Winter Romance Review: Jennifer reviews The Christmas Cookie Collection by Lori Wilde

christmas cookie collectionTITLE: The Christmas Cookie Collection
SERIES: Twilight Texas
AUTHOR: Lori Wilde
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/29/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon| B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS: There’s a legend in Twilight, Texas. It says that if on Christmas you sleep with kismet cookies under your pillow and dream of your one true love, he will be your destiny.

Carrie, Raylene, Christine, and Flynn are all members of the Christmas Cookie Club. Each has a story to tell, and each discovers the miracles of the season and the power of love.

REVIEW: I loved each of these wonderful stories which is the perfect romance collection for the holiday season. Each of these stories revolves around a member of the Christmas Cookie Club that are having a hard time around the holidays due to losing someone that they truly cared about or have yet to find their true love.

The first story involves Carrie who hates the holidays because her high school sweetheart, Mark, left her after having their marriage annulled eight years ago. She never has gotten over the pain of that event and has recently found out that a reality television show is coming to Twilight to prove that their first love legend is only fiction. To Carrie’s horror, she learns that the host of Fact or Fiction will be in Twilight as well and is none other than her ex-boyfriend, Mark.

Mark has never gotten over his relationship with his high school sweetheart, Carrie and is hoping that coming to Twilight will help him finally get over her or to make amends. He never expected the feelings that he had for her to come rushing back to him the moment he laid eyes on her. The only thing is that Carrie wants nothing to do with him and is avoiding him at every turn. Can he convince her to give their love another chance?

This was one of my favorite stories out of all of them. Carrie never has gotten over the love of her life and the holiday season only reminds her of what she had lost. They married right after high school and Carrie ended the relationship after learning that Mark was accepted to a big college and she never wanted to stand in the way of him pursuing his dreams. She didn’t want him to stay in Twilight if he had the opportunity for bigger and better things just because he was with her. Very sweet story and I loved that they never stopped caring for each other and that love will always find a way.

The second story involves Raylene, the owner of the Horny Toad Tavern, who is just as bitter about the holidays as Carrie. Raylene is having a hard time around Christmas because her husband left her a year ago after learning that she had a child before they were together and she had given that child to the wealthy grandparent’s of the father. She has never forgiven herself for that decision and now she has lost the only man that she has ever loved.

A mysterious young woman comes into town and ends up on Raylene’s doorstep looking for a job but is really there for a different reason. Shannon Dugan has come to Twilight to learn more about the mother that had left her behind and see if she can build a relationship with the only remaining family that she has left. Shannon gets more than she bargained for when she meets Nate Deavers, a man that would do anything to show Shannon that family isn’t the only thing that she can have while she is Twilight. Shannon now has the opportunity to make a home in Twilight and find that everything that she has ever wanted has been waiting for her in this small Texas town.

I think that Raylene’s story was the best because it dealt with two people finding something that they had always been searching for. Raylene never forgave herself for giving Shannon to her paternal grandparents because she felt that since they were wealthy they could provide her with a better life. Shannon grew up with a silver spoon but never really had the love that she needed from her grandparents and recently had her heart broken from a two-timing con man. I loved Nate in this story because once he saw Shannon, that was it for him. It was love at first sight and he treaded carefully as to not scare her away from the possibility of a relationship with him. Shannon was afraid to love again after her last disastrous relationship but I loved how caring and considerate Nate was with her. Was so glad that everyone found their happy ending in this story and Raylene was able to find the love that she once thought that she had lost.

The third story is Carrie’s and it was a cute one. Carrie has always been wanting a family of her own but after a car accident as a teenager, she learned that she could never have a child. This fact prevented her from having a true relationship because the jerks that she dated before ran when they learned that she would never be able to conceive. Happy with her successful bakery, Carrie yearns for something more when Eli walks into her shop one day. Eli, is a face from her past, a high school crush that she never forgot about and neither did he.

Eli is a widower raising four kids of his own and has heard great things about the bakery in Twilight. So he entered Carrie’s bakery on a mission to have her make a birthday cake for his teenage daughter, never expecting to find the girl that he once kissed behind the high school bleachers working there. The two of them have a second chance at love but have to face a few obstacles along the way. Great story but I would have loved their story to be just a little bit longer.

The last story in this collection is called Grace and involves Jesse and Flynn Calloway. On Christmas Eve, they venture out into the snowy night to bring presents to a family who wouldn’t have much of a Christmas otherwise. Flynn is nine months pregnant with their first child and could give birth at any time so they try to rush home so Flynn won’t be out in the cold for very long. On the way home, Flynn and Jesse get separated and Flynn is involved in a car accident and Jesse will do whatever it takes to get to his wife and unborn child. Very short tale but the perfect ending for this collection.

Lori Wilde is a great writer and knows how to write fabulous small town romances that will tug at your heart strings. I love her Twilight, Texas series and I think that The Christmas Cookie Collection will be a book that you can read over and over again this holiday season.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

5hearts-68-77

Winter Romance Review! Kelly review Christmas On Main Street by Ross, Donovan, McLane, & Morgan

Christmas on Main StTITLE: Christmas on Main Street
AUTHOR: Ross, Donovan, McLane, & Morgan
PUBLICATION DATE: November 5, 2013
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
‘Tis the season to fall in love in these four small towns.

In “Christmas in Shelter Bay,” New York Times bestselling author JoAnn Ross returns to Shelter Bay, where Kelli has long tried to keep her feelings for her friend Cole a secret. But when the local matchmakers conspire to send them to a secluded lakeside cabin, the two friends soon discover that a little love will keep them warm.

TV producer Nathaniel Ravelle knows the Bayberry Island mermaid legend is a joke— how could a statue grant a wish for true love? But when a Christmas Nor’easter lands him in close quarters with local Annie Parker, they see magic at work in matters of the heart in New York Timesbestselling author Susan Donovan’s “A Seaside Christmas.”

In LuAnn McLane’s “Mistletoe on Main Street,” Clint isn’t sure how to rekindle his romance with high school sweetheart Ava—until his father bows out of playing Santa at the annual Cricket Creek holiday parade and Clint gets the chance to make this Christmas one to remember.

And in Alexis Morgan’s “The Christmas Gift”, business is booming at Bridey Roke’s pastry shop. Everyone in town stops in to sample her holiday treats. But in her spare moments, she’s perfecting a special recipe to charm the handsome new neighbor—who has his own surprise gift for her come Christmas Eve!

REVIEW:
Christmas in Shelter Bay: This was a sweet little christmas story of a love that has been growing since before they even understood what true love was. Cole & Kelli have been friends since childhood. While Kelli has always know that Cole was the one for her it has taken Cole just a tad bit longer to realize that his life will never be complete without Kelli.
Adding a meddling family and you have a really fun story.

A Seaside Christmas: I didn’t connect with this story. It was an interesting twist on a christmas story, but was not for me.

Mistletoe on Main Street: This was a good story. Clint & Ava were childhood sweethearts but life and the chance for the major leagues took him away. But while 15 years have past neither of them have forgot the love they shared. But it might take a christmas miracle to get Ava to open her heart up to him again.

The Christmas Gift: This was my favorite story in this anthology. I just loved Seth & Bridey they are so sweet together. I loved that these two were so perfect to each other.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley & Penguin Group in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

4 Hearts
4 Hearts

Spotlight feature & excerpt of Dragon Awakened by Jamie Rush + Tour Wide Giveaway

DRAGON AWAKENED 

by Jaime Rush

Rush_DragonAwakened_MM

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookish

December 17, 2013

Ruby Salazaar wants answers . . . and revenge. Her uncle has just been murdered before her eyes and the name he utters with his final breath –  Cyntag – leads Ruby into a world beyond her wildest imaginings. She soon learns that the dark, sexy Cyntag Valeron knows more about her than she does herself. 

Ruby changed Cyn’s life before she even knew who he was. Now she charges into his life, a beautiful woman full of fire and questions. Cyn knew this day would come, yet he couldn’t foresee the danger –  and desires – Ruby would bring with her. He can teach her how to harness her newly awakened powers. But there is one force neither of them can control . . .

Excerpt: 

Cyntag slowly waved his hand in front of her face, his eyes staring straight into hers between his long fingers. “Crescents can identify one another by our eyes. Some are icy glitter, some swirling mist, and others burning embers.”

Her heart hitched. Hadn’t she seen a glow in his eyes?

He lowered his hand. “Moncrief cast an illusion spell to hide the magick in your eyes. You looked like a Mundane, a regular human. Now that he’s gone, the spell is wearing off. Soon it will be obvious to every Crescent who sees you.”

She walked over to a gilt-framed mirror on the side wall and stared at herself. No glow. He was full of it. “I don’t see anything like what you described.”

“Because you cannot see.” He came up behind her. “You have not been Awakened. Crescents are initiated in a ceremony at thirteen, when their powers begin to appear. It’s similar to those of many native tribes to celebrate a coming of age. But much more comes with being an Awakened Crescent.”

Thirteen. She remembered a gnawing hunger deep in her belly and vivid dreams filled with colors and longing and…dragons.

Cyntag brushed her bangs from her forehead, his thumb grazing the skin near her burn. “The orb did this?” She nodded, and anger shimmered over his face. “Unacceptable.”

“I thought so.”

He’d said it as though the attack on her was a personal affront to him. Like he owns you.

“Right now you’re like a baby chick fallen prematurely from the nest, without feathers developed enough to fly from danger or any way to fight enemies. Unable to even see them. You might get a glimpse now and then, but that won’t be enough.”

“You’re saying I have powers?” Could her disbelief be more clear? “Can I make one of those orb-lightning-bolt things?”

Another twitch of a smile. “Sorry, no. However, you are much more magnificent than mere magick.”

“I’m magnificent. Yeah.” She couldn’t help but glance down at herself. “Fine, how do I get…what’d you call it? Awakened?” Let’s play along.

“Considering the circumstances, only I can awaken your powers.”

Did his arrogance know no bounds? Dumb question, Ruby. “What do I have to give you for that?”

“You assume there’s a price?”

“There’s always a price.” She could see that he had one too.

He stepped closer, again breaching boundaries. She wouldn’t move away. If only she didn’t have to look up at him. Even being five-foot-eight, he was way taller. His heat reached out, beckoning her. She stiffened her stance. The dragon tattoo eyed her, but no, she did not see it move.

He waited until she drew her gaze back to his face. “The price is that once you see, you can never go back to being blind. Once you know, you can never forget. Once you experience your true nature, you can never ignore it.”

“Ignore what?”

He released a breath. “We’d better start with the small stuff.”

 

RushDRAGONAWAKENED JaimeA little about Jamie: 

Things that go bump in the night have always fascinated Jaime Rush. Sometimes those things are human; other times, not so much. Now she has twisted them all together in the Hidden, a trilogy about humans with the essence of gods who walk the knife’s edge between the glamour of Miami and a place filled with dark magick and dangerous beauty.
Jaime is the author of the Offspring series and also writes under the name Tina Wainscott. She is the bestselling author of eighteen romance novels. She lives in Southwest Florida with her husband, daughter, and cat.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

 

Giveaway Time!!!

15 winners will receive our Hidden prize pack, featuring a bound flip book of the first two novellas DRAGON MINE and DRAGON AWAKENED, a print copy of DRAGON AWAKENED, advanced copies of the next two books in the series, MAGIC POSSESSED and ANGEL SEDUCED, plus a series bookmark and a special Jaime Rush dog tag!

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Kelly reviews Fashionably Dead by Robyn Peterman

fashionably deadTITLE: Fashionable Dead
SERIES #: Hot Damned #1
CHARACTER: Ethan & Astrid
AUTHOR: Robyn Peterman
PUBLICATION DATE: September 2, 2013
ORDER LINKS: Amazon| B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Vampyres don’t exist. They absolutely do not exist.

At least I didn’t think they did ‘til I tried to quit smoking and ended up Undead. Who in the hell did I screw over in a former life that my getting healthy equates with dead?

Now I’m a Vampyre. Yes, we exist whether we want to or not. However, I have to admit, the perks aren’t bad. My girls no longer jiggle, my ass is higher than a kite and the latest Prada keeps finding its way to my wardrobe. On the downside, I’m stuck with an obscenely profane Guardian Angel who looks like Oprah and a Fairy Fighting Coach who’s teaching me to annihilate like the Terminator.

To complicate matters, my libido has increased to Vampyric proportions and my attraction to a hotter than Satan’s underpants killer rogue Vampyre is not only dangerous . . . it’s possibly deadly. For real dead. Permanent death isn’t on my agenda. Avoiding him is my only option. Of course, since he thinks I’m his, it’s easier said than done. Like THAT’S not enough to deal with, all the other Vampyres think I’m some sort of Chosen One.

Holy Hell, if I’m in charge of saving an entire race of blood suckers, the Undead are in for one hell of a ride.

REVIEW:
All Astrid wanted to do was quit smoking. That didn’t work out so great, she got a little more than she bargained for. Because waking up dead or undead really has a way of messing up a girls life.

I loved this book. I loved all of the characters in this book. And I love Robyn’s wittiness and sass that she puts into each of her characters. Loved Ethan & Astrid are like chips and guacamole. While yummy separately they are to die for good together. And the baby demons Oh my goodness they are funny!! Seriously I love Robyn’s work and can not wait to see what happens next with Ethan & Astrid. The future of these two will be a crazy fun journey that is for sure.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

4 Hearts
4 Hearts

Jennifer Fusco host of BlogTalkRadio is interviewing Molly Harper

 

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Today, 12/20/13, at 11am EST, Molly will be on air with Jennifer talking about her books and romance.  Check out the Event on the Authors On The Air site, and join in for this awesome Event.

To start things off, Romance on the Air is proud to be hosting the wonderful Molly Harper 12/20/13, and Books-n-Kisses and LITERAL ADDICTION are happy to be helping to spread the word.

When Molly Harper was eight years old, she set up a “writing office” in her parents’ living room, complete with an old manual typewriter and a toy phone. And she (very slowly) pecked out the story of her third-grade class taking a trip around the world and losing a kid in each city. She had a dark sense of humor even then.

When Molly was considerably older, she headed for Western Kentucky University, where she majored in print journalism. After graduation, she landed a job with The Paducah Sun and married her high school sweetheart, David, a local police officer. After six years at the newspaper, Molly took a more family-friendly secretarial position at a local church office.

Her husband worked nights and Molly was alone with their small child in the “The Apartment of Lost Souls.” A big fan of vampire movies and TV shows, she decided to write a vampire romance novel. Molly created Jane Jameson, a bit of an accidental loser. Jane is single, almost 30, and a librarian working in Half-Moon Hollow, Ky. She has become a permanent fixture on her Mama’s prayer list. And despite the fact that she’s pretty good at her job, she just got canned so her boss could replace her with someone who occasionally starts workplace fires. Jane drowns her sorrows at the local faux nostalgia-themed sports bar. On her way home, she’s mistaken for a deer and shot by a drunk hunter. And then she wakes up as a vampire. The three-book JANE JAMESON series–which includes Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs, Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men and Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever—was released in 2009.  A fourth and final installment, Nice Girls Don’t Bite Their Neighbors, was released in 2012.

Molly continues stories in the Jane Jameson universe through her HALF-MOON HOLLOW series, Driving Mr. Dead, The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires, Undead Sublet, and A Witch’s Handbook of Kisses and Curses.  Undead Sublet is a short story in The Undead in My Bed anthology.  A Witch’s Handbook of Kisses and Curses was released in June 2013.

A special FREE audio holiday novella, I’m Dreaming of an Undead Christmas is available now from Audible (so be sure to get your copy today!).

Molly has been updating her popular NAKED WEREWOLF romance series in 2013. How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf was originally released in February 2011, quickly followed by The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf. A third installment, How to Run With a Naked Werewolf, will be released on 12/31/13.

Molly also launched her first-ever contemporary romance series, BLUEGRASS, with My Bluegrass Baby in December 2012.  Rhythm and Bluegrass was subsequently released in October 2013.

Molly’s books are published by Pocket Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. They are available in print, as e-books and audio books at major book stores and on Amazon. Molly is a native of Kentucky. She lives in Paducah with her husband and children.

You can keep up with Molly online at her Website, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on GoodReads.

For those of you new to Molly’s work, we highly suggest that you check out her entire backlist, but for today, we’re going to spotlight her NAKED WEREWOLF series and its upcoming release.

*****

How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf

NAKED WEREWOLF Book #1

9781439195864_p0_v1_s260x420

Add to your GoodReads Shelf

Buy from Amazon / B&N / BAM / Audible

Northern Exposure

Even in Grundy, Alaska, it’s unusual to find a naked guy with a bear trap clamped to his ankle on your porch. But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham, who has been openly critical of Mo’s ability to adapt to life in Alaska, has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble.

For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it’s love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But Cooper has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks, and since Cooper has no memory of what he gets up to while in werewolf form, he’s worried that he might be the violent canine in question.

If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen, yet Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit. Except if he’s not responsible, then who is? And when a werewolf falls head over haunches in love with you, what are you supposed to do anyway? The rules of dating just got a whole lot more complicated. . .

*****

The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf

NAKED WEREWOLF Book #2

9781439195871_p0_v1_s260x420

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Generations of werewolves have been secretly residing in a secluded valley a stone’s throw from Grundy, Alaska. So when a snooping Outsider comes to Grundy to investigate rumors of lycanthropic shenanigans in the area, the valley’s pack alpha, Maggie Graham, resolves to chase him away, even if doing so takes a quick bite on the butt.

What a pity that researcher Nick Thatcher turns out to be so drool-worthy, and that his kisses make Maggie want to sit up and beg. Maggie just can’t seem to convince Nick to leave . . . and even worse, she can’t convince herself to stay away from him. Cross-species dating is problem enough for a harried alpha female, but on top of that, a rival group of werewolves is trying to move into the valley. With interpack war threatening, Maggie can’t afford to be distracted.

Combining romance and a career can be tough for anyone; for a werewolf in love with a human, it may be disastrous. . . .

*****

How To Run With a Naked Werewolf

NAKED WEREWOLF Book #3

9781476705996_p0_v6_s260x420

COMING 12/31/13!!

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Caleb Graham is a werewolf by nature, a tracker by profession. He uses his “extra gifts” to find people, and not always in the most legal or ethical manner. He doesn’t care what they’ve done, or who wants them found, as long as his considerable fee is paid. He likes his life simple and uncomplicated.

Anna Moder, former physician to Caleb’s pack, happens across Caleb during a particularly violent “negotiation” that has left him bloodied and unconscious. She helps him, despite the fact that he’s cost her a car, so he insists that she stay with him on the road for a while. As they grow closer, Anna looks past the gruff exterior and and the questionable job to thoroughly decent werewolf underneath.

Anna – who is careful to edit her involvement with Caleb’s pack from their conversations – doesn’t talk about why a nice girl wants to live in the middle of frozen nowhere, but she’s obviously on the run from something. When Anna’s past collides with Caleb’s current assignment from one of his sleazier contacts, Caleb finally has to make a choice—protect his job…or his potential mate?

 

Don’t forget to check out Books-n-Kisses & LITERAL ADDICTION‘s How to Run With A Naked Werewolf giveaways

Guest Blog & Giveaway with ML Buchman

Research for the Night Stalkers series

There are stories inside an author’s comfort zone and outside. There are stories that we could tell from the world we know. And then there are the stories we need to tell even though we don’t know the world. When that happens, when the author doesn’t have that direct knowledge, I think there are three real options open to them:

  1. To “wave their hands.” I’ve read authors who can do this magnificently. Many of these writers land in the fantasy world. “I’m telling you a military story, but I’m setting it in an elfen realm so that I can work with the emotions, not the hard facts of reality.” These can be future set, alternate reality, or a myriad of other paths as well.
  2. Down the middle. These authors will do sufficient research to make it sound real, but again, there is a certain amount of distraction of the reader with other events rather than going down into the details. This allows them to come at the story and worry less about the details of the world.
  3. I always choose the third path, maximum realism. I do everything I can to make the background information as real and accurate as possible. In Take Over at Midnight there is a scene where they crash land on an oil rig. I spent days studying the different models located in the Gulf of Mexico, how their helipads were positioned, how high were they out of the water while actually working a site, and so on.

Setting out to write a story in this third style has more challenges than finding out the information; the Internet has solved many of those issues. Reading many books and doing the occasional personal interview plugs the holes. Granted, there is the challenge for a writer to not get lost in the research and forget that their job is actually to do the writing. I admit, I have occasionally looked up and realized I’ve lost a day or more, but that doesn’t happen very often, for it is the storytelling I love and not the research.

The real challenge of research for me? Figuring out when not to use it. I have ten times the detail that I put in the books. I’ve read Black Hawk service manuals that have allowed me to add a dozen paragraphs over four novels. I have also read a single article and watched two three-minute videos in order to install the pivotal ADAS camera technology in my earlier book, Wait Until Dark, the third Night Stalkers novel that alters the very course of the love story.

 

So, perhaps the oddest bit of research I do is studying just how much research I can do without and still make the story feel real.

 

TAKE OVER AT MIDNIGHT

by ML BUCHMAN

Take Over at Midnight Cover

Amazon | Barnes and NobleBooks-a-Million | Chapters/Indigo | IndieBound | iBookstore | Sourcebooks | Discover a New Love

Name: Lola LaRue

Rank: Chief Warrant Officer 3

Mission: Copilot deadly choppers on the world’s most dangerous missions

 Name: Tim Maloney

Rank: Sergeant

Mission: Man the guns and charm the ladies

The Past Doesn’t Matter, When Their Future is Doomed…

Nothing sticks to “Crazy” Tim Maloney, until he falls hard for a tall Creole beauty with a haunted past and a penchant for reckless flying. Lola LaRue never thought she’d be susceptible to a man’s desire, but even with Tim igniting her deepest passions, it may be too late now…With the nation under an imminent threat of biological warfare, Tim and Lola are the only ones who can stop the madness–and to do that, they’re going to have to trust each other way beyond their limits…

 

M.L. Buchman PhotoABOUT THE AUTHOR

M. L. Buchman has worked in fast food, law, opera, computers, publishing, and light manufacturing. It’s amazing what you can do with a degree in geophysics. His Night Stalker Series have garnered starred reviews, top picks and have even been named an NPR Best Romance of 2012 (I Own the Dawn). He lives in Lincoln City, OR, with a loving lady and the coolest kid on the planet. For more information, please visit http://www.mlbuchman.com/.

 

 

 

 

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BlogTalk Radio with Molly Harper!!! Mark your calendars 12.20.13

ROTA LOGO

Hello everyone! We’re thrilled to introduce an amazing new venue for all Romance Lovers, as well as promote for a wonderful Romance author today!

Readers of all subgenres of romance, including paranormal and romantic suspense, love to hear from their favorite authors. So… Jennifer Fusco of Market or Die has launched “Romance is on the Air” as part of the BlogTalk Radio Authors on the Air line-up, where every week, she will have a romance author as a guest, asking them questions and chatting about their books.

You can keep up with all of the Events on the Facebook Page for the venue, and keep an eye out for the Facebook Events that are floating around as well.

To start things off, Romance on the Air is proud to be hosting the wonderful Molly Harper 12/20/13, and Books-n-Kisses and LITERAL ADDICTION are happy to be helping to spread the word.

When Molly Harper was eight years old, she set up a “writing office” in her parents’ living room, complete with an old manual typewriter and a toy phone. And she (very slowly) pecked out the story of her third-grade class taking a trip around the world and losing a kid in each city. She had a dark sense of humor even then.

When Molly was considerably older, she headed for Western Kentucky University, where she majored in print journalism. After graduation, she landed a job with The Paducah Sun and married her high school sweetheart, David, a local police officer. After six years at the newspaper, Molly took a more family-friendly secretarial position at a local church office.

Her husband worked nights and Molly was alone with their small child in the “The Apartment of Lost Souls.” A big fan of vampire movies and TV shows, she decided to write a vampire romance novel. Molly created Jane Jameson, a bit of an accidental loser. Jane is single, almost 30, and a librarian working in Half-Moon Hollow, Ky. She has become a permanent fixture on her Mama’s prayer list. And despite the fact that she’s pretty good at her job, she just got canned so her boss could replace her with someone who occasionally starts workplace fires. Jane drowns her sorrows at the local faux nostalgia-themed sports bar. On her way home, she’s mistaken for a deer and shot by a drunk hunter. And then she wakes up as a vampire. The three-book JANE JAMESON series–which includes Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs, Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men and Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever—was released in 2009.  A fourth and final installment, Nice Girls Don’t Bite Their Neighbors, was released in 2012.

Molly continues stories in the Jane Jameson universe through her HALF-MOON HOLLOW series, Driving Mr. Dead, The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires, Undead Sublet, and A Witch’s Handbook of Kisses and Curses.  Undead Sublet is a short story in The Undead in My Bed anthology.  A Witch’s Handbook of Kisses and Curses was released in June 2013.

A special FREE audio holiday novella, I’m Dreaming of an Undead Christmas is available now from Audible (so be sure to get your copy today!).

Molly has been updating her popular NAKED WEREWOLF romance series in 2013. How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf was originally released in February 2011, quickly followed by The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf. A third installment, How to Run With a Naked Werewolf, will be released on 12/31/13.

Molly also launched her first-ever contemporary romance series, BLUEGRASS, with My Bluegrass Baby in December 2012.  Rhythm and Bluegrass was subsequently released in October 2013.

Molly’s books are published by Pocket Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. They are available in print, as e-books and audio books at major book stores and on Amazon. Molly is a native of Kentucky. She lives in Paducah with her husband and children.

You can keep up with Molly online at her Website, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on GoodReads.

For those of you new to Molly’s work, we highly suggest that you check out her entire backlist, but for today, we’re going to spotlight her NAKED WEREWOLF series and its upcoming release.

*****

How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf

NAKED WEREWOLF Book #1

9781439195864_p0_v1_s260x420

Add to your GoodReads Shelf

Buy from Amazon / B&N / BAM / Audible

Northern Exposure

Even in Grundy, Alaska, it’s unusual to find a naked guy with a bear trap clamped to his ankle on your porch. But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham, who has been openly critical of Mo’s ability to adapt to life in Alaska, has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble.

For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it’s love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But Cooper has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks, and since Cooper has no memory of what he gets up to while in werewolf form, he’s worried that he might be the violent canine in question.

If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen, yet Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit. Except if he’s not responsible, then who is? And when a werewolf falls head over haunches in love with you, what are you supposed to do anyway? The rules of dating just got a whole lot more complicated. . .

*****

The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf

NAKED WEREWOLF Book #2

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Generations of werewolves have been secretly residing in a secluded valley a stone’s throw from Grundy, Alaska. So when a snooping Outsider comes to Grundy to investigate rumors of lycanthropic shenanigans in the area, the valley’s pack alpha, Maggie Graham, resolves to chase him away, even if doing so takes a quick bite on the butt.

What a pity that researcher Nick Thatcher turns out to be so drool-worthy, and that his kisses make Maggie want to sit up and beg. Maggie just can’t seem to convince Nick to leave . . . and even worse, she can’t convince herself to stay away from him. Cross-species dating is problem enough for a harried alpha female, but on top of that, a rival group of werewolves is trying to move into the valley. With interpack war threatening, Maggie can’t afford to be distracted.

Combining romance and a career can be tough for anyone; for a werewolf in love with a human, it may be disastrous. . . .

*****

How To Run With a Naked Werewolf

NAKED WEREWOLF Book #3

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COMING 12/31/13!!

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Caleb Graham is a werewolf by nature, a tracker by profession. He uses his “extra gifts” to find people, and not always in the most legal or ethical manner. He doesn’t care what they’ve done, or who wants them found, as long as his considerable fee is paid. He likes his life simple and uncomplicated.

Anna Moder, former physician to Caleb’s pack, happens across Caleb during a particularly violent “negotiation” that has left him bloodied and unconscious. She helps him, despite the fact that he’s cost her a car, so he insists that she stay with him on the road for a while. As they grow closer, Anna looks past the gruff exterior and and the questionable job to thoroughly decent werewolf underneath.

Anna – who is careful to edit her involvement with Caleb’s pack from their conversations – doesn’t talk about why a nice girl wants to live in the middle of frozen nowhere, but she’s obviously on the run from something. When Anna’s past collides with Caleb’s current assignment from one of his sleazier contacts, Caleb finally has to make a choice—protect his job…or his potential mate?

***

They sound fantastic, don’t they!!?  Make sure to add them to your TBR and check them out from your favorite Bookseller.

For the rest of today though, we’re here to give you the details about the radio show that Molly is doing with Jennifer on Romance Is On The Air.

Tomorrow, 12/20/13, at 11am EST, Molly will be on air with Jennifer talking about her books and romance.  Check out the Event on the Authors On The Air site, and join in for this awesome Event.

CONTEST:

But wait, there’s more!  In celebration of this wonderful Event, Molly and Jennifer are offering up some wonderful prizes, and Books-n-Kisses and LITERAL ADDICTION get to give them away! J

  • 1 lucky winner from Books-n-Kisses will receive a Starbucks Giftcard and Molly’s new release.
  • A lucky winner from LITERAL ADDICTION will get an Amazon Giftcard and Molly’s new release.

To enter, find the Rafflecopter widget for today’s Event below, follow the directions, take action, and mark as ‘Done’.

Good luck!

 

Giveaway ends 12/25

 

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Kelly reviews Size Matters by Robyn Peterman

size mattersTITLE: Size Matters
SERIES #: Handcuffs & Happily Ever After #2
CHARACTERS: Mitch & Kristy
AUTHOR: Robyn Peterman
PUBLICATION DATE: December 19, 2013
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A few hard truths…Don’t bet on Hasselhoff, Bigfoot might actually exist, and searching for the impossible may lead you to your heart’s desire…

It’s a big fat hairy deal when I lose yet another bet to my best friend, Rena. Not only do I end up attending Bigfoot meetings with her kooky Aunt Phyllis, I find myself traveling with a band of reality TV, Sasquatch-hunting nut-jobs! Not to mention a suspiciously shady film crew. As if those little nuggets weren’t enough to send me on the express-train to Crazytown…I stupidly swore off men!

Clearly all this would mess up any gal’s social life, but the worst part of the story? The minute I send my libido on vacation, I meet Mitch. Yep, Mitch, the sexiest cop ev-ah. The hottest, best kissing, finest tushied, SINGLE guy I’ve ever laid eyes on. I’d rather be hot on his trail than anything that involves the word Big or Foot. But sometimes what you’re hunting for has been right in front of you all along

REVIEW:
This is was fun read. We met Kristy briefly in “How Hard Can It Be” (which was super funny and you really should read) and her best gal pal Rena. But In Size Matters we find out the Kristy has been extremely unlucky in love. Like beyond unlucky in love. Oh and Kristy really should never beat on anything. She is guaranteed to lose. Hence the reason Kristy finds herself driving Aunt Moon-Unit (Yes Moon-Unit) to a month worth of Bigfoot believer meetings. But that is only the start of Kristy’s trouble.
Kristy takes yet another beat from her best pal. What is the bet? That she won’t fall head over heels for Jack’s (who is Rena’s boyfriend)best friend and new partner. Kristy knows this a beat that she can’t lose. No way, no how, not ever going to happen. You see Kristy has sworn off dating cops.
But then women’s shelter she runs is broken into and she comes face to face with the most amazing man she has ever seen. From that moment on things don’t go according to plan. Oh heck the completely and udderly blow up in Kristy’s face.

I love Robyn’s writing style. She is so funny. Her characters are fun and have some of the most colorful language I have ever read. I often wonder where the heck Robyn grow up at to learn such language. If you have not given Robyn’s books a try you really should. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

4 Hearts
4 Hearts

Kimberly reviews The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins

Perfect MatchTITLE: The Perfect Match
SERIES #: Blue Heron #2
CHARACTERS: Honor & Tom
AUTHOR: Kristan Higgins
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/29/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
What if the perfect match is a perfect surprise?

Honor Holland has just been unceremoniously rejected by her lifelong crush. And now—a mere three weeks later—Mr. Perfect is engaged to her best friend. But resilient, reliable Honor is going to pick herself up, dust herself off and get back out there… or she would if dating in Manningsport, New York, population 715, wasn’t easier said than done.

Charming, handsome British professor Tom Barlow just wants to do right by his unofficial stepson, Charlie, but his visa is about to expire. Now Tom must either get a green card or leave the States—and leave Charlie behind.

In a moment of impulsiveness, Honor agrees to help Tom with a marriage of convenience—and make her ex jealous in the process. But juggling a fiancé, hiding out from her former best friend and managing her job at the family vineyard isn’t easy. And as sparks start to fly between Honor and Tom, they might discover that their pretend relationship is far too perfect to be anything but true love….

REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts I enjoyed this book. Maybe not as much as Higgin’s other books but it is still an enjoyable read. There is just something a little off about this story and I don’t exactly know what it is. The characters really do not have any chemistry which is a shame.

I liked Honor when she was a background player in the first in the series so I expected to like her in this one and I did but I just didn’t love her. Or Tom really. I think the beginning of the book was a little slow and then the ending seemed to zoom by.

Now that all being said there is no such thing as a bag book by Higgins. She is one of the best in the contemporary romance genre so even a book that isn’t perfect is still great and this one is a good story. I just wouldn’t read it and not give her other books a try.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

3hearts-68-77

Winter Romance Wednesday! Kelly reviews Holiday Kisses by Kent, Burton, Dimon, & Stacey

Holiday KissesTITLE: Holiday Kisses
SERIES #: Anthology
AUTHOR: Kent, Burton, Dimon, & Stacey
PUBLICATION DATE:
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like…Love!

A man gives the gift of trust and receives a second chance at love in return. A woman helps to heal the wounded heart of a soldier. A couple finds that true love knows no distance. And a young widow learns that there can be two great loves in a lifetime. Love, romance and passion come together in this collection of four seasonal shorts.

Anthology includes:

This Time Next Year by Alison Kent

A Rare Gift by Jaci Burton

It’s Not Christmas Without You by HelenKay Dimon

Mistletoe and Margaritas by Shannon Stacey

REVIEW:
4.5 HEARTS This Time Next Year: A snowing road, a deer and a snow bank. Not the best way to spend your last Christmas in the US with your Gran. But being saved by a man on horseback was never in the plans. This was a good story. Although I was extremely upset with Brenna for leaving.

A Rare Gift: This is my second time reading this story and I loved it just as much as I did the first time. Wyatt & Calliope are so cute together. I love the she pushes so much. If you are a fan of Jaci’s you will love this story. Also this is #2 in the Kent Brothers trilogy.

It’s Not Christmas Without You: I enjoyed this story. Austin & Carrie are great. I loved that Austin didn’t give up on what he wants and he wants Carrie. But when he realizes that Carrie doesn’t need him like he needs her, he does what he never thought he would do. He walks away. This is book #1 in the Holloway Series

Mistletoe and Margaritas: I think this was my favorite story of the four. It made my heartbreak, it made me cry and it made me so happy. Justin & Claire are so good together. I really would love for Shannon to write a follow up story on these two. I want to know how the future turns out for them.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley & Harlequin Carina Press in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

4 Hearts
4 Hearts

Spotlight Feature & Exceprt of REAVER by Larissa Ione + Tour Wide giveaway

reaver

REAVER 

by Larissa Ione

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Amazon | Barnes & Noble  IndieBound  

December 17, 2013; Grand Central Publishing Mass Market; $8.00; 978-1-4555-2697-0

Reaver is an angel with a past, a record, and a less-than-heavenly attitude. Powerful enough to fight alongside the fiercest battle angels-and crazy enough to risk his wings on a one-way mission to hell-he’s agreed to go where no angel has ever gone before . . . to steal the most seductive and dangerous prize of Satan himself.

Harvester is one of the Fallen, a once-heroic angel who sacrificed her wings to work as an undercover agent in hell. But now her cover has been blown, and she’s doomed to an eternity of agonizing torture. Even if Reaver can snatch her away from Satan’s lair, even if they can fight their way out of the underworld’s darkest depths, there is one thing Harvester can never escape-her newfound thirst for an angel’s blood. . .

Don’t miss Kelly’s review of Reaver HERE

Excerpt: 

“R-Reaver?”

Reaver held Harvester’s frail body tight against his as he navigated the final steps of a winding ledge that dropped them into a world of weird. “It’s me. It’s okay. We’re safe.”

Relatively safe, anyway. Relative meaning that they weren’t dead. Yet. He just hoped the same could be said for Tavin, Matt, and Calder. When he’d left them to sneak into Satan’s realm, they’d been engaged in a battle they’d initiated as a diversion. It had been a risky move, and Reaver could only pray they’d make it to the rendezvous point.

A hunter’s horn sounded in the distance and was answered by another, closer horn signal. Satan’s minions hadn’t gained ground, but they were spreading out. Damn.

He scanned the landscape of thorny plants, hills of blackened earth and trees, and twisted, abandoned structures. Nothing moved.

He looked down at Harvester, and as before when he first saw her hanging over a pit of acid, he felt sick to his stomach. He didn’t like Harvester even though he was grateful for the things she’d done, but she didn’t deserve this; her naked body too thin and mottled with bruises and ligature marks, her once silken black hair tangled and dull, and worst of all, missing her gorgeous green eyes.

Under ideal circumstances, an angel could heal from even the most heinous injuries within hours. But these were far from ideal circumstances, and Harvester’s source of power, her wings, had been severed. Without wings or medical assistance, it could take weeks, even months, for an angel’s body to fully heal.

“I can’t risk healing you more than I did,” he said. “My power isn’t reliable right now, and I could do more harm than good.”

“Reaver,” she croaked, as if he hadn’t spoken. “Why…how…”

“Shh.” He tucked her face into his chest, quieting her. “We’re going to meet up with some friends, and then I’ll answer all your questions.”

Reaver and the assassins had worked out a plan A and a plan B. Plan A had been shot to hell when iron gates had prevented Reaver from getting out of Satan’s realm to the south, where his companions would have been waiting. Now, with demons in pursuit, they were on their way to plan B. Hopefully Tav, Matt, and Calder had realized quickly that Reaver’s escape route had gone bad.

Inhaling the stench of rotten vegetation that permeated this section of Sheoul, he started away from the skeletons of some burned-out buildings and toward a mountain range as expansive as the Rockies. He moved swiftly, outrunning the sounds of pursuit and pausing once to blast a group of imps with a ball of lightning. The sphere struck the leader, and from there sent electrical strikes at each of the surrounding imps, frying them all in a handy eight-for-one.

Harvester slept in his arms, barely stirring when he stopped to listen for anyone following them. By the time they neared the plan B meeting site, Reaver was sure they’d lost the demons—temporarily. Reaver wasn’t naive enough to think they were off the hook. The demons chasing them were only the first wave, the security detail unlucky enough to be guarding the dungeon Harvester was kept in.

Once Satan got wind of this, if he hadn’t already, Reaver and Harvester were going to have legions of minions on their heels.

 

Larissa Ione_smallA little about Larissa:

A former meteorologist and EMT, Air Force veteran Larissa Ione now gets her daily dose of excitement from vampires, werewolves, demons, and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. She lives in wintery Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat, and her hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway Time!!!

1 winner will get our grand prize of a Kindle Fire

4 winners will get a signed set of Larissa Ione’s Lords of Deliverance Series: Eternal Rider, Immortal Rider, Lethal Rider & Rogue Rider!

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Cover Reveal of Her Savage Scot by Christina Phillips

The Highland Warrior Chronicles

From the Kingdom of Dal Riada, Scots warriors Connor MacKenzie, Cameron MacNeil and Ewan MacKinnon pledge to keep the peace in the wild Highlands of Pictland. But each man is destined to fall in love with a Pictish princess – three cousins who are determined to save their beloved land from the savage invaders. Instead they lose their hearts to their wild foreign warriors.

Book 1 ~ Her Savage Scot

Book 2 ~ Her Vengeful Scot

Book 3 ~ Her Defiant Scot

  Her Savage Scot

hersavagescott_msr

ISBN:  9781419940446

Release date: 20th November 2013

Ellora’s Cave |  Amazon | ARe  | Nook  | Amazon UK |  Kobo | Goodreads

When tough Scot warrior Connor MacKenzie rides into the barbaric lands of the Picts on a mission for his king, he never expects to be captivated by a beautiful Pictish widow. Drawn under her spell, yet unaware of her true identity, he risks everything for one passionate night in her arms.

Aila, princess of Pictland, swore long ago she would do anything within her power to help defeat the Vikings who invaded her land and murdered her husband. But after meeting Connor, her frozen heart thaws and once again she imagines a future filled with love and passion.

When Connor delivers the message from his king, Aila becomes a pawn in a deadly game of politics. Her heart belongs to Connor, but she must marry the prince of Dal Riada – Connor’s half-brother. But the fates have other plans for the star-crossed lovers as they fight their enemies and themselves to find true love.

Excerpt 4 – Adult

Connor finally released her and she turned to face him, not even attempting to regulate her uneven breath. Why should she? He attempted no such thing.

“Remove your gown.” The order was harsh.

How dare he speak to her in such a manner? She, a Princess of Ce, when he was nothing but a commoner?

“Or what?” Her words were low, taunting, no matter how she chided herself to remain silent. “You will rip it from my body? Ruin another of my gowns?”

“Aye.” As he spoke, he tossed his length of plaid over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving hers. “If that’s the only way to strip you for my pleasure.”

She gasped at his arrogance, but twisted desire curled around her clitoris and quivered through her wet sheath.

“You would have me dress in rags?” Why was she encouraging him? All she had to do was discard her gown, open her arms and pretend they were back in Ce. There was no place in this life for the entrancing flirting they had enjoyed that night.

He bared his teeth in a parody of the smile that had once captivated her foolish heart. “Madam, I can well afford to ensure you have a dozen new gowns for every one I…ruin.”

Read Chapter One of Her Savage Scot

 

A Romantica® historical erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

 

Bio

Christina loves writing dark tales set in the 9th century featuring tough Highland warriors who are brought to their knees by their brave Pictish princesses.

She is published by Ellora’s Cave and Berkley Heat and has dipped her toe in the indie pub waters. She is a member of the Romance Writers of Australia, Romance Writers of America, the DarkSide Down Under Group Blog and Historical Hearts Group Blog.

Christina is an ex-pat Brit who now lives in sunny Western Australia with her family. She is also owned by three gorgeous cats who are convinced the universe revolves around their needs. They are not wrong.

Connect with Christina:

Website    Facebook    Twitter    Goodreads    Blog

Tour Wide Giveaway in conjunction with Allison Butler who writes Scottish medieval romances for Penguin Australia

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