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Contains Spoilers!

Polly Parker has things good in deadly chaos after the zombie apocalypse.  She’s snug as a bug in a secure building in Chicago, just waiting for the wakers to die.  She occasionally ventures outside to give herself something to do, and when the mathematician runs into Tye LeBow, she turns her cushy life on end.  Letting Tye into her home, and her life, is a huge risk for Polly, one that she’s very careful about making.  The last time she tried to help someone, she was viciously assaulted, proving that the zombies aren’t the only monsters prowling the streets.

Tye is just looking for his partner, Jackson (you can read about her adventures in Waking Up Dead – highly recommended!) when he runs into Polly and almost gets himself blown to bits in the process.  The two form an uneasy alliance after escaping from a mob of zombies.  Impressed by Polly’s bravery, as well as how she’s been able to hide for the past two years, he is still apprehensive that her luck won’t hold out forever.  When her safe haven is overrun, the two head south to the refuge camp in Laredo, dodging danger and death every step of the way.

I really liked Polly.  She’s a nerd, but she’s a bomb-making, sharp-shooter kind of a nerd.  She has believable fears about being eaten by zombies, but when it comes time to save someone, she’s there with her gun and her grit.  She was a nice match for Tye, but I thought he was just a little too good to be true.  He’s ruthless with his ax, but he’s kind, gentle, and possesses a positive attitude that I would be hard pressed to match in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.

I really enjoyed this up until the point Polly was bitten, and then it didn’t hold my attention as well.  The secondary characters weren’t appealing either.  Seb’s character was inconsistent, and I didn’t buy into his mistake that allowed the zombies to escape from his lab.  Jackson just grated here, while I loved her in Waking Up Dead, and Luke was completely under-utilized here.  He was pretty much just Jackson’s arm candy, which was disappointing. 

The action up to Tye and Polly reaching Laredo was blistering, and what I enjoy best about zombie books.  They were constantly on the run, dodging from evermore cunning monsters that want nothing more than to eat them.  Their flight from Chicago is tense and nerve-wracking, and kept me turning the pages.

Then they get to Laredo and everything came to a screeching halt.  If you are more interested in the possible recovery from a devastating zombie virus, than this will be right up your alley.  Seb, a scientist, believes he finally has the key to manufacturing a cure for the plague that has brought a bloody and violent end to the world.  I found the lab time tedious and wasn’t as engaged in that aspect of the story.

Grade: B-

Review copy provided by publisher

About the book:

After surviving the zombie apocalypse for two years, Tye LeBow never expected to be saved from a hungry gang of zombies by a geek with a bad attitude and a penchant for explosives. Tye can’t quite work out why scientist Polly Parker saved him. She doesn’t want his protection, and she certainly doesn’t want his company. But Tye has no intention of leaving the beguiling geek behind.

Polly doesn’t want to leave her home, but when the wakers begin to show signs of a burgeoning intelligence, heading south is the only option. With a car packed full of homemade explosives, and Tye’s very large axe, they are ready for the road trip of their lives.

Bombs and blades aren’t the only keys to survival–they’ll need to rely on each other, in a way that neither could have imagined…

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May Contain Spoilers

Review:

When Victoria James asked if I wanted to review her latest release, I had to think about it for all of about 2 seconds.  I have read and enjoyed the other Red River books, so I was eager to jump into The Doctor’s Fake Fiancée.  I’ll admit that I’m always nervous to accept requests from authors, because what if I don’t like their book?  I’m happy to report that once I started this one, I wasn’t concerned about that any longer.  While not every aspect of the story worked for me, most of it pushed all the right buttons.

Grace is a single mother struggling to raise her son without help from anyone.  Her mother, her only source of support, passed away, leaving her with no one to rely on.  Her ex walked out on her while she was pregnant, and even her father is a distant memory.  He walked out on her, too, when she was a young girl, leaving her mother to raise her by herself.  Grace has never had much, but she works hard and provides a loving home for her son. 

The story begins with a terrible car accident; both Grace and Christopher are trapped in her car, with the fiery wreck of a truck threatening to blow at any moment.  Thankfully, Dr.  Evan Manning comes to their rescue, saving both mother and son.  Evan and Christopher are injured during the ordeal, and Evan’s surgical career is over. 

A year later, Grace has managed to locate Evan.  She wants to thank him for saving her and Christopher.  Evan is filling in at the clinic in his hometown of Red River, and he’s hating every minute of it.  He longs for the fast-paced environment of the ER.  The slow pace of the clinic, and the nosy patients, are driving him batty.  He’s not much of a people person, and one of the things he missed least about his hometown is how everyone feels the need to know everyone else’s business.  He’s even so grumpy that the clinic’s long-term receptionist quits and walks out on him.

When Grace and Christopher appear, he’s less than pleased.  He doesn’t want to remember the accident that robbed him of his career.  But then he realizes that maybe their timing is perfect.  He needs a replacement receptionist, and Grace has worked in clinics previously.  He offers Grace a job, as well as a temporary gig – all she has to do is pretend to be his fiancée.  He’s applied for a job as the CEO of a chain of plastic surgery clinics.  It’s not the high pressure excitement of the O.R., but it should be challenging and keep him from losing his mind  to boredom.  To cement the position, he needs a wife.  Or a fiancée.   The company is very family oriented, and he wants all the leverage he can get, so Grace’s sudden appearance is timely.

This was probably the weakest plot point for me.  Grace is unemployed and has rent to pay and a young child to take care of, so I can see her being desperate enough to go along with Evan’s proposal.  He offers her a place to stay, offers to pay the rent on her Toronto apartment, and will even spring for a new wardrobe, because his fiancée is expected to look sophisticated and fashionable.  He’s a complete stranger, and yes, while he did save their lives a year ago, she doesn’t know him, and she can’t be sure that he’s trustworthy.  While I do love the fairy tale simplicity of this set up, I am just too suspicious accept him at face value this early in the game.

What I enjoyed most about The Doctor’s Fake Fiancée was Evan’s growth from a self-absorbed man who put his career before everything else in his life, into a man who learned the importance of family, friends, and roots.  Evan thought that all of the answers to his dissatisfaction with his life would be found in Toronto, as the CEO of Medcorp.  Nothing else mattered to him but snagging that job.  Not his brothers or their wives or their children, or the many people who tried to get him to open up to them and accept how important he was to the community.  For such a smart guy, it takes him an awfully long time to realize what really mattered, and that a big fat paycheck and a lifetime of shuffling around papers wasn’t it.  Evan’s life before he met Grace was so empty and devoid of emotion, it’s no wonder he had a hard time connecting with his own feelings.  They had gone dormant, and it took the shock of a loving woman and a rambunctious boy to jolt them back to wakefulness.

The Doctor’s Fake Fiancée is a sweet, feel good read.  I enjoyed the Red River series,  and the author has become a favorite on my reading list.  I’m looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

Grade: B

Review copy provided by author

From Amazon:

Their marriage bargain is just what the doctor ordered…

Former surgeon and self-professed life-long bachelor Evan Manning has one thing on his mind—to reclaim the career that a car accident stole from him. But when he’s forced to return to his hometown of Red River, Evan comes face-to-face with the gorgeous woman who’s haunted his dreams for the last year—the woman he rescued from the burning car that injured his hand. Now Evan needs her help. In a month, he’ll have the job opportunity of a lifetime…he just needs a wife to get it.

Artist Grace Matheson is down on her luck again…until she walks into Evan Manning’s office. When her sexy former hero hears that she needs work, he offers her a job and a home—if she’ll pretend she’s his fiancée. Grace knows she shouldn’t fall for him. Once the month is up, Evan will be back to his old life. But the more time they spend together, the more real their feelings become—and the more likely heartbreak is.

The post Review: The Doctor’s Fake Fiancée by Victoria James appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

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I can't wait to get back to Florida and relax with the family on the beach. Yes. I'm a beach bum! I don't fix my hair or put on any make-up, it's just plain Jane me. Flip flops and all that. (Plus a few extra pounds, but whatever.) 

So far since the kiddo's school's out (Well, she's out for good. Now heading off to college. Boo hoo!), I really hadn't had time to kick back and chill out. I did, however, go to my publishers conference in Las Vegas, where I mixed business with pleasure. Mostly pleasure I'll admit.  (I tried posting pictures but they were all sideways. Sorry.)

I had a great time putting names to faces finally. I know many EP authors and staff but only from Twitter and FB. Oh, and I had the best roomie, Tonya Kuper, she's a YA author, and her book *Anomaly* comes out November 4th, 2014 with Entangled Teen. Can't wait to get my hands on this book. (Wish it were out now so I could read it on the beach. Darn. Maybe I could ask to beta-read it for her. Hint hint. or I'll have to take another beach trip in November. Plot Beach party!!!)

What else is going on? Let's see. If you hadn't heard me screaming from the Louisiana bayou, then you may not know about my Witch novel being acquired. Yep. My Vieux Carre' Witch sister series set in New Orleans got an offer last week. Not just 1 book, but also for book #2 and #3... I'm soooooo thrilled, and it still hasn't totally sunk in yet. I can't wait to see the cover. Love paranormal romance covers. I think this book will be out end of this year or early next. My first deadline is nine days away. (Let the fun begin.)

BUT, before BEWITCHING THE ENEMY (Book 1) comes out, I have another book (novella) that is releasing maybe August or September. It will be part of the new Entangled Publishing *Lovestruck* line.  (Y'all this line is going to be killer!)

This novella is fun and sexy, and part of the Vegas continuity series which includes, Gina Maxwell, Jade Lee w/a Kathy Lyons and me so far. Woot! (Can't believe I'm even mentioned in the same sentence with these two talented authors. My author idols!)  My slice of the series is titled, MASQUERADING WITH THE CEO, (though the title could change) it will be third to release.

And I'm just as excited about this book as I am with my Vieux Carre' Witch series. Probably because I can't wait to read all of these books and read about the surprise ending that none of the authors will know about until the very last author writes it. I think there will be about 20-30 Vegas books? Maybe. That's lots of fun! And sex! LOL 

Then while attending the publishing conference I find out more good news. I can't announce yet, but it's all good. (Those who attended the conference heard, if they were paying attention that is.)  2014 has been one of the best years for me writing wise and personal wise. Keep positive people. Whatever your dreams are - don't ever give up. Reach for what you want. Such as going on vacation to read on the beach. Can't wait! (Sharks stay away please!)

So what do you look forward to reading this summer?

Hugs,
Dawn
MASQUERADING WITH THE CEO, Entangled, Lovestruck (coming soon)
BEWITHING THE ENEMY, Entangled, Covet (coming soon)
DIAMONDS, Siren, B&N, Amazon Kindle (Out!)
NOT AN ANGEL, Kindle only (Out!)

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The post Spotlight – Entangled Scandalous May Releases! appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

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Edge, a digital-first single-title romance line from Entangled Publishing, takes its lead from their popular Select imprint but gives its novels an edge in the marketplace by bringing great stories to readers at reasonable prices in a quick-and-easy way. Whether sexy or sweet, traditional romance or love and lust with a women’s fiction bent, at the center of every Edge book is heart. From Urban Fantasy to Contemporary Romance to Science Fiction Romance, Edge has a book for all romance readers—and right at their fingertips! As they say, all’s fair in love and war. To find out more about their titles, chat with authors, participate in special events, and to find out what books are coming next, visit the Entangled website, follow them on Twitter, and like their Facebook page.

Today I’m happy to be featuring Edge’s April 21st releases!!

A Shot of Red by Tracy March

Special $0.99 Introductory Price!

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When biotech company heiress Mia Moncure learns her ex-boyfriend, the company’s PR Director, has died in a suspicious accident in Switzerland, Mia suspects murder. Determined to reveal a killer, she turns to sexy Gio Lorenzo, Communications Director for her mother, a high-ranking senator—and the recent one-night stand Mia has been desperate to escape. While negotiating their rocky relationship, they race to uncover a deadly scheme that could ruin her family’s reputation. But millions of people are being vaccinated, and there’s more than her family’s legacy at stake.

Giveaway

Undying Desire by Jessica Lee

Enclave #3

Special $0.99 Introductory Pricing!

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Eve Devonshire is a woman hiding in plain sight. Not completely human, but not quite a vampire, she’s accepted by neither race but is more powerful than both. To stay alive, Eve can’t trust anyone, including the alpha vampire with midnight eyes and a thirst for pain and submission. With her enemies nipping at her heels, Eve has Guerin cornered, and both are determined to get the answers they’re looking for or die trying… if they can fight their desires long enough.

Giveaway

The Perfect Hostage by Misty Evans

Special $0.99 Introductory Pricing!

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Sergeant John Quick has seen the worst in life, both personally and professionally, and long ago decided loving someone comes at too high a price. But when the woman of his dreams “kidnaps” him for a weekend affair with no strings attached, he can’t resist. The smoking-hot weekend turns deadly when John and Lucie are trapped during a blizzard and discover they’re not alone. Someone from their past has come hunting for revenge. Now John must become the perfect hostage in order to save Lucie’s life.

Giveaway

The post Spotlight and Giveaway–Edge April Releases! appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

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The Queen of Dirty Talking is back! Whether this is your first experience with Tessa Bailey’s dirty talking heroes or you’ve been following her all along, you don’t want to miss out on meeting Brent and Hayden. Their banter is witty, filled with sexual tension, and the sex itself is “fan-your-face” hot, according to an early review from USA Today Happily Ever After. Here’s a dirty talking snippet just for you guys: He leaned forward and spoke right against her ear. “Come for me right now and...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

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Interview with Michelle McLean

Do you write in different genres?

I do! I love writing in different genres. It lets me explore different aspects of creativity and work out different parts of my brain. I write historical, paranormal/urban fantasy, and contemporary romances, and educational non-fiction. Along with a bit of poetry and a picture book or two

If yes which is your favorite genre to write?

I really don’t have a favorite, unless you count romance But sub-genre-wise, I love them all. Historicals allow me to delve into the past which I absolutely love (my bachelors degree is in History). Paranormals and urban fantasies allow me to play around with the supernatural and other-worldly things which I also absolutely love. Contemporaries allow me to switch up my every day world a little. And my non-fiction allows me to tap into my analytical side and help people with educational matters, which I also really love. I’ve penned poetry since I was little, and have written several picture books for my kids that I still read to them. I can’t imagine not writing any of these.

How did you come up with the title for your latest book?

Wish Upon a Star was originally a fairy tale retelling that was a mashup of Pinocchio and Rumplestiltskin. Most of the fairy tale elements were taken out in edits, but my main character was based on the blue fairy and spends a lot of time wishing on stars

Do you title the book first or wait until after it’s complete?

I almost always title the book afterwards. I like to use a line or some words or a theme that is special to or prevalent in the book to use as a title and often that doesn’t come across until it is finished. The one exception is a novella I’m working on. I heard a line in a song that I just loved and built a book idea around it

What books/authors have influenced your life?

Victoria Holt has been my biggest influence. She was my first authorial love Once I graduated to novels (at a fairly young age) I read everything I could get my hands on. I was always raiding my mom’s shelves and she had a ton of Victoria Holt’s gothic romances. I fell in love with the genre immediately. And when I decided to write my own first novel that type of story was in my head. A historical romance full of romance, danger, and mystery I write other genres as well, but historical romances, especially gothic, will always be my first loves.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

One of the books I’m working on has several shape poems in it. Unfortunately, I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep them in there as it won’t show up correctly on all digital devices, but they are really fun to create. In the book, I have poems shaped like an hour glass, an ankh, a lightning bolt, a broken heart, a pyramid, an eye, a music note, and several others. Here is one, shaped to look like a drop of blood.

He holds

my face so tenderly,

in hands that had killed.

For me. Fingers gently touch

my cheeks. His lips kiss away my

tears, my blood. “Breathe,” he whispers.

His lips brush mine. “Just breathe.” I shudder,

my breath escaping at his command. “If you insist,”

I try to joke. Fail. Shouts fill the night air. “Go!” I cry.

“They mustn’t find you with me. Go!” He freezes, his storm

gray eyes on our hands, clasped between our pounding hearts.

The horror on his face mirrors that on my own. One last caress, so

bittersweet. He wavers. “Go,” I breathe. He steps back, back, raised

hand stained black with blood. Mine, his, theirs. His pained howl rips

through me, burning his image on my soul. “For you I’ll live,” I whisper,

unwilling to breathe, unable to stop. They will come for me, their hands

grasping, to return me to my clan. “Go!” I plead. One last look and he

runs, his tortured fury echoing through me, his pain my own. They

come, see me bathed in blood. “Who did this?” they ask. I shrink

from their touch. Gently they lift me, murmuring, “Let us help

you.” I swallow my protests, settle into their strong hands.

They ask, over and over, but I don’t speak. And they

don’t suspect. They take me home. I care not.

I’ll breathe because I promised I would.

But oh how it hurts. He is gone…

And…I…can’t…breathe....

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

The first draft. I’m horrible at first drafts. Editing, I love. I can revise very quickly and enjoy doing it. Pulling a first draft out of me is like yanking my own teeth. I’m not sure why, because I really love to get the stories down on paper. But those blank pages just staring at me are hard to fill sometimes. Give me a completed manuscript to polish up any day

When you’re not writing what do you do? Do you have any hobbies or guilty pleasures?

Mostly, I read I used to do a lot of cross-stitching and I play the piano. I love movies and spend a lot of late nights with my favorites. But mostly, I read

What is next for you? Do you have any scheduled upcoming releases or works in progress?

I have a non-fiction book on how to write poetry that should be releasing at the end of the year. And next year, the last book in the Blood Blade Sisters trilogy will be releasing, along with a new historical romance set in the 1920s that will come out next summer. I’m also working on the book with the shape poems and have a fairy tale retelling series I’ll be shopping around soon

 

Wish Upon a Star by Michelle McLean

ISBN: 9781622663323

Book Description:

Ceri McKinley never stopped wishing that her ex-fiancé Jason Crickett would come back into her life. But when he finally does, he comes with a request that puts them both—and all of humanity—into jeopardy.

Jason only wants two things: to bury his brother properly and to convince Ceri to trust him again after he jilted her. But when Ceri agrees to help him get his brother back, they end up fighting for their lives as a zombie uprising threatens them all.

Amazon BN Goodreads

Excerpt:

Jason sank down beside me and pulled me toward him, pressing a kiss against my temple.

“Are you okay?” he asked, brushing soot and a few burned leaves from my face and hair. The smell of burned plastic and singed hair coated everything. But it could have been worse.

I leaned against him for a moment before trying to push to my feet.

Jason stopped me. “Rest for a minute.” He reached into my backpack and pulled out another bottle of water.

I took it gratefully, gulping down half the bottle before handing it to him to finish off. When he was done, he bent down, kissing a drop of water from my lips. His hands cupped my face. “I’m sorry. For everything. All of it. Everything I put you through. These wasted years without you.”

“I’m sorry too.” I pulled away and looked up at him. “If we get through this—”

“When we get through this. Not if.”

I gave him a small smile and nodded, knowing he knew what I wanted to say without having to voice the words. “When we get through this, maybe we can talk. About things.”

He gave me one more lingering kiss. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“But for now,” I said, brushing a lock of hair from his forehead.

“Rain check?”

“Rain check.”

About the Author:

I grew up in California and have lived everywhere from the deserts of Utah to the tropical beaches of Hawaii to the gorgeous forests of the east coast. The oldest of five children, I am generally an organized mess with slight Obsessive Compulsive tendencies. I have a B.S. in History, a M.A. in English, an insatiable love of books, and more weird quirks than you can shake a stick at.

I am the author of Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers, (Career Press Jan 2011), To Trust a Thief (Entangled Scandalous Jan 2013), a historical romance trilogy Blood Blade Sisters (Entangled Scandalous 2013), and a zombie fairy tale retelling Wish Upon a Star (Entangled Ever After Oct 2013). In addition to my novels and non-fiction work, I write picture books and a bit of poetry. If I’m not editing, reading, or chasing my kids around, I can usually be found in a quiet corner working on my next book.

I currently reside in Pennsylvania with my husband and two young children, an insanely hyper dog, and two very spoiled cats.

Website: http://www.michellemcleanbooks.com/

Blog: http://michellemclean.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/michellemclean

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/michelle.m.mclean

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4253087.Michelle_McLean

Giveaway:

$20 Gift Card (Winner’s Choice: Amazon/B&N) & a “Wish” Necklace

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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13 Shocking Reasons Real People were Committed to a Lunatic Asylum  by Sarah Ballance

If you thought you had to get your crazy on to land in a place like Ruby Hill, you’d better think again.

The following list of reasons folks were locked up for “treatment” between 1864 and 1889 at the RUBY HILL-esque yet very real Trans-Alleghany Lunatic Asylum is absolutely true. (My commentary, however, may be prone to exaggeration.) (Source)

1. Bad Whiskey – I don’t know if this guy drank bad whiskey, sold bad whiskey, or manufactured bad whiskey, but you’ve got to feel for anyone forced to sober up a lunatic asylum. I’m pretty sure that type of residence is exactly where I’d most need whiskey, bad or otherwise.

2. Drospy – I admit I had to look this one up. It’s the old word for edema, which is what happens when you carry excess fluid. Basically this means if you’ve ever taken off your socks to find they’ve left dents in your legs, you could have been committed. Now THAT is lunacy.

3. Fighting Fire – Not setting them, but fighting them. Apparently firefighting in the 1800s wasn’t always considered the heroic profession we know it as today. And someone at the admissions desk is a pyromaniac.

4. Menstrual Deranged – What does that mean, exactly? Aside the menstrual part – we get that. Monthly, even. But deranged? We probably don’t want to know, but what do you want to bet a man came up with that one?

5. Masturbation for 30 Years – Erm, okay. But why THIS GUY and not EVERY OTHER GUY ON THE PLANET? I’m just sayin’….

6. Suppressed Masturbation – So what we’ve just learned is there is clearly a target zone for this particular activity—somewhere between once and 30 years’ worth. Good luck with that, boys.

7. Ill Treatment by Husband – Okay, so he’s a jerk so they lock HER up? I bet a man thought of that one, too. (I’m gaining a whole new appreciation for my fabulous husband, who—in over 16 years of marriage—has not once sent me to an asylum.)

8. Seduction and Disappointment – I’m not sure who was seduced in this scenario and who was disappointed, but apparently this was not the time to oversell oneself. (No wonder that one guy just stuck to masturbation for 30 years.)

9. Scarlatina (Scarlet Fever) – You there, with the contagious disease. Into the criminally over-crowded asylum. Yep, that’ll fix you. That will fix all of you. Muahahaha.

10. Medicine to Prevent Conception – To be fair, all forms of contraception were made illegal in the United States in 1873, so this was at least technically a crime. By the 1880s, though, there was a handy-dandy sausage casing device (yes, that would be animal intestine) alternative. Might have been worth a shot because…

11. Dissipation of Nerves – There’s nothing to indicate the dissipation of nerves was in any way related to conception rates, but my husband and I have six children (one of whom was conceived after I was surgically sterilized) and I’m telling you, asylum people. YOU CAN’T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS. It a classic inverse proportion, and if you don’t believe me just ask all those people who see me with six kids and immediately assume I’m crazy. But I digress.

12. Carbonic Acid Gas – I’m not sure of the particulars here, but just so y’all know, this is a byproduct of breathing. BREATHING WAS A CRIME.

13. Novel Reading – ERMAGERD, YOU GUYS. First we can’t breathe, and now they take away our novels! But fear not, for RUBY HILL is not a novel, but a novella. Which can only mean READING RUBY HILL WILL KEEP YOU OUT OF AN INSANE ASYLUM!

Okay, so my logic might be a bit flawed, LOL, but I’m going to distract you quickly so you won’t notice. ?

Here’s a related little historical twist that blew my mind.

In September, Entangled Scandalous released my historical romance, HER WICKED SIN, which is set during the Salem Witch Trials. Back then, the Salem in question was actually Salem Village, which has since been renamed Danvers. Danvers is home to the Danvers State Lunatic Asylum (reportedly one of the most haunted places in the world, and they turned it into APARTMENTS, y’all!), which sits on Hawthorne Hill, the very site of the gallows where the Salem witches were hanged. Nice little coincidence, right? But it gets better. Back in 2011—long before I’d given any thought to writing about the Salem Witch Trials or a haunted lunatic asylum—I had out there a little novella about a haunted house. Its name?

HAWTHORNE.

Mind. Blown.

Now that you’ve been properly wooed (yes-I-said-wooed), are you ready to dive into the dust, abandonment, terror—and yes, romance—of an abandoned mental institution? (Come on—you’ve got to see how the romance fits in there, right?) If so, I hope you’ll consider a dark, dangerous trek (or, you know, just click over) to your favorite e-tailer for the scoop on RUBY HILL!

PS: I’m probably hiking with grizzly bears as you read this, so bear (ha!) with me if I don’t respond immediately to your comments. I do look forward to your replies—and I have been promised nightly wifi—so if I’m not mauled, eaten, or otherwise incapacitated, I will SO come back for you! ?

Ruby Hill by Sarah Ballance

ISBN: 9781622662258

Book Description

From her earliest memories, Ashley Pearce has been drawn to Ruby Hill Lunatic Asylum, and she’s not the only one. Decades after the abandoned hospital ended its institutional reign of torture and neglect, something lurks in the shadows. Since she’s a paranormal investigator, it’s Ashley’s job to find out what.

Crime scene expert Corbin Malone doesn’t believe in ghosts. A born skeptic, he has no interest in entertaining the hype surrounding the mysterious deaths at Ruby Hill, but he won’t turn his back while more women die. He agrees to an overnight investigation, never expecting his first encounter would be with the woman he pushed away a year ago. But when he discovers Ashley is a target, he learns his greatest fear isn’t living with his own demons, but losing her for good.

Amazon BN Goodreads

Excerpt:
Death had a flavor. Equal parts bitter and bland, the damnable taste was more sickening than the stickiness in Corbin Malone’s throat. It soured his gut, leaving him with an unease he couldn’t quite swallow, and the deeper they drove into the countryside—the closer the car brought him to Ruby Hill Lunatic Asylum—the more potent the flavor. Five years a cop, he’d neatly sidestepped the ugly aftertaste until things got personal.

Until the body belonged to his brother, Cash.

Nearly six months had passed since Cash Malone fought for his last breath inside the dismal, abandoned halls of Ruby Hill. Though his body now rested six feet under a distant patch of cemetery grass, Ruby Hill remained his tomb—a giant, crouching headstone marring acres of otherwise beautiful, rolling hills. And for Corbin, a visage of murder.

About the Author:

Sarah and her husband of what he calls “many long, long years” live on the mid-Atlantic coast with their six young children, all of whom are perfectly adorable when they’re asleep. She never dreamed of becoming an author, but as a homeschooling mom, she often jokes she writes fiction because if she wants anyone to listen to her, she has to make them up. (As it turns out, her characters aren’t much better than the kids). When not buried under piles of laundry, she may be found adrift in the Atlantic (preferably on a boat) or seeking that ever-elusive perfect writing spot where not even the kids can find her.

She loves creating unforgettable stories while putting her characters through an unkind amount of torture—a hobby that has nothing to do with living with six children. (Really.) Though she adores nail-biting mystery and edge-of-your-seat thrillers, Sarah writes in many genres including contemporary and ghostly paranormal romance. Her ever-growing roster of releases may be found on Amazon , Barnes & Noble, Kobo, For the Muse Publishing, and ENTANGLED PUBLISHING.

Website: http://sarahballance.com

Blog: http://sarahballance.wordpress.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SarahBallance

Facebook: http://facebook.com/sarah.ballance.author.news

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4103362.Sarah_Ballance

Giveaway:

$25 Gift Certificate to winner’s choice of Amazon or Barnes & Noble AND Skelton Key blue Swarovski heart Art Nouveau necklace (US/Canada ONLY) (http://www.etsy.com/listing/88152504/silver-butterfly-key-blue-swarovski?ref=shop_home_active )

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[Manga Maniac Cafe] Good morning, Ruth, and welcome to Manga Maniac Cafe!  Can you please describe yourself in 140 characters or less.

[Ruth Browne] I’m a writer with escapist fantasies about lawyering.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about One Thousand and One Nights?

[Ruth Browne] It’s the story of a busty biker redhead blasting zombies with a shotgun. It’s also the story of a sharp-witted young woman looking out for her little sister in a hostile universe, spinning stories to keep hope alive. It’s a romance, in more ways than one (but also in the most important, pleasantly erotic way). It’s a retelling of the Persian legend of Scheherazade during a zombie apocalypse. 

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?

[Ruth Browne] I saw the Entangled ad for a zombified retelling of a fairytale, and took a few weeks to think about it. The mostly European Disney fairytales seemed pretty hackneyed, so I dismissed them. The 1001 Nights idea probably arrived via Aladdin, which is one of my favourite Disney movies. When it appeared in my head I pretended to ignore it so it would hang around. Pretty soon I was fleshing it out in my head, starting from the premise of being chained to the wall by an attractive man. The characters began as generic badasses of urban fantasy and developed from there. So, a combination of erotic daydreaming and Disney musicals. Forgive me.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Sheri?

[Ruth Browne] Brave, uninhibited, lonely.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If Aleksy had a theme song, what would it be?

[Ruth Browne] Iron Maiden – The Trooper. I stole it from Max Brooks, sorry Max.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Name one thing Sheri is never without.

[Ruth Browne] Her sense of humour.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things will you never find in Aleksy’s bedroom?

[Ruth Browne] Pretty pictures. Crime fiction. Boredom.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is Sheri’s greatest regret?

[Ruth Browne] Sheri tries to live without regret, but leaving Lebanon and her parents for the States as a child is a decision she really regrets, even though she had no control over it.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?

[Ruth Browne] Music, like the Beck track that plays in the van. Brilliant writers, like Gaiman and Miéville. And my own long-standing desire to write something I personally would want to read, especially in the genre of apocalyptic fiction. 

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things do you need in order to write?

[Ruth Browne] Time, inspiration and Ceylon tea.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What was your biggest distraction while working on One Thousand and One Nights?

[Ruth Browne] I was recovering from a death in the family. 1001 Nights was my distraction.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?

[Ruth Browne] Max Brooks’ World War Z. Detailed, fascinating, epic beyond belief. It froze my blood with horror. 

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?

[Ruth Browne] Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. I wrote an enthusiastic book review on it when I was six.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?

[Ruth Browne] Friendship and good times above all things, except food and sex.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How can readers connect with you?

[Ruth Browne] I’m on Goodreads, Twitter and Facebook so any contact is welcome.

https://twitter.com/browne_rh

https://www.facebook.com/onethousandandonecorpses?skip_nax_wizard=true

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7258617.Ruth_Browne

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Thank you!

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Guest Blog by E. J. Russell

My youngest (by eight minutes) son is a lifelong aficionado of the macabre. Nick’s favorite book in grade school was an oversized, cheerfully illustrated book on historical disasters (his favorite was – and still is – the Black Plague), and post-grade school, he graduated to all-things-Stephen-King.

It’s only natural, then, that when he was a senior at the local arts magnet high school, he and his friends decided to make a horror movie. Their script involved a too-good-to-be-true free vacation at a B & B that turned out to be the lair of cannibals. The location for the creepy isolated hotel?

Our house.

I didn’t know whether to be insulted or flattered.

True, the very remoteness of our out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere house can be alarming. We live on a six-mile-long, partially paved road, with no feeder streets – you can only enter from one end or the other. Our house, screened from the road by a stand of shaggy Douglas firs, sits at the back of a grove of ancient, gnarled walnut trees that have almost forgotten how to leaf out, and the blackberry brambles looming on either side of the bumpy driveway rival Sleeping Beauty’s daunting thorn hedge.

To my husband, this set-up is a dream come true. For him, our virtual fortress on the hill is the perfect sanctuary, a retreat where he never has to see a neighbor if he doesn’t want to. But for our extrovert daughter, who gets freaked out by the least hint of the weird, it’s a nightmare in the making. She avoids being home alone like she’d avoid Nick’s favorite disaster, and if for some reason she can’t, she turns on every light in the house. Every. Stinking. One.

Nick, pragmatic opportunist that he is, was perfectly willing to exploit the creep factor for his film, even though he’s just as quick to embrace the seclusion when he’s feeling anti-social.

My two heroes in Northern Light have a similar love/hate relationship with rural isolation.

For desperate painter Stefan, the remote cabin in the Oregon Coast Range, off the grid and hugged by the forest, is a refuge. There, away from the stress of his financial difficulties and the reminders of his personal failures, he finally has a chance to reconnect with his artistic vision and start to rebuild his shattered life.

But the solitude that Stefan finds so comforting nearly sends Luke, my art investigator, running for…well, not the hills. He hates those damn hills. For Luke, who once endured a disabling traumatic event in the mountains, safety is a well-populated sea-level community, where he can see the horizon whenever he looks out his window, and know that he’s not trapped.

So how about you? City dweller or country cousin? Hustle and bustle or peace and quiet? Or are you like Nick, who’ll take which ever one suits his mood at the moment?

Northern Light by E.J. Russell

ISBN: 9781622662845

Genre: M/M Romance

Book Description:

Nothing gives art fraud investigator Luke Morganstern a bigger rush than busting forgers, the low-life criminals who dare victimize true artists. But when his latest job sends him to a remote cabin in the Oregon Coast Range, he’s stunned to discover the alleged forger is his former lover, Stefan Cobbe, the most gifted painter Luke has ever known.

Stefan, left homeless and destitute after the death of his wealthy partner, doesn’t exactly deny the forgery — he claims he doesn’t remember, an excuse Luke can’t accept.

But Luke’s elderly client suggests Stefan may be telling the truth and presents another possibility – a dark presence in the woods, a supernatural fury simmering for decades. Luke must face down his fear of the uncanny – and admit his feelings for Stefan – if either of them is to survive.

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Excerpt:

Luke slammed the heel of his hand against his forehead. Shitgoddamnsonofabitch. He’d asked the fucking question. Now he’d have to listen to an answer he could never un-know. His chest heaved and he stared Stefan down, waiting for the words that would either damn him as a liar or condemn him as a forger. Either one would force Luke to choose between rebooting his career or destroying the man he’d once loved.

Stefan blinked. Blinked again, brows drawing together in a tight vee. "What?"

For some reason, maybe aftershocks from his Fiat-flashback or mortification that Stefan had witnessed his resultant freak-out, the bewildered affront on Stefan’s face kicked Luke into art investigator asshole mode. "Did you think you’d get away with the fake Arcolettis because he was a relative unknown? Because all his pieces except one are in private hands?"

"Who the hell is Arcoletti?"

Luke guffawed, sounding unpleasant even to himself. "Good one."

"No. I mean it. Who’s Arcoletti?"

"Jeremiah Arcoletti. American realist painter. Disappeared in 1945 along with all thirteen canvases from his last collection.” Luke’s eyes popped wide. "Holy shit. That’s it, isn’t it? The lost collection." He poked Stefan’s shoulders with stiff fingers, peripherally aware arguing in the middle of a dark mountain road was ridiculous and possibly suicidal, but he didn’t give a flying fuck. They’d finish this now. "Is that your plan? Recreate the lost collection out here in your little studio in the big woods?"

"Stop it." Stefan batted Luke’s hand away, his gaze fixed on the ground, avoiding the question. Pleading the artistic Fifth. Last refuge of the guilty.

"Where’d you see his work? The museum in Amsterdam? Hell, in all those years of prancing around with Marius, you could have seen every fricking one of the privately held pieces. Marius had the connections for it. You could toss his name around to get access to the Gordon letters too. Damn it." He dropped his arms, suddenly spent. "The Stefan I knew would have cut off his hands before he’d counterfeit another artist’s work. What’s happened to you?"

"What hasn’t?" Stefan’s eyes were wide, his pupils huge in the combined light of headlights and flashlight. "But I swear. I’ve never heard of this Arcoletti."

"No? Then tell me. What’s coming off your easel these days? Studies in Monochrome? The Picture of Oregon Gray?”

"I…I don’t know."

The feeble disavowal flipped Luke’s asshole switch back on. "Don’t give me that shit. You don’t paint with your eyes closed."

"No. I just…" Stefan’s voice was hoarse, and he clutched his flashlight to his belly, casting warped, inverted shadows across his face and distorting his features into a death’s-head mask. "I’ve been painting, but I don’t remember them. I’m not even sure how many there are."

"Artistic amnesia? Bullshit. You must have seen them when you handed them over to Boardman."

Stefan shook his head and pinched his eyes closed. "Thomas always loaded them into his car. I never looked. Not after…not when they were finished."

"Why? Guilt?"

"No. I was afraid…" Stefan wrapped his arms across his stomach, pointing the flashlight into the woods, and his face was his own again, drawn and haunted.

"Afraid of getting caught?"

"Afraid of what I’d paint next," he whispered.

Luke’s lips twisted. "Denial. It’s what’s for dinner. No wonder you’re so fricking thin."

"Why is everything black and white for you, Luke? Let in some color, for Christ’s sake." Stefan forked the fingers of one hand through his hair. "Even a little gray would be a change."

Luke refused to allow the broken edge of Stefan’s voice to influence him. He’d let sentiment sway him once before and it had cold-cocked his career. "Right or wrong, Stef. It’s not that tough a choice."

"Fine." Stefan raised his head and met Luke’s gaze, his shoulders shifting as if bracing for a blow. "You’ve already made up your mind, as usual. Go ahead. Turn me in to the art police."

Luke searched Stefan’s face for some flicker of remorse, some acknowledgement he accepted the enormity of his crime. Nothing. Only the droop of his lips and a telltale glitter in his eyes, hinting at unshed tears. "Can you give me a reason not to?"

Stefan’s breath caught in what might have been a laugh if his face weren’t so bleak. "Guess not." He saluted Luke with a middle finger. "Enjoy your drive."

Stefan strode uphill, the beam of his flashlight bouncing from road to hillside, and Luke’s last trace of adrenaline drained away. He sighed, deep and exhausted.

The lousy car sat perpendicular to the road, driver’s door ajar. If he was lucky, he’d manage to creep down the hill by midnight. He shut the damn door before the brainless chime of the key alarm drove him nuts and leaned his forehead against the car roof, the beaded rain icy against his heated skin.

"Shit."

About the Author:

E.J. Russell holds a BA and an MFA in theater, so naturally she’s spent the last three decades as a financial manager, database designer and business intelligence consultant. She returned to her childhood love of writing fiction after her twin sons learned to drive and she no longer spent half her waking hours ferrying them to dance class.

Her daily commute now consists of walking from one side of her office to the other — from left-brain day job to right-brain author cave — where she’s perfected the fine art of typing with a cat draped across her wrists and a dog attached to her hip. Her stories include gay and straight characters because her life includes gay and straight characters (as does everyone’s).

E.J. lives in rural Oregon with her curmudgeonly husband, enjoys visits from her wonderful adult children, and indulges in good books, red wine, and the occasional hyperbole.

Website: http://www.ejrussell.com

Blog: http://ejrussell.com/bloggery

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ej_russell

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/E.J.Russell.author

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/ej_russell

Giveaway:

The Oregon Chill-chaser bundle: (US ONLY)

Mystic Water handwarmer mug from Clay in Motion Pottery

9.5 oz Dark Hot Chocolate mix from Moonstruck Chocolatiers

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Author Interview with Jan Coffey (aka May McGoldrick, aka Nikoo and Jim McGoldrick)

Q. What inspired you to become an author?

We’ve always been writers and readers! Nikoo used to write stories for her grade school friends. After high school, being very good at math and sciences, she was encouraged to go to engineering school. After all, that was where the JOBS were. So she did…and tucked away her love of writing (in a safe spot) in favor of her immediate responsibilities. Later on, writing took a backseat to paying a mortgage and raising a family. She never lost her love of storytelling, though.

Jim wrote poetry and ‘007’ skits for the other kids in the neighborhood. He later became an English major and at least tried to stay in touch with his desire to write. In fact, after finishing college he wrote a screenplay that almost sold to Robert Redford’s production company. But real life again interfered with dreams as he pursued a career in a submarine shipyard before going back to school and getting his PhD some ten years later.

Q. Why did you decide to write together?

After our younger son successfully came through heart surgery as an infant, we found ourselves reassessing our lives and our goals. We have always been storytellers and readers, and we decided to try writing a short story together. That story, a prizewinner in a national writing contest, was the first step. The next step, naturally, was a full-length historical novel!

Q. You are somewhat unique in that you are a married writing team. How well does that work for you, and what are the pluses and minuses?

We can no longer even imagine writing separately. In our nonfiction book, Marriage of Minds: Collaborative Fiction Writing, we talk about the difficulties and the delights of working together, but we can tell you that the joys outweigh the hardships by a mile…at least for us. To sum it up, everything comes down to our ability to separate the work from the person. We came to the realization early on that just because we don’t like a passage or a paragraph or a chapter that our partner wrote, that doesn’t mean we don’t like THEM. Another thing that has made our writing career possible is that we had a solid foundation in our marriage (thirteen years!) before we started collaborating on our fiction.

Q. What is the biggest challenge and the biggest pleasure about writing as a team? Do you each have a particular area of specialty in the writing?

Two heads being better than one should be the theme song for every collaborative writing team. You are never alone. You always have someone to talk over your ideas with. But of course, having two heads doesn’t necessarily mean that you have twice the brain… or that you can write twice as fast. Also, feeding times are difficult…bathroom times are hell.

The biggest pleasure that we’ve found in the actual act of writing is the feeling of complementing each other. While we don’t really have specialty areas, Nikoo could be characterized as the screenwriter type (she loves writing dialogue), and Jim is more the poet type (he loves imagery and language, descriptive passages… he also loves sleeping in late, long walks on the beach, old movies… anything to keep from working.)

Q. Do you write in different genres?

We do. Our choice of historical romance was simple… Jim had the historical information from his dissertation work and his PhD, and Nikoo had the stories. And we’re both fervent believers in satisfying endings! So May McGoldrick was born.

After more than a dozen historical romances under our belt, we pursued romantic suspense and suspense thrillers under the name Jan Coffey.

Our decision to write nonfiction grew out of our desire to help other writers who might be looking for an alternative way to successfully tell their stories. Also, we’re teachers, so many of our handouts and exercises went into our Step Write Up collection.

We also write young adult under both names.

Q. How did you come up with the story for Mercy? Is the book, the characters, or any scenes based on a true life experience, someone you know, or events in your own life?

For many years we lived in Newport, Rhode Island. Our house was an early nineteenth-century home that was rumored to be haunted by two sisters—very friendly ghosts. During our years living there, we experienced some strange things. There were many occasions when our dog would wag his tail and bark excitedly at an empty doorway. Also, our toddler would smile and wave his hand at the same invisible people that we couldn’t see. Doors closed on their own. There were creaks in the old plank floors after we go to bed. On one occasion, Nikoo was baking in the kitchen when a cold hand touched her face. She turned to find the baby monitor had gone off. Running upstairs, she found our son was choking in his crib. To this day, we credit the sisters for saving our child’s life.

An old seaport town, Newport is famous for the ghosts of pirates and seamen and the families that they were left behind. There are stories of executed buccaneers being buried on the shore below the high tide line so the souls would never rest as the waves washed across the sands. There are so many ghost stories about the historical homes on the island.

Our novella Mercy was pieced together from many of those stories. An inn on the bluffs, a widow’s walk on a house on another corner of the island, an angry ghost who unsettled every occupant of the home she haunted. Isn’t this the way all stories are born?

Q. Do you title the book first or wait until after it’s complete?

We start with a working title. The final book title always goes through a constant revision because the two of us have to agree. That often takes some negotiating before deciding on the final name. Of course, there have been many instances when the marketing departments at our publishers have changed the title in the eleventh hour. We still get letters from fans saying, “Why can’t I find a copy of the novel Jeweled Cup that was advertised in the back of one of your earlier works?” Jeweled Cup became Flame. And that is another ghost story, but set in the Scottish highlands…

Q. Do you have any scheduled upcoming releases or works in progress?

We have been working on Road Kill (working title) about a small-town Connecticut photographer that discovers crime scene photos are mixed in with her work—pictures of a slayings that have not yet been discovered. As the result, she becomes the center of a police investigation and the target of a killer’s obsession.

We love to hear from our readers. So please stay in touch.

Nikoo & Jim

www.JanCoffey.com

Mercy by Jan Coffey

ISBN: 9781622663347

Book Description:

Julia Klein’s life has begun to unravel—her daughter Amy has been suspended from school, Julia is about to lose her job, and her boyfriend Garrett is being transferred thousands of miles away.

Overwhelmed, she and Amy leave for a weekend at a rambling old colonial inn. Julia never suspects that Garrett, desperate to find a way to keep Julia in his life, has decided to surprise her by joining them. Nor does she expect her daughter to befriend a mischievous ghost…or that she herself would be possessed by the malevolent spirit of a long-dead mother.

As a dark secret emerges, Julia, Amy, and Garrett find themselves pitted in a fight for survival against a savage presence that intends to resurrect/repeat/relive a horrible crime committed two centuries ago. And this time, Amy and Julia will be the victims.

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Excerpt:

Starting up the stairs, Garrett tried to bury the image of a teary Julia when she’d closed the door on him yesterday after he’d arrived at her house. She’d been too upset to talk.

He shivered as a gust of cold air rushed down the stairwell, slapping him in the face. Garrett hesitated, startled by the sharpness of it. At the top of the steps, a shadow moved, catching his eye. But when he reached the second floor landing, he was surprised to see no one there and no open window.

Doors were visible on both sides of the well-lit hallway. A light flickered behind him. Then, halfway down, a bulb buzzed, blazed intensely, and burned out. He stopped dead. A tall woman in a long, gray dress was standing beneath the darkened light, glaring at him.

Something in her face kept him from looking away. Her eyes burned with emotion. Bitterness. Anger. Hatred.

The hairs on his neck rose when she started in his direction. She moved toward him, filling the narrow hallway.

Garrett turned to make room for her, shuffling his overnight bag from one shoulder to the other, but as he did, his room key dropped to the floor.

When he bent down to retrieve it, chilled air, oppressive and gray, hit him like a wave.

He froze. He’d felt this sensation once before, diving with a film crew at the raising of a sunken slave ship. It was in the ship’s cargo hold. It was a feeling so icy, so overwhelming, that it went straight through him, infusing his bones, numbing him. With it came a sudden memory of some forgotten nightmare—a barren winter field, the gaping black hole of a bottomless grave. He could almost taste the dank odor of death.

Cold panic washed through him. She was on him, all around him. He could feel the woman’s fury. Snatching the key, he straightened up.

She was gone.

Garrett looked up and down the hallway. He was alone. No door had opened or closed. The woman had disappeared.

He was in a colonial inn in Newport, he thought. Of course it could be haunted. He ran a hand over his face. Key in hand, he continued down the hall. By the burned-out light, he saw a set of stairs going up to the third floor. Peering up, he saw the chain across the steps with a sign. ‘Private Residence’. It was dark beyond.

Julia had no idea that he was coming. He’d been on the phone with her this afternoon, and they’d even sent texts back and forth a couple of times tonight. He had given her no inkling that he was already on his way to Newport. Yesterday, he’d been shut out. By showing up here today, he wanted to show Julia that the promotion and the move didn’t change the way he felt. He wanted to be part of their life.

His room was just beyond Julia’s. With one last look down the hall, he turned the key in his door and entered the dark room. A gust of autumn wind blew in from an open window, rattling a picture frame on the wall and causing the gauze curtains to stand straight out like ghostly wings against the ceiling.

Standing inside the door, Garrett sensed that he was not alone in the room. He could feel the eyes of someone watching him. Hating him.

He switched on a lamp by the door. Yellow light bathed the room, throwing deep shadows into dark corners.

The door slammed and Garrett jumped, his eyes sweeping the room. The wind eased, and the sheers fell calmly against the sills. No one else was there.

"Halloween, a wicked draft, and exhaustion," he muttered. “Get a grip.”

The temperature had dropped considerably since he left Boston this afternoon. He closed the window and glanced around at the furnishings. Four-poster bed. The usual dressers and tables. Two reading chairs by the window. Exposed ceiling rafters of rough-hewn timber completed the colonial feel of the room. At one end, the bathroom. At the other end, a door that he knew must lead into Julia and Amy’s room.

He checked his phone. The last text from Julia had come a few minutes after seven. They were walking into the theater to see a movie. Almost two hours ago.

His eye was drawn to Julia’s door. He walked over and unbolted the latch, but it was locked from the other side.

He stopped, hearing faint voices. Snatches of conversation.

Go…chair…

I want to stay…

Telling you…Go.

A woman and a child’s voice. But the woman didn’t sound like Julia. And it couldn’t have been Amy. For a second, he wondered if the receptionist downstairs had put him in the wrong room.

"Julia?" he called, pressing his palm flat against the door. The wood felt like ice.

The voices stopped.

“Julia?”

The knob turned from the other side, but it didn’t open. Suddenly, a heavy bang rattled the door.

Shocked, he jumped back. Over and over, the doorframe shook.

"Unlock it, Julia," he called.

As suddenly as it started, it stopped, and the sound of scratching began. Someone was sitting on the floor on the other side, clawing at the door. Then, as he stared, long lines of claw marks started to show through the paint. Garrett took another step back.

“This isn’t happening,” he said, feeling the hackles rise on his neck.

Just as the words left his mouth, the scratching stopped. Even as he stared, the claw marks disappeared.

The sound of moaning came through the door. A woman crying.

Help me.

Julia.

About the Author:

Jan Coffey aka Nikoo and Jim McGoldrick are storytellers, teachers, and partners in the truest sense.

Nikoo was born in Tehran, Iran, and moved to United States on the eve of Iranian revolution. After receiving a degree in Mechanical engineering, for fifteen years she worked in shipbuilding and robotics, holding manufacturing and higher level management positions. Always a writer and teacher at heart, she gave up her engineering career to pursue writing full time over a decade ago. These days, she also conducts frequent workshops on writing and publishing and serves as a visiting author at middle and high schools.

When their first son was born, Jim gave up a successful career in shipbuilding to pursue a PhD in Medieval and Renaissance literature. After being awarded tenure at a university in Pennsylvania, he found that the opportunity to write novels full-time could not be ignored. Since then, he and Nikoo have written well over two dozen works of fiction and nonfiction. Along with his writing, he currently teaches English and Creative Writing in northwestern Connecticut.

Together, Nikoo and Jim write historical fiction as May McGoldrick and contemporary suspense thrillers as Jan Coffey.

These prolific and popular authors have been the recipients of numerous awards for their work. They now reside in Litchfield County, Connecticut.

Website: http://jancoffey.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanCoffey

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jan-Coffey/24034372353

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/46476.Jan_Coffey

Giveaway:

$20 digital gift card (Winner’s Choice: Amazon or B&N) and a Nautical brooch for every tour stop.

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Guest Blog: Thrills & Chills While Doing Laundry (Wait. What?)

By Lindsey R. Loucks

Instead of taking one of the buses speeding through campus during my college career, I always walked, my gaze aimed at the ground for anything shiny and round. If I found treasure in the form of a quarter, it was well worth the few bumps on the head or rude comments I got from not looking where I was going. Like most college students, I was poor.

But I became a pretty successful quarter tracker, and when I’d find one, I’d add it to my carefully stacked pile with the hope I’d have enough to do laundry soon. With all that walking around campus, there were days when I came home smelling a tad ripe.

The washers and dryers were located on the basement floor of my apartment building, and let’s just say that going down there, alone, was the equivalent of walking into a dragon dungeon with my arms loaded with raw meat. That’s what it felt like anyway.

Storage cupboards took up the far wall that led from the stairs to the laundry area, each one about three feet long and three feet wide. Sometimes one of them would be open a crack. The single overhead light only cast a faint orange glow, deepening the shadows inside that open cupboard to an inky black.

Whenever I’d see one of those open cupboards, I’d stop in my tracks while my imagination tumbled over everything that could be lurking inside. Usually the things I imagined involved segmented legs, machetes, Brazilian poison dart frogs, porcelain dolls, or a combination of all of the above, just waiting to spring out.

My pulse racing, I’d give my laundry bag a squeeze and check to make sure I still had my quarters. Then, with my breath held, I’d race past the open cupboard, dump all my clothes into the washer, throw in some soap, push my quarters into the slots, start the machine, and sprint back out before I’d used up all the stored air in my lungs.

It was such a rush! It made laundry day pretty much the best day ever! Of course, I’ve always lived for that pump of adrenaline that fear gives me. I watch scary movies alone in the dark by myself on purpose. I guess I’m weird like that.

On one of my trips to the laundry room, my boyfriend’s brother went with me (I can’t remember why exactly, but I may have told him about the spooky basement). When he saw the wall of cupboards, his exact words were, “A serial killer stores his victims in these, huh?”

And that’s when I stopped doing laundry in that apartment building. Nah, just kidding. I still did. Remember that adrenaline rush thing I was talking about? Yep.

All of this was the fuel I needed to eventually write Haunted Chemistry. Who knew laundry could be so delightfully scary?

How about you? What’s the most interesting thing that’s happened to you while doing laundry? Have you ever done laundry in a particularly frightening place?

Haunted Chemistry by Lindsey Loucks

ISBN: 9781622662982

Book Description:

When bookish college co-ed Alexis heads to the laundry room in her new apartment, she runs into Ian Reese, the chem lab partner she crushed on all last semester. And the guy who stood her up on their first date. But she’s down for an awkward reunion, and no better place than her creepy laundry room.

Ian has every intention of making amends, but just when Alexis begins to trust him again, a new threat calls more than their future together into question. A ghost from the apartment’s past is hellbent on revenge, and if he wants to get his girl, he’ll have to get the ghost first.

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Excerpt:

“Uh, Alexis?”

My name on his tongue sounds amazing, but I try not to notice. I turn, the bulk of my laundry bag holding the door open for me. “What?”

He swallows and glances at his black boots. “It’s great to see you again.”

I nod. It’s great to see him, too, but I’m not the one who didn’t show up for our date at the end of last semester and who vanished for an entire summer with no explanation. Maybe he forgot about our non-date, because he sure isn’t trying to explain himself. But why didn’t he call to tell me he wouldn’t be coming instead of making me wait for him?

My bag bites its weight into my shoulder. When I shift it to the other one, the door creaks closed in Ian’s face. I wince. I didn’t mean for that to happen.

“Well.” He frowns through the broken squares in the window. “See you.”

“Yeah.” With a sigh, I watch him walk away. I’ve missed our group study sessions where we’d always sit next to each other and accidentally nudge each other’s knee or foot. I’ve missed how easy it is to be with him. I’ve missed him. He doesn’t seem like the type who wouldn’t call to say he couldn’t make it. But he didn’t.

About the Author:

Lindsey R. Loucks works as a school librarian in rural Kansas. When she’s not discussing books with anyone who will listen, she’s dreaming up her own stories. Eventually her brain gives out, and she’ll play hide and seek with her cat, put herself in a chocolate induced coma, or watch scary movies alone in the dark to reenergize.

She’s been with her significant other for almost two decades.

Website: http://www.lindseyrloucks.com

Blog: http://www.lindseyrloucks.com/my-blog

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LindseyRLoucks

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LindseyRLoucks

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6151511.Lindsey_R_Loucks

Giveaway:

$50 gift card. Winner’s choice of Amazon or B&N

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Jus Accardo and Engtangled Publishing are celebrating the upcoming release of RUINED.  To get the party started, they have a cover reveal today, and they have an Amazon gift card up for grabs!  Get all the details below.

Ruined

by Jus Accardo

 

Ruined by Jus Accardo

Hell is looking for a way to break loose…

Jax lost the genetic lottery. Descended from Cain, the world’s first murderer, he’s plagued by a curse that demands violence in exchange for his happiness. He left everything behind, including the girl he loved, but thriving on the pain of others is lonely… And it’s killing him.

After a series of heartbreaking losses, Samantha put rubber to pavement and headed for college as fast as her clunker could carry her. But she can’t outrun her problems. When an attack at school drives her back home, she’s thrown into the path of a past—and a guy—she’s been trying to forget.

Sam strains Jax’s control over his darkness, but running isn’t an option this time. Someone—or, something—followed her home from school: a ruthless monster with a twisted plan centuries in the making. Forced together to survive, and fighting an attraction that could destroy them both, Jax and Sam must stop a killer bent on revenge.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18545084-ruined

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ruined-Entangled-Embrace-ebook/dp/B00FILC2FM/

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ruined-jus-accardo/1117003674?ean=9781622661848

About Jus Accardo

JUS ACCARDO spent her childhood reading and learning to cook. Determined to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps as a chef, she applied and was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America. At the last minute, she realized her path lay with fiction, not food, and passed on the spot to pursue writing. Jus is the bestselling author the popular Denazen series from Entangled publishing and is currently working on the first book in a new adult series due out summer 2013. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald.

Website: http://www.jusaccardo.com

Blog: http://www.jusaccardo.com/category/blog/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JusAccardo

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

Jus Accardo is celebrating the cover reveal with a $10 Amazon gift card giveaway!  Enter below.

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To celebrate the beginning of the scariest month of the year, I wanted to share news about Entangled’s Ever After releases for October. They are all keeping with the creepy Halloween theme, and you can enter a bunch of giveaways! I’m planning on reading all of these – let’s see how many I get through!

Ruby Hill by Sarah Ballance

From her earliest memories, Ashley Pearce has been drawn to Ruby Hill Lunatic Asylum, and she’s not the only one. Decades after the abandoned hospital ended its institutional reign of torture and neglect, something lurks in the shadows. Since she’s a paranormal investigator, it’s Ashley’s job to find out what.

Crime scene expert Corbin Malone doesn’t believe in ghosts. A born skeptic, he has no interest in entertaining the hype surrounding the mysterious deaths at Ruby Hill, but he won’t turn his back while more women die. He agrees to an overnight investigation, never expecting his first encounter would be with the woman he pushed away a year ago. But when he discovers Ashley is a target, he learns his greatest fear isn’t living with his own demons, but losing her for good.

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One Thousand and One Nights by Ruth Browne

Sheri spends her days fighting zombies and her nights chained to a wall, earning her every breath by telling stories to her captor Aleksy—stories that make them both forget the ruined world. Sheri could put up with the conditions—at least she knows her sister is safe in the community Aleksy leads—until she realizes she’s falling for him…even though he wants her dead.

When Aleksy allowed Sheri and her sister into his compound, he didn’t know about the zombie bite on her back. It’s only a matter of time before she turns into one of the rising dead and threatens their existence, but Aleksy has a secret need for Sheri and her stories. For everyone’s safety, he chains her to his bedroom wall, hoping for just one more day. But how long will the community allow Aleksy to ignore his own rule: always kill the infected. Always.

Amazon      Barnes and Noble

Mercy by Jan Coffey

Julia Klein’s life has begun to unravel—her daughter Amy has been suspended from school, Julia is about to lose her job, and her boyfriend Garrett is being transferred thousands of miles away. Overwhelmed, she and Amy leave for a weekend at a rambling old colonial inn. Julia never suspects that Garrett, desperate to find a way to keep Julia in his life, has decided to surprise her by joining them. Nor does she expect her daughter to befriend a mischievous ghost…or that she herself would be possessed by the malevolent spirit of a long-dead mother.

As a dark secret emerges, Julia, Amy, and Garrett find themselves pitted in a fight for survival against a savage presence that intends to resurrect/repeat/relive a horrible crime committed two centuries ago. And this time, Amy and Julia will be the victims.

Amazon      Barnes and Noble

Haunted Chemisty by Lindsey Loucks

When bookish college co-ed Alexis heads to the laundry room in her new apartment, she runs into Ian Reese, the chem lab partner she crushed on all last semester. And the guy who stood her up on their first date. But she’s down for an awkward reunion, and no better place than her creepy laundry room.

Ian has every intention of making amends, but just when Alexis begins to trust him again, a new threat calls more than their future together into question. A ghost from the apartment’s past is hellbent on revenge, and if he wants to get his girl, he’ll have to get the ghost first.

Amazon      Barnes and Noble

Wish Upon a Star by Michelle McLean

Ceri McKinley never stopped wishing that her ex-fiancé Jason Crickett would come back into her life. But when he finally does, he comes with a request that puts them both—and all of humanity—into jeopardy.

Jason only wants two things: to bury his brother properly and to convince Ceri to trust him again after he jilted her. But when Ceri agrees to help him get his brother back, they end up fighting for their lives as a zombie uprising threatens them all.

Amazon      Barnes and Noble

Northern Light by E.J. Russell

Nothing gives art fraud investigator Luke Morganstern a bigger rush than busting forgers, the low-life criminals who dare victimize true artists. But when his latest job sends him to a remote cabin in the Oregon Coast Range, he’s stunned to discover the alleged forger is his former lover, Stefan Cobbe, the most gifted painter Luke has ever known.

Stefan, left homeless and destitute after the death of his wealthy partner, doesn’t exactly deny the forgery — he claims he doesn’t remember, an excuse Luke can’t accept.

But Luke’s elderly client suggests Stefan may be telling the truth and presents another possibility – a dark presence in the woods, a supernatural fury simmering for decades. Luke must face down his fear of the uncanny – and admit his feelings for Stefan – if either of them is to survive.

Amazon      Barnes and Noble

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About the Author

I grew up in New Orleans, where I watched soap operas with my grandmother and stayed up late sneak reading my mama’s favorite romance novels. Now a Cajun cowgirl living in Houston, I still stay up way too late reading my favorite romances, only now, I can do so openly. I firmly believe life’s problems can be solved with a hot, powdered-sugar-coated beignet or a thick slice of king cake, and that screaming at strangers for cheap, plastic beads is acceptable behavior in certain situations. 

When not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, I homeschool my two beautiful girls and watch reality television with my amazing husband.

I write YA, NA, and Adult Fun & Flirty Escapes. Taste The Heat is my adult romance debut, and I’m also the author of MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY and A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES, as well as a ton of other books to come. I love hearing from readers and dishing books!

Author Links:

   

Cover Reveal Organized:

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The six heroes from this month’s BRAZENS are battling it out to be your Mr. September. Who gets your vote?

Each day this week the six heroes are stopping by some awesome blogs to answer both sexy and sweet personal questions, so you can really get a taste of what they’re like   Each day you get to cast your vote, and at the end of the week one sexy hero will be crowned the winner of the #MrSeptember Throwdown!

Remember, each vote also counts as an entry for one of SIX prizes so be sure to follow along and vote every day to increase your chances of winning!  Visit Entangled in Romance for a recap on the awesome prizes!

Now, to meet the men competing in the #MrSeptember Throwdown!

Whew! Hot, hot, hot – these men have definitely turned up the heat!

Ian: Wicked Games by Samanthe Beck (part of the anthology)

Grayson: Seducing Mr. Right by Katee Robert (part of the anthology)

Landon: Tempted by His Best Friend by Cari Quinn (part of the anthology)

Derek: Protecting What’s Theirs by Tessa Bailey (part of the anthology)

Jett: Wicked Heat by Nicola Marsh

Trick: Dirty Trick by Christine Bell

Here are today’s questions for the men

Question #7: What’s the sexiest fantasy you’ve had about your leading lady?

Ian: Well, there was the shower thing, but we’ve done that. And then there was the Halloween, incognito thing, but we’ve done that too. Then, of course, there was the bondage thing, and, yep…you guessed it…

Grayson: It involved bending her over my desk…

Trick: How much time do you have? Not a lot? I’ll just tell you the dream I had last night, then. We were at a little Italian restaurant tucked into a dark corner. Right when the waiter came over, I ducked my hand under the table and slipped it between Gracie’s legs. She was wearing a skirt but no underwear, and as soon as I touched her, her face went all pink and her eyes got glassy. She was so hot and…*clears throat* anyway, when it was her turn to order, her voice did that sexy little hitch it does? She didn’t move away though. She just sucked in a shuddery breath and asked for a glass of wine. When the waiter left, she looked me dead in the eyes and said “You better be prepared to finish this, buddy. And remember, payback is a bitch.”  That was a lie. Because payback? Was fucking mind-blowing.

Derek: I’m working late and she comes into the police station. Dripping wet from the rain. I can tell she’s feeling a little desperate for me. Which is perfect, since I’m always desperate for her. As usual, I’ve been growing restless…I always do when I’ve been deprived of her too long. Without a word, I walk her to my office and tell her to strip while I look my fill. Then I put her on my desk, where she’s been inhabiting my head for hours. Then I make her ask nicely for every thrust of my hips.

Jett: The moment I saw that Kink Kit in Allegra’s hotel suite, I imagined exploring what was in that box with her. Tying her up, teasing her mercilessly…oh yeah, frigging hot.

Landon: Refer to the law firm encounter mentioned above. Steff bent over the counter, her firm, supple body bared to my touch, her moans echoing off the walls… *clears throat* Next question, please.

Question #8: Favorite comfort food?

Ian: Bourbon or whiskey

Grayson: Breakfast food–eggs, French toast, bacon, hash browns.

Trick: Rib-eye steak, medium rare, baked potato with sour cream and butter, creamed spinach on the side, followed by Apple pie with caramel sauce.

Derek: Ginger’s chicken pot pie. The way she keeps trying to improve the recipe…she doesn’t realize I love it just because she made it.

Jett: Pav. Nothing beats the perfect Aussie pavlova. Meringue base, lashings of whipped cream, topped with strawberries and passionfruit. Best comfort food ever. Plus there’s always whipped cream left over and I can think of many sensual uses for that…

Landon: Pizza at Mama Leone’s, with optional garlic enhancements. Ah, the memories.

Now cast your vote!

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Please welcome today’s special guest, Sarah Ballance! Sarah is here to chat about her latest historical romance Her Wicked Sin, and after the interview, enter for a chance to win a $50 gift card!

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.

[Sarah] Wife of amazing man. Accidental author. Perpetually frazzled homeschooling mom of six. Sprouts random gray hairs and calls them highlights.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about Her Wicked Sin?

[Sarah] It’s set in Salem, MA 1692 during the Salem witch trials. The story kicks off when my heroine comes upon the hero fallen from his horse. She has enough sense to be wary of a stranger, but since he’s hurt she figures she’s got the upper hand if he tries anything. With that in mind, she takes him back to her nearby home to convalesce for the night. When she and the hero are subsequently caught in a compromising—albeit innocent—position, he takes a false identity, acting as her husband to protect her from accusations of adultery, the punishment for which was often death. What starts as a fake relationship leads to real feelings, but when the heroine is arrested for witchcraft, he’s got a terrible choice to make. Fighting for her freedom means revealing his true identity at a time when any association with a witch could lead to his own arrest, to say nothing of the ruin it would bring to his family and his business. Walking away means saving himself and his reputation—and possibly her life—but at an unbearable cost.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?

[Sarah] ERMAGERD. Totally by accident. I saw a mention of Salem on the Entangled Scandalous submissions page, and, well, I love Salem. (Easy for me to say because no one tried to hang me there, right?) So I went caterwauling to my editor over how I should TOTALLY write a Salem historical one day. ONE DAY. She ignored that last part and asked the historical peeps if they wanted Salem. And they did, so my editor told me to write a story proposal. Erma, what? I’d never even attempted to write historical so I panicked a little, then spent some time balled up in a corner sobbing. And everything that happened after that moment has been an absolute blur. I didn’t even know what I was going to write until I saw it on the screen, but the ideas all stemmed from that one very strange moment when I said something in jest and ended up with a contract. (INORITE?)

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Lydia?

[Sarah] Decisive, persevering, and heartfelt.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If Henry had a theme song, what would it be?

[Sarah] For this book, it’s got to be Hey Pretty Girl by Kip Moore.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Name one thing Lydia is never without.

[Sarah] The burdens of her past. But if you meant something tangible, her medical bag. (She’s a midwife).

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things will you never find on Henry’s pocket?

[Sarah] Oh, MAN, this is tough. If he were a modern hero, I’d say you’d never find phone numbers from other women, so 300+ years ago I reckon you wouldn’t find him with directions to their houses, LOL. You’d also never find tobacco on him. And, erm, a riding crop. Not that a crop would fit in a pocket to begin with, but he wouldn’t carry one.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is Lydia’s greatest regret?

[Sarah] The loss of her child.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?

[Sarah] Talking with my editor about a story always gets me SO fired up. And music sets the mood and really propels me into a story, so whichever artist I’m hung up on at the moment gets credit. (Lately, that would be Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan). No single author or book, but reading also gets me going. When I read a great book, I’m incredibly inspired to write. Problem is, if it’s a great book I won’t want to put it down. J

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things do you need in order to write?

[Sarah] This is probably the most boring answer ever, but here you go: my laptop (preferably with an internet connection for research), background noise (so I’m not distracted by the kids…but the background noise can’t BE the kids), and a drink (usually ice water).

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What was your biggest distraction while working on Her Wicked Sin?

[Sarah] The research! I’d look for something like marriage rituals and end up reading about Puritan sex scandals. I mean, I’d barely come to terms with the fact Puritans HAD sex (they came across as so chaste when I was in school, lol) when I discovered all the naughty, freaky things they did. SO DISTRACTING!

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?

[Sarah] I’ve read so many great ones. I think the last one I could NOT stop reading was “Ripples Through Time” by Rosalie Stanton. Every chapter ends on a huge cliffhanger, so needless to say I was up all night. Amazing book.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?

[Sarah] I’ve read fiendishly for as long as I can remember, so I can’t really say. But the first book that really affected my writing career was “Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch” by BJ Daniels. It was my first Harlequin Intrigue. I read it and immediately fell in love with romantic suspense, which is still my favorite genre to write.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?

[Sarah] Boating (though writing ON the boat at the marina is amazing), hiking, walking, hanging out at the beach, or—don’t laugh—watching re-runs of The Golden Girls or Mama’s Family. I also love to cook, bake, decorate cakes, and ride around in the car. Traveling is fantastic (though not always feasible, lol), but when the kids are driving me NUTS I just love to throw them in the car and drive. (It’s legal—and required—to strap them down in the car. Doing so in the house is frowned upon. I’m just sayin’…)

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How can readers connect with you?

[Sarah] You can find me hiding under the bed, hoping for five minutes of peace from the kids. Also at my links, which are as follows: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Find HER WICKED SIN @ Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Goodreads, and if you like haunted asylums, stay tuned for my upcoming supernatural novella RUBY HILL, which releases September 30 from Entangled Publishing.

Thanks so very much for allowing my visit today!

[Manga Maniac Cafe]  Thank you for stopping by!

Her Wicked Sin  by Sarah Ballance

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Number of pages: 147

Book Description:

About the Author:

Sarah and her husband of what he calls “many long, long years” live on the mid-Atlantic coast with their six young children, all of whom are perfectly adorable when they’re asleep.

She never dreamed of becoming an author, but as a homeschooling mom, she often jokes she writes fiction because if she wants anyone to listen to her, she has to make them up. (As it turns out, her characters aren’t much better than the kids).

When not buried under piles of laundry, she may be found adrift in the Atlantic (preferably on a boat) or seeking that ever-elusive perfect writing spot where not even the kids can find her.

She loves creating unforgettable stories while putting her characters through an unkind amount of torture—a hobby that has nothing to do with living with six children. (Really.) Though she adores nail-biting mystery and edge-of-your-seat thrillers, Sarah writes in many genres including contemporary and ghostly paranormal romance.

Her ever-growing roster of releases may be found on Amazon , Barnes & Noble, Kobo, For the Muse Publishing, and coming soon to ENTANGLED PUBLISHING.

Website: http://www.sarahballance.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SarahBallance

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/sarah.ballance.author.news

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4103362.Sarah_Balance

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Title: Author: Publisher: ISBN:

 

May Contain Spoilers

From Amazon:

 

Review:

While Love Lost and Found didn’t completely work for me, there were several aspects of the story that I found very compelling.  After Felicity suffers from a fall while rock-climbing with her business partner, Rick, she reawakens with no memory of the last five years.  She tries to readjust to her old life, but nothing feels right.  Her apartment is cold and sterile, and she can’t remember her co-workers.  Worse, what she does remember is breaking up with her old boyfriend after catching him cheating on her.  As she contemplates the emptiness in  her life, she decides that starting over somewhere else is preferable to trying to fit back into a life she doesn’t remember, and one that seems lonely and isolated.  She takes a job on a cruise ship, and sails off into the horizon.

What she doesn’t remember is Rick, the man she has been working with and dating.  She doesn’t remember that he had proposed to her just before the accident that sent them both to the hospital.  Rick was in a coma for six weeks, and when he comes to, he can’t believe that Felicity left him, without a word or a note.  Worse, he company is on the verge of a remarkable research discovery, but he needs Felicity to sign the paperwork that will see the fruition of his labors since the death of his brother.  With Felicity’s assistance, he’s on the path to a breakthrough for a leukemia treatment.  Desperate to keep his promise to his brother to get the process approved, he hires a private detective and tracks his errant fiancée down.

First, what didn’t work for me; Rick doesn’t believe that Felicity lost her memory, so he pretends to be a prospective investor for the cruise line, and makes his re-acquaintance with Felicity under false pretenses.  There isn’t a time during the story, except for the very end, that he isn’t lying to her.  That just grated on my last nerve.  He is given the opportunity to start over with her, but every overture is based on a falsehood.  He doesn’t trust her enough to be upfront with her, and he suspects that she is faking the amnesia.  Great way to make a new start, Rick.  And by not being honest, it just made his motives for reconnecting with her suspect.  If I were Felicity, I wouldn’t have been able to believe anything he said after discovering that he wasn’t being straight up from the beginning.

The second thing that didn’t work was the couple being left on a desert island.  Rick makes arrangements with the captain of the cruise ship to have them “left” on an island with no supplies – no food, shelter, or water.  First, the liability of the scenario makes me cringe.  Regardless of whether Rick signed waivers promising not to sue the cruise line, Felicity did not.  I would have been furious when I discovered that I spent a night with no provisions  by design instead by accident.  I don’t care how romantic it was; either one of them could (and did) have gotten injured with no help nearby.  Plus, there are bugs on that island, and everyone who knows me knows how much I hate bugs.  Ugh! The whole episode on the island was like a nightmare to me.

What did I like?  Felicity looked at her old life, and realized that she didn’t like what she saw.  She had no close friends, and no real connection with anyone.  Her apartment was as barren as she suspected her life was, and so she decided to make lemonade out of the lemons life had handed to her.  She starts over, and she’s a completely different person.  Her change in circumstance opens her up to make the first real connections she ever made, and allowed her to re-discover her love for Rick.  She was all business before the accident, but after, she was able to embrace a softer side of herself and truly begin to like herself and the people in her life.  I loved this about the book.

While Love Lost and Found didn’t completely win me over, there were enough positives to keep me engaged in the story.  I just wish the hero had been more likable, and had acted a little more, well, heroic.

Grade:  B-

Review copy provided by publisher

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[Manga Maniac Cafe] Hi, Marisa, welcome to the Manga Maniac Café!  Can you please describe yourself in 140 characters or less.

[Marisa Cleveland] writer. reader. infinite dreamer. that’s me.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about Reforming the Cowboy?

[Marisa Cleveland] Thanks for asking! This book is about a guy who needs a girl to help him get back on the Country music charts. It’s also about a girl who needs a guy to help her launch her dream of owning a successful coffeehouse. But as they both help each other get what they want, it makes them better people and changes their perspective.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?

[Marisa Cleveland] There are many different ways this story came into existence. One piece of it comes from my addiction to espresso and music. So, I gave Lacey the coffeehouse and Billy the Country tunes. I’m a huge fan of Blake Shelton, The Voice, and Starbucks. This story let me combine all three!

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Billy?

[Marisa Cleveland] Creative. Loyal. Reformed!

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If Lacey had a theme song, what would it be?

[Marisa Cleveland] Oh! I love this question! Theme song… theme song… there are too many! Okay, the best one for her pre-Billy would be BareNaked by Jennifer Love Hewitt.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Name one thing Billy is never without.

[Marisa Cleveland] His guitar.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things will you never find in Lacey’s bathroom?

[Marisa Cleveland] Oooooh! How fun! Her phone, bubble bath, and cookies!

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is Billy’s greatest regret?

[Marisa Cleveland] Billy’s greatest regret is not being able to save his parents.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?

[Marisa Cleveland] I’m influenced by so much of the world around me, but my hubby is definitely one of my greatest creative influences. Him and champagne.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things do you need in order to write?

[Marisa Cleveland] Besides the computer/tablet/phone to pour out my heart, I also need champagne and hand lotion.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What was your biggest distraction while working on Reforming the Cowboy?

[Marisa Cleveland] Hehehehee… my hubby! He’s working on his doctorate in information systems, and we converted a bedroom into an office. I love that we are in the same room, but I will admit, it’s distracting at times.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?

[Marisa Cleveland] I have read so many fabulous books lately! I mean, it’s crazy amazing how many great authors are out there! The last knocked my socks off book that I read comes down to timing. I was lucky enough to grab Jaime Rush’s Dragon Awakened (releasing in December), and WOW!

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?

[Marisa Cleveland] I don’t remember a time without books, so I can’t say for certain which specific book turned me on to reading. But I do remember sitting in front of the stereo (record player) and following along to my favorite books over and over again.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?

[Marisa Cleveland] When I’m not writing, I’m usually daydreaming or thinking about writing or I’m reading. My hubby and I take long walks and talk about random topics that spring to mind. We like to play chess, eat strawberries, and Fox Trot around the kitchen. Sometimes I play with Adobe Photoshop or Corel VideoStudio. I have a sewing machine I don’t know how to use. But mostly I’m writing or reading.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How can readers connect with you?

[Marisa Cleveland] I love to connect with other readers through social media!

Social Media:

Website – http://www.marisacleveland.com

Twitter – http://twitter.com/marisacleveland

Facebook – http://facebook.com/marisacleveland00

Google Plus – http://plus.google.com/102206201174009013772

Pinterest – http://pinterest.com/marisacleveland

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Thanks so much for having me on your blog! I love your unicorn graphic. Unicorns are a personal fave of mine.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Thank you so much for stopping by!

Purchase link

About the book:

About the author:

Marisa Cleveland loves to laugh, hates to cry, and does both often. As a writer, she writes. Every day. If she couldn’t express herself through writing, music, and dance, she would die. Perhaps because she married her best friend, her adult romance novels focus on playfully naughty relationships developed through friendship and family-oriented values. She believes romance novels are the perfect “how to” books, because no matter the obstacles, the characters keep working toward their happily ever after. She loves to connect with writers and readers through social media.

Excerpt

He stepped back, his eyes regarding her with unreadable scrutiny. "Do you have to control everything?"

A shiver of fear slid in her stomach. She was a private person. She didn’t want the whole world to know how close she’d come to failure. "Just promise me."

Flashing her a sardonic smile, he drawled, "Honey, I don’t make promises I can’t keep."

Her hands fisted at her sides. "You are so insensitive! For just once in your life, why can’t you be reliable and make a promise and keep it?"

Her eyes widened as she realized what she’d said.

He advanced forward, and she shuffled back until her back hit the refrigerator, even though nothing but the ferocity of his gaze pinned her in place. "Honey, in Country, in order for a song to be good, it has to be honest. This is me being honest."

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[Manga Maniac Cafe] Good morning, Sofia, and welcome to the Manga Maniac Café!  Can you please describe yourself in 140 characters or less.

[Sofia Harper] Part smart aleck, part book nerd. The rest of me is pretty much coffee addict.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about Hot Knight in Paradise?

[Sofia Harper] Leah’s stranded, broke and in need of a job so she can get back home. Her only hope is Marshall. He’s pretty much exiled himself from America and runs a bar creatively named the Rum Shack. (Yeah. I know.) Until she earns enough money to end her disastrous vacation, they’re stuck together. Sparks fly. Pasts are revealed. Love happens. So, it’s your basic boy meets girl while girl is stranded with a hot man.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?

[Sofia Harper] I wanted to write a redemption story. I love those. I’d been watching the now defunct show Life and the idea of feeling guilty of wrong you didn’t commit appealed to me. At the time there was a huge kerfluffle online about rape culture. Leah and Marshall stepped into my head and the story came together.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Leah?

[Sofia Harper] Will shoot trespassers.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If Marshall had a theme song, what would it be?

[Sofia Harper] DayDreamer by Adele. “He can change the world with his hands behind his back.” It’s song about an amazing, sexy man. This song fits him down to the bone.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Name one thing Leah is never without.

[Sofia Harper] This is a tough one because Leah gets mugged of all her belongings. The first things she buys is something to tame her hair. If I’d given her a choice, she’d have grabbed her hair products along with her ID and passport.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things will you never find in Marshall’s bathroom?

[Sofia Harper] Cologne, nose hair trimmer and baby powder.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is Leah’s greatest regret?

[Sofia Harper] Not being there for her cousin when she needed her the most.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?

[Sofia Harper] Music. It shuts off the world and I can hear the story in my head. I need some form of solitude to tap into my creative well. Sometimes I need words that fit a character or scene perfectly.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things do you need in order to write?

[Sofia Harper] Coffee, computer and place to sit. I’ve written without pretty much everything else I sometimes I feel I need, but without those three I’m not likely to get any work down. lol

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What was your biggest distraction while working on Hot Knight in Paradise?

[Sofia Harper] Sleep. It’s not often that a story writes itself, but this one was it. I wrote the last 20,000 words in two days. So, sleep was definitely something that kept me from finishing sooner.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?

[Sofia Harper] Ride With Me by Ruthie Knox. I have a hard time reading contemporary because I write it. The internal editor is always talking while I’m trying to enjoy the book. She shut up while I read this book. It was simply incredible. And fresh.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?

[Sofia Harper] The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I read this book as a child and the world just seemed so wonderful. The idea that you could walk into something as mundane as a closet and there were worlds to be found. I loved it.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?

[Sofia Harper] Spend time with children. They are wonderful, if I say so myself. They’re funny and entertaining. I also watch a lot of TV shows on DVD. It’s a family thing. I’m currently trying to get my daughter to stop watching Degrassi though. OMG, talk about teenage emo drama. I sat through nine seasons. Please make it stop at ten.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How can readers connect with you?

[Sofia Harper] These are the places you can find moi:

Website: http://sofiaharper.com

Blog: sofiaharper.blogspot.com/?

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sofiaharp?

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/sofiaharper.author?

Goodreads Page: www.goodreads.com/author/show/7154484.Sofia_Harper

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Thank you!

Purchase link

About the book:

About the author:

Sofia Harper started writing contemporary romance a long, long time ago. When Sofia’s not spending time with imaginary people in her head, she’s corrupting two little trouble makers. Currently she lives in California where the wine is good. She also going full-throttle on the ride called publishing. These two thoughts are not related.

Extended Excerpt:

“I find it hard to believe a man like you would consider bartending his calling.” She gave him a dubious look. “And I’m feeling like a margarita. Got some limes?”

“Of course.” He opened the compartment where he kept the salt. Using some of the tequila, he lined the lip of the glass.

“How’d you know I wanted salt?”

“If you want lime, you want salt.” He took his time making the drink. “You’d be amazed how listening can change the world.”

He cut the lime in quarters, placing one on the rim, the rest in another cup. “Now I didn’t say you didn’t get something out of what you do. I said it’s probably not your calling.”

“Semantics.”

The weight of his past darkened his tone and he leaned against the bar for support. “You can save someone’s life by what you say.”

She sipped her drink and then sucked on the lemon. Her breath whooshed out. “You make a damn good margarita.”

“Thanks.” He nursed his bourbon as he tried to beat back the memories, but then her hand was on his face, bringing him back to the now.

“Hey, where’d you go? We’re debating.”

“Political analyst,” he said.

“I’m not that cynical about mankind,” she said.

Her tongue flicked out, licking at the salt from the corner of her mouth. His mind blanked. When his brain came back online he could only wonder if the tartness of lime would complement her taste. She must have noticed the expression, because her gaze went to his mouth.

Her tongue lashed out again. “It doesn’t make me uncomfortable when you look at my mouth with an I-want-tobite-

you expression,” she said quietly. “Though I want to say my eyes are up here, but—”

She bit her lip, and his gaze followed the action. He wished she’d look away, make a joke…anything to break the moment, but his heart rammed against his ribcage.

“I’m insane,” she murmured.

Marshall frowned, finally tearing his gaze from her mouth. Leah pushed their drinks aside and leaned over the bar, and then her mouth was on his, and he couldn’t think. His lips parted automatically, and she was there, supping on the taste of him. Leah’s tongue explored urgently, as if they’d been kissing for eons, and he matched her rhythm.

“Wait,” Marshall said, pulling back, which was probably the dumbest thing he’d ever done in his life.

He knew if she had enough time to consider what the hell they were doing, she’d end it and run. He took advantage of her moment of confusion and untied the scarf holding back the soft curls.

“There,” he sighed.

This time, he claimed her mouth. The kiss lost its urgency, and still the taste of her seared his tongue. He had the time to nip and lick, noting the softness of her lips and how the lime only made her taste better. He couldn’t be anywhere but in that moment. He tightened the hold in her hair, forcing Leah still and allowing him to deepen the kiss. He made illicit promises with his teeth and tongue until she moaned in his mouth, and it took everything in him not to have her there on the counter.

With the little room he allowed, she pulled back. “Wait.”

He loosened the hold on her hair. Leah climbed the counter, knocking over the stool in the process. Once settled in front of him, she fisted her hands on his shirt and yanked him forward. Forgetting honor, he pressed against her, felt the heat between her thighs along his erection. Keeping a hand in the curly strands, he exposed her neck. He sucked softly at first and then hard on the flesh between her neck and collarbone. Her legs tightened around his waist, binding him to the heat. Trailing kisses up to her ear, he bit the lobe. She gasped.

“Do you want me to stop?” he whispered.

“Yes,” she moaned.

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And wrapping up the spotlights on the  September Indulgence releases, here is  Love Lost and Found by Michele de Winton.  This is an amnesia story, and I just finished it.  It didn’t always work for me, but I really liked the ending.   Are any of the new Indulge books on your wish list? Have you read any of them?

 

About Love Lost and Found:

Read an excerpt here  http://www.entangledpublishing.com/love-lost-and-found/

Purchase link

Barnes & Noble

Goodreads

Where to find Michele -

Blog http://micheledewinton.blogspot.co.nz/

Website http://www.micheledewinton.com/

Twitter https://twitter.com/MicheledeWinton

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michele-de-Winton-Author-Page/155966894515844?ref=hl

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Hot Knight in Paradise by Sofia Harper

Check out the book at the publisher’s website – http://www.entangledpublishing.com/hot-knight-in-paradise/

Barnes & Noble

Goodreads

About the author:

Sofia Harper started writing contemporary romance a long, long time ago. When Sofia’s not spending time with imaginary people in her head, she’s corrupting two little trouble makers. Currently she lives in California where the wine is good. She also isn’t published at the moment. These two thoughts are not related.

Blog http://sofiaharper.blogspot.com/

Twitter https://twitter.com/sofiaharp

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This morning I have a cover reveal for Laura Kaye’s East of Ecstasy. This is the final book in the award-winning Hearts of the Anemoi series.   What do you think?  Have you been following the series?

 

About East of Ecstasy:

 

B&N | Book Depository

Books in Series:

North of Need

West of Want

South of Surrender

About Laura Kaye:

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in paranormal and contemporary romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp

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