Excerpt from "Kill Me Tomorrow" by Diane Alberts.

Today we have an excerpt from "Kill Me Tomorrow" a paranormal romance novel by Diane Alberts. "Kill Me Tomorrow" was released on October 28th from Decadent Publishing as part of it's 1NS series.

Diane Alberts lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her husband, four kids, and a bird. She lives in the mountains - but wishes it were the beach. She has been writing since she was in elementary school, but only recently fulfilled her dreams of being published in 2011. She enjoys dyeing yarn and knitting in her “spare” time.

Look for Reclaimed, available soon from Decadent Publishing. Also, Escape To Me, Diane’s second contribution to the 1NS series, just recently got contracted.

She loves interacting with readers, so feel free to email her! Email address: diane@dianealberts.com

She can be found online at:

Website: www.dianealberts.com
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Diane-Alberts/121705201245084
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/DianeAlberts

Book Blurb (from author's site):

Jasmine Baruch is a jinn-a supernatural being who fights demons with fire. While that’s difficult enough, she’s got bigger problems. She’s a virgin, and in the jinn culture, that is sheer blasphemy. Jinn are supposed to be passionate, promiscuous creatures-everything she isn’t. Due to marry the next day, she takes matters into her own hands by using 1NS. But, like the rest of her life, nothing is easy. The man chosen for her, though incredibly gorgeous, is a demi-sanguine; a half-human, half-demon-her enemy.

Gavin Werbato is looking for an easy night of sex. Nothing more, nothing less. Instead, he gets a gorgeous jinn convinced it is her duty to kill him. He can certainly think of better things to do with her soft hands than murder. He need only convince her of that…

Can the fire sparked when these beings collide be controlled, or will it consume their world as they know it?

*****************************************************************************
 

She’d accomplished nothing at all. 

Nothing.

A weight sank beside her on the bed, and she shrieked. She darted a glance at the door, but it remained locked. Of course it did— portals didn’t hold back demons. 

“Good punch.” He laughed and rubbed his nose. “Some men might hold a grudge—but not me. I heal too fast.”

Indeed he did. A glance at his face revealed features as gorgeous as ever. This sucked for the self-pity party she’d been trying to throw. 

She preferred him bloody and not so devilishly striking.

She groaned and dropped her head into her hands. “Why won’t you just leave?” He caressed her arm in a lazy, seductive way, and she shivered. “Stop that.” 

His hand stopped moving, but he didn’t remove it. “Why do I have to stop?” he murmured. “Why do I have to leave?” He traced an invisible path leading up to her shoulder. From there, he grasped a curl and twirled it between his fingers, as if testing its elasticity. Her scalp tingled at his tender tug, and a jolt of lightning shot straight to her stomach, causing her to bite back a moan.

“Because….” She lifted her head, and turned to face him. 

His eyes were so blue they were nearly purple, which, combined with his light blond hair, made him a lethal opponent indeed. How could she resist such a gorgeous creature, knowing that it might be her last chance to rid herself of her virginity? Yet, how could she say yes? “Because you are half demon, and I am a jinn. We are adversaries, you and I.”

 “I’m not an evil demi-sanguine,” he assured her calmly. “I don’t rape, kill, or pillage. I’m unremarkably human—plus a few small details. But you are hardly normal yourself,” he drawled with a lazy grin. “And I’d like to make love to you.”

Review of "Sweet Irish Kiss" by JoAnne Kenrick

Publisher: Decadent Publishing

Release Date: September 28, 2011

Series: 1NightStand #39

Buying Links:  Amazon     Decadent Publishing      All Romance Ebooks

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

Shaun Bell, a divorced workaholic, spends all his time tending bar in his Irish Pub. He's ready to love again, but the women who visit his bar are only after his infamous Irish cocktails. At the advice of his darts team, over a tanker or two of Beamish, he applies to 1Night Stand to get back into the swing of things and enjoy the company of a woman specially selected for h...moreShaun Bell, a divorced workaholic, spends all his time tending bar in his Irish Pub. He's ready to love again, but the women who visit his bar are only after his infamous Irish cocktails. At the advice of his darts team, over a tanker or two of Beamish, he applies to 1Night Stand to get back into the swing of things and enjoy the company of a woman specially selected for him by Madame Evangeline.

Rachel Taylor has issues. Her father broke her mother’s heart with his cheating and Rachel swore never to let that happen to her, but one ruined relationship after another and she’s realized she's got to get over being closed off to men. Perhaps a one-night stand is just the baby step she needs to begin to build trust again.

A match seemingly made in heaven...until morning rolls around and Shaun can't bring himself to say good-bye. Can he win her over with his secret weapon, a Sweet Irish Kiss, or is Rachel still too scared to love?

My Thoughts:

"Sweet Irish Kiss" can be summed up as sweet, sexy, and humorous (but not over the top).  It did have some WTF lines - 

“Condoms are in me overnight bag.” “Too far away. I want you in me now.”

"She tasted like honey and vanilla. He’d only have to throw in some whiskey and she would be medicinal."

 

I remember thinking "Don't be stupid woman" when Rachel said the condoms were too far away, happily she was sensible and they did use condoms. The medicinal comment, well, at least he wasn't stupid enough to say it out loud. :P It did pull me out of the story a bit. Is that really something that a guy might think while he's making love to a woman? I don't know if it is or isn't. 

The other thing that I had to adjust to, and it wasn't hard, was the Irish and British slang and a few words that are different from American English. Reading the story reminded me that it's been quite a while since I read a book set in contemporary England. I hadn't realized, from the description, that it was set there so I was unprepared when I started reading. Once I switched gears it was fine. 

The story moves quickly and though it doesn't have an HEA, it has a Happy For Now, which I think is much more sensible given the set up and the fact that the story is from Decadent's 1 NightStand collection. I did question how quickly Rachel trusted Shaun on a sexual level but overall, the story worked and was a delightful read. Shaun and Rachel felt believable and were likable, the story was erotic, and Kenrick has a nice eye for detail. 

If you want a short, sweet yet erotic story, pick up "Sweet Irish Kiss". Oh, and I so want to try the cocktail, "Sweet Irish Kiss", it sounds divine!

I received a PDF from the author for review.

Winners! Lots of winners!

 

I had four giveaways end over the weekend, it was a busy week for giveaways. Now that they have all ended, here are the winners.

1) The winners of "So Near" by Liza Gyllenhaal are Marjorie (posted Sat. Oct. 22) and Carol Wong (posted Sat. Oct. 22)

2) The winners of "Sins of the Angels" by Linda Poitevin are Michelle Adams (posted Thurs. Oct. 20) and Jennelle S (posted Thurs. Oct. 20)


3) The winner of an ecopy of "Hide'N Go Seek" by Dale Mayer is Kathryn Merkel.

4) The winner of the shoe charm from "Sirenz Back in Fashion" is Kayla (posted Sun. Oct. 23)

Congratulations everyone, I hope you enjoy your prizes.

Review of "A Lawman's Christmas" by Linda Lael Miller

Publisher: Harlequin
Release date: September 20, 2011
Series: McKettricks of Texas
Buying Links:  Amazon     The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

The sudden death of the town marshal leaves Blue River, Texas, without a lawman…and twenty-five-year-old Dara Rose Nolan without a husband. As winter approaches and her meager seamstress income dwindles, she has three options. Yet she won't give up her two young daughters, refuses to join the fallen women of the Bitter Gulch Saloon and can't fathom condemning herself to another loveless marriage. Unfortunately she must decide—soon—because there's a new marshal in town, and she's living under his roof.

With the heart of a cowboy, Clay McKettrick plans to start a ranch and finally settle down. He isn't interested in uprooting Dara Rose and her children, but he is interested in giving her protection, friendship—and passion. And when they say "I do" to a marriage of convenience, the temporary lawman's Christmas wish is to make Dara Rose his permanent wife….

Teaser: 


It was tremendously difficult sometimes, she thought glumly, to be the sort of person she wanted her daughters to be, when they grew up. And she'd fallen far short of that standard tonight.

Unexpectedly, Clay reached over and gently squeezed her hand, just once and very briefly, but the gesture raised Dara Rose's flagging spirits.

It also sent something sharp and hot racing through her, a fiery ache she had to work very hard to ignore. 
  
My Thoughts:

Back in the summer, I read a contemporary romance by Miller, Creed's Honor, that I didn't like very much. I decided to give her another try, this time with an historical romance. I enjoyed it a lot more. It was saccharine at times, and predictable but the romance was sweet, the setting nicely detailed, and the characters were, mostly, nicely fleshed out.

Clay McKettrick loves his family but needed to leave and strike out on his own. He accepts a job in Blue Creek Montana as the marshall, but it's a temporary job. What he really wants is to start his own ranch, get married and raise a family. He bought land in Blue Creek and he plans to start building his house while he works as the marshall. He's filling in temporarily while the town looks for a long term marshall. One of the perks of his job is use of a small house in town. However, the previous marshall's widow and young children are still living there. He moves into the jail while the widow, Dara Rose Parnell, tries to find a new place for her and her children.

Dara has been married twice and widowed twice, and she's only twenty-five years old. She also has two young daughters. She's been struggling to survive since her second husband, the former marshall, died. She had a marriage offer of sorts, but it was less than desirable. She is a proud woman, occasionally stern, but kind and gentle.She wants to provide a good life for her daughters but a woman's options in the early twentieth century, in the American west, were few.

Dara and Clay come together, and even knowing that it was a romance, and one pretty much guaranteed to have an HEA, I was cheering for things to work out with them. A few of the minor characters were cardboard, but the main characters are well developed and likable, except for the obligatory bad guy, who was also one of the cardboard characters. The romance, as mentioned, was sweet, and slow moving, though the marriage, due to circumstances, happens fairly quickly. It wasn't a wildly passionate romance, but it was believable. Both are attracted to each other from the beginning, but they take their time and let things develop without rushing. The children were overly precocious but they didn't take over the story as sometimes happens in romances. 

Reading "A Lawman's Christmas" was like curling up in front of a fire with a cup of rich, hot cocoa - sweet, comforting and cozy.

I received this hardcover from the publisher.

Review of "Franklin's Halloween" by Paulette Bourgeois, Illustrated by Brenda Clark

Publisher: Kids Can Press, Limited

Release Date: September 27th, 2011 (this is a re-release)

Buying Links: Amazon    Barnes & Noble

Book Blurb (from NetGalley):

Franklin is every young child's friend. Children instantly connect with the little turtle's sense of adventure and enjoy seeing him work through familiar dilemmas-fear of the dark, first-day-of-school jitters-in his own way. Franklin's books have made friends all over the world, selling more than 65 million copies in over 30 languages.

Paulette Bourgeois worked as an occupational therapist and a print and television journalist before she began writing for children. When Franklin in the Dark, was released in 1986, it became a bestseller-and the Franklin phenomenon was born. Paulette has gone on to write over 30 Franklin stories illustrated by Brenda Clark that have been published around the world. Although Paulette is best known for the Franklin books, she has also written other children's titles, including a number of non-fiction books and the award-winning picture book Oma's Quilt. Paulette lives in Toronto, Ontario.

 After graduating from the illustration program at Sheridan College, Brenda Clark worked as a freelance illustrator for children's magazines and books. When she was asked to illustrate Franklin in the Dark, Brenda researched turtles and other animals in order to give Franklin and his friends as many authentic details as possible. In addition to over 30 Franklin collaborations with Paulette Bourgeois, the duo created another picture-book classic, Big Sarah's Little Boots. Brenda Clark is also the illustrator of Sadie and the Snowman and the award-winning Little Fingerling. Brenda lives in Port Hope, Ontario. 

My Thoughts:

"Franklin's Halloween" talks about a Halloween party that Franklin attends with his friends. We see him considering what costume he should wear, he wants to win a prize in the costume contest and he doesn't want to duplicate what his friends are wearing. Once at the party, he tries to guess which of the costumed party-goers are his friends. There's a brief little mystery about Bear and a ghost costume, older children and adults will figure it out quickly.

The story is simple and cute, not very complex, but most young kids will be able to relate to it. The art is clean lined, simple, bright, with just enough detail for younger readers. Older toddlers and preschoolers will likely enjoy this story.

I received an eARC from NetGalley.

Review of "Ghost Files" by Jason Hawes & Grant Wilson with Jan Michael Friedman

Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date:September 27, 2011
Buying Links: Amazon     The Book Depository

Book Blurb:

An omnibus edition of GHOST HUNTING and SEEKING SPIRITS, the real-life adventures of the paranormal investigators from Syfy's hit show Ghost Hunters.
 
My Thoughts:

I love reading fantasy, urban fantasy and fiction books with magic. I adore them. But when it comes to real life, I'm more skeptical, not inclined to believe in things supernatural or paranormal. I've never watched a full episode of the TV show "Ghost Files" in the Sci Fi channel (yes, I know it's now called Sy Fy but that's stupid so I use the better, old name) but I have watched a few minutes here and there while channel surfing. What little I saw didn't impress me. So when I was offered this book, I was uncertain. I'm pretty sure I'm not the target audience. Still, in the end, I decided to do it and I enjoyed it, somewhat to my surprise.

As mentioned in the blurb, the book is an omnibus edition, combining two earlier books. The first book, Ghost Hunting, gives a brief history of T.A.P.S., the organization that the ghost hunters work for and then we get chats about 42 cases from the early years. Some of the cases are from before they got their television show but most are from the show. The main narrator is Jason, with Grant offering a brief synopsis of his thoughts after each case file. Jason Hawes has a light, clear, friendly writing style, like he's talking with you over a beer or coffee. The written case files recap the episodes but also show us their thought processes and reasons for accepting or refusing a case. Hawes stresses repeatedly that when they take a case, they are trying to verify possible supernatural activity, using scientific methods. They don't promise that they will certify a place as haunted and have often come away from a case with negative results. In Hawes' words,

"Grant and I insisted on a more rational approach. Before we would ever say a place was home to a supernatural entity, we needed to have proof. It was a significant departure. And it was on that basis that we founded T.A.P.S.-both of us, because the idea was as much Grant's as mine."

The second book, Seeking Spirits, has more cases from their TV show and a few that didn't make it on the show for one reason or another. Hawes and Wilson take turns discussing the cases. Additionally, interspersed between cases, we get mini chapters, titled Ghost Hunters Manual. The mini chapters discuss various entities such as incubus and methods such as hunting at night. I appreciated those glimpses, and for me, they helped clarify some of the decisions they made during their cases. The back also has a glossary of technical terms.

The overall book is easy to read, enjoyable, and can be read out of order if desired. Hawes and Wilson present the evidence and leave it up to the reader to decide for themselves if it proves supernatural activity. I found it a good introduction to their work and may even check out their show. I think that readers who are already fans will appreciate the insights into the people who ghost hunt and their work.

I received the paperback from the publisher for review.

"My Blood Runs Blue" Blog Tour with Stacy Eaton: Guest Post & Giveaway

Currently Stacy works full time as a Police Officer for a small township in Southeastern Pennsylvania. While her current position is that of a patrol officer, she spends a lot of my time doing investigations and crime scene processing.  She loves forensics and takes her job seriously.

  She is also Police Officer's wife and with their constant schedules life can get very hectic in their home. She's been blessed with two children; a son and a daughter. Her son is currently in the United States Navy, and she's very proud of him for what he is doing and for serving his Country. Her daughter is a priceless princess who loves to help her market her books to teachers and other parents while she is at school and church.
 

When she's not working the job that currently pays all the bills, she works on her business. Yes, she even has her own business.

She has two Shiloh Shepherd dogs, Garda and Callie. They are a bit different than the standard German Shepherds most people are use to. They are larger and less aggressive and they have more fur!  Man do they have fur!!!  Garda has a face that resembles a wolf, which makes her love him even more. (You can see by her photo that I wear a wolf pendant). Garda actually means "The Guardian" in Irish. It is also the name of the Irish Police.  Rather fitting for their family of officers don't you think?

In her spare time...She writes.

Stacy can be found on her website, twitter and Google+

Book Blurb:

“I’m still a cop, and my blood runs blue.”

Officer Kristin Greene has always felt that something was missing from her life. Although her job with the Fawn Hollow Township Police Department keeps her busy, she still feels like there is something else out there for her. She soon finds herself investigating a homicide where a young woman has had her throat ripped out. As she begins to dig for the answers, she finds herself thrown into a world she didn’t know ever existed. When the two strong and silent men walk into her life, she finds herself being pulled into a love triangle that has been going on longer than she has been alive. Who are they and why do they keep calling her Calista? Join Kristin as she fights to learn the truth about the recent murder, the two seductive men who have entered into her life and the real truth about herself.

My Blood Runs Blue is book one of the series. Blue Blood for Life is the second book and was released on September 30, 2011.

My Blood Runs Blue is an adult Action/Romance Series and is intended for mature audiences.

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I have been asked many times if my series, My Blood Runs Blue is a Paranormal Romance or an Urban Fantasy.  Until recently, I honestly couldn’t have told you. After the research that I have done to write this, I have found that answer and I can safely and happily say, I fall into the Urban Fantasy genre.

With all that I have read I have found that to be considered a Paranormal Romance; the story must be deep into the romantic aspect and have elements of the supernatural world while dealing with some other smaller issues. Many of these issues would deal more with relationships and personal growth of the characters, especially the ones that have the supernatural aspects. Paranormal Romance is a sub-genre of Fictional Romance with added aspects bringing it into the paranormal world.  The use of vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, fairies, demons and witches play deeply into the work of PNR.

Now with Urban Fantasy they say that it is somewhat opposite. The story deals with a more suspense plot and keeps the romance to the back burner not focusing on it as a high point.  It still deals with many of the same aspects of Paranormal with vampires, werewolves and such, but might even bring in more Sci-Fi aspects. Many people out there say that to be Urban Fantasy the characters are dealing with Good versus Evil and that it’s called Urban Fantasy because it takes place in an urban setting. 

Now I’m not so sure on that last part. I mean I have read books where they aren’t in some large urban metropolis but a more rural country setting.  My series is more on that line, taking place in a small country township on the outskirts of the Philadelphia area. Should my book then be characterized as a Rural Fantasy?  Is there even such a thing?

I did a lot of reading of blog posts, comments and even checked out Wikipedia to see what they had to say.  It was while I was reading the information on Wikipedia that it explained Adult Urban Fantasy, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_fantasy) and explained to me that most urban fantasies are told by first person narrative, which mine is. It also stated that this type of fantasy worked through a lot of law enforcement or vigilantism.

So since my books are written in the first person narrative from not only Officer Kristin Greene’s perspective, but also through the first person perspective of Alexander and Julia, who work for the Vampire Military Force, I can safely assume at this point that my series would be classified more as an Urban Fantasy then a paranormal romance. 

I was asked why I choose to write in the genre that I wrote.  Well, until I began writing this post, I didn’t even really know what genre I was writing.  I wrote the first two books of my series from my mind, without having thought about where I would be listing it.  I wrote it from my heart and my mind.  I didn’t set out to write a UF, I just did.  

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Use the rafflecopter widget to enter for a chance to win a copy of "My Blood Runs Blue" 

In My Mailbox #8

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren. It's a way to share and highlight all the books we receive, even if we don't review them. l share books that I buy, that I receive for review, get from the library, borrow from a friend, etc.

Purchased 

I bought the copyediting book from The Book Depository to help me with my work. The two Jane True books I had originally read from the library and NetGalley, respectively. Now, thanks to Paperbackswap.com I own them. I love that series so very, very much. It's smart, funny, sexy, has a dark edge and uses beings from various mythologies not usually found in urban fantasy.

Review

 

Not my usual fare, but I like dragons and I can review any story in the book, or the whole book, my choice. Anthologies can be a bear, so I like that the publisher is so flexible.

Library

I'm a Nora Roberts fan and I've been on the wait list at the library for this book for months, then they joined the Kindle Library Lending program and it was listed so I requested it and now I have my first library kindle book. :)

Amazon Freebies

It's been a while since I showcased any of the titles I've downloaded. I've only got a few this time around so I thought I'd include them. The cookie one I hope to use this Christmas; my work always does a cookie swap so this book seemed perfect. The autism book is for my classroom work; autism is more common these days and it's rare I don't have at least student who is somewhere on the autism spectrum. The organization book, well, organization is not one of my better skills so I thought I'd give this book a try.

What did you get this week?