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 5, 2013 - MJ Schiller (GIVEAWAY / REVIEW / Author Interview)
January 8, 2013 - Simply Ali (GIVEAWAY / Author Interview)
January 29, 2013 - OMFG!Books (GIVEAWAY / Guest Blog)
February 14, 2013 - Author’s Cafe (GIVEAWAY / Character Interview)
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.
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 blasé. 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!
For a chance at an Amazon giftcard being given away as part of this tour - please enter through the rafflecopter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
which is due out at the end of the month.
