Everyone else, I will do another giveaway next month, for a Pride and Prejudice Mug, plus assorted swag and samples I may get my hands on at the CGTA Gift Show. I love it!!!
UPDATE: Today is the last day to enter the Enter the Portal contest.
4 questions, 4 chances to win and a couple of FREE BOOKS!
It's a great opportunity to win.
I have had a 17 year love affair with an author, that's more than half my life, longer than I've know my husband, this is the real thing. When I think books about Vampires or Witches, I think Maggie Shayne.
While she has many stand alone stories, by true love is for her Vampire Series and her Immortal Witches series.
Wings in the Night
You will find no sparkly Vampires here.
It all began in 1993 with Twilight Phantasies and now has 18 stories, the latest Twilight Fulfilled came out in October of last year. The series tells the stories of a family of vampires and their mortal friends and family. Ms. Shayne has created a compelling cast of characters. The Vampires are not demons, but humans who had a rare Belladonna antigen in their blood, the very thing that helps them transform, without the transformation they usually die young.
There is a common enemy in each book, D.P.I. (the Dept. of Paranormal Investigations)
Many of the characters weave in and out of each book in a beautiful tapestry, we meet some character when they are quite young and watch as they grow up through the series to become integral parts of the whole.
I'll be honest and admit that I don't love all of the books, but there are many of the books that I LOVE, so that more than makes up for it. As a whole, this series is my favorite of all Vampire series.
The stories do not get muddied up by werewolves or zombies, this is pure Vampire, and the OG Vampire of pop-culture Dracula does make an appearance along the way, but Ms. Shayne's Vampires go back much further. There are twists and turns and surprises in every book, magic and mayhem, but there is heart. While they may be Romances there is more to it, these characters breathe. They are so much more than words on paper; they are sisters, brothers, mothers, daughters, friends.
All of the Wings in the Night books are available on Kindle and other eBook retailers, some of the later books are still available in paperback. If you can, pick one up and dive on in; you won't regret it.
I am eagerly awaiting what Ms. Shayne has coming up next, her new series; The Portal
The series will begin with a FREE ebook prequel, LEGACY OF THE WITCH on September 1st, 2012.
Book 3, BLOOD OF THE SORCERESS releases January 20th.
This story belongs to Lilia.
And just in time for Halloween; THE MAGICK OF THE WITCHES: Maggie’s non-fiction book about witchcraft, magick, how and why it works, with spells and rituals to enhance anyone’s practice, will be available in E and print editions.
For more on the series and the magic of Maggie Shayne, check out theportalbooks.com or this amazing book trailer:
You know that scene in Annie (the original movie, not any of the remakes), Daddy Warbucks has just given Grace the okay to keep Annie and she's dancing around in that wispy yellow dress, singing "We Got Annie"? That is exactly how I feel right now, I have Followers and Comments!
A big thank you! to everyone who has stopped by and spread the word.
I will do the draw on Saturday and hope to do other giveaways soon!
So, I bought myself the Bar Americain Cookbook by Bobby Flay. I adore him.
Last summer I went to New York City for the first time, one of my musts was to eat at a Bobby Flay restaurant, I chose Bar Americain. Oh my God it was good.
Here and there I have been slowly trying some of the recipes, most to pretty good success.
The first one I did was the Black Pepper Vinegar sauce (also with mustard). I very carefully selected and purchased the ingredients. (The first time I tried this sauce last year I used a grainy mustard and regular vinegar, it did not turn out well.) I did it! Here was the sauce I remembered, tangy, smooth and delicious. I could bathe in this sauce. I wasn't able to make the Smoked Chicken that the sauce usually accompanies but did use another Bobby Flay chicken recipe. I may have cooked at too high a temperature on the barbecue, the outside had a hard black layer, but inside was perfection! Sweet and juicy, exactly how you want chicken to be.
The next recipe I tried I had to modify a little, it was the Blackberry-Bourbon Julep.
My daughter chose this as her drink of choice for her birthday party. The fact that she's twelve meant that I had to omit the bourbon and double up on the club soda. The recipe is a little time consuming and a little messy but well worth it.
I used regular ice cubes instead of shaved ice and served it in a pitcher and it was beautiful and delicious. The sweet of the berries, the cool refreshing taste of the mint, I will make this again and again.
There is more, but I will save them for next time. It's getting hot and hungry in here!
“I know people think erotica is just a romance novel with rougher sex. It's not. If it's a sub-genre of anything, it's horror.
Horror? Really?
Romance is sex plus love. Erotica is sex plus fear.”
The Siren by Tiffany Reisz
Format: eBook via Netgalley Publisher: Harlequin
The problem with this book is that it's well written. Ms. Reisz has created a multifaceted like-able character in Nora. Like me, she can be snarky and sarcastic, but also be soft as a marshmallow. For her public persona she always wears red, but at home she's usually in PJs, so far I am in!
Unlike a traditional Romance there is not one clear "Hero", in The Siren there are three potential men (and one boy, but I'm staying away from that.) This is not a Romance Novel.
Bachelor #1 is her former Dom (Dominant) Soren. He too has conflicting public and private personas.
Bachelor #2 is her new editor Zachary. He is separated from his wife and initially not interested in being Nora's editor.
Bachelor #3 is Wesley. He lives with Nora. I think of him as Nora's moral compass, her heart. He's also younger and a virgin. He was my favorite.
Each man is right and wrong for her on many levels.
Just like this book was right and wrong for me on so many levels.
I enjoyed most of the characters, I enjoyed the witty, snarky, funny banter. I enjoyed Ms. Reisz writing. The book was not dripping with sex on every page, but Nora does get quite a lot of action.
This is the first BDSM Erotica I have read, it differs greatly from the Erotica Novellas I have read before. As I mentioned, it was well written, Ms. Reisz has a gift with words. She has crafted a story and created characters that anyone could become obsessed with. Unfortunately, to use the words of our main character, Nora, I'm just too vanilla. I was uncomfortable with much of the BDSM scenes and stories included, sure anyone with a healthy sex life is up for a little adventure, but it was too much for me.
Every other review I have read sings the praises of this book, and it's true, Ms. Reisz has talent, she's brilliant, and an expert in her field. I would love to read more about Nora and hope that eventually she'll ride Wesley into the sunset, but if I'm going to make it though the strong subject matter I am going to need a blankie, a therapist on speed dial and a really really good Safe Word.
The Siren is available for purchase on amazon.com, and later this month on amazon.ca as well as other book retailers.
Life is a funny thing, there will be moments that last (ie: drag) forever, and then it all whips by.
Last week was my birthday, my 32nd birthday. How did that happen?
To celebrate, albeit belatedly, everyone who follows and comments on the blog between now and Sunday July 15th will be entered in my Birthday Giveaway. One lucky winner will get to chose a Kindle format book from a selection of my favorite authors: Stefanie Sloane, Julia Quinn, Maya Rodale, Vicky Dreiling, Kieran Kramer, Maggie Shayne or Delilah Marvelle. (This is in no way endorsed by any of the authors or their publishers, just me spreading the birthday love.)
Here is a once in a blue moon picture of me, celebrating my birthday out with a friend, white sangria does no wrong!
I am about to post my first book reviews, something that I had intended to do a month ago, but it's ready now. Please be kind.
There are twists and turns and surprises in every book, magic and mayhem, but there is heart. While they may be Romances there is more to it, these characters breathe. They are so much more than words on paper; they are sisters, brothers, mothers, daughters, friends.
