RT Convention: Ahoy! Meet Jane & Maureen

Before the conference even started, the aspiring writers workshop group started a yahoo group to get to know each other before actually attending the event.
Two lovely ladies who took the workshop with Judi McCoy last year joined the chat to help prepare us. I was lucky enough to spend some time with them throughout the conference and they are fantastic!

Check out the ladies in full smile at the Saturday Book Fair in the photo above.
Maureen blogs as 2nd Chance at the Romance Writer's Revenge. It's a cool site and they are featuring a hilarious Q&A with none other than Angie Fox - who recieved a 4 heart review here at Cheeky Reads for The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers. Check it out - you'll laugh your ass off!

I just want to say thank you to Jane and Maureen for all their great advice!

CHEEKY REVIEW:The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers




Dangerously Demonish...Magically Sexy...Fantastic Fun!


The Dangerous Book For Demon Slayers
By Angie Fox
Love Spell Paranormal Romance
4 Heart Review

Confession: I love paranormal romance – the kick ass heroine who saves the day while being smart and sassy is totally part of why I started Cheeky Reads. In my mind's eye, I picture myself as the girl who can always give the sassy comeback to any quip. In real life? Well, let's just say I try really hard, but my sassy girl tendencies run more to the quirky and comedic.

Which might be why I can't resist paranormal romances that make me laugh out loud. Give me MaryJanice Davidson, Kim Harrison, Judi McCoy, Katie MacAlister and a whole slew of others to read and I'll disappear for days. Not to say I don't crave the darker side of paranormals – I have my own love fest with those as well, but that's for another post.

Angie Fox's newest, The Dangerous Book For Demon Slayers sounded like perfection. Reluctant but spunky heroine just learning her powers? Check. Awesome talking animal sidekick? Check. A supporting cast of characters that provide laughs at all the right places? Check. A brooding paranormal love interest that lets the heroine fulfill her ass-kicking destiny? Triple Check.

Angie Fox brews the prefect spell of a wickedly sexy romance, hilarious high jinks, and the sense of mystery and danger that comes from protecting a paranormal world. So good I read it in one sitting, Angie Fox's Demon Slayer Series is now on my permanent gotta have it list!

Even if you've never tried a paranormal before, don’t miss The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers!

Check out Angie's website where you can learn your Biker Witch name and find out if you're part Demon Slayer. Check mine out in the top left corner - I'm 65% Demon Slayer!

RT Convention: Recovery!


So I had a fantastic week at the Romantic Times Booklovers Conference and now I'm crashing!

Watch out for more photos and fun news in the next few days as I unpack all my goodies and get all the images off my camera.

For your viewing pleasure, here is Mr. Romance competitor Stefan as he signs photos for all the lovely ladies. Check out Stefan Pinto's website here.

Advertising on Cheeky Reads


Advertisments on Cheeky Reads help us to keep spreading the romance genre love around with contests and giveaways! Your Ads will help Cheeky Reads pay for purchasing and shipping books - we hope internationally - so we can make sure the love reaches far and wide!

Currently, we offer a standard size 200x300 vertical ad for our sidebars. See the image above for an example of the size.

Here are the details:

Each 200x300 ad is $10 a month. It's $15 a month if you want the ad space in the Top Right-hand sidebar.

Ads run for one month - that's guranteed!

You can submit html/javascript or an image with the URL you want it to link to. We can accept jpegs and gifs for the images.

Ads do not constitute an endorsement by Cheeky Reads.

Cheeky Reads reserves the right to refuse any artwork or ad subjects that are found to be offensive.

Payment is via Paypal.

To discuss your ad or for any questions, please contact Sabrina at cheekyreads@gmail.com.




RT Convention: eBook Expo


Part of this year's conference was a special feature on eBooks and ePublishers and the event was packed!

Again, tons of giveaways and door prizes. Love that!

What was even better was seeing authors with eBooks and small press books doing signings and finding new readers. There are some fabulous writers out there in eBooks and it was great to see them get their time in a special spotlight.

One fantastic author I've met this year is Lyn Armstrong. She's beyond nice and I can't wait to read the book I bought from her! She writes about Celtic witches and I can tell just from meeting her I'm gonna love them.

Check out Cheeky Author Lyn Armstrong in the book signing photo I took of her. I'll be having Lyn on the blog a little later and give you more details about her and her books. In the meantime, check out her cool website www.lynarmstrong.com.

RT Convention: Gotta Love Free Swag!


One of the coolest things about RT so far is all the swag! FREE stuff is everywhere. From your conference bag stacked with hot new titles, to giveaways at the workshop panels, and party bags full of books, I'm going to come away from the conference with loads of loot!

Promotion lane is where authors and publishers pimp out their books and upcoming titles with all kinds of freebies. There are bookmarks, candy, postcards, excerpts, pens and any other number of items to take home.

I'll be sharing some of these awesome freebies with readers after the conference. You know you want some!

REVIEW: The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers By Angie Fox




Dangerously Demonish...Magically Sexy...Fantastic Fun!


The Dangerous Book For Demon Slayers
By Angie Fox
Love Spell Paranormal Romance
4 Heart Review

Confession: I love paranormal romance – the kick ass heroine who saves the day while being smart and sassy is totally part of why I started Cheeky Reads. In my mind's eye, I picture myself as the girl who can always give the sassy comeback to any quip. In real life? Well, let's just say I try really hard, but my sassy girl tendencies run more to the quirky and comedic.

Which might be why I can't resist paranormal romances that make me laugh out loud. Give me MaryJanice Davidson, Kim Harrison, Judi McCoy, Katie MacAlister and a whole slew of others to read and I'll disappear for days. Not to say I don't crave the darker side of paranormals – I have my own love fest with those as well, but that's for another post.

Angie Fox's newest, The Dangerous Book For Demon Slayers sounded like perfection. Reluctant but spunky heroine just learning her powers? Check. Awesome talking animal sidekick? Check. A supporting cast of characters that provide laughs at all the right places? Check. A brooding paranormal love interest that lets the heroine fulfill her ass-kicking destiny? Triple Check.

Angie Fox brews the prefect spell of a wickedly sexy romance, hilarious high jinks, and the sense of mystery and danger that comes from protecting a paranormal world. So good I read it in one sitting, Angie Fox's Demon Slayer Series is now on my permanent gotta have it list!


Even if you've never tried a paranormal before, don’t miss The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers!


Check out Angie's website where you can learn your Biker Witch name and find out if you're part Demon Slayer. Check it out in the top left corner - I'm 65% Demon Slayer!

RT Convention: Surprise Special Guest!

1:30 and surprise guest HEATHER GRAHAM drops into our writers workshop to give us her words of wisdom! What a fantastic surprise - she was humble, real and so willing to offer her advice.

Flashbulbs were going off all over the room!

RT Booklovers Convention: Writer's Workshop




Morning Session Surprise: The group had a surprise visit from a Mr. Romance competitor. The ladies managed to control themselves, but couldn't help making him blush with a few catcalls!

Allison Chase and Nancy Cohen are speaking about plotting out your book. I can't believe I'm getting advice from Nancy Cohen! Her tips on organization and her plotting tools are fabulous and I can see how it will help me immensely.

Allison and Nancy gave away copies of their books. Three lovely future New York Times Bestsellers were the happy winners!

RT Booklovers Convention: Day 1 Aspiring Writer's Program

Day one of the Aspiring Writer's Program portion of the RT Booklover's convention rocked! I'm taking the beginner's class, and Not only is Judi McCoy an awesome writer, she is one hilarious lady! She cracked me up all day long.

The hotel has some serious issues with wifi access I won't even go into, so I'm hoping to start posting some photos tomorrow.

All I can say is I'm hooked on RT and having the time of my life. I'll try to give a run down tomorrow of some of the fabulous authors that have come in to do some teaching workshops...Linnea Sinclair is a hoot!

More coming soon!

FREE - That's Right, I used the F-Word - FREE eBooks from Samhain!

Samhain is doing one awesome series of Spring Fling events! Check out all the details below...and don't forget I used the F-Word! FREE eBooks!

Contests - There are seven contests, each beginning at 12:01 EST from the 19th through the 26th. Each contest will be released on the Samhellion Blog and the post will contain a link to the current contest.

Chats - Samhain authors will be chatting on the Samhain Cafe chat loop on Wednesday 4/22 through 4/26.

FREE eBooks - A Free eBook each day this week! They will be announced on the Samhellion Blog every day. Check out these two freebies: Wild Thing by Shelley Munroe and April's Crush by Meg Allison. Happy E-Reading!

Romantic Times Booklovers Convention

OK, I'm so excited I can't see straight!

I'm attending my very first Romantic Times Booklovers Convention next week and the excitement is too much - I can't even sleep at night I keep wanting to wake up and be another day closer!

Believe it or not, I'll be attending the Aspiring Authors workshops before the main conference - I've finally decided to make my dream a reality. Then, it will be all about meeting some romance authors! The list is amazing and I just hope I can control my urge to squeal with delight.

Next week, look for daily posts with all the great details, pics with your favorite authors and maybe even some photos of the Mr. Romance competitors!

You can get all the details about the conference here.

Check out this awesome video for some fun highlights from 2008!


RT Convention 2008 Wrap Up from Romantic Times BOOKreviews on Vimeo.

AUDIO LOVIN: Review of Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella







Remember Me
By Sophie Kinsella
Read By Charlotte Parry
Random House Audio
2 Heart Review

I enjoy Sophie Kinsella’s books, and for a bit I had to have every one. Somewhere, probably before Shopaholic & Baby, I lost interest or found someone new and forgot about Ms. Kinsella. So, when I saw the audiobook for Remember Me and saw her name on the cover I thought why not?


When twenty-eight-year-old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she’s in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Vuitton. Having survived a car accident—in a Mercedes no less—Lexi has lost a big chunk of her memory, three years to be exact, and she’s about to find out just how much things have changed.

Somehow Lexi went from a twenty-five-year-old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband—who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mind still stuck three years in reverse, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she…well, seems to be. That is, until an adorably disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all.

Suddenly Lexi is scrambling to catch her balance. Her new life, it turns out, comes complete with secrets, schemes, and intrigue. How on earth did all this happen? Will she ever remember? And what will happen when she does?
For the most part, I enjoyed this audiobook and its quirky tone. As much as the amnesia storyline might seem hokey or generic, Kinsella actually creates a story that leaves you guessing and offers up some new ideas on the subject. Lexi is a likeable character that I wanted to root for, but she quickly begins to irritate me. For some reason, I want her to use her common sense and open her eyes instead of blindly trusting everyone. I want to like her, I really do!

Charlotte’s reading of the book is good, it’s just unfortunate that some of the lines she is forced to read made me want to chuck the CD out the window! I couldn’t get passed her grating out “STOP IT” every other line. I kept wondering why Ms. Kinsella couldn’t have found an alternative phrase every now and again.

This is a cute story that doesn’t end the way you might expect it to. If you need something fun to pass the time this is a good choice. If you are looking for a really great audiobook, this wouldn’t be my first recommendation. I wanted a heroine with more gumption and sass and less blind obedience. I think the audio version of the book might point out the shortcomings in the phrases and Lexi’s characterization more than what might have been evident in the printed book.

Romance Junkies Chat Tonight!

RomanceJunkies Rocks! I love their website, blog, and their yahoo group and highly recommend romance lovers (well - JUNKIES!) check them out!

One of their coolest features is that they offer online chats with authors on a regular basis. Tonight is the monthly chat with the Midnight Seduction Authors.

Here are the details:

MIDNIGHT SEDUCTION Author Chat 9-10 PM EST
Date: Tuesday April 14, 2009
Time: 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Location: http://www.romancejunkies.com/chat.html

Come and chat each month with the authors from Midnight Seductions. You will meet with different authors every month to learn about their latest releases!

Rock on RomanceJunkies and thanks for feeding our romance addiction!

National Library Worker Day

Thank you!

Thank you to all of the Library workers who dedicate themselves to literacy and the idea of a free exchange of knowledge and information.

Please stop by your local library today and show your appreciation with a word of thanks - or in my case, cupcakes! If you can't make it to the library, send them an e-card!

Technical Glitch My Petunia! Shame on Amazon!

Amazon Rank

Amazon has been stripping books of their important sales figures and deranking them from it's listings and of course they are targeting GLBT books - sometimes even wiping out entire listings from some publishing houses. They are censoring what is being made available to the public and that's ridiculous!

For instance, you can type in an authors name - which, if you do that then you really are looking for books by that author DUH! - then you will not get any of that author's books that might include same sex partners. BUT - you can still get all kinds of erotica as long as it's male/female.

Oh- and of course you can get your dogfighting book needs there too. And all the information you ever needed about machine guns. Cause those have never harmed anyone and we don't mind kids seeing those. Such bullshit!

Both Smart Bitches and Dear Author are following this very closely - I suggest checking out their posts that follow all the details. They also include information on contacting Amazon and putting a stop to this!

Click here to learn about the Google Bomb Campaign from Smart Bitches.

Check out how to contact Amazon with a complaint and see a letter here at Dear Author.

I was previously part of the Amazon Associates program, but no more. I have pulled all the amazon ads from my site and will be changing all the links that go to their site. Never again will I purchase something from Amazon and the Sony Reader just clinched the competition for my hard earned dollars!

Hug Your Librarian: It's National Library Week!!!


I adore my local library so I'm always excited for National Library Week when I can shout out my love and extol the benefits of visiting your local library!


At least once a week you'll find me in the racks at my local branch. There, I can discover a new author, try a new genre before actually spending the bucks to buy something I might not like, check out some really cool documentaries (OK - and every version of Pride and Prejudice ever put on film!), rediscover older books and books that might be from before my romance reading years, and so much more!

Events scheduled for this week include:


Monday, April 13 - "The State of America's Libraries" report will be released. Visit the Public Information Office Web site for more information.

Tuesday, April 14 - Celebrate ALA-APA's National Library Workers Day

Wednesday, April 15- ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom will release the “Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2008” list. Visit the Banned Books Week Web site.

Thursday, April 16 - Celebrate YALSA's Support Teen Literature Day
Libraries are super cool and totally great for when your pocket book can use a break! Visit your local library and thank them for offering such a great service!

Death Proof: True Love Conquers All!!!!

The New York Times recently published an article about how even with the economy in the crapper and sales of books being down or flat for most booksellers, that romance title sales are on the rise.

It just goes to show - Romance Book Lovers know their priorities!

Actually, the article hits some great points about escapism in hard times and how that creates a tendency to look for romance and comedy choices in books and movies. I totally agree that paranormals will continue to grow as they take us to a whole other world and away from any semblance of the world where all our problems are coming down around us.

I highly recommend checking it out. I love the image of the manly hand grabbing Lora Leigh's Wicked Pleasure (Bound Hearts) off the shelf!


There's even a quote from Jane Little at dearauthor.com and other romance industry folks.

Here's the link to the full article.

Stephanie Plum Fans Grab Your Video Cameras!

Love Janet Evanovich's series and want to share your crazed addiction for all things Plum with millions? Borders is asking fans to make short videos reenacting their favorite scenes or even write your own using the Plum characters.

Upload your kiss-ass video to YouTube to share with the world! Then you should send the link to Borders at evanovich@borders.com. If Borders likes your vid then they may share it before the release of "Finger Lickin' Fifteen." Your video could be included in their shortlist e-newsletter that goes out to over 31 million readers!

For inspiration, check out the cute video made by Borders employees who love them some Plum! Click here to laugh out loud and to get all the details!

Married By Mistake Winners!!!!

Drumroll please...

The winners of the drawing for a copy of Married By Mistake by Abby Gaines are:

2ndChance
JaneL
Natasha
Loves2Read


Ladies, just send an email to cheekyreads@gmail.com with your snail mail address so I can send you your prize!

I want to say a special thank you to Abby Gaines for stopping by to check out the contest and to comment on our site! How cool was that! You can learn more about Abby at her website http://abbygaines.com/ or sign up for her newsletter here.

Be sure to check out her latest releases Checkered Past and the Groom Came Back!

Checkered Past


The Groom Came Back

Win One of Four Copies of Married by Mistake by Abby Gaines

“TV bride gets dumped. Unexpected groom steps in. Film at eleven.”

Hey all you Bachelor / Bachelorette TV show fans! Need more reality TV match ups? Then this book is right up your alley! The story centers on a bride jilted at the alter on a live reality TV show and the millionaire hero who steps in to marry her. In light of how the most recent incarnation of the Bachelor ended, the timing is perfect to enjoy this Harlequin Super Romance and get your happily ever after fix!

The awesome team at Harlequin sent me four copies of Married By Mistake to giveaway!

Just leave a comment about whether you would consider going on a reality TV show to find true love, and I'll pick four random comments to win a copy of Married By Mistake! Comment before April 8th for your chance to win!

Audio Lovin' Review: Plum Lucky By Janet Evanovich

Plum Lucky - Audio Book
By: Janet Evanovich
Read By: Lorelei King

As a between the numbers Stephanie Plum novel, Plum Lucky hits the perfect note of sassy, fun and fast paced. The narrator of Plum Lucky, Lorelei King, does an amazing job of setting the right tempo and hitting the lines in just the way you imagine them in your mind.

I enjoy the Stephanie Plum novels, but I don't wait with baited breath for their release. In fact, I've only read a few so I'm trying to go back and catch up with the story. When I’m in the mood for a spunky, light read, I know that the Plum novels will usually do the trick.

For Plum Lucky, we get away from the romantic push and pull between Ranger and Joe. Since I haven't read the entire series, I can only guess how Janet keeps that from getting stale. This time, we get to see Stephanie mix it up with Diesel, whose personality is so easy going that you wish he was around more often.

The book isn't heavy on romance, since it's pretty clear that even if Stephanie has the hots for Diesel, she's not excited enough to act on anything. I would have enjoyed the book more with at least a little more sexual tension or a few sexual interchanges beyond just verbally.

The regular cast of characters makes an appearance, including Grandma Mazer, a leprechaun (yes! I said leprechaun) Lula and a rocket launcher. Together they make for some nice LOL moments. On the flip side, I'm always annoyed by Stephanie's mom – I can't even find her ironically funny. For my money, I would totally hire the mob to whack her!

The Audio Books is a good listen. Just be careful – you'll be smiling and laughing like a silly head – I was driving along with an idiot grin on my face and realized other drivers probably thought I was insane!

Nora Robert's High Noon on Lifetime

Are you ready for the next movie in the Lifetime Nora Robert's Collection?

High Noon starring Emilie de Ravin and Ivan Sergei premieres this Saturday at 9PM ET. Encores will air April 5th & 6th at 9PM, but after the premiere you'll be able to watch the whole movie online at their site! Oh, and did I mention Cybill Shepard is also in the movie! Love her - Moonlighting rocked!

From the Lifetime website:

In the Nora Roberts movie "High Noon," expert hostage negotiator Lieutenant Phoebe McNamara (Emilie de Ravin) juggles her high-pressure career with the demands of raising her young daughter and contending with her agoraphobic mother, Essie (Cybill Shepherd). When Phoebe meets handsome bar owner Duncan Swift (Ivan Sergei), he can’t resist her take-charge attitude and attempts to earn her affections. Though she tries to resist his charms, Phoebe soon realizes no amount of negotiation will keep Duncan at arm’s length. When Phoebe is assaulted by an unknown assailant in her precinct, she can’t help but be deeply shaken. She later receives a series of mysterious and threatening messages, and soon discovers she is the target of a psychopathic killer out to destroy her personally and professionally.
Check out the trailer below...Isn't Emilie de Ravin strikingly beautiful?!

Borders New True Romance Feature


Borders recently launched its newest feature True Romance with Sue Grimshaw. It's an online video featuring an interview with a romance author talking about her newest release. Sue is Borders romance book buyer, and she interview the authors in each segment.

The first interview featured Lisa Jackson speaking about her newest release Malice, and the latest is with Lisa Kleypas and her book Smooth Talking Stranger. I've heard great things about Lisa and her newest book, so I was happy to get the chance to watch the interview. One more book to add to my TBR pile!

Harlequin Does Some Spring Cleaning - Equals Big Savings for Us!

Harlequin is promoting its Spring Cleaning Sale with selected titles up to 76% off!

Cheeky Girl Sabrina checked it out, and there are some great titles available at drastically reduced prices! In fact, you can search by just how good the reductions are - scroll to the bottom of the page for the best deals available. There are many titles under $1.50 - for brand new books. Gotta love those prices!

Hurry, these great deals won't last long!

Ends Apr. 30: Save Up To 76% On Featured Books