Fairy Tales Gone Naughty Round Up!

I have posted above all the spots on both Book Junkie and Savvy Readers that you can read all the Author Interviews and my reviews of the books that participated in this last week's Fairy Tales Gone Naughty. Please leave a comment on all posts to earn extra entries if you haven't already for 1 of 3 copies that author Tia Fanning as offered to giveaway of her own Urban Fairy Tale Gone Naughty, Oriana and The Three WereBears! So everyone actually has until 8 am EST March 01, then I will be tallying up all the entries and announcing the winners!!

**if anyone can also Comment on THIS POST

 any other books that are Urban Fairy Tales Gone Naughty that weren't covered this week you will get

+2 entries as well. Only no repeats!!!

Review Seeking Shelter by Rebecca J. Vickery

There is something about a sweet love story that just captures the heart. This is what Seeking Shelter by Rebecca J. Vickery did for me. The story of Brigham (Brig) Montgomery and Kat (Katalina Forester) will grip your heart and take it for a ride as they battle for trust and win each other's love in the as a prize. Such a prize that has elluded Brig for many years. Back home taking care of his ranch and frankly struggling to make ends meat and stay out of debt. He thinks he has a way to get his ranch back in good standing by buying a beautiful stallion, there can be a lot of money in studding him out.
But plans for that are ruined when the crazy and wild animal won't let anyone hear him. Violent reactions to him and his hands he is at a loss until the beautful and possible dangerous stranger shows up in his burning barn. Yes I said burning. Someone has lit it on fire and knocked out the young woman, so many secrets and lies Brig knows there is more to her story than he is letting on. But for some reason the ex military man can't seem to help himself. His faith and this heart give him stregth to offer Kat a place on his ranch, after all she is the only one who can even touch the horse. It doesn't help that he is very, very attracted to her, and honestly the man just feels guilty because he is also so much older than her.
Their trust comes slow as Brig learns to admire Kat and how she works with the stallion as well as all the other hard work and chores that she manages to keep up in order to prove herself. While the two learn to get a little bit more comfortable with each other and as trust builds someone takes a couple shots at Kat and the Stallion believed to be Cloud. So many lies are still floating in the air and Brig is just about busting at the seems. He is so charming with all his country swaggar, his strength and pride. But time has come to start coughing up some confessions, Bridge has had enough, Kat could have been killed and as things come to a head for the two Kat learns that she can trust Brig. She has been through hell, so much death and loss, betrayal and an alcoholic gamble in a world of debt is after her blood as well as the horse's. It is either take it or leave it for Brig as Kat proves her trust in him to confide in why she is running. And it is up to him to protect her, if he can. Love, faith and sweet sweet old fashioned romance is all these two need to make it through. And although we all know there will be a HEA in their future, the fun part is always the journey. And what a journey these two are on! Entertaining and not without a little humor as the supporting characters seem to always chime in with all their words of wisdom, I have to say I was utterly captivated.

Brigham Montgomery buys a rogue stallion and a world of trouble. Being the boss of a working ranch isn't easy either. Loss and fear sends Kat to South Dakota searching for the one friend she has left in the world - a special horse - a horse someone wants dead.

A stable fire, gunshots, and two greedy men bring Brig and Kat together in a way neither would ever imagine.

Now available in multi-format ebook at Smashwords for $4.00 with a 30% sample download to see if you like it: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/8974

Also available for the Kindle at: http://www.amazon.com/Seeking-Shelter-ebook/dp/B0035RPG0E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1264793093&sr=1-1

Print now available at CreateSpace:https://www.createspace.com/Customer/EStore.do?id=3427951

Day 6 of Fairy Tales Gone Naughty with Guest Author Natasha Moore!

I would like to personally Welcome Natasha Moore to Book Junkie today to celebrate Fairy Tales Gone Naughty week here at Savvy & Book Junkie. Watch out! Something wicked (wickedly delicious), comes this way with a very cool, innovative AND refreshingly sexy twist on some of our favorite childhood Fairy Tales. Coming to an enticing new life in Natasha Moore’s latest release of The Better to Eat You With by eRed Sage. You can read my review here of The Better to Eat You With. Don't forget to leave a comment for extra entry points toward the Giveaway.


This is a Natasha’s take of the Fairly Tale Little Red Riding Hood ……

………….. & Little Red  never looked so good!

If you had to describe yourself in 1 word, what would it be?
Busy. I wish I could say I was sassy or exciting or exotic, but with a full-time day job and home and family and writing sexy stories – I’m just plain busy.

Can you tell us a little about The Better to Eat You With?
When Red Sage said they were looking for different takes on familiar fairy tales and classics, I thought it sounded like a fun thing to try. Here’s the blurb:

Did Red Riding Hood get the story wrong when she said her grandmother had been eaten by a wolf?

When Nicholas Wolfe surprises Elise at her lonely house in the forest, she decides to use him for sex like he did with her before he left years ago. They didn’t want the same things from life back then, but Wolfe is back to convince Elise to give him another chance.

What was your inspiration in creating this Urban Fairy Tale?
I love reunion stories and when I thought about a way to twist this particular fairy tale, I immediately thought of pairing grandmother and the wolf – partly because I hadn’t seen it done before, but also because I am a grandmother. But that doesn’t mean I still don’t love and desire and enjoy really hot sex - and a really hot guy to enjoy it with! I wanted to give these slightly older characters their own happy ending.

Why Little Red Riding Hood?
Because I couldn’t resist the title. As soon as the familiar line “The better to eat you with, my dear” popped into my head, the erotic writer in me was off and running.

What was your favorite scene to write in The Better to Eat You With?
Definitely when Elise and Wolfe see each other again for the first time in twenty-five years. All the emotions, good and bad, come rushing back. And they’re still attracted to each other, so it’s a really hot scene too.

Do you have any other Fairy Tales you would like to re-vamp and make your own?
I’d love to try a twist of Beauty and the Beast, but it’s been done so much that I don’t know if I could come up with something unique. I’d love to try, so if the idea reveals itself, I’ll definitely write it.

If you could trade places with your character Elise would you want to?
That’s a tough one. Probably not. I’ve been lucky enough to still be with the love of my life after thirty years and I didn’t have to be a single mom. But, you know, to have a hunky guy like Wolfe come back to find me because he couldn’t forget me…that’s mighty tempting.

What was your favorite Fairy Tale growing up?
Cinderella. Doesn’t every little girl who has to do chores dream of falling in love with a Prince and moving to a castle?

What are you currently working on?
I’m currently writing another reunion story. The hero is an erotic artist and the heroine is a woman with whom he had a night of forbidden passion in the past. Of course, he’s never forgotten her either.

What was your most embarrassing moment?
Oh, wow. You want me to choose just one? We remember all those embarrassing moments like they were yesterday, don’t we? The worst one I still remember was when I was in college and I waited out in the parking lot forever for some guy who ended up ditching me. Looking back, I know it was a good thing I didn’t go off with him, but at the time it was humiliating.

If you could ask the readers one question, what would it be?
What is your favorite fairy tale and why?

***Giveaway***

Leave a comment answering Natasha Moore's question on Day 6 here of the Guest Author Interview today as well as ........

 Day 1 Post with Tia Fanning ,Day 2 Post with Alison Paige , Day 3 Post with Natasha Moore, Day 4 Post with Paige Tyler, Day 5 Post with Brenna Lyons, SavvyReaders Blog Guest Author Spotlight Paige Tyler, Savvy Readers Blog Guest Author Tia Fanning, Savvy Readers Blog Guest Author Alison Paige, for entra entry points to win 1 of 3 copies of Tia Fanning's Oriana and the Three WereBears in this week's Fairy Tales Gone Naughty.

 

Review: A Dark Love by Margaret Carroll

A Dark Love by Margaret Carroll was a bit of a disappointment. I will never bash a book, and I won't start with this one, frankly reading the back I was already sucked in. Ready for some serious high drama and suspense as Caroline runs away from her abusive husband and towards a new life, I was game. And I admit, often times so sucked into the book that I couldn't put to down. But, and a big but, another flash back. And I must say the first couple were brillant and chilling, really giving the reader insight to Peter's warped since of right as well as his distored & psychopath tendancies. I do understand that author's thinking, the first few flashbacks into Caroline and husband Peter's past was vital to understand Peter's true sickness and his hold on his wife. What I couldn't take was the fact that I actually had to stop counting them. The endless and very boring and unnecessary flashbacks were painful. Problem was I really think I would have enjoyed the story if the author would have worked a little more on Ken Kincaid's character a little more. As much as I wanted to see him and Caroline together I had a hard time connecting to them as a couple. Or even a potential couple as it may. As the blurb below describes the details of this story, I must say that the writing was excellent, it just felt forced in some spots, capturing me with the first few chapters but went downhill from there I am sad to say. Will I try the author again, probably. Because frankly even those authors that I am die-hard fans of have disappointed a time or two. I gave this book 3 stars because I did love the premise and Caroline's character pulled at my heart. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to carry the entire book.

Caroline Hughes is a naïve college coed when she meets her future husband, Dr. Porter Moross, a renowned psychoanalyst with exotic looks and sophisticated tastes, who promises her a life of wealth and security.

Their courtship is emotional and brief, followed by a move to a landmark home in Washington, D.C.'s historic Georgetown. Once there, Caroline discovers her new husband has dark, controlling side. The townhouse quickly becomes her prison, and she loses touch with the outside world as Porter begins to dominate her physically, mentally and sexually.

Caroline believes Porter when he swears he'll kill her if she leaves.

As her situation becomes more desperate, Caroline devises a plan for escape. She walks away from her life with Porter while taking the dog for his morning walk in the novel's opening scene. She and Pippin make their way to Colorado, where Caroline takes on a new identity as a housekeeper on a ranch outside Storm Pass, where people are laid back and believe in 'live and let live.'

Caroline's plan to keep her business to herself is shaken to the core when she meets Ken Kincaid, a local fishing guide and former pro football player whose easygoing charm and heart-stopping good looks are impossible to resist. And yet Caroline knows her safety and even her life - - and Ken's as well - - depend on her ability to keep a secret.

Meanwhile, Porter spends every waking minute tracking his young bride with the help of private investigators. He is determined to find Caroline and convince her, once and for all, that her life belongs only to him...

The story reaches its climax in the vast windswept wilderness that stretches into eternity above the town called Storm Pass...

Guest Author & Giveaway: Laurel McKee author of Countess of Scandal

Today I would like to Welcome Laurel McKee to Book Junkie. I was able to get my hands on Countess of Scandal with many thanks to Anna @ Hachette Books earlier this month. You can read my review HERE. But also I was sent an extra copy the other day, and although I have already had a giveaway sponsored by the publisher I would like to give this extra copy about to one lucky winner.

If someone were writing a story about Laurel McKee, what would your blurb say?This is a hard one! I always feel like my life is so dull compared to the books I love reading. Maybe “Laurel McKee—a girl with too many handbags and lipsticks, on the hunt for the perfect research books”? Or, if I was fantasizing, “Laurel McKee’s romantic adventures in Paris with her hunky soccer-player boyfriend”…

Can you tell us a little about your newest release Countess of Scandal?
I’m so excited about this book! It’s the first of the “Daughters of Erin” trilogy about the three Blacknall sisters, set in late Georgian/early Regency Ireland. Eliza Blacknall and Will Denton were childhood sweethearts, separated when Will joined the Army and Eliza married her family’s choice for her. Now it’s a few years later—1798, a fateful year in Ireland, and they’re reunited on the eve of the Uprising. He’s still a British officer, and she’s an ardent supporter of the United Irishmen, but their old feelings for each other are still there, stronger than ever.

(The chaos of a rebellion might not be the number one setting people think of for a romance! But I found it had a lot of potential for danger and passion, and a chance for Eliza and Will to discover truths about themselves, their love, and the world around them. It was fun to work with a happier-ending Romeo and Juliet-ish story! Plus at the beginning I got to put in the great clothes and glamorous settings I love. Georgian Dublin was a very glamorous and party-loving place!)


What do you do to combat writer’s block?Usually just writing through it helps. If I don’t feel like writing that day (which I often don’t) I just make myself sit down and get started, and tell myself I can fix it later if it’s terrible. The important thing is to stay in the story. If I’m having a really hard time, it often means I’m trying to make the characters do something they don’t want to, and I need to re-think the story’s direction. (A very tough situation calls for chocolate mousse cake and a bubble bath…)


What was the first romance you read and how did it effect you?
I got started very early reading romance, thanks to my grandmother! We would visit her for a spring break and a month in the summer, and when I was about nine I found a big box of romance novels in her closet (mostly Heyers and Cartlands and a few old traditional Regencies). I was hooked by the first one I tried, Marion Chesney’s At the Sign of the Golden Pineapple, a Regency where the heroine owned a pastry shop called the Golden Pineapple and was very independent. I still love heroines like that! I was entranced by the whole historical world these stories described, and by the developing relationship between the heroes and heroines (I was already hooked on romantic Disney movies by then, and this just seemed like an expansion of all that!). I quickly devoured every book in that box, then ran to the library for more.


Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get published?Not exactly, but I do have a story (historical fiction set at the court of Marie Antoinette before and during the Revolution) that I work on whenever I have a spare minute. I love it, and hope to find a home for it someday!


If you could be a heroine from one of your books, who would you be?Another tough question! I usually give my heroines both aspects of myself (like bookishness or petite-ness) and characteristics I’d like to have but don’t (like bravery or boldness!). I would like to be Anna from my December 2010 book, Duchess of Sin, who is very brave and bold indeed, and able to overcome so much. Plus she gets a handsome Irish hero!


What 3 qualities were a must when creating your hero Will?
Well, in my mind a hero doesn’t necessarily have to be movie-star handsome (though Will is!), but he does have to have a great chemistry and attraction with the heroine. They have to have that magical ‘pull’ to each other. Sometimes I’m lucky enough to have 2 characters who sort of take over and run with the story, whose attraction to each other is naturally strong, and that was Will and Eliza! He also had to be honorable and intelligent, which are a must in any hero.


What is the hardest part about creating/continuing on with a series?t can definitely be a challenge to have characters continue on from one book to another! Continuity and staying true to their personalities is so important, and this can be tough since sometimes months pass between writing two of the books and a lot can be forgotten. I keep an Excel chart for characters and events that’s a big help in keeping it all straight.


If you could ask readers any one question what would it be?
If you read historical romances, what’s your favorite time period and why? Is there any era or setting you’d love to see more of? (Ooops, that’s two questions!)

***GIVEAWAY***

Just leave a comment at the end of this post answering one of Laurel's questions and you will be entered!

Winner chosen 03/05, Open to all!

Blog Tour: Flaherty’s Crossing by Kaylin McFarren

The Business Plan by Kaylin McFarren
 Everyone believes they have the perfect story to tell, an old family recipe for strawberry jelly that will make them rich. It all seems so simple. Just type up a few pages, haul out a few berries. Focus solely on the end product. But no one tells you about the disappointments, failures, or overwhelming commitment that goes into producing anything of value. That goes into creating a successful project that you can proudly attach your name to.


My husband and I started a sauce company 25 years ago. Seems like a lifetime ago now. It was a simple endeavor -.a way to pay the bills, make a name for ourselves and establish a future for our family. All we had to do was mix up some ingredients, fill a few bottles, apply a few labels. There didn’t seem to be anything too difficult to handle. And. as time went by, we found ourselves whistling merrily as we filled our multiple case orders. We were so excited by the number of bottles that were going out our doors, we never considered the cost of growth – the fact that the more products we sold, the more money it took to stay in business. Long story short, we ended up selling everything we could get our hands on. We even cashed in our life insurance policies, sold our cars, and took out loans against our home…all in order to stay ahead of the game. It wasn’t until we were faced with bankruptcy that we realized the price of commitment – the price of our hope. The crazy risk we’d taken with our children’s futures simply to have our name and product sitting on store shelves.


But there’s more to this story. It’s about believing in something so completely, so intensely, you’re willing to put everything on the line. You’re willing to commit every waking hour in your day.


At this point in our lives, we’re fortunate in being able to enjoy the fruit of our labors. But that doesn’t mean we get to sit back calmly and watch the world go by. There’s always competition to consider, and although there are lots of store shelves, space is limited. With any product, service, or book you create, it all comes down to offering something substantial – something memorable and gratifying, and your willingness to commit to your beliefs. It’s a struggle to be noticed, to see sales numbers grow. Whenever someone asks me now how they can get their special recipe into the marketplace, how they can be successful too, I find myself looking back and wondering if I’d known about all the hardships and sacrifices we endured over the years - the weekends we spent apart and the vacations we forfeited - would I have continued on my path? Would I have encouraged my husband to follow his dreams? The only answer I can offer is to consider your options. If you can stay positive even when you’re faced with life’s greatest challenges, then I say go for it. Risk is about living life to the fullest. Whether your dreams are in recipes or the written words in a paperback novel, strive to market yourself to the best of your ability and you just might reap the rewards.

Although Kaylin McFarren wasn’t born with a pen in hand like so many of her talented fellow authors, she has been actively involved in both business and personal writing projects for many years. As the director of a fine art gallery, she assisted in furthering the careers of numerous visual artists who under her guidance gained recognition through promotional opportunities and in national publications. Eager to spread her own creative wings, she has since steered her energy toward writing novels. As a result, she has earned more than a dozen literary awards and was a 2008 finalist in the prestigious RWA® Golden Heart contest.

Kaylin is a member of RWA, Rose City Romance Writers, and Willamette Writers. She received her AA in Literature at Highline Community College, which originally sparked her passion for writing. In her free time, she also enjoys giving back to the community through participation and support of various charitable and educational organizations in the Pacific Northwest.

From Pacific Northwest’s award-winning author Kaylin McFarren comes a powerful novel about love, loss, and the power of forgiveness…

Successful yet emotionally stifled artist Kate Flaherty stands at the deathbed of her estranged father, conflicted by his morphine-induced confession exposing his part in her mother’s death. While racing home, Kate’s car mishap leads her to a soul-searching discussion with a lone diner employee, prompting Kate to confront the true reasons her marriage hangs in the balance. When her night takes an unexpected turn, however, she flees for her life, a life desperate for faith that can only be found through her ability to forgive.

You can visit Kaylin online at www.kaylinmcfarren.com or visit her book’s website at www.flahertyscrossing.com. You can also visit www.pumpupyourbook.com in February and March as she tours the blogosphere on a virtual book tour to promote her new book, Flaherty’s Crossing.

Fairy Tales Gone Naughty Guest Post from Brenna Lyons

Welcome to Day 5 of Book Junkie's Fairy Tales Gone Naughty, today we are celebrating with author Brenna Lyons. I had the honor to review Brenna's latest release Bride Ball a couple of weeks ago (you can read my review here), and I couldn't rave enough about what a great story Brenna created with her adaptation of the old tale Cinderella.

The Story Behind The Story

Urban fairy tales and retold myths are big these days. But why is that so? It’s not just the quest for something new, a tale that hasn’t been told ten times in the last year or so.

Many fantasy lovers cut their teeth on fairy tales and myths, both readers and writers. Have you ever read a fairy tale and just known there was something more going on than the story on the surface? Have you ever read myths that fell into a timeline with each other and known there was a cause and effect that led the characters from myth A to myth B? Authors often do that. The ‘what if’ game is one of my favorite creative tools.

So, how does this tool work? Let’s take a couple of my stories as examples.

BLACK SAIL - a retold myth from my Mythos series, available from Phaze

EDITH HAMILTON’S MYTHOLOGY has always been a favorite of mine. If you scour the original stories, as she told them, you will find the following tales:

1. Ariadne gives Theseus the secret to defeating the Minotaur.

2. Theseus marries Ariadne’s sister Phaedra.

3. Theseus forgets to change the sail on his ship from black to white, and his father, Aegeus, believing Theseus dead, kills himself, leaving Theseus king.

4. Somehow, Ariadne ends up marooned on Naxos.

5. Proteus sends Dionysis to Naxos, and he finds Ariadne there.

6. Phaedra tries to seduce Theseus’s son, and failing that, accuses him and gets him exiled, at which point, he is killed. Phaedra kills herself.

7. Theseus makes a deal with the gods to bring his son back to life. His son becomes king, and Theseus is exiled.

8. Theseus is killed while visiting his friend King Lycomedes.

But what tied them all together. How did Theseus end up with Phaedra as his bride? How did Ariadne end up on Naxos? Why did Theseus forget to change the sail? What happened when Dionysis found Ariadne? How did Theseus find himself in a position to make a deal with the gods? How did Theseus find his way to Lycomedes, and who killed Theseus and why? That’s the fun of writing the story behind the story. Since none of these things are clear in the original myths, the author has complete freedom to stay true to the originals and fill in the holes that have started the game of ‘what if’ in the first place.


THREE WISHES - an Urban Grimm story, available from Under The Moon


The original Brothers Grimm tale of “The Three Little Men in The Wood” went something along the lines of:

A widow with a daughter convinced a widower with a daughter that she would treat his daughter better than her own, if he married her. He did, and his daughter’s treatment got worse and worse and her daughter’s better and better, until the step-mother was actively trying to kill off her husband’s daughter. She sent the girl out in the dead of winter wearing only a paper dress and told her not to come home until she brings back a basketful of strawberries. For her lunch, the step-mother gave her only a small bit of hard bread to eat.

In the woods, the girl found a little house owned by three strange men. She gave them some of her breakfast and swept the snow for them. The men found her so endearing, they gifted her their magic. The first decided she would grow more beautiful every day. The second proclaimed a piece of gold would fall from her mouth every time she spoke. The third decreed that a king would come and take her as his wife. While she swept the snow, she found ripe strawberries and filled her basket with them. She thanked the men and ran home with the berries her stepmother had demanded.


At home, her step-mother and step-sister discovered that gold came from her mouth when she talked, and she told them about the little men. Her step-sister was jealous and wanted to visit the little men to get gold of her own. At first her mother resisted. It was so cold, she feared her daughter would fall ill. At last she agreed, dressed her daughter in fur, and gave her a lunch of the finest bread, butter, and cakes.

The step-sister went to the house, was rude to the little men, ate her food without sharing it, and refused to help them sweep the snow. She was so unpleasant, the little men decided to punish her. One decided she would grow uglier every day. The second proclaimed that a toad would jump from her mouth whenever she spoke. The final one decreed that she would die a horrible and violent death.


In time, the man’s daughter became more beautiful and her step-sister uglier. The step-mother, still trying to kill her, sent the girl to the icy river to rinse yarn. While she was there, a king happened by and decided on the spot that she would become his wife.


In time, she bore him a son. In a fit of jealousy, the step-mother and step-sister dragged the girl from her bed and threw her into the river and pretended the step-sister was the girl, abed and fevering. When the girl returned to her husband and he learned of the deception, he had the step-mother and step-sister thrown into a barrel full of nails, rolled into the river, and thereby killed.

Now, how to update that into an urban fantasy? The basic setup of the step-mother and step-sister is timeless, of course. In this case, Ellie is a college student, working to pay rent to her step-mother so she doesn’t end up on the streets without a place to live. With the entire estate, save a small trust fund Ellie won’t inherit for another four years, in her step-mother’s name, Ellie has no legal recourse.


Enter three godfathers Ellie never knew she had. When her step-mother stops paying their housekeeper, it’s up to Ellie to uphold her grandfather’s will...by playing housekeeper for them personally.

When they insist on giving her gifts she was due at birth, Ellie seeks to weasel out by asking for a bit of knotwork jewelry and some pocket change. What she ends up with is an enchanted knotwork that she can’t remove and is supposedly bespelled to protect her, a wallet that fills with $1000 every time it is emptied, and a soulmate being drawn to her. Of course, that sort of magic doesn’t go unnoticed in today’s world. For one thing, what happens when you get caught with $50,000 in cash on your person? It’s not pretty.

By Brenna Lyons

 

Blog Tour Review: Shadow Blade by Seressia Glass

A Shadowcaster, trained from youth Kira lives a double life. An antiguities expert who is role by day and at night she fights evil. An evil that has reached the city trying to claim a 4,ooo year old daggar that has fallen into Kira's hands. She feels that she is cursed though, not able to touch anyone, literally sucking the life from their bodies she has become hard and lonely. But the girl is strong, one kick ass deadly woman. But now in possession of the dagger from her handler who was murdered she now has an Egyptian, an ancient Nubian warrior who claims that the dagger is his, and he wants it back. That Eqyptian Warrior is named Khefar and he will do anything, anything to get it back. Even if that means team up with Kira! Very cool and excited I really liked Seressia Glass' Shadow Blade.
 
For Kira Solomon, normal was never an option.


Kira's day job is as an antiquities expert, but her true calling is as a Shadowchaser. Trained from youth to be one of the most lethal Chasers in existence, Kira serves the Gilead Commission, dispatching the Fallen who sow discord and chaos. Of course, sometimes Gilead bureaucracy is as much a thorn in her side as anything the Fallen can muster against her. Right now, though, she's got a bigger problem. Someone is turning the city of Atlanta upside down in search of a millennia-old Egyptian dagger that just happens to have fallen into Kira's hands.

Then there's Khefar, the dagger's true owner -- a near-immortal 4,000-year-old Nubian warrior who, Kira has to admit, looks pretty fine for his age. Joining forces is the only way to keep the weapon safe from the sinister Shadow forces, but now Kira is in deep with someone who holds more secrets than she does, the one person who knows just how treacherous this fight is. Because every step closer to destroying the enemy is a step closer to losing herself to Shadow forever....

Click HERE to read an excerpt of Shadow Blade

Visit the Shadowchasers Series website HERE
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for review courtesy of Pocket Books

ISBN-10: 1439156794

ISBN-13: 9781439156797

Interview John Wareham, author of SONNETS FOR SINNERS

Today I would like to welcome John Wareham to Book Junkie. He has been kind enough to answer a few of my questions about his latest release Sonnets for Sinners in which I had the pleasure to read. You can read my review HERE.

If someone were writing a story about John Wareham what would your blurb say?

John has counseled top international business leaders, and at the other end of the social spectrum transformed the lives of prison inmates in New York's toughest prisons. He has published ten books of non-fiction, fiction, and poetry, but his writing does not fit neatly into any genre. What might define him best, is a vein of dark humor as he discloses human foibles and helps readers to recognize and pursue their own best interests. His latest work, Sonnets for Sinners, examines the inner lives of sinning lovers, his previous work, a psycho-political thriller, The President's Therapist, explored the troubled psyche of United States President, George W. Bush. His earlier works include Secrets of a Corporate Headhunter, a popular business bestseller, The Anatomy of a Great Executive, a 13-language reference classic, How to Break Out of Prison, a life-changer, and Chancey On Top, a critically acclaimed novel that explores themes of leadership, love, and enlightenment.

What do you do to combat writers block?
This a rare occurrence for me, but if it happens, I figure it is because I don’t know what I am trying to say. I may walk away for an hour—or even a day—to discover what that might be. Then, I then come back, sit down at my computer, imagine I am talking to a friend, and force myself to produce 750 words a day.

Which sonnet was your favorite if you had to choose?
I tremendously admire, Longing, in which Elan Haverford likens her obsession with her absent illicit lover to living in a surreal village. Here’s the opening quatrain:

The village I dwell in, Thinkofyou,
Is a maddeningly melancholy town,
Where the clocks are locked in a strange snafu
And the forget-me-nots are hand-me-downs.

I also very much like the sonnet I managed to distill from a Princes Diana television interview, particularly these lines:

Life’s just a journey, we all wind up dead,
so I wore my heart on my sleeve and led
from the heart, not the rulebook of the head:
if you find love, Hang On, is what I said.

What advice would you give to people who "run out of creativity" when writing?
Take a brief holiday, then come back, and (a) start writing, (b) don’t quit, and (c) finish a first draft—don’t get it right, get it written!

Can you tell us a little about your newest release SONNETS FOR SINNERS: EVERYTHING ONE NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT ILLICIT LOVE?
It is one part anthology and two parts self help; a non-judgmental look at all sides of illicit love. It shows the world through the prism of poets trapped in love triangles. Their dramas play out in just fourteen compelling lines. Then, on the facing page of each sonnet, I attempt to show—successfully, I think—the mindset of the poet, and milestone reached on the inevitable journey of illicit love. Upon reaching the last page of the book, sinners may be inspired to quit their wicked ways; they may equally, however, be better equipped to suffer guilt and longing with the goal of savoring the continuing thrills of a love affair.

What inspired you most in creating Sonnets for Sinners?
Five sonnets by the Other Woman in my love-triangle novel, Chancey On Top, got a lot of praise, so I decided to expand them into an anthology of love poems. There was no collection on illicit love, so I decided to make that my focus, and, drawing upon my professional life, include a page of analysis and advice on the facing page of each poem.

What is the most interesting thing you’ve done in the name of research?
Coaching corporate leaders at one end of the spectrum and prison inmates at the other gave me tremendous useable insight into human foibles. For this book, however, I learned infinitely more than I ever anticipated when tinkering public domain from celebrities into sonnets. It felt as if I was performing heart surgery, with the patients laid out on the table, and their beating hearts exposed.

What are you currently working on?
I have several things bubbling, but I hate to talk about a work in progress; whenever I do I start to lose interest.

If you could ask readers any one question, what would it be?’
What part of your life would you least like to talk about?

Winners, lots of winners announced!

Congrats to all the winners below. Sorry I am so behind on announcing the winners! Below are the three contests for Corked by Kathryn Borel, Countess of Scandal by Laurel McKee & $10 GC to All Romance Books.

6 Winners of Corked by Kathryn Borel 

1. Laney4
2. misskallie2000
3. buddyt (INTER'L)
4. cpullum
5. Cats on the Shelf
6. booklover0226

Countess of Scandal by Laurel McKee 

1. Amanda
2. mountie9
3. Judy
4. Martha Lawson
5. Armenia

$10 GC to All Romance Books

Maria

If you haven't recieved an e-mail from me I will need you to send me an e-mail to bookjunkie@ymail.com.

Review: Just Right by Paige Tyler .... Fairy Tales Gone Naughty Day 4

Welcome to Day 4 of Book Junkie's Fairly Tales Gone Naughty, today I would like to give a warm Welcome to author Paige Tyler. Paige has just released from Ellora's Cave her take on Goldilocks and The Three Bears with Just Right. Just Right for me was 63 pages of pure fun! Please don't forget to check out Paige's Interview by me over at SavvyReaders Blog! If you comment you will gain extra entry points for Fairy Tales Gone Naughty's Tia Fanning Giveaway per above. Enjoy & Happy Reading to all!

Goldie is a very sexually frustrated woman, having been dissed by the object her her desire at the office for another woman she needed to blow off some steam. And what better way then to work up a sweat by taking a hike on a beautiful day. Of course that is exactly what she does, but what she didn't plan on was getting completely lost! Exhausted and starving she comes upon an empty cabin hidden in the woods. Peeking inside she realizes that the inhabitants must have gone off somewhere recently but they locked the door. Not letting that deter her she breaks the glass window in the door and works her way through the cabin looking for something to eat. Not long after those inhabitants who just happen to be local officers of the law as well as werebears are actually none too pleased about Goldie's presence in their cabin. Down right furious since they just got back from scaring away some loggers down the mountain who were logging illegally. Tired themselves and ready to eat and hit the sack Goldie has created quite a disturbance.
She is beautiful and willing as she offers for them to punish her themselves instead of arresting her for breaking and entering. I mean really, what sane available woman could resists three stunningly handsome brothers over being arrested?
What turns starts out as a little spanking punishment ends up turning into a sexual encounter Goldie wasn't sure she was really prepared for. Beyond her wildest fantasies her body and all her senses are overwhelmed as she lets herself go and just feels. And what she feels is a connection between one of the brothers Gregory. Attracted to them all and pleasured by them all, still something about Gregory that pulls her towards him. Could she actually be falling for this guy so fast? The brothers all realized this encounter with Goldie is just light and fun, all except Gregory, he too is affected by Goldie's charms. A seriously fun and naughty romp this story is just that, with a light hearted tale of little Goldilocks losing her way in the woods, Paige Tyler has created and entertaining and sexy twist on an old fable. And frankly I think I prefer this version to the one I read as a child! A grown up version with lots of yummy sex & delightfully fun!

The sexy tale of Goldie and the three werebears

When Goldie Lockwood gets lost hiking and comes upon an isolated cabin, little does she know it belongs to three hot and hunky werebear brothers. The guys aren’t thrilled to discover Goldie ate their food and slept in their beds. Not wanting to go to jail, she suggests the men punish her for her naughty misdeeds—with an arousing round of spanking. Goldie loves getting spanked and decides that after having her bottom warmed, she needs a little sex to make the night complete. The only question is whether she’s going to sleep with one of the brothers or all of them.

ISBN: 9781419926952

Ellora's Cave

EXCERPT

Naked Edge by Pamela Clare ... Coming Soon!

I can't wait for book four in Pamela Clare's I-Team Series hits stores, set to release March 2nd! A long time fan of Pamela's I couldn't help but post this for you all to check out!!!!

What do you do when desire drives you to the very brink?

The day Navajo journalist Katherine James met Gabriel Rossiter, the earth literally moved beneath her feet. Nearly killed in a rockslide while hiking, she found her life in the tall park ranger's hands. Although she can't forget him she thinks she'll never see him again. She is crushed when she recognizes her rescuer among the law enforcement officers raiding a sweat lodge ceremony one night, throwing her and her friends off Mesa Butte, land they consider sacred.

Gabe long ago swore he would never again lose himself to a woman not even one with long dark hair and big eyes that seem to see right through him. But from the moment he first sees Kat, the attraction he feels is undeniable. Appalled by what he has been ordered to do, he's determined to get to the bottom of recent events at Mesa Butte and to keep Kat safe.

But asking questions can be dangerous almost as dangerous as risking one's heart. And soon Kat and Gabe's passion for the truth and each other makes them targets for those who would do anything, even kill, to keep Native Americans off their sacred land.

READ EXCERPT

Review: The Better to Eat You With by Natasha Moore

Today is day 3 of Book Junkie's Fairy Tales Gone Naughty and I am happy to introduce you to Natasha Moore's The Better to Eat You With. This is my first read from Natasha and I don't think I could have started with a more romantic read. Truly romantic and beautiful telling to two lovers re-united after a lifetime has passed them by. Can true love concur all? You'll have to read for yourself!

This is the love story of Elise and her long lost true love Nick, Nick Wolf that is. A delightful spin on an old take, one I was unprepared for by just reading the blurb. At the time I wasn't sure, does this mean Nick is a wolf and Natasha Moore was just playing with reader. Oh she played with the reader, at my heartstrings that is as she unraveled the lonely and somewhat hollow life of Elise. Now a grandmother who is lives alone, she has a daughter and grand-daughter who she calls Red, but with all their love she still has a broken heart. No passion in her life, long gone so many years ago when Nick Wolf left town and took her heart with her.

Nick is back! And he wants his woman, older and wiser he can't help himself but to walk up to her house and claim his love for her. Damn all those years apart, what they had was real and he knows in his own heart that his young & immature mind couldn't grasp the realities of what it meant to be in love with Elise all those years ago. With his ego and his pride he high tailed it out of town. Older and wiser he is back! And oh the sparks fly between the two, not able to resists not only Nick's charm, but her own desires and undying passion toward the man standing in front of her.

What starts out as a sex only to get it out of her system, turns into a renewed love affair, beautiful, charming and honestly just one heck of an adorable and passionate love story I was captured from the first few words. Elise's heart ache calls to you, her excitement in seeing Nick again and the opportunity lost all those years ago, then the realization of the possibilities ahead for the both of them. They are endless. With Nick's undying resilience and charm he is just the man to convince Elise of their future together.

Did Red Riding Hood get the story wrong when she said her grandmother had been eaten by a wolf? When Nicholas Wolfe surprises Elise at her lonely house in the forest, she decides to use him for sex like he did with her before he left years ago. They didn’t want the same things from life back then, but Wolfe is back to convince Elise to give him another chance.

Red Sage Publishing

ISBN: 9781603103787

Excerpt