Release Day Blitz & A Giveaway: Fierce, A Fantasy Collection by Merceds Lackey, et al

 

I'm delighted to be part of the release day launch for Fierce: A Fantasy Collection. This anthology has sixteen USA Today, New York Times and Amazon bestsellers, including Mercedes Lackey!!! Grab your copy today!!

Interview with Jennifer Kacey, One of the Authors of Elite Metal & A GC GIveaway

Today I'm pleased to welcome author Jennifer Kacey to the Nook. She has a story in the just released anthology. "Elite Metal" and answered a few questions for me.

Jennifer Kacey is a writer, mother, and business owner living with her family in Texas. She sings in the shower, plays piano in her dreams, and has to have a different color of nail polish every week. She’s the Amazon top seller and award winning author of the Members Only Series and the Surrender Series along with several standalone novels and novellas. The best advice she’s ever been given? Find the real you and never settle for anything less.

Find Jennifer Online:

Website - http://www.jenniferkacey.com/

Blog – http://www.thedecadentdivas.blogspot.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.kacey.7

Facebook Author Page - https://www.facebook.com/jenniferkaceyauthor

Twitter - https://twitter.com/JenniferKacey
Amazon Page - http://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-Kacey/e/B00GXHUB30/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d9_al1?_encoding=UTF8&refinementId=618073011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0G8ZPDQJVKJPKXNBRY10&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846

Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6941549.Jennifer_Kacey

Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/jenniferkacey/

Bea Reviews 'Tis the Season by Robyn Carr

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Series: Virgin River #8 & #12
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe* | Barnes & Noble |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Together for the first time in one volume, two classic holiday stories—plus a bonus novella!—from #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr

'Tis the season for family, friendship and the thrill of a holiday romance…

Under the Christmas Tree

With snow falling over the redwood forests, secluded Virgin River is the ideal place to spend the holidays. Each year, the close-knit community gathers in the town square to decorate and light a massive tree. Carols are sung, hot chocolate is shared—and a surprise left under the Christmas tree is about to bring two special people together!

Midnight Confessions

Holiday kisses don't end with Christmas—there's still the New Year's Eve party at Jack's Bar to attend. Locals and newcomers alike find themselves eager for that special countdown…and that midnight kiss.

So join us in Virgin River this year, where Robyn Carr's trademark humor, warmth and sincerity will have you celebrating the festive season in your favorite mountain town.the festive season in your favorite mountain town.blah

EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY: CURIOUS STORIES by Gregory Eaves

Today I have an excerpt for you from a collection of mystery short stories, "Curious Stories" by Gregory Eaves. Gregory was born October 18, 1950, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He attended Speedway High School and Indiana University. In his twenties, he traveled extensively throughout the United States, with an eight year stay in San Diego, California, where he studied and practiced meditation.

SPOTLIGHT: Cozy Christmas Capers, A Cozy Mystery Anthology

Christmas AND cozy mysteries? Oh yeah, works for me. I'm not familiar with most of these authors but for $1.99, it's hard to pass up.

Interview with Author Kelley Armstrong & A Giveaway

I'm ecstatic to have one of my fave authors here today, Kelley Armstrong. I love Kelley's urban fantasy and her mysteries. Last year she started a new young adult epic fantasy series, Age of Legends. The second book, "Empire of Night" is due to release this April. In the meantime, she has a new short story from that world, "The Kitsune's Nine Tails", as part of an anthology, "Fantasy For Good: A Charitable Anthology" releasing next week on the 9th.

All of the proceeds from the sale of "Fantasy For Good: A Charitable Anthology" go directly to The Colon Cancer Alliance, a charity dedicated to the prevention of this deadly disease, as well as funding research and supporting patients who suffer from it. As someone who has cancer running in her family and only a few of them survivors, I like to support projects benefittng cancer research and patient support whenever i can.

Kelley graciously agreed to do an interview and she's giving away a copy of the first book in the Age of Legends series, "Sea of Shadows" (I love the US cover of this book, gorgeous!)

Quote-Tastic and Review: On the Naughty List by Lori Foster, Carly Phillips, Sugar Jamison, and Beth Ciotta

Publisher: St. Martin 
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Kobo | ARe* | Barnes & Noble |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

The most wonderful time of the year is back with On The Naughty List, bringing perennial favorite holiday stories from Lori Foster and Carly Phillips, along with two Christmas stories that delighted readers a year ago. This sexy anthology will make you want to give your heart to Christmas again and again…Lori Foster has two co-workers plan a Christmas party side-by-side-and discover a love worth celebrating in Christmas Bonus Carly Phillips explores a "mistletoe moment" when a no-nonsense lawyer intent on seducing her boss meets his twin instead--and gives him a scintillating kiss that leaves him begging for more in Naughty Under the Mistletoe.In Sugar Jamison’s Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas, former wild child Dina Gregory returns home to New York to find the father of her young son. Instead, she finds his stuffy older brother, Ben. Ben can’t help but admire her tenacity—and her bold beauty. Could it be that Dina has reignited his Christmas spirit? Beth Ciotta brings two friends who, after years apart, together at home for the holidays. They don’t seem to have much in common anymore, but when the two get stranded together during a blizzard, they are forced to reexamine if they are better off as "just friends"? Or could it be that true love was there all along? in Some Kind of Wonderful.

SPOTLIGHT: Unconditional Surrender- An M/M Military Bundle

Welcome! Today I have a new bundle in the spotlight. This is a sponsored post. "Unconditional Surrender" is perfect for readers who love a man in uniform, love their stories steamy, and love some male on male lovin'.

Thirteen of today's hottest gay romance authors are celebrating military heroes and the men brave enough to love them in sexy M/M novellas featuring all branches of the service. There’s something for every reader. Almost 300,000 never before published words!

99¢ for a limited time.

Group Review of Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs

Publisher: Ace
Series: Mercy Thompson
Format Read: Hardcover & eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble | 
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Mercy Thompson’s world just got a whole lot bigger…

A collection of all-new and previously published short stories featuring Mercy Thompson, “one of the best heroines in the urban fantasy genre today” (Fiction Vixen Book Reviews), and the characters she calls friends…

Includes the new stories…
“Silver”
“Roses in Winter”
“Redemption”
“Hollow”

…and reader favorites
“Fairy Gifts”
“Gray”
“Alpha and Omega”
“Seeing Eye”
“The Star of David”
“In Red, with Pearls”

Bea Reviews Summer Rain, a Romance Anthology by Ruthie Knox, et al

Publisher: Pink Kayak Press, LLC
Series: Love in the Rain #1
Format Read: Kindle ARC
Source: Ruthie Knox in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: June 9, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

What happens when love gets caught in the rain?

In this romance anthology, RITA-Award winning author Molly O’Keefe shows us the power of a city thunderstorm from the top of a skyscraper, while Amy Jo Cousins soaks us in a rain in Spain. New York Times bestselling author Ruthie Knox’s heroine is devastated by a winter storm, while a summer thunderstorm grants Alexandra Haughton’s hero and heroine a second chance at love. Rain sparks self-awareness in the robot in Charlotte Stein’s story and allows Mary Ann Rivers’s heroine to fall in love with her hero and her own art. Rain causes romance between the college students in Audra North’s and Shari Slade’s stories, while romance causes rain in Cecilia Tan’s myth-inspired tale of a sacrifice to a demi-god. Nine romance novelettes, edited by Sarah Frantz.

All proceeds from the volume will be donated to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (www.rainn.org), the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the United States.

The Friday 56 #31 Summer Rain, A Romance Anthology

This is a fun meme to do hosted by Freda's Voice. If you'd like to join in the fun go to The Friday 56.

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it here.

I'm reading a romance anthology,   "Summer Rain" by Jane Doe. The quote is from 56%  in the ebook and the story is The Rain in Spain by Amy Jo Cousins.

Wet frabric dragged over her skin as his hand slid up her thigh and she shivered, though it was still too hot for her to be cold. Tearing her mouth away from his, she pushed her head back against the wall.

Related articles

• The Friday 56 #29 The Sweetest Summer by Susan Donovan
• The Friday 56

Blog Tour Review of FaceOff, edited by David Baldacci

Publisher: Simon & Schuster 
Format Read: print ARC
Source: PR firm in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: June 3, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci and including stories by Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, and more, this one-of-a-kind anthology pulls together the most beloved characters from the best and most popular thriller series today. Worlds collide!

In an unprecedented collaboration, twenty-three of the world’s bestselling and critically acclaimed thriller writers have paired their series characters—such as Harry Bosch, Jack Reacher, and Lincoln Rhyme—in an eleven-story anthology curated by the International Thriller Writers (ITW). All of the contributors to FaceOff are ITW members and the stories feature these dynamic duos:

· Harry Bosch vs. Patrick Kenzie in “Red Eye,” by Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane

· John Rebus vs. Roy Grace in “In the Nick of Time,” by Ian Rankin and Peter James

· Slappy the Ventriloquist Dummy vs. Aloysius Pendergast in “Gaslighted,” by R.L. Stine, Douglas Preston, and Lincoln Child

· Malachai Samuels vs. D.D. Warren in “The Laughing Buddha,” by M.J. Rose and Lisa Gardner

· Paul Madriani vs. Alexandra Cooper in “Surfing the Panther,” by Steve Martini and Linda Fairstein

· Lincoln Rhyme vs. Lucas Davenport in “Rhymes With Prey,” by Jeffery Deaver and John Sandford

· Michael Quinn vs. Repairman Jack in “Infernal Night,” by Heather Graham and F. Paul Wilson

· Sean Reilly vs. Glen Garber in “Pit Stop,” by Raymond Khoury and Linwood Barclay

· Wyatt Hunt vs. Joe Trona in “Silent Hunt,” by John Lescroart and T. Jefferson Parker

· Cotton Malone vs. Gray Pierce in “The Devil’s Bones,” by Steve Berry and James Rollins

· Jack Reacher vs. Nick Heller in “Good and Valuable Consideration,” by Lee Child and Joseph Finder

So sit back and prepare for a rollicking ride as your favorite characters go head-to-head with some worthy opponents in FaceOff—it’s a thrill-a-minute read.

CarolKat Reviews Gargoyle: Three Enchanting Romance Novellas

Publisher: SB Group
Format Read: ebook
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: July 10, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

The mysterious lives of gargoyles.
They don't just hang out on buildings.
They right wrongs. They wreak havoc.
And they change the lives of unsuspecting people who never see them coming.

The hero...
Craig knows that Bea is in trouble. But Craig can't do anything about it--because he's a garden gargoyle and Bea can't hear his warnings. When unexpected visitors arrive to help, Craig finds the power he had all along. Now the neighborhood will never be the same.

The touchstone...
When a thunderstorm transports software expert Rose Waldman to thirteenth century France, she meets hunky stonemason Julien, who is secretly creating a gargoyle in defiance of his master mason. Can independent gadget loving Rose trust her life and heart to Julien, and can she really never go home again?

And the freak just trying to get along...
Sentenced to burn at the stake for sorcery, Merofled volunteers to help jaded warrior Alaric kill a gargoyle that threatens her village. But Merofled soon discovers the gargoyle is not a monster at all. It's a misfit just like her. Can she persuade Alaric to spare the gargoyle-and herself?

SPOTLIGHT: Seduced by the Game, a charity hockey romance anthology

 

As you know, I'm always happy to participate in tours and blitzes for charities. Today's book is in support of Hockey Fights Cancer; cancer runs in my family so fighting it matters to me.  

Hockey Fights Cancer is an official initiative of the US National Hockey League. Established in 1988, they have formed partnerships with different charities and you can also purchase merchandise from the NHL whose proceeds benefit the Hockey Fights Cancer initiative. Click here for details and more information on Hockey Fights Cancer. Read below for more information about the book.

New Cover! Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs

SQUEE!!!!!!!!!!!! There's a new Mercy Thompson book, an anthology, "Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson" coming this September. It will have previously published stories and several new ones. Briggs has been talking about this book for a while and I've been waiting impatiently. Now, we have a cover and a definitive list of stories.


The previously published stories:
“Fairy Gifts”
“Gray”
“Alpha and Omega”
“Seeing Eye”
“The Star of David”
“In Red, with Pearls”

Spotlight & Scavenger Hunt: Love And Diamonds, A Valentine's Anthology

Today I'm sharing a new Valentine's anthology put out by my employer, Astraea Press. "Love And Diamonds" is a collection of romantic short stories written by some of the best Astraea Press authors. So sit back, relax and fall in love all over again.

Contributing authors in alphabetical order are: Kathy Bosman, Liz Botts, Kristine Cheney, Sherry Gloag, Jennifer Gravely, Heather Gray, Patricia Kiyono, Zanna MacKenzie, Kelly Martin, Brenda Maxfield, Amy Mullen, Vivian Roycraft, J. L. Salter, E. A. West and Nicole Zoltack.

Since it's Astraea Press, the stories are clean - no on page sex and no swearing; just good, clean romances.

Disclosure: I am an employee of Astraea Press. I am not being compensated for putting up this post. 

Review of Happily Ever Afterlife by J.A. Campbell, et al

Publisher: Untold Press
Format Read: Kindle book
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository* * affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Revisit your favorite childhood fairy tales…with a paranormal twist. Eight classic stories rewritten by eight talented authors with one common theme, they all feature the undead. From angels to vampires and ghosts to zombies, you'll be sure to fall in love with the classics all over again and quickly learn that even the undead can have a happily ever after.

In the Belly of the Wolf by Amanda Carman
Don't talk to strangers. Don't stray from the path. If you do, the wolf will eat you. Once swallowed, you will be trapped forever in the dark and musty limbo of the belly of the wolf, a larger and more crowded world than you ever suspected. You can't blame him, though. After all, wolves will be wolves.

The Glass Coffin by Emmalyn Greyson
When Marianna's stepmother betrays her by having her turned into a vampire, she must flee home and the love of her life. Darren, her werewolf lover, believes he's found a cure. Will it lead to heartache or happily ever after?

Hans and the Best Day Ever by G.L. Jackson
After a seven-year apprenticeship with the Boss Lady, Hans decides it’s time to go home. Accompanied by Gabe, the two boys make their way back to the house in the woods where they hope to find Hans’ mother. Gabe is never at a loss for words but Hans is always quick to act on what might either be a fantastic idea…or the worst idea ever.

The Baron and the Firebird by J.A. Campbell
In the depths of the Russian wilderness, Baron Pyotr Vasilyev does his best to care for his people but his long years weigh heavily and he’s beginning to lose his taste for life. The only things that keep him going are his devotion to duty and his magical cherries. When his cherries go missing the thief turns out to be the Firebird. The desire to hear her sing one last time drives him through the centuries.

Clara and the Coon by M.K. Boise
Clara is born the height of a quarter–an abomination to the village of Fankfret. Left to die in a teapot on the outskirts of town, she learns that her story is far from over. Getting eaten by a raccoon is just the beginning.

Blood Borne Pathogen by Shoshanah Holl
Javier is too young to be waiting for death, but in the hospital battling late-stage AIDs there isn't room for much else in his mind. A mysterious woman begins visiting him and they form a strange friendship. Aurora only comes to visit after the sun goes down, leaving long before dawn. On the Day of the Dead, they both face the choice between life, death...and what comes after.

In Spite of Fire by Tilly Boscott
Alice's husband, Henry, died, leaving her to wander the world alone, searching for a way to bring him back. When she stumbles upon village gossip describing a place where ghosts dwell, she sets off to find her lost love. Instead of her husband, she discovers a ghost with eyes of fire, keen on the contents of a ragged tree. Alice clambers into an adventure of fear, darkness and true love.

The Angel by Troy Lambert
Abel is a poor urchin, trying to survive on the streets with only his wits to protect him and a tiny garden of struggling flowers to bring him pleasure. Zach is a young boy struggling in the fight of his life against the blight of cancer who wants to see the flowers of spring one last time. It seems inevitable that these young souls will soon leave the earth. But what awaits them in the beyond?

Very Superstitious Blog Tour: A Guest Post by Mari Mancusi, A Mini Review & A Giveaway

Welcome to today's stop on the Very Superstitious: Myths, Legends, and Tales of Superstition Blog Tour. This is yet another anthology that supports a non-profit, this time it's SPCA International. October certainly seems to be the month for books that support various charities and anthologies and we are always happy to help. 

For my stop, I have a guest post from author Mari Mancusi, a brief review of her story in the anthology, and there's a giveaway at the end of the post.

Interview with Laura Wenham, Excerpt from Urban Harvest, & A Giveaway

Blurb from the author ~

New York City–it’s home to 8 million people trying to make their way through the day–a crop of humanity seething with hopes and fears, dreams and nightmares. Autumn comes, and nine authors harvest nine tales from this unique setting and people. From stories of everyday life in an otherworldly light to nightmarish tales of human darkness, Urban Harvest has something for everyone.

Urban Harvest contains tales of the paranormal from Alex Shvartsman, Laurie Treacy, Donna Ansari, Tara Hill, Laura Wenham, Andrea Stanet, Don Corcoran, Saif Ansari, and Sean Sakamoto.

In keeping with the spirit of harvest, all proceeds from this anthology will go to support City Harvest, an organization that feeds NYC’s hungry.

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services

Genre: Urban Fantasy, New Adult

Format: paperback, ebook

Release Date: September 21, 2013

Buying Links: Amazon*   *affiliate link; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through this link.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18528733-urban-harvest

AUTHOR LIST:

Donna Ansari 

Alex Shvartsman

Laurie Treacy

Tara Hill

Laura Wenham

Andrea Stanet

Don Corcoran

Saif Ansari 

Sean Sakamoto

 

ARC Review of Four Summoner's Tales by Kelley Armstrong, Christopher Golden, David Liss, and Jonathan Maberry

Publisher: Gallery Books
Format Read: eGalley
Source: The publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 17, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; clicking & purchasing results in a small commission for the blog.

Blurb from goodreads:

Four terror-inducing novellas from acclaimed bestselling authors Kelley Armstrong, David Liss, Christopher Golden, and Jonathan Maberry beginning with the premise: “A stranger comes to town, offering to raise the townsfolk’s dearly departed from the dead—for a price.”

In Kelley Armstrong’s “Suffer the Children,” an acute diphtheria outbreak kills most of the children in an isolated village in nineteen-century Ontario. Then a stranger arrives and offers to bring the children back to life. He wants money, of course, an extravagant sum, but more importantly, but for each child resurrected, one villager must voluntarily offer his life...  


In David Liss’s “A Bad Season for Necromancy,” a con man on the margins of eighteenth-century British society discovers a book that reveals the method for bringing the dead back to life. After considering just how far he would go to avoid bringing his violent father back, he realizes the real value of this book. Instead of getting people to pay him to revive their departed, he will get people to pay him not to...

In “Pipers” by Christopher Golden, the Texas Border Volunteers wage a private war against drug smuggling by Mexican cartels in a modern-day South Texas town, complete with an indestructible army of the risen dead...

In “Alive Day” by Jonathan Maberry, a US Army sergeant must dive into the underworld of modern-day Afghanistan to try and barter for the release of his team, never dreaming of the horrors that await him...