How to use this Page

Please give Larissa Ione a warm welcome this morning!  She’s here to share a Top 5 list, and she also has an awesome giveaway you can enter!

Name the Top 5 items in your deadline survival kit

Oh, this is a great topic! Okay, let’s see…

1. Coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. When I’m on deadline, this is the only time when I drink coffee into the evening.

2. Aspirin. When I’m on deadline, I don’t get much sleep, which leads to headaches. I gobble aspirin like candy and swallow them down with the coffee!

3. Frozen microwavable meals. So easy and fast!

4. Werther’s apple-filled caramel candies. I’m not one for sweets, but I love sucking on these little gems while I’m working. Usually at night when I need a little boost. Yum!

5. Wine. I’m usually a beer drinker, but for some reason, when I’m on deadline, I go for a glass of wine instead…usually late at night, when I know I’ve only got another hour or so left before I finally go to bed. My last hour of writing is usually pretty pathetic anyway!

Thank you so much for having me! I hope you and all your readers have a wonderful holiday season!

REVENANT by Larissa Ione (December 16, 2014; Grand Central Publishing Mass Market; $8.00)

HELL HATH NO FURY . . .

For five thousand years, Revenant believed he was alone in the world, a fallen angel beyond any redemption. Now he finds he has a twin brother who had all the light and love Revenant was denied. Caught in a tug of war between Heaven and Hell, he must weigh his thirst for revenge against his desire for a mysterious female named Blaspheme-a female whose very origins could deliver him into salvation . . . or destruction.

LIKE AN ANGEL SCORNED

Blaspheme has a deadly secret: she’s the forbidden offspring of an angel and a fallen angel. Hunted by both heavenly and satanic forces, she has survived only by laying low and trusting no one. When Revenant claims he can save them both, how can she possibly believe him? But the powerful angel is persistence incarnate and for Blaspheme, there’s no place she can hide in Heaven or Hell where he won’t find her . . .

Buy Links:

Amazon

B&N

IndieBound

iBooks

GooglePlay

Kobo

BAM

About the author:

A former meteorologist and EMT, Air Force veteran Larissa Ione now gets her daily dose of excitement from vampires, werewolves, demons, and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. She lives in wintery Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat, and her hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.

Social Media Links:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

REVENANT excerpt

Since the moment Revenant bumped into Blaspheme at the hospital a few weeks ago, he’d been obsessed, and now, as her long legs ate up the asphalt as she walked toward him, he imagined them wrapped around his waist as he pounded into her. The closer she came, the harder his body got.

“Blaspheme.” He stepped out from between two black ambulances, blocking her path.

She jumped, a startled gasp escaping full crimson lips made to propel a male to ecstasy. “Revenant.” Her gaze darted to the hospital doors, and he got the impression she was plotting her escape route. How cute that she thought she could get away from him. “What are you doing lurking in the parking lot?”

Lurking? Well, some might call it that, he supposed. “I was on my way to see you.”

She smiled sweetly. “Well, you’ve seen me. Buh-bye.” Pivoting, her blond ponytail bouncing, she headed in the opposite direction.

“Come home with me.”

“Wow.” She turned and crossed her arms over her chest, which only drew his attention to her rack. Niiice. “You get right to the point.”

He shrugged. “Saves time.”

“Were you planning to wine and dine me at least? You know, before the sex.”

“No. Just sex.” Lots and lots of sex.

He could already imagine her husky voice deepening in the throes of passion.

“Oh,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “You’re charming, aren’t you?”

Not once in his five thousand years had anyone ever called him charming. But even uttered with sarcasm, it was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him.

“Don’t do that,” he growled.

“Do what?” She stared at him like he was a loon.

“Never mind.” Dying to touch her, he held out his hand. “You’ll love my play room.”

She wheeled away like he was offering her the plague instead of his hand. “Go to hell, asshole. I don’t date fallen angels.”

“Good news, then, because it’s not a date.” And he wasn’t a fallen angel.

“Right. Well, I don’t fuck fallen angels either.” She made a shooing motion with her hand. “Go away.”

She was rejecting him? No one rejected him. No one.

She started to take off again, and he blinked, confused. This wasn’t right. He had his sights set on her, and she was supposed to surrender. This was something new. Something…titillating.

He moved in slowly, matching her step for step as she backed up.

“What are you doing?” She swallowed as she bumped up against a massive support beam.

“I’m going to show you why you need to come home with me.” He planted both palms on the beam on either side of her head and leaned in until his lips brushed the tender skin of her ear. “You won’t regret it.”

“I already told you. I don’t fuck fallen angels.”

“So you said,” he murmured. “Do you kiss them?”

“Ah…no, I—“

He didn’t give her the chance to finish her sentence. Strawberry gloss coated his lips as he kissed her, and he swore he’d never liked fruit as much as he did right now.

Her hands came up to grip his biceps, tugging him closer as she deepened the kiss. “You’re good,” she whispered against his mouth.

“I know,” he whispered back.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Larissa Ione, Author of Revenant appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Please welcome Sharon Cullen to the virtual offices!  She’s here to share a guest post, and she has a giveaway for you to enter, too!

I love this topic! While I try very hard never to take my deadline down to the wire (I’ve never been a procrastinator), there are times when it occasionally happens. And, hey, I’m always up for a snack!

Chocolate anything is good for me. I mean that literally. I’ve been known to eat directly out of the bag of chocolate chips if need be.

But my favorite is M&Ms. Plain or peanut (although peanut will make me love you forever).

I’ve also discovered these chocolate…thingies. I’m not sure what to call them but they’re made by Brookside and they’re called Dark Chocolate Acai Berries. It’s made of dark chocolate (obviously) with a blueberry taste. Soooo good. And the best part is that they’re fairly low in calories and while I’m not sure what the health benefits of acai are, I do know there are some. Right?

I’m also a prodigious baker. There’s always some baked good sitting on our counters. Lately I’ve been going through my Pinterest recipes and trying new things at least once a week.

Ack! This makes it seem like all I do is eat. I promise you, that’s not the case.

Unless there are M&Ms in the house.

His Saving Grace
Secrets & Seduction # 4

By: Sharon Cullen

Releasing December 23rd, 2014

Loveswept

Blurb

Perfect for fans of Mary Balogh, Sharon Cullen’s captivating novel tells the deeply emotional tale of two devoted lovers facing the ravages of war.

For months now, Lady Grace Ashworth has mourned the death of her beloved husband—until the day a very-much-alive Michael arrives at her front door. It’s nothing less than a miracle. However, Grace soon realizes that this Michael isn’t the same man who left for the Crimean War. She’s stunned to learn that he has suffered a devastating head injury. Putting all her own desires aside, Grace resolves to devote herself to Michael’s recovery and to love him no matter what troubles may come.

Convinced that his wife is wasting her time on a broken man, Michael attempts to shield Grace from a life of inconvenience by driving her away. But Grace will have none of that. Despite every obstacle Michael throws in her path, she stubbornly soldiers on, fighting not only for their marriage but for the love they once shared. In the end, will her determination alone be enough to save Michael from the darkness that threatens to consume him?

Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/09/his-saving-grace-secrets-seduction-4-by_27.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22707764-his-saving-grace?from_search=true

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes | iTunes | Kobo

Author Info

Sharon Cullen is the author of the historical romances The Notorious Lady Anne, Loving the Earl, and Pleasing the Pirate, as well as many novels of romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance. If you’d like to find out more about the author and her books, you can visit her blog or her website. She is addicted to social networking so you can find her on Facebook and Twitter. Friend her! Like her! Follow her! She’d love to hang out with you and talk about her passion: books.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Website: http://www.sharoncullen.net/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sharon-Cullen-Author/243329341691

Twitter: http://twitter.com/SharonCullen

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1806419.Sharon_Cullen

Rafflecopter Giveaway ($25.00 eGift Card to Choice Book Seller and Loveswept Mug & Tote)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Sharon Cullen, Author of His Saving Grace appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Please welcome Wendy S Marcus to the virtual offices this morning!

First off a great big thank you to Manga Maniac Café for hosting today’s blog post promoting my Loveswept Contemporary Romance, Loving You Is Easy. In the story, the hero, Shane, is a soldier in the U.S. Army who returns home wounded. I’ve been asked to discuss five things Shane would never have in his rucksack. So here goes:

1) Porn – Since getting four full color, sexy pictures from his pen pal, Brooke, Shane has no desire to look at any woman but her. Those long, slender legs. That firm, perfectly rounded ass. Hot damn, gets him worked up every single time.

2) Pre-packaged/commercially produced baked goods – Shane’s mother loves to bake, and he grew up with a constant supply of delicious, fresh-baked cakes, pies and cookies. To this day she still makes sure he never goes without her tasty treats, even while he’s overseas. (Good thing he likes to work out or he’d be big as a house!)

3) A book – Shane’s more of an action guy than a reader. He prefers doing to reading about other people doing – especially where sex is concerned.

4) Lotion – Guys are tough and their skin should be tough. Now Shane believes lotion has its uses. Like foreplay, to get his hands on the soft, delicate skin of a woman’s back and shoulders. Or in a pinch, for a massage of a more personal nature, like when a man is away at war for months at a time. But he’d never let lotion take up valuable space in his ruck.

5) A camera – At the beginning of Loving You Is Easy Shane is in his fourth tour of combat duty in Afghanistan. The horrible images of all he has seen during years at war are forever burned into his memory – no matter how hard he’s tried to get rid of them. He does not need pictures to remember.

And now a question for you, if you had to go away for a long journey and all you could pack is one rucksack, what are the top five things you would definitely, without a doubt, take with you? Remember, they have to fit in your ruck!

Loving You is Easy
By: Wendy S. Marcus

Releasing December 9^th, 2014

Loveswept

She’s a survivor of the front lines of politics. He’s a wounded soldier returning home from the battlefield. Can they place their trust in the power of love?

Nobody plays the role of perfect politician’s daughter better than quiet, respectable math teacher Brooke Ellstein. But she won’t be caught swimming with the sharks again, not after the son of a wealthy donor sinks his teeth into her and gets away with it. Still, political connections have their perks, such as heading up the governor’s “Support Our Troops” pen-pal initiative—and getting first dibs on the smoking-hot sergeant whose picture shakes her right down to her goody-two-shoes.

When corresponding with sweet, classy Brooke, Shane Develen instinctively hides his commando tattoos and blue-collar roots—and he can tell that she’s hiding something, too. But Shane knows he’s gained her trust when Brooke gives him a blisteringly sexy photo. Then he’s injured in an ambush and a fellow soldier posts the snapshot online. Overnight, Brooke’s reputation turns to ashes. Even though he’s totally wrong for her, Shane shows up on Brooke’s doorstep, determined to set things right—and discovers that right or wrong has nothing on the chemistry they share.

Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/09/loving-you-is-easy-by-wendy-s-marcus_27.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22747255-loving-you-is-easy?from_search=true

Buy Links : Amazon | Barnes | iTunes | Kobo

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Loving-You-Easy-Wendy-Marcus-ebook/dp/B00LYXSNZG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1411408102&sr=1-1&keywords=Loving+You+Is+Easy+by+Wendy+S.+Marcus

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/loving-you-is-easy-wendy-s-marcus/1120019667?ean=9780553391237

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/lv/book/loving-you-is-easy/id901077884?mt=11

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/loving-you-is-easy

Author Info

Wendy S. Marcus is an award-winning author of contemporary romance. A nurse by trade, Wendy holds a Master of Science in Health Care Administration, a degree that does her absolutely no good as she now spends her days, nights, and weekends mucking around in her characters’ lives creating conflict, emotion, and, of course, a happily ever after. Wendy lives in the beautiful Hudson Valley region of New York. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, which includes her dog Buddy, and blogging/e-mailing/tweeting/facebooking with her online friends.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Website: http://wendysmarcus.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wendy-S-Marcus-Author-Page/184507031577429
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/WendySMarcus
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4823224.Wendy_S_Marcus

Rafflecopter Giveaway ($25.00 eGift Card to Choice Book Seller and Loveswept Mug & Tote)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Wendy S Marcus, Author of Loving You is Easy appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Please welcome Katie Lane to the virtual offices this morning!

5 reasons why cowboys make such great heroes by Katie Lane

1. Their strong sense of family and community.  To me, a true hero loves their family and community.  My hero Beckett Cates might have a few insecurities where his brothers are concerned, but when they need him, he’s always there.

2. The manners their mamas drill into them from birth.  Whether it’s opening a door, pulling out a chair, or politely sharing a banana Moon Pie, there’s nothing that screams “HERO!” like a man with manners.

3. Their work ethic.  Heroes don’t sit on their bee-hinds.  If a job needs to be done, they don’t wait for someone else to do it.  All of my heroes work hard so they can play hard. 

4. Their tender side.  I like alpha heroes, but I also like an alpha hero who has a tender heart.  As an ex-marine, Beckett is tough, but his heart is as gooey as a marshmallow.

5. The way they fill out a pair of wranglers.  There is just something about a fine butt in pair of faded jeans that will make any woman’s heart race a little faster.

Thanks for having me, Manga Maniac Café!  It’s always a pleasure!

About The Last Cowboy in Texas, book 7 in Katie Lane’s Deep in the Heart of Texas series

Country music princess Starlet Brubaker has a sweet tooth for moon pies and cowboys: both are yummy-and you can never have just one. Now Beckett Cates may not be a cowboy, but he certainly has the heart, soul-and body-to whet her appetite. He’s a sexy ex-Marine with a touch hotter than the scorching Texas sun and arms strong enough to catch her when she lands into trouble.
Playing bodyguard to America’s sweetheart isn’t easy for Beckett. But falling for her sure is. Unfortunately, Starlet has a reputation for keeping a guy or two wrapped around her finger and Beckett refuses to be anybody’s backup. So now it’s up to Starlet to prove that she’s put her cowboy-crazy days behind her. Otherwise, she’ll be singing solo instead of living in harmony with the man who’s loved her even before her fame and fortune.

Amazon

B&N

iTunes

Kobo

Goodreads

About Katie Lane

Katie Lane is the USA Today bestselling author of the Deep in the Heart of Texas and Hunk for the Holiday series.  Katie lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and when she isn’t writing, enjoys reading, going to the gym, golfing, traveling, or just snuggling next to her high school sweetheart and cairn terrier Roo.

Learn more about Katie Lane at:
www.katielanebooks.com
Facebook.com/katielaneauthor
Twitter, @ktlane3

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Katie Lane, Author of The Last Cowboy in Texas appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Please give a warm welcome to Derrick Collins this morning!

I’m Derrick Collins. I have been playing football since my daddy put my brother and me into Pee-Wee. I currently play for the Seattle Sharks. When I’m not playing football, I spend time with my Holly.

[Manga Maniac Café] Describe yourself in five words or less.

[Derrick Collins] Driven, passionate, fun-loving, happy.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you share a typical day in your life?

[Derrick Collins] I get out of bed as late as possible before I have to be at practice. The other six months a year I get up as late as possible. Holly is awake (and happy about it) when the sun is up.

The rest of my day goes like this. I do some lifting, take care of whatever it is that needs to be done, and then I go home and spend some time with the women in my life – my wife, my mama and my grandma. My little bro is home from Afghanistan for good, so we play video games or do some work around Mama and Grandma’s place when he has some free time.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words come to mind when you think of Holly?

[Derrick Collins] She’s caring, compassionate, and loving. She thinks about other people before she thinks of herself.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What’s her most appealing quality?

[Derrick Collins] She knows everything about me and loves me anyway. And that makes me the luckiest guy in the world.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What just drives you nuts about her?

[Derrick Collins] Did I mention she’s up when the sun is? I can’t be too mad, though. My beautiful wife is teaching me to love mornings.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you could change one thing you’ve done in your life, what would it be?

[Derrick Collins] I would have met Holly sooner.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What’s one thing you won’t leave home without?

[Derrick Collins] My phone.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you share your dreams for the future in five words or less

[Derrick Collins] Health, happiness, wealth, and Holly.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Thank you!

Holding Holly
Love and Football # 4.5

By: Julie Brannagh

Releasing December 2nd, 2014

Avon

Holly Reynolds has a secret. Make that two. The first involves upholding her grandmother’s hobby answering Dear Santa letters from dozens of local school children. The second…well, he just came strolling in the door.

For the last two years, Holly has not been able to stop thinking about gorgeous Seattle Shark Derrick Collins. His on-field exploits induce nightmares in quarterbacks across the NFL, but she knows he has a heart of gold.

Derrick has never met a woman he wants to bring home to meet his family, mostly because he keeps picking the wrong ones-until he runs into sweet, shy Holly Reynolds. Different than anyone he’s ever known, Derrick realizes she might just be everything he needs.

When he discovers her holiday letter writing, he is determined to play Santa too. And as the pair team up to bring joy to one little boy very much in need, they discover the most precious Christmas gift of all: love.

Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/10/holding-holly-love-and-football-45-by.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21805398-holding-holly?from_search=true

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes | iTunes

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Holding-Holly-Love-Football-Novella-ebook/dp/B00JDKBU0M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414528607&sr=8-1&keywords=Holding+holly

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/holding-holly-julie-brannagh/1119887866?ean=9780062363862

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/nz/book/holding-holly/id852752781?mt=11

Author Info

Julie Brannagh has been writing since she was old enough to hold a pencil. She lives in a small town near Seattle, where she once served as a city council member and owned a yarn shop. She shares her home with a wonderful husband, two uncivilized Maine Coons and a rambunctious chocolate Lab.

When she’s not writing, she’s reading, or armchair-quarterbacking her favorite NFL team from the comfort of the family room couch. Julie is a Golden Heart finalist and the author of contemporary sports romances.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Website: http://www.juliebrannagh.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JulieBrannagh
Twitter: https://twitter.com/julieinduvall
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7127296.Julie_Brannagh

Rafflecopter Giveaway (Digital Set of LOVE & FOOTBALL Series Bks 1-4)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Meet Derrick Collins from Julie Brannagh’s Holding Holly and Giveaway appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Laura Marie Altom dropped by the virtual offices to share a top 5 list, and she also has a giveaway for you to enter!

Top 5 things I’ve Learned from Ella and Liam!/Laura Marie Altom

1. Money can’t buy everything, but it sure does make life fun!! LOL!!

2. I need to appreciate my parents, because some people—like Liam and Ella—have super crappy ones, and mine have been pretty great.

3. When it comes to relationships, it’s always better to talk about issues as they crop up, rather than let them fester. Also, it’s a REALLY bad idea to run away when you have problems. That only makes them worse!!

4. Don’t be afraid to dream. And when your first dreams come true—dream BIGGER!!!

5. Never be afraid to tell someone you love them, because they might not always be there.

Possess
Shamed # 2

By: Laura Marie Altom

Releasing December 23rd, 2014

Loveswept

Blurb

Ella Patton and Liam Stone return in the breathtaking conclusion to the steamy, contentious love affair that began in Control.
Will you marry me? Those four little words should be a dream come true. But for Ella Patton, they’re the start of a waking nightmare. For despite the insatiable desire she feels for Liam Stone, marriage is out of the question—divorcing her abusive husband, Blaine, would be too dangerous to even contemplate. Besides, Ella couldn’t ask for anything more than the life she and Liam share: a scalding hot passion that’s totally outside the bounds of “I do.”
Liam has hit a brick wall. His fortune can’t buy Ella’s freedom from the oppressive monster the law recognizes as her husband. Blaine will take any opportunity to bring Ella back under his authority, no doubt exacting a terrible revenge as punishment for nearly slipping away. But Liam has a force greater than money and influence on his side: Ella’s love. She sparks his most unstoppable determination—and ignites pleasures that no man should be able to possess.

Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/09/possess-shamed-2-by-laura-marie-altom.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22747346-possess

Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/134180-shamed

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes | iTunes | Kobo

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Possess-Shamed-Laura-Marie-Altom-ebook/dp/B00LDQP13G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1411409174&sr=1-1&keywords=Possess%3A+A+Shamed+Novel

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/possess-laura-marie-altom/1120133597?ean=9781101883402

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ee/book/possess/id896480810?mt=11

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/possess-4

Author Info

Laura Marie Altom is the author of more than forty books in three different genres. Now that her kids are in college, Altom spends her days writing and chasing after a menagerie of pets: a mini long-haired dachshund named Cocoa, a Yorkie named Daisy, a mutt named Sweet Pea, and Domino—a black-and-white stealth cat she rarely sees. She’s happily married to her college sweetheart (go Hogs!), and when night falls, she steals a few romantic moments for herself with her own hunky cover stud.

Author Links:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Website: http://www.lauramariealtom.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraMarieAltom

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LauraMarieAltom

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/131753.Laura_Marie_Altom

Rafflecopter Giveaway ($25.00 eGift Card to Choice Retailer and Loveswept Mug & Tote)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Laura Marie Altom, Author of Possess appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Please welcome Jennifer Chance back to the virtual offices this morning! She’s here to share some info about Zander, the hero of her latest release WANT IT. 

Zander’s top five nom-nom-nominations for comfort foods

Julie, hello—I hope you are ready for Christmas already! ? Thanks for being a part of the tour!

Many of us are still recovering from the culinary masterpiece that was Thanksgiving and gearing up for the awesome that is Christmas. So when faced with the question of best-ever comfort foods, how could we possibly decide?

Fortunately, Zander James, Army Ranger, is up to the task. Serving your country can really work up an appetite in a guy, so Zander definitely has some ideas on go-to comfort foods.

1. Mac N’ Cheese

Zander’s rockin’ it old school with this option, but don’t tell his mom: He actually prefers Kraft^® Macaroni-N-Cheese to her standard Mac n’ Cheese casserole. There’s just something about the stay-bright yellow coloring, tiny curved pasta tubes, and amazing powdered cheese goodness that takes you all the way back to being eight years old. Zander prefers to eat his Mac-N-Cheese with a dollop of ketchup. . . even thought that’s clearly disgusting. You gotta go with barbecue sauce.

2. Picnic Food

Like most moms faced with a houseful of kids on a summer day, Zander’s mother knew how to throw one heck of a barbecue. Zander grew up loving all the very best picnic foods: hamburgers, hot dogs, cole slaw, baked beans, barbecue pork, and every chip and dip combination imaginable. But the best part of those get togethers? The lemonade—a high-sugar homemade drink that was even better than the kind you get at street fairs. Zander just needs one sip of that lemonade to take him all the way back home.

3. Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Winters in Boston can get pretty cold, but there’s no chill that a bowl of hot tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich can’t chase away. Zander was never picky on his soup—if it looked like tomato and tasted like tomato, he was happy enough, and was never inclined to experiment. The grilled cheese sandwich, however, was a moveable feast. As a kid, you had to go with sliced American cheese on white bread. But now, as a discerning adult, Zander is up for any cheese and bread combination, from cheddar to provolone to swiss—on top of whole wheat, sourdough, or crusty French bread. He’s still waiting to find a combination he doesn’t like!

4. Texas Sheet Cake

Imagine an inch-tall chocolate cake, covered with a layer of sweet chocolate icing and sprinkled with nuts, and imagine it all baked in a cake pan the size of Texas… you pretty much have Texas sheet cake. The beauty of this cake is that it tastes even better the next day, and because it is so short, you can cut off just a square every time you pass through the kitchen. When Texas sheet cake was in the house, Zander and his friends found lots of reasons to pass through the kitchen in the James’s residence!

5. Well… it used to be Mexican.

Tacos, nachos, chips and salsa, huevos rancheros, refried or charro beans, enchiladas, burritos… there is so much win in Mexican food, that Zander never imagined that his taste for the fiesta would die. However, that was before he spent three nerve-wracking days in a Mexican border town with a very stubborn ex-girlfriend who was determined to save her parents from some very bad people who’ve done some very bad things. Combine all of that with a few too many tortilla chips, and anyone would start to think “no mas”. Zander can only hope Erin’s next life-or-death problem doesn’t take them to Italy. Mmmmm, Italian food. . .

And that’s Zander’s list! Of the above, I confess that MOST of these are my favorites as well, as an author, but one of them I could leave behind quite easily. Still, especially during the holidays, comfort foods seem to be the bane of my existence . . . no wonder so many New Year’s Resolutions center around losing weight!

Want It
Rule Breakers # 3

By: Jennifer Chance

Releasing December 9^th, 2014

Loveswept

Blurb

In the latest tantalizing Rule Breakers novel from Jennifer Chance, an irresistible alpha male follows his ex into a deadly standoff—and reignites a heated affair.

For Erin Connelly, being a good girl isn’t such a bad thing. She’s working her dream job at a Boston art gallery and staying out of trouble, which is more than she can say for her deadbeat mom. Unfortunately, her mother’s latest misadventure lands her in the clutches of a Mexican drug lord. Now the only person who can save her is the one man Erin has no business asking for help: the sexy-as-sin army ranger who just so happens to be her former high school sweetheart.

Zander James is no gentleman—and no officer, either, thanks to Erin. Four years ago, she made a call that terminated his highest aspirations . . . and their relationship. He’s never forgiven her, but when he learns that Erin’s embarking on a half-baked rescue mission, he sure as hell can’t let her go alone. Now, with a treacherous enemy lying in wait, the electrifying tension between them may just be Zander’s undoing. Because while he may be able to keep Erin alive, he can’t promise to keep his hands off her.

Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/09/want-it-rule-breakers-3-by-jennifer.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22676320-want-it?from_search=true

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes | iTunes | Kobo

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Want-Rule-Breakers-Jennifer-Chance-ebook/dp/B00KAFVO64/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1411406218&sr=1-1&keywords=Want+It+%28Rule+Breakers%29

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/want-it-jennifer-chance/1119471244?ean=9780553392272

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/want-it/id914361097?mt=11

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/want-it

Author Info

Jennifer Chance is the award-winning author of the new adult Rule Breakers series. A lover of books, romance, and happily-ever-afters, she lives and writes in Ohio.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Website: http://www.jenniferchance.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorJenniferChance
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Jenn_Chance
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7303154.Jennifer_Chance

Rafflecopter Giveaway ($25.00 eGift Card to Choice Book Seller and Loveswept Mug/Tote)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Jennifer Chance, Author of Want It appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Please welcome Cynthia Sax to the virtual offices this morning!

Cynthia Sax Asks “What Is Love?”

Before I fell in love at first sight with the dear wonderful (now) hubby, I didn’t know what romantic love was. I didn’t truly believe in it and I certainly didn’t believe in love at first sight.

People would ask me if I’d ever been in love and I couldn’t answer because I didn’t know what love was. Was it friendship with a sprinkle of lust? Was it excitement? Was it comfort? Had I already fallen in love and didn’t know it?

Then I experienced the phenomena and I knew I’d never been in love. I realized what romantic love was, how it felt to trust another person completely, to put his welfare before my own (not that he’d ever allow this), to have another person in my life and think “I’m the luckiest woman in the world” for this.

In Sinful Rewards 6, Bee and Cyndi discuss what they believe love is.

***

“I don’t love anyone either.” Cyndi gazes at the ceiling also, the moisture on her cheeks glistening under the lights. “No one falls in love over a weekend.”

“That rarely happens even in the movies,” I agree, admittedly having no real-world experience with the emotion. “Love takes time to develop. It’s slow and steady and lasts forever.”

“That sounds boring.”

“Love isn’t boring, but it isn’t easy either. You’ll have to work at it every day, and you’ll want to do that because you’ll want him.” I paraphrase lines from movies I’ve watched. “He’ll complete you.”

***

The first bit of Bee’s description of love (…it isn’t easy…) comes from The Notebook. The last bit (He’ll complete you) is from Jerry Maguire. Watching characters fall in love in movies is Bee’s only experience with romantic love.

Until it happens to her.

Sinful Rewards is a love triangle. Bee is torn between a billionaire with a dark secret and a tattooed bad boy biker. They’re both good men, worthy romance heroes, honorable, sexy, lovable.

Bee thinks she’s in love with one man but she’s truly in love with the other. It is only when she compares her feelings for the two men that she realizes what romantic love is. She finally understands what the characters in the movies were experiencing.

Have you been in love? Was the experience anything like you expected? In your opinion, do movies and books portray love correctly?

Sinful Rewards # 6
A Billionaires & Bikers Novella # 6

By: Cynthia Sax

Releasing December 16th, 2014

Avon Red Impulse

Blurb

Bee Carter has spent a lifetime creating her good-girl persona. Three harsh words uttered in anger shred this carefully crafted façade, testing her relationships.

Nicolas, her handsome billionaire, is hiding a decades-old secret. Bee’s scandal will draw unwanted attention to his dark past, placing the real estate empire he’s built and the employees he manages in peril. Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker, protects the rich and famous. His high-profile clients won’t want their bodyguard to be linked to Chicago’s wild woman.

Both men desire her, craving her touch with a white-hot passion, but who will risk everything to stand by her side—her biker or her billionaire?

Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/11/sinful-rewards-billionaires-and-bikers.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21546203-sinful-rewards-6?from_search=true

Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/136907-sinful-rewards

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes | iTunes

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00J7Q61WO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416173517&sr=8-1&keywords=sinful+rewards+6

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-6-cynthia-sax/1119919840?ean=9780062354204

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-6/id847609485?mt=11

Author Info

Cynthia Sax lives in a world filled with magic and romance. Although her heroes may not always say, “I love you,” they will do anything for the women they adore. They live passionately. They play hard. They love the same women forever. Cynthia has loved the same wonderful man forever. Her supportive hubby offers himself up to the joys and pains of research while they travel the world together, meeting fascinating people and finding inspiration in exotic places such as Istanbul, Bali, and Chicago.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Website: http://cynthiasax.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.sax
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CynthiaSax
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3292466.Cynthia_Sax

Sinful Rewards Series Buy Links

Sinful Rewards 1

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-1-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards1-1560586-237.html

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-1-cynthia-sax/1119055390

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_1?id=g08ZAwAAQBAJ

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-1/id814148703?mt=11

Sinful Rewards 2

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89HA

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards2-1581413-149.html

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-2-cynthia-sax/1119919836

Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354129

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-2/id814153762

Sinful Rewards 3

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89JS

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards3-1613793-149.html

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-3-cynthia-sax/1119919837

Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354143

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-3/id814148707

Sinful Rewards 4

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89N4

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards4-1645053-149.html

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-4-cynthia-sax/1119919839

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_4?id=PvxzAwAAQBAJ

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-4/id814148698

Sinful Rewards 5

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-5-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00IMHU7FG

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-5-cynthia-sax/1119919838?ean=9780062354167&isbn=9780062354167

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards5-1663924-237.html

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-5/id828414457?mt=11

Rafflecopter Giveaway ($25 Amazon eGift Card to Purchase a Sinful Holiday Gift of your choosing!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Cynthia Sax, Author of Sinful Rewards appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Please give Maggie McGinnis a warm welcome as she shares what she loves about Christmas!

My Top 5 Favorite Things about Christmas by Maggie McGinnis

Thanks so much for hosting me today! I’m so excited to celebrate the release of A Cowboy’s Christmas Promise with you!

I love Christmas. Love the lights, love the busy stores, love the magic of the town I live in actually shutting down for one whole day. However, when I was asked to think of my five favorite things about the holiday, I had a hard time. Just five? Really? How could I possibly narrow it down?

Sigh. It turns out I couldn’t. But here are five of my favorites:

1. Family. I really like mine, so it’s hard that we’re not all together at the holidays. Wherever we are on Christmas, though, the phone rings throughout the day, the laptop’s on the shelf with the Skype window up, and we do our best to make it feel like we’re not so far apart.

2. The elves. On or about December 1, my children start threatening each other with the elves. The phrase “The elves are watching” used to be surprisingly effective, but last year, something changed. In a fit of inspiration, they turned those darn elves on me. Suddenly, the elves wanted Mommy to make cookies. They wanted me to let kids stay up late. They had apparently whispered that if I got my girls new American Girl dolls, I would get lots of elf-points.
   The elves and I clearly need to come to an understanding this year.

3. The fireplace. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a woodstove, a big stone fireplace that takes up your entire log cabin wall, or a tiny little fake fireplace in your downtown apartment. There’s something about fire and the holidays (and I don’t mean the kind that has been known to erupt from my kitchen upon attempting to make fudge). It’s quiet and romantic and oh, so warm. Perfect for snuggling and reading and hot cocoa, three of my all-time favorite holiday things.

4. Presents. I know that’s not a very PC thing to have on my top-five list, but seriously, I have children. It’s FUN to see them come running out to the living room on Christmas morning and see a pile of sparkly boxes waiting for them. It’s FUN to try to figure out THE perfect gift to put in that last big box way behind the tree. And in all honesty, it’s FUN to open a stocking full of little mysteries picked out by McTool-Guy. He is an excellent Santa.

5. The charity. Opening my mailbox in December often makes me feel overly helpless in the face of so much need. However, it provides a teachable dose of humility and generosity for the entire family, and for that I’m grateful. We let each kiddo choose a charity that speaks to her, and we donate what we can. One of my favorite holiday memories involves five crinkly dollar bills, a new red collar, and an eight-year old who skipped out of the Humane Society and said, “THAT’s what Christmas is.”

This season, we’ll be making lots of fires, throwing lots of snowballs, and warming our hands on big mugs of cocoa. We’ll be visiting family, sledding down ginormous hills, and making the most of school vacation. We’ll be feeling grateful for all we have, and immensely thankful for our health, our home, and our beautiful little family.

And we’ll be wishing the same for all of you.

How about you? What’s one of your favorite things about the holiday season?

PS: Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter below to win a fabulous gift card and Loveswept swag! And psst! I’m giving away sparkly prizes on my website (www.maggiemcginnis.com) and on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pages/Maggie-McGinnis-Author/498505866880467), so go check ’em out!

A Cowboy’s Christmas Promise

By: Maggie McGinnis

Releasing November 18th, 2014

Loveswept

Blurb

In a captivating novel spiced with holiday magic—perfect for fans of Rachel Gibson, Susan Mallery, and Molly O’Keefe—a rugged Montana man mends a Northeast girl’s jaded heart.

Boston veterinarian Hayley Scampini tends the city’s pampered pets but dreams of the rural life of a country vet. She’s single and determined to stay that way, convinced that love isn’t permanent enough to trust. Then a vacation to the Whisper Creek dude ranch introduces her to Daniel McKee, a sexy single dad who runs the kind of veterinary practice she aspires to—and rattles her conviction to keep men at a distance.

Managing a thriving practice, coping with the loss of his wife, and fighting a custody battle with his in-laws over his twin daughters, Daniel couldn’t be more overwhelmed. Hayley is a godsend, accompanying him in the field and winning over his girls. It doesn’t take Daniel long to realize he’s falling for this woman, hard and fast. So before Hayley returns to Boston, he extracts a promise: that she will return to Whisper Creek for Christmas. It’s the perfect time and place to show Hayley that the promise of a beautiful life together is something she can believe in.

Praise for Maggie McGinnis

“Maggie McGinnis writes the kind of characters that keep you smiling long after you turn the page.”—USA Today bestselling author Katie Lane

“A writer with a talent for both humor and emotion.”—New York Times bestselling author Lori Handeland, aka Lori Austin

“McGinnis comes out of the chute with force, grabs your emotions, and gets a death hold on your attention to the last page, where you sigh and wish there was one more chapter.”—New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown

“Heartwarming and sweet, Maggie McGinnis is definitely an author to watch!”—USA Today bestselling author Tina Leonard

Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/09/a-cowboys-christmas-promise-by-maggie.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22396054-a-cowboy-s-christmas-promise?from_search=true

Buy Links : Amazon | Barnes | iBooks | Kobo

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cowboys-Christmas-Promise-Maggie-McGinnis-ebook/dp/B00KK0PJIS/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1410218551&sr=1-1&keywords=a+cowboy%27s+christmas+promise

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-cowboys-christmas-promise-maggie-mcginnis/1120019678?ean=9780553394566

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/a-cowboys-christmas-promise/id882280448?mt=11

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/a-cowboy-s-christmas-promise

Author Info

Maggie McGinnis is the author of Accidental Cowgirl and Driving Without a License, which was a finalist for Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award. A former high school English teacher, an accomplished musician, and a certified black belt, she lives in New England with her family.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Website: http://www.maggiemcginnis.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maggie-McGinnis-Author/498505866880467

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Maggie_McGinnis

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7067035.Maggie_McGinnis

Rafflecopter Giveaway ($25.00 eGift Card to choice Book Seller and Loveswept Mug and Tote )

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Maggie McGinnis, Author of A Cowboy’s Christmas Promise appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Please welcome Collete West to the virtual offices this morning! She’s here to share a Top 5 list, and she has an awesome giveaway for you to enter!

Top 5 Things Jilly Would Never Do on a Date by Collete West

1. Make boring, small talk.

If he’s going to say something, it’s going to be meaningful—something that’s sure to hold your interest and give you some deep insight into his character.

2. Split the check.

He might not take you to the most glamorous of locations, but he’ll be sure to pick up the tab. He likes being able to take care of his girl, but he’s going to make sure that there’s a personal touch to everything he does.

3. Get dressed up.

He will if he has to, but he’d rather not. He finds suits to be uncomfortable, especially those Italian designer varieties. He doesn’t like clothing that constricts his movements, and if it does—he’d fantasize about you taking it off him.

4. Go to trendy places.

He’s much more comfortable out of the limelight. He’s a well known ballplayer, who can’t run from being a celebrity, but he’d like to pretend that it’s possible when he’s with you. He wants you to see him as just a regular guy, and he’s happy indulging in activities that ordinary people take for granted—even something as simple as strolling down the street hand in hand.

5. Make the first move.

He’s super shy and even though he’s full of confidence on the field, it doesn’t mean he scores a lot off of it. He wants to satisfy your desires but you’ll have to encourage him to take it to the next level because Jilly’s the kind of guy who needs you to spell it out for him.

Game On

New York Kings # 3

By: Collette West

Releasing October 17th, 2014

Self-Published

Pitching phenom Bruce “Jilly” Gillette has a hard time talking to women. His hulking presence of tattoos and muscles is what makes him an intimidating closer on the mound, yet off the field, he’s painfully shy, uncomfortable in his own skin.

Desperate to revamp his loner image, the New York Kings hold a dream date contest, granting the lucky winner a night on the town with their surly reliever, doing whatever it takes to force Jilly out of his comfort zone.

Hailey Halpert enters the contest on a whim, looking for answers as to why her high school relationship with Jilly hit the skids. Now she’s a popular romance author writing under a pen name, and her reappearance in Jilly’s life is no accident. It turns out that her novels are all about the sexy players on the Kings, and Jilly has no clue that he’s about to become her new leading man.

Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/09/game-on-new-york-kings-3-by-collette.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22883350-game-on?from_search=true

Buy Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Game-Collette-West-ebook/dp/B00OHQ8ZLE

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/game-on-west-collette/1120553674?ean=2940150494725&isbn=2940150494725

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/collette-west/id830692301?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/search?Query=%22collette+west%22+&fcmedia=Book

Author Info

Collette West grew up as somewhat of a jock-nerd hybrid. Entering the world three weeks premature, her dad nearly missed her birth because he had seats behind the dugout for a sold-out, highly-anticipated match-up between two of baseball’s biggest rivals. Not to be outdone, her book-loving mom taught her how to read by the time she was three. A love of the game coupled with an appreciation for the written word were instilled in Collette’s impressionable brain from a young age. No wonder her characters believe in the philosophy: sports + romance = a little slice of heaven.

Splitting her time between the Pocono Mountains and Manhattan, Collette indulges her inner fangirl by going to as many games as she can from hockey to baseball and downloading every sports romance novel in existence onto her iPad. When she’s not clicking away on her laptop, she enjoys walking her dog in Central Park, satisfying her caffeine craving at the Starbucks on Broadway and keeping an eye out for Mr. Right. But above all, she loves dishing with her readers. Email her at [email protected]

She is the author of NIGHT GAMES, GAME CHANGER and GAME ON.

Author Links: Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Collette-West/537935442972229

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Collette_West

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7539982.Collette_West

Rafflecopter Giveaway ($10 Amazon eGift Card and, signed paperback of GAME ON)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Collete West, Author of Game On appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Please welcome Christina Moore to the virtual offices.  She’s here to talk about her release Beautiful Death.

Greetings to all of you Manga Maniac Café readers, I’m Christina Moore, the author of the Uruwashi Series. I’m in the middle of a tour here for Book One of the Uruwashi Series, Beautiful Death. Book two, Bête Noire and book three, Moon Child are also available for your reading enjoyment. You can read more about them at www.thebeautifuldeath.com.

Tristan Blum, poor blundering Tristan, is the reluctant protagonist of the series. He’s part Japanese by birth but pure American at heart. He’s blunt, rash and amusingly unpredictable at times. And let’s not forget the mouth he’s got on him, even more so now that he’s lost his way. Before his life was turned upside-down by the seemingly random car accident that took his family, he was a good, nice kid, generous and fun. Back then, when life was simple, he didn’t have much of a requisite on accoutrements just to leave the house, not like he does today, embroiled so in his dark new world.

Once where his keys, wallet and a full iPod were more than enough to hit the streets to have a good time, he now has to rely on much darker accessories, and there’s usually no fun to be had. Just staying alive has taken its toll on him, making him rely on carrying a gun with an extra clip (or three), several knives and a good pair of vampire-kicking boots—or jikininki stompers as he likes to think of them now. (He learned the first time not to stomp a jikininki to death with his bare feet). The katana he usually does without unless he’s talked into it, but the most important of thing of all he can’t leave home without is not a thing at all, but a who. Such a heavy dependence on the dead to maintain life can’t be particularly prudent though, can it? It seems to be his only choice now.

Beautiful Death for Kindle is on sale from November 24-30, Bête Noire from December 1-8 and Moon Child from December 9-16, all for $.99 each. There’s also a Tour prize happening, you can find the entry form at my website. Thanks goes to our host, Julie and thank you readers for stopping by. Stick around for more Tour exclusives, you can follow at http://www.paranormalcravings.com/nov-24-dec-8-beautiful-death-uruwashi-series-1-christina-moore (P.S. I totally dig manga, you can check out my collection on Goodreads—maybe you’ll even discover some of my writing influences…)

Title: Beautiful Death (The Uruwashi Series #1)

Genres: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal romance

Series: The Uruwashi Series

ISBN: 978-1500670757

Book Length: 361

Publisher: Uruwashi Publications

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23261303-beautiful-death

Buy Links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Death-Uruwashi-Christina-Moore-ebook/dp/B00FVV7H9K/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=

His life is in a monster’s hands but he may be one himself.
The only thing about Tristan’s typical American life that’d been even slightly atypical was that he was adopted. The Blum’s raised him, loved him as if he was their own. But they never knew who Tristan really was, about the stigma his birth surname carried. Everything changed after their untimely death. Suddenly monsters are after Tristan and all because of a few words spoken by a remarkable stranger.
After carelessly stumbling into the arms of the enemy’s servant, a rotting jikininki, the one silently watching over Tristan is forced to intercede. Ash claims to be a hunter, but that’s not the whole truth. Whatever Ash is or isn’t, it’s neither good nor evil. And Ash is the only one who can save Tristan now. But can someone who can’t even accept the unwavering truth that maybe they never were really human to start with be saved?

EXERPT Chapter 1: Clubbed to Death

THERE were dead bodies everywhere. Skeletons, zombies, mummies, something hairy with fangs… Odoru Shikabane was one of the stranger clubs Tristan had been to. He wasn’t sure what the name meant in English, but the theme was clear: death. He half expected a real bat to fly by or find a guy dressed in a black cape with red lining telling all the girls “I vant to suck your blood.” Yep, it was just weird.

Tristan gave a soft oomph as someone plowed right into the back of him. “Hey pretty lady,” he said with a great big smile, looking down at the petite girl gawking up at him. “How’s it going? Ah… genki ka?” That was pretty much the extent of his Japanese right there. Well, plus a few curses, but she was too cute to curse at just for running into him.

The girl gasped and then was being dragged off by her friend, saying loudly in Japanese that she didn’t need to get mixed up with a gaijin. The small town was more than a little weary of foreigners and as gaijin went, Tristan stood out more than most with his towering height and handsome European features. At least he wasn’t in a skirt like the dude at the bar—it was only a kilt, but still, it wasn’t something you saw every day. At least not outside of Tokyo.

There was one who wasn’t intimidated by the American’s presence though as she wiggled up against him. That would be Shizuka. Her name meant “the quiet one.” Tristan wondered how someone like her ended up with a name like that. Seriously, the woman never shut up. She did a little dance, moving against him to get his attention. Her silly expression clearly said she had something to say—because she never did, right? Tristan bent down with a weary sigh. He wasn’t tired of her company really, but he was tired of her going on without being able to understand a thing she said. Even the English bits. Shizuka leaned in close, pressing as much of her front to his, a hand against his chest for support. The other found its way over his hip and grabbed a handful of American ass.

Tristan grinned at the new development, tilting his face into hers and met those gorgeous dark almond eyes. She had been getting all touchy feely with him from the start, but this was more forward, more demanding than before. Maybe she was tired of waiting for him to make a move. He wasn’t shy when it came to flirting, but somehow, he just wasn’t into it tonight. It might have had something to do with the reason he was in Japan to start with. He didn’t belong here. He knew he didn’t, but still he tried to force it. He had to find something normal in his life again. Flirting, drinking and the fun that came after was normal enough he supposed. Somehow though, it wasn’t enough. Not nearly.

“I get more drink,” Shizuka breathed into Tristan’s ear. She’d been feeding him drinks all night. If it was her plan to get him loaded, she’d have to try a hell of a lot harder than a handful of beers. She shot him a grin full of teeth and danced off towards the bar without another word—small miracle. She made sure to prance around so that her dress bounced up to show virgin white panties, now bright purple thanks to the black lights. Tristan grinned hard and found himself swaying with the pulse of the room, mesmerized by the music, the mass of bodies in endless dance and the sway of Shizuka’s cute little ass. The music picked up, a fast, frantic beat and he was lost to the pounding. He caught himself quickly and stopped, wondering what he was doing. He hated dancing.

Shizuka leaned over the front of the bar and flashed the entire place her rear end and those sexy glowing panties. Everyone was watching her. They were thinking primitive sexual thoughts—well, the men anyway. The women, they all looked like they were about to claw her pretty little eyes out. Tristan chuckled, studying Shizuka’s exposed backside, moving his gaze down the smooth line the back of her legs made all the way to her shiny red heels. She had a great set of legs.

An ashy voice cut through the din as if searching Tristan out, drawing him out of his admiration of the saucy Asian. “That is no woman.”

“S’cuse me…?” Tristan drawled, turning. “What the f—” His next words were cut off when he saw the person standing behind him. “The hell are you?” he asked, eyeing the soft-faced, shorty with long pale hair that glowed purple in the lights. Dude was wearing a cape. Yep, just like Dracula. But his question wasn’t to the costume. He had no idea if he was talking to a young woman or an older teenaged boy. Guess he didn’t really care. “Look, Count. I’m not interested in whatever you’ve got hidden in that cape, so scamper off and hit on someone else.”

If only the loudmouthed American knew all that was hidden within. Maybe he wouldn’t have been so quick to snap. “You misunderstand, Tristan.”

The young stranger’s voice made Tristan flinch back. It was strange, but he felt like the voice touched him, tickled his face. Or maybe he was drunker than he realized. “Howdya know me?” The words fell out of his mouth jumbled, tongue slow and uncooperative. He stopped and clutched his head feeling disorientated. He was sweating, though it had nothing to with the oppressiveness of the club. “You know what, forget it, I’m leaving.”

He turned to go, but the other man grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop.

“I am afraid it is for something rather more urgent than sex. I will only ask for you to come with me once politely.”

Tristan made a rude noise, giving him the look to go with it as he felt a little more himself and jerked his arm away. “Look, sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere with you. So why don’t you go find someone else to take home and play your silly vampire game with.”

“You misunderstand,” the stranger repeated sternly. “I could care less about games. I am here to help.”

“Ahuh. Help. I’ve heard that before. Seriously, piss off.”

The stranger let out an annoyed sigh, looked down, brought long fingers up to pinch a thin bridge of nose. Another sigh. “Looks like things must be done the hard way. Again.” When the wannabe vampire looked up again, he was grinning so that Tristan got a flash of press-on fangs. “But the hard way can be more liberating now, can it not?”

Unlike Shizuka, the stranger spoke perfect English and yet Tristan didn’t understand a word of their bizarre conversation. He blinked down at the stranger, wondering what in the hell he—yeah, Tristan decided that kind of arrogance had to be a dude—was rattling on about. He opened his mouth to ask just that when the guy reached out and grabbed his upper arm again.

“You do not have time for this.”

“Wha—” Tristan’s words turned into a small yelp of shock and he stumbled into a girl, spilling her drink all over them both. “Hey!” Tristan yelled over the music as he tumbled along, lead around by his arm like an indignant toddler. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Cries of surprise and groans of anger echoed around the pair as Tristan was dragged through the dense throng of hot, thrashing bodies. He tripped over his own feet, over other feet, over nothing fighting to keep up with the quick pace. He glared at the back of the short man’s head, willing his gaze to burn a hole through him. When that didn’t work, Tristan jerked his arm but it was as if the guy anticipated the movement seconds before it happened and tightened fingers into Tristan’s flesh. He groaned in frustration and tried to plant his feet against the floor, faintly aware that his arm hurt. He pulled back with his full body, thinking the smaller man couldn’t possibly hold on against his larger weight and his sneakers lost traction causing him to fall into a slender back, fingers tangled in silken hair.

“What the fuck?” Tristan muttered under his breath, arm still in the guy’s bruising grip.

The other man looked back, past Tristan. Green and blue lights reflected off his pale skin giving that fucking stupid smirk a sickly complexion. Tristan followed the other man’s line of sight and found Shizuka standing where he had been moments before, a drink in both hands, watching him being dragged off. She didn’t look very concerned.

Tristan huffed at her indifference and stumbled again, almost falling. There was a hard jerk on his arm and then he was being propelled forward. Hands slapped down onto his back and he went stumbling head first into a door painted blood red. His free hand went up to catch himself but he slipped, falling against the cold metal. He cursed loudly when his thumb pulled back at a bad angle—it was a miracle he didn’t dislocate it. The slurred words were barely out of his mouth when the stranger kicked in the long push bar with his heavy boot, making the door spring outward. Tristan was falling forward again, only to come to a sudden stop. Hard fingers dug into his ribs from behind as the guy grabbed him. Just as he thought the short shit decided to play nice, there was a deep grunt and then Tristan was airborne. He had seconds to think that the cold outside air felt good and then his right shoulder slammed into a dumpster. He cried out and tumbled backwards onto his ass. The ground was cool and wet through his jeans. The tang of blood filled his mouth where he’d bitten into his cheek.

He shook his head and mumbled, “Pretty strong for a scrawny little bitch.” He wobbled to his feet, turning to face the man who was now standing outside too, back to Tristan. “Look, asshole, I don’t know what the fuck your problem is, but you don’t need to be a fucking prick about it.” He was talking to the back of his head. The jerk hadn’t bothered to face him while he was speaking. “Hey, I’m talking to you.” He grabbed the thin shoulder in front of him and spun the shorter man to face him. Tristan’s fist was balled and moving towards that stoic expression before he had a chance to think about what his body was doing, a reaction that’d gotten him into trouble more than once recently.

Brilliant white flashed past Tristan’s vision seconds before his head snapped back, his body following the movement. After a moment of disorientation, Tristan realized he was on the ground against the dumpster, again. A tickle above his lip brought his hand up to find blood. He stared at the red dripping down his fingers for a moment, unbelieving and then up to the stranger. “You son of a bitch, who the fuck do you think you ar—”

The back door squeaked and they both jerked to attention. Tristan sighed to himself, thinking that sumo-sized dude who was doing crowd control had seen them and decided to follow them out. He was no stranger to a bar fight, or two, or the inevitable that generally followed. And who knew if the cops around here even spoke English. Guess it wouldn’t really matter either way since Tristan had no idea what the hell was going on. He didn’t have the faintest idea why he was sitting outside on his ass, in a filthy alleyway with a bloody nose, staring up at the short man who gave it to him.

“Shit,” Tristan said with a sigh. He was having a fairly decent night too, that was until this guy showed up. Now, it looked like he was going to end up in jail. Perfect.

The door opened and a beautifully shaped almond eye framed by smooth white porcelain appeared around the edge. Tristan let out a long breath, only half relieved. Shizuka stepped out into the alleyway, her heels making two sharp clicks against the ground. She watched with a cynical sort of smile while Tristan inched to his feet using the dumpster at his back as a crutch. Shizuka slid her hands behind her, leaning against the door as she glided across the front of it to make it click shut under her weight. She grinned broadly, too broadly. It was then he realized she was mirroring him, mocking him. He pushed off of the dumpster and took a step towards her, but not before tripping on his own feet again.

Shizuka stood off the door immediately, mimicking his movements, less the clumsy trip, and took a step towards him. Tristan’s expression shifted into anger as she gave him a huge shit-eating grin. He just about had enough of these two. He wanted to get the fuck out before he really did find himself in serious trouble.

“That was unnecessary,” Shizuka said to the stranger, amusement heavy in her voice as she fought off a laugh.

“It got you outside…,” he answered, “you disgusting filth.”

Now Tristan was just confused. He thought that maybe the guy wanted the girl, but now it looked like that couldn’t have been farther from the truth. Maybe it was the beer. Wouldn’t have been the first time it confused him.

“So rude.” Shizuka put hands to her slender hips. “Master teach you no manner?”

The young man grunted a crude laugh, as if it were some terrible joke. “Pitted against that man, I would be the one to teach manners.”

In her native tongue, Shizuka responded, “What do you want, fucking traitor whore?”

The stranger answered in perfect Japanese. “Now are those Shizuka’s words or his?”

“You know very well that answer.”

The man gave a heavy sigh. “I am here to stop you from doing this.”

“This one is special.”

“I know.”

“There was a telling,” Shizuka snapped. “He must die.”

“You are wrong.”

“He’s dangerous, As—”

“You have always been wrong,” he snapped, returning to English.

The creature laughed, all giggly and girly.

Tired of being left out of the conversation, Tristan took a heavy step forward, reaching for the stranger. “What, the fuck are you two—”

The shorter man’s head jerked around to glare at Tristan. All he could see of the look was those intense pale eyes but it was more than enough to shut him up, snap his hand back. He couldn’t explain it, but there was something dangerous and wild about this strange man who came barging into his life like a bad superhero in that silly cape and press-on fangs.

“Enough,” Shizuka said, returning to her version of English, “you bore and I have pet now. No hard feeling.”

Tristan smirked, wondering if he was the pet. Then he thought that sounded like a lot of fun, in the right situation. God, what the hell was wrong with him, thinking about sex at a time like this? “Look, it was nice meeting you both,” he said with a sarcastic tone that even the dead could hear. “But I’m done. I’m going home. You two have fun without me.”

Tristan pushed past the shorter man, bumping into his shoulder harder than he intended and tripped. He fell into the stranger and felt something hidden within the cape that he was sure he didn’t like. “What the fu—” The same moment he realized what the hard object was, Shizuka shot forward and decked Tristan. He never saw the hit coming and for such a tiny little thing, she packed one nasty punch. Tristan lost his footing and fell, timber, all six-three straight back. He only just managed to save from cracking his skull open on the pavement like a watermelon. When he looked up again, Shizuka was swinging at the stranger. Despite the absurdity of the whole damn situation, Tristan had to smile. The loudmouthed girl had more fire to her than he realized. He loved a woman that could kick his ass.

She took another swing at the stranger that went wide when he ducked and he countered, delivering a hard blow to Shizuka’s plexus.

“Hey!” Tristan shouted at him, stumbling to his feet again. “The hell is wrong with you… hitting a girl?”

Tristan threw his own punch that never made contact. He wasn’t sure how, only that the stranger was holding his fist in a cold, hard hand, blinking at him. “That is no woman.”

He said that before too, didn’t he? Tristan jerked his hand back, glanced at Shizuka then back to the man. “You’re a bit of an asshole. Or fucking blind.”

The other man gave a small nod. “I accept the former. However, the latter is far from the truth. It is you who is blind.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? You know what, I don’t give a shit. Come on Shizuka, I’ll take you home.”

“Stop!” The man darted out and grabbed Tristan’s wrist when he reached out to the woman. He started to argue, ready to punch the short shit’s lights out when there was a loud laugh echoed in the alleyway. They pair stopped grappling and looked up.

Shizuka looked… different, though Tristan wasn’t sure exactly why right away. “And that is not man.” She laughed again. “I think animal. Hai, hai, inu-chan…”

“Yogore,” the man hissed back.

Shizuka burst into laughter. Her flesh rippled from top to bottom and the smooth porcelain was replaced with dark, shriveled leather. The surface flaked, sending leaves of dead flesh to the ground like dirty brown snow. Voids opened, revealing knots of raw muscle and dark jelly. Silken black hair came off in thick clumps, taking chunks of scalp with it to fall to the pavement with a wet, sticky noise that echoed off the close walls.

As her body changed, so did her voice. Her laughter turned shrill. The short little black dress sagged on her frame as dark fluids poured out from under it and down spindly legs. She started to wobble on her feet, splashing up dark liquid as she took tiny steps to steady herself in her high heels. Finally, it was clear she couldn’t stand in those dangerous shoes anymore. She kicked them off, sending them towards the club exit and stepped bony feet into the body fluid collecting under her in a murky pool.

“Oh my god,” Tristan whispered and sucked in a sharp breath, catching a whiff of decay. He gagged and stumbled backwards until his back hit the dumpster, jabbing an elbow against the side. He sank to the ground against the bin, cradling his elbow to his chest, though the pain wasn’t enough to matter. Nothing mattered now except for the awful thing standing before him that he knew as Shizuka. The stranger made no movement that Tristan could see from his low seat. Somehow though, he knew the guy wasn’t surprised. That he knew exactly what this woman was.

Monster…

The man sighed, shaking his head and reached inside his cape. “I had preferred that it not come to this.” The soft reverberation of metal rubbing against something solid sounded from under the fabric moments before the katana that Tristan felt earlier emerged.

Shizuka’s laughter finally subsided as she rolled cloudy brown eyes down to look at the others. She grinned broadly showing the muscles of her jaw in thick leathery strands. When she spoke again, it was the voice of a cartoon snake, all hiss. “Silly toy for silly—”

“Damare!” the cloaked stranger shouted and darted forward, blade aimed right for Shizuka’s head.

Totally thrown off guard, lost and confused, Tristan gave a small cry and jerked back in shock, hitting his head on the dumpster. He lifted a fist and banged it into the side. He was angry that he hadn’t high-tailed it out of there while he had the chance. He was angry that all he could do was sit there and watch, trapped between a stinking dumpster and a man with a sword fighting a zombie.

A fucking zombie.

He thought briefly of getting up, trying to sneak away. Maybe of evening helping the guy he was ready to punch out only minutes before. But he fell into a trance, staring at the spectacle before him. It was a dance these two performed. Somehow, despite one being short, the other short and dead, they both moved with a delicate grace, and it was completely mesmerizing. He was shaken out of the trance though when Shizuka landed a hard blow to the man’s stomach that made him give a low groan and shudder. But, he didn’t go down.

Zombie Shizuka stepped back, shifting into a stance that would have been appealing if she had her skin. Her chin started to jiggle in a movement that was the beginning of her trying to speak, but then her lower jaw fell off. The man gave a crude grunt and a little leap, aiming for Shizuka again with that sharp, shiny blade. But he was swinging at empty space. The blade whipped through the air, pulled downward as gravity brought man and metal back to the earth. The tip chipped into asphalt with a loud metal ting. Tristan had only a moment for his lethargic brain to think about why it was wrong before the man spun on his heel, lifting the sword towards Tristan.

He put his hands up. “Whoa, hey—”

Shizuka appeared between them and reached out, grabbing the man by his neck with those disgusting decomposed fingers. He let out a long breath and lowered his arms, letting them hang lifelessly at his sides as she held him in place. The sword almost slipped from his fingers, but he didn’t seem to notice one way or the other. There was no fear in his eyes as a dark, closed-mouth smile curled his lips, not quite reaching those pale eyes.

A blaze of bright metal flashed up past Shizuka’s side and the arm gripping the stranger’s neck was suddenly on the ground. Shizuka wailed and reached for him again with her remaining arm as he jumped away. His toes barely touched asphalt and then he was airborne again moving towards Shizuka. Towards Tristan. Tristan sucked in a sharp breath through clenched teeth when the guy suddenly appeared directly in front of him, toe to toe. The young man stared down at him, calm and relaxed as if he had been there all along. As if there wasn’t a zombie trying to kill him.

Tristan blinked up at him for the longest ten seconds of his life, not a single tangible thought making its way to the surface to help guide him to something close to sane. He finally tore his gaze from the stranger. Shizuka was standing behind him with her back to the others. Tristan looked up to the man again, confused and whispered, “What happe—”, but never got to finish his question. Shizuka’s head broke away from her neck and hit the ground with a loud crack. Seconds later her body crumbled to the ground with a heavy weight that said she was more than skin and bones. The stench of death doubled as a breeze brought Shizuka’s scent to the others. It seemed to seek Tristan out, tickling its way into his sinuses, making the back of throat itch. Tristan’s stomach tightened and the blood drained from his face so fast it made him dizzy.

The cloaked man blinked slowly, his eyes coming into focus on Tristan’s. Expression utterly blank, he gave his blade a quick flick at his side. Tristan flinched at the sudden movement and wished he hadn’t. Expression still impassive, the stranger flung his long hair over his shoulder, turned away, and brought his sword down onto the mass of bones and rotted flesh that was once Shizuka.

The first piece of zombie was tossed over Tristan’s head to the dumpster and a warm glob of something squishy, wet and stinking of rot fell to his forehead and stuck. That was all it took. Tristan’s stomach twisted and he scrambled to his knees, retching on the pavement.

When his stomach was empty of all of its contents Tristan sat back on his heels, his back to the guy. He took in a deep breath past his burning throat and hung his head in hopes to ease the pounding. He could hear the cutting of rotted flesh and bones. He wasn’t ready to turn around and see that again. Not just yet. He sighed, shutting his eyes and his head spun again. When he opened his eyes, something to his right caught his attention in a dark corner between the dumpster and a wall. Stomach spinning, head feeling even worse, he decided standing wasn’t an option at the moment and pushed to hands and knees to crawl forward a few paces.

“Oh shit!” he screamed and fell back onto his ass, damp gravel cutting into his palms.

“What is it?” the zombie slayer asked, annoyance lacing his words. The cracks of breaking bone echoed loudly off the walls as he deftly finished his work.

A new nightmare, the crumpled body of a naked woman shoved in the corner like a pile of trash. Her stomach cavity had been ripped open and emptied, leaking stinking bile and other vital liquids on to the pavement. The edges of the hole were torn and jagged like an animal had at it with its teeth. Bloody scratches ran down the length of her face stopping at lips frozen in a frightened scream. Two dark, cavernous holes stared blindly up at nothing where her eyes had been ripped out.

“Ther—there’s a dead girl back here.” He didn’t think he even spoke loud enough for the guy to hear. He swallowed hard against the tang of his regurgitated dinner and alcohol. He was sure he was going to lose it again. God, what was wrong with him? He never got sick from just drinking. And as his head spun he was sure the reason had more to do with Shizuka than he realized.

“Ah yes, I had almost forgotten about that. The jikininki I just disposed of did that. It needed the—” He paused and Tristan looked over his shoulder to him, disgusted. He was twirling his hand in a small circle like he was searching for the appropriate word. Finally he settled on, “Sustenance, from that poor soul there to appear as the exquisite woman she was.”

“I—I don’t understand…”

“I know.” He strolled forward, boots silent on the pavement, and extended a hand.

Tristan gave the pale hand a long, slow blink and whispered, “You askin’ me for a dance again?” A heavy, dark fuzziness was creeping in on the edges of his vision. He shuddered, suddenly cold and let out a long sigh. “You’re pretty sweet, for a weird lookin’ dude.”

The “weird lookin’ dude” gave a dismayed sigh. “Come, we must go.”

Tristan met those strange eyes and gave him another long look. “Go… with you? Why?”

The offer of a hand was rescinded with a scowl. “Did you not figure that much out?”

Tristan shook his head, immediately regretting it. Thick lace covered his vision, blurring everything and he swayed, even though he was seated firmly on the ground.

“That jikininki knew me,” he said, voice steadily rising, “but it was summoned to hunt you.”

Tristan could only manage to answer with a long, drawn out, “Oh.” Someone was looking for him? That was nice. He dropped his face into his hands and toppled over. Something dark and warm was coursing through him. He was certain of it now, that he’d been drugged. It was whispering promises of sweet sleep to him. His eyes had shut, though he couldn’t remember when. He was losing against the drug. It was better to not fight it anyway.

“Who—what… ?” He couldn’t even finish his sentence. What was he even trying to say? Guess it wasn’t important.

“Everything is okay,” came the stranger’s creamy smooth voice, like a distant whisper. It was strangely comforting. “I am here now to—” His voice broke. “Just… sleep.”

Tristan let out a long groan, the drug finally claiming victory over him. He thought he heard the stranger again in his last twilight of consciousness whisper something about ashes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SOMETIMES known as Stinna (pronounced Steena), Christina Moore just so happens to be her real name. Her writing career started under a pseudonym in the romance genre. But her true love has always been the paranormal. Vampires, werewolves, demons, faerie and everything in between, she loves them all—the allure of the unknown. The birth of the Uruwashi series started many years ago with a daydream sparked by a very special voice of a certain bad-ass vampire in her favorite anime. Little did she know then that the story of the Uruwashi would morph into what it is today.

When not writing or chasing her toddler, Christina loves to read, garden, cross-stitch, and play video games. A Maryland native, she lives just outside of beautiful historic downtown Annapolis with her husband, daughter (a.k.a. Tiny Boss) and two Australian Shepherds, Deunan and Aydin. Growing up riding horses to show in dressage and cross-country, later moving on to racing Volkswagens and then finding a career in the architecture industry as a graphic artist/mother hen, she’s never been a real expert in any one thing. Christina has a passion for diversity and enjoys many types of music, film and literature that sometimes clash with the norm. She’s often said she’s going to marry Spike Spiegel when she grows up—her husband understands.

Author (Contact Links)

Website: www.thebeautifuldeath.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thebeautifuldeathseries

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheUruwashi

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7275171.Christina_Moore

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Christina-Moore/e/B00FVXGO92/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Christina Moore, Author of Beautiful Death appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Please welcome Megan Frampton to the virtual offices this morning!  Check out what she has to say about her latest release The Duke’s Guide to Correct Behavior, and then enter the awesome giveaway!

Thank you to the Manga Maniac Café for inviting me to guest at their site today. I am a fan of both manga and cafes, although I am not certain about maniacs. I guess it depends on what type of maniac you are. I am maniacal about IPAs, peanut butter, and black sweaters, myself. Not to mention tall, dark-haired British men (see: Most of my heroes).

My new release, The Duke’s Guide to Correct Behavior, pairs an incorrect duke with an improper governess. Both the hero and heroine have a lot to learn about their respective positions in life, and of course they make a muddle of it as they (spoiler!) fall in love with one another.

Marcus, the Duke of Rutherford, is particularly ill-equipped to be a duke, since he never expected to inherit such a lofty title, and has really only wasted time with trivial pursuits prior to this. But just as he’s inherited the title he also gets another responsibility—the care of a child he knew about, but hadn’t had to worry about before.

So Marcus has to hire a governess and take his place in society, which means dressing for the part. But unfortunately, Marcus is usually improperly dressed, which causes his valet some consternation.

Marcus’s valet, Miller, has a few complaints he would like to air here in this safe forum.

1. The duke cannot seem to keep his cravat on. Each time after he’s met with his daughter’s governess his cravat is nowhere close to his neck.

2. The duke does not care about whether or not he is appropriately garbed for a ball. He would be just as happy—perhaps moreso—if he could just wear trousers and a shirt.

3. The duke’s hair seldom needs any kind of styling. I would not admit this to His Grace, but it looks best just after he’s run his hand through it, which he does when he is thinking about something.

4. The duke is far too tall to fit into most men’s clothing. This requires his wardrobe to be specially ordered, which would be fine if His Grace actually cared about he was wearing. He does not.

5. Have I mentioned his cravats? Because they are to be found scattered about the house, often with jam on them, and never on His Grace’s throat.

The Duke’s Guide to Correct Behavior
Dukes Behaving Badly # 1

By: Megan Frampton

Releasing November 25th, 2014

Avon

Blurb

All of London knows the Duke of Rutherford has position and wealth. They also whisper that he’s dissolute, devilish, and determinedly unwed. So why, everyone is asking, has he hired a governess?

When Miss Lily Russell crosses the threshold of the Duke of Rutherford’s stylish townhouse, she knows she has come face to face with sensual danger. For this is no doting papa. Rather, his behavior is scandalous, and his reputation rightly earned. And his pursuit of her is nearly irresistible—but resist she must for the sake of her pupil.

As for the duke himself, it was bad enough when his unknown child landed on his doorstep. Now Lily, with her unassuming beauty, has aroused his most wicked fantasies—and, shockingly, his desire to change his wanton ways. He’s determined to become worthy of her, and so he asks for her help in correcting his behavior.

But Lily has a secret, one that, if it becomes known, could change everything . . .

Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/09/the-dukes-guide-to-correct-behavior.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20957414-the-duke-s-guide-to-correct-behavior?ac=1

Buy Links : Amazon | Barnes | iTunes | Kobo

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dukes-Guide-Correct-Behavior-Behaving-ebook/dp/B00IRCZCRY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1409072698&sr=1-1&keywords=duke%27s+guide+to+correct+behavior

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dukes-guide-to-correct-behavior-megan-frampton/1120020579

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dukes-guide-to-correct-behavior/id833988081

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-duke-s-guide-to-correct-behavior

Author Info

Megan Frampton writes historical romance under her own name and romantic women’s fiction as Megan Caldwell. She likes the color black, gin, dark-haired British men, and huge earrings, not in that order. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband and son.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Website: http://meganframpton.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meganframptonbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/meganf
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/686916.Megan_Frampton?from_search=true

Rafflecopter Giveaway ($25 gift card, e-retailer of choice)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Megan Frampton, Author of The Dukes Guide to Correct Behavior appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Welcome Tina Wainscott back to the virtual offices!

Top 5 things you would never find in Saxby’s duffle bag by Tina Wainscott

Saxby Cole is a Southern charmer, dubbed the “prince of Cole, Louisiana” by the ladies in his hometown. While he was supposed to head up his family’s grill company, Sax is all about doing bigger things … like fighting for his country. And now, fighting for justice outside the bounds of the law. He’s been told, since he was knee-high to a mudbug, that Cole men are incapable of monogamy, so Sax is committed to never committing and breaking a lady’s heart.

I’m going to let Sax himself tell you the Top 5 things you would never find in his duffle bag:

“One of those protein bars. Haven’t found one yet that tastes like food and doesn’t remind me of MRE’s—meals ready to eat. That’s the stuff we ate when we were deployed, like spaghetti in a bag. If I’m throwing a snack in there, it’s a Snickers bar. Chocolate, caramel, and peanuts … all good.”

“Sweatpants. Not that I’m a prima donna or anything, but baggy ole sweats are just damned ugly. And I don’t like them on a lady either.”

“Flip flops. While I’m no pretty boy, I do value a classy pair of shoes. Flip flops are for girls, sissies, or surfers.”

“A care package from my sisters. Man, did I get teased about that when I was in the SEALs. They’d pack obnoxious things like nose hair clippers, a portable urine holder, and homemade cookies with smiley faces on them and goofy sayings. It was sweet but embarrassing at the same time.”

“A CD with a love song mix. I don’t do mushy music. For one thing, if I’m with a lady, it gives her ideas. And it makes me kinda sad, too, that I won’t have that ‘everlasting love’ thing. You know who has sexy music without it being obvious? Led Zeppelin. Yep, some Zepp, some Kings of Leon, a little Maroon 5, and we’re rockin’.”

Wild Nights

The Justiss Alliance #3

By: Tina Wainscott

Releasing: Nov 4th, 2014

Loveswept

Blurb

The courageous men of USA Today bestselling author Tina Wainscott’s Justiss Alliance series never give up and never make a promise they can’t live up to—especially when love is on the line.

The only commitment Saxby Cole has ever made is to the SEALs. He follows a long line of Southern charmers who swear monogamy isn’t in their blood. He’s never met a woman who made him want to swear his allegiance—until, while undercover for a Justiss Alliance assignment, he finds a woman who makes him think twice.

When Jennessy Shaw’s boyfriend dumps her right before their vacation to a hedonistic Caribbean resort, she goes without him to explore her wild side. Throwing caution to the wind, she propositions Saxby—only to suffer his gentle rejection.

When she wakes in Saxby’s room with no memory of the night before, Jennessy discovers his real purpose: to sniff out an operation where women like her are drugged and prostituted to resort guests. She goes from victim to his investigative partner . . . but getting too close to the sexier-than-sin Saxby may be her wildest move yet.

Praise for the Justiss Alliance series

“Tina Wainscott delivers high-octane suspense and red-hot romance! Full of edge-of-your-seat action and red-hot passion, Wild on You is a souped-up roller coaster of a page-turner.”—Julie Ann Walker, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Black Knights Inc. series

“Bad boys breaking rules and hearts and dishing up justice—Tina Wainscott nails it!”—New York Times bestselling author Cindy Gerard

Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/08/wild-nights-justiss-alliance-3-by-tina.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22234180-wild-nights

Buy Links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KAFVOGE?ie=UTF8&tag=randohouseinc-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00KAFVOGE

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wild-nights-tina-wainscott/1119471240?ean=9780345548368&itm=1&usri=9780345548368&cm_mmc=Random%20House-_-Wild%20Nights-RandomHouse-9780345548368-_-Wild%20Nights-RandomHouse-9780345548368-_-Wild%20Nights-RandomHouse-9780345548368

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/wild-nights-6

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/wild-nights/id877158042?mt=11

Or, Purchase at Amazon | Barnes | iBooks | Kobo

Author Info

USA Today bestselling author Tina Wainscott has always loved the combination of romance and suspense, because nothing complements falling in love better than being hunted down. The author of more than thirty novels and novellas, Wainscott creates characters with baggage, past hurts, and vulnerabilities. They go through hell, find love, and, at the end, find peace in who they are and everything they’ve gone through. And isn’t that what everyone wants?

Author Links

Website: http://www.tinawainscott.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tinawainscottbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tina_Wainscott
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4731539.Tina_Wainscott

Or,

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Rafflecopter Giveaway ($25.00 Choice Book Seller eGift Card and Loveswept Mug & Tote)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Tina Wainscott, Author of Wild Nights appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

I have a fun guest post this morning from Mia Marlowe, author of A Rake by Any Other Name.  Please enjoy, and be sure to enter the giveaway below!

Hullo! Eliza Dovecote, at your service. (You can’t tell, I’m sure, but I’m giving you my best curtsy!) I’m Miss Sophie Goodnight’s lady’s maid. The folks at Manga Maniac Café asked Mia Marlowe, my author, what five things I might have to complain about in regards to my employer. ‘Tis a difficult job to find five things since I owe a good deal to Miss Goodnight, but I’ve never been one to shy away from hard work. I shall endeavor to please.

1. Miss Goodnight is not what you might call a pattern sort of lady. In fact, she’s not a lady at all. She seems to delight in reminding me that her family is as common born as mine. The difference between us, of course, is that her father is simply swimming in lard and dotes upon her, while I barely remember mine. He lit out, leaving my mum with a passel of mouths to feed. Now that I’m earning a lady’s maid salary, I have good bit more to send home. I have Miss Goodnight to thank for that. Oh! Wait a moment. This was supposed to be about my complaints, weren’t it? Beggin’ your pardon, I’m sure.

2. Because Miss Goodnight’s not the conventional sort, she’s not used to having a lady’s maid. I have to almost force my service upon her. In fact, we had to travel to London so she could order a new wardrobe that requires my help for her to wear. Yes, she’s perfectly capable of dressing herself in her old things, but why should she have to?

3. Miss Goodnight doesn’t much care what other people say about her. If she wants to do something, she does it, devil take the hindermost. Everyone at Somerfield Park was scandalized when she breezed into the parlor after a ride with Lord Hartley, covered in mud with her hair tumbling around her shoulders. They were taking some jumps and landed in a soggy patch, she said. Whatever they were doing, both she and Lord Hartley appeared to have enjoyed themselves thoroughly.

4. My employer is not a very good hostess. Please don’t think this impertinence on my part. Miss Goodnight would agree with me. Her attempt at having a lady’s tea resulted in disaster all around. Of course, that was also the time when I came to Miss Goodnight’s notice and she offered me the position as her maid, so I should be grateful for small calamities.

5. Miss Goodnight has very little idea about the way things ought to be done with regards to the order of things Below Stairs. Before I entered her service, I was only a scullery maid at Somerfield Park. By lifting me to the position of lady’s maid, she caused me to skip over several rungs on the servant’s ladder. I ought to have moved up to parlour maid, and then if I proved worthy to chamber maid. Only the best, most experienced servants aspire to the position of Lady’s Maid. Yet, here I am, only one step lower than Mrs. Graham, the housekeeper at Somerfield Park. Again, I’m thankful Miss Goodnight isn’t aware of the breach of order she’s created.

Can I say some good things about my employer? Oh, thank you ever so. One of the best things about Miss Goodnight is that she has given me some good advice about David Abbot. He’s the first footman and ever so handsome. I have a feeling if I follow my lady’s advice, I’ll have David noticing me in no time.

And for something good, I hope.

And now, my author says I need to ask a question so’s you’ll feel like talking with me here. How about you? What sort of work do you do? Do they give you more than half a day off each week? That’s what we get at Somerfield Park, though Miss Goodnight will make an exception if I ask off for something special.

A Reluctant Lord. A Resistant Lady. A Superfluous Fiancée.

And a Devastating Family Secret…

When Richard Barrett, Lord Hartley, is abruptly called home to take the reins of the estate, he discovers the extent of the family’s financial straits. The remedy: marry the heiress their families have picked out for him. Unfortunately, he’s already planned to marry someone else.

Miss Sophie Goodnight isn’t too keen on becoming his purse with feet…and she sabotages all attempts to woo her. But when Lord Hartley discovers the shenanigans in his father’s past, he realizes that deciding between two beautiful women is the least of his problems.

Mia Marlowe is a rising star whose Touch of a Rogue was named one of Publishers Weekly‘s Top Ten Best Romances for Spring 2012. Mia learned about storytelling while singing professional opera. She knows what it’s like to sing a high “C” in a corset, so she empathizes with the trials of her historical heroines. Mia resides in Boston, Massachusetts. For more visit www.miamarlowe.com.

Buy Links for A Rake By Any Other Name:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1sfvrXt

Apple: http://bit.ly/1wCvcUG
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1o0l4FT
BAM: http://bit.ly/ZeSiFr
Book Depository: http://bit.ly/1vO3N2I

Chapters: http://bit.ly/ZMrFbj

Indiebound: http://bit.ly/1rthIGo

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1pIPzeQ

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Mia Marlowe, Author of A Rake By Any Other Name appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Please welcome Vanessa Kelly to the virtual offices this morning! She’s here to share a list of items her hunky hero won’t leave home without. Check it out, then enter the giveaway below!

5 Things Sir Dominic Hunter Never Leaves Home Without by Vanessa Kelly

Sir Dominic Hunter is England’s greatest spymaster, a brilliant magistrate, and a truly impressive dude. An orphan from the streets of London, he was raised as a charity case with England’s royal princes. It wasn’t an easy life since the princes bullied him, but he learned to use his brains as well as his brawn to get what he wanted.

Needless to say, he’s quite the alpha male, but he also has a kind heart; he particularly goes out of his way to protect women and children. And he’s got a secret—he’s madly in love with Chloe Steele, his long-lost sweetheart who’s just recently reentered his life.

So what kind of things would a complicated guy like Dominic never leave home without?

1. A pistol in the inside pocket of his greatcoat. After all, you never know when you’re going to have to rescue your long-lost love from a tricky situation with a crime lord. To be fair, Chloe was doing a pretty good job of handling things before Dominic showed up, although she did appreciate the backup. Well, not really, since she wanted to show Dominic that she was capable of managing her own problems, even ones involving notorious crime lords. Needless to say, an interesting discussion followed this particular incident.

2. A knife sashed inside his boot. For those annoying occasions when you can’t get to your pistol fast enough or there’s more than one villain to deal with.

3. A magnifying glass. For close reading of maps and letters in code. Also for looking for clues at crime scenes.

4. Lock-pick tools. You never know when you’re going to have to break in somewhere in order to rescue someone. Dominic likes to be prepared.

5. An extra clean handkerchief, just in case Chloe starts crying when she finally accepts his proposal of marriage. Not that she has accepted his proposal of marriage, at least not yet, but hope springs eternal!

Tall, Dark & Royal
The Renegade Royals # 2.5

By: Vanessa Kelly

Releasing November 25^th, 2015

Zebra / Kensington

Blurb

He’s the man behind the mission to track down the illegitimate children of England’s Royal Princes and help them get their due. But his deepest desire is far more personal… Magnificent and stubborn.

Fourteen years apart had not changed Chloe Steele, or Dominic Hunter’s love for her. He’d been a street urchin, a boy raised at court, and finally a magistrate, yet he’d never belonged anywhere–except by her side. Now Chloe devoted herself to girls threatened by scandal–like she had been. But she was in danger, and Dominic was determined to help–and hopefully make up for lost time…

Even in childhood, Dominic had made Chloe feel safe. Now she also felt thrillingly flustered by the powerful man he’d become, and by the longing he inspired. Because Dominic meant not only to protect her, but to untangle the lies that had separated them. Yet for Chloe, surrendering to temptation may be easier than risking a future that could ruin them both…

Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/07/tall-dark-and-royal-renegade-royals-25.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22737926-tall-dark-and-royal?from_search=true

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes |iTunes |Kobo

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Tall-Dark-Royal-Renegade-ebook/dp/B00LGZ9JMI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414456398&sr=8-1&keywords=tall+dark+and+royal

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tall-dark-and-royal-vanessa-kelly/1119908498?ean=9781420131314

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/tall-dark-and-royal/id895504736?mt=11

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/tall-dark-and-royal

Author Info

Vanessa Kelly is an award-winning author who was named by Booklist, the review journal of the American Library Association, as one of the “New Stars of Historical Romance.” Her Regency-set historical romances have been nominated for awards in a number of contests, and her second book, Sex and The Single Earl, won the prestigious Maggie Medallion for Best Historical Romance. Her current series, The Renegade Royals is a national bestseller. Vanessa also writes USA Today bestselling contemporary romance with her husband, under the pen name of VK Sykes.

Author Links: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Website: http://www.vanessakellyauthor.com/

Blog: http://www.vanessakellyauthor.com/vanessa-blog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vanessakellyauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VanessaKellyAut

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1vCc1Zs

Excerpt

Dominic strode through but came to a sudden halt, his heart jolting at the sight of Chloe reclining on a chaise with a bandage wrapped around her head. Justine Steele, Dominic’s godchild, sat next to her holding a teacup. Lounging in a nearby armchair was Griffin Steele, Chloe’s son and Justine’s husband.

“What the hell is going on here?” Dominic snapped. He glared at Griffin, who had a knack for finding or, indeed, creating trouble. “How did your mother get hurt?”

Griffin let out a dramatic sigh as he came to his feet. “You have a lamentable tendency to blame me for everything, Dominic. I had nothing to do with Mother’s, er, little accident.”

Chloe threw aside her lap robe and stood. “Dominic, I’m fine. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

But when she wobbled, Justine had to make a grab for her. In an instant, Dominic was by Chloe’s side. “For God’s sake, sit down.” He gently lowered her back to the chaise.

Her tall, slender body felt fragile in his hands, as if the merest touch could break her. But appearances were deceptive. For all her pale, delicate beauty, Chloe had a strong will and character that had withstood years of tribulation.

“You know the doctor told you to stay off your feet and rest,” Justine affectionately scolded.

“I’m not sure how she’s supposed to rest with you lot fussing over her,” Griffin said. “Hill has been popping in and out like a character from a farce, not to mention all the girls sneaking in. It’s a bloody circus.”

Justine frowned at her husband. “They’re worried about Chloe.”

Dominic throttled back his impulse to snap. “I would be most grateful if someone—anyone—would answer my question. Wait,” he said to Justine. “First, tell me what the physician said.”

“Perhaps you might try asking Chloe, Sir Dominic,” Chloe said with pointed courtesy. “As you can see, she is perfectly capable of speech.”

Dominic mentally winced. Chloe only used his title when annoyed with him. “I’m sorry, my dear. But it was a shock to come upon you looking like you’d been set upon by thieves.”

Thankfully, she flashed him a wry, forgiving smile. “Apology accepted.” She shifted her legs and patted the seat of the chaise. “Sit down and let Justine get you a cup of tea while I’ll tell you all about it. Not that I wanted you to drag you into this ridiculous and unfortunate episode, but my son insisted. Who knew Griffin could fuss and worry as much as any old maid?”

Her son—one of the most ruthless and powerful men in London—rolled his eyes but declined to defend himself.

“What happened to your head?” Dominic eyed the bandage wrapped around her brow.

“I bumped it, that’s all,” Chloe replied. “The doctor insisted I wear this silly thing and my son won’t let me take it off.”

Griffin narrowed his dark gaze on his mother. “You didn’t bump your head. It was bumped for you when that bloody bastard shoved you into the wall. And you will keep that bandage on for as long as is required.”

Dominic had been reaching to accept a cup from Justine, but his hand froze in mid-air. Slowly, he turned to Chloe. “Someone shoved you?”

Chloe’s shoulders unconsciously hiked up a notch. “Yes, but it wasn’t a very hard shove. Truly, I’m fine.”

Dominic could hear Griffin grinding his teeth from several feet away. He sympathized, but the situation was confusing enough without him losing his temper, at least not until he’d apprised himself of the facts.

But once he tracked down the man who had dared to touch Chloe, the bastard would rue the day he was born.

Rafflecopter Giveaway ( $30 Amazon or B&N Gift card and FOUR sets of the first two books in the series (Secrets for Seducing a Royal Bodyguard, Confessions of a Royal Bridegroom) )

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Vanessa Kelly, Author of Tall, Dark and Royal appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Jennifer Ryan stopped by the virtual offices to share her heroine Summer’s favorite holiday traditions.  I’ll have a review of Can’t Wait tomorrow, so please check back.

Summer’s Favorite Holiday Traditions  by Jennifer Ryan

Summer is very close to her family. Especially to her twin brothers Jack and Sam. This Christmas she’s trying to hold on to the traditions from her past since her parents have left the family ranch to travel, Sam is working non-stop for the FBI, and Jack is suffering from PTSD, which has turned him into the Grinch since he returned from Iraq. To top it all off, Caleb, her brother’s best friend and the man of her dreams is leaving for Montana, never to return. A last ditch effort to avoid acknowledging his feelings for her.

Summer is determined to get Jack and Caleb out of their funk and into the holiday spirit. Jack’s not in the mood, but he’ll go along if Summer promises to make their mother’s special chocolate chip and almond cookies. His favorite.

Summer’s favorite tradition, every year after the first snow, they ride on horseback and find the perfect tree for the living room. Inevitably, her brothers are the ones to start the snowball fight, pummeling her. Not this year. She ambushes Jack and Caleb. It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Summer slips on some ice and falls from a mound of boulders. She’s okay, but Caleb can’t help letting his true feelings show.

There’s something nostalgic about decorating the tree. So many memories tied to the special ornaments that have been collected over the years, like the ones you made when you were young. That dough candy cane you made in first grade and painted yourself has somehow survived. It gives you a sense of accomplishment even now when you laugh at it’s odd shape and terrible paint job. Those special memories have a way of softening the most hardened heart.

Sharing those special memories with Jack brings a rare smile to his face and makes the bond between them seem less tenuous as their lives have grown apart. It’s a way for them to connect back to the way things used to be when they were young. Sometimes going through the motions helps you to remember all the important things about family and holding onto the ones you love. Traditions are the glue that hold us together.

Trimming the tree, hanging the stockings, backing cookies with my kids are some of the traditions that remind me of Christmases past when I was a child and did the same with my parents and brothers. I used to love to go to my grandmother’s house each year to bake cookies and make the holiday candies everyone in the family loved. Now, there’s one thing I have to make each Christmas with my kids…

Raspberry Jam Shortbread Cookies (I triple this recipe)

½ Cup Butter (room temperature)

¼ cup Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 ¼ cup all-purpose Flour

¼ cup Raspberry Jam (my kids like the seedless kind)

Powder Sugar (to dust on cookies)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer. Stir in flour, then beat with electric mixer until dough comes together. (It usually looks like dough crumbles. Use your hands to press dough into a large ball.)

Divide dough into thirds. On a floured surface, roll out each portion into a 1 inch thick rope about 8 inches long. Place ropes 3 inches apart on a buttered baking sheet. Press your finger into the dough to make ½ inch indentations at 1 inch intervals. Fill the indentations with a small dollop of raspberry jam.

Bake until edges are lightly browned, about 12-15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet. Dust each rope with powder sugar. Cut each rope diagonally into individual slices.

(You can substitute the powder sugar and drizzle either melted milk, dark, or white chocolate over the ropes before cutting. Yum!)

What is your favorite must have holiday treat? Include the recipe if you’d like to share.

Can’t Wait
Hunted Series Prequel

By: Jennifer Ryan

Releasing November 11th, 2014

Avon Romance

Blurb

From the All I Want for Christmas is a Cowboy Anthology comes Jennifer Ryan’s story of Caleb and Summer. Before the Hunted series they had a whirlwind romance not to be forgotten…

Caleb Bowden has a lot to thank his best friend, Jack, for – saving his life in Iraq and giving him a job helping him run his family’s ranch. He also introduced him to the most incredible woman he’s ever met. Too bad he can’t ask her out. You do not date your best friend’s sister. Summer and Caleb share a closeness she’s never felt for anyone, but the stubborn man refuses to turn the flirtatious friendship into something meaningful. Frustrated and tired of wishing to be happy, Caleb tells Jack how he feels about Summer. With his friend’s help, he plans a surprise Christmas proposal she’ll never forget – because he can’t wait to make her his wife. 

Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/10/cant-wait-by-jennifer-ryan.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22552581-can-t-wait?ac=1

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes | iTunes

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cant-Wait-Originally-anthology-CHRISTMAS-ebook/dp/B00L1AJVGM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414521749&sr=8-1&keywords=can%27t+wait+by+jennifer+ryan

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cant-wait-jennifer-ryan/1119738863?ean=9780062379665

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/cant-wait/id890045828?mt=11

Author Info

Jennifer Ryan is the New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of The Hunted Series and The McBrides Series. She writes romantic suspense and contemporary small-town romances featuring strong men and equally resilient women. Her stories are filled with love, family, friendship, and the happily-ever-after we all hope to find.

Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three children. When she isn’t writing a book, she’s reading one. Her obsession with both is often revealed in the state of her home and in how late dinner is to the table. When she finally leaves those fictional worlds, you’ll find her in the garden, playing in the dirt and daydreaming about people who live only in her head, until she puts them on paper.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Website: http://www.jennifer-ryan.com/index.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Ryan/520021168037391?ref=hl
Twitter: http://twitter.com/JenRyan_author
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4693347.Jennifer_Ryan

Excerpt:

Lost in the rhythmic stroke of the brush over the horse in front of him, he didn’t hear her come up behind him.

“Caleb.” Her tentative voice made his heart ache. It shouldn’t be like this. Not between friends.

Braced to face her, he held back a gasp, seeing her beautiful face framed in her golden hair. Sometimes, the woman took his breath away. Her blue eyes held a touch of sadness. She looked lovely in tight blue jeans and a red sweater beneath a brown leather vest lined in thick shearling.

“Jack told me you’re leaving. Going home to Montana and your family.”

He dropped the brush on a nearby shelf and took the few steps to stand in front of her. He owed her that much, to face her eye-to-eye when he said good-bye. He hoped she knew how much it broke his heart to leave her.

“I meant to tell you myself. I need time to figure out what I want to do.”

“Time to heal, too. How long’s it been since you slept a whole night?”

“I’m fine.”

“That’s what Jack says. You both need … well, neither of you cares what I think you need.”

“That’s not true.”

“Then why are you leaving?”

“Because it’s best.”

“For who?”

Caleb tucked his hands behind his back and bowed his head, unable to answer. Nothing he said would make sense, because leaving her didn’t make sense. Not when he wanted to be with her, and she wanted to be with him.

Summer sighed out her frustration and hurt. She rubbed one hand over the box in her hand and touched her fingers to the sparkling red bow. “This is for you.”

“What?”

“Your Christmas present. Since you won’t be here, I thought you’d like it now.”

“I’m not leaving for a couple of days.” He shouldn’t keep putting it off. He made one excuse after another to delay the drive to Montana. Why? He’d made up his mind to go. He should leave. Now. Before this got any more complicated and difficult.

Who was he kidding? Leaving her was impossibly hard.

“Open it.”

“Did you wrap this yourself?”

“Just for you.”

“It’s a pretty package. I hate to mess it up.”

“You don’t have to. Just lift off the lid. I’ll hold the bottom.”

The excitement built in his gut. He didn’t know what she’d bought him, he didn’t care. He’d have something to take home with him to remind him of her.

He pulled the lid free and set it aside at his feet. Tissue paper concealed the gift inside, so he pulled the loose paper away and took a step back, surprised and floored by the gift she’d picked out for him.

“Summer, that’s …”

“To remind you of who you really are. Who you were when you left for the war and who you are now. A cowboy.” She pulled the dark brown Stetson from the tissue paper and dropped the box on the floor. She closed the short distance between them and set the hat on his head. “Perfect fit, Montana Man. Matches your eyes,” she said, her voice husky with emotion.

Rafflecopter Giveaway (Digital Set of The Hunted Series, Books 1 – 4)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Jennifer Ryan, Author of Can’t Wait appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Paige Tyler stopped by the virtual offices to share 5 mobile apps hero Clayne wouldn’t load on his smartphone.  Check it out, and then enter the giveaway below!

Top 5 mobile apps Clayne would never download on his smartphone? by Paige Tyler

1. Any Social Networking Apps…Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. Clayne completely lacks the social gene. If he wants to talk to someone, he’ll drive to their place and talk to them face to face. And he’s never had a “chat” in his life!

2. Road Ninja. He’s male, he’s alpha, and he’s a wolf shifter. Do you seriously think he’s going ask a small hand-held computer app for directions?

3. Tinder. Clayne is not the kind of man who’d ever hop on an app for a quick hook-up. If he was in the mood for company, he could just walk into a club, a store, or a restaurant—heck, or stand in the middle of the street with his shirt off—and he would have all the company he wanted. Except of course, he’s rarely in the mood for company. Unless it’s his significant other, of course!

4. Gaming Apps. Clayne has a few anger management issues. Angry Birds tends to lead to Broken Phone. He simply doesn’t play games. He works, he exercises, he eats, he sleeps, he makes love to his significant other, then he starts the routine over again.

5. Weather App. Simply put…Clayne rarely cares what the weather is like. If it’s raining, he’ll get wet. If it’s snowing, he’ll be cold. Why bother looking on an app for a weather forecast is you don’t care what the weather is going to be?

*hugs*
Paige

Social media links:

Website: http://paigetylertheauthor.com/

Blog: http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com/

Facebook Profile Page: http://www.facebook.com/paige.tyler.9

Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/PaigeTylerAuthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/PaigeTyler

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/paigetylerauth/

Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/paigetylerauthor

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/101473514319460388322/posts

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2300692.Paige_Tyler

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/BBrEP

Email: [email protected]

Her Lone Wolf

Series: X-Ops Book 2

Author: Paige Tyler

Pubdate: November 4^th, 2014

ISBN: 9781402292125

Leaving him was Impossible…

It took everything she had for FBI Special Agent Danica Beckett to walk away from the man she loved. But if she wants to save his life, she has to keep her distance. Now, with a killer on the loose and the stakes higher than ever before, the Department of Covert Ops is forcing these former lovers into an uneasy alliance…whether they like it or not.

Seeing her again is even worse

The last thing Clayne Buchanan wants is to be shackled to the woman who broke his heart. She gets under his skin in a way no one ever has and makes him want things he has no right to anymore. All he has to do is suffer through this case and he can be free of her for good. But when Clayne finds out why Danica left in the first place, everything he’s tried to bury comes roaring back—and there’s no way this wolf shifter is going to let her get away this time.

Paige Tyler is the USA Today bestselling author of sexy, romantic fiction. She and her very own military hero (also known as her husband) live on the beautiful Florida coast with their adorable fur baby (also known as their dog). Paige graduated with a degree in education, but decided to pursue her passion and write books about hunky alpha males and the kickbutt heroines who fall in love with them. Visit www.paigetylertheauthor.com.

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1yrfkcH

Apple: http://bit.ly/1sqM3MF

BAM: http://bit.ly/1tZFgIl

B&N: http://bit.ly/1mt7rxS

Chapters: http://bit.ly/1CiPNRB

Indiebound: http://bit.ly/1oi6CDQ

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1pdr2xU

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Paige Tyler, Author of Her Lone Wolf appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Carla Kelly is celebrating the release of Softly Falling, a historical romance set in Wyoming.  She stopped by the virtual offices to share Lily’s winter survival kit with us.

Top 5 items in Lily’s winter survival kit by Carla Kelly: 

Bits of food for the school’s pack rat

Copy of Ivanhoe and Ben-Hur, because Lily has been put in charge of morale.

A lady’s pair of long johns, because her English underwear won’t do in a Wyoming winter

Hand hatchet for busting up furniture to burn

A railroad timetable, with San Francisco underlined and circled in red.

And a bonus: slivers of wood soaked in coal oil for fire-starting purposes.

About the book:

Beautiful Lily Branson learns that her wayward father has lost his Wyoming cattle ranch in a card game to handsome cowboy Jack Sinclair, no less! When a series of deadly winter storms sets in, Lily and Jack must work together to save the cattle—as well as their hearts.

About the author:

Carla Kelly is a veteran of the New York and international publishing world. The author of more than thirty novels and novellas for Donald I. Fine Co., Signet, and Harlequin, Carla is the recipient of two Rita Awards (think Oscars for romance writing) from Romance Writers of America and two Spur Awards (think Oscars for western fiction) from Western Writers of America. She is also a recipient of a Whitney Award for Borrowed Light and My Loving Vigil Keeping.

To order, click on the cover:

The post Guest Post: Carla Kelly, Author of Softly Falling appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Please welcome Sally Orr to the virtual offices this morning as she takes over the control panel!

Top 5 books you would never find in Ross’ library by Sally Orr

1. What to do when there are two.

2. The effects of a wicked smile upon female resistance.

3. Methods that allow you to keep your boots on.

4. How to make a proper introduction memorable.

6. Ten top tips for amorous congress.

The Rake’s Handbook (Including Field Guide)

By Sally Orr

Sourcebooks Casablanca

November 4, 2014

ISBN: 9781492602118

Mass Market Paperback $7.99/£5.99

Synopsis

The definitive guide to seduction…

The Rake’s Handbook was written on a dare, and soon took the ton by storm. Now its author, Ross Thornbury, is publicly reviled by the ladies—who are, of course, forbidden to read the handbook—but privately revered by the gentlemen. Unfortunately, Ross’s notoriety is working against him and he flees London painfully aware of the shortcomings of his own jaded heart.

Spirited young widow Elinor Colton lives next to Ross’s country estate. She’s appalled not only by his rakish reputation, but also by his progressive industrial plans. Elinor is sure she is immune to Ross’s seductive ways. But he keeps coming around…impressing her with his vision for England’s future and stunning her with his smiles.

How does one resist the man who wrote the manual on love?

Author Bio

Sally Orr worked for thirty years in medical research, specializing in the discovery of gene function. After joining an English history message board, she posted many, many examples of absolute tomfoolery. As a result, a cyber-friend challenged her to write a novel. Since she is a hopeless Anglophile, it’s not surprising that her first book is a Regency romance. Sally lives with her husband in San Diego, surrounded by too many nerdy books and not enough old English cars.

Buy Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BAM | !ndigo | IndieBound | iBooks

Social Media

Author Website http://www.sallyorr.com/

Twitter @OrrSally

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SallyOrrWriter

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5268402.Sally_Orr

Rafflecopter HTML – For 3 copies of The Rake’s Handbook: Including Field Guide (3 winners)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Sally Orr, Author of The Rake’s Handbook appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Please welcome Ashlyn Macnamara back to the virtual offices!

Thank you to Manga Maniac Cafe for once again having me. For today’s post, I was asked to present the top five complaints Viscount Lindenhurst’s staff has about their employer. There’s only one minor problem with that. When I asked, no one wanted to complain. Not, I hasten to add, because Viscount Lindenhurst is the model employer. It’s just…

Maybe I should let a few of his servants tell you a bit more.

Mrs. Carstairs, the housekeeper: His lordship doesn’t hold with gossip, and that’s a fact. It’s more than my job is worth to complain about him, lest word get back to him. He nearly gave me the sack just before he married, in fact. I don’t want to take a risk like that again.

Smithers the butler: I’d say it’s perfectly understandable, given the man’s history, why he dislikes gossip. There was, after all, that unfortunate incident involving his first wife.

Mrs. Carstairs: Hush! Do you want to get us all in trouble?

Smithers: All I’m saying is the man’s set in his ways. And he likes to run an efficient household the way he was used to in the military.

Regan the head groom: For my part, I’ve no complaint with my job. If only his lordship would remain on his horse when he tours the grounds, rather than dismounting and finding himself unable to get back on. Due to his bad leg, you know.

Smithers: When did he ever do such a foolish thing?

Regan: Oh, not long after he hired Miss Sanford, now his wife. She told me all about it when she brought his horse back to the stables for him. His lordship was too proud to send for help. Insisted on limping his own way back up to the house, he did.

Mrs. Carstairs, sniffing: I can see Miss Sanford didn’t pay heed to my warnings against gossip.

Regan: Hardly matters now, does it, since they’ve married.

Mrs. Carstairs: Humph. She looks over her shoulder and leans closer. If you ask me, the pair of them spend entirely too much time locked up in that office of his. It’s positively scandalous. But you didn’t hear that from me. Anyone asks, I will deny it outright.

What a Lady Demands

The Eton Boys Trilogy # 2

By: Ashlyn Macnamara

Releasing November 4th, 2014

Loveswept

Blurb

Readers of Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Sabrina Jeffries will love Ashlyn Macnamara’s novel about a smoldering new love that is threatened by past betrayals.

Viscount Lindenhurst cannot seem to find a governess who meets his impossible standards—until Cecelia Sanford becomes the first woman to interrupt the widower’s brooding in years. Lind had returned home from the Napoleonic wars, broken in body and soul and longing for his wife’s embrace, only to find her changed. Before they could reconcile, an accident struck their son and claimed her life. Now enter Cecelia, with her soft curves and sharp tongue—a tempting distraction, it is true, but not a welcome one.

Past the usual marrying age and haunted by a scandal of her own, Cecelia soon finds herself caring for both the child and the man. The viscount is brittle and even abrupt at times, yet she cannot deny the attraction that stirs her body in his presence. Moved by the deep sense of abandonment that tortures his soul, Cecelia aches to fully awaken Lind’s heart from its rancorous slumber—if she can just keep their pasts from destroying a second chance at love.

Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/08/what-lady-demands-eton-boys-trilogy-2.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22084227-what-a-lady-demands?from_search=true

Buy Links : Amazon | Barnes | iBooks | Kobo

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=What%20a%20Lady%20Demands

B&N:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-a-lady-demands-ashlyn-macnamara/1119471246?ean=9780553393767

iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/what-a-lady-demands/id877155426?mt=11

Kobo:

http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/what-a-lady-demands

Author Info

Ashlyn Macnamara is the author of What a Lady Craves, A Most Devilish Rogue, and A Most Scandalous Proposal. She lives in the wilds of suburbia outside of Montreal with her husband and two teenage daughters. When not writing, she looks for other excuses to neglect the housework, among them knitting, reading, and wasting time on the Internet in the guise of doing research.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Website: http://ashlynmacnamara.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAshlynMacnamara

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ashlyn_mac

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6452992.Ashlyn_Macnamara

Rafflecopter Giveaway ($25.00 eGift Card to Choice Book Seller and Loveswept Mug & Tote)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Ashlyn Macnamara, Author of What a Lady Demands appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Sandra Jones dropped by the virtual offices to share a guest post and a giveaway! Check it out!

The top 5 things you would NEVER find in Rory’s cabin:

1. Cheap cigars or whiskey. Rory likes only the finest things between his lips.

2. Books on card-playing. Please. Rory is a professional gambler. He knows every trick in the book—and even wrote a few.

3. Books in general. Don’t get me wrong, Rory is an avid reader, but the past has made him wary of keeping books in his bedroom.

4. A map of the Mississippi River. Rory’s spent his entire life traveling these waters. He knows every cave, every tributary. Just ask him where to find the best fishing spots, saloons, or houses of ill-repute. This worldly riverboat captain knows all the “honey” holes.

5. An unloaded gun. Rory likes his pistols like he likes his women: warm, ready, and within reach. He keeps his gun belt by his bed. A lady is welcome in his bedroom, too. But she mustn’t dally too long. Rory sleeps alone, ready to kill his enemies if the need arises.

Her Wicked Captain

River Rogues #1

By: Sandra Jones

Releasing November 4, 2014

Samhain Publishing

Blurb

She played right into his hands.

Possessing uncanny people-reading skills like her mama, Philadelphia “Dell” Samuels has spent thirteen years in her aunt’s rustic Ozarks home, telling fortunes over playing cards and trying to pass as white. But the treacherous Mississippi River childhood her mama dragged her away from finally catches up to her on a steamboat captained by her old friend Rory Campbell.

Known to his crew as the Devil’s Henchman, Rory is a gambler in need of a miracle. Following the cold trail of his boss’s wife and bastard daughter, Dell, Rory has only one goal in mind: saving his crew from the boss’s cruelty by ruining him. The only one who can defeat the Monster of the Mississippi is the man trained to take his place. Rory’s convinced he can lure his boss into a high-stakes game against a rival, and with Dell’s people-reading skills, the monster will lose everything.

Under Rory’s tutelage and protection, Dell agrees to the tortured captain’s plan. Passion and peril quickly bring them together as lovers. But when Rory’s plan goes awry, the lives of the innocent depend on Dell’s ability to read the situation correctly—and hopefully save them all.

Link to Follow Tour: http://www.sandrajonesromance.com/events.html

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22922437-her-wicked-captain

Buy Links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Her-Wicked-Captain-River-Rogues-ebook/dp/B00M497W56/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410398050&sr=8-1&keywords=her+wicked+captain

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/her-wicked-captain-sandra-jones/1120006611?ean=9781619223752

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/her-wicked-captain

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/her-wicked-captain/id903379545?mt=11

Author Info

Historical romance author Sandra Jones was born and raised in Arkansas. She loves living in a cabin overlooking White River where she enjoys watching eagles and dreaming about the adventurous frontiersmen who once traveled past in steamboats. When she’s not reading, writing or researching, she’s the cook for her cranky old tom cat, her husband of more than 25 years, and her two grown sons. She also loves to chat with her fans.

Author Links

Website: http://www.sandrajonesromance.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandrajones.author

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SJonesRomance

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/SandraJones

Rafflecopter Giveaway HTML (Please See Rafflecopter for Description)

Rafflecopter

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Sandra Jones, Author of Her Wicked Captain appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

This morning, Lillian Marek shares travel tips from Lady Elinor, the charming protagonist from her new release, Lady Elinor’s Wicked Adventures.  Be sure to enter the giveaway, too.

As the daughter of a marquess, Lady Elinor never needs to worry about the minor details of existence. There are always servants about to see to it that she has clean undergarments, the proper stays, and nightgowns and wrappers. Better still, she never needs to figure out how she will fit several months’ worth of clothing and etceteras into one suitcase and a carryon. She can always have another trunk, and there will always be someone to carry it for her. (Wouldn’t that be a wonderful way to travel?)

However, there are a few things she needs to check for herself.

1. The first item Lady Elinor should have is a hatpin. This is not for keeping her hats in place, but for defending herself should a gentleman fail to behave like a gentleman. As she explains to Harry, “It really doesn’t matter where you stab. Gentlemen are always so startled that they jump back.” The remaining items are also weapons of a sort. Lady Elinor needs the right clothing. For one thing, she knows how important the right garments are for a young lady’s confidence. More important, the right clothing will see to it that she is treated they way she wants to be treated.

2. She and her mother designed their own matching outfits for exploring Etruscan tombs. They had no intention of sitting decorously under a tree while them menfolk had all the fun, and hoop skirts would be impossible in a tomb. So they created for themselves costumes with a divided skirt and a close-fitting jacket. Elinor thinks hers makes her look quite dashing.

3. There is also a more conventional riding habit in her trunk, so that she doesn’t shock her hosts unnecessarily. Lady Elinor knows that it is only sensible to behave conventionally when it doesn’t inconvenience you too much. She likes this outfit because the hat has a plume that curves down around her cheek and looks particularly attractive.

4. Then there is the ball gown she ordered in Paris from Mr. Worth. He was just starting out as a couturier, but Elinor and her mother know style when they see it. This gown is simply gorgeous, and the color of the aquamarine silk matches her eyes. She is certain that it will make Harry take notice.

5. Her pretty parasol of white Battenberg lace also makes the journey. It won’t be of any use when crawling around in a tomb, but a girl never knows when she may need to look delicate and fragile.

Harry de Vaux, Viscount Tunbury, has loved Lady Elinor Tremaine for as long as he can remember—but is convinced that his past makes him unworthy of her. He agrees to accompany the Tremaine family to Italy to explore Etruscan ruins, even if it chips away at his resolve to stay away from the delightful woman he loves.

The intrepid Lady Elinor is caught up in the Victorian fervor for exploring distant lands. But during her travels she is thrown back into the company of an old friend, Harry de Vaux. Amid the sightseeing and treasure hunting, Elinor comes to realize that she wants far more from Harry than friendship. But when a dangerous discovery leaves them fighting for their lives, it might just be too late…

Lillian Marek was born and raised in New York City (the center of the universe). At one time or another she has had most of the interesting but underpaid jobs available to English majors. After a few too many years in journalism, she decided she prefers fiction, where the good guys win and the bad guys get what they deserve.

Available Now:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1rNzW7e

Apple: http://bit.ly/1t9yhv6

BAM: http://bit.ly/1n1LS2d

B&N: http://bit.ly/1oJDF8n

Chapters: http://bit.ly/1p6aEmz

Indiebound: http://bit.ly/1yRbaWv

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1tOj1ar

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Guest Post and Giveaway: Lillian Marek, Author of Lady Elinor’s Wicked Adventures appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

Please welcome CC Hunter to the virtual offices this morning!

Top 5 things Della Won’t Leave Home Without by CC Hunter

1. Her bra. Not for the support, but for the extra padding.

“You finally got some boobs, young lady,” her aunt said.

“It’s a padded bra.” Della tried to tease back, but the humor fell short when she realized how much she’d missed her aunt. How much she missed her old life.

2. Water proof mascara. Della hates looking weak. In Eternal she’s driven to tears more than she wants to admit. Yet even if she cries, she doesn’t want the evidence hanging around.

She stepped to the side, out of his embrace, and swatted at the tears on her face. “We should go see if anyone is home,” she said, working to keep her voice from shaking.

He nodded, stepping closer, and with one finger, he wiped away a tear she must have missed. “It’s going to be okay. Believe me.”

She turned and started walking. Then a realization hit.

Hit hard.

Hit fast.

She did believe him. But she didn’t know what “okay” was, or what it meant. Because everything in her life was changing.  Again. And she hated change

3. Her sense of humor even when she’s upset.

“You’re giving me the silent treatment. So let’s just talk about it,” Chase said.

She hadn’t purposely not spoken to him. She went back to reading.

“Did you hear me?” he asked.

“Yes and no.”

“What?” he asked, confused.

“Yes, I heard you, and no, I don’t want to talk about . . . ‘it.’”

“You can’t be pissed at me about that.”

“Sure I can,” she seethed in a low voice.

“You’re not being fair.”

“Where did you get the idea I was fair?”

4. Her kickbutt attitude.

“You show up in the middle of the night, at our graveyard, with your girl toy there and expect us to believe you’re on official business?” The redheaded were said.

The girl toy comment just about did her in. Della growled and her canines came out to play.

“She’s not a toy.” Burnett’s eyes now glowed a lime green. “Show me your registration papers and tell your mouthy friend to back down.”

“Do as he says.” The head of the pack pulled out his wallet. Della saw the redhead pull something out of his pocket. She spotted the tiny little problem immediately. It wasn’t a wallet.

With a speed she didn’t know possible, she bolted forward. Before he could say “uncle,” or even think to say “uncle,” she’d knocked him down to his knees.

She snatched the knife from the were’s hand then pushed him face down on the grass.

The were raised his head back. Della saw the bright orange color of his eyes reflected on the ground. “I had to get my knife out to get to my card,” he growled.

“Yeah, and Girl Toy had to take it away from you,” Della snapped back.

5. Her sharp tongue and her sassy way with words.

Chase kicked at a rock on the ground. The pebble soared through the air and hit a tree with a dead thump. “So I’m the bad guy for wanting to save your life?”

She leaned in. “You’re the bad guy for not being up-front. And you’re still doing it.”

His mouth tightened, and he crossed his arms over his chest. “Okay. I didn’t tell you everything. Be mad at me for that. But you can’t just ignore me or the fact that we’re bonded. You feel it. I feel it. You can’t deny it.”

“Watch me. I’m good at denying shit!” She seethed and darted around him to start back.

“God, you’re stubborn!” he called out then again appeared in front of her.

She came to an abrupt stop, slamming her hands on his chest to stop from falling face forward. He caught her by the waist. Gently. His touch sent her heart racing this time.

“Either tell me the truth or leave,” she said, stepping out of his embrace. It was her last ultimatum. “Who are you working with besides the Vampire Council, and don’t tell me no one, because my bullshit detector goes off every time you tell me that.”

Thank you for the opportunity to blog. I hope you all enjoy Eternal.

“Spectacular! I love Della’s sarcastic and yet deeply sensitive perspective and can’t wait to see how things unfold for her.”—Fresh Fiction

Just when Della feels like she’s starting to figure out her life, she finds herself

Della’s secret powers always made her feel like an outsider in the human world. Now, just when she’s starting to feel like she belongs—at Shadow Falls, a camp for teens with paranormal powers—her life is turned upside down all over again. Attacked by a deadly virus, she must make the difficult choice to be reborn. It’s her only chance at survival, but it comes with a price: It irreparably bonds her to Chase, a tall, dark and mesmerizing vampire who makes her laugh one minute and infuriates her the next.

Chase already knows too many of Della’s secrets, and being eternally bonded to him is the last thing she wants. Even worse, she doesn’t fully understand what their bond means. Is the attraction she’s started feeling for Chase real—or does fate have something else in store? And what does that mean for Steve, the hot shapeshifter whose kisses make her weak in the knees? Now Della’s battered heart is about to take another hit. While investigating her latest case, she discovers shocking evidence about her father’s dark past, making her question everything she believes to be true…and her place in the world she loves.

The post Guest Post: CC Hunter, Author of Eternal appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.