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Spotlight Fallen by Laury Falter

Monday, December 9, 2013
Title: Fallen
Author: Laury Falter
Series: Guardian Trilogy
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Publisher:  Audeamus LLC
Release Date: April 1 2009
Editions/Formats Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
Fallen - the first book in the bestselling Guardian Trilogy...
Maggie is unaware of the terrifying fate that awaits her. It isn't until she lands in New Orleans for a full year at a private high school and her unknown enemies find her does she realize that her life is in danger.
As a mystifying stranger repeatedly intervenes and blocks the attempts on her life, she begins to learn that there is more to him than his need to protect her and that he may be the key to understanding why her enemies have just now arrived.

Blog Tour Kick Off Perverse by Larry Rodness

Sunday, December 8, 2013
Title: Perverse
Author: Larry Rodness
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: YA Parnormal
Publisher: Itoh Press
Release Date: Dec 31 2012
Edition: eBook
Source: Author for Honest Review
Rating:


19 year old Emylene Stipe, a 2nd generation Goth, is shaken to the core when her make-believe world turns out to be real.


BRIEF SYNOPSIS
A supernatural fiction about a 2nd generation teenage Goth teen named Emylene Stipe
who finds a charcoal sketch in an antique shop. When she brings it home an image of a young
girl appears in the sketch and then materializes in her apartment. Emylene introduces this girl
whom she nick-names ‘Poinsettia’, to the local Goth crowd and the two become fast friends. But
Poinsettia has an ulterior motive for her sudden and strange intrusion into Emylene’s life which
causes Emylene to question her whole belief system.

FULL SYNOPSIS
19 year old Emylene Stipe is like any other teenage girl searching to find her place in the
world except that Emylene is a 2nd generation Goth princess who finds it doubly difficult rebelling
against a family of rebels. Especially when her parents are figureheads of the community and
owners of the local Goth club called ‘Pall Bearer’s Paradise’. Eager to get out from under her
parents’ shadows and experience life on her own, Emylene moves to a small downtown
apartment and finds a job working in a textile store. It’s not long after that she takes up with a
mysterious, older gentleman named Stelio. During a romantic walk one night Stelio is captivated
by a sketch he sees in an antique store. Hoping to lure him up to her apartment and finally lose
her virginity Emylene buys the piece of art the next day. But when she brings it home she is
amazed to find a girl about her age in the picture who was not there before. And it appears as
though the poor waif is being pursued by a band of ‘Cowled Men’. Emylene reads the girl’s mind
and helps her escape from the sketch to Emylene’s apartment.
The girl appears to be a ‘tabula rasa’, a blank slate with no name or history. Because it’s
The Christmas season Emylene nick-names the girl ‘Poinsettia’ and introduces her to the local
Goth community, a friendly group devoted to all things dark and vampiric. The girls become fast
friends until shocking events occur. One day news comes of Stelio’s sudden and mysterious
death. Shortly after that Emylene becomes estranged from her parents. And that night Emylene
awakes to discover a fire burning down her apartment building. The two girls escape to the
Goth club where the sketch now hangs. It’s here that Poinsettia reveals her true motive for her
intrusion into Emylene’s life. Emylene and her community have been ‘playing’ at the vampire
experience for years. What they don’t know is that such a life exists and Poinsettia should know
because she is the real thing. She banishes Emylene to the phantom world of the sketch in order
to assume her position and lead the unassuming Goth community into a new and dark chapter in
their history. Emylene’s friends and family are led to believe that she died in the fire. Poinsettia is
now free to initiate her unholy quest.
16 months later drastic changes have come over the city. A sector of land has
sprung up around Pall Bearer’s Paradise known as “Other-Town”. By day it is a desolate ghost
town but by night it turns into a kind of Mardis Gras that allows people to indulge in every type of
sin or fantasy. Of course there is a price to pay. Some will perish immediately while others will
return only to slowly waste away. All will pay with their blood. As the visitors from the city increase
so do the borders of “Other-Town”. Only one elderly man knows how this came about and is
prepared to stop it. One day this man sneaks into Pall Bearer’s Paradise and steals the sketch
that Emylene has been banished to. Using an ancient magic he rescues her and brings her back
to the present. The old man is Laszlo Birij, owner of the antique store where Emylene purchased
the picture originally. He informs Emylene that Poinsettia’s real name is Mira and she is really 67
years old. He knows this because Mira is his wife and the one responsible for creating what is
now called, “Other-Town. He wants to stop Mira but this can only be accomplished by both of
them working together.
Laszlo explains that Mira was not always evil. Back in 1962 Mira and Laszlo met while
working on a luxury steamer traveling the Mediterranean Sea. The two fell in love and were
married by the ship’s captain who allowed them a 3 day honeymoon leave on the romantic Greek
island of Santorini. What they didn’t know was that the island was also a burial ground for
Vrykolakas (vampires). Deep in the cargo hold of the ship was one such demon named Stelio
who was on his way to the island to be executed. Resigned to his fate Stelio made peace with
himself until he sensed Mira onboard and was inspired to survive. When the ship reached the
island Stelio escaped and made off with Mira. With the help of 2 native Greeks, Laszlo rescued
his bride and spirited her back to the ship but not before Mira had been turned. Laszlo convinced
the captain to sail them to his village in Croatia so that the town elders could help him cure his
bride, unaware that Stelio was still in pursuit.
Back in his village Laszlo pleaded for help, but afraid, the elders sentenced Mira to
death. Frantic to save his wife, Laszlo sought out his aunt Madja, a witch, who drew a charcoal
sketch of the surrounding land and magically bnished the girl into the picture which was ruled by
their well-meaning ancestors, the Cowled Men. Laszlo then fled to America with the sketch to
await the day when he might redeem his bride.
Years passed and Laszlo gave up hope. What he did not know was that Stelio had
followed him to America, just as anxious to bring Mira back. Upon meeting Emylene, Stelio
sensed she might have the right ‘magic’ to free Mira from her captivity. He manipulated Emylene
into buying the sketch and released Mira who then traded places with Emylene so that she could
take over the Goth princess’s life. Over the following 16 months Mira began to build the new
empire her master, Stelio, envisioned.
After Laszlo brings Emylene up to date they strike a bargain; she agrees to help him stop
Mira and he agrees to help her find her parents whom she believes may still be held captive in
Other-Town. One night while gathering information the two are ambushed by the Vryolakas and
Laszlo is captured. Emylene escapes to the safe side of the city and the very next day she bumps
into her mother, Vandy Stipe, who is working at a local shopping market. Vandy tells her daughter
that after she and her husband, Theo, thought Emylene died in the fire, he went into a depression
and joined Mira, but Vandy wouldn’t. As far as Vandy knows Theo is ‘one of them’ now.
Meanwhile Laszlo is brought to Mira whom he hasn’t seen in almost 50 years. She offers
him the gift of eternal life if he will join her and help rule their ever-expanding Other-Town. She
even lets him leave to make the decision of his own free will. When Laszlo returns to the city he
finds Emylene and Vandy and all 3 vow to bring down Other-Town and Mira. However, in the
back of her mind Emylene suspects that Laszlo may still try to save his wife.
On the night of reckoning the 3 enter Other-Town and are approached by Theo who
tries to persuade his wife and daughter to be turned and join him. Emylene and Vandy reject
Theo and make their way to the Goth club to confront Mira. There they encounter Stelio, the
master vampire, whom everybody believed had perished. Stelio has a story of his own to tell.
Over 200 years ago Stelio was a Polish military hero who retired to the small island of
Mykonos and ended up saving it from marauders. There he fell in love with the mayor’s daughter
but the mayor refused to let them wed because he was jealous of Stelio’s growing stature in the
community. The mayor went so far as to sacrifice his own daughter to make sure the two never
wed. Stelio was also put to death but was revived and returned to avenge his lover’s murder by
her own father. From that time on he became an avenging angel, murdering corrupt men
wherever he found them. Eventually Stelio was captured and sentenced to perish on the isle of
Santorini. Locked away in the ship’s hold, he fell in love with Mira who was about to wed Laszlo.
When the ship reached the island he escaped and pursued Mira but was foiled by Laszlo.
As was related earlier, Stelio followed Laszlo to America where his intuition told him that
Emylene had the magical power to restore Mira. What he and no one else knew was that Laszlo
and Emylene’s family were related by blood and descended from the ancient Ostrogoths who
ruled Europe in the fifth century. Emylene, as it turns out, was a true Goth princess and the magic
she possessed had been passed down from generation to generation.
Stelio tries to persuade Laszlo, Emylene and her family to join them in eternity but a fight
ensues. Theo, who was masquerading as a Vrykolak, comes to the aid of his wife and daughter
and together they succeed in wounding Mira and killing Stelio once and for all. Other-Town burns
to the ground and the city is saved. But somewhere hidden away in the burned-out quarter,
Laszlo, who has survived, nurses Mira back to health.

Spotlight & Excerpt All for Maddie by Jettie Woodruff


Release date: December 13th 2013.

Synopsis:

I believe in love at first sight... because I am a mother. A mother’s love knows no laws, no boundaries, and no remorse for anyone who interferes with the life of a child. 

I have lived a complete lie, holding on to a secret that could now cost me my daughter. I can’t lose Maddie. I couldn’t breathe without Maddie. Maddie is my life. 

The saying about dying for your child is the absolute truth. The other things you would do are comparable to that of death. I know, I did those things. I did unthinkable things, all for Maddie. I continued the lie, the secrets with the one man who had no right, whom I despised and wanted dead. 

I had no choice. I did it all for her... for my Maddie.

Cover Reveal Magic Academy by Jillian Keep

Saturday, December 7, 2013
Title: Magic Academy
Author: Jillian Keep
Genre: New Adult Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: Dec 13 2013
Editions/Formats it will be Available In: eBook
Blurb/Synopsis:
Out of a young woman’s ambition comes a love triangle that could destroy more than her heart.
Firia has always wanted to be a witch, but even though she’s a natural in magic, there’s a problem: She’s human.
Considered by the elven elite to be inferior, Firia needs an edge to be accepted into the Magic Academy. Out of sheer desperation, she summons the demon Varuj, a terrifyingly gorgeous spirit who helps her win the entrance competition. But at what price?
As the commanding demon does everything he can to penetrate every aspect of her innocent life, Firia still finds herself drawn to her study partner, Mae’lin. Not only is the sweet elf completely different from the powerful Varuj, but their relationship is forbidden.
How is she supposed to choose between the demon she owes her life to and the innocent elf who makes her a better person?

This thrilling coming of age new adult romance is from fantasy romance author, Jillian Keep.
Jillian Keep is the softer and more romantic side of J.E. & M. Keep. They love to combine fantasy, scifi, horror, romance and mystery into exciting and titillating novels.
They are long term, loving partners in a very happy relationship and because of this; they love to torture their characters. Dark romance touches all of their stories in one way or another; from elicit trysts to forbidden love.

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Spotlight Bitter Fruits by Sarah Daltry

Friday, December 6, 2013
Title: Bitter Fruits
Author: Sarah Daltry
Series: Eden's Fall (#1)
Genre: Paranormal Erotica
Publisher:  Escape Publishing
Release Date: Dec 1 2013


A vampire-themed masquerade party isn’t really her scene, but Nora is sick of frat parties and bars. When she meets Alec, the appeal suddenly becomes clear. It’s obvious that they’ve been struck by the same intense mutual attraction, but Alec keeps his distance. Intrigued despite herself, Nora pushes a little deeper — and discovers Alec’s unimaginable secret...

Nora is not afraid of following Alec into the darkness, but the choice is soon taken from her. Someone is hunting her — someone tied to the secret and desperate to see it play out. But when Nora finally meets her aggressor, she finds herself hopelessly drawn to him. She needs to make a choice between the two men, but can she save them both, knowing one is destined to die?


Sarah

Sarah Daltry writes about the regular people who populate our lives. She's written works in various genres - romance, erotica, fantasy, horror. Genre isn't as important as telling a story about people and how their lives unfold. Sarah tends to focus on YA/NA characters but she's been known to shake it up. Most of her stories are about relationships - romantic, familial, friendly - because love and empathy are the foundation of life. It doesn't matter if the story is set in contemporary NY, historical Britain, or a fantasy world in the future - human beings are most interesting in the ways they interact with others. This is the principle behind all of Sarah's stories.

Sarah has spent most of her life in school, from her BA and MA in English and writing to teaching both at the high school and college level. She also loves studying art history and really anything because learning is fun.

When Sarah isn't writing, she tends to waste a lot of time checking Facebook for pictures of cats, shooting virtual zombies, and simply staring out the window. 
She has written several books, most notably Bitter Fruits, an urban fantasy in the Eden’s Fall series, and the Flowering series, including Forget Me Not, Lily of the Valley, and Star of Bethlehem. 



Spotlight Abiding Ink by Ranae Rose

Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Title: Abiding Ink
Author: Ranae Rose
Series: Inked In The Steel City (#4)
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: Nov 25 2013
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
Tyler DeHaven may look like a bad boy, but there’s got to be more to the tattoo artist who volunteers at the hospital during the holiday season. Inviting him to a work Christmas party seems innocent enough … at first. Problem is, he’s just as irresistible as he looks and falling fast is more than Mallory bargained for. After all, she’s reminded every day what a gamble love can be, and there’s no question that with him, the stakes are high.
It may be cold outside but Mallory Stephens is the hottest nurse Tyler has ever laid eyes on. To top it off, she also likes ink and wants him to be her holiday party date. He’s not going to say no, and when things get rocky, he’s not going to let their passion frost over, either.
Can a brand-new romance survive the chill as snow falls in the Steel City?


CHAPTER 1 (Excerpt)

“Any new tattoos?” Beneath a helmet of blue-rinsed curls, Ms. Sherwin’s eyes sparkled as she sat up in her hospital bed, leaning toward Tyler.
“No, Ms. Sherwin. Just the same old ink I had yesterday.”
“Tsk tsk. I told you yesterday – call me Ruby! If we’re going to be seeing each other every day, we can at least be friendly.” As he pushed the meal cart forward, she giggled, sounding more eight than eighty or however old she was.
“I’m only volunteering here for a week, Ms. – uh, Ruby.” Six more days, counting today.
She ignored his comment, leaning forward as he approached with her lunch tray. “Ooh!” Gripping him by the wrist, she pushed up the sleeve of his thermal tee, exposing half his forearm. Her tiny, pale hand looked and felt like a child’s in comparison to his. Then again, she was maybe five feet tall, and he was over six. 
“Thought I saw something new,” she said, giving his arm a surprisingly strong squeeze. “Silly me. My eyesight’s not what it used to be, you know.”
“Would you like me to hand you your glasses?” He eyed the pair sitting on the tray beside her bed, thick plastic frames with even thicker lenses.
Letting go of his wrist – but leaving his sleeve pushed up – she waved one hand. “I only use those for reading.”
A novel rested on the table, too – a thick paperback with a woman in an old-fashioned dress posing with a ripped, long-haired guy in a kilt on the cover. Tyler slid the meal tray onto the table, careful not to knock the glasses or book off the side.
“Don’t like to wear them when I don’t have to,” she continued. “They make me feel like an owl.”
“I’m sure you don’t look like an owl, Ms. Sherwin.”
“Ruby.” She tittered. “Now what did you bring me for lunch?”
Peering down at the tray, he tried to think of some way to put a good spin on the food he’d just delivered. Unfortunately, the crown jewel of it all was a cup of green gelatin with little chunks of something suspended in its depths. Pear chunks, probably… At least, he hoped so. “Just what the doctor ordered,” was his eventual reply.
A lot of the hospital patients had special dietary restrictions, and apparently Ms. Sherwin was no exception.
“Well, I hope you haven’t been naughty – you know I’ve got to watch my sugar.” She poked the dessert cup, making its contents jiggle, then smiled up at him like they shared some sort of private joke.
“I’m sure it’s sugar-free.” 
She raised her thin, white eyebrows like she was about to say something else, but the sound of sneakers against tile filled the room before she could get another word out.
“Ms. Sherwin.” A clear female voice resounded. “How are we today?”
Tyler turned and felt immediately as if he’d been sucker-punched in the gut.
Holy hell. It was her. The nurse he’d noticed yesterday, in the hall. She’d taken his breath away then, walking by and leaving him to practically suffocate over his cart full of red and green Jell-O, pale yellow macaroni and whatever else patients like Ms. Sherwin were allowed to eat. He hadn’t been close enough to read her name badge then, and now, he wanted to, but it was hard to look away from her face.
She raised a brow at him and a polite smile just barely cracked her perfectly-glossed lips. He took in everything – her dark brown eyes and thick lashes, the wet look her gloss gave her mouth and the little sable curls near her temples that had escaped the bun she’d pulled her hair back into. And then his gaze dipped lower.
Okay, it wasn’t that hard to look away from her face. Even in scrubs, her knockout figure was clearly discernible. Above one shapely breast, her badge told him that her name was Mallory.
“Looks like I got here just in time,” Mallory said, sweeping past Tyler and side-stepping his cart. “Let’s check your blood sugar before you eat lunch, Ms. Sherwin.”
“I forgot all about checking my sugar,” Ms. Sherwin said. “If it’s high, blame him.” She pointed a finger toward Tyler, grinning. “He’s so sweet, I think it might’ve rubbed off on me.”
Tyler’s gut clenched as Mallory’s luscious lips curved in a little smirk. “No worries there, Ms. Sherwin. Unless you’ve sweet-talked him into slipping you chocolate, like you did that poor girl last week…”
“He would never. He’s a perfect volunteer. I think you all should keep him around for more than a week.”
“That’s not up to me, Ms. Sherwin.”
Tyler gripped the meal cart by the handle and backed away slowly, wincing as the wheels squeaked. Yeah, being around Mallory was no hardship, but Ms. Sherwin was sabotaging whatever chances he might have with the gorgeous nurse. With any luck he’d run into Mallory again … without a geriatric flirt like Ms. Sherwin around. His heart sped a little at the thought, and he cast a last, long look at Mallory’s back as he retreated.
Talk about hot. Her lavender scrub pants didn’t mask the perfect curve of her ass, and the color flattered her smooth, light brown skin. It was flawless and uninked – not that she needed tattoos, or anything else, to look amazing.
“Thanks for bringing by Ms. Sherwin’s lunch,” Mallory called over her shoulder.
Her words caught him off guard, and he guiltily transferred his gaze to something else – the window, where snow flurries were falling beyond the half-open blinds. “No problem.”
The meal cart rattled as he steered it right into the doorframe.
Damn it. 
Mallory and Ms. Sherwin both turned to stare at him.
“Need some help?” Mallory asked, arching one finely-shaped brow again and looking like she might head his way.
“No, no.” He raised one hand. “I got it.” God. He had to look like such a douche.
“Told you he was sweet,” Ms. Sherwin said, giggling.
Tyler hurried the hell out of the room, managing not to run into anything else. He made it several steps before realizing that his left sleeve was still pushed halfway up his arm. Jerking it down, he covered himself up. In long sleeves, only the very edges of his full tattoo sleeves were visible, just barely peeking over the edge of his wrist. Ms. Sherwin had spied them the instant he’d walked into her room the day before – she was bullshiting him about her failing eyesight, for sure.
Not everyone was such a fan of tattoos, and so, he kept them covered while volunteering at the hospital. It was December anyway, and as the snow falling outside attested, it was more than cold enough to justify his clothing choices.
Not that he gave a shit, in general, what people thought of his tattoos. He just didn’t want to make any waves while he was helping out at the hospital. He was here for his sister, and all he really cared about was keeping her safe. Maybe it made him a jerk, but he never would’ve volunteered otherwise. And yet…
He couldn’t help but wonder what Mallory thought of his ink – what little bit she’d been able to see thanks to Ms. Sherwin, that was. He wouldn’t have minded if she’d shoved up his sleeve and decided to see for herself, that was for sure. As he wheeled the meal cart into another room, a vivid fantasy sprang up in his mind, starting there and quickly taking a much less innocent turn.

Other Books in the Series


Ranae Rose is the author of over a dozen adult romances and counting. She calls the US East Coast home and resides there with her husband, child, German Shepherd dogs and overflowing bookshelves. Writing and reading are lifelong passions that consume most of her time, and she's always working on bringing her latest love story idea to life for readers.
Her latest release is Abiding Ink, Book 4 in her Inked in the Steel City Series.






Places to fine Ranae 

Review A Secret Fate by Susan Griscom Blog Tour Start

Sunday, December 1, 2013
Title: A Secret Fate
Author: Susan Griscom
Series: A Whisper Cape Novel (#3)
Genre: Paranormal Romance (Adult)
Publisher: Amber Glow Books
Release Date: Oct 31 2013
Edition: Kindle
Source: Author for Blog Tour and Honest Opinion
Rating:
Blurb/Synopsis:
"Well, fate was cruel, wasn't it?"

Cael and Addison’s fate has taken an unexpected turn.
Gerry, Addie and Cael almost captured Careen’s murderer only to lose Cael in the battle—a battle that nearly cost him his life. But despite his survival, he faces a new challenge, thanks to Gerry's handiwork: will Cael remember Addie or is their love lost with him?
Addie’s family and friends think she should keep the relationship a secret from Cael so he isn't forced into feelings he can't remember. Just what she needs, more secrets and on top of everything else, someone stole the crystal. How is she supposed to get over the loss of her lover, a lover she'd barely had for only a few short months and deal with the secret of the lost crystal at the same time?
Aiden wants nothing more than to help Addie overcome her grief and get over Cael. Or is that all he wants? What happens when too many people know the secret and someone slips up?