Night Angel--My reasons why...

Posted by Renee Reeves in brooding hero, Contemporary Romance, cowboy, Erotic Romance, ex-con, horse sanctuary, horseman, horses, marital abuse, Montana, Night Angel, Renee Reeves, scarred heroine, sex, widow, wounded heroine

58 comments

Hi NOR bloggers, I am Renee Reeves, author of Night Angel, and I am extremely excited to be here tonight. As a new author I have been asked repeatedly what made me decide to try my hand at writing, so I thought it might be an interesting first-time blog topic for me. The answer to that question is simple--my love of books. As a child my favorite past-times were the library and horses. If I was not on a horse I could usually be found curled up with a book, sometimes even lying against my pony's stomach while she napped!! My mother, a single mother and avid reader herself, always encouraged my love of books and took me to book fairs and library sales every chance we got. But then, when I was about 14 or 15 I discovered my first romance book. It was in a box in my mother's closet and was titled 'A Rose In Winter' by Kathleen Woodiwiss. I fell instantly in love and after reading numerous romances I decided to try and write one.



Through the years I have written many stories and then thrown them away for many reasons--lack of confidance, a lack of knowledge on how to get published, no luck finding an agent, etc, etc...Finally at 32 years of age I said to myself, "Darn it! Write a story, FINSH it and send it out!" So while on vacation with my hubby and mother in SC several years ago we stopped to check out the Sheldon Church Ruins. Absolutely beautiful!! Pictures and scenes (enough for several stories) started popping into my head and the scene in Night Angel when Nick first see's Morgan was born. Originally the story was set in SC, but as I wrote and developed their lives I decided that a more secluded region of the US fit Nick and Morgan's personalities and desires better. Montana popped into my head and stayed. I also wanted to write a more simple story, one that focused on the characters inner emotions and demons rather than having a couple meet, and then have to fight off a psycho, solve a crime or mystery, or battle to save the world all while trying to grow and develop their relationship. That got a little tiring to me after a while and lets face it, everyday romances are not like that. Most of us meet someone, go on dates, and then work from there. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. But our backgrounds and life lessons do have a say in who we choose or who we are compatible with. Sometimes the first time around is a mistake and you have to start all over.


Night Angel is all about Nick and Morgan's past lives and how it affects them now. In Nick's case it's his label as an ex-con (if you want to know why he's an ex-con you have to read the story). Even though he is now a very successful horse trainer he still let's that ex-con label haunt him to the point of making him feel unworthy of someone loving him. Morgan has some of the same issues and has moved to Montana to start her life from scratch. She survived an abusive marriage but still lives everyday with mental and physical reminders of that trauma. So much so that her self-esteem is almost zero and she trusts no one. Especially not a man! Much less a man like Nick...so Night Angel, for me, was all about getting back to the basic struggles in a new relationship, and trying to help Nick and Morgan heal from their pasts.


On an end note I am pleased to announce that Night Angel just received NOR's TOP PICK review award!! Thank you all for taking the time to read my post and good luck in the contest.

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NOR NOTE

Purchase

Night Angel is Available in Print and as an eBook!

Amelia Gray on A Duke To Die For

Posted by Night Owl Reviews in

55 comments

I like to start every story with “wouldn’t it be wonderful if”, and I didn’t break that tradition with A Duke To Die For. Though I would like to take credit for coming up with that phrase, I can’t. I heard a Harlequin editor say it in a workshop several years ago, and took it as my motto and it’s never let me down.


When I started thinking about an idea for a new Regency story, my first thought was “wouldn’t it be wonderful if my heroine was a young lady who desperately wanted to be in charge of her own life, but couldn’t because her father’s will said she must have a guardian?” That sounded intriguing to me so I kept going.



Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the heroine’s new guardian was a young and handsome, eligible duke who set her heart to racing? Oh, yes, I really liked that idea. And, wouldn’t it be wonderful if his life was chaotic and undisciplined, and he needed an organized and orderly person just like my heroine in his life? Hey, opposites attract so that worked for me.

Sometimes this technique even inspires a twist or two that I wouldn’t have ordinarily come up with otherwise, so I keep going. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if my heroine believes she is cursed because all her previous guardians have died mysteriously, and she doesn’t want the handsome duke to be the next victim? That would certainly add a dash of intrigue!


I keep going with my motto until I have the entire romance of the story plotted with these kinds of sentences, right down to the last wouldn’t it be wonderful if the duke decided he didn’t want the heroine to marry anyone but him, and he knew exactly how to woo her back into his arms?


I think you get the idea of how my motto inspires me whenever I begin a new book, and so far it has served me well.

Love, Lilies and the Unbroken Straw by Teri Wilson

Posted by Diana Coyle in

9 comments

Hello readers! Can you believe it's that time of the week again for me to showcase another wonderful story that Night Owl Romance has reviewed? We are a very lucky bunch of reviewers to be able to have such fanatstic stories cross our "desks" to review. My favorite author list is growing by leaps and bounds weekly and it just becomes harder each week to narrow down which one I will showcase on our blog.

This week, I chose to discuss a book that I know will hit a soft spot for all the animal lovers out there. So without further introduction, let me tell you about: Love, Lilies and the Unbroken Straw by Teri Wilson. This is the second story in the Hoofbeats & Heartstrings series and I instantly fell in love with the storyline and the characters both human and animal. Ms. Wilson has a way of telling a story that just makes you feel good afterward and makes you wish you knew all the characters in real life. She carves the characters out to be everyday people on a mission of searching for something they are missing in life. Each story is different and unique in their storylines, but are always centered around animals. This is something I absolutely love about the author's writing. I am an animal lover at heart and having a romance built around animals satisfies me on so many levels. Both of the Hoofbeats & Heartstrings books can stand alone, but I honestly think you will enjoy both of them by reading them in the order they were written.

If you would like to learn more about Ms. Wilson and all the stories she has available, please visit her at: http://www.freewebs.com/teriwilson/index.htm. Here you can also find out more information about the first book in the series, Do You Hear What I Hear?

Love, Lilies and the Unbroken Straw
(Hoofbeats & Heartstrings Book Two)

Author: Teri Wilson (Author Website)

Genre(s): Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Futuristic - Paranormal
Review Date: 3/28/2009
ISBN: 1-60154-375-1
E-Book Price: $4.50
The Wild Rose Press -(Website)
Street Date: Out Now

Love, Lilies and the Unbroken Straw - Book Excerpt

SCORE: 5 / 5

Christabel Wilde is experiencing something quite strange as of late and she doesn’t know why it’s happening. She notices that the strange sensations she feels in her hands comes and go at their own volition, but when she’s working at Susan’s flower shop, which just happens to be a close friend of hers, her hands always seem to grow worse and more troublesome with her symptoms. She experiences stinging and burning sensations throughout her fingers and often times it creates a problem trying to work with the flowers that are needed for the bouquets and centerpieces she is creating.

While driving home one night after work, she takes notice that every time she leaves the flower shop, the stinging and burning sensations stop. Not exactly knowing what is going on with her hands, she decides to drive home. She isn’t paying as careful enough attention to the road as she should be and she inadvertently runs something over. Filled with fear, guilt and dread, she stumbles out of her car finally after several failed attempts at trying to pull the car door handle open. Her hands are trembling uncontrollably now and she hears a whimper coming from the trees on the opposite side of the road. With her heart slamming in her chest, she runs toward the sound to see who it belongs to. Sickened to the core, she notices that the whimpering is coming from the foot of the trees and there lies this little, white dog. If matters aren’t complicated enough right now for her, she becomes aware that her hands are burning and tingling more than ever before. Breaking into sobs, she reaches down to touch the injured dog and is in for the biggest shock of her life.

What happens when Christabel touches the injured dog? Does she ever find out the explanation as to why it’s happening to her? How does Christabel deal with her freakish hands? What drastic changes does she make in her life since that dreadful accident? Does everything fall into place for her in the long run?

Ms. Wilson outdid herself yet again. I fell in love with not only the human characters, but also all the animal ones as well. I love how the author weaves messages of faith, hope and love in her unique and entertaining storylines. She pulled me in from the very first page and I just couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what was going to happen to Christabel and the human and animal friends she grew to love along the way. Ms. Wilson is such a talented author and she finds a way to melt your heart in every story she writes. This is the second story in the Hoofbeats & Heartstrings series and I eagerly look forward to reading many more stories from Ms. Wilson. This was a wonderful story to lose yourself in and I would highly recommend it to others readers. You won’t be disappointed with this series!

Book Blurb & Info for Love, Lilies and the Unbroken Straw (Hoofbeats & Heartstrings Book Two)

Christabel Wilde’s life has just turned upside-down. With little more than the clothes on her back and her newly rescued Chihuahua tucked under her arm, she makes a pledge to start over and applies for a job as a groom at a horse rescue farm. Nevermind that she’s never been up close to a horse before, she has a bigger secret to hide. A mysterious gift her new neighbor, Dr. Declan Armstrong, is determined to uncover. When the irresistible veterinarian volunteers to give her riding lessons, Christabel knows it could be the end of her secret. With the Easter holiday approaching, she tries to remember that sometimes what looks like the end is really a new beginning.


Review available at: http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/reviews/Review.asp?ReviewId=3459

ebook Readers: Which is best?

Posted by Devyn Quinn in

59 comments

Before we get to today's blog topic, I'd like to thank Night Owl Romance for allowing me the chance to join them today. As some of you might know, All Romance eBooks is sponsoring a Go Green/Read an eBook campaign. As one of their ambassadors, I am here to sprad the word about eBooks and how fabulous they are.

As an author who has been in on the eBook revolution since it began in the early nineties, I found myself fascinated by the idea of books in a portable, paperless format. I'm all for eBooks, and anything that gets people back to reading for entertainment.

There's only one problem I've found and, for me, it's been a big one. What is the best way to read an eBook? I have to admit that the idea of using my work computer is unattractive. After all, I sit behind the computer all day working on my own projects. When it comes time for pleasure reading, the last thing I want to do is look at the monitor some more! I could print the book—except that some eBooks disable the print function. Printing the book also defeats the purpose of eBooks. It wastes expensive ink and paper, something I'm not inclined to do in the first place. I purchased the book because of its portable format. It's supposed to be easy and convenient to read. But it's not! My problem is that I have yet to find the perfect eBook reader.

Therefore I am asking readers this question: What eBook reader do you use, and why?

Give us the specs and tell us how the device you've chosen is the perfect one for reading eBooks. In other words, convince me this is the reader for me!

And since this is an eBook campaign, I'll be giving away free PDF copies of my gothic novel, The Keeper of Eternity, to any reader who emails me, saying they saw this article at Night Owl Romance! Send your request to: admin@devynquinn.com.

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Devyn Quinn is a romance author and avid eBook reader, blogging this month for All Romance eBooks' Go Green/Read e Campaign. Find out more about the Go Green/Read e Campaign at www.gogreenreade.com. To learn more about Devyn, visit her website at www.devyquinn.com. You can find Devyn's eBooks and thousands of other eBooks on-line at www.allromanceebooks.com.**

Adelle ‘Legs’ Laudan on Biker Fiction

Posted by Night Owl Reviews in Adelle Laudan, Adelle ‘Legs’ Laudan, biker, Contemporary Romance, Iron Horse, Night Owl Romance, Open Road

55 comments

What is Biker Fiction?

Biker Fiction is my favourite genre to write. I’ve lived amongst the ‘biker’ community most of my adult life. When I became a published author, I made it my mission to try and change the image of bikers, one book at a time.

More often than not, when you read something in the paper about bikers, it’s something bad. Unfortunately many people believe just that , that all people who ride motorcycles and wear black leather jackets are bad ass troublemakers with no regard for the law, or ‘citizens’ in general.

I’m here to say, nothing could be further from the truth. Every year bikers from all over the globe raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity—Ride for Site, Ride for Cancer Research, Ride for Juvenile Diabetes...the list is endless.

Most of the people I have grown up and lived amongst are contributing members of society who believe family comes first. These same people live, love and laugh the same as you and I. The only difference being, they share a love for riding motorcycles and the open roads.

My books try to portrait ‘bikers’ as regular people, who cry when their hearts are breaking and laugh out loud at the antics of children. I invite you to check out my Iron Horse Ride series, or Smiling Eyes. I also have a new release coming out next week, March 25th, titled Crucified.

Let me share a little about this before I sign off.

Available NOW at The Wild Rose Press

Crucified

Romantic Suspense /Crimson Rose Line

Sneak Peek:

Casey struggled to open her eyes. She blinked numerous times trying to focus in the darkness. Painfully, she managed to inch her way across the rank mattress and wedge herself upright in the corner. With every move, the duct tape binding her wrists and ankles bit into her flesh.

An insurmountable desire to scream was stifled by the duct tape her captor had pulled taut across her mouth. She’d only see him once since being brought here and even then the darkness hid his identity. He’d stayed long enough to snap a picture before he slipped through the partially open doorway. The sound of it locking behind him resounded through the room.

Who is this man? Why is he doing this to me?

The last thing she remembered was walking home from Tammy’s house when someone came up from behind her and shoved a putrid smelling cloth in her face.

She’d woken up in this room, bound and gagged. There was no telling how long she’d been unconscious. The only way to differentiate from day to night was the sliver of a crack at the bottom of the door where light filtered in.

Casey choked back the flood of emotion rising up in her. She struggled for breath, unable to open her mouth. Tears poured down her face unchecked, and she closed her eyes.

Am I going to die here?

Leave a Comment here and I'll draw a winner of an ECopy of my new release, Crucified.

Visit my website for more info http://adellelaudan.com/
Sign up for my Newsletter while you’re there.

Wishing You Miles of Smiles :)

Adelle ‘Legs’ Laudan

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Night Owl Romance Note:

Adelle Laudan has been a favorite author among our staff. Both Iron Horse Rider and Coming Home - Iron Horse Rider 2 received glowing scores of 5/5 Hearts (Reviewer Top Pick's) from Gail. Smiling Eyes also received a 4.5 / 5 heart Reviewer Top Pick Review. If you are looking for some books with heart then Adelle Laudan is your lady.

Join her as she takes you on the road and through an emotional roller coaster ride.

You can read the Night Owl Romance reviews of Adelle's books by clicking the links above.

To win a print copy of Iron Horse Rider visit our CONTEST page for details.

Mary Margret Daughtridge on SEALed With a Promise

Posted by Night Owl Reviews in

49 comments

When Emmie Met Caleb…

I usually talk about the hero of SEALed With A Promise, Caleb "Do-lord" Dulaud, because he's, well…a SEAL. And trust me, he is sigh-worthy. He looks a little like Matthew McConaughey and hides a genius IQ behind loads of good ole boy charm.

And he has a bad problem. Ever since his last deployment, life—even the life of a SEAL—seems flat. Worse, a past he buried seventeen years ago refuses to stay buried any longer. He promised that one day Senator Teague Calhoun would get his comeuppance. But finally dealing with the past could jeopardize everything he cares about now.

Still, SEALed With A Promise is a romance and it takes two. So let me tell you a little about Emelina Caddington, PhD.

If they had a contest for "Girl least likely to be a romance heroine" Emmie would walk away with the title. Her friends—and she has more friends than she thinks—know she's brilliant, loyal, funny, sensitive, generous, and utterly guileless. She'll go to the mat to help someone else. She's on her way to the top in her field, the biology of wetland ecosystems. As a scholar she's completely self-confident, and has no trouble getting and keeping her student's respect. But off campus, she fades into the woodwork. She's socially awkward, introverted, and a bad dresser.

Emmie is the kind of person whose friends care about her so much—but have so little luck persuading her to fix herself up—they write to makeover TV shows on her behalf.

If there's one thing Emmie would never ordinarily do, it's walk up to a SEAL and strike up a conversation. If her awkwardness didn't stop her, her opinion of what she calls 'jocks' would. They are the bane of her existence. They crowd her Understanding Ecology class—a science elective for non-science majors. They are full of cocky attitude and arrogantly expect they should be catered to because they are star athletes. Caleb isn't an athlete, he's a member of a crack military unit—but really. Miami Dolphins, Navy SEALs—what's the difference? She recognizes the type. If that weren't enough, he has a bubba nickname—Do-Lord.

But Emmie's best friend will be getting married in just a few hours, and Emmie, loyal friend that she is, sees a problem with the wedding cake that has to be corrected. Now. Later will be too late. Emmie has an injured shoulder though. She can't move a wedding cake weighing fifty pounds or more all by herself. She's going to have to talk to him.

Unfortunately, the only thing that makes her more uncomfortable than having to make social chitchat, is having to ask for help. She's just going to have to suck it up and ask—before she loses her nerve. She hopes he's as loyal to his best friend as she is to hers.

As for Caleb, Caleb wouldn't expect to be attracted to anyone as unexciting as Emmie—she’s not ugly—kind of reminds him of a kitten, in fact—but I mean, come on, he's a SEAL! The cockamamie story of needing help to steal the wedding cake and substitute another cannot be real. She must be coming on to him. It's the only explanation he can think of for why the body part he calls "Old Stupid" is getting ideas.

She convinces him her plan, screwball as it is, is legit. He can see for himself that without his help, she’ll never bring it off. Suddenly he’s more purely entertained than he has been in a long, long time.

And just as suddenly, he realizes if he pretends to be her boyfriend, he can move in the same upper-crust circles she does. With her help he can get close to Senator Calhoun.

Maybe “Old Stupid” isn’t stupid after all. In fact, the more he’s around her, the more he thinks, why pretend to be her boyfriend? He could be her lover, if he handles things right. If a fling turns out to be more, he’s cool with that too. Everybody winds up happy.

Crafting a love story that would end happily for this pair of total individuals kept me on my toes, since he was in danger of getting more than he bargained for, and she was in danger of getting less.

They discover they have more in common than they think, more to give one another than anyone might guess, and—smart as they both are—they each have a lot to learn.

In the end, Emmie gets a makeover that comes from the inside out, and Caleb puts the zing back in his life, even if he doesn’t find it where he was looking for it.

Confident, kick-ass heroines are in right now. Do you think Emmie has a chance?

Legend of The Fourth Moon: The Mark of Goren

Posted by Diana Coyle in

5 comments

I have a new story that I would like to tell you about this week that hasn't been released yet. Although the release date is May 8, 2009, it's definitely one to add to your "want to buy" list. The story I'm showcasing is: Legend of The Fourth Moon: The Mark of Goren by Donna Michaels. This is the author's first stab at writing a Sci-fi story and I can honestly tell you that she did a remarkable job while doing so. I know that it's not an easy task for every writer to cross over to a new, unchartered territory when it comes to writing in a different genre that they haven't yet, but without a doubt, Ms. Michaels did a wonderful transition to the Sci-fi writing world.

The author transported me into another world and took me on an adventure ride from the very first page. Her descriptions of events, characters and the planet, Lacerta, where the story took place, were all masterfully described from start to finish. This is definitely a story you can get lost in for an hour or so and you'll be glad you did!

If you would like to find out more about this talented author and her writing, please visit her at the following link: http://www.donnamichaelsauthor.com/.

Legend of The Fourth Moon: The Mark of Goren by Donna Michaels (Author Website)

Genre(s): Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Futuristic
Review Date: 3/18/2009
ISBN: 1-60154-452-9
The Wild Rose Press -(Website)
Street Date: May 8, 2009

Legend of The Fourth Moon: The Mark of Goren - Book Excerpt

SCORE: 5 / 5

Xandra Monocerros, Princess of Lacerta, is experiencing visions containing a man that is absolutely gorgeous and very desirable to her. The problem is she doesn’t even know who this man is or why he invades her visions.

It is that time again, the coming of the Fourth Moon, which appears every five years. Xandra is beside herself in fear and dread because when the Fourth Moon arrived in the past, it had claimed two loved ones, her mother years prior then her husband five years to the date. And if that isn’t bad enough, Lacerta, her planet, is heading for the same implosion disaster that happened to planet Earth.

Is there anything Xandra can do to help prevent a catastrophic implosion of her dear planet Lacerta? Does she ever find out who this gorgeous guy is who keeps invading her visions? Does the Fourth Moon claim another one that is near and dear to Xandra?

Ms. Michaels surely doesn’t disappoint with this new novel. This was her first attempt at writing a Sci-fi story and she passed with flying colors. It was a wonderfully entertaining read for me and her character development left me falling in love with Xandra and her mystery man. I so wanted Xandra to find the answers she so diligently was searching for and I had hoped that her planet Lacerta wouldn’t suffer the disastrous outcome as planet Earth had done. Being Princess of Lacerta wasn’t always the easiest title to carry around because her father had guards protecting his children at all times. This hindered Xandra in fulfilling her responsibilities that she thought were special and needed to be accomplished even though she knew her father would have completely disagreed with her. Her safety was the utmost importance to him, but Xandra had to aid in saving her beloved planet. The author has successfully crossed over to the Sci-fi genre without any complications and I assure you that this book is definitely a winner to be picked up. Congratulations, Ms. Michaels, on spreading your wings and venturing down an unknown path in writing this Sci-fi novel. Your hard work and dedicated writing talent has now etched a place for you in the Sci-fi industry.

BookBlurb & Info for Legend of The Fourth Moon: The Mark of Goren

In the Andromeda Galaxy, XANDRA MONOCERROS, Princess of Lacerta, dreads the coming of the Fourth Moon. Every five years it appears, drawing death to someone dear. First her mother then her husband. Will this cycle take another loved one? Even worse, Lacerta is heading for the same implosion disaster as their ancestral planet Earth.

Seeking a solution, Xandra crosses paths with DARIUS VAN LAARS—the dangerous outlaw from her visions. Will their intense attraction dissuade Darius from carrying out personal revenge on the man key to saving Xandra’s planet? Can she save Lacerta or will she fall victim to the Legend of the Fourth Moon?


Review available at: http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/reviews/Review.asp?ReviewId=3342

Christine London - Creating My Own Cover

Posted by Night Owl Reviews in

35 comments

They say those truly dedicated creative souls sometimes bleed for their art. Well my tale today includes not only blood, but also a bit of sweat and tears as well.


Hello Night Owlers. My Name is Christine London and I write romance with a twist…a decidedly British twist. It was late 2006 when my first contracted work, Sunninghill Snow was in edits and in need of book cover art. My wonderful publisher had sent me a questionnaire asking about my vision for the cover. Knowing exactly what I wanted in my mind, I filled in the query with ease.

My web mistress, Alex Kent, just happens to be a very talented digital artist as well as being married to a professional photographer. Long story short, we collaborated to create a mock up of the cover for Sunninghill Snow to send to my publisher as a map of sorts. Being a complete newbie, I really didn’t know the protocol and thought this visual would be nothing but a service to their artists.

Well the initial photos came out pretty well. In the meantime I noticed that some other authors in my publisher’s stable used other book cover artists and indeed read that it was an accepted practice. One of the great benefits of working with a small press is their desire that the author is as happy as possible with the final outcome of her cover. I also did not realize the difficulty on their part in finding stock photography to portray exactly what an author wants for her cover. No wonder my team was able to get it “just right”!

Said use of stock photography arrived in my mailbox much to my chagrin. I had not expected that my pub would be working on the cover as I had told them I was putting something together for them to look at. Crossed wires I expect. Anyways…my digital artist, her hubby and I did one last shoot and bingo---great, neah fantastic results. We sent the cover off to my publisher and the rest as they say is history. They loved our efforts.

Now here’s the blood part. Whilst posing me with knife propped in hand, my web mistress accidentally ran her fingers along the (very sharp) blade. Gush! We were mortified, jumping about to find medical intervention. Drip, drip on the floor, beads of sweat rising to foreheads as the sight of blood sent us all into a tizzy. It still brings a tear thinking how the injury could have been so much the worse. Alex has a bit of numbness in those fingertips, but the wounds did not require stitches; well healed.

At the end of the day we have a great cover that brings much attention and sense of mystery from the viewer. “Why does she have a knife? Why he a key? Why is she in her underwear? Hmmm…must have to read more. Lol. Gottcha!!

Never thought our excitement in producing a kick ass cover would be such a rush. I think I am possibly the only author that appears on her own front cover---unique indeed. Our success lead us to reassemble our team to produce the covers for my second novel Soul In His Eyes as well as the Coast Guard rescue tale, Against the Current. To see and read more pop over to my website: http://www.christinelondon.com/ “books” page.

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Night Owl Romance Note: Sunninghill Snow can be purchased from Phaze Books (Trade Paperback & Print) - Click To Purchase!

Getting Lucky On St. Patrick's Day

Posted by Kimber Chin in Contemporary Romance, Kimber Chin, Luck and writing, St. Patrick's Day

24 comments

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, one of my favorite days of the year. No, not only because I’m mostly Irish (the hubby contributing the Chin to my name) but because it is a day celebrating luck.

I believe in luck. Luck has played a great part in my success both in life and in writing. Now, some folks will tell you that luck has no place in writing success, that hard work, perseverance, talent, and other more concrete variables are the only components needed.

Hogwash.

When I graduated and was looking for a full time job, it was tough economic times (sort of like today). I applied to 500 positions. I worked hard, I persevered, I had a degree and work experience to prove my talent. I got absolutely NO interviews. Not a single one. After the first 500, I stopped counting but continued on applying. Eventually, I got lucky. Lucky because the position I landed wasn't much different than the first 500 I was rejected for. I was simply the right candidate at the right time. In other words, I got lucky.

Last week, my generous publisher Champagne Books offered my most recent novel Invisible for free as part of Read an eBook week. Invisible being only one of two titles offered was pure luck. Sure, my publisher knew I'd work hard to help promote the offer, but many Champagne authors would have done the same. Yes, Invisible is a great book (the talent component though I can't claim it was all my talent), but all Champagne titles are. I (and Invisible) got lucky.

Luck is part of every success. The thing is, you can't control luck. It simply happens. So it is best to concentrate on all the other components you CAN control. That includes perseverance, hard work, and talent (often disguised as skill).

But when you make it, when you're successful, remember that luck played a part and be grateful.

Angela Cameron On Vampires

Posted by Night Owl Reviews in

73 comments

Hi! *waves*


I’m Angela Cameron, and Tammie has graciously given me the run of the blog today. Actually, I threatened her—but that’s another story for another day.


I want to discuss something with all of you. My newest book, Blood & Sex, Volume 2: Jonas, came out this month, and all this talk about my vampires got me to thinking. What has us so enthralled by these mythical leaches?


I’ve researched this while working on the Blood & Sex series, though each of the vampires is shaping up to represent a single fetish. The more that I write and chat with readers, the more I learn that these creatures represent a deeper need that is often hidden, even from us.


What is so danged hot about vampires anyway?


It seems that even from the first vampire story, sexuality and the vampire are permanently united. Long before the modern dark romances became acceptable, if not mainstream, the vampires were bad guys. They were frightening monsters, closely related to the modern zombie. Still, a few stories featured attractive beings such as Dr. John Polidori’s “The Vampyre” and Sheridan Le Fanu’s seductive female in “Carmilla”. Dracula and a few of his contemporaries also tempted young women into dark deeds. The mind control that generally came along with the character's powers excused the sensual familiarity that the vampire’s embrace demanded, allowing the victim (and the reader) to experience the sexual experience without the guilt heaped on by religion and society.


After the sexual revolution of the sixties, vampires came out of the roles as villains or guilty pleasures, and moved into the hero category. Barnabas Collins of Dark Shadows started the sympathetic version of the monster with the elements of undying love in the story line. This daytime gothic soap opera made the vampire an endearing personality for the masses.


Anne Rice turned the monster into a sexy protagonist with much of his humanity intact, beginning with Interview with the Vampire. For many readers, the series was their first look at sensual stories and positive homosexuality in fiction. Today, Stephenie Meyers’ Twilight saga brings the vampire hero to the next generation through Edward Cullen. Although the story is far from being an erotic romance, Edward and Bella’s relationship smolders with the promise of more throughout the series. Their sexual relationship is one of the main conflicts and is, for many teens, the first brush with eroticism in literature. Even a generation ago, this combination of vampire and teen sexuality would have been unacceptable.


What does it mean?


I’m convinced that the vampire’s ascension to the hero in our modern myths is directly tied to the sexual liberation of our society. As we grow in the acceptance of our needs and the needs of others, our vampires become more mainstream and openly sexual. For some, they still represent an acceptable submission to another through no weakness of our own, as does the fantasy of mind control. For others, it is the draw of a lover with centuries of practice. In any case, these preternatural creatures represent the darker needs in us, which have remained taboo throughout our history, especially for women.

When I asked Lisa Lane, my friend and author of the popular new vampire series The Darkness and the Night, what vampires meant to her, she replied:




"I believe the fascination so many people have with vampires stems to the primal, basic urges that course through every human being. Vampires represent the wild, hungry creature that exists within us all, and the fantasies surrounding them allow us safely to explore hard-wired issues such as control and submission. We are all animals, but we are also all civilized beings; in exploring the animal, however, I believe we are able better to understand the human."


Your Opinion


This reference to animals from Lisa made me thinking more about the role that werewolves play within this vampire lore, but I’ll save that for another blogging day.


In the end, vampires are all of the above, depending on my mood, and that’s obvious in the dominant natures and fetishes explored in my vamp series.



That’s why I’d like to hear from you.



What do vampires represent to you? Is it simply the strength and danger of the mythical creature? Or is it something deeper?


Post a comment today, I’ll automatically enter you in the drawing for a free copy of Blood & Sex, Vol. 1: Michael.


Until next time…


Angela


If you want to know more about me and the guys of the Blood & Sex series, check out my blog at angelacameron.wordpress.com. You can also find excerpts at http://www.ravenousromance.com/ and at my website http://www.angela-cameron.com/.



If you stop by, leave a message. I’d love to talk to you!

Reason To Believe - Leslie Ann Dennis

Posted by Diana Coyle in

1 comments

I have to admit, each week it gets harder and harder to pick just one story to showcast on this blog! I've been extremely lucky to have chosen some fantastic stories to review for Night Owl Romance. The list keeps growing from week to week and it makes my job a little bit difficult to pick just the right one to tell all our readers about. So, this week I have chosen to tell you about Reason To Believe by Leslie Ann Dennis.

I loved it because Ms. Dennis presented a different kind of storyline to her readers and wrapped it around a romantic love story. I was pulled immediately into the story and just couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what was going to happen next for Lane and Conlan. I loved everything about this story, from the characters to the setting and it was a thoroughly enjoyable read for me. I definitely look forward to reading more from this wonderful author in the near future and I would urge you to pick up a copy so you can see just what I'm talking about regarding this author and her incredible talent.

If you would like to find out more about Leslie Ann Dennis, you can located her at: http://www.leslieanndennis.com/.

Reason to Believe by Leslie Ann Dennis (Author Website)

Genre(s): Contemporary
Review Date: 1/22/2009
ISBN: 1-60154-277-1
E-Book Price: $6.00
The Wild Rose Press -(Website)
Street Date: Out Now

Book Excerpt

SCORE: 4.5 / 5

Lane Douglas has her hands full with her ailing grandfather. He’s in the hospital and is convinced he’s dying. Ironically though, the doctors can’t find anything wrong with him. Sensing the cause of his poor health, her grandfather pleads with her to go to Scotland and check on the tree that was planted in his name many years ago and is scheduled to be cut down because it’s now diseased. He feels that the tree is his lifeline and if it’s cut down, he will also die. To say the least, her grandfather is quite the superstitious man.

Desperate for her grandfather to get better, Lane takes the trip to Scotland to speak to hunky Laird Conlan MacGregor, who heads Wolfscrag castle, and to see the tree for herself. She discovers that the tree is truly diseased and could possibly destroy all the surrounding ones because it’s so ill. Lane does the only thing that she feels will save her superstitious grandfather’s health and while she’s in Scotland, she starts to get close to the MacGregor family. Possibly too close to certain family members.

After seeing just how diseased the tree is, what does Lane finally tell Conlan to do with it? Is her grandfather happy with her decision? Does he eventually start getting better or does he take a turn for the worse?

I enjoyed this story a great deal because I loved how the characters interacted so well together and how Ms. Dennis created such a unique and entertaining storyline. The planting of a tree to represent the birth of a new person was a wonderfully creative idea to write about. The author interjects sarcastic humor throughout the story and it works so well for Lane and Conlan. The immediate chemistry between the two of these characters was so hot, if sparks could fly off the pages they would have. I would definitely be interested in reading more work done by Ms. Dennis in the near future.

Book Blurb & Info for Reason To Believe (176 pages) Hot

Lane Douglas is a die-hard realist, so when her superstitious grandfather tells her he will die if the tree planted long ago in his honor in Scotland is chopped down, she doesn't buy it for a second. But when her grandfather's health starts a downward slide, Lane hops on a plane and flies across the ocean to convince the landowner to spare the old, diseased oak. To her surprise the landowner is a devilishly handsome man named Conlan MacGregor. Practical Lane came prepared for a fight to save a silly tree, but she soon finds herself fighting to save her heart from falling under the magical charms of the hunky laird of Wolfscrag castle.


Review available at: http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/reviews/Review.asp?ReviewId=3085

Sharon Lathan, romance author of Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One

Posted by Night Owl Reviews in

20 comments

Never in a million years did I imagine having such a title, but it sure sounds nice, doesn’t it? Furthermore, I am proud to proclaim it! No negative connotations as far as I am concerned. Romance novelists have a long and illustrious history. From Samuel Richardson way back in 1740 and Jane Austen a century later to Georgette Heyer and Barbara Cartland to Nora Roberts and Jude Deveraux, romance novelists have striven to achieve the same purpose: Entertaining while instilling hope for true love.

We come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. We span every ethnic group and political belief. We place our personal spins on the romantic ideal, writing in every possible sub-genre imaginable. We range from firmly G-rated to wildly erotic. A seeker of anything remotely romantic can find it somewhere on the shelves of the “romance” section of the bookstore, and with increasing frequency in every other section.

For instance, my debut novel – Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One – will eventually be sitting in the “L” section of the literature aisles (after a long stint at the front), but it is decidedly romantic! Inspired by the true originator of Regency Romance, Jane Austen, my saga of happily-ever-after continues the life and marriage of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, and I do not shy away from the intimate portions of their relationship. Yet at the same time I delve very deeply into the history of the era, the lifestyle, the landscape of England, the societal interactions, the economic aspects, and even the layout of Pemberley Manor. I have tried to encompass all facets of what life may have been like if Lizzy and Darcy were real people existing in the day to day while we got to watch. Rather like reality TV! In doing so I span the aisles between romance and historical fiction. And I really love that.

Here is an excerpt:

Lizzy had learned much about the estate’s interests during her engagement. Darcy’s pride and pleasure regarding Pemberley were unmistakable. Unwittingly, conversations about his home, both then and now, had given Lizzy tremendous insight into the business affairs that her husband managed. She knew that his income stemmed not only from Pemberley itself but also from investments, trade, and industrial and commercial enterprises in England and abroad.

Nonetheless, the bulk of the estate’s income came from agriculture, livestock, cotton milling, and horse breeding. The farmlands were extensive and offered varying produce, including fruit orchards and grains. Two mills used the power of the River Derwent and modern technology to process the grains and shorn wool. Livestock consisted primarily of sheep with a few goats and wandering fowl. The wild game was generally left unmolested except for the occasional hunting parties Darcy allowed and, of course, for their own table.

Her husband handled all of these aspects of Pemberley’s business efficiently and dutifully. However, Lizzy had rapidly established that his heart lay with his horses. Darcy was a horseman through and through. He confessed to her that, if it were possible, he would happily consign all his responsibilities to someone else and immerse his energies into breeding and training the fine horses of Pemberley.

Thus it was that on Lizzy’s second day, Darcy enthusiastically escorted her to the stables. The complex that accommodated the horses, carriages, and equipment, and the massive staff necessary was only slightly smaller than the main house. It too was a marvel of exquisite architecture and craftsmanship. At two storeys high, the building could easily house all the staff, store the equipment and numerous carriages, and shelter the horses. A high arch facing south opened onto an enormous courtyard amid the complex where the animals were groomed and cared for. The thoroughbreds were separated from the working horses, each with their own handlers and grooms.

I love the challenge of writing, period. I exert just as much effort into the bedroom/romantic elements as I do the historical. So call me a Romance Novelist and I will smile with beaming pride. Call me a Fiction Writer and I will nod with happy agreement. It’s all good as far as I am concerned! I am thrilled merely to be given the marvelous opportunity to share my love of these characters and this time period with readers everywhere.

Is this your type of romance novel? If you still aren’t sure, come on over to my website, The Darcy Saga, at http://www.darcysaga.net/. I have tons of information, reviews, essays, and excerpts to share with interested readers. My Saga recounting the life of the Darcys and their friends spans three novels so far, this being only the beginning. Loving Mr. Darcy: Journeys Beyond Pemberley will be released in September, followed by The Darcys at Year’s End in January of 2010. More is forthcoming.

Abundant thanks to Night Owl Reviews for allowing me to guest on their blog!

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Purchase The Book

Read Sharon Lathan's Interview

My Cat Star Chronicles by Cheryl Brooks

Posted by Night Owl Reviews in

24 comments

Reading is all about entertainment. If you aren't entertained by a book, then what's the point? Different people are entertained in different ways; some enjoy horror while others enjoy sweet, sentimental romances—and everything in between. I've aimed at a slightly different market; it's fun, it's erotic, it's exciting, my heroes are really hot, and best of all, it's science fiction.

I've been a science fiction fan for a very long time. I was in grade school when the original Star Trek aired, and I thought Mr. Spock was just the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Then Star Wars came along, and I was hooked. Of course, by then I had a husband who got a kick out of the B-movies in that genre—and I've seen them all—whether I wanted to or not! At any given time in my house, Red Dwarf, Star Wars, or an episode of one incarnation of Star Trek or another is on the TV—and that's just to name a few.

I know there is a lot of fan fiction being written about a multitude of science fiction movies and shows, so you know there's a market for it—and it isn't just men who are reading it. Women like it, too, but we want a little more romance in ours. My favorite episodes of just about any show I've ever seen are the ones that are heavy on the romance. I know it's difficult to write episodes of a TV series that continually focuses on personal relationships rather than the action and adventure of finding a new planet, but that is what most of us crave.

When I began writing the Cat Star Chronicles series, this is what I had in mind. I wanted sweet, devastatingly sexy alien men who could sweep even the toughest human females off their feet. They're irresistible to nearly all females, but are unflinchingly devoted to their chosen mate. They aren't rich, arrogant alpha males—in fact, most of them have been slaves—but they are no less masculine because of it. This is the kind of hero I wanted—the kind of hero I didn't often find in romance novels—but to get them, I had to write them.

When Slave first hit the bookstore shelves, I'm sure a lot of people picked it up because of its shiny, sexy cover not knowing what it was. I've seen reviews written by readers who were pleasantly surprised, some who were shocked, but entertained, and some who didn't care for it at all. The first three novels in the series are written in first person, too, and that's something that a lot of readers have very strong opinions about. The final three installments are written in third person because the stories have become more involved and have to be written from more than one point of view, but I've always felt that first person puts the reader inside the action and makes it seem more real. It's not someone telling you a story; it's someone telling you their story.

The current release, Rogue, has pushed the genre even further. In it, there are two sexy Zetithian brothers for our heroine to choose from, and she's not a swashbuckling femme fatale, either; she's a piano teacher. The guys have been the pampered pets of a queen for twenty years, and Kyra is the most appealing female they've ever encountered. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where I went with this scenario. Trust me, it's hot, even when the romance only concerns one of them.

I love creating new worlds and new alien life forms. Science fiction is limitless, and letting my imagination run wild is what makes writing it so much fun. I hope my readers can derive as much enjoyment out of as I have. So, come on along for the ride. I'll take you to places you've never even dreamed of.

Puppy Love by Jane E. Jones

Posted by Diana Coyle in

6 comments

Well, it's that time of the week again where I get to decide which review from Night Owl Romance I would like to showcase to all our readers. So, this week I've decided to highlight Puppy Love by Jane E. Jones. Since it's a short story, it's a perfect one to read when you have a few minutes free in your busy schedule. You will find that Ms. Jones did a wonderful job of packing these pages with a fun love story and making certain that she sprinkled plenty of humor throughout to keep you laughing right until the very end. I love her writing and I know you will definitely agree with me that she is a very talented author!

If you would like to find out more about this author, please visit her at: http://janeejones.blogspot.com/


Puppy Love by Jane E. Jones
Book Length: Short Story - Sweet
Author: Jane E. Jones (Author Website)
Genre(s): Contemporary
Review Date: 2/26/2009
E-Book Price: $2.99
Publisher: Freya's Bower -(Website)
Street Date: Out Now

Puppy Love - Book Excerpt

SCORE: 4.5 / 5

I found this to be such a charming tale that Ms. Jones wrote. The author tells the story of how two people, who were next-door neighbors, didn’t hit it off very well from their first encounter together.

Sarah loves her dog, Casper Salt, very much and wants nothing to happen to him. Seeing how Michael took so well to the dog the first time he saw him and even picked him up to pet him, Sarah becomes neurotically overprotective of her precious dog. Unfortunately though, it was not as protective as she should have been because now Casper Salt is missing. Without even putting some serious thought into where the dog might be, Sarah immediately accuses Michael of stealing her beloved four-legged friend.

If the matter weren’t bad enough this far, when Michael leaves his house one night, Sarah sets out on a mission to break into his house to find and rescue Casper Salt. Little does she know the crazy kind of chaos she is going to cause by acting out her foolish scheme.

Ms. Jones did a wonderful job of entertaining me with Sarah’s wild antics. I immediately fell in love with Michael and felt terrible when Sarah accused him of being the dognapper just because he got along so well with Casper Salt. The author sprinkled humor throughout her story that made me laugh out loud. I thoroughly enjoyed this lighthearted story and I would definitely recommend it for others to read. Ms. Jones’ story will not disappoint you!

Book Blurb & Info for Puppy LoveBook Length: Short Story - Sweet

Sarah loses her little white dog, Casper Salt, and is sure her hunky next door neighbor has stolen him. When she realizes who the dognapper really is, she enlists Michael's help to get her dog back. And falls in love in the process.



Review available at: http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/reviews/Review.asp?ReviewId=3259

Win Romance ARC's!

Posted by Night Owl Reviews in

30 comments

The Night Owl Romance bookshelf is over flowing with items that thave been sent to us for contests. We would love to give lucky readers something to drool over.

Please help us out by winning some ARC's. We will be picking winners for the below ARC copies on 3/12/2009.

To enter you just need to become a member of the Night Owl Romance Newsletter.

The form is at: http://www.nightowlromance.com/

Some are already out but some are not out till later this year!

Nauti Intentions by Lora Leigh

With a Twist by Deirdre Martin

Defender by Catherine Mann

My Man Michael by Lori Foster

Would-Be-Witch by Kimberly Frost

Fish Out of Water by Mary Janice Davidson

Rewriting Monday by Jodi Thomas

The Flame and the Shadow by Denise Rossetti

Hard and Fast by Erin McCarthy

The Captive Heart by Bertrice

Small All of Me by Lori Wilde

Get your entry in! - USA Shipping ONLY!

http://www.nightowlromance.com/

Memorable Hero and Heroine Firsts

Posted by Terry Spear/Terry Lee Wilde in Deadly Liaisons, Deidre's Secret, Destiny of the Wolf, Heart of the Wolf, Terry Spear, The Vampire..In My Dreams, urban fantasy, Winning the Highlander's Heart

7 comments

Thanks for having me, ladies!

Here's the blurb for Destiny of the Wolf, just released:

All she wants is the truth…

Lelandi Wildhaven is determined to discover the truth about her beloved sister’s mysterious death.But everyone thinks she’s out to make a bid for her sister’s widowed mate…

He’s a pack leader tormented by memories...

Darien Silver blames himself for his mate’s death. When her twin arrives in his town, he finds himself bewitched, and when someone attempts to silence her, he realizes that protecting the beautiful stranger might be the only way to protect his pack…
and himself…

First off, I’m a pantser, so the story comes to me as I’m writing. If I tried to plot it, I’d never get anywhere. But I do think about how I want to make the scenes more memorable, more unique. So one of the fun scenes to write is the heroine and hero’s first meeting. I try to add the sexual tension and the conflict right to begin with. This is the first story in the wolf series that where I show a lupus garou pack running a town.

Here’s from Destiny of the Wolf:

As soon as she saw him, she knew it was him—not only because silence instantly cloaked the room and every eye in the place watched Darien Silver’s reaction. His sable hair curled at the top edge of his collar. Brooding dark eyes, grim lips, features handsomely rugged, but definitely hard, defined him. Wearing a leather jacket, western shirt, jeans, and boots, everything was as black as his somber mood. He looked so much like Tom and Jake, she figured they must be triplets, and he was the leader of the gray lupus garou in the area. Had to be, the way everyone watched him, waiting for the fireworks.
© Sourcebooks, Inc.
***

Another scene that I love to write is the first kiss. In every story I want it to be really different—including who initiates the first kiss, and why, but I want it to also have conflict. Just two people kissing wouldn’t do. :)

From Destiny of the Wolf, Darien and Lelandi’s first kiss:

“Sam was shot in the arm, nothing vital struck,” another said. “But you know him, he’ll be serving drinks by this evening, boss.”

“Lupus,” she whispered and Darien’s eyes grew wide.

Before she uttered another sound, he leaned down and kissed her, but the kiss didn’t stop at silencing her words. His lips pressed deeper, promising more, willing her to agree, and then his warm mouth tantalizing hers faded away.

“Larissa,” he called out, drawing her forth from the darkness.

Darien’s dark eyes gazed at her, pensive, pained.

Several of the men chuckled.

“The ladies will be clamoring for a kiss that would make ’em pass right out.” Silva’s voice was silky soft, dreamy, wistful.
© Sourcebooks, Inc.
***

The reaction of others to their pack leader’s kiss makes the scene even more fun. :)

So what other firsts are fun? The first love scene? The first fight? The first make up?

A fan told me that he kept reading, wondering when my Highlander in Winning the Highlander's Heart was going to get some. :) That she was really tough on poor old Malcolm. So for my fan, that was the “first” scene he couldn’t wait for. :)

But there are other fun firsts in a story. The first time the hero and heroine really understand each other. The first time they protect one another. The first…well, you get the point. But for me, my favorites are their first meeting and the first kiss. I think it’s because they’re so new to each other. And even if they know each other, as in Heart of the Wolf, it’s still the reader’s first meeting of the hero and heroine. And the reader’s first time to see the hero and heroine kiss. :)

Also, I wanted to mention that yesterday, I had a comment from a new fan who had read Destiny of the Wolf and loved it! She said she blogged about it about being the first of a new series, until others told her that Heart of the Wolf came first. Soooo, that's another first I wanted to mention! Heart of the Wolf is out and came in as 1 of 5 Publishers Weekly's BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR!

Here is the blurb for Heart of the Wolf:

While searching for clues of a lupus garou who is killing women in the rainy Portland suburbs, Bella Wilder becomes the hunted. She had run away from the gray pack who had taken her in when she was she young. And she will do so again before the brutish pack leader can have her.

Devlyn Greystoke has a mission—return Bella to the gray pack for safekeeping before she exposes their kind and gets herself killed. But little red wolves are in short supply and high demand and Bella’s determined to be the bait to flush out the killer. Keeping her out of danger is only half the trouble Devlyn encounters as his compulsion to make her his mate grows and she fights being his, fearful the pack leader will kill him.

Volan Smith, the gray alpha leader, claimed Bella when she was young. Now that he has located her, he wants Bella back. And he will stop at nothing to have her.

Here's the first kiss scene between Devlyn and Bella:

He pulled her against his body and kissed her hard against the mouth, no teasing or waiting for her approval. Just pure lust, conquering and decisive. And she loved him, every bit of the dangerous and feral lupus garou that he was.

~~~

Next in the line up is To Tempt the Wolf, coming September 1st! Another first! This one is the first time the heroine is not a lupus garou! :) And following that, title to be decided, an Arctic werewolf pack! Another first, plus neither the hero or heroine are werewolves in the beginning!

So when you’re reading a new work by an author, or even one who’s a favorite, what can’t you wait to read about first?

Thanks so much for having me at Night Owl Romances!

And I can always use new friends, so join me at these places!
Terry Spear
http://www.terryspear.com/
http://twitter.com/TerrySpear
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=698072929http://www.myspace.com/terryspear

http://wickedlyromantic.blogspot.com/2009/03/talk-about-sexual-frustration.html (Here I'm talking about sexual frustration in the strangest of places! But check out our Mascot, AKA The Blond Muddy Guy!)

Linda Wisdom Discusses Wicked by Any Other Name

Posted by Night Owl Reviews in

10 comments

Wizard Meets Witch – Red Hearts Abound

Wizards and witches aren’t supposed to mix. It’s that whole class thing as wizards consider themselves at the top of the magickal food chain. Just as witches see themselves there. And Weres do. Trolls. Fae. Well, you get the picture.

But wizard attorney Trevor Barnes didn’t expect to meet witch Stasi Romanov and see red hearts dancing over her head, which means that she’s slated to be his soul mate. After all, a human woman retained him to sue Stasi in Wizard’s Court for alienation of affection when one of Stasi’s charmed sachets kept the woman’s cheating husband from returning to her, as she wanted.

Trevor always had exquisite control of his life. The lawyer to avoid in court because he always won. The wizard who looked like a surfer dude. The wizard plenty of women lusted over.

Except Cupid had other ideas. Wizards and witches don’t mix. But who says that Cupid plays by the rules?

But when Trevor went up to Moonstone Lake to meet Stasi, he’d expected someone more like a cold calculating magick miss, not a sweet blonde who bowled him over at first look. Or that Samhain mixed with Mercury retrograde and a lunar eclipse could cause so many problems for one small mountain town.

Or that his visit to Moonstone Lake would turn into a time of attraction, danger and olde magick all over the place. And all of it seemed to be revolving around Stasi. The lake the town was named after was harmed by an olde magick that even Trev’s powerful skills couldn’t treat, ghosts who visited their descendants were affected by the odd magick flying around and while Stasi has red hearts over her head, she also seems to have a target on her back, because someone has a grudge against her and it’s not just the human woman suing her.

What started out as your everyday lawsuit in Wizard’s Court that Trev saw as a slam-dunk turned into love for a sexy witch, figuring out why a power outage and snowstorm would turn a town into a seething mass of paranoia and even fighting to save his own life.

But Trev’s a guy who can do it all. The question is, if he can keep Stasi safe and help fix a tainted town.

What do you think? Can one wizard do it all? Or will he need help such as three witches, a vampire, a ghost, a gargoyle, and a pair of toothy bunny slippers?

Linda

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Purchase - Wicked by Any Other Name