May you have a wonderful and safe Christmas
with family and friends!
Take Care and Happy Reading,
J. Annas Walker
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Sunday, December 22, 2013
REVIEW: DARK CONSORT BY A. D. ROLAND
Ruler of a withering kingdom, Ceron has come to terms with the fact that the only way to save his country is to carry on with one of his ancestors' worst traditions--the kidnapping and sacrifice of a mage to revive the dying magic of Aichinn. Through his short reign, he's fought hard to bury his hateful legacy and create a new, peaceful rule. The demons that have plagued his bloodline, however, have other plans. Vile plans. They want blood and war, death and destruction. Even as he fights them, tooth and nail, he realizes he can't fight them forever.
Kaeda just can't get it right. A healer mage in the lush, bountiful Northlands, no matter of training seems to awaken more than a trickle of her magic. When the mysterious visitor from a southern state offers her an escape from the looming banishment, she takes him up without a second thought. Unfortunately, the stranger isn't who he says he is.
He's the dreaded King of Nightmare and Shadow, the Lord of the Goblins, the Dark King Ceron. And he wants her. Despite being kidnapped, imprisoned, and deceived, Kaeda discovers she's meant for so much more than what Ceron intends. The very land of Aichinn embraces her, and her natural abilities flood forth. The dying kingdom has a chance to live again. With the awakening of the land's magic, Ceron's demons rise in full force, determined to wield the burgeoning power as their own.
Kaeda is Ceron's only chance to save Aichinn--if he doesn't destroy her first.
Review:
A beautiful, young mage with powers that just don't seem up to snuff finds herself with few options and no way out of a life of servitude. Enter handsome, rouge king. He sweeps her off her feet and whisks her away to the his forbidden kingdom. Heard that one you say? Not like this, you haven't!
Having spent her entire life in service as a healer, Kaeda feels second rate. She finally comes to the realization that she will never be a Keyholder. Unfortunately for her, this means no pairing with Talin, her best friend since childhood, and the official binding of her powers. Convinced this will cause her to go mad, she leaps at the opportunity to runaway with a handsome stranger.
This isn't just any stranger. Ceron, King of Nightmare and Shadow finds her to be his perfect magical mate. Luring her away from her duties, he takes her back to Aichinn. While not entirely sure why, he knows she's something very special and so much more than a second-rate mage. That's when the fireworks begin!
This book is a great fantasy novel for older teens and young adults. There's a great deal of internal struggle mixed with action. The hero is dark and tormented by an ancestral curse. Our heroine isn't the small, insignificant creature she believes herself to be, making her transformation beautiful and interesting. The themes of love-holds-no-bounds and true love comes with selfless sacrifices is sweet and well played. This would make a suitable book for reading anywhere. Nothing should be a problem if someone looks over your shoulder.
4 stars for A. D. Rolands Dark Consort!
Friday, December 20, 2013
SIG WOODS AND THE BOOK OF ELEMENTS
About the Series:
The Sig Woods Series is based on a teen fantasy series by Y. Pushkin.
Sig Woods is a young boy who discovers he can control
the element of nature. The first book in the series, Sig Woods and the
Book of Elements takes you on a journey as Sig and his good friend,
Ellie go on a mission to find the mysterious Book of Elements.
Blurb:
A young boy discovers the power to control nature. He must band together with friends to find the all-powerful Book of Elements.
About the Author:
Y. Pushkin is a native of Leningrad, Russia, but grew up in the United
States. His first book, Sig Woods and the Book of Elements, is the
first of a series called, Sig Woods. Y. Pushkin draws his inspiration
for writing through nature, relaxation, meditation, and good company.
Find Y. Pushkin on the web:
Kindle Edition: http://www.amazon.com/dp/
Paperback Edition: https://www.createspace.com/
Paperback Edition: https://www.createspace.com/
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
STAR OF BETHLEHEM BLOG TOUR
Amazon UK
Smashwords
Apple
Barnes and Noble
All Romance
"With you, Jack, it was the first time I ever felt real. It was the first time anyone looked at me and saw substance. It was the first time I wanted to make someone see me."
Blurb:
Jack and Lily have navigated his past, her desire to move on from her family's demands of her, his depression, and her loneliness. Now, on New Year's Eve, they have an entire year laid out ahead of them. First, though, Jack needs to meet Lily's family, to be welcomed into her life. It's intimidating, but with a sweater that is way too hot and his grandmother's ugly car, he arrives at Lily's gleaming house on a hill, ready to open himself up completely to her.
Inside the perfect, sparkling house, Lily waits for the boy she has come to love. But Lily's house and family are a lot like her - shiny and pretty on the outside, with a sad emptiness on the interior. Lily wants to give Jack the one thing he has always dreamed of - family and love - but can she keep him from seeing how hollow a lot of the picture perfect life he fantasizes about really is?
Excerpt:
nothing can go wrong when he holds me. It’s all the other stuff. The world,
people, pressure. Maybe it’s a little fear that things just ended with Derek.
That one day, as quickly as I fell for Jack, I also fell out of love with
Derek. I don’t have enough experience to know if that’s normal. What if it
happens again? I take his hand
and pull him down beside me on my bed. I feel so complete in his arms, as if
“What? Tell me,”
Jack whispers.
“Have you ever
felt like your entire life is some surrealist’s joke? That you think you’re in
control of it, while really, you’re probably just…”
“A melting
clock?” he finishes and laughs. I look at him, disappointed that I can’t
explain it, but also relieved that he doesn’t care.
“All the fucking
time,” he says. “I know you’re scared. I know I’m scared. But I seem to remember you telling me that I should
remember what matters. I made you a promise, princess. Yes, your house
intimidates me. Your life intimidates
me. Hell, loving you intimidates me. But I’m in this. I’m here. Present.
Entirely. I’m looking only forward. And all I see is you.”
“Take the damn
book,” I tell him. “I just wanted to show you that I have faith in us. It was a
conscious decision to give you something that was a very special gift to me, to
tell you that I trust you with it, because I trust you to be there. Long term.”
He takes me in
his arms and kisses me. I decide I won’t stop him if he goes further, but he
doesn’t. Our bodies crackle with the energy between us, but as much as the sex
thrills me, Jack does so much more for my mind than his body could even do. I
can’t believe how alive I feel when he’s near me. Perhaps it’s selfish. Perhaps
it’s desperate. But I want him here in my life; I want him with me, because I
love being this aware.
I speak against
his cheek, while his hands slowly explore my body. It’s sensual but not sexual.
He’s studying me like a work of art. “I don’t want to fall out of love with
you. I thought Derek was all I ever wanted. I don’t want to be in the same
place with you a year from now.”
“You won’t be,”
he tells me.
“How do you
know?”
He kisses along
my face, brushing his lips against my cheek, my forehead, my nose, but never
reaching my mouth. “I don’t know how. But I do.”
I love that he
can put aside his doubts to ease my own. I know Jack’s had so much trouble in
his life, and the fact that he can comfort me, when my problems are so petty
and stupid in the scheme of things, is one more thing I love so much. “I know
I’m shallow. But I don’t want to be, Jack.”
“You’re not
shallow. You’re not empty. Anything you think of yourself – it’s crazy. If you
want to talk about surreal, it’s the fact that you think you’re less than
something. Maybe you didn’t get shit on the same way I did in high school, but
clearly, people have underestimated you. They missed out on you. And you have
every right to be hurt. But, Lily? No one will ever hurt you again.”
I smile.
“Thanks. I’m sorry I’m being so moody. It’s probably hormones or something. I
think I’m just frustrated.”
“Yeah?” He
laughs. “Well… I mean… I can help you relieve some of that.”
He’s on top of
me and I don’t care that it wasn’t exactly what I meant. I don’t care that someone
could walk in. Someone probably will walk
in, since eventually they’ll come looking, but I don’t care at all. I want to
belong to Jack, and I don’t know any other way to do so.
About The Author:
Sarah
Daltry writes erotica and romance that ranges from sweet to steamy. She moves
around a lot and has trouble committing to things. Bitter Fruits is
her first full length novel. Her other two novels have already been released. Forget Me Not and Lily of the Valley are simultaneous perspectives in the New Adult
contemporary romance series, Flowering.
Sarah also has three novellas (including Star
of Bethlehem, part of the Flowering series)
and several short stories available. She is currently working on Immortal Star and Daughter of Heaven in this series, and Orange Blossom, another novel in Flowering . When Sarah isn’t writing, she tends to waste a lot
of time checking Facebook for pictures of cats, shooting virtual zombies, and
simply staring out the window.
Author Social Media Links:
Website: http://sarahdaltry.com
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/SarahDaltry
Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/sarahdaltry/boards/
Monday, December 16, 2013
BEST FAKE DAY BLITZ
Release
Day Blitz
***
Best Fake
Day
by
Tracey Rogers
Contemporary
Romance
***
BlurbFaking it never felt so good.
Wedding photographer and romance lover Izzy Latham dreams of finding her own happily-ever-after. When her former teenage crush arrives at her doorstep, looking sexier than ever, and asks to marry her, it should be her dream come true, right? Wrong. It turns out he doesn't want to actually marry her—he only wants to pretend to marry her.
Marriage hater Jack Carter will do anything to close his latest business deal, including finding a wife. The only person who can help him is his childhood friend, Izzy. Except Izzy isn't a little girl anymore. She's definitely all woman, and there's an attraction between them that's hard to ignore.
Jack has to convince Izzy to fake it, but the problem is that she hates to lie. However, she can't deny her feelings for him either. So when Jack makes her an offer she can't refuse, she reluctantly agrees to help him out.
Faking it is the easy part. But what happens when fake starts to feel so real?
Content Warning: contains sensual sex and occasional strong language
"Let me work off the money," Izzy said.
She felt Jack's gaze rake over her body, watched the clench of his jaw. "And how are you planning to work it off, Isabel?" he almost growled. "Is that what all of this is about?" he asked as his hand made an indicating sweep over her body. "Dress to impress so you can pay me in kind?"
"Oh God, no," she spluttered. "This is me showing you I'm not the weak, naïve girl I used to be and I won't be pushed around!"
The hard glint in his eyes softened slightly. "You were never weak. Naïve…" He trailed off. "So how exactly were you planning to pay me back?"
"Working here for you for free until I pay you back. I could collect glasses, work the bar, or clean."
"And you have experience in any of those roles?"
"No. But I could learn."
"But what about the house repairs?"
She shrugged. "I could do that during the daytime and work here at night. Then when I'm earning again from my day job I'll pay you back."
"And what exactly is your day job?"
"I'm a photographer. I could even do that here. Take photographs of the patrons and sell them for you."
"You work freelance?”
"I have my own business." She hesitated before elaborating. "As a wedding photographer," she said quickly, hoping he wouldn't snag the teasing opportunity.
Too late. The corner of his mouth quirked until it bloomed until a grin. "A wedding photographer. How appropriate. I knew playing dress-up with your mother's veil and having teddy bears as your guests would have an influence on you one day."
"You mean like wanting to have a traditional wedding where the groom doesn't have to bribe the bride? Yeah, my childhood messed me up real bad," she said with sarcasm.
"You're not working here, Izzy. And this conversation is over."
"No, it's not. I'm giving you a solution to paying off what I owe. I'll work off the amount Ellie paid for our debts and the rest you get from her. So when do I start?"
"You are not working here."
"Why?"
"Do you really want to have some guy groping you as you serve drinks? Or a group of guys? I run a tight ship and look out for my staff, but sometimes it happens."
"I can look after myself. I have been groped before, you know. I can deal with it."
He slid his chair closer, bending his legs so hers surrounded him without touching, but close, very close. He looked up at her under dark lashes. "So if some guy puts a hand on your leg you wouldn’t mind?"
She shook her head.
"And if that hand strayed beneath your dress?" he asked as his hand reached out to graze the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, making her shudder.
She shook her head slowly, earning a dark look. Of course she would mind. But this was Jack.
He stood abruptly, stepping into the v of her thighs. "And if a guy tried to kiss you?"
"I have been kissed before, remember?" she said, inwardly cringing at how breathless she sounded.
"I remember being a boy kissing you as a girl. If I were to kiss you now I wouldn’t be holding back and I wouldn’t be kissing you as a boy—I’d be kissing you as a man."
"Then do it," she demanded.
Author bio
A devourer of books from an early age, I spent much of my childhood stepping into wardrobes, searching for that magical snowy world where conversing with animals would be expected. When I wasn't searching for those worlds, I wrote about them instead. My first step into the world of romance was when I stole sneak peeks into my nana's books. I'm still in that world and refuse to leave.
I live in Staffordshire, UK, with my husband and three wonderful children. An avid reader and writer of romance, I strongly believe that words make the world go around.
You can find me
here: http://traceyrogers.wordpress.com/
On twitter: https://twitter.com/TraceRbookworm
Or email me at: traceyrogersaut@gmail.com
Or email me at: traceyrogersaut@gmail.com
Sunday, December 15, 2013
THE HOUSE OF DRACUL & #EXCERPTS OF SCION'S DRAGON
Scion’s
Dragon
House
of Dracul, Book 3
Blurb:
The vampire rebellion is over. Princess Cassandra Yvette Dracul, Scion of High Prince Vlad Dracul IV, aka Cassy Daniels, and David Ashe tried to put Avalon behind them. However, new threats stalk the couple. Vampire politics and werewolves are hard at work, hoping to bring down the royal family.
Cassy’s problems don’t end there! Her pregnancy woke her inner dragon. Slaking her bloodlust just became nearly impossible. The answer? Dragon’s blood! When the shipment arrives, someone has tainted it, giving her inner dragon more control. Cassy learns the real meaning of being a Dracul.
With a hostile takeover by another house underway, David finds the magical bond that ties him to Cassy is taking on new powers. Can he use them to save her? Will he be able to help his wife before she destroys everything? Can Cassy hold the dragon in check? With this many obstacles thrown at them all at once, is a greater force driving it? They just wanted a quiet life together, but can that ever happen?
A Siren Erotic Romance
http://www.bookstrand.com/scions-dragon
By:
J. Annas Walker | Other books by
J. Annas Walker
Categories: Erotic Romance, Contemporary, Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves
Word Count: 53,038
Heat Level: SEXTREME
Published By: Siren-BookStrand, Inc.
PRE-ORDER!Categories: Erotic Romance, Contemporary, Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves
Word Count: 53,038
Heat Level: SEXTREME
Published By: Siren-BookStrand, Inc.
AVAILABLE: Tuesday, December 10th
This title is offered at a 10% discount. Offer ends midnight CST, December 17th.
About the Author
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jannas.walker.1
STORY EXCERPT
She pointed at the human forms on the ground.
“Check them for the marks. If they match, you have your rogue vampire house. If
not, you have another slave rebellion. However, you gave me my freedom, and I
intend to use it,” she said, touching the smooth surface of the mirror once
more.
She blew across the surface and uttered the
trigger word, “Baile.”
The Irish Gaelic word for home stirred the
mirror’s magic. A small portal opened in front of her. On the other side, a
dimly lit room with black leather walls and a massive oak four-poster bed
waited for her return. As she walked through, she looked back over her shoulder
at Cassy and gave her a fanged smile. Then, the portal collapsed, and she
disappeared.
“Check them for the marks,” Vlad ordered.
David called out from the water's edge, “These
all have the same tattoos.”
Cassy searched the bodies around the cabin. All
but three matched. Someone had tried to obliterate the top mark with burn scars
and added a second mark below the scar. The thought of these people being
treated like cattle made her sick.
Vlad joined her, looking down at the replacement
marks. “The ones in the voods are the same. Ve vill have to look up the old
owner’s marks to find out who they vorked for,” he said, laying a hand gently
on her shoulder.
The sound of helicopter blades whooping drew
her attention to the sky. Lights searched the ground for a place to land, but
she knew the forest lacked a suitable pad. A rope ladder with metal rails
dropped down from the sky.
Vlad’s phone rang. “Yes?” He paused as he
listened to the man on the other end. “That vill not be necessary. She is vell
enough to climb. David can help her.” He turned off the phone and tucked it in
his pocket. Without further instruction, he walked over to the ladder and
started climbing up to the hovering helicopter.
Cassy gave a startled jump when David took her
hand, not having noticed him beside her. “I don’t think I can do this,” she said.
“If you can run through the tree tops, you can
climb a ladder,” he said encouragingly.
“I don’t want to die,” she said, staring at the
helicopter’s blades.
“You’re not going to die,” he assured her.
“Die? Who said anything about dying? I don’t
want to fly,” she said, looking at him now.
“That’s not what you said. I clearly heard you
say die. The crash has made you afraid to fly, hasn’t it?”
A wave of empathy came across the magical bond.
She felt him send her an understanding and calming hope. He seemed to give her
an unspoken promise of this time things
would be different. He took her in her arms and kissed her softly on the
lips.
Vlad’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “Come
on, you two. Fuel is not free or unlimited.”
David laughed and motioned for Cassy to take
the ladder first. She managed to swallow her fear long enough to get several
feet off the ground before David overtook her. She sensed a thread of panic as
he positioned his body over hers.
“Stop climbing and hold on tight!” David
shouted over all the din. He made a gesture to the crew above and looped his
arms through the side ropes.
“What’s going on?” Cassy knew her foreboding
slowed her down but not to this extent.
“We’ve got company!” David shouted.
The ladder started reeling in slowly at first
and then faster. Looking down, she saw the reason for the sudden urgency.
Snapping jaws and growls came from below. More werewolves tried to grab the
lowest rungs with their teeth as they jumped. Cassy saw more coming through the
woods to join the ones below.
Images of being dragged back down into the sea
of snarling, snapping teeth terrified her. A flutter from her middle gave her
another reason to worry. What if their goal was not to just capture her? What
if they wanted to destroy her and the baby?
Finally, the ladder pulled them up to the
helicopter. The noise of the four blades hurt her hearing. Out of nowhere,
someone stuffed a pair of muffs on her ears. The painful sounds became
bearable.
David put her in a seat and helped buckle her
in as Vlad closed the large side door. She saw wolves outside of the cabin with
their necks stretched up to the night sky. The stance suggested a howl. A few
transformed back into human form and knelt by their fallen comrades.
Cassy felt pity for them. If they were still
slaves, their master recklessly sent them to their deaths with no regard for
them as fellow creatures of the night. If they were wolves in rebellion against
an unjust system, why would they all have the same mark? Why wouldn’t they just
rebel against their masters to gain their freedom?
Then the thought occurred to her. Maybe they
did not want just freedom. Maybe they wanted revenge.
MORE FROM THE HOUSE OF DRACUL
SCION'S FREEDOM, BOOK 1
As the Scion of the House of Dracul, vampire princess Cassy Daniels
just wants a simple, royal-free life in New Atlanta. It’s been thirty
years since The Fall, when the world’s economy collapsed. Although
supernatural creatures are helping to rebuild society, Cassy remains in
hiding to avoid an arranged marriage.
When her journalist bodyguard and best friend, Erica, is assassinated, she flees for her life with the help of Detective David Ashe. He’s reluctant at first. She used him a few weeks prior. However, she’s the sole survivor of a serial killing and his only lead. Something about David is magnetic and Cassy falls for him hard.
Can they find Erica’s killer before he finds them? Can David forgive her past enough to love her? Can the Council of Crones, a coven of elder witches, provide more insight as to who is hunting Cassy and why? Will she survive the assassination attempts and still hold on to the man she loves?
When her journalist bodyguard and best friend, Erica, is assassinated, she flees for her life with the help of Detective David Ashe. He’s reluctant at first. She used him a few weeks prior. However, she’s the sole survivor of a serial killing and his only lead. Something about David is magnetic and Cassy falls for him hard.
Can they find Erica’s killer before he finds them? Can David forgive her past enough to love her? Can the Council of Crones, a coven of elder witches, provide more insight as to who is hunting Cassy and why? Will she survive the assassination attempts and still hold on to the man she loves?
SCION'S AVALON, BOOK 2
Three years have passed since vampire princess Cassy
Daniels, Scion of the House of Dracul, gave up her title to turn and marry
David Ashe. Together, they live in exile with the Council of Crones, a group of
elder witches. Isolated from the world, they found bliss. However, vampire
politics soon intrudes. Born vampire women are being kidnapped, and Cassy’s next on the list. After a failed attempt to take Cassy from the Council of Crones estate, magical portals lead back to the missing women. Cassy and David are tasked with bringing them home. David is sent after Elisabeta, Cassy’s sister-in-law, who is still on Earth. Cassy, however, has what it takes to enter the elf-kingdom of Avalon and retrieve the other three vampires.
Can Cassy and David hold onto their bliss or will Avalon’s magic lure her from home?
THE PRINCESS'S CONSORT, A HOUSE OF DRACUL SHORT STORY, 2.5
Not every member of the House of Dracul has been lucky in love.
With her sister Cassy, Princess and Scion of the House of Dracul, lost
in Avalon and brother-in-law, David, in an enchanted sleep, Princess
Elizabeta finds herself divorced, alone, and hunted. Will her vengeful
ex-husband find her before Mills can save her? Can she find love and
safety in the arms of a male witch? Even if she does, will the High
Prince, now her adoptive father, allow her to have the love she
deserves?
FREE ON SMASHWORDS!
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