I’m Only Happy When It Rains…. EXCERPTS

Ok I am going to work toward getting all the nifty prizes logged today and we will start giving them out. Some of them will go to random comment in a post with these icons. WHAT icons? Read more

Tags: Bonnie Edwards, Caroline Linden, Charlene Sands, Cheryl St.John, DeWanna Pace, E.C. Sheedy, HelenKay Dimon, Hope Tarr, Jenna Petersen, Jennifer Estep, Jill Shalvis, Jodi Thomas, Julie Leto, Karen Templeton, Laura Drewry, Linda Broday, Lisa Kleypas, Liz Carlyle, Lora Leigh, Lynne Connolly, Madeline Hunter, Michelle Styles, pamela clare, Phyliss Miranda, Raining Excerpts, Roxanne St. Claire, Sabrina Jeffries, Stephanie Tyler, Sydney Croft

Absolutely Soaking Wet…

How Flashdance... LOL

 

It's Raining Excerpts!

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT: Secrets of Surrender by Madeline Hunter

EXCERPT Part I: Thigh High: Parlor Games by Bonnie Edwards

EXCERPT: Phantom Pleasures by Julie Leto

EXCERPT Part I: Unlawful Contact
EXCERPT Part II: Unlawful Contact
EXCERPT Part III: Unlawful Contact
EXCERPT Part IV: Unlawful Contact

SSE EXCERPT: Dear Santa by Karen Templeton

EXCERPT Part II: Thigh High: Thigh High by Bonnie Edwards

EXCERPT: Give Me a Texan: The Love Letter by Linda Broday

EXCERPT: Give Me a Texan: No Time for Love by Phyliss Miranda

EXCERPT: Give Me a Texan: A Shade of Sunrise by DeWanna Pace

EXCERPT: Give Me a Texan: Amarillo By Morning by Jodi Thomas

EXCERPT Part III: Thigh High: Twinkle Twinkle Little Thong by Bonnie Edwards

Excerpt from Viking Warrior, Unwilling Wife by Michelle Styles
new historical release from Mills & Boone with a UK release in June 2008

Yours, Mine…or Ours is book two in Karen Templeton’s Guys & Daughters series (Dear Santa, Yours, Mine…or Ours? and Baby, I’m Yours)

Excerpt of Taken by the Viking by Michelle Styles, coming 1 May!!
Historical romance released by Harlequin 1 May 2008

Excerpt Unlawful Contact by Pamela Clare aka the one to steam the screen

I am missing some and will add them tomorrow (I see Kresley Cole's aren't here). More excerpts to come from Lisa Kleypas, Jill Shalvis, Lynne Connolly, Stephanie Tyler, Caroline Linden, HelenKay Dimon, EC Sheedy, Liz Carlyle, Hope Tarr, Lora Leigh, Sabrina Jeffries, Jenna Petersen, Laura Drewry, Sydney Croft, Roxanne St. Claire, Jennifer Estep, Cheryl St.John and many more....

As well as some nifty prizes from t-shirts and books *g*. Some you will have to answer questions from the excerpts and other will be random drawings from the comments.

Tags: Bonnie Edwards, Caroline Linden, Cheryl St.John, DeWanna Pace, E.C. Sheedy, HelenKay Dimon, Hope Tarr, Jenna Petersen, Jennifer Estep, Jill Shalvis, Jodi Thomas, Julie Leto, Karen Templeton, Laura Drewry, Linda Broday, Lisa Kleypas, Liz Carlyle, Lora Leigh, Lynne Connolly, Madeline Hunter, Michelle Styles, pamela clare, Phyliss Miranda, Raining Excerpts, Roxanne St. Claire, Sabrina Jeffries, Stephanie Tyler, Sydney Croft

Review: Hot Mama by Jennifer Estep

Hot Mama by Jennifer Estep

Released by Berkley November 6, 2007 Review by Lawson

Life in Bigtime, New York has been going well since the Fearless Five defeated the Terrible Triad. The citizens of Bigtime have a new superhero to admire in Karma Girl and ubervillains have been few and far between for awhile. Fiona Fine is helping her new friend Carmen Cole get ready for her big wedding to local heartthrob and billionaire Sam Sloane.

Fiona doesn't want to admit she's a little jealous of Carmen and Sam's big day. Being Bigtime's hottest fashion designer by day and Fiera by night makes a girl not want to admit she's vulnerable. It doesn't help that her fiance had been killed by the Terrible Triad a year earlier and Fiona is still recovering. But at the wedding a couple of things happen.

Fiona meets an interesting new romantic possibility in Johnny Bulluci and the two new villains in town decide to make a showing and steal some jewelry. As Fiera, she's able to stop the two girlie villains and she realizes that Johnny Bulluci could be an option for returning to the dating scene. Especially since though he comes from Bigtime old society, he's a real down to earth sort of guy.

As things heat up in Fiona's love life with Johnny, her superhero life with the two new villains and a resurfacing (and possibly resurrected) superhero named Johnny Angel. With a secret identity, a new love in her life and trying to bring down those who want to take over Bigtime, perhaps Fiona's gotten herself in too hot of water this time to pull it all together.

Being a closeted comic book fan, this was a fun, witty, fast read. It seriously saved me from absolute boredom and dealing with idiotic educational theory at an inservice.

One of the best things about Hot Mama was half the time I forgot it was in first person. The narration was flawless and characterization so well drawn the use of first person didn't distract from the story. Fiona isn't a mess, she's just a normal person (uh, with superpowers) with normal problems like juggling her job, her love life and her personal time. And Fiona is definitely real. In Karma Girl, it took me some time to warm to her, but right off the bat, Fiona is the star of the show, but she doesn't overwhelm the story or the secondary characters.

Johnny is a great foil for the hot tempered Fiona. He's passionate, but with a steady calmness that helps to balance Fiona and give her what she needs. With Fiona being a strong, independent, take charge heroine, Johnny can more than stand on his own with her. And dear lord is he sexy. Though things seem to happen rather fast, the romance is believable and wonderfully realistic. It should provide a couple of new fantasies to add to a few dirty minds.

The rest of the characters are well drawn and work well with the plot, even the villains, though they are rather two-dimensional. But then, what comic villains aren't? The superheros are meant to be the central characters and fighting villains is only part of the hero's journey. The other members of the Fearless Five that battle with Fiera have their own side stories going on that mirror the main story in all the best ways possible.

Definitely a great sequel to a good book and when Jinx (the next in the series) comes out this reader will be begging to get it early.

Grade: A

Tags: Grade A, Hot Mama, Jennifer Estep, Lawson, Review

Spooktacular: Jennifer Estep wants all your candy

What do I want to dress up as for Halloween this year?

Easy. Whatever gets me the most candy.

Everybody knows that's the real point of Halloween. The reason we dress up like butterflies and ghosts and superheroes. Sure, it's fun and make us feel all girly-girl feminine or kick-ass strong, depending on whether you're a fairy princess or Wonder Woman. But we also expect to be rewarded for it at the end of the night --with candy.

Like the song goes, I want candy. And lots of it.

At RWA this year, someone compared my Bigtime superhero series to "book candy." I think that's a pretty cool description for them -- and romance books in general. In honor of Halloween and all that sweet, sweet candy coming my way, I'd thought I'd share what I'll be picking out of my plastic orange pumpkin to read with some popular romance genres.

For the paranormals on my shelf, there really is only one choice -- dark chocolate. All those dark, dangerous men deserve an equally dark, luscious treat to go with them. Don't you think?

Historicals, you say? I'd have to go with something a bit more upscale and refined, like English toffee with chopped walnuts. Or perhaps some chewy caramels with just a hint of vanilla in them.

Romantic comedies deserve to be enjoyed with something just as light and fun as they are. M&Ms come to mind.

When reading a contemporaries, I usually grab a classic Hershey bar. Milk or dark chocolate, you decide.

A sweet or inspirational romance? I'm going for the candy apple, which is all sweet and sugary on the outside. And inside, there's fruit. Real fruit, so it's good for you, too. Right? Right.

As for my books, well, I'd suggest a Dum Dum lollipop. Sweet, simple sugar. Nothing too complicated, not too much angst. Just a sugar rush when you finish it.

Of course, I haven't even discussed half the Halloween candy out there, like Snickers and Three Musketeers and Tootsie Rolls. So many books, so much candy, so little time...

What about you? What kind of book candy will you curl up with this Halloween? What do you hope to get in your pumpkin? Inquiring minds want to know... Comment here and get a chance to win a Karma Girl and a Hot Mama t-shirt.

Yours in nougat,
Jennifer Estep

Tags: 2007, Hot Mama, Jennifer Estep, Karma Girl, Spooktacular

Big Time…

I generally have a song or five running through my head and often times people or things (like books) get associated to music.

For me, it is very rare that I can think of Jennifer Estep or Karma Girl and not have this song pop into my head. In fact for a while I thought the name of the first book WAS Bigtime.

just thought I would share *g*

Tags: April 2007, Big Time, Guests and Events, Jennifer Estep