Wednesday, April 30, 2014

RS Review: You're Not Safe (Texas Rangers) Mass Market Paperback



I've finished "You're Not Safe" the 2nd book in her Texas Rangers series by Mary Burton.

He Will Never Forget

The broken body hanging from a tree in Texas Hill Country the frozen figure huddled in a meat locker only at second glance does the truth become apparent. What seems like suicide is far more sinister, and the terror is only beginning.

Never Forgive

One devastating moment changed Greer Templeton's life and ended two others. Now, with a body found on her property and Texas Ranger Tec Bragg on her doorstep, Greer's nightmare has returned. With each new victim, her link to Tec's case grows, and soon it will be too late to run.

And Never Let Them Live

Greer hoped the past was behind her, but an obsessed killer has never forgotten the bond that unites them. One by one, he will track down his victims, finish what was started -- and make Greer's dying wish come true.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Zebra Books (Mass Market) (March 25, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1420125079
ISBN-13: 978-1420125078


My Review:

Storyline:  One devastating moment when Greer was 15 changed her life and left two people dead.  A body is found on her property and Texas Ranger Tec Bragg on her front porch which is Greer's worst nightmare come back to haunt her.  As Tec investigates he realizes all the victims are linked to Greer.

Greer thought she had put her past behind her but the killer remembers the bond between them.  He is determined to track them one by one and grant Greer's final wish. 

Characters:  Greer has a lot of baggage but it has made her a strong and resilient woman.  I'm glad that she was able to hold her own against Tec and it was very nice to see her walls come crashing down.

Glad that Tec was a very patient and fair in his investigation.  He believes what he sees, touch and hear and he is quite unsettled by his attraction to Greer.


Romance:  Greer and Tec were a great couple/team because they both know what each was feeling.

Villain:  I really like how the villain played with their victims both psychologically and physically.

4/5

Thanks JOAN SCHULHAFER PUBLISHING & MEDIA CONSULTING for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

Waiting on Wednesday




Please list the books/manga/manhwa/yaoi manga from your wishlist that you are hoping to add to your shelves in a comment, thanks. 











The Women's Murder Club is stalked by a killer with nothing to lose.

San Francisco Detective Lindsay Boxer is loving her life as a new mother. With an attentive husband, a job she loves, plus best friends who can talk about anything from sex to murder, things couldn't be better.

Then the FBI sends Lindsay a photo of a killer from her past, and her happy world is shattered. The picture captures a beautiful woman at a stoplight. But all Lindsay sees is the psychopath behind those seductive eyes: Mackie Morales, the most deranged and dangerous mind the Women's Murder Club has ever encountered.

In this pulse-racing, emotionally charged novel by James Patterson, the Women's Murder Club must find a killer -- before she finds them first.









Jim Heron, disgruntled fallen angel, thinks that he finally has a leg up against Devinia, a devil's minion, in their fight over seven souls to end the war against good and evil. This is because Jim knows exactly which earthly soul he needs to save: a distant single father of a 13-year-old son. Luckily, Jim thinks that he can leverage the power of love, because this man is in love with a careful woman previously burnt by lust. So instead, Jim focuses his attentions on Sissy, the young soul he saved from Devinia's clutches, who is now transitioning to her life as an angel. But things are more complicated than they seem, because someone else is in love with that careful woman -- the twin of the man whose soul needs saving. And unfortunately, this twin is the better contender for romance -- he's a good-hearted sensitive musician. Torn between gentle support and steamy passion, will this woman make the choice that brings a brooding, broken soul to redemption? Or will that soul be doomed to endure the most hellish possession?








The extraordinary new Lucas Davenport thriller from #1 New York Times-bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner John Sandford.

The night after the fourth of July, Layton Carlson Jr., of Red Wing, Minnesota, finally got lucky. And unlucky.


He’d picked the perfect spot to lose his virginity to his girlfriend, an abandoned farmyard in the middle of cornfields: nice, private, and quiet. The only problem was something smelled bad — like, really bad. He mentioned it to a county deputy he knew, and when the cop took a look, he found a body stuffed down a cistern. And then another, and another.

By the time Lucas Davenport was called in, the police were up to fifteen bodies and counting. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, when Lucas began to investigate, he made some disturbing discoveries of his own. The victims had been killed over a great many years, one every summer, regular as clockwork. How could this have happened without anybody noticing?

Because one thing was for sure: the killer had to live close by. He was probably even someone they saw every day.








The iconic, tough-but-tender Boston PI Spenser returns in an outstanding new addition to the New York Times-bestselling series from author Ace Atkins.

Kinjo Heywood is one of the New England Patriots’ marquee players — a hard-nosed linebacker who’s earned his reputation as one of the toughest guys in the league. When off-field violence repeatedly lands Heywood in the news, his slick agent hires Spenser to find the men who he says have been harassing his client.

Heywood’s troubles seem to be tied to a nightclub shooting from two years earlier. But when Heywood’s nine-year-old son, Akira, is kidnapped, ransom demands are given, and a winding trail through Boston’s underworld begins, Spenser puts together his own all-star team of toughs. It will take both Hawk and Spenser’s protégé, Zebulon Sixkill, to watch Spenser’s back and return the child to the football star’s sprawling Chestnut Hill mansion. A controversial decision from Heywood only ups the ante as the clock winds down on Akira’s future.








FIRST IN A NEW TRILOGY

From Charlaine Harris, the bestselling author who created Sookie Stackhouse and her world of Bon Temps, Louisiana, comes a darker locale — populated by more strangers than friends. But then, that’s how the locals prefer it.


Welcome to Midnight, Texas, a town with many boarded-up windows and few full-time inhabitants, located at the crossing of Witch Light Road and Davy Road. It’s a pretty standard dried-up western town.

There’s a pawnshop (someone lives in the basement and is seen only at night). There’s a diner (people who are just passing through tend not to linger). And there’s new resident Manfred Bernardo, who thinks he’s found the perfect place to work in private (and who has secrets of his own).

Stop at the one traffic light in town, and everything looks normal. Stay awhile, and learn the truth.










The highly anticipated complete novel of The Professional — the first installment in #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole’s scorching Game Maker series, an erotica collection that has readers asking: How hot is too hot?

He makes the rules


Mafiya enforcer Aleksei “The Siberian” Sevastyan’s loyalty to his boss knows no bounds, until he meets the boss’s long-lost daughter, a curvy, feisty redhead who haunts his mind and heats his blood like no other. Ordered to protect her, Aleksei will do anything to possess her as well — on his own wicked terms.

Rules are made to be broken

Grad student Natalie Porter had barely recovered from her first sight of the dark and breathtaking Sevastyan before the professional enforcer whisks her away to Russia, thrusting her into a world of extreme wealth and wanton pleasures. Every day under his protection leads her deeper under his masterful spell.

Are you ready to play?

Yet all is not as it seems. To remove Natalie from an enemy’s reach, Sevastyan spirits her into hiding. From an opulent palace in Russia to the decadent playgrounds of the mega-wealthy in Paris, the two lovers will discover that even their darkest — and most forbidden — fantasies can come true.



 




The award-winning, laugh-out-loud Regency romance that launched the career of New York Times bestselling author Katie MacAlister.

Take one infamous earl


Noble Britton, Lord Weston, has come to London intending to revisit old friends, enjoy a modicum of society, and - oh, yes - find a mild, biddable wife.

Add an irrepressible American

Gillian Leigh's Unfortunate Habit of speaking her mind and Shocking Susceptibility to Accidents have left her on the shelf at five - and - twenty. So why can't Noble resist her?

And good intentions are bound to fail

When Gillian meets the infamous Black Earl, she knows that at last she's found a man who can match her zest for life, even if that entails the occasional arson or kidnapping. Not to mention the encounters with his former mistresses.

Although life with Gillian involves as much chaos as laughter, Noble fully intends to claim her for his own - if she doesn't accidentally kill him first.

Manga:








Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy’s dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires!




 








Kaya Satozuka prides herself on being an excellent secretary and a consummate professional, so she doesn’t even bat an eye when she’s reassigned to the offi ce of her company’s diffi cult director, Kyohei Tohma. He’s as prickly–and hot–as rumors paint him, but Kaya is unfazed until she discovers that he’s a vampire!!

After Kaya’s contract with Erde ended, Kyohei hired her to be his executive secretary at his new company, LVC. Working openly day and night with the man she loves is a dream come true for Kaya, but the honeymoon is short-lived. Mariko, the daughter of one of the LVC executives, has a long history with Kyohei and is determined to renew their special friendship. Can love conquer family ties and vampire politics?

Reads R to L (Japanese Style) for mature audiences.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

New Releases 2014 (Apr 29)



 



New Releases










Burning Dawn (Angels of the Dark) - Mass Market Paperback
New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter returns with a sizzling Angels of the Dark tale about a winged warrior renowned for his ruthlessness, and the woman who becomes his obsession….

A tormented past has left Thane with an insatiable need for violence, making him the most dangerous assassin in the skies. He lives by a single code: no mercy. And as he unleashes his fury on his most recent captor, he learns no battle could have prepared him for the slave he rescues from his enemy's clutches — a beauty who stokes the fires of his darkest desires.

Elin Vale has her own deep-rooted scars, and her attraction to the exquisite warrior who freed her challenges her every boundary. But Thane's unwavering determination to protect her means she must face her greatest fears — and enter a world in which passion is power, and victory means breathtaking surrender. 







How to Seduce a Vampire (Without Really Trying) (Love at Stake) Mass Market Paperback  

From New York Times bestselling author Kerrelyn Sparks comes the next adventure in the Love at Stake series, featuring a Master vampire and his love affair with a woman of many secrets.

Vampire Zoltan Czakvar is on the hunt for the truth about his father's death. He's been searching for a very long time — since 1241, in fact. And he is not about to give up, even when he's attacked by a woman with striking blue eyes and a hell of a right hook!

Neona is also on the hunt. She's looking for a mate and she thinks muscled Zoltan will work just fine. After all, men are good for only one thing. Soon, though, she realizes there's more to this handsome vampire than just sexual prowess. But she's keeping a secret from Zoltan, something so big that it will rock the vampire world.

Can their newfound love survive even if their passion means the destruction of her world?

Forged: The World of Nightwalkers Mass Market Paperback

From New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Frank comes a seductive new paranormal romance set in the World of the Nightwalkers, as a battle-scarred bodyguard and a sensitive beauty risk their lives — and their hearts — in the face of evil.

When Katrina Haynes discovers a large man lying wounded in the snow, she fears he is at death’s door. But as Kat tends to his injuries, she quickly realizes that they’re the least of her worries. With an irresistible Scottish brogue and a strange ability to harden his chiseled body like a statue, the stranger awakens a desire she is unable to resist — and a fascination about the intriguing world he exists in.

As a proud Gargoyle, Ahnvil must safeguard the Nightwalker to whom he’s sworn fealty. But as this bewitching woman nurses him back to health, arousing an almost uncontrollable hunger within him, he is possessed with the fierce impulse to protect her as well. And he will have to shield her — for by coming to his rescue, Kat has placed herself in the middle of a supernatural war and exposed herself to dark, powerful magic. As human and Gargoyle forge an unbreakable bond, Kat will discover that despite his intimidating strength and size, one thing Ahnvil does not possess is a heart of stone.




Warrior's Curse (Imnada Brotherhood) Mass Market Paperback

Will their desire conquer evil ’s wrath?

Major Gray de Coursy, Earl of Halvossa and exiled heir to the five clans of the Imnada shapechangers, must regain his throne in order to save his people from a deadly war with the Feybloods. First, however, he must break the curse he has lived under since the final chaos of Waterloo. Desperate, he resolves to steal the Imnada’s most sacred relic — the mysterious crystal of Jai Idrish — to help him. When he receives a visit from his childhood companion Meeryn Munro, Gray is surprised by her offer of help and by how the girl of his memories has grown to become the woman of his dreams.

None of Meeryn’s powers as anointed keeper of Jai Idrish have prepared her for the threat of battle, but it’s the passion Gray arouses in her that she finds herself fighting. In a perilous quest spanning two realms, Gray and Meeryn must outwit and outrun a cunning enemy. And only the strength of the warrior, the magic of the priestess, and a love greater than death can reclaim a crown and win them a future together.

 

 



Live to See Tomorrow (Catherine Ling) Hardcover

Catherine Ling is one of the CIA’s most prized operatives. Raised on the unforgiving streets of Hong Kong, she was pulled into the agency at the age of fourteen, already having accumulated more insight and secrets than the most seasoned professionals in her world. If life has taught her anything, it is not to get attached, but there are two exceptions to that rule: her son Luke and her mentor Hu Chang. When Luke was kidnapped at the age of two, it nearly broke her. Now, nine years later, her son has astonishingly been returned to her and Catherine vows never to fail him again. But when her job pulls her away from home, she relies on the brilliant and deadly Hu Chang to safeguard Luke in her absence. Now Erin Sullivan, an American journalist with mysterious ties to Hu Chang, has been kidnapped in Tibet. If Catherine doesn’t agree to spearhead the CIA rescue mission, she knows that Hu Chang himself will go, a possibility she can’t risk. But she will be facing a monster whose crimes stretch back forty years, always eluding the CIA. And the job grows even more complicated when Catherine meets Richard Cameron, a supposed ally who’s clearly not telling all he knows. Their attraction is immediate, but Catherine isn't at all sure that he can be trusted. If she’s going to rescue this journalist with a story worth killing for, she’ll need to keep Cameron very close. From the treacherous landscape of the Himalayas to the twisting back alleys of San Francisco, the clock is ticking for Catherine and those she loves most. At every turn she faces a ruthless enemy who is determined to keep the truth buried, even if it means that none of them live to see tomorrow, in this novel from bestseller Iris Johansen.

Monday, April 28, 2014

Weekly Book Reads (Apr 28)




 Weekly Book Reads


Weekly Book Reads is a weekly Monday Meme that is hosted by Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews:

Post the books read last week and books you plan on finishing this week.

Read Last Week:

1.  Where Evil Waits - Kate Brady

Weekly Book Reading:

1.  You're Not Safe - Mary Burton
2.  Notorious - Allison Brennan
3.  Once In a Lifetime - Jill Shavis 
4.  Goong Vol. 14 - Park SooHee

Sunday, April 27, 2014

RS Review: Where Evil Waits (Mann Family) Mass Market Paperback



I've finished "Where Evil Waits" the 2nd book in her Mann Family series by Kate Brady.

SHE'LL RISK EVERYTHING

Special prosecutor Kara Chandler is very good at her job, so good that a homicidal mastermind vows to kill her and everyone she cares about. Desperate to save herself and her son, Kara seeks out cartel hit man Luke Varón. The last time she dealt with Luke, she saw him beat the system and escape prison. But now, the most dangerous man she's ever met is the only one who can keep her alive.

HE'LL STOP AT NOTHING

Luke Varón isn't who he appears to be. After spending years in the criminal underworld, he seeks redemption and revenge. Yet when he sees the fear in Kara's eyes, he can't walk away. People around her are being murdered, and only he can help uncover the killer's motive. Now as danger closes in, Kara and Luke must trust each other with their darkest secrets - before the evil in their lives destroys them both.

Product Details
Series: Mann Family
Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Forever (February 25, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1455502065
ISBN-13: 978-1455502066

My Review:


I highly recommend this book if you enjoy romantic suspense books with more suspense, with lots of twists and turns and a very intelligent, creepy, sick and perverted killer.

Storyline:  Special prosecutor Kara Chandler is very good at her job, so good that a homicidal mastermind vows to kill her and everyone she cares about. Desperate to save herself and her son, Kara seeks out cartel hit man Luke Varón.  People around her are being murdered, and only he can help uncover the killer's motive. Now as danger closes in, Kara and Luke must trust each other with their darkest secrets - before the evil in their lives destroys them both.

Characters:  Kara is a strong, intellegent and confident woman who really loves her son.  She is determined to keep her son safe that she even hires a hit man to stage their death since she knows she is out of her depth.

Luke Varon is deep undercover and he knows that helping Kara would put his life in danger but he can't say no.

Romance:  Kara and Luke's relationship at first is antagonistic and then turns sexy hot once she finally realizes who Luke really is and isn't in any danger from him.

Villain:  The villain was very creepy, sick, perverted and quite intelligent.

3.5/5

Thanks Hachette Book Group Canada for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

Library Haul 2014 (Apr 27 - May 3)




Library Haul



Here's the list of books/manga/manhwa/yaoi manga I picked up this week at the library:

Hardcover:


1. Taste of Home Simple and Delicious Cookbook

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Bunny Express Saturday 2014 (Apr 26)



Bunny Express Saturday is hosted every Saturday at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews.

I received these in the mail this week.

For Review:









The Venetian Bargain Paperback

Venice, 1576. Five years after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Lepanto, a ship steals unnoticed into Venice bearing a deadly cargo. A man, more dead than alive, disembarks and staggers into Piazza San Marco. He brings a gift to Venice from Constantinople. Within days the city is infected with bubonic plague — and the Turkish Sultan has his revenge.

But the ship also holds a secret stowaway — Feyra, a young and beautiful harem doctor fleeing a future as the Sultan’s concubine. Only her wits and medical knowledge keep her alive as the plague ravages Venice.

In despair, the Doge commissions the architect Andrea Palladio to build the greatest church of his career — an offering to God so magnificent that Venice will be saved. But Palladio’s life is in danger too, and it will require all the skills of Annibale Cason, the city’s finest plague doctor, to keep him alive. What Annibale had not counted on was meeting Feyra, who is now under Palladio’s protection — an impossible woman whose medical skills and determination are matched only by his own.




 






The classic tale of passion on the high seas, available in print for the first time in 20 years.

Merry Wilding is a lady of breeding, of innocence, and of breathtaking beauty. With high hopes for a holiday in England, she sets sail from New York-but the tide of her life is destined to turn. Mistakenly swept aboard an infamous pirate ship, Merry finds herself at the mercy of a wicked crew and one sinfully handsome pirate. Soon she's spending her days yearning for escape, and her nights learning the pleasures of captivity.

Devon Crandall believes Merry is in league with his greatest enemy. He's determined to slowly urge her secrets from her. But along the way, he discovers her beautifully unbreakable spirit and a desire unlike any he's ever known. She is hiding something from him, and yet, each day that passes brings her deeper into his heart. When fierce arguments give way to fiercer passion, can a pirate learn to love a woman? Or will true love be lost at sea?

Thanks Hachette Book Group and St. Martin's Press!

Friday, April 25, 2014

Follow My Blog Friday #190



If you are new to the FF fun, Feature and Follow Friday is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. Feature & Follow Friday is now hosted by TWO hosts, myself of course and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

Now to make this FF interesting we do a FEATURE blogger. If you are interested in becoming a Feature click on the drop down link above FEATURES and Features and Follow Friday and get on the waiting list!  It is also required, that if you participate you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee and Alison Can Read) and the two Feature blogs.

This Meme is hosted by Rachel from Parajunkee's View and Alison from Alison Can Read on Fridays.

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1.  (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee and Alison Can Read}

2.  (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers

3.  Put your Blog name and URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.

4.  Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say “hi” in your comments and that they are now following you.

5.  If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn’t have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed

6.  Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don’t just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don’t say “HI”

7.  If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love and the followers.

8.  If you’re new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Our Feature this week:



1. When did you start blogging?

A couple of friends introduced me to blogging in 2005 by getting me to review for them. Since I had just discovered the urban fantasy genre, I was all about talking about GUILTY PLEASURES by Laurell K Hamilton, DARK LOVER by JR Ward, DEAD WITCH WALKING by Kim Harrison and all the other gems I kept finding.

When they decided to go on break, I kept posting reviews on my own blog and eventually turned it into Literary Escapism. By this point, my son was 10 months old and it was helping me keep my sanity. After moving to a new city while 8 months pregnant, not having a car since the hubby took it to work, and being in an apartment with absolutely nothing around, finding the book blogging community and everyone associated with it was so what I needed. It gave me an outlet to continue discussing books and some much needed social interaction. While I’ve been experiencing a little of the burnout a lot of bloggers get once they hit 5+ years (or so it seems), I’ve been trying to push through it since I’ve missed that aspect of blogging.

2. What is your favorite part of book blogging?

The connections I’ve made with authors, other bloggers, and readers in general. I love going to author signings and conventions, knowing I can just walk up to anyone and start talking about the latest release from any number of authors. I love being able to jump on Twitter or Facebook and find someone who has read what I just did and wants to talk about it. I have very few friends who love urban fantasy and paranormal romance as much as I do – I fully admit I’m way more geeky than I ever thought I was – and I’ve noticed that I don’t have the excitement I once did. I get so inspired after getting together with other readers.

3. What type of books do you mainly blog about?

I’m an urban fantasy and paranormal junkee. While I’ll read romance, I have a hard time reviewing it since I’ve been reading it since I was 13 (or that’s what I’ll admit to), and in twenty years, it’s hard to find anything really original. I need something to spice the story up, so I look to fantasy to do that. While romance has a lot of stereotypical tropes, you throw a supernatural or fantasy element in there and it’s a whole new ballgame. Of course, this is my opinion, so if there is a romance out there that seems to deviate, please let me know. I’m always looking for something new and excited.

But I should also mention that while I focus on urban fantasy and paranormal romance, I’m not the only one blogging at LE either. There are five others – Nicole, Casey, Nikki, Natassia, and Courtney – and between all of us we tend to cover quite a bit of the genre spectrum. Nicole has really been into contemporary romance of late; Casey seems to be on a paranormal kick, but I never know with her some times; Natassia is our fantasy and science fiction guru; and Nikki and Courtney have been in a slump. They’re needing something new too. *grin*

4. What are your favorite books?

Seriously? A favorite book? Adding the “s” doesn’t change the fact that asking a book blogger that question is like opening a can of worms. There’s a better analogy there, I’m sure, but it’s late and I’m winging this. *grin*

As of right now, some of my favorite books are: the Hollows series by Kim Harrison (why oh why must she end it?!); the Psy-Changeling series by Nalini Singh (the books just keep getting better and better); I’m really excited about the new Merry Gentry book, A SHIVER OF LIGHT, by Laurell K. Hamilton; and I’m eagerly awaiting Ilona Andrew’s next Kate Daniels book, MAGIC BREAKS (especially after how MAGIC RISES ended). If you want to know all of my favorite books, then I would say to click here: http://www.literaryescapism.com/33740/what-jackie-would-recommend-v3-0. In fact, you can find what all of us at LE consider our favorites here (http://www.literaryescapism.com/category/features/le-recommends).

5. What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of book blogging?

The best thing that has happened to me? I honestly don’t know if I could pinpoint one thing. I’ve met some amazing authors through Literary Escapism that I probably wouldn’t have met just by reading their books. Not to mention the numerous bloggers, readers, and publicists I’ve had the immense pleasure of meeting. I probably never would have been to a single book convention either – I didn’t know about them before I started blogging. In the 7 years LE has been live, I’ve been lucky enough to attend RT Booklovers twice (I was even on a panel at RT12 in Chicago), this will be my fourth year attending Lori Foster’s Annual Reader Author Get Together (and I’m heading up a blogger track, the first for RAGT), and I made it to Authors After Dark last year in Savannah. I think the best thing that has happened to me is it gave me a direction that I was missing. I have a bachelors degree in International Relations and Spanish – can I tell you how useful that is right now? It’s not, and I’ve been floundering trying to figure out what I want to do once both of my boys are in school full time. The more I work with other authors, bloggers, and publicists, the more I realize that this is what I want to do.

Our Feature - Literary Escapism

1. When did you start blogging?

A couple of friends introduced me to blogging in 2005 by getting me to review for them. Since I had just discovered the urban fantasy genre, I was all about talking about GUILTY PLEASURES by Laurell K Hamilton, DARK LOVER by JR Ward, DEAD WITCH WALKING by Kim Harrison and all the other gems I kept finding.

When they decided to go on break, I kept posting reviews on my own blog and eventually turned it into Literary Escapism. By this point, my son was 10 months old and it was helping me keep my sanity. After moving to a new city while 8 months pregnant, not having a car since the hubby took it to work, and being in an apartment with absolutely nothing around, finding the book blogging community and everyone associated with it was so what I needed. It gave me an outlet to continue discussing books and some much needed social interaction. While I've been experiencing a little of the burnout a lot of bloggers get once they hit 5+ years (or so it seems), I've been trying to push through it since I've missed that aspect of blogging.

2. What is your favorite part of book blogging?

The connections I've made with authors, other bloggers, and readers in general. I love going to author signings and conventions, knowing I can just walk up to anyone and start talking about the latest release from any number of authors. I love being able to jump on Twitter or Facebook and find someone who has read what I just did and wants to talk about it. I have very few friends who love urban fantasy and paranormal romance as much as I do - I fully admit I'm way more geeky than I ever thought I was - and I've noticed that I don't have the excitement I once did. I get so inspired after getting together with other readers.

3. What type of books do you mainly blog about?

I'm an urban fantasy and paranormal junkee. While I'll read romance, I have a hard time reviewing it since I've been reading it since I was 13 (or that's what I'll admit to), and in twenty years, it's hard to find anything really original. I need something to spice the story up, so I look to fantasy to do that. While romance has a lot of stereotypical tropes, you throw a supernatural or fantasy element in there and it's a whole new ballgame. Of course, this is my opinion, so if there is a romance out there that seems to deviate, please let me know. I'm always looking for something new and excited.

But I should also mention that while I focus on urban fantasy and paranormal romance, I'm not the only one blogging at LE either. There are five others - Nicole, Casey, Nikki, Natassia, and Courtney - and between all of us we tend to cover quite a bit of the genre spectrum. Nicole has really been into contemporary romance of late; Casey seems to be on a paranormal kick, but I never know with her some times; Natassia is our fantasy and science fiction guru; and Nikki and Courtney have been in a slump. They're needing something new too. *grin*

4. What are your favorite books?

Seriously? A favorite book? Adding the "s" doesn't change the fact that asking a book blogger that question is like opening a can of worms. There's a better analogy there, I'm sure, but it's late and I'm winging this. *grin*

As of right now, some of my favorite books are: the Hollows series by Kim Harrison (why oh why must she end it?!); the Psy-Changeling series by Nalini Singh (the books just keep getting better and better); I'm really excited about the new Merry Gentry book, A SHIVER OF LIGHT, by Laurell K. Hamilton; and I'm eagerly awaiting Ilona Andrew's next Kate Daniels book, MAGIC BREAKS (especially after how MAGIC RISES ended). If you want to know all of my favorite books, then I would say to click here: http://www.literaryescapism.com/33740/what-jackie-would-recommend-v3-0. In fact, you can find what all of us at LE consider our favorites here (http://www.literaryescapism.com/category/features/le-recommends).

5. What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of book blogging?

The best thing that has happened to me? I honestly don't know if I could pinpoint one thing. I've met some amazing authors through Literary Escapism that I probably wouldn't have met just by reading their books. Not to mention the numerous bloggers, readers, and publicists I've had the immense pleasure of meeting. I probably never would have been to a single book convention either - I didn't know about them before I started blogging. In the 7 years LE has been live, I've been lucky enough to attend RT Booklovers twice (I was even on a panel at RT12 in Chicago), this will be my fourth year attending Lori Foster's Annual Reader Author Get Together (and I'm heading up a blogger track, the first for RAGT), and I made it to Authors After Dark last year in Savannah. I think the best thing that has happened to me is it gave me a direction that I was missing. I have a bachelors degree in International Relations and Spanish - can I tell you how useful that is right now? It's not, and I've been floundering trying to figure out what I want to do once both of my boys are in school full time. The more I work with other authors, bloggers, and publicists, the more I realize that this is what I want to do.

Question of the Week: Have any pets? Tell us or show us. 

I have a dog and a cat who are both males.  Sorry I don't have any pictures!

My dog is 9 years old and he is still frisky as the day I got him.  He's very smart and loves food and treats.  He hates my cat and only tolerant his presence.

My cat is a year old and very frisky.  He can be friendly but doesn't really like being petted to much.  When he is angry he will bite your hand hard and dig in.  Sometimes when he is extremely angry he will stalk you and try to jump on you.






Thursday, April 24, 2014

Melissa Bourbon's A Killing Notion Blog Tour with a Spotlight



I am so excited to have Melissa Bourbon here at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight.

Thanks Melissa and Pump Up Your Book Promotions for allowing me to join your A Killing Notion Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Melissa!

 




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 amid horses and longhorns in north Texas. She is the author of the Magical Dressmaking Mystery series (A Custom-Fit Crime, Deadly Patterns, A Fitting End).









A Killing Notion - Magical Dressmaking Mysteries

Harlow Jane Cassidy is swamped with homecoming couture requests. If only she didn’t have to help solve a murder, she might get the gowns off the dress forms.

Harlow is doing everything she can to expand her dressmaking business, Buttons & Bows?without letting clients know about her secret charm. When she has a chance to create homecoming dresses with a local charity and handmade mums for several high school girls including Gracie, whose father, Will, has mended Harlow’s heart she is ready to use her magical talents for a great cause.

But when Gracie’s date for the dance is accused of murder, Harlow knows things won’t be back on course until she helps Gracie clear the football player’s name. If Harlow can’t patch up this mess before the big game, her business and her love life might be permanently benched.

INCLUDES SEWING TIPS

Please follow the rest of Melissa's Blog Tour here, thanks:

http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2014/03/15/pump-up-your-book-presents-a-killing-notion-virtual-book-publicity-tour/ 

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday




Please list the books/manga/manhwa/yaoi manga from your wishlist that you are hoping to add to your shelves in a comment, thanks.









Burning Dawn (Angels of the Dark) - Mass Market Paperback
 
New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter returns with a sizzling Angels of the Dark tale about a winged warrior renowned for his ruthlessness, and the woman who becomes his obsession….

A tormented past has left Thane with an insatiable need for violence, making him the most dangerous assassin in the skies. He lives by a single code: no mercy. And as he unleashes his fury on his most recent captor, he learns no battle could have prepared him for the slave he rescues from his enemy's clutches — a beauty who stokes the fires of his darkest desires.

Elin Vale has her own deep-rooted scars, and her attraction to the exquisite warrior who freed her challenges her every boundary. But Thane's unwavering determination to protect her means she must face her greatest fears — and enter a world in which passion is power, and victory means breathtaking surrender. 







How to Seduce a Vampire (Without Really Trying) (Love at Stake) Mass Market Paperback  

From New York Times bestselling author Kerrelyn Sparks comes the next adventure in the Love at Stake series, featuring a Master vampire and his love affair with a woman of many secrets.

Vampire Zoltan Czakvar is on the hunt for the truth about his father's death. He's been searching for a very long time — since 1241, in fact. And he is not about to give up, even when he's attacked by a woman with striking blue eyes and a hell of a right hook!

Neona is also on the hunt. She's looking for a mate and she thinks muscled Zoltan will work just fine. After all, men are good for only one thing. Soon, though, she realizes there's more to this handsome vampire than just sexual prowess. But she's keeping a secret from Zoltan, something so big that it will rock the vampire world.

Can their newfound love survive even if their passion means the destruction of her world?
 
 
 
 
 
 

Forged: The World of Nightwalkers Mass Market Paperback

From New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Frank comes a seductive new paranormal romance set in the World of the Nightwalkers, as a battle-scarred bodyguard and a sensitive beauty risk their lives — and their hearts — in the face of evil.

When Katrina Haynes discovers a large man lying wounded in the snow, she fears he is at death’s door. But as Kat tends to his injuries, she quickly realizes that they’re the least of her worries. With an irresistible Scottish brogue and a strange ability to harden his chiseled body like a statue, the stranger awakens a desire she is unable to resist — and a fascination about the intriguing world he exists in.

As a proud Gargoyle, Ahnvil must safeguard the Nightwalker to whom he’s sworn fealty. But as this bewitching woman nurses him back to health, arousing an almost uncontrollable hunger within him, he is possessed with the fierce impulse to protect her as well. And he will have to shield her — for by coming to his rescue, Kat has placed herself in the middle of a supernatural war and exposed herself to dark, powerful magic. As human and Gargoyle forge an unbreakable bond, Kat will discover that despite his intimidating strength and size, one thing Ahnvil does not possess is a heart of stone.







Warrior's Curse (Imnada Brotherhood) Mass Market Paperback

Will their desire conquer evil ’s wrath?

Major Gray de Coursy, Earl of Halvossa and exiled heir to the five clans of the Imnada shapechangers, must regain his throne in order to save his people from a deadly war with the Feybloods. First, however, he must break the curse he has lived under since the final chaos of Waterloo. Desperate, he resolves to steal the Imnada’s most sacred relic — the mysterious crystal of Jai Idrish — to help him. When he receives a visit from his childhood companion Meeryn Munro, Gray is surprised by her offer of help and by how the girl of his memories has grown to become the woman of his dreams.

None of Meeryn’s powers as anointed keeper of Jai Idrish have prepared her for the threat of battle, but it’s the passion Gray arouses in her that she finds herself fighting. In a perilous quest spanning two realms, Gray and Meeryn must outwit and outrun a cunning enemy. And only the strength of the warrior, the magic of the priestess, and a love greater than death can reclaim a crown and win them a future together.

 

 



Live to See Tomorrow (Catherine Ling) Hardcover

Catherine Ling is one of the CIA’s most prized operatives. Raised on the unforgiving streets of Hong Kong, she was pulled into the agency at the age of fourteen, already having accumulated more insight and secrets than the most seasoned professionals in her world. If life has taught her anything, it is not to get attached, but there are two exceptions to that rule: her son Luke and her mentor Hu Chang. When Luke was kidnapped at the age of two, it nearly broke her. Now, nine years later, her son has astonishingly been returned to her and Catherine vows never to fail him again. But when her job pulls her away from home, she relies on the brilliant and deadly Hu Chang to safeguard Luke in her absence. Now Erin Sullivan, an American journalist with mysterious ties to Hu Chang, has been kidnapped in Tibet. If Catherine doesn’t agree to spearhead the CIA rescue mission, she knows that Hu Chang himself will go, a possibility she can’t risk. But she will be facing a monster whose crimes stretch back forty years, always eluding the CIA. And the job grows even more complicated when Catherine meets Richard Cameron, a supposed ally who’s clearly not telling all he knows. Their attraction is immediate, but Catherine isn't at all sure that he can be trusted. If she’s going to rescue this journalist with a story worth killing for, she’ll need to keep Cameron very close. From the treacherous landscape of the Himalayas to the twisting back alleys of San Francisco, the clock is ticking for Catherine and those she loves most. At every turn she faces a ruthless enemy who is determined to keep the truth buried, even if it means that none of them live to see tomorrow, in this novel from bestseller Iris Johansen.

Dianna Love's Kiss the Enemy Book Blast Tour



I am so excited to have Dianna Love here at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Blast Tour.

Thanks Dianna and Goddess Fish Promotions for allowing me to join your Kiss the Enemy Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Dianna!


 





AUTHOR Bio and Links:

New York Times bestseller Dianna Love once dangled over a hundred feet in the air to create unusual marketing projects for Fortune 500 companies. She now writes high-octane romantic suspense, thrillers and urban fantasy. Her new Slye Temp romantic suspense series launched its first four books in 2013 to rave reviews and more will follow in 2014. Her books are available in print and ebook. On the rare days she’s not in her writing cave, Dianna enjoys touring the country on her BMW motorcycle. She lives in the Atlanta, GA area with her motorcycle-instructor husband and a tank full of unruly saltwater critters. Read excerpts of her books at www.authordiannalove.com or join her Dianna Love Street Team on Facebook and get in on the fun!

Links

Website---- https://www.authordiannalove.com

Street team ---- https://www.facebook.com/groups/456015887852513/

Like her on Facebook at--- https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dianna-Love-Fan-Page/144494875593699

Follow her on Twitter at -- https://twitter.com/diannalove

Buy Links for KISS THE ENEMY:

Amazon Kindle-- http://www.amazon.com/Kiss-Enemy-Slye-Temp-ebook/dp/B00FZ0YGI2/ref=la_B001HMUWBC_1_18?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382305603&sr=1-18

Nook-- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kiss-the-enemy-dianna-love/1117191697?ean=2940148678243&isbn=2940148678243

Kobo— http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/books/kiss-the-enemy/huP1vBESdEC7Je-9gUUWDQ?MixID=huP1vBESdEC7Je-9gUUWDQ&PageNumber=1

iTunes— https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id728889359

Google Books-- https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Dianna_Love_KISS_THE_ENEMY?id=hi_EAgAAQBAJ&hl=en

For other buy links, to read an excerpt, or to purchase an autographed copy, visit the KISS THE ENEMY page on Dianna’s website: http://www.authordiannalove.com/bookshelf/77/kiss-the-enemy---book-4







Giveaway

 Dianna will be awarding EITHER the ebook box set of the first 3 Slye Temp OR a signed copy of ONE of the first 4 Slye Temp books. (Print Books are Continental US Only - Amazon/iTunes/Nook ebook equivalent for international) to one randomly drawn commenter at each stop during the tour, and a GRAND PRIZE of Signed copies of all 4 Slye Temp books – LAST CHANCE TO RUN, NOWHERE SAFE, HONEYMOON TO DIE FOR – plus a MONOGRAMMED SLING BACKPACK, and swag pack of surprise goodies. (Continental US only for print books - Amazon/iTunes/Nook 3 ebook box set for international) will be awarded to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

>Enter to win! A Rafflecopter Giveaway


Please follow Dianna's Blog Tour here:

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/03/virtual-super-book-blast-kiss-enemy-by.html 

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

New Manga Release 2014 (Apr 22)



 



New Releases









Inu x Boku SS, Vol. 3 Paperback

The residents of Ayakashi Hall decide to make a time capsule and bury it on the grounds, so everyone writes letters to their "future selves" to be included within. As Ririchiyo composes her letter, she reflects on her time with Soushi, realizing how much she has grown with the fox at her side. But when those heartfelt feelings are accidentally delivered not to her future self but to Soushi, Ririchiyo's budding social skills will be put to the test! Is she ready for a face-to-face confession of her true feelings?

Monday, April 21, 2014

Weekly Book Reads (Apr 21)



 Weekly Book Reads


Weekly Book Reads is a weekly Monday Meme that is hosted by Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews:

Post the books read last week and books you plan on finishing this week.

Read Last Week:

1.  Brazen - Kelley Armstrong
2.  Dash of Peril - Lori Foster
3.  Illusions - Sherrilyn Kenyon
4.  Bloody Cross Vol. 2 - Shiwo Komeyama

Weekly Book Reading:

1.  Where Evil Waits - Kate Brady

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Library Haul 2014 (Apr 20)



Library Haul


Here's the list of books/manga/manhwa/yaoi manga I picked up this week at the library:

Softcover:



1.  Lonely Planet's Spicy Food

Hardcover:

1.  Taste of Home Recipes Across America

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Teen Show Inquiries?

Hey My Blogger Friends and Followers,

I was wondering if anyone watched the following Teen shows, thanks?

1.  Sweet Valley High (1994 - 1997)

2.  Breaker High (1997 - 1998)

3.  California Dreams (1992 - 1996)

Bunny Express Saturday 2014 (Apr 19)



Bunny Express Saturday is hosted every Saturday at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews.

I received these in the mail this week.

For Review:







Betrayed (Rockfort Security) Mass Market Paperback

To Trust


Rockfort Security operative Shane Gallagher has been brought into S and D Systems to find a security leak. Confidential information has been stolen, and Shane suspects Elena Reyes, a systems analyst with the access and know - how to pull it off. As he finds excuses to get close to her, their attraction is too strong to ignore, but how can Shane trust the very woman he's investigating?

Or Not to Trust

Elena has spent her life proving herself, but now she's risking it all: everything she's worked for, and her growing feelings for Shane. Much as she wants to trust the devastatingly sexy, hard-as-nails investigator, she can't let herself fall for him the stakes are too high.


 






Rebel (The Cat Star Chronicles) Mass Market Paperback 
 
He helped to find her kidnapped friends. Will he let her steal his heart?
Kimcasha has lived by her wits since she lost her family when she was eight years old. So when three of her friends vanish, she has no fear about using herself as kidnapper's bait, until a stranger foils her plot.

After ten years of selling his services in a brothel, Onca has decided to retire. A refugee of planet Zetith, he has no family, no surname, and no woman-until he rescues a young homeless girl from a kidnapper. Onca helps Kim find her friends, but as their intense attraction deepens, he begins feeling too jaded for someone so innocent. It's up to Kim to convince him otherwise. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Vampire Trouble (Dead in the City) Mass Market Paperback
 
A fledgling vampire ignites a war

Maya remembers the last moments of her life as a human with haunting clarity, and every man she meets pays the price until Shane. Finding herself in the middle of a bloody fight between vampires and werewolves, Maya has no choice but to let the devastatingly sexy vampire guard get close to her.

And that's not all that heats up

Shane Quesada, a four-century-old vampire sentry, is known for his cold, unemotional precision, but once Maya begins to invade his dreams, his world is changed forever. His job to protect her is swiftly replaced by the all-consuming need to claim her as his own. 
 
Thanks Sourcebooks! 

Friday, April 18, 2014

Follow My Blog Friday #189



If you are new to the FF fun, Feature and Follow Friday is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. Feature & Follow Friday is now hosted by TWO hosts, myself of course and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

Now to make this FF interesting we do a FEATURE blogger. If you are interested in becoming a Feature click on the drop down link above FEATURES and Features and Follow Friday and get on the waiting list!  It is also required, that if you participate you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee and Alison Can Read) and the two Feature blogs.

This Meme is hosted by Rachel from Parajunkee's View and Alison from Alison Can Read on Fridays.

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1.  (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee and Alison Can Read}

2.  (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers

3.  Put your Blog name and URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.

4.  Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say “hi” in your comments and that they are now following you.

5.  If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn’t have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed

6.  Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don’t just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don’t say “HI”

7.  If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love and the followers.

8.  If you’re new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Our Feature this week:





 
 
1. When did you start blogging?

I’ve been blogging Since 2011 – goodness me it’s really been that long already? And I’m not clocking out anytime soon either! Originally I was a arts & crafts blogger until I stumbled upon the book blogging community and I’ve been completely sucked in ever since. I still like to draw/paint and often it’s inspired by the books I read. (check out my art feature!) I even drew the little robots you see around my blog. It seems like each year that goes by I get more and more serious about book blogging. My husband and I call it my professional hobby.

2. What is your favorite part of book blogging?

Meeting new ravenous readers such as myself. I used to feel like quite the oddball out until I started meeting other book bloggers that read and talk about books just as much as I do. I now count some of them among my best friends. *lavishes oodles of love upon my SFF folks*

3. What type of books do you mainly blog about?

Fantasy and Science Fiction are my bread and butter. I ask you really – why would I want to read about real life when I’m living it? Give me something crazy and fantastical any day! I read both Adult and YA books to help keep me sane. Books targeting both of those audiences scratches an itch I have and I wouldn’t want to go without either. I wish more YA book lovers would try out some adult SFF books because if they love YA SFF they would seriously eat up the adult stuff as well.

4. What are your favorite books?

That is totally a loaded question! Do you want to be here all day? Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors. As for specific titles here are a few: LOVE MINUS EIGHTY by Will McIntosh, WRITTEN IN RED by Anne Bishop, The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix, The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer and THE SCHOOL OF GOOD AND EVIL by Soman Chainani.

5. What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of book blogging?

All of the amazing reader friends that I have made – because no one gets me quite like other people who have that same insane love of reading. And of course getting to have one on one interaction with authors. They are my freaking rock stars and me their personal paparazzi. *click click, shutter snap & fade back into the bushes*

Our Feature - The Sarcastic Palmtree

1. When did you start blogging?

I started blogging with my son almost a year ago. We started in July of
2013!

2. What is your favorite part of book blogging?

My favorite part of book blogging is sharing something I love with other
people. I was quite vocal in promoting the books and authors I loved on
social media. Becoming a blogger was an excellent fit for me to do that and
get the word out about the books I love on a bigger scale.

3. What type of books do you mainly blog about?

I mainly blog about any type of YA, Fantasy, Contemporary, Sci-fi,
Dystopian you name it. Occasionally I have a little bit of New Adult as
well.

4. What are your favorite books?

I owe a lot to the Twilight series because it is the one that turned me
into a reader. When I think of my current favorites, the first one to come
to mind was my favorite read of last year, “Chasing Forever Down” by Nikki
Godwin. I wonder if I ever would have found that book without being on a
book tour for Nikki so I owe that fantastic discovery to my blogging. Other
favorites would include Tiger’s Curse by Colleen Houck, Fablehaven by
Brandon Mull, and anything by Richard Paul Evans or Katie McGarry.

5. What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of book blogging?


The absolute best thing was the one that was least expected and that was
the relationships I have because of blogging. I assumed that the blogging
community would have been a lot more competitive. Instead, I have found
helpful, enthusiastic book lovers and authors that I have made lifelong
friendships with and I look forward to making more blogger friends in the
future.

Question of the Week: Spring Break. Where would be your favorite destination spot if you could join the Spring Break festivities? 
 
Getting drunk and spending time with others that are isn't really my kind of thing but I would love to go back to Hawaii and go shopping and visit places I would love to visit again.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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