Saturday, November 30, 2013

Welcome Evie Knight



About Ariel’s Song:
Colin Hoskins, famous classical violinist, is tainted by his past. Angry at life, unable to move beyond the betrayal of his dead fiancé, he’s sworn off performing or falling in love ever again. All Colin wants is to be left alone, except no one listens. Especially the pretty little assistant he can’t fire and his body burns to claim.

Stranded in a foreign country, bankrupted heiress Ariel Parks needs a job to fund her way home. Assistant of sorts to the musician she’s fantasized about for years sounds like a dream job. She never imagined the gorgeous genius would be a reclusive beast. But the real problem is the way every nerve in her body tingles at the mention of his name.

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Sneak Preview:

The long narrow hallway looked as lush as everything else in his house. Ariel looked at the spotless dark wood floors lined by warm sand colored walls accentuated with expensive paintings. She bet all were originals.

“Well, off you go.” The plump housekeeper motioned to the hallway. “He’s in his music studio.”

Ariel bit the inside of her cheek, doubting her decision. Maybe it’d be best to ask the older woman to show her in. She turned to ask, finding the woman no longer stood next to her. Ariel looked around hoping to find her, realizing she stood in the middle of the room alone. She took a deep breath, glancing up at the vast arched ceiling, feeling it swallow her whole.

All right, here goes nothing. Ariel adjusted the tote on her shoulder and walked down the hall, following the origin of the music, slowing down as she approached a half closed door from where the melody came. The notes to a Nirvana song filled her ears. She closed her eyes, allowing his music to hypnotize her how it always did. God. She loved his music.

Some people frowned upon classical crossovers like Colin. Ariel bet he didn’t give a shit what anyone thought of his musical arrangements. He was an artist playing for the love of music and nothing else. He’d probably continue to mix classical with Pop, Rock, and Metallica for as long as he lived.

She drummed her foot on the floor, her insides squealing. Her favorite musician played on the other side of the door. She bid her time, enjoying the music. As tempted as Ariel was to let him know she’d arrived for her first day of work, she didn’t want to interrupt.

When Colin finished playing the Nirvana song, Ariel took a step forward ready to announce her presence. Then, the strings with the first notes to a gypsy song halted her mid-step. Ariel leaned on the wall, closing her eyes once more to hear him play. She resisted the impulse to remove her shoes and dance to the gypsy melody in his hall. Damn, he could play.

“Are you going to come in or stand there all day?” he asked from inside the room.

His voice startled her. Shit. She opened her eyes. How did he know she’d been there all along? Ariel cleared her throat and walked in. “Hi. I-I was waiting…” She motioned to his instrument. A palpable tension filled the air the moment her gaze met his, drawing her to him. His black T-shirt and jeans gave him a dark angel aura.

He wore his hair down without a ponytail. Colin stood next to his music stand. His stubble denser, framing his face, giving his piercing eyes a darker caramel shade. Ariel cast her gaze to the large skull ring on his left pinky finger. The man was a hot rocker playing Mozart.

“Let me make something clear to you.” He raked a hand through his hair, securing a strand behind his ear. “No one walks through that door when I’m in here practicing. Any questions?” Colin placed the bow on the stand and set his violin in its case.

Ariel regained her composure. “No questions. However, I think we need to set some ground rules.” She crossed the room to the bay window opposite from him. “If I’m going to be your assistant, there are some things we can’t do.” She ran her index finger along the edge of the window then placed her tote on the side table next to it. “For starters—” She turned and bumped into his strong chest.

“Enlighten me,” Colin said.

Her heart skipped a beat as she lifted her gaze to him, lingering on his mouth before she met his eyes. Ariel fought the need to kiss him again. How would she ever pull this off when he looked at her with those eyes? Colin trapped her between the bay window and him. He hadn’t touched her yet, but the heat radiating from him being so close ensnared her all the same. Ariel shifted on her feet, trying to set an inch or two of distance between them.

“For starters what, Ariel?” Colin placed a hand on either side of her, making it harder for her to escape. At her silence, he asked, “Are you going to answer me?”

“This.” Ariel rested a hand on his chest, to push him away, his warmth burning her palm. “If we’re going to work together, there won’t be any touching.” Her fingertips tingled at the thrum of his heartbeat. Colin glanced at her hand on his chest. Shit. She curled her fingers into a fist. What was she doing feeling his hard muscles?

“You mean you don’t want me to touch you like this?” He gripped her waist, and she jerked at the unexpected contact.

The heat of his grasp on her waist seeped through the thin layer of her clothes, stirring her insides. “Yes.” She shook her head. “No.”

 Colin angled his head, closing the distance. “What else?” he asked, his lips a breath away from hers.

She closed her eyes. “There can’t be any more kiss—”

He closed his mouth on hers, not demanding, just giving. Colin drew her in, teasing until she asked for more. Ariel didn’t have the willpower to resist him, not when he kissed her like this. Not when she’d fantasized about being in his arms for ages. Damned temptation. Nothing went as planned. She ran her hands up his arms, yearning to touch his hair, allowing herself the small pleasure. Ariel tangled her fingers in his hair, pressing her breasts against his chest.

Colin groaned, opening his mouth wider, drawing her tongue in. He lifted her on top of the bay window seat, letting the décor pillows drop at his feet. He spread her legs apart until he stood between them.

He broke the kiss. “You should’ve never come today if you didn’t want me to kiss you again. I warned you yesterday.” He locked gazes with her. “If you don’t want me to touch you or kiss you, say it like you mean it. Don’t say it looking at me with sex hungry eyes.” He breathed in. “Ariel, I don’t just want to kiss you. I want to fuck you. Here and now. So tell me. Do you want me to stop?”

No. Yes. No. Her chest tightened, heat rose from her feet up her body, her insides stirred. She couldn’t say it like she meant it because she didn’t, or not look at him without being entranced by the lust in his eyes. No. The answer was no and exactly what she’d feared. Not being able to walk away from the man she’d dreamt about for years. My fantasy come true.

“Ariel?”

An inexplicable force drew her to this strange music genius, her Aerosmith turned Mozart as she’d called him many times before in her dreams, and fighting it was off the list. “Kiss me.”

Colin seized her mouth in another scorching kiss, his hands stroking her legs, bunching up her skirt at her waist.

My Review:

Ariel’s Song by Evie Knight
Published: October 29, 2013, Evernight Publishing
Series: In Bed With the Enemy #1
 
Colin Hoskins is a famous violinist who plays everything from Mozart to Metallica. He’s brilliant and world-renowned until a tragedy forces him out of the spotlight. He wants to be left alone, vowing never to perform or fall in love again.
Ariel Parks needs a job, so she answers an ad to become Colin’s assistant. Stranded in Great Britain, she can’t find two farthings to rub together. Her brother—and her inheritance—have gone AWOL. If Colin doesn’t hire her, she’ll end up not only stranded but homeless. Colin Hoskins has been her ultimate fantasy for years, so she considers landing a job with him quite a coup. She never expected the brilliant musician to be such a difficult recluse.
I really liked Ariel’s Song. Strong writing and a great premise moved the story along at a nice pace and kept me engaged. One particular plot point involving Ariel and Colin grated. It led to an avoidable misunderstanding had the scene played out a little differently. Ms. Knight wrote some very hot, thoroughly enjoyable, love scenes. Colin is a hero with trust issues due to a traumatic past involving his dead fiancé. No matter how he tries he can’t resist Ariel nor can Ariel resist him. However, the sex is what had me really liking Ariel’s Song instead of loving it. I felt a disconnect to Colin and Ariel until late in the book. I would’ve loved to have seen more banter between the two because, again, Ms. Knight has a knack for witty banter. All in all, this was a really good read and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that #2 in the In Bed With the Enemy Series will be about Julienne and Gerard.
4 Fleur-de-lis
Heat level: Steamy

 

Where you can buy it



About Evie:

Evie Knight writes wickedly sexy contemporary romances with irresistible bad boys, sassy heroines, a bit of conflict, humor and a dash of spice. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time blogging, reading, listening to music, or looking for a muse.

She lives in sunny Southern California.

Evie loves hearing from her readers. Feel free to drop her a line at evie@evie-knight.com or you can stalk her on Twitter @inlovewromance


 

 

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Guest Post: Inspiration by Dilys J. Carnie

http://www.dilysjcarnie.com


It doesn’t matter how much you want to write there are always days when you think not one more word is going to be written. You search your mind for inspiration to no avail and you think that’s it… your writing career is over.

http://amzn.to/1e7qmEm
Ideas are an integral part of a writer’s life and sometimes they become illusive leaving your mind blundering around in the most dramatic, hair pulling “no one else ever has days like this” kind of way.

With your muse struggling to cooperate, inspiration can be found in some of the most unlikeliest places.
“Sing to me oh Muse”…
The nine muses of Greek Mythology were deities that gave artists, philosophers and individuals the necessary inspiration to write. Where are my muses when I’m struggling?

Inspiration can be everywhere and nowhere, perhaps just reading a magazine while having a coffee in your favourite place. People watching (a favourite of mine), television, dreaming about the handsome hero that saves you from all the bad in the world. It could be in the dead of night when you’re half asleep and frantically searching for a pencil and piece of paper, not finding any and ending up writing them on the wall so as not to forget.

The truth is that although I have days when I feel like throwing the towel in…I never would because I love what I do too much and my muse may take a rest now and then but not for long before I am filling the blank page in front of me with a new love story that has me sighing, crying and falling in love all over again.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Embrace The Mystery by Caris Roane



COVER BLURB:
Mastyr Quinlan pursues the artist, Batya, with only one thing in mind but soon discovers that his desire for her is just the beginning of an earth-shattering affair…
He doesn’t want a woman in his life…
Quinlan must keep Grochaire Realm safe from the enemy at all costs.  As ruler of his realm, a woman has no permanent place in his day-to-day existence. But when his lust takes him to Batya’s bedroom, he soon discovers he’s deep into a powerful experience that threatens to blow his life apart.  He wants Batya with a feverish desire that makes no sense in his logical, warrior world.  But when an ancient fae attacks Batya’s gallery, he launches into protector mode and soon finds himself embroiled -- body, soul, and fangs -- with a woman he’d only meant to bed a couple of times.  
She has no desire to get involved with a mastyr vampire…
Batya’s intense desire for Mastyr Quinlan stuns and baffles her.  She doesn’t want to be involved with the vampire on any level.  His sole focus of ruling Grochaire Realm has kept him from staying with one woman longer than the proud length of his fangs.  Besides, she’s built a life for herself in Lebanon, Tennessee as an artist and healer to the realm ex-patriot community. But when the ancient fae attacks Quinlan at her gallery, then attempts to kidnap her assistant, Batya finds herself catapulted into an astonishing adventure.  Even so, she works steadily to get back to her free-clinic and her painting, but how can she leave Quinlan behind when he’s commanded her like no other man ever has?
READ MORE:http://www.carisroane.com/3-embrace-the-mystery/ 

BIO:
I confess I've had a love affaire with vampires for several years now, especially warrior vampires, the kind found in the books of Sherrilyn Kenyon, Lara Adrian and JR Ward. Though I've been published in Regency Romance under the pseudonym Valerie King--and yes one of my Regency Novellas features a vampire--one day I woke up knowing I had to create my own contemporary world of the warrior vampire.
For some mystical, magical reason, early in the process, my vampires appeared with enormous beautiful wings and it has been the most amazing experience to include flight in my novels, in both battle scenes and scenes involving spectacle. My special vampire world, published by St. Martin's Press, is introduced in the first book called, ASCENSION (12-28-2010). The second book, BURNING SKIES (May of 2011), opens up the world a little bit more. And even as I write this, I'm on the final draft of my third novel, WINGS OF FIRE (September of 2011). What a thrill it has been to live with my ascended vampires through the creation of this extraordinary, multi-dimensional world!
For more information about my unique take on the vampire mythos, check out my website at carisroane.com and my book release video on YouTube by putting in the search phrase, Caris Roane Ascension.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Website:  http://www.carisroane.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/caris.roane
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/carisroane
Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3500801
EXCERPT:
From Chapter Two: Mastyr Quinlan, having survived an enemy attack because Batya healed him, has to brush out his long warrior hair. Batya helps him out…
Quinlan showered, washing out the mass of his hair twice then applying Batya’s crème rinse until he’d have a half-way decent shot at getting the snarls out with a brush.
Using her blow dryer, he scowled as he watched his damn hair fly around. Why couldn’t a vampire, especially a Guardsman, have some kind of preternatural power to remove snarls and dry his hair without electricity?
“Want some coffee with your ‘shits’ and ‘damn-all-the-elf-lords-to-hell-and-back’?” He met Batya’s reflection in the mirror, and saw a mug extended in his direction.
He shut the dryer off, turned around, and took the cup. “That bad, huh?”
Batya chuckled. She had dimples, two of them. Not deep, but they were definitely there, beside her mouth. He’d never noticed before, but then most of his seduction work had taken place at a distance.
“Turn around. I’ll work the back section.”
He didn’t hesitate, something that resonated deep in his brain as a serious warning of some kind, but he wasn’t sure in what way. 
She picked up the brush he’d been using and started at the tips. He couldn’t even feel the tugs so he drank his coffee and released a sigh. 
His thoughts turned to Grochaire, the realm he ruled. “I need to get word to my Guard, to warn them about what they’re up against. But my telepathy isn’t working through your shield and my phone got blasted by one of those wraith-pairs.”
“You can try my phone, but I can’t guarantee you’ll get through, not with the shield I have in place. Sorry, but staying alive has a priority here.”
He smiled because he couldn’t have agreed with her more.
She brushed through a long length, hit a snag and started working it. He could see her in the mirror, brow furrowed. He’d seen that look already, more than once just conversing with her. She had a seriousness about her that he approved of, maybe because it matched his own. 
He sipped some more and watched her. She was a beautiful woman and tall, maybe just under six feet. He wouldn’t have to lean too far down to pull her into his arms and kiss her. She wore her hair loose with clips holding it away from her face.  She had strong cheekbones and a straight nose. Her chin was definitely fae, more pointed than a human’s would be, but exquisite.
 
 He knew her ancestry, half-fae, half-troll, her genetics having fallen on the fae side. Realm-DNA did that when the species mixed. The offspring landed one way or another, the same if more than two lines made up the code. Genetics always picked a lane. He realized that he liked her looks, really liked them. “Have you ever done a self-portrait?”
She picked up another long hunk of his hair and once more started at the tips, working swiftly. “I don’t really do faces. I’ve always been into landscapes and the occasional still-life if the objects intrigue me enough.”
“Do you go out, snap photos of woodlands, that kind of thing?”
“Sometimes.” She stopped brushing and scratched her cheek with her thumb. “But more often than not I’ll get these rich images in my head and that’s what I’ll paint.”
“Sounds fae.” 
She started brushing again, making quick work as he sipped his coffee. “Maybe. Probably. I don’t think about it. I just paint and let the spirit move me.”
He smiled. “The spirit, huh?”
“It’s a good earth-saying, don’t you think?”
“I suppose it is. So you like being here on human earth?”
“I do. In fact, I love it. I didn’t know what happiness or freedom was until I moved here.” She met his gaze in the mirror. “And I don’t plan on ever returning to the Nine Realms. The day that we made our treaties with the US, turned out to be the best day of my life…”
GIVEAWAY:   signed copy of BORN IN CHAINS, e-copies of EMBRACE THE DARK, EMBRACE THE MAGIC, and EMBRACE THE MYSTERY, small tote, notepad, versatile calendar, sticky notes, and RTC cards!!!  International winner receives gift card compensation!!!

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Friday, November 1, 2013

Welcome to the Great Autumn Harvest Book Giveaway Event (November 1-3, 2013)

 

"Cool weather, colorful leaves, and a warm cocktail. What could be better? We are over 35 authors giving away a ton of great ebooks and prizes. Keep reading to find out what they are!"
 

The Great Autumn Harvest Book Giveaway Event

Have you joined our event on FaceBook yet? Please take a moment to do so and invite your friends. We are using the event page to highlight the books that are being given away on our blogs. We're also having some games you can play to earn additional entries in the giveaways. Come on over so you don't miss out on anything!
 
 
Book Prizes

We have over 35 ebooks to give to our readers! Each blogger is giving away 3-4 of them. You can win one of four right here on my blog. 



 

WHISPER CAPE is a town of secrets and Addison MacKenna soon becomes tangled in a web of them. Plagued with nightmares of her father's sudden and brutal death, Addie struggles with her anguish and refuses to believe his demise was accidental.

Fighting to shake off one of those devastating early morning nightmares, Addison finds it even harder to escape from the vision of a man lying on the side of the road--a man she may have just killed. When she frantically tries to locate him, he seemingly disappears, just the beginning of strange occurrences in her life. She also cannot ignore the weird sensations in her own body. Suddenly, the impossible seems possible, but is that a blessing or a curse?
 





 
 THE MISTAKEN Tyler Karras is an honest man, a transplanted Brit living the American dream, but his charmed life takes an unexpected turn when his brother, Nick, is coerced into joining ranks with San Francisco's Russian mafia. Ty intervenes to secure Nick's freedom, yet only succeeds in incurring their wrath. With no choice but to accept Nick's new life, Ty returns to his own, but his dreams are dashed when his wife-pregnant with their first child-is killed, the victim of a reckless crime. Despondent and bitter, Ty macerates his grief in alcohol. From the depths of the bottle screams a voice, howling for vengeance. His target is a stranger, the woman who drew his wife toward her death. He doesn't know her, but he'll find her, and when he does, he will make her pay, for a deal has been struck with Nick's Russian associates, enslaving her into a life of bondage. But as Ty moves forward in a cloud of alcohol, he mistakes the wrong woman for his intended victim and now all his plans have gone straight to hell. With his eyes made clear by the stark reality of his mistake, Ty is driven, compelled by remorse and a relentless sense of guilt to make amends and protect Hannah Maguire, the innocent woman whose life he has derailed. He vows to keep her safe and out of the Russians' hands, but they're holding Nick as leverage to force Ty to complete their deal and turn over the girl. Once again, he must fight to free his brother, miring all three lives in further jeopardy. But Ty can't do it all: Save the girl, his brother and his own soul. One of them must make the ultimate sacrifice.

 
 

MALAVITA Enrico Lucchesi never wanted anything to do with the Mafia. But when his brothers were murdered, he accepted that he would someday be the next don. However, he doesn't accept that he must marry the daughter of the man who killed them. Enrico will never trust an Andretti, never mind love one. The Andrettis are up to something with their so-called "truce"--and Enrico must avenge his siblings. But will his dark secret spell the end of his vengeance--and possibly the Lucchesis?

After Antonella Andretti's father tries to destroy the Lucchesis, she persuades him that an alliance--achieved by her marriage to Enrico, the "golden boy" she's loved from afar--would be in everyone's best interests. As her wedding day approaches, people close to her father start dying, and her fiancé's behavior is suspect. When she learns Enrico's true feelings about her--and what her father's actual plans are--will Antonella damn their families to eternal war, or will she broker a peace that might destroy her heart?
 
 
Here's how it works: There are eleven of us who are featuring the giveaway books on our blogs. The books will be won individually so your chances of winning are very high. Be sure to go to all eleven blogs to maximize your odds.

 
To enter: fill out the rafflecopter below. The more actions you do, the more entries you get!

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Grand Prize

Now for the grand prize. We are also giving away a $175 Amazon gift card!

 



 

To enter: fill out the rafflecopter below. Complete as many of the actions as you can to increase your odds of winning!

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What Now?

For more great ebooks to win, please return to the Great Autumn Harvest Book Giveaway page. We'll be highlighting more ebooks, and the blogs where you can go to win them.
 
Thanks for joining us!