Lesley Kagen returns with the sequel to her New York Timesbestselling debut, Whistling in the Dark

Lesley’s debut novel, Whistling in the Dark, captivated readers with the story of Sally O’Malley and her sister Troo during Milwaukee’s summer of 1959. A New York Times bestseller and Midwest Honor Award winner, the novel remains a popular selection with book clubs.

In Kagen’s newest, Good Graces, it’s one year later, and a heat wave has everyone in the close-knit Milwaukee neighborhood on edge. None more so than eleven-year-old Sally O’Malley. Deeply traumatized by her daddy’s sudden death, and a near escape from a murderer and molester the previous summer, Sally’s confidence, sense of security and much of her faith have been whittled away. But as a series of disquieting disturbances unfold—a string of home burglaries, the escape from reform school of a nemesis, and the mysterious disappearance of an orphan—Sally is called upon to rise above her inner demons when she becomes certain that her wild younger sister, Troo, is in danger. Sally made a promise to her daddy to keep her sister safe. A promise she can’t break, even if her life depends on it. But when events reach a crisis point, will Sally have the courage to make the right choices? Or will she be overwhelmed by a dilemma that no child should have to deal with?

The author’s gift of imbuing her narrators with compelling authenticity shines as never before in Good Graces, an evocative novel told with the sensitivity, wit, and warmth we’ve come to expect from Lesley Kagen. – FROM THE AUTHOR SITE

• Pub. Date: September 2011
• Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
• Format: Hardcover , 352pp
• ISBN-13: 9780525952381
• ISBN: 0525952381

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Lesley Kagen is the author of the New York Times bestseller Whistling in the Dark, Land of a Hundred Wonders, andTomorrow River. She lives near Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

FROM THE REVIEWER…Kagen’s novel “Good Graces” gives the reader a front row seat to the life of a young girl and a deathbed promise made to her late father.  Sally takes on the responsibility, making sure of the safety of her big sister, who seems to have no conscience.  Regardless of the trauma suffered at the hands of a molester and a murder Sally kept her father’s dying wish.  Her sister, Troo, short for “Trooper” when she was much younger, seems to deal with her own troubles at the expense of others, yet Sally felt the weight of the world was hers to bear.  This alone forces Sally to do something so unthinkable, yet who does she depend on to help her when she needs rescuing?  And could she be sure of the one person she loves so much…

At first I wasn’t so sure I could understand what I was reading.  Could I be sitting on the shoulder of a young girl with such a responsibility that would test the heart of most adults?  Sadly I was and the proverbial aha moment kept me reading.

MEET THE REVIEWER…Kay Burnett is a wife and mother living in Columbus, Georgia.  Her greatest challenge is raising her six year old son with her husband and best friend, Mike.  Being older parents can be a real eye-opener but she finds that living in the moment makes it much easier.

Debonair bachelor Lord Andrew Forest lives for pleasure and offers no apologies. But he receives a dose of his own medicine when his family’s entrancing houseguest beds him, then disappears without so much as a by-your-leave. He’d like to teach the little vixen a thing or two about how to love and man…if he can find her..

AND SHE WON’T SETTLE FOR HEARTBREAK…

After the dashing man of her dreams is revealed as a lying scoundrel, heiress Lana Hilary is ready to seek a match with a respectable gentleman-if only they weren’t so dreadfully boring. Unable to rein in her bold nature for long, Lana flirts with trouble and finds herself entangled with exactly the type of man she’s vowed to avoid.

• Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel
• Publisher: Sourcebooks
• Pub Date: February 01, 2012
• ISBN: 9781402258312

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Samantha Grace is the author of a witty new regency romance series about four debonair bachelors who have it all: immense wealth, influence, and women swooning at their feet – in the ballroom and out.

Samantha is married to her best friend, strives to stay one step ahead of their two precocious offspring, and lives in Wisconsin. She distracts herself during the bone-chilling months of winter with pilates classes and learning to belly dance.

To learn more about Samantha’s regency bachelors, visit www.samanthagraceauthor.com.

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…I enjoyed the main characters Lana, Andrew, Phoebe, and Richard. What I really liked was how when I thought the story would have ended (and glad it didn’t because I would have felt empty) a new story with mystery and deceit evolves AFTER Lana falls in love with Andrew. When he realizes he may have lost her, that’s when he realizes that the old ways are no longer appetizing. He then must convince her he loves her and isn’t asking  for her hand in marriage out of “obligation” but because of true love. An enjoyable romance for anyone who enjoys a little twist and some sleuthing to tag alongside passion. The only thing I didn’t quite get was how the title fit with the book…

I received a copy of the NetGalley ebook for review from Sourcebooks, Inc in exchange for an honest review.

Lately, some of the comments I’ve received from readers regarding one of the bad guys in Forged in Fire, my debut romantic suspense, has reminded me of an interview she did after her book All The Queen’s Men came out.

All the Queen’s Men featured black ops specialist John Medina, a secondary hero she’d introduced in Kill and Tell, a prior book.  John Medina was such a strong character in Kill and Tell, readers everywhere were clamoring for his love story and I was no exception. I couldn’t wait for John’s story. But when I finally read the book, the character that intrigued me the most wasn’t John Medina, rather it was an arms dealer named Louis Ronsard. And no, Louis wasn’t the hero of the book, far from it, he was the villain.

But Linda Howard made me care about him, she made me understand why he did the terrible things he did. She didn’t white-wash him. She didn’t back off and make him redeemable. She didn’t turn him into a hero.  He was a villain plain and simple, but he was a villain who did very bad things for a good reason. A reason most people understood, a reason most people identified with.

Everything Ronsard did was for love.

Everything he did was to protect a daughter he adored, a daughter who was dying.  To save his daughter, he was willing to do anything, sacrifice anyone. Indeed everything Ronsard did, good and bad, was driven by his love for his child.

And because we understood Ronsard’s choices, we embraced him. Linda Howard said in one of her interviews the question she got asked the most was when she was going to give Ronsard his own love story.  Apparently, the volume of fan mail Ronsard got surprised her. But she said he couldn’t be turned into a hero, because even though he’d been driven by identifiable emotions, what he’d done was inexcusable.  Unforgivable.

He wasn’t hero material, because he wasn’t redeemable, the things he’d done made him unheroic.

But I wonder. . . .

A couple of months ago I read Maya Banks’ Hidden Away, the third book in her KGI series. One of the villains in this book reminded me of Ronsard, but with one big difference. In Hidden Away, even though the villain was capable of great love and felt it toward his sister—most of his dark deeds were not done in the name of love, they were done because he was a sociopath and he was looking out for his own interests. But Maya Banks did something interesting with him; she made me hope he wasn’t the horrific monster that the book’s hero believed him to believe. I kept hoping, right up to the end, that he was an undercover agent and hadn’t really done what everyone accused him of doing. Why? Because I liked him. The love he felt for his sister, and what he’d done to strike back at the men who’d hurt her—these things resonated with me. He wasn’t your token Godless monster.

Although, in some ways it’s easier to read about a Godless monster, one who is incapable of true feeling. It’s easier, because we can’t imagine doing something similar. We can’t identify with their actions, or motivations, so they’re safe. But when it comes to villains doing horrific things because of love, well we identify with that. And if we put ourselves in their shoes, yeah—that’s when the uncomfortable questions arise. What would we do to keep our loved ones safe?

Russ, the villain in Forged in Fire, is more like Hidden Away’s villain than Ronsard. He does terrible things because the outcome benefits him. But he does have one big soft spot. He has a family he adores, a family he would do anything for.  And when this weakness is used against him, he will do anything, sacrifice anyone—including himself—to save the people he loves.

Reader response to Russ has surprised me, as much as the response to Ronsard apparently surprised Linda Howard. I’ve received dozens of emails from people saying they felt bad when he died. Or that he made them uncomfortable, because they found themselves liking him. They kept forgetting what he’d done in the past.

This is a cold-blooded killer who’d sacrificed hundreds of people to his own self-interest. Who had no qualms about killing children if their deaths benefitted him, yet people felt sorry for him.

Because he was capable of love, capable of giving his life for those he loved, readers identified with him. Some of them actually liked him.

Apparently, all it takes to turn a cold-blooded killer into a sympathetic villain is a little love.

What’s the last sympathetic villain you’ve read? Are there any villains you would have liked turned into heroes and given their own story? I have to confess, I was one of the ones who wanted to read Ronsard’s story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Trish McCallan has been writing for as long as she can remember.

In grade school she wrote children’s stories, illustrated them with crayons and bound the sheets together with pencil-punched holes and red yarn.  She used to sell these masterpieces at her lemonade stand for a nickel a book. Surprisingly, people actually bought them. Like, all of them. Every night she’d write a new batch for her basket.

As she got older her interest shifted to boys and horses. The focus of her literary masterpieces followed this shift. Her first full length novel was written in seventh grade and featured a girl, a horse and a boy. At the end of the book the teenage heroine rode off into the sunset . . . with the horse.

These days she sticks to romantic suspense with hot alpha heroes and roller-coaster plots. Since she is a fan of all things bizarre, paranormal elements always find a way into her fiction. Her current release, Forged in Fire, was the result of a Black Dagger Brotherhood reading binge, a cold, a bottle of NyQuil and a vivid dream.

You can find Trish at www.trishmccallan.com.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon Kindle

Beth Brown doesn’t believe in premonitions until she dreams a sexy stranger is gunned down during the brutal hijacking of a commercial airliner. When events in her dream start coming true, she heads to the flight’s departure gate. To her shock, she recognizes the man she’d watched die the night before.

Lieutenant Commander Zane Winters comes from a bloodline of elite warriors with psychic abilities. When Zane and two of his platoon buddies arrive at Sea-Tac Airport, he has a vision of his teammates’ corpses. Then she arrives—a leggy blonde who sets off a different kind of alarm.

As Beth teams up with Zane, they discover the hijacking is the first step in a secret cartel’s deadly global agenda and that key personnel within the FBI are compromised. To survive the forces mobilizing against them, Beth will need to open herself to a psychic connection with the sexy SEAL who claims to be her soul mate.

FORGED IN FIRE is exclusively available through Amazon.

Click here to buy!

Read the first chapter! 

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…Trish McCallan’s is letting us giveaway a digital copy of Forged in Fire to a lucky commentor. This giveaway is open worldwide and will run through the month of February until 11:59pm Feb 29, 2012.

To enter the giveaway, answer the author’s question…

What’s the last sympathetic villain you’ve read? Are there any villains you would have liked turned into heroes and given their own story?

I have to say I really like the title for my blog. I came up with it and then just admired it for a few moments, kind of wishing it were actually true. That’s because my research process is nothing like a fine art. It’s one of those things that’s born out of necessity. Lately, my research process involves writing around the research and then going back when I absolutely can’t move the story forward without looking up some crucial information. And that was the definitely the case with The Rogue Pirate’s Bride.

Research wasn’t always thus. Once upon a time, before I had a husband and a toddler, I enjoyed research. I read whole non-fiction books on topics like Underwear in the Nineteenth Century, Regency Cant, Cooking Through the Ages. I enjoyed these books and savored them.

And thank God I read them when I did because I surely do not have time to read them now!

But as an author of historical romance, I have to carve out time for research. It’s part of the job description. And this is doubly the case when you’re writing a book about something you know nothing about. Something like sailing and ships in the nineteenth century. Something like rogue pirates.

Now you may say, Shana, why would you choose to write a pirate book when you have a small child and very little time to write and know nothing about pirates? That, dear reader, would fall under the topic of Logic, and this blog is about Research.

In all honesty, I’ve wanted to write a book with a pirate hero for years. And I went in to it thinking that I’d just research as I wrote (which is my strategy most of the time). Usually when I’m writing a scene and I come to a fact I need to look up or verify, I put XX in the text and keep writing. Later, when I have time (like at 2 in the morning), I search for all the XXes and look those facts up. I started The Rogue Pirate’s Bride this way. And pretty quickly it read like this:

Bastien hurried down the XX and walked along the XX to the XX. He nodded to the XX and stopped to inspect the XX. But his mind was on Raeven, locked in the XX. 

Not riveted by the story? Me neither. All of those lovely details are so important to set the scene and evoke the feel of the period and the setting. So I did what every great writer does.

I called my dad.

I’m lucky enough to have a father who knows a lot about sailing and ships. And I’m lucky that he agreed to sit down with me and listen to large sections of The Rogue Pirate’s Bride to help me with all those pesky details. Sure, I went to the library and checked out a stack of books on ships and sailing, but it’s not quite the same as having an expert just one text away.

So that’s it. That’s my research process. There’s nothing romantic or mysterious about it. Nothing fine-artish. It’s kind of like everything else in my life–fast, furious, and by the seat of my pants.

What about you? Have you ever gotten yourself in over your head and had to call on Dad (or someone else) to bail you out?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Shana Galen is the author of five Regency historicals, including the Rita-nominated Blackthorne’s Bride. Her books have been sold in Brazil, Russia, and the Netherlands and featured in the Rhapsody and Doubleday Book Clubs. A former English teacher in Houston’s inner city, Shana now writes full time. She is a happily married wife and mother of a daughter and a spoiled cat and lives in Houston, Texas, where she is working on her next regency romance series! For more information please visit www.shanagalen.com, like her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.

THE ROGUE PIRATE’S BRIDE BY SHANA GALEN – IN STORES FEBRUARY 2012

 

Revenge should be sweet, but it may cost him everything…

Out to avenge the death of his mentor, Bastien discovers himself astonishingly out of his depth when confronted with a beautiful, daring young woman who is out for his blood…

Forgiveness is unthinkable, but may be her only hope…

British Admiral’s daughter Raeven Russell believes Bastien responsible for her fiancé’s death. But once the fiery beauty crosses swords with Bastien, she’s not so sure she really wants him to change his wicked ways…

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (February 7, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402265557
• ISBN-13: 978-1402265556

BUY THE BOOK… Amazon | Barnes & Noble

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…Thanks to Sourcebooks, we’re giving away TWO copies of  The Rogue Pirate’s Bride. This giveaway is open to all with a US/Canadian mailing address (No P.O Boxes) will run through the month of February until 11:59pm Feb 29, 2012.

Inside you’ll find…

Ways to engage your loved one with conversation starters for couples; Fun and creative date and gift ideas for any budget; Heartwarming love stories and poems; Love busters and love boosters to add fun, zing, and zest; Trivia about the history of love and romance; Recipes to fan the heartflames.

Why wait for a special occasion to share the joy of being in love? Opening Everything Romance is like opening a door to romantic adventure—any day, any time!

Any moment is the perfect time for you as a couple to celebrate the beauty and wonder of love, especially when you’re equipped with a treasure trove of creative ways to do so. With a rich array of romantic gems, Everything Romance abounds with all you need to show your adoration, revel in your relationship, and create a legacy of romance to last a lifetime. – FROM THE WEBSITE

• Format: Hardcover
• Other Formats: eBook
• ISBN: 9780307729316

A Marriage Blessing

Most gracious God, we give You thanks for Your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life.

We thank You, also, for consecrating the union of man and woman in His name. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance of Your blessing upon this man and this woman. Defend them from every enemy. Lead them into all peace. Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads. Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death. Finally, in Your mercy, bring them to that table where Your saints feast forever in Your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with You and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, forever and ever.

Amen.
(from The Book of Common Prayer)

PERFECT PAIR PIZZA-PITA SNACKS

2 whole-wheat pita breads
4 teaspoons basil pesto
1 cup cottage cheese
2 tablespoons Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped
Fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)

Toast pita breads until they are crispy and firm. Spread half of the pesto on each pita. Next, spread half of the cottage
cheese on each pita. Top with chopped tomato and fresh basil. If desired, sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Slice each pita into two or four wedges and enjoy!

Romance Trivia
A team of medical experts in Virginia contends that you’re more likely to catch the common cold virus by shaking hands than by kissing.

{Click here to download the first chapter of Everything Romance now.}

ABOUT THE AUTHORS…David Bordon and Tom Winters are partners in Bordon-Winters, LLC, a book concept and packaging company that produces successful books and gift products. Among their previous titles are the popular “101 Things You Should Do” series. This volume joins another one of their beautiful gift books, Everything Christmas.

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…A truly enjoyable book to go through with or even without your significant other. You’ll read interesting feeds, poems, scripture of love from the BIBLE, get recipes to try out for various occasions of celebration, and tips of course of ways to bring back more romance into your relationship. I recommend this all couples looking to reconnect or even to bring in more ideas to love each other. Keeper for my shelves!

I received a copy as part of the F.I.R.S.T Wildcard Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

This time around I asked Linda what made her choose to write paranormal out of all the genres out there today. Here’s her response…

Thank you The Book Faery Reviews for having me here!

I’ve been asked why I chose to write paranormal and I’d have to say that it was more that paranormal chose me.

My favorite books growing up were fairy tales and my comic books were Casper the Ghost and Wendy the Little Witch. Yes, it dates me. Hm, I wonder what they’d be worth now if I’d kept them.

We have a house ghost named Frank, so yes, paranormal is all around me. I think he’s a secret cook since utensils tend to disappear at odd times then reappear in the same spot later on. We missed a potato masher for a year until it showed up without warning.

I tend to put a magickal spin on my life. Can be scary at times, but it’s also fun. I don’t have dogs. I have hellhounds. Our parrot has some wild tendencies and even our tortoise has her own methods.

I loved reading the gothic romances back in the 70s and 80s. Some even had ghosts in the attic. But paranormal romances weren’t out there. Then ideas for several paranormals came to mind and I worked them up. When I mentioned them to my then agent I heard “you’re killing me here! I can’t sell those!” I offered to send her the ideas along with wine. :}

But let’s talk timing. My agent sent them on to my editor and the day they landed on her desk was the day she came up with a calendar of books. She said my romance set in Salem, MA was perfect for Halloween and Under His Spell was out there. Not a true paranormal but I loved the elements. Along with that was A Man for Maggie, a murder suspense involving a psychic, No Room at the Inn, which was my Christmas version of Brigadoon, Twist of Fate, what I called another type of Quantum Leap, and Bells Rings and Angel’s Wings, my spin on It’s A Wonderful Life. But readers weren’t totally ready for paranormal romances. The best thing about these books are that they’re back out there as ebooks.

Even if the books weren’t selling back then the idea of paranormal was still there in the back of my mind. There was an idea lingering that would whisper you really need to listen to me.

So I did. Witches who’d been around since the 1300s formed in living color and I knew I had to write the stories.

I talked to pagan friends, researched historical facts to add as background information, and the magickal world I already lived in had become even richer to my senses.

I have snarky bunny slippers that roam the house and harass the dogs. A gargoyle that I sometimes find in my lingerie drawers. A witch who thinks my coffee is hers. Another witch who reminds me romance is a good thing. A hexster who whispers in my ear when I feel the need to get even with someone. One who lets me know I may be short but to stand up for myself as in ‘hey, I’m supposed to be waited on next” and a healer who’s sorry her power won’t cure my cold. One who loves it when I go shopping and so on.

And this is why paranormal chose me.

What about you? What does paranormal do for you? 

- Linda

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Linda Wisdom has published more than 70 novels with 13 million copies sold worldwide including traditional, paranormal, humor, action/adventure romance, and romantic suspense. Her bestselling books have been nominated for RT Book Reviews awards and the Romance Writers of America Rita Award. She lives with her husband in Murrieta, California. For more information, please visit www.LindaWisdom.com.

A DEMON DOES IT BETTER BY LINDA WISDOM – IN STORES JANUARY 2012

A madhouse is not place for a curious witch…

After more than a century, Doctor Lili Carter, witch healer extraordinaire, has returned to San Francisco and taken a job at Crying Souls Hospital and Asylum, where something peculiar and wicked is happening. Patients are disappearing, and Lili wants to know why.

And double dangerous for a demon…

Lili finds herself undeniably attracted to perhaps the most mysterious patient of all—a demented but seriously sexy demon named Jared. What’s behind the gorgeous chameleon demon’s late-night escapades?

Before long, Lili and Jared are investigating each other—and creating a whole new kind of magic.

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (January 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402236727
• ISBN-13: 978-1402236723

BUY THE BOOK… Amazon | Barnes & Noble

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…Thanks to Sourcebooks, we’re giving away TWO copies of  A DEMON DOES IT BETTER. This giveaway is open to all with a US/Canadian mailing address (No P.O Boxes) will run through the month of February until 11:59pm Feb 29, 2012.

REVENGE SHOULD BE SWEET, BUT IT MAY COST HIM EVERYTHING

Out to avenge the death of his mentor, Bastien discovers himself astonishingly out of his depth when confronted with a beautiful, daring young woman who is out for his blood…

FORGIVENESS IS UNTHINKABLE BUT IT MAY BE HER ONLY HOPE…

British Admiral’s daughter Raeven Russell believes Bastien responsible for her fiancé’s death. But once the fiery beauty crosses swords with Bastien, she’s not so sure she really wants him to change his wicked ways…

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (February 7, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402265557
• ISBN-13: 978-1402265556

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Shana Galen is the author of numerous adventurous, romantic Regency historicals, including the Rita-nominated Blackthorne’s Bride. Her books have been sold in Brazil, Russia, and the Netherlands and featured in the Rhapsody and Doubleday Book Clubs. She taught English at the middle and high school level off and on for eleven years. Most of those years were spent working in Houston’s inner city.

Now she writes full time. She’s happily married to an incredibly supportive man she likes to call Ultimate Sportsfan, and she has a beautiful daughter and a very spoiled cat.

Find Shana on her Website, Facebook or Twitter.

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…Shana Galen does it again and this time it’s filled with even more adrenalin adventure and passion. The Rogue Pirate’s Bride is the third book in the Sons of the Revolution trilogy. Each book was great alone and definitely got better with each story of the brothers. I will say though that I was a tad surprised there was little interaction with the brothers, the mother, and the women. But then again, any setting other than on a boat in battle or in love would not have made much sense for this particular brother. I absolutely LOVED the heroine. She was no sissy, pampered girl for sure! She was strong, independent, determined, sexy, and not afraid to get into action. The hero? Well, I’d do whatever for this man too! Excellent story and excellent trilogy!

WITHOUT HER PASSIONS, SHE HAS NO MAGIC…

It’s unfortunate for Natalie that Nigel Aquarian is so compelling. With his inner demons, his unbridled heat, and his “I will conquer you” looks, he calls to her in exactly the way that nearly killed her.

BUT LOSING CONTROL MEANS LOSING HER LIFE…

That he’s an immortal warrior and that her powers rise from intense passions would seem to make them a match made in heaven, but unless they embrace their greatest fears, they’ll play out their final match in hell.

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (January 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402241976
• ISBN-13: 978-1402241970

BUY THE BOOK… Amazon | Barnes & Noble

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Stephanie Rowe is the author of more than twenty books for adults and teens, and she is a four-time nominee for the RITA Award. Her books have been sold in Germany, Australia, and France, have been on the B&N bestseller list, and have received starred reviews from Booklist. A former attorney, Stephanie lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS..I do believe that Stephanie Rowe is now officially a kept paranormal romance author for my shelves! Third book in her Soulfire series and I’m still enjoying them and looking forward to the next. Not only is there passion but LOTS of fighting action where good fights evil even if at some points it is themselves. LOVED it! If you like a good paranormal romance read that will make you laugh, fill you with awe, and of course have you pretending to be in on the “kick-ass” scenes, then you’ll enjoy Rowe’s book Hold Me If You Can in addition to her books Kiss At Your Own Risk and Touch If You Dare in the series.  All books are great even as stand alone stories even though you’ll understand more if you read the previous books since there are references back to them. I’m VERY much looking forward to Christian’s story; assuming it’s next in the series.

I received a copy from Sourcebooks in exchange for an honest review.

.

2,000 years later, Father Chris Mognahan is a member of the Hetairia Melchizedek, a secret society within the Catholic Church that studies Biblical omens. The society asks Chris to investigate an unusually grotesque crime – a murder on a college campus where the killer’s hand literally burned off the victim’s face. While the killing seems isolated at first, the society ties the murder to the final Biblical prophecy and a terrifying omen that the order of the prophecies is about to be disrupted. The final battle is coming too soon – long before humanity is prepared to win it.

Suddenly, Chris finds himself fighting against time and hell to keep the prophecies in order and stop an early Armageddon. He is joined by a band of unlikely allies, and together they find themselves in Rome above the Vatican Necropolis – the city of the dead – where the future is revealed to them in ancient texts.

They are not alone, however; an evil as old as time itself hunts them. As they travel across continents on their mission, the demonic force follows relentlessly, waiting in every shadowed corner, and every dark place.

As Armageddon descends, Father Chris finds that his only hope lies in a young woman within the group who has a secret gift – and their belief that God Himself may have sent her to keep the final angelic trumpet from sounding out the early end of the Earth.

• Paperback: 478 pages
• Publisher: 23 House (September 23, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982477767
• ISBN-13: 978-0982477762

BUY THE BOOK… Amazon | Barnes & Noble

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Carrie Salo is a dark storyteller and emerging author of supernatural thrillers. Classically trained at an Ivy League university, she studied the works of master storytellers seven stories underground in the muffled heart of one of the world ‘s largest libraries.

Carrie seeks to wield unrelenting suspense in her own exploration of all things (especially true things) that keep us awake at night.   She has written under the guidance of two bestselling and national prize-winning authors.   Her extensive travels have taken her to many haunted places, including the private catacombs of the Vatican.   The Sounding is Carrie’s debut novel.

Carrie enjoys the smell of old books, New York riesling, late night jogging and thunderstorms, though not in that order.   Storytelling is Carrie’s secret life.   While she looks into all the dark corners by night, by day she is an advertising copywriter and account manager.

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…The Sounding was both exciting and scary;  a heart beating kind of read that couldn’t be put down. So real feeling that it made me wonder if it could really happen.

I received a copy from Planned Television Arts in exchange for an honest review.

HE’S EXACTLY WHAT SHE’S ALWAYS WANTED,
AND SHE UNLEASHES HIM LIKE A FORCE OF NATURE…

Lucy was once the beloved Goddess of the Moon, and she could have any man she wanted. But these days, the goddesses of the Etruscan pantheon are all but forgotten. The only rituals she enjoys now are the local hockey games, where one ferociously handsome player still inflames her divine blood…

Brandon Stevenson is one hundred percent focused on the game, until he looks up and sees a celestial beauty sitting in the third row. A man could surely fall hard for a distraction like that…

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Stephanie Julian is the author of the Magical Seduction, Lucani Lovers, Darkly Enchanted and the Forgotten Goddess series, as well as The Fringe series. A former reporter for a daily newspaper, she enjoys making up stories much more than writing about real life. She’s happily married to a Springsteen fanatic and is the mother of two sons who love her even when they don’t have any clean clothes and dinner is a bowl of cereal.

Julian’s erotic romances have a paranormal bent reviewers have called “fascinating,” “truly fantastic,” “intoxicating,” “highly imaginative” and “hot enough to peel paint.”

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…What do you get when you get a bear suppressed man and a moon goddess to lock gazes? LOTS of raw, intense, animalistic sex that will have your heart racing literally from beginning to end. Not for the prim and proper for sure. Personally I felt this book to be more about the Hockey player and his discovery of what he really is than the battle Lucy is supposed to face. I would have also liked to have seen more action of evil versus bad rather than for the most part just sexual action. We end this book with only having been through a minor fight with a demon in the bedroom for a brief moment and then a semi-major fight in the end when to rescue her son. Not enough to really in my opinion. Do I still recommend this book? Sure, to someone who enjoys LOTS and LOTS of sex mixed with some paranormal shift shaping and a little fighting.

I received a Netgalley copy from Sourcebooks in exchange for an honest review.