ARC Review: Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare

Title: Any Duchess Will Do (Spindle Cove, #4)
Author: Tessa Dare
Source: Edelweiss
Genre: Historical Romance
Length: Novel (384pgs)
Release Date: May 28, 2013
Reviewed by: CaroleDee

What’s a duke to do, when the girl who’s perfectly wrong becomes the woman he can’t live without?

Griffin York, the Duke of Halford, has no desire to wed this season—or any season—but his diabolical mother abducts him to “Spinster Cove” and insists he select a bride from the ladies in residence. Griff decides to teach her a lesson that will end the marriage debate forever. He chooses the serving girl.

Overworked and struggling, Pauline Simms doesn’t dream about dukes. All she wants is to hang up her barmaid apron and open a bookshop. That dream becomes a possibility when an arrogant, sinfully attractive duke offers her a small fortune for a week’s employment. Her duties are simple: submit to his mother’s “duchess training”… and fail miserably.

But in London, Pauline isn’t a miserable failure. She’s a brave, quick-witted, beguiling failure—a woman who ignites Griff’s desire and soothes the darkness in his soul. Keeping Pauline by his side won’t be easy. Even if Society could accept a serving girl duchess—can a roguish duke convince a serving girl to trust him with her heart?

Book Spotlight and Giveaway: Hook's Pan by Marie Hall

Hi guys, I've got a book spotlight for the newest in Marie Hall's Kingdom Series, Hook's Pan.

 

If you haven't heard of the series before you're in for a treat because they are amazingly creative takes on classics we all know and love!

Title: Hook's Pan (Kingdom, #5)
Author: Marie Hall
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Sci-Fi
Length:175 pgs
Available at:  Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

Trishelle Page has known pain in her life, but instead of it making her weak, she's stronger. Confident. That is until the day a fairy kidnaps her during her staring role in Peter Pan's play and tells her not only do fairy tales exist, but that she's the soul-mate of the pirate they call Hook, making her question everything she ever thought she knew.

Captain James Hook is a man at the end of his rope. He's not the villainous bastard tales have made him out to be. So when the curvaceous blonde drops, literally, at his feet he aims to prove it to her. If only to get her into his bed.

What neither one knows is that fate and magic are conspiring and they can deny the attraction all they want but the end is already written, it's just a matter of getting there.

 

 Catch the magic from the beginning

Her Mad Hatter (Kingdom, #1)

Alice is all grown up. Running the Mad Hatter's Cupcakery and Tea Shoppe is a delicious job, until fate--and a fairy godmother with a weakness for bad boys--throws her a curveball. Now, Alice is the newest resident of Wonderland, where the Mad Hatter fuels her fantasies and thrills her body with his dark touch.

The Mad Hatter may have a voice and a body made for sex, but he takes no lovers. Ever. But a determined fairy godmother has forced Alice into Wonderland--and his arms. Now, as desire and madness converge, the Hatter must decide if he will fight the fairy godmother's mating--or fight for Alice.




Gerard's Beauty (Kingdom, #2)

A not so classic retelling of Beauty and the Beast, as seen through the eyes of the villain...

Betty Hart has had it with men. Jilted in love, her life now consists of shelving books by day, watching too much Anime by night, and occasionally dressing up like a superhero on the weekends with her fellow ‘Bleeding Heart’ nerds. Men are not welcome and very much unwanted. Especially the sexy Frenchman who saunters into her library reeking of alcohol and looking like he went one too many rounds in the ring.

Gerard Caron is in trouble. Again. Caught with his pants down (literally) he’s forced to seek asylum on Earth while his fairy godmother tries to keep Prince Charming from going all ‘Off with his head’. Maybe, messing around with the King’s daughter hadn’t been such a great idea after all, not that Gerard knew the silly redhead was a princess. But his fairy godmother knows the only way to save his life is to finally pair Gerard with his perfect mate, whether he’s willing or not.

From the moment Gerard lays eyes on the nerdy librarian he knows he must have her, but Betty is unlike any woman he’s ever known. He thought Betty would come as willingly to his bed as every other woman before her, but she is a woman who demands respect and even… horror of all horrors… love. Is it possible for a self-proclaimed Casanova to change his ways?



Red and Her Wolf (Kingdom, #3)
 
Long ago there lived a beautiful child. Her name was Violet. Fair of skin, with blonde hair and large blue eyes. Born of wild magic, she was a woman with a child’s heart. Innocent and lovely, but not at all what she seemed--you see Violet went by another name: The Heartsong.

She was the child of fairy magic, the physical manifestation of all fae kinds unbridled power. Cosseted and pampered, she grew up in isolation, never knowing who she really was, or why there were those who’d seek to harm her.

Ewan of the Blackfoot Clan is a wolf with a problem. He’s been sent to kill the Heartsong, but the moment he lays eyes on the blonde beauty he knows he’ll defy the evil fae he works for to claim Violet as his own.

This is the tale of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, as it really happened...

 Jinni's Wish (Kingdom, #4)

A long, long time ago there lived a man. A Jinni, who had one wish. To know love. But the woman he thought he knew betrayed him and the love he thought they shared. Tortured for his crimes, he was cast out of Kingdom, stripped of all his powers, left to langour in pain and solitude, until eventually he becomes nothing but a ghost...

Paz Lopez is an artist with a dream. To buy a ridiculously large penthouse in the swankiest section of Chicago. But there's just one hitch, she has no man to share her dream with. A fateful visit to a carnival and Madam Pandora's tent sends Paz on a mission to find the love of her life before it's too late.

But the Madam forgot to tell Paz one very important detail... to meet him, Paz will have to die first.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

Marie is giving away the following prizes on her tour:

Grand Prize:
One (1) $50.00 dollar gift card to Amazon 
(international eligible)
 

2nd Runner-up:
One (1)  Tote bag with keychain, bookmarks, and a journal
(US only) 

3rd Runner-up:
One (1) eBook of THE WITCHING HOUR

(international eligible)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


 

About Marie

Marie Hall has always had a dangerous fascination for creatures that go bump in the night. And mermaids. And of course fairies. Trolls. Unicorns. Shapeshifters. Vampires. Scottish brogues. Kilts. Beefy arms. Ummm... Bad boys! Especially the sexy ones.


On top of that she’s a confirmed foodie, she nearly went to culinary school and then figured out she could save a ton of money if she just watched food shows religiously! She’s a self-proclaimed master chef, certified deep sea dolphin trainer, finder of leprechaun’s gold at the end of the rainbow, and rumor has it she keeps the Troll King locked away in her basement. All of which is untrue, however, she does have an incredibly active imagination and loves to share her crazy thoughts with the world!

Connect with Marie:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Author page

Marie Hall's

HOOK'S PAN

Book Blast Schedule

May 20 - June 1

5/20- Urban Girl Reader

http://www.urbangirlreader.com/

5/21- Literal Hotties Naught Book Reviews

http://literalhottiesnaughtybookreviews.blogspot.com/

5/21- United by Books

http://unitedbybooks.blogspot.com/

5/22- Close Encounters with the Night Kind

http://closeencounterswiththenightkind.blogspot.com/

5/23- Book Monster Reviews

http://www.bookmonsterreviews.com/

5/24- Bitten by Paranormal Romance

http://www.bittenbyparanormalromance.com/

5/25- Riverina Romantics

http://riverinaromantics.blogspot.com/

5/25- Wicked Readings by Tawania

http://www.wickedreadingsbytawania.blogspot.com/

5/26- Sassy Book Lovers

http://sassybooklovers.blogspot.com/

5/26- Mad Hatter Reads

http://madhatterreads.blogspot.com/

5/27- Curse of the Bibliophile

http://curseofthebibliophile.blogspot.com/

5/28- You Gotta Reads Reviews

http://yougottaread.com/

5/28 - Brynna Curry's In Shadows

http://brynnacurryguests.blogspot.com/

5/30- Because Reading Is Better

http://love2readalways.blogspot.com/

5/31- Darker Passions

http://darkerpassions.net/

6/01- Book Lovin' Mamas

http://booklovinmamas.blogspot.com/

6/01- Confessions of the Paranormal

http://confessionsoftheparanormal.blogspot.com/

 

Indie Romance Convention Spotlight with Author Annabel Joseph

Tell us a little about yourself and what inspired you to become a writer.

I'd probably describe myself as part rebel-soccer-mom and part degenerate-sex-pervert.  It's weird for me because I live in a conservative part of the country.  It creates some awkward moments at the bus stop, but that's okay.  As for my inspiration to become a writer, it started because I couldn't find the kind of erotica that I wanted to read.  I wanted the hot sex, and sometimes even questionable sex, but I wanted emotion and romance wrapped up with it, too.  I wanted quality stories that were really, really smutty.  That's what I like to read and write.

What type of romance do you write and why?

I write BDSM romance.  Mostly contemporary, but occasionally I dabble into historical stuff.  I write longer novels rather than shorts because I love to develop complex stories, and my BDSM skews to the realistic side.  I also always write male doms and female subs.  I guess because I'm a female sub and that's what's most erotic to me and most natural to write.

What are you working on right now?

I'm working on a BDSM series set in the world of a London ballet company.  The first book is called Waking Kiss, and it's a super emotional, super intense story about two very damaged people healing on other from traumatic experiences in their past.  I writing Waking Kiss, I created a secondary character, a hotheaded male dancer, and loved him so much I decided to make him the subject of the second book, Fever Dream.  I hope to have both books out by fall of 2013.

Who would you pick if you could have "Breakfast With the Author"?

That's a tough one, because I love so many authors, but I'd have to say Laura Kinsale.  I'm a huge historical romance reader and to me her books exist on a tier of their won.  Her characters are more complex, her storylines more surprising and emotional than any other author I've read.  That's not an easy feat in the romance genre where there are so many expectation and rules.  I really admire her and I'd love to have breakfast with her and pick her brain.

Just for fun - which do you prefer:

Cats or dogs?

We have little cat-sized dogs  lol.  Because I like the size of cats, but I don't like litter boxes.

Wake up early or stay up late?

I am a super night-owl.  Mornings aren't for me.  No.

Blonds or brunettes?

Redheads!!

Hot weather or cold?

Oh man, you ask the tough questions.  I guess I'll go with cold.  If you're cold you can always snuggle and warm up, but when you're hot, there's really no way to get away from it.  Plus I hate to sweat.

If you want to see more about Annabel or follow what she's up to (I know I'll be watching for Waking Kiss), then check her out on the web any of the following ways:

Annabel's website: http://annabeljoseph.wordpress.com/books/

Annabel's twitter:  https://twitter.com/annabeljoseph

Annabel's facebook:  https://facebook.com/annabeljosephnovels

Annabel's instagram:  http://web.stagram.com/n/annabeljoseph/

Annabel's latest release:

Disciplining the Duchess

Review Eternal Nights by V. S. Nelson

Title: Eternal Nights (Sekhmet's Guardians #2)

Author: V. S. Nelson

Source: Author request

Genre: Paranormal romance

Length: Novel 

Reviewed by: Laurie 

With each passing day Jessica’s consciousness grew stronger. For twenty years she was content to remain as she was—trapped inside another. The life she led came to an abrupt end the moment she laid eyes on Raphael. At first she suspected they were destined to be together--his gentle touch confirmed it. Although he didn’t know it, he ignited waves of a fiery passion that burned deep into her soul. It became brighter every day, giving her the strength she needed. Somehow she would find a way to free herself from her grandmother’s powerful magic.

Since her birth she learned vicariously from observing others of her kind and until now she was satisfied with the life she led. She had everything one would need to live a meaningful life without the stress the human world inflicts on its inhabitants. With each passing day her obsession to be more than she was, intensified. Jessica knew she was gifted with her race's abilities to communicate with others but until now she had never used them. They say practice makes perfect and she was at a point now where she could make her presence known—at least to him.

Review Manataka by Ella J. Phoenix

Manataka 

Author: Ella J. Phoenix

Source: Author request 

Genre: Paranormal romance

Length: Novel

Reviewed by Laurie 

Since she was a child, Chloe has endured horrible nightmares about a Native American prince living in a time long forgotten. She never understood why, until she finds a stone that matches the one in her dreams. It has unimaginable powers, powers Chloe doesn’t understand. Fueled by memories of someone else’s past, she sets off on a wild quest for the stone’s birth place, hoping to also find answers to her foreboding dreams.

On the outside, Mason Green looks like a hardworking, self-made millionaire, with too busy a life for romance. Very few people know the real reason for his self-imposed seclusion. It’s safer that way. But when a sexy historian shows him a supernatural stone from a forgotten tribe, Mason is intrigued - maybe the relic is the salvation he’s been waiting for. Ignoring the irrational attraction that threatens to crack the cask around his heart, Mason agrees to help Chloe.

As their wild quest becomes a dangerous mission, they must find the relic’s birthplace before Mason’s past catches up to them.

Review: Duality (Cordelia Kelly #1) By: E.R. Pierce

Title: Duality (Cordelia Kelly #1)
Author: E.R. Pierce
Source: Review Request
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: 220 pgs
Reviewed by: Emi 

Cordelia Kelly is running from her past and her destiny. She is a dual-natured empath – meaning she is receptive to the emotional aura, positive and negative, of those around her. Cordelia struggles to create harmony between the light and dark sides of her existence. She's also an elemental, but her inherent powers are slowly manifesting with age and time. The scales of good versus evil are tilting in the wrong the direction. 

Will she succumb or evolve to fulfill her destiny?

Sol Winterborn is not your typical hero, if anything he’s an anti-hero. Moral indecision riddle his path to redemption, but the undeniable truth he holds onto is his search for his lighthouse – his soul mate. When fate throws Cordelia in his path, he's unprepared but can't stay away. Her siren call sings a song he can't ignore. He sees in her a kindred spirit, and possibly the one he’s searched long nights to find. Will Cordelia be the key to unlock his heart? 

When his own dark past catches up with him, will he risk his life for love?

Bitten’s She-Wolf Pack Thursday Review for May- Legend and Untamed

Legend (Wolf Lake, #1) and
Untamed (Wolf Lake, #2)
Author: Jennifer Kohout
Source: Request
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: long novellas

Orphaned as a child, Samantha grew up into a strong but lonely woman working on her doctorate thesis by researching the history of myths and legends. But when she uncovers an actual werewolf pack, the world of myth becomes her new reality.

Scarred for life after surviving a bitter betrayal, Roland discovers a kindred spirit when he finds Natasha beaten and left for dead. But will their relationship be strong enough to survive when the pack comes under attack?

*Please note, this book contains explicit descriptions of sex, including same gender encounters and threesomes.

Review: Night Demon by Lisa Kessler

Title: Night Demon (Night Series #2)
Author: Lisa Kessler
Source: Publicist Request
Genre: Paranormal Romance / Shifter
Length: Novel
Release Date: March 18, 2013
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

Deep within the Yucatan jungle a demon has awakened...

Gretchen Finch's job would be much easier if she weren't alone in the jungle with a brilliant recluse whose every glance sets her on fire.  But the more she focuses on her work, the closer she gets to unlocking the mysteries of a terrible creature - the Night Demon - that threatens the world as she knows it.  Though her scientific mind tells her it's impossible, she's beginning to believe the ancient Mayan tales as the sinister jungle comes alive around her.

Lukas Smith has spend hundreds of years searching for answers to his immortal Night Walker nature.  As a series of ancient glyphs become clear, he's about to find out  more than he'd ever hoped, but the more he learns, the more his fate intertwines with the Night Demon, and the harder it becomes to hide his immortal secret from the beautiful, intelligent Gretchen.

Together, they must find a way to stop the inexplicable violence and mass destruction surging across the earth before the Night Demon destroys mankind.