WINNERS!

The Winner of Cat O' Nine Tails by Patricia Leever s...

Jennifer Lane!

The Winner of Lucky Girl by Cate Lord is....

Amy!

I will email you ladies the information about how you'll get your books. Congrats & Happy Reading!

New Release & Giveaway! Cat O'Nine Tails by Patricia Leever

I dropped the ball on an author interview and I have to send my sincere apologies to Patricia Leever! Since I don't have the interview to share with you, I wanted to tell you all about her book Cat O'Nine Tails and link you out to a few other blogs for reviews and interviews!

New Book Release: Cat O'Nine Tails
By: Patricia Leever
Historical Romance
Omnific Publishing

When pirate hunter Orrin and his brother Kale are hired by Queen Winifred to hunt down Aeron and her band of miscreants, Orrin never dreamed he’d fall in love with the beautiful she-pirate nor the kind, accepting people of her island hideaway. As Orrin learns of Aeron’s jaded past with the Queen, he allies himself with the pirate captain and her crew. Joining forces on the high seas to bring Winifred’s evil reign to an end, Aeron and Orrin soon discover that the strongest weapon in their combined arsenal is the love they have for each other.  

Check out the Book Trailer:


Check out the latest review at a Tale of Many Reviews.

There's a fun interview with some of the characters over at Readaholics Anoynomous.

GIVEAWAY at Kelsey's Book Corner & review here.

Finally, I'm doing an ebook giveway of Cat O'Nine Tails too! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment letting us know who your favorite pirate is or if you'd like to have sailed the high seas yourself! Open Internationally. I'll randomly draw a winner on Friday the 14th. Happy Reading!

TGIF Giveaway Winners!

Let's get right to it....

The winners from the Cheeky Reads TGIF Giveaway are:

The Perfect Mistress AudioBook goes to Danielle!

The Billionaire's Unexpected Heir goes to PamS!

Touch of Darkness goes to Linda!

Amazon Ink goes to Barbara E!

I'll be emailing all of you soon to get your mailing details. No one selected Feelin The Vibe in the giveway so anyone who wants that just let me know!

Congrats and Happy Reading! Cheeky Girl Sabrina

TGIF! Let's Party With Some Book & AudioBook Giveaways!

I haven't done a giveaway in way to long plus I need to clean out some of my guest room, so I thought I'd start putting some books up for lucky readers to win! Some of these are older titles, but the books are in new condition. Look for more giveaways soon.

What's up for grabs this time around? Take a look below and then leave me a comment with which book you'd love to win. I'll pick winners early next week and post.

Feeling The Vibe By Candice Dow

The Billionaire's Unexpected Heir by Kathie Denosky

Amazon Ink by Lori Devoti

Touch of Darkness by CT Adams & Cathy Clamp

AudioBook of The Perfect Mistress by Victoria Alexander (Unopened)

CONTEST ALERT! Susan Mallery Giving Away A TON of Goodies

Enter the Summer Love Giveaway From Susan Mallery

One of my favorite authors Susan Mallery is giving readers a chance to win a Kindle with wifi plus 3G, a $50 gift card from Amazon.com, plus 25 paperback romances from some of your favorite authors! 

Check out her contest page here for all the details and to some of the books you could win! It's a fantastic giveaway that I couldn't help sharing.

Happy Reading & Good Luck!
Cheeky Reads

WINNERS! COME CLAIM YOUR BOOKS!

Sorry I'm a day behind posting, but here are the winners of my recent giveaways:

The winner of my ARC copy of Demons Prefer Blondes by Sidney Ayers for a 2nd Chance Reader Review here at Cheeky Reads is:

Comment #2 - JenM!






The winner of an eBook copy of Whirldwind by Robyn DeJarnett is:

Comment #4 - Karen!

Congrats Ladies! I'll send you an email with details on your prizes.

Happy Reading!
Cheeky Reads

Welcome To The Whirlwind Blog Tour & Enter To Win An eBook Copy Of Whirlwind!

Welcome to Cheeky Reads and the Whirlwind Blog Tour! I'm excited to showcase Robyn and her new book Whirlwind - a sexy romance with a mystery/thriller plot.

To start, here's the low-down on Whirlwind:
Love at first sight is a myth to aspiring journalist Melissa Williams, but when she meets Jason McAlister at a friend’s wedding, a Cinderella-like fantasy turns her no-nonsense world upside down. She sees in his penetrating blue eyes not just an evening, but a lifetime together that includes much more than a glass slipper and a kiss.

Realizing she shared a few salacious emails with Jason months ago, a humiliated Melissa loses herself in the crowd, thankful he doesn’t know who she is. But he does know—and with a gentle touch and a steamy kiss, he soon picks up their flirtation right where it left off.

As midnight strikes, Melissa succumbs to Jason’s sexy pull, unaware that a woman’s body has been discovered in the wake of the party. When evidence points to Melissa as the killer’s next target, the lines between fantasy and reality blur. She goes into hiding, charmed by one mysterious man and hunted by another.

Cinderella lost a shoe—Melissa could lose both her handsome prince and
her life.

Cheeky Summary: What I enjoyed most about this book was the relationship between Melissa and her friends, as well as the one with Jason. I felt like Melissa's inner monologue about her friendship with Mitch and her insecurities were nicely done and appreciated some well done, but not over the top, sexy scenes! I will say that it was hard to get comfortable with the 1st person point of view at first since that's not traditionally what you find with a romance. But, having that insight into Melissa's thoughts helped explain some of her reactions to Jason and the relationship that otherwise might have been hard to decipher. I had fun reading this book and would give it Cheeky Reads 3 Heart Review!



TOMORROW JUNE 18TH:
LIVE Chat with Whirlwind author Robin DeJarnett, plus eBook giveaway!
LIVE CHAT link: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/99133

Want to win an eBook copy of Whirlwind for youself? Leave me a comment letting me know what you think about the idea of love at first sight and you'll be entered to win! This contest is open internationally so anyone can enter and I'll pick a random comment and post the winner on Thursday June 23rd - good luck!

Book Review: Demons Prefer Blondes by Sidney Ayers - Win My ARC Copy!

Book Review: Demons Prefer Blondes
By Sidney Ayers
Sourcebooks Casablanca
2.5 Heart Review

A Bad Day For A Demon

Rafe Deleon is a senior demon and he resents like hell his assignment to Earth to retrieve the Chest of the Damned before it falls into the wrong hands. But then he meets beautiful, intriguing succubus Lucy Gregory, and she's just unleashed a whole load of trouble...

Really Sucks For A Succubus

Lucy's chic suburban beauty salon has suddenly become the Underworld's center of mass chaos and destruction. The only good thing in a day going rapidly down the tubes is the arrival of a gorgeous demon who's adamant that he can help her...

But Lucy has quite a few deeply unpleasant – not to mention deadly and hateful – surprises ahead of her, and surely there's never been a worse time to try out a new boyfriend...

Cheeky Summary: This book was a slow start for me. In fact, I almost didn't stay with this story. There were too many WTF moments in which I felt the author was trying to hard to be cool and instead came off totally ridiculous. But I kept with the book mainly because of the side characters who kept my interest much more than the hero and heroine did. The world-building was much more interesting than the love story itself was and I think it’s because I had a hard time getting past those cheesy lines at the beginning of the book.

What I did really enjoy about the book was the very interesting world that Ms. Ayers built. I especially loved the character of Kalli. I will actually pick up any sequels that include Kalli’s story. She was the most interesting character of the book and I found myself wanting to skip the scenes that didn’t include her.

I will say that the book got much better as it went along and got over trying to be cool and settled into a voice that felt much more authentic. Part of me wants the author to rewrite the first few chapters to match the rest!

Again, there were great supporting characters in this book and I really liked the world that unfolded and all the different types of characters and what it might mean for a series of books. I’ll be keeping an eye on new books because really, the only thing off for me was those chapters that felt like they tried to hard to be cute. The rest of the story did enough for me that I’ll give this series another chance.

I’m also interested in what other readers think of this book! So, I’m offering up the ARC I received from Sourcebooks to a commenter for a 2^nd Chance Review. To enter, you must be willing to read the book, and do a short write up for me with your own thoughts. I’ll post the review here on Cheeky Reads.

If that interests you, leave a comment telling me what you love most about paranormal romances or what type of paranormal characters are your favorite! Make sure to leave an email address so I can contact you if you are the winner. I’ll post the randomly selected winner on Wed. the 22^nd!

Kicking Off AudioBook Awareness Month!

To kick off AudioBook Awareness Month, I thought I would do a re-play of one of my favorite posts I did on why I love audiobooks so much and a few of the ways you can use them to get in extra "reading" time.

Originally Posted 3/31/09
Cheeky Girl Loves Audio Books!

I admit I devour books like candy, but never thought I would enjoy having someone else – anyone other than the voices in my head that is – bring the characters to life for me. With an hour or so car commute each way to work, I decided to give audio books a try and I discovered a prefect way to pass the time and get some "quality" time in with my feisty girlfriends and those hot leading men!

I was very lucky that the very first audio book I tried was excellent – The Good, The Bad, and The Undead by Kim Harrison- which introduced me to the amazing Hollows world and I highly recommend the series both in audio and printed versions! I've since learned that audio books can be hit or miss – the success or failure hinging on the person reading and how well they handle the various characters.

You can usually tell within the first few tracks if the voice will connect with you or if you feel it paints the perfect world for you. My experience has been that most of the audio books are very well done. There have been only a few that were so bad I had to stop listening before I got through the first disc. I remember one distinct book that I really struggled to keep listening, since the first few tracks were just annoying! For some reason I hung in there and was rewarded with a light-hearted romp through France and a new series to follow!

Some great perks with Audio Books:

• Car Commuting - Put your time behind the wheel to good use!
• Great for putting on your iPod while you clean the house
• You can download Audio Books just like eBooks - Look for upcoming posts on the various different Audio Book retailers
• Great for travel when you don't want to carry paper books or have light to read by (I hate when they turn off all the lights on the plane and then my seatmate wants to sleep!)
• When you want the excitement of having a book read to you like when you were 5 (only obviously now your book selections have changed) :)
• Your local library already has a selection of Audio Books waiting to be discovered
• Too many more to list!

If you have any suggestions for audio books you would like to see reviewed, just leave me a comment below! If you're an author with an audio book - speak up and sing its praises!

In the upcoming days and weeks of June, I'll be posting audiobook reviews, giveaways, audiobook publisher spotlights and hopefully some cool interviews. I hope you'll check back every day to see what's new on the blog! (I'll still be including regular book reviews as well.)

- Happy Reading From Cheeky Reads -
Cheeky Girl Sabrina

June Is AudioBook Awareness Month!

I'm getting my Audiobook geek on all June long! It's national Audiobook Awareness Month and I'm planning a month of fun interviews, audiobook reviews, Audio Publisher Spotlights, post about the ins and outs of books you listen to instead of read, and of course...GIVEAWAYS!

There'll still be plenty of print and ebook news and reviews, but I'm hoping you'll share the audio love or give it a try for the first time this June. Don't knock it until you've tried it - maybe a few times to get the narrator and story you love - and I think you'll fall in love with how much "extra" reading it lets you enjoy!

Happy Reading & Listening!
Cheeky Girl Sabrina

Win A Sony Pocket Reader or Other Awesome Goodies From Author Maureen O. Betita!

My kick-ass author friend Maureen O. Betita is hosting a pretty cool contest and giveaway right now so I wanted to share it with you. Here are the details, but make sure to visit Maureen's site or a site she is visiting to leave your comments for entry. Here's the direct link to her site to enter!

From Maureen:

Between the electronic edition of The Kraken’s Mirror and the print edition of The Kraken’s Mirror…my kraken disappeared. Now, he’s a responsible beast and I choose to believe he has a reason and a place he was driven to go… (Yes, there was a reason and it wasn’t on purpose…these things happen.)

I’m making the most of a sad situation and having a CONTEST! What am I giving away? 1st prize is a Sony Pocket Reader! 2nd prize is A kick-ass kraken parasol and…a 3rd prize is a Betsy Johnson ‘kraken’ ring! When does the contest run? From May 1st to May 31st! So… Where did the Kraken go?

Here are the options: Where did the Kraken go?
1.) He’s in Scotland, wooing Nessie
2) He’s outside the Mines of Moria at Gandalf’s request, fighting off the menace in the waters
3) Sharing rum with the monster in the lake at Hogwarts
4) ? Your idea?


How to enter the contest?
1) Comment on my blog at www.maureenobetita.com and pick an option, or create your own.
2) Friend my author page on Facebook, Maureen O. Betita Author and leave a comment, telling me which option you’ve picked, or where you think the Kraken went.
3) Find me on any blog I guest at during the month of May and tell me your option. (Be sure to leave an e-mail address in the comment section.)


I’ll award the three biggies on the 31st…during the month I’ll give away smaller prizes…free books, pirate perch hats and kraken jewelry. Amuse me with clever ideas and you might win something!

Guest Author Maureen O. Betita On The Hotness That Is SciFi! Comment To Win!

I'd like to welcome my personal friend Author Maureen O. Betita to Cheeky Reads today! You might remember that I've showcased her debut book The Kraken's Mirror and now she has two HOT novellas releasing so I just had to have her back on.

Maureen is a wonderful friend who has done so much for me and I have to say that I totally agree with with her - SciFi HAS always been hot! *Waving my SciFi Geek Flag high!*

SciFi Has Always Been Hot by Maureen O. Betita

Yup, it is my premise that science fiction as always been hot. Yes, it is also a very nerd oriented genre. People think that it’s all Leonard, Sheldon and Howard from The Big Bang Theory. And yes, sometimes it is.

But not always.

Science Fiction is a brainy genre, at its best. It’s technical and full of wonderful ideas and speculation about what could be someday. Arthur C. Clarke wrote about satellites before there were satellites. Asimov came up with the three laws of robotics – an idea that is likely to be part of artificial intelligence as it develops.

Tachyon emissions, anyone? One of my favorite examples of a bit of fiction that is misused. (There is no such thing as tachyon emissions. So, yes, there are idiot examples that somehow end up in the real world.)

There were a few programs on last year about the science of Star Trek. The science of Star Wars…and how much of it was real or how it had pushed scientists to work on innovation based on these bits of science fiction.

So, why not some hot science fiction? Kirk got the babes. Mr. Spock got his fair share. So did McCoy. I’ve taken it a bit further in my two new shorts from Decadent Publishing. Humans on alien worlds, dealing with aliens, dealing with how aliens influence them… Fun stuff.

In The Ship’s Mistress, my main character is Jahari, a woman born on a human colony of Jamba. It is part of a large confederation whose only means of staying in touch with other human colonies is through the auspices of an alien race, the Etwa. The human colonies spent centuries alienated from each other and so developed into separate societies, all reverted to a more primitive society. Technology is remembered, but doesn’t function or exist.

Jahari’s world is patriarchal, viewing woman as next to worthless. Unless they are beautiful. Her little sister is beautiful and in order to save her sister from a life of exploitation, Jahari turns herself over to the alien race in trade for her sister’s safety. Her adventures begin seven years later, when she is plying her trade on a new world. What is her trade? She is a fully trained and extremely valuable Etwan High Slut, a trade she is suited for, enjoys and takes great pride in.

The second novella is The Sister’s Story/ Sari’s Search. Little sister has grown up and wants to know about her past, where she came from, who the girl is she barely remembers. Her search takes her to Jahari’s world but before then, she faces frightening adventures, along with passionate episodes with the two young men helping her.

I was raised with the gods of science fiction holding a place of honor. Of course I grew up and found myself wanting to include it in my writing.

You can find me at www.maureenobetita.com
www.romancewritersrevenge.com
http://believinginsecondchances.typepad.com/2nd-chances/

 Buy Link for all of Maureen's Books Here

What about you, do you think SciFi is hot? What's your favorite SciFi book or movie and why? Comment below for a chance to win the ebook of The Ship's Mistress!

Win a Kindle 3 WiFi Edition From Moira Rogers!

Moira Rogers is holding an awesome contest for readers to win a brand new Kindle WiFi Edition to celebrate the release of Wilder's Mate, the first story in their new Bloodhounds series. Check out the story details here and just comment to enter to win the Kindle! (See complete details below)

Wilder Harding is a bloodhound, created by the Guild to hunt down and kill vampires on America’s frontier. His enhanced abilities come with a high price: on the full moon, he becomes capable of savagery beyond telling, while the new moon brings a sexual hunger that borders on madness.

Rescuing a weapons inventor from undead kidnappers is just another assignment, though one with an added complication–keeping his hands off the man’s pretty young apprentice, who insists on tagging along.

At odds with polite society, Satira’s only constant has been the aging weapons inventor who treats her like a daughter. She isn’t going to trust Wilder with Nathaniel’s life, not when the Guild might decide the old man isn’t worth saving. Besides, if there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s that brains are more important than brawn.

As the search stretches far longer than Wilder planned, he finds himself fighting against time. If Satira is still at his side when the new moon comes, nothing will stop him from claiming her. Worse, she seems all too willing. If their passion unlocks the beast inside, no one will be safe. Not even the man they’re fighting to save.

Warning: This book contains a crude, gun-slinging, vampire-hunting hero who howls at the full moon and a smart, stubborn heroine who invents mad-scientist weapons. Also included: wild frontier adventures, brothels, danger, betrayal and a good dose of wicked loving in an alternate Wild West.

Want to win a brand new Wi-Fi Kindle 3? All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, and you can have your chance! For more chances to win, visit the main contest page. Every participating blog you visit gives you another chance to win!

This post is part of Moira Rogers’ Wild Web Adventure Promo. For full rules and disclaimers, or to hold your own kindle contest, visit the contest post. Winners will be chosen during the first week of April.http://www.moirarogers.com/blog/archives/3473

Cheeky Gift by Guest Author Kate Early & Comment to Win Full Load!

Cheeky Gifts by Kate Early

Hello Readers,

Kate Early here and so excited to be on Cheeky Reads. I am one for the authors from the Ravenous Romance anthology "Werewolves in Love" cause hey - werewolves need love too! Oh and they like presents just like the rest of us.



My two characters exchange gifts in the book and they are a bit tongue and cheek. Which got me to thinking about what I have been giving the ones I love. Are the presents fun enough?

My family has been known to do some fun gifts. I got the Wallace and Gromitt DVDs for Christmas and a group of the cheeses that they mention in the animated shorts. My BFF's College graduation, I got him a whole bunch of retirement themed gifts - since he was retiring from his school career. But maybe I have run out of juice?


I managed to have my two heros give each other some pretty funny surprises, but now I am out of ideas for my real live sweetheart. He hates chocolate, but likes Charleston Chews - so I got a bunch and used hot water to melt the outside off. I have done rose petals on the bed - as a florist word of advice here - lay them on an outer blanket then strip that off. Roses have a ton of chemicals on them. He got a rash. So he doesn't like sweets, gets excited by receiving toys - toy helicopters - video games - wii. But that is not really fun in a cheeky sense. So anyone got any ideas?



You can check an excerpt from Enforced Will from the Werewolves in Love Anthology below and comment with a suggestion for a cheeky gift to enter to win my M/M Romance - Full Load

Thanks for having me!

Kate Early
KateEarly.com

From Enforced Will by Kate Early

February 13, 2009
Subject: V-Day

I sent you something to brighten up your cabin with. Should be delivered tomorrow.

- Will

Re: V-Day
William,

I look forward to it. Since you go through more groceries then a sumo wrestler, I sent you a little something too. Enjoy.

-Vincent

* * * *

February 14, 2009
Vincent’s Cabin, 2:27 p.m.

“Hang on a sec.” Vin opened the door, coming eye to eye with dozens of flowers. Roses, lilacs, lilies, hyacinths, and just about every growing thing that set off his allergies.

Behind the massive arrangement was a petite woman with a clipboard under one arm. “I have a delivery for Mr. Vincent Mancuso from William Brand.”

He didn’t want to send the woman running, but the words rolled out on a growl anyway. “That would be me.”

"Sign here.” Her smile was genuine and warm. “I just love when men send each other flowers. Stereotypes are wrong. Everyone likes flowers.” The door shut firmly in her face.

William’s Apartment, 3:42 p.m.

“Delivery for you at the door, Will.” His ears perked up. What would Vin send him? When he hit the living room, he had to reassess. This couldn’t be Vin. Who would send him ten somethings?

Spy Boy looked up from the candy he was already enjoying out of one of the baskets. “Someone knows you like mangoes. Every one of these is either mango flavored food, mangoes, or all that fruit body scented shit. Figured you wouldn’t mind if I grabbed some.” He indicated the open bag in his lap.

“Sir, can you sign for all this? Your secret admirer went all out. This is the largest delivery I have ever done all to the same person.”

“Ooooh! Will has a secret admirer.” The singsong tone grated on the nerves.

“Yep, one who knows I am allergic to mangoes.” Vin was evil.

If you want to meet Will and Vin check out Enforced Will in Werewolves in Love. - Read an Excerpt from Enforced Will - HERE

Werewolves in Love

by Kate Early, Azura Ice, and Trinity Blacio

In this collection, you'll find three sizzling novellas of supernatural love and romance.

In Heart of a Were by Azura Ice, you'll find out what happens when a were mated for life is widowed...

Best-selling ménage author Trinity Blacio shows us what happens when Cupid gets hit by his own arrow...

and Kate Early's M/M BDSM werewolf lovin' in Enforced Will should leave you panting for more.

Buy Werewolves in Love at Amazon.com
Werewolves in Love at Barnes and Noble
Werewolves in Love at ARe

Welcome Author Laurie London & Enter to Win Bonded By Blood!

Today I'm pleased to welcome Author Laurie London to Cheeky Reads. Laurie was nice enough to answer a few questions for readers and give us a look into her new Paranormal Romance Bonded by Blood!

First, here's the blurb for Bonded by Blood build your appetite:

Deep within the forests of the Pacific Northwest, two vampire coalitions battle for supremacy—Guardian enforcers who safeguard humanity and Darkbloods, rogues who kill like their ancient ancestors.


Movie location scout Mackenzie Foster-Shaw has always known that she’s cursed to die young. No one can protect her from the evil that has stalked her family for generations—vampires who crave her rare blood type. Until one afternoon in a wooded cemetery, she encounters an impossibly sexy stranger, a man she must trust with her life.

For Dominic, a man haunted by loss, Mackenzie satisfies a primal hunger that torments him—and the bond they share goes beyond heat, beyond love. She alone can supply the strength he needs to claim his revenge. But in doing so, he could destroy her…

Would you give readers a glimpse into the world you created? Tell us a little about what makes it special and how it came to you.


The Sweetblood world follows a team of Seattle-based vampire warriors, Guardian enforcers who safeguard humanity against Darkbloods, a rogue vampire faction that kills humans and sells their blood on the vampire black market. The rarest blood type, called Sweet, commands the highest street price and is highly addictive to vampires.

Bonded By Blood is the story of Dominic Serrano, head of the Seattle field team, and Mackenzie Foster-Shaw, a sweetblood human who works as a movie location scout, which takes her into some pretty unusual places.

The seed for the story started when my sister and I saw Fright Night eight times in a row as teenagers. I had a mad crush on Chris Sarandon’s vampire character—he was dark, mysterious and seductive—but I always wished he hadn’t turned into such a monster.

Dom is bad too...but in all the right ways.

Characters really make a story for me. What 3 words best describe your hero? What about your heroine?

I’m the same way with characters. If I love them (their faults and baggage too), everything they do is interesting to me. Three words? Okay, this is hard.

Dom: mysterious, burdened, driven

Mackenzie: pragmatic, spunky, devoted

What was your favorite part of writing this book and creating this world?

It’s difficult to single out just one part because I enjoyed the whole process. I set out to write the kind of story I enjoy reading with characters and conflicts that were compelling to me.

You have the second book in the series coming out this summer and more books planned after that. What can we look forward to in the next book?

Embraced By Blood comes out in July and is the story of Lily and Alfonso. Lily works with Dom as a highly skilled tracker with the Agency. Alfonso is Dom’s estranged brother who worked undercover for years in the Darkblood Alliance. He’s haunted and tormented by some awful things he did in his past. Talk about baggage. His growth through the story is pretty intense—I can’t wait for readers to meet him.

Also, I’m so thrilled that books 3 and 4 will be coming out next year and an e-novella, Hidden By Blood, will be coming out in June—just a few months from now.

Have you read any great books lately?

I loved The Bodyguard, an anthology with short stories by Cherry Adair, Gena Showalter and Lorie O’Clare.

A recent novel that blew me away was The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. The prose was achingly beautiful, and the story and characters were fascinating.

Thanks so much for having me on today!!!

Thanks Laurie!
Check out Laurie's Website here to read an excerpt of Bonded by Blood.

Enter to win an autographed copy of Bonded by Blood by telling us what 3 words would describe your ideal hero or heroine! The contest will run until noon on Friday, March 4th and is open to US and CAN residents only. The winner will be announced Friday afternoon.

Brush of Darkness Winner!

Thank you again to Allison for stopping by and talking about her new UF book and keystones. I loved hearing about everyone's experiences!

Now, on to the winner. The comment chosen by random.org to win a copy of A Brush of Darkness by Allison Pang is...

Comment # 3 - Donna Cummings!

Thank you to all my readers who stopped by and entered to win. It really is a really enjoyable read that I still recommend you check out.

Happy Reading!
Sabrina

Welcome Guest Author Allison Pang & Win A Brush of Darkness!

Today I'm truly excited to welcome guest author Allison Pang to Cheeky Reads! Allison's debut book A Brush of Darkness has been one of my favorites so far this year and part of that is due to the pretty awesome world she creates. That's why I'm excited that today she's introducing us to it and talking about an idea central to the book - Keystones.

I can't recommend this book enough if you are looking for a new Urban Fantasy world to get lost in. Now, check out Allison's post and comment with an answer to Allison's question below or a ask Allison a question to enter to win a copy of A Brush of Darkness!

Welcome Allison!

Keystones

Mystic groves, haunted houses, magic wells – even in the real world there are places of sacredness that cause people to pause and wonder. (Or give them that lovely prickle down their spine.) For whatever reason , these locations pick up a reputation for having some sort of power or otherworldly presence. In A Brush of Darkness, this concept becomes the basis of something called a KeyStone.

As part of the overall world building, many of these beings (Fae, angels, etc.) like to come and go between their worlds and ours. However, I wanted to limit this a bit, so for the sake of keeping these beings under control, I set it up so that they can only cross over at the four hours – midnight, noon, twilight and dawn – unless they have a TouchStone…or access to a KeyStone.

TouchStones are mortals who enter a Contract with one of these beings, and part of that bargain allows the OtherFolk to travel whenever/wherever they want. If the OtherFolk doesn’t have one, they are usually limited to hanging out at one of these mystical places known as KeyStones. The Hallows, for example, is an OtherFolk bar that’s actually built on top of a more ancient place, but the power still holds true and the OtherFolk take advantage of that.

In some cases, humans can be living KeyStones – with the rare power of being able to TouchStone any OtherFolk person they come in contact with…without the need for a written Contract. I’d been thinking on the idea that so many talented people tend to die so young (i.e. Mozart, for example). In much of Faery lore, the Fae are drawn to that sort of thing – musicians, poets, writers, etc. I began to wonder what might happen if a particularly talented person captured the Fae’s attention and attempted to Contract to too many OtherFolk at once? Undoubtedly the effort would eventually drain them and thereby quite possibly cause their death.

In the book, the Fae actually police these Contracts through the position of a Protectorate, who oversees the written Contracts so that this doesn’t happen (since they don’t actually want that sort of attention drawn to themselves.) On the other hand, a living KeyStone would be a very precious commodity among the OtherFolk, since it would allow them to potentially abuse the system. With no written Contracts needed, a human KeyStone could find him or herself passed around between OtherFolk with very little say in the matter.

In A Brush of Darkness, Abby Sinclair eventually discovers that she is a KeyStone, although being already TouchStoned to the Faery Protectorate lends a certain amount of protection, since very few OtherFolk would want to cross the Protectorate in such a way. Of course, her situation does lend itself to a few humorous moments, particularly when Abby finds out she’s accidentally TouchStoned to a small unicorn who likes to nest in her underwear drawer.

I’d love to hear if anyone has ever run into a KeyStone of their own – a place that felt “haunted” or magical or seemed to have a presence that wasn’t particularly tangible. :)

RELEASE DAY - THE KRAKEN'S MIRROR - CONGRATS MAUREEN & ENTER TO WIN!

Huge congrats to Maureen O. Betita, a very dear friend of mine who is celebrating the release of her debut book The Kraken's Mirror! I was honored to serve as a beta-reader and think readers will really enjoy the world that Maureen has built. Here's a snippet about the book:

Captain Alan Silvestri is a man haunted by a strange curse. Good luck is his to command, but it comes at the cost of any place to call home or people to reckon as family. Resigned to die and shunned by all, he is forced to sail every three days, until he begins to dream of a special woman.

Treated by our youth-oriented society as invisible and sexless, Emily Pawes is ready to move on with life. She attends a pirate festival, hoping to recapture the make-believe magic she knew as a young woman. Lucky to win an interesting bit of booty at a brick-a-brac stand, she finds herself transported by the Kraken’s mirror through a magical portal to a land of Hollywood piratitude, where swashbuckling heroes own iPods. With little choice, Emily embraces the madness. Playing pirate has to be safer than falling into the arms of handsome Captain Silvestri, right?

When they meet, sparks fly, passion flares. He needs her to be free, but more than that, he needs her to be whole. Setting sail and uncertain of who actually controls the wheel, they seek ways to defeat his curse of good luck and discover the Kraken’s mirror has plans for them. Will Emily stay in this pirate haven to fight alongside him or will he lose her because of his curse?

Cheeky Reads had a giveaway for Maureen's book back when she was first contracted and I'l be contacting the winner later today for details on how to get her copy of the book.

But for the rest of you, head over to The Romance Writer's Revenge and comment to enter to win one of three copies Maureen is giving away today. Join in the fun and tell Maureen Cheeky Girl Sabrina says congrats!

Apple iPad Affiliate Opportunity

So, this got passed along to me from a friend and as far as I can tell it's legit. Seems like this company really understands online and social media! So, if you are interested check it out. :)

No More Rack just launched a a 48 hour promo where if you "refer" 400 friends, they will send you an ipad by Christmas. The lowest prize you can get is a shuffle for only 35 friends.


How does it work? Sign up here http://www.nomorerack.com/?cr=74557 (affiliate link)

You'll get a free $10 credit to spend on whatever you want. There are Women's Buffalo Jeans (re $99) right now for only $20. Shipping is a flat rate of $2 so you can get them for only $12 shipped with your credit.

Anyway, getting back to the iPad. Go to the "invite friends" tab to get your referral link and post it to your blog. Your "friends" only need to enter an email address to sign up. That's it! They will get a $10 credit and you'll be 1 referral closer to an iPad for Christmas!

Here are the details:
When you hit your friend target, email us with your shipping address and the Apple products you qualify for at apple@nomorerack.com. We will have your Apple products delivered to your doorstep before Christmas!

There's no limit on the number of Apple products you can earn, so refer all the friends you like!

You can substitute an item for the equivalent of another in quantity. For example, if you refer 100 friends you can choose between an iPod Nano or 3 iPod Shuffles!

Act fast! Only friends referred between December 14th noon EST and December 16th noon EST (48 hours) will count towards this promotion!

Note:
- Friend registration must be a valid email address and cannot be fraudulently generated.
- If your friends were fraudulently generated, you will be disqualified from this promotion.
- No duplicated email addresses are allowed.
- Registered users cannot register again with a different email address.
- Only friends who register between December 14th noon EST and December 16th noon EST (48 hours) count towards this promotion.

And The Winners Are...

I'm back! The best part of my being back? That I get to pull the winners of all the great prizes we had while I was gone. Thank you again to all the fabulous authors who stopped by while I was out and kept the blog chugging along. You Rock!

So on to the winners!

The Winner of Lipstick on His Collar by Inez Kelly is Linda!

The winner of their choice of a backlist book from Cari Quinn is Sheree!

The winner of their choice of one of Loucinda McGary's books, The Wild Sight, The Treasures of Venice, or The Wild Irish Sea, is Stella (Ex Libris)!

Lastly, the winner of a copy of both Lords of Passion and Mistress by Midnight is Danielle Gorman!

I will send out emails to everyone including details if you are being giving a choice between books on some of the giveaways. You can also reach me at cheekyreads @ gmail.com

Congrats and Happy Reading to All!