Tempted by a Warrior
by Amanda Scott
Mass Market Paperback
Published by Forever
List Price: $6.99
Published in 2010
ISBN-10: 0-446-56132-0

Product Description

Lady Fiona, wed in haste, has never known marital peace. When last she’d seen her cruel husband Will, he’d struck her – and she has no memory of what she did next – only that she woke later alone in her bedchamber. Will has gone missing, and Fiona fears that in her rage and terror she might somehow have killed him. When her husband’s cousin Sir Richard comes to search for Will, Fiona is touched by his warm nature. A knight and warrior, Richard is drawn to Fiona’s brave manner, quickly seeing in her an equal measure of inner courage. Confessing that she fears having killed Will, Fiona accepts Richard’s offer to help her. Pursuing together the mystery of Will’s disappearance, they fall in love. Meanwhile the English are reinforcing their garrison in the Scottish Borderlands, putting Fiona, Richard, and Scotland in peril….

About Amanda Scott: (from FantasticFiction.co.uk)

Amanda Scott, best-selling author and winner of the Romance Writers of America’s RITA/Golden Medallion and The Romantic Times’ awards for Best Regency Author and Best Sensual Regency, began writing on a dare from her husband. She has sold every manuscript she has written. More than twenty-five of her books are set in the English Regency period (1810-1820), others are set in fifteenth-century England and sixteenth-and eighteenth-century Scotland. Three are contemporary romances. Amanda lives with her husband and son in northern California.

Giveaway:
Thanks to Anna for letting me host this giveaway.
Contest ends on July 30.
Winners must have a US or Canadian addresses. No PO Box, please.
Please fill in this form, and answer the quesiton below. Winners will be choosen from the comments. I’ll match the addresses from the form.

If you have a chance to ask an author two question, what would it be? Some of your answers will be used in my upcoming author interview (I’ll credit your name for the question)

Tags: Amanda Scott, Hachette Book Group

Review:

It makes me wonder how strong my motivation will be to try to kill my sibling. Lore is a half-breed Demon (he’s half human) who cares so much for his twin, he’ll willing to try and kill his brothers for it. That should have made me dislike him as a hero material, but it doesn’t. Lore is sensitive in his own bad-ass way. The heroine, Idess, is a great match for him. She’s strong and can take on just about anything. I have fallen in love with these new capable heroines. They’re so far removed from Julie Garwood’s ‘old’ romances. The ‘old’ heroines that I like are capable, but they’re also quite soft. At first glance, Idess seem far from soft.

It was hard for me to root for a winner because I like Lore’s brothers:
Wraith, Shade and Eidolon. I really didn’t want any of these people to die. I was worried (yes, I know it’s fiction) but I was worried if I’m going to believe how the story ends. I have to say that Ms. Ione did a wonderful job untangling these quandaries. The sex scenes and hot and heavy, and very, very compelling. I think this book should come with a warning. But, that is not the best part of the book. The best part is, the sex scenes is integrated seamlessly into the story so I’m not jolted out of the story line for an obligatory sex scenes.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes paranormal. If you want an author that’s similar is edginess, then J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood comes to mind. I can’t really say about Sherrilyn Kenyon. Her heroes and heroines have a different feel to them. However, all of these authors writes excellent entertaining books.

About the book:

Lore is a Seminus half-breed demon who has been forced to act as his dark master’s assassin. Now to earn his freedom and save his sister’s life, he must complete one last kill. Powerful and ruthless, he’ll stop at nothing to carry out this deadly mission.

Idess is an earthbound angel with a wild side, sworn to protect the human Lore is targeting. She’s determined to thwart her wickedly handsome adversary by any means necessary-even if that means risking her vow of eternal chastity. But what begins as a simple seduction soon turns into a passion that leaves both angel and demon craving complete surrender.

Torn between duty and desire, Lore and Idess must join forces as they battle their attraction for each other. Because an enemy from the past is rising again-one hellbent on vengeance and unthinkable destruction.

Five Fun Facts.
Follow @LarissaIone on Twitter.
Check out the author’s website at LarissaIone.com

Giveaway:
Thanks to Anna of Hachette Books.
Winners will be posted on February 22.
Winners address must be in the US or Canada, no PO Boxes please.
There’s a maximum of 5 winners. But, the number depends on how many participants/comments there is. For every 10 comments, there will be a winner drawn.

There are several ways to win (8 ways):
-subscribe to my blog’s feed
-follow @LarissaIone on Twitter.
-leave a comment on your favorite paranormal author and book. (you can recommend up to 2)
-if you’re a previous winner to this blog and have a review posted of that book, link it here. (up to 2)
-what is the one burning question you want to ask of your favorite author?

(please leave comments separately so it’s easy for me to draw the winners via random.org using integer generator + string randomizer)

Tags: Anna Balasi, Hachette Book Group, Hachette Books Giveaway, Larissa Ione

Swimsuit
by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro
Reader: Christian Rummel
Audio CD
List Price: $34.98
Published in 2009
ISBN-10: 1-60024-591-9

My Take:
This audio book is good company while I was catching up with my laundry from vacation trips. Laundry for 7 people is a mountain, even it it’s just 3-day trip. I finished this book right around the time I was loading the last 3 loads of laundry.

I like the reader, Christian Rummel. He makes this thrilling story more breath-taking. It’s creepy, and scary. But then this is the same James Patterson of Kiss the Girls. I like the build-up, and the pace of the story until the ending. It just seem abrupt. It comes to a grinding halt with pieces neatly tied up. The ending didn’t feel like a James Patterson ending.

I didn’t mind so much because other than the abrupt ending, it’s a good book to listen to. I would like to thank Anna of Hachette Book Group for the chance to listen to this story.

About the Book:
Syd, a breathtakingly beautiful supermodel on a photo shoot in Hawaii, disappears. Fearing the worst, her parents travel to Hawaii to investigate for themselves, never expecting the horror that awaits them.

LA Times reporter Ben Hawkins is conducting his own research into the case, hoping to help the victim and get an idea for his next bestseller. With no leads and no closer to uncovering the kidnapper’s identity than when he stepped off the plane, Ben gets a shocking visit that pushes him into an impossible-to-resist deal with the devil.

A heart-pounding story of fear and desire, Swimsuit transports listeners to a chilling new territory where the collision of beauty and murder transforms paradise into a hell of unspeakable horrors.

©2009 James Patterson; (P)2009 Hachette Audio

The Giveaway:
Contest open to US and Canadian address. No PO Box addresses.
Three (3) winners on September 15.
Must subscribe to this blog’s feed to find out if you’re a winner.
Winners will be posted within a week of draw date.

How to win:
I found this game in my favorite BB. I don’t remember exactly who started the game, I just scrolled though tons of post, but couldn’t find it. Anyway, it’s called non-sequitur comments.

Basically, you can leave a comment about anything and make sure that it’s not related to anything anyone have already left.

The first comment could be lamenting about the missing shoelace; then your comment could be about this nice burger you had for lunch. And it goes on. You can come back and leave your non-related comments as often as you can, just make sure there’s 2 other people between your comments.

If you find this confusing, feel free to contact me. If you can tweak the game better, let me know.

Tags: Hachette Book Group, James Patterson, Maxine Paetro, Reader: Christian Rummel

All of Me
by Lori Wilde
Mass Market Paperback
List Price: $6.99
Published in 2009
ISBN-10: 0-446-50205-7

Read some Fun Facts about ALL OF ME.
Visit Lori Wilde’s website at www.loriwilde.com

My Take:
I like Jilian’s character.  Her life’s in ruins, but she’s the least whiny character I’ve read. Jilian’s friends loaned/gave her this wedding veil. It’s notorious for letting you dream about your husband when you wear it. She doesn’t believe in all these stuff, so when she dreamed of a guy while wearing this veil, she discounts it. I don’t blamed her for not believing in love. She’s never had it before.  So how does she fall in love when she does not know how? Tuck is a widower. After two years, he’s still hung up on his late wife. How will Jilian compete with a ghost? There’s also a dog, and loving-yet-slightly-enterfering older sistes, prurient dreams…and this book makes for a perfect summer reading.

About the Book:
Attorney Jillian Samuels doesn’t believe in true love, but when a searing betrayal leaves her jobless and heartbroken, a newly inherited cottage in Salvation, Colorado, seems to offer a fresh start. What she finds when she arrives shocks her: the most gorgeous and infuriating man she’s ever met is living in her home! Tuck Manning was a gifted architect who left a skyrocketing career to care for his dying wife. The life he’s made for himself in this quiet town is turned upside down when Jillian appears on his doorstep. Tuck won’t go without a fight, and the two resolve to live as roommates until they can untangle who owns the cottage. Yet as Tuck and Jillian’s days–and nights–heat up, they realize more than property rights are at stake…and that sometimes, salvation comes when you least expect it.

The Contest:
Thanks to Anna and Hachette Book Group.

You can win 1 of 5 copies. Drawing on July 15.

You must reside in US or Canada to win. No PO Box addresses please.

One international winner will win my slightly battered copy. Slightly battered because I carry my books around like a security blanket. If you don’t mind it being used, then you can have it.   International readers, make sure to indicate your country so I can have a separate drawing for you.

+1: Subscribe to my feed (current subscriber welcome)
+1: bring a friend. Make sure to tell your friend to mention your name when they leave a comment so I can add another entry with your name.
+1: blog about this contest, or add a link in your sidebar

Tags: Hachette Book Group, Lori Wilde, Wedding Veil Wishes

Passion Unleashed (The Demonica Series)
by Larissa Ione
Mass Market Paperback
Published in 2009
ISBN-10: 0-446-40105-6

Other books in the series:
Passion Unbound
Passion Unchained

Read some Fun Facts about PASSION UNLEASHED .
Visit Larissa Ione’s website at www.larissaione.com

My Take:
Move over Sherrilyn Kenyon and JR Ward. Make room for Larissa Ione. This is the first book I have read of Ms. Ione and I am suitably impressed. I’m a fan of Ms. Kenyon and Ms. Ward. I didn’t think I’d find another series as good. I was wrong and I am glad for it. Wraith is a demon with a quest to save himself from a fatal disease he has. His cure is Serena. The only problem is his life means death for Serena. This book is very exciting from start to finish. I like the secondary characters as well, and plans to read on them. I can hardly wait.

About the book:

Serena Kelley is an archaeologist and treasure hunter-and a woman with a secret. Since she was seven, she’s been the keeper of a powerful charm that grants her health and immortality . . . as long as she stays a virgin. Wraith is a Seminus demon with a death wish. But when an old enemy poisons him, he must find Serena and persuade her to give him the only known antidote in the universe-her charm. Serena begins to surrender to Wraith’s seductions and as Wraith senses the cure is within his grasp, he realizes a horrible truth: He’s falling for the woman whose life he must take in order to save his own.

“I experienced every emotion possible while reading Wraith’s story. The writing flows perfectly, the plot and sub-plots are thrilling, heartwarming, frightening and suspenseful, and the dialogue is witty as well as brilliant.” –Closet Writer

The Contest:
Thanks to Anna and Hachette Book Group.

You can win 1 of 5 copies. Drawing on July 5.

You must reside in US or Canada to win. No PO Box addresses please.

One international winner will win my slightly battered copy. International readers, make sure to indicate your country so I can have a separate drawing for you.

Make sure to subscribe to my blog feed to find out if you’re a winner.

How to win:
+1: Tell me about your favorite vampire/demon/fantasy-involving-vampire author. What’s your favorite book in the series? If not favorite, which book got you hooked?
+1: Subscribe to my feed (current subscriber welcome)
+1: bring a friend. Make sure to tell your friend to mention your name when they leave a comment so I can add another entry with your name.
+1: blog about this contest, or add a link in your sidebar
+1: What do you do when you can’t find the book you’re currently reading?

I’m asking because I was reading this really wonderful romantic book, and now comes the thrilling part and I can’t find the dratted book anywhere. I’ve turned my house upside down for it. I’m feeling positively despondent that I can’t find it. I had it last night, was reading it last night, and now it’s all gone! The horrible part? I can’t remember the title. I just really love it.

Tags: Hachette Book Group, Larissa Ione