Where I share my love of books with reviews, features, giveaways and memes. Family and needlepoint are thrown in from time to time.
Showing posts with label Buy the Book Tours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buy the Book Tours. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Book Blitz: Expected by Sarah England


Participating Sites

3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &; Sissy, Too!
Laurie’s Thought and Reviews
My Devotional Thoughts
Brooke Blogs
M.J. Schiller, Author
Deal Sharing Aunt
Books and Needlepoint
Every Free Chance Book Reviews
[Insert Clever Quip Here]
Margo Hoornstra
What Readers Want
Authors’ Cafe
Romance Me 



Expected
by Sarah England
Crooked Cat Publishing
Publication Date: June 2013



Red Alert.
Sam Sweet is terrified of giving birth.
Only, she doesn’t dare tell anyone. Especially her grandchild-obsessed mother, or her fiancĂ©, Simon – top surgeon by day, mind-game expert by night.
Repressed by the expectations of others, Sam feels trapped. All she ever wanted was a career and a crack at independence, but as a catastrophically failed psychiatric nurse who now injects fillers into the crinkled faces of unhappy women, a career is proving tricky. There’s something wrong with the product and now clients are suing.
Nasty work colleagues stir up scandalous gossip, and soon Sam hits rock bottom, consoling herself with button-popping chocolate binges and terrifying spending sprees.
Sam is going to have to find her voice if she ever wants to be herself, fall in love, and follow her dreams.
Alas, the wedding date is set…


Excerpt from Expected: 

I have a needle stuck in Mrs. Devine’s face.
“Is it working, Sam?” she asks.
“Oh, um, definitely. Yes.”
Truthfully? Nothing is coming out of the syringe, and the harder I press the plunger the more my hand shakes and the needle bends. This is what is going to happen next—the needle snaps off before speeding along the venous highway like a tiny dart toward Mrs. Devine’s heart. Either that, or the whole thing suddenly gives way, and I rip a hole through her head. Sweat surfaces all over my body. I must have the flu or a nasty virus. Might even faint while still holding a syringe with a client attached to it.
Damn. Cellafiller is supposed to be the best thing since Collagen, but really, it’s nearly impossible to squeeze this stuff out, let alone artfully sculpt it beneath tissue-thin skin. I don’t remember it being so difficult during training, but now I’m on my own, well . . . let’s just say it isn’t a happy situation being in a back-street beauty salon with a bunch of women expecting great things.
Mrs. Devine, my model, and something big in local amateur dramatics, is lying on the clinic couch in full make-up, coral lips stretched into her performance smile as I try in vain to fill the ravine between her eyebrows. She doesn’t have a frown line through her glabella muscle so much as a grand canyon.
The small crowd of potential customers straining for a glimpse of this miraculous demonstration is visibly shrinking back. You can almost hear the hissing recoil. I don’t need to glance up to see the sharp downturn of glossed lips and the widening of black-rimmed eyes. Mrs. Devine’s grand canyon is oozing fresh blood. I’ve got the needle fully inserted now, retracting the syringe oh-so-slowly the way I’ve been taught, while my furiously vibrating thumb tries in vain to inject treacle-thick product. Should have taken minutes, and then ta-da! But the harder the plunger is depressed, the more blood oozes out, lying darkly now in a swelling puddle of glistening, ruby red.
Hot nausea tides over me. I feel terrible, by the way, just in case you’re wondering; this poor woman had a long, squiggly frown line, and now she’s got what looks like a botched lobotomy. All eyes focus on my trembling hands as I withdraw the syringe, mop up the debris, and declare the job done. I’ve seen less blood-soaked gauze following open-heart surgery.
“There we are,” I trill, as lightly as if I just served up a plate of lasagna. “And in a couple of days, the line will be gone.”
Ignoring the horrified faces, particularly mine in the mirror opposite—so white against my red hair I look like Elizabeth the First after a nasty shock—I snap off my latex gloves, and return to its box the still full syringe with its severely weakened, bent needle. I cannot look at Mrs. Devine as she hops off the couch with blood pouring from her head. To be honest, I could cry. Mrs. Devine owns the clinic and had it gone well, there would have been a list of new clients for our new product. Instead, it’s a major screw-up. Another one. In time, she will have a scar, and that will no doubt take her mind off the ravine. But long before that, there will be that call—the one about having spoken to her lawyer.
***
My name is Sam Sweet, and I’m in total control; just because every decision I have never made was made by someone else does not mean I am not in control of my life now. Of course I am. Oh, God. Look, I’m doing my best. What else could I have done back there? Oh, God.




Purchase Links: 
 



About the author: Sarah originally trained as a nurse in Sheffield (UK) and then went on to work as a medical representative for nearly 20 years, specialising in mental health.
She had always wanted to write fiction, but did not begin until around 8 years ago, prompted by a house move and relocation to the South coast. Since then she has had around 140 short stories published, mostly in national magazines and various anthologies; and most recently a 3 part detective serial in Woman’s Weekly.

3 am and Wide Awake was released in May 2013 by Alife Dog Fiction – a collection of 25 thrillers, many supernatural or medically based – two of her predominant themes.

Expected is Sarah’s first novel – a comedy launched by Crooked Cat Publishing on 28th June, 2013. She lives in Dorset with her husband, Don, and spaniel, Harry.

Author Links:



Monday, August 26, 2013

Book Blitz Tour: After Alex Died by Dakota Madison


Participating Sites

Must Read Faster
Mark of the Stars
Books and Needlepoint
Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews
Christine’s Words
Tana Rae Reads
Just One More Chapter
Nancy’s Novels – Welcome to she said, he said
Rose & Beps Blog
Deal Sharing Aunt
Margo Hoornstra
What Readers Want
Authors’ Cafe
Romance Me


After Alex Died
by Dakota Madison
Publication Date: July 2013
New Adult

“Don’t be someone who defines her life by someone else’s death.”
Dee Dee DeMarco’s brother, Alex, was funny, free-spirited and creative. He was also gay. Tormented by bullies, Alex killed himself on his 15th birthday.
Two years later, and now in college, Dee Dee believes getting a summer job working with a college-prep program for disadvantaged high school students is a stroke of luck, until she discovers that the guy assigned to co-lead her group is Cameron Connelly, a star basketball player and one of the bullies who tormented her brother to death. How can Dee Dee possibly spend the entire summer working so closely with one of the boys she blames for her brother’s death?
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I think this is a little story with a lot of heart. I hope you think so, too!


We were told to meet at 9 a.m. and by that time it was just a few minutes after the hour, there were 10 of us assembled, five guys and five girls. I recognized two of the girls from my Shakespeare class. They were English majors like me but I didn’t know their names. They were a year ahead of me and were in a sorority. Sorority girls didn’t associate much with non-Greeks like me and especially non-Greeks who looked like me: hair dyed multiple colors, tattoos on both wrists and heavy dark eye makeup. My mom liked to say my drastic change in appearance my senior year of high school was about me putting up a wall not only to keep other people out but to keep my emotions in. She was probably right on both counts.
I scanned the rest of the group, which was a mass of unknown faces until I hit upon a face that was forever burned in my memory. Cameron Connelly. He was one of three people who I hoped to never see again for the rest of my time on Earth.
Cameron looked different than I remembered him. He was still tall and muscular, with messy blond hair and sea green eyes. But he looked older and harder than the carefree basketball player everyone in our high school adored.
I was overcome with a plethora of emotions: fear, dread, anger, hatred and every other negative emotion I had been harboring for the last two years. The feelings were so strong, I couldn’t breathe. I tried to relax but the harder I tried, the more tense I became and I nearly passed out. Luckily, Sofia grabbed my arm before I fell to the floor.
“Are you okay?” Concern covered her face.
I tried to speak but the words got stuck in my dry throat. I just shook my head.
“Are you hot? Do you need some fresh air?”
What I needed was to get away from Cameron Connelly—forever.
Before I had a chance to respond, Sofia led me toward the front doors and pulled me outside.
“Take a deep breath,” she ordered. I got the feeling she had younger siblings who she mothered. She had that way about her.
I inhaled a deep breath of humid New Jersey air. New Jersey wasn’t known for having the finest air quality and the summers could be hot and sticky. This summer was already proving to be no exception.
Sofia narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on?” I felt like she could see right through me into the deepest recesses of my soul. She was the first person who had ever looked beyond my so-called daunting appearance and dark clothes (my cloak of gloom as my mother called it) to even truly see me at all.
“Nothing,” I replied even though I had the distinct feeling that Sofia wasn’t about to let it slide. I was right.
“Come on. Do I look stupid to you? I’m from Newark. I’ve not only been around the block a few times, I’ve been up and down it, too. Now, I’m going to ask one more time and this time you’re going to give me a real answer. Got it?”
“Yeah, I’ve got it. I don’t think you’re going to have any trouble handling the high school kids, that’s for sure.”
That got Sofia to smile. I already figured out that she didn’t smile much but when she did, it was genuine.
“Seriously, what’s got you so freaked out?” she asked, her tone softened.
“There’s a guy in the group, Cameron Connelly. Let’s just say we have a history. From high school. He’s not someone I ever wanted to see again.”
She nodded as if she understood but I was sure she didn’t. No one understood and that was part of the problem. The misery that shrouded me was far worse than she probably imagined.
“Well, let’s make sure he stays away from you then, okay?”
I nodded and gave Sofia a feeble attempt at a smile. I couldn’t remember what it was like to actually truly smile it had been so long since I’d done it.
“Let’s get back in there before they start without us,” Sofia offered.
I nodded and we both headed back into the crowded lobby.




About the author: Dakota Madison has been writing since she learned to read and fell in love with books. When she’s not at her computer creating spicy new romances, Dakota is traveling to exotic locales or spending time with her husband and their bloodhounds.
Author Links:

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Author's Spotlight: Melissa Bourbon Ramirez (with Giveaway!)


Melissa Bourbon, who sometimes answers to her Latina-by-marriage name Misa Ramirez, gave up teaching middle and high school kids in Northern California to write full-time amidst horses and Longhorns in North Texas. She fantasizes about spending summers writing in quaint, cozy locales, has a love/hate relationship with yoga and chocolate, is devoted to her family, and can’t believe she’s lucky enough to be living the life of her dreams.
She is the Marketing Director with Entangled Publishing, is the founder of Books on the House, the co-founder of The Naked Hero, and is the author of the Lola Cruz Mystery series with St. Martin’s Minotaur and Entangled Publishing, and A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series with NAL. She also has two romantic suspense novels, and is the co-author of The Tricked-out Toolbox, all to be released in 2012/2013.

Author Links:
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Curse of Passion

by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez

Publication Date: August 2013
Entangled Publishing
Romantic Suspense


The ghost of la Llorona is said to haunt the riverbanks, always searching for her drowned child. She also haunts high school teacher Johanna Rios, whose own mother believed so deeply in the legend she tried to drown her daughters. And now the ghost has become real, a young woman murdered, and the safe world Jo created is falling apart.
Since returning home from his last tour of duty to become a school principal, Ray Vargas has fought his attraction for his employee, the sensual woman who’d once been the girl next door. But the Llorona Killer will not stop until he claims his final victim—Johanna—and Ray will do anything to protect the woman he’s come to love.
With a serial killer out to prove the curse is real, will Ray and Johanna’s future be drowned in the ghostly waters of the past? Or will the power of their love give them the strength to stop a killer…and heal their wounded hearts.

Purchase Links:
  

Johanna paced and turned toward him, but still hadn’t noticed Ray in the doorway. He catalogued her features. She was thirty-two, with honey-colored skin, cheekbones that gave her an exotic look, long, dark hair…

As it often did, his gaze hitched at her full, red lips. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d kissed lips like that. Maybe never.

The sliver of skin showing between her sweater and her pants drew his eyes. She looked far hotter than any teacher had a right to—certainly hotter than any teacher he’d ever had. Thank God, or he’d never have graduated.

He felt his eyes pinch and blinked hard to break the drugged feeling that suddenly slid over him. He’d done his best to steer clear of her for years, and after this conversation, he’d go back to staying away.

“Who is this? What do you want?” Johanna’s voice held fear, tinged with anger.

That was not a tone Ray associated with Johanna. He froze in place. He’d been trained well by the Army. Freeze first. Assess. Decide. Then move.

She spoke again, her voice rising in pitch. “Would you just stop calling?” she demanded, her voice shaking.

Distressed. Johanna was distressed. Time to act. Ray moved then, coming into the classroom, bumping a desk as he came toward her, startling her.

She whipped around, gasping as she saw him. Her face paled, and a second later she dropped her cell phone on her desk. She speared her hand through her hair, her fingers bending until they looked like claws digging into her scalp.

His heart pumped hard. What the hell? “Johanna,” he said, aware his voice was gruffer than he’d intended. “What was that about?”

She stared at him, her eyes wide, like a damn deer caught in the headlights. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

“Prank caller,” she finally said, snapping out of her trance.

Ray ran the pads of his fingers over his goatee. Prank caller, my ass. She’d been engaged in that conversation, had been responding to the person on the other end of the line. But her eyes stayed wary and he decided to let it go. He was here for a purpose. Marianne’s murder needed his attention, and he wanted to know Johanna’s secret.

“Sorry for barging in,” he said, “but I’d like to continue the conversation we started back in my office.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “You mean about Marianne? Are the deputies coming back?”

He shook his head. “They’re gone.” She looked puzzled as he continued. “You brought up la Llorona.”

“Yes,” she said flatly.

Her voice had lost the shaky edge it had held a moment ago on the phone. Hell, now it almost sounded like it could freeze water. Her own form of self-preservation, he supposed. “You wrote your master’s thesis on her?”

Johanna slumped against her desk and ran one hand over her face, down her neck, let it settle on her chest. “Yes.”

“Why?”

She hesitated, and for a moment looked like she wasn’t going to respond. Then she spoke, her voice softer, more thoughtful. “My mother believed in her.”

Odd. Johanna had placed a strange emphasis on the word believed. Hadn’t her mother simply known about the story? Why would she believe in a ghost tale? “La Llorona is a legend,” he said.

“A legend based on a real woman who lived five hundred years ago.”

“It’s a kid’s story. Like the boogieman and the chupacabra.”

Johanna shook her head. “My mother believed la Llorona was real. Because of that, I’ve always been…curious…about the legend.”

She started when her cell phone rang. Her sudden jerk sent the tips of her fingers slipping under the vee of her sweater. His eyes followed the path as her hand settled on the swell of her breast. He swallowed, narrowing his eyes as he forced his gaze back to her face. Her phone, playing a traditional cumbia rather than a regular ring tone, continued for a full ten seconds while she stood frozen. She didn’t even look at where it sat on the desk.

He tried not to think about whatever might be going on in her personal life that warranted heated phone calls. A bad break-up, maybe? He hadn’t heard she was dating anyone, but she might be. Much as he hated to admit it to himself, he didn’t want her to have a personal life. It messed with his fantasy.

Enough. He had to get his head back in the game. Had to focus on why he was here —and that reason was not to stare at her breasts or get jealous over imaginary lovers or remind himself of the fantasies he’d had of her—fantasies featuring her naked. Her hot mouth on his. Her skin sliding sinuously under his.






The Giveaway!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, April 29, 2013

Book Blitz: Soul Taker by Karen Michelle Nutt



Soul Taker
by Karen Michelle Nutt

No soul is safe…

A vampire from the Grim Sith sept is sucking the souls out of young women from the Boston area, but this sinister crime is far worse than a vampire seeking substance. He’s selling the souls to the highest bidder and it seems business is booming.

A vampire, a werewolf and a Necromancer, are a most unlikely team, but Garran, Harrison and Isabella plan on putting a kink in the dubbed Soul Taker’s plans. It’s personal now. One of their friends has fallen victim to the Soul Taker’s charms, but to stop him from hurting anyone else, their efforts may involve raising the dead.



Please enjoy this excerpt from Soul Taker:
The night awakened everything dark and foreboding, allowing them to walk among the humans. Garran MacLaurin would be considered such a creature, though with practice he learned to control his unusual appetite to destroy everything in his wake.

From the shadows, Garran watched Isabella Lucci lock her car, the beep of the alarm echoing in the hospital's carport.
She wore a tan long-sleeve shirt with jeans, which looked tailored to fit her trim figure, and designer boots. She turned to go toward the hospital entrance, but something caught her attention. Her feet stilled. Her gaze turned toward him and apprehension crossed her delicate features. She took a hesitant step in his direction, clutching her purse like a lifeline. She scanned the parking lot, searching… For what? He stood still and waited. Finally, she turned and continued inside the hospital.

He would have to be careful. Isabella hadn't seen him, but he knew without a doubt she sensed him. Rare for a human to sense the preternatural world, but then again, if Harrison was correct in his assumptions, Miss Lucci could raise the dead.
Garran waited a respected few minutes so not to run into Miss Lucci. Then he too, entered the hospital.






Karen Michelle Nutt resides in California with her husband, three fascinating children, and houseful of demanding pets. Jack, her Chorkie, is her writing buddy and sits long hours with her at the computer.


Her Book, Lost in the Mist of Time, was nominated for New Books Review Spotlight Best Fantasy Book of the Year Award 2006. A Twist of Fate was a nominee for Best Time Travel P.E.A.R.L. Award for 2008. Creighton Manor won Honorable Mention P.E.A.R.L. Award 2009.

Her new passion is creating book covers for Western Trail Blazers and Rebecca J. Vickery Publishing. In her spare time, she reviews books for PNR-Paranormal Romance Reviews. 

Whether your reading fancy is paranormal, historical or time travel, all her stories capture the rich array of emotions that accompany the most fabulous human phenomena—falling in love.



Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Book Blitz: To Be Or Not by Margo Hoornstra (Free on Amazon - April 2, 2013 only!)

To Be Or Not FREE Exclusively on Amazon April 2, 2013 


To Be, or Not
by Margo Hoornstra

Barry Carlson had it all, a successful career in professional baseball and the adoration of any woman he wanted. Except one. Forced to retire in his prime, Barry returns to his hometown of Summerville, New York to coach the Minor League Hornets.

Twenty years ago, Barry broke through Amanda Marsh’s trust issues. He melted her ice, won her love, then walked away without a backward glance to survey the wreckage. Now Amanda is the head of public relations for the Hornets and happily single—until Barry slides back into her life.

Still reluctant to trust, Amanda gives Barry another chance. But the announcement of their twenty-fifth high school reunion leads to an asinine bet between Barry and his old buddies, and threatens to ruin their new-found relationship. As scandals of the past and present converge, can Barry and Amanda get beyond their differences to find their second chance at love? 

About Margo Hoornstra: My personal history in a nutshell is pretty simple. I’m a wife to one; mother to four—seven if you count in-law children which I do—and grandmother to four so far. 


My work experience includes public relations specialist, magazine editor, television producer, and script and speech writer. I’m also a founding member of Mid-Michigan Romance Writers of America.


Margo's Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads







Excerpt
“I don’t think he was lying about this, because I was there too. Back at Doogan’s when you and your group of old buds came up with that—that—bet.”

As his memory completed a fast rewind of the specific event, the warmth in his heart turned to ice.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” he hedged as his mind reeled with ways to talk himself out of the deep, dark pit he was about to fall into.

“Don’t you, Barry?” She gestured with a head toss over one shoulder. “According to him, the wager was your idea.”

He felt the pit begin to close in on top of him. “It’s not as bad as it sounds.”

When her gaze returned to take a vise grip on his, he saw only contempt. “So you admit to setting me up to win a bet with your pals.”

“What? Oh, God. No, Amanda.” Hearing the tears in her voice, a chill ran down his limbs. “It was nothing like that.” At the devastation in her eyes,
his gut twisted into knots and he could swear his heart stop beating. “Aaron Goodwin is an unmitigated ass. A jerk of the highest order. He
doesn’t have one cell in his body that isn’t selfish and self involved. In short, he’s a total and complete ass.”

The look of raw pain on her face was the same one that had haunted him for so many years. “It appears he has some competition in you.”




To Be, or Not
Publisher/Publication Date: Wild Rose Press, Dec 2011
ISBN: B006K0Q3BO
135 pages


Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Betrayed by Shadows by Nancy Gideon (Giveaway,Interview and Book Review)


It is time for A Bookend Tour for Betrayed by Shadows by Nancy Gideon and hosted by Buy the Book Tours.  The tour runs from January 4 - March 1.  Full tour schedule is below:


January 4, 2013 - Romance Writer Sara Walter Ellwood(GIVEAWAY / Guest Blog)
January 5, 2013 - MJ Schiller (GIVEAWAY / REVIEW / Author Interview)
January 6, 2013 - HBS Author’s Spotlight (GIVEAWAY / Author Interview)
January 8, 2013 - Simply Ali (GIVEAWAY / Author Interview)
January 9, 2013 - Reading Romances (GIVEAWAY / Guest Blog) 
January 11, 2013 - SciFiChick.com (GIVEAWAY / Guest Blog)
January 13, 2013 - Janna Shay’s Fair Play (GIVEAWAY / Author Interview)    
January 15, 2013 - Christine’s Words (GIVEAWAY / Author Interview)   
January 19, 2013 - The Brook Sayers Blog (Author Interview)
January 20, 2013 - Amberkatze’s Book Blog (GIVEAWAY/  Guest Blog)
January 23, 2013 - Mama Knows Books (GIVEAWAY / Guest Blog)
January 29, 2013 - OMFG!Books (GIVEAWAY / Guest Blog)
January 31, 2013 - Krystal Shannan – Where Love & Destiny Collide (GIVEAWAY / Character Interview)
February 1, 2013 - Sarah Grimm, Author (GIVEAWAY / Guest Blog)
February 3, 2013 - Writerly Ramblings (GIVEAWAY / Author Interview)
February 6, 2013 - DforDarla’s Definite Reads (GIVEAWAY / Guest Blog)
February 12, 2013 - [Insert Clever Quip Here] (GIVEAWAY / REVIEW / Author Interview)
February 14, 2013 - Author’s Cafe (GIVEAWAY / Character Interview)
February 18, 2013 - Just One More Chapter (GIVEAWAY / REVIEW / Author Interview)
February 20, 2013 - Books and Needlepoint (GIVEAWAY / REVIEW / Author Interview)
February 22, 2013 - Romancing The Dark Side (GIVEAWAY / Guest Blog)
February 23, 2013 - Sallie’s Book Reviews & More(GIVEAWAY / Guest Blog)
February 25, 2013 - I Know That Book (GIVEAWAY / REVIEW / Guest Blog)
February 26, 2013 - Reginamayross’s Blog (GIVEAWAY / Guest Blog)
February 26, 2013 - TBQ’s Book Palace (GIVEAWAY / REVIEW / Character Interview)
February 28, 2013 - Romance Book Junkies (GIVEAWAY / REVIEW / Guest Blog)
March 1, 2013 - Cheryl Yeko  – Where Love Always Wins(GIVEAWAY / REVIEW / Author Interview)
Unscheduled Date - Open Book Society (REVIEW ONLY)


Title: Betrayed by Shadows
Author: Nancy Gideon
Publisher: Pocket Star

About the book: Balancing a criminal empire and a preternatural clan war, reluctant front man Giles St. Clair doesn’t need a problem like Brigit MacCreedy . . . How much trouble can the head-strong and manipulative Shifter beauty get into in two weeks? Plenty when her schemes range from kidnapping to fleeing the retribution of her dead lover’s clan. 

With her family’s lives on the line, Brigit is willing to do whatever it takes to save them. The only thing standing in her way is an immovable stone wall of a man she can’t bully or beguile . . . a human, no less, who has promised to protect her from the secrets and dangers she conceals. 

Risking her own safety gets complicated when an honorable and annoyingly desirable man puts himself between her and her powerful enemies in a battle he can’t win in this Taming of the Shrew meets Shifter Goodfellas on the Bayou tale of consequences, redemption and finding love in all the wrong places.





Buy Links: 
Amazon 
Barnes & Noble


My thoughts:  I had the opportunity to read Masked by Moonlight, the first book in this series, back in 2010, and really enjoyed it.  It was a series that I knew that I wanted to read more of - but of course, hundreds of other books got in the way.  When I was given the opportunity to read this one for review, I jumped on it!  I missed out on a lot in the five books that came in between - but this book does read well as a standalone.  

I really liked Brigit - she was all tough as nails on the outside, but once you got within the walls that she built up, she was really just lonely and looking for someplace to call home.  Giles was sort of the same way.  He had given up his family and home for revenge and just saw a lonely life stretching before him.  He had sold his soul to Jimmy Legere to exact revenge for his father's death, but since Jimmy died and Max Savoie has taken over the business, his dark side has started to retreat.  He has mixed feelings toward Brigit though.

You see, Giles is human and Brigit is "one of them".  Giles has always been big on compartmentalizing everything, but he is having a hard time trying to figure out where Bree should fit. Trouble seems to follow her, regardless of her intentions, and before you know it, it has found her in New Orleans.  Giles packs her up and takes her down to the backwoods where he is from to try to keep her safe.  They let their guard down and actually start to get close, but will the trouble that pursues her be too much for a fledgling romance?

This is a very fast moving book and you barely get a breather between crises. There is a lot of family loyalty, whether related by blood or friendship, where people will put everything they have on the line to save another.  Warning - there are sex scenes in the book, but they are not vulgar.  They are gentle, sensual, and leave you breathless. I will be doing my best to find some time to go back and fit in those books that I missed, as this is one author that I really enjoy reading.

~I received a complimentary ecopy of this book from Buy the Book Tours in exchange for my unbiased review.~


About the author: An author of over fifty novels since 1987, Nancy Gideon thrives on variety. Under her own name and several pseudonyms, she’s written award-winning series suspense, historical and paranormal bestsellers, earned a “Career Achievement for Historical Adventure”, and has had two original horror screenplays optioned for film. A Michigan native, she works full time as a legal administrative assistant and feeds a NetFlix addiction.

You can connect with Nancy here: 
Website
Blog
Facebook 
Twitter 
Goodreads 



I was lucky enough to get Nancy to answer some questions for me!


1.      Was there anything (or anyone) while growing up which helped you decide you wanted to be a writer?
My mom.  She was a liberal-thinking woman long before it was cool (or acceptable) and told me to follow my dreams and do what I love . . . but get a good education first. I did.
2.      Do you have any books on your nightstand right now?
I have Justin Cronin’s The Twelve burning a hole in my iPad Kindle app.  I can’t wait to get to it. His first of the series, The Passage sucked away a week of my life. Can’t go wrong with vampire post-apocalypse.
3.      What do you come up with first when creating your characters- the back story, the plot, the characteristics?
Depends on the book!  Sometimes I’ll have a character and build the book around them. Sometimes, especially when writing a series, a character is born in an earlier book, ready to roll, the way Giles St. Clair and Brigit MacCreedy were in BETRAYED BY SHADOWS.  Giving them history and depth is the fun part.
4.      What do you do in your spare time?
Spare time . . . I vaguely remember that. Something I used to have before children and two jobs!
When I can shoehorn it in, I love to read, feed my Netflix addiction, play Mahjongg, and travel to warm places.
5.      How does your family feel about having a writer in the family? Do they read your books?
I’m divorced, which kinda tells you what my ex thought about it. My kids grew up with Mom as a stay at home writer so they’ve never known anything else. They’re very blasĂ©. They were only impressed when I wrote a horror novelization and collaborated on a screenplay because I got my name listed in three places on the DVD and in two categories on IMDB. Boys are shallow creatures.  My sisters love and promote my books shamelessly.
6.      Where/when do you brainstorm best?
With my critique group.  The eight of us can brew up some serious creativity, especially on long drives to meetings.  Since we all write in different areas and truly respect each other’s work enough to be honest, it’s a great safety net for ideas. Love you guys!
7.      How long do you think about a story before starting to write the book?
Until it gels.  Once I can see it unfolding like a movie, I’m ready to go.  I don’t mind surprises along the way, but I need a destination before leaving the garage. Getting that first sentence perfect usually starts the ball rolling.
8.      What is your favorite way to promote a book?
Online.  I enjoy the blogging and fun contest things like my Haunted Open House that don’t require me to leave the comfort of my keyboard. Or wear pantyhose!
Now it is time for some Silly questions –
1.      If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
I’d love to be able to clone myself so I could send the clone to my day job and stay home to write.
2.      Do you have any hidden talents?
I love to organize other people’s lives. My own, not so much.
3.      Night owl or early bird?
Early bird! Right after coffee.
4.      Favorite season?
Spring and fall – the element of change. And they smell good.
5.      If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?
Here Lies Nancy Gideon, Skin and Bones at Last!
6.      Favorite sport?
I don’t regularly follow any sports, but when one catches my eye, I become a rabid fan.  I love Drew Brees, the Olympics, and am a closet NASCAR watcher.
7.      Favorite music?
I’m a rocker from waaaay back, but I love most types of music . . .and immerse myself in something different for each book as its ‘soundtrack.’
8.      Talk or text?
Nancy don’t text.
9.      Cat or dog?
Love everything fur, fin and feather,  but can only have a cat at my apartment. So I have a cat.
10.   Guilty pleasure TV show?
HGTV!
11.   Sweet or salty snacks?
Anything salty . . . in fact, just put a salt lick on my desk.
12.   Favorite holiday destination?
Home.  I love to travel, but over holidays, there’s no place like home.
13.   Do you have a literary crush?
Dean Koontz.  I’d have his literary babies!


Thank you Nancy for visiting us here at Books and Needlepoint.  Probably my favorite part of reading an author's answers is seeing that we actually have things in common.  To think that the woman who was able to come up with this book likes to play Mahjongg (like me) and loves Dean Koontz (like me) is just awesome!

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