.

Led by a power-crazed fanatic, The Solution has breached its boundaries by destroying innocents along with the enemy. Regretting the weakness that led to his involvement with its leader, the frightening Colonel Lazarus, Senator Rowland is now shutting down the The Solution for good. However, little does he know that he's incurring the wrath of a thousand year old vampire as well as the vampires he commands and no one shuts down Colonel Lazarus. Sending out his best assassin, Marcus Cross, Lazarus will remind the senator who controls whom. Feeling the heat of the colonel's threat, Rowland calls upon L.O.S.T. to eliminate The Solution.

Marcus is a patriot, a solider who was given a second chance ten years ago by Colonel Lazarus to walk amongst humanity as an immortal after he was left for dead in Afghanistan. Believing in The Solution and what it stands for, Marcus has never questioned the colonel until now as a recent growing unrest builds within his dead heart. The colonel is becoming power hungry and Marcus can sense it but he owes the colonel his life and will complete his mission as long as it doesn't go against his own strict morals, however few in number they may be.

Like two freight trains on a collision course, Jax and Marcus collide with blistering heat as their lust for each other is immediate as it is combustible. Of course knowing that they each are the enemy, they circle one another testing for weaknesses while also managing to heighten their physical need and awareness. Unable to resist their primal urges, mouths and bodies clash passionately awakening Marcus's vampiric nature and thus unveiling his immortality. Ingesting his blood, Jax overflows with adrenaline that becomes life-saving on more than one occasion and while she quickly accepts what Marcus is, that doesn't mean that she'll choose to walk his immortal path.

Sensing his perfect assassin's weakness for Jax, Lazarus orchestrates the ultimate test for Marcus to once and for all prove his loyalties. But when it finally comes down to Marcus eliminating Jax - the first person and only woman to not only steal his heart but to also reignite his lost humanity, Marcus chooses to instead save her life by sacrificing his own.

My Thoughts:

While an entertaining read, ENEMY LOVER left me a bit for wanting. To be completely truthful, I think the novel would have excelled far greater if written as a straight contemporary or romantic suspense. The vampire plot for one wasn't introduced until after a quarter of the way into the novel and two, the paranormal world building isn't nearly on par with other paranormal novels currently on the market today. It was bizarre to say the least that new vampiric abilities were introduced almost at random, as though added in later for a more dramatic effect. More history, more in depth telling of Harlow's vampires would have made this reader much more happy and the story much more believable.

In addition, and I never thought I'd think this about a paranormal heroine, but Jax is simply too hardcore for my reading tastes. There is little to any softness or vulnerabilities to her despite the tragedies of her past which ultimately could have been played out much deeper within the plot as well as Jax's character building. Instead she's spastic, hasty and repeatedly puts her team at risk while knowing that they're in way above their heads. However, she does handle Marcus and the unveiling of his existence as a vampire exceedingly well. Jax is fearless in that respect plus her high voltage alpha nature requires a man who can far supersede her and who can do that better then a vampire? I'll also concede that I enjoyed Jax as a character in the last quarter. She became more humanized when a member of her team falls into the hands of Lazarus. From then on, I was rooting for Jax.

However, completely opposite from Jax, Marcus is everything one would desire in a hero. He's strong and capable. A protector of the innocent and the slayer of evil. Basically he's a man that any woman could trust with her safety while wrapped snugly within his arms. In addition, Marcus has more depth of character than Jax for his tragic past erupts painfully and repeatedly in his face during the course of ENEMY LOVER. No matter his thought that his humanity is long gone, it's instead very apparent that his humanity is rightfully in attendance but rather that he was perhaps hoping it was good and buried. It's easier to take lives that way. His resulting sacrifice of his own life for Jax solidifies Marcus as a true hero as well as one deserving of the title.

What I do admire about Harlow's debut is that despite my issues, its a strong launching point for her new series. All plot arcs were tied up nicely and the writing holds great promise for more to come. For paranormal readers yearning for something delicious to sink their teeth into while awaiting other more anticipated reads, ENEMY LOVER is one such morsel.

C+

Other Reviews:

Paperback Dolls
Book Junkie: 5/5
Bitten by Romance: 3.5/5

Karin Harlow's L.O.S.T. Mug Winner!

And the winner of a L.O.S.T. series mug is...

throuthehaze!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

throuthehaze answered...

My all time fave vamp is Marius from the Vampire Chronicles series by Anne Rice. I love his seriousness and decadence. He is a very interesting character.

Thanks and Hugs to all the participants and to Karin Harlow for guest posting and providing the giveaway!

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

ENEMY LOVER by Karin Harlow

Releases May 25, 2010

Genre: Paranormal Romance

When you have no alternative, then you call in L.O.S.T. Because with the Last Option Special Team, it's do or die. . . .

It's Jax Cassidy's first mission for L.O.S.T. - one that will give the former cop who went rogue a chance to prove herself. Her assignment: gain the trust of assassin Marcus Cross . . . eliminate him . . . then take down Marcus's mentor, Joseph Lazarus, a man with a bold eye on the White House. But the woman who's known by her team for being a femme fatale succumbs to passion, only to discover Cross's deadly secret. He's a vampire, and Joseph Lazarus is his creator.

Left for dead by his platoon in the violent hills of Afghanistan, Special Ops sniper Marcus Cross was given a second chance at life. His newly heightened skills make him the perfect killing machine, and as Lazarus's right-hand man, he's quickly rising to the top of his dark empire, purging enemies with speed and precision. Only when dangerous beauty Jax Cassidy is sent to bring him in does he begin to question Lazarus's motives and his own actions. But when Jax's life is threatened by the one thing that can destroy them both, Marcus must make a bitter choice - her death or his.

GUEST POST

Review: EMBERS by Laura Bickle

Review: EMBERS by Laura Bickle

Available NOW!

Unemployment, despair, anger--visible and invisible unrest feed the undercurrent of Detroit's unease. A city increasingly invaded by phantoms now faces a malevolent force that further stokes fear and chaos throughout the city.

Anya Kalinczyk spends her days as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department, and her nights pursuing malicious spirits with a team of eccentric ghost hunters. Anya--who is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern--suspects a supernatural arsonist is setting blazes to summon a fiery ancient entity that will leave the city in cinders. By Devil's Night, the spell will be complete, unless Anya--with the help of her salamander familiar and the paranormal investigating team --can stop it.

Anya's accustomed to danger and believes herself inured to loneliness and loss. But this time she's risking everything: her city, her soul, and a man who sees and accepts her for everything she is. Keeping all three safe will be the biggest challenge she's ever faced.

Publisher: Pocket Books, A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Single Title/Series: EMBERS is Book One in the Anya Kalinczyk Series.

Cover Thoughts: Incredibly compelling. I especially love that the salamander torque Anya never removes is incorporated. Also, the red glow of burning fires adds a feeling of menace. All in all, the cover is a good indicator of the tone as well as as the air of the heroine betwixt its pages.

Why I Read It: I was offered a copy by the publisher for review.

My Review:

An outcast by her own making, Anya Kalinczyk is a woman that walks along the fringes of humanity despite the fact that there are those who love and accept her, eerie abilities and all. Both dreading yet needing isolation, Anya pushes away those that long to be close for fear of their own safety. Ridden with guilt over the few whom Anya has loved and lost, she now protects those that would love her by denouncing that very love and reducing it to nothing more than an absent acquaintance. The only being that Anya feels completely free to love without fear is Sparky, her fire elemental familiar in the shape of salamander, the size of a large dog and containing the wild rambunctiousness of a toddler. Tagging along at her side for as long as Anya can remember, Sparky is her closest confidant and companion but ultimately he's her protector.

The only known medium of her kind, Anya is a Lantern - a being with a center of molten fire and the power to hail existence or decimation over Earthbound spirits with her ability to consume them via an internal smelting pot. But Anya upholds a strict moral code to only eat the spirits that cause true harm, otherwise, she's made a good many friends amongst the nonliving. In fact, they become quite handy as witnesses for her job at the Detroit Fire Department as an arson investigator. Once craving the familial bond of firefighters, Anya joined their ranks but as she's done time and again, quickly distanced herself and eventually landed the position as the city's arson investigator. But she likes her job despite the isolation it entails. Unraveling the puzzle of how a fire moves, breathes and thrives as a living entity fascinates her but it's when her day job starts intertwining with her role amongst the spiritworld that has Anya in a bit of a panic.

Detroit is crumbling and as more and more people abandon her, the more dark and dreary she becomes until someone starts alighting the city bright with fire. For over a month, Anya has been tracking a serial arsonist. His sites of destruction are in no discernible pattern and his methods are beyond the realms of fire's natural capabilities, therefore suggesting the supernatural and Anya's worst nightmare. When Anya's search for the perpetrator leads her to a long lost Detroit icon, she discovers the imminent and complete iniliation of the city she loves and will do anything to protect.

Sirrush is coming... That's the word on the wind within the spiritworld. Something monstrous is awakening at the summons of the perp that is setting Detroit ablaze. With each fire - with each life that is consumed by its licking tentacles of flame - a sacrifice is made and the call that it sings will soon awaken the danger that slumbers below. Sirrush is like Sparky but only a million times bigger and while its neither good nor is it evil, it will glut itself on the offerings the perp has made as well as those he promises. Only Anya can stop the giant rising from its slumber and save the inhabitants of Detroit but she'll need help. The big question is, will she ask for it?

My Thoughts:

Yeah, yeah I know this review is extremely vague but you'll be thanking me later when you embark on this wildly unique tale that will leave you clamoring for more.

Anya is a supernatural heroine that I've never before had the pleasure to meet in the vast world of books and how often can one say that? While her cravings for isolation, due in part to both a tragic past and her paranormal capabilities, as well as her stress over having the world's fate resting on her shoulders aren't entirely new to the Urban Fantasy heroine, her abilities as a Lantern are. But before I dissect more on that topic, I want to also mention that Anya is not a reluctant heroine but rather she's a person who would gladly love to blend in with society and live her life without angst if it were possible. Unfortunately, who she is at her core is exactly what is needed so desperately by humanity and therefore Anya accepts that and proceeds to get the job done.

While I love my vamps and my shifters, EMBERS is a nice diversion from my regular Paranormal and Urban Fantasy fare. The incorporation of Earthbound spirits and Anya's irrevocable tie to them as a Lantern is absolutely the coolest twist and it had me fully engrossed from page one. In addition, the consequences of being a Lantern are just as interesting and as a reader, I wrestled with the abilities as much as Anya did. I mean it's just so unique and so interesting! I keep saying those words but they're just so true and I can't describe the feeling any other way.

Sparky. He's the cutest, unseeing fire elemental salamander ever! He provides necessary comic relief with his crazy preoccupation with electricity and his cat chasing fun. But he's also fierce in his protection of Anya. There are many unruly spirits and supernatural entities that would and do attempt to harm Anya but Sparky's bite keeps them at bay. Above it all though, Sparky is there for Anya in a way that no one else is or can be. He's a warm soothing blanket on the at times, cold clamp of Anya's soul.

In addtion, EMBERS is novel dedicated to the arcitectual history of Detroit. It's more than apparent that this is a city that is close to the author's heart for its seamlessly incorporated into nearly every scene; living and breathing as any other character in the novel. Despite the fact that I've never visited, I swiftly became defensive of the city's survival against the enemies that would rejoice in seeing it crumble.

Finally, I was both surprised and jubilant with the ending. Many books, especially within the Urban Fantasy genre, conjure a lot of build up between the protagonists and antagonists only to have a lackluster finish. This is not the case with EMBERS. Not only are you shocked but you're left, not with a cliffhanger, but rather on the precipice of Anya's jumping off point into the abilities she's yet to unleash from within herself. Trust me, you'll want to read it twice.

For a unique and thrilling Urban Fantasy experience with a strong heroine and hilarious but lovable sidekick, EMBERS is for you.

A-

Other Reviews:

All Things Urban Fantasy: 2/5
Blog with Bite
Babbling About Books, And More: B-
Storywings: 2/5
Parajunkee's View: 4/4
Dark Faerie Tales: 5/5
Escape Between The Pages: 3/5

*If you reviewed EMBERS and would like to be added to this list, just email me your link.

M.A. Ellis SHAKEN AND STIRRED Winner!

And the winner of SHAKEN AND STIRRED is...

Jody F.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Hugs and thanks to all who participated and to M.A. Ellis for providing the giveaway!

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

SHAKEN AND STIRRED by M.A. Ellis

Susanne is one final challenge away from reaching the pinnacle of the beverage ladder—personal manager for a wealthy member of the private sector. A win at the national competition will assure her success and she’s intent that nothing will stand in her way. Not even the drop-dead sexy cowboy who sidles up to her at the hotel’s bar.

Trey is under express orders to find Susanne, weed her from the herd of other contestants and do whatever it takes to have her disqualified. It’s a foolproof plan—until the auburn haired beauty shows more than a passing interest in a bit of yee-haw rope play.

Before she realizes what he’s about, Trey has Susanne’s hands expertly bound and she’s forced to make a choice: play it safe or allow him full rein for an evening of uninhibited loving that leaves them both shaken and stirred.

REVIEWETTE

Guest Post with Karin Harlow & Giveaway!

ENEMY LOVER by Karin Harlow

Releases May 25, 2010

Genre: Paranormal Romance

When you have no alternative, then you call in L.O.S.T. Because with the Last Option Special Team, it's do or die. . . .

It's Jax Cassidy's first mission for L.O.S.T. - one that will give the former cop who went rogue a chance to prove herself. Her assignment: gain the trust of assassin Marcus Cross . . . eliminate him . . . then take down Marcus's mentor, Joseph Lazarus, a man with a bold eye on the White House. But the woman who's known by her team for being a femme fatale succumbs to passion, only to discover Cross's deadly secret. He's a vampire, and Joseph Lazarus is his creator.

Left for dead by his platoon in the violent hills of Afghanistan, Special Ops sniper Marcus Cross was given a second chance at life. His newly heightened skills make him the perfect killing machine, and as Lazarus's right-hand man, he's quickly rising to the top of his dark empire, purging enemies with speed and precision. Only when dangerous beauty Jax Cassidy is sent to bring him in does he begin to question Lazarus's motives and his own actions. But when Jax's life is threatened by the one thing that can destroy them both, Marcus must make a bitter choice - her death or his.

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

Hi Guys! Please help me in welcoming Karin Harlow to Lovin' Me Some Romance!

Guest Post:

I love the title of your blog, VampFanGirl! Thank you for inviting me!

I love me some romance all the time, and I’m a total vamp fan girl too! Put romance and vampires together and you have one smokin’ hot, recipe for a dark, sexy story. For me the love affair with vampires began with Dark Shadows. I loved the dark atmospheric mood. The Collins’, Angelique, the doctor. I’m sure if I watched an episode now, I’d roll my eyes but how cool would it be if they updated it and made it not quite so campy? I remember Dark Shadows the movie. LOVED IT! While I was young at the time, I knew even then that vampires were cool. When I got a little older, I discovered Bram Stoker’s Dracula, followed by the Dracula movies. The version with Jack Palance is classic. And of course, who could not love George Hamilton in Love At First Bite? Of course, I was already lovin’ me some George after I saw the Evel Knievel movie he starred in. Le sigh.

Recently I watched Dracula 2000, starring hunk o’ burning love, Gerard Butler. I have to admit, I was a wee bit disappointed. He kind of, sort of, over acted the part. But he was hawt! So, to say I’m a vamp tramp is accurate. Add to that the fact the hubster is a retired cop, mix it up some and voila you have some smokin’ hot dudes coupled with nonstop action. And of course what female do you know, no matter how hard she tries, who can possibly resist a dark, dangerous and sexy as sin vampire?

I love romance. I love putting two people who have no business being together into a very small container, shutting the lid and shaking them up. The initial result is often not pretty but with more shaking they come around. With ENEMY LOVER, I tossed in a mortal woman, Jax Cassidy, who has no intention of ever becoming a vampire, and whose mission is to eliminate a vampire, Marcus Cross, a vampire by the way, who owns the term vampire! But who also knows he must die to save the life of the mortal woman he has fought long and hard not to fall in love with. Jax and Marcus’s story is one of those rare stories that will transcend time and other romances. In that, once you read their story, you will often think of them as you read other stories. They are tragically damaged, yet they are survivors first and foremost. They never balk when it comes to doing what needs to be done to complete their missions. Not so much when it comes to their emotions, but despite all of it, despite Jax and Marcus being on opposite ends of every possible spectrum, they find a way. I tell you what; as I was writing their story, I found myself shaking my head regularly. They amazed me as no other characters have. I really had no idea how they would find their way to each other. But they lead me. Hell, I ran after them. They didn’t wait up for me either.

I hope if you read ENEMY LOVER, you will fall in love with Jax and Marcus as I have.

So on that note, I have a question for you: Who is your all time favorite vampire character, and why? Answer and be entered to win a very cool, custom L.O.S.T. mug.

VFG's Answer: Colin Ames-Beaumont From Meljean Brook's Guardian Series. He sticks in my mind not only because he makes me melt but he's just so damn unique and unlike any other vampire character I've ever read. He's incredibly vain - horribly vain even but the clincher is that its not just a shallow trait. As we get to know Colin, we discover that there's so much more hidden beneath what is generally a very unlikable characteristic of someone and that its ultimately that which gives him his humanity.



Thanks again for having me VampFanGirl!

Harlow

Giveaway Details:

Answer Karin's Question

*Contest Open to U.S. ONLY*

**Must be 18 or Older to Enter**

***Contest Closes Wednesday, May 19th at Midnight U.S. Pacific Standard Time and a Winner will be Chosen Randomly and Announced Thursday, May 20th**

Erin Quinn's HAUNTING BEAUTY Winner!

And the winner of HAUNTING BEAUTY, Haunting Series Book One is...


grandmalarkin(at)yahoo(dot)com

CONGRATULATIONS!

Thanks to all the participants! You guys rock!



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

HAUNTING WARRIOR by Erin Quinn

Haunting Series Book Two

Available NOW!

A past he couldn’t forget.

Rory MacGrath’s life changed the night his father mysteriously vanished after uncovering the secrets of the ancient Book of Fennore. The trauma turned Rory from an innocent boy into a troubled, cynical man. Leaving Ireland, he shunned his family, his heritage—and the very magic that has defined his people for centuries.

A dream he couldn’t ignore.

Then the dreams begin…dreams of an ethereal beauty whose touch is more real that any he’s known. And in these dreams, she has a message—a calling for Rory to return home to a destiny that will take him beyond the realm of anything he imagined.

A woman he couldn’t resist.

Lured to the castle ruins where his father disappeared, Rory is plunged back in time, and into the body of another man—a man betrothed to the very woman of Rory’s dreams. In possession of the secrets of his past, his family, and his identity, her hold on Rory is inescapable. For she is his doom. His salvation. And his destiny.

REVIEW

Movie Review: LEAP YEAR

Title: LEAP YEAR

Released: January 2010

Cast: Amy Adams, Matthew Goode, Adam Scott, and John Lithgow

Plot:

Anna Brady (Amy Adams) is a woman with a plan. Always on schedule whilst climbing Boston's social ladder, everything is falling wonderfully into place except her boyfriend of four years, Jeremy (Adam Scott). Leaving Anna with a set of diamond earrings on the eve of what she thought would be her engagement for a conference in Dublin, Ireland, Anna is crushed to find her perfect life just out of reach. After being reminded by her father (John Lithgow) of the old Irish tradition where it's acceptable for women to propose to their boyfriends on leap year, Anna hops a jet for Dublin to do just that only to have everything fall spectacularly apart. Now, stranded in Dingle - not to be confused with Dublin, with a caustic pub owner/taxi driver/chef/concierge - Declan (Matthew Goode), whom of which would like nothing more than to be rid of Anna but instead finds himself financially chained to her, Anna thus embarks on a journey that changes everything of what she thought she knew she always wanted.

My Thoughts:

LEAP YEAR is sweet romantic comedy and while it lacks a bit in overall plot, Amy Adams and the luscious Matthew Goode, make up for it all in spades.

Anna starts off the movie as an irritating, presumptuous female who religiously plans out every moment of her life. To date, she's managed to accomplish all her goals but one: Marriage. It becomes immediately obvious that Jeremy, Anna's would be mate, has other things on his mind. It's only when all of Anna's plans fail that she really becomes endearing and cute with her penchant for accidents and gnawing wit. She's also incredibly naïve and innocent and since all this is exposed rather quickly, it's Declan that soon becomes the character to crack.

An aloof cynic who is jaded to the core, Declan only comments to point out the worst or the lowest of his opinion. He's wounded, a man who lashes out first rather than open his eyes to something other than the gloom that blocks them. But Anna slowly cracks through his tough exterior whether she realizes it or not as Declan grudgingly opens up first with humor and then with down right silliness. He makes you laugh but boy can he make you sigh. He's not a man to talk just to talk. He says and means what he feels no matter how cryptic he might make it all appear.

Matthew Goode's lilting Irish accent will have any woman with ears positively melting and those with eyes will be soaking up every inch of the one glimpse that we're bestowed of his naked torso. Then there's of course the itching desire to finger comb his dark shaggy hair and scruffy beard. But best of all, its his dreamy blue eyes and one can't help but find themselves swimming within their endless depths. Such lovely, soulful eyes.

Together, Anna and Declan make a quirky but sweet pair. It's also a testament of both these actors and their skill to take what really are two rather flat characters and pump them full of life. I'm always fascinated by their ability to accomplish such range of emotion with the subtlest of facial expressions. It's these small things that add up into what were once unknown characters into two people that happily take you along with them while on their journey.

And finally, be prepared to fall in love with Ireland. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking with its sweeping vistas and rolling verdant hills. The land becomes as much of a participating character as Anna and Declan as its incorporated fluidly into nearly every scene. And the backdrop it provides for the end...sigh, stunning.

Any who call themselves lovers of romantic comedy will find all that they love in LEAP YEAR.

Tested and husband approved.

B

Guest Post with M.A. Ellis & Giveaway!

SHAKEN AND STIRRED by M.A. Ellis

Susanne is one final challenge away from reaching the pinnacle of the beverage ladder—personal manager for a wealthy member of the private sector. A win at the national competition will assure her success and she’s intent that nothing will stand in her way. Not even the drop-dead sexy cowboy who sidles up to her at the hotel’s bar.

Trey is under express orders to find Susanne, weed her from the herd of other contestants and do whatever it takes to have her disqualified. It’s a foolproof plan—until the auburn haired beauty shows more than a passing interest in a bit of yee-haw rope play.

Before she realizes what he’s about, Trey has Susanne’s hands expertly bound and she’s forced to make a choice: play it safe or allow him full rein for an evening of uninhibited loving that leaves them both shaken and stirred.

REVIEWETTE

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

Guest Post:

Greetings one and all, and thanks for the invite VampFanGirl! I’m thrilled to be here offering up a ‘get-to-know-the-author post’. Thank goodness I have a book or two to talk about because the ‘who is M.A. Ellis’ segment will be pretty short.

I’m a mother of adult boy/girl twins who continue to make me smile/cringe with their ever changing outlooks on life. I’m recently divorced and navigating the turbulent waters of Mar del Midlife...word to the wise, don’t set forth in a rickety, old wooden boat. Go for the fiberglass model...one that’s shiny and fast and keeps our not-quite-as-toned bodies from bouncing around too much. Read that as whatever analogy works best for you: new man, new body, new mindset.

I love to cook and bake and eat...and all three of those addictions show up in some form or another in my writing. And I try to find at least one tidbit of humor each and every day...it adds to those pesky laugh lines but it also infuses merriment into my hot and steamy tales of happily ever after.

I consider myself fairly new at the field of romance. My first book, THE CAKE BABE, was published by Ellora’s Cave in June of 2007 and no one was more surprised than yours truly to have an erotic romance with my name on it. Years ago I wrote a lengthy historical romance that won a contest and went to a New York pub...who sent me a lovely four-page, hand written rejection letter. Yes, that many years ago when people actually picked up pen and put it to paper. My children were three years old at the time and I could not fathom trying to revise while juggling temper tantrums and Ninja Turtle marathons. Although I did zone out more than a few times and dream of that Casey Jones action figure coming to life and sweeping me off my feet.

I put the manuscript, and the rejection letter, away and went on with life as a mom and corporate wife and it wasn’t until I went back to college at the age of 38 that I considered writing again. I had a very supportive creative writing teacher who forced us to step out of our comfort zone and write something totally different for our final portfolio, so I did. I wrote The Subtleties of Silence, a little erotic poem that zeroed in on two lovers who don’t need words to understand what they each crave. My professor was shocked, the class critique was off the charts and when I decided, six years later, to start writing full time...it was the genre that wrapped itself around the creative corner of my mind. Nine books later, my strong heroines and sexy heroes don’t appear to be releasing their death grip. I never really know where they’re going to lead me. And just like offspring, they usually try to push the boundaries, as was the case with SHAKEN AND STIRRED.

My publisher was looking for stories that had a drink theme and I immediately thought of a Top Chef-like competition that encompassed food AND drink. My heroine is a bar manager who is determined to win and make the move to the affluent private sector. And I knew my hero was going to be in town with a rodeo because I’m a closet PBR fan but didn’t want to make him a typical cowboy—he’s a championship bull breeder. What I didn’t expect was my heroine having a hidden bondage kink...and him being the gentleman that he is...it was only a matter of time before the rope play was revealed! It was my first light BDSM story. I’ve had another, NOT QUITE VANILLA, just release from Total E-Bound. That one is a sweet little blending of bondage and chocolate. It’s just as yummy!

I had a great time writing SHAKEN AND STIRRED and got a kick out of incorporating some of my favorite celebrity chefs as judges for the final round of the beverage division. They may not all be addressed by name, but anyone who loves food...or the Food Network...will recognize them.

I’m currently working on a book that explores the world of voyeurism and exhibitionism. It’s an older woman/younger man story, which I really love to write. And read! I also have a definite August release from Ellora’s Cave that is part of their creative arts theme: FILIGREE AND FANTASY. It’s set in Macedonia and has shape shifting Macedonian shepherds as secondary characters. Those minor characters somehow always make themselves known. I have a series of six brothers, the Hot Hendersons, that appeared out of nowhere in my first book. Four of them have their own tales told. I still have the twins to finish!

Giveaway Details:

Thanks again VampFanGirl for inviting me to tell you a little about myself and my stories, one of which I’m giving away as a PDF.

Drop me an email at maellis.author(at)gmail(dot)com and write “LOVIN’ ME SOME ROMANCE” in the subject line and a winner will be drawn on Tueday 5-11-10.

In the meantime, happy reading!
M.A. Ellis

A big thank you to M.A. Ellis for the awesome giveaway and for such a wonderfull and entertaining get-to-know-you post. I know I spent a great evening reading one of her many books and for any erotic romance lovers looking to spice up their reads, M.A. Ellis is a fabulous way to accomplish that.

Reviewette: SHAKEN AND STIRRED by M.A. Ellis

Reviewette: SHAKEN AND STIRRED by M.A. Ellis

Currently only available in E-book format

Susanne is one final challenge away from reaching the pinnacle of the beverage ladder—personal manager for a wealthy member of the private sector. A win at the national competition will assure her success and she’s intent that nothing will stand in her way. Not even the drop-dead sexy cowboy who sidles up to her at the hotel’s bar.

Trey is under express orders to find Susanne, weed her from the herd of other contestants and do whatever it takes to have her disqualified. It’s a foolproof plan—until the auburn haired beauty shows more than a passing interest in a bit of yee-haw rope play.

Before she realizes what he’s about, Trey has Susanne’s hands expertly bound and she’s forced to make a choice: play it safe or allow him full rein for an evening of uninhibited loving that leaves them both shaken and stirred.

Publisher: Ellora's Cave Publishing

Genre: Erotic Contemporary Romance

Single Title/Series: Stand alone novella.

Cover Thoughts: I've never met an Ellora's Cave cover that I liked but I'll give credit to the fact that an element of the plot was incorporated with the wine glasses.

Why I Read It: I was offered a copy for review by the author.

My Review:

Susanne Webb is in the competition of a lifetime, one that will determine the success or failure of her future in the highly lucrative world of private sector beverage managing. Committed, focused, and unflappable, Susanne is not looking or wanting any distractions - can't have any distractions. The rules of competition are severe with night checks and all. No outside influence is allowed but when a sexy-smooth cowboy waltzes into her life with a slow drawl and desire thick in his eyes, Susanne's neglected hormones stand up at full attention. Rules be damned.

Trey Ryder and his Uncle Walt know the goods when they see the goods and Susanne is the goods. As judges of the National Consortium of Restaurateurs, Trey's uncle wants Susanne disqualified from competition, making her easy pickings when he approaches her later about coming to work for him at one of his business locations. He also wields the perfect weapon: Trey. However, it can also be argued that Uncle Walt is flexing his match making skills with his nephew and the lithe mixologist.

Self-conscience of her long limbs and small chest, Susanne hasn't had the best of luck with men but Trey soon crumbles any and all of her inhibitions with his smooth charm and steamy wit. The things he says, the way he makes her feel is unlike anything she's ever felt before and despite the niggling voice that reminds her of disqualification, Susanne throws caution to the wind and let's her cowboy hogtie her into the best sex of her entire life. But when the cruel morning light shines bright on the crumbling fact that her one-night-stand rode off with the sunrise toting her stolen heart only to show up hours later staring at her from a judges box, Susanne knows she's been played.

My Thoughts:

SHAKEN AND STIRRED is a fun, fast and sexy romp. One that will have you both squirming in your seat and laughing. Amongst all the heat, you'll also learn a bit about mixing drinks and the creative difficulty it entails. It's obvious that Ms. Ellis did her research.

Primarily, there's only one aspect of this short novella that I didn't enjoy and that was Trey's Uncle Walt. First, he starts off kind of menacing in light of the fact that he's trying to sabotage Susanne but then he just turns creepy in a sleazy way. When a man that has all the look and feel of an elderly grandfather shows a rather disgusting interest in your sex life, it puts one off a bit. However, I did like his ending role but I could have done without the earlier sex talk.

All in all, this is quick, sexy read that will easily add a lot of spice to an otherwise typical evening.

C+

Other Reviews:

Whipped Cream Erotic Romance Reviews: 5/5
The Romance Studio

Review & Giveaway: HAUNTING WARRIOR by Erin Quinn

Review: HAUNTING WARRIOR by Erin Quinn

Available NOW!

A past he couldn’t forget.

Rory MacGrath’s life changed the night his father mysteriously vanished after uncovering the secrets of the ancient Book of Fennore. The trauma turned Rory from an innocent boy into a troubled, cynical man. Leaving Ireland, he shunned his family, his heritage—and the very magic that has defined his people for centuries.

A dream he couldn’t ignore.

Then the dreams begin…dreams of an ethereal beauty whose touch is more real that any he’s known. And in these dreams, she has a message—a calling for Rory to return home to a destiny that will take him beyond the realm of anything he imagined.

A woman he couldn’t resist.

Lured to the castle ruins where his father disappeared, Rory is plunged back in time, and into the body of another man—a man betrothed to the very woman of Rory’s dreams. In possession of the secrets of his past, his family, and his identity, her hold on Rory is inescapable. For she is his doom. His salvation. And his destiny.

Publisher: Berkley

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Single Title/Series: HAUNTING WARRIOR is Book Two in the Haunting Series. While it can perhaps be read as a stand alone novel, I highly recommend reading Book One, HAUNTING BEAUTY, first.

Cover Thoughts: I initially wasn't a huge fan of the cover but now after having completed the novel, all the little details that I'd previously given only a cursory glance have coalesced into an amazingly rich and colorful tapestry. The spiraled tattoo on the man's chest, the pendant hanging from his neck and the cliffs in the background are all integral elements of the plot and I'm delighted that Berkley took these details into account. Now that I recognize that there's so much more to be appreciated with this cover, when I look at it, I'm forever reminded of the beautiful journey within.

Why I Read It: I received an Advanced Review Copy from the author.

My Review:

With her sophomore novel, HAUNTING WARRIOR, Erin Quinn solidifies herself as a must have, must read author. One who shatters all the molds with her sweeping epics of tangled fates and unforgettable characters where not even the monumental pressure of the decades past can barricade those that wish to transcend them. Instead, time is a vital conduit, one that is as essential to Quinn's characters and their survival in the fight against the evil that conspires against them as is the romance that binds them. It is these very characters that enrapture the reader with their courage to bend the sands of time, realign it and reshape it into a present that heals and keeps them safe.

Rory MacGrath has felt like an outsider, a man out of time with the world around him ever since the burden of his father's disappearance was heaped upon him by his own doing when he was five years old. Rather than face the crippling events of his past, Rory flees instead to Los Angeles, California - a place that couldn't be farther away in culture or climate from Ballyfionúir, Ireland. Burying the burgeoning powers of his youth, Rory has all but convinced himself that any paranormal magic he was once able to wield is all but a dream when in fact it's a dream that haunts him and its also one that will soon be his waking reality. Each night Rory's taunted by the most beautiful of women. The mystery of her, the realness in which she arrives bewitches Rory to the point that she bleeds from the dream into real life, beckoning him to her even though he tries to resist.

Saraid of the Favored Lands, a destitute princess of a dying people, faces sure death as she walks with her head held high into a marriage with Ruairi the Bloodletter - the man that destroyed her clan with death after bloody death. Seeking peace, her desperate brother has promised her hand in marriage and wed she did but when a prophecy reveals itself to be true, Saraid soon finds herself wed to Ruairi who is not the Bloodletter but his twin and a man that destiny says can save her people. But Saraid must first seduce him to her cause for he's not there to save her but to find his ticket home with the Book of Fennore - a deadly, manipulative entity that delves into the darkest pits of a man's soul, awakening the dormant greed and evil within.

Finding himself in a foreign Ireland and in a time seemingly before time, Rory is beyond reluctant to step up as the savior that Saraid proclaims him to be. He's never been able to accomplish a thing in his life other than perfecting the art of avoiding his family. All he wants is to find his way home with the Book of Fennore but Saraid's sparkle, her fierceness and bewitching beauty has him bound to her in a way he can't fully explain. He's reluctant to be her hero but he's also reluctant to leave her. She's haunted him for so long that her essence has already managed to imprint itself upon his soul and to finally have her in his arms has Rory fighting with himself to never let her go.

As a common enemy grows closer and as loved ones die or turn in betrayal, Rory and Saraid come together not only for survival but for love as well. United, they each begin to open the wells of power within themselves as they work to keep Saraid's people safe. Feeling as though he's stretching unused muscles, Rory taps into the magic he's always denied and accepts that this is who he is. Unfortunately they're greatly outnumbered and when Rory falls to his death in battle, the Book of Fennore seals his and Saraid's fate. The Book is never something to be tampered with or bound to, but Saraid, in her desperation to not lose Rory, unwittingly speaks the sacrifice that will cost her more than she ever thought possible.

My Thoughts:

HAUNTING WARRIOR is exactly as the title implies: Haunting. The magic, the time travel, the betrayals, all of it will become a hovering thought in your mind well after you turn over the final pages. Erin Quinn excels as a writer in this second effort of her Haunting Series with her incredibly tight plotting and completed story arcs.

Rory is a reluctant hero but one that grows exponentially from the anger consumed man-child of the beginning into an unparalleled and fearsome leader by the end. And while the love between him and Saraid is soft and slow in growth, its also vastly complex and it takes every bit of page time to explore all the nooks and crannies that make up their combustible passion for one another.

The Book of Fennore. Its as much of a character as Rory and Saraid and the parallels that were drawn between the three were incredibly frightening but wonderfully engrossing. The history that is unveiled in HAUNTING WARRIOR brings the Book that much more to life as an unstoppable entity with dark and evil motives.

For paranormal lovers who long for sweeping epics as well as a certain level of complexity to their reads, look no further than Erin Quinn's Haunting Series.

B+

Other Reviews:

Leontine's Book Realm: 4/5
Fiction Vixen Book Reviews: 3/5

Giveaway Details:

Because I've fallen head over heels for Erin Quinn and her Haunting Series, I'm giving away a new copy of HAUNTING BEAUTY to one lucky commenter.



*Contest Open to U.S. and Canada ONLY*

**Must be 18 or Older to Enter**

***Contest Closes Wednesday, May 12th at Midnight U.S. Pacific Standard Time and a Winner will be Chosen Randomly and Announced Thursday, May 13th**

What's on My Radar? Episode 8

ENEMY LOVER by Karin Harlow

Releases May 25, 2010

Genre: Paranormal Romance

When you have no alternative, then you call in L.O.S.T. Because with the Last Option Special Team, it's do or die. . . .

It's Jax Cassidy's first mission for L.O.S.T. - one that will give the former cop who went rogue a chance to prove herself. Her assignment: gain the trust of assassin Marcus Cross . . . eliminate him . . . then take down Marcus's mentor, Joseph Lazarus, a man with a bold eye on the White House. But the woman who's known by her team for being a femme fatale succumbs to passion, only to discover Cross's deadly secret. He's a vampire, and Joseph Lazarus is his creator.

Left for dead by his platoon in the violent hills of Afghanistan, Special Ops sniper Marcus Cross was given a second chance at life. His newly heightened skills make him the perfect killing machine, and as Lazarus's right-hand man, he's quickly rising to the top of his dark empire, purging enemies with speed and precision. Only when dangerous beauty Jax Cassidy is sent to bring him in does he begin to question Lazarus's motives and his own actions. But when Jax's life is threatened by the one thing that can destroy them both, Marcus must make a bitter choice - her death or his.

DARK ORACLE by Alayna Williams

Releases May 25, 2010

Genre: Urban Fantasy

TARA SHERIDAN HAS A GIFT . . . AND IT ALMOST KILLED HER.

As a criminal profiler, Tara used science and her intuitive skill at Tarot card divination to track down the dangerous and depraved, including the serial killer who left her scarred from head to toe. Since that savage attack, Tara has been a recluse. But now an ancient secret society known as Delphi’s Daughters has asked for her help in locating missing scientist Lowell Magnusson. And Tara, armed with her Tarot deck, her .38, and a stack of misgivings, agrees to try.

Tara immediately senses there is far more at stake than one man’s life. At his government lab in the New Mexico desert, Magnusson had developed groundbreaking technology with terrifying potential. Working alongside the brusque but charismatic agent Harry Li, Tara discovers that Magnusson’s daughter, Cassie, has knowledge that makes her a target too. The more Tara sees into the future, the more there is to fear. She knows she has to protect Cassie. But there may be no way to protect herself—from the enemies circling around her, or from the long-buried powers stirring to life within. . . .

Cool little fact: Alayna Williams is also Laura Bickle - Urban Fantasy writer of EMBERS.


VAMPIRE TRINITY by Joey W. Hill

Vampire Queen Series Book Six

Releases September 7, 2010

Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance

Vampire hunter Gideon Green sure as hell never intended to become a vampire’s servant. But when Anwyn Naime, a woman with whom he shared an unforgettable night, is turned by a vampire pack, they become bound by something far greater than either imagined. It also forces Gideon into an uneasy alliance with one of the most terrifying vampires he’s ever encountered: the mysterious Daegan Rei.

Daegan also has a vested interest in Anwyn. His history with the lovely nightclub owner is both intimate and intense. As Gideon and Daegan shepherd Anwyn through her dangerous validation with the Vampire Council, it’s clear the three of them must learn to trust each other. But as boundaries between them erode and vulnerabilities surface, Gideon realizes he is no longer the man he thought he was--changed by a strange and unexpected bond with the two new people in his life he can’t survive without…vampires.

JEWELED by Anya Bast

Releases November 2, 2010

Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance

Defined by magic. Ruled by desire.

In the Court of Edaeii, magic-imbued Evangeline is rewarded for her gift with a sapphire stone set in the perfect curves of her flesh. Her greatest rival in the royal court is the enigmatic Anatol, instilled with his own powers to manipulate illusion. He may better her in magic, but he is her absolute equal in a ferocious sexual energy begging for release.

They share something else—they’re both targets of low-born revolutionaries bent on over-throwing the palace of the privileged few. Rescued from the mobs by Gregorio, a brilliant insurgent, they’re given sanctuary. But in this warm refuge, Evangeline soon finds herself torn between the magic of one man she has always desired, and the excitingly new and radical moves of another. For her, there is only one choice.

Evangeline, Anatol and Gregorio come together as one to explore the possibilities of love beyond reason, and to indulge—for as long as they can survive—in pleasure without limits.

PLAY OF PASSION by Nalini Singh

Psy/Changeling Series Book Nine: Indigo's Story

Releases November 2, 2010

Genre: Paranormal Romance

No blurb yet but I'm lovin' this cover a whole hell of a lot more than BONDS OF JUSTICE.