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Hot Book Cover Alert!
Romance author Carrie Lofty revealed her new cover for FLAWLESS on twitter today and boy howdy is it stricking. Check it out for yourself...
So what do you think? Do you love the flowing dress and the hint of sparkle? Or is it just me!?
So what do you think? Do you love the flowing dress and the hint of sparkle? Or is it just me!?
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!
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!
Book Review: Animal Magnetism by Jill Shalvis - 4 Heart Review
Berkley Sensation - Contemporary Romance
Sunshine, Idaho, is a small and sunny town – the perfect home for man and beast. Well, maybe not for man, as pilot-for-hire Brady Miller discovers when his truck is rear-ended by what appears to be Noah's Ark.
As the co-owner of the town's only kennel, Lilah Young has good reason to be distracted behind the wheel – there are puppies, a piglet, and a duck in her Jeep. But she doesn't find it hard to focus on the sexy, gorgeous stranger she's collided with.
Lilah has lived in Sunshine all her life, and though Brady is just passing through, he has her abandoning her instincts and giving in to a primal desire. It's Brady's nature to resist being tied down, but there's something about Lilah and her menagerie – both animal and human – that keeps him coming back for more...
Cheeky Summary: Animal Magnetism by Jill Shalvis is exactly the type of contemporary romance I lust after and wish for more of! Lilah is a fresh heroine who I completely identified with and Brady is a complicated but lovable special forces hero that readers will eat up with a spoon. This book proves yet again that Jill Shalvis is one of our most exceptional contemporary romance authors and that we need more authors like her!
There was so much to love about this book that nothing I could write would be able to include all of the many things done right. The characters are wonderfully developed and I really enjoyed Brady's emotional journey. The townspeople and the vet clinic made for a delightful cast of supporting charactes and I'm so looking forward to Brady's “brothers” books.
There was only one thing about this book that slightly felt off to me and that's because it was built-up so much throughout the story that when it comes out in the story I felt cheated. From the start of the story everyone alludes to something in Lilah's past that made her give up her dreams and come back to her hometown. Eventually you will learn what happened and it is something bad, but there was almost too much build up for how Lilah calmly explains it to Brady. She almost shrugs it off and that bothered me for something that made such an impact on her life. Others might not feel as put out by this as I was, so I wouldn't overlook this book because of it. In fact, you might see her shrugging off her past as oart of her emotional development, but it just didn't strike it that way to me.
That one aspect to the story came very close to the end of the book so it didn't take away from how much I enjoyed reading it. It did leave me feeling the book was close to perfect, but just shy of getting a perfect rating for me. I mean this is a REALLY good book. :)
Even with the issue I had, I recommend romance readers give this one a try and if they haven't read Jill Shalvis before then please do. If you don't normally read contemporary romance then Jill Shalvis is a great place to start and Animal Magnetism is a great series to start with!
Covers That Make You Go WOW!
I ran across this cover on Shelf Awareness the other day and it instantly struck me and I found myself staring at it:
Let's also not forget this cover that set twitter on fire when it released:
I think Jaci Burton will have a hit with the next cover too:
Now Cheeky Readers, I want to hear what covers made you stop and pay attention. Let me know the best covers you've run across lately, or your favorite covers of all time. I'll search them up and add them to this post so we can all behold the beauty that is an awesome book cover.
Happy Reading!
Cheeky Girl Sabrina
Let's also not forget this cover that set twitter on fire when it released:
I think Jaci Burton will have a hit with the next cover too:
Now Cheeky Readers, I want to hear what covers made you stop and pay attention. Let me know the best covers you've run across lately, or your favorite covers of all time. I'll search them up and add them to this post so we can all behold the beauty that is an awesome book cover.
Happy Reading!
Cheeky Girl Sabrina
A Steal of a Deal - Bid on a Awesome Book Package!
A book package from author Leslie Dicken - Either Print or EPub
OPEN: 2:30pm
CLOSE: 4:30pm
Leslie Dicken has offered up her three books – A Tarnished Heart, Beauty Tempts the Beast, and The Price of Discovery — for auction, as well as a lovely heart pendant.
Here's what I've previously said about Leslie's book Beauty Tempts the Beast right here on Cheeky Reads:
I read Beauty Tempts the Beast in one sitting and really loved it. In fact, when I went to draft the questions for this interview I found myself completely re-reading the story - less than a month later! If you are a historical romance fan I cannot recommend this book enough. On the Cheeky Reads scale I give it a 4 Heart Review - It really is a fantastic read! -- Cheeky Girl Sabrina
You can go bid on Leslie's package by clicking here!
Amazing Auctions Ahoy!
Read all about Bria and check out the auction items by clicking here. Today's items go live at 2:30pm EST. Some items yesterday went super cheap!
There are some pretty awesome things there - from Critiques for writers, books for readers, pretty awesome looking steampunk jewelry and more! Please stop by and consider bidding to help a writer not miss her possible big award day! :) *crossing fingers*
Cheeky Girl Sabrina
Back From Vacation!
So yesterday I got back from my Caribbean vacation and had to spend the day getting settled back into work before I could start posting again. I thought I would post a pic of the beach or me reading on the beach this morning, but my camera is not coorperating. :(
As a blogger, you always say you are going to write up some blogs to auto-post while you are gone, but in the hetic days leading up to your vacation it never seems to really happen. Usually I can also ask for guest bloggers and authors while I'm out but the day job has been crazy lately so I ran out of time for even that!
So, all that is to say I'm sorry I left you hanging in the lurch!
I have a few blogs coming up later today about some really awesome auctions going on right now for great causes and I hope you will come back to check them out.
I miss you all and hope you read something awesome this past week!
Cheeky Girl Sabrina
As a blogger, you always say you are going to write up some blogs to auto-post while you are gone, but in the hetic days leading up to your vacation it never seems to really happen. Usually I can also ask for guest bloggers and authors while I'm out but the day job has been crazy lately so I ran out of time for even that!
So, all that is to say I'm sorry I left you hanging in the lurch!
I have a few blogs coming up later today about some really awesome auctions going on right now for great causes and I hope you will come back to check them out.
I miss you all and hope you read something awesome this past week!
Cheeky Girl Sabrina
Fun With Book Trailers!
Nowhere Near Respectable by Mary Jo Putney
Savage Nature by Christine Freehan
When You Dare by Lori Foster
Savage Nature by Christine Freehan
When You Dare by Lori Foster
4 Heart Book Review: Caught on Camera by Meg Maguire
by Meg Maguire
Harlequin Blaze April 2011
4 Heart Review
How to Survive the Night with the Hottest Guy on Camera
Wilderness survival television star Dominic Tyler (TY) and his assistant Kate Somersby are stranded in a remote cabin during a freak winter storm. Things look pretty bleak – until they make a fire and strip off their wet clothes...
Act 1 – Set Up
Survive This! Is Kate's life...as are the unscripted fantasies about Ty, her boss and best friend. But when Kate is suddenly injured, Ty decides filming is too dangerous for her. This will be Kate's last adventure for a while.
Act II- Plot Point
Kate is furious and threatens to quit. But Ty needs her. So what can he do? Keep her occupied by filming every minute of their intense and definitely unrehearsed sex!
Act III – Cliff-Hanger It's Kate's choice now: Her hard-won career? Or end credits featuring dangerously wild sex with Ty? Ha. Some choice. But either way, the final cut is guaranteed to be a thrilling ride!
The Cheeky Nutshell:
Meg Maguire is an exciting new Harlequin Blaze author who'll be on my auto-buy list for her emotionally complicated but totally realistic characters that I loved from page one. Caught on Camera was a tightly structured book that kept the entire focus on the emotional struggles of the hero and heroine. The intense focus on the internal conflicts in this story raised it above the average Blaze, which with how much I love Blazes says quite a lot.
I liked the fun tone of the back cover copy on this book and actually feel like the book is both slightly different than the blurb describes, and also much better. The blurb doesn't give the reader even a hint of the deep emotions these two characters have for each other from before the story even begins.
That was something else about this story that I loved, that the love fully existed on page one and the reader got to spend the entire book wrapped in those emotions.
This was happily a nicely hot and steamy book and I enjoyed the interaction between Kate and Ty. Both their verbal sparring and hot and heavy moments. Ms. Maguire can sure write a kick-ass love scene. :)
One thing that pulled me out of the story slightly was this thing Ty did about almost kissing Kate. Maybe it was something in the description. Maybe it was that it was from Kate's point of view and our understanding of it was muddled up with her not understanding it. It just seemed slightly off. Made me go "What?" You'd have to read the story to fully get it, I'm just not able to fully explain why it threw me off.
Lastly, there were a few points in this book where I thought "Oh no, it's going to be predictable. I know exactly what is going to happen." And guess what? It totally didn't go there. It surprised me and that was great.
I definitely recommend this book to any reader who's ever watched those adventure survival shows and caught yourself thinking about those men. You'll love Ty! I also think Blaze lovers are going to eat up this new author addition to the line and I think we'll see many more books from Ms. Maguire.
You can check out more info on Caught on Camera here
Monday Morning Cuteness!
see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!
I love this photo! Also, I wanted to post an update that my eye procedure went great and my vision is awesome. I'm still having a little haziness looking at lights (including my computer monitor) so I won't be online much the next day or so, but I'm doing well and can't wait to get back to reading!
Happy Reading!
Sabrina
When Word Of Mouth Doesn't Disappoint
I've found one of those books and I can't even wait to finish it before coming on here to tell you I LOVE IT!
What's the book? It's actually a book released last year and up for TWO Rita Awards this year - When Harry Met Molly by Kieran Kramer.
Now, for as many people who sang the praises of this book, there were just as many who thought it fun but too unbelievable. For me, it was the fact that it was so over the top that made it so much fun and I'm loving the happy mood this book is putting me in.
I still have about 50-75 pages to go, but I have to say this book does not disappoint. So...FUN. Just can't keep from saying that word over and over. I also can't wait to read the next books in the series which lucky for me are already out!
When The Lights Go Dark...
I'm also get REALLY nervous. Like watch crazy grahic videos of surgeries during my lunchbreak nervous. I 1000 times over do not recommend you do this if you are ever having a procedure done. Do NOT look it up on YouTube no matter how much you want to know. :)
But this post isn't about my being nervous of the surgery. It's really about being nervous about the What Ifs. Now, let me start by saying that I'm fully prepared and knowledgeable about what I'm going to do and am going to a great doctor.
BUT, there is always that chance that the worst could happen and I would lose my vision. As someone whose biggest pleasure in life is reading I'm nervous about how this decision might turn out.
What would I do if I could no longer read the words on the written page?
If you have read Cheeky Reads for some time, you might know that I'm a huge lover of AudioBooks. Like HUGE. (Insert Trump voice over here) But what if that was the only way I had to enjoy books? Would it be enough for me or would I curse my decision to have an elective eye procedure for the rest of my life? It's a daunting question for this book lover and once I can't get out of my mind.
One thing is certain. These thoughts have given me a brand new appreciation for those services available for visually imparied people and a desire to learn more about how books are being transformed into audio and other mediums for them.
If something happened to you tomorrow and you could no longer read your favorite books, would you try out audio books? Do you currently listen to audio books? Hell, have you had LASIK and everything turned out fine and you can tell me to quit being silly?!?
Secondary Characters That Draw You In
I find myself waiting impatiently for each chapter to end so that the next chapter can open with another series of correspondance between Charlotte and Michael. THEY are the couple I long for and I eat up each little morsel of thier story as the chapters go by.
It does bother me slighly that the main story hasn't engrossed me enough to hold it's own against this so far very slight budding relationship between Charlotte and Michael. Is that because the stories aren't perfect for me, or is it that the Charlotte/Michael mystery is just so umm...mysterious that I can't help it!
I know that the final book in the series is their story, but I can't skip ahead! I feel like I need to see the exchanges between them through all the books or the final book won't be as compelling for me.
This got me thinking about other books and series that have secondary characters that take over the spotlight. Twitter seemed to agree with me last night that there are so many series where these characters become more of an interest than the main story itself.
What about you...What story have you read where you wanted the romance to focus on a character off to the side instead of the main hero and heroine? Is there a series you follow only for a chance to glimpse some small character's life? Have you read Sabrina Jeffries' series and felt the same way I did?
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!
First up, we have the winner of Maureen O. Betita's hot new SciFi novella The Ship's Mistress:
Next, we have the winner of a copy of Bonded by Blood from Laurie London:
Ladies - I'll be sending you an email soon or you can email me at cheekyreads @ gmail.com - Congrats and Happy Reading!
StacieDM!
Next, we have the winner of a copy of Bonded by Blood from Laurie London:
Linda Young!
Ladies - I'll be sending you an email soon or you can email me at cheekyreads @ gmail.com - Congrats and Happy Reading!
Operation Auction 2011 Is In Full Swing!
Fellow Book Blogger Fatin lost her husband this past week to senseless violence. Her blog, RR@H Novel Thoughts & Book Talk are helping to organize an auction to help her and her four daughters. Here is the post from that site with all the current information. I will post any updates I find out about.
From RR@H Novel Thoughts & Book Talk:
Fatin has been an integral part of the romance community for years – she owns and runs this blog, is an administrator of the WriteMinded loop, an author assistant and a tireless advocate for romance novels. She is also a friend to many in this community. On Tuesday, March 8th, she lost her husband in a senseless act of violence, leaving her alone with four children. You can read more about the tragedy here: http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/9233067/
Operation Auction is now fully live and bids are being placed left and right on Ebay! There is amazing stuff to be found for both readers and writers and I really do hope you'll take the time to give it a look and see if there is something there for you.
Please remember that this is for a very important cause so go bid! Click here to go to the entire Operation Auction store.
Guest Author Maureen O. Betita On The Hotness That Is SciFi! Comment To Win!
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.
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!
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