Excerpt from Blaze of Winter by Elisabeth Barrett

Back in June, I did an ARC review of Deep Autumn Heat by Elisabeth Barrett. While I didn't love the book, I was intrigued by another character, Theo. Well, he has his own book coming out next month and I'll be reviewing it too. In the meantime, to whet your appetite, here's an excerpt.

 

BLAZE OF WINTER
By: Elisabeth Barrett
Publisher: Loveswept Contemporary
ISBN: 9780345534347
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary
Format: Ebook
Length: @310 pages
Release Date: September 10, 2012

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

Winter heats up in this hot new Star Harbor romance, as another sexy Grayson brother, a wickedly handsome writer, plots his happily ever after with a sweet stranger.

Frustrated with her job in Boston, social worker Avery Newbridge welcomes the opportunity to reassess her life when family asks her to help manage the Star Harbor Inn. Trying to figure out her future is overwhelming enough, but she doesn’t count on distraction in the form of one Theo Grayson, the gorgeous, green-eyed author who she knows is trouble from the moment he saunters into the inn.

Not only does he have a talent for writing swashbuckling adventures, but Theo also has a soft spot for big-hearted damsels in distress, especially a woman who’s great at helping everyone—except herself. Avery’s demons challenge him, but for desire this hot, he isn’t backing down. With every kiss and heated whisper Theo promises her his heart . . . if only Avery is willing to open up and accept it.

Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: Deep Autumn Heat, Callie’s Cowboy, and About Last Night.(less)

BLAZE OF WINTER by Elisabeth Barrett

Blame It On Texas Blog Tour Giveaway & Q&A with Romance Author Christie Craig

Today it's  my pleasure to welcome Christie Craig, romance author. She took the time to answer a few questions and there's also a post about some things you might learn from "Blame it on Texas"that she wrote for the tour.

Photojournalist, Author and Speaker

Christie Craig, an Alabama native, is an award-winning, multi-published writer, multi-published photo journalist, motivational speaker, and writing teacher.. Her non-fiction articles and photography have appeared in almost three thousand national magazines. A Golden Heart finalist, and a finalist in more than fifty RWA-sponsored contests, she has gained a well-deserved reputation for writing romance fiction that has both witty humor and a suspenseful, sexy tone. Published by Silhouette in the 90s, she recently broke back into fiction in a big way, making four book sales in one day. Her seventh humorous single title romance novel, published by Dorchester, will hit the stands in June 2010. Her non-fiction book, co-authored by Faye Hughes, released September 08, is The Everything Guide To Writing A Romance Novel and their second non-fiction book, a humorous self-help relationship book, Wild, Wicked and Wanton: 101 Ways to Love Like You Are in a Romance Novel is scheduled to be released December 2010. Craig's latest writing adventure is the sale of a young adult paranormal romance series, Shadow Falls Camp, that will be published by St. Martins Press in the near future.


Click here to see a video of Christie on the Houston Chronicle.com about her overcoming the difficulties of being dyslexic.

Find Christie Online:

website
twitter
facebook

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Q&A

Bea: Christie, thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions. If you could be a character in any book what would it be ie love interest, sidekick, villain, minor character, etc.?

Christie: First, a huge thank-you for having me here today at Bea's Book Nook blog. I so appreciate you helping me promote my books. . Now to answer your question . . .

Hmm. I’m tempted to say villain. Sure, I've written a lot of scenes from the POV of "bad guys" but I'd like to take it a step further. I’d like to know what it's really like to be bad. Does that make me a bad person? LOL. Okay, on second thought, don't answer that. I’m not a bad girl and I know this because I feel bad just writing that I want to be bad. LOL. So let me change that to say I’d like to be the sidekick. I always enjoy writing my secondary characters and most of the ones in my books end up getting their own stories a little later on. So I guess I’ll go with sidekick. That way I could get some novel practice before it’s my time to be in the spotlight.

Bea: What is your guilty pleasure?

Christie: Okay, now you're asking me to share my deep, dark secrets. LOL. But, hey, we're all friends here, right? My guilty pleasures are wine and a good book. Give me a glass of Cabernet and a good book and everything else will disappear. Until my glass gets empty.(Tee hee~Bea)

Bea: What was the inspiration for this book?

Christie: The underlying theme in Blame it on Texas is an identity crisis. I think every woman at some point, and often at several points in her life, finds herself asking… “Who am I?” For most of them, the question is prompted by wondering what direction you should take in life. But when it happened to me, it was a little different . . .

About ten years ago, I woke up from a dead sleep. And for about five seconds, five very long terrifying seconds, I had amnesia. I didn’t have a clue who I was or where I was. And I sure as heck didn’t have a clue who the woman was that was in bed with me.

I remember with clarity the panic swelling up inside me, staring at this strange woman, her red hair sticking out in different directions, and I screamed at the top of my lungs, “Who are you?”


She looked as frightened as I felt, but she forced a calm in her voice when she answered, “I’m your mama.”


As funny as it turned out to be—yes, Mom still kids me about it—those few terrifying seconds of feeling nothing but a vast of emptiness have stuck with me.

In Blame it on Texas, my heroine Zoe, has a major Identity crisis. Imagine seeing a picture of yourself on an unsolved mystery show that claims you were kidnapped from some highfalutin Texas millionaire family. Imagine learning that your corpse was supposedly discovered shortly after you were kidnapped. Imagine it, when all your life you’ve had some strange memories that didn’t make sense. And again, like that night ten years ago, my heroine, Zoe Adams not only is trying to find out who she is, but who the woman is that pretended to be her mother all those years.

Bea: What would your perfect day be like?

Christie: Hmm. That's an easy one. I would take a walk along a beach with my dog, Lady, I'd then work for six hours, get at least 12 pages done, have lunch with some girlfriends, spend a few hours with my grandchild, laughing and giggling, and then have a really nice dinner with hubby and the family. Then I'd retire at night with my hubby, a good book and another glass of wine. A good writing day, good times with family, good food and even better wine. That’s my idea of a perfect day.


Bea: If you couldn't be a writer, what would be your dream job or career?

Christie: You're probably going to laugh when I say this but here goes. If I couldn't be a writer, I'd be a stand-up comic. I love entertaining people and making them laugh.

Thanks again for inviting me here to your blog. If your readers want to know more about me and my books, they can find information at my website, www.Christie-Craig.com. For a little taste of my Hotter in Texas series, watch the video below. I hope you enjoy!

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Ten Things You Will Learn from Blame it on Texas.

1. Guys don’t like to play dress up; but when one willingly dresses as a clown for their six-year-old niece’s birthday party—because the real clown canceled—he’s one special uncle. And could possibly make a special hero for some lucky lady.

2. Sometimes, fear itself can do much more damage to us than the thing we’re actually afraid of.

3. Any man who doesn’t cuss up a blue streak when you dump a plate of hot grits on him can’t be all bad. (In fact, he might just be The One.)

4. It’s important to remember the lessons of the past so we can use them when making decisions for the future. But those lessons should never keep us from having the future we deserve.

5. Before accusing the sexy guy who pounced, knocked you down, and crawled on top of you of being foreplay impaired; check to see if someone is shooting at you.

6. The southern delicacy of a banana and mayonnaise sandwich may be an acquired taste, especially when a hungry hero chomps down on the delicacy and is expecting ham and cheese.

7. If you think getting caught screaming and dancing on top of a mattress—all while attempting to rescue your cat from an overzealous dog—can be slightly embarrassing, try doing it while you’re wet from the shower, and as naked as a jay bird. Oh, and just to make it even more fun, make sure you're caught by your possible love interest who hasn’t seen you naked yet, and . . . (yes it can get worse) his two best friends.

8. It’s downright amazing how playing a few rounds of Strip Scrabble can spice up an evening.

9. A family doesn’t always have to be the people who share your bloodline; sometimes, the best families are those we make when we gather together all the people we love.

10. Learning to trust yourself is usually a lot harder than trusting another person. But both are generally required before finding true love.

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Thanks to Forever Romance, I have one copy of "Blame It on Texas" to giveaway to a US resident, no PO Boxes please. You do not need to be a follower to enter, though it's always appreciated. Please read my giveaway policy. The giveaway will run through 11:59PM EST of Monday Sept. 3rd, 2012. To enter, just comment below. :)

Click on cover for goodreads info about the book.

ETA: Random.org picked comment #6, bn100, as the winner. Congrats! I have sent them an email. 

Sunday Book Share

Welcome back! The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

~this meme was inspired in part by - In My Mailbox~

It's a chance to share News.

A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

I've decided to also participate in Stacking the Shelves, a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!


I've had a wonderfully lazy week this week, but work starts again on Monday. It's our new school year. We'll spend this week getting ready then next weeks the children return. I'm moving to a younger group this year, one and two year olds. It's been about eight years since I was with that age group, I hope I can still do it!

This past week, I posted two giveaways: A big one, where I'm giving away 12 books, go check it out! and a smaller one where Tribute Books and I are giving away a paperback copy of
"Immigration and Adaptation" by Edward G Haskell. 

I also did a feature post for "Immigration and Adaptation"; it's a non-fiction book about exactly what the title says. There were four reviews, not as many as I wanted to do, but still a lot for me:  Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood, Precinct 13 by Tate Hallaway, Shadow of Deceit by Mal Olson, and A Sliver of Shadow by Allison Pang. Those are all books from my August Review Copy Clean Up; again, I didn't do as well as I wanted but I made one goal and did decently on the other goal.

I participated in a blog hop, discussing what we look for in a review. Stop by and add your thoughts. :) There's a post where I share my frustration with my health and upcoming surgery. It's pretty ranty.

Review Books

Yes, I took on more review books. I need a slap upside the head and a clone. :P

Won

I was lucky enough to win this from the publisher over at facebook in a book club discussion.

Library

I read about this at Heroes & Heartbreakers and immediately requested it from my library. They had it in kindle version so it's now sitting on my kindle.

Kindle Freebies

How was your week?

Review of A Sliver of Shadow by Allison Pang

Publisher: Pocket Books
Series: Abby Sinclair #2
Release Date: February 28, 2012
Format Read: Paperback
Buying Links:  Amazon    The Book Depository    Barnes & Noble

*May contain spoilers*

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

Just when her new life as a TouchStone — a mortal bound to help OtherFolk cross between Faery and human worlds — seems to be settling down, Abby Sinclair is left in charge when the Protectorate, Moira, leaves for the Faery Court. And when the Protectorate’s away…let’s just say things spiral out of control when a spell on Abby backfires and the Faery Queen declares the Doors between their worlds officially closed.

The results are disastrous for both sides: OtherFolk trapped in the mortal world are beginning to fade, while Faerie is on the brink of war with the daemons of Hell. Along with her brooding elven prince Talivar and sexy incubus Brystion, Abby ventures to the CrossRoads in an attempt to override the Queen’s magic. But nothing in this beautiful, dangerous realm will compare to the discoveries she’s making about her past, her destiny, and what she will sacrifice for those she loves.


Reviewed By: Bea

*May contain spoilers*



Bea's Thoughts:

I loved this book! It was so good and I liked it better than the first book. This one had everything: intriguing plotting, deep characterization, mysteries, lots of action, world building, humor, romance, sex, political intrigue.

Abby has grown since the last book: developed more confidence though she's still not very confident, has more maturity, and a new-found respect for her position as KeyStone. She's learning more about the Faery from Moira and learning how to use her Dreaming powers from Sonja. Not everything is going well for her; she and Brystion are still on the outs and her friendship with Charlie is strained. She also still finds herself being used as a pawn by members of the Faery, something that Brystion objects to when he does make an appearance. Still, Abby doesn't hesitate to step in and help and shows herself loyal to her friends and willing to do what she thinks is right, no matter the cost to herself.  The ending had me going "EEEK!" and is a bit of a cliff hanger. Happily, the next book is out at the end of October, so not too long to wait.

One thing I was less than thrilled to see was the introduction of a love triangle. Brystion and Abby still have feelings for each other, even though they aren't seeing each other. Then Abby and Talivar, who was introduced at the end of A Brush of Darkness, get involved. Brystion can't resist staking his claim and he and Talivar get competitive. I like Talivar; he's quiet, fierce, loyal, insecure about his looks, kind, tender, vulnerable, and moral. Pang handled it fairly well, there's not too much angst, but I hope there will be a resolution in the next book. Love triangle tropes are among my least favorite tropes and often a sure way to turn me off.

While the story moves along at a fast pace, Pang doesn't skip on characterization, plot or world building. The Queen of Faery is bug nuts but there's a reason and Abby sets out to help her which will in turn help all of the Faery, including Moira and Talivar. Maurice is back in this book and he's as twisted and nasty as he was in book one. I loved learning more about the OtherFolk, their relationships with each other and the pecking order. There are many twists and turns and even Phineas, the wisecracking, horny mini unicorn, is not what he seems.

If you enjoy urban fantasy, the fae, werewolves, demons and angels (yes, Pang makes all these different elements work together.) then you need to read this book, but read book one first. It's a must.

I received a paperback from the publisher for review.

End of Summer Giveaway!

I need to clear out my shelves, again, so I have a mix of books I reviewed and books I didn't review up for grabs. There are 4 sets of books, you can enter for one, two, or all three but there will be three different winners. If you win one set, you won't win another one.

You don't need to be a follower, though it's always appreciated if you are.

Giveaway ends at 11:59PM EST on September 7th.

I'll ship within North America: US, CA & Mexico.

The books up for grabs are:

Set #1

Two finished copies  of  mysteries, Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood, a romantic suspense, and a psychological thriller, Broken Harbor by Tana French. There are also two ARCs of books now available in stores: One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf, a psychological mystery and an anthology of romantic suspense short stories, Love Is Murder: Thriller 3

Set #2

Two general fiction books with a romantic subplot: Say You'll Be Mine by Julia Amante and Anne of Hollywood by Carol Wolper. Also,two general fiction releases that I was sent and decided not to read (just not my style, going by the blurbs): Finding Emilie by Laurel Corona and The Black Isle by Sandi Tan. (just released Aug. 7th)

Set #3

Some older romances, including two Harlequin series books: A Cold Creek Secret by RaeAnne Thayne and Enticed By His Forgotten Lover by Maya Banks. There's also a signed copy of historical romance Superstition's Desire by Lisa M Campbell and an erotic PNR, Wicked Harvest, by Anitra Lynn McLeod. That one is also signed, to someone named Jessica.

Remember, you can enter all or just some. Good luck!

Review of Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood

Publisher: Dutton Adult
Release Date: August 7, 2012
Buying Links:  Amazon    Barnes & Noble     The Book Depository

Book blurb (from goodreads):

In the new contemporary romance from #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Garwood, a detective and a lawyer are falling in love— and making a federal case out of it.
 
When FBI agent Grayson Kincaid first encounters Olivia MacKenzie, she makes quite an impression.

The beautiful, tough, young attorney has stumbled into the middle of an FBI sting operation and has reduced it to chaos. Months of surveillance and careful planning down the drain, Kincaid’s partner is furious and lets Olivia know that she’s ticked off the wrong guy. After all, he’s FBI.

 Olivia isn’t intimidated by his partner’s bullying because she’s something even scarier . . . she’s IRS.

And working for the IRS isn’t for the faint of heart. She’s on the trail of an elaborate Ponzi scheme, one that threatens to ruin the lives of naive and unsuspecting victims, and one she has personal reasons to be angry about. But after she asks questions of the wrong people, her life is suddenly endangered. She’s accustomed to fighting for the underdog but being vulnerable herself is a very different story. Smart enough to know when to call for reinforcements, she contacts Grayson Kincaid.

Together they make an excellent team to fight corruption but Olivia is also fighting the immediate and intense attraction she feels for Agent Kincaid, and that may be a battle she is bound to lose.

Reviewed By: Bea

Bea's Thoughts:

I wanted to like this book, I've liked most of the books I've read by Garwood, but this one was a disappointment. It got off to a fast start, after the prologue (more on that in a bit) then slowed down to a crawl. It was filled with subplots, most of which were unnecessary and one was utterly predictable; it was drawn out and could easily have been been cut by one fourth to one third. There were things brought up that were then dropped; for instance, in the prologue, we meet Olivia as a young teen when she's hospitalized with what we're led to believe, but never told, is cancer. She meets other girls who become her best friends, one of whom has the aforementioned predictable subplot. It was obvious from the beginning what was going and who was to blame. It wasn't obvious why it was there in the book at all; I do wonder if we might not see one or more of the other girls get a book of their own. Garwood also does a lot of telling, not showing in this book; I don't recall her doing that in previous books.

A friend of mine and I were talking about the book on facebook and she had this to say, among other things:

So much telling and so little showing. The illnesses could've been played up more. It's like it was vital in the beginning, but then totally disappeared only to show up again at the end. And it was never clear what type of illness it was. And why did only the heroine's blood help? And not anyone else's? That was a dropped plot point.

And speaking of illnesses, I'm going to get cranky and nitpicky so feel free to skip this paragraph. So, as an adult, Olivia has asthma, a common illness and one which I have. That's probably why I'm so cranky, because, hey, I actually know about the topic! Garwood seemingly does not. How hard would it have been to do some research? Odds are good she knows someone with asthma, she could have asked for their help; she could have gone to any of the numerous websites about asthma, including the American Lung Foundation. Hey, why didn't her copy editor or fact checker do that? There is no excuse for the inaccuracies. For example, Olivia frequently uses her rescue inhaler but there's no mention of any maintenance meds or treatment plan; you can not control asthma if all you do is use a rescue med when you have trouble breathing. If her asthma is as bad as Garwood portrays, then her doctor would have her on a treatment plan. Also,how does Kincaid get his hands on one of her rescue inhalers? He tells her that he now carries one of hers at all times because she forgets (Oh so stupid but I know peeps who do this; I don't get it) but those are prescription so how did he get it? We're told that she didn't even know he had it so she didn't give it to him. And so on. I did like that a main character had a health problem that wasn't actually vital to the plot; many books don't do that which isn't realistic. People have health issues, whether it's high blood pressure, asthma or cancer. But the portrayal was inaccurate and Garwodd couldn't seem to decide if the asthma should be important to the story or not. It was another inconsistent plot point. /end rant.

And speaking of illnesses, Garwood makes a big deal out of Olivia's reluctance to be in a serious relationship due to her childhood illness and her belief that it may return. Now, with some illnesses, a return could be a legitimate concern, but since Garwood chose to be stingy with details about the illness we don't know if it's a legitimate concern. Now, I don't mean that someone couldn't have that fear, regardless of the likelihood of a recurrence; fear is not always rational. BUT, it never felt like a real fear on Olivia's part but something the author manufactured as an excuse to keep the lovers apart.

On that note, the romance felt weak; there was no passion, no depth and it happened very quickly. Plus this makes the second book recently I've read where an FBI agent disregarded procedure to get involved with a woman who was either a victim or a suspect. Hello! Not appropriate. I've read some books where that happened but the author made the romance believable and I could buy into it, despite it's inappropriateness.

There's also a subplot involving the reaction of Olivia's family to her childhood illness that continues into her adulthood and it didn't feel believable either, but manufactured solely to make certain events happen. I know that some people view illness as a weakness but this was over the top and all too convenient for the story's purposes.

Overall, this book was, as my friend said, and I agree, "a hot mess".

I received a hardcover from the publisher for review.

Frustrated: Lung Update

Flickr Image by Rafael Edwards

 
So yesterday I was ranting and raving on twitter and facebook. I got a call from the research nurse whose been my contact for the lung surgery study; she informed the company who is sponsoring the study about my reactions to the first procedure: the asthma exacerbation and the pneumonia. They called her back and said that because of the pneumonia, they want a minimum of six weeks between procedures to be sure that my body is healed and able to handle the next procedure. So I had to call work and give them the update and call the person who has been my ride (If I drive myself, I have to be admitted overnight.) I have a very tentative date of September 25th for the next procedure. I'm not holding my breath. :P

I understand the company's concern, and I too want to be as healthy as possible for the next procedure. Which is part of why I'm frustrated. Not only is the wait aggravating, and the constant re-scheduling a nuisance for my employer, but it's the beginning of ragweed season where I live. Ragweed is a major allergen for me and every September, about halfway through the month, I get a sinus infection and an asthma flare. I have no reason to believe that this September will be any different. Of course, when that does happen, you know it will postpone things yet again. At this rate, we'll be into 2013 before I have all three procedures.

I also have to keep changing my blog calendar to accommodate all of the changes. I had deliberately kept the summer light as I knew I'd be having the procedures and wasn't sure how I'd react to them. Now I have to look at my fall schedule, see what I can get done ahead of time, and keep blog tours, etc. to a minimum. I don't want to have to cancel reviews and events at the last minute due to health reasons like I did last November when I ended up in the hospital. I am glad I already decided to scale back my Banned Book Week celebration this year; it runs September 28th through October 6th this year.

So yesterday, I was in a pissy mood for much of the day, and had to go offline for a bit and de-stress. My cat and a good non-review book helped. I'm better today and determined to see this through.

The lung section on the right, the severe asthma one? That's me. I'm hoping that when all of the procedures are done, my lungs will be the moderate one. That's still not great, but the best I can hope for with current medical knowledge and procedures.

Blog Tour Review of Shadow of Deceit by Mal Olson

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Release Date: February 17, 2012
Buying Links:  Amazon    Barnes & Noble    OmniLit.com

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

Can an FBI agent obsessed with redemption and a grieving widow desperate to clear her husband's name learn to believe in love again?

Shannon Riedel faces down danger when a gunman breaks into her office claiming her dead husband swindled him. When FBI agent Tony Crazaniak arrives to investigate, sexual heat sizzles. The ex-Delta Force operative's massive presence and dark eyes trigger an attraction the young widow finds unnerving.

 When Crazaniak convinces Shannon she needs his protection, they partner to unearth secrets her husband left behind--secrets involving a Tanzanian mine that yields perfect blue diamonds coveted by dealers around the world--secrets connected to a terrorist leader Crazaniak has vowed to take down.

With danger surrounding them, two emotionally wounded souls bond, but can they put their demons to rest and trust in love? Can they survive long enough to find out?


Teaser:

But when he looked into her eyes, he saw sincerity and compassion. Loyalty. She's innocent. She couldn't see that her boss might be using her to get his hands on the diamond mine. And if she trusted a player like de Rios, how in the hell was Tony going to convince her that her own husband had been playing dirty?

Not that Tony had any damning evidence against Tyler or de Rios. He was going on pure Crazaniak instinct. Gut instinct.

Reviewed By: Bea

Bea's Thoughts:

I enjoy romantic suspense and I liked the blurb for this one so I decided to give it a try. It got off to a fast start, with a masked gunman invading her office. The pace stays fast for a while then slows down, then picks up again. Olson deftly changes the pace, slowing things down for the romantic scenes and then picking up again when she switches back to the mystery.

I could feel Shannon's pain concerning her husband's death and her reluctance to move on afterward.  I did think the relationship between her and Tony moved a bit fast and he was awfully quick to give in to lust and forget about his responsibilities and duties, though the actual sex doesn't occur until latish in the story.

The story itself was a mix of twists and turns and predictability but it moved quickly, was a fast read, has enjoyable characters, and was enjoyable to read. I really liked that Shannon was so devoted to her cat and the cat even played a part in the story towards the end. Touches like that add believability to a story, and hey, I'm a crazy cat lady! lol

Overall, not a perfect story but an enjoyable one.

I received a PDF from Sizzling PR for review.