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Kelly’s Review of Endure by Carrie Jones

Endure
AUTHOR: Carrie Jones
PUBLICATION DATE: 05/08/12
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
It’s all-out war (and no-holds-barred romance) in the climactic conclusion to Carrie Jones’s bestselling series.

Zara is at the center of an impending apocalypse. True, she’s successfully rescued Nick from Valhalla, but it simply isn’t enough. Evil pixies are ravaging Bedford, and they need much more than one great warrior; they need an army. Zara isn’t sure what her role is anymore. She’s not just fighting for her friends; she’s also a pixie queen. And to align her team of pixies with the humans she loves will be one of her greatest battles yet. Especially since she can’t even reconcile her growing feelings for her pixie king . . .

Unexpected turns, surprising revelations, and one utterly satisfying romantic finale make Endure a thrilling end to this series of bestsellers.

REVIEW:
Zara and crew are still trying to find a way to make the world around them safe again. Zara finally picks who she loves. And that was as far as I got in this book. Sadly, I didn’t finish this book. This is one of the very few books I didn’t finish. I am not really sure what it was, but I didn’t connect with the characters in this book. I loved Need (book 1), really enjoyed Captivate (book 2), and liked like Entice (book 3). But had a hard time with Endure.

I was really bummed, because I was really looking forward to this fourth and final book in the Need series. But for me it fell flat. I hope that fans of the Need series will enjoy this book more than I did.
REVIEW PROVIDED BY: Kelly
NUMBER OF STARS: DNF

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Kimberly’s review of Somebody to Love by Kristan Higgins

Somebody To Love
AUTHOR: Kristan Higgins
PUBLICATION DATE: 04/24/12
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
After her father loses the family fortune in an insider-trading scheme, single mom Parker Welles is faced with some hard decisions. First order of business: go to Gideon’s Cove, Maine, to sell the only thing she now owns—a decrepit house in need of some serious flipping. When her father’s wingman, James Cahill, asks to go with her, she’s not thrilled — …even if he is fairly gorgeous and knows his way around a toolbox.

Having to fend for herself financially for the first time in her life, Parker signs on as a florist’s assistant and starts to find out who she really is. Maybe James isn’t the glib lawyer she always thought he was. And maybe the house isn’t the only thing that needs a little TLC….

REVIEW:

This book is second in not one but two series and what makes it interesting is it can stand alone and is still enjoyable. You never feel like you are missing some vital information from the other books. First it is the second after The Next Best Thing (Ethan/Lucy) where the best friends of Parker Welles are the main characters and then she ends up in Gideon’s Cove which was first introduced in Catch of the Day (Maggie/Malone).

The characters of Parker and James are very interesting and it does not take long for you to get involved in their story. Parker is portrayed as having grown up rich and spoiled but honestly I did not see it. Yes she was rich (until her father lost it all) but she has friends who are not rich, she is a single mom who works (writing children’s books) and is not afraid to do what she needs to do for her son. James is a lawyer and you can tell right off that there is more to him. He is a good guy who has gotten a bad rap for being Parker’s fathers “yes man”. There is a past they are both trying to move beyond. And a future together if they manage not to mess up the present.

I really enjoyed this book. I had never read anything from Higgins before but I will most certainly pick up more of her books. Higgins uses some British terms (bugger, crikey, loo, etc) and it seems a bit odd sometimes since the rest of the book she doesn’t and it is set in Maine, USA. The other bizarre thing is her talking to the angel characters in the children books she has written and them talking back to her (in her mind of course). But it does not take long to get passed that and just enjoy the story and the many background characters Higgins has included. And the Epilogue is so sweet it will bring a tear to any single mothers eye. .

REVIEW PROVIDED BY: Kimberly

4 Hearts


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Review of The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst

The Marriage Bargain
AUTHOR: Jennifer Probst
PUBLICATION DATE: 02/14/2012
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A marriage in name only… To save her family home, impulsive bookstore owner, Alexa Maria McKenzie, casts a love spell. But she never planned on conjuring up her best friend’s older brother—the powerful man who once shattered her heart. Billionaire Nicholas Ryan doesn’t believe in marriage, but in order to inherit his father’s corporation, he needs a wife and needs one fast. When he discovers his sister’s childhood friend is in dire financial straits, he’s offers Alexa a bold proposition. A marriage in name only with certain rules: Avoid entanglement. Keep things all business. Do not fall in love. The arrangement is only for a year so the rules shouldn’t be that hard to follow, right? Except fate has a way of upsetting the best-laid plans…

REVIEW:

Ok, this book definitely made me feel. I felt all sorts of anger toward Nicholas because he spent so much time caught up in his own jerkiness that he couldn’t see what was right in front of his face. Despite their long history, he still saw Alexa as the annoyance from his childhood. Sure he noticed that she grew up but that was mostly a physical thing. He accepted her lame excuses for accepting the money at face value when clearly he should have known better. He is way too into his own awesomeness to pay attention to the woman he could spend the rest of his life with. Alexa, despite all vows to the contrary, is still in love with the boy she fell for as a child. She keeps saying she is over him and tries her hardest to act it too, but she just doesn’t quite pull it off. While I admire the sacrifice she is making for her family I still want to smack her upside the head. She has very low self esteem when it comes to Nicholas and I really don’t blame her given their history. But I still wanted to kick her once or twice. I was not sure whether I was rooting for them as a couple or not. But Ms. Probst managed to change my mind. Despite everything I found myself hoping that Alexa would finally thaw Nicholas out and get him to see her for the woman she really was. Not just the gold digger he thought she was. I was at turns disgusted and frustrated by their behavior to one another.  Ultimately though it ended as I had hoped. I kind of felt like I had ridden a roller coaster when I was done reading it. It was an interesting read so go ahead and check it out.

Reviewed by: Flying Frog Fairy

4 Hearts

 

 

 

           

 

 

 

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Keri Aurthur’s Dark Angels series

Darkness Unbound (Dark Angels #1)

Risa Jones is as extraordinary as her heritage. Born from a lab-enhanced clone mother and an Aedh father, she can not only talk to the souls of the dying and the dead, but she can see the reapers and walk the gray fields that divide this world from the next. They are skill she rarely uses, however, preferring to concentrate on the business she shares with her two best friends. But when her mother asks her to help the parents of a little girl locked in a coma, she reluctantly agrees. What she discovers scares the hell out of her. Because the little girl’s soul no longer resides in her body, and it wasn’t death and the reapers that took her. Someone had ripped her soul from her flesh. As it turns out, a creature consuming the souls of the innocent–and not so innocent–is the least of her problems. Because someone wants to rip open the gates that divided hell from earth, and Risa is a key component in their plans. And the only person standing between her and disaster is a reaper who isn’t exactly on her side.

 

Darkness Rising (Dark Angels #2)

The sexy, thrilling adventures continue in bestselling author Keri Arthur’s new Dark Angels series, starring half-werewolf/half-Aedh Risa Jones. Risa will go to any lengths to avenge her mother’s murder—even if it means making a pact with the most evil vampire she’s ever met. Lethal and powerful, Madeline Hunter is leader of the vampire council, and will put her resources behind finding the killer—for a price. The venerable vampire requires the assistance of Risa’s psychic powers. Quid pro quo. Someone—or something—is targeting the elders of the local council, cursing the immortal vampires to rapidly age, sink into madness, and die. Risa must track down the vengeful being responsible. But Risa’s father, a rogue Aedh priest, also enlists her in a dangerous mission. And not even the great Madeline Hunter may be able to protect her from the shadowy forces that desire nothing less than Risa’s destruction.

 

Darkness Devours (Dark Angels #3)

Half-werewolf, half-Aedh Risa Jones can enter the realm between life and death, and she can see the Reapers who collect the souls of the dead. Now, she is using her gifts—and the investigative know-how of a man who broke her heart—to find a cabal searching for the power to control time, reality, and fate. And this is besides her work for the Vampire Council, half of whom want her dead. But for now the Council needs her alive. Someone is killing blood-whore addicted vampires, and Risa must find the guilty party. If she succeeds, she may finally convince the council to lift the execution order on her life. But before she succeeds, she must first survive…

 

Darkness Hunts (Dark Angels #4)

Release Day: November 2012

Risa Jones, half-Aedh/half-werewolf, can enter the realm between life and death. She can speak to the dying and the dead, and she can see the Reapers, collectors of souls. What she can not yet see is the identity of a stranger murdering women and draining their blood. Now Risa must summon her gifts to find him, even if it means putting her own life in danger. But Risa needn’t look far. The killer knows who she is. He tells her his victims are infected by darkness and he’s fated to destroy them. Fascinated by Risa, he engages her in a sinister game: the chance to save the life of his next victim by deciphering his series of clues. In a race against time, she enlists the help of the Reaper Azriel. But as an attraction between them grows, so does the fear that the stranger’s motives are only part of a larger, more dangerous scheme—one that has lured Risa and Azriel into the dark

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Interview & Giveaway with Laura Kaye

Books-n-Kisses is super excited to have the WONDERFUL Laura Kaye back on the blog.  We always love having Laura on the blog.  We love her and her books.  Which brings me back to why we are here.  Laura has 2, yes 2 new releases this month Her Forbidden Hero and Seduced by the Vampire King.  Both which are very good stories.  So enough of my ramblings lets get to the good stuff. 

Q1)  Can you please share with us a little about yourself?

Laura:  I would love to! And thanks so much for having me here—I always enjoy hanging out at Books-n-Kisses! I write paranormal, contemporary and erotic romance and just celebrated my 6th and 7th releases in pretty quick succession: Her Forbidden Hero on May 15 and Seduced by the Vampire King (Vampire Warrior Kings #2) on June 1! I’m also a wife, mom of two young girls (ages 8 and almost 6), college history professor, Marylander, and complete vampire addict!

Q2)  Have you always wanted to be an author?

Laura:  Well, I suppose so, because from the time I began college, I knew I wanted to be a college history professor, and publication is an expected part of that job. So, I’ve published two works of historical non-fiction as part of my academic career. However, I didn’t begin writing fiction until almost four years ago, and while I wanted to be an author, getting published is not easy, so the fact that it’s happened is really a dream come true.

Q3)  Can you share with us your typical writing day.  Is there anything you have to have while writing?

Laura:  Have laptop, will write! LOL Seriously, that is the single thing I require. My typical writing day is to meet my best friend and YA paranormal author Lea Nolan at Panera, stake out a comfy spot in our regular booth, and write all day until it’s time to pick up the kids. Alternately, if it’s a teaching day for me, I’ll write in the evenings after dinner, homework, and baths.

Q4)  Most challenging or rewarding part of writing?

Laura:  I’ll start with the most rewarding part first, since that’s the easiest! The most rewarding part of writing is hearing from readers how much they enjoyed my books. After all, if it weren’t for readers, there really wouldn’t be much reason for me to do this! One positive comment from a reader is like fuel that can keep me going all day! Seriously, I love interacting with people about books! The most challenging part of writing is just having enough time to do everything that needs done. Between writing, promoting, my day job, my family, my house, and optional things like, you know, sleep *winks*, sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day!

Q5) Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

Laura:  I’ll share both since I’ve got two new ones out right now!

Her Forbidden Hero is a truly heartfelt contemporary romance about a tormented former Army Special Forces soldier battling his war-borne injuries and demons and attempting to stay away from the one person—his best friend’s little sister—who gives him the most solace but is off limits. Here’s the blurb:

She’s always been off-limits… Former Army Special Forces Sgt. Marco Vieri has never thought of Alyssa Scott as more than his best friend’s little sister, but her return home changes that…and challenges him to keep his war-borne demons at bay. Marco’s not the same person he was back when he protected Alyssa from her abusive father, and he’s not about to let her see the mess he’s become. …but now she’s all grown up. When Alyssa takes a job at the bar where Marco works, her carefree smiles wreak havoc on his resolve to bury his feelings. How can he protect her when he can’t stop thinking about her in his bed? But Alyssa’s not looking for protection–not anymore. Now that she’s back in his life, she’s determined to heal her forbidden hero, one touch at a time…

 

Seduced by the Vampire King is the second book in my Vampire Warrior Kings series and offers a twist on the enemies-to-lovers theme by pairing together a vampire warrior who wants nothing more in his life but vengeance for his dead brothers with a human woman who fled 5,000 miles to escape a life in the service of vampires. Here’s the blurb:

American exchange student Kate Bordessa has fled to Russia to escape her family’s hopes that she’ll become one of the Proffered, human women who feed and mate with elite vampire warriors. But when she stumbles upon a wounded vampire in the streets of Moscow, she’s instinctively driven to protect him–and feels an undeniable spark of desire. Grieving over the deaths of his brothers, Vampire Warrior King Nikolai Vasilyev has thrown himself into battling his enemies, focused only on vengeance. Until the attack that brought him to Kate. Their sexual attraction explodes into a night of uncontrolled passion–a night that marks them as mates. Is their connection strong enough to convince them to embrace a destiny neither of them was expecting?

One thing that ties both books together are tortured alpha heroes… Yum!

Q6)  How did you come with the idea for this story?

Laura:  Her Forbidden Hero came to me at first with a single image: a very broken man sitting in the near dark and struggling to play the guitar. Two things about Seduced by the Vampire King came to me right away—the opening scene of the book in which the hero, Nikolai Vasilyev, engages in urban warfare with his ancient enemies, and the fact that the hero had fled having to serve vampires. From those small pieces, the stories grew outward and took on a life of their own. This is my normal process, by the way, characters come to me and then a story fills in around them.

Q7) Can you share with us your current work in progress?

Laura: The next book I will write—starting this week!—is the follow-on story to Her Forbidden Hero, which will feature the heroine’s brother Brady in his own story. Next, I’ll be writing the third Vampire Warrior Kings story.

Q8)  Who are some of your favorite authors?

Laura:  J.R. Ward is hands down my favorite author. I adore her Black Dagger Brotherhood books and have re-read them a gajillion times! I got to see her in person this spring and hear her talk about the Brothers, about how she writes, and spoilers in future books—and man, that rocked so hard, I can’t even tell you! I was all fangirly! I’m also a big fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon and had the chance to meet and take a picture with her last summer!

Q9)  Do you feel that any of your favorite authors have inspired your writing style? 

Laura:  Definitely. I feel like I learned a lot of what I know about how to write male point of view from Ward and Kenyon, who write fantastic male characters in my opinion. Also, I grew up on Stephen King and Anne Rice, and they definitely influenced my writing of the paranormal.

Q10)  What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

Laura:  OMG can you believe it’s Lover Reborn, the newest J.R. Ward book? When it released, I was deep in the throes of writing Her Forbidden Hero and I just haven’t had a chance since then!

Q11) Is there anything else you would like to add?

Laura:  Thank you all so much for reading!

I’m hosting a GIVEAWAY! Two winners: one person will win an ebook of Her Forbidden Hero and one will win an ebook of Seduced by the Vampire King. Open to international! Please leave your email address to enter!

And finally, thanks again to Kelly for hosting me!

BnK:  It is always a pleasure to host you Laura.  We love having you on the blog.  Okay readers, if you want a chance to win one of Laura’s books please fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

 

About Laura Kaye:

Voted Breakout Author of the Year in the 2011 GraveTells Readers’ Choice Awards, Laura is the bestselling and award-winning author of over a half-dozen books in paranormal, contemporary and erotic romance. Hearts in Darkness is the EPIC eBook Award Winner for Best Novella and HOLT Medallion Award of Merit Winner for Best Romance Novella, Forever Freed is the NJRW Golden Leaf Winner for Best Paranormal of 2011 and is a finalist for two GDRWA Booksellers’ Best Awards, and North of Need, the first book in the Hearts of the Anemoi series, is a finalist for a FF&P PRISM award, was named GraveTells’ Best Book of 2011 and won their 5-STAR Gold Heart Award, and won Sizzling Hot Read of the Year at Sizzling Hot Books. Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

Buy Laura’s Books

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Interview & Giveaway with Jennifer Malone Wright

Books-n-Kisses is happy to welcome Jennifer Malone Wright to the blog today to chat about her Vampire Hunter’s Daughter series.

1. Can you please share with us a little about yourself

My name is Jennifer Malone Wright, I am 33 years old and a mother of 5 kids. I’ve been married for 11 years and live in Northern Idaho.

2. Have you always wanted to be an author?

Pretty much, it’s been since early on, in grade school when I knew that I wanted to write.

3. Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

My influences have been Stephen King, Anne Rice and V.C Andrews. These authors were who I began to read early, right after I graduated from Sweet Valley High and Baby Sitters Club books.

4. How did you get into writing in this specific genre?  Have you ever thought about writing in a different genre?

I just love the paranormal so of course that is what I’m going to write. But, yes, I have a few romance novels up my sleeve as well as a sci fi story I’m taking notes on.

5. What are some of your writing rituals?

Hair up, clean around me, ear buds in, coffee next to me, laptop in my lap and sitting in my recliner, then I’m ready!

6. Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

My latest work is a short story series called The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter. It is about a girl, Chloe, who’s world falls apart when vampires break into her house and kill her mother in front of her. She is suddenly saved by a bunch of vampire hunter’s and taken away to their compound. She discovers that she is one of them, a born vampire hunter, she meets her grandfather and discovers that her father is a vampire and the reason her mother was murdered, so she vows to avenge her mother….and that’s just part one! There are 5 parts released in the series.

7. How did you come with the idea for this story?

This story started out as an idea to write a story about a woman who was a teacher by day and a vampire hunter by night. I was floundering and thought she needed a back story, that is how Chloe Kallistrate, my main character was born.

8. Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?

Mostly I’m just working on The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter series. I’m working on part six now, I am also working on the 2nd book in The Birth of Jaiden series.

9. What would you be if you were not an author?

Probably nothing. I have five kids and for me to work I’d have to have a really good paying job, I love photography though, so maybe I’d do that.

10. What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

I’m really excited to read Time for Death, by Christie Silvers which is next in my tbr. I’m cannot wait for Insurgent to come out as well.

11. Is there anything else you would like to add?

Just a big thank you to all the fans and friends!

You can find me on

I have an e-copy of book one to giveaway.  To enter to win please fill out the Rafflecopter form below.
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HUGE Thank you!!!

I hope everyone is loving our new blog site.  I know that I am.  I am so excited that we moved to word press.

There are a few changes that have been made.  We have tried to stream line a lot of things.   But if at any time you have any issues please let me know and will do everything in my power to fix it.

Also wanted to let you all know my trust side kick Kimberly will now be helping with blog posts!!  YAY!! She is a life saver.

Okay on to my thank you’s.

I have to say a HUGE and I mean HUGE thank you to Joy over at 5 J’s Designs for helping me move my blog even when she was sick. Girl I don’t even know how to tell you how much help you where.  It was the most painless move I have ever made in my life.  THANK YOU!!!

Next I have to thank Sophia over at Fiction Vixen for answering all my stupid little questions about word press.  When I could have just went and read the directions or YouTubed it she took the time to answer and guide me.  Love this girl.  If you don’t follow her blog you really should.

I have to say a thank you to Carolyn over at Book City Chicks for taking the time to talk to me about her blog designer and word press in general.  Again another wonderful site you should follow.

Lastly, Sally over at The Qwillery for putting up with my constant can you look at my blog, does this look right and is my site to white???  And Sally’s answer?

“Your site looks like a sleek white unicorn running through a snow storm”

And that is why I love Sally!!!!

If I missed anyone please forgive me…  But to anyone who looked at the site before hand and let me know what needed to be fixed or that they loved the new look THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

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Lover At Last by JR Ward

FINALLY!!!!!

The WARDen has released the cover for Blay & Qhuinn’s book.

It is perfectly titled “Lover At Last”

I am super excited!!!  Looks like another March release day.

It is projected release is March 31, 2013.

So far away..

What do you think of Qhuinn on the cover?

did you see the eyes???

I wish the Blay was on the cover too.

 

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Interview with Amy Elizabeth Smith

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome Amy Elizabeth Smith to the blog today to chat about her new release All Roads Lead to Austen.

Q1) Can you please share with us a little about yourself?
I’m from westernPennsylvaniaoriginally, but now I live inCaliforniaand teach at a small private university. I just got married in late April to a fabulous man I met while I was traveling inLatin America, preparing for my book. I’m 48, and I’ve never been married before — so yes, it can happen! At the wedding reception my sister reminded me of a funny story. She and my brother once walked by a store with a t-shirt in the window of a skeleton on a park bench wearing high heels and a dressy hat — and the caption said, “Waiting for Mr. Right.” Apparently they exchanged looks and starting laughing. Yeah, that was me. But I found him, after all!

Q2) Have you always wanted to be an author?
It wasn’t until the 4th grade that the reading bug bit me, but from then on, I’ve been a committed book nerd. I started writing little mystery novels as soon as I encountered Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. I’d make covers for the books out of thin cardboard and did my own illustrations. When I discovered “bodice rippers” in the late 70s, I tried a few of those, too (although I’d moved up to blank books by that time, instead of binding my own). I think some of those fledgling attempts are still haunting my Mom’s attic . . .

Q3) Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?I

I’m a huge fan of David Sedaris — but I’m afraid I could never allow myself to be so outrageous. I love big voices (Hunter S. Thompson also comes to mind), but I don’t work in a style like theirs, I’d say. Among the classics, there’s Jane Austen, of course, but I also love Dickens, Emily Brontë, and Virginia Woolf. As for romance — I know this makes some people cringe, but I love vampire novels and paranormal romance. J. R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series is hot, hot, hot. I’m enjoying Lara Adrian’s series, too.

Q4) How did you get into writing in this specific genre?  Have you ever thought about writing in a different genre?

I wrote my Ph.D. dissertation on 18th-century travel literature, and since then, I’ve wanted to write a travel narrative of my own. Travel writing is a great way to learn about new places. But I never expected that my book would have so much romance in it — who knew I’d meet my future husband on the road? My editor tried to get me to be a little more forthcoming on some of the detail . . . but in the Austen universe, I’m an Elinor, not a Marianne. And who knows, maybe someday I’ll get back to mystery novels and see if I can improve on my 4th-grade efforts!

Q5) What are some of your writing rituals?

Procrastinating (half the writers you ask say this, right?). Cleaning the house. That aside, my most consistent ritual is time of day — I’m an early bird. I love to pop out of bed at 4:oo am when I’m really on a roll with a chapter. Something about the fact that almost nobody else is up — makes me feel so virtuous.
Q6) Can you please tell us about your latest book?

All Roads Lead to Austen was meant to just be a travel narrative — I did reading groups in six Latin America countries, to find out what people would think about Jane Austen in Guatemala, Mexico, Ecuador, Chile, Paraguay, and Argentina. Like on most trips, things didn’t always turn out the way I planned — sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a not-so-good way . . .

Q7) How did you come with the idea for this story?

I teach a Jane Austen class, and my students do projects rather than research papers. They’ve done so many fun and creative things over the years that that finally thought, hey, I should do a project myself. Some inspiration from Azar Nafisi’s Reading Lolita in Tehran was in the mix, too.

Q8) What would you be if you were not an author?

It wouldn’t hurt my feelings if I could only be an author — but I’m very lucky to have a wonderful “day job” at my university. If we’re talking fantasy “what would I be,” that’s easy. Lottery winner, living on the beach with my husband, reading (I think I could talk him into that). If “lottery winner” were off the menu and I weren’t a professor, I just might have turned into a librarian. Something to do with books, one way or another.

Q9) What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

I just read a beautiful novel called The Oracle of Stamboul, by Michael David Lukas. He’s at work on a book about Cairo, and I can’t wait to read it. I also recently discovered a classic romance writer. She was half English and half Chinese but pretended to be Japanese and used the pseudonym Onoto Watanna. Her books came out between 1899 and 1925, with sweet titles like A Japanese Nightingale and The Honorable Miss Moonlight. A lot of her books are available for e-readers — but for real lovers of classic romance, I’d recommend hunting down original editions, because they’re beautifully illustrated. If I weren’t writing this blog right now, I’d be reading a title I just got in the mail — Daughters of Nijo.

Author Amy Elizabeth Smith on the Road with Jane Austen in Antigua, Guatemala

Thanks so much for inviting me to stop by — and I hope my book on Austen and Latin America might inspire readers to take on a bit of travel (or romance) of their own!

 

All Roads Lead to Austen
Release day June 1, 2012

Amazon | B&N

Is the magic of Jane a moveable feast? Jane Austen thrives in the 21st century, living on in book clubs, in conversations, in quiet reads with a cup of coffee.She is unchanged by time. But is she unchanged by place? Does Austen still work magic in new time zones, new countries, new languages? Amy Elizabeth Smith wanted to find out. With a suitcase full of Austen novels en español, Smith set off on a yearlong Latin American road trip with Jane. In six unique, unforgettable countries, she gathered book-loving new friends—taxi drivers and teachers, poets and politicians—to read Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice. On the road, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times (no, wait, that’s Dickens…).Whether sharing rooster beer with Guatemalans, joining the crowd at a Mexican boxing match, feeding a horde of tame iguanas with Ecuadorean children, or wrangling argumentative booksellers in Argentina, Amy came to learn what Austen knew all along: we’re not always speaking the same language, even when we’re speaking the same language. But with true Austen instinct she could recognize when, unexpectedly, she’d found her own Señor Darcy. All Roads Lead to Austen celebrates the wisdom (and pleasure!) of of letting go and becoming a student again, no matter what our age.

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Interview with Sarah Carr

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to have Sarah Carr on the blog today to talk about her new release Revealing Hamilton.

Can you please share with us a little about yourself?

My name is Sarah. I’m 32 years old and I live in Washington State with my wonderful husband and adorable son. By day, I bill radiology and I’m a novelist by night. Once upon a time, I was a massage therapist and I’m currently an ordained minister. In my spare time, I like to splash in mud puddles and knit.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

 My cousins and I wrote stories as children and I dabbled with writing as I grew up. The desire didn’t hit until my twenties and even then, it was sporadic. A few years back, it became necessity to write every day and has been ever since.

Can you share with us your typical writing day.  Is there anything you have to have while writing?

Part of my brain is constantly plotting. Through the years, I’ve learned how to quarantine part of it where my characters are allowed to run wild. I write on most of my breaks and lunches at work, but the bulk of my writing occurs in the evenings.

Most challenging or rewarding part of writing?

Rewarding: Watching the expressions and listening to the responses of the reader. Knowing they’re engaged and enjoy the story is reward in itself.

Challenging: Finding enough time to write, especially when inspiration hits at an inopportune time.

Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

Here’s the back cover blurb from Revealing Hamilton:

A conversation with a stranger changes Amelia Hamilton’s life forever. When she learns her grandfather faked his own death, normalcy slips from Amelia’s grasp. To make matters worse, he is coming for her in less than seven days. What she hasn’t determined is why.

Amelia’s grandfather, Marius Benedict, once headed The Physician’s Coalition, an elite group of doctors who threw the Hippocratic Oath out the window. Years ago, they used a low-risk medical research study as a front to their experiments. Without their consent, innocents were injected with JackRabbit7, a hazardous substance used to alter their DNA. The victims were left with less-than-desirable super-human powers or excruciating death. Years after he disbanded the group, Marius has a new plan and is reforming The Coalition.

Max, a mysterious stranger from the Insurance Agency, offers to help keep Amelia safe. He introduces The Agency as an underground government organization that contains and eliminates those who intend to harm the world. To protect The Agency, the truth of their activities are concealed and replaced with sugar-coated stories in the media.

Over the course of the next week, Amelia has to accept the truth and learn who can be trusted. At midnight on her 23rd birthday, a contract between The Coalition and The Insurance Agency will expire, giving Marius full rein to approach his granddaughter and finish the project he started with her so many years ago.

How did you come with the idea for this story?

It hatched in a bookstore in 2005 while I searched for a new book to read. Unable to find what I wanted, I decided to write a story myself. I toyed with the idea and wrote 50,000 words in 30 days (NaNoWriMo). Then, I put it away for a while. After some time passed, the story screamed for my attention and the rest is history.

Can you share with us your current work in progress?

I’m currently working on the sequel to Revealing Hamilton, Embracing Hamilton. Embracing Hamilton is under contract with Ruby Lioness Press to be released in early 2013. To date, I have ideas for at least four JackRabbit7 novels.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

So many to choose from! Off the top of my head, Laurell K Hamilton, Robert Rankin, JK Rowling and works from my RLP pride.

Do you feel that any of your favorite authors have inspired your writing style? 

LKH has inspired me to write, but not necessarily for her specific style. I admire her ability to pull me into her stories and my sense of time is lost. It’s that quality within her writing that I want to invoke in my readers.

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

I’m currently reading Titanic Deception by Toni Rakestraw. Kiss the Dead is on my list and plowing through the RLP recent releases.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thank you so much for interviewing me today. Revealing Hamilton is available through Amazon.com, SmashWords, Barnes & Noble and Ruby Lioness Press. You can reach me through my website at www.sarahjcarr.com, through FaceBook at www.facebook.com/authorsarahjcarr or catch me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/@sarahjcarr1

Thank you for interviewing me! I had a great time! J

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Interview & Giveaway with Carla Swafford

Books-n-Kisses is please to welcome Carla Swafford to the blog today to chat a little about herself, bucket list, and her new and up coming books Circle of Danger and Circle of Deception (Nov 2012).  Please make Carla feel welcome.  

Can you please share with us a little about yourself

Like most authors, I lead a boring life especially when compared to my characters, but here we go. I’m married to my high school sweetheart and live in Alabama. Once I learned how to read, I fell in love with books. First it started out with anything that had horses on the cover and then one day I read Roberta Gellis’s BOND OF BLOOD, my first romance, and I found my obsession. Not until many years later, I decided to try my hand at writing the stories tumbling around in my head. Nine years and ten books later, I received an email from Avon wanting to publish my latest manuscript that had been doing rather well in contests. Circle of Danger is my second published book and the third, Circle of Deception, will be released November 27, 2012.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

Until I was adult, I thought all authors lived in New York or California or were dead.  So no.  <snort!>

What is your most interesting writing quirk?

I must have Kid Rock blasting music as I type in the nude. Sorry. I couldn’t resist teasing. None of that is true. Really. No quirks for me, though my kids would tell you that I’m a little OCD about some stuff but not my writing. If you’re wondering, I’ll give you one example. I only buy red toothbrushes. Yep. Just one of those hang ups of mine.

Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

First, I’ll mention that Circle of Danger was released June 5 in e-format. The paperback will be available June 19. It’s the second book in The Circle series about a mercenary organization, though each book can be read as a standalone.

In Circle of Danger, though Ryker is several years older than Marie, they grew up together under the thumb of the same psycho. Finally free, she wants to be a Circle operative but on her first assignment is injected with a designer drug that revs up a person’s sex drive. The last four women with that drug in their system died. Ryker is willing to do anything to save her including taking her to his bed (it’s a dirty job but he’s man enough) and searching for the antidote. When he’s captured by a new evil, he worries that he has become the monster he always feared, and the one who will pay the biggest price, will be the woman he loves.

How did you come with the idea for this story?

The Circle series came out of my love for the late 90s TV series La Femme Nikita and kind of morphed from there. For the specific story about the designer drug, it came from a critique partner’s story. I’ve told her how I loved her third book, Run To Me (http://www.christyreece.com/books_main.html), and of course, all the others too. In that story, a bad guy controls the hero with a mind alternating drug. Such a cool idea. Me, being me, I wondered how that would work if the drug caused a person’s sex drive to go into overdrive? Christy thought it was a hoot and so typically me.

 Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?

I’m a little over half way in the third book of The Circle series, Circle of Deception. It’s a shade more lighthearted (nice way of saying the heroine is a smart-aleck) than the other two, but just as sexy with all the twists and turns. For those who read the first book, this one is Rex and A. J./Abby’s story.

Who is the one author that you would love to meet someday and why?

Oh, my, I have to admit I’m one lucky fan. I’ve met all of my favorite authors and even become friends with a few of them. Hmm. Wait! Lisa Kleypas! I can’t believe I haven’t met her. And why? So I can thank her for writing books I love.

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?

No matter what people tell you, if you study your craft and write, write, write, there’s always someone out there that will love your book as much as you do.

Book 1

Can you share with us something off your bucket list?

What every author has on her/his list: hit the New York Times best seller list. If that’s cheating, let me add, to go on a train ride through the Alaskan countryside. Hopefully, I’ll get to mark that one off in next couple years and wouldn’t mind marking off both in that time period. Ha!

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

Mercy me, I’ve got a boat load, but the one I’ve been waiting for what feels like forever is Jennifer Echol’s Such a Rush. Love, love her writing. Emotional, sensual with a light humor that has me chuckling to myself. Plus you need to see her cover. Beautiful. http://www.jennifer-echols.com/sucharush.html

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Some lucky commenter can win their choice of Circle of Desire or Circle of Danger. I would love to hear what book everyone is looking forward to reading. 

Of course, that would mean my TBR pile will grow, but what the heck. Is there really anything better to do than write and read?

And if you’re interested in hearing about what’s going on with my books before anyone else, you can sign up for my newsletter. I send out five or less a year. For details, you can go to www.carlaswafford.com.

You can find Carla Swafford at

www.carlaswafford.com

www.carlaswafford.blogspot.com

www.romancemagicians.blogspot.com

Also on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter and Pinterest

Want a chance to win an e-copy of Carla’s newest book Circle of Danger?

Please feel out the Rafflecopter below.

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Interview with Susan Mallery

SUMMER DAYS (Fool’s Gold Book 7)

New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery has entertained millions of readers with her witty and emotional stories about women and the relationships that move them. Publisher’s Weekly calls Susan’s prose “luscious and provocative,” and Booklist says, “Novels don’t get much better than Mallery’s expert blend of emotional nuance, humor and superb storytelling.” Visit Susan online at www.susanmallery.com.

Tell us about SUMMER DAYS.

 SUMMER DAYS is the perfect beach read. It’s funny, romantic, sexy, and it’s light both in tone and in actual weight – you can toss the paperback into your beach bag and go. (It’s also available wherever ebooks are sold.)

Heidi Simpson had a vagabond childhood with her grandfather. The one thing she wanted most in the world was a home of her own. Now, in her late 20s, she finally has one, but her ranch is put on the line by a scam her grandfather pulled in order to pay for a friend’s surgery. Rafe Stryker is the son of the woman whose money was stolen, and the first of the Stryker brothers to move to Fool’s Gold. He’s on a tear when he arrives, determined to protect his mother’s interests at all costs.

Since possession is nine-tenths of the law, neither is willing to leave the ranch until a judge can decide the matter. Sparks fly right from page one between Heidi and Rafe! The people of Fool’s Gold take sides in a pretty hysterical way.

You can find SUMMER DAYS wherever books are sold – bookstores, online, even the grocery store check-out line. You can read a free excerpt on my website, www.susanmallery.com or in the free app for iPhone and Android (www.mobileroadie.com/apps/susanmallery).

Who are these Fool’s Gold cheerleaders I keep hearing about?

Oh, the cheerleaders are beyond fabulous! This year’s squad is made up of 60 Fool’s Gold super fans who are earning prizes all summer for telling other readers about Fool’s Gold. They’re driving around with Fool’s Gold car magnets, wearing Fool’s Gold T-shirts, handing out bookmarks like candy to everyone they meet.

For those of my followers who have never read a Fool’s Gold book, tell us about the small town known as the Land of Happy Endings.

SUMMER DAYS is the seventh book in my series set in fictional Fool’s Gold, California. Fool’s Gold is a small town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It’s a quaint place where people truly support each other – mostly with casseroles. And margaritas. Women rule in Fool’s Gold. For many years, there was a man shortage, which is just now beginning to level out, thanks to the town’s efforts to bring in some pretty spectacular men.

Fool’s Gold is the most popular series I’ve ever written. In fact, last year, one of the Fool’s Gold books hit #3 on the New York Times and #8 on the USA Today bestsellers lists. Those were personal bests for me and very thrilling.

Each book is written as a standalone, which means that you can jump in and start with SUMMER DAYS, and you won’t feel lost or confused. While previous characters make an appearance, you don’t need to know their stories to understand this one.

 

Why did you decide to write about three cowboy brothers?

With each year’s Fool’s Gold books, I try to create heroes who represent iconic male archetypes. The men of Fool’s Gold have been athletes, businessmen, pilots, surgeons. Each is a leader, powerful in his own way. His strength goes deeper than the physical. He does what’s right even when it’s not easy. When he falls, he falls hard… and he loves forever.

This summer, three cowboy brothers will ride into Fool’s Gold on horseback in SUMMER DAYS, SUMMER NIGHTS, and ALL SUMMER LONG. The Stryker men represent everything I love about a cowboy hero. They are protective, honest, tall and strong. And wow, do they do nice things to a pair of blue jeans!

Since this is Fool’s Gold, these cowboys come with a special twist – humor. Rafe is undone by Heidi the Goat Girl. Shane has to teach the local librarian how to do the ancient Dance of the Happy Virgin – while riding a horse. And Clay, the youngest, made his fortune as a Hollywood butt double.

 What’s next for Fool’s Gold? 

In SUMMER NIGHTS (July), Shane Stryker will meet Annabelle who, oh my WORD, do I love! Annabelle is my gift to all the librarians who have supported me so wonderfully over the years, putting my books into readers’ hands with a fervent, “You’re going to love this!” Annabelle is a librarian who defies the stereotypes – she’s fashionable, modern… a dangerous, pint-sized sexpot, as far as Shane is concerned. He’s completely undone by her the first time they meet, so much so that he can’t even remember his own name.  

Then comes Charlie, to be paired with Clay in ALL SUMMER LONG (August). Oh, Charlie. She’s so tough and oh, so wounded. She’s got that hard-as-nails firefighter exterior, but when it comes to matters of the heart, she is as vulnerable as they come. Something happened in Charlie’s past that has made her afraid of intimacy with a man. She’s the kind of person who tackles her problems head-on, much to Clay Stryker’s delight. She’s determined to learn how to be with a man, and she’s decided to ask Clay to teach her.