It’s werewolf time!

Hmmm. Werewolves and Cynthia Eden. I think I’m missing out not having read this ebook yet. So are you! I can guarantee that, if you’ve never read Cynthia’s books before.

And I’m going to prove that to you right now. Read on so I can make my point!

“Would you really shoot me, baby?” Doubt cloaked his whisper.

Ava risked a fast glance at the deputy. Right. Figured Ken hadn’t even heard the wolf’s approach. He was too busy talking on his phone and trying to keep his lunch down. “Don’t test me,” she snapped back to the wolf. Sure, they might have been lovers once—once—but that was over. She had a job to do.

She’d do it. A sexy werewolf wouldn’t stop her.

Julian cocked a dark brow, but he also stepped back. Good.

“Now put your hands up,” she ordered him.

Smiling a bit, he raised his hands. In the early light, she didn’t see any blood beneath his nails. Nails, not claws. The claws would only come out when he shifted.

“Want to tell me what you’re doing here?” Ava asked.

He shrugged but kept his hands up. “I just followed the scent of blood.”

Supernaturals enjoyed the scent of blood far too much.

So she had a dead human, one who’d had his throat ripped open, and a werewolf, right at the scene of the crime. She also knew for a fact that said dead human had been planning to interview Julian last night.

Things weren’t looking good for the wolf right then.

And it wasn’t like she had a whole lot of options. Sighing, Ava pulled out her cuffs. “These are gonna sting,” she warned him. Silver cuffs. Because of their enhanced strength, werewolves could break free of almost anything else instantly.

He dropped his hands. “You aren’t serious.”

She was. Did it look like she was joking? “I need you to come to the station with me. You can either come willingly…” Then she’d leave the cuffs off, at least for the time being. “Or I can take you in the same way I do other paranormal suspects.” She had a little more freedom than the sheriffs who only patrolled human counties and captured mortal criminals.

When the monsters you hunted could kill with claws and fangs, new rules had to be made.

The blood had drawn out a werewolf, but, even though the smell was like pure ambrosia to a vampire, she knew none of the undead would be coming to join their little party. Everyone knew vamps and sunlight didn’t mix.

She’d get to them, though, soon enough.

Julian glanced toward her patrol car. “You don’t want to make a mistake here, Sheriff.”

Oh, wait, she wasn’t “baby” anymore? If the big wolf wasn’t careful, he’d hurt her feelings. “I know claw marks when I see ‘em,” she told him, still holding tight to her cuffs. “As far as I know, there’s only one wolf pack in Mississippi.” Nothing happened in that pack without his approval.Nothing.

His gaze, bright blue, came back to her.

“Now, Alpha,” if he was gonna be all formal, then she could be, too. “Will you play nice and get in the car, or do I have to cuff you?”

Sirens wailed in the distance. Had to be her back-up racing toward them. The deputies always responded quickly when it was a supernatural call. Humans had to stick together.

“When have I ever played nice?” Julian growled the words.

Right. Of course, the guy wouldn’t make this easy.

She locked one cuff around his wrist. There was a slight sizzle as the silver burned his flesh. His gaze held hers. “You don’t want me as an enemy,” he warned.

She reached for his right hand. She wouldn’t put the cuffs behind him. Ava figured she owed him that much. “Sometimes it doesn’t matter what we want.” Since that night they’d shared, she’d learned that bitter lesson. Her hand curled around his wrist. Staring into his eyes, she snapped the other cuff onto his wrist. “Alpha Julian Kasey,” she’d do the legal bit to make sure she covered her ass, “you’re a paranormal person of interest in a murder investigation and, as such, you’re now in supervised custody.”

His lips curled in a very slow, wicked smile. A smile that showed the sharp edge of his canines. “Later, when you look back, this is the moment you’ll regret.”

Maybe.

But… “Right now, looking back,” she shouldn’t say this, she shouldn’t, but the words and anger couldn’t be held back, “the moment I regret was hooking up with you at that godforsaken bar.”

The faint lines around his eyes tightened.

“And if I find out that you’re behind these killings…” She shook her head. “Then what happened between us won’t matter at all. I’ll still lock you up.” She had a job to do. People who counted on her. A hard case of lust and need for a dangerous werewolf couldn’t distract her.

Not when human lives were on the line.

Ash’s review of Entangled by Cynthia Eden, Jennifer Estep, Edie Ramer, Lori Brighton, Michelle Diener, Misty Evans, Nancy Haddock, Liz Kreger, Dale Mayer, Michelle Miles, and Allison Brennan
Paranormal romance anthology ebook published by Authors4theCure 07 Sept 11

First off I want to say that I think that what these authors are doing is a wonderful thing. I do Relay for Life every year for my aunt’s best friend who is a breast cancer survivor, as well as my great aunt who passed away due to breast cancer. I had a hard time with this review because I don’t want to say anything bad about this book. I think everyone should buy it, and I even planned to gift it to someone since I got my copy free to review. I didn’t like every story, not at all. The ones I did like, however, were beyond terrific and are worth every cent and more. Those are the ones I am going to talk about most.

Halloween Frost by Jennifer Estep

I love this one and it is a great start to the book. Powerful teens sent off to a special school is really nothing new anymore, but this feels fresh. I was able to immediately connect to Gwen and the other characters all have distinct personalities that stood out. I have a clear picture of the people, the town, and even the creatures. As soon as I read this,  I bought the first one in the series. The quick glimpse of Gwen Frost and her world pulls you in, and I can’t wait to read and learn more about it.

Grade: A

Medium Rare by Nancy Haddock

Here is another story that is clear and stands out in all the good ways.  I feel like I’m there with the characters and not just reading about them.  I’m not usually a fan of stories centered on ghosts because they tend to feel unrealistic (yes, I do believe in ghosts),  but Nancy Haddock knows what she is doing. It also has one of my favorite romance plot lines, enemies (ok not really, but definitely not friends) to lovers. I only wish there’s more romance, but I always feel that way.

Grade: B

Sweet Demon by Misty Evans

So this one appears to be the start of a new series, and I’m super excited about that. Sweet Demon feels like a full-length novel, and every time I remember it’s a short story, I get sad. I would have been happy reading much more about Kali Sweet. I am dying to know what happened between her and Rad 300 years ago, and especially what he was going to tell her when he saw her again. I have no clue when the next book comes out, but I really wish it’s soon.

Grade: A+

Feel the Magic by Liz Kreger

Definitely an interesting story. I can’t say I have ever read about a woman wanting to be magically transformed into a cat. The story felt a little bogged down with all the characters and all the talk about making the transformation legal. I would have liked more focus on the magic, the witch, and the cat wannabe.

Grade: C

A Bit of Bite by Cynthia Eden

This story reminds me why I always enjoy Cynthia Eden’s books. I haven’t read one in awhile, but now I want to go hunt some down. Werewolves have been slowly becoming my favorite over the past few years, and A Bit of Bite shows me why. Julian is the alpha werewolf and he has no intentions of letting Ava get away from him again. The tension in A Bit of Bite is thick and I love every bit of it.

Grade: B+

Sian’s Solution by Dale Mayer

A vampire saves her lover from a blood farm, and it is more of a slow build-up instead of loaded with drama. In a full-length novel I probably wouldn’t have had the patience, but it works as a short story. It’s interesting how she plans to get them both out safely and I always love when it’s the heroine doing the rescuing. A little more action would have helped a bit, though.

Grade: C

Breaking Out by Michelle Diener

This story is kind of Alias meets Heroes and I am definitely a fan of both. We have people with powers, black ops, and mind control. Add in some romance and I am sold. I feel teased with such a great short story and I sincerely hope there is more coming. I have to know more about Kell, Nate, and Giles.

Grade: A

So, it’s a great book for a great cause. I am anxious to start reading some of the series that these stories are from, and my only issue is I don’t know where to start. You also can’t beat the price, and considering it is all going to BCRF, it is more than worth it.

Overall Grade: A+

Summary:

Ghosts, vampires, demons, and more! Entangled includes ten suspense-filled paranormal short stories from authors Cynthia Eden, Jennifer Estep, Edie Ramer, Lori Brighton, Michelle Diener, Misty Evans, Nancy Haddock, Liz Kreger, Dale Mayer, and Michelle Miles, plus a Seven Deadly Sins novella by Allison Brennan.

Stacia Kane contributed the foreword. Formatting and cover art were also donated to the project by Lori Devoti and Laura Morrigan.

All proceeds go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Read an excerpt.

This just in…

Eleven of your favorite authors have released today their Entangled anthology to support breast cancer research with their writing. Now it’s your turn.

~ Authors4theCure is donating all proceeds from the sale of their paranormal anthology to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. BCRF-funded research has helped save lives and improved the quality of care and rate of survival for tens of thousands of breast cancer patients in the past decade.

~ Included in the anthology are:

Lori Brighton
Michelle Diener
Cynthia Eden
Jennifer Estep
Misty Evans
Nancy Haddock
Liz Kreger
Dale Mayer
Michelle Miles
Edie Ramer
Allison Brennan

~ Entangled releases today and is available in ebook format at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and other online retailers.

~ $2.99. We can all band together for that. What else do you need to know?

Consider yourself flashed.

This just in…

Eleven authors have banded together to support breast cancer research with their writing. Authors4theCure, which includes award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors, as well as two breast cancer survivors, is donating proceeds from the sale of their paranormal anthology, Entangled, to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).

~ Entangled includes ten suspense-filled paranormal stories (plus one novella) from an impressive list of talented authors:

Lori Brighton
Michelle Diener
Cynthia Eden
Jennifer Estep
Misty Evans
Nancy Haddock
Liz Kreger
Dale Mayer
Michelle Miles
Edie Ramer
Allison Brennan

~ Stacia Kane contributed the foreword and the book’s formatting and cover art were also donated to the project.

~ BCRF-funded research has helped save lives and improved the quality of care and rate of survival for tens of thousands of breast cancer patients in the past decade. Their research has revealed that the “cure” is a mosaic made up of as many approaches to diagnosing, treating, preventing and surviving as there are different types of breast cancer. The anthology is also a mosaic made up of many stories donated for this worthwhile cause.

~ Entangled will release September 12, 2011, and will be available as an ebook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and other online retailers.

~ The ebook price is a mere $2.99, so let’s all do our part and donate!

Consider yourself flashed.

The Duckies would like to thank Cynthia Eden for spending the day with us during her Duck Chat. Fun was had all around!

And now it’s time to find out who won a copy of Belong to the Night, which features Shelly Laurenston and Sherrill Quinn along with Cynthia.  Drum roll, please!

Amber Leigh Williams (38)

Congratulations!

Please send your snail mail address to lighthousetagger (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll notify Cynthia for you!

We’re so glad you could make it back to Duck Chat! Welcome!

Today we’re talking to Cynthia Eden about her demons and a whole lot more!

Cynthia has a terrific backlist of books, but it’s her Midnight series that has been garnering a lot of attention by readers lately, and she’s going to talk about those books, Hotter After Midnight, Midnight Sins, and Midnight’s Master, today. Her demons are sexy and you can’t resist them once you start reading. Her other paranormal books, Immortal Danger and Eternal Hunter, are also fan favorites, along with the many anthologies that feature Cynthia’s novellas.

Cynthia is married and she and her husband have one son. A few fun facts: she’s a Gemini, loves chocolate, Romancing the Stone, Law & Order, and wanted to be just like Lois Lane when she wrote for the campus newspaper while attending University of South Alabama. That’s just the beginning of getting to know Cynthia today. Be sure to leave a meaningful comment or question because three lucky winners will receive a copy of Cynthia’s newest anthology, Belong to the Night, that also features Shelly Laurenston and Sherrill Quinn and which won’t hit the shelves until next month! Now let’s chat!

DUCK CHAT: Cynthia, let’s don’t waste time and talk about your newest release, Midnight’s Master, and the Midnight trilogy. First tell us how the idea of the trilogy came about and a little about it in general, then we’ll get to the individual books.

CYNTHIA EDEN: LOL, okay, I can do that. But first…thanks for interviewing me!

Now, for the trilogy, well, I actually didn’t mean to write a trilogy. I wrote Hotter After Midnight (the first book) as a stand-alone. I thought perhaps I could make that book into a series, with the two main characters appearing in follow-up books. But, then the book sold to Kensington Brava and I received a 3 book contract. Brava likes to see different lead characters in their stories so I decided, hey, let’s just make a trilogy!

DC: If you could retire any question and never, ever have it asked again, what would it be? Feel free to answer it.

CE: Where do story ideas come from? Story ideas come from anyplace and everyplace—just about anything can inspire me, so every time I answer this question, I feel like I say something different.

DC: I’ve heard writers often say their stories take them in surprising directions, or dialogue flows from some unknown place. Is it the same with you? Do your characters surprise you sometimes?

CE: Yes, my characters do surprise me—sometimes they go to places that are much darker than I expect.

DC: The first book, Hotter After Midnight, is definitely a hot read. Would you tell our readers about Colin and Emily, please?

CE: Glad you thought it was hot! Thanks! And I’d be happy to tell readers about Colin and Emily. Emily Drake is my monster doctor—she’s a psychologist who primarily treats paranormal patients. Colin Gyth is a detective with the Atlanta PD, and he’s also a wolf shifter. When a paranormal starts killing, Colin works the case, and Emily is pulled in as a profiler—she’s the only one who can profile a paranormal killer.

A quick note…This book is being re-released in mass market form this December.

DC: Do you ever argue with your characters while you’re writing? Who usually wins?

CE: We argue and I win! I’m the one who can tap that delete key, so I hold all the power. BWHAHA!

DC: What is sure to distract you from sitting down and working/writing?

CE: The Internet. I like to check Facebook and Twitter far too much.

DC: Todd and Cara are featured in Midnight Sins, which is another sizzling story in this trilogy. Can you tell us how their story came about and how it finally evolved?

Todd was Colin’s partner in Hotter After Midnight, and he was the man “in the dark” (so to speak). He didn’t know about the paranormal world, and I kept wondering what would happen if he did suddenly see the supernatural beings all around him. So, I decided to jerk his blinders off and give him one powerful paranormal heroine—Cara, the sexy succubus.

DC: What has been your favorite book cover from all of your releases and why?

CE: I really liked Immortal Danger. I’d been wanting to write a dragon shifter story for years, and this book finally gave me the chance to make my dragon real (well, not *real* but you know what I mean!).

DC: How about your least favorite? Why?

CE: I don’t think that I have a least favorite. Sure, some books are easier to write than others, but in the end, I’ve loved them all.

DC: Midnight’s Master just released in June, and it’s about Niol and Holly. I have to admit this surprised me, I thought it would be Captain McNeal and Dr. Smith, whose relationship we’ve followed in the first two books. Any reason they didn’t get their own book?

CE: That’s a good question! From the very first moment that Hotter After Midnight released, I had fans writing to me and asking if Niol would get a book. Now, honestly, I was a bit surprised. I’d *intended* for Niol to be the villain, but I changed my mind as the story developed. So, I sure didn’t think folks would want to read about him. But, they did. I kept getting emails asking for his story. Of all my characters, he’s the one that readers seemed to respond to the most. And that meant…yep, Niol got the third story.

I like to think of my McNeal and Smith’s relationship as the link that holds the books together. Their relationship develops over the course of the books—they bind the stories and the characters.

DC: Please give us the lowdown on Midnight’s Master.

CE: Be happy to! Midnight’s Master is the story of my all-powerful (and slightly evil) demon Niol. He meets his match in a human reporter. If you read Midnight Sins, then you already know the identity of this reporter. In Midnight’s Master, the paranormal beings have become the prey, and Niol must stop the human killer who has them all in his sights.

Excerpt from Midnight’s Master:

Chapter One

Having a breakdown in the middle of a live broadcast was really not a very good thing for a reporter’s career.

Holly Storm’s fingers tightened their already white-knuckled grip around the microphone. Her breath came too hard and way too fast as she fought to hold on to her control.

“Holly …” The reed-thin voice of her producer.

Shit. Her career was about to hit the toilet. She dragged her gaze away from the body-away from the body that she knew didn’t belong to a human-and glanced back toward the round lens of the camera. “Uh … I’m … H-Holly Storm, reporting to you live from the scene of-” A freaking slaughter. “A brutal … murder.” Yeah, brutal was a good word choice considering the way the poor guy had been sliced to ribbons.

Get a grip, girl. She couldn’t afford a meltdown right now.

After a hard swallow, she finally managed to suck in a full breath. Holly cleared her throat, then spoke in that calm, cool voice she’d perfected back in her college communication classes so long ago. “Police aren’t talking …” At least not to her. But then, the two detectives on the scene-Colin Gyth and Todd Brooks-weren’t exactly on her “friends” list. “But this reporter can’t help but wonder just what sort of monster is looseon our Atlanta streets.” There was a growl to her right. Her gaze darted over, just for a moment, and she met the bright stare of Detective Gyth.

Screw him. Her chin lifted. “Reporting live from a downtown scene of death, this is Holly Storm, signing off.”

The camera lens watched her for a silent moment. Then …

“Christ, Holly, you think that was a little dramatic?” Ben Blake muttered, lowering the camera from his shoulder. His Braves hat, the one the guy always wore, rain or shine, night or day, rested high on his head. A line of stubble lined his jaw.

“Dramatic’s good,” she told him, aware that while her voice was cool, her heart thundered hard enough to shake her chest. “Drama gets folks to forget about their crappy days and pay attention to the news.”

“Are you okay?” The quieter, and no longer panicked, voice of her producer asked. “Not everyone is cut out for these kinds of stories.”

Her shoulders, already straight, stiffened even more. No way was she about to be yanked off this story. Her last encounter with the Other-the supernaturals who walked the streets acting like humans and hiding behind magic-had left her with singed hair, a body full of bruises, and the acid of fear on her tongue.

But she wasn’t the running-and-hiding type. Okay, fact one: Monsters existed. Fact two: Those monsters scared the hell out of her. Fact three: If she wanted to work in this town, and she did, then Holly was gonna have to learn how to live with the darker beings that stalked the streets.

“I’m fine, Mac.” McArthur Phillips was a news veteran. Once an anchor for News Flash Five, the sixty-three-year-old had turned his attention to bossing folks around in his producer gig. Not that Mac looked sixty-three. The guy worked out four times a week to keep his body in top “anchor” form and his black hair was only now starting to gray.

From what Holly could tell, Mac was one of those guys who generally spoke softly, but could rip the flesh off anyone who got in his way with just a few careful words. Probably a leftover trait from his army days. She knew the guy had served back in Vietnam. She’d heard more than a few of his stories before.

“Don’t lie to me.” Still soft, but with a hard rasp beneath the words. “You looked pale as death for a minute there. A reporter fainting on camera-”

“Would be a major ratings score,” Ben cut in, tugging his hat down a bit as a smile curved his thin lips.

Holly glared at him. “Right, because I want to be known as the Fainting Flash Five girl.” Asshole. She liked Ben, really did, but sometimes he could piss her off.

Holly’s nose wrinkled. Oh, dammit, she could smell the blood.

“Well, if you’re not goin’ to faint, then get your ass over to those cops and find out just what the hell is goin’ on,” Mac growled.

Her back teeth locked. The cops had already said there would be no interviews. At least, no “official” ones. A girl had to try. Holly shoved her microphone toward Ben. “Be back in ten.” And hopefully, she’d be back with a story.

Holly turned on her heel. Zeroed her sights on the detectives. They were talking to a uniformed cop. Faces intent. She slipped under the yellow police tape, then crept toward them, hoping to overhear-

“Ms. Storm, just what the hell do you think you’re doin’?” Colin Gyth demanded, blue eyes glittering down at her. His arms were crossed over his rather impressively muscled chest. “This is a crime scene.” He grabbed her arm and hauled her back toward the tape, ignoring her outraged yelp. “If we wanted reporters screwing up the evidence, there wouldn’t be a damn barrier set up.”

A flimsy barrier. He pushed her under the tape, shook his head, and frowned down at her. “Hell, woman, didn’t you learn your lesson the last time?”

Learn her lesson? What was she, a two-year-old? “What I learned,” she pitched her voice low, knowing others couldn’t overhear this, “is that this town has a lot of deadly secrets.” She pointed toward the body. “Looks like you’ve got someone hunting demons.”

His eyes widened. “What?”

Uh, oh. The detective hadn’t known-

He was under the tape and beside her in less than two seconds. For a big guy, he could sure move fast. “What did you just say?”

Holly licked her lips. The detective was intimidating as hell with those dark features and the glinting edge of teeth that looked a bit too sharp and-

“She said the victim wasn’t human.” The cold, slightly mocking voice had every nerve in Holly’s body tensing. No, shit, not-

She and Colin turned together and met the coal-black stare of Niol Lapen. It was just after dusk, and the dark shadows gathered around him, wrapping over the tall, muscled length of his body.

He strolled toward them, power evident in his every rippling move. His face, a face that Holly figured most women would find attractive-not her, of course, but most women-showed no hint of emotion. But then, she’d rarely known Niol to bother much with emotions.

Midnight-black hair swept back from his high forehead. The guy really had perfect features, aesthetically speaking anyway. High cheeks, square jaw, long, straight nose, and lips that were-

Not for me. Holly jerked her gaze back up to his black eyes and away from the lips that she was not the least bit interested in. She needed to focus on his eyes-because it was the eyes that told the true nature of the man. Or, in Niol’s case, the true nature of the demon.

Because Niol Lapen was a demon. Probably the strongest and most dangerous demon she’d ever met, and she wasn’t going to forget that fact.

Or the fact that she was pretty sure he’d killed a man the last time they’d met.

His gaze swept past her. Holly followed his stare and saw that the body had been covered with a sheet. About time.

“How did you get here so fast, Ms. Storm?” Niol’s voice, harder now, dark and demanding.

Her eyebrows shot up. Just what was the demon implying? “I was covering a story two blocks over. I followed the sirens.” Okay, probably not her classiest moment, but she’d landed an exclusive.

And stumbled onto a scene that would give her nightmares for a week.

Not now. She couldn’t let this get personal now.

But dammit, why him? He’d been a good guy, harmless. He hadn’t deserved terror and death in a dirty alley, behind a strip club for God’s sake.

“Fuck that.” Colin stepped toward Niol. “You knew the victim?”

“Um.” Neither agreement not denial.

Colin’s hands clenched. “Don’t play with me, Niol. If you’d seen the way the poor bastard was slashed-”

“I did.”

Colin stiffened. “You didn’t-”

Niol laughed, a rough, dry sound, and his gaze returned to Holly. “I didn’t kill him. One of her kind did.” What? Her kind? What was he-

“Come with me. Now.” Colin pointed at her. “And as for you, Ms. Storm, stay away from my crime scene.”

Niol’s gaze raked over her, for just the briefest moment, darting from her head to her strappy black shoes, and Holly shivered. Dangerous.

But, dammit, sexy.

Focus. “You can’t just shut out the press, you know, detective. The public has a right to know-”

Niol shook his head. “Still playing that song, Holly?” Holly, not Ms. Storm any longer. And his voice was different too. Husky. Rough. The voice a man would use in bed. Goose bumps rose on her uncovered arms.

“I don’t know-”

“You knew he was a demon.” His lips twisted and those soulless black eyes bored into her. “He was one of your sources, wasn’t he?”

No way was she going to answer that question, even if the dark demon before her was right. Carl Bronx had been one of her sources. She’d talked with him more than a dozen times. He’d been young, a little over twenty-one, with a ready smile and a dimple in his chin.

No. She would not think about him. Thinking about him and realizing that sweet Carl was the guy who’d gotten sliced to bits, well, that had almost caused her on-camera breakdown.

Niol stepped toward her and brushed the back of his hand over her chilled arm. “You’re not as hard as you pretend to be,” he whispered. “Pity.” His breath stirred the hair near her cheek.

Holly blinked back the tears that stupidly filled her eyes because even though the sheet was over him, in her mind, she could still see Carl’s bloody body.

Niol shook his head. “You’re out of your league. Go home, Holly. Back to your safe world.” He stepped back. “Leave the demons and the death to me.”

The guy couldn’t have given her a more clear dismissal.

Holly watched Niol turn and stride with Colin toward a patrol car.

Oh, yeah, that had been a rather nice “Fuck off.”

Unfortunately for the demon, she wasn’t the fucking-off type.

“Didn’t get the story, huh?” Ben asked, coming to stand at her side.

Holly didn’t take her gaze off the strong lines of Niol’s body. He leaned against the blue-and-white patrol car, his arms loose at his sides. “Not yet.”

“The cops will release a statement later, no big deal-”

“It is.” Carl had been important. One of the good guys-uh, demons. He hadn’t deserved an ending like this. Hell, no one deserved a death like this.

Carl had trusted her with his secrets.

She wasn’t going to slink away from his case. Sure, she knew the routine-don’t let the stories get personal. Every reporter’s mantra.

But it was too late. This kill, it was personal.

She wasn’t about to back off.

Niol and Colin were talking, lips moving fast, but the words were far too soft for her to hear. After a moment, Niol inclined his head and marched away from the detective. Colin looked furious, his face tight and his body stiff.

Holly knew she wasn’t going to be getting any help from the cop.

Niol headed toward the waiting shadows.

But the demon …

He was a whole other story.

Her breath hitched as a spike of excitement had her blood heating.

“Holly …” Ben’s voice was high-pitched-a sure sign the man was getting worried. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking I’m getting this story.” She tossed him a hard smile, one that she knew showed a lot of teeth. “One way or another.” Even if she had to walk into the devil’s den.

Actually, that idea didn’t sound bad at all.

Time to go into the darkness and see what secrets she could find.

After all, she was a reporter-a reporter who always got her story.

The pretty redhead walked into his hell as if she owned the place.

Chin up, slim shoulders back, one hand cocked on her hip. Oh, yeah, serious attitude.

But, as he watched her, Niol Lapen couldn’t help but wonder … when he got closer to the lady, would he see fear lurking in her too-green eyes?

Because he knew that she’d been afraid of him before. The last time she’d crossed the threshold into the bar that some thought of as Paradise and others knew as hell, there had been fear in Holly Storm’s gaze.

Not that she’d let the fear stop her.

And he’d always rather enjoyed fear in his prey.

Niol had decided months ago that the reporter would make wonderful prey.

He propped his elbows on the bar and kept his gaze on the woman who was slowly strolling across Paradise Found. She’d changed her clothes. The dressy top and the dark pants were gone. Now she wore a short dress, black, one that emphasized the pale silk of her skin, one that flashed the tempting swell of her perfect breasts and kissed the tops of her thighs.

Um. He’d like to do that. Like to kiss and lick those long legs. He could all too easily imagine the feel of that smooth skin against his lips and tongue.

His eyes narrowed. The lady knew how to dress. A point in her favor.

She also knew how to find trouble. Another point for Holly.

“Hell.” The disgust came from the bartender behind him. It was the kind of disgust Niol normally felt for reporters, but not for Holly. “What’s she doing here?” Marc demanded.

Niol never took his gaze off Holly. Her right hand clutched a small black bag-bet she’s got some kind of recorder in there-and her high heels clicked across the floor. He could hear every move she made. The bar, his second home, was packed-a good thing. Yet his senses-damn strong senses seeing as how he was a level-ten demon-were wholly focused on her.

If he tried, he bet he’d even be able to smell her. That light, rich scent of lavender from her lotion.

“Want me to kick her ass out, boss?” Marc asked, and the soft clink of a glass sounded.

A smile curved Niol’s lips. “That’s not exactly what I want to happen to the lady’s ass.” No, he had other plans for Holly … and her gorgeous ass.

It had been too long since he’d taken a lover. At least a month. But he’d been dealing with killers and death. A guy could get distracted.

And now there was this other bastard on the streets.

If another demon died …

He lifted his drink. Drained the shot glass in one quick gulp. The hot burn of the liquid slid down his throat. “Don’t worry about the reporter, Marc.” Though he was a pretty recent hire at the bar, Marc still knew the score. He also knew that cops and reporters normally weren’t too welcome in Paradise. “I’ll take care of her.” Very good care of her.

Holly Storm. She was the newest reporter at News Flash Five. Smart. Resourceful. A real looker, too. Plump lips. Small nose. High, glass-sharp cheekbones.

Oh, yeah, the reporter was sexy.

She was also trouble because she knew far, far too much about his private world of demons and darkness.

Most humans didn’t know that the monsters they feared in their dreams-the vampires, werewolves, everything that made the night go bump-were all real. Humans were too worried about their nine-to-five jobs, too busy worrying about getting robbed by the guy in line next to them at the grocery store or getting carjacked at the red light on the wrong side of town. They never stopped and actually looked at the world around them.

Because if the humans would just jerk off their damn blinders, they’d see they had a whole hell of a lot more to fear on this Earth than they imagined, and that some nightmares could be very, very real.

Holly had first lost her blinders months ago. For a time, she’d even planned to air her discovery on her precious news station.

Of course, her plans had changed when he’d brought the fires of hell to her feet. Rather literally.

At that moment, her gaze locked on his. Her eyes widened, just a bit. The taking-my-time walk became faster as she tried to hurry to him and-

And a vampire stepped in her path.

Niol’s fingers drummed on the bar. The undead asshole had just blocked his view. He’d give him five seconds to move, then-

Holly stepped around the vamp, her jaw locked. Her full lips-painted red, Niol’s favorite color-pressed into a line. Ah, so the reporter wasn’t in the mood for-

The vamp touched her. Grabbed her arm. Then jerked her up against his chest.

DC: How do you feel your male or female characters have evolved over your career? Do you think you write them differently now than you did when you started?

CE: Oh, I definitely think I write them differently now! I like to think that I learn more about the craft of writing with every book that I write—so I hope my plotting and my characters improve. I think my characters have more layers now, and an edge of darkness that wasn’t there in the earlier stories.

DC: Is there a genre you haven’t tackled but would like to try?

CE: Once upon a time, I taught history, so I would like to give that area a try. And, conversely…I’d love to do a futuristic story, too.

DC: You have two other paranormals, Immortal Danger and Eternal Hunter, on the shelves. Would you tell our readers a little about those books?

CE: Immortal Danger (April 09) features a very powerful heroine—Maya Black is an ex-cop turned vampire and her motto is, “Once bitten, twice the bitch.” She teams up with a shifter in order to rescue a lost little girl from a band of rogue vamps.

Eternal Hunter will actually release in January (oh, I wish it were on the shelves now!). It will be the first book in my new paranormal bounty hunter series. These bounty hunter stories will be set in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and they’ll feature an assortment of paranormal characters: vampires, demons, shifters, charmers, witches, and a few new additions.

DC: What advice would you give to your younger self?

CE: Write faster! Stop watching so much TV and write more!

DC: If you were a book, what would your blurb be?

CE: LOL, I have no idea! How about: Southern girl invites you to the dark side with sexy stories of vampires and demons.

DC: What would be your “voice’s” tagline?

CE: Sharp, dark, and quick to cut. (Seriously, I don’t know if that’s a good sum-up, but I like the sound of it!)

DC: You also have a number of novellas in anthologies. If one of our readers hasn’t read your books before, which one would you recommend they read to get a good taste of your writing?

CE: I’d recommend In the Dark — my contribution to the Belong the Night anthology. That anthology releases on August 25th. My hero is a vamp, and my heroine is a shifter. My heroine believed the hero was dead, so when she sees him, she’s a little, ah, pissed.

DC: If you had never become an author, what do you think you would be doing right now?

CE: I’d probably still be teaching and fighting to maintain my sanity! Only slightly kidding on that. I’m sure the teachers out there know what I mean.

DC: What’s on the horizon for Cynthia Eden?

CE: Well, my paranormal bounty hunter series launches with Kensington Brava in January, and later in 2010, the first book in my new romantic suspense series will be released by Grand Central Publishing. I’m currently scheduled to release three books in the romantic suspense series, Deadly Fear, Deadly Heat, and Deadly Lies. The Grand Central books don’t feature any paranormal characters—just sadistic serial killers, twisted arsonists, and evil kidnappers. Sometimes you can be human and still be a monster—that’s the idea behind those stories.

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate? – Milk chocolate

- smooth or chunky peanut butter? – Smooth, please!

- heels or flats? Heels. Sexy!

- coffee or tea? – Tea, but let’s make it super sweet

- summer or winter? – Summer. I live in the South—we don’t really have winter.

- mountains or beach? – Beach! I love burying my feet in the sand.

- mustard or mayonnaise? – Um, neither?

- flowers or candy? – Flowers
- pockets or purse? – Purse—it carries things and it can be a weapon

- Pepsi or Coke? – Coke

- ebook or print? Both

And just because:

1. What is your favorite word? – Awesome. (I share this favorite word with Dean Winchester)

2. What is your least favorite word? – Hick. (Way overused in the south)

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? – The beach turns me on creatively

4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally? – Blaring noise

5. What sound or noise do you love? – Jazz music

6. What sound or noise do you hate? – A car horn

7. What is your favorite curse word? – Damn

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? – I think being a psychologist would be fun

9. What profession would you not like to do? – ER Doctor—no blood, please

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? – “I love your stories.”

Thank you for taking the time to interview me! It was a pleasure!

DC: Thank you, Cynthia! We had a lot of fun with you!

Sandy M’s review of Midnight Sins (Midnight Trilogy, Book 2) by Cynthia Eden
Contemporary Paranormal Erotic Romance published by Brava 1 Dec 08

I guess being six months behind on reading a series is better than years like most others in my TBR pile. The third book, Midnight’s Master, in this trilogy just released last month, so at least I’m up to date to get started on it now and hopefully not in six months. Honestly, though, I have no idea why I waited so long to read this book. I loved the first book, Hotter After Midnight and even lamented in my review that I had to wait too long for Midnight Sins. But it’s finally read and, just as with Hotter After Midnight, I had a time of it.

I noticed in rereading the previous review that I started out doubting how much I would like the book based on the first few pages. Is it Ms Eden who teases the reader or is it just me? I had the same thing happen this time around too. Maybe it’s me. Demons aren’t my favorite read, so it took a minute or two for the heroine, Cara, to grow on me. But once the sparks started flying between her and the hero, Todd, I became a very happy reader.

Cara is a succubus and she’s decided to give up on sex. Is that even possible? Cara just doesn’t have it in her to be a predator like other succubi; she’s left empty and lonely after a night of carefree sex with whoever. So for her having no sex is better than those feelings. She’s a singer at a local club where a lot Other congregate for their nocturnal activities and she draws enough power from them when she sings, at least enough to get by. Then she’s hauled in to the local PD station, questioned in the death of a man she’d previously had a relationship with. That’s where she meets Todd. A human. And does that human do something to her. Big time.

Thinking he’s found his woman, Todd’s case just became open and shut. Good thing he jumped the gun in thinking Cara could have killed the string of dead men he and his partner have come across recently. She’s definitely his woman, just in a totally different way. Todd is still having a hard time accepting his partner is a shifter and that the world is not as he imagined with such creatures roaming around his city. And now Cara. He knows she’s different, but when she’s in his arms, in his bed, he doesn’t care. He just wants her. Even finding out she’s a demon doesn’t make him flinch. Knowing she’s being set up for the murders he’s investigating makes him all the more determined to find the real culprit. He’ll protect her life with his own.

Once I got to know Cara, I really liked her, especially her vulnerability when it comes to Todd and what she may be able to have with him. They both have secrets, her more so because of what she is, and I enjoyed how those were revealed through the book, interspersed with the investigation elements that were also revealed. And, of course, I loved Todd. He may not be an Other, but the man is alpha and hot to the core, just the way I like them.

As usual, Ms. Eden’s love scenes are smoldering and intense and burn through the pages as you read. The secondary characters, most of which we met in the first book, are all very well written. I also liked the relationship between Captain MacNeil and Dr. Smith, the ME for the department. I was thinking they might be the main characters for the next book, but it’s Niol, a super powerful demon, and Holly, the local news reporter, who get that honor. I hope the captain and the doctor are included in Midnight’s Master so we get a conclusion there too.

I really enjoy Ms. Eden’s writing. She gives us a well-rounded story, a little bit of everything, and you can’t ask for anything more in a book. I have other books of hers in the TBR. I’m going to have to make sure I don’t wait six months to get to them, because I know I’ll be in for some great reads.

Grade: A-

Summary:
.
Cara Maloan doesn’t look like a monster. In fact, the gorgeous blond nightclub singer possesses heavenly attributes that make Atlanta detective Todd Brooks sure there’s a higher power somewhere. But a twisted killer is leaving a trail of bodies in seedy hotel rooms across town. The male victims show no wounds–it’s as if the life was simply drained from them. And right now, mysterious Cara is Todd’s only suspect.
.
Cara knows it’s foolish to be so drawn to a man who thinks she’s a murderer. She also knows Detective Brooks would find the truth even harder to swallow. Cara is one of the Other, a race of powerful, paranormal creatures who live among humans. Cara’s particular abilities make men putty in her hands–all except this rugged, sexy-as-hell detective. But now someone, or something, has singled Cara out for serious payback…
.
As uneasy trust gives way to mind-blowing desire, Cara and Todd will go head-to-head with a killer whose mission is deeply personal, and who’s determined to serve up revenge that’s hotter than hellfire, and just as deadly…
.
Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

This just in…

Cynthia Eden is celebrating her upcoming release,  Midnight Sins, with a terrific holiday contest.  She’s giving away the best kind of gifts — ones you choose yourself.  There’s two ways to win, so be sure to check it out!

~  The first way to win is to post a ready-made advertisement for Midnight Sins on your blog, website, MySpace page, wherever you can help Cynthia get the word out about her new release.

~ If you’re not able to enter that way, then you can read an excerpt of Midnight Sins, answer a simple question found in the excerpt, send it to Cynthia and she’ll enter you in the drawing.

~ But you can enter both ways and double your chances of winning.

~ What are the prizes, you ask?  Check this out these great gifts where you get to choose your heart’s desire!

1st Place: $100 gift certificate to Victoria’s Secret

2nd Place: $50 gift certificate to Bath and Body Works

3rd Place: $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com

4th, 5th, and 6th Place: Your choice of two autographed books from my backlist.

~ The contest runs until December 3, so you still have plenty of time.  Check it out here.

Consider yourself flashed.

This just in…

Those of you living in Georgia and surrounding states get ready for a terrific weekend October 3-5 for the Moonlight and Magnolias Conference, featuring some great names in romance.

~ The conference is being held at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast in Norcross, Georgia.

~ Award-winning, New York Times Best-selling author Teresa Medeiros will be the Keynote Speaker.

~ Tanya Michna, aka Tanya Michaels, is the GRW Featured Author.

~ Their Book Fair and Signing is open to the public and will feature such authors as Jacquie D’Alessandro, Kimberly Killion, C.L. Wilson, Stephanie Bond, Jess Michaels/Jenna Petersen, Alyssa Day, Cynthia Eden, Raven Hart, Jennifer St. Giles, and many, many more.

Consider yourself flashed.

Liviania’s review of Hotter After Midnight (The Others, Book 1) by Cynthia Eden
Contemporary Paranormal romance released by Brava 1 May 08

I do not believe I’ve mentioned this on TGTBTU before, but I do an Internet radio show once a month.  The first time I did the show was a bit of a fiasco at the end, partially due to the presence of two Cynthias.  It ended fairly well because I heard Cynthia Eden read an excerpt from Hotter After Midnight.  I enjoyed the excerpt and jumped at the chance to actually read the novel.  It lived up to my expectations, thankfully. 

Emily Drake suffered in her youth because of her ability to see the Other and hear their thoughts.  Luckily, she received training and now works as the “Monster Doctor” – a psychologist to vampires, charmers, and various beings that go bump in the night.  Unluckily, one of those creatures is killing humans and the police seek Emily’s help.  That’s when she meets Detective Colin Gyth, who is hiding his Other status from his coworkers.

It took me a little while to figure out why Colin was hiding his nature when Emily wasn’t.  I eventually realized that the Other community is not out to the human community.  Emily is only out to the Other community, thus she does not think about hiding her nature when she’s in the presence of a vampire in the beginning of the novel.  (I’m did not figure out how Colin knew her as the Monster Doctor when he seems cut off from any non-humans, but that’s a minor quibble.  I’d have forgotten about it except it’s that statement that led me to the aforementioned confusion.)

Colin is a predatory Shifter, widely regarded as one of the most dangerous types of Other.  Between that and growing up apart from those of his kind, Colin knows almost nothing about the Other community.  Emily helps him learn more about his world more than she helps him solve the case. Of course, the case almost seems incidental in setting up the world and the relationship.  Not that I mind – the case is present when it needs to be and neither character acts needlessly stupid about trying to catch a murderer.

There are also some interesting side characters, particularly the demon Niol.  He’s a bad guy, but protective of his people, and I would absolutely read more about him.  His onscreen appearances were enigmatic without being ridiculously obtuse.  I also liked the poor human pathologist who is confused by the bodies that appear to have been killed by a werewolf.  Oh, and Todd Brooks, the human partner who knows he’s being kept out of the loop.

Eden impressed me with this sexy paranormal romance.  She integrated her world-building well and kept in consistent.  Emily lacks the overwhelming arrogance that’s popular in many paranormal heroines and instead possesses competence.  Colin approached too alpha to me at times, but managed to remain a compelling hero.  I look forward to reading more of Eden’s work, especially Hotter After Midnight’s sequel, Midnight Sins, even if I do have to wait until November 25th.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Emily Drake’s patients tend to be a little unusual. Instead of the typical therapist’s caseload of midlife crises and mother fixations, Emily treats vampires with blood phobias and sex demons looking for meaningful relationships. But her gift for recognizing and healing the Other–those creatures of the night that most humans don’t even know exist–requires a few house rules. First: Never trust a shifter. Especially not one like Detective Colin Gyth, whose gold-flecked eyes and predatory air make Emily realize how much she’s been longing to lose control…

Colin can’t believe the doctor he’s been assigned to work with on the Night Butcher murder investigation is the one person who could expose his true identity as a wolf shifter. Smart, sexy, and stubborn as hell, Emily brings out the alpha male in Colin, unleashing a wild, heady desire that takes them both over the edge.

But in the shadows, the Night Butcher waits…eager to spill Emily’s blood and taste her terror. And he’ll use any means to destroy her, including the one person she has grown to trust…

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

Gwen’s review of When He Was Bad by Shelly Laurenston and Cynthia Eden
Contemporary paranormal romance anthology released by Brava 1 Jun 08

This is my kind of anthology – not too many stories and they’re long enough to be satisfying. With this book, we get two stories that are nice and long giving us time to really get to know the characters – shapeshifter and human alike. With one of the stories, this is a good thing. With the other, not so much. Read on to find out why…

Miss Congeniality by Shelly Laurenston

I LOVED this story. It was charming, quirky, sexy, and completely entertaining. Miss has a very different heroine and a typical alpha hero who loves the heroine’s differences. I laughed out loud several times when the heroine let loose with some of her unusual dialog (internal and external) or irrefutably logical conclusions. There’s steam, but no raunch. I loved the setting (late 1980′s) and that the epilogue (sorry, I love me some epilogues) shows their children. It’s an all around great tale that follows a logical story arc and emotional progression, has nice action and suspense elements, and is tightly written. I suspect any fan of paranormal romance will love Miss.

Grade: A

Summary:

It’s those damn stockings that get me every time. They have this sexy little line down the back and I can’t help but stare at her legs… constantly. And you’d think she’d be all over me like every other female in the Seattle area. I’m young, good looking, and one day I’ll be Alpha Male of my family’s Pack. But Professor Irene Conridge acts like I don’t even exist. How is that possible? Now she’s got enemies coming out of the woodwork and I have to protect her. Why? Because that’s the kind of man I am. Yes, I am that amazing. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that while I work to secure her safety, she’ll be hanging out at my house. That’s hours…days even that I’ve got Irene Conridge right where I want her.

Read an excerpt.

Wicked Ways by Cynthia Eden

I normally really like Cynthia Eden, but I really didn’t like this story. I didn’t believe in the heroine’s sudden acceptance of the hero’s nature and hated her TSTL moments. I didn’t believe in the hero’s acceptance of the heroine’s sudden insertion into the law enforcement sting to catch the bad guy. I just didn’t believe in the premise of the story. Perhaps if the heroine had an inkling before the beginning of the story that there was a whole new paranormal world out there, or perhaps if she had been law enforcement to begin with, I might have believed it. But as it is, it stretched my “suspension of disbelief” too far and it just snapped in two. I enjoyed the hero. But that was about it.

Grade: D+

Summary:

I’m too dangerous for her. I know it, but I can’t get my sexy new neighbor out of my head. When I hear her scream one night, the absolute last thing I expect to see is Miranda Shaw-star of my hottest fantasies-being attacked by a vampire. Now the undead jerk is after her, and I’m the only thing standing between the beautiful lady and a killer who just won’t stop. Well, too bad for him, because that vamp has just made the worst mistake of his afterlife-he’s tangled with a shifter.And Miranda, well, she’s so busy watching out for him that she won’t see me closing in on her-not until it’s too late-and I’m about to show her just how wild I can get…

Read an excerpt (scroll down).

Even with the slight mis-step on the second story, I recommend this book purely on the strength of the first tale, which I almost gave an A+, hoping that everyone would read it. I didn’t only because the paranormal elements might not appeal to everyone and anyone. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book purely on the strength of the first story alone.

Overall Grade: B-

Book Summary:

Two of paranormal romance’s bestselling authors combine their extraordinary talents and set the pages on fire with an after-dark anthology featuring Alpha males so hot, so wild, and so bad, they may just be the best you’ve ever had…

This just in…

Cynthia Eden has just announced she, along with a partner-in-crime friend, is going to be starting an online book club. Nope, this is not shades of Oprah. This is a romance book club. And there is a difference.

~ “I don’t want to cry and I don’t want to feel like I’m an emotional wreck after reading a book,” Cynthia said. “I just want to smile and think, ‘Damn, that was good.’”

~ The club is as yet unnamed. It will have its own MySpace page where readers can drop in to discover what the book selection for any particular month is. Readers will also be encouraged to leave comments about the selections they choose to read.

~ The plan is to cover a wide variety of genres: historicals, contemporaries, romantic suspense, and, of course, paranormals. But all the books must be romances and they must have happy endings.

Consider yourself flashed.

This just in…

Brava has recently signed two new authors, Beth Williamson and Mary Wine, to join their already distinguished list. And they’re getting ready to release books from a couple of your faves.

~ Beth Williamson writes about sexy cowboys and their strong, independent women in her western-themed books. She is scheduled to release a total of three books.

~ Mary Wine will take you from the fascination of outer space to the secrets of the past in her books. Her first release is a Scottish time travel, with two more books to follow.

~ New Brava releases include three books by Shelly Laurenston, including The Beast in Him, the second book in her Pride series and was out last month, and When He was Bad, a two-story book with Cynthia Eden, to come out May 27

~ Donna Kauffman is also slated to have three new Bravas released, titles and dates to be announced

Consider yourself flashed.

Sandy M’s review of Hotter After Midnight by Cynthia Eden
Contemporary paranormal romantic suspense released by Kensington Brava 29 Apr 08

I was a little skeptical of this book while reading the first few pages. I didn’t know what it was about, choosing not to look it up on the web and just digging right in. So when I started reading about a newly-turned vampire who couldn’t stand the sight of blood, I was thinking, “Oh, no, this is going to be one of those tongue-in-cheek books, going for lame laughs page after page.” I couldn’t have been more wrong.

What I got was a hot, sexy, lusty, and dangerous story — and hero. Colin is a shifter, an Other, who has had a time of it since childhood because of his otherworldliness and has chosen to keep his ability to himself. So when he meets Dr. Emily Drake, a woman who agitates his beast nearly to the point of losing control, his life takes off in direction he could never have imagined. With a serial killer, one who is Other, on the loose he can’t afford such distractions. Needless to say, I love Colin. Where Emily didn’t like his he-man attitude, I fell for it every time. Emily eventually does too, it just took her a little longer.

Emily is a strong woman with a horrible childhood. No one, including her mother, ever believed her when she told them she could see monsters.  As a result, she has grown into an independent, feisty lady who doesn’t scare easily.  When she meets Colin she finds herself feeling more like a woman than a clinical psychologist. These two characters are dynamite together.  And the man can make love. Those scenes are definitely hot. Lusty. Sensual. Sexy. Powerful. Just like the man himself.

Both Colin and Emily have secrets and they have to learn to trust one another. That issue is done very well and we see a gradual strengthening in that trust as we go along. They have no problem in the lovemaking department, each are very sexual beings. The serial killer and Other storyline is intriguing and suspenseful. The secondary characters are full of depth, as are their relationships with the hero and heroine and each other. The villain is one of the nastiest to be written, and I loved the circumstances around his final curtain.

There’s not one thing wrong with this book. The writing is simply wonderful and it’s put together to give you a paranormal story that’s different and all-encompassing. I checked the author’s website and she has a book with Colin’s partner, Todd Brooks, coming out in December. Oh, that’s just too long to wait!

Grade: A+

From the back cover:

     Emily Drake’s patients tend to be a little unusual. Instead of the typical therapist’s caseload of midlife crises and mother fixations, Emily treats vampires with blood phobias and sex demons looking for meaningful relationships. But her gift for recognizing and healing the Other–those creatures of the night that most humans don’t even know exist–requires a few house rules. First: Never trust a shifter. Especially not one like Detective Colin Gyth, whose gold-flecked eyes and predatory air make Emily realize how much she’s been longing to lose control…

     Colin can’t believe the doctor he’s been assigned to work with on the Night Butcher murder investigation is the one person who could expose his true identity as a shifter. Smart, sexy, and stubborn as hell, Emily brings out the alpha male in Colin, unleashing a wild, heady desire that takes them both over the edge.

     But in the shadows, the Night Butcher waits…eager to spill Emily’s blood and taste her terror. And he’ll use any means to destroy her, including the one person she has grown to trust…

     Read an excerpt (the formatting on her site is a little wonky where the excerpt is posted, so you have to scroll down).

Lawson’s review of A Red Hot New Year by Cynthia Eden, Diana Mercury, Virginia Reede, and Denise Rossetti
Erotic romance anthology released by Avon Red November 27, 2007

New Year’s Bites by Cynthia Eden

Sybil has be wishing for more werewolf stories, and for very good reason. Though not a full werewolf sort of plot, the wolfies play an essential role. Anna is controlled, but has a passion that’s unleashed through her new wild side, which is good to see. And meeting her stroke for stroke (pant, pant) Jon is right for her. Their chemistry works well but the plotting and easy to spot villain could’ve used more organization.

Grade: B

Anna has always been the good girl, until a mysterious and powerful encounter with a wolf brings out her wild side! Now she’s unleashing her long-repressed desires on the sexy stranger who comes to her rescue . . . in Cynthia Eden’s New Year’s Bites.
(excerpt)

Night Resolutions by Diana Mercury

This one started off ok. There was some decent chemistry between Chantal and Jake, who she wanted. But something comes out of left field that just ruins everything. The story seemed slapped together in a quick sort of way and no organized plot or direction showed itself, and I was not a fan of the full of himself, ass of a “host” at the part being so cocky (with a monstrous member no less) and doing everything in his power to seduce and basically rape a obviously unwilling woman.

Grade: D
(excerpt)

Seducing her lover at a lavish party seems like the perfect way for Chantal to rekindle their lost passion. But the tables are turned when she finds herself the target of an even more intoxicating man’s desire . . . in Diana Mercury’s Night Resolutions.

Snow Blind by Virginia Reede

I loved this story for the fact that the two lovers have been best friends for years. There’s a foundation there and when they succumb to their unacknowledged desires in a hot tub in Colorado. . .oh boy. It was steamy (in more ways than one) as well as very sweet. Then there’s a bear skin rug, more time in the hot tub, and even kicking out those people they were with that were wrong for each other and starting a new year with your best friend in a new way. . . Makes for a great chemistry driven (with a great friendship based) romance.

Grade: A-

During a weekend getaway at a cozy mountain cabin, two couples decide the long winter nights lend themselves to exciting sensual exploration. But no one expects their red-hot sessions will turn good friends into lovers for life . . . in Virginia Reede’s Snow Blind.

Coming on Strong by Denise Rosetti
Gina is a dragon, only she doesn’t know it. She’s in one of her yearly “hot” periods and when Sam comes along and handles what she can dish out, Gina is one happy girl. Though they have some good chemistry, when Sam finds out the truth about Gina, he takes it bad, then overly well. If the story was longer it would have worked, but being so short makes it hard to swallow.

Grade: C+
(excerpt)

Gina is your average female who just happens to become a bit of a . . . dragon when she’s turned on! Good thing she’s found the kind of savagely sexy man who can bring out the beast in her . . . in Denise Rossetti’s Coming on Strong.

Overall a fun, quick and steamy read and one I wasn’t expecting. I don’t read a lot of erotica, Syb gave this to me to try and I’m glad I did, especially for Snow Blind.

Overall Grade: B-

This New Year’s Eve, turn up the heat . . .

At the stroke of midnight a new year begins a time for passionate resolutions and brand-new pleasures; a time to let go of past restraints and embrace new sensual boundaries. Four masterful writers offer a quartet of boldly erotic tales guaranteed to heat up those winter nights.