December 31, 2009

My 2009 Reads

Wow, this year was great for me in the reading department. I discovered many new to me authors and the wonderful world of book blogging. Fell in love with both. I really enjoyed the time I spent on  other blogs and on twitter and I'm happy and thankful that I met so many new great people in the interwebs.

My top 10 reads of 2009(in no special order- links to my reviews):
These all get the extra special Portal cake from me! A great honor in my opinion!
- Laid Bare by Lauren Dane
- Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
- On The Edge by Ilona Andrews
- Magic in the Shadows by Devon Monk
- Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward
- Marked Series by S.J. Day
- Butterfly Tatoo by Deidre Knight
- Seduce the Darkness by Gena Showalter
- Dear Sir, I'm Yours by Joely Sue Burkhart
- Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells


Least favorite books of 2009:
- Covet by J.R. Ward
- Skinwalker by Faith Hunter
- Out of Control by Shannon McKenna
- The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton


I read many book this year but I started counting a bit late so I have only a list starting on April, 1st. Here it is:

91. Crux (Southern Arcana #1) - Moira Rogers
90. Riding Wild (Wild Riders #1) - Jaci Burton
89. Glory In Death (In Death #2) - J. D. Robb
88. Savage Possession (Temple of Luna #1) - Moira Rogers
87. Holiday Seduction - Lauren Dane, Jaci Burton 
86. Adored - Tina Donahue
85. Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian #1) - Keri Arthur
84. Naked In Death (In Death #1) - J. D. Robb
83. Holiday Heat - Lauren Dane, Jaci Burton
82. Tempt Me With Darkness (Doomsday Brethren #1) - Shayla Black
81. Blaze of Memory (Psy Changeling #7) - Nalini Singh
80. Mia's Return (Destiny's Trinities, #2) - Teal Ceagh
79. Blaze of Memory(Psy-Changeling, #7) - Nalini Singh
78. Gobsmacked (Men of Smithfield, #1) - L.B. Gregg
77. Deep Kiss of Winter(IAD #8;Alien Huntress #5) - K. Cole, G.Showalter
76. Beth's Acceptance (Destiny's Trinities, #1) - Teal Ceagh
75. Hunter's Need (Hunters, #10) - Shiloh Walker
74. Bound to Shadows (Riley Jenson, #7) - Keri Arthur
73. Magic in he Shadows(Alli Beckstrom, #3) - Devon Monk
72. Skin Game (Skin Series, #1) - Ava Gray
71. Indiscreet - Carolyn Jewel
70. Beloved Vampire (Vampire Queen, #4) - Joey W, Hill
69. Wanderlust (Sirantha Jax, #2) - Ann Aguirre
68. Grimspace (Sirantha Jax, #1) - Ann Aguirre
67. Sweet Restraint - Beth Kerry
66. Must Love Hellhounds - Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook,Charlaine Harris
65. On The Edge (The Edge, #1) - Ilona Andrews
64. Covet (fallen Angels, #1) - J.R. Ward
63. Fade To Black (Black CATS, #1) - Leslie Parrish
62. Doomsday Can Wait (Phoenix Chronicles, #2) - Lori Handeland
61. Survive My Fire - Burkhart, Joely Sue
60. Deeper - Hart, Megan
59.Skinwalker: A Jane Yellowrock Novel - Hunter, Faith
58. Hard and Fast (Fast Track, #2) - McCarthy, Erin
57. Sweet Seduction (Sweet Series, #3) - Banks, Maya
56. Sweet Persuasion (Sweet Series, #2) - Banks, Maya
55. Start Me Up (Tumble Creek, #2) - Dahl, Victoria
54. Sweet Surrender (Sweet Series, #1) - Banks, Maya
53. Laid Bare - Dane, Lauren
52. Demon Inside (Megan Chase, #2) - Kane, Stacia
51. Eve of Chaos (Marked, #3) - Day, S.J.
50. Eve of Destruction (Marked, #2) - Day, S.J.
49. Eve of Darkness (Marked, #1) - Day, S.J.
48. Red Kiss (Gods of Midnight, #2) - Knight, Deidre
47. Red Fire (Gods of Midnight, #1) - Knight, Deidre
46. Thorn Queen (Dark Swan, #2) - Mead, Richelle
45. Leader of the Pack (Urban Werewolf, #3) - MacInerney, Karen
44. Speak of the Devil (Morgan Kingsley #4) - Black, Jenna
43. Destined for an Early Grave (Night Huntress, #4) - Frost, J.
42. Dear Sir, I'm Yours - Burkhart, Joely Sue
41. One Wrong Step - Griffin, Laura
40. Enforcer (Cascadia Wolves, #1) - Dane, Lauren
39. Talk Me Down (Tumble Creek, #1) - Dahl, Victoria
38. City of Souls (Sign of the Zodiac, Book 4) - Pettersson, Vicki
37. Branded by Fire (Psy-Changeling, #8) - Singh, Nalini
36. Seduce the Darkness (Alien Huntress, #4) - Showalter, Gena
35. Midnight's Master (Midnight, #3) - Eden, Cynthia
34. A Girl's Guide to Vampires (Dark Ones, #1) - MacAlister, Katie
33. Prey (Shifters, #4) - Vincent, Rachel
32. Ashes of Midnight (Midnight Breed, #6) - Adrian, Lara
31. Undercover - Dane, Lauren
30. To Die For (Blair Mallory, #1) - Howard, Linda
29. Out Of Control (McClouds & Friends, #3) - McKenna, Shannon
28. Standing In The Shadows (McClouds & Friends,#2) - McKenna, S.
27. Street Magic (Black London, #1) - Kittredge, Caitlin
26. Behind Closed Doors (McClouds & Friends, #1) - McKenna, S.
25. Drop Dead Gorgeous (Blair Mallory, #2) - Howard, Linda
24. Black and White (Icarus Project, #1) - Kessler, J. /Kittredge, C.
23. Pride (Shifters, #3) - Vincent, Rachel
22. Rogue (Shifters, #2) - Vincent, Rachel
21. Stray (Shifters, #1) - Vincent, Rachel
20. Succubus Heat (Georgina Kincaid, #4) - Mead, Richelle
19. Storm Born (Dark Swan, #1) - Mead, Richelle
18. Personal Demons (Megan Chase, #1) - Kane, Stacia
17. Silent Blade - Andrews, Ilona
16. Magic In the Blood (Allie Beckstrom, Book 2) - Monk, Devon
15. Magic to the Bone (Allie Beckstrom, Book 1) - Monk, Devon
14. Red-Headed Stepchild (Sabina Kane, #1) - Wells, Jaye
13. Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Kitty Norville, #1) - Vaughn, Carrie
12. Red (Dead World, #1) - Summers, Jordan
11. Midnight Sins (Midnight, #2) - Eden, Cynthia
10. Hotter After Midnight (Midnight, #1) - Eden, Cynthia
9. Bitten & Smitten (Immortality Bites, #1) - Rowen, Michelle
8. Fanged & Fabulous (Immortality Bites, #2) - Rowen, Michelle
7. Second Skin (Nocturne City, #3) - Kittredge, Caitlin
6. The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake, #2) - Hamilton, Laurell K.
5. Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, #1) - Hamilton, L.K.
4. Thunder Moon (Nightcreature, #8) - Handeland, Lori
3. Flat-Out Sexy (Fast Track, #1) - McCarthy, Erin
2. The Host - Meyer, Stephenie
1. Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, #3) - Andrews, Ilona

So that was my year in reading!
Hope yours was great too!
Have a great New Year celebration and Guten Rutsch(as we say here in Germany).


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December 23, 2009

Christmas Blogging Break

Hey everyone!


I will be mostly MIA in the next few days! Have to work the next 2 days and between that I want to squeeze in as much family time as possible. Not that easy with my mom and dad living separated and BFs family screaming for attention too. I can just imagine the stress this Xmas will be again. *sigh* 

Here in Germany we give our presents late on Christmas Eve (traditionally after mass at 6 pm). The next two days are a giant eating feast as everywhere.

I hope you all have a great Christmas and enjoy the time with your loved ones!

See you all again in a few days!



And here's a little present for you:



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December 22, 2009

Great Contest: CURL UP WITH A BOOK- AND A NOOK!

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December 19, 2009

Winner of Close To Perfect by Tina Donahue

Okay I admit, I'm a  bit late today with this post but I was at my Dad's Birthday party yesterday and needed my beauty sleep! *snorts* 

Without more babbling I will go straight to the drawing!

And the winner is:

*~*drumroll*~*


Ms. Smokinhot


     (Smokinhotbooks)


Woot! Congrats hon! I will write you an email now!

Thanks for all the entries and for sharing your thoughts! Had a blast reading them all!! And a special thanks to Tina, for writing this great post! I loved to have you here!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

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December 18, 2009

Review: Holiday Heat by Jaci Burton & Lauren Dane

 

Description:

Unraveled by Jaci Burton
Mitch is always on the lookout for the next great spot to build one of his Famous hotels, and he's found it- right on the white, sandy beach where he grew up. The only thing standing in the way is Greta.
The ramshackle beachfront motel her father left her means everything to Greta, and no amount of money- or hot nights of passion- will entice her to sell. No matter how much Mitch's touch shreds her defenses.


For once, Mitch finds himself thinking about settling down with the right woman. Now if only he can convince her he wants more than her body- and her hotel…

Sweet Charity by Lauren Dane


After years of pretending a one-night stand never happened, Charity has finally coaxed Gabriel back into her bed. It's not just good, it's fanfreakingtastic! Except he still insists he's not good enough for her.
Watching charity not just endure but enjoy his darker urges is better than Gabriel ever imagined. She deserves candlelight and roses, though. He'll let go when she finds the right man.
Charity's not having any of it. She knows what she wants, and she's willing to play rough to get him…

(blurb)

 



Review:


I won this one in a twitter contest. I read it first and as you can see I bought the first one the same night. II really enjoy these Xmas themed books and they always help to get in the mood for the holidays! Both stories are connected to the first book but they can be read as standalone. I didn't even notice that they weren't. I only discovered the first book cuz of the mention inside this one.

Unraveled by Jaci Burton

This was a very touching and lovely story. Greta had a horrible past with an asshole husband and still struggles a bit with emotion and sexual interaction. She loves her motel and things her dad gave it to her for a reason. She knows it's not the best but it's her fathers work and her own now too. She just don't want to lose it. 
Mitch is some hot guy and he's really successful in everything he does. He's a former professional surfer and has the body to confirm that! He wants the motel but what he wants even more id Greta. Now he just has to convince her of that fact.


I loved the way the relationship between these two developed. Not only did they learn to trust each other they also involved her kids. That was heartbreakingly sweet to watch. Mitch puts so much time and effort into the kids and all out of his own volition. Great is a skeptic from the start and can't believe that Mitch does all this without a hidden agenda.


These two can also turn the pages on fire and I loved each word of those scenes. Very hawt!
Wonderful love-story with a lovely family and the nicest and most thoughtful kids inside.

Sweet Charity by Lauren Dane

Gabriel is one of these guys you want to slap silly cuz he believes in some things that are just not true and he's too stubborn to change his mind. Reminded me a bit of Todd of Laid Bare but Gabe doesn't want to hurt Charity and thinks she deserves something better. Sometimes guys have some ideas, huh?
Charity can't forget Gabe after her one-nightstand with him. It was nothing good- really not- but he seemed to be holding back and she knows that he still wants her. So why doesn't he do something about that? Time to take that problem in her own hand. She wants him and she will get him. Way to go Girl! I loved her character. She's strong and knows what she wants- a great heroine.


The sex in this book was scorching hot with a little BDSM put in for good measure.
No need to turn the heater on while you read that. Believe me!


I enjoyed all the family ties in this book and how welcoming they were. This one really started my Xmas mood.



I recommended these books(Holiday Heat and Seduction) for everyone who likes to get warm inside before Xmas.
 

To learn more about Jaci Burton visit her website here and you can look at Lauren Dane's website here.



Holiday Series:


1. Holiday Seduction: my review here, reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon
1. Holiday Heat: reviews @
goodreads, buy @amazon

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December 17, 2009

Short Review: Holiday Seduction by Jaci Burton & Lauren Dane

Description:

UNWRAPPED by Jaci Burton
Amy Parkers kind of fantasies wouldn't cut it in the straight-laced law firm where she's fought her way to partnership. And she refuses to let a younger man use her to advance in the firm. Justin Garrett might be brilliant, gorgeous and sexy, but he's firmly implanted in the look-but-don't-touch realm. Until a corporate acquisition in Hawaii over Christmas gives Justin the opportunity to show Amy he's interested in her as a woman, not as a way to advance his career. And he has the ideal plan to help unwrap the perfect Christmas gift for Amy.

TO DO LIST by Lauren Dane
Since she could pick up a pencil, Belle Taylor has used lists to map out her life. But now, just steps away from her highest career goal, she realizes the life she thought she wanted exacts too high a price. Exhausted, she heads home for Christmas to make a new to-do list. She didn't factor in Rafe Bettencourt, her brothers best friend kissing her under the mistletoe! Suddenly, Belle finds herself with a whole new set of goals to balance with what she thought she always wanted. Because Rafe's plan is to seduce Belle back home where she belongs. (blurb)

Review:
Technically this is the first book in this series but with me being me I read Holiday Heat first. That was also the reason I bought this book cuz I really loved it and noticed that it was book 2 after finishing it. So I searched amazon and found this beauty and had to buy it immediately.

And let me tell you this book didn't disappoint.



UNWRAPPED

by Jaci Burton
This story is about a workaholic on forced vacation and with no way to escape the offered R & R. And Amy really struggles with what she finds on the island. She's too focused on work to have a private life. I enjoyed the way Ms. Burton played with the biased view most people have of a business woman. At the beginning Amy is really inhibited and all business but she has this weak moment on the plane(a really naughty weak moment) and that gives Justin the last clue he needs to really pursuit her.
He already accidentally(yeah, sure!!!) discovered her little erotic fantasy and now his plan is to fulfill it! He is focused on work too, but he knows how to sweeten up his free time and plans to do exactly that with Amy.
Okay I will say it the way it is: this story is hot and I mean it. I just say:
"Hawaii, 2 men and a woman." A perfect way to celebrate Xmas.
The characters are very likable and OMG the men are hot! So happy that Mitch(man #2) got his own HEA in Holiday Heat cuz he is a fine specimen, athletic surfer and all.
It's a nice story and very fast read! I so had to buy a Jaci Burton book after finishing that one!

TO DO LIST by Lauren Dane
First thing I noticed in this book is "OMG Brian please go away!". I so hate people ruining a perfect situation. I really wanted to slap him silly. 
That said back to the review: Belle is very focused on her goals and determined to reach them. She realizes that perhaps she pays a too high prize to accomplish that.

She's thinking her whole life over and tries to find out what her real priorities are.
Rafe is such a funny and lovely character. He realizes what a great woman he has in front of him and how much he missed her.  So he plans to win her heart with all means. He stole MY heart at the beginning and with every thing he did he got an even stronger hold on it!
The relationship between these two develops at a nice pace. They get to know each other again and discover how good they really match(every pun intended).  
It's a really hot read but I didn't expect anything else from Lauren. We've got a bit of Dirty Talk in this book and I always notice that I'm not such a fan of it! Strange huh? Give me smexy scene to read and I'm in but let them talk about it and I'm not so happy with that. A little pet peeve of mine, I know!
The wonderful community of the small town it's set in warmed my heart and all the love you can see in these families made this story an even more wonderful Xmas read.
A very good book for the season and I will definitely read it again next year.
 




To learn more about Jaci Burton visit her website here and you can look at Lauren Dane's website here.



Holiday Series:


1. Holiday Seduction: reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon
1. Holiday Heat: reviews @
goodreads, buy @amazon



Review of Holiday Heat will be up tomorrow!

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December 12, 2009

Review: Deep Kiss of Winter by Kresley Cole & Gena Showalter

Description:

Under the cover of wintry dark shadows, passion's magic ignites a fire too hot to touch -- and too wicked to die....
Two never-before-published paranormal stories to delight the senses and tantalize the imagination!

KRESLEY COLE delivers a breathtaking tale of a brutal vampire soldier about to know love for the first time...and a Valkyrie aching to be touched.
Murdoch Wroth will stop at nothing to claim Daniela the Ice Maiden -- the delicate Valkyrie who makes his heart beat for the first time in three hundred years. Yet the exquisite Danii is part ice fey, and her freezing skin can't be touched by anyone but her own kind without inflicting pain beyond measure. Soon desperate for closeness, in an agony of frustration, Murdoch and Danii will do anything to have each other. Together, can they find the key that will finally allow them to slake the overwhelming desire burning between them?

GENA SHOWALTER puts a daring spin on a tale of huntress and hunted...and concocts a sensual chemistry that is positively explosive.
Aleaha Love can be anyone -- literally. With only skin-to-skin contact, she can change her appearance, assume any identity. Her newest identity switch has made her an AIR (alien investigation and removal) agent and sends her on a mission to capture a group of otherworldly warriors. Only she becomes the captured. Breean, a golden-skinned commander known for his iron will who is at once dangerous and soul-shatteringly seductive, threatens her new life. Because for the first time, Aleaha only wants to be herself.... (by goodreads.com)

Review:

 


Thanks to Mandi from smexybooks I had the opportunity to read this one and I'm so happy I did. As you might have noticed this book contains to independent stories so I will talk about them separately too.

Untouchable by Kresley Cole


This is the Story about Daniela(lovely name, made me think of my sister the whole time *grins*) half ice-maiden, half Valkyrie and Murdoch one of the famous Wroth brothers known for being vampires.
Danii had a really long(2000+ years) and very lonely life so far. She's an ice-maiden which means she will get burns when a normal person touches her. She can only be touched by her own people but these don't really like her and try to kill her every chance they get. Yep, that sounds like a real frustrating life.
Murdoch doesn't mind not being blooded cuz having a woman always is trouble in his opinion! When exactly that happens with Danii he think that is his punishment for being a lady-killer in his human days. Not being able to be with a woman for so long and now the only woman to get him on is the one he can't touch! Life can be really cruel!
These two have seriously chemistry going on. This book has the most erotic scene without touching. Really blew me away.


The side characters are hilarious as ever. I so love these Valkyrie and I have such a soft spot for the Wroth brothers.
The plot was good. I wanted to know how this whole mess would work out in the end and why she got bowling shoes from the goddess of impossibility. But the end was not what I expected and didn't really cure my curiosity. It was one of these too easy solutions and left me a bit unsatisfied.

Tempt Me Eternally by Gena Showalter
This is the story of Breean and Aleaha. We already met these two as a couple in Devyn's book. I was so curious about these two since the last installment. Aleaha was a bit different than I expected her to be. All my expectations where formed by the things Bride thought about her and Aleaha is not the small vulnerable girl I pictured.


Same is true for Breean. I expected a more nicer man. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining at all but he was a bit too animalistic. Not too animalistic for being enjoyable, that he was all right but for being a Rakan.Not sure if you get what I mean. I never thought the Rakan would be that way.
I loved to see the relationship between this two build up and loved that they're both stubborn as hell. I have to admit the book was not as hot as Devyn's but she really spoiled us with that one. I thought this resolution of this story was a bit easy too.

Considering everything I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to all fans of both series! 



To learn more about Gena Showalter please visit her website here and you visit Kresley Cole's site here.

review
Untouchable/Tempt Me Eternally @Smexybooks
reviews @
goodreads, buy @amazon

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Winner of Beth's Acceptance

The glorious machine that is random.org found us a  winner for a wonderful ebook copy of Beth' acceptance:

And the winner is:


*~*drumroll*~*


Shellie!!!!
(Layers of Thought)

 



I will write you an email now!

Thanks everyone for playing!!

 


And a special thanks to Teal for the great post and the giveaway!

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December 11, 2009

THEY DID IT HOW??? by Tina Donahue & Giveaway

 

 

Please welcome the wonderful Tina Donahue here at The Geeky Bookworm today. She has a new release Adored(you can read my review here) and wants to talk a bit about the imaginative world of sexual positions in romance. Enjoy! *wink*
_____

THEY DID IT HOW???


Let’s face it, in a romance – especially an erotic romance – there are only so many positions and backgrounds in which your couple can well, couple, without risking life or limb. They can be alone. In a group. Outside. Inside. In bed. On the kitchen/dining room/conference table. In the car – definitely not a favorite of mine – how in the world do you maneuver in a narrow seat? In the shower. In the tub – another scenario that conjures up bruised knees and elbows. Ow.

So how does a writer bring variety to a finite set of circumstances?

I can’t speak for anyone else, but for me, it’s the sexual tension leading up to The Moment that allows the greatest variety and ultimately the greatest reward when my couples finally do the deed. Where they do it and how they do it is the cherry at the top of a sundae.

For example, in my Ellora’s Cave release Adored, Adam tells Danni to be prepared for anything. He’ll have her where he wants, when he wants. Getting her there is what provides the suspense, heavy-breathing, and fun. To give insight into the plot and an excerpt of what I mean, read on: 


adored SYNOPSIS:

Adored – A shameless fantasy come true… When tall, dark and delicious Adam Farrell crosses Danni’s radar at a trade show in Vegas, it’s not lust at first sight. He’s been the star of her wicked fantasies for a while, pleasuring her in acts of domination and submission that leave her breathless. Aching for his masterful touch, believing she’ll never have it, Danni indulges in a public sex act Adam alone witnesses. What follows is a night of wild and unrestrained passion in his powerful arms. It’s only the beginning. An undisclosed business deal has turned Adam from competitor to Danni’s new boss. His hunger for her is absolute and he’ll make her fantasies seem tame as he takes her in ways she never imagined – whenever he wants, wherever he desires. Seduced by Adam’s plan to mix exquisite control with adoration, Danni’s swept into a sensual adventure she can’t resist. Until corporate politics intrude and she learns what Adam’s been hiding to protect her. . .a secret he’s long feared will tear them apart.



EXCERPT

Hand trembling, she opened the folded stationery on top and saw Adam’s distinctive script

For when you’re bad. Now, get some rest, you’ll need it.

For what? And when? She pressed the box to her heart, frustrated and giddy at his game, loving it, yet hoping for relief.

It didn’t come that night or the next day, though FedEx left another package at her apartment door. The small, lightweight box was the length and width of her hand. She jiggled it close to her ear, expecting to hear metallic clinking, the kind a collar and chain would make. Like the one in his fantasy where he led her into the white room full of lusty nobility. Beaming at the memory, she tore open the box and stared at the beige silk ropes inside, tied together in an incomprehensible maze. Clueless as to what they might be or how they should work, she read the accompanying flyer. The apparatus was a karada, a harness used for stimulation bondage. A series of nude photos of a beautifully endowed woman showed Danni how to wear the karada and how it operated, shifting between her legs as she walked and sat, stroking her clit.



She draped it over her nudity, refusing to go further. When she wore the karada, it would be because Adam had put it on her. She wouldn’t fantasize and masturbate while alone either, determined to have him satisfy her.

With her adrenaline level soaring, sleep became a hit-and-miss proposition. Thursday morning, she got to the office, early as always, tired and out of sorts when she saw the Post-It note taped to her door. Apparently, Jim in Marketing had put the new advertising pieces in Woody’s cubicle rather than leaving a few on her desk as Suzy Kline always did.

She put her purse in her bottom desk drawer and headed for Woody’s workstation. As she entered the hall just before the cubicles, she noticed the storeroom door in this section was open and glanced over.
Adam caught her wrist, pulling her inside.



Astonishment made her mute, elation made her want to babble. She held her tongue and stared as Adam leaned against the door, his eyes hooded in the murky light streaming in through the closed blinds. “Drop your trousers.”

Her hands shook as she obeyed his command, unbuttoning and unzipping. In the upstairs office, she heard footfalls crossing the room. Down here, staff would soon fill the cubicles.

As if he considered the same, Adam went to her, holding her bare pussy in his hand, clearly pleased she no longer wore panties. “Did you get my other gifts?” He stroked her clit and pressed his mouth to her neck.

His soapy scent and heated skin eroded her strength. She fisted her fingers in his camel hair jacket, needing it for support. “Yes.” She spoke as softly as he.

“Did you bring them with you?”

“No. I thought you’d want to use them at your place or mine.”

“I want you ready for anything.”

Her will bent to his, subduing her voice even more. “I will be.”

“Bend over the box to your left and lift your ass.”

_____

Many pages and complications led to this scene. I wanted readers to experience the exquisite intensity going on between my characters. I used the same technique to build sexual tension and suspense in my next EC release Deep, Dark, Delicious (pub date to come).

For me, getting my people to the brink makes the resulting ride that much more pleasurable and puts the exclamation point behind the building sighs.

To purchase Adored, click here.

Close to Perfect Thanks so much Tina!
Now to the giveaway. One lucky commentor will get a paperback copy of her previous Kensington title, CLOSE TO PERFECT.

 

 


How to enter? Easy peasy:

Just tell us what was your strangest THEY DO IT HOW???? moment while reading romance?


or
Just leave a question for Tina!

You can get an extra point for telling people about this giveaway! Just leave me a link!
Giveaway ends next Friday, Dec 18th!
So let the smut talk begin and give Tina a lovely welcome!

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December 10, 2009

Review: Adored by Tina Donahue

Description:

A shameless fantasy come true…
When tall, dark and delicious Adam Farrell crosses Danni’s radar at a trade show in Vegas, it’s not lust at first sight. He’s been the star of her wicked fantasies for a while, pleasuring her in acts of domination and submission that leave her breathless. Aching for his masterful touch, believing she’ll never have it, Danni indulges in a public sex act Adam alone witnesses. What follows is a night of wild and unrestrained passion in his powerful arms. It’s only the beginning.
An undisclosed business deal has turned Adam from competitor to Danni’s new boss. His hunger for her is absolute and he’ll make her fantasies seem tame as he takes her in ways she never imagined—whenever he wants, wherever he desires.
Seduced by Adam’s plan to mix exquisite control with adoration, Danni’s swept into a sensual adventure she can’t resist. Until corporate politics intrude and she learns what Adam’s been hiding to protect her…a secret he’s long feared will tear them apart. (blurb)

Review:
I have to shamefully admit as I got this book as a review copy my expectations weren't really high. Never heard something about that book or the author at all. But OMFG I was so wrong.

I started this book on my way home from one of the most boring lectures of my life. I read it in the tram and that was a huge mistake. I only read the first 2 chapters but all the other people must have thought: "What does she read that makes her blush like that?" And I was so strong and didn't start screaming some confusing things like: "Don't you dare masturbate now!" so I should be happy. The book gripped me from the start and took me on a wild and really hawt ride.

Danni is a very emotional but strong character. She got hurt in the past, not only by two asshole boyfriends but also by her cheating father. She has a few commitment issues because of that but she tries to not be too suspicious of every man and to give Adam a real chance. She trusts him not to hurt her but there is one thing she can't forgive and that is lying.

Adam always was intrigued by Danni and now he finally gets his chance to do something about it. He wants her not only for one night but for long time. He loves that she is so open about her fantasies and wants to explore how far he can go with her. He doesn't want to burden her with a few things and so he tries to solve them hinself without telling her about it. Typical man!



These two really made me sweat. Their chemistry is unbelievable hot and very imaginative. I loved the build up and the back and fourth these two experienced through the whole book.



The story is a nice mix between contemporary and erotica. I loved that it was not only like reading porn but more like a sweet story with many hot interruptions. *wink*


The one drawback was that I knew after the first 2 or 3 chapters how this book would end but I enjoyed it very much nonetheless.

I recommend this book to everyone who loves his contemporary romance spicy.




To learn more about Tina Donahue and her books please visit her website here.

other reviews @
goodreads, buy this book @Ellora's Cave
 
Come back tomorrow: Tina will be here with a guest post and she will also giveaway a copy of Close To Perfect!

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Happy Birthday to Caroline!!!!!

hunk-birthday Today the birthday of the wonderful Caroline aka pattepoilue.

 



Happy Birthday to you hon! I hope all your dreams and wishes come true.

Have a great day!

 



For everyone else:

 


It would be great if you would go over to her site and show her a bit bday love. She has a bday giveaway going on too so there might be something in for you too.


Here's her blog. And here is her twitter!


Come on, spread the love!

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December 9, 2009

Most Awaited Releases

2010
January
1st
Lead Me On (Tumble Creek, #3) by Victoria Dahl
5th
Coming Undone (Brown Siblings, #2) by Lauren Dane
Inked Anthology by Karen Chance, Marjorie M. Liu, Yasmine Galenorn, Eileen Wilks
Death's Mistress (Dorina Basarab, #2) by Karen Chance
Crux (Southern Arcana, #1) by Moira Rogers
26th
Twice as Hot (Tales of an Extraordinary Girl, #2) by Gena Showalter
Succubi Like It Hot
(Succubus Diaries, #2) by Jill Myles

Febuary

2nd

Archangels' Kiss (Guild Hunters, #2) by Nalini Singh
9th
First Drop of Crimson (Night Huntress World, #1) by Jeaniene Frost
Crossroads (Southern Arcana, #2) by Moira Rogers
16th
Pleasure of a Dark Prince (IAD, #9) by Kresley Cole


March
1th
Shift (Shifters, #5) by Rachel Vincent
23rd
Demon Possessed (Megan Chase, #3) by Stacie Kane

Mind Games by Carolyn Crane

The Devil's Playground (Morgan Kingsley, #5) by Jenna Black
30th
Succubus Shadows (Georgina Kincaid, #5) by Richelle Mead
Silver Borne (Mercedes Thompson, #5) by Patricia Briggs


April

Dear Sir, I'm Yours (The Connaghers, #1) print release by Joely Sue Burkhart
1st
The Mage in Black (Sabina Kane, #2) by Jaye Wells
6th
Sweet Temptation (Sweet Series, #4) by Maya Banks
27th
Chaos Bites (Phoenix Chronicles, #4) by Lori Handeland
Lover Mine (BDB, #8) by J.R. Ward


May

Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels, #4) by Ilona Andrews
4th
Magic in the Storm by Devon Monk
25th
Unholy Ghosts (Downside, #1) by Stacia Kane

June

Skin Tight (Skin Series, #2) by Ava Gray
The Darkest Passion (Lords of the Underworld, #6) by Gena Showalter
1st

Red Demon (Gods of Midnight, #3) by Deidre Knight

Cheat the Grave (Sign of the Zodiac, 5) by Vicki Pettersson
28th
Daemon's Mark (Nocturne City, #5) by Caitlin Kittredge


July
Unholy Magic (Downside, #2) by Stacia Kane

1st
The Darkest Lie (Lords of the Underworld, #7) by Gena Showalter

August
City of Ghosts (Downside, #3) by Stacia Kane
Eternal Kiss of Darkness (Night Huntress World, #2) by Jeaniene Frost
3rd

Hot Finish (Fast Track, #3) by Erin McCarthy

September

Bayou Moon (The Edge, #2) by Ilona Andrews

October
Killbox (Sirantha Jax, #4) by Ann Aguirre
Alpha (Shifter, #6) by Rachel Vincent

November
Inside Out by Lauren Dane Contemporary Erotic Romance (Cope’s book)
December

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December 6, 2009

Erotica Romance Reading Challenge 2010

Another challenge I want to join. This will be so much fun. I think I don't have to worry about reaching that goal but I love to read about the others and the books they read. Great challenge in my opinion. (you can join here if you like)


Timeline
: 01 Jan 2010 - 31 Dec 2010
Rules: To read TEN(10) Erotica Romance in 2010
Details:

  • 1. You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront then you can change them, nothing is set in stone!
  • 2. The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.
  • 3. If you decide to participate in this challenge please use the links I have set up below with the buttons to post on your sidebar, this way others can find their way back to this post and join in the fun.
  • 4. If you decide to join this challenge be sure to create a post telling others, please make sure you add a link back to this post so others can join in.
  • 5. If you decide to join and don’t have a blog and  would like to join – Please leave details in comment.
  • 6. You can join anytime between now and the later part of next year.
  • 7. You must be 18 years or older to join.
    (by Erotic Horizon)

    I will update my progress here and put links to my reviews in:

    1.
    2.
    3.
    4.
    5.
    6.
    7.
    8.
    9.
  • 10.
  • Happy and hopefully steamy reading!

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SRR Outlander Reading Challenge

Yep I haven't read this series so far and I will try to remedy that next year. So I joined this challenge. I already bought Outlander and will start it after Xmas. My first challenge. *grins* So watch out Diana Gabaldon, here I come!
(you can join the challenge here)

The challenge begins on November the 17th and will end November 17th 2010.


The Rules:


1. Anytime between Nov. 17th, 2009, and Nov. 17th, 2010, read the entire Outlander series. ((You do not have to start on Nov. 17th you can start the challenge anytime in the course of the challenge you like there is not any right or wrong way to do it.)) Read Outlander through the latest book An Echo in the Bone. (Any format is acceptable - be it paperback, hardback, ebook format, or audio *the unabridged audio is best as you will miss a LOT of the stories if you get the abridged versions, but is not strictly required*.
**There is also a companion book to the series called The Outlandish Companion this is a fun and informative look at the series, but is NOT required to be read for this challenge. However if you would like to add it to your list feel more than free to do so. It is a lot of fun and there are a lot of things that Diana explains in it from her point of view think of it as a behind the scenes look at the series.**

2. Sign up here by leaving a comment to this post telling me that you would like to join. Please include your blog address as well if you would like to blog about the challenge, so that I can link to your posts. *Please note that you do not have to have a blog or website to participate.*

3. Come back and leave a post at the separate book posts here *see the list on the right side of the blog here there is one for each book* and I will link your progress and your posts to the books as you complete each one.

4. Enjoy yourself don't stress and have fun with it! That's all there is to it now see that was pretty painless wasn't it. :)



I will post the links to my reviews here:
1. Outlander


2. Dragonfly In Amber


3. Voyager
4. Drums of Autumn
5. The Fiery Cross

 


6. A Breath of Snow and Ashes


7. An Echo in the Bone
Happy reading!!!

And pleas take a look at the wonderful blog JennJ created for this challenge.

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December 5, 2009

Guest Post by Teal Ceagh and a Giveaway!

Please welcome my guest today: Teal Ceagh. I'm so happy to have her here. She wrote a wonderful guest post and at the end we have a little surprise for one lucky reader! So stay tuned:

The Oxymoronic Genre – Erotic Urban Fantasy

People tend to look at me oddly when I tell them I write erotic urban fantasy. 

Paranormal romances are everywhere these days.  Even erotic paranormals are almost commonplace.  But when you say you write erotic urban fantasies, readers’ eyes narrow as they try to fit that into their mental landscape of the fiction genre world.  I’m not an easy fit.


Try writing it.  

Especially try writing a novella.


Erotic romance, as we all know, is very much about developing the romance via the sexual side of the relationship.   Authors spend pages and pages...well, most of the damn book, actually, focused on the two (or three or more) lovers falling in love in flagrante delicto.  Delicious....

Okay, so now consider urban fantasy.  You have all the hallmarks of traditional high fantasy – look at Lord of the Rings, with its thousands of years of history, five distinct languages, four major species, and three hundred thousand words in the main volume alone.  Wonderful stuff.  I read the book once every year or so.  But that stuff takes a lot of time and space to tell the story properly.  Pages and pages, one might say, especially with all that back story.

Urban fantasy is no different.  You’ve got a modern-day setting, but the fantasy species populating the malls and city streets still have histories, backstories that need explaining, wars that have origins that need developing, and pages and pages of development that need to be squeezed into the narrative without boring the reader or slowing down the action.

Urban Fantasy authors long ago learned the trick of not sending the reader to sleep with endless backstory that halted the action.  They instead feed it into the story in small dribbles while the main action is moving on, and the reader shouldn’t really notice that he’s getting a thousand year history lesson along with a sword fight and a romance.

But add an erotic romance to an urban fantasy and you add all sorts of headaches to the author’s lot.

For a start, the author is supposed to spend a great deal of time focusing on the sexual subplot.  Even dribbling in the tiniest amount of history lesson is going to look downright weird when the hero is nibbling on the heroine’s toes.  See the problem?

For most authors, erotic romance + urban fantasy seem like an oxymoron, and they shy away from the challenge. 

But I kept reading all these otherwise superb urban fantasies, except for one glaring exception.  The “hero” and the “heroine” would dance around each other coyly for three books, then maybe kiss and cuddle for the tail end of the third. 



And that was it for the “romantic interest” for three freaking books!

I like my urban fantasy, sure, but I like my romances at industrial strength, thank you.  And that didn’t do it for me.  Not even close.

So I thought I’d write an urban fantasy that actually had an industrial strength romance in it, the sort of romance I like.  As I like the sort of romances you get from Ellora’s Cave, that meant erotic.  Spicy erotic. 

The series I ended up writing were a series of three novellas (just to add to the challenge, I was limited to 30,000 words per book), called Destiny’s Trinities.  The first of them, Beth’s Acceptance, came out last month.  The one I’m talking about today is the second in the series, Mia’s Return.  It will be released on November 28th, a mere thirteen days before the third in the series will be released, Sera’s Gift. 

I had a blast writing these books.  There’s something very liberating about building your own fantasy universe, and I really got to know and love these characters.

I’ve since written two more stories that are set in the same universe, but are unrelated to the Trinity books.  Ellora’s Cave have bought both of them, and they will be appearing in 2010. 

Mia’s Return was the hardest to fit into the novella length.  There was a huge amount of backstory involved and the editing involved to bring it down to length was painful.  But I got there!

________

Ten years ago, Alexander hungered for Mia Menendez and for a single day they had indulged that passion before tragedy struck. Now Mia is back, but she thinks Alexander died ten years ago and no man has been able to stir her heart since. The truth could kill her.
Wyatt Whitacker, demon hunter, hates Alexander and all his kind. But one look at Mia and her pulse-stopping curves and his scarred, angry heart begins to melt and his body to rouse in ways he’s long forgotten.

The bonding has begun…



Excerpt

He considered running down the fire escape stairs to the foyer and avoiding the congestion in the elevators. At this time of day it would take forever. The stairs wouldn’t tax him in the slightest. But it might draw attention to him. So he patiently waited for the elevator and stepped on with a dozen others and moved to the side to give them room.
The elevator stopped on the next floor, with more people getting on but by then his animal instinct was crowding him, making the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He was being watched. His heart thundered.
He made no sudden moves. Instead, as people pushed onto the elevator, he turned so his back was to the side wall of the car, giving him an excuse to look at everyone if he brought his head up.
He lifted his head and looked around.
She was standing on the other side of the car, almost completely obscured by the other riders because she was only just over five foot.
Mia. Shamira Menendez of San Diego, California.
His first aching thought was, You’re so fucking beautiful, Mia.
Then reality caught him in the chest. Mia was staring at him because she thought he was dead. She thought he died ten years ago, in San Diego.
And now she was watching him with tears in her eyes and all he could think about was his swelling cock and his exploding heart and how much he wanted to take up where he had left off…bending her over the counter, sliding his cock into her pussy and making her scream his name.
“Are you all right, sir?”
He tore his gaze away from Mia. “Excuse me?” he said hoarsely. He looked down at the gray-haired lady next to him.
“Your breathing is all funny,” she said. “Are you claustrophobic?”
Others were looking at him now. Becoming the center of attention was never a good thing for a vampire. Zack had drilled that into him. Seaveth was even more of a sergeant about it, now vampires were assimilating into human society. He swallowed. “I’m fine,” he said.
But he wasn’t. He looked at Mia. She was still watching. She knew it was him. There was no way to deny it. No escape. No bluff he could use to fool her. The knowledge gleamed in her eyes.
“Give him room, please,” she said. “Everyone, stand back a bit.” She was stepping closer, taking charge.
They all shuffled back, clearing eighteen inches. Mia squeezed between them and stepped into the space. “Take a deep breath,” she told him, her voice low.
He couldn’t tear his gaze from her face. The tears in her eyes pooled and one fell down her cheek. Just one. But she didn’t wipe it, or show any sign of emotion. Cool, calm, controlled. “We’re nearly there,” she added, speaking for the others in the car, maintaining the illusion of a claustrophobe in full panic mode. She knew as well as he did it was nothing of the sort.
As the doors opened, the others stood back, letting them exit first. She grabbed his lapels and hauled him from the car. He let her, for he stood a foot higher than her and outweighed her by nearly a hundred pounds. But her scent alone was wreathing his head and making his senses reel. Something with vanilla and…grapefruit? He could feel his incisors trying to descend and his mouth filling with vampire saliva to deaden her flesh so she wouldn’t feel the first piercing of his teeth. His cock was pounding with the agonizing need to slam her against the walls of the foyer and fuck her senseless.
He was almost hyperventilating with the dilemma.
Her hand rested on his chest. God, he could feel her heat through her hand. He swallowed.
“You’re supposed to be dead,” she whispered. No hello. No attempt to confirm who he was. She was that sure of him despite ten years.
He couldn’t afford to answer her, to even start the conversation. Instead, he stared at her, soaking up details. She had been eighteen when he left and even at that age, infinitely dangerous to his pulse. Now she was a mature woman and beyond dangerous. He could feel it in his heart, his mind, his cock. His whole body was responding to her like a nuclear magnet. She wore her dark hair down to her shoulder blades but styled in some mysterious fashion that just brushed over one eye and framed her high cheekbones and pointed chin. Her black eyes, still gleaming with tears, with their arched strong brows, were staring at him, giving him no quarter. They never had. And her lips…full, the top one like a cupid’s bow. He had dreamed about kissing those lips and woken sweating in his lonely bed all those years ago when he could sweat. Those lips still looked sweet, the teeth behind them white and beckoning.
Mia was wearing a dress. He had no way to describe it, except to say it wrapped her in roses and made the most of her figure. And she had a figure. Even at eighteen she’d had a figure. He had lusted after it. And in ten years, it had changed very little. Her breasts had not sagged. Her hips had not spread. And her waist was still as tiny as ever. It was that tiny waist he had grabbed as he bent her over the counter…
He realized his heart was thundering in his ears. With her hand on his chest, she must surely feel it too.
She was frowning, staring at him. “You haven’t changed,” she said. “Not at all.” And she stepped back, her hand falling away.
Alexander realized she had seen, then, he had not aged. This was one of the reasons that Zachariah and Diego had insisted he move to New York once Zack had made him.
Mia took another step backward and he could see her doing the mental math.
“Mia,” he began and stopped, mentally cursing. He’d just confirmed he was who she thought he was. Until that moment there had remained the possibility of pretending she’d made an embarrassing mistake. It would have killed him to do it but it would have been a way out. That chance was gone now. He closed his eyes. What a fucking disaster. He opened them again and took a last look at her. Beautiful Mia. She was starting to realize there was something dreadfully wrong. Horror was creeping into her expression. He needed to leave before she began to look at him like the monster he was.

_____________________


seragift_msr Sera’s Gift by Teal Ceagh

Letting go is sometimes the only gift love has left to give.
Release date:† December 9, 2009
ISBN 9781419925511

____

Outline

Sera arrives in New York to help Lind·l, but a vampeen attack brings her face to face with two men and changes her life forever.
Diego Savage lives up to his name.† Cynical, rebellious and a womanizer, he doesn’t believe in the trinities at all. Only a handful of people know the truth about his scarred heart and terrible past, and it would take a miracle for him to change.† A miracle, or someone like Sera with her special gift.
Blake Harvey, dedicated NYC police lieutenant, takes one look at the tall, supple woman with the crystal blue eyes and glowing skin and knows his life is about to change in ways he can’t even define, but his body is already responding to with a power that is hard to deny.
The bonding has begun…
_____________

Excerpt
“Lieutenant!”
Blake jumped and realized he’d fallen asleep in his chair, the same moment he realized it was morning already. He glanced around at his office door. Anna Maria had her head around the door, looking at him. “You clocking off?” he said, glancing at his watch. Six a.m. Her night shift was over.
“You okay, boss?” she asked.
“Long night,” he said, trying to make it sound like he did this all the time. He stood up, stretching carefully, feeling the bones in his neck.
“’Kay. Night, boss.” She let the door shut itself.
He looked out the window. Daylight was trying to break through thunderclouds outside his windows. A soggy, fetid, miserable August day that matched his mood. He glanced at the three in-trays on his desk, all of them overloaded. They stood next to his computer, which was another two hundred and sixty gigabytes of hell screaming at him for attention.
What was happening in his city? Twelve years in the department and he no longer thought he understood New York and its denizens. He’d spent all night doing basic regression analysis. And the numbers frightened him. If things went on this way, New York would turn into an uncivilized all-out crime zone in about six weeks. The police department was slowly losing ground. It just didn’t have the numbers to cope. Rape and murder were the top two favorites, with decapitations being numero uno on the hit parade. But number three on the New York Times Best Seller List right now was Missing Persons. People were vanishing without trace in numbers higher than six hundred percent more than any time in the last three centuries…and that included two world wars, famines and plagues.
And the police couldn’t do a damn thing about it, except record particulars and wait. They were overtaxed by the murders and rapes already. A missing person was a lesser concern.
Blake pushed his hand through his hair. God, what a fucking nightmare.
The other lieutenants in the other departments across the boroughs made light of it. They were mostly older and had seen tough times before and while they all heard the same unsettling rumors about the cults, the gangs, the animalistic behavior, they were in denial. They didn’t want to look at the big picture.
The figures Blake had projected last night didn’t lie, though. Something was going on. But right now he couldn’t see what it was. Despite all the information flowing into his desk, it eluded him. Sometimes, like now when his energy was low, it felt like there was someone else out there manipulating the information that reached him, so that he couldn’t see the truth. Not all of it, anyway.
He bumped his forehead against the window and felt the chill spread across his flesh. It reminded him of how hot and tired he was. He’d been in these clothes for over twenty-four hours. He needed a break. So did his mind. He was slipping into paranoid delusions.
He picked up his jacket and logged off the computer. A few hours sleep, a shower and food, then he’d head back here. Things would look different, then. Maybe.
He clocked out and walked home to his apartment, feeling at odds with the day. Manhattan was just firing up for a busy day of commerce, while he was going home to sleep. He glanced up at the skyscrapers as he passed them. It all looked so innocent and normal.
Who’d’ve thought there was such a time bomb ticking away in her guts?
* * * * *
When Mia came bustling into the boardroom, Alexander felt his heart jump. Even after a year, she still managed to make him pause to catch his breath when she arrived after a small absence. She was here in his life. And she was never going away again.
He kept reminding himself to be thankful to whatever entity or force designed the trinities and chose him to be part of them. Him, Mia and Wyatt. How had he got so lucky? He was careful never to question that good fortune, but to grasp it with both hands and to work his ass off in service of the trinities and Seaveth, in gratitude.
Mia came up to him with the small smile she kept for him and Wyatt alone. “You’re brooding,” she said.
“Guilty.”
“I’ll shake you about it later,” she said. “Right now, we need to head to the keep for the assembly. The car is waiting.” She looked at the huge watch on her wrist. “And Wyatt still hasn’t shown up. Did he call you at all?”
“No call. No text. But he knows he has to be here. He’ll show, Mia. In a year, has he never not shown up for an assembly?”
“There’s always a first time,” she said darkly, thumbing through her Palm Pilot. She had become the staffing agency’s chief executive officer and completely indispensable, running both the private and public personas of the agency like clockwork and liaising with the Earthwing clan’s seniors and Seaveth’s portfolio with seamless efficiency.
Wyatt had returned to hunting but even there, Mia had left her mark, organizing and commercializing his ventures and bringing recruits to his doorstep. Now Wyatt’s hunting was an organized trade, with tools, equipment, partners and income. Wyatt had been stunned that demon hunting could raise revenue in a human world but Mia had shown him how to bring in profit for himself and make it attractive to other demon hunter and vampire investors and just like that, Wyatt had found himself an entrepreneur.
Mia glanced at her watch again. “Time to go. I’ve texted Wyatt and told him to go straight to the keep.” She chewed her lip. “I hope he’s okay.”
Alexander took her face in his hands. “He’ll be fine,” he said softly. “Stop it, Mia.” He kissed her to stop her fretting and slipped his tongue against her lips. He drew back when he tasted blood. “You just fed?”
She blushed. “Sorry, yes. I should have warned you.” This was one of the changes he’d had the hardest time accepting. As a result of the bonding, from time to time, Mia had to feed on blood, like a vampire. She ate normal food and excreted it like a human but every few months or so, like a vampire, she hungered for blood. Alexander had been devastated by the knowledge. Instead, Zachariah and the other vampires had taught Mia how to ingest the artificial blood developed by the clan.
At least she had no incisors. He was spared that.
Alexander hugged her, instead and let her go. “We were running late, I believe?” he reminded her.
“Damn, yes.” She straightened her business skirt back into place and threw him a dirty look. “I wish you would stop kissing me at work. You know I hate that.”
“While I can make you look like a cat on catnip, I’ll keep kissing you whenever you’re within reach,” Alexander growled softly as they hurried through the office to the elevator bank. The armored stretch limousine would be waiting for them in the lower basement. Max, the driver and one of the Earthwing clan, would have the engine running and his bolo tucked between the seat and the door, watching the street ramp. “Zack and Diego aren’t coming with us?” Alexander asked as they passed the other two partner offices without pausing.
Mia shook her head. “Zack is…he wanted to be with Seaveth today. Diego just didn’t show up this morning.” She frowned. Diego’s dedication to playing the role of a normal human was flaky, at best, despite the combined pressure Alexander and Zack tried to exert upon him. Diego had spent centuries unfettered. He was taking a longer time adjusting to Seaveth’s demands for assimilation than most. But they both knew he would be at the full assembly. Even he would not dare risk Seaveth’s wrath by missing that.
“He’ll come around,” Alexander assured her. “Diego is just…” He tried to find the right world.
“Savage,” Mia said succinctly. “I’ve heard the gossip. There’s a reason for his last name.”
“There is,” Alexander said flatly. “But whatever you’ve heard, it’s wrong.”
She glanced up at him, a furrow between her brows but she couldn’t ask him a more direct question for they had reached the foyer and were surrounded by strangers for the ride down to the basement.
In the elevator car, Alexander was swamped by memories of the day Mia had reappeared in his life, here in New York. She swiveled her head to look up at him and smiled and he knew she was thinking the same thing. She pressed closer to him in the crowded car.
She was getting many admiring glances from others in the car, who skimmed her high heels, smart skirt and jacket, silk shirt and shoulder-blade-length hair she refused to either cut or wear up in a bun despite the weather and the hourglass figure that the suit did nothing to hide.
She’s with me, Alexander thought. At last. And he curled his hand around her hip.
The car was empty by the time they reached the last basement and they looked out cautiously. The limousine was waiting as promised. Mia swapped her briefcase over to her left hand and they stepped out, heading for the limousine.
There was a rattle of metal to their right and Alexander turned, his animal instincts flaring. Max was already leaping from the driver’s seat, his bolo in his hand.
But Mia was faster. She had the gun pulled from the holster at the small of her back and out, ready to fire, before Alexander had completed his turn.
Her reactions were faster than his.
She dropped her briefcase and threw her arm out across Alexander’s path to prevent him from moving forward. “Stop. It’s Wyatt,” she said, putting the small caliber gun away again. She ran forward into the shadowy basement and was enfolded by the dark figure there. Alexander could not make out the details but she had been able to. This had been another of her changes. Not only were her reaction times faster than his, she could see and hear better than a vampire.
And Wyatt was stronger than one. She was leading him forward now but he did not look like the strong hunter who had gone off the day before to Quebec to hunt a gargoyle. He was hunched over, an arm to his stomach. Alexander felt his heart seize. He hurried forward.
“What happened?” He and Mia between them bundled Wyatt into the limousine. “The keep, Max.”
“Aye.” Max climbed in and got the long vehicle rolling with minimum fuss, pulling out into the traffic without delay.
Alexander was grateful for the smoked windows and air-conditioning. He and Mia stretched Wyatt on the seat. “What happened?” he repeated again as he tried to pull aside Wyatt’s shirt to see his stomach.
“Demon was working with the gargoyle. The damn things are ganging up together these days.” Wyatt rolled his head back.
“Why aren’t you healing?” Mia cried.
Alexander winced and leaned over to the back of the driver’s seat. “Sorry, family business, Max.” And he hit the button for the privacy screen, which slid up behind the driver’s seat, a blacked-out window of total privacy between them and Max. It was soundproof and bulletproof.
Alexander turned back to Wyatt and looked at the long crimson gashes on Wyatt’s stomach.
“You’re supposed to have vampire healing powers now,” Mia said, tears rolling down her face.
“He does,” Alexander said quietly, studying the wounds. “These were much worse, twelve hours ago.”
Wyatt swallowed and nodded. “A mate drove me down from Ontario through the night. I had trouble convincing him not to take me to hospital in Toronto but when I didn’t die on him right away and was still talking when we hit the New York border he was starting to put it together. He was happy to get rid of me, I think. I scared the crap out of him. And he hunts demons.” He tried to laugh and it turned into a series of coughs that looked painful. He finally took a deep breath and opened his eyes. “God it’s good to see you both.”
Mia threw herself on his chest and Alexander kissed his forehead. Wyatt held Mia to him and eyed Alexander. “I’m guessing the war ain’t over, if the ass-kicking I just took is any measure. No sign of the infamous third trinity?”
He shook his head.
“Fuck.” Wyatt sighed. “The elves are going to eat Seaveth for dinner at the assembly.”
For more information about Sera’s Gift, click here.
___________

Teal Ceagh’s website.
Visit Teal on Facebook.
Follow Teal on Twitter.
___________

Thanks again Teal, for the great post and even more for the lovely excerpts!

Teal was so kind to offer a copy of Beth's Acceptance(my review can be found
here) in ebook form for one lucky reader. All you have to do is to leave a comment and answer the following question:

Do you like your Urban Fantasy with a little spice or do you prefer them the traditional way?

That's all. Okay I'm not against spreading the word about the giveaway so you get one extra point for that(leave a link please)!
The giveaway is international and ends on Saturday, December 12th when I got out of bed, drank my coffee and feel like going to random.org.

So comment away!

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December 4, 2009

My Geeky Desires - Clocks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Today I wanna show you a few clocks I found while searching for Xmas pressies. The problem with me and clocks is that I hate these ticking thingies cuz they just won't let me sleep. This steady tick-tock makes me crazy. I'm always lying there and wait for the next tick or tock. Drives me insane. So I browsed around and found some cute things. Ok some also make the annoying sound but I love them nonetheless.



 

 

 




First one is a dream clock for every booklover: The book clock. I would so buy this  one if I had some space in my bookshelves. But the way it is at the moment I need every free space I can get for books. I found this one here. The price is really ok and would look so great in a bookshelf. 




  
The next one is really geeky and I always planned to buy this one for BF. The Binary Clock is more like art in my eyes and not easy to read if you don't speak binary. LOL


OK, I will explain it. Each vertical column stands for one number on a digital clock. The horizontal lines represent the binary values( from bottom to top: 1 2 4 8). You just have to add the illuminated values in each vertical line up to get the number. Take a look at the pic, I think it explains it really good. Found this clock on 1 of my favorite sites "Think Geek" here.


 

 



The third one is a bit like the binary clock but way easier to read. The Tix Clock is again divided in 4 separated fields. This time you just have to count the illuminated squares to get the digit. Found this one on Think Geek too. You can take a look here.





Oh I know this week is really geeky but what do you think?

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December 3, 2009

Review: Mia's Return by Teal Ceagh

 

Description:

Ten years ago Alexander hungered for Mia Menendez and

for a single day they had indulged that passion before tragedy struck. Now Mia is back, but she thinks Alexander died ten years ago, and no man has been able to stir her heart since. The truth could kill her.
Wyatt Whitacker, demon hunter, hates Alexander and all his kind. But one look at Mia and her pulse-stopping curves and his scarred, angry heart begins to melt and his body to rouse in ways he’s long forgotten.
The bonding has begun… (blurb)



Review:

 

This is the second book in the Destinies Trinities series. The book starts a few month after the first and tells the story of Alex, Mia and Wyatt.
Alexander is an ex-small-time criminal turned vampire who's now fighting on the good side. His life changed drastically with him being turned to a vampire. He's now a successful businessman and a great fighter against the evil forces. He's a strong and unprejudiced character. He likes the way his live developed till he meets Mia again.


Mia is a girl coming out of a poor family with brothers stuck with the wrong people. She grew up with her brother's gangster buddies coming over and totally lost her heart to one of them. Alex was and still is center of her wet dreams. They got this one perfect night together and he promised her so much more but he died after he left her bed. Now, ten years later she meets him again by chance. He still looks the same and she wants him even more than all this time back. Mia is headstrong and has a quite stubborn side. She always gets what she wants and she will do everything to get him.

 


Wyatt is a vampire hunter deep down to his soul. After a critical experience in his life this is his purpose and he can't think of doing something else. His mission is his top priority. He's a very emotional character with soul deep wounds. He lived through hell and still fights. I really admired him.


So how do these three come together? I won't tell you but be sure it's a good thing they do.

These three have a few issues to get through before they can get together comfortably. Wyatt hates vampires so he needs a bit time to get comfortable with the idea that he's foretold to bond with one. The resolution of this goes real quick, perhaps a bit too quick for me.

Steamy is not enough to describe this book, the words burn your eyes. Very hawt read it is and so good for my hormones. ;)


The story in this book brings us a few revelations concerning the bad guys but leaves enough out to keep your interest. The story is fast paced, a bit rushed at some points but it totally suits the book.


Enjoyed this one and can't wait to read what happens in book 3- Sera's Gift(release day is Dec, 9th- that's next week).







To le

arn more about Teal Ceagh and her books please visit her website here.

The Destiny's Trinities Series:
1. Beth's Acceptance: my review, reviews @goodreads, buy the ebook here
2. Mia's Return: reviews @goodreads, buy the ebook here
3. Sera's Gift: release Dec 9th (!!!)

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