Interview: The Mark of the Tala (The Twelve Kingdoms #1) by Jeffe Kennedy

Published: May 27th, 2014

Description:

Queen Of The Unknown

The tales tell of three sisters, daughters of the high king. The eldest, a valiant warrior-woman, heir to the kingdom. The youngest, the sweet beauty with her Prince Charming. No one says much about the middle princess, Andromeda. Andi, the other one.

Andi doesn't mind being invisible. She enjoys the company of her horse more than court, and she has a way of blending into the shadows. Until the day she meets a strange man riding, who keeps company with wolves and ravens, who rules a land of shapeshifters and demons. A country she'd thought was no more than legend--until he claims her as its queen.

In a moment everything changes: Her father, the wise king, becomes a warlord, suspicious and strategic. Whispers call her dead mother a traitor and a witch. Andi doesn't know if her own instincts can be trusted, as visions appear to her and her body begins to rebel.

For Andi, the time to learn her true nature has come. . .

Upcoming books in the trilogy are The Tears of the Rose and The Talon of the Hawk.

MB's INTERVIEW

Thank you, Mrs. Jeffe Kennedy

1. How different is to write young adult romance from the adult ones and what is the most important aspect in such a romance?

I don’t really know because I’ve never written YA! For some reason, a few readers think that The Mark of the Tala is YA, but it’s definitely not. It’s considered adult fantasy. *Very* adult in places, if you catch my drift. J

2. I read your Workshop section of your site and I want to ask you: do love stories need sex scenes? What a sex scene brings to a romance story?

They don’t NEED them – the Twilight series is an amazing example of an intense love affair that remains totally chaste for a number of books – but I happen to always write them. Even if I’m trying not to, and I did think I wouldn’t when I started The Mark of the Tala, I end up going there. To me sex is a natural and joyful part of life. And especially in love relationships, physical intimacy is an important part of the developing affair. People reveal different parts of themselves during sex, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually, too. Sex is really the closest we’re able to be to another person and there’s huge power in that.

3. What it takes to create a believable fantasy world and what else make a good fantasy story?

I think a believable fantasy world should be grounded in the same physical laws as the world we know and understand. While fantasy allows us to change some aspects – magic, shapeshifting, etc. – people, human nature, forces like gravity, all remain consistent. For me what makes a good fantasy story is being swept away into another world that I’d like to live in.

4. What kind of character is Andromeda? There are any similarities between her and the mythological Andromeda?

Ooh – you’re the first person to ask me that! My Andromeda starts out as someone who is self-effacing. She’s not confident and years of being treated as wrong or weird have led her to prefer not being noticed at all. Through the events of the book, she learns to take control of herself and her life. She finds an inner strength she didn’t know she had. The name “Andromeda” means to be mindful. It translates as “to think of man,” but we know that “man” in these cases refers to human nature. My heroine Andromeda has to learn her own nature and the nature of the people and races around her. The mythological Andromeda was chained to a rock as a sacrifice to a monster – which is metaphorically what happens to my heroine also.

5. I saw that some readers disagree with certain aspects of the relationship between Andi and Rayfe. How difficult is to walk on such a thin line that can be misinterpreted and what are the risks of such misinterpretations? 

I think this goes directly towards her being a sacrifice. Andi, however, sacrifices herself to save her people. The ritual binding of her marriage to Rayfe is both magical and sexual. Their marriage is partially a political alliance and she reconciles herself to the reality of that. They have to be married – with full consummation of it – for the alliance to be real and lasting. This was a reality of many women’s lives for centuries and it’s true of the world Andi lives in. Rayfe doesn’t force her into sex, in my view. She agrees to the marriage, including sex, with her eyes open. She goes willingly, which is important to Rayfe also, and with a sense of her responsibility as a ruler. 

As for how difficult is it to walk this thin line? Clearly it’s very difficult! It’s a trigger topic for a lot of people. And I absolutely believe that everyone has a right to their feelings and should be able to express them. As the author, I was in Andi’s head, so I felt like she did not feel forced. It would have been different had she not already felt a deep attraction to Rayfe, who sees her when she’s invisible to everyone else. He values and cherishes her and she’s tremendously drawn to him. Maybe that’s part of why it was important to me to include the sex scenes between them, because she does enjoy the experience and the intimacy with him. In fact, they get that part right before they figure out the rest of their marriage. 

It’s an interesting question overall – what each of us would sacrifice or suffer and for what principle? That’s part of Andi’s journey as a person, to discover those things.

TOUR SCHEDULE

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About the author:

Jeffe Kennedy is an award-winning author with a writing career that spans decades. Her fantasy BDSM romance, Petals and Thorns, originally published under the pen name Jennifer Paris, has won several reader awards. Sapphire, the first book in the Facets of Passion series, has placed first in multiple romance contests and the follow-up, Platinum, is climbing the charts. Her most recent works include three fiction series: the fantasy romance novels of A Covenant of Thorns, the contemporary BDSM novellas of the Facets of Passion, and the post-apocalyptic vampire erotica of the Blood Currency. 

She is currently working on Master of the Opera and The Twelve Kingdoms, a fantasy trilogy. 

Jeffe lives in Santa Fe, with two Maine coon cats, a border collie, plentiful free-range lizards and a Doctor of Oriental Medicine. Jeffe can be found online at her website: JeffeKennedy.com or every Sunday at the popular Word Whores blog.

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Excerpt and Giveaway: Ethereal Fury (Gemini Rising #1) by Jessica O'Gorek

Description:

BEWARE! THE PLANET IS WOUNDED... THE GEMINI ARE RISING AND OUR TIME ON EARTH IS LIMITED

Angry at the human race and its methodical destruction of her resources, Mother Earth recruits souls who have just left their bodies to serve Her, and turns them against humanity.

Gemini, a clan of paranormal beings, picked from these possessed humans, emerges. A powerful, rising force proceeds to carry out Mother Nature’s plan to systematically destroy towns, cities, states… and eventually, the world. Amidst the chaos, a forbidden relationship between a human girl, Violette, and Onyx, a lead Gemini, begins. They will both find themselves in the middle of a revolutionary war that will either save, or destroy our world.

EXCERPT

TOUR SCHEDULE

 Chapter 18- Sisters

What a delectable treat and her way in! How easy could it get? Lilly was overdue for a takeover, this was the perfect recharge for her. 

She swept down closer and got a better look at her prey. Her frame was fragile; she was weak with emotion. She slowly fluttered right up to her irises, which were large and purple. Rearing back a few feet, she prepared to dive in the easy route, right through her eyes. The process was extremely fast, similar to a heat seeking missile. Slithering and twisting her way through the nervous system, then taking command of every receptor, she invaded her cells. Once inside, she felt the adrenaline, felt the thrill of new life ebbing from the girl's body. All the hormones secreted during natural human responses were spread out for her delight. It was an all-you-can-eat buffet. This was her area of expertise- quick, seamless possessions, not too painful for the host, but nowhere near pleasant. Her talons were wrapped and coiled in all the appropriate places, but for some reason when she ordered her host to stand, there was no reaction. What was wrong? Defective synapses? She retracted and reattached all areas again; maybe she'd missed the connection. Finally, she was able to stand, but only with great effort. 

"It should not be this hard," Lilly said out loud. She loved the sound of her childlike voice, so young and sweet; it made her feel new and revived. She might just stay and play for a while in this one. Her motor functions were a bit jerky as she began to walk and out of nowhere, a panicked voice screamed in her head.

Hey! Who are you? Why are you doing this to me? Lilly could tell it was the girl, screaming in protest. Again, the voice, louder now, and demanding: Who the hell are you? Get out! Please, stop! 

This human was outraged and strong. An angry young soul was a challenge for Lilly; it teased her ego a bit. She clamped down harder on her receptors, grinding into them, trying to turn them inside out. Violette shook with the effort and her teeth gnashed together. 

"Listen here, girl." Lilly was going in for the kill now, her goal, to silence the voice permanently. "Give it up! I am you now, so shut up and enjoy the ride." She could hear her moaning and it was getting fainter and fading away. 

Please stop! Get out! Help me! Silence followed, and Lily knew her quarry was contained. If she surfaced and caused a scene, she would simply snap her neck and move on. She could always find someone else. 

Suddenly, her left hand reached up and went to her throat. She began squeezing her own larynx, trying to crush it. I don't give up that easily! I know what you are! You’re a demon! Get out! 

"You are kidding me!" Lilly rasped as the hand around her neck squeezed. She growled and pulled the left hand from her throat with her right. Then she laughed out loud. It was a horrible, deep laugh with multiple voices combined into one. Inside, she felt her victim cringing away.

"Oh yeah honey, that's it, Lilly is done being nice." She grabbed two of the fingers on the hand that had tried to choke her and broke them like twigs by twisting and pulling them around. They dangled from tendons and skin, mangled and already blue.

The screaming in Lilly’s head almost drove her mad. It bounced around, over and over, getting louder and louder. Agony, hatred, she sucked the energy up and used it to subdue her. 

"Shut up! You will cooperate with me. Walk into the church." Another whine emitted from within the girl. "Now!" Lilly demanded. They walked awkwardly towards the stone wall. 

"Feel the pain brat? I will break more if you defy me, but when you get into the church, I'll fix them for you, if you behave." She paused in her threat, considering. "Or at the very least, I'll keep them from dangling." She chuckled internally and kept walking. 

They were not completely in sync; Lilly wanted to go faster than the girl’s neurons could react. The delay between motor signal, and the action performed, was grating on her nerves. Maybe this had been a mistake. Maybe the girl was a witch, or a sorcerer. She could think of no other explanation for this reckless rebellion, not from a simple human. To make sure she was quiet she goaded her once more.

"Do you understand I will hurt you if you disobey me?" Her only answer was a pitiful yes. She had already made up her mind. This one would die when it had served its purpose. She now understood a little more about churchgoers being more dangerous.

Book #1 (The Burning Star) is on sale for only 99 cents for a limited time!

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About the author:

I grew up admiring my father, Barry Weinstock, as an author. He took me around the country to different places so he could research and write his Wilderness Survival books. One of his greatest works, “The Path of Power,” was written with a great medicine man, Sunbear. 

When I was twelve I started hand writing novels. My first one was two thousand pages. My dad always encouraged me and would rave about my writing. He gave me the confidence I needed to keep writing and follow my dream. My daughter, who is twelve, is currently working on her first novel. I hope to continue the legacy.

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Giveaway: Labyrinth Society: The Versailles Vendetta by Angie Kelly

Published: May 27th, 2014

Description:

When 12 year-old Mia Cornell is sent to live at the Tarpley Estate, her ninth foster home, she has no idea what she's in for. Having a kind but mysterious foster mother and three quirky foster sisters is all well and good. Discovering that her new family is a secret society—they use a portal in their garden labyrinth to travel the globe seeking lost art, artifacts, and OSOs (objects of supernatural origin)—is something else entirely.

Mia barely has time to wrap her head around the truth when the Society's latest job, tracking down Marie Antoinette's necklace, goes sideways. Mia and her new siblings—Tomi, the historian; Devon, the hacker; and Lily, the muscle—must use their wits, plus a few cool OSOs filched from the Society's vault, to stay a step ahead of a sinister enemy from their foster mother's past. But just how far back does Mrs. Tarpley's past go? And will Mia stand by her new family or cut and run when they need her the most?

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About the author:

Angie Kelly is the pseudonym of a former member of the Labyrinth Society. When she’s not writing about her adventures, or reading about other people’s adventures, she’s busy traveling the world and indulging her inner twelve year-old. Although she was last sighted lurking around the British Museum after hours, her current whereabouts are unknown.

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Blast Giveaway $100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 6/23/19 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Release Day! Excerpt: Wicked Nights by Lexie Davis

Description: 18+

Can a rule-breaking biker and a straight-laced lawyer find true love?

When criminal defense attorney, Addison Pierce, has bullets flying at her head, the only person she can turn to is Mason Vaughn, President of the Wicked Angels Motorcycle Club. As her client, he vowed to protect her from any repercussions of taking on his case. However, as much as Addison needs protection from Mason’s known enemies, she doesn’t need a complication like Mason in her life.

As she delves into the world of motorcycle clubs, she struggles with the ethics of her professional relationship with Mason turning into a more personal one. Mason’s world includes motorcycles, sex and the ever-present, law-defying anarchy known within his club. Addison stands against most of Mason’s tactics for keeping her safe, but starts to question her own feelings for him.

Can a biker and a lawyer find true love amongst the chaos found in this rebellious world?

EXCERPT

“You look rattled.”

She shook her head. “He gets under my skin. Ever since the…” She stopped, realizing all attention was on her. “Never mind. What do you need?”

“I was going to start fixing this place up. I wanted to see if it was okay with you.” Mason glanced toward the building.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” She saw her assistant’s car pull in to the parking lot and breathed a sigh of relief. “Only on a few conditions.”

Mason chuckled. “Okay.”

“Stay away from the Skulls and stay away from McNally.”

His lips tilted up in a grin. “I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”

“I mean it. If I have to stop everything to bail you out of jail, I’m going to be pissed.”

He licked his lips. “Then I’ll promise to stay out of jail.”

“Leave McNally alone.” She didn’t like the look on his face when he questioned her about him. Mason had a way of fixing things. She didn’t need a hurt officer linked to her as well.

“Tell me something.” Mason put his back to his goons and faced her. “Does he have the hots for you?”

Addison glanced toward her assistant and wished Ashley would pick up the pace some. “You need to stay away from him. He does not like the MC and now that I’m involved, who knows.”

“I’m not worried about that little shithead. You shouldn’t be either. I’m protecting you. You’re mine.”

Ashley’s eyes widened and Addison grabbed Mason’s arm, dragging him out of earshot. “You are not with me. I’m not yours, no matter what happened between us. I’ve told you that it will not happen again.”

The grin returned and she damn near melted into a puddle of goo. He leaned down so his mouth hovered inches from hers. He smelled so good, Addison had to force herself to remain upright. She knew he could make women drop on their backs and spread their legs with the mere thought of his mouth or his cock, but she didn’t need that. He’d scratched the itch. Now she needed to break free and get back to her regular life.

“You say that like you mean it, but I’m not completely convinced.”

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About the author:

Lexie's love for writing began when she wrote her first play in fourth grade. With a big imagination and love for creating worlds, she wrote several more scripts that have placed first in contests. She loves to read but didn't pick up a romance novel until high school and fell in love with the genre. Now she writes steamy stories, with heartfelt characters, letting her imagination take her wherever it may go.

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Happy Release! Giveaway: Life After Taylah by Bella Jewel

Description:

My mother's name is Taylah, and once, a very long time ago, she was my best friend - she was everything I wanted to be. 

Until the night she disappeared. 

Ten years on and my life, my families lives and the world around us has never been the same again. 

How can it be when you are left not knowing?

No leads. No connections. Nothing. Just pure emptiness. 

My dancing is the only way I can separate myself from the pain that lies in my home, in my father's eyes and in my brother's spirit. They need me and I'll fight with everything I am to be there for them, but who will be there for me?

Then I meet Nate. 

Champion Motocross racer and everything my father doesn't want for me. He's forbidden, he's beautiful, and he's carrying a bundle of his own secrets. 

When I step into his world, there is no turning back. 

He will consume me. 

He will teach me how to breathe again. 

He will put a tiny piece of my broken heart, back together. 

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About the author:

Bella Jewel is an Aussie girl through and through. She spent her life in Western Australia, growing up in many different areas of the state. She now currently lives in Perth with her husband, children and mass amounts of pets. She's crazy, fun, outgoing and friendly. Writing is her passion, she started at the young age of 18 but finally got the courage up to publish, and her first novel Hell's Knights was released in August 2013.

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Author's Giveaway

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Happy Release Day! Excerpt and Giveaway: The Frozen Star (Star #2) by Jessie Lane

Description:

The journey continues:

Kay had discovered secrets, lies, shocking truths, and even love in a strange new world hidden from humans. Everything she thought she knew was turned upside down when she found out three things:

- She wasn’t human.

- She has a power she can't control.

- And there was a possibility that she had found a way to cure the cancer that was rapidly killing her with that very same power.

Then, just when she was on the precipice of gaining everything she wanted and saving her own life, tragedy struck. Will she be able to fight her way back to Ryan and save herself in the process?

Kira had lived a terrifying and confusing life of servitude and abuse under Lord Donovan and his son, Cole. It was an existence that had stripped away her emotions, and eventually, her reason to keep fighting. Just when she thought freedom was within reach, Lord Donovan struck again, ruining her plans and almost killing her in the process. When she awoke from her injuries, it was to stunning revelations that would change her life forever. Changes that she was not entirely sure she wanted to embrace.

Persistent individuals such as Prince Kane refuse to let her walk away, though. Will she embrace all of the sudden fortune in her life? Or will she walk away from those who need her most, forsaking their acceptance and love?

Kay’s journey of a lifetime started in the woods outside of Asheville, North Carolina. It was there that the 17 year old met a beautiful man along with a monster. The chance encounter led her to an unbelievable world that shouldn’t exist; a place where myths and fairy tales were real, and in some cases, deadly. Kay knew she would have to brave this new world if she hoped to find a cure for her terminal cancer.

With a strange yet beautiful cast of characters that she would meet along the way, Kay uncovered truths that would change her life forever. However, before it was all over, it would become clear that Kay wasn’t the only one with problems.

Yet another 17 year old young woman was fighting for her freedom and her life.

Kira had lived in a magical world that Kay had only dreamt of. Despite this, her life had not been filled with many good things. As a matter of fact, she considered her empty, emotional solitude the only positive aspect of her life. She fought daily battles to escape abuse and torture.

Trained to be an expert assassin, she was charged with kidnapping Kay and delivering her to Kira’s master, Lord Donovan.

As the two young women set forth in their journeys, their paths would cross in unimaginable ways. The only question that would remain was who would come out alive and whole in the end?

EXCERPT

Kay’s POV:

As Lord Donovan left me to my own personal stone hell, the only sounds reaching my ears were the bricks grinding against one another as they moved this way and that way, reassembling the doorway into a solid, impenetrable wall once again. Solitary confinement. This boxed prison was going to be the last thing I would remember. Except I now knew that I had a sister. Had a sister. Maybe he was lying. He had to be. I mean, I would know if she’d died, right? 

“Why can’t I remember anything?” I thought out loud as I tugged on my restraints again in hope the unbreakable thread would loosen its crippling hold on me.

“What’s worth remembering?” whispered a man through the cracks in the wall.

“Who’s there?” I hissed through clenched teeth in case the creepy man, or worse yet, his son, could be hiding in the shadows.

“Thoughts are fleeting and forever lost to time.”

“Where are you?” I asked as I shifted my head from side to side in hopes of catching a glimpse of where the voice could be coming from.

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so,” whispered the man’s voice as if he was reading a page from a book.

I thought I had heard that somewhere. An old memory perhaps? Or a newer one that I was meant to hold onto? A name was stuck on the tip of my tongue and with superglue nonetheless. It hurt to think about it, but I knew I had to keep trying. 

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to focus on something, anything other than the feeling of the stone walls closing in on me.

A flash of blue eyes and messy blonde hair danced in front of me but was still out of reach. The image shifted, and he turned around to face me again as his face drew closer. I watched with immense concentration as a breathtaking smile graced his handsome face and his eyes lit up with his devious intentions. I felt myself smile and the heat rise to my cheeks with just the mere thought of him. 

He’s real; I can feel it in my bones. There was no way my imagination was that good. He was looking for me. I knew it just as I knew my heart was still beating. And I knew he was mine. I analyzed every millimeter of his face as if he was only an inch away, cementing it in heaps of concrete to make sure I would never forget the gorgeous man again. 

There was a faint buzzing in the back of my head. It wasn’t strong, but it was constant. I could feel it getting stronger the more I stared at his eyes. It was a connection; our connection. 

“Be alert, my muse, and stand your ground. She comes for you. Evil comes in the most beautiful forms and smells so divine to those to whom she feeds on. But to you, my dear, she will reek of the rotting flesh of her last victim. Hold your breath and look away.”

Wait a minute, hold my breath and look away? 

“Is her breath so disgusting that I would need to suggest a Listerine big gulp, or maybe even a Tic-tac with a battery?” I replied without missing a beat and instantly heard his laughter echoing off the walls of his own cell and into mine. 

“Full of life you are, my dear child. Hold on to that. It will be your saving grace in this forgotten prison.”

Full of life? Yeah, right, Yoda. I knew my days were numbered. It sounded so cliché, but I could feel it coursing through my veins. Something wasn’t right; it felt as if I was on fire on the inside. Only some inner voice told me the burning sensation was not only okay, it was good for me. How insane was that?

Book #1 (The Burning Star) is on sale for only 99 cents for a limited time!

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About the author:

Jessie Lane is the best selling author of The Star Series, Big Bad Bite Series and the Ex Ops Series.

She lives in Kentucky with her two little Rock Chicks in the making and her over protective alpha husband. She has a passionate love for reading and writing naughty romance, cliff hanging suspense, and out-of-this-world characters that demand your attention, or threaten to slap you around until you do pay attention to them.

Jessie writes Upper YA Fantasy/Paranormal Romance & Adult Paranormal and Contemporary Romance. She's currently working on her next two novels, The Demon Who Loved Me (Big Bad Bite Series #3) and Stripping Her Defenses (Ex Ops Series #2).

M.L. Pahl (Melissa) has departed from the Jessie Lane pen name to pursue other things. She will be sorely missed, but I know she has an amazing future ahead of her. You can follow M.L. Pahl at: Facebook and Twitter

You can also check out her Facebook page that she shares with her older brother Matthew Leo for their upcoming book, Zombies Don't Ride Motorcycles, HERE

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Cover Reveal: Branded: A Bad Boys Anthology by B.L. Wilde, Jeanne McDonald, Jo Matthews, Mary Elizabeth, Sarah Elizabeth

Cover Design: Cover It Designs

Expected Release Date: 28th August, 2014

Description:

B.L. Wilde, Jeanne McDonald, Jo Matthews, Mary Elizabeth, and Sarah Elizabeth give us five good reasons why good girls love bad boys. The men of Branded are sexy, adventurous, and troubled deep into their souls. There may be no redeeming them, but at the risk of losing everything, these good girls must decide if loving their bad boy is indeed worth the cost.

Condemned by B.L.Wilde

Ten years served for a crime he didn’t commit. Ten years to lose everything he ever knew. Finally released from prison, Clayton McGuire is on a mission and nothing will stand in his way. He is determined to get revenge against the gang that set him up and take back what was stolen from him all those years ago.

Clay will stop at nothing to win back his honor and the heart of the only woman he has ever loved. Will she take him back when he finds her? Or will he be condemned to live a life without his soulmate?

Renegade by Jeanne McDonald

A chance meeting between a rookie cop and a common criminal who’s searching for a way out.

An unforeseen circumstance. An instant attraction. A magnetic connection.

Tattooed, pierced, and foul-mouthed, she can’t help but be drawn to him.

Two people entirely wrong for one another, yet so perfectly right.

When their worlds collide, Lucy Diamond will learn the true meaning of love and sacrifice as she embarks on the road of no return with bad boy Jude Wallace.

Like a thief in the night, love will take them both by surprise.

Desolation By Jo Matthews

Liam Jenkins grew up with everything he ever wanted. At age 17, his world is ripped apart and he finds himself without a home, without a car, and without money. His support system is gone and he is left to fend for himself. Not having any other option, Liam turns to sex and small crimes to survive.

When a beautiful woman chooses not to turn him into the cops but invites him to her hotel room instead, Liam’s world is flipped upside down again and everything he’s learned on the streets ceases to exist.

What will happen when one night with her isn’t enough? When she haunts his thoughts and dreams? When his past finally catches up with him, will he be able to start over? And will his mystery woman be there to see him through?

Low By Mary Elizabeth

Summary Coming Soon

Don't Let Me Go By Sarah Elizabeth

Based almost entirely on body language, intimate feelings can develop within less than a minute of meeting someone.

Additionally, meeting in a dangerous situation increases the chances of falling in love.

This is that fall.

Where meeting her eyes means seeing it through.

Following down from the start to don’t let me go.

From roll up to run.

Between old glory and new beginnings.

This is what happens when a lamb is carried to the slaughter by courage, instead of a cowardly lion.

About the authors:

B.L. Wilde is a British author obsessed with many things, including heated love stories. Fully supported by her husband, she can often be found at her desk working on her next project.

Her journey into the world of erotica began when she started writing online stories over three years ago, and she hasn't looked back since.

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Jeanne McDonald began telling stories at the ripe young age of five, when her mother considered the truth to be a lie due to her extensive embellishment to the retelling of an event. She wrote her first short story when she was twelve years old, and at the age of sixteen she tried her hand at poetry. She reconnected with her love for writing in 2010 thanks to the encouragement of a dear friend.

Her passions include a "mild" Starbucks addiction, music, reading, quotes, movies, and romance. When she's not spending time with her family, she can be found reading, writing, chatting with her friends or diligently working toward her bachelor's degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology. A proud Texan, Jeanne currently resides in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with her family.

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Jo Matthews is an Arizona native, where she lives with son. A stay-at-home mom since 2007, she only recently discovered her love and passion for the written word. When she’s not writing, she’s usually knee deep in editing—an aspect she thoroughly enjoys.

As an editor, she has propelled quite a few authors into the published world, and with her skills, has landed several stories on Amazon’s Top Sellers lists.

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Sarah Elizabeth love’s listener is a lone wolf born a unicorn with a red panda soul and a heart she drew herself. friend, sister, elizabeth, and true love, she’s a messenger that makes art with words and love with art. she’s been yelly, yellowglue, squeak, cuppycakes, precious pinks, warren, little grey, a girl named ben, and sarahbear. she’s a synesthete, a heart junkie, a truth seeker and secret keeper. poet half, sun half, and total scripturient, Sarah’s work is equal parts her passion, sanctuary, precipice, vice, adventure, restorative, deliverance, and joy. she currently resides in Kansas City, and she’s bringing Rococo back.

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Mary Elizabeth is an up and coming author who finds words in chaos, writing stories about the skeletons hanging in your closets. Known as The Realist, she is one half of The Elizabeths—a duo brave enough to never hide the truth. Born and raised in Southern California, she’s a wife, mother of four beautiful children, and dog tamer to one enthusiastic Pit Bull and a prissy Chihuahua. She’s a hairstylist by day but contemporary fiction, new adult author by night. Mary can often be found finger twirling her hair and chewing on a stick of licorice while writing and rewriting a sentence over and over until it’s perfect. She discovered her talent for tale-telling accidentally, but literature is in her chokehold. And she’s not letting go until every story is told.

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Cover Reveal organized by Written Elegance

Cover Reveal: An Etiquette Guide to the End Times by Maia Sepp

Date Published: June 6, 2014

Description:

Good manners never go out of style…do they?

There aren’t any zombies (yet), but the world is still at the brink of destruction: It’s 2028 and global warming has led to rising oceans, crazy weather, and resource scarcity. On top of that, someone just turned the Internet off. Seeing as how it’s humanity’s last chance to turn things around manners are, understandably, a bit frayed.

Etiquette buff Olive O’Malley is busy microfarming her urban property and minding her own business (and her chickens) when the government comes calling. Their goal is to push the populace towards carbon-neutrality while keeping kvetching to a minimum, and they come with a proposal: transition Olive’s popular etiquette column to a radio show for the masses, and they’ll help Olive find her grandfather, who’s gone missing.

Olive doesn’t trust the hipster government officials who try to bribe her with delicious-but-probably-a-little-evil chocolate pastries, and declines their offer. (Politely, of course.) But they won't take no for an answer, and soon Olive is knee-deep in turmoil, eco-terrorism, and missing chickens. Now she has to untangle herself from their demands and figure out how to make sure her family (and her poultry) are safe before it’s too late.

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About the author:

Maia left the tech sector to write about sock thievery, migraines, and...the tech sector.

The Sock Wars is her debut novel. The first chapter of The Sock Wars was published as a short story/novel excerpt titled Irish Drinking Socks, and became a Kobo bestselling short story. The Sock Wars has been a top-100 digital bestseller on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the iBookstore, as well as a genre and Writing Life bestseller on Kobo.

Maia's second novel is The Migraine Mafia, a story about a nerdy thirtysomething's quest to come to terms with a chronic illness. It is available online everywhere.

Her latest is a humorous near-future dystopian novella, titled, An Etiquette Guide to the End Times, available June 2014. To be notified about new releases, please add yourself to Maia's mailing list: http://www.maiasepp.com/mailing_list.html.

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Cover Reveal organized by Reading Addiction Blog Tours

Concurs (RO) Explozia intarziata a fructelor de mango de Mohammed Hanif

Descriere editura:

De ce se prabuseşte pe 17 august 1988 un Hercules C130, cel mai robust avion din lume, care-l are la bord pe dictatorul pakistanez Zia ul-Haq? Motivele ar putea fi:

O defecţiune tehnică

O eroare umană

Nerăbdarea CIA-ului

Blestemul unei femei oarbe

Generalii nemulţumiţi de planurile de pensie

Sezonul fructelor de mango

Sau vinovat să fie chiar naratorul, Ali Shigri?

Într-un ritm sincopat şi cu un umor negru ce aminteşte de celebrul Catch-22 al lui Joseph Heller –, romanul provocator şi exuberant semnat de Mohammed Hanif reimaginează conspiraţiile şi coincidenţele ce au condus la misterioasa moarte a generalului Zia ul-Haq.

O naraţiune explozivă, din care nu lipsesc comploturi şi teorii ale conspiraţiei, serviciile secrete, ruşii, israelienii, generalii pakistanezi, plus o cioară turmentată care trece ilegal graniţa.

Castigatorul va fi anuntat aici

Castigatoarea, Ema Georgiana, a fost anuntata pe 13 iunie

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Excerpt and Giveaway: Son of Set (Descendants of Isis #2) by Kelsey Ketch

Description:

“. . . the Sons would never just let him go—alive.”

Seth O’Keefe has broken the laws of his god. He never thought he would sacrifice his own future to protect a Daughter of Isis. But when the Sons of Set discovered Natti is the Secret Keeper, he had no choice. Now, Seth and Natti are on the run from his father, who wants nothing more than to see Seth dead. With no allies, Seth turns to the Daughters of Isis for help, hoping they would protect Natti. But when they meet the Daughters, he discovers a secret that puts both their lives in more danger. Low on options, Seth sees only one possibility for survival. He must help Natti solve an ancient puzzle and find the secret name of Ra.

Natara “Natti” Stone is having a hard time swallowing the truth. She can’t believe what she has learned in the past twenty-four hours: Seth is a Son of Set blessed with charm; she is a Daughter of Isis blessed with a sliver of Ma ‘at; the locket her grandmother gave her holds an ancient Egyptian secret linking to Osiris and Isis. That along with being tortured and brutalized by the Sons of Set, she can hardly hold herself together. Thank God for Seth’s touch! That warm, tingling sensation that drowns it all out. Yet her heart struggles to stay focused. She must quickly embrace her destiny before the secret name of Ra falls into the wrong hands.

“Her mouth parted slightly, waiting for Seth to breathe life into her own body, just like in the story. She wanted him to awaken her senses.”

Their worlds collide in California’s high desert.

The last thing Natara “Natti” Stone wants to do is to start anew at Setemple High School. She wished she had never left London. Yet the brutal murder of her maternal grandmother has made her life very complicated. The only clue related to her murder is an ancient, encrypted necklace Natti discovered after her grandmother’s death. And if trying to adjust to American life is not enough, Natti is being stalked by a mysterious, charming high school senior, Seth O’Keefe, who is annoyingly persistent in his attempts at seduction.

Seth O’Keefe is secretly a member of the Sons of Set, an order that worships the Egyptian god of chaos. Seth’s blessing from Set, his “charm,” never failed, except with one person: Natti Stone. Her ability to elude him infatuates and infuriates him, and he becomes obsessed with the chase. But the closer he gets to her, the more his emotions take a dangerous turn, and he risks breaking one of the most valued covenants of his order. The punishment for which is a fate worse than death.

The adventure this unlikely couple becomes engulfed in could cost them their lives and their souls.

EXCERPT

TOUR SCHEDULE

Natti rested her chin in her hand and sighed as she stared at Seth’s empty seat. Her fingers tapped against the plexiglass, near the napkin she had written the translation of the locket on. And though its words continually cycled through her thoughts, she wondered where the hell Seth was and why he had left in such a hurry.

To get her mind off his strange behavior, she skimmed the photographs scattered over the table. A family portrait of a mother, father, and daughter caught her interest first. The landscape was almost a blinding white with misty mountains in the distance. A wooden deck led out to an expanse of flat sand. The family all wore big, silly grins on their faces; the father tickling the little girl while she laughed hysterically. Next to them, Natti could just make out a sign, which read:

BADWATER BASIN

282 FEET/ 85.5 METERS

BELOW SEA LEVEL

The picture tore at Natti’s gut slightly, thinking how lucky the young girl in the picture was. Natti never had the opportunity to travel anywhere with her mother. As far as she could remember, it had always been just her and her father exploring the streets of London, driving out to the White Cliffs of Dover or visiting Yorkshire to get away from the city.

Heart aching, her line of sight drifted to another photograph right below the first. It was a landscape, almost a professional grade photograph. In the brilliant sunlight, the dark mountains caressed the barren valley below. The wind propelled the sand over the wave-etched dunes, making it look as if it was clear water racing toward the camera. Natti stared awestruck at the image. She had never seen anything quite like it before. From her perspective, it truly could have been a river, flowing through the mountain range. It tugged at her memory, retrieving a part of the locket’s translation: Mountains protect the flowing sand.

Startled, Natti was jerked from her thoughts when a mug of steaming hot water hit the table. She looked up at the middle-aged waitress. The woman’s curly, dark hair was tied back with a scarf, which flowed over one shoulder. She plunked down a selection of tea, sugar packets, cream, and a glass of Coke.

“Sorry for the delay. Alison had a family emergency.” The woman snapped on a piece of gum while she spoke. “So I’ll be your server this afternoon. Are you ready to order?”

Natti quickly thought of the turkey and avocado BLT she selected from the menu. “I am, but . . .” She glanced at Seth’s empty seat. “I think I’ll wait for my friend to return before ordering. He should be back in a few minutes.”

The woman gave a sly smile. “He’s a real honey, that one. I’d say if you haven’t snatched him up already, you’d better pounce before some other girl nabs him.”

“Or three,” Natti muttered under her breath as she thought how Seth could juggle multiple women at once. “Um, before you go, could you tell me where this photo was taken?” she asked, pointing to photograph of the mountains and flowing sand.

The woman frowned when she looked at the picture. “I’m not sure, actually. Lydia and her husband traveled to practically every desert in the world. Erin was an amateur photographer and simply loved desert landscapes.” She rubbed her chin like she was thinking. “But knowing Lydia, she probably has the location written on the back. If you just hold up your mug for a second, it should be close enough to snag . . .”

Natti watched the waitress lift the plastic enough to slip her pinkie in and pinpoint the photograph with her nail. She carefully slid the picture out and flipped it around.

“Yep. Predictable Lydia. This was taken in Death Valley, California.”

Natti’s excitement soared when the waitress read the name, even though she had never heard of Death Valley before. “Do you know if there are, or were any, rivers or lakes there?” She knew she was technically breaking her promise to Seth by asking, but she just had to know.

“Sorry.” The waitress shrugged. “I was born in Fallon and haven’t ventured out of it once. I’m sure you can find all that out on the internet though. Everything is out there nowadays. You can use the free Wi-Fi, if you’d like.”

Natti’s heart fell. She didn’t exactly have a computer or a smartphone at her disposal, which made linking the location of Ra’s secret name to Death Valley quite a long shot. Still, she had to tell Seth what she found.

“Thanks.” She shot from her seat and took the photograph from the waitress. “Could I borrow this for a second? I promise I’ll put it back once I’m done, and I’ll be extra careful with it.”

“Ah, okay.” The waitress shrugged. “Fine by me.”

“Thank you,” Natti repeated. “I’ll be right back, promise.”

She ran for the door, hardly able to wait to tell Seth. He probably would shrug it off and say it’s nothing, but she didn’t care. She felt as if she was one step closer to solving the puzzle. However, when she pushed open the entrance door and stepped into the parking lot, all her excitement and glee vanished in an instant. Her eyes filled with tears when they fell on Seth, who had pinned the waitress—Alison—to the side of a white truck. His body sandwiched her while her fingers were tangled in his hair. Their lips so close, they looked about to kiss. Alison was speaking to Seth in what looked like shaky whispers. She even moaned, brushing her leg up against Seth’s thigh while her hands stroked and caressed his neck.

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About the author:

During her high school years, Kelsey Ketch could always be found tucked away in a little corner of the hall or classroom, writing her fantasy worlds and creating illustrations and maps.

Today is no different, except now she’s writing in the break room at her office building or at the tables of the Barnes and Noble Café in Cary, North Carolina. She is also an avid reader, a part-time book blogger at Ketch’s Book Nook, and lives with her two orange tabbies and awesome and humorous flat-mate.

Daughter of Isis is her debut novel.

For more information, please visit her site at kelseyketch.com.

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Guest Post and Giveaway: Missing Lily by Annette K. Larsen

Published: April 15th, 2014

Description:

“You don’t know who I am,” I whispered. He didn’t move—either away from me, or closer—and after an interminable moment, I stepped back and hurried out of the house.

He didn’t follow me as I fled into the night.

Lylin is not used to being alone—much less alone, hurt, and lost. So when she is separated from her guard and forced to abandon her horse, she counts herself lucky to stumble upon a manor house. Still frightened by those who chased her into the night, she keeps her identity a secret, calling herself Lily as she accepts the help of kind servants and the compassion of Lord Fallon. When they fall into an easy friendship, she wonders if her secrecy was too hasty. However, as she gets to know the manor and its residents, Lylin discovers that she’s not the only one hiding secrets, and it may be a very good thing that her host doesn’t know her true identity as a member of the royal family.

GUEST POST

Romance Evolution

A friend of mine pitched a story idea to an agent, saying she believed her story fit into the ‘New Adult’ category that has appeared recently. The agent’s response was, “Oh, is it erotica?” My friend assured her it was not, and the agent explained that in the publishing industry, the new category of ‘New Adult’ is used to put more explicit adult content in books meant for younger audiences than the usual ‘adult’ category.

This is more than a little disturbing to me. When I started reading for fun (which I didn’t do until middle school), I noticed that no matter what genre I read, the element that kept me reading was the romantic relationships. I am a romantic through and through, but it was tough to find books where romance was the main element unless those books portrayed a bare-chested man on the cover, embracing a buxom lady on the verge of spilling out of her top. Those books don’t interest me, so it was hard to find stories that would satisfy my desire for a sweet and sigh-worthy happy ending without veering into steamy territory.

The day I discovered there was such a thing as ‘clean romance’ was a happy day indeed. I was thrilled to discover that if I looked hard enough, I was able to discover and connect with many authors and readers who felt the same way I did and who had created their own genre to fill a need.

Now, from where I’m sitting, this is a great thing, but as time goes on, I can see the gap widening. The clean authors are fighting a good fight and getting good content out there, but as with the ‘New Adult’ category, there seems to be a tendency for other authors and publishers to venture into the grayer areas. It seems like YA books are becoming more explicit. Adult romance is often difficult to distinguish from erotica. The line separating one from the other is getting more and more blurry. There are fewer books in the middle ground as authors are determined to either keep it clean, or go for steamy.

I wonder how this will affect those just starting to read the genre. Will the gap continue to widen? Will readers as well as authors be forced to pick a side? Or will authors start to demand that they be allowed to maintain their middle ground—to write the story as it plays out in their mind, instead of the way it would be told in order to fit snuggly into one side of the spectrum or the other?

It’s certainly something to consider, especially when readers have so much power. The invention of the ereader, and the ability of authors to self publish has given so much influence back to the consumers of books. We can choose to support the stories we enjoy, instead of being handed the stories that publishers believe will make the most money.

So, will this romance evolution continue, or will we have our own romance revolution to maintain the diversity of our book selections? My vote is for the latter.

TOUR SCHEDULE

Not yet read Just Ella? It is on sale for $3.99 for the duration of the blog tour.

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About the author:

 Annette K. Larsen I was born in Utah, part of a crazy, fun family of nine. I grew up in Flagstaff, AZ and St. Louis, MO before striking out on my own college adventure in Virginia. I decided to try my hand at writing novels after I was married and living in Idaho. I write clean romance because it’s my favorite genre, but often difficult to find.

I have Charlotte Brontë to thank for the courage to write novels. After being bombarded with assigned reading about women who justified abandoning either their families or their principles in the name of love, I had the great fortune of reading Jane Eyre. And that was it: finally, a heroine who understood that being moral and making the right choice was hard, and sometimes it hurt, but it was still worth it. After rereading it several years later, I realized that if I wanted more books to exist with the kinds of heroines I admired, then I might as well write a few myself. My books are about women who face hard choices, who face pain and rejection and often have to face the reality of sacrificing what they want for what is right. The consequences are often difficult or unpleasant, but in the end, doing what’s right will always be worth it. I believe there is no substitute for good writing or good chocolate. Fortunately, one often leads to the other.

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Blog Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 6/15/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway