TONIGHT: Chat with RITA Nominated Authors

Romance Writers of America released the following news on their site that I'm so excited about that I had to share all the details. I've taken the entire press release from the site below. Tonight is the chat with the Contemporary Single Title authors!

In an effort to connect America’s most popular romance writers with their fans across the world, Romance Writers of America® (RWA) is launching an 11-week series of interactive video chat events highlighting 2013 RITA Award finalist authors. Fans will have the unique opportunity to meet one another and ask their favorite authors questions face-to-face in an intimate online environment.

Each week, RWA will host several of the finalists of a 2013 RITA category in a fun Q&A through Shindig.com. Find out about those dashing heroes and daring heroines, writing habits, and more!

How to participate: All you need is a webcam and computer microphone. The events are free to the public, but only the first 1,000 people to RSVP will be granted access to each of the weekly events.

Follow RWA on Twitter @romancewriters (#RITAchat hashtag) during the chats.

RITA Reader Series Schedule:

Contemporary Single Title Romance April 11, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Authors participating: Barbara Freethy, Barbara Hannay, Ruthie Knox, Kim Law,
Roni Loren, Jill Shalvis, and Roxanne St. Claire
Click here to learn more & register

Paranormal RomanceApril 18, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Authors participating: Kristen Callihan, Cynthia Eden, Angie Fox, J.T. Geissinger,
Larissa Ione, and Maggie Shayne
Click here to learn more & register

Romance Novella April 25, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Authors participating: Sophie Jordan, Ruthie Knox, Sally MacKenzie, and Jodi Thomas
Click here to learn more & register

Historical Romance May 9, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Authors participating: Pamela Clare, Cara Elliott, Anne Gracie, Sabrina Jeffries, Jade Lee, and Sarah MacLean.
Guest appearance by Romance Novella finalist Eloisa James
Moderated by: Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal
Click here to learn more & register

Novel with Strong Romantic Elements May 16, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Authors participating: Maria Geraci, Pamela Hartshorne, Anna Lee Huber, Sharla Lovelace, Kristina McMorris,
Jane Myers Perrine, and Simone St. James
Click here to learn more & register

Short Contemporary Series Romance May 23, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Authors participating: Jessica Hart, Day Leclaire, Susan Meier, Sarah Morgan, Robin Perini, Christine Rimmer,
and Loreth Anne White
Moderated by: Sarah Wendell, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Click here to learn more & register

Inspirational Romance June 6, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Authors participating: Elizabeth Camden, Jennifer Delamere, Robin Lee Hatcher, Rachel Hauck, Marta Perry,
Cheryl Reavis, Missy Tippens, and Becky Wade
Click here to learn more & register

Best First Book June 13, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Authors participating: Tracy Brogan, Kristen Callihan, Sharon Lynn Fisher, Huntley Fitzpatrick, Anna Lee Huber,
Katie McGarry, and Simone St. James
Click here to learn more & register

Young Adult Romance June 20, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Authors participating: Robin LaFevers, Katie McGarry, Emily McKay, and Erica O'Rourke
Click here to learn more & register

Long Contemporary Series Romance
June 27, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Authors participating: Jean Brashear, Michelle Celmer, Pamela Hearon, and RaeAnne Thayne
Click here to learn more & register

Romantic Suspense
July 11, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Authors participating: Cherry Adair, Cindy Gerard (tentative), Laura Griffin, Bronwyn Parry (tentative), and Sharon Sala
Click here to learn more & register

We hope you join us for these fun video chats!

What Are You Reading?

I've been listening to The Most To Lose by Laura Landon on my commute to and from work this past week. I'm loving the heroine and hero but there are a few slight things that take me out of the story. Nothing too big yet, but we'll see how the story develops. 

On the print side, I picked up this little cutie and it's my first Harlequin Kiss title to read. I'm really looking forward to starting it during my lunch break today. 

Harlequin is also offering up a free download of a Harlequin Kiss book so anyone can try the line out before buying one. This is the link to the download page. 

So, what are you reading? Anything lately that you cannot recommend highly enough? Please share and add to all of our TBR piles! 

Oh - and if you've read any of the new Harlequin Kiss books tell us what you thought! I love that it's a lower price point book that makes it easy to add to whatever you're buying and not have to feel too guilty. I mean $1.94 a Walmart for a book seems amazing to me! 

Sneak Preview: The Reluctant Countess by Wendy Vella

I wanted to share with you a sneak peak excerpt of the upcoming book The Reluctant Countess by Wendy Vella because I can't wait to read it here at Cheeky Reads! It's getting some great buzz on Goodreads and I'm hoping to read and review it here for you soon.

'Secrets, lies, and raging desires - the journey to love has never been more thrilling!' ~ Award winning author Brownwen Evans

"Vella's characters were vivid and endearing and I hated for the book to end!"~Bestselling author Karen Hawkins, How to Capture a Countess

"A lively regency tale many readers will enjoy." ~ Bestselling author Anne Gracie

Happy Reading!
Cheeky Reads - Sabrina 

The Reluctant Countess by Wendy Vella (Excerpt) by Romance At Random

Book Winners!

Last week I relaunched Cheeky Reads with apost on January 1st and said that anyone who commented would be entered to win books from my bookshelf.

Well...I decided that everyone who commented deserves to win!

If you commented on the January 1st post, please email me at cheekyreads @ gmail.com (no spaces) and let me know what genre you like most and if you are interested in print or audio.

Happy Reading!

Cheeky Reads - Sabrina

What book should I read next?

What book are you most interested in me reading and reviewing next?

Happy Reading!

Cheeky Reads - Sabrina

Cheeky Reads is Back From The Dead!

I'm so happy to say that I'm relaunching Cheeky Reads after needing to take some time off for my personal life which was challenging and hectic this last few months.

There will be a few changes to the blog over the next few weeks, mostly in terms of how often I post, the way I do book reviews and the other types of posts you'll be seeing.

I hope at least some of you who used to stop by will join in again. I know there are tons of book blogs out there and that by not posting in a bit you might have moved on, but I hope you'll read the blog again and share it with your friends.

Right now, I'd love to hear more about what you'd like to read and see here on Cheeky Reads. Of course there will be reviews and giveaways, author interviews and book previews, but what else would you like to see?

How long and what type of information would you like in your reviews? Do you like author interviews more so than author guest posts or vice versa?

What types of giveaways do you like best - print, ebook, swag goodies, gift cards, etc?

This is your chance to let me know what you're looking for in a book blog. I'd also like to hear what your favorite genre of books are so I can make sure I'm including them in here on Cheeky Reads.

For your help and comments, I'll be giving away some print books from my personal bookshelves as a thank you. Just leave a comment and you'll be entered to win. Sorry, but due to postage costs this giveaway is open to US addresses only.

I'll draw some random comments to win books on Friday, January 4th.

Happy Reading!

Cheeky Reads - Cheeky Girl Sabrina 

Preview ICED by Karen Marie Moning Before It Goes on Sale 10/30/12

Karen Marie Moning fans have been waiting for this...ICED is almost here! Karen and her publishers are well known for keeping advanced copies and reviews off the web so that readers get the full experience of the book without spoilers, so I'm super excited that they are sharing a free preview excerpt with us! Happy Reading! Sabrina Iced: A Dani O'Malley Novel (Fever Series) by Karen Marie Moning

One Wrong Move By Shannon McKenna Winner!

The randomly selected winner of a copy of One Wrong Move by Shannon McKenna is...

Comment #1 - Elizabeth H!

I'll forward your email to Kensington's Publicist and they will contact you about the book.

Congrats and Happy Reading!

Cheeky Girl Sabrina

One Wrong Move by Shannon McKenna Book Review & Giveaway!

Book Review: One Wrong Move

By: Shannon McKenna 

Publisher:  Kensington 

Release Date: September 25, 2012

Romantic Suspense 

3 Heart Review

Book Blurb: 

Alex Aaro has spent most of his life on the run from his Ukrainian mafia family. But when he learns that crazy Aunt Tonya, the only relative who ever gave a damn about him, is dying, he risks returning home to say goodbye. He’s prepared for anything except the call from his friend, Bruno Ranieri, that sends him on a wild and dangerous ride with a mysterious woman with a deadly secret and a white hot passion that binds them together.

 

Social worker Nina Moro knows her life is forfeit if she makes a wrong move and the ruthless syndicate hunting the terrified Ukranian prostitute she is hiding discovers her involvement. And so Nina avoids the inscrutable interpreter who suddenly appears on her doorstep. Until that six-foot-four rock hard slab of lean muscle is the only thing between her and certain death. Now Nina and Alex are in a race against time, death, and their desire for one another… 

What I enjoyed most about this book is that you are left without any doubt that the hero and heroine of this book totally belong together. While both Nina and Aaro are self-proclaimed "damaged goods" they find their perfect counterpart in each other. 

From the way Nina can laugh off all the extremely rude and crude sexual advances Aaro sends her way, to how he can get her past her paranoid craziness, they just work. That working together as characters means we readers get some insanely hot but graphic scenes and boy does Aaro have a dirty mouth!

What didn't work for me was the slight paranormal slant the story took on. It felt like an editor had suggested the author work that angle into the story to fit it into a certain category. I could have done without it and felt it took away from what could have been a very strong contemporary romantic suspense. 

If the book had stayed out of the paranormal realm, this could easily have been a 4 Heart Review, but it just threw me out of the story more than pulled me in. By the way, this book is part of a series of books by Shannon but I had no problem at all with reading it and not having read the rest of them.

Fast pacing, a hot, dirty-mouthed hero and a solid plot make this a book I can recommend to lovers of romantic suspense. I'll be excited to check out more books by Shannon and maybe I won't be as surprised by the paranormal aspects of her next story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shannon McKenna is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of super-sexy, super-scary romantic thrillers. After a bizarre assortment of jobs, from singing cocktail waitress to medical secretary to strolling madrigal singer, she decided that writing hot romantic suspense suits her best. She lives with her husband and family in a small seaside town in southern Italy. Readers can visit her website at www.shannonmckenna.com.

Giveaway Info
Shannon is giving away TWO prizes, a copy of one of her books at each blog stop on her tour AND a grand prize giveaway of a Kindle Touch!!! There are several copies of One Wrong Move, Blood and Fire, Ultimate Weapon, and Fade to Midnight up for grabs!

1)    To win a book: leave a comment on this blog post to be entered to win a book. Be sure to leave your email address in the comments so we can contact you if you’re the lucky winner. This giveaway ends five days after the post goes live.
2)    To win a Kindle Touch: Click the link to go to Shannon’s website and enter the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the page. A winner will be selected on September 27th. Here’s Shannon’s Website.
 

Monday Morning Cuteness - Now on Facebook!

Because of photo image rights and changes to many of the cute photo sharing sites, I've decided to take my Monday Morning Cuteness post to the Cheeky Reads Facebook page. 

What? You didn't know I have a Facebook Page? Well I do and the more followers I get over there the more I'll start posting and interacting over there as well. 

You can find it at http://www.facebook.com/CheekyReads. 

There will be Monday Morning Cuteness posts, sharing of contests, what authors are doing and more. It won't just be a redo of the content on the blog so I hope you'll stop by and like the page! 

Happy Reading! 
Cheeky Girl Sabrina 

Winner of Deceiving the Witch Next Door!

Congratulations to JenM! She was randomly drawn as the winner of an ebook copy of Deceving the Witch Next Door by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez. 

JenM - email me at Cheekyreads @ gmail.com so I have your email address to pass on to Entangled Publishing so they can get your the book. 

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and entered and don't forget to check out Melissa's book! 

Happy Reading! 
Cheeky Girl Sabrina 

Welcome Author Melissa Bourbon Ramirez & Enter to Win!

Cheeky Reads is pleased to welcome Melissa Bourbon Ramirez, author of the new release Deceiving the Witch Next Door! Melissa agreed to do an interview for our readers and is giving away an eBook copy of Deceiving the Witch Next Door to one lucky reader! 

Be sure to leave a comment on this post letting Melissa and me know if you love magical stories as much as we do! 1 comment will be randomly selected before 5pm Friday, Sept. 7th and will receive an eBook copy of Deceiving the Witch Next Door! 

Welcome Melissa!

WOULD YOU TELL US ABOUT DECEIVING THE WITCH NEXT DOOR, YOUR NEW RELEASE FROM THE COVET LINE FROM ENTANGLED PUBLISHING?     

Of course!  Thank you for having me today J  Storie Bell is a witch whose powers are fairly rooted in the natural world.  She comes back to Bloomington, Texas and has to figure out how to fit in.  But Reid Malone, a man she had a close encounter with just after high school, is also back (helping his dad with a very important task that forces him into the Storiebook Café, the business Storie just opened.  And, well, sparks fly—magical and otherwise. 

WHAT ABOUT YOUR HEROINE? WHAT THREE WORDS WOULD BEST DESCRIBE HER? 

Survivor. Resilient.  Girl-Next-Door (does that count as one word?)

NOW THAT WE KNOW MORE ABOUT YOUR CHARACTERS, WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THEM THAT HAD YOU WANTING TO WRITE THAT HEA FOR THEM?

When Storie learns a truth about her mother, she goes to the lake and harnesses the power of a brewing Texas summer storm.  Clouds rolling in, thunder, lightning, and rain help ground her.  But Reid Malone is there, and he thinks she’s drowning and going to be electrocuted in lake.  I loved writing that scene and that’s when I knew Storie and Reid had to have a happily ever after.

WAS THERE A PARTICULAR SCENE THAT WAS THE MOST FUN FOR YOU TO WRITE? 

Absolutely, the mirror scene!

WHAT KEEPS YOU INSPIRED WHEN YOU'RE WRITING?

I love writing, and I love creating magical stories.  I’d love the world to have magical realism.  I like light magic, and that keeps my stories grounded in a contemporary world, and that is what keeps me inspired!

DO YOU HAVE A PROCESS YOU LIKE TO FOLLOW OR A FAVORITE PLACE TO WRITE? 

As long as I have my computer and a mocha, I’m happy and can write!  Inspiration happens…eventually.

I ALWAYS FIND THAT AUTHORS HAVE THE BEST BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS. ANYONE YOU'VE READ RECENTLY THAT YOU LOVED READING OR A NEW AUTHOR YOU'VE DISCOVERED? 

Good question!  I wish I had more time to read than I do.  I have a few standouts from the last year: Jennifer Donnelly’s Revolution and Kristen Hannah’s Night Road.  I loved them both so much!

WHERE CAN READERS FIND YOU NEXT AND IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US?  

I’m working on the next book in my Magical Dressmaking cozy mystery series, A Custom Fit Crime.  Book 3, Deadly Patterns, comes out in October.  After that is my next romantic suspense, the next Deadly Legends book following Sacrifice of Passion.  Busy, busy!

About Deceiving the Witch Next Door:

Storie Bell has a little secret—she’s a witch. But magic hasn’t exactly kept her life from being a complete mess—her love life is non-existent and the town thinks she’s a total nutter. Plus there’s her neighbor Reid Malone who runs hot one minute and cold the next. 

Reid Malone can’t wait to escape Bloomington, Texas. Unfortunately, he’s stuck where he is unless he helps his father hide a very illegal secret. The only key to Reid’s freedom lies with the eccentric Storie…and he’ll do whatever it takes to get the information he needs from her. 

But Reid’s holding something back. Something big. And if he’s not careful, he’ll find out exactly what happens when you try to deceive a witch…

Also by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez:

Sacrifice of Passion

Texas rancher, Vic Vargas, finds himself facing more than his stubbornly silent son when the chupacabra, a supposedly mythical blood‐sucking beast, starts killing his livestock—and stalking Delaney West, the town’s newly returned veterinary assistant, the sensual woman who ran from the altar and broke his heart twelve years earlier.

Reluctantly, he seeks her help to get to the bottom of the disturbing animal mutilations, only to have her break through to his sullen son...and rekindle the love he’d thought was lost forever. But her refusal to share a terrible secret sends her running straight into the lair of the chupacabra, plunging her back into her worst nightmare, and forcing them both to confront the wrongs of the past—in order to stay alive for the future they desperately want.

 Bare Naked Lola

Going undercover is second nature for Private Investigator Lola Cruz, but she’s out of her league when the case of a murdered Royals Courtside Dancer leads her to a local nudist resort. Parading around the sidelines of Sacramento’s professional basketball scene in a barely-there cheerleading outfit is one thing—but parading around in nothing but smile? If she has any chance of hiding this from her traditional family and on-again/off-again boyfriend Jack, she’s going to have a lot more than her duct tape bra and killer dance moves to keep under wraps…

About Melissa Bourbon Ramirez

Melissa Bourbon, who sometimes answers to her Latina-by-marriage name Misa Ramirez, gave up teaching middle and high school kids in Northern California to write full-time amidst horses and Longhorns in North Texas.  She fantasizes about spending summers writing in quaint, cozy locales, has a love/hate relationship with yoga and chocolate, is devoted to her family, and can’t believe she’s lucky enough to be living the life of her dreams.

She is the marketing director at Entangled Publishing, is the author of the Lola Cruz Mystery series with St. Martin’s Minotaur and Entangled Publishing, A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series with NAL, and is the co-author of The Tricked-out Toolbox and two romantic suspense titles.

Visit Melissa at her website | Twitter Page | Facebook Home | Goodreads | and Books on the House, a website bringing books and readers together!

Tuesday Morning Cuteness!

Labor Day Blog Hop - Enter to Win Books & More!

Enter the Romance@ Random Labor Day Blog Hop giveaway and win books, gift cards and more! Just use the Rafflecopter entry form below and don't forget to Click Here to visit all the other participating blogs.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday Morning Cuteness Alert!

Oh no Batman! I Can Has Cheezburger has changed it's format where you can no longer share photos anywhere but on Facebook - the NERVE! 

Until I find another site to bring in the cuteness from, here's a pic from my own personal family of cute. Isn't that Pekingese profile something to behold? 

Enjoy and I hope your week kicks off great! 

Book Review: Forgotten Dreams by Alexia Banks

Book Review: Forgotten Dreams
By: Alexia Banks
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Paranormal Romance
3 Heart Review
Excerpt

Book Blurb:
Shane Connelly – a pretty young entrepreneur – is determined to shake things up as she leaves her drone of a boyfriend Marc, and the mean streets of Miami far behind. She goes in search of greener pastures in the North Carolina mountains, but finds it’s anything but the perfect spot to while away the hot summer months.

Her recently acquired country home turns out to be a burned out hovel in the middle of nowhere – and after a series of unexplained and chilling visions – she suspects it’s haunted. With her hopes dashed before her adventure can even begin, she is about to head home when a handsome stranger unexpectedly arrives at her doorstep.

Before she can beat a trail out of Swan Creek wine country, Shane and her handsome Cherokee neighbor Jesse are inexplicably drawn together as they dodge bullets, unearth ghosts, and unravel a dark town secret. As events reach a surprising conclusion, Shane realizes that it’s not the high altitude that’s making her head spin, but her tall lover with the penetrating dark eyes.

The plot of this story was unique and interesting and I felt Mrs. Banks did a good job of unfolding the journey she was taking the heroine on. I also thought she did a great job of creating a full cast of characters in a short work which made the story feel more complete, not to mention that the side characters really added to the story. Many shorter stories fail to include supporting characters that actually reflect on the hero and heroine, but Forgotten Dreams provides extras that help us see the hero and heroine more fully.

I did want more development of the relationship between the hero and heroine. Time passes in the story and their relationship seems to grow and develop off the page in those in-between times more so than on the page. It made the story feel much more plot driven apart from the romance, instead of being romance centric. This was one of my main issues with the story, but if you don't mind the lighter focus on romance, then it might not be as much of a concern for you.

The meeting between the hero and heroine was a scene that I felt was slightly off. The circumstances are definitely creative, but I still had a hard time with how each reacted to the other. The scene felt a little over the top and dramatic for how the two characters had been portrayed up to that point. Both the hero and heroine came across as rude and even mean during that meet-up and that didn't flow with their personalities in the rest of the story. 

Most of all though, I wanted to read more of the romance. I wanted to really understand why the heroine Shane and hero Jesse fall for each other and I wanted to live through it with them. Give me more budding romance scenes! :) 

The plot really is the star of this story and I'll be looking for more books by Mrs. Banks based on that alone. If you are looking for a interesting paranormal story that's lighter on the romance side, you might enjoy Forgotten Dreams by Alexia Banks.  

Happy Reading! 
Cheeky Girl Sabrina 

Meet Alexia Banks:


Amazon Link for Forgotten Dreams
website: www.alexiabanksromance.com

Twitter: @alexiabanks2

Facebook: facebook.com/

alexiabanksromance

Monday Morning Cuteness!

Did you attend storytime as a kid or do you take your kids now? Oh, how I wish there had been doggies at my storytimes! Could you image books and dog snuggling all in one!?!?


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

Monday Morning Cuteness!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

Book Review: Somebody to Love by Kristan Higgins

Book Review: Somebody to Love 
By: Kristan Higgins
Publisher: HQN - Contemporary Romance 
4 Heart Review 

Book Blurb:

After her father loses the family fortune in an insider-trading scheme, single mom Parker Welles is faced with some hard decisions. First order of business: go to Gideon’s Cove, Maine, to sell the only thing she now owns—a decrepit house in need of some serious flipping. When her father’s wingman, James Cahill, asks to go with her, she’s not thrilled…even if he is fairly gorgeous and knows his way around a toolbox.

Having to fend for herself for the first time in her life, Parker signs on as a florist’s assistant and starts to find out who she really is. Maybe James isn’t the glib lawyer she always thought he was. And maybe the house isn’t the only thing that needs a little TLC…

Right up front I have to say I'm a huge Kristan Higgins fan girl. Every single book I've read of hers has been an above average to a full-blown *squee* read. So to say I was excited to read this book is a huge understatement. 

The heroine Parker is a character I met in a previous Higgins' book The Next Best Thing, a book I ADORED. It wasn't that I hadn't liked her, but she hadn't really called out to me from that book as a heroine in the making. 

Enter Somebody to Love and James Cahill. Although this was not my favorite of Higgins' books, it is a wonderful read full of everything that makes Higgins an auto-buy for me, deep emotion that's carefully developed in characters you will laugh and cry with. The realness of emotion is what I feel Higgins does like few others and it keeps me coming back for more. 

While I finally got Parker right off, it took much more time for me to warm up to the hero James. Even as I continued to read he was the one thing I felt just a little off to making the full on connection with me. I wanted...more. More depth of emotion I think. It was almost there. Really, so close. Maybe I needed the emotion earlier or this might have been one time I needed some back-story earlier. 

All in all, another heart-tugging, funny-bone tickling story from Kristan Higgins. She has yet to disappoint me, and sometimes she knocks it completely out of the park. Once again, I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book. 

Monday Morning Cuteness!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!