C2’s review of Demon Hunting in Dixie by Lexi George.
Paranormal Romance published by Kensington 1 May 2011

Haven’t you always wondered what would happen if an inter-dimensional warrior followed a demon to a small southern town?  Of course you have!

Normally I’m not big on trying new authors – there are already so many authors I love, it’s hard to consider adding to my never-ending list.  So I will admit that my decision to read Demon Hunting in Dixie is based on a very brief description of the book – not even the full blurb – just something about demon hunting in Alabama.  Since I live in the general vicinity, I’m intrigued.  Because, let me say, demons roaming around in Lower Alabama doesn’t seem so very far-fetched.  :-D

Addy Corwin is a florist in her hometown of Hanna, Alabama.  Her family owns the local funeral home, but the idea of working there wigs her out.  She is house-sitting for her Aunt Muddy, who is gallivanting around the world.  Addy’s life is pretty typical – she runs her shop, takes care of her dog, hangs out with her best friend, tries to stay out of trouble with her mother, and still struggles with her high school nemesis.

So when her dog runs off into a scary section of woods during their late-night run, Addy follows her, fussing all the way.  She expects to see a rabbit or a squirrel, not a creepy, black cloud thing that surrounds her.  Before Addy is completely incapacitated, she hears a rumble nearby and the creepy thing releases her and disappears.  The next thing Addy sees is a man appearing out of a glowing rectangle.  The last thing she remembers before passing out is watching the new arrival draw a flaming sword and battle the entity.  When Addy comes to, she is stretched out on her sofa.  Must have been a dream, huh?  Umm, not so much.  The tall, very handsome man with the flaming sword is in Addy’s living room (now sans sword).  Apparently, the creepy entity stabbed her before it disappeared but, Mr. Hot Guy healed her and is now watching over her.

Brand is a Dalvahni warrior.  The Dalvahni’s purpose is to hunt the djegrali – AKA demons.  Brand explains that the type of demon Addy encountered is one of the worst and that the demon marked her when it stabbed her.  It will return to finish her off and Brand intends to stay with her and protect her.  The Dalvahni do not experience emotions but, for the first time in thousands of years, Brand senses a strange internal disturbance in Addy’s presence.  And he just might like it.

Accompanying Brand on his djegrali hunt is another Dalvahni warrior – Ansgar.  While they are hunting for signs of the demon that marked Addy, Brand and Ansgar discover that Hanna might be the location of a prophecy foretelling the end of the Dalvahni.  I smell a series in the works, don’t you, faithful reader? And a small southern town could totally be a hotbed of demon activity. Totally!

The main plot of Demon Hunting in Dixie is pretty straightforward.  Girl meets boy; boy experiences emotions; they are stalked by an enemy; they eventually triumph over said enemy. However, the main plot is muddied by several secondary storylines that could have been left for another entry in the series (the storyline involving Addy’s brother, for example) or left out completely.  The main subplot concerning Ansgar and Addy’s BFF, Evie, is interesting and fit well with the main story – and is left unresolved. So, hopefully, we will see them as a lead couple eventually.

I can see a lot of potential in Demon Hunting in Dixie.  The world Ms. George is building is interesting and could be enjoyable to explore.  Addy is an entertaining character (cliché spouting aside) – a bit Stephanie Plum-ish, actually.  You know, if Steph were hunting demons with an immortal warrior and didn’t have any weird commitment issues.  And the Dalvahni are an interesting group – what could be more fun than guys who can drink all the alcohol they like and not get drunk but feed them chocolate and they get completely loopy?

My main problem with the book as a whole is that there’s too much.  Too much of everything.  Too many secondary characters, too many subplots, too many words!  As I mentioned earlier, I live in the South…I know Southerners like to talk a lot.  But mostly, other than the accent, we talk like everyone else.  This book is like an encyclopedia of old sayings/clichés/truisms/axioms – whatever you want to call them.  It’s distracting and a bit odd, and the inclusion of all those phrases makes conversations too long, which makes scenes too long and makes the book feel too long and makes the pacing feel off, somehow.

Another quibble – Ms. George is a debut author and this is a trade-size paperback.  That’s a high price tag for an unknown entity, especially in the current economic climate (and libraries probably tend to stick with known authors mostly, for the same reason).  I don’t pretend to know what kind of decision process publishers go through when determining whether a book should be released in mass market vs trade size vs e-only, but I’m guessing more people would be willing to try someone new if it isn’t a big investment…

So, do I recommend reading Demon Hunting in Dixie?  Sure, if you like your demon-hunting on the lighter side – it’s a refreshing alternative to some more angsty choices – I think you should sample it first, certainly.  Even though there are flaws and marketing missteps, I like Ms. George’s voice.  Some tighter editing, re-thinking the pricing and the series could become very popular.

Grade: C+

Summary:

A warrior, a demon, and the girl next door. . .

Looking For Trouble

Addy Corwin is a florist with an attitude. A bad attitude, or so her mama says, cause she’s not looking for a man. Mama’s wrong. Addy has looked. There’s just not much to choose from in Hannah, her small Alabama hometown. Until Brand Dalvahni shows up, a supernaturally sexy, breathtakingly well-built hunk of a warrior from–well, not from around here, that’s for sure. Mama thinks he might be European or maybe even a Yankee. Brand says he’s from another dimension.

Addy couldn’t care less where he’s from. He’s gorgeous. Serious muscles. Disturbing green eyes. Brand really gets her going. Too bad he’s a whack job. Says he’s come to rescue her from a demon. Puh-lease. But right after Brand shows up, strange things start to happen. Dogs talk and reanimated corpses stalk the quite streets of Hannah. Her mortal enemy Meredith, otherwise known as the Death Starr, breaks out in a severe and inexplicable case of butt boils. Addy might not know what’s going on, but she definitely wants a certain sexy demon hunter by her side when it all goes down . . .

Read an excerpt.

Sandy M’s review of Hunting Julian (The Gatherers, Book 1) by Jacquelyn Frank
Paranormal Romance published by Kensington 29 Dec 09

Once I discovered how good Ms. Frank’s books are when I began reading her second series, The Shadowdwellers, I was determined to keep up with that series and anything new she has to offer in the future. She’s just too good to miss, as I’ve done with her debut series, The Nightwalkers. She has once again left me spellbound with this newest series and in awe of her talent.

Asia has been doing her own investigation on Julian Sawyer, a handsome playboy who she suspects of kidnapping and killing women, the latest victim her sister. She’s been the only one to put the pieces together and now she’s so close to proving her suspicions. Assuming the airs of the type of woman who attracts Julian, Asia puts her plan in motion, but she couldn’t be more surprised at the outcome when all is said and done.

Trying to save his colony and his people, Julian takes willing human women to his world where they are revered. As he’s forced to take Asia home with him when she learns too much, he realizes she’s his kindra, the one meant only for him. Now he has to make sure she acclimates to his world which is so very different from hers, fraught with danger at every step. Asia, however, doesn’t need anyone, especially a man as domineering as Julian, but she finds out very quickly she just may need him in this strange land where she has no choice but to leave her previous life and now make the best of things as an alien among stangers.

Since I began reading Ms. Frank’s Shadowdwellers series, I’ve been simply amazed at her imagination. She always gives readers something very different from the norm in paranormal romance. This new series is no exception. Julian’s world is several layers beneath the Earth’s crust, a world where one misstep will send someone spiraling to their death, a world that is ruled by energy and the beings who have learned how to harness it. Asia ends up doing quite well in his world due to her independence and defense training and, of course, Julian’s love when she finally lets it consume her.

This is another series I’ll be waiting for book by book to see what happens next. I have a feeling at this point every book or series Ms. Frank writes will be like that for a lot of readers out there. Each book is definitely worth the wait.

Grade: A+

Summary:

As an Advocate for his colony, Julian Sawyer travels to Earth to bring back the Chosen—women who possess energy potent enough to help revitalize his people. The stunning, silver-clad beauty who strides into his club one night radiates a sensual magnetism unlike any he’s encountered, and Julian realizes that Asia Callahan is not just Chosen, she is his kindra: his one true mate.

For months, Asia has tracked the beautiful and mysterious Julian across the country, convinced that he’s behind the disappearance of her sister and a dozen other women. She’s prepared to believe he’s a ruthless killer, but when she presents herself as bait, she discovers that the truth is far more shocking. Taken to a strange, hazardous realm she never knew existed, Asia will face the ultimate choice—between abandoning the life she’s always known, and forsaking a passion as dangerous as it is powerful.

No excerpt available.

Other books in this series:

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!

We have another terrific day scheduled here at Duck Chat. Thanks for stopping by!

Your treat for the day is S. J. Day!

Of course, most of you know S.J. as Sylvia Day, but she began her sojourn into urban fantasy under a different name. Her first trilogy, the Marked series, debuted this year. Eve of Darkness, Eve of Destruction, and Eve of Chaos have been a hit with fans.

S.J. has led an interesting life. In her early 20s she joined the U.S. Army Military Intelligence as a Russian Linguist/Interrogator. She has traveled extensively to places such as Japan, Holland, Germany, France, Mexico, Jamaica, and, of course, all over the United States. She is a native Californian and still lives in the state of her birth.

Be sure to leave that meaningful comment or question – S.J. has offered up a copy each of Eve of Darkness and In the Flesh, the first book in the Sapphire series she’s written as Livia Dare. Now let’s chat!

DUCK CHAT: S.J., your first series, Marked, is on the shelves and fans are devouring the books. Would you tell us how the series came about and give us an overview of the series as a whole?

S.J. DAY: I wish I had a fabulous answer for how the series came about, but the truth is the idea popped into my head while I was taking a shower. It was a full scene (the one in the first book where Cain and Abel fight in Evangeline’s living room). No idea where that idea came from, but I loved it.

The series in a nutshell: Formerly agnostic Evangeline Hollis is marked with the Mark of Cain and becomes one of thousands of sinners worldwide who act as bounty hunters for God. She’s mentored by Cain, working for Abel, and desired by both men. The series draws heavily from the Old Testament, but is very much an action-oriented, sexy, contemporary fantasy.

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

SJD: “Where did you get the idea for this story?” — I can never answer that one. My ideas aren’t sparked by anything in particular. There’s never an event or place that triggers them. They just come to me as they are. That’s why I write in so many different genres.

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?

SJD: My characters tell the stories. I just write them down. I consider myself more of a narrator than a creator. I never know what’s going to happen until it happens.

DC: Now let’s talk about the books in the Marked series. Eve of Darkness released in April. Can you tell our readers what to expect in this story?

SJD: The Marked series is based upon the Biblical story of Cain and Abel. In present day, God is still using the mark as a punishment. With it, he drafts sinners into service. A system of “Marks” has been established here on earth, with the seven archangels heading seven “firms” on the seven recognized continents. The heroine, Evangeline Hollis, is drafted into service and placed into mentorship with Cain (who happens to be “the one that got away” from her past). She’s also under the direct control of his brother, Abel, which makes everything in Eve’s life impossibly complicated.

Book #1, Eve of Darkness, starts at the beginning of Eve’s journey and explains the history between her and Cain. This was important to me, even though the tone of Eve’s past life is different from the tone of her new life, because the Marked series is the story of Eve’s transition. It’s a character-arc series.

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

SJD: I always let them have their way. They know their story better than I do.

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

SJD: My kids. For being two little people, they make a lot of great big noise.

DC: Evangeline’s story continues in Eve of Destruction, which hit the shelves June 2. Can you give us a look inside?

SJD: In Book #2, Eve has finally started combat training for her new job as a celestial bounty hunter. Cain and Abel are on assignment, so she’s on her own. When her classmates start getting killed while on field training, Eve knows there’s a demon hidden among them and she has to figure out who it is before they kill again.

Eve isn’t a great Mark. She sucks at most weaponry skills and she’s definitely not fearless. Her greatest asset is her quick thinking and since she knows her limitations, she relies on that more than brawn. That becomes more evident in this book.

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

SJD: Horror.

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

SJD: Spend less time talking and more time listening.

DC: The last book in the series, Eve of Chaos was released on June 30, less than a month after EoD. Did that short time span present any particular problems for you? Would you tell us a little about this book?

SJD: The biggest issue time span-wise was in having the production of the first two books simultaneous to writing the third — edits, copy edits, and galleys x2, plus production of In the Flesh and The Stranger I Married going on at the same time. I’d planned for them to be spaced out over the length of the year, but as bad luck would have it, both Tor and Kensington started the production processes for the books later than I anticipated. Plus, there were two major in-house production errors with the first two Marked books that ate a lot of time on my end to fix. But that’s the breaks and I somehow survived the process, albeit with lots of tears and lots of new gray hairs. (Whoever said being a novelist is glamorous was nuts.)

Despite all the chaos and snafus, I gave everything I had to writing Chaos and I’m really proud of it. More time and less stress wouldn’t have made it better, because I didn’t allow the book to get shortchanged by the rest. The scope of the series expands quite a bit, with the introduction of Satan, Adam, and Eve. Plus some dangling threads from previous books were tied up in Chaos (which ends a three-book story arc and begins another). Eve also starts to settle into her new life and expands her understanding of her relationships with Cain and Abel.

Special treat, excerpt from Eve of Chaos:

Chapter 1

Evangeline Hollis watched with clenched jaw as a kappa demon served yakisoba—Japanese pan-fried noodles—to her mother with a broad smile. Eve guessed that the ratio of mortals to demons at the Orange County Buddhist Church’s annual Obon Festival was about fifty-fifty.

After three months of living with the Mark of Cain and her new “job” as celestial bounty hunter, Eve was resigned to the reality of Infernals mingling undetected among mortals. However, she was still surprised by the number of transplanted Japanese demons who had come out to play at the festival. There seemed to be an inordinate amount of them present.

“You want some?” her mother asked, holding out the plate. Miyoko had lived a mostly quintessential American life in the United States for thirty years. She was a naturalized citizen, a converted Baptist, and her husband, Darrel Hollis, was a good ol’ boy from Alabama. But she appreciated her roots and made an effort to share the Japanese culture with her two daughters.

Eve shook her head. “I want yakidango.”

“Me, too. It’s over there.” Miyoko set off, leading the way.

The festival was contained within the gated parking lot of the temple. To the right was a large gymnasium. To the left, the temple and school complex. The area was small, but still managed to hold a variety of food and game booths. A taiko drum was elevated in a yagura tower overlooking a space that would later showcase Bon Odori dancers. Children competed to win prizes ranging from live goldfish to stuffed animals. Adults hovered over displays of trinkets and homemade desserts.

The Southern California weather was perfect, as usual. A balmy seventy-eight degrees with plenty of sunshine and very few clouds. Adjusting her sunglasses, Eve relished the kiss of the sun on her skin and breathed in the scents of her favorite foods.

Then a foul stench wafted by on the afternoon breeze, assaulting her nose and ruining her rare moment of peace.

The putrid smell of rotting soul; it was unmistakable. It was a cross between decaying flesh and fresh shit, and it amazed Eve that the Unmarked—mortals lacking the Mark of Cain—couldn’t smell it. She turned her head, seeking out the source.

Her searching gaze halted on a lovely Asian woman standing across the aisle from her. A yuki-onna—a Japanese snow demon. Eve noted the Infernal’s white kimono with its delicate sukura embroidery and the detail on her cheekbone that resembled a tribal tattoo. In truth, the design was the demon’s rank and it was invisible to mortals. Like the Mark of Cain on Eve’s arm, it was similar to mortal military insignia. All Infernals had them. The details betrayed both which species of damned being they were and what their rank in Hell’s hierarchy was.

Contrary to what most theologians believed, the Mark of the Beast wasn’t something to be feared as the start of the Apocalypse; it was a caste system that had been in place for centuries.

Eve’s mark began to tingle, then burn. A call to arms.

Now? she asked with a mental query, exasperation clear in her dry tone. She was a Mark, one of thousands of “sinners” around the world who’d been drafted into service exterminating demons for God. She was expected to kill at the drop of a hat, but her mother was with her and they were at a house of worship.

Sorry, babe. Reed Abel sounded anything but. You’re in the wrong place at the right time. Her number’s up, and you’re closest.

You’ve been singing that tune all week, she retorted. I’m not buying it anymore.

She’d been vanquishing a demon a day—sometimes two—for the last several days. A girl needed more than just Sundays off when her job was killing demons. Why am I always closest?

Because you’re a disaster magnet?

And you’re a riot.

Reed—aka Abel of biblical fame—was a mal’akh, an angel. He was a handler, a position that meant he was responsible for assigning hunts to a small group of Marks. It was a lot like skip tracing. The seven earthbound archangels acted as bail bondsmen. Reed was a dispatcher. Eve was a bounty hunter. It was a well-oiled system for most Marks, but to say she was a squeaky wheel would be an understatement.

Dinner tonight? he asked.

After that wisecrack, cocky bastard?

I’ll cook.

She followed her mom, keeping an eye on her quarry. If I’m still alive, sure.

In the back of her mind, she heard and felt Alec Cain—Reed’s brother—growl his disapproval. Alec was her mentor. Once known as Cain of Infamy, he was now Cain the Archangel. She and Alec had a history together, starting ten years ago when she’d given him her virginity. Nowadays, his position as archangel had stripped him of the ability to have an emotional attachment to anything other than God, but Alec held on to her anyway.

What means more? he had asked her. When someone wants you because he can’t help it? Because of hormones or some chemical reaction in the brain? Or when he wants you because he chooses to want you? Because he makes the conscious decision to want you?

Eve didn’t know, so she was drifting along with him, trying to figure it out.

She was certifiably insane for stepping in the middle of the oldest case of sibling rivalry in history, especially since the three of them shared a unique bond that allowed a free flow of thought between them. Eve often asked herself why she played with fire. The only answer she came up with was that she just couldn’t help herself.
I’m calling dibs on breakfast tomorrow, Alec insisted gruffly.

One-Eyed Jacks? No one cooked them like Alec. Grilled pieces of bread with a hole in the middle to hold a fried egg. Buttery and crispy, and served with syrup. He also toasted the centers and sprinkled them with cinnamon-sugar to serve on the side. Delicious.

Whatever you want, angel.

It was a given that Reed wouldn’t be around for breakfast, since dating two men at once meant that all three of them were sleeping alone at night.

The yuki-onna excused herself from her handsome companion and moved toward the gymnasium, taking the tiny steps dictated by the tight fit of her kimono and the geta wooden clogs on her feet. Eve was at an advantage with her attire. Her stretchy capris and ribbed cotton tank top didn’t impede her range of movement at all. Her Army-issue “jungle boots” were breathable and functional. She was ready to rock. But that didn’t mean she wanted to.

“I have to wash my hands,” Eve said to her mother, knowing that as a retired registered nurse, Miyoko would appreciate the need for cleanliness.

“I have antibacterial gel in my purse.”

Eve wrinkled her nose. “Yuck. That stuff makes my hands sticky.”

“You’re too fussy. How many dangos you want?”

“Three sticks.” The rice cake dumplings were grilled on wooden skewers and coated with sweet syrup. They were a childhood favorite that Eve enjoyed too rarely, which aggravated her disgruntlement. If the demon ruined her appetite, there would be Hell to pay. Seriously.

Eve handed over a twenty-dollar bill, then set off in pursuit of her prey.

She overtook the demon and entered the gym where picnic tables had been arranged to provide seating for diners. Dozens of festival-goers filled the vast space with echoing revelry—laughing, conversing in both English and Japanese, and eating. Mortals mingled with Infernal beings in blissful ignorance, but Eve noted every one of Hell’s denizens. In return, they knew what she was and they eyed her with wary hatred. The mark on her deltoid betrayed her, as did her scent. As rotten as they stunk to her, she smelled sickly sweet to them. Ridiculous really, since there was no such thing as a sweet Mark. They were all bitter.

Tucking herself against the wall, she watched through the tinted glass doors as the yuki-onna approached. From the forward vantage, Eve could see the demon’s feet hovering just above the ground. Backing up slowly, Eve rounded the corner to stay out of sight. A glass case was mounted to the wall at her shoulder, displaying trophies and a lone katana within its lighted interior.

Eve glanced around quickly, noting the distraction of the rest of the gym’s occupants. With superhuman speed, she pinched off the round metal lock with thumb and forefinger, and withdrew the sheathed blade. She held it tucked between her thigh and the wall, hoping it was more than a decoration. If not, she could always summon the classic flame-covered sword. But she’d rather not. Buildings had a nasty habit of catching fire around her, and she had greater proficiency with the sleeker, moderately curved “samurai sword” than she did with the heavier glaive.

Her prey entered the gym and turned in the opposite direction, heading toward the restrooms just as Eve had guessed she would. Closing the women’s bathroom while food and drink were present in copious quantities was always a bad idea, but Eve didn’t have a choice. Her mother was waiting, and she couldn’t risk losing her target.

Her present dilemma was one of the many reasons why Marks weren’t supposed to have family ties. The sinners who were chosen were usually loners easily transplanted to foreign soil. Relatives were a liability. Eve was the sole exception to the rule. Alec had fought to keep her close to home because he knew how much her parents meant to her. He was also motivated by guilt, since their indiscretion ten years ago was the reason she was marked today.

The wheels of justice didn’t turn any faster in Heaven than they did on Earth.

When the bathroom door swung shut behind the demon, Eve followed. The mark throbbed hot and heavy within the skin covering her deltoid, pumping aggression and fury through her veins. Her muscles thickened and her stride altered. Her body’s reaction was base and animalistic, the surge of bloodlust brutal and addicting. She had come to crave it like a drug. Too much time between kills, and she became short-tempered and twitchy.

Despite the rush, her heartbeat and hands remained steady. Her body was a temple now, and it ran like a machine. As she entered the bathroom, Eve was calm and focused. When had she become so at ease with her murderous secondary life? She would have to ponder that later, when she had some privacy and time to cry.

All of the stall doors were slightly ajar, except for the handicapped one at the far end of the room. The stench of decaying soul permeated the space. Affixed to the wall near the door was a tube that held a collapsible Wet Floor sign. She tugged it free and set it outside in the hallway, then closed the door and turned the lock. It wasn’t quite as useful as an Out of Order cone, but it would have to do.

There was no way to stave off the sudden deluge of memories of another bathroom, one in which she had fought a dragon and paid with her life. She’d been resurrected to kill another day because of a deal Alec had made with someone, somewhere. She didn’t know the details, but she knew the cost had to be steep. If she hadn’t been in love with him already, his willingness to make that kind of sacrifice would have sealed the deal. She wasn’t ready to die just yet, despite demon killing and a crazy love life.

One day she hoped to marry and have children, enjoy a successful career and family vacations. But she would have to shed the mark first—either by manipulating someone in power or by collecting enough indulgences to work off her penance.

Of course, there were loopholes in the indulgence system. She’d killed the teenage son of the Black Diamond Pack Alpha werewolf twice, but had only been given credit for the second kill. Bullshit like that really got under her skin. What was a girl supposed to do when even God didn’t play fair?

A soft whimper arrested Eve midstride. The sound had a high, trembling note that sounded childlike. She rolled her shoulders back and waited. Hunting was less about the pounce than it was about positioning. She stood dead center in the most open space in the room. The exit was at her back. The Infernal had no way out but through her. Damned if she would move just to hurry things up a bit.

The mark continued to flood her with adrenaline and hostility. Her senses honed in on her prey, flooding her mind with information. Her stance widened.

“Come out, come out wherever you are . . .” she crooned.

The lock on the handicapped stall turned. The door pulled inward. A child’s face appeared, wan and tear streaked. A pretty girl of Asian heritage in a light summer dress with a watermelon design around the hem. Maybe six or seven years old. Shaking with fear. A moment later, the lovely visage of the yuki-onna appeared above the girl’s head.

Eve growled. “A hostage was a bad idea.”

When she had kids of her own, she wasn’t letting them out of her sight.

“I will walk out of here with the child,” the Infernal said in her lilting, accented voice. She stepped out of the stall with her hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Then I will release her.”

The child’s teeth began to chatter and her lips took on a blue tinge. Gooseflesh spread from the point where the demon clutched her.

“You’re going to die,” Eve said matter-of-factly. The yuki-onna had been targeted. Marks would hunt her until she was dead.

“So are you,” the demon retorted. “Do you really want to waste your last moments killing me?”

There’s a hostage, she told Reed, ignoring the standard demon intimidation and bargaining tactics. A little girl. I need you to get her out of here.

A warm breeze moved over her skin, tangible proof that her handler was always with her. He was forbidden to assist his charges in their hunts, but clearing mortals out of the way fell under his purview. On your cue, he murmured.

Eve had no idea where in the world he was, but as a mal’akh, he could shift—or teleport—in and out of a location faster than the blink of an eye.

“I was going to take you down fair and square,” she told the demon, holding the sheathed katana aloft. “I should have known you would want to fight dirty.”

“I have no weapon.” A lie. Demons all had certain gifts, like the yuki-onna’s ability to create extreme weather. Marks had only their own wits and strength. They were celestially enhanced physically—able to heal and react quickly—but lacked any supernatural “powers”.

“I’ll give you mine,” Eve offered grimly, “if you let the kid go.” She ripped the katana free of its sheath and hurled the lacquered wood at the demon’s head.

She reached out to Reed. Now!

The demon’s arms rose to ward off the projectile. The child was snatched by Reed before the yuki-onna caught it.

The Infernal’s cry of rage was accompanied by an icy gust that burst through the room like an explosion. Eve was thrust backward into a heated-air hand dryer with enough force to hammer it flush to the wall. She held onto the hilt of the katana by stubbornness alone. Her booted feet dropped to the floor with a dull thud, and she hit the ground running.

Arm raised and blade at the ready, Eve rushed forward with a battle cry that curdled her own blood. The child’s fear lingered in the air, the acrid scent mingling with the stench of decaying Infernal soul. The combination sent her mark into overdrive. She leaped, slashing down on the diagonal, but the demon spun away in a flurry of snow. The temperature dropped drastically. The mirrors fogged around the edges, and her breath puffed visibly in the chilled air.

Eve pursued her, feinting and parrying against the sharp icicles the demon threw at her. They shattered like glass against her flashing katana, sprinkling the tile with slippery shards.

Crunching across the hazardous floor, she advanced with precision. The beautiful kimono fluttered with the Infernal’s retreat, the thick silk shredded by Eve’s calculated attacks. Once the sorriest swordswoman in her class, Eve had practiced exhaustively until she stopped embarrassing herself. She still wasn’t much beyond passably proficient with the weapon, but she no longer felt hopelessly inept.

She began to hum a merry tune.

As she’d hoped, the demon floundered, caught off guard by the implied boredom. The yuki-onna’s next salvo lacked the speed of the previous ones. Eve caught it with her fist, hissing as the ice splintered its way across her palm. Blood flowed, its scent goading the demon into roaring in triumph, a sound audible only to those with enhanced hearing.

Eve lobbed the icicle back, followed immediately with the katana. The Infernal deflected the first projectile with an icy blast, but was left vulnerable to the second. The blade sliced along the demon’s right triceps, drawing blood before impaling the wall behind her. A crimson stain began to spread through the pristine white of the kimono.
“Checkmate,” Eve taunted. “Your blood for mine.”

The Infernal retaliated with an icicle that pierced straight through Eve’s right thigh. She cried out and dropped to one knee. Agonized, she sent up a silent request for a sword. She held her palm open to receive the gift . . .

. . . which didn’t come.

Shock froze Eve. She’d gambled with the loss of the katana and rolled snake eyes. She always feared this day would come. Formerly agnostic, she didn’t show the deference to the Almighty that others did. She wasn’t disrespectful per se, but she might be too forthright in voicing her inability to understand the way God handled things.

She asked again, throwing in a “please” for good measure. The result was the same. Nada. Eve growled, furious that she would be denied the tool required to complete the task she was forced to perform.

The yuki-onna quickly deduced what had failed to happen. She giggled, a lovely melodic sound. “Perhaps he realizes that saving you is hopeless and not worth the effort.”

“Fuck you.”

“It is rare that Sammael sets a bounty so high or allows everyone in Hell a chance to claim it.” The demon grinned. “But then, this is the first time someone has run over one of his pets.”

“What bounty?” Eve hoped she hid the sudden fear she felt. “Is Satan upset that I ran over his dog? That’s hysterical.”

I’m not laughing, Alec snapped.

I know. Eve sighed. My life sucks.

She struggled to her feet, favoring her impaled leg. Reaching down, she yanked the ice dagger free and tossed it aside. Blood spurted from the gaping wound, then gushed. She ignored it for now. She had bigger problems.

“What is funny,” the yuki-onna retorted, “is how you will be ripped apart by everyone in Hell.”

“Everyone, huh?” Eve shrugged. “He’ll have to do better than that, if he hopes to take me out.”

That’s my girl, Alec praised. Never let ‘em see you sweat.

But she heard the unease in his voice. She also felt him poised to leap to her rescue.

I’ve got this, she said, staying him. She wasn’t sure how, but she would figure it out on her own. Damned if some ice bitch in clogs would kick her ass.

“Sammael wants you,” the demon taunted. Her disheveled hair and wide eyes only made her more beautiful. “And I will be rewarded for bringing you in.”

Laughing through her growing panic, Eve made a third request—not quite a prayer—for a sword. Again, she was ignored.

She deflected the demon’s next icicle with her forearm, then darted to the left to catch another. She threw it back. It was knocked off course by a burst of frosty air. All the while, she closed the distance between herself and the wall that held the katana.

“You can take hostages,” Eve taunted, “but you can’t take me.”

Bravado. Sometimes it was all a Mark had.

“I am beginning to think otherwise,” the demon retorted with a malicious gleam in her dark eyes.

Pounding came to the locked door, followed by a string of anxious-sounding Japanese. Not for the first time, Eve wished her mother had taught her the language. All she knew was that someone wanted to come in, and the demon she was fighting was no longer eager to get out. In fact, the yuki-onna seemed energized by the intrusion.
Eve took another step closer. Her boot slipped on an ice shard and she skidded, her balance compromised by her injured leg. She was inspired by the near fall, her mind seizing on a possible means to the end.

Dependant upon God’s willingness to cooperate and give her a damn break, of course.

Kicking hard, she sent up a spray of water and ice. As the yuki-onna retaliated with a rapid volley of icicles, Eve shot forward, using the slush on the tile to drop to the floor in a careening, feet-first slide into home plate.

“I could really use that sword now,” she yelled skyward, as the white tile rushed past her in a blur. “Please!”

Nothing.

Time slowed to a trickle . . .

The demon leaped gracefully and was held aloft by icy air currents. Levitating into a prone position, the Infernal’s facade of beauty fell away, revealing the true evil beneath—eyes of blood red, a gaping maw of blackened teeth, and grayish skin with a network of inky veins that spread into her hairline. With arms splayed wide, spears of ice appeared in her hands like ski poles.

Alec and Reed roared in unison, their shouts reverberating in Eve’s skull with such volume they drowned out everything else. In slow motion, she watched the demon hovering like a ghostly apparition, her white robes in tatters, her hair a sinuously writhing mane. Eve raised her arms to ward off the coming attack, then jerked in surprise as a heavy weight forced her forearm to drop to her chest. . .

. . . weighted by the miraculous appearance of a glaive in her hand.

Her grip tightened on the hilt and her back arched up. Hurling the blade forward like a javelin, she struck the yuki-onna straight in the chest. The glaive pierced deep with a sickening thud.

The demon exploded in a burst of ash.

Eve continued to slide until she slammed into the wall. At impact, the katana dislodged from its mooring, twisting to fall point down toward her head. She jerked to the side, rolling to avoid the blade. It pierced the floor where she’d been an instant before. Behind her, the glaive—no longer embedded in the demon’s body—clattered to the tile.

“Holy shit,” she breathed.

A pair of steel-toed boots appeared next to her head, then a hand extended into her line of sight. Looking up, her gaze met eyes of rich chocolate brown. Once, Alec had looked at her with a heat so scorching it burned her skin. She missed that look. Then again, she got hot enough for the both of them just checking him out.

At a few inches over six feet, Alec was as ripped as one would expect a skilled predator to be. He was God’s most revered and trusted enforcer, and his body reflected that calling. His hair, as always, was slightly overlong, but she would fight off anyone who approached him with shears.

“Could God have waited any longer to bail me out of the mess he put me in?” she groused.

“Did you note the lack of fire?” His voice—dark and slightly raspy—was pure seduction, even when laced with the resonance unique to archangels. It didn’t sound that way when he spoke to her telepathically, which was sadly appropriate. Who he was in reality was far different from who he was in her mind.

She blinked up at him. “You bailed me out? What the hell? Was he just going to let me die? Again?”

“Obviously not, since you’re not dead. It was a lesson in faith.”

“More like a lesson in ‘I am God, see me fuck with you.’”

“Watch it,” he admonished.

Eve accepted his proffered hand. As he pulled her upright, his powerful chest and tautly ridged abdomen flexed noticeably beneath his fitted white T-shirt. She couldn’t help noticing stuff like that, even though she couldn’t touch what she was looking at.

“What is it with demons and bathrooms?” she asked. “Grimshaw started a trend when he sent that dragon to kill me. I swear I’ve vanquished at least half a dozen Infernals in bathrooms since then.”

The dragon had been a courtier in Asmodeus’s court, but he’d killed her for Charles Grimshaw—former Alpha of the Northern California Black Diamond Pack and father of the wolf she’d had to kill twice. Demon retaliation was a bitch.

Alec cursed at the sight of her thigh. Her toes were squishing in the blood soaking her sock and puddling along the sole. She would need a new pair of boots.

He bent to examine her wound more closely. “I would have gotten here sooner, but I had to scare off the crowd of Infernals in the hall first.”

“Crowd?”

“I don’t think the ice bitch was kidding about the bounty.”

“What do you know that I don’t? You wouldn’t believe an Infernal without some sort of proof.”

Alec had assumed control over the day-to-day operation of Gadara Enterprises—the secular front for the North American firm of Marks—since the archangel Raguel had been taken prisoner by Satan a couple of months back. That meant Alec was privy to almost every hellacious and celestial happening that occurred between the top of Alaska to the end of Mexico.

“The number of Infernals in Orange County has tripled in the last two weeks.”

Which was when she’d graduated from training. As she was often reminded, nothing was a coincidence. “No wonder it’s been so busy around here.”

He gave her a resigned look. “It will get busier, if Sammael’s set his sights on you.”

“With a free-for-all bounty open to all classes of demons? Jeez, you’d think I kicked his puppy or something. Oh wait . . . I did.” Eve put weight on her wounded leg and winced at the immediate throb of agony.

Alec tucked his shoulder under her arm to support her. “We need to bandage that leg, smart ass.”

“You like my ass, and not because of its IQ.”

“Love it.” He gave her butt an affectionate squeeze. Alec might be restricted from feeling emotional love for her, but lust wasn’t a problem. “But I love the rest of your hot body, too, and I’d like to keep it in one piece.”

The mark enabled her to heal super fast. In an hour or two, only a pink scar would remain, and by nightfall, the injury would be nothing but a memory. But she could help move things along in the recovery department by closing the hole with some butterfly bandages. She’d have to hurry; her mom was still waiting for her.

I’ll take care of Miyoko, he assured her.

“I’ll take Eve back to her place to change,” a deep voice intruded.

They turned their heads to find Reed by the door. The men’s features were similar enough to betray them as siblings, but they were otherwise polar opposites. Reed favored Armani suits and faultless haircuts. Today he wore black slacks and a lavender dress shirt open at the throat and rolled at the wrists. It was a testament to how completely, robustly male he was that he could look so damn fine in such a soft color.

Alec’s arm at her waist tightened. The two brothers were like oil and kerosene together. Dangerously flammable. They refused to tell her what started their lifelong feud, and they kept the memory so repressed in the darkest corners of their minds that she hadn’t yet been able to find it. Whatever the sore spot was, the murderous rage it incited was easily goaded. They’d been killing each other for years—Cain more so than Abel—but were always resurrected by God to fight some more.

Which was just nasty in her opinion. Why God enabled the two brothers to keep fighting was beyond her comprehension.

“What are we going to do about this mess?” She offered a soothing smile to Alec before stepping away from him. A trail of blood marked her recent kamikaze slide across the floor. The rapidly melting ice was spreading the crimson stain along the grout lines, creating an oddly compelling map.

Stepping into the water, Alec snapped his fingers and the liquid and blood filled the nearest sink, transferred so quickly she hadn’t caught the movement even with her enhanced senses. She would go home with Reed in similar fashion.

Thankfully, Marks had handlers to pick up after them. She was luckier than most in that she had Cain, too, although that created some friction with many of the other Marks who thought she had an advantage. They didn’t take into consideration how many demons wanted to use her to get to the deadliest Mark of them all. She might as well wear a bull’s-eye for cocky and rash Infernals to aim for.

Then again, it looked like Satan had taped the target on for her.

“Come on,” Reed said, extending a hand to her. “Before your mother calls in the cavalry.”

“Forget the cavalry.” Alec winked at Eve. “Miyoko would charge in herself.”

She was halted midlaugh by the stench of a sewer. Looking for the demon whose proximity had to be the cause, she found herself staring into an inexplicably lingering puddle at her feet . . . and familiar eyes of malevolent, crystalline blue. A face in the liquid. She stomped instinctively, destroying the visage of the water demon in an explosion of spraying droplets.

“What the hell?” Reed barked, catching her as her wounded thigh caused her to stumble.

In the literal blink of an eye, Eve found herself in the kitchen of her third-floor condo in Huntington Beach. “Did you see him?” she gasped, leaning heavily into his hard body.

Reed’s arms tightened around her. “Yeah, I saw him.”

He’s gone. Alec’s tone was grim. I’m heading out to hold off your mom, but we need to address this when we’re done here.

The demon was a Nix—a Germanic shape-shifting water spirit. He’d targeted her almost from the moment she had been marked, then made a nuisance of himself until she killed him. Correction: She’d thought she killed him.

She would kill him. This particular Nix had taken the life of her neighbor Mrs. Basso. Sweet, forthright, widowed Mrs. Basso who had been a beloved friend. Eve’s need for vengeance was what motivated her when the damned Infernal bounty hunting got tough. Eve of Chaos

Pulling away from Reed, she limped down the hallway to her master bedroom. The crash of the waves against the shore pulsed in through the living room balcony’s open sliding glass door. In her premarked life, she’d been an interior designer. Her condo had been one of her first projects, and the space remained one of her favorites. Even the mistakes she’d made in the layout were fond ones. She wouldn’t change a thing. She felt safe here, less like a demon killer and more like herself.

Eve absorbed the calm she found in her home with deep, even breaths.

Reed called after her, his tone both seductive and challenging. “Need help getting naked?”

She sighed inwardly. Outside these walls, the worst of Hell’s denizens were converging en masse. She would need to be ready when she ventured out again.

As if her love life wasn’t dangerous enough.

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

SJD: My voice… I guess I’d have to know what my voice is first. Maybe the TGTBTU readers can help me pinpoint that? For me, I just see the stories in my head like a movie on a theater screen. I just transcribe the events as fast as my fingers can type. It’s organic to me, so I’ve never really labeled any part of it.

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

SJD: I’d be in school, taking a gazillion classes trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I’ve wanted to be a career writer since I was twelve. I never really gave a lot of attention to doing anything else.

DC: What’s on the horizon for S. J. Day?

SJD: More books. More Eve. Possible non-Eve related stuff.

DC: As most readers know, you also write as Sylvia Day. You have two new releases coming up, a reissue of The Stranger I Married and Pride and Passion. Can you give us just a tiny sneak peek into those books?

SJD: First off, I’m very sorry to say that the release date of Pride and Passion has been postponed. It won’t be releasing this year. That said… it’s a stand-alone, Regency-era story about a reserved heiress who hires a dashing thief-taker. The title succinctly explains both the attraction and the conflict between them. It’s a very emotional story, which took me by surprise. (See? My characters keep me on my toes.)

The Stranger I Married was first released in January 2007 and it’s been my best selling historical title to date. I’m very happy that it’s being reissued in mass market, where it will find a new audience. It’s a stand-alone, Regency-era story about two libertines — Gerard and Isabel — who enter a marriage of convenience as friends. An unexpected tragedy forces Gerard to reevaluate the way he lives his life and he comes to realize that he wants to have a true marriage with Isabel. But Isabel’s first marriage was an unhappy one and she doesn’t want to ruin what she has with Gerard by making it more serious. TSIM is the story of how an estranged husband and wife peel back the various layers of each other’s armor and fall in love with what they find inside.

The mass market reissue also features a bonus epilogue that wasn’t in the trade paperback version. It was written in response to a large volume of reader mail asking to see how Isabel and Gerard were fairing a few years down the road. The epilogue will also be available on my website, for those who already own the trade paperback version.

DC: You sold your first book within a year of writing it. That’s not the norm for most authors. What do you attribute your quick success to?

SJD: Writing a lot and submitting a lot. I knew I wouldn’t sell anything if editors couldn’t see it, so I’d finish a story and send it off. Then finish another story and send that off. Everything I had out on submission sold within the span of a few weeks, but the first sale went to Kate Duffy via Lori Foster’s Brava Novella Contest. I’ll be forever grateful to Lori for her generosity.

DC: Any other news Sylvia has for us?

SJD: I have two more historicals coming from Brava after Pride and Passion.

DC: You also have a book titled In the Flesh under the name of Livia Dare that just came out on June 2. It’s the first book in your Sapphire series. First would you tell us about the series and then give us a look at the book itself?

SJD: In the Flesh was my sophomore book. (Ask For It was my first completed book) It’s a fantasy/futuristic/historical about a prince who falls in love with his enemy’s prized concubine. It’s part Romeo and Juliet, part sheik and desert hostage, part kick-ass heroine and old school romance. I wrote it as a stand-alone novel, but my editor wanted the series to be three books, so it became a trilogy. All three books follow the same couple–Wulfric and Sapphire–as they overcome the many obstacles between them to find their HEA. It’s a very erotic romance.

DC: What else is coming up for Livia Dare?

SJD: Livia will just write the Sapphire series. Once the trilogy is done, she’ll retire. At least that’s the plan for now. I don’t want to carry three pen names indefinitely.

DC: What was behind the decision to write under three separate pseudonyms? Has it been difficult to keep up with different deadlines and release schedules? Or to keep stories straight as you’re writing?

SJD: I took on the S. J. Day name because I didn’t want my existing readers to expect the Marked series to result in a HEA with every book. The name change also helped to ensure that the books would be shelved in the SF/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

The Livia Dare name was created at the insistence of my editor. She didn’t want the Sylvia name on a non-historical, Kensington-published series. Since I didn’t want the S. J. name on a romance (that would just confuse readers and defeat the purpose of the pseudonym), I was left with no choice but to take on a third name.

RE: deadlines and schedules, see above about Chaos. *g*

It hasn’t been difficult keeping them apart, no. Since the characters tell me their stories and their voices are very different, there’s rarely confusion. Occasionally one character will try and tell another character’s story from another book, but I catch on quick.

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

SJD: Pride and Passion. It’s gorgeous and original. It was also created just for me. The models were selected based on my character descriptions. The photographer shot them in a pose very indicative of their dynamic in the book. Then the photo was painted to become the portrait image seen on the final cover. It was then embellished with gold foil (which is unusual for Brava trades). A lot of time and effort went into making that cover an accurate representation of my story (a rarity with covers, let me tell you). It also means a lot to me because of the support it represents from my publisher.

DC: How about your least favorite? Why?

SJD: Bad Boys Ahoy! The cartoon-y cover on a sensual historical was a bad fit. The book missed its target audience completely, because of that cover.

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?

SJD: My heroines remain the driving force of my books. It started out that way and that continues to this day. I’m more likely to write a tortured heroine than I am a tortured hero. However, my heroes have become more complicated as I’ve grown as a writer, which has made each book take longer to write. But I love it, so I don’t mind.

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate?    – Dark
- smooth or chunky peanut butter?     – Chunky
- heels or flats?    – Heels (but short ones)
- coffee or tea?     – Coffee. I love, love, love coffee.
- summer or winter?    – Winter
- mountains or beach?     – Mountains
- mustard or mayonnaise?     – Mayonnaise
- flowers or candy?     – Flowers
- pockets or purse?    – Purse
- Pepsi or Coke?    – Coke
- ebook or print?    – Print

And because we still like to see the answers:

1. What is your favorite word?    – Promise.
2. What is your least favorite word?     – No.
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?    – Intelligence
4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?     – Narcissism
5. What sound or noise do you love?    – My kids laughing and rain falling
6. What sound or noise do you hate?    – My kids crying
7. What is your favorite curse word?    – Fuck
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?     – No idea. Honestly.
9. What profession would you not like to do?    – Anything you see on DIRTY JOBS.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?    – “I gave you life and you lived it to the fullest.”

DC: S.J., thank you for all the fun and for being with us today!

LauraJ’s review of How to Seduce a Texan by Karen Kelley
Contemporary Romantic Comedy released by Brava 1 Jun 09

Karen Kelley has done it again. She has once again written a fun, funny and just plain entertaining story, which is exactly what I want and needed. When I read a book I want to be entertained. I want to escape from the reality of my world and laugh, smile and relax. While this story is not as quirky as some of her other books, such as the Planet Nerak series (which I do enjoy) I still found myself laughing at the situations that the hero and heroine got into.

Nikki “the barracuda” Scott is a reporter who always gets her story. Her nickname is “the barracuda” because she always gets her story. Usually she goes after crooked politicians, but this time it’s a fluff piece about a football player who has gone into hiding after a failed engagement. She’s even willing to put up with the very “rugged” conditions she’s been placed in. Everyone is after this story and it could mean big things for her career if she gets it. I loved Nikki’s determination to stick with things even though it seemed she was not the type for it.

Cal is in hiding at his brother’s ranch (and his) in Texas. He’s tired about being hounded by the press over his “engagement” breakup. Although he never really enjoyed living on the ranch he figures staying and helping out his brother for a few weeks will to let the media stuff die down and he can return to the city.

When he answers the phone and finds himself very interested in the woman on the other end he thinks things are looking up on the ranch only to have that excitement fizzle when he learns from his friend that she is a reporter looking to get a story on him. Cal decides if it’s a story that Nikki wants she is going to have to earn it. He puts her through a lot, including staying in a supposedly haunted house that has seen better days. I could have hated Cal for being so mean to Nikki, but he didn’t really make her do anything that would have been anything but typical ranch work. He was hoping to scare her off, but through it all you could see Cal’s appreciation for her determination.

Thanks to Ms. Kelley for once again giving me a fun, funny and sexy story.

Grade: B+

Summary:
.
Ghost Of A Chance
.
Reporter Nikki “The Barracuda” Scott will sink her teeth into anything. So when her editor sends her to get the lowdown on bad boy football star Cal Braxton, Nikki’s game to rough it on his family ranch. She just isn’t prepared for exactly how rough. Still, the nasty outhouse, noisy animals, and resident ghost won’t put Nikki off…especially once she sets eyes (and hands, and mouth) on her subject. If there’s a juicy story here, Nikki intends to devour it…
.
So, the lady thinks she’s gonna get the scoop on him? Cal’s had his fill of scheming females—hell, his conniving ex-fiancee is the very reason he’s hiding out. Then again, if all journalists were as hot as Nikki, he might consider being more open with the press. Too bad she won’t be around for long. If the chores and “rustic” conditions don’t frighten Nikki off, her haunted accommodations surely will. Tough it turns out Nikki doesn’t scare easily. Now Cal’s the one who’s scared—of falling hard…
.
Read an excerpt here.

This just in…

Biana D’Arc has just signed a three-book deal with Kensington Brava.

~ The contract will expand her military paranormal romances into a series.

~ The series will begin January 2010 with the release of the novella Simon Says, which will be featured in the Half Past Dead anthology.

~ Three more novels in the same contemporary paranormal world where zombies roam the woods looking for unsuspecting victims will follow, starting in March of 2010 with Once Bitten, Twice Dead.

Consider yourself flashed. 

Thank you for stopping by Duck Chat today. Welcome!

Author Karen Whiddon has been keeping her fans happy the last ten plus years with a variety of romance genres from paranormal to contemporary to romantic suspense. Her first book, Desert Fire, was published in 1997 and now with more than twenty books to her credit, she’s celebrating her latest release, Wild Wolf, this month.

Growing up near the Catskill Mountains of New York and the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Karen now lives in North Texas with her husband of twenty-two years. They have a daughter who is a kindergarten teacher. Some of her loves include animals, going on cruises and fishing trips, traveling to Las Vegas and just about anywhere else, and she just loves spending time with her husband.

Karen has graciously offered to give away two copies of the Midnight Cravings anthology in which her novella Mate of the Wolf is featured. So be sure to leave a meaningful comment or question for Karen to be in the running.  Now let’s chat!

DUCK CHAT: Karen, you’ve got a terrific backlist, but let’s start with your Silhouette Nocturne series, The Pack. First would you tell how the idea for the series came about?

KAREN WHIDDON: I was working on a proposal and rewriting and it popped into my head that the heroine was a shape-shifter. I wasn’t sure the book would even sell and certainly didn’t anticipate doing a series, but my agent submitted it to Leslie Wainger of Silhouette and she ended up offering for it and a second, blind book.

DC: There’s nine books in the series so far. Is it possible to tell how they’re related and give a little insight as to the series as a whole?

KW: The series centers on the idea that a sub-society (The Pack) of shape-shifters exists in tandem with our current human society. I usually set them either in The Catskills in New York, North Texas, or Boulder, Colorado (all places I’ve lived), though I have set one on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. Occasionally a story will have a reappearance of characters from one of the previous books, and sometimes the hero or heroine of a book will have been a secondary character in a previous book, but other than that, each book is basically stand-alone. I continually introduce new elements into the stories, such as vampires. They’re a lot of fun.
DC: If you could retire any question and never, ever have it asked again, what would it be? Feel free to answer it.

KW: A lot of people seem to think that I’m very odd, since I write paranormal stories. Believe me, I’m an ordinary person who also happens to be a writer. I’m a wife, mother, and insurance agent too. I don’t attend any weird, masked rituals except maybe in my dreams!

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?

KW: Yes, my characters always surprise me. Though I’m required to submit a synopsis to my editor, even though they might have contracted for a “blind” book, I don’t like to write to outline. For me, the fun of writing is discovering what will happen next. It has to be new to me in order for me to write it fresh. Often I’ll be doing some minor household chore, like dusting or vacuuming, and I’ll realize something about one of the characters in whatever book I’m working on. Or a scene will occur to me and I’ll have to dash off and write it down.

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

KW: No, I can’t say I’ve every really argued with them. Sometimes I might try to make them do something they wouldn’t really do and when the scene isn’t working, or I become stuck, that’s their gentle way of pointing this out to me.

DC: Your latest release is a book in The Pack series, Wild Wolf, which is Simon and Raven’s story. Can you give us a look into this book and their relationship?

KW: I began wondering about the possibility of a shape-shifter gone feral when I wrote Secrets of the Wolf. Several books later, I realized I had to write Raven’s story. She’s a Feral Shifter, or one who prefers to live as a wolf. This is because of a horrible, abusive past. Then I started thinking about the Pack Society and how true Ferals could endanger them, so I created the Society of Protectors. Their job is to assess and rehabilitate Ferals. They also, like trained military assassins, exterminate Ferals when necessary. Simon, the hero, is a Protector who has been sent to assess Raven.

Here’s a special treat – an excerpt from Wild Wolf:

“Another Feral shifter.” Hanging up the phone, Simon Caldwell dragged his hand across his face and tried to smile at his fellow Protector and friend, Anton Beckham, known as Beck. “There’s been a murder—a professor up at CU, in Boulder. They think a Feral killed him, so it’s another search and destroy. The Feral’s been located—living up on a nearby mountain. Your assignment, this time.” There was more—much more, but Beck would receive that info in the case file.

Beck frowned. “Doesn’t the Council realize how burned out I am? Hellhounds, I had to eliminate my last three.”

“Let me talk to Ross.” Simon should have seen this coming. Burnout. All the telltale signs were there. “I’ll take the job. You need a break.”

“You’ve killed your last seven,” Beck pointed out. “If anyone should have burnout, it’s you.”

“I don’t get burnout.”

“Right,” Beck said, grimacing. “You’re the Terminator.”

Grinning, Simon shrugged and poured himself another cup of coffee. Returning to his seat at the polished steel table, he took a long drink. “Unlike you, I don’t let emotions get in the way of what I have to do.”

“Emotions have nothing to do with it. One of those last three Ferals could have been rehabilitated. I know it.”

“You knew it, huh? When did you realize you might be wrong? When he attacked you and you nearly lost your arm?”

“The Council wouldn’t give me enough time,” Beck insisted. “Come on, man. Show a little compassion.”

Simon said nothing, knowing any further argument would be pointless. Beck knew The Protector’s Creed as well as he did. Drumming his fingers on the metal table that had always seemed more appropriate in a laboratory than a kitchen, he sipped his coffee and stared at nothing.

“You really don’t give a wolf’s ass, do you?” Beck sounded faintly accusatory.

“Of course I do. But let’s look at the stats.” Simon took a long drink from his chipped mug. “Out of the last forty-seven Ferals encountered in the past year, only six were able to be saved.”

“Grim statistics, true. But you know as well as I do that some of the Protectors are trigger-happy, particularly the European and Middle Eastern contingent.”

“First threatening move, you shoot.” Simon hated pointing out the obvious. As soon as his friend left the room, he was going to call in a recommendation that Beck be sent on enforced medical leave. An uncertain Protector was a dead Protector. He didn’t want that to happen to Beck.

“You have to give them more of a chance.”

When Simon didn’t comment, Beck pushed himself away from the table.

“You know what your problem is, Caldwell?”

“I’m sure you’re going to tell me.” Simon couldn’t keep the weariness from his voice. “Let me take a wild guess. I’m too hard. Unfeeling. Too old.”

“Nope,” Beck said, surprising him. “You’re not too old. You’re only thirty-four, a year older than me. I can tell you think I shouldn’t take this assignment, because you’re worried I’ll fail. But you’ve got a worse problem than I do. I think you identify too closely with the Ferals. ‘Grass is greener’ type of thing. That’s why you terminate them so quickly. Because they scare you.”

Simon snorted. “You’re wrong.”

“Maybe I am.” Beck sounded tired. “But honestly, Simon. Sometimes you seem dangerously close to Feral yourself.”

“The end result is all that matters.” Eyes narrowed, Simon slammed his mug on the drainboard. “I’ll ignore your insult. This time. Remember, I’m the one the Council always calls to clean up the mess guys like you make.”

Beck sighed, head in hands. “Sorry.”

“I’m going to take this case,” Simon told him. “Not only because you need a break, but because this seems particularly intriguing. The murdered professor is rumored to have been keeping two shifters captive for years. One of them is the Feral.”

“How’d we locate this one?”

Simon knew his grin looked savage. “How do we always? Rumors of a werewolf, sightings. Thefts, appearances. Humans talk. Then finally, a shifter reports to their local council.”

“What about the other Feral, the second one?”

“The Society hasn’t located her yet. She’s either very careful, or very lucky.”

“Her?” Beck looked even more troubled now.

Simon nodded. “Two females. One—or both of them—is likely the killer.”

“Kept captive? Hounds know, they had reason.”

“There you go again.” Shaking his head, Simon didn’t bother to hide his disgust. “I’m taking this case.”

“Go ahead.” Beck didn’t argue. Not about that. “But you know what? You’re cold. Hard. I think it’s time the Council should reconsider their training methods. Like taking us from our parents before we even start school.” He didn’t bother to hide the bitterness in his voice. “Most of us can’t even remember our birth family. There’s no reason.”

“First off, they don’t take us. We’re given. You know that. When we exhibit skills beyond those of others our age. Our parents are honored to send us. You know that.”

“Maybe.” Beck dropped his head. “But I still think we go to training too young.”

“Do you? Years of training hones our skills, inspires loyalty. In the end, none of that matters.” Simon crossed his arms, weary of the same old argument. “We’re born to be what we’re born to be. Forgetting that is what gets you in trouble.”

Pushing himself up, Beck flipped him the bird before dropping his cup in the sink. “I’m going upstairs. Do you want to make the call, or shall I?”

“I’ll do it.”

As soon as the other man left the room, Simon picked up the phone and dialed Ross, their unit commander. No way was he letting Beck go on this assignment. Until he got his head together, Beck was a disaster waiting to happen.

Blowing snow and biting wind made Raven shiver, despite the thick pelt gifted to her by the Old One when she died. Raven had cried when the old wolf went still, lifting her human face to howl into the night, exactly like her wolf-family did. The Old One had passed last winter, a season marked by death amid swirls of snow, ice and bitter, bitter cold.

She couldn’t stay wolf always, and in her human shape Raven hated the cold. The bone-numbing chill was the one thing that tempted her to rejoin the human world. When she became wolf, she felt warm enough. Human was another story. No matter how many layers of stolen clothes she wore, she couldn’t banish the cold from her skin.

After last winter, she’d nearly packed it in and given up. Only her pack of wild wolves had kept her in the cave, shivering when she was human, gritting her teeth and counting the hours until she could become wolf once more.

When spring had finally arrived, the pack had rejoiced. In summer and fall, every day had been a celebration of life, of living.

Until now. This day, winter started again. Early.

Shivering, she cursed her human form, hating the weakness of her olfactory senses, so sharp when she was wolf. Yet even as human, she sensed something was wrong, something more than the icy wind blowing over the mountains, more than the promise of snow in the air.

Beside her, Shadow whimpered.

“You sense it, too.” Absently, she stroked the thick pelt of the wolf at her side. Her pack knew her scent, whether human or like them, and one or two stayed with her always. As protection and for company.

Two more heavy-coated wolves glided closer. The animals had started growing their winter coats weeks ago, their internal clock telling them the time had come. As human, Raven had noted the change and stepped up her gathering and storing, remembering the long winter the prior year. This year she’d vowed none of her pack would starve.

Despite her preparations, she still felt unsettled. Something was definitely not right.

Later, she’d change to her wolf-self and scout out the area, but now she needed to gather more wood. She thought she’d beefed up her food rations—nuts, berries, whatever she could find—enough. Years ago, in her human time, she’d learned to cure meat, but now she had no way to obtain the salt to make the brine. Yet her pack, always generous with their kills, had not protested when she’d taken choice cuts of meat to try and freeze them, burying them in the crevice areas where her cave dipped deep into the earth.

She wanted to be ready. Yet she worried that despite her hurried preparations, winter had arrived too quickly. She needed human supplies—salt and matches, blankets and a newer thermal sleeping bag to replace the tattered one she’d stolen. A fire would be essential if she wanted to survive the subzero temperatures this high in the mountains. Even her pack liked the warmth, though she needed it. Unlike her furry pack, she couldn’t keep her wolf-form with its thick pelt indefinitely. Eventually, she went back to the form she’d been born in, which pained her.

In the summer, when the hikers and campers flooded the mountain, she’d taken what she could, trying her best not to inconvenience anyone. But now, with the icy north wind howling over the mountains, humans no longer came to the mountain. There’d be no choice for it—she’d have to make a quick trip down into civilization to steal what she needed, fast. As soon as the storm passed, she’d do so.

A movement on the horizon caught her attention. The animal beside her growled low in her throat. The other wolves moved up to flank her, circling her with their silent protection.

Raven stared—uncertain whether what she saw was real. If not a vision, she had a problem. Despite the blizzard, a human climbed the mountain, heading directly toward them. The furious wind and blowing snow had carried away his scent and he’d gotten way too close to her pack’s sanctuary.

Of course, he might be lost. A lost human and a blizzard usually equaled death, unless she led him to safety. She preferred to do the latter. Two winters ago another man had died on her mountain. The search teams had nearly found her cave and her pack before locating his body.

With the human here, she’d be better off as wolf.

She dropped low to the ground and stripped off her clothes. Then, muttering her usual prayer, began the change from human to wolf. Over time, she’d learned to shape-shift in seconds. Now she’d track the stranger…

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

KW: Oh my gosh, the internet. That, and Spider Solitare! Recently I’ve taken to handwriting in a lined notebook with a nice pen, then transferring to computer. That seems to help remove the distractions and free up my creativity.

DC: The Pack started out as Silhouette Intimate Moments and now they’re being published as Nocturnes. Has this made a difference in the way you write the stories?

KW: The only real difference might be that I am able to focus more on the impact the paranormal aspect has on the relationship. But writing for IM, I also had no real restrictions, as long as the love relationship was center stage. Everything else revolves around that.

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?

KW: Probably. I think my characters now are much more multi-faceted than they were when I wrote my first book back in 1997 for Kensington Precious Gems.

DC: You have several books with Magic in the title, Shadow Magic, Soul Magic, and Missing Magic, just to name a few. Do these books make up a series or are they all unrelated? Where did the idea come from for the books?

KW: The Magic books were all Fae Paranormals published by Dorchester for their Lovespell line. Most of them, with the exception of Lone Star Magic and Missing Magic, were historical paranormals and like my Pack stories, revolved around a loose premise of a society. In those stories it’s the Fae.

As far as the idea for those, I’d written five short contemporary romances for Kensington and wanted to do something different. So in 2001 I wrote a book for myself with a time traveling heroine and a half Fae, half human, Prince. I sent it to Chris Keeslar at Dorchester, who bought it. The book did very well and was reprinted in 2007. All of those Magic books feature a Fae character, usually the hero (except Shadow Magic, where it was the heroine).

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

KW: Hmmm. I’ve done contemporary, historical, paranormal, and suspense. I don’t know – maybe erotica?

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

KW: Patience is a much underrated virtue. I wanted to be a writer so badly that I’d often send material off without proofing it or re-editing it.

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

KW: Wow, interesting question. As I grow older, I get more comfortable in my own skin. Yet I love to explore new areas (as in my recent foray into the world of physical fitness). Since more story isn’t yet completely written, I’d have to put a big question mark.

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

KW: I’ve been told I have a “strong” voice, but am not quite sure what that means. I don’t like to write overly florid description or meandering prose, but like to cut to the chase.

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

KW: LOL, my other job is running a commercial insurance agency. But, when I was young, I had some talent at art and my high school art teacher recommended me for a scholarship at an art school. I also love working with animals and showed horses and obedience dogs in the past. No matter what, I’d have to have some form of artistic outlet.

DC: What’s on the horizon for Karen Whiddon?

KW: I just turned in another Pack story and am working on the next book in The Cordasic Legacy for Silhouette Romantic Suspense. I’m contracted for two more Pack books after that and another SRS. Beyond that, time will tell. I’d like to do another single title, like my Magic books, but more of a contemporary romance.

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate?    – Definitely dark.
- smooth or chunky peanut butter?    -  Smooth
- heels or flats?    -  Both. I love me some high heels, but spend most of my time in flats.
- coffee or tea?    – Again both. I drink coffee every morning and tea every afternoon.
- summer or winter?    – Winter. I love snow and Christmas and bundling up with a nice fire in the fireplace and some hot cocoa. Hmmmm.
- mountains or beach?    – Mountains. I grew up in the Catskills and the Rockies and two of my other favorite places on earth are Alaska and British Columbia.
- mustard or mayonnaise?    -  Both. Depends on what kind of meat.
- flowers or candy?    – Flowers.
- pockets or purse?    – Oh, purse. I have quite a collection of purses.
- Pepsi or Coke?    – Diet Coke.
- ebook or print?    -  Print. I love the feel of paper and have a huge library. Not to say that I won’t even break down and get a Kindle/

Just for some extra fun:

1. What is your favorite word?    – Sleep.
2. What is your least favorite word?    – Deadline
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?    – Beautiful nature. Forest, lake, mountains, beach.
4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?     – Loud noises – TV or voices.
5. What sound or noise do you love?    – Cranes over the lake. Eagles over the ocean. Crows.
6. What sound or noise do you hate?    – Loud TV is the worst for me.
7. What is your favorite curse word?    – I can’t say it here
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?    -  Artist
9. What profession would you not like to do?    -  Accountant
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?  -”Welcome. Let me show you the Hall of Records.”

DC: Karen, thank you so much for spending the day chatting with us!

We back with another great Duck Chat!

We’re continuing Harlequin Historical month Terri Brisbin!

Terri and her family live in southern New Jersey, where she weaves her wonderful stories for us.  She also writes for Kensington Brava as well as Harlequin Historicals and has had 18 books published since 1995.

Writing both historical and paranormal, Terri has two series and a trilogy, the MacLeries, the Dumonts, and MacKendimens, and her fans love them all; Possessed by the Highlander, The King’s Mistress, and Once Forbidden are just a few of the titles from these series. The Queen’s Man, The Duchess’s Next Husband, and The Maid of Lorne are her stand-alones. Take time to read any of Terri’s books. They are well worth it.

Terri has graciously donated two sets of her Highland trilogy, A Love Through Time, Once Forbidden, and A Matter of Time for a giveaway, so be sure to leave a meaningful comment to be thrown in the hat for your chance to win! Now let’s chat with Terri!

DUCK CHAT: Wow, Terri, you have a busy schedule for releases this year. Was that the plan or did it just end up happening that way?

TERRI BRISBIN: Well, once I sold to a second publisher and began to organize my contracted books, I scheduled to alternate between Harlequin and Kensington. So, it means two books about every ten months, plus a short story or two thrown in for fun! It’s different for me, and busy, and I’m hoping I still have a brain left when I finish.

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

TB: The one that asks: “so how long does it take to throw one of these little books together?”

DC: In June A Night for Her Pleasure, a Harlequin Undone! ebook, is hitting the shelves. First let’s talk about the Undone line. These are books which are shorter than the normal category romance. Is that more challenging for an author? Or easier?

TB: HH UNDONES! are actually short stories rather than novels or even novellas, about 60 pages long. They are a challenge and I found them more difficult to write than longer books because an author needs to include great characterization and plot and emotions but in a concise, shorter length.

DC: Now tell us about the hero and heroine, Simon and Elise, in A Night for Her Pleasure, please.

TB: Simon is a nobleman who believes he is a big, hulking man and too rough for the feminine, petite woman to whom he’s been betrothed. Determined to make her happy, Simon seeks the advice of his friends, a trio of bastard sons who were raised with him and who never seem to lack the company or attentions of any number of attractive women. Elise knows that only by making Simon happy and content in their marriage can she secure the future of her family and save them from disgrace and ruin. After discovering the truth about Simon’s true desires, she decides she must be the woman he wants. . . in his bed and in his heart.

The whole story happens over the course of their wedding day as they each try to be the exact spouse the other wants and needs and as they approach their first time in their marriage bed together.

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

TB: Oh gosh, yes! Most of the time, I can clearly see the beginning and the ending of each of my stories, but the middles are vague and unclear until I write the book and begin to know the characters better. Then as I begin to know and understand the characters and their needs and goals and the conflicts that keep them apart, the story takes off where it will and I just run after it, trying to write it all down!

I do argue with my characters, usually in that moment when they first break from my ‘master plan’ and go off on their own. I have to say that they usually win! LOL!

DC: Then in July is the release of your Harlequin Historical, The Conqueror’s Lady. Your website says this is a Knights of Brittany book. Is this a new series you’re starting? And please tell our readers a little about The Conqueror’s Lady.

TB: Yes, The Conqueror’s Lady is the first in my new trilogy which is introduced by the short story in June – all involving the Knights of Brittany, a group of four men raised together, one noble and three bastards and who seek their fortunes and futures in the service of William the Conqueror. In this first full-length book, Giles is the first to gain lands and titles, and a wife, from his king but finds his betrothed wife marrying someone else when he arrives. Let’s just say he is not happy at all.

Excerpt from The Conqueror’s Lady:

‘Finish the words and you will be a widow before you are a wife,’ Giles Fitzhenry, knighted warrior of William the Conqueror, promised in a harsh whisper.
.
The blood from the gash above his eye flowed down his face and dripped on the lady’s shoulder, but still he did not relent in his crushing hold. It would take but a moment’s pressure to crush her throat and he swore to himself and then aloud that he would do it if she spoke the words of the vow. Giles turned to face the now-quieting crowd in the small chapel and revealed the dagger he aimed at her ribs, another assurance that the lady would die if anyone tried to intervene.
.
His intended moved with him, gripping his hand as though she could stop him. Lady Fayth of Taerford should have thought about the repercussions of her actions before he arrived. Before his men and hers had been killed in the battle for the keep… and for possession of her. Giles nodded to Roger and his man held his sword to the neck of the lady’s comrade in this crime, waiting for her response.
.
‘The keep and lands are mine now, lady, as are you. Your choice of words will simply bring his death more slowly or more swiftly.’ Giles watched as the woman in his arms exchanged glances with the man held a few yards away.
.
He felt her body relent before she spoke the words of surrender. Trying with all his determination to ignore the soft, womanly curves beneath his arm, he lessened his grip a tiny bit and lowered the dagger to give her the opportunity to make the choice. ‘Do you take him to husband instead of me?’ he asked aloud.
.
‘I do not,’ she whispered hoarsely into the deathly silence that had covered the room.
.
With her capitulation, his men surrounded her people and began to force them from the chapel. Without letting go, he nodded at his second-in-command and then at the man who she had chosen as husband. ‘Kill him.’
.
The priest protested loudly, but his men ignored the old man and prepared to follow Giles’s orders. It was her quiet voice that stopped him.
.
‘My lord,’ she began, trying to face him in spite of his grasp. Her movement simply made his blood drip and smear more over her cloak. It wasn’t until he lessened his grip on her that she could speak louder.
.
‘I beg you, my lord. He is not to blame. Truly. Mercy, my lord. Mercy.’ She leaned her head back, offering herself as a sacrifice to his anger.
.
He would tell himself later that it was his need to put an end to the bloodshed that made him relent. He would tell himself that he had never planned to kill the man cajoled or ensorcelled by his betrothed into this foolhardy plan to interfere with his rights to her and the land. But Giles only knew that at the moment when his gaze met hers he wanted to grant her whatever she asked of him. He let out his breath and nodded.
.
‘Take him and his men to the edge of my lands and release them,’ he said in a loud voice. ‘And if, from this time forward, they step back onto my lands or try to contact my wife, kill them without hesitation.’
.
After Roger dragged his prisoner from the chapel, Giles released his hold on her. She gasped for breath as he pushed her to another of his men. There was much to do and he needed her out of his way.
.
‘Find a place and secure the lady.’
.
Reaching up to touch her throat, she turned as though she would speak, but said nothing. His bloody handprint marred her neck and he knew that the armour gauntlets he wore would leave bruises on her fair skin where he’d held her. Any measure of sympathy he began to feel for her was extinguished when he saw that two of his men lay dead in the back of the chapel.
.
Giles met her gaze once more and the hatred burning there in her dark green eyes said more than her words would have or could have. Giles smiled grimly at her, accepting the challenge made silently.
.
‘Nothing is to happen to her, except by my word or by my hand,’ he called out.
.
Aye, my lord,’ his soldier answered as he dragged Fayth from his presence.
.
After surveying the chapel and making certain that his dead and wounded were cared for, Giles strode to the keep to see what his new home looked like.
.
She smelled the metallic odour of his blood on her and felt its stickiness on her skin where his gauntleted hand had clutched her. It was as though he had marked his possession of her where all could see it. Fayth’s throat burned and her chest ached from his crushing hold. As his men dragged her across the yard, she saw Edmund and his men being chained together. Pulling against her guard, she managed to come to a stop, but she feared the cost of calling out to Edmund. When their captors finished chaining them, they were hauled across the yard and out of the gate.
.
Would she ever see him again? Would her new lord and master keep his word and see them released? Fayth fought back tears at the thought of never seeing her childhood friend alive again. At least she’d been able to save his life, but now that everyone who had protected her was gone, she alone was left to face this invasion.
.
The clamouring at her side caught her attention and Fayth looked on in horror as her people, the servants and villeins of the keep, were herded into the yard that usually held their horses. Men, women, children. Sir Giles’s men were systematically going building by building and forcing all of her people out to the yard where they were thrown with the others.
.
Did he mean to kill them all? They called out to her, fear in their voices and terror in their gazes. What could she do now for she was a prisoner herself?
.
When one of the Norman soldiers tossed the cook’s young daughter to the ground, she could no longer stand by silently. With a strength that surprised her, she pushed off the grasp of her guard and ran to young Ardith, knocking the warrior away from her. Helping the girl to her feet and urging her to run, Fayth turned back just as her guard caught up with her and as Ardith’s attacker regained his feet.
.
Cursing in Norman French, words too gruff and too fast for her to comprehend, the man grabbed her by the cloak she wore and pulled her to face him. The anger flared in his eyes at being interrupted in what he must have thought was his due as the conqueror. He raised his fisted hand and swung it at her. She tried to lean away to avoid the blow, but his hold was too strong.
.
Pain exploded in her head and then there was nothing but darkness.
.
He watched the chaos of the yard from the open window in the chamber he claimed as his own. The large room boasted a hearth built into the wall, a privy closet and this window that overlooked the yard and gate. Below him, most of the people of Taerford Keep were collected in an enclosure with a few stragglers being taken there now. His men controlled the gate and the roads leading to it.
.
They’d fought their way from Hastings, along the roads past London and out to the west, into Harold’s country. William urged his haste in following a few who escaped the battlefield and ran to organise resistance to the duke’s lawful control of England. Days became almost a week as they faced battle after battle and finally made their way to his promised fief.
.
In spite of sending word ahead of his claim and his approach, the lady and those who conspired with her had nearly completed their hasty marriage when Giles managed to take control of the keep. He smiled grimly.
.
Now, it was his.
.
The building was not very large, but would suit him. It contained three floors with several private chambers and a separate kitchen building. The keep, kitchen, chapel and several other shops were enclosed by the wall. It was not large, but it pleased him and would offer protection until he could replace the wood with stone as William had ordered.
.
Pushing the mail coif off his head, Giles looked for something to staunch the bleeding from his wound and found a small linen kerchief on the bed. Pressing it against the deep gash, he walked back to the window to watch his orders being carried out. Unfortunately, things were not going as he had instructed.
.
The newest soldier in his company had some young girl in his grasp, his intent obvious even from this distance. Damn him! Giles had made it clear that such attacks were unacceptable, but Stephen had thrown control away during the battle and now the girl was his next target. Running from the chamber and down the stairs, Giles reached the yard in time to see the lady Fayth intervene.
.
Before Giles could shout an order, Stephen reached out and grabbed Fayth, lifting her from her feet. Giles called for him to stop, but the noise in the yard prevented anyone from hearing it. As he took off running towards them Stephen hit Fayth with enough force that the lady fell to the ground unconscious. Without stopping, Giles ploughed into the soldier and took him to the ground. Heedless of those watching, he pummelled him until he himself was pulled away.
.
‘Andre!’ he called to a guard. ‘Carry the lady to my chambers. Henri, find her servant or a healer and see to her care. And,’ he added, wiping his mouth of the blood that flowed freely once more, ‘do not leave her side.’ He turned to face Stephen, who still lay on the ground at his feet. ‘Your disobedience and lack of control have ever been your weakness,’ he accused. ‘You have been warned about this and you have not heeded my words.’
.
Giles ordered him lifted, stripped to the waist and tied to the fence. The yard was eerily silent now as all watched their new lord discipline one of his own. He would rather not have carried this out now, but a prompt response to disobedience by any of his men was necessary, especially in a time of war. He tugged off the gauntlets and accepted the whip from his second-in-command. Giles did not do this lightly, for he’d felt the lash bite his skin, but he’d learned the hard lesson it taught quickly and had rarely faced discipline again.
.
Walking to the fence, he looked at those now held in the enclosure and at his men. ‘For disobedience of my standing orders, the punishment is ten lashes. Call them, Thierry.’
.
Giles unwrapped the length of leather and flicked it into the air. The tip cracked loudly and many of those around him flinched….

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

TB: Everything and everyone distracts me! Emails, tv, phone calls, whatever, grabs my attention and keeps me from writing, until the last days of my deadline…and then I simply write in an uncontrolled binge of creating until the book is done and in!

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?

TB: Hmmmm. I’m not sure if my characters have evolved, but I do think characterization is one of my writing strengths.

DC: You also have a medieval trilogy coming up, the first book due out in November. The trilogy is being published by Kensington. Would you tell us about the first book, A Storm of Passion, and then give us a sneak peek into the next two books?

TB: I am so excited by this new opportunity! I based this new trilogy on an old Scottish folktale about a poor Highland woman who catches a fairy and demands a gift from it for her sons – something that will make them powerful and wealthy. Unable to refuse, the fae does give them a gift – powers to tell the future, read minds and thoughts and heal with a touch, but the fae also curses them. Each time they use their fae gift, their humanity suffers – the seer is going blind, the truthsayer is losing his hearing, and the healer is losing his emotions and becoming an empty shell. And the only thing that can break the curse is the freely given love of an enemy…!

The first book is about Connor, the Seer, whose words have caused the death of a young woman’s entire family, and Moira who is on a quest for vengeance against him. They discover that only together can they find the truth and only with love can they overcome those set against them.

The second and third books will follow the other two brothers on their journeys and search for answers about their gift, the curse that afflicts them and the women who could save their lives and their souls.

Blurb for A Storm of Passion:

In the first of a breathtaking trilogy set against the stark beauty of medieval Scotland, one man discovers a surprising past, a remarkable gift—and a terrible destiny…
.
Once, Connor believed that his ability to see the future would grant him everything. Instead, it landed him in a prison of his own making. Summoned by the Lord of the Isles to serve as his counselor, Connor gains wealth and prestige, but with every vision, his own sight dims. Even so, Connor doesn’t grasp the terrible consequences of his gift until he’s wounded by a young woman who blames him for her family’s massacre.
.
Moira curses herself for failing to kill the Seer—especially when she learns her punishment is to be given to him as a slave. Far from the proud, arrogant tyrant she imagined, Connor is a tortured man with a dark sensuality that tempts her night after night. But freeing him from a strange power that is spiraling out of control will mean forsaking her vow and risking her heart for the one man she has sworn to destroy…

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

TB: Well, I’ve played around with a historical fiction series, but don’t know when I’ll have the time to right that!

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

TB: Learn how to be effective without procrastinating!

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

TB: Exactly what I’m doing in my ‘real’ life – I am a dental hygienist and have been for more than 30 years. It’s a wonderful balance for me, the scientific process by day, the creative process by night!

DC: What’s on the horizon for Terri Brisbin?

TB: I’m under contract for five more books and another HH Undone! in the next three years, so I have to do lots and lots of writing! And I’m hoping for a trip to Scotland this fall, for pleasure and research.

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate?   – Uh-duh – DARK!
- smooth or chunky peanut butter?   – Smooth
- heels or flats?     -  Flats
- coffee or tea?    – Absolutely tea!
- summer or winter?    – Winter
- mountains or beach?   -  Beach
- mustard or mayonnaise?     -  Mustard
- flowers or candy?     -  Candy
- pockets or purse?    – Purse
- Pepsi or Coke?     – Dr Pepper
- ebook or print?    – Definitely print

And just because it’s fun:

1. What is your favorite word?    -  Inappropriate
2. What is your least favorite word?     -  Fine (as in ‘it’s fine’)
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?    – Passion for something
4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?    -  Indifference
5. What sound or noise do you love?    – A baby’s laughter
6. What sound or noise do you hate?    – A silent keyboard
7. What is your favorite curse word?     – Sh*t!
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?    – Attorney
9. What profession would you not like to do?     -  Dentist
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?   – “You were right!”

DC: Thanks so much for visiting with us today, Terri!

Welcome once again to Duck Chat!

Today Lisa Renee Jones is here to give us the scoop on her latest releases in her Knights of White series and just to have some fun with y’all!  Lisa’s Silhouette Nocturne series started with The Beast Within back in 2007, followed by Beast of Desire and Beast of Darkness in 2008. May 1 saw the release of Captive of the Beast and Demon Seduction, which is a Nocturne Bite. And, of course, Lisa has a wonderful backlist of both print and ebooks published by Pocket, Berkley, Kensington, and Ellora’s Cave to choose for your reading pleasure. Lisa sold her staffing agency when she decided she wanted to follow her dream of becoming an author and she’s not looked back once. She currently lives in New York with her husband, who has had a big impact on her writing.

Be sure to ask Lisa a question or leave a meaningful comment – she’s going to be spending the day with us and she’s giving away five – FIVE! – copies of Captive of the Beast and one copy of Hard and Fast, a contemporary by Blaze.

Now without further adieu, let’s chat with Lisa!

DUCK CHAT: You have two releases in May, both part of your Knights of White series. Let’s talk about the series as a whole first. For our readers who aren’t familiar with the series, can you give us some background on it, where the idea came from and how it’s evolved since you started it?

LISA RENEE JONES: The entire Knights of White series is based upon the Texas Legend of Matamoros Monsters, aka Demons. You can find that legend at Knights of White website. I was taking a trip with my DH to Brownsville – he has a son in Mexico so we drove down to the border to pick him up. To get there we had to drive through King Ranch, which is miles and miles and miles long. This place is a small city. That ranch inspired the ranch that is the Knights’ home in the series. The legend, of course, is the Knights themselves. I’d already had a vague idea for the series but it was based on vampires. There were so many vampire stories out there, so when DH started telling me the story of the Matamoros Beasts/Monsters, I knew that was my series.

King Ranch is an amazing place with guided tours!

The main shift in this series since I began writing it has been in the growth of the heroes – they are gaining new powers and growing stronger. Which is a good thing because the main villain, Adrian, has decided rather than destroying humanity, he wants to take it over.

I won’t have any more Knight stories for quite some time because I’ve been writing the stories for my new Faith Winter pen name. But there will be more Knights!

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

LRJ: I don’t really have a question I want to retire. Of course, as a writer every time someone hears you are an author, they tell you they have always wanted to write book or they have tried. My DH and I just share a little smile at that. I hate the reaction to romance, though. Many times, men mostly, sneer at that. It’s very frustrating. I had a close male business associate from my corporate days that did this to me. Sometimes I wonder why sex and love are sneered at but murder and bloody brutality are thumbs up to these people.

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?

LRJ: All the time. I just wrote a synopsis for my second Grand Central book and it was long and detailed. I believe the beginning will be exactly as planned. About halfway through. though, the characters led me places that impact plot and things shift. I find I go to bed at night and have no idea what is next and wake up knowing exactly where I am going.

DC: Captive of the Beast is the next Nocturne in the series, featuring Rhinehart and his heroine. Has it been difficult coming up with stories as you go along in the series? Tell us about Rhinehart’s story.

You know, amazingly with the Knights, it has not been difficult to come up with storylines. I think the reason for that is they are all ultimately about good vs evil. There is a message of faith in each story. The ideas themselves come easily because they feel like life to me. Life is all about an internal struggle with that concept. What is right and what is wrong? That is what each story ultimately comes down to. Will we be judged to have lived a good life? Forgiven our mistakes? Plotting to make the story interesting but tight enough to fit the Nocturne shorter word count has been a challenge. I absolutely loved writing my first Grand Central and having that extra 25k to work with.

The great thing about Captive is that Wolverine is out this month. I couldn’t believe the storyline when I went to the movie. It is SO like Captive! The similarities are amazing! An island. Mad military leader. Young kids with powers! WOW! Blew me away! Rinehart is my Wolverine in the book. Great movie too! Loved it! I can’t wait for Star Trek.

Yay! An excerpt from Captive of the Beast:

Dr. Laura Johnson had a secret. She was different, able to manipulate objects with her mind, able to read people’s emotions, and sense danger and tragedy before they became reality.

Her parents had always thought that hiding her abilities was for the best. They’d warned her that there were people who would be greedy and power hungry, people who would be enticed to misuse the power behind her secret. And now, fifteen years later, both her parents having passed on, she still remembered their words, understood them, lived the truth they held.

Hiding those abilities had become second nature. In fact, her research exposed her to others like herself, people with similar gifts, and still she remained silent. She knew it was the right choice. Pretending to be no different than everyone else around her was as much a part of each day as brushing her teeth and having morning coffee with her favorite vanilla creamer. Sometimes she even convinced herself it was true, that she was like everyone else.

Staring out the window of the government lab off the Texas coast where she’d been working the past two years, she watched the ocean crash against the rocks of the secluded island facility. It was eight in the morning, and she’d been up well before sunrise, unable to sleep. Every nerve ending in her body was raw, frazzled, and she didn’t know why. Her instincts screamed with warnings, with a promise of danger. With the promise of her secret exposed.

She struggled with why she was feeling such a thing. She had felt unease for a while now, ever since Captain Walch had taken over the island’s operations six months before. The man wasn’t a good person. Not even close. He’d use her patients for the wrong things with a snap of the fingers; in fact, several times now he’d hinted at the power that duplicating their skills could wield. But Walch wasn’t the cause of this uneasiness. Her instincts tingled with a warning like nothing she’d ever experienced before. The word malice leapt into her mind as if part of some warning system that her instincts had set off. And considering her instincts were uniquely accurate, she trusted them.

Behind her, the lab door opened and closed, and Laura turned to find her favorite patient, a firestarter named Kresley, walking toward her. With red hair several shades lighter than Laura’s dark auburn coloring, Kresley drew fast attention whenever she walked into a room. Her striking blue eyes and waiflike figure reminded Laura of a sea nymph from a fairy tale.

Kresley was the only patient Laura had brought with her to the island. Now a woman of twenty, the young girl had become close to Laura’s heart. After Kresley’s parents had turned away from her, treating her as if she were a freak, Laura had taken her into her home.

“What in the world are you doing up so early?” Laura asked, knowing how fitfully Kresley slept most nights.

Kresley smiled. “I had a bad dream last night.”

In her present state of unease, Laura wouldn’t have thought she could laugh, but she did. “Most people don’t smile over a bad dream, you know, but since the alarms in your room didn’t go off, I assume that can mean only one thing.”

“Yep,” Kresley said, nodding. “I had a nightmare and didn’t start a fire. I’m controlling my power even in my sleep.”

“Wonderful!” Laura said. She moved forward and hugged Kresley, pleased she’d called her firestarting ability a power rather than a curse, as she often did. Maybe it was hypocritical, considering how she felt about her own abilities, but Laura had grown up with something that had given her the confidence these kids didn’ t have— parents who loved her, parents who made sure she knew she mattered and, although she had to be secretive about her powers, she was special to them.

While working for the University of Texas, Laura had discovered the genetic marker that created certain people’s gifts, or powers. Once that discovery had been published, she’d been invited to the island to help a group of people with problems similar to Kresley’s— they couldn’t control their powers. And now, two years later, Laura had finally found the missing piece of the puzzle and created a retrovirus correction. Thankfully, it appeared to be working.

Laura had inherited four other patients when she’d come to the island, all kept locked away like animals. They were prisoners because they lacked control over their gifts. She suspected they would all love a little trip off the island.

She was starting to tell Kresley this wish when the door opened, and Captain Walch appeared in the entryway. Tall, with a muscular build and dark hair, Walch wore stiffly pressed, army-green dress pants and a white button-down shirt sturdy enough to display medals. His dark hair was cut short, his cheekbones were high and sharp, his nose long and pointed. As usual, his face was emotionless, even militant. Except for his eyes—they raked over Laura with a lusty inspection.

His gaze narrowed on Kresley and then refocused on Laura. “We need to talk,” he said.

Obviously he wasn’t keen on small talk on Kresley’s behalf. Not that he ever was. “Alone,” he added.

Laura turned to Kresley. “I’ll meet you in the coffee shop in a few minutes.”

Kresley hesitated, protectiveness flashing in her blue eyes. The two of them were close, and Kresley knew how much Laura hated being alone with Walch. “It’s okay,” Laura assured her. “I’ll only be a few minutes.” Kresley nodded and headed for the door, never glancing at Walch again.

Laura crossed her arms in front of her body, wishing for her lab coat—anything to cover her black dress. Not that the simple shell of a dress was anything but conservative, but Walch had a way of making her feel naked.

The door shut behind Kresley before either of them spoke. “You seem edgy, Laura,” Walch commented. “Something on your mind?”

Laura felt more than edgy—she felt defensive for no good reason. “Actually, yes,” she said, forcing herself to seize the opportunity. She knew Walch: he’d make whatever point he had come there to make and then dart away. She needed to be aggressive. “I think it’s time to test the patients’ control. A trip off the island would allow me to see how they respond to real-world stimulations.”

His response came fast—too fast, in fact. “You’re feeling good about your progress, then?”

Why did this feel like a trick question? “It’s moving along well,” she agreed cautiously, “but they still need regular injections to maintain the corrections I’ve made.”

“There won’t be a trip right now. Not anytime soon, for that matter. I have a team of researchers joining you later this week. They’ve shown me enough documentation to convince me they can clone your patients’ gifts in others. As I’ve mentioned on several occasions, the military finds this concept intriguing. More than intriguing—it’s an absolute necessity. This will happen. We expect it to happen.”

She drew in a surprised breath. Visitors? A research team? No wonder she was on edge. “I didn’t sign up for this. That’s not what I’m here for.”

He seemed unaffected by her response, in fact, was prepared for it. “If you want to continue receiving the funding and resources to complete your work, you’ll make this happen.”

“Is that a threat?” she demanded.

“Call it what you want, but we both know this is the next logical step in your work. We need to do this before someone else does. Our men must be the most deadly, the most well equipped.”

“By creating weapons of war,” she said. “I won’t do it. I came to help these people, not to fight wars. That’s your job, not mine.”

“You came here because you wanted our money and resources. You have all the resources you could dream of here and a chance to be a part of changing the world. Fix them while you help us. Think about what the next step in your research can mean to the future. It’s not about creating war—it’s about eliminating it.” His expression turned intense, emotion actually evident for once—emotion laced with hunger and greed. “When one opponent is the strongest, the others don’t fight. They don’t dare. You will be creating peace.”

She stared at him, swallowing hard. He was different from before. Darker. Evil seemed to cling to him, a second skin. She could feel it, primal, potent.

She had to get off this island. She would come back for her patients, but if she didn’t leave they might all be stuck here. Despite her fears, her voice was low but firm. “I’ve overstayed my welcome here. I want to go home.” He took a step toward her. Instinctively, she backed up. Already close to the window, her heels hit the baseboard. Her hands went to her sides, pressing against the ceiling-to-floor glass panels behind her.

“You have a job to do, and I suggest you accept that,” he said. He stood so close to her that the toes of his shoes were almost touching her sandals. “You will welcome your new research team with open arms, and you will eagerly aid their efforts.” He paused, his eyes lowering to her lips, lingering there before lifting. “And you will do so because it’s in the best interests of both you and your patients.”

“What does that mean?” she asked, fear fluttering in her stomach. It was fear for her patients, and fear because there was more going on here than she understood and she wished she knew what.

“It means that you are being monitored, Laura. You always have been. Anything you do that might interfere with our goals will be penalized. If you value the safety of your patients, then I’d stay on task.” He leaned in, his body far too near, his mouth brushing her earlobe. “And remember…I’ll be close.” He eased back and looked into her eyes. “And I’ll be watching.”

For the first time since she was a teen, Laura fought the rise of her powers, fought the desire to use them against this man. No… Beast. The word came to her clearly. He was a power-hungry Beast. Her adrenaline raged, her nerve endings stood on end. With effort she reined in the rush of energy, drew in a discreet, calming breath.

“Fine,” she said. “I’ll do it. I’ll help clone the marker.”

He smiled, evil. “That’s my girl.” His finger ran down her cheek, and she shivered with repulsion. A second later, he stepped away from her, and Laura felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders. “Your new research team will be here Friday morning,” he said. “I trust you’ll be ready for them.”

She glared at him, not agreeing, not daring to disagree. She couldn’t say or do anything until she knew what her next step would be. But as he exited the room, giving her one more lust-filled look over his shoulder, she knew one thing for certain. She had no intention of doing what he demanded. Somehow, some way, she was going to get off this island, and she was taking her patients with her. Their own powers were resources they themselves could put to use for escape if it came down to it. But she’d need to stockpile their medication first and plan carefully.

Then, they were out of here. One way or another, they were getting off this island.

Rinehart stepped onto the sandy beach of his island destination, after a long night on a boat spent, in part, blindfolded. Behind him several military police officers followed, one of them informing him their ride would be there shortly.

Only these soldiers weren’t men. Not anymore. They were Beasts in human disguises. Beasts that reeked of evil. The hardest part of the trip had been not killing them. No. That wasn’t true. The hardest part was thinking about his past, about the time he’d spent in the military and then the FBI. About the night he’d led his men on a mission deep into Mexico, his mind distracted by personal matters, by a woman, to be exact—a matter that should have been left at home. His team had fallen that night, ambushed by Beasts. He’d failed his men and his country. Why Salvador had saved him, converted him to a Knight of White, he didn’t know. Still didn’t. But when he’d finally pulled himself out of the self-hatred that day had created, he’d vowed to both himself and Salvador he would never fail the Knights.

Max, Rock, Des and their newest Knight, Lucan, joined him on the beachfront, reminding him of that vow. He had a damn good team who had worked miracles to get them here today. “My skin is crawling from being so near those bastards,” Des murmured under his breath, touching the arrowhead necklace he wore around his neck as a reminder of his Native American mother. Something he did often in troubled times.

“I hear ya, man,” Rinehart said. “We can’t get this job done fast enough to suit me.”

Rock came up on the other side of Rinehart. Like the rest of them, he wore khakis and a collar shirt. Gone was his standard attire of jeans, T-shirt and cowboy hat. But the more conservative clothing did nothing to contain his impetuous youth. “Remind me why I can’t take their heads right now,” he said.

Rinehart shook his head; that statement spoke worlds about why Rinehart kept Rock attached to his hip. If anyone were going to beat Rock’s ass, it would be him. “You gotta learn some patience, kid,” Max said, joining them, egging on Rock with the kid reference. They all knew he hated it.

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

LRJ: No, but sometimes they seem to know more than me. I’ll hit a spot where they just won’t talk to me and I can’t make word count. I always know I am going the wrong direction and that is the hold up. It’s frustrating, but, once the words come again, I always understand why I was stalled.

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

LRJ: A new DVD of Brothers and Sisters. I am currently obsessed with that show. I love Rob Lowe. I try to stick to only watching while on my exercise bike, but it’s better to think about my story than watch the DVD.

DC: You also have a Nocturne Bite, Demon Seduction, that released the same day as Captive of the Beast. This is also a Knights of White book. Please tell us about Marcus and his story.

LRJ: Marcus is a long lost, dark Knight who was born with magic. Without his mate he is fast turning into a demon. But his magic is needed to destroy a dangerous Sorcerer joining forces with the demon world. Black magic will tempt him, though. One woman will save him.

Blurb for Demon Seduction:

As a human, he was bitten by a demon, his soul stripped. As a demon, he was saved by an Angel, his soul returned to join the elite demon fighters, The Knights of White. Born into the gift of magic, Marcus Alexander is a rare breed of Knight of White, centuries old, the stain of that demon bite like acid eating away the good in his soul, leaving nothing but evil—his only salvation the elusive perfect soul mate. He is deadly to the demon world, able to kill them with far more than a sword, his magic immense, his ability growing stronger—and darker. Fearful of the day he will turn on his fellow Knights, he long ago sought solitude, vowing to destroy as many demons as he could before seeking death to save his soul. Now he is ‘The Destroyer’—alone—evil hunting evil.

Cathy Baker is a member of the Knights of White, a rare human, who like Marcus, is gifted with magic, and enlisted in the fight against the underworld. Bravely, she will face a powerful sorcerer intent on merging his magic with that of the master of the demons. But she is no match for the black magic she is facing and soon finds herself near death, in the care of the legendary ‘Destroyer’. Cathy soon learns that Marcus has a rare grasp and control over black magic, but he is so near the darkness, is susceptible to the black magic the enemy is using against him. Now, Cathy must pull him back into the light, save his soul and her own in the process—before the enemy destroys humanity.

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?

LRJ: I started out writing straight contemporary with a light voice. I have a Blaze coming out in December – a fun, light story that is back to my roots. I LOVED writing that story and hope to do more like it VERY soon. The story is Santa Baby and my heroine gets into a lot of mishaps despite being a well pulled together career woman. She is funny and down to earth. Her hero is a rich Clooney kind of guy who is swept off his feet quite unexpectedly. No demon lurking beneath his surface. Just a real man who learns to love. I enjoyed the departure from the dark side. I love the chance to switch between genres. It keeps things fresh for me.

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

LRJ: I write across genres so no, not really. I do have an Urban Fantasy proposal (which is new to me) I am working on with a male lead that will be under a new pen name. I love this idea and can’t wait to get it ready to present. It’s been a time issue more than anything holding me back.

DC: Later this year you have a novella in the Wrapped in Seduction anthology that also features Cathryn Fox and Jodi Lynn Copeland. Can you give us a sneak peek in to your contribution to the book?

LRJ: This was such a fun story/book to write. It’s very Brothers and Sisters in tone. Yes, I’m obsessed with that show! The stories are linked by the family connection as everyone comes home for Christmas and craziness erupts, but there is a sexy romance for each novella as well. VERY SEXY. We also have a family story that starts with novella one, which is mine, and progresses with each novella. This family story impacts each character/story and ties each novella together. I think it’s very unique that way. I love my hero and his brothers in this story and my heroine is a lawyer turned best selling author with writer’s block.

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

LRJ: To follow my dreams. I let years go by where I lived 80-hour weeks and high stress was the norm. Success convinced me my dreams were about success not substance.

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

LRJ: I was a corporate executive. I owned a large staffing agency in three states. I am so much happier now.

DC: What’s your favorite book?

LRJ: Too many to list! I have so many I adore for so many different reasons and I read across genres. Loving the Moning Urban Fantasy series right now.

DC: What else is on the horizon for Lisa Renee Jones?

LRJ: I have a new pen name as Faith Winter for Grand Central – The series is the ‘RENEGADE’ series and the first two books are Sinful Pleasures and Sinful Desires. This is about a group of Super Soldiers created from Area 51 experiments and split between good and evil. The first book is May 2010. I will have a website up soon at faith-winter.com

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate?  — Anything chocolate does me quite perfectly!
- smooth or chunky peanut butter?  –Chunky on a bagel
- heels or flats?   — I spent so many years in heels running through airports, so give me my flats!
- coffee or tea? — white mocha Starbucks – I’m addicted – I need intervention
- summer or winter?  — Having left Texas for New York, that is a debate I am still trying to work through. I love the beautiful snow but the cold is an adjustment. Still, I hated getting in my car in Texas and needing a towel to touch the steering wheel!
- mountains or beach? — Both! I love them both. And now I live by the beach. I laugh when I go to a store and there are seagulls in the parking lot. It reminds me I am minutes from the beach and need to get out of the house!
- mustard or mayonnaise? — Mustard – mayo is WAY too fattening. I save my calories for chocolate and white mochas. You know, stuff with substance.
- flowers or candy?  –  I can look out my window and see amazing flowers in Long Island—it’s beautiful. So I’ll take the chocolate.
- pockets or purse?   — Purse for sure! I’m very girly. I like purse and pink. I think I like pink because of my conservative work days where black was a staple.
- Pepsi or Coke?   — Green tea but I’d take Coke over Pepsi. I just don’t drink soda.
- ebook or print?  — Print or audio. Loving audio! So great for housework, jogging, driving!

Because we just like these questions:

1. What is your favorite word?   — Love
2. What is your least favorite word?    — Hate
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?   — My family
4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?     — The internet distraction
5. What sound or noise do you love?    — Ocean waves
6. What sound or noise do you hate?     — The law people who always show up while I am in deep concentration like NOW!
7. What is your favorite curse word?    — You can’t live in New York without the word FOCK becoming familiar in a laughable way!
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?    — Been there, done that. Stick with where I am now.
9. What profession would you not like to do?    — What I already did – corporate executive
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?   — “Relax PLEASE!”

DC: Thank you, Lisa, for spending the day with us. It was a pleasure!

Liviania’s review of Undying (Clare Point, Book 2) by V.K. Forrest (No author website found)
Paranormal romance released by Kensington 1 Dec 08

I didn’t even read the blurb before starting Undying.  All I knew was that there were vampires.  (This confused me as the first chapter seemed to be through the point-of-view of a werewolf.  Turns out the hero can shapeshift into any animal.)  This novel is the sequel to Eternal, whose heroine is a main character in Undying, but it still stands on its own. 

Arlan, the hero, belongs to a clan of vampires.  They’re trying to redeem themselves, so they pay attention to human crime and take the worst offenders out.  Arlan is a handyman by day, enforcer by night.  Generally he’s a nice guy with a rough job and completely in love with Fia (the previous heroine), who doesn’t love him back.  But one one-night stand is about to become more.

Maggie/Macy is an informant to FBI agent/vampire Fia.  She’s been in contact with the Buried Alive Killer since he killed her family, and she’s finally had enough.  While she wants to give information to Fia to help her catch the criminal, Macy doesn’t want to reveal her own past and often lies about what she knows.  She finds herself growing closer to Arlan even though she usually pushes people away to protect them from the killer.

What follows is the standard hunting the killer down plot.  The fact that most of the characters are vampires allows the plot to work, but doesn’t add much to the story.  It doesn’t help that most of the side plots – Fia’s brother being missing, the dissolution of her relationship – only tangentially relate to the main plot.  It’s all a little lackluster.  In addition, the resolution of the romance isn’t entirely satisfying.  It feels true to the characters but a certain aspect of it could be expanded.

Undying wasn’t badly written and I never felt the urge to put it down.  On the other hand, once I finished all I felt was “blah.”  It wasn’t bad but it still managed to feel like a waste of time, both because I’ve read similar a thousand times before and because of the ending.  Also, I’m not the least bit curious about what happens before or after.  If I were bored I might pick up the next one, but I doubt I’ll ever read Eternal.  The relationship doesn’t even make it through the second book, so why spend an entire novel reading about how they got together?  I did like Fia and Arlan but their spark was overwhelmed by the blah.

Grade: C-

Summary
.
The Kahill vampire clan has lived among humans for hundreds of years in Delaware’s peaceful village of Clare Point. In Undying, V.K. Forrest introduces readers to Arlan, a fierce member of the clan who must fight his desire for a love most forbidden…
.
As part of the Kahill clan’s special operations “kill team,” Arlan is devoted to ridding the world of its most depraved human members. He’s been asked by fellow clan member and FBI Agent Fia Kahill to assist in one of her investigations: the notorious Buried Alive Killer case. Arlan agrees to meet with one of Fia’s key informants, Macy Smith, but he’s completely unprepared for his response to the young woman. Blond, petite, and achingly beautiful, Macy is everything Arlan could want in a woman—and it’s clear the attraction is mutual. Although Arlan once vowed he would never again let himself fall in love with a human being, he surrenders to his overpowering desire for Macy…
.
Soon, Arlan and Macy keep mysteriously crossing one another’s paths, even in Clare Point. In Macy, Arlan can sense a loneliness that reminds him of his own and a vulnerability that tugs at his soul. But Macy is a drifter with a past far darker than even Arlan can imagine. And when the Buried Alive Killer strikes again, he learns that Macy has a deep connection to the case—one that will put her in the crosshairs of the killer if Arlan can’t find a way to protect her…
.
V.K. Forrest lives with her family in Seaford, Delaware. Undying is the second book in her Clare Point series.
.
Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series [Gwen Ed.: very pretty covers]:

This just in…

Kensington Publishing is making some much needed changes to their Zebra Debut line. Both the look of their books and the price are affected.

~ The price break of trying a new author’s debut Zebra book is rising from $3.99 to $4.99 and that author’s second published book will go from $4.99 to $5.99.

~ And Zebra covers are getting a brand new look. Besides removing the ever-present price from the front cover of their debut books, it seems as though you’ll now be buying books that give the feel of the genre you’re wanting to read.

~ Take as an example Zebra Historical author Anthea Lawson’s debut book Passionate, picture to the left.

~ Compare it to her her second Zebra-published book, All He Desires, which is pictured on the right. The latter is beautiful and looks like an historical.

~ I mean, heavens, if it walks and talks like a duck…er, zebra…

~ Another example is debut author Lori Brighton’s book, Wild Heart. It has also been given a beautiful cover with an historical feel to it. See that cover below. Hopefully someone over at Kensington is getting a raise for their terrific idea.

~ It will be interesting to see what the other genres look like when these changes take effect in August 2009.

Consider yourself flashed.

Sandy M’s review of One September Morning by Rosalind Noonan
Contemporary Women’s Fiction released by Kensington 1 Jan 09

I’ve not read any books of any sort about 9-11 or anything to do with its aftermath since that cloudless, sky-blue September day in 2001. I never wanted to. I never felt the need to. So I’m not sure why this particular book called to me when I found out about it. But I’m glad it did. This is a moving, touching, emotional albeit terrifying story of what can happen on any given day to change our lives. This story’s backdrop just happens to be the military and our country’s war in Iraq.

At first I wasn’t sure I was going to like each chapter shifting from character to character to advance the story, but this method actually works in this instance. You get the full effect of what that character is feeling and doing at that point in time. Another issue I had to get used to was reading in present tense instead of past tense. It didn’t take long, though, and that actually worked for this story also, bringing you more into the moment with these characters and their lives as it’s happening.

Abby Stanton is suddenly living every military wife’s nightmare. Her husband John has been killed in action while stationed in Iraq during the war. She has to deal with an overbearing mother-in-law and career Army father-in-law who wants their son touted as a hero, full military honors, burial at Arlington, the whole nine yards. What they don’t know is that John, though he left a successful and lucrative professional football career to enlist, had been doubting his country’s duty in Iraq. American soldiers have done what they can, now it’s time for them to go home. Abby tries to tend to John’s wishes and also allow his mother some comfort in seeing her son honored.

It’s when her college buddy Flint, a reporter embedded with a unit during the war, digs for more information for Abby that she learns John was killed by friendly fire. And it may have been deliberate. She’s determined to find out exactly what happened to her husband, whether his death was an accident or murder. Of course, the Army isn’t raising a hand to help her, no matter which avenue she takes. She meets the rest of John’s unit when they come home months later to see what info she can get from them, and she meets Charles Jump, the psychologist assigned to help soldiers through bad times when engaged in battle. He’s a little too eager to become more to her than she wants when still dealing with such tragedy, but it is nice having a man around again, if her guilt will let her.

There’s so much more that goes on in this book, of course. John’s brother Noah, a nurse, was in the same unit when John was killed; he has his own issues with his brother’s death and the war itself. Their young, teenage sister Madison is at the age that everything seems to be going wrong. The soldier who was by John’s side when he was hit has a hard time dealing with the fact he couldn’t help the man their unit looked up to. Even their superior officers’ thoughts and feelings are given fair opportunity with a couple of chapters. The author gives us a look at practically every feeling and emotion that could be associated with such loss. The only thing I wanted but didn’t get was more of an ending of what happens to the sociopathic bastard who caused such heartache.

Even though our hero is killed early on in the book, we still get the love story woven throughout the heartache and it’s a lovely story. There are those little funny moments we all have in life, even in the midst of such suffering. The evil encompassed on these pages is something you hope you’ll never see. There have been, of course, questions about the coincidence, I guess you could say, between this story and Pat Tillman’s, who also left a successful football career to enlist and was killed in Iraq. Ms. Noonan’s book, however, had been started well before that young man’s death. And, obviously, Tillman’s story doesn’t have the deliberate act of murder by a fellow soldier.

If you’ve been thinking about reading this book, and even if you haven’t, please do. It’s well worth the time.

Grade: A-

Summary:
.
The moment Abby sees two soldiers approach her front door, she knows her husband is dead. John Stanton, who gave up his career as an NFL running back to serve in the army after 9/11, has been killed in Iraq.
.
Suddenly Abby’s kitchen is overflowing with casseroles brought by the army wives’ club to which she has never really belonged. And her in-laws arrange a lavish funeral at Arlington National Cemetery, in spite of Abby’s misgivings. John had grown to hate the war even though he loved his country, and Abby can’t reconcile the complex man she knew with the version being portrayed by self-serving politicians, military leaders and the media.
.
Shell-shocked, Abby strives to cope with her own heartache while comforting John’s loved ones, including his mother Sharice, his staunchly anti-war sister Madison, his bitter younger brother Noah, and his father, a Vietnam veteran and career soldier now retired from the U.S. Army.
.
While others focus on preserving John’s fame, Abby becomes more and more convinced that John wasn’t killed by the enemy, but by someone he knew and trusted. ONE SEPTEMBER MORNING is a gripping and thoughtful story of loyalty and betrayal, a tale of one shattered family’s journey toward healing, and an examination of the courage it takes to confront the truth not just about our enemies but also about those we love.
.
Read an excerpt.

Kept by Jami Alden (website seriously needs to be updated)

Here is a look at the second Gemini Man, Derek Taggart, who will be hitting the shelves tomorrow in Jami Alden’s newest release KEPT.  She will be here Febuary 24 to chat with us as well as there will be a contest or two.

Enjoy

Ethan and Derek Taggart: they’re the men of Gemini, and when it comes to sheet-scorching undercover work, nobody does it better. The only one they answer to is big brother Danny – that is, until the right women come along to grab the reins and crack the whip as hard as the Taggart men like it…

Security is Derek Taggart’s game, and he plays it straight – no margin for error, no time to fool around…except with one hot little number who changes everything. He takes her home when she needs a ride – one she’ll never forget. The problem is Derek can’t forget her, a total about-face for a guy who keeps his enemies closer than his lovers. Then he finds out the sexy dynamo is Alyssa Miles, notorious party girl and darling of the gossip rags. It’s time to walk away and never look back, which would be a hell of a lot easier if his agency didn’t desperately need the high-profile gig her family’s offering: a minor detail that consists mainly of Derek watching Alyssa 24/7. Keeping an eagle eye on every inch of Alyssa’s nubile body isn’t exactly a hardship – the problem is keeping his hands off and his brain on when things go dangerously wrong…

Derek Taggart. His name suited him. Hard and tough with plenty of sharp edges. He was beautiful in a way that reminded her of the harsh granite faces of the Grand Tetons. Rugged and chiseled, with great eyes, square jaw and cheekbones that stood out beneath his skin.

One look at him and she knew he wasn’t a party guest. She would have noticed him immediately if he’d been in the crowd. His size alone would have drawn her attention. He wasn’t merely tall, he was huge, towering over her, but from what she could tell it was all hard muscle. But it didn’t take a psychic to see he wasn’t part of this crowd, that he was here to work and he took his job very, very seriously.

She watched him, stationed up on the gallery like a sentry guarding a tower. His weight from foot to foot as he surveyed the crowd, looking ready to spring into action at the slightest provocation. The jacket of his suit pulled tight as he folded his massive arms across his chest. His gaze slid back to her, and even from across the room and one story down, she could feel its heat. It unknotted the tension in her neck, slid down her spine, and sent a warm glow shimmering down her thighs.

This time he didn’t break the stare, and it was she who reluctantly turned away. She continued to work the room, shilling for silent auction bids on the small fortune in diamonds that adorned her finger and wrist. Through it all she could feel him looking at her, his gaze like firm, warm fingers tracing over her skin.

Being stared at wasn’t new. She’d lived in a fishbowl her entire life, first thanks to her mother’s then to her own publicity attracting antics. Yes, sometimes it chafed, never more than recently, but Alyssa had grown so used to being looked at, watched, and judged that she was almost immune to it.

“…disgusting. Mindy is sixteen, and because of Alyssa Miles she thinks it’s okay to go around dressed like a whore and sleeping with everyone in sight.”

The snippet of conversation pierced Alyssa’s warm glow. Almost immune.

Alyssa turned and gave the woman a guileless smile as though she hadn’t heard a single barb.

She blocked the woman’s comments out, instead focusing on him. His stare, sliding over her like a hot flame. He wanted her. She could feel it. That, too, was nothing new. Not because she was extraordinarily beautiful. But she knew she had her appeal and had played up her image as a sultry, playful sexpot in the press. Now it was all but guaranteed that men looked at her and thought of only one thing.

But this was different. Derek was different.

He had no idea who she was.

A delicious thrill had shot through her the moment realization had dawned in the study. When he walked into the room, all of her senses had gone on high alert. Not only was he a strange man, he was an attractive strange man. No. Scratch that. A smoking-hot-set-the-skin-of- your-inner-thighs-on-fire man. The last thing she wanted was for him to notice her reaction to his dark, sun streaked hair, chiseled jaw and acres of muscles.

So when he’d tried to hustle her back to the party, she’d done what she always did in those situations. Put on her “don’t you know who you’re dealing with” act and tried to shoo him away like the insignificant insect she pretended to think he was.

But he wasn’t having any of it. He didn’t care who she was. Because he didn’t know who she was.

He hadn’t so much as quivered an eyelash when she told him her name. She couldn’t remember the last time that happened.

Derek, who was already a blatant ten, shot up to fifteen on the hotness scale. When he shook her hand she’d felt scorched all the way down to her red toenails.

And he felt it too. She could see the surge of awareness in his eyes, the blast of desire, quickly shuttered by his dark gaze. But he couldn’t hide it. Not completely.

The thrill shot through her again and it was all she could do to keep still as another socialite held Alyssa’s arm so the woman’s husband could admire the platinum cuff. He wanted her. And not like other men wanted her. He didn’t want the crazy sexy party girl or the notorious heiress.

He didn’t want to fuck her so he could brag to his friends and the media about how he’d nailed Alyssa Miles and it really wasn’t all that great after all.

He didn’t want to fuck her so she could introduce him to a producer, a director, or a record label executive.

Derek Taggart looked at her and saw a gorgeous girl he met at a fancy party and wanted to get with. As simple as that.

Sure, he probably saw her as a rich bitch – her initial response insured that, much to her regret. But she could get past that. Her public persona was another beast entirely. It wasn’t an image she cultivated, but once established she used it to her advantage, and had thought she’d made peace with the fact that it would forever taint every interaction she had with another human being.

But she felt gut-deep thrill from knowing a man like Derek wanted her. Not the image. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone wanted her for herself.

There was nothing to be done about it, though. As the night wore on, Alyssa didn’t have another opportunity to speak to Derek, even though she knew he tracked her every move. She considered sneaking back to the study, just to see if he’d chase her down, but as the silent auction drew to a close she was surrounded by guests who all wanted one last look at Van Weldt Jeweler’s exquisite designs.

“I’m going to walk Mother and Daddy out,” Kimberly leaned down to speak quietly into Alyssa’s ear.

“But they haven’t even done the auction yet,” Alyssa said, frowning. She knew her father would want to stay and find out how much his donated jewels had fetched.

“I know,” Kimberly replied, her voice lowering so no one else could hear. “But I’m afraid Mother is about to lose it.”

Alyssa looked across the ballroom, where Grace clung to Oscar’s arm. As Alyssa watched, Grace weaved, barely noticeable to the untrained eye. Her social smile was gone and her mouth was pursed tight.

“Oh and I reminded Bryan to pick you up in the back by the servant’s entrance so you won’t have to deal with the photographers.”

Alyssa nodded, grateful her sister had remembered. In the past six months, Alyssa had done a complete one eighty with the press. Now, unless she was with her family or doing publicity on behalf of the company, she avoided reporters like the plague.

Which only served to make her a more tempting target. She knew that along with the hired photographer there were dozens of paparazzi outside the Bancrofts’ mansion in Atherton, waiting for a glimpse of Alyssa, hoping she’d do something stupid like slip and fall and lose her top or show her underwear.

Finally the auction was over and most of the guests were milling around the front door, waiting for their cars and limos to arrive.

Alyssa did another scan of the room, tamping down her disappointment when she didn’t see Derek. Stupid. What do you think is going to happen?

She closed her eyes, memorizing his face, taking that memory of desire in his eyes and curling it close.

She retrieved her coat from the coat check and slipped out the back entrance, down the short driveway that led to the street on the side of the house opposite the front door.

And waited. She looked at her watch. It was still early, not even ten. But the crowd at these things always skewed older, and Alyssa figured they all needed to get home and tucked into bed before midnight.

Another ten minutes passed, and Bryan, the driver from the car service still wasn’t there. Annoyed, she flicked open her cell phone and called.

Bryan’s town car had been clipped on the freeway. Another car was en route, but it would be at least a half an hour before it arrived.

Alyssa bit back a curse.

“What’s up with you going where you’re not supposed to?”

The deep gruff voice slid around her, grabbed her and wouldn’t let go. She couldn’t have held back her smile if she wanted to.

His eyes were hidden in shadow, but his mouth curved into a half smile, and a dimple creased the left corner of his mouth. His lips were firm and full and she knew they’d be hot against her skin.

“Do I even want to know why you’re hanging out at the servant’s entrance looking like you’re about to stick your thumb out?”

“I didn’t want to have to deal with the crowd on my way out. And now my driver got into an accident, so it looks like I’m stranded for a while.”

He was silent for several moments, and though his eyes were shadowed she could feel him studying her.

Ask me.

“Can I give you a ride home?” He almost looked shocked that he’d asked.

She didn’t let that stop her. “Sure,” she said without hesitation.

A slight frown creased his forehead, but he gave her a curt nod and left without another word to get his car.

As she waited she shifted on her sky-high heels, restless, alive with anticipation. After so many months on her best behavior, a reckless urge was pulsing through her. Uncontrollable, unstoppable. She needed to forged the consequences and do something outrageous.

But this time it wouldn’t be for attention, publicity, or her father’s censure. This time it would be all for herself. She’d been so good, watching her every move for so long. Surely she deserved a little treat?

A silver Audi rumbled up to the driveway and Alyssa wasted no time sliding into the passenger seat. The leather was cool against her bare thighs, and the interior of the car was full of his cedar and soap scent.

He backed out of the driveway and turned the corner, passing the snarl of limos and guests crowding the circular driveway of the Bancrofts’ estate.

“Where to?”

Nerves warring with desire, Alyssa rummaged in her bag and dug out her lip gloss, slicking on a coat to give herself something to do.

Derek stopped at a stop sign. “Where are we going?”

She swallowed hard, her throat suddenly bone dry. What she was about to do was crazy. Stupid.

Necessary.

“You know, it’s so early,” she said, and turned to face him. She kept her eyes locked with his and placed her hand deliberately on his thigh. “And I’m not quite ready to go home.”

He stared at her hard for what felt like an eternity. His thick, dark brows drew together in a harsh scowl.

Her stomach bottomed out as she realized he was about to turn her down.

“You want to get a drink somewhere?”

The moment of truth. She slid her hand farther up his thigh, delighting in the swells and ripples of rock hard muscle hidden beneath wool gabardine. “I’m not much for crowds. Why don’t you just take me back to your place?”

Sybil’s Review of Caught (Gemini Men, Book 1) by Jami Alden
Romantic Suspense released by Brava 1 Oct 08

I first became interested in this series back when Jami Alden told us about her new Brava trilogy. The excerpt grabbed me. What can I say?  I am a sucker for a smartass heroine. I know, this shocks you.

Toni is a computer geek used to using her keyboard kungfu to get what she needs where as Ethan is more used to using his smile. They are brought together when 17 year old Kara Kramer turns up missing.  As the daughter of one of Gemini’s clients, Ethan is called in to help. Toni shows up with the recent ex Mrs. Karmer (Toni’s PI services helped her become a wealthy ex). Both Toni and Ethan have their own pasts to color their view of Kara’s disappearance, neither really knowing if there is anything more here than a kid looking for attention, trouble or if she has found it. Her parents swear she is a good kid, with good grades and a good web page on FacePlace called V-Club, where she has promised to stay a virgin until marriage. While the dad blames it on the mom for being a drunk and the mom blames dad for being too busy screwing his assistant, Ethan takes charge, or tries too.

What follows is an interesting, fast paced tale with a twist, a ‘ripped from the headlines’ feel to it, and a heavy dose of nothing ever dies on the Internet.  So you know those nekkid pictures?  Yeah, don’t post them or at least make sure she really is over age. I am pretty sure there was something of a plot hole regarding the FacePlace posting but I am not really familiar with Myspace or Facebook so I could be wrong and my kungfu is so not that good. So I just nodded and went with it. Computer geeks of the world might not. The photo stuff is cool though, but again, totally over my head. It did what I like in a good suspense story, which means it kept me turning the pages and made me think.

The characters are grand and might be one of Jami’s strongest points. She does amazing men. Really I would say Ethan, Derek and Danny are all great male characters who get along like brothers and sound like men. When they are together there is a serious lack of hand holding and tea, the language is more than a bit rough and something you might expect from ex-military men. Jami Alden has a great way of giving you their history without a bunch of info dumping or allowing the other brothers to over take the story. You want to know more about them but they don’t steal the show from the romance.

And the romance was good and the h/h are given a nice amount of time together, something that is often lacking in romantic suspence but it is still the weakest part of the a strong story. She had a great set up. A strong female, and a yummy hero who falls hard. It is grand. Downfall is Jami Alden has four days to work with so it is a tough sell and the push/pull does get tedious. The love scenes are smoking and when they are together they click, but it is hard to buy why it is love over lust. In the end though I have to admit I wanted to believe and I’m really happy to have Kept to start next.

On a final note, I was amused because when I closed the book I thought it reminded me of Shannon McKenna’s older books and on the cover of Caught there is a quote from… Shannon McKenna.  Are you paying attention McKenna fangirls?

Grade: B-

Summary:

Got an investigation situation? Call the Gemini Men: Ethan and Derek Taggart. Yeah, they’re twins. Double the trouble and twice as sexy—women can’t get enough of them or their older brother Danny, who keeps ‘em in line when things get wild. The three Taggart men are hot, hard, and ready to take on all comers…

Ex-military. Tall. Chiseled. Intelligent and arrogant. And so hot he’s on fire. That’s Ethan Taggart. Male to the max. Toni Crawford, computer genius turned PI, can’t stop looking at him and Ethan’s returning the favor. Nice and slow. Those piercing blue eyes of his are about to melt her down but…nothing doing. Toni has to stay cool. Focus on the assignment: the teenage daughter of a multimillionaire just vanished in plain sight. Chasing down leads, investigating every freaky angle, pushing past the boundaries of a hellish underworld of sex and drugs, Ethan and Toni are forced to work closely to stalk an unseen enemy with a taste for cruel games. Risking their lives to save the missing girl is only half the battle. Their blazingly sensual attraction grows every second, until there’s no turning back. Their passion is about to explode…and Ethan and Toni soon find that danger breeds the hottest desire of all…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in The Gemini Men trilogy:
, Book 3: Unleashed by Jami Alden (29 Sep 09)

Sandy M’s review of Hotter Than Hell (Hell On Earth, Book 3) by Jackie Kessler
Contemporary Paranormal Romance published by Kensington 1 Aug 08

Well, this is one of those books I have no idea what in hell to do with.  Pun probably intended there. Jackie Kessler is a good author, no doubt about that when it comes to her writing.  What has me struggling is the hero of this book.  I actually hated him almost from page one.  The more I read in those first few chapters, I very  nearly put the book down.  I kept going, though.  Only to be left with one heck of a dilemma.

See, I’m very simplistic when it comes to reading. I’m not a deep thinker when reading romance. If you read my Pondering however many months ago at how I look at reading and grading books, you’ll see what I mean.  I go for a sexy, handsome hero.  That’s the main draw in a book for me besides the romance. The heroine comes in second.  I know most of you like a kick-ass heroine, one who doesn’t whine a lot.  Either is fine with me.  As long as she can bring that hero to his knees by the end of the book, I’m okay with her.  Of course, a good storyline goes without saying.  Hence, that’s why I’m happy with most everything I read and I usually give high grades. (Although I do have my moments once in a while with much lower grades.) [Syb note: no you can't request who reviews your book]

I don’t read between the lines when devouring a book.  I just want to be taken away in that fantasy world of true mates, love deeper than is imaginable, danger to overcome to bring the characters closer together, some awesome sex/love scenes, all to make me forget about real life for a while. I hear about everyone else’s problems in my job, life is too stressful and full of problems of my own, I don’t have the wherewithal for “realism” in my reading.  I want the true love fantasy every time. If I want deep thinking, I’ll go back to the classics.  Haven’t done that since college and haven’t missed it one damn bit. If I want accurate facts, I’ll read a resource book. I don’t need it in my books and if I don’t get it, doesn’t bother me. It’s all fantasy, for heaven’s sake.

Okay, Daun is a demon. An incubus. One of the top dogs of the Sin of Lust.  He’s supposed to do bad, ugly things.  And he does.  He does them darn well, with complete enthusiasm.  He has no redeeming qualities at all.  Until he meets the “client” his boss has picked out for him in a test to become a Prince, second only to Pan himself. I found that I did eventually sympathize with Daun’s character once his dilemma is thrown at him by the King of Lust. I still didn’t like him very much, however; but I certainly didn’t want him to bite the dust on the whim of someone who relishes languishing in the pits of Hell even more than Daun himself.

He must entice a heaven-bound soul into sin, to burn in hell for eternity.  Virginia is a woman hiding from something, and when Daun thinks he’s got her all figured out, he magics up the facade she should go for and homes in for the kill. To his surprise it doesn’t work.  So he needs help. He goes to a former love, Jezebel, who apparently is in previous books too, for advice. (I kept asking myself if I had read those previous books might it have made reading this one easier if I’d known Daun better.  No idea.)  Unfortunately, Daun still doesn’t really get it after Jezebel’s advice.  Not until much later.

When it all sinks in, though, things begin to change.  Not only for Daun, but for me too.  When he starts to see Virginia as a woman, a person, a human being instead of something to screw to slake his lust, he begins to grow some feelings, the first he’s ever had and something he knows demons don’t do.  I began to grow some like for him.  He’s still not a hero that’s going to make his book sit on my keeper shelf, but he does learn something in his journey of seducing Virginia.  In between all of this, he’s got other Sins coming at him with death in their eyes. He can’t figure out what’s going on and why they want to kill him. It’s the what-won’t-kill-you-will-make-you-stronger thing, according to Pan, which actually works, but not the way the boss thinks.

So I did thaw a little toward Daun when he finally began to change, inside and out. I might have gone even further than that, but then I felt jerked around with the way the book ended. I feel like I wasted my time.  Not because there isn’t the usual HEA, which I would have liked after all the hell I went through to get to the end (pun intended again), but it seemed that so much time was wasted throwing Daun and Virginia together, leading us down a rosy path that wasn’t meant to be; though I do realize we had to go that route for Daun and his attitude adjustment. Which is another reason I’m not sure what to do with this book.  I’m given good reason for things, but those things still stuck in my craw.

In the hands of a lesser writer, I would have graded this book much lower.  However, even though a lot of it isn’t what I’d like to see in my romance, dark or otherwise, I do have to give kudos where it’s due for the finer points of writing and storytelling. But I have a lot of residual ambivalence after the fact. I’m still thinking of doing a take-off of the old “He loves me/He loves me not” routine – I love this book/I hate this book….

Grade: B

Read Gwen’s review.

Summary:

The incubus Daunuan loves his job: seduce a lot of mortals, bring their souls to Hell, party at the best interdimensional pub this side of the Astral Plane. But when the King of Lust makes him an offer he can’t refuse, Daun has to give up all the tricks of his trade to properly befriend—and bed—Virginia Reed, a woman who’s meant for Heaven.

If he can get her to love him for the incubus he really is, and if he can avoid the rogue demons that are hell-bent on destroying him for reasons unknown, Daun will become the First Principal of Lust, second in line to the King. But Daun learns that love is more than a four-letter word, and that maybe, just maybe, demons really do have feelings after all…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Today, Chrissy Brashear, owner of Samhain made the announcement.

“By mutual agreement Kensington and Samhain have dissolved our co-venture agreement. Current circumstances being what they do not make it conducive for the launch of a new print program. Once things settle we can revisit the idea of working together.”

Personal statement – I write for Samhain.

I think this says more about Kensington than it does about Samhain. My Samhain sales are very nice, even though my books there are highly sensual rather than erotic, (my erotic romances are at Ellora’s Cave and Loose Id) and I’ve seen steady growth. Samhain authors are in general a very happy lot. But as last week’s Samhain top tens showed, the majority of the big sales are in erotic romance.

Last week, Kensington halved their Aphrodisia line and the editor of the line, the much respected Hilary Sares, left. I don’t know if I’m adding two and two and getting five here, but it looks like Kensington is cutting back on erotic romance. What they’ll replace it with remains to be seen.

I have to say that my erotic romances sell like the proverbial.  So is it that erotic romance sells better online? That readers don’t want to go into a bookstore and buy it? In this day and age? I doubt it. Other houses are doing very well with their erotic romances. Harlequin have souped up the Presents/Modern and Silhouette Desire lines, which often contain explicit scenes these days, and the Blaze line is going great guns.

At this stage I have more questions than answers, but the news is out there. I love Kensington as a house, and I think they produce quality books. Some of my favorite authors write for them. I was sad when Hilary left, but I have to say that although I have Aphrodisia books in my TBR, I haven’t read them yet. Maybe that’s it?

LauraJ’s review of My Favorite Phantom by Karen Kelley
Contemporary paranormal romance released by Brava 1 Jan 09

Karen Kelley has quickly become one of my favorite comedic authors. I know without a doubt that I am going to spend a lot of time laughing and occasionally snorting while reading one of her books. It’s been a couple of books since she has tackled humor with ghosts (Double Dating With the Dead) so I was glad when she penned another ghost story. I was hoping for her to bring back Dixie and Wesley, the ghosts from DDWtD (and I’m still hoping someday she will — hint hint). No Dixie and Wesley in this book, but still a very funny and very entertaining read.

In this newest book, history professor Peyton Cache needs to hire someone to get rid of a ghost that is haunting his house and he needs this done quickly before an important dinner party he is hosting to win a potential grant. He’s up against another professor, a wannabe proper Englishman with a bad fake British accent. He calls Ghost Be Gone the only ghost exterminators in a 500 mile radius.

Kaci Melton arrives at Peyton’s house expecting to find a stodgy old professor and Peyton is anything buy old and stodgy. She doesn’t usually go out to actually rid houses of ghosts, that’s her dad’s job. She runs the back office and invents equipment for her dad, but her dad has gotten in a tight spot with a loan shark named Guido and Kaci is sent by her father to Peyton’s to get rid of the ghost and hide out until her dad is able to payoff Guido. Now as long as she can keep Peyton from finding out that little tidbit and the fact that she is actually afraid of ghosts then everything should be okay.

Almost immediately there is an attraction between Kaci and Peyton and this attraction quickly progresses when after an encounter with Peyton’s ghost Kaci ends up in his bed.

This book took me a little longer to get into (but I really think that was because of my mood), but by the third chapter I was having a hard time putting it down. The last 3 books I have read by Mrs. Kelley have been her alien/Planet Nerak which I loved. They were silly, fun books with outrageous situations. This book also shows off Mrs. Kelley’s gift for humor. She has a way of bring out “zingers” in what would seem like a more serious situation.

Kaci, although afraid of ghosts, knows how important this job is to help her father. She’s very likeable with her quick wit, finds she has a lot more determination and courage than she thought.

Peyton, while not quite the stodgy professor Kaci expects, he’s still seems a little uptight at first. But when Kaci reveals that she is indeed afraid of ghosts, Peyton wants to fire her but Kaci’s determination makes him decide to give her another chance. Peyton has other motives as he finds that he is attracted to her. This man knows how to talk to a woman. The love scenes are very hot thanks to Peyton who is an expert at using words to get Kaci hot and excited.

The secondary characters are Daniel, a co-worker and competing professor for the grant money and Edward the ghost. Daniel will probably remind readers of someone they work with, the one that seems more important and valuable than he really is. Kaci handles him quite nicely. Edward is quite mischievous in his haunting (remember the green ghost at the hotel in “Ghostbusters”?), but didn’t quite grab me as Dixie and Wesley did in DDWtD. I liked their interactions with the main characters and with each other more.

This was a very funny book that will have you laughing out loud in many places and warming up your cold winter nights. I’m not sure when Mrs. Kelley will be coming out with her next new book, but I’ll be waiting for it anxiously.

Grade: B+

Summary:

When professor Peyton Cache bought a big, gloomy, romantic Victorian house, he should have expected a ghost. He certainly got one, the kind that likes to float his undies around and drop slime in the stairwell for fun. But the professor can’t let the rest of the faculty know he’s lost his mind, so he hires a ghost hunter on the down-low. But somehow, when he booked a ghost hunter, he didn’t think that he was getting a live-in leggy blonde with an attitude like a Jersey gangster and a body like a pinup poster…Kaci Melton needs to hide out for a while, and where better to disappear than a haunted house on one of her dad’s ghost-hunting jobs? All she’ll have to do is deal with a crabby old professor for a couple of days and kick out one measly ghost. Two problems: the professor is a tasty young guy with piercing blue eyes, six-pack abs, and a penchant for talking dirty. And the ghost scares the panties off her…actually given the professor, maybe that’s not a problem. But if she can’t tell him the truth – and she can’t – how is she going to get him to keep up all that wonderful sex? Especially when she’s starting to kinda like him…

Read an excerpt here.

Anyone, anyone?

Hello?

::echo::

so sad… no one tells me nuthing about nuthing ::pout::

I R Abused. Go away for a lil while and the whole world forgets about you

::kicks rock::

Connie’s Quick Quack review of A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick
Contemporary women’s fiction released by Kensington 30 Oct 08

When Evelyn Dixon’s marriage ends abruptly she is at a loss until she takes a trip to a totally new town and finds the perfect (to her) spot to open her dream quilt shop. 

All the locals think she won’t have enough business to last six months but Evelyn is determined to try. Like all best laid plans many things go wrong and the business is indeed threatened. And it happens at a time that Evelyn’s health is not good.  New friends decide to help her keep the shop going.

Liza is troubled after the death of her mother and she is thrust on her aunt and both have a hard time with that. Aunt Abigail is wealthy but her feelings are kept under strict control. Liza blames Abigail for not trying to help her mother and is determined to make the situation as unpleasant as possible.

This is a small town with some really nice people. I don’t quilt but the story is compelling enough that it doesn’t matter.  All women need to be aware of the fight against breast cancer and how to help beat it. Everyone should find a character they like and enjoy the story.

Grade: B

Summary:

Marie’s fourth book, A SINGLE THREAD, will be her first contemporary novel. The November trade paperback tells the story of a displaced Texas homemaker who moves to Connecticut and pursues her dream of opening a quilt shop. But, on the day the shop opens, the owner discovers she has breast cancer. She survives, with the loving help of her friends.

Read an excerpt.

LauraD review of Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage by Sally Smith O’Rourke (no author site found)
Fiction released by Kensington 1 Oct 08

I do love Christmas stories, the sweeter and more sentimental the better. Sally Smith O’Rourke wrote Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage with her late husband Michael, and it certainly fits the bill — but it’s also something a bit different.

Our narrator is a dog, a retriever named Meteor to be exact. The tale begins with Meteor being adopted by Robert, the lighthouse keeper on a small island in the Outer Banks. Robert has lost a leg in an unnamed war, and has emotional wounds as well. An aspiring writer, he shuns socializing and Meteor is his only company. One stormy day, Robert (and Meteor) rescue a beautiful young woman from the sea and both their lives are changed.

Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage has an old-fashioned feel to it, helped along by the author’s decision not to clutter the story with brand names or pop culture references. Having Meteor as the storyteller works beautifully, his “voice” is simple but loving. I was skeptical at first, but it actually reminded me of one of my favorite books when I was little, Beautiful Joe by Marshall Saunders.

With the exception of Robert, the human characters are lightly written; they serve only to play out Meteor’s story of love, family, and loyalty. It’s a slim little novel, easily read at one sitting, although it touches on quite a few of the big incidents in the little family’s life. Bracketed by holidays, there are plenty of festive occasions within the pages, along with drama and tenderness.

I’m looking forward to pulling this one out again in another month or so, when the holiday hustle and crash gets a little too frenetic for me. I’ll sit down and spend a bit of time with Meteor and his family, and remember why I love the holidays.

Grade: A+

Summary:

With its rough gray shingles and weathered slate roof, Sea Pines cottage seems, at first glance, past its prime. But inside this remote fisherman’s house, a driftwood fire crackles in the fireplace, brightly colored rugs cover the floor, and cozy cushions dot the worn, welcoming furniture. A young man named Robert has retreated after the war, planning to spend his days writing, tending to the local lighthouse, and nursing his injuries—physical and mental. For company, he adopts a young Golden Retriever puppy named Meteor, who happily settles into life at Sea Pines, delighting in his master’s loving care. Robert and Meteor spend months in quiet companionship, until the day Robert rescues a young woman from a storm at sea.

Strong-willed and intelligent, Laura sees past Robert’s injuries to the proud, passionate man beneath, and—with some matchmaking help from Meteor—they begin a new life together at the cottage. When their son, Nicholas, is born on Christmas Eve, Meteor immediately becomes the little boy’s most loyal friend. But even Meteor’s tireless devotion can’t protect his cherished family from all of life’s unexpected challenges—hurdles that will teach each of them lessons of courage, faith, friendship, and the enduring love that can sustain us through life’s coldest seasons…

Read an excerpt.

LauraJ’s review of The Watson Brothers by Lori Foster
Contemporary romance single author anthology re-released by Kensington 1 Sep 08

I love Lori Foster’s novella stories. I haven’t read too many of her full length novels, but I have several on my tbr shelf. She’s just one of those authors I can go to if I want a good quick read. I know I’m going to get a fun, hot story every time. This book is a Wal-Mart reprint of novellas featuring Sam, Gil, and Pete Watson [Ed.: couldn't find the book on Wal-Mart's site, oddly enough]. All three stories can be found in the earlier anthologies: Bad Boys on Board (Sam), Bad Boys to Go (Gil) and Bad Boys in Black Tie (Pete). I have to say while I do have all three anthologies on my tbr shelf, I’m glad to have all three brothers in one book.

Story 1: “My House, My Rules”

In the first story, Sam is undercover to catch a mugger targeting drunks but has his cover almost blown when Ariel, thinking she is “saving” Sam gets involved in his bust. Sam has had eyes for Ariel for a long time but has kept a hands off policy for two reasons, she’s too young and she is his brother Pete’s ex-girlfriend. Ariel has made up her mind that it’s Sam she wants, now she has to convince him.

This was probably my favorite of the three stories as I tend to like the alpha male heroes. Sam is defiantly an alpha male and one who has met his match with the feisty, determined Ariel. I loved their interaction, Sam determined to convince Ariel that she can’t handle a man like him, Ariel determined to show him exactly what she can handle.

Grade: A

Summary:

Tough, rugged cop Sam Watson has a reputation for being a hero on the job and delivering mind-blowing pleasure in the bedroom. But the only woman who drives him over the edge is the one who’s completely wrong for him – the sweetly sexy and extremely determined Ariel. When Ariel’s headstrong ways nearly wreck one of Sam’s string operations – ruining her alluring dress in the process – Sam offers her a ride to his place to clean up. But once there, Ariel seems to have her own agenda, and Sam decides it’s time to show the lady that if she wants to play games of seduction, he’ll be calling the shots, turning her every fantasy into a night of unimagined bliss.

Read an excerpt.

Story 2: “Bringing Up Baby”

The second story has middle brother Gil finding out that he has a daughter he knew nothing about, the result of a fling while on a business trip. The mother of the daughter has died and the woman raising her has decided that Gil needs to know so that he can help her protect the little girl. Anabel has raised Nicole since her birth because the mother and Anabel’s friend and roommate had no real interest in doing so. When Nicole’s maternal grandparents want to take custody of Nicole, Anabel goes to Gil with a proposition to keep Nicole in both of their lives.

This was probably the least of my favorite stories. I’m one of those readers that can take or leave kids in a story. As long as they add to the story and not distract I don’t mind them being there. Nicole is a central character in this story and it was a nice change since most stories I have read seem to add them for no real reason other than for the cute factor. The only problem I had with Nicole was that I thought she acted a little for her age. Anabel and Gil are both very likeable and compliment each other well and I enjoyed their story, but it didn’t grab me like Sam and Pete’s story did.

Grade: B

Summary:

Gil Watson has always been the responsible one, running the family business and keeping his brothers out of trouble. Of course there was that one wild night on a business trip… the one that resulted in a daughter he never knew he had. By the time Gil finds out about her, the little girl’s mother is already gone. Gil is determined to do the right thing, even if it means a marriage of convenience with the woman who’s been raising his baby. Anabel Truman is sarcastic, free-spirited, and totally wrong for him. But the sensations she rouses in him feel totally right – stirrings that have nothing to do with being good and everything to do with being very, very naughty. Once Gil gets unbuttoned, there’s no going back.

Read an excerpt.

Story 3: “Good With His Hands”

The final story is about Sam and Gil’s youngest brother Pete. He’s had the hots for his best friend and co-worker for sometime, but not wanting to ruin that friendship he’s kept a hands off policy until now and well Cassidy just doesn‘t seem interested in him for anything other than friendship. Cassidy has secretly lusted after Pete. He’s everything she doesn’t think she wants in a man, but still wants him anyway. She wants a man who is settled in life and Pete and his carefree attitude don’t fit that description. When Cassidy rejects Pete again he decides it’s time to go for it and take their friendship to a new level.

This story takes place five years after the first two. Pete spent the first two stories tormenting his brothers about their love lives and now he finally match. Sam and Gil of course return to payback Pete for teasing in the earlier stories and we are able to catch up with their HEA. I liked him for his fun loving, laid back attitude. He was the perfect hero to lighten up the goal-oriented, Cassidy. She needed to have Pete help her see that it was important to set goals that are what she wants, not what she thinks her parents want.

Grade: B+

Summary:

As next-door neighbors and best friends, Pete Watson and Cassidy McClannahan have a “no sex” relationship. “No sex” equals continuing friendship. “Ohmygodyes” sex equals big problems and probably some serious dish throwing. It may be a rigid rule, but it works. Until Pete decides he wants to push the line. If sensible Cassidy won’t take his hints, he’s ready to transform himself into the perfect “black tie” guy he thinks she wants. And once she’s in his arms, he’ll show her just what else that black tie can do…

Read an excerpt.

I am so glad to have all three stories in one book. You can really see the family dynamics of the Watson family much better. The three brothers are all so different, but it’s a family that laughs together, harasses each other, protects one another, and, most of all, loves each other.

Ms. Foster has several other books re-issued this way and more to come and you can bet I will be picking those up too.

Overall Grade: B+

Limecello’s review of To All A Good Night by Donna Kauffman, Jill Shalvis, and HelenKay Dimon
Contemporary romance anthology published by Brava on 1 Oct 08

I love holiday anthologies. There’s something about them. (I mean, I don’t even like holiday things now – I get upset at seeing Christmas/holiday decorations in stores so early. So that should tell you how much I love Christmas anthologies.) I’m also drawn to the anthologies that Brava publishes. The two go hand in hand for me, and they’re extremely good, more often than not. I also knew I wanted to read this book based on the authors, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Unleashed by Donna Kauffman

Emma Lafferty and Trevor Hamilton are two great characters. Emma’s a lot of fun and it’s nice that she’s a smart heroine, with her head on straight. Trevor is great because he’s a “typical” hero, but not. Incredibly wealthy with a well known name, Trevor has a sense of humor that’s rather self deprecating. Add in some great pets, an adorable bird, mystery, references to college football and classical mythology, and I’m sold. Ms. Kauffman manages to write a very believable and full story in 108 pages, which is very impressive. I loved the interaction between Emma and Trevor, and also the insight into their inner thoughts. The chemistry was great, and Ms. Kauffman’s imagery and attention to detail was also quite enjoyable.

Unfortunately, there were two things that detracted from my reading experience. First, was that you never figure out the point of the book. Trevor is at the mansion for a reason, and when given the opportunity to find all his answers, he passes it up. I could understand that, until you get to the epilogue, which I wish hadn’t been added. It’s a blatent lure to read the next book – in fact, Trevor and Emma don’t even feature in it. They get a bland general paragraph in the three paragraph epilogue. I didn’t appreciate that, but I know it won’t bother many readers.

Grade: B+

Summary:

When Emma Lafferty is hired by a billionaire CEO to watch his pets over the holidays, she expects to enjoy a quiet Christmas in opulent surroundings. What she doesn’t expect is to spend the week trapped in the mansion with the CEO’s sexy great-nephew-and heir-whose motives are as shady as his desire is crystal clear….

Finding Mr. Right by Jill Shalvis

Ms. Shalvis imbued her novella with a lot of humor, and I thought it was great. Maggie Bell is brilliant but clumsy, and a very entertaining character. She gets into a lot of scrapes that border on slap stick, but are never cheesy. Jacob Wahler is the antithesis of Maggie’s dream guy, but he’s had his eye on her, and wins her. I thought the manner in which Maggie and Jacob got together was creative and sexy. Jacob and Maggie are dynamic characters, and it was nice that they had some history, which made their relationship more believable.  The plot was also engaging, with a lot of action and fun gadgets.

There were a few allusions to a love triangle, and I wish Ms. Shalvis had been able to explore that a little more. At the same time, it did seem a bit extraneous, and the explanation for it was a bit off. There was a plot twist that was a bit unexpected and over the top, but it brought things nicely to a close, and everything was incorporated nicely. A great novella.

Grade: A-

Summary:

Brilliant chemist Maggie Bell has a knack for choosing Mr. Wrong, and with yet another lonely Christmas looming, she decides it’s time to alter the equation-and seek out someone who seems totally wrong for her. Enter Jacob Wahler, the rough and rippling contractor who’s about as far from Maggie type as he could get. But suddenly what’s wrong for Maggie seems oh-so-right….

Read an excerpt here.

Can You Hand Me the Tape? by HelenKay Dimon

Ms. Dimon’s novella focuses a lot more on the character’s relationship and emotions, which was refreshing. While the plot may seem slow, the story never lags. Natalie Pritchard is between a rock and a hard place, and I thought it was curious how she had to go to her “enemy.” Spencer Donovan is quite an interesting character – one you’re not sure if you’re supposed to like or not. I felt in a way that he had more depth than Natalie, but that’s because more of his background is revealed. I also liked how Natalie was an “unconventional” character, in that she’s a larger, and a strong woman in a somewhat unusual career as a parole officer.

I thought it was wonderful how Ms. Dimon explored Natalie’s psyche, and had Natalie reveal her thoughts to Spencer, who was incredibly caring and understanding. Also, he was typically male in the way that he didn’t understand why Natalie had those issues. It was nice how the two complimented each other. Spencer and Natalie are a couple that works. They seem all wrong, but put together, you know are perfectly right.

There was also one line that I loved – I don’t normally do this, but here’s a quote:

I should have said fallen. Past tense. I know it’s only been a short time, but I’m about an inch away from being stupid in love with you.

I thought that was incredibly sweet, and the great dialogue in this novella really brings it to life.

Grade: A-

Summary:

Natalie Pritchard is desperate. It’s a week before Christmas and she’s lost the naughty tape she made for her now-ex-boyfriend. She’s so desperate, in fact, that she’ll turn to her nemesis Spencer Donovan for help. The sexy criminal defense attorney would be only too happy to assist-but can Emma afford his price?

Read an excerpt here.

This book has a lot of great writing, and I found the differences between the author’s styles very interesting. Ms. Kauffman, Ms. Shalvis, and Ms. Dimon all brought something different to the table, but all three novellas work well together. Ms. Kauffman’s writing is very personable, with a little something for everyone. Ms. Shalvis’s novella has a lot of humor that will have you laughing as you read. And Ms. Dimon’s writing gets you emotionally, ensuring you’re invested in the characters.

This is an anthology that flows from novella to novella. It was nice to read a few Christmas stories, but they’re perfect for any time of the year. I’m so glad that I read To All A Good Night – I hope that you read it and like it too. I definitely recommend this book to all lovers of anthologies and contemporary romance.

Overall Grade: A-

This Christmas, sugarplums aren’t the only visions that will be dancing in your head. Prepare to have your toes curled by some of the holiday’s hunkiest heroes in this hot, hot, hot collection…

LauraD’s review of Peach Blossom Pavilion by Mingmei Yip
Fiction published by Kensington 1 Jun 08

Peach Blossom Pavilion is graced with a lovely cover, complete with the intriguing promise that “Behind its doors, a world of sensuality and intrigue awaits…..” Seemingly, the author intends to provide a Chinese companion of sorts to Memoirs of a Geisha — the story of an impoverished Chinese girl forced into prostitution, who after learning the “fine arts of womanhood” becomes a valuable courtesan. Oops.

Precious Orchid is thirteen when she is sold to a house of prostitution; her father has been executed for a crime he did not commit, and her mother leaves her to become a Buddhist nun. At the Peach Blossom Pavilion, the young girl is slowly but surely educated in both the fine arts and in her new life as sex worker. The young prostitutes are highly competitive, striving to become the most popular and sought after, but Precious Orchid rises to become a ming ji, one of the most accomplished and revered courtesans. After years at the Pavilion, Precious Orchid runs away with a female lover; over the rest of the novel she encounters bandits, a Taoist monk, the all-female Golden Phoenix opera troupe, a Buddhist temple where she reunites with her mother, and finally to America with one of her former clients.

Perhaps meant to be operatic in scope, the story is pure soap opera instead. Precious Orchid is our narrator, and seems to view herself as a constant victim striving to rise above her tragic circumstances. However, when the novel begins she is naive and foolish; later she becomes self-serving and more than once abandons a person who truly cares for her-and is caring for her-with no backward glance. I came to view her as something of a Chinese Blanche duBois, always depending on the kindness of others. The author intended her as a strong character, but at no time during the novel did she take control of her own life; or even take responsibility for it.

Another issue I had was the “poetic” language the novel is written in. I cannot claim any knowledge of Chinese culture or language; perhaps the book reads as if it were a literal translation, but what is surely intended as poetic reads as purple as Barney the Dinosaur. For instance, when the madame is questioning Precious Orchid about a sexual encounter she believes PO may have had:

“When you slept with him, did he touch your golden gate? Did he insert his jade stalk into your cinnabar crevice?”

I wanted to have a personal drinking game; every time the words “jade stalk” appeared, I got to do another shot. I would have died of alcohol poisoning within chapters had I followed through.

Lest the cover or blurb give anyone the idea that there is eroticism to be found within, think again. Physical abuse, rape, suicide; these aren’t my idea of sensuality.

Mingmei Yip has written 5 books in Chinese; Peach Blossom Pavilion is both her first English work and her first fictional novel. No doubt intended to be a sweeping epic, I found it to be overwritten, and simply too much story of a heroine that I never managed to like. I admit though that there is a bit of campy pleasure to be found in Precious Orchid’s tale, and that’s why it’s getting a D instead of an F.

Grade: D

Summary:

In a sunny California apartment, a young woman and her finance arrive to record her great-grandmother’s reminiscences. The story that unfolds of Precious Orchid’s life in China, where she rises from a childhood of shame to become one of the most successful courtesans in the land, is unlike any they’ve heard before….

When Precious Orchid’s father is falsely accused of a crime and found guilty, he is executed, leaving his family a legacy of dishonor. Her mother is banished to a Buddhist nunnery and she is abandoned to the “care” of a relative in Shanghai.

At first, life at Peach Blossom Pavilion feels like a dream. Surrounded by exotic flowers, murmuring fountains, colorful fishponds, and jade-green bamboo groves, Precious Orchid sees herself thriving. She is schooled in music, literature, paining, calligraphy, and to her innocent surprise, the art of pleasuring men. For the beautiful Pavilion hides its darker purpose as an elite house of prostitution. And even as she commands the devotion of China’s most powerful man, Precious Orchid never gives up her determination to escape the Pavilion, be reunited with her long-lost mother, avenge her father’s death, and find true love. As the richest, most beautiful and celebrated Ming Ji or “prestigious courtesan” in all of China, she just might have her way even if it comes with a devastating price…”

Read an excerpt.

Gwen’s review of Nature of the Beast by Hannah Howell, Adrienne Basso, and Eve Silver
Historical paranormal romance anthology released by Kensington 26 Aug 08

This is a collection of three historical paranormal stories all centered on vampires and their women.  All three have some nice action and all three have lovely romances.  Not all three are of equal quality, but it’s a good anthology.   One of the few Historical Paranormal Romances that I have liked.  Often when these sub-genres are blended, something suffers.  These stories handle it well.

Dark Hero by Hannah Howell

Normally, I really love Howell’s writing.  I can’t say I loved this story, however.  It was good, but not great and really nothing to write home about.  I can normally look right past colloquialisms, but I got really tired of them in this story.  Perhaps because every time any of the characters opened their mouth, all I read was “dinna” and “doona” and the like.  It got really old by the end – like listening to Janice from “Friends”.  Remember her?  Chandler’s nasal girlfriend?  Small doses were all I could take.  The romance was very nice if a little rushed, and the paranormal elements were there but were light.  This story borders on forgettable (and I can’t believe I just typed that – they’re going to take away my HH Fangirl Club card).
Grade: C+

Summary:

Unlike most of his clan, Berawald MacNachton chooses to live in comfortable seclusion, far from the enemies who hunt his kind-until Evanna Massey and her young brother intrude upon his solitude. Beautiful and mysterious, Evanna is unlike any Outsider Berawald has met, spurring a dark longing that echoes in his heart-and his blood.

Bride of the Beast by Adrienne Basso

This was a very cool little story.  Excellent emotional development and action.  Loved the “preamble” but the ending was so rushed it sucked the joy right out of me.   Nevertheless, the hero and heroine were really nicely done and I was really rooting for them.  Even if I felt like I was happily on the pony express for most of the story to suddenly be launched on the shuttle for the ending.  This and the next story make the book worth buying.

Grade: B-

Summary:

When Haydn of Gwynedd first met Bethan of Lampeter, she was a brave and fearless young girl, risking her life to save his. Now Bethan has grown into a striking, courageous woman who needs Haydn’s help to defeat her tyrannical stepfather. Haydn’s dark gift compels him to offer marriage in name only, but he cannot deny the passion that sears them both…or his fierce desire to make her his for all time…

Read an excerpt.

Kiss of the Vampire by Eve Silver

This is the first historical gothic of Silver’s I’ve read.  I am a total fan of her Shomi titles (published as Eve Kenin), so I’m not surprised that I loved this story.  It was wonderfully gothic without being melodramatic and has a very interesting love story that was believable, even with the brevity of the story.  The story’s imagery is very well drawn – well, “painted” may be a better verb.  Silver paints such a complete picture of the hospital, I could see it in my mind’s eye, smell it, and feel it.  The hero was wonderful and, while I liked the heroine, I really connected to the hero.  The ending felt rushed, but that may have been as much a product of it being a short story as anything else.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Devoted to her work at King’s College Hospital, Sarah Lowell is shocked to discover that someone-or something-is killing the weakest patients, draining them of their blood. Killian Thayne, an enigmatic surgeon, offers Sarah his protection, but his sensual, commanding presence presents another kind of danger, urging her to risk everything for the splendor of his eternal embrace…

Read an excerpt.  (no excerpt at the link at the time the review was written, but may be there by publish date.)

Overall grade: B-

Howell’s and Basso’s websites are is woefully out of date – I don’t think Howell’s books have been updated since 2006.  I can’t stress enough the importance for an author to have an up-to-date web presence in this digital age.  Most of their marketing is done via the web, thru blogs like this one, and other sites like amazon.com.  An author’s site does not have to be fancy or even deeper than a page or two, but it should have an author’s most recent releases, upcoming releases, etc.  No heavy lifting and there are some super easy tools out there for building sites – even a simple blog is better than nothing.  I’m tempted to reduce their story’s grades just because of this but I’ll restrain myself.

Overall summary:

In this captivating new collection from Hannah Howell, Adrienne Basso, and Eve Silver, three women meet the irresistible vampires who are their destiny-and discover a passion satisfied only by complete surrender…

Gwen’s review of Hotter Than Hell (Hell On Earth, Book 3) by Jackie Kessler
Paranormal fiction/urban fantasy released by Kensington 29 Jul 08

This book is compellingly grim and I really didn’t want to like it. I’m very conflicted about the world it embodies. Technically, the writing is very proficient. Thematically, the book hits on all my “I don’t know about this” buttons. This is the second of this series I’ve read, the first being a short story in Eternal Lover (reviewed here). Let me get the technical bits of the review out of the way first, then I’ll tell you how I felt about the book and why it’s still a Grade A book to me in spite of all my internal conflict.

HtH is told in first person from the hero’s viewpoint. His name is Daunuan – presumably pronounced “Don-wahn” with all intendant double-entendres. Daun is a very believable character with some incredible depth, for an Incubus (a demon male who seduces and takes his victims to hell once they’ve compromised their souls). The internal and external dialogue are all male – Kessler has done a magnificent job keeping the “female” out of his head. I can’t imagine how difficult that must have been.

The overall story arc is Daun’s struggle with himself and his obsession with a former succubus, Jezebel (a.k.a. Jessie Harris). He doesn’t know it, or admit to it (because, hello, demon here), but he’s madly in love with Jezebel. Through his adventures in this book, he finds some shreds of “humanity” in himself and comes to realize just what “love” is and it only makes him stronger, contrary to what he always thought as a demon. The evolution of this epiphany is actually painful to read and really grabs you by the throat, so to speak.

The book’s plot twists and character machinations are sincerely Machiavellian. Kessler does an incredible job making our anti-hero a little nutso trying to figure out who the hell (heh) is trying to kill him and why. I was left guessing the whole time and loved it.

Daun is complete anti-hero goodness, in my opinion. He’s a very unsympathetic character that I sympathized with. He was darkly fascinating to me. The task set out for him to complete and be promoted, or don’t complete and be killed, was something I didn’t WANT him to succeed in and yet found myself cheering him on. And here is where we come into my ambivalence about this book.

First some background to help you understand my dithering. I grew up in a church-going house – you know the drill: church three times a week, Sunday school, Vacation Bible School in the summer, church softball, church youth groups, etc. It’s been a couple a lot of years since I parked my rear-end in a pew, but that kind of early training doesn’t go away.

Even with this history, I have read a lot of paranormal with all the accompanying vampires, demons, and other dark creatures. I am able to enjoy these books because they’re patently fantasy. As I read HtH, I increasingly wasn’t able to make that distinction – its fantasy is too “real” and I don’t know whether that is a good thing.

What the book IS NOT is a book for the faint of heart. What this book is is something that hit my “I don’t know about this” button many times and made me suck it down fast, in the dark, before anyone could see me reading it. Once I was done, I felt a little “tainted” and dirty. But damn (heh) if it wasn’t very, very good.

There is no HEA in this book – it’s very “urban fantasy” that way. I mean, perhaps a demon’s version of HEA but not one we would call HEA. I can recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Kessler, the series, or simply paranormal fiction. It stands alone from the other Hell On Earth series books. If you want a read that makes you think, drags you over the coals (heh), and leaves you satisfied if not terribly happy, then this is the book for you.

Grade: A-

Summary:

From the author’s site:
The incubus Daunuan loves his job: seduce a lot of mortals, bring their souls to Hell, party at the best interdimensional pub this side of the Astral Plane. But when the King of Lust makes him an offer he can’t refuse, Daun has to give up all the tricks of his trade to properly befriend-and bed-Virginia Reed, a woman who’s meant for Heaven.

If he can get her to love him for the incubus he really is, and if he can avoid the rogue demons that are hell-bent on destroying him for reasons unknown, Daun will become the First Principal of Lust, second in line to the King. But Daun learns that love is more than a four-letter word, and that maybe, just maybe, demons really do have feelings after all…

From Amazon.com:
In HELL’S BELLES and THE ROAD TO HELL, Jackie Kessler brought readers into an unforgettable Underworld populated by alluring demons and sexy devils. Now Daunuan, the most irresistible incubus of all, is facing one Hell of a challenge…

So whose soul do you have to damn to get a promotion around here?

Daunuan was never the ambitious type. There’s so much to love about his job just the way it is–mind-blowing sexual prowess, the power to seduce any human, excellent dental plan. But now Pan, the King of Lust, has offered to make Daun his right-hand incubus–a position other demons would give their left horn for. All he has to do is entice a soul destined for heaven into a damnable act of lust. Should take, oh, seven minutes, tops.

Then he meets his target, Virginia Reed. She’s cute. Funny. Smart. Unfathomably resistant to his charms. He can’t understand it. But Daun has centuries of seduction to his credit. He’s the best there is. Sooner or later he’ll transform this polar icecap of a female into a pool of molten desire, and every instinct tells him she’ll be worth the effort.

Meanwhile, he has to deal with a plague of rogue demons Hell-bent on taking him down, sent by an unknown enemy with a serious grudge. And one other problem: the dawning realization that he’s falling in love–that unholiest of four-letter words–with the woman he’s about to doom for all eternity…

Read an excerpt (scroll down).

Other books in the series:

Gwen’s review of Baddest Bad Boys by Shannon McKenna, E.C. Sheedy, and Cate Noble
Contemporary erotic romance anthology released by Kensington Brava 1 May 08

All three stories in this anthology has alpha males, damsels in distress, emotional tension, some drama. Oh, and hot hot sex. What more could you want from a summer read? And, bonus! They also happen to be written by some of our favorite people!

Anytime, Anywhere by Shannon McKenna

I like McKenna’s writing. The characters aren’t always sympathetic and the erotic scenes are seriously steamy and this story is no exception. I loved the heroine. She decides the burden of her virginity would be removed from her by the man she’s loved forever – the best friend of one of her brothers. the heroine has an irrepressible quality that just makes you like her. Here are a couple of sentences where she’s planning The Seduction:

She gave her body a critical once-over… Had the taut tummy and the boobs happening, thank God. They weren’t excessive, but they were perky and cheerful, and they did their divinely ordained boobly duty of filling out her bra and dragging mens’ eyes away from her face… Put those boobs to work. About time they stopped bouncing aimlessly around on her chest and started earning their keep.

And that right there is one of the biggest reasons this story was so fun to read – the heroine was just fun. The hero was hot, troubled, and very, very alpha. The villain was downright creepy, too.

A really good story.

Grade: A-

Summary:

For years, Robin MacNamara has been secretly in love with her big brother’s friend Jon Amendola, but the sexy cop has never seen her as anything but a kid. Until Robin follows him to an isolated cabin to prove she’s all grown up. Unfortunately, Jon’s last case isn’t quite closed-and someone wants payback…

Read an excerpt.

After the Lovin’ by E.C. Sheedy

This is a really cute story. As you could tell from my reaction to the first story, I love an ‘ugly duckling’ story. In this one, the hero was the duckling and he had always had a crush on the heroine. A crush that shamed him, making him behave abysmally to the heroine. Our story starts years later, though, and the duckling is now a hunk. A hunk who still wants to treat the heroine like shit but can’t.

These two characters manage to come together, defeating a very nasty villain at the same time. This would have made a nice book, I think.

Grade: B+

Summary:

In need of a place to hide, Tommi Smith finds herself on the doorstep of a high school classmate’s remote fishing lodge. Though Mac Fleming never trusted this knockout’s reputation for breaking hearts, nothing’s going to stop him from seducing her into his bed now. Until Tommi’s past comes back to haunt them…

No excerpt available.

Deal With the Devil by Cate Noble

This was my least favorite story of the three stories. It was readable, but I didn’t feel like the characters were sympathetic. The drama and tension were sporadic, and the villains were not very clearly drawn. Plus, the heroine was a bit wimpy.

Grade: C

Summary:

All Ellie McMann DeLuca wants is one night with the only man she’s ever truly loved-Max DeLuca, dubbed the Devil by the Italian paparazzi. Max agrees on one condition: they extend it to seven nights of sensual pleasure on a private island. But after a whole week of fulfilling each other’s deepest desires, how will they go back to the way things were?

Read an excerpt. You have to highlight the text to read it on the black background.

Overall Grade: B

Gwen’s review of Eternal Lover by Hannah Howell, Lynsay Sands, Jackie Kessler, and Richelle Mead
Historical and contemporary paranormal romance anthology released by Kensington 1 Apr 08

This antho landed in my hands and I went, “Oooooo! Looks positively yummy!” I love a good paranormal antho – the plot moves along so quickly in those stories. This one was no disappointment, even if I wasn’t a huge fan of all the stories. Read on to find out the whole skinny…

The Yearning by Hannah Howell

This short historical paranormal is very typical of Howell: upstanding, courageous, practical young Miss meets dark, damaged older hunk. They fall in love, overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to be together, live happily ever after. I suppose I just summarized most of the historical romances out there, but this is Howell. The paranormal elements are light – as is normal in her books – and the romance is very sweet with just enough heat to please. I like her writing, though sometimes it’s a bit light even for me. Read an excerpt.

Grade: B-

A Hell of a Time by Jackie Kessler

I really liked this contemporary paranormal story. It’s the first Kessler I’ve ever read, so if this is a repeat character, then I’ve missed some good reads. A succubus, who has recently been turned human, and her boyfriend go to a cabin in the woods for some one-on-one time. Little does she know that the cabin and the surrounding woods are possessed. There is some laugh-out-loud moments – all nicely misanthropic, so they appealed to me (I hate silly-funny dialogue) – and some seriously tense moments with heat sprinkled throughout. Very good story. Read an excerpt.

Grade: A

City of Demons by Richelle Mead

This contemporary/urban paranormal is 75% miss, 25% hit for me. I like the relationships – except for the one between the heroine and her boyfriend (can’t really call him the hero). I just don’t believe in it, even after the events in the story. I like the dynamics between the other characters and the predicament the heroine finds herself in. What I don’t like is the utter banality of the “corporate” dynamics of Mead’s world – demons talked about getting transfers to a new boss or territory, and they had meetings in hotel conference rooms, for heaven’s sake. And that is just a small example. Didn’t really like it, though I read the whole thing. No excerpt to be found.

Grade: C-

Bitten by Lynsay Sands

This historical paranormal is a little more obviously paranormal than Howell’s, though it is in a largely similar vein. Pretty, courageous, young miss meets up with dark, damaged hero (who is also a vampire), they fall in love, overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and have a happily ever after. This one is a bit darker than Howell’s, and I liked it more. It is a good short story. I think I’d have gotten really tired of these characters if I had had to read more of it. No excerpt found.

Grade: B+

Overall grade: B

Blurb:

Theirs is a world of ancient desires and forbidden pleasures. They are men of mystery and women of seduction, wild creatures with the power to entrance and enchant, tease and tantalize. Enter their secret world, if you dare.

The Yearning by Hannah Howell Alpin has lived for centuries with a lust that can never be quenched with mere physical pleasure. And then he meets Sophie whose own search for lasting love binds them together in a cloak of shimmering sensuality.

A Hell of a Time by Jackie Kessler Jesse’s immortal life as a soul-stealing succubus is over. And now that she is human, she longs to tempt her lover with all her persuasive powers of total sexual seduction.

City of Demons by Richelle Mead Seth cannot resist the intense sexual allure of his demon lover Georgina. Yet their love reaches beyond the physical, into a place of complete untamed surrender.

Bitten by Lynsay Sands Keeran’s existence as a vampire has taught him to accept a life without love.until he saves Emily from certain death. And suddenly he discovers the soul-searing passion he thought he’d lost forever.

This just in…

Bonnie Edwards has recently accepted an offer from Kensington’s Aphrodisia for two more books which will be follow-ups to her ever popular Thigh High, in which she’d only covered underwear from the waist down. “This time it’s what’s on top that counts,” according to Bonnie.

• Breathless is the title of the first book and includes a trio of novellas linked by underwear above the waist: a corset with a time-travel twist, a Vegas showgirl’s bustier, and a body art competition with a hot carpenter’s bod being the canvas.
• The second book is as yet untitled, but you’ll know all about it as soon as we know.

Bonnie is really pleased to be writing for Aphrodisia and Harlequin Blaze. “My story style seems to blend well with both lines,” she said.

Consider yourself flashed.

This just in…

Now who to be happier for… Kate Duffy for signing such an awesome author? Beth Williamson for signing a 3 book deal with Kensington with Kate as her editor.

Or me… cuz this means more westerns… for you know… me.

hmmm yes I know!

Me . LOL Congrats Beth.

The first book is going to be The Education of Madeline coming in 3/09

the second to be The Redemption of Micah coming in 7/09

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).