Author Maggie Shayne Release Party and $50.00 Amazon Gift Card Contest

They told 20-year-old Charlie O’Malley that they had a cure for the rare blood condition that would eventually kill her–an untested, experimental cure. All they wanted in return was for her to join their elite military team and train to kill the Undead. She took the deal, not because she cared so much about extending her life, but because it would make her strong–stronger than ordinary humans. Strong enough to kill the vampire who’d pretended to love her, taken her blood, used her body, and murdered her mother. Killion was the last of his kind, or so he thought. When he found Charlie, he felt the pull. She had the rare Belladonna Antigen all vampires had as humans. Vampires were compelled to protect those rare mortals they called The Chosen. But with Charlie, the bond was different, more powerful than anything he’s felt before, and impossible to resist, even though surrendering to it will probably get him killed. Ancient vampire elders Rhiannon and Roland come out of exile, risking their lives to help their mortal friend Roxy reclaim her granddaughter. But before the tale ends, their lives will be forever changed. Join Maggie Shayne as she returns to her most beloved series of all time with this new beginning…. Wings in the Night: Reborn

Buy a print copy of Twilight Guardians from Amazon by clicking here.

Buy a Kindle copy of Twilight Guardians from Amazon by clicking here.

CONTEST INFO: Open to readers worldwide. 

Prize: A $50.00 Amazon Gift Card 

Review- Trapped by Beverly Long- 4*

Title: Trapped
Series: Crow Hollow #3
Author: Beverly Long
Genre: Romantic Suspense

Rating: * * * *

Publishers: Harlequin 

(Sept 16, 2014)

Paperback: 224 pages

ISBN: 978-0373697939

FTC Disclosure: ARC from Net Galley

It's their second chance at love, but may be their only chance for survival in the conclusion of Beverly Long's The Men from Crow Hollow miniseries

Elle Vollman hadn't expected to live when the plane went down. She never thought she'd see her daughter again or give testimony against one of the world's worst human traffickers. But she learned never to say never because she never thought she'd see her ex-fiancé, Dr. Brody Donovan, again either. Now here he was, amongst the survivors, applying medical care to those in need. Lost in the Amazon and being hunted by more than just wildlife, it will take their combined strength to find help and rescue the others. The fierce jungle has doomed many, and trusting one another is the only way either of them will find their way back...maybe even to each other....

Author Deborah Blake Release Party and $50.00 Amazon Gift Card Contest

“Known as the wicked witch of Russian fairy tales, Baba Yaga is not one woman, but rather a title carried by a chosen few. They keep the balance of nature and guard the borders of our world, but don’t make the mistake of crossing one of them…

Older than she looks and powerful beyond measure, Barbara Yager no longer has much in common with the mortal life she left behind long ago. Posing as an herbalist and researcher, she travels the country with her faithful (mostly) dragon-turned-dog in an enchanted Airstream, fulfilling her duties as a Baba Yaga and avoiding any possibility of human attachment.

But when she is summoned to find a missing child, Barbara suddenly finds herself caught up in a web of deceit and an unexpected attraction to the charming but frustrating Sheriff Liam McClellan.

Now, as Barbara fights both human enemies and Otherworld creatures to save the lives of three innocent children, she discovers that her most difficult battle may be with her own heart…”

Buy a print copy of Wickedly Dangerous from Amazon by clicking here.

Buy a Kindle copy of Wickedly Dangerous from Amazon by clicking here.

Books in the Baba Yaga series in the order they should be read:

Wickedly Dangerous

Wickedly Wonderful

CONTEST INFO: Open to readers worldwide. 

Prize: A $50.00 Amazon Gift Card 

Review- Dead Don't Lie by L. R. Nicolello -5*

Title: Dead Don't Lie
Author: L R Nicolello
Genre: Suspense Thriller

Rating: * * * * *

Publishers: Harlequin HQN

(Sept 1, 2014)

Kindle: 230 pages

ISBN: B00JIHA81C

FTC Disclosure: Net Galley

 You can run from the past…but you can never truly hide…

Detective Evelyn Davis delves deep into the minds of monsters for a living. She's the best psychological profiler in the Seattle P.D., with a talent that comes from heartbreaking experience. When Evelyn was just eighteen, she received word of her family's murder in the form of a horrifying video. Fifteen years later, tracking down other psychopaths is the only thing that brings her some peace.

But now two local families have been wiped out. Though the chilling crime scenes suggest murder-suicides, Evelyn believes a serial killer is at work. So does Special Agent Marcus Moretti, whose easy charm and fiercely protective instincts are breaking down all her defenses. Evelyn needs to put aside her emotional attachment to find the madman stalking her city—but with each discovery, this case becomes more personal. She's starting to suspect the killer wants her—and he is edging closer with every step, ready to make Evelyn pay a devastating price….

Reading Habits Change

I've haven't read as many Harlequins recently as I once did. Harlequins were always a quick easy read and existed as a way for a mini vacation from a very stressful 60 hour a week IT job for me. I kept one at my desk to read at lunch and one in my purse (plus a spare in the car just in case)  to read while waiting on kids at ball, music, dance, whatever the hell class that was going on at the time. With three kids, I was constantly taking and picking up kids for one activity or another. I also read every night at least an  hour just to unwind so I could sleep. During these years, I existed on 5 to 6 hours of sleep at night and 1 to 2 hours of meditation (reading). I probably read 3 or 4 books most weeks. I pretty much read them, enjoyed them and then quickly moved on to the next one, never really invested in either the author or series.

Now that I’ve retired and have more free time, my reading patterns have greatly changed. I tend to invest a lot more time in series that have spanned over decades (and may take me months to read) and rather than picking up a quick two or three hour read opt for the humongous books that may be 500+ pages. But the other night once finishing a stand alone at around 11PM, I found myself looking for a quick read as I wasn’t nearly sleepy enough to go to bed. I had requested several Harlequins from Net Galley as several of their covers and blurbs reignited that thrill I’d get when I bought my monthly stash of romance books years ago. So for that reason you will probably see many more Harlequin romance reviews here.