Red Hot Book Tour: Everything Erotic, Excerpt/Giveaway: THREE Prizes!

Everything Erotic

Volume One, Issue 2 - Excerpt

A Stranger

By Marissa Elliott

She stood over him, watching him sleep. His full mouth softly parted, inhaling and exhaling gentle breaths. Could she run her finger along those lips? Could she dip her finger into his mouth, and then bring it to her own? Taste what it would like to kiss him.

It had been the early hours of the morning when he had been brought into the hospital. An RTA – a road traffic accident – which had left everyone mystified. The car that hit him had sped off into the night, with only a vague description of the vehicle given by the young couple who had seen it happen. But that was not the mystery.

Though he only suffered a knock to the head and a few bruised ribs, the man was suffering from amnesia. Not only that. He had absolutely no identity on him – no wallet, no business card, nothing. And he had no idea who he was.

Jessica had been the nurse on duty when he had been brought in and he had caught her attention immediately. Hell, he had probably caught the attention of every woman (and probably some of the men) in the hospital.

Now twenty-four hours had passed and there was no sign of him recovering his memory - though the specialists did seem to think it was only temporary. Stranger still, no one had claimed him. No one was missing this dark hair man, with the startlingly blue eyes.

His arms lay on top of the smooth, starched sheets. His forearms were well-defined, the muscle a hard ridge just beneath the surface. His arms ended in strong hands with neat blunt nails. Hesitantly Jess reached down and stoked the soft hair of his left forearm, followed the lines of his muscles, down across the back of his hand.

There was no reason for her to be here. She had completed her rounds already. Never-the-less, she kept his chart close at hand, planning to quickly turn her attention to it, should she be disturbed.

Carefully she pulled back the sheet.

She was filled with nervous excitement. She knew what she was doing was wrong. It was crazy. She was an attractive woman and didn’t need to do this. Yet there was something about him that made her unable to stop. A recklessness that was not part of who she was.

Slowly she pulled the sheets down further. A hospital gown certainly spoilt the effect, but maybe if she just pulled it to the side a little...

He stirred in his sleep, his head twisting against the pillow. She froze, her hand still clutching the sheet. Her heart pounded in her ears as she waited for him to settle into sleep once more.

She didn’t know why she was doing what she was doing. She didn’t understand the compulsion she felt to be near him, to watch him, to touch him. Was it something about his new, almost freshly born innocence? She had been there to witness the bewilderment in his eyes when he had come around. Yet he had still seemed so strong and in control, despite his terrifying situation.

Was this worth her job? It would cost her if someone should walk in.

~*~

Thanks for having us here on the blog to talk to your readers! We’ve got a great 4,000 ebook giveaway for them to check out. How would you like to get a FREE book just by entering your name, email, and type of eReader into a form? Well guess what—you can!

Stop by the Red Hot Readers page on Facebook to get books delivered to you within 48 hours, directly from the participating author! If you’re not on Facebook much, stop by the website instead and be sure to sign up for their twice a month newsletter telling you when more authors have been added to the giveaway (http://www.redhotreaders.com/index).

And now, a few gifts from the Everything Erotic team of authors...

If you have a Kindle, our very first issue, compiling blog posts from way back in 2012 will be free from February 9-11th. Currently there are five books offered, with our six titles going up this week. You can find it by following this URL link or copying and pasting it into your browser:

http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Erotic-Sexy-Anthology-ebook/dp/Boo47DWCD4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1287341736&sr=1-2

And if you'd like some other free ebooks (for all eReaders, not just Kindles), even non-erotica ones, then please check out this new website. They're dedicated to matching up interested readers with free ebooks directly from the authors: http://www.redhotreaders.com/index

About the Authors:

Everything Erotic is a group of twelve authors doing the unthinkable—posting original erotic fiction and non-fiction for free on a blog.
The blog launched September 1st, 2010. Since their debut, they’ve built a following of close to a thousand readers via Amazon's Kindle Blogs and over 2000 followers on Facebook. Due to overwhelming interest, they started to compile their short stories, serials, and articles into eBooks.
The group currently has five eBooks available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple and Smashwords. The heat level of their writing varies from erotic romance to pure five alarm erotica at its best—there’s something for every reader to enjoy.
The EE Team of Authors: Alice Gaines, Boone Brux, C.J. Ellisson, Danielle Gavan, Delilah Devlin, Greta Goddard, Melissa Ecker, M.K. Elliott, Nickie Asher, Roxanne Rhoads, Scarlett Jameson and Whitley Gray

The ladies from Everything Erotic can be found at the following locations on the web:

Everything Erotic Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Kindle Blogs

And now for the giveaway!  There will be 3 prizes to 3 different winners!!  First winner gets first choice, second chooses from remaining two books, and 3rd place gets the last book left!  The books to choose from are: Deadly Beauty and Rescued by M.K. Elliott and  Ardeur by Danielle Gavan.


To enter, just fill out Rafflecopter below.  Open internationally to people 18 years of age and older.  By entering you signify that you are at least 18 years of age.  Contest runs from 2-9-12  through 2-15-12

Love Is In The Air Blog Hop

Love Is In the Air Blog Hop 

Hosted by Under the Covers 

Blog hop runs from 12:01 AM February 7th through to 11:59 PM February 14th, 2012.

Welcome everyone!!!  It is time for another Blog Hop!!!  And this one is to celebrate everything wonderful about... LOVE!!


I am giving away....
1) LOVE Prize Pack! TWO BOOKS AND A GIFT CARD!
These books are from Amazon, so you must read them on a Kindle or Kindle App.
Ink Review
Bess, Nicholas & A Dog Called Bones Review
I LOVED both of these books so much that I want YOU to read them!!

AND a $10 Gift Card to Amazon!!!

This giveaway is also open internationally.  

Fine Print:

Winner can choose either the Love Prize Pack, Or $15 from Barnes & Noble or Amazon, Or $15 in books from The Book Depository.  

Only ONE prize worth $15 will be given. 

Only entries through Rafflecopter will be accepted.  

Don't forget to check out the rest of the sites in the hop!

FREE Two Days Only: A Vampire Novel with Actual Bite!

FREE Two Days Only: A Vampire Novel with Actual Bite!

As the modern world establishes itself and pushes the supernatural into the shadows, the supernatural fights back.

The Darkening Dream is a chilling new dark fantasy novel by Andy Gavin, creator of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter, that has received rave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and is FREE for two days only on Amazon Kindle (February 7^th to 8^th)! Download your FREE copy here: http://amzn.to/yTvZPG

Long-time readers of dark historical fantasy (Tim Powers, Guy Gavriel Kay, Katherine Kurtz) will appreciate the weaving together of mythology, occult, and religion, while younger readers and fans of HBO dramas (True Blood, Carnivàle) or urban fantasy (Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher) will be drawn to the twisted imagination, graphic action, and romantic tension.

About The Darkening Dream

Even as the modern world pushes the supernatural aside in favor of science and steel, the old ways remain. God, demon, monster, and sorcerer alike plot to regain what was theirs.

1913, Salem, Massachusetts – Sarah Engelmann’s life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand.

With the help of Alex, an attractive Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex’s elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah’s own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah’s continuing visions reveal?

No less than Gabriel’s Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be her very soul.

The Reviews Are In

"A vampire novel with actual bite." ~The Kirkus Reviews

"Mr. Gavin has brought something refreshingly new to a genre now suffused with poorly-concealed bodice-rippers which have more in common with Fabio than Bram Stoker: depth. His big baddies are scary, not romantic interests, and the added religious lore is complex and engaging. Don't expect another Twilight -- the story can get downright creepy, so be prepared for a return to the old horror sensibilities of supernatural fiction." ~Amazon Review

"With Mr. Gavin's video-game pedigree, I was expecting something aimed squarely at the 18-25 year old fanboy contingent; what I got in The Darkening Dream was something wholly unexpected: A period novel with a female protagonist, a crash-course on Judaism in the colonial years, and multi-layered series of plot arcs featuring a crazy cast of natural and supernatural characters populating 18th Century Colonial America." ~Amazon Review

"…A perfect blend of mystery, magic and myth. A grown-up Grimm's fairy tale...emphasis on grim."  ~Amazon Review

Read the first two sample chapters here >> http://bit.ly/xXVxXS

Get your FREE copy of The Darkening Dream for two days only on Amazon here. http://amzn.to/yTvZPG

No eReader or Kindle? No problem. Get free apps for your Web Browser, PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, or Android Phone.

Bewitching Blog Tour: We Shall Rise - JE Hopkins - Guest Post

Today I have the great pleasure of welcoming JE Hopkins to the site to speak about strength and weakness in characters, and how that relates to her male hero, Kaden. Thank you for stopping by JE, I wish you the best of luck with your release!

We Shall Rise 

By J.E. Hopkins 

War surrounds him, yet for vampire Kaden Gaspard, there is no greater battle than the one his mind has waged against his heart. He knows he should stay away from her. Reysa. The half-breed vampire warrior who had risked her life to prove his innocence for the seven murders for which he was accused, but had not committed. This stubbornly loyal woman who dedicated her life to her family of misfits - immortals shunned and abandoned by their clans for their impurity of blood and genetic mutations. This courageous and valiant African warrior who Kaden fears could never love the monster that he is destined to be. 

As Kaden and Reysa struggle to accept the undeniable bond between them, they must come together to stop the emerging terror that threatens to destroy all immortals. The lesser immortals – witches, sages, shifters, demons, hybrids, charmers and foreseers – have declared war against the pureblood vampires and lycans who have used their purity of blood and greater strength to enslave the weaker races. No immortal is safe. This is a fight for freedom and a fight against genocide. There can be no true victor as death looms for them all. 

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Paperback

Barnes and Noble

Smashwords

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In Weakness There Can Be Strength

My blog tour journey continues and I am very happy to have the opportunity to guest post on your site.

What makes a character strong? There is of course physical strength which for immortals is a requirement, but there is another type of strength that often goes unnoticed, yet it is equally powerful. That strength comes from acknowledging and overcoming one’s weaknesses. There is strength in honesty, self-awareness and acceptance. There is strength is surviving when it is so much easier to surrender to the darkness.

In my novel, We Shall Rise, many of the characters possess flaws that may seem like weaknesses. Despite their immense physical capabilities, they are plagued with internal struggles that paralyze them—prevent them from finding happiness, finding love for themselves and for others. They use their physical gifts to hide their insecurities and they push away others who get too close to the truth of who they really are.

Kaden, the vampire hero of We Shall Rise, shields himself by using aggression to keep others away. He hurts those he loves in order to prevent himself from being hurt. He is blessed with strength and gifts unmatched yet his inability to accept himself is a prevailing weakness; however, it’s a weakness that later becomes his greatest strength when he learns to be honest about the secrets he has buried deep within and accept himself and forgive himself for past mistakes. Inspiring him to make this revelation is a hybrid vampire warrior, Reysa, who has battled a similar internal struggle, but overcame it long before by allowing friends and family to see the real her, flaws and all, and accepting their love. It’s her unrelenting faith in Kaden that gives him the strength to accept himself. Kaden is one of the strongest characters I have written because he found strength within his greatest weakness.

You don’t have to be a fictional character to turn a weakness into a strength.

I hope you enjoy We Shall Rise as much as I enjoyed writing it.

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Author Bio: 

J.E. Hopkins is a practicing attorney in New York and an avid fiction writer. Hopkins holds a Juris Doctor from St. John's University and a Bachelor of Arts from New York University. 

J.E. Hopkins published her first novel, The Broken, in 2007. She subsequently published her first paranormal romance of the Misfits of the Lore Series, Lover's Betrayal, in 2011. 

For more information about this author and upcoming works, please visit www.jehopkinsauthor.com

Between Seasons - Aida Brassington Review/Giveaway

Title: Between Seasons

Author: Aida Brassington

Format: Ebook provided by author for review

From Goodreads

Patrick Boyle dies in the fall of 1970, just days before he's due to report for the Vietnam War draft, which seems like a good thing until he realizes he's stuck in the house with no indication of when he'll be escorted to heaven. And after his parents leave the house, he's trapped without company -- until a mysterious woman who can channel his memories buys the house forty years later. The spring brings with it new life, but falling in love with the new owner may only bring heartbreak to them both

Wow.  This was a very interesting story.  A ghost story, for sure, but not in the scary sense of the word.  The entire story is told from the point of view of Patrick, a 19 year old that has just died.  His death is certainly tragic, but you get to escape some of the sadness of it since you know he is still around.  However, as he is immediately aware of his death and he watches life unfold before him, you can’t help but be a bit saddened over this loss.   I really liked the way the author portrayed it all though, Patrick’s expectations versus the reality of what the hereafter was for him.

Fast forward forty years into the future, our present. It is 2010 and a girl in her mid-twenties has just bought Patrick’s house.  She is a bit unusual herself, and things are a bit off right from the gates with her.  But this isn’t a bad thing.  I instantly liked Sara.  And while I wished there were some points where the story could have been told from her point of view, with Patrick watching on with such a keen eye you don’t miss a thing.  It’s very interesting how these two begin to interact with each other, and one of them doesn’t even realize it – at first. Sara is definitely sensitive to his presence, and seemingly almost speaking to him at times. 

Patrick is unable to leave the house, and he doesn’t really know why.  This is such a hard constraint for the author to introduce new characters and yet she does it beautifully.  You don’t long for much outside those doors, other than you desperately wish Patrick could venture out them himself.  For being a young man of nineteen years old, he certainly is a mature man.  Of course, he’s had forty years of near isolation to mature.  It’s a wonder he didn’t go stark raving mad. 

Sara is a likeable character.  She’s recently divorced and not without her own baggage and drama.  But you are definitely rooting for these two to be able to interact, to become aware – to be together.  And once the ball gets rolling, you almost think it is too good to be true.  Something happens that could absolutely change their lives forever – together and apart. 

There is one particular character that I absolutely did not like.  I'll keep their identity a secret, for the sake of a spoiler.  However, this person is just an irony of the facade they are trying to put forth.  I wanted to smack that person so much!  Such nerve and cruelty, it made me wish for the couple only that much more.

This book was very well rounded, for basically taking place within one house over a 40 year time period.  I really grew to care for the characters, and shared their happiness, fears, and sadness.  I only wish it was longer - but luckily it looks like there might be a sequel in the works!

 Website | Goodreads | Twitter

Haunting Paranormal Romance 

BETWEEN SEASONS, available in paperback and ebook

Buy now: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

Aida Brassington is an award winning writer who lives in a haunted house in the suburbs of Pennsylvania with her husband of five years and a Great Dane named Patrick. She loves all things related to Halloween and spooky movies, but not because she shares her house with a ghost (and it should be noted her ghost does nothing more than occasionally appear in the second floor hallway and hide her keys) — she just likes being scared.

She is a former political junkie with a deep interest in artisan food, reading, and scuba diving. She has never spent time in a mental institution but often questions her mental health.

Aida can be bribed with Vosges chocolate. Bribed into what? Well, that all depends.

Aida has been kind enough in offering an ecopy of her book up for a giveaway!  This will be open internationally to people age 13 an older.  Fill out the Rafflecopter for entries below.  Good luck!

An Interview with Heather Killough-Walden

Heather Killough-Walden

Today I have the great pleasure of interviewing Heather Killough-Walden.  Heather is the author of books such as Big Bad Wolf series, The Game, The Chosen Soul, and Redeemer. This month she has a new book releasing, The Vampire King!

1. Pretend no one reading this has heard of you. What do you want them to know about you as an author, and subsequently, about your books?

I write the fantasies that so very many women have but are afraid to voice. I write the bad guys with solid hearts and the good guys with bad attitudes. I write shades of gray, plots that twist more than a pretzel, and settings straight out of your wildest dreams. I put my soul into my work, and you can tell.

2. Have you always wanted to be an author?

Yes, I just didn’t know it. But writing has been in my blood since I was a little girl and was unwittingly penning romances in my Hello Kitty journal:

Michael tried to kiss me today on the playground. So I slapped him. Aint I a stinker?

Words always seemed to come out so much better when I wrote them down than when I tried to speak them. On paper, they were my friends, earning me a Get-Out-of-Grounding card or a financial apology from the airline who destroyed my luggage or even a second chance at college. I might not have been aware that it was so, but I have always been an author.

3. Ok, here it is. Werewolves. Assassins. Angels. Single moms. Witches. Daughters of Demons. Teenage girls. Fairy tales. Sci-fi. Gods and Goddesses. And now vampires. You have such a crazy amount of subject matter – and they are all fabulous. But which one is your favorite to write about (and why)?

That’s a very difficult question to answer, LOL. Each subject has its appeal or I wouldn’t have written it. I would never attempt to write something that bored me; that would be a huge mistake and my readers would know right away.

I will say this, though. Writing paranormal characters takes a bit of the challenge out of making them tough. Everyone automatically knows that a werewolf is strong and fast and could kick the crap out of a human. Writing a human who could kick the crap out of another human, however, forces me to delve deeper into that character’s personality and pull out all of the delicious three-dimensional details that make a hero truly well-rounded. So, writing Jack Thane and Adam Night is fun. Very fun. J

4. I am so excited to see that your next release, The Vampire King, is coming out this month! What can you tell us about this new series?

Sure! Here’s a brief synopsis:

It was immediate for Roman. In three thousand years, he’d never lost control of his emotions, or his heart. But the moment he laid eyes on Evelynne Farrow, he knew she was the woman who haunted his dreams. And everything changed.

Everything.

Evie Farrow has always loved a good vampire romance.  In fact, she makes a living writing them. While sitting in a coffee shop and working on her next mega-hot book, Evie is approached by a tall, dark, and handsome man who could have been pulled directly from one of her novels. 

Unbeknownst to her, Roman D’Angelo is exactly what he appears to be – a vampire, and not just any vampire, but the king of vampires.

Unfortunately, while Roman is both ancient and invulnerable, Evie is flesh and blood. Just as Roman decides that he and Evie have a date with destiny, for reasons of their own, an ancient god and a homicidal vampire take an equally strong interest in her. To make things more complicated, there’s something very special about Evie. Something not quite human.

Can Roman fight off the incredible forces that would have Evie as their own long enough to win her heart, or will destiny betray him, and destroy everything he has ever dreamed of?

5. And since it is a spin-off from the Big Bad Wolf series, does that mean we will see some of your wonderful wolves making an appearance?

Absolutely! You know those characters are too hot to just leave behind. J

6. I’ve read almost all of your books, and something that is wonderful about them is these complex relationships between the men and women. It’s never a cut and dry situation of “hey you are the male lead, so I am going to be with you la la la”. There’s outside issues to deal with, and sometimes even another person who thinks they should be the one in the relationship. A lot of times you really wonder which way the story is going to go, and who is going to end up with whom. So who is your favorite couple, and why?

That’s really, really hard to answer. I love all of my couples. They all have their special and different aspects that makes them strong, cohesive, and wonderful. Some of them have real issues – marital, financial. Some of them seem to engage in constant power struggles. For a few of them, the sexual tension is so strong and constant, it’s just plain distracting. It really depends on what kind of mood you’re in, which of the couples you would be drawn to at any given point in time. They’ve all got their own magic.

7. And also, your female leads often have these wonderful relationships with other women. They aren’t your typical heroine who is basically alone and facing the world. I think it’s wonderful to project the fact that yes, you can have it all. A lot of novels don’t integrate all of the friendships into the story. How do you go about building a character’s past and connecting it to her future?

I write what I know, so I incorporate a lot of experience based on my own friendships into my stories. Other than that, it’s really the characters themselves who dictate their past and present relationships. If the characters are strong enough, the writing comes easy because it’s like I become a vessel through which these entities create their own stories.

8. One of my favorite books from you is Hell Bent. This book is different from the rest of your books because it isn’t paranormal. The sequel, Mean Business, comes out at the end of this year (yay!!!!) Is it a difficult process for you to keep within regular human parameters when trying to tell this story?

Not at all. In fact, as I mentioned before, it’s almost easier and certainly can be more fun to explore the boundaries of human capability. When writing Jack Thane, I see the ultimate man – strong, confident, skilled, but also very human and a little flawed. There’s something so perfectly sexy about the way life sometimes rattles him, despite his incredible efficiency and fortitude. I think that it’s not the inherent power of a man that makes him desirable, exactly, but the way he utilizes that power – whether it is inhuman or not – to overcome the obstacles that cross his path. Jack Thane handles it all with incredible strength, steadfast resolve, and more than his fair share of impressive acumen.

9. And in the same vein, what can you tell us about Mean Business?

You’ll have to wait and see. ;) But suffice it to say, there will be more of the stuff you loved from Hell Bent, but with the thermostat turned up a notch.

10. And lastly, what can we expect from you in this coming year?

I’ve never had a busier schedule planned for myself than I do for 2012. If all goes according to that plan (I’m not holding my breath here, as life happens), I will be releasing no fewer than seven books and as many as nine. Look for sequels to The October Trilogy’s Sam I Am, Hell Bent, Forever Neverland, and a host of other titillating reads. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter through my website at www.killough-walden.com and follow me on Facebook and via Twitter for updates on the releases, chances to win free copies of the books, sneak peaks at teasers and tidbits, and lots more. J xoxo


Thank you so much, Heather, for taking the time to come by Fictional Candy today.  It was a lot of fun interviewing you.  I just got Drake of Tanith, sequel to The Chosen Soul, so I can't wait to read that!  And of course, coming out also this month - The Vampire King, which sounds fabulous!  I wish you the best of luck for continued success, and here's to a wonderful upcoming year!


Heather is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of the Big Bad Wolf series. Check out all of Heather's novels, including the upcoming Lost Angels series, at Amazon and on Barnes and Noble Nook: Amazon - Heather Killough-Walden and Barnes & Noble - Heather Killough-Walden

Bewitching Blog Tour: Let Us Prey - Jamie Lee Scott Review/Giveaway

Review

Title: Let Us Prey 

Author: Jamie Lee Scott

Format: Ebook provided by tour for review

From Goodreads:

Mimi Capurro, owner of Gotcha Detective Agency, has been hired to protect New York Times bestselling author, Lauren Silke, who was recently assaulted in the bathroom at a paranormal conference. Though Mimi is hired to act as bodyguard for Lauren’s upcoming book tour, plans change when Lauren's assistant is murdered and the slaying is a replica of a scene from Lauren’s newest novel. A novel that hit bookstores the same day as the killing. 
Now instead of playing bodyguard, Mimi is cracking computer code, and chasing down vampires. These vampires come alive on the streets of Santa Cruz, as part of a live-role-playing game. Mimi must find the connection between the vampires and the author to track down the killer. This would be much easier if Detective Nick Christianson wanted her investigating the case. 
Nick, Mimi’s old college fling, is the lead homicide investigator. 
Though he wants her off the case, he also wants to pump her for information. Nick may have used her in the past, but this time she’ll use him to try to catch the murderer first.

*!*!*!*!*

This story is about Mimi, the owner of Gotcha Detective Agency. I think the name of her business perfectly shows you her sense of humor.  Mimi is a funny woman, and I loved her inner monologue.  She has wise comebacks and just her general tone was humorous.  She is also very intelligent - another bonus! 

Soon Mimi is hired to protect author Lauren Silke, who writes vampire novels!  Apparently someone beat the heck out of her, and she is worried about her upcoming book signing tour and more violence.  What starts as a bodyguard job quickly turns into a murder investigation though - and the list of suspects is growing.  

Enter The Camarilla. If you are into vampires, and role-playing then you would definitely be interested in this.  But they too, are suspect in the murder. 

From here the story takes a lot of turns.  You can’t figure out who the murderer really is because everyone seems to have motive or opportunity.  I really enjoyed that it was not plain to see, and frankly, I was a bit surprised when I did find out who it was. 

Mimi isn’t investigating alone, she has to work alongside Nick.  Nick is the lead detective on the case for the police department.  Oh, and he is also her ex-boyfriend!  This absolutely leads to some funny and interesting situations, and certainly enhances that whole snarky attitude she has quietly in her mind. I really liked the two of them interacting, but I tell ya – at times I just wanted to yell at them to get it on and get it over with already!  He's such a....a.....a man!! (haha, men, don't hate me!)  For some reason, Nick acts so aloof – barely even acknowledging Mimi as an investigator – let alone someone he has known intimately!  There were definitely times I just wanted to smack him, that’s for sure.  Nick and Mimi have a lot of sexual tension that is on a slow build.  

All in all, I really enjoyed this story.  It was fast pace and had an easy, almost conversational tone to the writing.  The author did a fantastic job of misdirecting the audience when necessary, and introduced a very interesting cast of characters that weren’t just black and white.  Definitely many shades of grey for this group!  I look forward to seeing more from Jamie Lee Scott, and luckily this book is first in the “Gotcha Detective Agency Mysteries” series.  Oh, and even more exciting - there is talk of bringing this story to the tv screen.  I will definitely set my DVR for that show!

*!*!*!*!*!*

Amazon Paperback Amazon Kindle

About Jamie Lee Scott

Jamie was born on the Central Coast of California, where she spent her entire childhood entertaining. She wrote plays and charged admission to her backyard stage so her friends and family could enjoy the performances. She wrote her first novel at the age of 10, for her 5th grade class project. The novel was called Cindy.

Busy with horses and school, Jamie rarely wrote through her teens and twenties, she was living a life most dreamed of (well, she dreamed of anyway), competing at barrel races, hanging out with cowboys, and traveling in rodeo circles with her friends. Money was tight, but life was good. Then Jamie met the man of her dreams. And low and behold he was not a cowboy, but a farm boy. They married and he swept her away to her little piece of heaven in Iowa. 

Well, then Iowa didn't turn out to be such heaven, Jamie again turned to fiction. This time she wrote to relieve the stress of living so far from her family, and from running a business with her husband. Funny how she now found it cathartic to kill people, only on paper of course.

Before she finished her first full length novel, Jamie was contracted to write the book, Hiking Iowa for Falcon publishing. In a year, she hiked 75 trails in the state of Iowa and mapped the trails, landmarks and distances. And this was before GPS. It was tough work for the measly advance, but it was a writing credit. So now, Jamie writes the mystery series featuring the Gotcha Detective Agency.

Jamie has written three novels, Let Us Prey, the soon to be released Death of a Sales Rep, and Give a Dog a Bone. She is currently writing screenplays. She is co-founder of Scriptchat on Twitter www.scriptchat.com & TWWriterChat www.tvwriterchat.com, and is the former president of RWA’s screenwriting chapter, Script Scene.

Jamie still lives in Iowa (though she visits California as often as possible) with her husband, 2 dogs, 2 cats and 2 horses. She writes with a few from her 6 acre farm.

http://www.jamieleescott.com/

https://twitter.com/#!/jamie_ld

http://www.facebook.com/jamielee.scott2

  

Bewitching Blog Tour: Entanglements by PR Mason Guest Post/Giveaway

Check out what author PR Mason has to say about Urban Spelunking and how it was an inspiration for her character, Kizzy.  I have to say, it sounds like fun!  Afterwards, enter for your chance to win a digital copy of Entanglements AND Fated Hearts!

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Spelunking for a Character, by P.R. Mason

Inspiration for plot, characters and settings can spark at the strangest times and from the weirdest sources. For my novel ENTANGLEMENTS, an urban fantasy/paranormal romance, I knew I wanted the heroine, Kizzy, to be engaged in a hobby that reflected the feisty but reckless aspects of her personality. The hobby also had to lead her into a setting that would serve the plot, which by that time I knew would involve Kizzy's accidentally opening a vortex to a dangerous alternate dimension. The hobby also had to fit with my hero, Rom, an athletic alpha male who is soldier-tough and bent on doing his duty. The idea for the specific hobby that would fit my needs ultimately came from an anonymous Facebook posting.

But let me digress for a moment. To explain this properly, I have to go back to my appreciation of a television program called Ninja Warrior or Sasuke. I first found Ninja Warrior when, while catsitting, I flipped through channels until I arrived on one that the cat wanted to watch—signaled by vigorous meows and jumping up to sit in front of the screen. Anyway, Ninja Warrior includes contestants who must successfully pass through an increasingly difficult series of physical challenges to get to the final stage, which is a hand-over-hand rope climb up a metal mountain. My attention was caught by an American contestant not only because of his gorgeous muscles and aquiline nose, but also by the brief comment that his hobby was urban spelunking. I'd never heard of such a thing. A quick search of the Internet revealed spelunking is cave exploration and urban spelunking is exploration of abandoned buildings and tunnels.

Then I found this post on a Facebook page of a group devoted to urban spelunking in NYC: “If you’re interested in going on a spelunk ask yourself these questions: (1) Am I okay with getting arrested? (2) Am I afraid of getting tuberculosis, inhaling intoxicants, etc? (3) Am I okay with getting cut up?  (4) Do I know how incredibly dangerous and stupid this is?”

Since Savannah, Georgia—the setting—has a number of tunnels connected to nefarious activity or tragic circumstances, I knew I'd found the perfect hobby for my heroine. I'd found the hobby that would lead Kizzy into an abandoned building, through a reportedly haunted tunnel, and ultimately, into another world.

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Entanglements

By P.R. Mason

Blurb:

Teen KIZZY TAYLOR is just hoping for an evening of fun when she joins her friends in a spelunking expedition through an under-city tunnel. But fun turns bizarre when Kizzy accidentally opens a vortex and her stepsister is swept through to an evil alternate dimension. The only way to rescue her stepsister is to reopen the vortex and go in after her. But is her new boyfriend, ROM CALIXO, going to help Kizzy or try to stop her? And if she can get past Rom, will she be able to get back home?

Entanglements: She is driven by love. He is bound by duty. Together they are swept through a vortex into a world of adventure and danger.  Read it and find out why the reviewer for the Anipal Times said “I totally fell in love with the hero, Rom, ...Entanglements captivated me."

P.R. Mason writes steamy contemporary and paranormal romance under the name Patricia Mason and young adult paranormal romance and urban fantasy as P.R. Mason. She escaped from the snowy Midwest winters of her youth. She now lives in Savannah Georgia where her home is ruled by two black cats. For more titles by the author, visit www.prmason.net and www.patriciamason.net. You can also follow the author @prmason on Twitter.