March 4th, 2013 | 
Author: 
How Beauty Saved the Beast by Jax Garren
Miniseries: Tales of the Underlight
Publisher: Carina Press
Genre: Sci-Fi, Paranormal Romance
Length: 141 pages
Summary:
Book two of Tales of the Underlight
Jolie Benoit left her old life behind to become an agent of the Underlight. Training under Sergeant Wesley Haukon, she’s honing her combat skills, all the while coping with the intense sexual attraction she feels for Hauk. She keeps their friendship casual, but when his high school sweetheart transfers into their division, Jolie finds herself grappling with jealousy.
The Underlight gave Hauk a purpose, but he can’t escape his past completely. The physical and emotional scars from the fire that killed seven fellow Army Rangers will mark him forever. Jolie sends his protective instincts into overdrive, but he’s convinced he’ll never be worthy of her love.
Hauk is determined to keep Jolie from harm. But when the Order of Ananke ambushes them with a new weapon that neutralizes Hauk, making him vulnerable, it’s Jolie who must tap into her hidden strengths to rescue him–or risk losing him forever…
Sequel to How Beauty Met the Beast.
Excerpt:
From the book
…
Jolie Benoit tapped a nervous fist against the steering wheel of her Nissan GT-R coupe as she squinted through the gloaming at the abandoned slaughterhouse. “They’ve been gone too long.” She turned to Travis, the other newbie on the field team, for confirmation. “Fifteen minutes is too long, isn’t it? They were supposed to be back in five.”
He looked up from the laptop, where he was using their wait time to work on his latest news article. “Don’t ask me–I’m the team bard.”
“Bard? You’ve been playing way too much D&D.”
Travis snorted as he calmly went back to his computer.
Jolie studied his profile. “Hauk brought you along to make sure I stayed in the car, didn’t he?” She couldn’t decide if she was asking him or simply announcing a fact. In a job that was supposed to be an in-and-out easy affair, Travis’s presence seemed superfluous, but she wouldn’t put it past the drill sergeant to sic a babysitter on her.
“Maybe it’s taking longer than anticipated to find the documents. It’s a big place,” was Travis’s only comment.
“Or maybe something went wrong.” Jolie tapped her head back against the seat. “I am not sit-in-the-car-and-wait girl. This job sucks.” She grabbed the door handle. “I’m going in.”
Travis put a restraining hand on her arm. Jolie could’ve easily broken his hold, but she paused anyway for him to say, “Hauk will have my head if I let you do something stupid. So keep my head attached to my body. Stay in the car.” Yup. Travis was her babysitter. Great.
“He’ll have to go through me to get to your head, I promise.” Jolie opened the door. “Besides, we’re anarchists. If he expects me to stick to the plan he dictated, he’s an idiot.”
Travis snorted a laugh and let her out of the car. “Tell him I put up a good fight. Hey, and Jolie?”
She looked back at him.
“Be careful.”
“I will.” She dropped her car fob in the front seat. “Keep the engine running, and drive away if you’re about to get caught.” She patted the roof. “I want my car in one piece.”
Jolie bumped the door shut with her hip and headed for the abattoir. It had been shut down just last year when the business moved further out of town.
Further out of town, harder for inspectors to reach. But The Underlight had gotten a tip that records were still kept in the offices–records that would prove the slaughterhouse had been falsifying injury reports to OSHA. It was no secret that slaughterhouses did it all the time, but catching them was the trick. And that was where The Underlight came in. The secret society’s work to expose corporate corruption wasn’t exactly legal, but in Jolie’s eyes, it was necessary. She’d been introduced to their ranks two months ago and had immediately signed up for field work. Hauk, also known as ex-Staff Sergeant Wesley Haukon, formerly of the Army Rangers, had given her basic training in defensive tactics, weapons and being generally sneaky. She wasn’t great in a fight yet, but she was strong and fast, and she’d gotten good at avoiding danger.
Quietly as she could, Jolie made her way up to the building. Though only abandoned for a year, the roads were already breaking up into grass and the exterior of the fortress-looking structure was redecorated in neon graffiti a good eight feet into the air. Hauk and Brayden, The Underlight’s computer expert, had intended to go to the foreman’s office on the second floor, where it overlooked what had been the killing floor.
Posted in 
The Demon Master’s Wife by Donna McDonald
Series: FORCED TO SERVE : Book 2
Publisher: Self Published
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Length: 278 pages
Summary:
Book Two of the FORCED TO SERVE series
Ania Looren would have chosen death over becoming a demon host, if she’d had a choice. But Captain Liam Synar, master of the Demon of Synar, and her mate, made that decision for her in order to save her life. For the two years of their separation her spiritual gifts have failed her, but Ania has learned that hosting the demon Malachi is to blame. Her spirit grieves for what she has become because evil lives inside her again now and Ania fears the great harm she can cause using the demon’s power. Unfortunately, Liam’s reluctant embrace of being the demon’s master, along with his refusal to discuss Malachi with her, leaves Ania facing her destiny alone. Their personal relationship war vacillates between full out conflict and a cease fire, yet she is drawn into becoming one of his crew. Worse, she discovers she is drawn to Liam as well, despite his past rejections and the pain his abandonment caused her. But can she really let the only male she’s ever wanted back into her bed without risking her heart?
Feeling trapped by decisions others have made for her, and unable to intuit what the creators of all have in mind for her life’s plan, Ania wrestles with the possibility of making a deal with the demon that might give her back some control over her fate. Yet from what she has read, and from what Malachi has told her, the deal they have in mind might also awaken the sleeping warrior inside her, destroying the hard earned inner peace her enlightenment once provided from her wicked past. Whatever choice she makes, Ania must decide what to do soon because Liam’s brother, Conor Synar, wants the demon for himself. Liam has warned her that Conor will destroy everyone in his path, including her, to claim Malachi’s power as his own.
Naunet’s Review:
What the devil? I thought demons were horrifying!
In The Demon Master’s Wife by ingenious author Donna McDonald, throughout the narrative all my fears about demons were shattered. Demon, Malachi in both books, is incredibly insightful and thanks to Ms. McDonald’s Forced to Serve series my inhibitions were blown into outer space.
The Demon Master’s Wife is an awesome second installment of the Forced to Serve series.
In The Demon of Synar, Ms. McDonald’s vivid imagination laid a powerful infrastructure for the Forced to Serve series. Readers are introduced to a host of dominant characters with strong personas. Ania Liam, Gwen and Kade are precious, lovable and easy to relate to because their issues were believable. I appreciated the important role of friendship and forgiveness embedded in both books.
The Demon Master’s Wife has messages that speak to all readers because of the commonalities. The issues aboard the space vessel of the Liberator are no different than those we experience on Earth. Hmm, the same problems have been stumbling blocks since the beginning of time.
In The Demon Master’s Wife main characters Ania Looren, the former Ambassador of Peace Alliance, is mated with Captain Liam Synar and she is the host for the sharp-witted demon that Liam inherited from his family. Malachi is a dark spirit, which is the characteristic of a demon. I found Malachi’s wisdom and perceptions rather sexy. Oops, TMI; Malachi is the opposite of the demons I commonly associate with taking over a person.
Liam and Ania experience conflicts that tear at their relationship asunder and Ms. McDonald’s portrayals are realistic. She taps into the emotional pain and passionately shares it enabling her readers to feel the heartache and disheartening occurrences that are pervasive throughout the book. Yes, the energy and mood of The Demon Master’s Wife is slightly dark, but love is the light that breaks through the darkness.
One of the factors I enjoyed was the acts of love Dorian and Gwen and Liam and Ania shared as bonded mates. Dag I am jealous and wish I knew a man with miraculous talents such as Dorian to drive me crazy with pleasure from another location without a device. Kade’s and Gwen’s connection was such that Gwen received the big O from a different planet. The mind is a notorious tool with the potential to do much more than we utilize. Ms. McDonald appears to have access to this extraordinary ability because she conveys it so well. The manner in which the sensuality is highlighted in both books The Demon of Synar and The Demon Master’s Wife comes across on such a higher erotic plane titillating me and I am confident other mature readers will encounter. Imagine living for almost a thousand years and still looking fabulous with the influential spirituality and insight with skills of mighty warriors with the aptitude to look beyond the surface of a problem. The male crew members of the Liberator ship are ripped, finely toned bodies and the women aboard the vessel are super intelligent empaths, high ranking officers with deliciously curved bodies. Who knew there are “Cougars” prowling the galaxies. 
The story elements are clearly defined from the rising action to the resolution and grips you tightly with its wiggle-resistant. The action scenes in The Demon Master’s Wife are explosive and I can see them as a movie with Steven Spielberg or James Cameron type of special effects. Ms. McDonald has the progressive visualizations to bring a plot full of twists and turns and unexpected events together that keep readers up late into the wee hours to finish the book. Ms. McDonald fed me well and I’m sated for the moment, so I placed my Kindle down and recharged the battery. As a great writer; Ms. McDonald left enough room for a fresh set of mysteries. I will devour book three Siren’s Call over the week-end since staying up all night reading is not a formidable excuse for tardiness. Well maybe if I give the boss copies of the books, I might be able to pull it off.
Fantastic writing keep them coming!!
Rated 5 Seashells by Naunet!
Midnight’s Lover by Donna Grant
Series: A Dark Warrior Novel, Book 2
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks; 1 edition
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 364 pages
Synopsis:
Defenders against evil. Bound by the gods. The Dark Warriors are taking their battle from ancient Scotland to the modern world—where a woman’s love can set them free…
A WARRIOR’S PASSION
Driven by the fierce god within him, Highlander Ian Kerr is sworn to fight for the land he loves—and the brother he lost. But when he’s magically transported four centuries into the future, he finds himself fighting his own desires—for a beautiful, bewitching woman who could hold a warrior spellbound…
A WOMAN’S MAGIC
Danielle Buchanan has heard the legends. She has felt the power of Druid blood in her veins. But she has never known a man as fearsome—or as haunted—as the warrior Ian. With her magic, Dani must help him battle an ancient evil. With her heart, she must join him in his quest. But only with her soul can she free him from his curse…and seal their fates together.
DONNA – BLHMISTRESS
The books are in your mailbox.
Desires Unleashed by D.N. Simmons
Series: Knights of the Darkness Chronicles, Book One
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 298 pages
Summary:
Desires Unleashed is the first novel in the riveting, highly-addictive and sexually-charged Knights of the Darkness Chronicles. Experience the heart-pounding thrill of the chase in this electrifying page-turner as you uncover the mystery behind the series of gruesome killings that have been terrorizing the citizens of Chicago.
When a grisly decapitated corpse pops up on a Chicago Street, drained of blood, the highly-trained, government-funded special police force assigned two of their best detectives to the case. S.U.I.T. Detectives Warren Davis and Matthew Eric delve deep into their investigation to discover just who or what is leaving mutilated bodies in public places. They soon realize that the killer or killers is one step ahead of them and if they are going to stop the menace before another innocent human is viciously attack, they are going to need help.
Natasha Hemingway liked her life just the way it was… normal and supernatural-free. The vampires and shape-shifters were just where she wanted them to be–far away from her. All was going well until an unfortunate accident landed her in the hospital. It was then that she discovered she had an ability that could help her save countless lives. All of a sudden, she finds herself thrust into the dangerous and alluring world of the supernatural and into the arms of two very sexy and deadly vampires.
Original, gritty and sprinkled with just the right amount of humor and wit, the Knights of the Darkness Chronicles will suck you in and take you for a ride you won’t forget. You don’t want to miss out on this amazing series!
This book has been previously published and has been substantially revised from its original release.
YADIRA
The book is in your mailbox.
Illicit Magic by Camilla Chafer
Series: Stella Mayweather Paranormal Series, Book 1
Publisher: Audacious
Genre: Fantasy Romance, Paranormal
Length: 214 pages
Available At:
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/mzGZrI
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/iFNS1c
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/lX5PLb
Nook: http://bit.ly/jmrAO9
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/iEShAn
Summary:
More than three hundred years after the most terrifying witch hunts the world has ever known, it’s happening again.
Racing from attack by the ruthless Brotherhood in London to the powerful witch council in New York, twenty-four-year-old novice witch Stella has to put her faith in strangers just to stay alive but she might not be any safer in their midst than from the danger she is running from.
Sent to an extraordinary safe house by the sea to learn her craft, Stella finds there is more than one dark secret in her new family: Étoile’s sister is spoken of in fear and sadness; Marc is supposed to be a powerful witch but is missing his magic; where does the owner of their safe house vanish to every day and why does Evan have the eyes of someone not quite human?
There is only one secret that someone will do anything to keep quiet, but whose secret is it and will Stella have to pay the price for silence?
Amazon UK Top 10 contemporary fantasy bestseller
Amazon US Top 45 fantasy bestseller
Amazon US Top 50 contemporary fantasy bestseller
SHADOW K.
The book is in your mailbox.
Midnight’s Lover by Donna Grant
Series: A Dark Warrior Novel, Book 2
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks; 1 edition
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 364 pages
Synopsis:
Defenders against evil. Bound by the gods. The Dark Warriors are taking their battle from ancient Scotland to the modern world—where a woman’s love can set them free…
A WARRIOR’S PASSION
Driven by the fierce god within him, Highlander Ian Kerr is sworn to fight for the land he loves—and the brother he lost. But when he’s magically transported four centuries into the future, he finds himself fighting his own desires—for a beautiful, bewitching woman who could hold a warrior spellbound…
A WOMAN’S MAGIC
Danielle Buchanan has heard the legends. She has felt the power of Druid blood in her veins. But she has never known a man as fearsome—or as haunted—as the warrior Ian. With her magic, Dani must help him battle an ancient evil. With her heart, she must join him in his quest. But only with her soul can she free him from his curse…and seal their fates together.
Excerpt:
Somewhere in the Highlands
Ian’s eyes flew open as he lay perfectly still inside the dark, dank cave he had called home for…months. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed.
Nor did he care.
He didn’t move, didn’t even blink as he listened. The only sound that met his ears was the shrill sound of the howling wind. But for an instant, he had sworn he’d heard his brother’s voice.
More and more he heard Duncan calling to him, beckoning him to leave the mountain.
Ian scrubbed a hand down his face and sat up. His breath billowed white before his face. A glimpse through the cave’s entrance showed Ian the sun had risen on another day.
How many days had he lost this time? It could have been hours or weeks that his god, Farmire, had had control. As awful as that was, Ian feared what Farmire had done while he’d been in control.
It was one of the reasons Ian had made his home in such a remote place. The farther his god had to go to appease his need for blood and death, the less likely Ian was to harm someone.
At least that was his hope.
Ian dropped his head back against the jagged rock of the cave and squeezed his eyes shut. By all that was holy he’d never felt so isolated, never been so desolate in all his two hundred plus years.
And it was only going to get worse. So much worse.
Ian thought of MacLeod Castle and the people who had become a family to him. He missed the sound of the waves crashing against the cliffs, the aroma of fresh baked bread, and the laughter as they all sat in the great hall and ate.
He missed the other Warriors.
But most of all he missed his brother.
Ian rose to his feet and walked to the cave’s opening and looked out. Everything as far as he could see was covered in a thick blanket of white so blinding he had to squint to look at it.
There were no footsteps leading to or from the cave, and since it wasn’t snowing now, maybe Ian hadn’t ventured from his hideout.
If only he could remember…. But it was like huge holes in his memory whenever his god took over. Though he tried to get a hold of his god, Farmire was too powerful. Ian’s grief over losing his twin only compounded things to allow Farmire to gain the upper hand in the first place.
Duncan.
No one had understood the bond between Ian and Duncan. As twins, they had shared everything. If Duncan was hurt, Ian felt his pain. If Ian had needed Duncan, he’d been there without Ian having ever called for him.
The fact they had also shared a god as twins only strengthened their bond.
Ian remembered when they’d had their god unbound. It had been Deirdre, an evil Druid, or drough, who had caught them and unbound their god.
The pain had been excruciating, unimaginably agonizing with their bones popping and muscles shredding as the god stretched inside them. But it had been nothing compared to the strength of the god now bellowing inside Ian’s mind.
No longer was Ian able to share Farmire’s greedy and insatiable hunger for battle with Duncan. Now, Ian contended with it all on his own.
And he was losing badly.
Ian recalled how he and Duncan had found a way to gain control over their god together. It hadn’t been easy, but they’d had each other.
Even locked deep in the depths of Deirdre’s mountain prison they’d learned to face whatever came their way. Together.
It had been Deirdre who had taken Duncan’s life just four months earlier. It had been Deirdre who had taken the only brother Ian had ever known.
And it had been Deirdre who had put Ian in the predicament he was in now. The drough had known exactly what she was doing when she killed Duncan. She’d known Ian would then get the full powers of his god – and the full rage.
Many Warriors never learned to control their god, and the god soon took over. Which is what Deirdre wanted in her quest to rule the world.
Ian had been a proud man growing up in his clan. He’d even been a proud Warrior, despite the primeval god inside him.
Now, he hid away from the world because he couldn’t rule his god. He wondered what Duncan would think of him. Would his twin scorn him? Would Duncan pity him?
Ian scratched his head and felt the long, dirty strands of his hair. The hair felt foreign to him. Ever since they’d been young lads, Ian had kept his hair shorn to his head to help others tell him and Duncan apart.
The last time he’d cut his hair was before Duncan had left with Logan on their mission to find an artifact that would help them destroy Deirdre once and for all.
They had killed Deirdre once already when they’d rescued the youngest MacLeod brother, Quinn, from her clutches. Though they had killed her body, they hadn’t destroyed her soul.
“Unfortunately,” Ian mumbled.
Ian thought of the Druids and their pivotal role in the lives of every Britain beginning thousands of years before. The Druids had been the ones to rule the land, not kings or clan leaders.
There were two sects of Druids. The mies, or good Druids, whose magic came from the earth and elements. And the droughs, who, upon their eighteenth year, gave their souls to Satan in order to command black magic.
It had been the droughs who had called up the primeval gods from Hell to help the Celts send Rome from their shores. Those gods had inhabited the strongest warriors from each family, creating immortal Warriors with the strength and power of the god that had taken them.
When the droughs couldn’t send the gods back to Hell with their magic alone, it had taken both the droughs and the mies to bind the gods in the Warriors.
Since Deirdre hunted and killed both droughs and mies in order to steal their magic and grow hers, there were few Druids left in Britain. Those that remained stayed hidden.
Ian had never felt animosity, never allowed himself to hate as he did for Deirdre. His loathing grew each day his god took control of him. Because Ian knew, once Farmire was in complete control, Ian would be Deirdre’s.
“I’ll kill myself first,” Ian stated, his hands fisting at his side.
“Nay, brother. You need to live.”
Ian didn’t acknowledge Duncan’s voice, though it sounded as if his brother stood right next to him. It was just proof that Ian was going daft.
At least he was alone and his friends at MacLeod Castle wouldn’t have to watch as Farmire slowly pulled him under.
But Ian missed the other Warriors.
He missed Fallon MacLeod’s calm leadership. He missed Ramsey’s infinite knowledge, Logan’s teasing, Hayden’s eagerness for battle, and Arran’s steadfast friendship.
He missed Quinn MacLeod’s recklessness, Lucan MacLeod’s easy laughter, Galen’s constant eating, Broc’s silent gaze, and Camdyn’s quiet presence.
There was also Larena, the only female Warrior and Fallon’s bride.
Then there were the Druids. The MacLeods had welcomed all Warriors fighting against Deirdre into their castle, but they had also made it a sanctuary for Druids.
The MacLeods had turned their ruin of a castle into a home once more. It was a place where no matter what you were, you were welcomed to sit at their table and share a meal.
It had helped that Ian, Duncan, and Arran had stood by Quinn while they’d been trapped in Deirdre’s mountain. Ian had known as soon as he saw Quinn that the Warrior was someone important.
Ian thought back to when he first met Quinn. Quinn had been battling his own god at the time. There had instances where Quinn admitted he had nearly given into his god at one point.
It was too bad Quinn wasn’t with him now to help Ian win this constant battle of wills with Farmire.
Even if Ian hadn’t been snatched from MacLeod Castle, he knew he would have left. Only a fool would stay and endanger all that they had worked to protect.
And Ian wasn’t a fool.
“Brother, you must eat. You will need your strength to battle Farmire. The weaker you are, the more control he has.”
Ian knew Duncan was right, but to get food meant he would have to leave the cave. But the voice in Ian’s head, whether it was his brother or not, was correct.
He did need to keep up his strength to fight Farmire. Not that Ian thought he had a chance at having the control over his god as he once did, but he wasn’t going to go without a fight.
Ian glanced down at his kilt and the large red and green plaid covered in mud and muck. He needed a bath as well. Which, in the cold, was going to be grueling.
The freezing temperatures wouldn’t kill him because of his immortality, but it might help to keep his god away for a while.
With his first ghost of a grin in days, Ian stepped out of the cave.
About Danielle and Ian
Danielle
Dani Buchanan is dragged into the battle between Deirdre and Warriors by her magic, and because of that she’s shown an entire new world. A world where she finally fits in. A world full of battles, of danger…and love.
Ian
The vigilant one. Ian hides the horrors of his torture – death and resurrection – at Deirdre’s hand from his brother, but Deirdre’s hold over Ian hasn’t waned. She’s deeper in his psyche than anyone realizes.
Born: August 1381
Turned: 1403God:Farmire, father of battle
Warrior Color: Pale blue
Abilities: Can absorb another’s power
About the Author
Donna Grant is the bestselling, award winning author of more than twenty-five novels spanning multiple genres of romance.
She was born and raised in Texas but loves to travel. Her adventures have taken her throughout the United States as well as to Jamaica, Mexico, and Scotland. Growing up on the Texas/Louisiana border, Donna’s Cajun side of the family taught her the “spicy” side of life while her Texas roots gave her two-steppin’ and bareback riding.
Her childhood dream was to become a professional ballet dancer and study under the amazing Mikhail Baryshnikov. Though she never got to meet Baryshnikov, she did make it to New York City and performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Later, Donna’s love of the romance genre and the constant stories running through her head prompted her to sit down and write her first book. Once that book was completed, there was no turning back.
Donna sold her first book in November 2005 while displaced from Hurricane Rita, a storm that destroyed portions of the Texas Gulf Coast. Since then, Donna has sold novels and novellas to both electronic and print publishers. Her books include several complete series such as Druids Glen, The Shields, Royal Chronicles, Sisters of Magic, Dark Sword, Dark Warriors, and her new series, Dark Kings.
Despite the deadlines and her voracious reading, Donna still manages to keep up with her two young children, four cats, three fish, and one long haired Chihuahua. She’s blessed with a proud, supportive husband who loves to read and travel as much as she does.
Midnight’s Master
May 14: Amy, Amy’s Book World /Inteview
May 18: Heather, Red Headed Bookworm / Bio/synopsis/excerpt
May 22: All IO Team Super Duper Release Date Extravaganza Blog HOP
May 24: Michelle, Indiewriters review Guest Post/Bio/Synopsis
May 29: Suzie, Bunny’s Interview
May 31: Amber, Sapphyria’s Book Reviews Bio/Synopsis, excerpt
Midnight’s Lover
June 4: Crystal, Reading Between the Wines Book Club Interview
June 6: Brooklynn, Ce-Ce’s Garden of Review / Review
June 8: Ana BookSpark Bio/Synopsis, excerpt
June 12: AJ, The Readers Roundtable Infinity & Beyond Bio/Synopsis, excerpt
June 14: Danielle, Ramblings from This Chick Guest Post
June 19: Jessica, WonderlandReviews Interview
June 21: Shannon, Cocktails and Books Bio/Synopsis, excerpt
June 26: All IO Team Super Duper Release Date Extravaganza Blo
Desires Unleashed by D.N. Simmons
Series: Knights of the Darkness Chronicles, Book One
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 298 pages
Summary:
Desires Unleashed is the first novel in the riveting, highly-addictive and sexually-charged Knights of the Darkness Chronicles. Experience the heart-pounding thrill of the chase in this electrifying page-turner as you uncover the mystery behind the series of gruesome killings that have been terrorizing the citizens of Chicago.
When a grisly decapitated corpse pops up on a Chicago Street, drained of blood, the highly-trained, government-funded special police force assigned two of their best detectives to the case. S.U.I.T. Detectives Warren Davis and Matthew Eric delve deep into their investigation to discover just who or what is leaving mutilated bodies in public places. They soon realize that the killer or killers is one step ahead of them and if they are going to stop the menace before another innocent human is viciously attack, they are going to need help.
Natasha Hemingway liked her life just the way it was… normal and supernatural-free. The vampires and shape-shifters were just where she wanted them to be–far away from her. All was going well until an unfortunate accident landed her in the hospital. It was then that she discovered she had an ability that could help her save countless lives. All of a sudden, she finds herself thrust into the dangerous and alluring world of the supernatural and into the arms of two very sexy and deadly vampires.
Original, gritty and sprinkled with just the right amount of humor and wit, the Knights of the Darkness Chronicles will suck you in and take you for a ride you won’t forget. You don’t want to miss out on this amazing series!
This book has been previously published and has been substantially revised from its original release.
Greetings and salutations!
My name is D.N. Simmons and I’m the author of the “Knights of the Darkness Chronicles”. It’s an intriguing little series involving vampires and shape-shifters and I know what you’re going to say. Isn’t there one million books out there with vampires and shifters? What makes yours so different? I can guarantee the KOTDC is unlike any other book in the urban-fantasy or paranormal romance genre you’ve ever read.
For one thing, I don’t have a main character or even two main characters. I wanted to step away from the normal formula, so to speak, and break new ground by just having characters. I wanted my series to represent the real world as much as possible even though it is in fictional setting. In the real world, peoples’ lives intertwine, and they experience things together. In the end, the same experience may effect each person differently. When I created the KOTDC, I wanted to explore the aspect of what I like to call “character freedom”. So not only do you get to experience the world from the eyes of my “Heroes”, but you also see the world through the eyes of my “villains” with each book. You get to know each character and see them grow and bond with one another.
If I had to point out one significant aspect of my series, I’d have to say that was it. The KOTDC is a multicultural, dark urban-fantasy series that has the perfect amount of mischief, sex, violence, humor, action and wit that I hope will entertain any reader who loves the UF and PNR genres.
I thank you all for your time and this opportunity to chat with you.
Much love and respect,
D.N. Simmons.
Website http://www.dnsimmons.com/
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000552496587&ref=tn_tnmn
Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/DNSimmonsKOTD
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1396694.D_N_Simmons
Fighting Gravity by Leah Petersen
Publisher: Dragon Moon Press
Genre: Sci-Fi, M/F, M/M
Length: 306 pages
Summary:
When Jacob Dawes is Selected for the Imperial Intellectual Complex as a child, he’s catapulted from the poverty-stricken slums of his birth into a world where his status as an unclass is something no one can forget, or forgive. His growing scientific renown draws the attention of the emperor, a young man Jacob’s own age, and they find themselves drawn to each other in an unlikely, and ill-advised relationship. Jacob may have won the emperor’s heart, but it’s no protection when he’s accused of treason. And fighting his own execution would mean betraying the man he loves.
AJ’s Review:
Although Leah Petersen is a new author to me, her debut novel is compelling with engaging characters, a complex plot, and a sensual, yet sweet romance that will warm your heart to the core.
Maybe it’s because I’m always rooting for the underdog…I’m not sure, but I simply fell in love with Jake Dawes. Here is a young man who as defied the odds and made something of himself. His character is witty, yet direct which at times lands him in a heap of trouble. Although he persists throughout the book that he’s learned his lesson from each incident his mouth has gotten him into, there are times that I had to question that contention. However, it didn’t deter from me enjoying the way Jake grew into himself as a man while gaining a better understanding of what he truly wanted in life as the story progressed. It was intriguing to compare the differences between his relationship with Kirti and his relationship with Pete, aka the Emperor.
Pete, The Emperor, is mesmerized by Jake even though he doesn’t come out and admit it up front. For me, the nature of their relationship was refreshing because Jake treated Pete like he did everyone else, which is what Pete found so endearing about Jake. The chemistry between these two was smoldering from the moment they met. Their conversations, banter, as well as their trials and tribulations had a way of drawing you so deep into the story that you felt more like a secondary character than a stranger on the outside looking in.
Ms. Petersen has penned a riveting story that will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride and leave you breathless at the end. The characters are engaging and three-dimensional, the world building is mesmerizing, the tragedies are pivotal and help the story to progress, and the love is sensuous. Although this is a sci-fi story, a lot of the problems that were presented in Fighting Gravity exist in today’s society, which made it very easy to relate not only to the characters, but also to the overall plot of the story. My hat goes off to Ms. Petersen because she has hit a home run with her debut novel, Fighting Gravity. Bravo!
Rated 5 Seashells and a Recommended Read by AJ!
Meet Leah Petersen
Leah, you have an amazing talent in that you can hold a book in your feet and read while knitting at the same time. How in the world did this little talent come about?
Necessity is the mother of invention, right? I’m one of those dreadful muti-taskers that has to do more than one thing at a time. I happen to be very flexible so I will hold a book on the floor or couch with my feet while I lean over my knees to read it, since my hands are busy with the knitting project. I can’t turn the pages with my toes, though. I have to use my hand. Since I can do that without disengaging from the knitting itself, it’s not a terrible disadvantage. Ebooks are easier. Still have the page-turning thing, but there’s less contortion involved.
What’s the age group for Fighting Gravity?
It was written for adults, but the main character is a teenager or less through at least ¾ of the book, and is only about 20 when it ends. So I think it will appeal to young adult readers as well. That said, it was written for adults, so I didn’t filter the content for a younger audience. It’s not raunchy, but it does include a sexual relationship between two men. Personally, I don’t think that’s something in and of itself that shouldn’t be read by teens, but many parents won’t agree with that. And, anyway, that’s a debate all by itself.
Tell us a little about what your life was like before becoming an author and what it’s like juggling a family and being an author?
My pre-author life was like everyone else’s. A 9-5, a mortgage, husband and 2.5 kids and the dog. It’s still like that, only now there’s a book out there with my name on it and deadlines for the next one. As for juggling being an author and having a family, I’ve always kept my life pretty obligation-free outside of my family, which gave me time to read and do gaming and stuff like that in and around the parenting gig. Now I just do less of the hobbies and fill that time with writing.
When you’re writing a story, which comes first, the character’s story or the idea for the novel?
Characters come first. I discover a complex character in an interesting and difficult situation, and then I try to figure out how I can torture them through a plot arc. 
Tell us about Fighting Gravity and please tell us you have an excerpt to share.
Fighting Gravity is a science-fiction love story. It’s about a brilliant physicist who is accused of treason essentially because some powerful people didn’t want a guy like him to be the emperor’s lover. It’s about his struggle against class-prejudice and finding happiness in spite of the fact that the world would hold him down merely because he was born into poverty.
Excerpt from Fighting Gravity:
“Happy birthday, by the way,” I said one evening almost a week later as the emperor accompanied me from the dining hall to the lab.
“Thank you,” he replied. “To you as well.”
“How did you know it was my birthday?”
“Oh, there’s not much I don’t know if I choose to,” he said with a smile.
“OK, I should have known that. I suppose I mean, why do you know?”
“In my position, I’ve found curiosity to be an asset. I don’t believe there is such a thing as knowing too much.”
That wasn’t a comfortable thought. How much he could know. How much he knew.
“I’m older,” he added after a long silence. I raised my eyebrows. “Only about six hours, but it counts.”
I had to laugh. “You’re one of the most powerful men in the galaxy and it matters to you whether or not you’re older than me?”
He shrugged. “Wouldn’t it matter to you?”
“That’s not the same thing. There’s a huge power differential between us. At least age would be something I’d have over you.”
“I get the feeling that power doesn’t mean that much to you.”
“Unless you mean as a function of energy.” I grinned at him. “No. I have no need for it. It would get in the way of my work.”
“What did you do for your birthday?” he said after a pause.
“Radiation measurements.”
He laughed. “No party?”
“With whom?”
“Haven’t you made any friends aboard ship? I know it’s only been three weeks, but you don’t seem to be the kind of person who would have trouble making friends.”
“Maybe you don’t know me very well. In my experience, there aren’t many people who are interested in being friends with me.”
“Maybe it’s they who don’t know you very well.”
I frowned, puzzled. When I looked at him again he was watching me. “And what have you concluded?” he asked.
“About what?”
“You look like you’re trying to decide something. My guess is you’re trying to figure me out.”
I thought about that before I replied. “You’re confusing,” I conceded.
He grinned. Reaching into his pocket, he produced something and handed it to me. “Here. Happy birthday.”
He’d given me a small box. I looked at him, surprised, but when he said nothing further I opened it. Inside was a pair of platinum cuff links with a raised imperial crest on them. “I thought they might be less objectionable than a ring.”
I frowned. “I didn’t get you anything.”
“I assure you, I don’t need anything.”
“Neither do I. That’s not the point.”
He shrugged. “It’s the thought that counts. We’ll just say you gave me something.”
“I’m sure you can say whatever you want, but I never thought of giving you anything.”
He stared at me in shock and then started laughing so hard he had to stop walking. We stood in the middle of the hallway and I watched both directions as I waited for him to get control of himself. If someone came along and saw him like this, it wouldn’t go well for me. When he caught his breath he said, “You never thought of giving me anything.” He repeated it as if it was the punch line to a good joke. “Not even just now, when I gave you something?”
“No,” I said. “I can’t imagine what I would get you.”
“Well, whether you realize it or not, you’ve been giving me a gift for the last ten minutes,” he said.
I grimaced. “You’re not going to say something weird like ‘the gift of your company,’ are you?”
He doubled over with laughter again. “No,” he answered when he’d composed himself. “No, I was going to say that we’ve been talking for more than ten minutes and you haven’t called me ‘Excellence’ once.”
I startled. “I’m sorry.” It occurred to me that I should have said “Excellence” just then.
He was grinning. “Don’t be. Isn’t that what I just said? No one’s ever done that to me before. It’s very disrespectful. I like it.
If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
I have no idea. I’m sitting here racking my brains, but honestly, I don’t really want to meet any of the people I truly admire because what if they’re really a jerk in person, or uninteresting? I don’t want my illusions shattered.
Name 5 funny thing you would want your readers to know about you?
Ummmm, I don’t know what’s funny about me.
I didn’t excel in physics in school and wasn’t even particularly interested in it, yet I wrote a main character who is a brilliant physicist in our future. I always thought that was funny, as in funny because it’s ridiculous.
I once did a six-month research project on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
I like to stand outside in the rain.
I think mayonnaise may be one of the most disgusting things ever.
Why did you choose to write Gay Young Adult? What drew you to this specific genre?
I didn’t. That is, I didn’t intend plan for it to be Gay anything– that just happened. I don’t think it truly qualifies as YA, and I don’t plan on writing in that genre because I don’t think I have the mindset to write to a younger audience than where I currently am. I did choose the sci-fi aspect of it, but I always wrote sci-fi or fantasy and never plan to write anything else.
Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?
I plan to explore the emperor’s POV of the story in Fighting Gravity, at least in short pieces. I don’t conceive of my stories as themes or ideas. I can pick them out after I’ve carried the character through to the end of that story, but I’m too much of a character-based writer to try to address specific themes. Ideas come with the characters.
Is there a genre that you would like to try that you have not?
I haven’t written a novel-length fantasy yet, so I’m definitely going to do that some day. But I’m a solidly speculative-fiction kind of girl.
What can we expect next from Leah Petersen?
The sequel to Fighting Gravity. It’s currently titled Impact Velocity.
Thank you so much for joining us today at Infinity and Beyond. Please feel free to come back anytime.
About the Author
Leah Petersen lives in North Carolina. She does the day-job, wife, and mother thing, much like everyone else. She prides herself on being able to hold a book with her feet so she can knit while reading. She’s still working on knitting while writing.
FIGHTING GRAVITY is her first novel.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeahPetersen
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LeahPetersenAuthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/leahpetersen
Google+: http://profiles.google.com/leahpetersen
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/lpetersenauthor/
Dark Heirloom by J.D. Brown
Series: An Ema Marx Novel, Book One
Publisher: MuseIt Up Publishing
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 256 pages
Available AT: Amazon MuseItUp Publishing
Summary:
“You’re a vampire” is so not what Ema Marx wants to hear when she wakes from a two-day coma in a cryptic yet exquisite castle in northern Finland. Unfortunately, it explains a lot. Like why she’s able to see in the dark and walk through solid objects. What she doesn’t understand is why the other vampires expect her to have all the answers. It’s their fault she turned into one of them…right?
Jalmari’s hatred for his old-man intensifies when he’s ordered to bring that troublesome girl to their castle. He has a clan to run; there’s no time for babysitting newborn vampires no matter how they were converted to their culture. But when a two-thousand-year-old premonition threatens to take the crown and his life, Jalmari sees no other choice than to take out the catalyst, Ema Marx. Fortunately for Ema, she could also be the clan’s only savior.
The race to figure out her vampiric origins is on. And maybe she’ll get the hang of the blood-drinking gig along the way…
Excerpt:
Chapter One
A scream tore from my throat. The rapid slap of my sneakers against asphalt echoed through the alley. Wind ripped my hair and coat back as if trying to halt my escape. A chain link fence rose in the distance as I neared the end of the alley. Shit. I could have sworn this one opened to Clark Street.
Thud.
I froze. My heart pounded in my ears. Tears fell as I closed my eyes. Please, please, God…
His heinous laugh drowned out my ragged breath. Caught at a dead end, I had no choice but to turn and face him. He stood in the shadows, the darkness of his attire blended in with the night. Only the glow of his emerald-colored eyes gave him away.
Think, I shouted to myself. What does he want? My purse? My money? With a shaky hand, I pulled my wallet from my bag and flung it at him. He shifted his weight, dodging the wallet in one simple move. I stared like an idiot as it landed in the gutter behind him. Why is he chasing me if he doesn’t want my money? What else could he want?
He grinned, bearing a set of abnormally sharp, fluorescent-white teeth. Who the hell is this freak? He stepped toward me. My fists clenched as I stepped back. He took another step forward. My back pressed against the cold metal of the fence. Tears blurred my vision and fell as ice melted through the back of my coat. Chills rolled down my spine, sending a quiver to my lip. I swallowed the lump of panic building in my throat. “Leave me alone!”
He kept advancing, his eyes locked on my face, his gait slow with one foot in front of the other, like a cat. I shoved a trembling hand in my purse in search of my pepper spray. He snatched my wrist and yanked me to my knees. The contents of my purse spilled and scattered.
“What makes you think I want anything from you?” he sneered.
My chest heaved as I pushed myself up. From the corner of my eye, I glanced at the mouth of the alley, now behind me.
He scoffed. “You think you can run? Go ahead, mouse. Run.”
I did.
I was almost to the street when a thick shadow dropped from the sky. Two rock-solid fists shoved my chest. I fell backward. My head hit the pavement. Stars danced in the periphery of my vision as I struggled to sit up, but my limbs moved in slow motion.
Two hands, each finger adorned by a silver ring, gripped my shoulders and lifted me. My back hit something solid and cold—a brick wall. My feet dangled above the ground. He held me at eye level; his sour breath churned my stomach as his face inched closer to mine.
“I know what you’re thinking.” His voice was deep, smooth, as he rolled his R’s. “You’ve done nothing wrong. Nevertheless, once you kill one rat, you have to kill them all. Even a little mouse like yourself.”
My blood drained at the utterance of the word kill. I squirmed in his grasp. “Please, don’t hurt me.”
He clenched my jaw with one hand as his fingernails dug into my skin. I cried not from the pain, but from fear.
“Would you like to know a secret?” His hot breath caused bile to rise in my throat. “Only you disgusting rats can see our eyes glow. I’m sure you knew that already. I’m sure your mother told you the stories. I’ll bet you didn’t listen to her. I bet you thought they were just fairy tales and bad dreams, hmm?”
I had no idea what he was talking about. I concentrated on finding a way out of his grip, hoping his guard would slip while he continued his monologue.
“You know, when you find one rat, there are a dozen more in the nest.” He tightened his grasp. “Where’s your rathole, eh little mouse?”
“Let me go!” Pain manifested in every inch of my face. My jaw throbbed and my head spun. A stiff ache cut through my spine. Fear and cold shook my core. Exhaustion weighed down my struggling limbs. I just wanted it to end.
He studied my face for a moment, a frown tugged at his lips. “Very well.”
He released my jaw then reached back under his jacket. The sound of sharp metal being unsheathed pierced the night as he drew out a long silver dagger. My eyes widened at the emblems engraved on every inch of the blade and handle. I recognized them as Norse in origin. I also recognized the precise way in which he held the dagger level with my left rib cage. He’s going to stab me in the heart.
About the Author
J.D. Brown graduated from the International Academy of Design and Technology with a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her two Pomeranians. Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, her writing is influenced by the multicultural urban society of her youth which she continues to visit each summer. J.D. loves paranormal characters; from vampires and werewolves, demons and angels, to witches and ghosts. Her writings are often a combination of suspense and romance. J.D. enjoys helping and promoting her fellow writers and leads an active life on the web. She also writes erotic romance for the MuseItHOT division under the pen name Danielle Ravencraft.
Links:
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Wings of Desire by Arianna Skye
Publisher: Moonlite Publishing
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Lenght: 343 pages
Summary:
Not your (grand)mother’s fairytale…
Rhiannon Kinsley’s life goes from boring to downright crazy when a freak lightning bolt strikes her laptop. To make matters even more bizarre, strange words and symbols flash across the computer screen and she hears a mysterious voice. Time to call the men in white coats! Then Cerne Silverwing, an intriguingly sexy man, appears. He insists she’s a faerie princess whose fate will determine his own. What a crock! Now she knows who really needs those white coats.
With the Dark Faerie forces threatening his kingdom, Cerne kidnaps Rhiannon and brings her to Fey, a land where magic knows no bounds. He’s performing a duty to save his kingdom and nothing more—a duty that will bring him his wings and the strengthened magic that comes with them. If he doesn’t unite with the princess as her consort, those wings will never grow. But this princess grew up in the land of laptops and instant messages, and she’s convinced they’re both crazy. Despite their differences, the two are thrust together to defeat the whip-wielding Dark Faerie Queen before she takes over the kingdom. Passion and peril aside, will Rhiannon and Cerne discover their true destiny?
Excerpt:
Cerne caught her hand in his and gave her a heated gaze. “I didn’t want to resort to this,” he said, his voice thick and heady. “But I’ve run out of options.” He pulled her against his hard-muscled body. With his thumb and forefinger, he lifted her chin.
Clenching her fists, she bit her lip. Tingling numbness filled her every pore. She attempted to pull herself from his embrace, but her body wouldn’t cooperate.
“Let me go! You’re frightening me.”
“It’s for your own good and the good of your people, my sweet.” He traced a finger lightly over her lips. “Soon you’ll understand.” He lowered his lips to hers and gently nibbled. Coaxing her mouth open, his tongue swirled with hungry strokes along hers.
She moaned softly as her traitorous tongue danced with his. Lessening his grip on her arm, he allowed her to press closer and rub her bikini-clad breasts against the hard ridges of his chest. Her nipples pebbled against the spandex of her swim top.
Stupid nipples.
She twisted her fingers in his dark mane, pulling him closer. Heedless of what she knew was right, she intensified the kiss. He hoisted her up onto his lap, letting her straddle the rock-hard erection that filled his trousers. Grinding her hips against his, she reached down to unfasten and untie the garment.
He pulled her hands away. “No, leannan. I just want to kiss. The joining must occur at Beltane—in Fey.”
“I’m not going to Fey—”
He reclaimed her lips. Intoxicating warmth spread throughout her body while he licked, sucked and nibbled. She gasped in pleasure and let his tongue probe the cavern of her mouth again. Light as a feather, she sighed in deep contentment. By God, was she floating? Closing her eyes, Rhiannon allowed him have his way with her.
“I’m sorry,” he breathed against her lips. “It was the only way.”
“What—” Her eyes flickered as spots danced before them until darkness took over.
What Dreams Can Make
They say everyone dreams, but not everyone remembers those dreams. Lately, my sleep has been plagued by dreams—more than usual. And these dreams are strange—like out of this world weird. It took me a while to realize what was happening. It is this incessant nagging that I call a muse. I’ve named him Henry,because a muse so annoying can’t possibly be a woman. And even more infuriating are those long extended vacations he takes without notice, leaving me here to fend all by my lonesome. But he always manages to save the day, in true muse fashion.
Right now Henry doesn’t want me to write only about faeries (Fey Chronicles Series) or Demons (Demons Unleashed series as Sidney Ayers). In one instance, he’s ready to take me out of this world—literally.
Yep, I’ve been having dreams that seem more like Star Wars than Lord of the Rings. Ray guns and space ships and stars exploding. It’s mind-boggling, because I don’t know anything at all about writing futuristic. I did try at one time to write one, but let’s just say there was failure to launch.
And when I’m supposed to be writing Demons, Henry sends me a dream about time-travelling back to ancient Rome. Quite a stretch from Star Wars. Then again, some of the dresses Princess Leia wore looked sort of like a toga—but I digress. Seriously though, out of all the time periods he could choose, he picks Rome? I said I wanted to write a ménage once, maybe he thought I meant orgy. Sorry Henry, I can’t handle more than three people, four at the most. There’s just too many body parts to keep track of. My props to anyone who can, though.
So the muse isn’t always on track with some things, but other times he’s spot on. Heck, apparently even muses are human—nah, not really, but they do think like us at times.
About the Author
Arianna Skye is the erotic pen name of paranormal romance author, Sidney Ayers. She loves infusing stories with humor. What would the world be without a little bit of laughter? Arianna writes a plethora of genres, ranging from historical, to paranormal, to contemporary.
A native of Michigan, Arianna still lives in the same town she grew up in. No matter how hard she tries, she just can’t seem to get away. Michigan is in her blood, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
To learn more about Arianna/Sidney and her books, you can visit either one of her websites at www.ariannaskye.com or www.sidneyayers.com
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