And the Winner is................
Lisa (wolphcall)
Congratulations!
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Friday, December 14, 2012
Holiday Gifts of Love Blog Hop
Welcome to my stop on the Holiday Gifts of Love Blog Hop. I'm going to talk a little about my families Christmas and New Years traditions and share my favorite cookie recipe too.
We have THREE grand prizes. You can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!
Now what are those prizes?
1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet - Open to US and International Entries
2nd Grand Prize: A $200 Amazon or B&N Gift Card - Open to US and International Entries
3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more! - Open to U.S. Residents Only!
Please make sure you leave your email address with your entry. No email address.....No Entry!
My Family Traditions
We try to get together every holiday but with 2 of my 3 sisters out of town, it can be difficult. It's become somewhat of a tradition to celebrate Christmas with my youngest sister in town with my parents at her house, we either get together for Christmas Eve dinner or Christmas Day brunch. We usually have a nice ham, two different kind of potato dishes (mashed/hash browns and sweet potato), lots of crescent rolls (usually at least 40), sometimes we'll have scrambled eggs, a non-alcoholic Trader's punch to drink and then all kind of cookies and other yummy desserts to eat.
Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies (Courtesy of Crisco)
Ingredients:
- 3/4 stick Crisco® Baking Sticks Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening
- OR 3/4 cup Crisco® Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening
- 1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I sometimes cheat and add more)
- 1 large egg
- 1 3/4 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour (or whatever brand you have)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 (6 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
- 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional but I love them)
To Prepare:
- HEAT oven to 375ºF.
- COMBINE shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Mix into shortening mixture until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
- DROP by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet.
- BAKE 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies, or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet on a cooling rack. Remove cookies to rack to cool completely.
DON'T FORGET.......TO ENTER THE GRAND PRIZE DRAWING YOU MUST LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS. NO EMAIL - NO ENTRY. To Enter MY Giveaway Use the Rafflecopter Form Below.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Virtual Excerpt Tour & Giveaway - A Marriage of Inconvenience by Christine Young
Welcome to my stop on Christine Young's Virtual Excerpt Tour for A Marriage of Convenience. Please make sure to leave a comment or question below for Christine to let her know you stopped by and to enter her giveaway for a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. You can follow her tour here, the more often you comment, the better your odds of winning.
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by Christine Young
Published by: Rogue Phoenix Press
Release Date: November 30, 2012
ISBN: 9781624200045
ASIN: B00AG5NNI0
Buy Links:
Blurb:
A REGAL BEAUTY
When the duchess decides to wed her to a wastrel and a fop, Ravyn Grahm takes matters into her own hands and declares her engagement to another man. Instead of fessing up and telling her great aunt what she has done, she goes through with the pretense. Aric Lakeland is the bastard son of an earl and has a dangerous reputation. But Ravyn is willing to do most anything to keep the duchess from discovering the lie.
A DEVIL-MAY-CARE SMUGGLER
He'd bought land in America, looking to put down roots and end his life of adventure, but Aric Lakeland got more than he bargained for when he encountered a beautiful heiress who made a promise she didn't want to keep. But the promise could not be undone and standing between them were more obstacles than either ever dreamed. Aric had made plans to spend the rest of his life in America and that was at odds with Ravyn's plan of living in England and running her father's estate. Now, he'll have to choose between his dreams and the woman he loves more than life.
Exclusive Excerpt:
She watched him. Her large dark eyes soaked in all the colors of the candlelight. At this moment, they were such a deep blue they seemed to be rimmed in violet.
"Ravyn?" He wondered how much of his conversation with the first mate she had overheard.
"Are we under attack?" With those words, her face paled and his question was answered as well. She pushed strands of hair from her eyes, pulling it all away from her face so it fell behind her back in a shimmering veil.
She smelled of lilies and the scent brought thoughts of wild passion soaring through his head.
Are we under attack?
She deserved an answer. Yet he didn’t want to frighten her.
He wanted her to stay safe--remain below.
But the ship on the horizon could very well threaten everyone’s safety. If they were captured, there would be no safety for her anywhere--below or above deck.
He had been in this position before, and he’d never felt his skin crawl with fear.
Only once, he reminded himself. Perhaps he was older and wiser now. Perhaps he now had more to lose.
That one time he had prevailed. His men had fought valiantly, and no one had perished in the skirmish between pirate and sailor.
He turned to her, his gut churning and his heart in his throat. "Whatever happens, stay below."
"Aric, I--"
"Promise me, Ravyn."
"Aric..."
He ran his hands through his hair. Then he strode to her. He sat on the chair near the bed, his hands placed squarely on her shoulders.
God, she was amazing and spoiled--too courageous by far. Her pampered sheltered life would certainly not prepare her for anything that was rushing fast and furious in her direction.
Impossibly, foolishly courageous.
His fingers tightened. He felt her cringe away from his and forced himself to relax his hands.
Her eyes widened. More than anything, he needed her to understand the danger above. But he was afraid he didn’t have time to explain.
___________________________
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Born in Medford, Oregon, novelist Christine Young has lived in Oregon all of her life. After graduating from Oregon State University with a BS in science, she spent another year at Southern Oregon State University working on her teaching certificate, and a few years later received her Master's degree in secondary education and counseling. Now the long, hot days of summer provide the perfect setting for creating romance. She sold her first book, Dakota's Bride, the summer of 1998 and her second book, My Angel to Kensington. Her teaching and writing careers have intertwined with raising three children. Christine's newest venture is the creation of Rogue Phoenix Press. Christine is the founder, editor and co-owner with her husband. They live in Salem, Oregon.
http://christineyoung-romancewriter.blogspot.com/
Please make sure to leave a comment or question below for Christine to let her know you stopped by and to enter her giveaway for a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. You can follow her tour here, the more often you comment, the better your odds of winning.
Online Book Tour & Review - Sterling Redmond by Kim Nathan
Welcome to my stop on Kim Nathan's Online Book Tour for Sterling Redmond. Please make sure to leave a comment or question below to let Kim know you stopped by.
_______________________________________
Guest Self Interview - Kim Nathan
Who I am: an emerging novelist
What I wanted to be when I grew up: an angel, then later – a writer. As a child, whenever some kind stranger would remark on my dimples, my mother told me to say, “that’s where the angels kissed me when I was born.” Seriously.
What I ended up doing for a living: business analyst for Corporate America. Wow – big disconnect, huh? I left that career in December 2010.
City I was born in: Baltimore, Maryland
City where I live now: Seattle, Washington
Education:
Catholic school: kindergarten – 6th grade
Public school: 7th grade – high school graduation
University: 1 year, then…
School of Life: ongoing
What’s most important to me: my family, my friends, my freedom to create, and my ability to serve and contribute
Favorite personality traits (in myself and others): courage, honesty, compassion
People I admire: Oprah, Sting, Louise L. Hay, Marc Allen, Jonathan Fields, and anyone who follows their dreams
Writers who influenced me: Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Victoria Holt, Anya Seton, Mary Stewart, Susan Howatch, Milan Kundera, Margaret Atwood, Jane Roberts, Marc Allen, Jonathan Fields, Steven Pressfield
Best Novel I’ve ever read: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Favorite things to do when I’m not writing: dining out with my husband, reading in my garden with my cats near by, leisurely walks in nature, Nia dancing, sharing time with my girlfriends, vacationing in Europe…
Favorite vacation spots: Amsterdam, Italy, Germany
Intention: To inspire and entertain my readers and to live a life of courage, purpose and connection.
_______________________________________
Sterling Redmond
by Kim Nathan
Publisher: Kim Nathan
Release Date: December 31, 2011
Length: 346 Pages
ASIN: B006RYC7VS
Buy Links:
Blurb:
Set in Gilded Age America, a young woman must choose between circumstance and destiny. When orphaned as small children, Sterling Redmond and her older sister Charlotte are raised by their grandfather at the family’s Maryland country estate of Northampton. Charlotte blossoms into a famed Baltimore beauty, but Sterling is more interested in books and horseback riding than feminine pursuits.
Concerned that her niece will never find a suitable husband among the local Baltimore gentry, Madame De Chant whisks Sterling away to Belle Époque Paris in search of a gentleman who can understand her. In their absence, Nicholas Pembroke, the son of an English earl, takes up residence in the manor bordering Northampton.
When Sterling and her aunt return to America for Charlotte’s wedding, Sterling finds that her perfect husband is living right next door. But there is a problem: he is already engaged to marry Charlotte.
Excerpt:
PROLOGUE
Here I am. I stand before a house from my past on the edge of a small Parisian park. Across the lane and up a few stairs, the front door stares back and gives me nothing. I know this place. Shivering in the cold violet light of dusk that surrounds me, here I am, at the end of my journey to find him. I am stunned it did not occur to me sooner, the idea that he might come here, this place from our past. It occurs to me now that while I thought he was running away from me in the present; he was actually running back towards me in the past. And yet I am frozen on this boulevard, unable to move.
There is the flicker of firelight above stairs. Reassured my travel has not been for naught, I wait for a carriage to pass by over the cobble stones, and then I cross the lane. My body compels me up the steps and rings the bell. Twice. Beyond the glass windows I see lamps being lit. A noisy lock turns and the door opens. I expect a hall-porter, but I get the valet. Wolffe stares back at me with his stoic face, but I see the flash of shocked recognition cross his angular features before he regains complete control. His presence confirms my hope that Nicholas is here.
“Madame,” he says, blinking at me.
“Wolffe,” I reply, pushing my way past him and into the hall.
We stare at each other for a moment, saying nothing. The foyer where we stand has clearly not seen callers for some time. No fire warms the chill damp and stale air. I glance furtively at the bare fireplace. Wolffe, having now regained his composure, breaks our silence. “We were not expecting any callers this evening, ma’am.”
“He is here?” I ask, gazing up the stairs.
“He is,” Wolffe replies.
“I will see him.”
Wolffe nods his head and leads me up the steps. I feel every intake of breath as I climb. Memories from years before crowd all around me, but this place feels lifeless now. When we reach the top of the stairs, Wolffe pauses and says, in a voice barely above a whisper, “May I say…ma’am…what a comfort it is to see you here.”
The light from the drawing room is brighter now. It is good that I am here. Wolffe has told me so, and Wolffe knows everything there is to know about this house, about me, about Nicholas. Wolffe holds his hand up to stop me and then he walks into the bright flickering drawing room. He waits a moment to be acknowledged.
Finally, I hear him say, “Sir.”
“What is it, Wolffe? You know I don’t see callers,” an impatient voice says. Nicholas’ voice.
I hear Wolffe announce “Sterling Redmond, sir.” And I step into the light.
ONE
Three Years Earlier
Maryland, August 1889
Sterling Redmond walked into the room, and Nicholas saw her for the first time. Actually, it was not the first time. He had seen her earlier that day, from a distance, rolling along in an open carriage with her great-aunt, arriving back at Northampton after two years abroad, but she was only a blur of auburn hair in the distance. He had not yet met her, but Charlotte had told him this about her: she was dull. She lacked the vivaciousness of other young women. Her disposition was too serious. Some called her a bluestocking. In short, she was a problem. A young woman of such a prominent and influential Baltimore family was expected to secure a marriage worthy of her social status. After two seasons in Paris, where her great-aunt Madame De Chant maintained a household, she had yet to win a firm offer of marriage. There was a growing impatience among her closest family members, who wondered if her education and forthright manner prevented any positive momentum in this direction, and to make matters worse, Charlotte complained, the young woman seemed not the slightest bit interested in abandoning her independence.
Sterling was home now at the request of her grandfather and guardian, Andrew Redmond, who was busy arranging Charlotte’s own wedding, scheduled to occur in just a month’s time. These upcoming nuptials only served to accent the problem with her younger sister. Charlotte thought her sister’s willful manner and plain looks were to blame for her unclaimed state. It certainly wasn’t due to her lack of a dowry. Charlotte, on the other hand, was a famed Baltimore beauty, whose looks and accomplishments were universally admired. She was immensely popular in society, and it was no surprise to anyone that she had secured the engagement of the season to the son of an English earl. Her exquisite beauty, her delicate manners and gentle ways, her sensitive disposition, all were upheld as an ideal role model among the young ladies in the county. Other young women fashioned themselves after Charlotte in their manner of dress, in the way they wore their hair. Charlotte painted her own sister’s prospects in such a dim light that Nicholas was astonished when the supposedly awkward and plain sister walked into the drawing room, and he saw a creature quite unlike the one described to him.
Sterling was late, so she appeared slightly flustered. Madame De Chant was already established on the settee, holding court with her family around her. Sterling paused in the doorway, and Nicholas watched her eyes quickly scan the room. Her gaze finally reached him, the only person in the room with whom she wasn’t acquainted, and this prompted her to smile. She swept into the drawing room, her shoulders squared and her back perfectly straight. She was a simple beauty, not beautiful the way her sister was, but with a quiet, thoughtful face of porcelain skin and intelligent dark eyes full of natural curiosity and easy humor. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled back in a soft chignon, held in place with a tortoise-shell comb. She wore a gown of cream faille with purple satin stripes that was impeccably tailored to her figure, and the lack of frills, bows and flounces only served to enhance the luminous effect the fashion had upon her. In her right hand, she held an embroidered black silk fan which she opened mischievously as she approached her grandfather, beaming a smile at him. Two years spent in Europe had clearly transformed the younger Miss Redmond into something unrecognizable to her sister Charlotte.
Nicholas glanced over at Charlotte now. She had told him the reunion of her family was a joyous occasion, but it was clear from her expression that it was not. In all her resplendent beauty, she sat beside her aunt, her hand tightly gripping the carved swan-necked armrest of the red Finley sofa, her lips pinched primly together as her eyes followed her sister across the room.
Sterling went first to her grandfather, who gave her a warm kiss on the cheek. He was visibly delighted to see her and there was easy affection between them. Next she turned to acknowledge her great-aunt, who was like a mother to her, and then to her sister Charlotte, to whom she expressed sincere happiness in seeing again after such a long absence. Then she looked back to her grandfather, and turned her body slightly towards her sister’s fiancé, signaling that Andrew Redmond should introduce them. Nicholas watched her command the room with a sophistication of etiquette and manners that he had not seen since taking up residence in Baltimore. Her eyes smiled enthusiastically at him as Redmond introduced them.
“Sterling, this is Mr. Nicholas Pembroke. Pembroke, may I present my granddaughter, Miss Sterling Redmond?” The smile now touched her lips and she gave him a slight bow. Her eyes stared back at him steadily, and in them, he saw the eyes of Europe, the place he had come here to escape.
_____________________________________
BIO:
Kim Nathan is an American author of romance fiction, including Sterling Redmond, a historical romance, and Dreaming Montana, a paranormal romance. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, she relocated to Seattle, Washington in 1994, where she lives with her husband and cats.
ONLINE LINKS:
· Website http://kimnathanauthor.com/
· Facebook http://www.facebook.com/kimnathanauthor
· Twitter @KimNathanAuthor
· Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5753888.Kim_Nathan
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Review
Sterling Redmond, a historical romance penned by Kim Nathan, takes us back to the Gilded Age in America, where wealthy American businessmen and their wives tried to marry their wealthy daughters to either titled gentlemen in Europe or their rich counterparts on the East Coast. A period of time when women still had little to no legal rights to determine their own lives, Ms. Nathan's tale centers on two wealthy sisters, their husbands and the passing people in their lives. While many in America were struggling financially after the civil war, this story focuses on the wealthy and a woman whose character and personality would be at home in the modern world.
A wealthy, young debutante, Sterling Redmond has just returned to America from a 2 year trip to Europe. While both her wealthy grandfather and her older sister, Charlotte, had hoped she would come back a bride. Sterling comes back a more refined person but still enjoys the challenge of riding horses, reading scholarly works and being physically active. While she knows it's inevitable that she'll eventually have to marry, she never planned on falling in love with her sister's gentleman fiancee.
Nicholas Pembroke, the third son of a titled English gentleman, has settled in America to make a new life. A wealthy man, due to marrying money, he struggles to get over the death of his wife in childbirth. Knowing it's time to move on, he finds himself drawn to the country area in the Baltimore area and meets wealthy businessman Andrew Redmond, who naturally introduces him to his beautiful granddaughter Charlotte. While Nicholas really isn't interested in a new wife, he knows Charlotte would be a good match due to her breeding, her position in society and her own need for a wealthy husband. He never expected to fall in love with her younger sister, a woman he couldn't have.
It was clear to me from the very beginning that Sterling and Nicholas belonged together; unfortunately they were both promised to marry others. While each gives in to the inevitability of their circumstances, it's the fact their love and attraction for each other doesn't fade which makes this a somewhat sorrowful romance to read. Ms. Nathan does an excellent job touching on the fact that society at the time was more concerned with appearances and outward behavior - acting honorably and all that - and wasn't concerned with the moral or emotional problems the behavior created. Infidelity was not only the norm, it was almost expected.
As time moves forward we see Sterling, Nicholas, Charlotte and all of the others involved in their lives, suffering the effects of their actions and their consequences. While I enjoyed getting to know some of the viewpoints of the others, i will admit that the "head bopping" occasionally made it difficult to follow the story. I would have preferred if we had simply gotten the story from the viewpoint of Sterling or Nicholas or even Sterling and Nicholas but not everyone else too.
Do Sterling and Nicholas ever have a chance to act on their love? You'll have to read Sterling Redmond to find out.
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Crowns
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Blog Barrage & Review - Toying with Tempation by Madison Martin
Welcome to my stop on Madison Martin's Toying With Temptation Blog Barrage. Please make sure to leave a comment or question below for Madison to let her know you stopped by. You can enter the tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.
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by Madison Martin
Published by Chances Press, LLC
Published on November 1, 2011
Contemporary Romance
Heat Level: Steamy
Length: 188 pages
Buy Links:
B&N
Smashwords
Blurb:
Driven, business savvy Hailey Burton, Vice President of Tryton Financial Institute, has been put in charge of running what could be her first ever failure: the company's Christmas Eve toy drive. Toys and Christmas are beyond Hailey's expertise, but when she's offered the chance for the promotion she's been waiting for if she succeeds, her competitive spirit kicks into high gear.
When every company in Los Angeles turns her down, desperation leads her to Quinn Matheson. Ten years ago, Hailey chose a prosperous career over Quinn, but as she falls for him all over again, she can't deny that they make a good team in business...and more. This second time around, is she finally ready to make the leap and become his partner in love?
Excerpt:
Quinn, the King of Matheson Toys and the picture of confidence, silently appraised her from behind the huge oak desk in his office.
“I mean, we’ve been in every other posi—” She coughed before she finished a sentence that could get her in big trouble. Whatever “positions” she and Quinn may have found themselves in ten years ago, it was too long ago to matter now. Wasn’t it?
She stiffened her spine and felt herself growing hotter by the second. A trickle of sweat began to run down the small of her back. Why fight it? Her brand new, one-of-a kind suit, bought for a special occasion, was headed straight for the cleaners.
Why did she think this would be easy? Why did she think she’d have the upper hand? And why was Quinn sitting there staring at her, refusing to say anything?
He watched her with calculating dark brown eyes, noticing every time she fidgeted or said something stupid. It was beginning to drive her crazy.
“Are you going to say something?”
He shrugged. “It’s your meeting.”
In her eight years of experience, she’d met with and given presentations to presidents and corporate execs from companies all over the world. She always acted with cool confidence in situations that made tough men sweat, and not one minute of it ever fazed her.
What did faze her was sitting here in front of her ex, begging for tens of thousands of toys for her company’s first Christmas toy drive in five years.
Christmas was beyond the limits of her expertise. In her entire life she’d celebrated maybe one or two. Last year, she’d spent the holiday on a conference call closing a deal with a company in Hong Kong. The year before that, she’d been in New York collecting leads for a new account. Her boss knew Christmas was out of her league, but he also knew she never gave her projects less than a hundred and twenty percent, and he’d saddled her with the toy drive despite her protests.
If the promise of moving up the Tryton Financial Institute corporate ladder weren’t waiting for her at the other end of this, she’d have told her boss to forget it. But as usual, the desire for success was stronger than…well, the desire for anything else.
Stronger, even, than the will to never see the man she’d run out on ten years ago. As much as she never thought she’d have the guts to look him in the face again, that promotion was staring her down…waiting. Begging for her to come and get it.
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Author Bio and Links:
Madison Martin is also the author of Briefly Yours: An Erotic Romance Novel, Nights on Catalina, The Deep End: Erotic Stories For Women, and The Deep End 2: Wedding Night. To find out more about Madison, visit http://www.madisonmartinbooks.com/
__________________________________
Review
With a good dose of humor, Madison Martin's Toying with Temptation is a fun, holiday themed second chance romance. With well developed characters, snappy dialogue, and just the right touch of romantic chemistry, I found myself rapidly turning the pages. Adding a twist on a familiar romantic trope, bride left at the alter, Ms. Martin gives us a chance to see what happens when it's the groom who's left at the alter.
Beautiful and ambitious, Hailey Burton is determined to get another promotion at work. Used to sacrificing everything, including personal relationships, to get ahead, Hailey isn't prepared for the newest sacrifice she'll have to make to impress her new boss. Reinstating her company's nationally known toy drive to repair their tarnished image should be easy, getting down to her last choice of corporate sponsors is hard - especially when the president of that company just happens to be the man she left standing at the alter.
Part of a toy family dynasty, Quinn Matheson still hasn't gotten over the young woman who left him standing at the alter. Newly named president of the family toy business, Quinn can't believe Hailey Burton has the nerve to want a business meeting with him. Letting Hailey give her sales pitch to get his company to join her company's toy drive is easy - forgiving her for what she did to him in the past, not so much. Trying to be fair, and wanting to know if there's any chance at figuring out why she left him, Quinn agrees to be her partner for the toy drive - as long as she pretends to be his girlfriend to get rid of some matchmaking friends.
The scenes between Hailey and Quinn are lots of fun, they have great verbal and physical chemistry. Both driven to succeed, for different reasons, the only issue they really have is trust. While their love for each other has never gone away, they'll have to learn to trust each other on a level they've never given anyone else. I really liked how Ms. Martin developed both Hailey and Quinn's characters both on a business and personal level; Hailey really brings out the best in Quinn and Quinn reminds Hailey that life is about more than just work.
Will Hailey learn to put her life and her love for Quinn above her career? Will Quinn learn to trust his own business decisions and have as much faith in himself as Hailey does? You'll have to read Toying with Temptation to find out. I enjoyed this holiday romance and can't wait to read more of Ms. Martin's work.
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Crowns
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Virtual Book Tour - River Road by Suzanne Johnson
Welcome to my stop on Suzanne Johnson's Virtual Book Tour for River Road. Please make sure to leave a comment or question below for Suzanne to let her know you stopped by. You can fill out the Rafflecopter form to enter her tour wide giveaway.
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Sentinels of New Orleans, Book 2
Suzanne Johnson
Suzanne Johnson
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 978-0765327802
ASIN: B00842H5VI
Number of pages: 336
Word Count: approx. 92,000
Cover Artist: Cliff Nielsen
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 978-0765327802
ASIN: B00842H5VI
Number of pages: 336
Word Count: approx. 92,000
Cover Artist: Cliff Nielsen
Buy Links:
Book Description:
Hurricane Katrina is long gone, but the preternatural storm rages on in New Orleans. New species from the Beyond moved into Louisiana after the hurricane destroyed the borders between worlds, and it falls to wizard sentinel Drusilla Jaco and her partner, Alex Warin, to keep the preternaturals peaceful and the humans unaware. But a war is brewing between two clans of Cajun merpeople in Plaquemines Parish, and down in the swamp, DJ learns, there’s more stirring than angry mermen and the threat of a were-gator.
Wizards are dying, and something—or someone—from the Beyond is poisoning the waters of the mighty Mississippi, threatening the humans who live and work along the river. DJ and Alex must figure out what unearthly source is contaminating the water and who—or what—is killing the wizards. Is it a malcontented merman, the naughty nymph, or some other critter altogether? After all, DJ’s undead suitor, the pirate Jean Lafitte, knows his way around a body or two.
It’s anything but smooth sailing on the bayou as the Sentinels of New Orleans series continues.
Excerpt:
The minute hand of
the ornate grandfather clock crept like a gator stuck in swamp mud. I’d been
watching it for half an hour, nursing a fizzy cocktail from my perch inside the
Hotel Monteleone. The plaque on the enormous clock claimed it had been hand-
carved of mahogany in 1909, about 130 years after the birth of the undead
pirate waiting for me upstairs.
They were both quite handsome, but the
clock was a lot safer.
The infamous Jean Lafitte had expected
me at seven. He’d summoned me to his French Quarter hotel suite by courier like
I was one of his early nineteenth-century wenches, and I hated to destroy his
pirate-king delusions, but the historical undead don’t summon wizards. We
summon them.
I’d have blown him off if my boss on
the Congress of Elders hadn’t ordered me to comply and my co-sentinel, Alex,
hadn’t claimed a prior engagement.
At seven thirty, I abandoned my drink,
took a deep breath, and marched through the lobby toward the bank of elevators.
On the long dead-man-walking stroll down the carpeted
hallway, I imagined all the horrible requests Jean might make. He’d saved my
life a few years ago, after Hurricane Katrina sent the city into free fall, and
I hadn’t seen him since. I’d been desperate at the time. I might have promised
him unfettered access to modern New Orleans in exchange for his assistance. I
might have promised him a place to live. I might have promised him things I
don’t even remember. In other words, I might be totally screwed.
I reached the door of the Eudora Welty Suite and knocked,
reflecting that Jean Lafitte probably had no idea who Eudora Welty was, and
wouldn’t like her if he did. Ms. Welty had been a modern sort of woman who
wouldn’t hop to attention when summoned by a scoundrel.
He didn’t answer immediately. I’d made him wait, after all,
and Jean lived in a tit- for- tat world. I paused a few breaths and knocked
harder. Finally, he flung open the door, waving me inside to a suite plush with
tapestries of peach and royal blue, thick carpet that swallowed the narrow
heels of my pumps, and a plasma TV he couldn’t possibly know how to operate.
What a waste.
“You have many assets, Drusilla, but apparently a respect
for time is not among them.” Deep, disapproving voice, French accent, broad
shoulders encased in a red linen shirt, long dark hair pulled back into a tail,
eyes such a cobalt blue they bordered on navy. And technically speaking, dead.
He was as sexy as ever.
“Sorry.” I slipped my hand in my skirt pocket, fingering
the small pouch of magic-infused herbs I carried at all times. My mojo bag
wouldn’t help with my own perverse attraction to the man, but it would keep my
empathic abilities in check. If he still had a perverse attraction to me, I
didn’t want to feel it.
He eased his six-foot-two frame into a sturdy blue chair
and slung one long leg over the arm as he gave me a thorough eye raking, a ghost
of a smile on his face.
I perched on the edge of the adjacent sofa, easing back
against a pair of plump throw pillows, and looked at him expectantly. I hoped
what ever he wanted wouldn’t jeopardize my life, my job, or my meager bank
account.
“You are as lovely as ever, Jolie,” Jean said, trotting out
his pet name for me that sounded deceptively intimate and brought back a lot of
memories, most of them bad. “I will forgive your tardiness— perhaps you were
late because you were selecting clothing that I would like.” His gaze lingered
on my legs. “You chose beautifully.”
I’d picked a conservative black skirt and simple white
blouse with the aim of looking professional for a business meeting, part of my
ongoing attempt to prove to the Elders I was a mature wizard worthy of a pay
raise. But this was Jean Lafitte, so I should have worn coveralls. I’d
forgotten what a letch he could be.
“I have a date after our meeting,” I lied. He didn’t need
to know said date involved a round carton with the words Blue Bell Ice Cream
printed on front. “Why did you want to see me?”
There, that hadn’t been so difficult—just a simple request.
No drama. No threats. No double- entendre. Straight to business.
“Does a man need a reason to see a beautiful woman?
Especially one who is indebted to him, and who has made him many promises?” A
slow smile spread across his face, drawing my eyes to his full lips and the
ragged scar that trailed his jawline.
I might be the empath in the room, but he knew very well
that, in some undead kind of way, I thought he was hot.
I felt my face warming to the shade of a trailer- trash
bridesmaid’s dress, one whose color had a name like raging rouge. I’d had a
similar reaction when I first met Jean in 2005, two days before a mean
hurricane with a sissy name turned her malevolent eye toward the Gulf Coast. I
blamed my whole predicament on Katrina, the bitch.
Her winds had driven the waters of Lake Pontchartrain into
the canals that crisscrossed the city, collapsing levees and filling the low,
concave metro area like a gigantic soup bowl.
But NBC Nightly News and Anderson Cooper had missed the
biggest story of all: how, after the storm, a mob of old gods, historical
undead, and other preternatural victims of the scientific age flooded New
Orleans. As a wizard, I’d had a ringside seat. Now, three years later, the
wizards had finally reached accords with the major preternatural ruling bodies,
and the borders were down, as of two days ago. Jean hadn’t wasted any time.
__________________________
About the Author:
Suzanne Johnson writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance from Auburn, Alabama, after a career in educational publishing that has spanned five states and six universities. She grew up halfway between the Bear Bryant Museum and Elvis' birthplace and lived in New Orleans for fifteen years, so she has a highly refined sense of the absurd and an ingrained love of SEC football and fried gator on a stick.
Website: www.suzanne-johnson.com
Blog: http://suzanne-johnson.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Suzanne_Johnson
FB: http://www.facebook.com/Suzanne.Johnson.author
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5046525.Suzanne_Johnson
Publisher Page: http://us.macmillan.com/author/suzannejohnson
_____________________________
Review
Extensive world building, well developed characters and a fun premise make River Road by Suzanne Johnson a unique urban fantasy. Full of suspenseful action, the second book in the Sentinel's of New Orleans series also has a good touch of humor, a balanced plot blending paranormal elements with a mystery and just the right touch of romance. Set in New Orleans post Hurricane Katrina, Ms. Johnson also manages to incorporate the realistic healing struggles of that particular urban area.
Beginning three years after the events of Hurricane Katrina, Drusilla Jaco (DJ) is the acting sentinel in New Orleans. While Drusilla's magic has matured and grown over the last three years, the Elders still think she's not ready to be on her own. They still have shapeshifter Alex Warin assigned to be both her bodyguard and her partner. As if dealing with both her growing emotions for Alex, and his for her, Drusilla finds herself summoned by non other than the undead pirate Jean Lafitte, who she still owes a favor due to his previous help.
Ms. Johnson did a good job developing Drusilla's character in this installment, she's not only dealing with magical problems; a brewing war between two mer-people factions and a shapeshifting were-gator hiding out in the bayou, she's also got to deal with a would be undead lover who she doesn't trust, a partner she feels more for than she should and an ex-boyfriend who just returned to town and is now a werewolf. I liked how she wasn't willing to be let anyone run over her and how she kept a positive and even humorous outlook on life. Her snarky dialogue was very enjoyable.
Determined to keep magical peace in New Orleans and keep humanity safe from the supernatural problems, DJ finds herself having to work with all of the men in her life. She also finds herself meeting new magical beings and making some fascinating discoveries. I especially liked the introduction of the mer-people and thought the were-gator was an interesting addition.
Will DJ be able to keep peace between the Mers? Will she ever discover what Jean Lafitte is really after? You'll have to read River Road to find out. While a part of a series, I was able to enjoy this book all on it's own. I do however plan to go back and read Royal Street, the first book in the series because that's just how I am, I really like to read all of the books in a series and in order.
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Crowns
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Remaining Stops on Tour:
Ex Libris –
www.stella-exlibris.com
December 11 Promo and review
Queen of All She Reads blog
http://queenofallshereads.blogspot.com/
December 12 Excerpt, promo, review
On the Broomstick
http://onthebroomstick.blogspot.com/
December 12 review
Cherie Reads
http://cheriereads.blogspot.com
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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