When a book gets so many great reviews I’m always somewhat hesitant to read it right away, afraid the story will not be able to live up to the hype. I’ve had it on my list to read for quite awhile and in fact the second book in the series is now out. Was it worth all of the great reviews? Absolutely! Continue reading “This Chick Read: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir “
(Congrats to the winner of this Giveaway!!)
I have been eagerly anticipating this new novel by Katie Ruggle. In her previous Search and Rescue series I really enjoyed her unique characters and thrilling storylines. Run to Ground, the first in her new K-9 Unit series did not disappoint. Our heroine Jules Jackson, rescued her siblings from an abusive step parent and skipped town. She’s understandably nervous, expecting cops to break down her door at any minute. So, when Theo, a cop, shows an interest in her she tries to avoid catching his eye. Theo is slightly suspicious of her twitchiness but his inner demons are calmed when she’s around and so he ignores his instincts and doesn’t investigate her too deeply. Theo’s been very depressed since his previous partner committed suicide. He inherits his deceased partner’s K-9, Viggy, who has also been extremely depressed since his death. The two of them are a sad pair but when Viggy meets Jules’s brothers and sisters he starts acting like a normal dog and Theo is drawn even more into Jules’ orbit.
For a girl who had the balls to steal her siblings away from a bad situation I was a little disappointed that Jules was so timid. It was a little annoying, but the fact that she liked Theo despite those fears, and didn’t try too hard to avoid him helped me get over that annoyance pretty quickly. Her brothers and sister were charming and their interaction with Viggy was so sweet it helped balance Theo’s rather anti social personality. When Jules’ life is in danger, we see both Theo and Viggy in a heroic light, overcoming their fears.
This novel was a little different than her previous books, but I still enjoyed the connection these characters made with each other. If I was disappointed at all it was because it took me a little longer to identify with these characters. However, the book was still filled with action and suspense and made for an enjoyable weekend read. I look forward to her next novel which will continue with Jules’ runaway family storyline as a subplot to our next romantic duo.
❤️❤️❤️❤️
I received an ARC of this book for my honest review, and I was honest.
GIVEAWaY
Click the link to purchase! Run to Ground (Rocky Mountain K9 Unit)
Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
This Giveaway has ended. Congrats to the winner!
An Extraordinary Union gives us a glimpse of Civil War era south through the eyes of Elle Burns, a former slave who is an undercover spy on a plantation, working for the Union. I am used to reading historical novels through rose tinted glasses. Caucasian lady, Duchess or lower class girl catches the eye of her also caucasian Duke, Viscount, or sometimes club owner. They meet, don’t want to fall in love, but lust after each other. An Extraordinary Union was a refreshingly honest interracial historical romance. Elle as a spy, is undercover in the role of slave. It was seriously disturbing to read about how slaves were treated as property and animals. How slave women were abused by owners, mistresses and guests, and how their voices were not heard. It also gave impetus to Elle’s character, and why she would put herself back in this subjugated position to fight for others freedom.
Malcolm, her love interest, is an undercover Pinkerton detective, also working for the Union. He is a guest in Elle’s household, there to try to retrieve information from the plantation owner about soldier movements in the area. He and Elle meet, and there is an immediate attraction. However, they both struggle against that attraction because of society’s mores. Elle’s self hatred for being attracted to Malcolm, a white man, made this book ring true and those honest feelings invested the reader in the outcome of that relationship. Rooting for them against all odds. The fact that Malcolm’s background as an immigrant from Scotland, where his family was forced to flee for their lives gave them a commonality that added to his character and gave the reader an understanding of why they would risk their lives for each other. An Extraordinary Union, indeed.
There was more to this book than the interracial relationship. It was also part suspense, mystery and action thriller. Overall, a very good story. However, for me, it was the love story that was told with such honesty that made me enjoy it so much.
❤️❤️❤️❤️
GIVEAWAY- A copy of An Extraordinary Union signed by the author! (US only) expires 6/5/17
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Click the link to purchase! An Extraordinary Union (The Loyal League)
Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Warning-explicit photos below. Continue at your own risk.
Shadow Reaper continues the story of the Ferraro family, and in this case playboy race car driver Ricco Ferraro. Ricco, recovering from a horrible racing accident has realized that he has nothing to live for. His reputation as a playboy is a sham, and he can’t seem to care for anyone or anything anymore. When looking for a model to practice the art of Shibari (more on this later), he meets Mariko and his shadow immediately connects with hers and he knows he finally has finally found someone worth living for. He also knows that she has come to kill him and his past has caught up with him and his family and the women he now cares deeply for may be in danger.
As with the first book, Shadow Rider, Christine Feehan creates a really interesting dark and dangerous world. One I can’t help but feel fascinated by. The Ferraro family, although mafia like as a comparison, may be more super hero. They fight for the unprotected and underprivileged, and kill to make their people safe. The Ferraro’s use a particular skill, shadow riding, that enables them to use shadow’s as a means of traveling quickly from one place to another. Also using those same shadows to hide in and step out to fight or kill when necessary. It’s really a neat creation and I wish the author had not gotten sidetracked into the art of Shibari because to me that was a distraction from an otherwise good storyline. Part of the distraction was in trying to figure out the descriptions I was reading. I’ll admit to stopping while reading and googling Shibari, looking at photographs, reading about it and internally going “huh”. Then skipping those pages which were supposed to be a dramatic romantic hook to the storyline just to get to the good parts where the Ferraro’s were fighting for their brothers honor, Mariko’s life and their own lives.
Now, on to Shibari. In layman terms and skipping the history lesson, Shibari uses rope to create erotic imagery and is considered an art form. In some cases, I’ll agree, it can be quite lovely, but also kind of scary. Because I found the visuals helpful, here are a couple of pictures on either end of the spectrum.
You can tell by these photos that I was a little confused by what I was supposed to be visualizing when Ricco was tying up Mariko. Although she did seem to like it, it just wasn’t my thing. However, I am positive that there will be huge fans of what Ms. Feehan was trying to achieve in this book. In fact I bet there are a few of you who will google Shibari right after your done reading this blog. You’re welcome! However, it just kind of got lost in the translation for me. I did enjoy the other portions of this book. The storyline was great and I love the imagery of shadow riding. As I stated in my review of Shadow Rider, I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this book. It was a tough one for me to review!
I received an ARC of this book for my honest review, and it was honest!
❤️❤️❤️❣️
Read my review of Shadow Rider- click HERE
Click the link to purchase! Shadow Reaper (Shadow Riders Novel, A)
Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Ah, the age old problem of being engaged to a Marquess, while secretly having feelings for his brother. Truthfully, I don’t blame her. The Marquess has been MIA for eight years! Talk about a long engagement. Rafe, brother to the missing Marquess, has a problem. Clio wants out of the engagement, and he has to sign the papers. Rafe refuses, because while he does lust after his brother’s fiancée, he doesn’t want to be the person who tears them apart, even if it’s just with a signature on paper. Continue reading “This Chick Read: Say Yes to the Marquess (Castles Ever After) by Tessa Dare”
Eve and Roark, just back from vacation are on the way home from a charity event when a bloody, naked woman steps out in front of their car. They rush her to the hospital and that quickly, she’s back on the job and Eve’s next investigation begins. This investigation revolves around a man who dresses up like a horror flick, invades homes and ties up the husband making him watch while he rapes the wife. Not an easy thing to read about, and for Eve, it once again brings back the ghosts from her troubled past. Continue reading “This Chick Read: Echoes in Death (In Death #44) by J. D. Robb”
White Hot is the long awaited second book by the writing team of Ilona Andrews. This urban fantasy novel is set in a contemporary world where your place in society is determined by how high a grade of magic you can use. At the end of the last novel Nevada Baylor, owner of the family run Baylor Investigations has rebuffed Connor “Mad” Rogan a Prime. The prime designation determined by the highest level of magic capable in an individual. Nevada has the age old issue of wanting to be her own woman but also wanting Rogan to want her enough to fight for her. Of course, being a man, he hasn’t a clue that’s what she wants, she’s hurt he didn’t make an effort to be with her. Nevada takes a new case that pits she and her family up against several Houses that may or may not try to kill her to keep her from investigating her clients wife murder. Of course, Rogan is also investigating these murders, in fact, his team of body guards got wiped out by these murderers, and he’s determined to avenge their deaths. He and Nevada again team up to solve this crime and their relationship dance continues to tempt us with drama and passion.
Ilona Andrews excels at character building and these two characters are among my favorites that they’ve written. However, what makes this series so good are the strength of the characters that surround Nevada and Connor. We are given insight into what makes each of these characters tick by seeing how they act with the people they care about. Nevada especially because her family relationships unveil secrets about Nevada that we hadn’t learned yet. Connor’s interactions with his employee’s and his friend Augustine also reveal the depth of his feelings for Nevada, and those feelings are intense!
This series is so much fun to read! It’s full of action and passion, and written with a singular voice and touch. I’m not sure how writing teams work, but these two have it down to an art!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Click the link to purchase! White Hot (Hidden Legacy)
Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Laura Carter has quickly become one of my go to authors when I want to read an edgy contemporary romance. She writes from a British POV and her plots are filled with excellent writing and erotic dramatic suspense!
When I met her in person last year I was charmed by her personality and after reading the first book in her Vengeful Love series I became a fan. If you follow Laura on Facebook or Instagram you’ll really get to know her as she gives you an inside view of her island writing nooks and Friday celebratory cocktails. I try not to be jealous of all those beach pictures, but it’s hard!
I’m excited to hand over my Sunday blog to Laura so she can also charm all of you, but more importantly so she can tell you all about writing, her books, and what’s up next!
LAURA CARTER
I first met Deborah at RT Convention in Las Vegas in 2016. We were taking two minutes out from the craziness of the conference, and inevitably started talking books.
We have stayed in touch since, and I was thrilled when she asked if I would be interested in commandeering The Reading Chick blog for a day. I was thrilled, not only because I get to support Deborah’s blog and hopefully introduce myself to new readers, but also because there will be many writers among you and I think it is helpful to hear how fellow writers became published. Similar blogs certainly helped me.
So, here is my story…
When I was a young girl (*looks wistfully into the distance*), I would write song lyrics and make up plays. I would perform for my family, forcing my sister and cousins to take part. So, naturally, I grew up and became an attorney.
I know what you’re thinking—the two worlds don’t exactly go together like salt and pepper or Bonnie and Clyde. But, you see, my day job meant that I needed an escape from long hours and heavy documents, and that I was armed with knowledge of cities and a corporate worlds.
In fact, my first trilogy, VENGEFUL LOVE, published by Harlequin’s Carina Press, is a dark, city-based, erotic romance. Book Page described VENGEFUL LOVE as, “[A]fast-paced, scorching romance that moves from boardroom to bedroom, to the darker corners of desire and retribution.”
The VENGEFUL LOVE series follows Scarlett Heath, a high-flying London lawyer, as she falls hard for her enigmatic, quietly dangerous, and downright HOT client, Gregory Ryans. Their love story will take you on an exhilarating ride through passion, angst and corruption.
Getting my first publishing deal was both incredible and incredibly surreal. It is an experience I consider myself very lucky to have been through. I didn’t do things the conventional way (i.e. find an agent, work on the manuscript together, find a publisher). I bought a copy of “Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook” and I researched publishers. I scoured their websites and narrowed down my list of preferred publishers to a handful, so to speak. I sent off whatever they asked for—often a synopsis and the first three chapters, sometimes the complete manuscript—and I held my breath.
I was fortunate enough not to have to wait long for my first offer. I then informed the other publishers that I had received an offer and, suddenly, I had five! At that stage, I had advances versus royalty only deals on the table and, frankly, I had no clue what to do next. I had no idea how to differentiate between publishers and deals. That was when I decided I needed an expert to help.
I only approached one agent, on the basis she represented an author whose work I knew well, and who wrote in a similar genre to mine. That agent came on board and the rest, as they say, is history.
Until…
I started to attend book signings and events, and fell quickly into the insane and fabulous world of books, readers, bloggers and authors. The more I spoke to people in the book world, it became clear to me there were advantages and disadvantages of both traditional and indie publishing. I realised that I could write quicker than I could seal my next traditional publishing deal. That, combined with the encouragement of indie author friends, led me to self-publish my next title, SCARRED BY YOU.
SCARRED BY YOU is the ultimate second chance romance. Dayna Cross and Clark Layton were always hot together, that hasn’t changed. But a lot of things have. These two characters will take you on a journey of twists and tears, through anger, lust, pain, love and hope.
Following the success of self-publishing SCARRED BY YOU, it is my intention to remain a hybrid author, bringing more books to the market than I might otherwise be able to if I were solely traditionally published. All the while, enjoying the knowledge and expertise that seasoned publishers can bring to my work.
So, what’s next for Laura Carter?
Well, I’m pleased you asked (you did, right?).
Earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to secure a new three book deal with New York publisher, Kensington Publishing. The deal is for three standalone romantic comedies, which are part of the BRITS IN MANHATTAN series.
The first book in the series, BALANCING THE SCALES, releases 21 November.
The BRITS IN MANHATTAN series follows a group of friends in New York as they cross paths with sassy Brits, who have the ability to get the hearts of my American heroes racing!
So, brace yourselves for the British Invasion! Expect comedy, heat and swoon-worthy romances.
BALANCING THE SCALES
A Hotshot Manhattan Attorney.
Drew Harrington knows exactly who he is—a legal shark with a love ‘em and leave ‘em attitude that works just fine in his cutthroat world. He’s on the cusp of promotion to named partner, but only if he can prove to his colleagues that he has a more human side.
A Sweetheart of a British Patisserie Chef.
Becky Fletcher is running from her past, so the last thing she’s looking for is love. What she does want is a friendly face in a cold city. Her sunny outlook is the sweetness Drew never knew was missing from his life.
One fateful meeting at a bagel cart.
They sound like a match made in heaven—or is it a car crash? If they have any chance of finding happiness, Drew and Becky are going to have to rethink their life plans. Until then, is there really any harm in having some fun between the sheets?
All’s fair in love and lox!
You can pre-order BALANCING THE SCALES now:
iBooks: https://goo.gl/0MLjEk
Barnes and Noble: https://goo.gl/0xaq5B
Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/AbwA8z
Amazon US: https://goo.gl/vCN42X
GooglePlay: https://goo.gl/he4H3O
Kobo: https://goo.gl/mlxcDH
Before I hand the blog back over to Deborah, how about a Giveaway?
Win a $10 Amazon gift card AND one Laura Carter ebook of your choice!
To enter:
(1) Like my Facebook author page
www.facebook.com/lauracarterauthor.
(2) For bonus entries, you can:
a. Sign up to my newsletter: www.lauracarterauthor.com/sign-up
b. Follow me on Goodreads: https://goo.gl/4GuJdd
c. Follow me on BookBub: https://goo.gl/6kND3X
d. Follow me on Amazon: https://goo.gl/hq3Tky
e. Join my reader group: www.facebook.com/groups/carterschiccats
Competition closes at midnight (EST) Friday 26 May. Winner to be announced via the blog.
It was great to hang out! Thank you so much to Deborah for hosting me.
Come and chat to me any time about the publishing process and my story: www.facebook.com/lauracarterauthor
You can join my virtual book club here: www.facebook.com/groups/carterschiccats (we read one book per month, chosen by poll in my reader group)
Faye Barlow has lived in agony since the death of her beloved husband Will four years ago. Faye takes a photography job in Beaufort, South Carolina as a refuge from a failed marriage to Will’s best friend and to continue to grieve Will. As she travels around Beaufort taking pictures of landmarks, she see’s a wrecked lighthouse and is intrigued by its story. When she goes to the library to research it, she notices a picture of its caretaker who is the mirror image of her husband Will. She learns of the story about Bride Island Lighthouse, the legend of the Lady of the Light and the inhabitants who lived on the island. She goes out to the lighthouse for a closer look and has her feet swept out from under her by a wave, and comes out of the water in 1921 face to face with what looks to be her husband.
This was a lovingly told story of a woman who survives loss and finds love again in 1921. An era that was pre World War II, pre depression, during prohibition, before pre Civil Rights, and before women have the right to vote. Women are only slightly better than property to their husbands and modern day Faye is an anomaly in that time. The fish out of water parts of this book were both eye opening and fun to read, but her struggles to milk a goat paled in comparison to her education of how black people were treated at that time.
Her growing feelings for Carrick were clouded by his looking like her dead husband. In addition to overcoming that obstacle, Faye is Faith, a runaway abused wife of one of Carricks Navy buddies. There were a lot of obstacles to this love story and intricacies to the plot that made the ending very satisfactory and moving. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
GIVEAWAY- Win a signed copy of The Night Mark! (US only) EXPIRES 5/25/17
Click the link to purchase! The Night Mark: A Novel
Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
This series has quickly become one of my favorites. I was eager to read Etched in Bone, while at the same time dreading it. Do you ever love something so much that you want to eat it up and put it off at the same time? This was one of those novels for me! Continue reading “This Chick Read: Etched in Bone (Others #5) by Anne Bishop”
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