Review for Pan's Conquest

Blurb:
Syrinx pulled a fast one on Pan to escape his raging lust. The God of Chastity wasn't about to break her vows and succumb to his temptations. Transported to the twenty-first century, she runs a florist shop—fulfilling her fake, mortal life. Until the breathtaking Parker Thomas hires her to decorate his grand estate for a gala. Five hundred roses? Easy enough. Except Parker makes her feel things she can't ignore...

As the God of Fertility, Pan is used to maidens flocking in droves to his pastures. So when Syrinx denies him, he's determined to win the one that got away. He poses as a mortal to get close to her, but he doesn't count on falling hard for his conquest—hard enough to make a life and stay.

But Syrinx is falling in love with a man that doesn't exist. Can Pan hide his identity forever, or will the truth tear them apart?

My review:
Syrinx has escaped the God of Fertility, Pan, untouched by his lusty ambitions. Transporting herself to the twenty-first century, she has a fulfilling life as a florist. She wants for nothing more until the gorgeous Parker Thomas orders hundreds of roses for a gala. While Syrinx loves her work, Parker is distracting, making her desire something she never thought she'd want. Except Parker doesn't really exist. He's Pan in disguise, and he's finding he wants more than just one night with Syrinx. Can the past be forgiven or will it break both their hearts?

A fantastic paranormal romance with a mythological twist. I've always been a fan of the story of Pan and Syrinx, and I love Aubrie Dionne's modern take on it. It's a light read packed with a lot of emotion, a very hot Fertility God, and a bit of mystery. It doesn't lean heavily on the paranormal aspect, but focuses on the characters themselves and that's what brings the magic to the tale.

Syrinx is the Goddess of Chastity and holds on to which is dear to her. I admire her strength and her compassion. Pan plays true to his randy role until his life as Parker begins to change him. I can see why all the maidens find him enchanting!

I highly recommend this to readers who like contemporary and paranormal romance.

Buy PAN'S CONQUEST here:

Amazon * B&N * Kobo

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Aubrie Dionne is an author and flutist in New England. Her books have received the highest ratings from Romance Times Magazine, as well as Night Owl Reviews and Two Lips Reviews. She has guest blogged on the USA Today Happily Ever After Blog and the Dear Teen Me blog and signed books at the Boston Book Festival, Barnes and Noble, and the Romance Writers of America conference. Her writings have appeared in numerous publications including Mindflights, Niteblade, Silver Blade, Emerald Tales, Hazard Cat, Moon Drenched Fables, A Fly in Amber, and Aurora Wolf. Her books are published by Inkspell Publishing, Astraea Press, Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Publishing, Lyrical Press, and Gypsy Shadow Publishing. When she's not writing, Aubrie teaches flute and plays in orchestras.

Follow Aubrie at: Website * Blog * Twitter

Friday Five for March 28th, 2014

1. Is March nearly done already? Wow. Time just flew past, and April's going to be a busy month outside the blogging world for me. I'll be slowing with my blog posts here and participating in the A to Z Challenge with Untethered Realms. We're featuring fantastical creatures. It's going to be a lot of fun!

2. I didn't get much done revision-wise this month. I had hoped to be halfway done with revisions for one of my WIPs, but my CPs and betas have been busy folks too. That's okay with me. I'm not forcing hard deadlines on myself this year. And I'm getting much more sleep because of it!

3. What have I been doing? I'm almost finished a new novella. I couldn't resist writing something new, and this is completely new for me. I found a call for themed novellas on a popular publisher site. One of them made me laugh. A lot. So I went for it, and the story flowed so easily. It's a geeky contemporary tale with absolutely no supernatural elements. Weird for me! And yes, I'm being mysterious about what it exactly is, because if the publisher rejects it, I love it so much I might self-publish it. Then you'll hear no end of it!

4. My son had his first literacy after school special this week. He blew the socks off the teacher. He's the best reader in his preschool by far. I'm so proud of my wonderful little guy.

5. No plans for the weekend. Maybe we'll finally watch Gravity. And the season finale of The Walking Dead. It's been an awesome season! Have a great weekend.

P.S. What do you think of my new blog banner?

The March Book Frenzy with the eNovel Authors at Work

The March Book Frenzy with eNovel Authors at Work is a fantastic bloghop designed to help promote 8 writers and build their social media platforms. It will also help those participating meet other writers and readers too. It's a win-win hop! Click on the banner above and join the fun.

See the line-up of fantastic covers on the banner? I must choose which one appeals to me the most and tell you why. I haven't read any of these books nor do I know the authors. Here's the link to larger images of the covers and their blurbs.

And these are the brave authors who are lined up for us:

Donna Fasano

Jackie Weger

Joanne Hill

Dianne Greenlay

Abby L. Vandiver

Lorrie Farrely

Mary Smith

Carmen Desousa

My choice:

A passionate romantic-suspense.

She Belongs To Me is a tightly woven tale of love, possession, and concealed histories, 'She Belongs to Me' follows a man who finds his wife unconscious, clinging to life. Was it a suicide attempt, or a sinister force from her former life? To learn the answer, he must go back to the beginning, five years ago when he met his wife and learned of her tragic past.

She Belongs to Me is book one of The Southern Suspense Series. From there, all the stories have a slight connection to each other, so you can continue the journey and meet different protagonists with different issues and tragedies to overcome. Every story has a mystery, there's always a gentle message, and above all, there's always romance and suspense.

The color was the first thing that drew my attention to this cover. Blues, violets, and similar hues are my favorites. It also fits the atmosphere of a suspense novel. It's mysterious, hinting at darkness, but not fully there. The title, SHE BELONGS TO ME, is strong and suggests something more sinister than mere possession of the woman. I like the inclusion of the series name on the darker blue strip. It's a catchy name, too, with the three S's. The font is clear, and the white stands out nicely against the blue. The model on the cover is lovely even with her hair mussed and glancing furtively to one side. It's sharp and simple. And while we know better than to judge a book by its cover, the cover does influence my initial opinion and whether I'll pick it up or not. This one I'd pick up first out of the group.

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Wicked Wednesday - Of Blood and Sorrow

Wicked Wednesday will be on hiatus over April. Not only will the A to Z Challenge be happening which I'll be participating with a group on Untethered Realms, I have my mother visiting for a week, and my husband's and son's birthdays. Lots going on. I'm giving myself a little break and easing off on blogging.

As many of you know, I've been working on revisions all this year. One of my manuscripts is a paranormal romance called OF BLOOD AND SORROW (formerly known as "Sorrow Phage"). I hope to get this polished to query before the end of this school semester. I'm going to tease you with my query blurb.

Erin Driscol works the perfect job consoling fellow demons by feeding off their grief at Putzkammer & Sons Funeral Home.

When fledgling vampire Nicolas Reese wakes in the mortuary, Erin hastily sets him loose on the city before she regains enough sense to call a hunter. Vampires are vile, unnatural creatures, or so she thinks. Nicolas returns to her for help, and she learns the truth behind the legends. Breaking all the rules, Erin hides him from his sire and vampire hunters. But when the Putzkammers begin to die off one by one, she must find a way to save the family that loves her. While every demon desperately searches for a way to survive whatever horror is slaughtering them in the night, Erin faces her greatest fear to rescue Nicolas from his dark fate.

Would this blurb snag your attention?

Teaser Tuesday with Touched by Fire

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I won three of Catherine Spangler's books in a giveaway. Lucky me! These are fantastic paranormal romances. TOUCHED BY FIRE is the second book in the Sentinels series. Great mythology based around Atlantis, and I do love the men in these books. Sexy!

Here's your teaser:
She stared at her trapped hand, wondering how to retrieve it gracefully. Unfortunately, her skills at verbally sparring with sophisticated, gorgeous men were abysmal. (32% on my Kindle in a file containing the three books)

Worlds on Edge now available!

Blurb:
War is coming. A horde of merciless aliens poise just beyond the Edge. In a matter of weeks they will devour the worlds.

Racing ahead of the apocalypse, Craze returns to the Backworlds to warn them and plan a defense. Only he can’t go home. Banned from Pardeep Station, he must wage a more urgent battle. His moon is under siege, and his friends are dying.

Bad things come in threes, and the galaxy is no exception. An old enemy returns, attacking moons and defenseless globes, leaving a wake of destruction. Worse than that, they threaten to join forces with the alien horde.

Defeat seems inevitable. Craze may not be able to stop it. Yet home is worth the fight.

In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendants to survive in a harsh universe. This is the fifth book in the science fiction series, The Backworlds. A space opera adventure.

Buy WORLDS ON EDGE here:

Amazon * B&N * Smashwords

Visit Mary Pax's site here!

Winners of the 500 Followers SpecFic Giveaway

Thank you to all my wonderful followers and to everyone who helped promote this giveaway. This has been the biggest Rafflecopter giveaway I've ever hosted. I wish you could all win!

Congratulations to the winners!
I'll be contacting you shortly.

Have a great weekend, folks!

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Wicked Wednesday - wicked PNR quotes

I've noticed lately that my Wicked Wednesdays have lacked some wickedness. Since I'm busy with revisions at the moment, I thought I could have some fun by sharing with you some hilariously wicked quotes from my favorite paranormal romance authors. Enjoy!

“Why don't I just give you a pair of my panties to hang around your neck? Then whenever you feel jealous, you can wave them at whoever's pissing you off.”- Jeaniene Frost

"“Don't get pissy with me, leech." With a glare, Carrow pressed her print to his torque. "Even tapped out, I can still do a love spell to make you fall in love--with the sun.” " - Kresley Cole

"Stupid werewolf ninja sperm." - Molly Harper

"He looked like a sexy ninja. Or a tiger ready to pounce on his prey. She just looked like she was sitting sideways on an invisible toilet. Curse the male species for making danger look so good!" - Leia Shaw

"Which meant I got left with Quinn yet again. Given the time he was taking to make his decision, I wasn't exactly happy about that. I mean, putting me with him was like flashing chocolate my way then telling me I couldn't have it. It was just plain mean." - Keri Arthur

"It was like being leaned on by a very heavy, warm brick. A sexy brick." - Patricia Briggs

"One thing I've learned about vampires--they keep pulling new rabbits out of their cloaks. Big, fanged, carnivorous bunnies that'll eat your eyeballs if you're not paying attention." - Laurell K. Hamilton

"I don't suffer from my insanity -- I enjoy every minute of it." - Sherrilyn Kenyon

"Barrons was powerful, broodingly good-looking, insanely wealthy, frighteningly intelligent, and had exquisite taste, not to mention a hard body that emitted some kind of constant low-level charge. Bottom line: He was the stuff of heroes.
And psychotic killers." - Karen Marie Moning

What are your favorite PNR quotes?

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There's still 2 days left to enter my HUGE Speculative Fiction Giveaway!

Enter to win a grand prize pack of books from 14 amazing authors.

Model Position blog tour - review

Blurb:

For Sienna, love and art are perilous games. Is she ready to take that gamble?

Sienna is a beautiful, talented artist poised on the precipice of soaring into the glamorous, yet cutthroat Manhattan art scene.

Dave Hightower is a hooked-up, handsome heir to the hippest gallery in NYC, Gallery Hightower.

Erik is the live drawing model with his sizzling green eyes fixed only on Sienna.

Three’s a crowd, so Sienna must make a choice: date Dave and ride the fast track to landing a show at Gallery Hightower and hobnobbing with the art glitterati, or follow her heart and take a chance with Erik, the stunning male model who’s stealing her heart. But Erik has some worrisome secrets, and who in their right mind would make live modeling their career?

Dare Sienna throw away her chances of hitting it big to follow her heart?

My review:

Sienna is a beautiful art grad student who knows exactly where she wants to go in life. Her life is ordered, and she even has the connections to get a show at a top Manhattan gallery. Yet all the order she strives for is swept away when she sets her eyes upon the class' newest model. Erik is a modern day Adonis and has his eyes set upon Sienna. He makes her feel a heat no other man before has inspired. Will Sienna keep her focus on her life plan or follow her heart into Erik's arms?

This NA romance will take your breath away. It's short, but it packs a lot of sizzle and fire. Sienna is smart and sweet. I found it easy to relate to her. She has great focus, and I love her inner conflict with it turns to chaos upon meeting the gorgeous Erik. As for Erik, I do love a man with a sensitive artistic side and a hot body! The tension between Sienna and Erik had me fanning myself. It was tastefully written but not lacking the heat a good romance needs.

Can't wait to read more from Kitsy Clare in the future!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

When Kitsy Clare isn’t creating stories on her favorite Mac Air, she teaches speculative fiction and creative writing workshops. She also loves to draw, travel, read spicy romance, sci-fi and all kinds of thrillers. She divides her time between New York City and her studio in the Catskills, where she enjoys the sounds of birds, bullfrogs and the random coyote. 

Kitsy Clare is the pen name for her new adult romance. She also writes young adult fiction using her real name, Catherine Stine. Her YA futuristic thriller, Fireseed One won finalist spots in both YA and Science Fiction in the 2013 USA Book News International Book Awards. It was also granted an Indie Reader Approved notable stamp. Her YA Refugees, earned a New York Public Library Best Book. Ruby’s Fire, the new companion novel to Fireseed One, is receiving high praise from reviewers. She’s a member of SFWA, SCBWI and CBIG. She can be found on www.catherinestine.com, www.catherinestine.blogspot.com, and https://twitter.com/crossoverwriter

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14 fantastic writers donated books to this HUGE Speculative Fiction Giveaway!

Enter to win a grand prize pack that includes books from each writer.

Escalation Blog Tour - guest post by Stephen Tremp

SUPERNOVAS

Few words in the English language can evoke the WOW! Factor quite like Supernova. There have been bands, songs, and comic book superheroes named after this type of exploding star.

Supernovae occur at the end of a star's life when its furnace runs out of fuel. Because gravity then overcomes the star's ability to remain puffed up, there is a violent collapse, followed by an explosion that produces radioactive elements such as nickel and cobalt. Most of the light we see from a supernova is emitted as those radioactive elements decay, so the brightness falls sharply over a period of weeks.

Incidentally, all the iron in your blood came from the decay of radioactive nickel manufactured in a stellar explosion. So most of the atoms in your body were once in the interiors of stars. Reference In January 2014, a Type 1a Supernova in Messier 82, otherwise known as the Cigar Galaxy which is about 12 million light years from the constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear) was discovered by students at the University College London. Some scientists call this a potential Holy Grail as it may give valuable insight into Dark Energy (more on this in a future post). It is positioned between the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper. This rare cosmic event would be visible through a telescope any amateur stargazer could buy at a store.

We see this light 11.4 million years after the explosion happened, because of the time light takes to reach our galaxy. So it was a really special time in M82 11.4 million years ago. Reference

Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months. During this interval a supernova can radiate as much energy as the Sun is expected to emit over its entire life span. Reference: Reference

A star can go supernova in one of two ways:
Type I supernova: star accumulates matter from a nearby neighbor until a runaway nuclear reaction ignites.
Type II supernova: star runs out of nuclear fuel and collapses under its own gravity Reference: Reference

Did You Know: A supernova occurs in our Milky Way Galaxy about twice every hundred years. This may seem to be a rare occurence. But since there are about 30-40 million spiral galaxies in the universe, this translates to a supernova happening somewhere about once every two seconds.

Supernova Fun Facts:
1. Some supernovas become black holes.
2. When a star explodes, it shoots out billions of atoms into space, where they form a huge cloud of dust called a nebula.
3. Most of the carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, silicon, and iron that we have on Earth originally came from a supernova explosion.
4. In 1054 AD, astronomers in China and the Islamic Empire recorded a supernova (they noticed a star so bright you could see it in the daylight). That supernova is now the Crab Nebula.
5. If a supernova is one light year away, you will have one year to prepare for your eminent doom.
6. Even though one day our sun will die, it is not large enough to go all supernova on us. It will simply expand into a Red Giant and consume the Earth. So you can go to sleep in peace knowing you are safe from dying from our sun going supernova on you. Reference

Stephen Tremp is the author of the Breakthrough series. Together, Breakthrough, Opening, and Escalation follow the lives of the unlikely participants from innocence to a coming of age through sacrifice, betrayal, passion, lust, unconditional love, and hope. Escalation will appeal to fans of modern-day science fiction, paranormal, action, horror, and even romance.

Stop by Stephen’s Blog for more information on the Breakthrough series.

To download Escalation: The Adventures of Chase Manhattan CLICK HERE.

If you think this post is worthy, please give it a Tweet or a Facebook share.

For those who know there is far more beyond our four dimensional continuum than our five senses can perceive.

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Don't forget my HUGE Speculative Fiction Giveaway celebrating 500 followers. You could win a grand prize pack of books donated by 14 amazing authors!

Friday Five for March 14th, 2014

1. I had my first short story acceptance of the year. Yay! My fantasy tale, "Summoning Fire" will be published on Aurora Wolf next month. There's magic, zombies, and a little bit of romance. Not with the zombies! Yuck.

2. Today I'll find out if I won BigAl's Books & Pals Readers' Choice Award in fantasy for THE HARBINGER. I'm honored just to be nominated. Winning would be very nice too. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

3. I haven't had any time for revisions this week. One thing or another has popped up. Taxes are done, though. And I had to declare my earnings from my writing for the first time in my life. I'm a little bit excited about it.

4. It's my son's spring break next week. I'll lose a lot of my writing time, but I have a few fun things planned. When he goes back, he'll start an after school literacy program that will be on Wednesdays. I'm eager to see how much he improves. He's gotten stubborn about reading with me, but he's very good with the teachers at his school.

5. Don't forget to enter my HUGE Speculative Fiction Giveaway celebrating my reaching 500 followers. You could win a grand prize pack of books from 14 amazing authors.

Have a great weekend!

Wicked Wednesday - know your tropes

If you're querying agents and publishers, they will tell you that they need to know the tropes of your story right away. The tropes need to be in the blurb, and they need to be clear in the first chapter of the novel. Many articles will tell you that you need clearly stated tropes to get readers to read your stories.

For a little bit, I growled and glared at tropes. I would not be tied down by these rules! No one can tell me to use certain stereotypes or devices. I write what I want to write.

I rebelled until I realized I was already using tropes. Tons of them.

What is a trope? It's a literary motif or cliché. For example, boy falls in love with girl next door or good girl takes on bad boy and changes his ways as he falls for her.

Every story you read will have tropes. You just have to learn to recognize them, which really isn't that difficult at all. The tricky part is putting a new twist on popular tropes. That's what's going to sell your story.

What are your favorite tropes? And what are your favorite twists to them?

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Don't my HUGE Speculative Fiction Giveaway!

Enter to win books from 14 awesome authors.

Teaser Tuesday with Dark Witch

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I managed to snag this new book from Nora Roberts off the express shelf at the library last week. The start didn't grab me right away, but it's starting to sound more promising. This is the first book in a paranormal romance series. Sometimes the characters are talking in such a thick Irish accent in my head, I can't catch every word!

Here's your teaser:
She let go, released her spirit and left her body by the cabin in the deep green woods.
And as the fog swirled, something shifted in the black ashes. (page 36)

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Please vote for my book, THE HARBINGER in BigAl's Books & Pals Readers' Choice Awards. The Greek gods would greatly appreciate it... by not sending a dangerous thunderstorm your way.

HUGE 500 Follower SpecFic Giveaway

(Background photo called "Leap" from Rolffimage free at Dreamstime.com)

About a month ago, I had the surprise and pleasure of being Blog Blitzed, and I reached over 500 followers on my blog! Never would I have thought this possible when I started blogging years ago. The blogging community has become a wonderful and positive part of my life. I'm grateful for each and every one of you.

To thank you, I wanted to give you a grand giveaway. And while I hope winning a copy of my book would be fantastic, I wanted to do more. Lucky for me I'm part of an incredible group of writers called Untethered Realms. I asked if anyone would like to donate to the giveaway, and wow, they did so generously donate. Then, the cherry on the sundae, more of my writer friends offered to donate books. The more the merrier! Writers are awesome.

One lucky winner will win a HUGE prize package.

(And yes, this giveaway is open internationally!)

A signed print copy of The 13th Floor Complete Collection by me

Diamonds and Dust (ebook) by River Fairchild

An ebook of your choice from Mary Pax

Ocean of Dust (ebook) by Graeme Ing

Ruby's Fire (ebook) by Catherine Stine

Passing Time and Taking Time (ebooks) by Ellie Garratt

The Vanished Knight (ebook) by Misha Gerrick

Givin' Up The Ghost and A Guilty Ghost Surprised (ebooks) by Gwen Gardner

Neverlove and They All Fall Down (ebooks) by Angela Brown

Polar Night and The Ghosts of Aquinnah (ebooks) by Julie Flanders

An eARC of Reborn by Cherie Reich

Cloaked in Fur (ebook) by T.F. Walsh

The K-Pro (ebook) by M. Pepper Langlinais 

AND

The Second Sign and The Second Shadow (ebooks) by Elizabeth Arroyo

3 second place winners will win a digital copy of The 13th Floor Complete Collection, 13th Floor series swag,

and a thank you card mailed to you from me.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please go vote for THE HARBINGER in the Fantasy category at BigAl's Books & Pals Readers' Choice Awards.

 

Dragonfly Warrior on sale now!

DRAGONFLY WARRIOR is on sale for 99 cents for all of March!

Don't miss out on this incredible steampunk adventure.

Buy it here:

Amazon * B&N * Smashwords

Blurb:

The Mechanica Wars: Savage Machines Are Afoot... 

At the age of twenty, Kanze Zenjiro's bloody footprints mark the bodies of those who stood in his way to protect the throne of Nihon. Now, the tyrannical Iberian Empire is bent on destroying his kingdom, and they send their steam-powered giants and iron spiders against him. 

Zen embarks on a quest that takes him on the most dangerous journey of his life. To succeed, Zen must live up to his nickname, the Dragonfly Warrior, and kill all his enemies with only a sword and a pair of six-guns. He is called upon to somehow survive a test of faith and loyalty in a world so cruel and merciless, it borders on madness.

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Please remember to vote for THE HARBINGER (Vol. 4 of The 13th Floor series) in BigAl's Books & Pals Readers' Choice Awards.

Friday Reminders

The voting for BigAl's Books & Pals Readers' Choice Awards continues. My book, THE HARBINGER (Vol. 4 in the 13th Floor series) was nominated in the Fantasy category. I'd greatly appreciate it if you could vote for it. PLUS, voting enters you in a giveaway for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card.

If you haven't heard already, Smashwords is having a huge sale this week. You can already download THE MARQUIS (Vol. 1 in The 13th Floor series) for free, but for this week only, you can get THE ALPHA (Vol. 2) free too! Use coupon code REW25. Plus, I'm offering The 13th Floor Complete Collection for 75% off! Use coupon code REW75.

 

And last, but certainly not least, I have my 500 Followers Giveaway set to go live on March 10th. 500 is a big number. So the grand prize winner will get a BIG prize pack with books from 14 amazing authors! So come back on Monday and celebrate with me.

 

Alliance blog tour - review

Blurb:
“Saving him meant saving her colony…”

Lyra Bryan has been saving people her whole life from a chick in the ventilation pipes to her mentally ill brother when his mind drifts back to Old Earth. She meets her match when she finds a gorgeous alien man aboard the arachnid ship. Captured after a failed attempt to save his people, his spirit is broken, craving only vengeance. To save her colony, Lyra must save his body and soul.

Lyra’s lifemate, Tauren, is jealous of her obsession with the alien man and will do anything in his power to break them apart. While they travel to the arachnid’s home world to defeat the mother brain once and for all, they must set aside their differences and work as a team. But, can Tauren be trusted?

My review:
Lyra Bryan is a hero amongst her people. She's saved them many times, and even in private, she's rescued her brother from the hold of his strange mental illness. Now she's rescued a gorgeous alien from the arachnids' ship and she can't get him out of her head. She risks punishment just to learn his name. Asteran. He's as beautiful as his name and just as brave. Asteran tells them of the danger Paradise 21 is still in from the arachnids. Lyra and her people won't survive a second battle with them. With Asteran's help, Lyra and a few teammates travel to the arachnids' home world to destroy them at their source, but will they even make it there alive to complete their mission?

An incredible final book for this sci-fi romance trilogy. This is my favorite one in the Paradise Reclaimed series. It's fast-paced, suspenseful, and beautifully written. The author's description can sweep you off your feet into this whole new world.

Lyra is celebrated amongst her people and paired with the Commander's son, but she's afraid to tell him that's not what she wants. Over the story, Lyra grows and find the courage to do what's not only right for others but for herself as well. Of course her heart tells her that she's falling for Asteran. He's noble and brave, but he's suffered a great loss. His sorrow made my chest tighten. Lyra and Asteran are accompanied by a wonderful cast of characters. Leo is fascinating and entertaining, and I was already a fan of Nova from the second book in the series.

This book should be on everyone's must read list! I can't wait to see what Aubrie Dionne comes up with next.

Buy the book here:

Amazon * B&N

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Aubrie Dionne is an author and flutist in New England. Her books have received the highest ratings from Romance Times Magazine, as well as Night Owl Reviews and Two Lips Reviews. She has guest blogged on the USA Today Happily Ever After Blog and the Dear Teen Me blog and signed books at the Boston Book Festival, Barnes and Noble, and the Romance Writers of America conference. Her writings have appeared in numerous publications including Mindflights, Niteblade, Silver Blade, Emerald Tales, Hazard Cat, Moon Drenched Fables, A Fly in Amber, and Aurora Wolf. Her books are published by Inkspell Publishing, Astraea Press, Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Publishing, Lyrical Press, and Gypsy Shadow Publishing. When she's not writing, Aubrie teaches flute and plays in orchestras.

Follow Aubrie at: Website * Blog * Twitter

IWSG for March 2014

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

I've been working on revisions for almost three months now. I know, it's part of the writing process. But sometimes, the thing we love can be painful.

Enjoy these fun quotes about the pleasure and pain of writing!

"Writing a novel is like making love, but it’s also like having a tooth pulled. Pleasure and pain. Sometimes it’s like making love while having a tooth pulled." ~ Dean Koontz

"I get an urge, like a pregnant elephant, to go away and give birth to a book." ~ Stephen Fry

"Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement. Then it becomes a mistress, then it becomes a master, then it becomes a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him to the public." ~ Winston Churchill

"When writing a novel, that's pretty much entirely what life turns into: "House burned down. Car stolen. Cat exploded. Did 1500 easy words, so all in all it was a pretty good day." ~ Neil Gaiman

"Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such as ting if one were not driven by some demon whom one can neither resist or (sic) understand." ~ George Orwell

"Writing is the hardest way of earning a living, with the possible exception of wrestling alligators." ~ William Saroyan

Please do not forget to go vote for THE HARBINGER

in BigAl's Books & Pals Readers' Choice Awards!

Sidelined cover reveal

Title: Sidelined (Game On Book 3)

Author: Kyra Lennon

Genre: NA Contemporary Romance

Release Date: March 31^st 2014

Blurb:

At the age of twenty-one, Bree Collinson has more than she ever dreamed of. A handsome husband, a fancy house, and more shoes than Carrie Bradshaw and Imelda Marcos combined. But having everything handed to her isn’t the way Bree wants to live the rest of her life. When an idea to better herself pops into her head, she doesn’t expect her husband to question her, and keep her tied by her apron strings to the kitchen.

Isolated and unsure who to turn to, Bree finds herself falling back into a dangerous friendship, and developing feelings for the only person who really listens to her. Torn between her loyalty to her husband and her attraction to a man who has the perfect family she always wanted, she has some tough choices to make.

While Bree tries to figure out what she wants, a tragedy rocks the Westberg Warriors, triggering some dark memories, and pushing her to take a look at what’s really important.

Sidelined is the third book in Kyra Lennon’s Game On series. Game On (Book 1) and Blindsided (Book 2) are available on Amazon and Smashwords.

About the Author:

Kyra is a self-confessed book-a-holic, and has been since she first learned to read. When she's not reading, you'll usually find her hanging out in coffee shops with her trusty laptop and/or her friends, or girling it up at the nearest shopping mall. And occasionally hanging out with rock stars, because that’s how she rolls!

Kyra grew up on the South Coast of England and refuses to move away from the seaside which provides massive inspiration for her novels. Her debut novel, Game On (New Adult Contemporary Romance), was released in July 2012, and she scored her first Amazon Top 20 listing with her New Adult novella, If I Let You Go in November.

You can find Kyra at the following places:

Website: http://www.kyralennon.com/

Blog: http://kyralennon.blogspot.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kyralennonwrites

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KLennonWrites

Pinterest: http://gb.pinterest.com/kyralennon/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/kyralennon

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P.S. Please don't forget to vote for THE HARBINGER in the Fantasy category in BigAl's Books & Pals Readers' Choice Awards. You might win favor with the Greek gods!

P.P.S. This week Smashwords is having a huge sale. You can already download THE MARQUIS (Vol. 1 in The 13th Floor series) for free, but this week, you can get THE ALPHA (Vol. 2) free too! Use coupon code REW25. Plus, I'm offering The 13th Floor Complete Collection for 75% off! Use coupon code REW75.

Dracian Legacy blog tour - interview with Priya Kanaparti

Please join me in welcoming the wonderful Priya Kanaparti.

I'm happy to be a part of the tour for her new YA paranormal romance, DRACIAN LEGACY.

Settle in and learn a little more about Priya and her book.

1. As a reader, what do you think makes a good story?

A good story for me is filled with action, humor, or heartache.  I need a story that truly takes me by surprise and makes me feel like I'm living the story myself.

2. What's one thing a bad book has taught you NOT to do in your own writing?  
Telling! Since the first time I started writing back in 2012, that was one thing I had learned to do better. Don't tell, SHOW! And I still find some books that tell us what the characters are doing and feeling.

3. What is your preferred genre and what draws you to it?  
YA or NA -- ROMANCE, ROMANCE, ROMANCE! I'm a sucker for love stories that are born out of tragedy--kind of like a Phoenix born from the ashes!  

4. Describe your writing style in three words.

Write, rewrite, and rewrite. lol.

5. What's your biggest motivation to write?  
My motivation to write is truly the characters! Their motivation to have the story be heard, fuels me to write as fast as I can!

6. Other than reading and writing, what do you do for fun?

I have a three year old who fills my time when I'm not working or writing. So my fun revolves around seeing him laugh and enjoy his life.
 
7. What are you currently reading?
King Cave by Scarlett Dawn

8. Who's your favorite character in the Dracian Legacy and why?

Dean! I guess you can say that I'm biased toward him. Although Dracian Legacy is told from Ren's POV, the story took a life of its own because of Dean!

9. What advice would you give to new writers?

Don't be in a hurry to finish your story and find reliable people that truly care about your work as much as you do (not your family and friends, but strangers).  I know it's hard to be critiqued by people you don't know. However, it's better to be critiqued by people that want to help you improve than by your readers! Now don't get me wrong, no matter how well your book is written how much you love it, you can't avoid criticism, nonetheless, surround yourself with people that are supportive of your work.

About the author: 

Priya lives in the beautiful city of Boise, ID as a full-time working mom and part-time YA Novel Author. For the past 7+ years she has worked in multiple fortune 500 companies and has recently found the passion to read and write.  The Dracian Legacy is her first YA paranormal romance series. She strongly believes that true love conquers all and that’s a common theme you’ll find within her novels.

You can find her online at: Blog - Facebook - Pinterest - Twitter

At seventeen, Ren Pernell knows the meaning of tragedy.

But then, a year after losing her parents, Axel Knight walks through the door and changes everything. Strange creatures start to appear, her best friend suddenly finds her irresistible, and an undeniable, unexplainable bond with Axel threatens to drive her insane. She knows he’s the key. There’s something he’s not sharing, and she’s determined to find out.

Demanding answers, she finally learns the truth: everything she ever believed is an illusion. Caught in a centuries-old blood feud between races she never knew existed, Ren discovers her true destiny. She’s the chosen one, the Echo, preordained to end the bloodshed.

There’s just one catch--in order to save those she loves and a homeland she’s never seen, she’ll have to die.

With the clock running out, she’ll have to navigate a new world of betrayal, lies and deceit. If she can forgive, finding love even in the darkest places, she just might be able to escape the prophecy. But how much is she willing to sacrifice for a cause she didn’t know she was part of? And what will it take for her to be free?

 Add to read on Goodreads

You can purchase DRACIAN LEGACY here:

Reuts * Amazon