Tag: Bewitching Book Tours

Review: Redeeming Vows by Catherine Bybee

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews
Format read: ebook
Formats available: ebook, paperback
Genre: Time travel romance
Series: MacCoinnich Time Travels #3
Length: 299 pages
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press (first edition); Self-published (second edition)
Date Released: December 17, 2010 (first edition); January 12, 2013 (second edition)
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

For her own safety, modern day, single mom, Lizzy McAllister is forced to bow to the medieval men who surround her when she’s thrust back in time to the sixteenth century against her will. When Lizzy finds herself trapped in time with Fin, the one man she finds both irresistible and maddening, she agrees to combine forces with him to rid Scotland of the evil witch, Grainna.

Finlay MacCoinnich’s attraction to Lizzy sizzles the very air they breathe. Tearing down the solid walls the woman has built around her won’t be easy, but he’s willing to do anything to keep her by his side. When a spell cast by their deadliest foe throws them forward in time, will they manage to find their way back in time to save their family from peril? And will Lizzy willingly stay in his time, or abandon him altogether?

I’m starting to think that Catherine Bybee’s time travel romances are a form of biblioholic crack–endlessly addictive. I’m having a difficult time resisting the urge to dive into Highland Shifter. It’s book four(!) in the MacCoinnich Time Travel Trilogy (problem of the first part right there) and I highly suspect that there’s yet another trilogy in the offing. Or at least that this is the start of the next generation’s stories. And there were three, so I’m going to try to resist until they’re all done.

Write faster Catherine!

Redeeming Vows is the story I was pining for in the last third or so of Silent Vows (reviewed here) — it’s Fin and Lizzy’s story. This makes it the opposites attract vow. Or maybe the “meet in the middle” vow.

Lizzy is definitely a woman of the 21st century. She’s a single mother and proud of it. She has every reason to be. The only male in her life who has not abandoned her is her son, Simon. She’s had to learn to stand up for herself.

But like Tara, Lizzy has damn difficult time bending to 16th century realities when it comes to the relationships between the sexes. It’s harder for Lizzy, because she doesn’t arrive more than half in love with someone, and because she has no intention of staying.

Fate has other plans.

So does Fin MacCoinnich. And Fin also sees what Lizzy doesn’t. That her son Simon needs to be a boy with other boys. That it’s time for Simon to grow away from Lizzy’s protectiveness, no matter how well intentioned that protectiveness might be.

They strike sparks from each other from the first minute.

Fin has a lot to learn from Lizzy, too. When she becomes stuck in the 16th century, Lizzy is the first one to realize that the evil witch Grainna will not be overcome with swords and spears alone. Grainna is a witch, and it is with Druid power that they need to beat her. Women’s power, working together.

But it’s not until one of Grainna’s spells throws Fin and Lizzy together back/forward into the 21st century that Fin discovers just how strong Lizzy truly is. Or just how much he wants to keep her in his life.

The question is whether he can convince her of that, now that he knows just what she’s giving up.

Escape Rating B: While Redeeming Vows doesn’t quite hold the magic of Binding Vows (see review here) it still reads like a rollicking good time. And I loved that there were happy endings all around. But I’ll get back to that in a minute.

Lizzy and Fin’s on again/off again/on again romance was hotter than any Druid fire. They can’t stand each other, nor can they see each other’s point of view half the time, but they can’t resist arguing. Fin’s never been in a committed relationship, and Lizzy doesn’t trust men. but they can’t keep their hands off each other. Their romance is scorching hot.

One factor that keeps them from giving in is the question of time. Lizzy doesn’t want to stay in the 16th century, and Fin is a man of his time. Lizzy’s son, Simon, belongs in the past. His power makes him yearn to stay with the only family that has ever accepted him. Lizzy is scared of losing him. She pushes Fin away because she’s pushing away a decision about where/when to be.

About that happy ending. On the one hand, it was terrific that everyone lived happily ever after. On the other hand, and this bothered me a bit, Grainna was a terribly great evil. It shouldn’t have been that easy. Much as it would have saddened me for someone to have been lost in order to defeat her, there should have been a cost.

One character was created just for Redeeming Vows to be a love interest for Fin’s youngest brother, Cian. Her purpose was to sacrifice herself to betray the witch, and give Cian someone to mourn. Her sacrifice helps bring the ending, but she wasn’t important enough to represent the high cost of defeating a great evil. My 2 cents.

I still loved the whole series and wish the next set was done. Highland Shifter is Simon’s story. I have the feeling that Amber’s story and Cian’s are yet to come. Bring ’em on!

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Guest Post by Author Catherine Bybee + Giveaway

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | blog tours> Guest Posts

I’m absolutely thrilled to welcome Catherine Bybee to Reading Reality! She’s here to promote the reissue of her MacCoinnich Time Travel Trilogy, which I think may be a kind of biblioholic crack–but in a good way! I devoured Binding Vows and couldn’t stop myself from reading the whole trilogy! YUM! Catch my review of Silent Vows today. I also reviewed Binding Vows last week and will finish the reviewing trifecta with Redeeming Vows later this week.

I had the opportunity to ask Catherine a question for her guest post today. Since her heroes and heroines travel both backwards and forwards in time in her series, I wanted to see how she would feel about traveling in time her ownself. Here’s the question, and Catherine’s answer…

Marlene: Which do you think would be more difficult (or more interesting) time traveling back to the past, or forward into the future, and why?

Catherine: Thank you for having me on your blog today. I love this topic. I think because it’s easy for me to answer.

Let me break it down like this. Traveling back in time would be quite similar to camping…in a dress. I don’t know one ‘happy camper’ who does it in a dress! And of course there isn’t bug spray or disinfectant when you scrap your knee and such. And of course we women have to worry about showing our ankles or riding astride a horse. As much as I might make it out that the big, yummy, kilted hottie would make up for all the negatives of traveling back in time, I don’t think it would at all be a pleasant experience for a woman. Perhaps it would be different for a man. I’m not sure.

Now… traveling forward in time might prove easier. The enormity of change that has happened on Earth in the past 150 years is so vast we can’t possibly know what it would be to live any other way. So moving forward… this might prove easier. Technology is bound morph into bigger and better things. On the other hand, if the zombie apocalypse, or the total collapse of our economy may just plunge our world back into world without modern conveniences. I’d love to know what our future holds. We can predict some things, but not all. I’d love to know if we ever explore space… really explore, as in outside of our solar system with manned missions.

I vote to move into the future.
If I went back in time, I’d piss someone off with my snarky and completely non-politically correct tongue, and end scrubbing someone’s floors just to eat.

About Catherine:New York Times bestselling author Catherine Bybee was raised in Washington State, but after graduating high school, she moved to Southern California in hopes of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned the novels Wife by Wednesday and Married by Monday. Catherine lives with her husband and two teenage sons in Southern California.You can find Catherine at her:Website| Blog | Facebook | Twitter

~~~~~~TOURWIDE GIVEAWAY~~~~~~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Silent Vows by Catherine Bybee

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews
Format read: ebook
Formats available: ebook, paperback
Genre: Time travel romance
Series: MacCoinnich Time Travels #2
Length: 278 pages
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press (first edition); Self-published (second edition)
Date Released: August 4, 2010 (original); January 13, 2013 (second edition)
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Myra, a medieval virgin druidess, flees five hundred years into the future to escape death at the hands of a cursed witch and lands in the arms of a handsome but cynical twenty-first century cop.

Officer Todd Blakely knows Myra is hiding something , but can’t resist her innocent charms. Destiny throws them both into a world of intrigue and mysticism. Can Todd be the true white knight she needs? Or will magic and the winds of time tear them apart?

I’m enjoying this series so much that the minute I finished Silent Vows I started the third book in the series, Redeeming Vows. Time travel romance is loads of fun when the author doesn’t get too fixated on the method, and Ms. Bybee didn’t.

There was something appropriate (and wickedly fun) about part of the premise in this book. In the first book in the series, Binding Vows (reviewed here), Tara and Duncan meet because Duncan and his brother Fin have regularly been visiting the 21st century to relieve Druid virgins of their pesky virginity.

Now that the evil witch Grainna has returned to the 16th century the macCoinneach family has a problem. The oldest daughter, Myra, is still a virgin (much more common in the 16th century) and is now a target for the witch’s spell. The solution is to send her to the 21st century to get her out of harm’s way.

It’s understood that if she has to, as a last resort she can get herself de-virginated. Only as a last resort, of course.

Myra was supposed to find Tara’s sister Lizzy, along with Lizzy’s son Simon, and reassure them that Tara was alive, well and happy. Also go on one ginormous 21st century shopping trip and bring back oodles of stuff that Tara wanted. Like aspirin and antibiotics. Also coffee.

Instead, Myra got picked up by the cops in the middle of let’s call it Disneyland. And discovered that even with Tara’s crash course in 21st century everything, she really wasn’t prepared for life in Tara’s California.

The cop who picked her up at Disneyland knew she was lying about very nearly everything, but he still couldn’t get her out of his head. Especially after he rescued her from nearly being raped because she had no clue that she shouldn’t be out and about in Los Angeles at midnight.

Officer Todd Blakely took her home. To his home. Because she had nowhere else to go. And because she was beautiful and he wanted to rescue her, even though he knew he couldn’t believe anything she said.

Until Lizzy came to talk to the woman who had information about her sister, and everything got crazier. And more sane at the same time.

Myra called him Sir Blakely. When she went back home, she didn’t need to worry about being a target for the evil witch anymore. Too bad for Todd that he didn’t really believe everything she said until he saw her travel back in time, taking his heart with her.

Escape Rating A-: I’m so glad these are all available now, I’d hate to be stuck in the middle wondering how the rest of this series goes!

Myra does give Todd a lot to believe, and while he doesn’t believe her story, he is pretty accepting of her in general. It’s kind of astonishing that he doesn’t send her for a psych evaluation!

Todd’s and Myra’s story does drag on just a bit once the venue switches to the 16th century. We know how they are going to end up, and by that point, I wanted the focus to shift to Lizzy and Fin.

This series is just plain fun, and I can’t wait to see how it ends!

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Review: Binding Vows by Catherine Bybee

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews
Format read: ebook provided by the author
Formats available: ebook
Genre: Time Travel Romance
Series: MacCoinnich Time Travel Trilogy #1
Length: 292 pages
Publisher: Catherine Bybee
Date Released: January 13, 2013
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Duncan MacCoinnich’s task… Travel to the twenty-first century Renaissance Faire, deflower the Druid virgins, and go home. Only his job is not so easily accomplished with the virgin in question, Tara McAllister. Time is running out. The evil is closing in on them both. Tara finds Duncan irresistible after what was supposed to be a mock Hand-fasting binds them. When Duncan whisks her to his home in Scotland she could accept that. But, can she forgive him for taking away her modern life when she finds herself in the sixteenth century? And is it love they feel? Or something else?

Time travel romances are always much more interesting when they gloss over the means by which the time travel happens and skip straight to the part where the characters deal with the effects of the time travel.

Time travel generally strains the willing suspension of disbelief. The more an author tries to explain something that is inexplicable, the more it generally takes me out of the story. Time travel is magic, or close enough. I want to move on and read about people dealing with the result.

Renaissance Faires are also magic, admittedly of a much more mundane kind. The 16th century, or thereabouts, with all the beautiful costumes but without all the horrible smells and diseases. And with flush toilets, or at least Port-a-potties. (Forget what I said about no horrible smells!)

So, Binding Vows is a time travel romance that doesn’t get into all the gory details about how the time-travel gets accomplished. Excellent! In fact, our time-traveling heroes don’t initially reveal that they are time-travelers. The Ren Faire gives them the perfect opportunity to blend in with the locals.

Unfortunately, they’re not the only ones blending in. Duncan and Fin are at the Faire because they’re keeping an eye on an evil sorceress named Graina. She’s pretending to be a Gypsy fortune-teller.

But then, they’re pretending to be 21st century dudes who just happen to like dressing up as knights.

Instead, they’re all Druids. Graina, calling herself Gwen, is on the lookout for a virgin with Druid bloodlines who can restore her powers. Let’s just say that the sacrifice required of the virgin will not be a willing one.

Duncan and Fin come to the Ren Fair every year to make sure that there aren’t any virgins available. On the rare occasion that they do manage to find a 21st century virgin, any sacrifices that they make to the cause are very willing indeed. And lots more fun.

Until Duncan meets Tara McAllister, a 25-year old virgin who resists his seduction, but calls to his heart. Tara wants more than a one-night stand, she’s looking for someone who will stand by her. Someone different from the boy-man who abandoned her sister when she became pregnant, and different from the father who threw them both out.

But Duncan knows he has to return to his own time when the Faire is over, and he can’t rip Tara from her own century, her own life. But once Graina sets her evil eye on Tara, he realizes he has no choice. And that he wants none. He wants Tara for himself.

It’s only after he carries Tara to his home in the 16th century, barely one step ahead of the evil witch, that he understands that the woman he has come to admire, and maybe even love, may never forgive him for ripping her out of time.

And he learns that the evil his family has fought for centuries has followed them home.

Escape Rating B+: The time travel parts of the story were terrific! When Tara is carried back in time, I really felt for her confusion, her anger and her grief. Her old life is dead, and she has to start over. Even if she accepts why it happened, she’s lost everyone she ever loved. She needed to mourn.

The relationship between Tara and Duncan takes time to develop. There’s attraction, but it needs time to grow into something more. What I found a bit unrealistic was just how, well, unrealistic Tara was about the position of women in the 16th century. However equal Duncan treated her in private, in public the expectations would be different. The world wasn’t going to change just because she was from another century, especially if that had to be hidden.

Duncan’s family is a joy. It was great to see Tara develop a loving relationship with other people in his family, especially his mother and his sisters. After reading a lot of stories where all the characters come from dysfunctional families, it was fantastic to see a totally functional one!

As a side note, if you liked the idea of magic at a Ren Faire, Emma Bull’s classic urban fantasy, War for the Oaks, also hinges on the magic of a Ren Faire. If you’ve never read it, indulge yourself. You’ll thank me. Really.

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Author Interview with Lacy Danes + Giveaway

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Author Interviews> Giveaways

My special guest today is Lacy Danes. She’s here to introduce her fascinating new series, Dragon’s Fate, along with the first book in that series, Waterfall. This series has a very cool concept, and not just because the first dragon is the water dragon. Her series is in an alternate Regency, with cursed dragons as heroes. Very yummy (see my review for more details).

But now, let’s hear it from Lacy!

Marlene: Hi Lacy! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Lacy: Hello and thank you for having me here today as I am promoting my novella Waterfall! I live in the Pacific North West with my amazing husband and three kids.  We have one dog and two beat fish.   I have a day job at a global company in the IT field.  Writing is my passion.

Marlene: Describe a typical day of writing? Are you a planner or pantser?

Lacy: I sit down with my coffee or tea.  The coop dog (our Havana Silk Dog) cuddles up next to me and I read through and edit what I wrote last. From there I start writing again.  I don’t plot or plan and when I have the story never followed the plan anyway.

Marlene: I noticed that you like to write on the hotter side of romance. What made you choose to write mostly on the more erotic side of the romance spectrum?

Lacy: I have always loved that heart pounding sensation I get when I would read a great steamy romance.  When Amazon first started they had this feature that let you know the steam level of a romance book.  I would always look for historical romance that rated above 8 on a 1-10 scale.  When I started writing I was very nervous to write those scenes. The wonderful Sasha White gave a class on how to write sex scenes and from then forward I have been confident.  Though I have to say I still get nervous when I know a sex scene is coming up in my story.  I want to make sure that the scene is just as amazing as the stories I read.

Marlene: The dragons in the Dragon’s Fate series seem like a combination of myths and tropes. What was your inspiration for the Dragon’s Fate series?

Lacy: I did research about dragons a few years back.  I did this as I was considering getting a dragon tattoo.  I have yet to get that tattoo but I was fascinated by dragons in each culture.  When I decided to write this story I wanted to make them different and so I used myth, culture, and fiction to create them.

Marlene: How does the world of Dragon’s Fate differ from our own history?

Lacy: Dragon’s Fate’s world is filled with wonder, fantasy, and magic.

Marlene: On your blog you have a page on “Historic Sex” devoted to sex words and phrases used before the 19th century. It’s absolutely fascinating (and hilarious). When did you start researching this and why? And what made you decide to post it?

Lacy: I stared researching when my writing ventured into the more steam side of romance. Sadly I could not find this information consolidated in one place.  Because of that, I decided I needed to put my research up for others to use too.  I am not perfect at it, I know there are words missing and maybe some that are questionable as to the age of their origin. But it is a good list.

Marlene: What projects do you have planned for the future? What is next on your schedule?

Lacy: I am currently working on the second story in the Dragon’s Fate series. Open Flame. After Dragon’s Fate is complete, I have an unfinished WIP that I am going to dive into.

Marlene: If you could pick one book to read again for the first time, what would it be?

Lacy: A hard question. I have several that I go back to again and again.

Marlene: What is your favorite thing about the writing experience and why?

Lacy: I love editing.  Each pass I make through the story makes it come more and more to life.

Marlene: Tell me something about yourself that I wouldn’t know to ask?

Lacy: I have three tattoos.  Woodblock inspired flowers on my hip, an owl , and a moon and cherry blossoms on my back.

Marlene: Morning person or night owl?

Lacy: I am a night owl by nature, but my day job tries to make me a morning person. I work for a global company and have to be awake for 7:30 am meetings at times.

Waterfall
A Dragon’s Fate Novella, Book 1
Lacy Danes

Genre: Romance, Alternate Worlds, Paranormal, Steamy/Erotic

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Number of pages: 138
Word Count: 38K

Cover Artist: Kanaza http://www.kanaxa.com/

Book Description:

It’s easy to fall in love. Destiny requires tooth and claw.

Curses are designed to be cruel, but the one afflicting Jordan and his brothers is almost beyond bearing. A dragon born by blood magic, he is an immortal trapped in human form, with only one hope of finding his eternal mate. He must bite her—and pray she lives.

One dark night, he senses the wounded heartbeat of a woman in the shadows, begging him to end her life. Ever the gentleman, he chivalrously obliges her wish. Only to discover three days later that she lives. And has married another.

Celeste always dreamed of marrying for love, but the nightmare of living in her father’s home drives her to wed the Duke of Hudson. Yet on her wedding eve, she is compelled to follow a mysterious man who professes to know her secret. A man with curious blue scales on his muscular arms—whose shadowed eyes reflect a dangerous mix of destiny and desire…

Warning: This novel contains explicit sex, sex in water, four super-hot dragon brothers, and a curse born from magical power that has left them wondering who they are all their lives.

About Lacy Danes :Lacy Danes made a New Year’s resolution to write a hot, historical romance.A year and a half later, she achieved her goal. She lives in Portland, Oregon, where besides writing she enjoys playing cards, chasing her kids around, and savoring a great martini with the man of her dreams all while watching the world go by.Visit Lacy at her web site: www.LacyDanes.com | twitter | facebook 

~~~~~~TOURWIDE GIVEAWAY~~~~~~

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Review: Waterfall by Lacy Danes

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews
Format read: ebook provided by the author
Formats available: ebook
Genre: Paranormal romance
Series: Dragon’s Fate
Length: 153 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Date Released: January 1, 2013
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance

It’s easy to fall in love. Destiny requires tooth and claw.

Dragon’s Fate, Book 1

Curses are designed to be cruel, but the one afflicting Jordan and his brothers is almost beyond bearing. A dragon born by blood magic, he is an immortal trapped in human form, with only one hope of finding his eternal mate. He must bite her—and pray she lives.

One dark night, he senses the wounded heartbeat of a woman in the shadows, begging him to end her life. Ever the gentleman, he chivalrously obliges her wish. Only to discover three days later that she lives. And has married another.

Celeste always dreamed of marrying for love, but the nightmare of living in her father’s home drives her to wed the Duke of Hudson. Yet on her wedding eve, she is compelled to follow a mysterious man who professes to know her secret. A man with curious blue scales on his muscular arms—whose shadowed eyes reflect a dangerous mix of destiny and desire…

Product Warnings
This novel contains explicit sex, sex in water, four super-hot dragon brothers, and a curse born from magical power that has left them wondering who they are all their lives.

My Review:

Dragons, fated mates, infidelity and vampires. Oh and did I mention dragons?

The concept for this series  (Waterfall is definitely the first (and introductory at that) novella in a series) is fascinating.

Four dragons are born from stone eggs and cursed to live as immortal men. Each brother has power over one of the elements. None have any memory of being dragons.

They call themselves the Zir.

All they know is that the curse will end when they find their destined mates.

It’s a pity that the only way they will recognize their fated mates is by biting a poor woman (yes, like a vampire) and having her survive the poison they inject into their bites.

Each brother has left a string of lovely corpses behind him. Five centuries worth of corpses.

And their powers are fading. It’s a curse after all.

Until Jordan, the water dragon, finds Celeste washed up on shore, surrounded by the wrack of a terrible disaster at sea. Celeste is the only survivor. He bites her to give her a quick death, because her body is broken beyond all possibility of survival.

The next time he sees her, she is about to become the bride of one of their few human allies, the Duke of Hudson. Her survival means that she is Jordan’s mate.

Hudson’s long set plan to marry her means that someone else has been manipulating all of them like pieces on a chessboard. But none of the brothers, or, for that matter, poor Hudson, know who the other chessplayer really is. Or even why he’s playing.

All Jordan knows is that she is the reward for his centuries of endless waiting. The world has come alive for him again. And Celeste finally discovers that all the eerie things that have made her different, are all part of being fated to mate the water dragon.

But first there is this pesky problem of Celeste already having a promised husband. And that the Zir have a powerful enemy who has been waiting a long time for a chance to defeat them. Again.

Escape Rating B: There’s a lot of terrific build up of the scenario. This alternate Regency world, where those who are slightly “other” are known to the ton, is pretty cool.

But we only get glimpses of how things got there. It felt a bit like a tease.

It was definitely a tease about how the Zir got to be cursed, but we only know what they know, so that was fair.

The Duke of Hudson had to have had a powerful reason for going so completely “dark side”, and we only got a glimpse of it. We don’t see how he got seduced to fall. He was more of a charicature than a real villain. Or even a front for the real villain.

I enjoyed the story for the way it begins the saga. In this particular instance, the “fated mates” trope does make sense. There was certainly a reference in the story that what Jordan and Celeste felt wasn’t love, but that it could be in time.

Using the destined mates trope as an excuse for infidelity, just doesn’t say “romance” to me. It may be “curse-ending” but it’s not romance. On that other hand, paranormals don’t promise happy endings, just more adventures.

And I always want more worldbuilding. I can’t wait to see what Ms. Danes does with this fascinating setup. I’m looking forward to finding out the next brother’s and dragon’s fate.

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Guest Post from Blair McDowell On Character Studies + Giveaway!

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | blog tours> Giveaways> Guest Posts

I’m very pleased to welcome Blair McDowell back to Reading Reality. Blair is the author of two of my favorite books from last year, Delighting In Your Company and The Memory of Roses. Those marvelous stories explored exotic places that Blair has lived. Sonata (reviewed here) is a fascinating look into Blair’s other love, classical music.

On Character Studies by Blair McDowell

We all use different approaches in writing. What works for one author doesn’t necessarily work for another. For me it is vitally important to know the people about whom I’m writing before I put the first lines of any story to paper.

That’s not to say that characters never change during the course of a story. Often the story is about the change in a particular character from the beginning of the novel to the end. But it’s important to make the need for this change evident to the reader. It’s necessary to establish firmly who the character is at the beginning before showing the gradual changes to that character.

Having said that, the hero in Sonata, Michael Donovan, is not a character who changes much in the course on the book. He starts out a decent, intelligent, lovable guy, and he ends up a decent, intelligent, lovable guy. But through those absolutely consistent character traits, he causes change to those around him.

Here is the character study I wrote on my hero, Michael Donovan, in my new novel, Sonata.

Michael Donovan—hero. Thirty-one. A detective with the Vancouver police. Father and grandfather were policemen. Good looking in a hard tough way. Lots of muscles. Tall, capable, all business. Serious about his work. Appearance—think the young Clint Eastwood. Muscles like iron. Broad shoulders, slim waist, taut abdomen. Sandy hair that defies taming even though kept short, sharp green eyes, rugged face. Not handsome, but certainly attractive and very masculine. Off duty dresses very casually. Jeans, running shoes, etc. Former hockey-jock.

Michael’s hobby is cooking. He worked his way through university in restaurant kitchens, and took courses at the Vancouver Culinary Arts School. Michael’s cooking ability plays an important part in his seduction of Sayuri McAlister’s (my Japanese-Canadian heroine, a professional cellist).

He was Sayuri’s sweetheart in high school, where she was two years below him. Their relationship ended badly when his adolescent hormones too obviously reacted to the twelfth grade femme fatal. They haven’t seen each other since– (twelve years ago). They reconnect when he is assigned to investigate a break-in at Sayuri’s father’s house just as Sayuri returns home from Paris.

On his off-work hours Michael works on a sailboat that he keeps moored at Secret Cove. He whistles melodiously as he works. Picks up melodies he hears Sayuri practicing. He has a huge dog named Buttercup, a Malamute, St. Bernard, wolf cross, who is afraid of her own shadow. He rescued her, a shivering, malnourished puppy, in the course of a drug bust.

Michael has an efficiency apartment in Vancouver on Sixth and Granville, and a small house in Secret Cove on the Sunshine Coast that he inherited from his grandparents, while Sayuri, the woman he loves, comes from a different world. Her father owns a major tech company (think Blackberry) and she lives in a mansion in Point Grey. The difference in their financial and social status looms large in Michael’s eyes. He sees it as an insurmountable problem. Furthermore everyone in the McAllister household, including Sayuri’s father and his new fiancé and the couple who have worked for them for years and raised Sayuri after her mother’s death, must be considered a suspect in a multi-million dollar jewelry robbery that appears to have been an inside job.

How can Michael hope to win Sayuri in the face of these obstacles?

Below is a short excerpt. Michael has just persuaded Sayuri to have dinner with him.

Michael stopped the car before a gate to the underground parking garage of a high-rise condo building on Fourth Avenue. The gate swung up in response to his keycard.

“Where are we? I thought you were taking me to dinner.”

“I am. I’m taking you to dinner at my place.”

“I see. I suppose that’s all right, as long as you don’t think that I’m on the menu.”

Michael burst out laughing. “I wouldn’t presume…”

Sayuri laughed with him. “You can’t have changed that much Michael. Of course you’d presume if you thought you could get away with it. And I hope you can cook, because I certainly can’t.”

“Cooking is among my many and varied talents. You’ll never have to cook if you just stick with me.”

“That’s a very good thing, because if our survival depended on my cooking we’d starve. When other girls…”

“And boys,” Michael interjected.

“When other girls and boys were learning how to cook, I was practicing cello.”

Michael pulled his car into a numbered parking space and came around to Sayuri’s side of the car to open the door for her.

“Mmm. A man who can cook and who helps his dinner companion out of the car. Are you sure you’re for real, Michael Donavan?”

About Blair

I started to write soon after I found my first pencil. But I began to write for publication about 30 years ago — professional books. I wrote six of them, all still in print and still in use. Only lately have I turned to fiction. I’d have done it a lot sooner if I’d had any idea how much fun it was!

I’ve lived in many different places. The US — Certain cities call to me. I love San Francisco and Seattle and the wonderful Oregon Coast. Australia — among the most open welcoming people in the world, and a wide open young country with incredible land and sea scapes, with amazing animal and bird life right out of science fiction. Canada — HOME. The place where I belong.

I travel a lot. I usually spend the month of October in Europe, Greece or Italy, and the winter in a little house I built many years ago on a small non-touristy Caribbean Island. I have worked and studied in many places — Hungary, Australia the US and Canada, and have spoken in most of the States and Provinces as well as Taiwan and various cities in Europe. I enjoy being surrounded by cultures other than my own. I enjoy my own as well — but variety is indeed the spice of my life.

I keep busy — and I love my life. I love meeting the people who come here to the west coast of Canada and stay in my B&B. I love traveling after the tourist season is over. And I love writing. My interests?? Music, especially opera, reading everything in print, and Writing. And walking on the beach and swimming. At one point I had hoped to swim in every major sea and ocean. I’ve realized that may not be possible in one lifetime — but trying has been fun!

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Review: Sonata by Blair McDowell

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews
Format read: ebook provided by the author
Formats available: paperback, ebook
Genre: Romantic suspense
Length: 258 pages
Publisher: Rebel Ink Press
Date Released: November 1, 2012
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

A jewel heist…

When renowned concert artist, Sayuri McAllister, returns to the west coast of Canada after an absence of five years, she discovers her family home has been a broken into and jewelry worth two million dollars is missing. Michael Donovan, Sayuri’s old high school flame, now a detective with the Vancouver Police Department, is the officer in charge of the case.

What chance can he have…

Michael takes one look at Sayuri and falls in love with her all over again. But they parted in anger years ago and Sayuri is no longer the innocent girl he once knew. What chance can there be for a Vancouver cop with someone as famous as Sayuri McAllister? Especially when that cop is investigating her family and friends?

An unexpected marriage…

Then Sayuri’s widowed father, Sean, marries Alyssa James, a woman Sayuri has never even met. The three live uneasily together in the Point Grey mansion until the unexpected arrival of Alyssa’s brother, Hugh James, a devastatingly handsome, charming Irishman who immediately begins a campaign to bed and wed the delicious and wealthy Sayuri.

Things take a dangerous turn…

Accidents begin to happen. Or are they accidents? Nothing is as it seems. Michael distrusts Hugh James and fears that Sayuri’s life may be in danger.

Sonata by Blair McDowell is a love story, a family story, and a mystery. Make that two love stories.

Sayuri McAllister is a world-famous cellist. Coming home for the first time in five years, she discovers that her father’s house has been burgled, her father is remarrying after 18 years as a widower, and that her high-school crush is the ranking officer for the Vancouver P.D. investigating the burglary.

And Sayuri thought she was coming home to rest!

Sayuri’s life at home is much different from what she expected when she decided to come back after five years traveling the world’s concert stages. She and her father’s new wife, Alyson James, barely make an uneasy truce over the changes in their lives. Each woman had expected to be the only queen in Sean McAllister’s castle.

And Sayuri and Michael Donovan, that police detective, discover that the decade and more since high school hasn’t dimmed the attraction they once felt. But it has closed the gap between her wealth and his middle-class background.

As the investigation into the jewelry theft from her father’s house proceeds, Sayuri and Michael begin the relationship they couldn’t have all those years ago. But Sayuri is afraid to give too much of herself. Her concert career has always come first, and she doesn’t know how to mix her kind of all-consuming art with any kind of normal life.

But she wants to try.

Into the middle of this bursts Hugh James, Alyson’s brother. He tries to charm his way into Sayuri’s life. With his sister’s collusion, he tries to edge Michael out of the picture.

Then Sean, Sayuri’s father, starts to have mysterious accidents. Meanwhile, the jewel thief hides in the background, waiting for another chance.

Escape Rating B: The mystery in this romantic suspense is more of a “why did he do it” than a “whodunnit”, as the perpetrator is obvious almost instantly. However, the totality of his motivations are obscured until the end.

Sayuri and Michael’s love story is the one in the forefront. While it was sweetly done, there was just a bit missing for me. I wasn’t totally clear on why Sayuri was so afraid to commit emotionally. It seemed that her objections were cultural, but her internal debate needed a bit more externalizing.

Also, she let herself be hypnotized by Hugh James a bit too much. For someone who could be so commanding onstage, she was a little too subservient off of it. She let herself be swept along, even while she was being creeped out, and admitted to herself that she was creeped.

The gradual turn around of Alyson’s relationship, not just with Sean but with the whole McAllister household, was lovely. She started out on her high-horse and in the end fell in love with everyone. And we all understood why.

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Review: Heels and Heroes by Tiffany Allee + Giveaway!

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews> ebook giveaway> Giveaways
Format read: ebook provided by the author
Formats available: ebook
Genre: Paranormal romance
Length: 79 pages
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Date Released: January 7, 2013
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Brenda is a second-rate superhero, normally more concerned with uniform fashion than defeating bad guys. But when a violent, new super villain declares war against her city, she suddenly finds her specialized power to deafen sound in high demand.
As if facing the destructive force of a new enemy isn’t bad enough, she finds herself paired with the powerful, yet emotionally distant, Justice. Forced to work at the side of the only man who gets her heart pounding, Brenda is not only in danger of losing her life in battle, but also her heart to a man who might not be able to love her back.

What if being a superhero was just like having an aptitude for sports, or math?

Some people have it, and some people don’t. Some folks are better at it than others.

It’s just that the “minor” superheroes attend “career day” at the local high school wearing masks. Everyone may know they exist, but they still need to hide their secret identities. because where there are superheroes, there are also super-villains.

And also super-egos, and not just in the Freudian sense.

Brenda has always been kind of the “runt of the litter” when it comes to superpowers. She knows she’s got a second-rate power. Her parents, both retired members of the local Council, have never hesitated to remind her of that fact, every single time they see her.

Neither has her younger brother. He’s the one who got the first-rank talent. He’s the one her parents dote on. She’s just a nobody in their eyes.

And in the eyes of everyone in the Chicago superhero council. She’s good enough to show up at ribbon cuttings and career fairs, but no one asks for her when they need a powerful talent.

Until the Howler comes to town. Because his talent is just what it sounds like. A mind numbing howl of sound that knocks out everyone within reach of his voice. Including superheroes. While everyone is out, the Howler robs banks.

And kidnaps the Mayor of Chicago for ransom. (Too bad it wasn’t one of the Daleys. But enough of the walk down memory lane)

Brenda’s talent is sound blocking. She’s the Silencer, and the only superhero the Howler can’t take down. They all hope.

But she’ll need to work with a team of talents, because she can only block the Howler if she can find him, and that’s not her talent.

Justice can track a superhero. Justice, the hero of all Brenda’s hottest dreams. But she knows that no first-rate talent would ever look at second-rate her for two seconds.

She has no clue that Justice has done nothing but look at her for months. Since the second he moved to Chicago. He’s only keeping away from her because he believes that everyone he loves gets killed. Just like his parents and his sister.

He doesn’t trust his emotions not to be a distraction. And a danger.

Justice has never learned that love is what makes life, even super-powered life, worth living. And Brenda has never had anyone believe in her.

Too bad the Howler is targeting both of them, just when they’ve found each other.

Escape Rating B+: I had such a terrific time reading this story! I really hope there are more stories in this world. What a blast!

Brenda has learned to live with so little validation from her super-powered family that she’s created an entirely separate and very worthwhile life for herself as a mundane. In that world, she has a purpose and authority and she owns her life.

Justice finds her take-charge attitidue in her day-job a real turn-on.

Her diffidence when she’s with her family made this reader want to slap someone upside the head. Justice takes care of that, verbally at least. The family dynamic is sad but real–how many families are there where the very talented child is treated like royalty and the normal child is treated like a doormat?

Justice and Brenda’s relationship develops quickly but naturally. It doesn’t feel like the insta-love you often read in short novellas, because they have known each other for several months, and have been attracted to each other. They’ve just both resisted the pull for reasons that turn out not to matter.

Absolutely super superhero romance.

~~~~~~TOURWIDE GIVEAWAY~~~~~~

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***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Interview with Jade Kerrion + Giveaway!

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Author Interviews> blog tours> ebook giveaway

Today I’d like to welcome Jade Kerrion to Reading Reality. Jade is the author of the Double Helix series. I’ve already finished the first book in this science fiction series, Perfection Unleashed (review here) and let me tell you, it is a thrill-a-minute ride!

Marlene: Hi Jade! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Jade: In no particular order, I’m an author, a business executive, a wife, and a mother. All those roles demand impossible amounts of time that far exceed twenty four hours in a day, so on any day, I just juggle them, trying to keep all the balls up in the air. For the most part, it works.

Marlene: Describe a typical day of writing? Are you a planner or pantser?

Jade: Prime writing time takes place early in the morning or late at night when the family is asleep. That said, I’ll sneak in whatever time I can find during the day as well. For the most part, I am a planner. I tend to have notes as well as a sense of where the story is going to go. The plots, however, have been occasionally hijacked by uncooperative characters, and oddly, it tends to work out better that way.

Marlene: What made you choose to write science fiction? And why this particular branch of science fiction related to genetic manipulation and people’s reactions to it?

Jade: I grew up on science fiction. My first crush ever was on Luke Skywalker—I was only three at that time. In addition to Star Wars, I was a huge fan of the X-Men. The Double Helix series reflects much of that influence and leverages my own interest in the topic; at college I majored in biology and philosophy. Science is quietly making progress on the genetic front while we focus on far more distracting news, like the economy, a budget deficit, and wars. The genetic revolution will be upon us, faster than we know, and I don’t think we, as a country, or humanity as a whole, are prepared to address it.

Marlene: Where did your inspiration for the Double Helix series come from?

Jade: The X-Men, certainly, but I didn’t want the story to be just about mutants with super powers. Discrimination is frequently more subtle, and I think many of us have dealt with discrimination in one form or another. I wanted to write a story where almost everything is wreathed in shades of grey, and it’s really up to the reader to ask the questions, and find their own answers.

Marlene: What can we expect of the Double Helix series?

Jade: Many more roller-coaster twists and turns! The first three books of the series— Perfection Unleashed, Perfect Betrayal, and Perfect Weapon—are now available, as is the YA spin-off, When the Silence Ends. The focus of the story will start to shift from Danyael, the alpha empath and Galahad’s physical template, to Galahad himself as he defines his own humanity.

Marlene: What is your favorite thing about the writing experience and why?

Jade: Michelangelo once described his work as a sculptor as freeing the statue that exists within the block of marble. It’s less about creating than it is revealing the art that already exists. Writing is like that for me. The story exists in my head, and the process of writing isn’t about creating, it about revealing the story and sharing it with others.

Marlene: Tell me something about yourself that I wouldn’t know to ask.

Jade: I’m a dancer! I spent years in ballet class, and then in college, joined the modern dance company and spent 40+ hours dancing in preparation for our annual spring concert. Later in life, I switched to salsa (my husband is an incredible dancer.)

Marlene: What book do you wish you could read again for the first time?

Jade: David Eddings’ Belgariad series. Yes, I know it’s standard high fantasy, loaded with stereotypical characters, but darn, it was so much fun. I fell in love with the series immediately, and it would be amazing to read it again for the first time and recapture the sense of wonder.

Marlene: What words of advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Jade: Be committed to excellence. This is true regardless of whether you’re going down the traditional route or self-publishing route. You want to put out something you’d be proud to stick your name (or pseudonym) on. Writing well takes time. You wouldn’t call someone an expert until he/she has put in thousands of hours of work (the typical range is 10,000 hours towards expertise.) Likewise, just publishing a book doesn’t make you a truly good writer. It takes time, practice, and dedication to the art.

Marlene: What projects do you have planned for the future? What is next on your schedule?

Jade: In February 2013, I’m releasing Earth-Sim. Let me share the blurb with you:

Have you ever wondered who’s really in charge of the world? If there’s a God, He seems accident-prone. How else can you explain the mass extinctions, global floods, and worldwide plagues? Are there days when you want to shout out to the uncaring sky, “Is there an intelligent, well-executed plan behind this mess?

Wonder no more. From Jade Kerrion, author of the award-winning Double Helix series, comes an occasionally whimsical, frequently irreverent romp through the history of Earth, as seen through the eyes of the two students and the android assigned to shape the future of the planet in Earth-Sim.

Seamlessly blending popular culture with history, science, and religion, this crash course in planetary management will charm and entertain as you attempt to decipher just how much is fact and what else is fiction. Either way, you finally have someone to blame for the shape our world is in.

I’m currently working on a new science fiction novel, tentatively titled City of Eternal Night. Yes, it is science fiction. It started out as a paranormal romance in my head, and as the plot expanded, it very clearly became science fiction. I can’t seem to get away from the genre…

Marlene: Now, can you tell us 3 reasons why people should read your books?

Jade: A. My books are compelling and my characters addictive. My goal, as an author, is to wreck other people’s time management skills, and according to my readers, I’ve succeeded fairly well on that front.

B. My books have universal appeal. I’ve had lots of readers tell me, “I didn’t even like science fiction before I read your books, but I love them.” Well, that’s because I don’t write hard science fiction. You won’t have to know how a hyperdrive works. In most cases, you don’t even have to leave Earth behind. It’s about the characters and the challenges they face in defining themselves and defining their world.

C. Conflict and tension, physical and emotional. My books are loaded with them. 🙂

Marlene: Coffee or Tea?

Jade: Neither. Hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

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About Jade

Jade Kerrion, author of the award-winning science-fiction/dystopian series, Double Helix, first developed a loyal reader base with her fan fiction series based on the MMORPG Guild Wars. She was accused of keeping her readers up at night, distracting them from work, housework, homework, and (far worse), from actually playing Guild Wars. And then she wondered why just screw up the time management skills of gamers? Why not aspire to screw everyone else up too? So here she is, writing books that aspire to keep you from doing anything else useful with your time. She lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with her wonderfully supportive husband and her two young sons, Saint and Angel, (no, those aren’t their real names, but they are like saints and angels, except when they’re not.)Places to find Jade: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+

When the Silence Ends

When you choose your friends, you also choose your enemies.

Seventeen-year-old Dee wants nothing more than to help her twin brother, Dum, break free from the trauma in their childhood and speak again, but the only person who can help Dum is the alpha empath, Danyael Sabre, whom the U.S. government considers a terrorist and traitor.

The search for Danyael will lead Dee and Dum from the sheltered protection of the Mutant Affairs Council and into the violent, gang-controlled heart of Anacostia. Ensnared by Danyael’s complicated network of friends and enemies, Dee makes her stand in a political and social war that she is ill equipped to fight. What can one human, armed only with her wits and pepper spray, do against the super-powered mutants who dominate the Genetic Revolution?

America, nevertheless, is ripe for change. Exhausted by decades of belligerence between humans and their genetic derivatives, the clones, in vitros, and mutants, society is on the verge of falling apart or growing up. Which path will it choose, and can a mere human, her sassy attitude and smart mouth notwithstanding, light the way to a better future?

In her quest to help her brother become normal, Dee will learn what it means to be extraordinary. When the silence ends, the celebration of life, love, joy, and hope will inspire feet to dance and hearts to sing.