Book Review: Vicious Circle By: Linda Robertson
'>Book Review: Vicious Circle
By: Linda Robertson
Juno - Pocket Books
3 Heart Review
A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do...
Being a witch doesn't pay the bills, but Persephone Alcamedi gets by between reading Tarot Cards, writing her syndicated newspaper column, and kenneling werewolves in the basement when the moon is full – even if witches aren't supposed to mingle with wolves. She really reaches the end of leash, though, when her grandmother gets kicked out of the nursing home and Steph finds herself in the doghouse about some things she's written. Then her werewolf friend Lorrie is murdered...and the high priestess of an important coven offers Steph big money to destroy the killer, a powerful vampire named Goliath Kline. Steph is a tough girl, but this time she bites off more than she can chew. She needs a little help form her friends – werewolf friends. One of those friends, Johnny, the motorcycle-riding lead singer for a techno-metal-Goth band Lycanthropia, has a crush on her. And while Steph has always been on edge around this 6'2 leather-clad hunk, she's starting to realize that although their attraction may be dangerous, nothing could be as lethal as the showdown that awaits them.
I slipped very easily into reading Vicious Circle. The heroine Persephone is an intriguing character and I wanted to find out more about her even after the first few pages.
This book seemed very familiar to me and this was good and bad. On the bad side, I felt that many parts of Linda’s world mirrored Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan series and Persephone reminded me of Rachel very much. Likewise, Master Vamp Menessos made me think of Laurel K. Hamilton’s Jean-Claude as there was sexual tension mixed with the dangerous control Menessos can have over Persephone.
It’s only because I have read these other series that I was so easily reminded of them, but I think it speaks well that I would compare the writing to these two talented authors.
On the good side, Robertson’s world and writing are indeed very good. Even though parts of the book were familiar, this also added to my being able to fully engross myself in the story. Johnny is a great love interest and the foreshadowing of him being more than just any shape shifter added to my enjoyment of the story and makes me look forward to more in this series.
Vicious Circle feed my craving for an urban fantasy with a heroine I genuinely liked, and a hero who didn’t immediately have the heroine in the palm of his hand. I loved that Steph wasn't immediately attracted to Johnny and that he isn’t your typical looking hero. The interesting twist that in this world werewolves and witches aren't exactly friendly does make this world stand apart from many of the other Urban Fantasies I've read. I expect these things to add layers to the series as it moves forward.
A good read with an interesting world and cast of characters, I'll be looking for the next in this series.
Book Blogger Appreciation Week: Cheeky Reads Goals For The Future
In Honor of Book Blogger Appreciation Week: A GIVEAWAY!
BBAW Reading Meme
Book Blogger Appreciation Week: 10 Questions with Blogger Swapna from S. Krishna's Books
3) If someone wrote a biography of you, what would the title be?
5) If you were a book, what genre would you be?
Gothic mystery, with a dash of romance thrown in! I'd love to think that I'd be like a book from Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey series - mysterious and fun!
7) A book you recommend to anyone and everyone, and they always love it?
8) If you could have dinner with one living author, which author would it be? Why?
Neil deGrasse Tyson - I have a bit of a nerd crush on him.
9) Why did you decide to start your blog?
I read so much that I found I was forgetting what I had read previously. I'd pick up a book at the bookstore or the library, get it home and start reading it and discover that it was very familiar - because I had read it before! I was already reading and loving book blogs at that point, so I decided I'd start my own in order to keep track of the books I read.
The Dark Is Rising series by Susan Cooper. I absolutely love these books, I still re-read them now. Even as an adult, every time I read them, I discover something new. Though they are a bit dated, they really are timeless - I can't recommend these highly enough. The mix of fantasy and King Arthur mythology is excellent.
Winner Chosen: 1st Two Books of Darcy Saga
Booklover1335
Congrats! Please send me your snail mail information to cheekyreads @ gmail.com (no spaces).
Happy Reading and thanks to all who entered!
Book Blogger Appreciation Week: Blogs That Inspire Me
Romance Book Review: Broken Wing By Judith James
By: Judith James
4 Heart Review
Abandoned as a child and raised in a brothel, Gabriel St. Croix has never known tenderness, friendship, or affection. Although fluent in sex, he knows nothing of love. Lost and alone inside a nightmare world, all he's ever wanted is companionship and a place to belong. Hiding physical and emotional scars behind an icy facade, his only relationship is with a young boy he has spent the last five years protecting from the brutal reality of their environment. But all is about to change. The boy's family has found him, and they are coming to take him home.
Sarah Munroe blames herself for her brother's disappearance. When he's located, safe and unharmed despite where he has been living, Sarah vows to help the man who rescued and protected him in any way she can. With loving patience she helps Gabriel face his demons and teaches him to trust in friendship and love. But when the past catches up with him, Gabriel must face it on his own.
Becoming a mercenary pirate and a professional gambler, Gabriel travels to London, France, and the Barbary Coast in a desperate attempt to find Sarah again and all he knows of love. On the way, however, he will discover the most dangerous journey, and the greatest gamble of all, is within the darkest reaches of his heart.
Gabriel is most definitely a broken man coming from dire circumstances and readers will need to be open minded to warm up to this dark hero. It would have been very easy for Mrs. James to make Gabriel's path to love and redemption all roses and wine, but instead she made his romance with Sarah an epic journey on the path of his self-forgiveness.
Sarah could easily have expected Gabriel to forget his past and move forward with her, but again Mrs. James demonstrates excellent story-telling ability in showing Sarah's awareness, disgust, understanding and acceptance. It's through Sarah's reactions to Gabriel and his past, that Gabriel is able to understand what love really means.
A beautiful, but heavy, love story this book was completely unlike any other book I've read in years. If you want something bold and different this is for you. Just know that the subject matter might not be for everyone but it is handled perfectly and is essential to understanding Gabriel and celebrating his happy ending.
Broken Wing is Mrs. James' first novel and I'm excited to say her second book, Highland Rebel, is now available from Sourcebooks. Happy Reading!
Romance Book Review: TORTURED By Amanda McIntyre
By Amanda McIntyre
Harlequin Spice
4 Heart Review
In a time of chaos, darkness, and violence it is better to live only in the moment, lest your memories eat you alive.
A young woman blessed with “sight seeks vengeance against a tyrannical lord responsible for her mother's murder. Forced to become an executioner's apprentice, she encounters a Roman prisoner who offers her a away to escape her prison and find a future. Torn between desire, duty, and the chance for revenge, her choice to live or die leaves her TORTURED.First of all, check out that cover! If anyone has ever wondered if covers can sell a book, the answer can be found just looking at Amanda McIntyre's books. As soon as I saw the Diary of Cozette cover, I had to buy it. Had no idea what the book was about, but my mind was made up and to this day I still think that is my favorite cover of all time.
That doesn't make the cover of TORTURED any slouch, it's another winner and perfectly captures the time period and the passion of this book. The Harlequin Spice cover gods are definitely smiling on Amanda since I've seen the sneak peak at her next book, and wowsa! Click here to take a gander at the next cover.
One thing I love about Amanda's historicals, are that they always feature a time period not normally given much notice. TORTURED takes place in the Dark Ages of Briton around 500 A.D.
Another thing I love? Amanda's unconventional heroines. The heroine of Tortured is Sierra, a young girl who will eventually become the Saxon King's Head Executioner. Didn't know women served as executioners? Well they did, and Amanda loves turning this kind of unknown information into a story of passion and love.
Dryston and Sierra's story is both unconventional in its beginnings and lovely in its growth. Inside Dryston beats the heart of a warrior and that of a man who can love deeply. I enjoyed the interchanges between the two as Dryston strove to change Sierra's view of sex as a act of manipulation. A guide to help her rediscover how to live and love, Dryston was a hero through and through.
This is a very passionate and intense book that I easily became engrossed in. If you like your historicals with some real meat to the story and some intense heat, then you'll really enjoy this book.
As many of you know from reading this blog, I do my best to give my honest opinion of books while leaving as much of the story for you to discover as possible. Not only am I seriously against spoilers, but I don't like giving away plot points either. But, I have to say this – the ending to TORTURED was one I found very satisfying. The climax surprises in that it's not typical of romances and for that I literally cheered out loud. I've been waiting to find a book that would go there, and leave it to Amanda to write it!
Visit Amanda's website for information on TORTURED and her other Harlequin Spice releases. Also check out her blog called McIntyre's House of Muse.
Winners of The Harlequin Presents Giveaway
Throughthehaze
Mari
Brenda
Etirv
Email your snail mail address to cheekyreads @ gmail.com (no spaces) and I'll get your book in the mail to you! Congrats and happy reading!
A Vocabulary Lesson with Guest Author Sharon Lathan
A Vocabulary Lesson
Writing in an era some 200 years ago is a daunting task. Add to that the chore of tackling Jane Austen and it teeters on the brink of insanity! I haven’t decided yet whether I am crazy or brazen, but whatever the opinion, it is a very good thing that I am a lover of history and vocabulary. The research necessary to plausibly present a past world is tremendous. Writing in a style that is one’s own voice while also paying tribute to the original author is precarious. Using vocabulary that conveys a forgotten way of speaking while utilizing the language a modern reader will understand is rough.
Yet, as I said, I love history and I love vocabulary. I told a friend recently that I was a thesaurus addict! I absolutely love searching for new words to use and actually start to shake when I stumble across a new one. I have formed whole paragraphs around some really cool word, just because I have to use it! I try not to be overly obscure as I want my readers to enjoy the story and not falter when encountering a bizarre word. On the other hand, broadening ones vocabulary is a worthy endeavor and pausing to flip through the dusty dictionary is time well spent. Yes?
From time to time on my website I post an entry called “Vocabulary Rocks!” I share the origins and definitions of some of the cool words I unearth. I am going to share a few of my favs.
DĂ©colletage – Often this word is used in such a way that one thinks it means the actual cleavage visible. In reality, dĂ©colletage is referring to the fabric neckline of the gown itself, but is only applied to a gown that is very low cut so that the shoulders and upper breasts are exposed.
Chatelaine -A set of useful items hung at the waist with a decorative chain. Commonly associated with the housekeeper who kept the keys to the Manor on her person at all times. A chatelaine was also worn by fashionable ladies and would secure a watch, sewing or writing implements, small coin purses, keys, scissors, etc.
Harridan - A bad-tempered, disreputable old woman. Probably from the French word haridelle meaning a worn-out horse. I used this word to describe Lady Catherine de Bourgh! Fits, don’t you think?
Inexpressibles – This one cracks me up! We would say ‘pants’ but that term was considered vulgar! So instead, this was the general, polite word for all the various types of male garments worn over the lower half of their bodies.
Accoutrements - The additional accessories, paraphernalia, and trimmings that are not a main part of the garment. For the Regency man and woman the accoutrements were as important as the suit or gown. Hats, gloves, walking sticks, pocket watches, jewelry, scarves, and so on.
Halcyon – It means calm, tranquil, happy, carefree, and prosperous. What is interesting is the origin: The fourteen days of calm weather at the winter solstice when a mythical bird, identified with the kingfisher, was said to breed in a nest floating on calm seas. Identified in mythology with Halcyone, daughter of Aeolus, the ruler of the winds, who when widowed upon her husband, Ceyx the king of Thessaly, drowning at sea, threw herself into the sea and became a kingfisher, flying to be with her husband. OK, you have to admit that is cool!
Braggadocio –Vain, swaggering, pretentious bragging attitude or person. After Braggadocchio, the boastful character in Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene (1590)
Insipid and Vapid – I love both of these words! They sound exactly like they mean, that is to be without any distinctive or interesting qualities, dull and bland, no liveliness of spirit or zest for life.
Urbane – I love this word because it perfectly describes Mr. Darcy to me. Having the polish, elegance, sophistication, and suave refinement that comes from wide social experience. Oh yeah, that’s my hero!
Well, I could go on indefinitely, but I shan’t! I hope you have enjoyed my mini-English lesson. I have an extensive glossary of Regency places and terms on my website if this essay piqued your interest for more. And I hope you will dash over to my website to read about my sequel to Pride & Prejudice: The Darcy Saga by Sharon Lathan at http://www.darcysaga.net/ The first two novels are already available to purchase! And I promise you will learn some new words to dazzle your friends. Share with us some of your favorite words, especially if they are unusual.
About the Author
Sharon Lathan is a native Californian currently residing amid corn, cotton, and cows in the sunny city of Hanford. She divides her time as homemaker nurturing a husband and two children, plus the cat, dog, and fish; while also working as a Registered Nurse in a Neonatal ICU. Somewhere in there she finds time to write! Sharon Lathan can be found on her website/blog at: http://www.darcysaga.net/, on Facebook as “Sharon Lathan, “ on Twitter as “@SharonLathan,” and on the Casablanca Authors’ blog at: http://casablancaauthors.blogspot.com/
We have a fantastic prize to giveaway to celebrate Sharon's latest release. One lucky reader will win one copy of the first two books in The Darcy Saga - Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Loving Mr. Darcy! Just comment and tell us some of your favorite words of past or present and you're entered to win!
Tease Me Tuesday: Author Sharon Lathan Guest Blogging Tomorrow!
To make it a real celebration, we'll be giving away of the first two books in her series Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Loving Mr. Darcy. Be sure to stop by and enter to win!
Harlequin Happenings: A Smart Bitch Review and Presents Giveaway!
Yesterday, Smart Bitches featured my review of Make Me Yours by Betina Krahn. If you didn't already, head over and check it out and let me know what you think. Here's the link.
In other Harlequin news, I received 4 copies of Lynne Graham's The Italian's Inexperienced Mistress, a Harlequin Presents title, to give away to some lucky readers!
How to win? Just leave me a comment telling me if you have a favorite Harlequin line, author or book on this post (we love recommendations!), or comment on any post from this week. Every comment enters to win, but please only one comment per post. I'll randomly select comments to win on Tuesday Sept. 8th. Good Luck and Happy Reading!
Stolen Moments & Short Affairs: Welcome Guest Author Heather Long
Tease Me Tuesday: Louisa Edwards Free Read
Want to know something even cooler? Louisa is going to give us more free installments of this story, so be sure to keep checking her site for updates!
Oh, and for even more awesome goodness - here's an excerpt of Can't Stand The Heat and a deleted scene for your reading enjoyment courtesy of Louisa's website!
Tease Me Tuesday:
Coming up on Sept. 9th Cheeky Reads welcomes Sharon Lathan, author of Loving Mr. Darcy. Be sure to stop by for her special guest blog and the chance to win a copy for yourself!
Some exciting new releases in September that I'm looking forward to...
Debbie Macomber's 92 Pacific Boulevard (Cedar Cove) and Cedar Cove Cookbook
Christina Dodd's Storm of Shadows (Chosen Ones, Book 2)
Louisa Edwards'Can't Stand The Heat (A Recipe for Love)
Jana DeLeon's Mischief in Mudbug
A Lady of Persuasion by Tessa Dare
Barely Bewitched by Kimberly Frost
Make Her Pay (The Bullet Catchers) by Roxanne St. Claire
...more to come soon, including ebooks that are calling my name!
Be sure to visit on Thursday when we'll be giving away copies of The Italian's Inexperienced Mistress, a Harlequin Presents book by Lynne Graham.
Making It Through Monday
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
Something about the Lolcat photo above hit me as hilariously similar to how I've been feeling about some of the projects I've tackled lately. Love the look on his face!
Here area some great links to help make it though Monday a little easier!
Books on Board is now offering 20% off the monthly romance recommendations from Dear Author. Check out this month's top picks!
If you haven't heard, Borders launched a fantastic new romance blog called True Romance, that features great videos and blogs by your fav authors and bloggers.
Author Loucinda McGary is launching her Treasure of Venice blog tour and will be giving away a copy of her new release at most of her blog stops. Check out her tour schedule here.
On Sept. 9th, Cheeky Reads will be hosting author Sharon Lathan to celebrate the release of her latest book in The Darcy Saga, Loving Mr. Darcy. Be sure to join us and enter to win a copy!
Book Review: The Grand Sophy By Georgette Heyer
The Grand Sophy has arrived...
And when Sir Horace Stanton-Lacy is ordered to South America on Diplomatic Business he parks his only daughter, Sophy, with his sister in Berkeley Square. Sophy can immediately see that her cousins are in a sad tangle: Charles is engaged to a bluestocking, and Cecelia's in love with a poet of all things. It seems Sophy has gotten there just in time...
And the Hon. Charles Rivernhall's life will never be the same...
While Sophy is going to outrageous lengths to solve everyone else's problems, she finds that she herself might have some big surprises in store.
I was extremely excited for the chance to review Georgette Heyer's The Grand Sophy. Having heard so much about Mrs. Heyer and her books, I was sad to say I'd never read one before now. From the research I did, The Grand Sophy is beloved by readers. In fact, many deem it to be their favorite Heyer book. So, it was the perfect introduction into the world of Mrs. Heyer!
I was not disappointed! When an author and book are hyped so often, I sometimes worry that my expectations could never be met. This time though, they were exceeded and I had a very grand time reading this book.
Sophy was uterly charming character and managed to steal my heart as she does the family in the book. She was smart, sassy and meddlesome to perfection and unlike any other character I've read from writers of Mrs. Heyer's time period. It was a blast reading Sophy's exploits!
Heyer perfectly twisted a tale that includes a cast of characters you'll root for and some you'll root against, which makes it all the more fun. Through it all, you just know that Sophy will figure out how to set it all right and find her own happily ever after.
I can only wonder how I made it through advanced high school English classes and an English Major in college and not have been introduced to Mrs. Heyer. Mrs. Heyer should be required reading right alongside the likes of Austen and the Bronte sisters. Likewise, where are all the BBC adaptations of her books!
I'm very against spoilers, so I won't go into too much detail here except to say that if you haven't read The Grand Sophy you should do so immediately!Buy The Grand Sophy Here
Look for The Grand Sophy and other Heyer Classics to be reissued from Soucebooks Casablanca with gorgeous new covers! Speaking of those cover, Smart Bitches Trashy Books did a fantastic interview with the designer of the new covers and its definitely worth the read. Smart Bitches Interview Here.
What's Your Inspiration? Guest Blogger Debbie Mumford
Inspiration
by Debbie Mumford
As a published novelist, a question that pops up frequently in conversations is, "Where do you get your ideas?"
The world around me is a constant source of inspiration, though I rarely stay in the here-and-now for more than a few pages of a story. I’ve published a few short contemporary romance pieces, but they were flash fiction (1,000 words or less). If they’d been any longer, I’m positive something "unusual" would’ve crept in. So far, my longer fiction has always been fantasy or paranormal in nature.
I have a duet of short stories titled Glass Magic available through Freya’s Bower. Those two stories began on a cold winter day when the glass in the front door at my office fogged up. You could actually read a sign that had been removed as much as a decade earlier. The phrase “ghost in the glass” popped into my mind and simmered until I was asked to write those stories for Freya’s Bower.
Another question I've been asked regards whether my stories begin as a vague idea or arrive fully formed, needing only to be transcribed and polished. In all honesty, my fiction usually starts from a seed—a phrase or a picture that intrigues me. The seed germinates in my subconscious until it’s ready to work its way out through my fingers and onto the screen. I rarely know what I’m going to write until I’m actually in the process of typing. That’s part of the fascination for me—discovering what happens next!
Several of my published short stories began as writing exercises: Take three unrelated words and write for fifteen minutes with the goal of using all three words. Opening Her Eyes began as dragon-rickshaw-bifocals, though you’d never know it to read the final version!
One of my current works-in-process was born during a drive with my husband to admire the fall foliage. A tree sprite popped into my head and asked what would happen if she married a human and they had a daughter? Because of that question I imagined Nimue—a feisty teenage girl who is stuck between worlds. She's definitely not human, but she's not quite Fae either. As if those teenage years aren't hard enough…
Finally, there’s my newest release, The Silver Casket, a story inspired by my own Scots heritage. What would happen if a lonely, contemporary American woman were transported back in time to 15th century Scotland? I’ll never tell—you’ll have to read the novella to find out, but it was a blast to write!
So...Where do you find your inspiration? If you're not a writer, what inspires you about life? As a reader, what kind of storylines call out to you?
More Tease Me Tuesday: Chat with Jennifer St. Giles
Here are the details and the chat link directly from the Knight Agency Blog:
WHAT: Chat with Jennifer St. Giles
WHEN: Thursday, August 27th @ 9pm ET
WHERE: TKA Chat room
HOW TO CHAT: Visit TKA's chat room here: http://client1.sigmachat.com/sc.php?id=115545
Enter a username and password (any combination). Login
Here's an extra treat - Head over to the Knight Agency Blog today and enter to win 2 of Jennifer's books today!
Tease Me Tuesday: What's on Tap at Cheeky Reads
Cheeky Reads Awarded The Kreativ Blogger Award!
Guest Review: Plight of the Darcy Brothers by Marsha Altman
By Marsha Altman
2 Heart Review
With Jane and Elizabeth away, Darcy and Bingley take on the daunting task of managing their two-year- old children. Mary Bennet returns from the Continent pregnant by an Italian student promised to the church; Darcy and Elizabeth travel to find the father, and discover previously unknown—and shocking—Darcy relations. By the time Darcy discovers that there's more than one sibling of questionable birth in the family, the ever-dastardly Wickham arrives on the scene to try to seize the Darcy fortune once and for all.
I should start out by saying that although I am a serious fan of Jane Austen’s novels, I’m not exactly a Jane Austen purist. If anyone who has a talent for entertaining and compelling writing wants to continue Ms. Austen’s stories about love and life, then that’s fine with me. In the case of The Plight of the Darcy Brothers, however, I have to contend that the story isn’t compelling and is light on entertainment.
Marsha Altman’s talent lies in understanding Jane Austen’s characters well enough to keep their personalities intact – even affording Mr. Bennett and Mr. Darcy a few great lines. Seeing the young family life of the Darcys and the Bingleys provides a few funny moments but from then on its one clumsy reveal after another of predictable scandals and family secrets. Too much time is spent on a sub-plot featuring Caroline Bingley and her doctor husband, while not enough time is given to the ongoing Darcy-Wickham rivalry in spite of a “game-changing” revelation.
By the end of the novel, I felt like I’d just sat through a long episode of one of those campy British sitcoms – complete with a Monk, a Madame, a Prince and a long-running joke about ink-stained children. Not to mention an overly-violent duel that isn’t in keeping with the rest of the novel’s tone.
The Plight of the Darcy Brothers is certainly a light and easy read, but I wouldn’t recommend putting it on your “must-read” list.
(It should be noted that this is the second sequel that Marsha Altman has written. I haven’t read the first, but the second is not written in such away that you’d be lost if you don’t read them in order.)
So, leave a comment telling us if you've read any Jane Austin sequels or are you a purist who likes to stick to the original- and all it's many movie adaptations? What's your favorite Jane Austin movie and do you like the new modern contemporaries like the Jane Austin Book Club?
Welcome Rita Herron on her Dark Hunger Blog Tour & Enter To Win A Copy!
The following Cheeky Readers have won a copy of Dark Hunger. Email me at cheekyreads(@)gmail.com with your mailing address so I can send your prize.
Brenda
Dottie
Catslady
2nd Chance
Hellion
Congrats to the winners and look for more giveaways soon!
Buy Dark Hunger Today!
Follow Rita's Blog Tour as she stops at:
Books and Needlepoint - Aug. 19
All About {n} - Aug. 20
This Book For Free - Aug. 20
Park Avenue Princess - Aug. 21
Morbid Romantic - Aug. 21
Falling off the Shelf - Aug. 22
My Book Views - Aug. 22
Found not Lost - Aug. 22
Tuesday Tease - Trailer for Dark Hunter by Rita Herron
To tempt you to remember, here's the book trailer for Dark Hunter. Yeah, I'm a bit of a tease, but if you come back tomorrow I might fulfill your wish to get your very own copy!
Haven't Read Sookie Stackhouse? Here's Your Chance!
Crazy with Waiting: Dreamfever will be here August 18th!
It all started with a trip to the library where I picked up an unknown (to me) author's book because I was in the mood for a historical that involved kilts - if you get my drift! That's when I first got hooked on Moning's Highlander series.
I read them all and then found out she had a brand new book out called Darkfever that was different from the Highlander Series, but that some of the myth and world building would be similar. I was all about that so I checked out the LARGE PRINT version - the only version of Darkfever my library had - and boy was I instantly addicted! It gave me FEVER! Ok, that was corny. Sorry!
BTW - If you haven't read any of the Fever Series yet I have great news...the first book in the series is available for FREE as an ebook! So, you can check it out for free to see if you get addicted too! Click here to go get that FREE book!
So, skip ahead to Bloodfever and Faefever, books 2 and 3 in the series, and I'm in a full blown, fever and sweats addiction that kills me in the time between books!
Faefever was the last book, and the very first book I literally threw across the room after reading. I had gotten on my treadmill thinking I would walk and read and seriously stayed on over 2 hours because I got lost in the story! Karen does a cliffhanger like no other, and Faefever has one hell of a crazy one! After reading the last page I look up and promptly threw my book across the room - leaving a small dent in my wall!
It's been about a year and I'm on the countdown to August 18th - when Dreamfever releases and I can get my Mac on! (Mac being the title character who was left in a precarious situation at the end of book 3!)
This is a five book series so I know there will be another humdinger awaiting me at the end of Dreamfever and still I can't wait to get my hands on it! Even with knowing I'm cruising for a bruising with withdrawals again, I can't help it...I'M ADDICTED!
What book series are you addicted to? What series makes you preorder or rush to the bookstore on release day? Tell me your addictions!
What's New Wednesday
Lastly, if you haven't tried Twitter give it a go! I was very hesitant and well thought it sounded stupid, but I've been able to talk with some of my favorite authors and other book bloggers. And, not to blow my own horn too much, I try to tweet lots of deals on books sales, industry news and info on authors. If you don't do Twitter, you can check out my latest tweets in the left hand sidebar. Maybe it will entice you to follow me! LOL!
Book Drive To Benefit Louisville Library
I’m putting together a book drive in an effort to help.
How you can help:
Everybody:
Donations of new books, all genres.
Information about monetary donations can be found at WFPL.
Authors & Publishers:
Donations of both signed and unsigned books. All genres, from children’s books to romance to non-fiction, etc, etc.
Signed books can be used in fundraiser purposes. Unsigned books can be used to help replenish the books that were lost due to the flood.
I have spoken with somebody with the library and at this time, they have no place to store books. However, I’m close and I will keep the books at my house until they are able to take them.
For those wishing to donate books, there are two ways you can send them. I can either receive them my post box address or a friend will receive them at her home.
If you wish to mail them via the USPS, send to:
Shiloh Walker
PO Box 976
Jeffersonville, IN47131
**Please note, I did speak with library personnel before I started this bookdrive. I realize they had no storage/no way to process books, which is why I’m holding them for the time being, and I did discuss that with library personnel as well. Several members of the library do have my contact info, should they have concerns, and none have contacted me.
Feel free to repost this information in its entirety.
Shiloh Walker
http://shilohwalker.com/
http://shilohwalker.wordpress.com
This post was submitted by Shiloh Walker.
Get TORTURED with Amanda McIntyre! Join Day Three of the TORTURED Tour and Win a Signed Copy!
Leaving Chicago, we had an interesting trek through Gary, Indiana (where I paid silent homage to the late Michael Jackson) and Ohio –which I discovered is much like driving through Nebraska (only those in the Midwest will understand) we arrived in the state of New York. Who knew that New York State was such a lush green, forested place? The short jaunt from Fredonia to Niagara Falls was a pleasant one and our weather at around seventy with low humidity and brilliant sunshine could not have been more perfect. After a quick lunch at my fav spot, Hard Rock CafĂ©, we ventured to the “falls” where I stood in amazement and memory of the last time I’d seen that area almost …dare I say it, forty years before. Eeek! It was well worth every mile to see my kids snapping away, their eyes wide with respect and wonder of such a magnificent sight. Yes, we’d seen the IMAX movie on Niagara, but seeing something of such magnitude in real life is far more incredible!
Then came the challenge, trekking down to the base of the falls to the “Cave of the Winds.” I could remember my trip on the “Maid of the Mist”—the boating excursion that takes soaked passengers on the river beneath the falls—but for the life of me I couldn’t recall this “Cave of the Winds” being there. Still, you live only once and I am a secret adventuresome pirate at heart, so I donned the required foam-soled sandals and rain poncho and stood before the simulated falls mural with my three of my children to snap our picture for posterity. (Oh yes, dad opted to hold bags, wait on the surface and test out the homemade ice cream)
I later wondered as we stood in a “cattle line” waiting our turn, if the picture was taken in case of an unexpected accident. What can I say? I’m a writer. Finally, we made it to the front of the line, where a man stood repeating the litany I’m sure several times over during the course of his shift, “this elevator will take you 175 feet below the surface and then you walk through a tunnel…” at which point I began to wonder how he could look so casual when sending people into this watery abyss.
I cinched my glad bag style poncho tight and got on my game face as I prepared to squeeze into the cubicle that would plummet me to the base of the falls. I tried not to think of thousands of tons of water rushing over the rocks, centuries old, one of the true wonders of the world—and I was going to get to stand in its grandeur and get soaked. I started thinking then about my latest work, my deadline and it suddenly seemed less stressful.
We emerged from the tunnel into the sunshine and stood a moment overlooking the churning waterway below. I chided myself for being overly concerned, and yet I had a feeling this wasn’t all there was. People with various odd looking expressions, soaked to the skin were coming from around a bend. THAT “feeling” came to fruition a few moments later when I stood at the base of a set of wooden stairs that angled every which way—looking like something out of the movie ”Labyrinth”—to a platform high above, settled right into the midst of the falls.
So I began the maze of steps, taking note of the haphazard and yet I was certain carefully placed wood planks jabbed here and there, bracing the structure against the rock. I tired not to think of the constant roar in my ear, the hundreds of thousands of pounds of pressing pushing against the narrow wood steps and single person walkways that crisscrossed the falls ahead. I tried not to think of having to stop part way when I small child decided firmly they didn’t want to go any further. Later, my husband tried to reason that hundreds of people go on this daily and each year they tear it down and rebuild it. Which I suppose was meant to appease my concern, but I’m not sure that it did. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat ;)
In my erotic Medieval historical, TORTURED (Harlequin Spice-Books, Aug. ’09) Sierra must face her fears and the unknown in order to survive. What fear have you had to face that made you realize the strength you have inside you? Read a full excerpt from TORTURED on my website! http://www.amandamcintyre.net/
One lucky commenter will win a signed copy of TORTURED! Having read this book, I can personally tell you that you really want to win this one. I actually cheered out loud at the ending!
Next stop Novel Thoughts at RRH http://www.novethoughts.wordpress.com/ -- August 7
See you on the road!
Amanda McIntyre
DIARY OF COZETTE Harlequin Spice Oct. '08
TORTURED Harlequin Spice Aug. '09
"Winter Awakening" in WINTER'S DESIRE Nov.'09
Doing The Naughty: Welcome Guest Author Dee Tenorio
A huge welcome to today's guest blogger Dee Tenorio!
Dee is the author of numerous books from Samhain Publishing and her newest novella, Love Me Knots, releases today. Big congratulations to Dee and I'm so pleased to have her here at Cheeky Reads!
Check out Dee's guest blog below and enter for a chance to win a ecopy of Love Me Knots!
Dee's Website
Dee's Blog
Check out Love Me Knots at Samhain
Doing The Naughty
When I first started writing, I thought I was being oh so titillating by having my characters make out.
I was like, seven.
By the time I was ten and had discovered romance---particularly historicals! WOWSA!---I quickly learned the error of my thinking. Still, it was a long time before I got comfy enough to actually write a frisky love scene. I remember when I started writing "Test Me" as an erotic romance. I was sitting on my bed, my husband innocently working on his computer across the room and my face was absolutely on fire while I typed like mad. (Incidentally, I was in this same condition while doing research on Vetta's waterproof sex toy in that same book, for much the same reason. Believe me, gang, you do not want to get researching sex toys by hubby who is pretty sure he's taking care of business. Well...not without taking your vitamins first.)
Where was I?
Oh yeah, doing the naughty. So, anyway, at first, it was really difficult to allow myself to write erotic. I was so sure my mother was going to find out and I'd wake up in the night with her standing over my bed with that look on her face she'd get when I forgot to do the dishes. The "Girl, I'm gonna beat you so hard, you're going back in time and you done better do the dishes when you get there" Look. (Note: Mom never actually beat me, but she sure looked like she would.)
But after that first scene got written of Travis getting a hell of an eyeful of his nekkid heroine, Mom didn't show up. Mom didn't have a clue. So I kept going, and "Test Me!" got naughtier and naughtier. And you know what? It was fun! No holds barred, as descriptive as I wanted to be. I totally relaxed about the content I was writing. And with that freedom, I was able to write several more books with characters that had complete sexuality, which I think was part of making them more realistic. I didn't flinch when things got hot. I didn't blush and worry about Mom acting like the end of the movie "Carrie". And when a story idea came along about a couple that has great sex but bad communication... Well, who was I to say no? And there you have it, "Love Me Knots" was born.
I look at writing more explicitly as a different kind of honesty. I'm not going to get all preachy about how it's empowering to write the naughty. But the way a couple expresses themselves physically is as much a language as what they say. And if it means taking a few more vitamins, why not? :)
Of course, there are certain caveats are required for doing the naughty regularly on paper, particularly if you've never done it before.
1) After describing a man's appreciation for the feminine privates, keep in mind that your CPs just might wonder if YOU have an appreciation for feminine privates...
2) Mom's DO smack you in the back of the head when they find out you've been writing.
3) You really need to stock up on vitamins and Wheaties.
So, how about you? Have you ever worried about doing something, only to find out that it's the right thing for you? Share a comment and win a free ecopy of my new erotic novella, "Love Me Knots"!
Upcoming Guest Bloggers - Dee Tenorio & Amanda MacIntyre
I'm excited to announce that on August 4th, we'll be featuring as a guest blogger, author Dee Tenorio!
Dee has a brand new Samhain Novella coming out that day, and she's launching her book tour right here at Cheeky Reads!
Come back on August 4th to congratulate Dee on her release. One lucky reader will win an e-copy of her new release Love Me Knots! Here's a sneak peek at an excerpt.
On August 6th, the fantastic Amanda MacIntyre will be here to talk about her new release Tortured!